Seasonal Cooking

I went to a couple of farm stands today to supplement what I have coming in from the garden.  We picked up some raw milk, corn, fennel, a head of lettuce, and watermelon.  I was thumbing through cookbooks this afternoon trying to decide what to cook up, but I just couldn't find what I was after.  So I just winged it.  I find myself cooking like this more and more often- using meals had elsewhere or a recipe as a springboard for a new off-the-hip dish.  Today this what went in the pan (the pictures are nothing fancy, just shot straight from the cooking vessel before my battery died):

Carrots, fingerling potatoes, fennel, and sweet onion with 4 oz diced raw bacon, all tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, the roasted at 400 degrees .  Topped with fennel fronds and dill:

Corn (3 ears, grilled), 4 oz diced bacon (cooked), 1/2 sweet onion (sauteed in bacon fat), a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, raw cream, basil, salt and pepper......kind of a creamed corn/succotash inspired dish:

Obviously I was in the mood for bacon.  :)

Raspberries, pea greens, green beans, peppers, and potatoes are about all I have coming in from the garden these days.   No complaints there!

Whats Cookin'

Last year I mentioned wanting to focus on greens in the garden this year.  At first I was feeling as though I fell short, but now that the season is picking up a bit I think I made a good effort.  We are eating a sizable salad or using greens in other ways daily.  Buying the giant bag of pea seeds (5#'s) was the best thing I did.  Wilted pea greens in our mashed potatoes, a couple of handfuls thrown in a stir-fry, spring rolls with peanut sauce, salads, bunny food, the list goes on.  We -L-O-V-E- our pea greens.

Claytonia, arugula, baby kale, baby chard, mache, and spinach add interest to standard lettuce and mesclun mixes.  The variety of greens growing is greater than anything we have had in the past, it is exciting to have fresh ingredients after a long cold winter.  (Isn't the little lilly pad leaf with flowers enough to make you smile?  Simple pleasures, like claytonia in my salad thrill me.  What a garden geek I have become.)

Today I made garlic-chive pesto pasta with last year's dried tomatoes and canellini beans.  Also,  some quiche with an herbed crumb crust instead of the standard pie crust fare.  Garden asparagus, dried tomatoes, and onions comprised the filling.  Yum.  Garden eating is good, and green tastes great!!

Herbed Multigrain Crust (for quiche):

1/3 C prepared bread crumbs, seasoned is fine

1/3 C AP flour

1/3 C whole wheat flour

1/3 C cornmeal

1/3 C butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

dried herbs to taste

 (I use a good quality Italian Seasoning blend)

Mix ingredients with a fork and press into pie plate.  If your bread crumbs are un-seasoned consider adding a sprinkling of onion or garlic powder to the mix.  Prepare quiche as usual.  This crust comes together in a pinch if don't want to make pie crust, or don't have any pre-made on hand.  It is savory and crumbly-crunchy.   You will either think it is great, or swear to never make quiche that way again.  Just thought I would share.

HAPPY GARDENING!

Peachy-Keen

I finally dug the in-season-frozen peaches out of the freezer today and put them to good use.  The stars aligned and I had clean jars, all necessary ingredients, time, and motivation at hand.  Back when it was peach season I was in no mood to can.  Now in the cold months of winter I get exited about boiling water and simmering down jams and relishes for 40 minutes over the stove.   Very excited.  Today I made "Sun Relish" (peaches and peppers) and "Peach Lavender Jam", both from this cookbook:

Amazon.com: The Complete Book of Year-Round Small-Batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes (9781552094891): Ellie Topp, Margaret Howard: Books

Still have blueberries and strawberries waiting in the freezer, but that will have to wait for another day.

Sun Relish reducing:

The finished product ready for a taste test.  The book suggests serving with things like 

cheddar or cream cheese.  I am also thinking it would compliment some Mahi Mahi burgers.

The empty jam pot.  The steeping lavender smelled amazing, 

and the resulting jam is both unusual and delicious.  I am dying to try it on a warm biscuit or pop-over.

Yummy.

Sun Relish- Makes 4 cups; recipe courtesy of The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving.

6 peaches (peeled, pitted and chopped)

6 sweet yellow, and 1 hot yellow pepper (seeded & chopped)

1 lemon, halved

1/2 C white wine vinegar

2 1/2 C granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp pickling salt

Place peaches,  peppers, lemon and vinegar in saucepan.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered for 30 minutes, or until softened.  Remove and discard lemon, addsugar and salt; return to a boil.  Cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes until mixture thickens stirring frequently.  (Note: I had to reduce for much longer, probably because I started with frozen peaches.)

Ladle into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space; process 10 minutes for half-pint, or 15 minutes for pint jars.

HAPPY CANNING!

Another green tomato recipe, and its a keeper!

I tried a new recipe today, and I am so glad I did!  The recipe can be found over at Farmgirl Fare, and it is for a sugar-free green tomato relish/salsa/sauce.  I can't stop dipping tortilla chips in the pot.  Do I even bother canning the stuff?  It may not last long enough, lol.  The recipe calls for green tomatoes, but there are also many onions & garlic, some peppers, and a green apple thrown in for good measure.  Erin, this recipe may be perfect for you, especially if you kick-it-up a notch......I halved the cumin and (seeded) jalapenos called for in the original recipe and it still holds a nice little punch.  Now, I must warn you that there is a very distinctive vinegar taste to this sauce, but hubby and I totally approve!  (Edit: Note to self- small dice jalapenos added *after* pureeing, not before)

Get Your Cran On

I have something to confess.  I, until now, this very week, have always bought cranberry sauce in a can.  Are you gasping??  Maybe.  But maybe some of you are smiling, because you too are guilty of canned cranberries.  This is a horrible thing considering I live in the land of cranberry bogs.  Horrible.  Now that I have stopped being intimidated by the raw cranberry I never want to eat canned sauce again.  I want to try bread with chopped, whole, FRESH cranberries inside.  Are you in?

Last night I made oven-baked cranberry sauce and it could not have been easier.  It involved a 350 degree oven, a bag of cranberries picked over for twigs and unripe berries (mine weighed about 14 oz. when done), one cup of sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg to taste, and 1/4 cup of Brandy.  This was mixed together in a pyrex dish (something similar to an 8x8) and baked (covered) for about 45 minutes.  Stir, mash, enjoy.  (I also added a little water once it cooled as I found it to be too thick.)

Now I need to bake a turkey.  Until then my sauce is off to the freezer.  It is soooooo good.

Go ahead gardeners and cooks, get your cran on while the fresh ones are here.

Stupid Dogs, Sweet Potatoes, and Relish

I know I have complained of my dog eating anything she has access to in the yard.  She is a classic example of being smart and stupid at the same time.  In reality, she is wise to help herself to all things edible, but in my anger I mutter how stupid she is all day long.  She has figured out how to get the gate open in the garden if things are not aligned properly.  Leeks have been trampled, uncountable numbers of tomatoes have been gorged on, and then thrown up.  Ewe.  She is constantly coming in the house with a big green tomato in her mouth.  So thanks to my stupid dog and her appetite for both ripe and unripe tomatoes I had to make a pathetically small pot of sauce yesterday.  This pathetically small pot even has some freezer tomatoes from last year in it.  A shame.  (Insert mumbles about the 'stupid dog' here.)

There is barely an inch of cooked-down sauce in the crock-pot.

I also decided to be a bit proactive and take some of those green tomatoes for myself.  I have a recipe for Green Tomato Relish that is quite tasty on a hot dog, at least that is how I first came to sample it at a birthday party.  I promptly asked for the recipe.

I hope it is as good as I remember it, because even after halving the recipe I have eight 1/2-pint jars of it sitting on the counter.  By my calculations that is two years worth after gifting a few jars to family.  For anyone that might be interested in away to use up those green tomatoes at season's end, or just to spite your 'stupid' Labrador Retriever, here it is:

GREEN TOMATO RELISH

3 qt green tomatoes (5 lb)

4 lg onions, chopped

2 sweet red peppers, chopped

2 sweet green peppers, chopped

1 qt vinegar

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 T mustard seed

2 T celery seed

3 C white sugar

2 T salt

Put green tomatoes through chopper, strain, and measure.

(I took this to mean that the 3 qt or 5 lb of green tomatoes

 should be post chopping and straining.)

Add chopped onions, peppers, and spices.  Boil 1 hour.  Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal.

(I also assumed the vinegar and sugar were to go in the pot for the 1 hour boil.

I left over a 1/4 inch of head space (but less than 1/2 inch) and boiled for 10 minutes.)

Now back to the subject of those sweet potatoes from yesterday!  Sweet potatoes are said to double in size (or was it weight??) every 2 weeks.  Either way the "babes" will mature if given another couple of weeks, but the "big daddies" of the bunch don't need any bulking.  I initially thought I could root around for the larger tubers and leave the smaller ones intact, but this was next to impossible.  So I harvested about half of the bed and will leave the others for a week's time or so.  We had some more sweet potato greens last night with dinner, and I gave some to my neighbor that so kindly shared a fig tree with me.

The sweet slips were planted in a 4 x 4 raised bed, in mounds which were covered in black plastic to help retain heat.  Initially a dozen were planted but I lost at least three or four in the early weeks.

This is looking in from outside the fence.

Here is another view, the tomatoes have gone over into the potato bed, 

and the potato vines have in turn made their way into the tomato jungle.

I harvested 6 lbs of sweets yesterday (and one dahlia tuber), and they are curing in my bathroom.  

Odd I know, but they like warm temps and humidity so I figured that was the best place for them to hang out for the next couple of weeks.

HAPPY GARDENING!!

Whats Cookin'

It has been another day tethered to the kitchen range.  But again, I don't quite mind.  Luckily the weather is gray and cool.  It was a perfect day to oven-dry tomatoes, and simmer some vegetable soup on the stove-top.  The soup has tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, green beans, onions, and garlic from the garden.  WOO-HOO!  I will also be using some veggies from the freezer to make some Spinach & Artichoke Dip to go along with the Vegetable Soup for dinner this week.  Mmm- Mmm, good.  Good eats, and good for my freezers, cause I am running out of room folks!

Yesterday was a baking day.  Ground Cherry Squares, and Zucchini Brownies.  The squares are OK, nothing to write home about, though once brushed/glazed with a bit of Peach Butter, and topped with some cinnamon sprinkles, they are Mom, and kid approved.  Here they are before going in the oven, and again just after coming out.  (This is before my additions.)  They just seem to be lacking something....but they are unusual, check them out:

Then there are those brownies.  We have put quite a dent in them already, though that is not unusual in this house.  Baked goods just don't last long, especially when there is chocolate involved.

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES

from Simply in Season

1 C flour

3/4 C whole wheat flour
(I used King Arthur's "white whole wheat")

1/3 C baking cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Combine in large bowl.

2-3 C shredded zucchini

Stir in to flour mix.

1 egg

3/4 C sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

1/2 C plain yogurt 

(I used full fat sour cream)

1/2 C oil

1 tsp vanilla

Combine in a separate bowl and beat with fork.  Stir in zucchini mixture.  

Spread evenly into greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

1/2- 1 C semisweet or mint chcoclate chips

1/2 C nuts (chopped; optional)

Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake in preheated oven at 350F 35-40 minutes.

** My notes:  I did not bake this nearly as long as the recipe called for, I would say start checking after 20 minutes if your oven runs like mine.  Secondly, I used a bar of semi-sweet chocolate that I chopped up in place of chips.  No nuts.  Now, I am going to show you a picture of what I used for "baking cocoa", it is sweetened.  Not sure if this is exactly what the recipe called for, but when made with it, the results are good so I am going to go with it on all future z.b. bakes.

Also, I should plug this Simply in Season book.  I love it.  If you have room for one more cookbook on your shelf, run out and buy this one.  

Downhill From Here

I realized today that sadly, my garden has peaked.  The big heirlooms are practically non-existent in 'Tomato Alley'.  The beans are overgrown, and the beetles have discovered them.  The dang rabbits continue to eat my seedlings, and the dog hair is unfortunately doing little to discourage the little beasts.

As of today, all of the potato bags have been emptied.  (I still have fingerlings in the ground, and sweet potato vines.  I say vines because I have yet to find a tuber when nosing around in there, it has been so dry......wishing I could rewind and water that bed on a regular basis.)  The good news is there are still plenty of fruits and veggies to harvest over the coming months.  Cucurbits are behind for me this year, so they are just getting warmed up.  The cool nights of late may put a stop to all of that though.  Ground Cherries, Blackberries, and Raspberries are fruiting and ripening - good stuff there.  Chard is continuing to provide in this otherwise barren garden greens period. I finally smartened up and put some woven seed trays over my latest sowings, the stuff that is covered is still there, the stuff that is not is being eaten by the bun-buns.  I need more of those trays!!  Spinach and all but 2 head lettuce sowings are gone.   Some of the Chard has been eaten as well.  Carrots and loose-leaf lettuce are protected.

One of my melons is sizing up.  I am so afraid a dog, rabbit, mouse, or slug will get to it before it has a chance to ripen and be enjoyed by us.

I made an attempt to shield it from critters, but it certainly isn't perfect:

The little watermelon does not appear to be getting any larger,  hoping it will surprise me with it's girth one of these days.

Today's harvest, minus the potatoes.....I will save those for tomorrow.

The true potato yields aren't know yet, but the grow bags delivered a mediocre harvest.  If an ideal harvest is 10:1, I was hoping for a 5:1 out of the bags.  Purple Viking performed the best, giving me a 4:1 ratio; the Red Gold would have been right up there if hadn't robbed them so early in the season.   It came in at 3.5:1.  Keuka Gold was a real disappointment.  This potato is very similar in character to a Yukon, yet it is said to be a high yielder.  That was not my experience.  2.5 lbs of seed yielded 4 lbs of potatoes.  Overall I need to find a way to up my overall yields.  Better soil fertility and increased spacing is probably the answer.

 Stuffed Squash recipe for Annie's Granny, and anyone else who may enjoy it:
(recipe courtesy of The Victory Garden Cookbook)

6 med. Summer Squash

1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 pound munster, in 1/4 inch cubes
1/2 lb sweet sausage, casings removed*
3 T butter
1 C fresh bread crumbs
2 T fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1 T fresh tarragon (optional)
1/2 C sour cream

Halve squash and hollow out seeds/center.  Reserve and chop this scooped out bit.
Blanch squash, about 5 minutes.  (Optional ice bath to follow)
Brown sausage, remove from pan.  Cook butter & onions until soft.  Combine with reserved squash, meat, and remaining ingredients.  Fill squash and bake @ 375 for approx. 20 minutes in a greased dish.

* We always use Chicken & Apple Sausage in this recipe.  Whatever cheese & bread I have on hand goes in as well.

Yesterday's Lunch

I spied this recipe for Grilled Eggplant with Yogurt Tahini sauce over at Our Happy Acres and knew I had to try it.  The Villager based this recipe on one by Nigel Slater.  (These are not my own eggplant, they came from the farmer's market.  A petite or baby eggplant is best for this recipe, The Villager recommends a specific variety in his post.)  I used my favorite Pampered Chef grill tray for the grill, veggies come out perfectly every time.  As for the sauce I just happened to have all ingredients already on hand, I love that!  I served it with a Caprese Salad, it made for a light, refreshing lunch.  Below is the recipe, I will be making this again very soon.

2 tbsp tahini paste
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 dash salt
1 ea medium eggplant (12 oz, or several small eggplants)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp ground cumin

1. Combine tahini paste, lemon juice, yogurt, garlic and salt to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Slice eggplant into 1/4″ thick slices. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with cumin and salt.
3. Grill eggplant over high heat for 8-10 minutes, until soft and done.

Mixed Bag

(This is my second post of the day, the one that got this whole grated veggie thing motivated is found below, you may want to go there first.)

Last year I bagged up plenty of grated zucchini for bread making.  I like to portion my freezer bags with the amount of oil called for in the recipe as well, this keeps the keeps the zucchini free from freezer burn.
I will often add in various accouterments when making my zucchini bread (other than the obvious nuts and raisins), anything from candied ginger to grated coconut.  One my favorite add-ins in pureed pumpkin.  Doesn't pumpkin just make everything better?

Anyway, I am digressing from the topic at hand.  This year I decided to add everything but the kitchen sink into my grated zucchini.  Well, not really.  But everything else that was of vegetable matter in the fridge.  And an apple for good measure.  So here it is, grated zucchini, beets, carrots, and an apple all ready to be oil-packed and stuck in the freezer for house warming Winter breakfasts & snacks:

It is a colorful lot, one that almost looks too pretty to cook into a brown mushy loaf of bread.  Its all those Chioggia and Golden Beets.  They are a first for me, I hope they go un-noticed in the future 'Mixed Bag Zucchini Bread'.  Here is the link to my Put Away For Another Day Zucchini Bread if you are interested in socking away some partially prepped zucchini bread for future use.  (The frosting only occurs on rare occasions in my house.  ☺)

How are you all squirreling away your garden bounty?

The Fridge Challenge

Erin and AG, here you go (in response to a fridge challenge):

This was June 25th.  I had greens and currants from my garden in stock, but most other produce was from the grocer or farmer's market.

This is from today.  I have green beans, carrots, some bitter lettuce, and beets from the garden in there.  Also, some much needed donated zucchini.  As you will notice I have lots of "stuff" in fridge......sauces, oils, mustards, jams, seeds, and nuts.   So even when there is very little actual 'food' to eat my fridge is at least half full.  And, I labeled the shelves (back in June, thus the photograph).  It is actually turning out to be a good thing.  It helps me clean the fridge out more often in an effort to keep things in their proper spot.

***

I made some oven-raosted potatoes with a mustard, lemon, and oregano coating a few nights ago, they were quite tasty:

(Keuka Gold, Red Gold, and Purple Viking)

My husband like the Keuka Gold best (as he always does, these are a Yukon Gold-like variety); I prefered the Vikings in this dish as they were rather plain tasting on their own, not as rich and buttery as the other variety so in my opinion better complimented the coating.

The full recipe can be found here.  Ingredients are as follows:

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

• 3 pounds 1- to 1 1/2-inch-diameter mixed unpeeled red-skinned and white-skinned potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mustard-Roasted-Potatoes-240694#ixzz0vpaatYhT

Edit:  I should add in some of the other garden storage around here.  I was amused to see Annie's Granny keeps her potatoes in the fridge.  It seems as though she bucks the system and keeps her potatoes crisp and fresh.  Who knew??  (AG did!)

Here is how mine are being stored so far this year, along with other alliums that are not braided and hung:

In a hall closet, with pantry items, bird, and dog food.

The potatoes are in one of the mesh drawers:

Garlic and shallots:

More Garden Cooking and Our "Summer Vacation"

The tomato harvest has been just wonderful this year.  I have them coming out of my ears (no complaints), so I have been experimenting with different methods of putting them up.  So far I have done some bruschetta preserves (canned), caramelized (then frozen), oven-dried, frozen whole, and a fresh sauce on the stove-top.   I used the oven-dried and caramelized Juliet tomatoes in a recipe that caught my eye over at Thy Hand Hath Provided.   The recipe is for a Pesto Tort.  There are many variations of this tort out there, but most others utilize store bought ingredients, and none that I saw look so beautiful when served.  The thing that I loved about this particular recipe was the opportunity to use home-grown garden goodness- but it was a time consuming endeavor, let me tell you!  First one must dry some tomatoes in order to make a dried tomato pesto.  Then one must make a basil pesto.  Once these two concoctions are made the tort goes together easily with some grocery store cheeses (cream cheese and ricotta, with a tad of butter thrown in).  We had a sliver with lunch today and it was well worth the effort.  The best part about this tort is the amount I have put away in the freezer for future use......we will be enjoying this stuff for some time to come.  I see a wedge being brought to our friend's house for Thanksgiving, and another set out at Christmas.  A nice bottle of red and some water crackers are all you need to make an impression with this tort.  Here are some of my portions wrapped and ready for the freezer:

This is good stuff folks, if you are feeling adventurous give it a try, I think you will be quite happy you did!!

***

On a separate note we took a day trip (our big "Summer Vacation") to Block Island, RI on Friday and it was a blast.  We said we were going to do it for the last 2 years, and yet somehow it escaped us.  But we were determined to make it happen this Summer, so following is a picture intensive diary of our day.  I won't be upset if you decide to skip it.  ;)  (We left the house at 7:00 am and didn't get home until around 10:00 that evening....we were whipped but full of good memories.  It was good to be home again, going away for vacation is just not our thing.....in our minds the day-trip is king.) Here are some pictures from our little island adventure:

We had breakfast in Point Judith before boarding the ferry.  Down below the boats were unloading the day's catch.  Our view was of skate being off loaded, most likely about to head right back out to sea as bait.

Ferry boarded, and we are off!  My son was all stressed out over the horn blowing.  Then he thought the boat might sink (maybe because we have been studying the Titanic?!?).  He got himself so worked up he became nauseous and held a bad to his face for half the trip.  Luckily some members of the U.S. Coast Guard were on board and we assured him they would not let the ferry sink.  Crisis averted.  

Once on island we went straight to Ballards for some lunch (and much needed beer) on the beach.

The morning quickly turned into afternoon, and we were off to the "Great Salt Pond" to meet our captain for the day sail...

This was an interesting vessel.  Captain Larry and his wife live on board in 'the pond' during the summer months, running their charters when the weather permits.  They spent two years building this boat, which is a "trimaran" (3 hulls) while living and homeschooling in rural Virginia.  Their two grown children are also living on boats in the harbor for the Summer, their daughter was crew for our sail.

The three hulled vessel:

Dinner at Beachead Tavern.....the captain's wife recommended this spot for their fried clam strips- and they were delicious.  It is hard to find "strips" around here, all the clams come with bellies intact.  (Yuck.)

This boat table was pretty cool, there was lots of pirate treasure under the lacquer for the kids to seek out.  And of course the view was tranquil.

Lastly, some views of the island from the departing ferry and the sun setting into the Atlantic as we headed for home.  Hope you enjoyed the lengthy (but scenic) tour of our Block Island adventure.