Archive for January, 2011
Elderberry Brandy
Posted by castironidaho in Randy's Corner, Recipes on January 30, 2011
Elderberry Elixer
Seperate berries from stems
Put berries in appropriate sized glass jar (Jar should be full of berries)
Add honey to taste
Cover berries with brandy
Store in a reasonably cool dark area for 6+weeks
Strain liquid put in jars and seal
I dried the leftover berries in the oven at 170 until dry
I look forward to using them foe seasoning.
Randy
Join a CSA!
Posted by castironidaho in Farm and Garden on January 30, 2011
In this wonderful video, produced by us last spring, Farmer Marty explains how and why to join his CSA.
The idea of the C(ommunity) S(upported) A(griculture) was born in Japan where the movement is called Face of the Farmer, basically meaning eaters should know the farmer who grows their food. I’m trying to maintain a small CSA so I can get to know all my eaters. I think we should be friends and that’s how I think about it, I am growing for my friends (and a couple of my favorite restaurants).
The part I don’t like so much, but that really makes this thing work is the paying up front. This helps me buy some of the much needed supplies like seeds. It also helps us be more connected to the seasons.
In the early southern Utah spring, my great grandmother put all the family seeds in the ground. These seeds promised a day they could eat something besides beans, canned venison and sun dried apple chips. It’s all they had and if the seeds didn’t grow they may not survive the next winter.
Luckily we aren’t going to starve but we can feel something like an investment in our future nourishment by being connected to our farmers. We all hope for rain in April so we can have salad in May and sweet sweet raspberries to follow……
City Gardens 2011 CSA
Two 8 week seasons; Spring and Summer.
$50 deposit secures your share.
$225 per 8 week season.
Each week you will receive a large bag of my seasonal, organic produce. As usual, extras of whatever is in abundance.
Spring: salad greens, kale, arugula, collard greens, strawberries swiss chard, beets, parsley, radishes, green garlic, new potatoes, kohlrabi…
Summer: Potatoes, onions, garlic, basil, tomatoes, green beans, eggplant, carrots, peppers, peaches, raspberries, summer squash…
Farmer Marty
Global Gardens CSA
Katie works with a CSA made up of refugee growers. All of the information about their CSA is at the Global
Gardens Website.
The Boise Citrus Trials
Posted by castironidaho in Places we eat on January 27, 2011
Citrus fruits are a perfect winter fruit for so many reasons. They are harvested in the winter months, when little else is in season. They are full of vitamin C, which strengthens the immune system and helps us to ward off, or recover from, winter colds and flues. I had a cold myself recently, so have been indulging in extra citrus.
As a former Florida Girl, citrus fruits are near and dear to my heart. My local farmers’ market citrus grower used to offer at least a dozen varieties of oranges, grapefruit, and tangerines from his orchard. You could sample slices at the market and buy them by the pound or by the bushel. The grower was probably in his 70s, and hadn’t raised his prices in years. I used to buy a bushel of grapefruit to take my parents at Christmas, for which he charged $12. I used to tell him that he should charge more, and he’d say that he’d been charging $12 for so long, that raising his prices would just confuse him.
Here in Idaho, needless to say, really good citrus is much harder to come by. The Fred Meyer was trying hard though, with this sign featuring less commonly found citrus varieties:
Marty and I decided to sample them, and try to locate some quality citrus here in Boise.
We got a Cara Cara orange, a Blood orange, and a couple of Texas red grapefruit at Freddy’s. The Meyer lemons turned out to be false advertising: they were sold out, so we found those at the Boise Co-op instead. We also picked up some organic navel oranges there.
So, what did we think? The Blood Oranges were pretty and red, but a little tart. Something different, but not my favorite orange. The Cara Caras were sweeter but not anything spectacular either as far as oranges go. The Texas grapefruits were juicy and good, so we do recommend those. Marty claims that TX grapefruit are better than FL ones, which I doubt, but the TX ones looked a lot better than the FL ones at Freddys, so we didn’t buy any. The sad truth is that Florida is probably just too far away.
I thought that the clear winners were the organic navel oranges from the Co-op. Personally, when shopping for oranges, I like to look for the thinnest skinned ones, and these were the thinnest-skinned of our samples. I hate it when you peel and orange and the skin is so thick that it’s hard to remove and the orange is a third smaller than you thought it was. I think that the thick-skinned ones are bred for shipability, sadly, like a lot of things are these days, while the thinner skinned are the more traditional varieties, maybe actually bred for taste and juiciness.
We’re also partial to the clementines popular at Christmas time. Tiny, extra sweet, and extra easy to peel, they’re hard to beat.
That left us with the Meyer Lemons. Read on to see what we did with those.
Meyer Lemon Sponge Custard
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 27, 2011
We’d also purchased some Meyer Lemons along with the Boise Citrus Trials. According to Wikipedia, Meyer Lemons are a cross between a lemon and an orange, and are sweeter and less acidic than a regular lemon. Also, they’re only available in the winter months, unlike other lemons, which are around all year.
What to make with the Meyer Lemons? We perused the Joy of Cooking for a lemon dessert recipe, thinking of maybe a lemon meringue pie. Instead we came across this: “This is a magical dessert. During baking, the batter mysteriously divides into a quivery layer of lemon custard on the bottom and a light and spongy cake on top.”
We were sold and decided to give it a try. Here’s the recipe:
Lemon Sponge Custard
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2/3 c sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
Combine. Beat in, in order:
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 Tbsp flour
- ¼ c lemon juice
- 2 – 3 tsp lemon zest
- 1 c milk
In separate bowl, beat 4 lg egg whites until stiff but still moist. Fold gently into batter. Ladle into oven safe custard cups. Bake in a water bath 30-40 min. Let stand 10 min in water bath before serving.
This dessert can be served hot, warm, or cold. JOY suggested topping it with raspberry sauce, but we only had blueberries in our freezer so used those instead:
- 2 handfuls frozen blueberries
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Heat in cast iron until berries are thawed and warm. Puree a half the mixture and return to pan.
In order to get the most juice from these lemons, we heated them a little in hot water first, then rolled them around on the counter, firmly pressing with the palm of the hand, and then squeezed them out.
Citrus with Chocolate Ganache
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 27, 2011
Farmer Marty suggests making this for your valentine. Ganache recipe is also from Joy of Cooking.
- ¾ c heavy cream
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
(I suggest Ghiardelli’s 60% cocoa chocolate chips. They’re really the only way to go.)
Heat the cream in a saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir until it’s almost all melted. Remove from heat and let set 10 minutes. Stir until completely smooth.
Peel citrus and separate sections. Dip half of each section in the chocolate. Arrange artfully on a plate and serve to your valentine.
See “Broiled Grapefruit” to prepare the grapefruit in the center.
Broiled Grapefruit
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 27, 2011
This is my favorite winter cold remedy. When I lived in Paraguay I got a nasty flu once and was taken to visit the local traditional healer. After saying a secret prayer over my head, she harvested me a bag full of ripe grapefruit from her tree and told me to squeeze the juice and pulp from them at bedtime, heat it up, and drink it, and this would allow me to sleep at night. Worked like a charm (maybe it was the prayer too though?) and I still do it to treat a cold. Sometimes I also heat grapefruit juice from a carton and drink that.
Slice a grapefruit. If desired, drizzle with a little honey. Turn your oven to broil and put the grapefruit under the broiler on a baking pan. Broil until browned and caramelized. It takes a little while, a good 10 minutes, so be patient.
See “Citrus with Chocolate Ganache” to prepare the chocolate covered citrus pictured here.
Like this:
Jerusalem Artichokes
Posted by castironidaho in Farm and Garden, Recipes on January 24, 2011
Jerusalem artichokes
Our high mountain desert is brown and frozen. It seems as if there is nothing fresh to eat, but if we dig a little we can find a sweet little jewel – The Jerusalem artichoke also known as Sun Choke. Winter is the season to eat this exotically flavored rhizome. I think they are best eaten right after they have been dug up. You want to harvest the Jerusalem artichoke after the entire plant has died back all the way to the ground. As I kneel in the cold winter dirt picking up Sun Chokes and letting frozen soil slip through my fingers, I imagine I am a native rooting for Camas root.
How I like to eat them:
- In soup. Fast and easy. Wash, cut in cubes, put in soup.
- Shave thin like ginger. Put in shallow bowl with vinaigrette. Let soak for 30 to 60 min. Serve as side dish like a pickle.
- Whatever you would do with a potatoes you can do with chokes.
- Eat them soon after picking. The longer you wait the tougher the skin. Eaten right after picking no need to peel.
Growing Jerusalem artichokes:
Sun Chokes grow like an invasive weed. I sometimes wonder if they aren’t called chokes because they will take over. The plant gets about ten feet tall and need full sun. At the end of Fall they finally bloom. Little sunflower like blossoms a top a very tall plant. Stalks and leaf also resemble sunflower. Put somewhere you don’t care if they take over because they will. I grow them on the ditch bank. Harvest after plant has died back all the way to the ground. Best not to harvest the rhizome when frozen, wait for a day when the ground is thawed like after rain. Once they start sprouting root will vanish soon after. Best time to plant, now until March! Pick a day when the ground is thawed and you can dig.
How to get Jerusalem artichokes:
Call Farmer Marty (208)713-1675 $2 a lbs. For seed or food.
marty.citygardens@gmail.com
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Here is a recipe that we published last year in the Global Gardens’ CSA cookbook. I don’t have a photo of it because we haven’t made it since last winter. We served it at a pre-season party for Marty’s CSA members, with a big loaf of crusty homemade bread, and I remember it being wonderful! More info on both CSAs, coming soon!
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 ancho peppers or other medium-hot peppers (we used barbecued, frozen ones from last season!)
- 20-30 Jerusalem artichokes, chopped into 2 or 3 pieces.
- 4-6 c. water or broth
- 1/2 can of coconut milk or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pumpkin seeds (available in the bulk section at the Co-op)
Heat olive oil in a soup pot and add onions and garlic. Cook slowly until clear and caramelized, 10-15 minutes, adding ancho peppers halfway through cooking. (Farmer Marty likes to barbecue his anchos, and freeze them to use later in soups.). Add artichokes and water to pot and simmer until they are soft. Puree with a blender or food processor, stir in coconut milk, salt, and pepper. Serve in bowls topped with pumpkin seeds.
Rosemary and Shallot Encrusted Venison With Sweet Potato and Carrot Fries
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 21, 2011
Rosemary and Shallot Encrusted Venison W/ Sweet Potato and Carrot Fries.
After eating a lot of soup and salad, Farmer Marty was ready for a meat and potatoes meal. The rosemary and shallots were grown by us, and the venison was harvested by Marty!
- ½ cup fresh chopped Rosemary
- ½ cup chopped shallot
- Salt and pepper
- 2 slices of bacon chopped
- Deer loin cut into medallions
Mix rosemary and shallots. Roll medallions in rosemary and shallots. Salt and pepper.
Brown in very hot (high) cast iron skillet. Heat skillet: bacon first; let fry for a few minutes, until almost crisp, then add medallions. Just long enough to turn the outside of venison grey – 30 seconds on all sides. Put in casserole dish and bake on 325 until desired doneness. I prefer medium rare about 10 to 15 minutes. –Farmer Marty
Sweet Potato and Carrot Oven Fries
I usually make this with just sweet potatoes, but on this day we had some leftover carrot sticks, and used a white japanese sweet potato to contrast with the orange carrots. You could do this with any root vegetable.
- Sweet potatoes cut in fry shapes
- Carrot sticks
- Olive Oil
- Lime Juice
- Cumin
- Salt
Cut up sweet potatoes and carrots. We soaked the sweet potatoes in a little salt water first. This results in potatoes being soft inside and cripsy outside, however in this case, the carrots released a little bit of juice and everything ended up soft. Sprinkle with generous amount of cumin and salt, drizzle with olive oil and lime juice, and toss together to coat. Bake at 350 until the potatoes are cooked through. Yum! — Katie
Today’s Salad #2
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 21, 2011
Here’s the salad we ate with Rosemary and Shallot Encrusted Venison:
- Mixed greens
- Pomegranate kernels
- Smoked Salmon (made by my boss Jan as Christmas gifts for the staff! We have to figure out how to do this.)
- Carrot shavings
- Grated Asiago Cheese
- Oil, Balsamic, and Grapefruit juice dressing
Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese with Winter Veggies
Posted by castironidaho in Recipes on January 20, 2011
Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese with Winter Veggies
We gave the traditional Mac ‘n Cheese a little makeover by adding some seasonal vegetables and goat cheese. You could use other vegetables, whatever’s in season. Serve with a salad…see “today’s salad.”
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked pasta
- 12 brussels sprouts
- 1 cup potatoes, chopped
- 1 cup winter squash, chopped in small pieces
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 Tbsp butter (more if needed)
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 4 oz. goat cheese (cheap at the Grocery Outlet)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or oregano, one or the other)
- 2 heaping Tbsp chopped parsley
- ½ Tbsp caraway
- Salt and pepper
Cook and drain pasta noodles of choice. Put Brussels sprouts, chopped potatoes, and winter squash chunks into a veggie steamer all together. I steamed the squash in larger chunks and then chopped and peeled it once it was soft. I cut the Brussels sprouts into quarters after they were also soft. Mix all the vegetables with the pasta in a casserole dish with a lid. Grate cheddar and chunk up goat cheese, and mix in with pasta. Reserve ¼ cup cheddar to put into sauce.
On the stove, melt 2 Tbsp butter in your skillet over low heat. (You can do this in your cast iron, but might be a little easier in a stainless steel skillet.) Add flour and whisk together with the butter over low heat. If the flour is burning or sticking to the skillet too much, you can add a little more butter. Add onions, milk, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir patiently until it begins to thicken. When it begins to thicken, stir in ¼ cup grated cheddar. Pour entire mixture over the pasta and veggies, stir together, cover and bake at 350 for half an hour or until all cheesy and bubbly.
