strength from the soil

Tonight, Tonight

2008-11-04T06:06:00.006-07:00

Obama cupcake art by Zilly Rosen of Zillycakes

Smitten Plus

2008-11-02T19:01:00.012-07:00

Butternu t squash and caramelized onion galette, a la Smitten Kitchen. What's not to love? Squash, sage (one point for me!), pastry dough. And I got to use the goat's cheese that Shawn made last week. Yea, it's a time commitment, but for a dish that reliably dazzles? Why not? Sumptuously photographed at the link above, the directions were also as detailed as they needed to be. I would just add two things about the dough. The butter doesn't need to be perfectly cut into the flour--the second time I made this I was sans pastry cutter, and try as I might with a fork it stayed pretty chunky, but worked just fine. The other is when you mix in the water to form a the dough into a ball--i always had a lot of flour and flour/butter scraps left in the bowl that wouldn't stick to the ball. It always looked like way too much, and I'd fret, but it was always fine. If it doesn't stick, don't add more water (and don't try to knead it in!), there will be enough dough.

Italian Peasant Soup

2008-11-01T06:25:00.004-07:00

I found this recipe in an old edition of the MACSAC cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini. It's a great resource, listing probably every veggie you'll find in a (temperate climate) CSA box with tips for general handling and preparation as well as specific recipes for each.

I like stews, but I'm trying to like soups. They're trickier, though. Brothy soups are like salads to me, easy to do badly, but a really nice one can be, well, really nice. This one didn't quite live up to expectations. But it would make a nice base to riff off of if you're looking for a vegetarian way to fill that chicken soup niche.

Soup Recipe Here

Why Do You Build Me Up, Ambercup?

2008-10-19T09:08:00.006-06:00

It's not unusual that a dish will taste better than it photographs, especially the stews and gruel-like consistencies that I favor. This dinner attempt sadly proved the reverse. Maybe I strayed from the original recipe, I can't remember. But it was way too sweet and the texture didn't make up for anything (should I have fluffed the grains more?). I'm still determined to use millet and stuff squash, perhaps just not together. Recipe from The Gluten-Free Hippie.

Which Apple Variety Are You?

2008-10-17T16:44:00.014-06:00

That may be one of the last potential personality test questions that isn't already an internet quiz (really? which smurf am i? i did succumb to the supervillian quiz, though: Poison Ivy, with Mr. Freeze in second (who is that?)).

These photos are from our last visit to the orchard (sad). One of the many great things about these trips was the chance to try the different varieties of apples--I've got to start making up for all the time I lost on Red Delicious! Here are some sites I dug up on apple varieties:

This one's great for the sheer number of varieties it mentions. Try this one for deciding which apples will suit your purpose, this one for which varieties to plant in your backyard (US only), and this one's probably redundant but I liked it. Oooh, this one has photos.

I was pretty proud of myself for breaking free of the Gala mold and adding tarter varieties like Macoun and Empire to my favorites list, but one of those sites lists them both as "sweet". Guess I'll have to try harder.

Squash for Soup

2008-10-16T13:07:00.008-06:00

I love this soup. And by this soup I mean the platonic ideal of all of the soups that Emma's made these past few weeks. They are all squash soups, with some potatoes thrown in for thickener, and they all share the distinction of lacking a recipe. I made a few honest attempts at recording the process, but deep down I was worried that my involvement would somehow throw the soup off course.

If you're not in the mood for soup, these two squash glossaries list different types of squash and suggested usages:

What's Cooking... and The Nibble

I just think that soup is the best way to use squash that you're not as comfortable with (like the Carnival pictured here, the first I'd ever seen). Here's my attempt at recreating Emma's kitchen witchery.

Herb Crackers

2008-10-15T12:52:00.009-06:00

Don't have the time to bake bread but need something to go with that soup? Crackers! These were really quick and simple--just flour, water, and olive oil, with salt and dried herbs. I got the recipe from Straight From the Farm . She used dill, pepper and oregano on hers, I did basil, cumin, and pepper. You could use anything--rosemary, coriander, cayenne, ooh, even sage.

Breaking apart the baked squares is the fun part

Spaghetti Squash

2008-10-13T22:09:00.008-06:00

This winter squash has qualities that remind me of a lot of different things--spaghetti, yes, and pumpkin, but also cantaloupe, bean sprouts, and rice noodles. In fact, I think the final product is a lot more like rice noodles than it is like spaghetti. Its stringy strands retain a little crunch, and have little kinks in them.

Spaghetti squash is a native of China, where it's called sharkfin melon; this one came from Rose's family's garden in Chico. I quartered the squash and steamed it--it took only slightly longer than actual spaghetti. It can also be baked. You have to clear out the seeds when you cut it open, like a pumpkin or a cantaloupe. Then you scoop out the insides. I used an ice cream scoop. Whee! Even a small squash will yield a huge pile of 'spaghetti,' since the inedible rind is so thin.

The normal thing to do is just treat it as pasta by adding sauce. Wikipedia recommends making mac and cheese out of it, which I'm going to try next. But there have to be lots of other fun things to do beyond the 1:1 pasta replacement concept.

My favorite alternate name is "squaghetti."

Brussels Sprouts

2008-10-13T11:45:00.008-06:00

To pluralize or not to pluralize, that is the question with Brussels Sprouts. Cultivated in large quantities for the first time in the 1200s in Belgium, this Brassica family black sheep was named for their capital. The Netherlands quickly took over production--today they produce three times as many Brussels sprouts as the US does. So if that elided "s" gives you pause when you go to write out this veggie's name, take comfort that in Dutch, the Belgium capital is called "Brussel".

I think Brussels sprouts get a bad name because over 80% of US production is for the frozen food market. But they're really good and surprisingly simple to prepare.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 lbs Brussels sprouts
4 T olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Preheat over to 400 degrees. Peel or cut off any gross bits, then rinse and dry the sprouts. Cut in half lengthwise, then toss with the other ingredients. Lay out on foil lined cookie sheet or pan, roast for 30-40 minutes. Recipe originally from The Adventures of Kitchen Girl.

Garlic Ghosts

2008-10-11T16:50:00.010-06:00

The garlic got planted this week, so I'm reminiscing about the rainy day I spent in the steer shed cleaning it, for sale and seed. Some combination of the dreary light from outside and the shimmery colors of the cloves gave them a translucent glow--I was bummed that most of my shots came out blurry. To speed away sniffles and colds ('tis the season...) I like to eat slices of raw garlic smothered in honey.

Check out the Barefoot Kitchen Witch's photo affair with garlic, too.

People Playing with Food, First Frost Edition

2008-10-08T12:16:00.010-06:00

First frost! The whole garden was ice-kissed and sparkly...

Here the PPWF part: I think this guy takes his "playing" a bit seriously-- A Youtube video for everything, they say, and here's one of a new and improved way to peel a hard-boiled egg.

The Long Absence

2008-09-28T09:56:00.004-06:00

noticed by few, cared about by less, but i do hear about it when i call home, so i'm going to attempt to catch up...before the celeriac gets harvested (and way before i figure out what you do with celeriac). New posts below!

Raspberry Curd

2008-09-25T11:28:00.007-06:00

Breakfast for dinner! We're trialing new pancake recipes all the time (serious research), but this sauce only needed one taste test. The original recipe was from Tea & Cookies. Besides being too lazy to strain out the seeds, we didn't make any changes. Perfect for when those pancakes just aren't sweet enough.

Chickpea Cilantro Mash

2008-09-22T12:04:00.010-06:00

I loved this dish. It got me away from the soup pot, gave me another opportunity to use our cilantro, and got spicier the next day. It also utilized an interesting cooking technique: you stir in uncooked pasta with the rest of the ingredients, and bake with extra water. I was skeptical, but it worked!

Here's the link to the original recipe, from Notes From The Vegan Feast Kitchen.

Biggest. Mushroom. Ever.

2008-09-19T16:44:00.009-06:00

I just walked in the house for a quick snack and there it was. The biggest mushroom ever. At least, that I've ever met in person. The mystery of its sheer size combined with the mystery of how it got into our kitchen made for a speculation filled break. Turns out it was a gift from Les, and that puffballs enjoy getting really big to surprise foragers (in my book any fungi that's too large to fit in my sink deserves to be anthropomorphisized)). Shawn wants to slice it up (cooked or uncooked I'm not sure) and freeze it between sheets of parchment paper to make faux veggie burgers.

In my search for other things to do with puffballs (full disclosure: I'm still a little freaked out by fungi, and prefer to only it them fresh/same day), I came across Fergus the Forager, who seems like a crazy guy. His adventures include trying to go a whole month on only wild foods.

I'm a big fan of the head-as-scale-indicator; here's Emma doing the honors.

Prince's Farewell Dins

2008-09-18T16:28:00.014-06:00

Prince heads back to Ghana tomorrow, so this was our last chance to serve him our "interesting" food, hopefully with a hint of the more familiar, from Shawn's recipe collection. Prince, we'll miss you!

If you feel guilty about the long cook time, you could steam veggies for freezing over the pot while you wait--just be sure to stir once in a while.

Sukuma wiki, vegetarian style

1 large onion
2-3 bunches of kale, stems removed and chopped finely
1 bunch collards, dittoed (or use extra kale)
1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped finely
2-4 medium tomatoes, chopped
salt, pepper

Saute onion in a small amount of oil. When translucent, add kale and collards with a small amount of water to prevent burning. Chop cilantro and add to kale. Cook for roughly 2 hours on low heat--the greens will release water as they cook, but early on be sure to stir to keep it from sticking/burning. Cook until all the water is evaporated, then add chopped tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 45 minutes, or until most of the new tomato liquid has evaporated.

Recipe for the Groundnut Stew here.

Bread & Butter Pickles: Take One

2008-09-12T12:15:00.005-06:00

Alright, I'm off the Dr. Seuss kick, but didn't you think that this was a pickle tree? Just for a second? It's where we've been tossing overgrown pickling cucumbers, I like to fancy that they're windfalls. We planted the "National" variety, and they were a wee too prolific for our canning pace. But we tried to catch up with CanningUSA's take on Bread and Butter Pickles. Pretty good.

PPWF September Style

2008-09-09T13:01:00.008-06:00

A little behind on skimming out the crock with this batch of sauerkraut. But it's kinda pretty, right? Not as pretty as the colors on these corn leaves...

To support my habit for non-recipe related (barely food related, even) photos, here's some more weird Food Art for y'all. I liked the computer and the watermelon face...

Raspberry Cupcakes

2008-09-07T13:14:00.006-06:00

I wasn't going to repeat my berry mistake of earlier this season and try to go savory with raspberries. Nope. Sticking with sweet.

The recipe was based on Jamie from My Baking Addiction's chocolate cupcake with raspberry white chocolate cream cheese frosting. We (er, Emma, mostly) made just a few changes. We added some raspberries to the body of the cupcakes, and we used smashed raspberries instead of raspberry extract to flavor the frosting. I'm guessing about a pint's worth of raspberries, and we didn't bother deseeding (did i ever tell you the story of the crazy guy who came to our booth at the MREA fair and told me that it was a sign of the apocalypse that people were eating seedless grapes and such because in the bible it says that seeded fruits shall be our food? He tied this in nicely with current Monsanto happenings, and it ended up being one of his saner arguments).

Anyway, the first time we made this recipe, I couldn't get over how fluffy the cupcakes were. The second time I liked them less. Just a warning.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

2008-09-04T11:14:00.010-06:00

The gardens look so serene from above. From below?

at least these guys are gone...

Need a hit of Shirelles? I do...

Mil Town Markets

2008-08-31T07:06:00.008-06:00

Had the chance to accompany Tim Huth of Lotfotl Community Farm fame** to his weekend farmer's market in Milwaukee. Just wanted to post some pics of his pretty produce and throw up some links.

Milwaukee has a happening local food, community garden, urban ag, and food justice scene. Home to Growing Power and Fondy Food Center, this year it was the site of the Growing Food and Justice for All Intiative's first gathering. And that's just off the top of my head.

If you're looking to join up with a CSA, the Urban Ecology Center holds a CSA open house in March where you can get details and meet growers.

**not exaggerating. Check these articles in Midwest Airlines magazine and on Midwest Renaissance.

Does Honey Rot Your Teeth?

2008-08-29T12:07:00.009-06:00

Sadly, the answer is yea. But maybe not! I tend to
ascribe mystical properties to honey--most of it deserved--and thinking of it as a simple sugar just never quite fit with that. Not that a little tooth rot is enough to unbalance all the wonderful things that honey does do. And the answer may be "depends on the honey", according to this admittedly somewhat crazy site.

With beeman Dan we extracted over 60 supers of honey, for a whopping total of nearly 2800 pounds of the stuff. And I saw the white foam for the first time.

I'm not sure how to explain it--think melted marshmallow, maybe? Or marshmallow fluff, if you've had that stuff. If you open a jar of honey and there's a thin layer of the stuff you can be sure that it wasn't pasteurized. I'm not sure what it is--scraps of propolis? Air bubbles caused by the extraction process? All I know is that I love the foam. Sweet and light in flavor, puffy in consistency, mmmm. I filled a jar of just foam when it reached the bottom of the tank.

Here are some photos from the extraction.

PPWF, repetitive version

2008-08-28T16:05:00.017-06:00

Some of these are repeats, but some are new: Youtube Stills of Food Art

Eggplant for Haters?

2008-08-28T16:05:00.012-06:00

Yea, I basically hate eggplant. Have I admitted this already? I had a bad experience once and it blocked out any good times I'd had previously with this nightshade fruit. I'm fine with excluding it from my diet, it was never a big part. But I liked these photos--pretty amazing how similar the colors are, between this Rosa Bianca and red garlic, right? So I typed "eggplant haters support group" into Google (no joke), and found Eggplant for Haters, a recipe by Nonlinear Girl.

I'm intrigued (though not that down with the racism-food aversion analogy). Haven't had a chance to try it, it requires somewhat fancy ingredients (dark sesame oil, rice wine), but I'm determined to give it a go. Well, maybe next eggplant season. Her tip is that Chinese eggplant, the one that looks like a purple zucchini, is a more likeable version than the rounded, dark purple American or Globe eggplant.

Kale Soup, Kale Soup for Dr. Seuss

2008-08-24T07:11:00.010-06:00

Alright, level with me: are these whimsical blog post titles making you lose your appetite? Because I swear this one was totally deserved--the brassica garden looked like it jumped off the lovable Dr.'s page, and I took a break from weeding to imagine being miniature and wandering around under these knobby, slightly goofy-looking trees. Then I took another break to photograph them (no wonder there are so many weeds!).

Kale soup recipe here

Above: Brussels Sprout Palms (lower leaves removed to allow sprouts to get nice and big). Left: Kale "trees" within the asparagus forest--don't mind the weeds!

Some Seed Saving

2008-08-20T18:35:00.012-06:00

Joy's the real expert in this area, but I thought I'd at least throw up some links--it's fascinating stuff. It's also a lot of work. Luckily we had a lot of volunteer help for our major projects, including these pretty purple shelled beans.

Saving Our Seed, a website on just that.

Common vegetable seed saving guide from ISSI.

Short and sweet guide from Sustainable Methow.

PDF specifically on isolation distances by Jeff McCormack.

Leslie Land's instructions saving tomato seed.

I think when I do start I'll go with easy herbs like cilantro and dill, then try beans and tomatoes, to get my confidence up. Here are some other suggestions on "easy" places to start.

Cilantro seed starting to turn

Sometimes You Feel Like A Nut

2008-08-19T12:16:00.009-06:00

We had a chance to visit Mark Shepard's permaculture shire (oh okay, "perennial agricultural ecosystem", according to this bio) in southwestern Wisconsin last week. I won't get into the awesome awesomeness that was Mark and his farm, but I will post some hazelnut photos...

In the U.S. we use the term hazelnut and filbert interchangeably, while in Europe filbert only refers to varieties of Corylus where the husk is longer than the nut. The "hazel" comes from the Anglo-Saxon haesel, which means headdress or bonnet (referring to the outer shell's shape). The "filbert"? Some think the term comes from the German vollbart, meaning full beard, also a reference to the husked shell, but the most commonly heard explanation is that hazelnuts mature around St. Philibert's Day, August 20.

According to "Permaculture Plants", hazelnuts begin bearing at 4 years of age, and can live fifty years or more. Their flowers can survive temperatures slightly below zero (-20 degrees C), and they have the potential to produce over 30 pounds of nuts per tree (though in the midwest, sans pruning or any cultivation, i think 5-8 pounds was cited as a good go). Great source of protein and oil (think of how great a hazelnut biodiesel tractor would smell--although maybe the alcohol component would neutralize the oil's aroma? Any chemistry majors in the house?).

Due to the high percentage of oils in hazelnuts they aren't storage hardy. Shell on, you could get four months in the fridge (one month at room temp). If your hazelnuts rattle in their shell when they're shaken, they've lost water moisture and are probably not so great anymore.

For more on permaculture goodness, check out Midwest Permaculture or the Permaculture Research Institute. For filbert cooking tips, check out about.com's hazelnut cooking page.

PPWF, Garden Photos

2008-08-17T08:25:00.005-06:00

Some Fruit Carving Oddities for your viewing pleasure

Joy's Enchiladas

2008-08-15T06:06:00.011-06:00

This recipe is easy--even I could do it! I was sure, too, that my version just wouldn't be as good as Joy's. But credit the simple recipe, it's nothing if not trustworthy. I did feel like a bit of a jerk for using canned tomatoes when there were fresh ones on the vine, so I threw some diced in between the layers, and the next time I made the recipe I did a combo of dicing and blending fresh tomatoes to substitute for the canned--yummier, of course.

Enchiladas de Joy

1 2/3 C pinto beans, uncooked
1 C rice, uncooked
2/3 C onions, diced
1 t garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1/4 t chili powder
2 10-oz cans tomato sauce
12 corn tortillas
1.5 C corn
4 C monterey jack cheese

Soak beans overnight, cook until tender (1 hour abouts). Cook rice. For sauce: saute onions, add spices and tomato sauce. (If you like spicy, you'll need to add that--this basic recipe isn't). Simmer until hot. Combine beans, rice, and sauce. In greased 9 x 13 pan, layer tortillas, rice and bean mix, corn, and cheese. Repeat. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve with salt and pepper.

Onion Harvest

2008-08-08T11:54:00.014-06:00

We sure grew some big onions this year. Hats off to Emma, the onion crop-planning queen.

Not really in a soup mood these days (yay for summers in the midwest), I managed to dig up an onion bread, or Pletzel, recipe. From the way the author tells it, you'd be doing your part to save this alledgedly endangered staff of life.

We laid them out on screens in the steershed to dry and braided some, too.

An Easy Carrot Side

2008-07-31T15:49:00.010-06:00

I loved this recipe. Not only did it allow us to rescue all the carrot seconds from the morning harvest from languishing in our kitchen, but it's also yummy (I just knew I was keeping fennel seeds around for a reason). The recipe comes by way of Straight From the Farm, submitted by reader Gintonio. I hope linking to them makes up for reprinting the recipe...

4-5 large carrots
2 garlic cloves
3 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 t fennel seeds
1 t paprika
Salt and pepper
2 T chopped fresh cilantro

Slice carrots thinly, place in a saucepan with some water and steam 5-8 minutes until tender, but not soft. Drain, let cool a bit. Mince garlic and mix with everything else but the cilantro. Toss carrots with dressing and cilantro.

She recommended letting it marinade at least overnight, a fact that I didn't realize until right now (and obviously did not do. They were still good, I guess better the second day, though). Serve cold or at room temp.

Zucchini Trial

2008-07-24T15:45:00.012-06:00

Not really a fan of zucchini? Blame Monsanto. Okay, that's a stretch. But blame the consolidating impulse present throughout the agri-business food system. I don't think I'd ever even seen anything besides that plain, dark green, bland variety of zucchini until a few years ago. And when I did I just assumed that they all tasted alike. Not so. Joy fixed us up with a taste trial and here's how it shook out:

1) Mutabile
2) Costata Romanesco (Johnny's calls it "best tasting", but I was overruled here)
3) Yellow Crookneck
4) Dk. Green--your plain old grocery store zucchini

If you've never dug on zucchini, maybe you just need a variety upgrade!

Stuffed Squash Directions:

Use any stir fry that you would have included squash in, thems the guidelines. Hugo kept this one pretty simple: onions, garlic, tomatoes. Scoop into quartered, de-seeded zucchini, sprinkle with cheese. Bake on low until heated through/cheese is melted.

Food Playing with People

2008-07-20T19:27:00.007-06:00

In tribute to the current zucchini onslaught, here are people being Attacked by Food, a la zefrank.

Golden Beets

2008-07-19T14:32:00.006-06:00

How gorgeous are golden beets? I'd never heard of them before, but luckily Joy had and we ordered seed--they are almost too pretty for their own good. Very full greens, as well. No specific recipe for these allegedly sweeter sisters of the red beet, just some eye candy.

I'm Currantly Rocking Out

2008-07-17T20:08:00.020-06:00

We made currant jam this week, yup yup, and did you know that fresh red currants are unrelated to the dried currants you may know from various baked goods? Those are actually dried zante grapes, and they had the name first.

Related to the gooseberry, currants are high in vitamin C (the black more so than the red), though canning temperatures destroy vitamin C. So I guess you just have to like the flavor. It's a nice change from the regulars, but not my favorite. Though maybe because this recipe made for a less gel-like jam, it's more the consistency of a pear butter. The color of the finished product, however, is a vibrant 80's pink--that makes up for a lot.

Currant jam recipe here

Another good option is to juice the raw berries (no heating) and freeze the juice in ice-cube trays, for adding to smoothies and other concoctions all winter long. This method is especially attractive when it's hot and humid out and the thought of being in a hot canning kitchen is too much to take.

Cutting Celery

2008-07-02T16:24:00.007-06:00

Heard of it? We hadn't, so we ended up planting enough for a big, healthy bed of it. Call it a successful, if unintentional, experiment. I like cutting celery's vibe. When it's neighbors were droopy or bolting, complaining in some way, it seemed just dandy. It's season is also longer (and earlier) than regular celery, a plus for spring or late fall soups.

Cutting celery looks like a hardier cousin of flat-leafed parsley, but the smell and ridged stem will end any confusion. The flavor is a bit stronger than regular celery--a few sprigs will substitute for one stalk (i heard)--and it holds its flavor when dried.

I first tried substituting cutting celery in my lazy sunday lentil recipe.

People Playing With Food, War Edition

2008-06-29T11:29:00.012-06:00

I'm a little uncomfortable with war analogies. People seem to use them whenever there's a large group effort underway, but I can't help but wonder if there aren't better examples of determined cooperation that we could use. I guess troop and troupe are from the same word? I should just accept the double meaning? Either way, I won't say that we're at war with the weeds, currently, but you get the idea. So here are the newest PPWF links:

Grocery Store Wars: A classic. You've probably already seen this Star Wars spoof, but if not, enjoy, it's good.

Fruit Wars : Stop animation and food? I like where their head's at.

The Real Fruit War: Same idea, more violence.

What a difference 20 days can make!

Seasonal Eating Gone Awry

2008-06-26T11:46:00.008-06:00

I'm not sure why I'm posting this. It feels like crossing the line between food blog (which should be heavy on the food porn and recipes) and diary. But you'll have to excuse me this once because danggit, i just tried so hard.

The summer menu was garlic scape pesto served with a strawberry dressing topped salad. The strawberry dressing was me trying to live up to my salad dressing challenge. It was a no go. The embarrassing part? I made five of them. Five strawberry salad dressings, all a little different, displayed on the table as some sort of fun taste test. And they all failed. Maybe it was the combination that did me in--the garlic scape pesto a bit on the thick side, paired with a heavier dressing. Whatever it was, the links to these dressings are now lurking in my bookmarks, waiting to be stumbled upon, the debacle relived (you're allowed to be melodramatic in your diary, right?). A lesson in trying too hard, i guess (note the parsley).

Er, maybe a different angle would help? No, no it did not.

Fancy Pasta

2008-06-22T19:31:00.013-06:00

Having been a citizen of "emergency pasta" town for about as long as I can remember, I was slow to grasp the concept of Fancy Pasta. Yea, the olives and capers are an investment, but they turn a plain noodle dish into something extravagant. Perfect for potlucks.

Shawn's Cinque Terre Sauce*

1 red sweet pepper, roasted on stove top (didn't have)
1 medium eggplant (didn't have)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic (or more)
1 hot red chili (not sure if we had)
2 C peeled, canned tomatoes
2 T chopped parsley
1 T fresh basil
1/4 C red olives (pretty sure we used black)
capers
oregano
salt and pepper

Trim ends of eggplant and cut into half-inch cubes. Heat oil, then add garlic and sliced red chili and cook until browned. Add eggplant and continue cooking. Next, add the tomatoes. Cover and cook slowly until the eggplant is tender. Add parsley and basil. Cook 5 minutes and then add the olives and capers, and some oregano. Peel, core and seed the roasted sweet pepper, then cut into ½ inch cubes and add to sauce. Cover and cook 20 minutes.

* Full Disclosure: I like to make the recipes I post at least twice before sending them out into the internet, but this one is untested. Also, I dislike eggplant.

Damned If You Dough, Damned If You Don't

2008-06-15T18:56:00.015-06:00

Chives. Have no idea how to use them. The examples I've seen involve dairy products that I remain distrustful of: sour cream, cream cheese, you know the type. But their flower is gorgeous, so I'm using them as the photo for this post, on cookie dough (the brownie batter got me thinking...)

I make a lot of cookie dough. Much to the chagrin of roommates past and present, I am not inclined to bake this dough. This dough is for eating. If you're making some dough with this purpose in mind, read on (because i'm not actually sure that my recipe makes better baking cookies).

Though I'm currently a food snob in training (eh, most of the time), and prefer Ghirardelli chips or Scharffen Berger chunks, I grew up on Nestle chocolate chips. That's the recipe I have memorized, that's the one I always make (usually just a half recipe). My new favorite uses less butter and less sugar, for a thicker and less grainy treat:

Dry
1 1/4 C AP flour (or 50/50 with whole wheat)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2-1 t salt (depends if your butter is salted, how much salt you like)

Wet
1/4 cup and a little extra sugar
1/4 cup packed and a little extra brown sugar
6 Tbs butter (1 stick is 8 Tbs), melted enough to mix
1 t vanilla extract (or to taste)
1 egg

Chocolate-- quantity and quality left entirely up to you. I don't judge (well, okay, if you didn't put any chocolate in I would judge you).

Stir Dry together in a small bowl. In a bigger bowl, mix Wet. Add Dry to Wet, mix well, add chocolate. Serve immediately. Stores quite nicely, covered, in fridge for a few days. Bake only if necessary. (*chocolate photo credit: Kim Sue, 2005)

Black Plastic:The Devil Within

2008-06-07T14:36:00.010-06:00

We're not supposed to like black plastic. It's high on the list with diesel fuel and water usage, heated greenhouses in winter, and corporate seed distributors. Sustainable ag-ers deal with it in various ways; here in Wisconsin we've met some who were apologetic, but see it as necessary, some who are trying the new "compostable" corn plastics, and a few who do without, using a heavy straw mulch or covercropped aisles instead.

But the black plastic is seductive. After we were done, I found myself drawn to photograph the straight rows (beginner's luck!), the sheets reflecting the clouds above like some strange sea. With any luck it'll have become prohibitively expensive by the time I'm in a position to make the call--I don't trust myself one bit.

Here's a link to what I'm calling Black Plastic Brownies. Mostly because they were the only thing I could think of to mimic the rows with (not because you should feel guilty about eating them, i don't support that ridiculousness). They came out a little cakey and dry for my taste, but the batter was yummy, I'd consider serving it as a mousse.

I believe I believe I believe

2008-06-01T11:45:00.007-06:00

They took they took! Alright, so these photos are from a few weeks ago--but look! Our trees took!

In March we had the chance to help graft apple trees for the orchard we visit. It's an exercise that requires a lot of faith--from what seems like little more than two twigs, a tree. The thin cambium layers of the scion and rootstock managed to find each other despite our unsure (sometimes downright wavy) cuts. I'm just amazed. I was going to talk about the process, but realized that nobody is going to go out and start grafting based on directions from this blog, so I won't bore you. But I do have some photos of the process and the orchard in spring!

Photos here!

People Playing With Food III

2008-05-29T20:06:00.007-06:00

Lemon Festival in Menton, France: Every year from mid-February through early March. It may be a 70+ year old tradition! (my french isn't that great, try your hand at the official site).

This craziness (i wonder if they eat the citrus fruit afterwards) reminded me of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. Actually, the words "building a nation" inscribed over the entrance one year (the palace gets redesigned annually) rang fairly threatening to my ears (probably because I started reading The Story of Corn by Betty Russell), while imagining a nation built on citrus just puts me in the middle of this Tang commercial.

Actually, speaking of corn, check out this TED talk by Michael Pollan.

Brandon's Quinoa Bake

2008-05-27T11:38:00.008-06:00

Brandon is the king of baked dishes. Zitis, lasagnas, quiche-y things. While the rest of us serve up dinner from the pot or pan, when it's his cook night, it's usually going to come in a baking dish. This Wednesday was no exception, we were treated to this spinach-filled treat (red quinoa--who knew!).

Recipe here

In Love With Lettuce

2008-05-21T19:44:00.009-06:00

...and hoping to feel similarly about salad dressing by the end of the summer. I've been a no salad dressing person for as long as i can remember (which is probably why i was never that crazy about salads), and only recently converted to the balsamic vinagrette point of view. Now i'm looking to get fancier, and, for the sake of science, i'm willing to (gasp!) measure the ingredients. Here's the first trial:

Simple Sweet Mustard Dressing

2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 t mild honey
1 t mustard (stoneground or Dijon)
1/2 t tamari

Anticipation

2008-05-08T19:56:00.007-06:00

I can't get over the way melon and squash seeds smash through the soil. The baby shoots seem so determined, single-minded, even aggressive, whereas I think of the fruits (the one pictured is watermelon) as happy-go-lucky, laid back.

The other day in the greenhouse I remarked on how I have to restrain myself from just taking bites out of yummy baby plants. I thought I'd get knowing nods. I got looks of horror. Was called a "cannibal". Yeesh, I didn't do it...(but don't they look good?)

Asparagus Has Hit!

2008-05-05T17:02:00.006-06:00

And I'm determined to try some new ways of preparing it. My favorite is asparagus soup, but I had a great asparagus crostini the other night, courtesy of Chef Nate--cut the stems thinly on a long diagonal, put a layer on a slice of baguette, top with cheese and bake until crisp--yum. Anyway, here are some useful links for getting creative with the speared ones:

Asparagus Galore (a love affair)

"How to Cook Asparagus" (a no-nonsense guide)

"Let Me Count The Ways" (somewhere in between)

Walpurgisnacht**

2008-05-01T18:07:00.013-06:00

Came across these beautiful bok choys in the solar house the other day and it made me think of last May and this photoshoot with Neeta and one awesome baby bok. Please excuse the gratuitous vegetable photos; I couldn't think of a specific recipe for bok choy outside of throwing it into any stir-fry yumminess.

Bok choy is one smart vegetable.

** Post title from a May 1st holiday-- a celebration of the first day of spring, and possibly the closest thing the Europeans have to Halloween (which is celebrated exactly 6 months later). Oh, and the baby bok is informing me that it's also a chapter title in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain and the name of the second act of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf"...told you it was smart.

More People Playing With Food

2008-04-25T20:56:00.004-06:00

The music edition. These are both amazingly crazy and great.

Vegetable Instruments--This one can serve as an introduction to Heita3's other videos/songs-- cucumber trumpets, cabbage slide flutes, and pepper ocarinas await you! My favorite has to be this video (warning: post-modern).

The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra --"The further exploration and refinement of performable vegetable music is a central part of the orchestra's aesthetic quest."

If You Can't Beet 'Em...

2008-04-10T21:32:00.011-06:00

Make Emma's Beet Risotto! A nice break from roasted root veggies (and a step up in fanciness), this dish is also an eye-pleaser. I'd never gotten my head completely around the idea of risotto, but according to Emma, if you can get used to pouring rice into a hot pan without liquid in it, you can make risotto. Here are the highlights of my interview with the chef:

Q. Do you have to use Arborio rice?
A. No, but you do need to use a short-grain variety. Something to do with starch content.

Q. Do you have to use broth?
A. No, but using water instead means it won't be as flavorful. You could probably get away with using a diluted broth, though.

Q. Why do you warm the broth?
A. So that each addition of fresh liquid doesn't cool the risotto and lengthen the cooking time.

Q. You've got wine and parmesan cheese listed as optional ingredients--are they really optional?
A. They both deepen and enrich the flavors of the dish, but a risotto made without them will still be tasty.

Q. What is the optimal consistency of risotto?
A. The professionals all say it should spread like gruel on a plate. I prefer it a little bit thicker

Beet Risotto Recipe Here

Wanted: Sage Advice

2008-04-05T20:58:00.011-07:00

I've never known what to do with sage. It's such a strong flavor, called for in fancy "herbed" soup recipes and the like (or meat dishes) and I've just never gone there. Medicinally, too, it's uses are almost too many--healthy hair, skin, teeth and gums, digestion, sore throats and colds, memory (what am I forgetting?). But today we pruned back a row of overwintered sage in the garden and I found myself digging on the color and scent. So I'm on the lookout for sage recipes and tips. I've learned that it freezes well and mellows as it cooks, so it's good to add it at the end of the cooking process, and I did run across intriguing instructions for a sage pesto. What else?

Can You Dig It?

2008-04-05T20:46:00.008-07:00

No, it's not a creature from the deep--it's Valerian root! We spent a few hours digging roots this week, so I thought I'd mention this powerful plant. Valerian is a hardy perennial whose root has sedative and nervine properties. Used for insomnia, anxiety, migraines, muscle relaxation and epilepsy, valerian's relaxant and mood-stabilizing action (in appropriate doses) hasn't been found to be addictive like narcotics or lose it's effectiveness over time. Here's a great post from the Herbwife's Kitchen to help you decide whether valerian might be supportive for your sleep quest. While I've heard the scent called disagreeable, it reminds me of those strong, musky flowers, that smell pleasant, but almost repulse you from the sheer thickness of the smell (it was used as a perfume in the 16th century, according to Wikipedia). In some versions of the legend, the Pied Piper uses valerian as well as his pipe to attract rats; it's a known cat attractant, too--and this effect was used as a clue multiple times in Agatha Christie novels. I've never used valerian myself--anyone got stories?

The Birthday Queen

2008-04-02T05:59:00.008-07:00

She's made sure that all of ours made it onto the group calendar, so we had to do something special for Shawn's birthday. This cake was it. Just unbelievably good--texture, taste, this cake has it all. Unfortunately I was in too big a hurry to eat it that my photos area tad on the blurry side, that's a pretty big endorsement right there. It's officially " Grandmamma's Orange Cake". Chef Emma added a tsp of almond extract (and thinks she'll add two next time) as well as a handful of slivered almonds (but they baked down to almost nothing). The other amendment was 1/2 C of sugar instead of 3/4 for the syrup and I didn't notice anything missing. Yum!

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves

2008-03-15T11:35:00.007-07:00

These pea shoots were our first spring greens. We used some of the older leftover pea seed from seasons past and sprouted them in the greenhouse. The whole process takes about three weeks, from soaking the seed to pea shoot salad time.

For gratuitous pictures of our sprouting process, click here.

People Playing With Food

2008-03-10T19:37:00.007-07:00

Don't ask what sparked this google search, but I'm thinking of making it a weekly feature. Here are this week's:

Little people on food landscapes and Vegetables as Animals

Spring, please!

2008-03-05T19:38:00.007-07:00

Sick of winter? check. Willing to take drastic measures? check. This soup, courtesy of Shawn, came at a crucial climatic and emotional juncture--the tipping point between insanity and spring. There's just something about the taste of tomatoes...

Recipe here

P.S. I haven't been in hiding, it just took me forever to catch up on the rest of the tempeh post. That and I've been in a bit of a photo slump.

Taproot Green Adventures

2008-02-09T22:38:00.001-07:00

An explanation. A few days ago, while planning my evening meal, I yearned for those halcyon days of cohabitation with Jess and Colin, and recalled in particular a soup of radish greens I had once made during that period. And so, in a feeble effort to channel the memory into something productive, I embarked on an exploration of the sometimes forgotten, yet delicious, uses of radish greens—and beet greens, since I had some of those too.

Grocery stores typically sell the taproots of these two plants--the bulbous, tapering underground portions that go great in salads and stir-fries. Sometimes, if you're lucky, these come with stems and leaves attached. In the past I've thrown these away, not knowing any better, but in Colorado I learned that these parts of the plant can be delicious, too.

My goal here is to find a bunch of inventive ways to eat them instead of tossing them in the compost.

The greens of beet (on the right, above) look pretty much like what American grocery stores call Swiss chard. In fact, chard (the kind people call "Swiss Chard"--as far as I know, the only kind) and garden beets (the ones we usually eat) are actually subspecies of the same plant. The exact ancestral connection is apparently a subject of heated debate, but basically, chard is a beet cultivated for leafiness instead of rootiness.

One alternate name for chard, by the way, is "perpetual spinach."

Radish (whose greens are on the left, above) comes from the same family as mustard and cabbage. Accordingly, the greens have a tangy, bitter taste when raw. They need a good wash because their gritty leaves hang on to dirt—they'll still be gritty after you wash them, but they're good to go.

Radish greens turn to green muck fairly quickly, but if you put them in soup, no one will know! Therefore, taproot green use #1 is cream of radish green and beet green soup (recipe). Tastes better than it looks in the picture. More uses soon.

Mason fixins — eating in winter

2008-02-07T19:31:00.001-07:00

"It was a winter of heavy snows on Gont, and a long winter. The harvest had been a good one. There was food for the animals and people, and not much to do but eat it and stay warm." —Tehanu, Ursula K. LeGuin

Today, lots of people spend the winter getting up early, working, being serious about all the things they didn't take seriously over the summer, but I bet things weren't always this way. Hunkering down for the winter, nesting, seems more natural to me than spending the winter than getting up before the sun.

It'd be nice spend winter in a semi-hibernation state, like bears. Though there are stories of humans entering true hibernation, such as the Norwegian skier who survived an hour submerged in near-freezing water, I'd rather be able to wake up for a few hours, for lunch.

I know Jess beat me to the punch with her mason jar pictures, but here is my point: we can almost completely take care of life's necessities in the summer. Set up our house/cave/nest, raise our food, preserve it. All that's left to do in the winter months is "eat it and stay warm." Mmm, look at all this delicious food that Rose's mother canned.

The Kronos Quartet has an awesome CD called Winter Was Hard, perfect listening for when you're sitting in bed, eating canned pickles and apple sauce.

Tempeh-rary Insanity!

2008-01-27T08:54:00.002-07:00

Where to begin? Tasting homemade tempeh changed my life. Making it? Even better. It is definitely worth the time, and hey, who's not looking for another way to use their feet in the kitchen?

Tempeh is the result of the fermentation of cooked soybeans by a Rhizopus mold. It originated in Indonesia, where written sources mention it in the 16th century, although it's probably much older (it's similar to Chinese soybean ferments). A staple source of protein there, tempeh didn't really hit the U.S. until the 1960s, where, until recently, it remained the purview of hippie communes. I was interested to read (on this site) that efforts have been made to introduce tempeh to developing countries as a cheap source of protein, but they have mostly failed in areas where there is no local tradition of mold-fermented foods.

I like tempeh's texture better than tofu's, and I've heard rumors that fermented soy products are better for you. Another plus is that tempeh is less processed and uses more of the actual soybeans (whereas tofu is produced from soymilk). I don't mean to knock tofu, it's just not as life-changing.

If you're interested in turning soybeans into soymagic, read on...

Taking Food Blogging to the Max

2008-01-16T12:25:00.001-07:00

So, we may be a little jealous that Max can get things like citrus, olives, and avocados grown within a stone's throw out there in Cali, but we're glad that he'll be sharing these (and other) delights with us.

Welcome, Max, your public awaits (well, really just my mother and Colin and I).

Eat Your Heart Out

2008-01-08T16:27:00.002-07:00

We did it! We found a great cornbread recipe! Please don't think that two exclamation points is overdoing it--good cornbread is tricky. Some people like it dry and crumbly, some wetter, some with pieces of corn or chilis in it, and still others like it to be cakey and sweet. Necessity did play a part in mothering this creation (er, finding it on the internet)--Kate and I couldn't remember what we'd done for cornbread in the past (did we use a mix? was it vegan?), only that it was and is a critical part of our "chili and cornbread" evenings. Which are, in turn, critical to my sanity.

This recipe makes for a fairly dry, mildly sweet cornbread that complemented our chili perfectly. The heart-shaped pan is a crucial ingredient (this one was flown in special for the occasion), but if you have to substitute, just hope for the best.

Roll 'Em Up

2008-01-02T19:37:00.001-07:00

The post-holiday season brought a string of visitors to E-town this year. And they all brought their own brand of food inspiration. In Brazzell's case, it was a package of Nasoya egg roll wrappers and miso paste.

No real recipe here, just notes. We briefly sauteed some onion, cabbage, and carrot strips to use as the filling. The cabbage (and we may have thrown in some lettuce, too) was a good stand-in for rice noodles or other fills. Not much more work than the average stir-fry, but the wrappers really upped the presentation points. Served with a batch of John's peanut sauce.

For the dessert rolls we used cinnamon-sprinkled banana slices drizzled with honey.

Happy New Years!

2007-12-31T17:52:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of the new year, I've dreamed up some food resolutions. Here are a few things I really want to make before the end of 2008 (please feel free to leave your own list in the comments):

Amasake--Koji-inoculated brown rice left to ferment into a mild, sweet drink.
Some Vegetarian Malaysian Food-- My favorite cuisine, recreated chez moi?
Peach Raspberry Crumble-- It's been over a year!
Squash-- I'm still waiting for the "a-ha!" moment.
Ice-Cream --A la the homemade, hand-cranked berry blend concoction that I got to try in Oregon (pictured above)
Ginger Beer -- A sweet soda heavy on the ginger? Yes, please.

Birthday Chili

2007-12-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

Now I realize that it may not be the smartest idea to describe this chili as quick and simple, since it's what I made my mother for her birthday dinner, but that's really what makes this chili great. Forget the long list of spices and stewing time. When you're cold and hungry, this chili delivers. It won't be the spiciest or heartiest you've ever had, but it'll get the job done, much like a match will when you're strapped for candles. Recipe here

Meet Boo Boo

2007-12-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

Kyli's (former) kombucha companion. I heard about kombucha when I was in Colorado, but wasn't a huge fan. And I guess I'm still not, since it doesn't normally occur to me to drink it. But apparently it's good for you, and it's fermented, so worth a blog post on that basis alone.

You make kombucha by adding a mother to tea sweetened with sugar and waiting while it does its thang. Kombucha is actually a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast)--fancy, no?

I can't quite get a handle on these mothers, though (and throwing out the babies are sad, too). Does it float down to the bottom when it's used up all the sugar? Does it need to be partially out of the solution to be active? Will it keep getting more vinegary or will the mother eventually die if it isn't fed? I transfered my last batch into mason jars, and they both developed mothers--one on top, the other floating at the bottom. I'm confused.

If you've found a source for a kombucha baby, here are the instructions as given to me.

Shitake Like You Mean It

2007-12-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Inspired by some food art I saw lately, I wanted to post these pictures of John's shitake mushroom block/log. Yes, cue the Ren and Stimpy song (the lyric "it fits on your back, it's good for a snack" makes more sense now...).

I searched the web for some Shitake Lore, but mostly I just like looking at the pictures

Is it that Thyme again?

2007-12-01T22:37:00.001-07:00

The weather's been a bit odd in Chicago this year. It didn't get cold until fairly late in the game and then we keep getting warm spells--up to 60 degrees! One thing that fluctuating temperatures can bring is more colds. At least, I thought that it did. Something to do with your body adjusting to temperature shifts? Maybe? Anyone? Either way, last winter I got a chest infection. How can you tell a virus from an infection (caused by bacteria)? My mom says it's the color of your snot--green signals infection, clear means a cold. Sorry to get so graphic, are you wondering what's the point of all this on a food blog?

Thyme is the point. I had a semi-dry, persistant cough, that I couldn't shake--I figured it for an infection. Then I read about thyme being good for chest ills, so I tried it. Just shoved some in a tea infuser and drank almost 5 cups that day. And it worked, wonderfully so. I've almost been waiting to get another one just so I can drive it away with the antiseptic power of thyme. Thyme contains the essential oil, Thymol, (an active ingredient in Listerine, actually), which is to thank for some of its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I've heard that it can help in dealing with your average, phlegmy cold, too.

I got mine in bulk at a grocery store (make sure it still has its color and scent), but for the gardener's out there, Kalyn's Kitchen has a good post on freezing fresh herbs for all-year use. Here's wishing you a winter and spring without tissues and coughs, but a mug of thyme tea if you need it.

Carrot Halwa

2007-11-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is the ultimate comfort dessert for me; very filling, thanks to the carrots, with a nice texture and not overly sweet taste. I found the recipe on YouTube, it's part of the cooking instruction series called Manjula's Kitchen. She's starting her own website, but currently the bulk of the videos/recipes are on YouTube. The recipe is easy and pretty quick (it's just carrots, sugar, milk (whole!), a little butter, and a pinch of cardamom). The only change I made was to heat the milk on the stove instead of in the microwave, so maybe that's why it took me longer to reduce it down once it was added to the carrots. Worth the wait!

Meet Red Lentils

2007-11-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

Orange comfort food for the day: a red lentil soup. Well, the original looks like soup, mine is edging towards stew. It's from Eat Peace Please, a food blog I've been digging on lately. Even leaving the garlic and chili flakes (and bell pepper) out, it was a tasty introduction to red lentils. I wonder where these lentils were grown. Maybe Canada--according to Wikipedia, it's the largest export producer of lentils.

Aloo Gobi

2007-11-11T13:47:00.001-07:00

I think I've unconsciously made the theme of November the color orange. I've been made fun of for having "gruel" as my favorite food texture, from dryish oatmeal dishes to thick lentil stews, so I'm fully prepared for any teasing that may come with this declaration of color preference. It should be green, right? If I were a good person, it would be green--there are so many great green veggies to be had. But it's not green, it's orange.

This simple, quick, and tasty recipe hails from One Hot Stove. I was forced to stray from the recipe a little because I was out of cumin seed, but I just added extra ground cumin. Some of the photos bordered on yellow, but that was a trick of the light. It definitely fits with the theme.

Sweet Potato Fries

2007-11-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

Recipe (with great photos) from Kalyn's Kitchen. The sweet potatoes are coated with olive oil and a spice mix of coriander, fennel, oregano, some hot pepper, and salt, then baked at 425. They remain pretty soft, but I like the flavor. Kalyn recommends cranking the oven heat if you're trying for crispy.

Home Is Where The Veggies Are

2007-11-03T12:02:00.001-07:00

Yep, I'm back in Evanston, IL after an amazing three and a half months at Kings Valley Gardens in Oregon. It's been a bit of an adjustment (to say the least--my new roommates don't really eat vegetables), but I'm coping. The Evanston Farmer's Market (one of a bunch of Chicago Area markets) ends this week, though, that's a rough break. Here's a nice article on the market and the website of one of my fave vendors.

My haul for this week (anybody have suggestions for turnips?):

BreadFoot

2007-10-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

I like bread. Making it, eating it, taking photos of it. Not just an excuse for playing with yeast and digging both hands into a pile of dough, these loaves proved excellent substrate for pesto, hummus, a quarter-inch layer of garlic, etc, etc.

The Nearings had no good opinion of bread, deeming it a "dead" food. And I guess they're right, since it's usually milled, packaged, shipped a distance, and then left to sit on a shelf. I tried looking up bakeries that mill their own flour on site, but only came up with one place, in England. I'm sure there are other, less web-savvy operations out there--if you come across one, please let me know!! This article, The Oil We Eat, includes a deeper look at the cost of large-scale processing of staple grains.

At Kings Valley Gardens, the rule is to make about 10 loaves in one go and freeze them. We used a John Robbin's recipe, "Ocean's Bombs of Love Bread", from May All Be Fed, and an unusual kneading process. I'll post the recipe as soon as I can get my hands on a copy of the book...

Falafel Revisited

2007-10-26T19:19:00.001-06:00

This cook night (not mine) turned me on to The Joy of Cooking. I'd never really considered it before, it seemed, I dunno, full of meat dishes and old-fashioned? But there's only one way to judge a book, and that's by its recipes. Specifically, in this case, by its falafel recipe--Joy's uses the magical properties of blended, uncooked chickpeas in place of the usual chickpea-egg combination. We lightly fried them as patties rather than balls, so while they taste great, they don't look as official as these falafels over at One Hot Stove. I'll have to make them both one day to compare/contrast. Hopefully then I'll also be able to replace this lame picture. You're just going to have to trust me, they're yummy!

Recipes for falafel and whole wheat pita bread

Sushi Inspiro

2007-10-24T20:03:00.001-06:00

Sushi Night! Veggie sushi, that is.

Served with tamari, gomasio, and wasabi. Turns out that most of what's sold as wasabi is actually horseradish, mustard, and food coloring. MMm, mmm, Blue #1 and Yellow #5, my favorites. These folks think it can't compare to the real thing, but I'm guessing that would be too hot for me as well.

Since my participation in sushi nights centered on cutting the insides (any combination of peas, carrots, radishes, cilantro, avocado, beets, tofu, etc), I have no insight on the rolling, but I've seen it done sans
bamboo-mat, so don't let the lack of one stop you.

I was hoping to find an article on how to build your own sushi roller from recycled chopsticks or shishkabob sticks, but no luck on that front. Instead, I was met with this contraption.

The recipes I've seen online add vinegar and sugar to the sushi rice, but I'm sure that we didn't add sugar to ours, with no noticeable effect. Then again, what do I know--this was my first time having sushi (unlike this lucky kid).

For why not to substitute brown rice and other tips, check out the PPK's take on vegan sushi.

Pear-ific!

2007-10-22T11:42:00.001-06:00

Please forgive me for that title. There's no excuse.

Unlike apples, pears will ripen after they've been picked, and it's often a good idea to pick them all unripe or else the birds and bugs will beat you to them. Some varieties (like Anjou's) require 30 days of cold storage to bring up their sugar level--isn't that odd to think about? That straight off the tree might not taste as good as ripened indoors? I wonder if the nutritional value matures as well?

At KVG they've got Bartletts, Bosc, and Anjou's. Lately we've been drying some and canning some sliced (the juice is divine!) I like pears just about any way you can have 'em--fresh, dried, and in this pear-ginger chutney.

I Heart Mason Jars

2007-10-19T19:27:00.001-06:00

And just looking at these shelves (at KVG) makes my heart flutter.

Mason jars, so called for their inventor, tinsmith John Landis Mason, were patented in 1858 1. That's all I got. I just like looking at them.

Omega-3s and Stained Hands

2007-10-17T20:26:00.001-06:00

Walnuts! I'd never seen them in their shell before. And who knew nuts could be messy? After peeling away the dark outer flesh we laid them out on screens to dry.

According to one site, a quarter cup of walnuts gives you almost all of the omega-3 fatty acids you need (i don't really trust "daily recommended values", but I do like eating walnuts).

If you're in the mood for more walnut facts and lore, try this article from a vegetarian web magazine. And remember, you are what you eat, so, go nuts!

An Apple a Day...

2007-10-13T09:37:00.001-06:00

Today we harvested the rest of the apples. I just read that there are over 7,000 varieties! That's crazy! And they're so good for you--doing everything from clearing tartar from teeth to stabilizing blood sugar levels to removing heavy metals (yay pectin). Has anyone had experience making apple cider vinegar? I'm curious to try it this winter.

Andrea and Lore take apple breaks during the harvest

We put some apples to work as a sweet complement for samosas. This apple chutney recipe comes out thick and not overly sweet. Recipe here.

Bye, Blues

2007-10-12T18:56:00.001-06:00

A final blueberry posting for the season. Excuse any spelling errors in the post, it's difficult to type while sobbing. Sigh. In addition to tasting wonderful, blueberries are packed with vitamins C and K, manganese, fiber, and antioxidants. And they're native to North America--no tropical fruit guilt here.

Can you believe I used to be a raspberry person?

At KVG, the blueberry bushes are stealing the fall foliage show--from bright reds to pinks, yellows, purples, you better believe I took some photos.

Click here for more photos

Bed Prep and Garlic Planting

2007-10-08T09:57:00.001-06:00

Broke out the shovels today for some bed prepping. Oh, the satisfaction of looking at a newly turned bed, all rich and brown and full of soil amendments and composted chicken manure. And waking up sore, that's a good one, too.

I didn't post anything back when we harvested the garlic in July, so I'm throwing in some shots now, since I didn't take any of the planting process (stem end down, yo). I really like the look of the rootlets attached to the heads.

Recently, I heard that a cut clove of garlic is a good bee string remedy (possibly because it's alkaline? I've also heard of baking soda and water being recommended by poison control centers). At KVG we had occasion to try a grated onion for the same reason, but we learned that you have to put it on right after the sting, not after the area's already swelled.

Pickles from the Old School

2007-10-07T10:33:00.000-06:00

No vinegar here, just a tried and true fermentation process. Thanks to Sandorkraut's book for the recipe. We lined the crock with flowering heads of dill, grape leaves (to keep the pickles crunchy), and lots of garlic before adding our cukes. For the real deal, we went with a 5.4% brine strength, which translates to about 3 T of sea salt to 1 quart of water. The result? Gorgeous (if I do say so myself) and deliciously sour pickles. It was amazing to be able to use ingredients completely grown at the farm--when's the next time I'll be able to just jog outside for grape leaves?

If you're into canning pickles in vinegar, consider a KVG twist and spice them up with mustard seeds and curry powder. And when you have a few extra pickles lying around, consider this experiment.

Bagel Inspiro

2007-10-06T22:38:00.001-06:00

Inspiration struck Lore and Marissa this weekend and they bagel'd for the better part of a rainy Sunday, the "Bakequinox". They mastered the genre as far as I'm concerned, and I think this is the recipe they used. It's the real deal--sans eggs and complete with boiling step, of course.

Bagels proofing by the woodstove (the picture that didn't come out too yellow came out too dark!):

On the menu were 7 kinds of bagel:

Everything Bagel (garlic, onion, sesame seeds, poppy seeds...)
Berry Bagel, my favorite, with blueberries, cranberries, and raisins
Carob Peanut Butter Bagel
Tomato Rosemary Everything Bagel
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel
Jalepeno Cheddar (with garlic) Bagel
and last but not least, the Cranberry Goatcheese Bagel.

Hung the Cabbage

2007-10-05T11:08:00.000-06:00

Cabbage, my new favorite vegetable. And not just for kraut! We threw it in a minestrone the other day and it held its own beautifully. I'm just not quite ready to take on Charles Hardy--he holds the world record for consuming over 6.5 pounds of cabbage in only 9 minutes 1.

This book, by Mike and Nancy Bubel, takes you from designing and building your own root cellar to practical tips for preserving different kinds of fruits and vegetables (the list is loooong).

Justin hanging cabbage in the cold room (a tough job considering you have to step around boxes of apples and pears, over a tarp full of ripening tomatoes, and duck under bags of potatoes). Photo credit: John Madsen

Another great thing about (red) cabbage is that you can use it to make your own pH indicator! As you can tell from this photo, you get some beautiful colors and a fairly distinct range. These sites will hook you up with a procedure for making your own and an explanation of how it works.

Nixtama-Wha?!?

2007-10-04T10:16:00.001-06:00

So how excited was I to learn how to make tortillas?

There are only two ingredients: corn masa harina and water. Corn masa is traditionally made by a process called nixtamalization, in which corn kernels are soaked and cooked in lime-water, de-hulled, and ground into a dough (or dried and ground into a flour, called masa). **Don't try it with plain cornmeal, all you'll get is a mess!** Corn treated in this manner is known in North America as hominy. Some, including Wikipedia, cite this process as the foundation for the civilizations of the Americas (North and South), since the combination with lime-water makes bio-available the niacin and essential amino acids that corn alone lacks, creating a complete protein. When Europeans took to using maize, they skipped the nixtamalization process, and the maize-dependent cultures on that continent consistently developed protein-deficiency diseases.

Sadly, the Maseca we're buying here in the U.S. doesn't even approximate the real masa. Read this article from Grist and add another notch to the "how messed up can the world's food economy get?" belt.

That said, these blow store-bought corn tortillas out of the lime water. We never quite figured out the ratio of masaharina to water--it kept changing! There was the 1 c masa to 11/8 c water on a label, but then we got 2.25 c masa to 1.5 c water, and another time 2 c masa to 11/8-11/3 c masa (which is close to the last ratio, right?). So we just went by feel. Once the water is thoroughly mixed in, the dough should be just wet enough to shape into balls. The real test is in the pressing. Place a dough ball between two ziploc bags to press into shape. Cracks will form around the outer edge, try to correct those before you keep enlarging the dough circle. The test is removing the circle--it's often a close call, but if it sticks completely to the ziploc, it's too wet. If the cracks are unmanageably large, the dough is too dry.

Hat's off to Andrea for bringing this process into our lives. And also for being so hardcore that she's going to try using woodash to make her own masa from corn she grows.

Grapes!

2007-10-03T18:50:00.001-06:00

We harvested the grapes! Buckets and buckets of them! And then juiced them in a steamer. Actually, that last sentence is too short to do the process justice--it took three days and yielded about 90 quarts if memory serves. The juice is an amazing color that my camera just didn't capture--bright pink! It looks like KoolAid. And the flavor is so sweet, you can hardly believe someone didn't sneak extra sugar into it.

Click here for before and after shots of the vine

It Must Be Friday...

2007-09-30T15:34:00.000-06:00

Not just an excuse for John's Peanut Sauce (but a mighty good one)-- Spring Rolls!

Ingredient options are endless. Some that we've tried: apples, carrots, cucumber, lettuce, cilantro, tomatoes, tempeh, tofu, beans, and crushed nuts. Bean thread noodles were the only constant.

Wrapped in tapioca paper (see this site for methodology) and either dipped or soaked in peanuty goodness.

7 page recipe, 1 fabulous cake

2007-09-29T11:16:00.001-06:00

It's a raw carrot cake with macadamia nut frosting! A recipe that spans 2+ days in the making and yes, seven pages. Hats off to the recipe's creators, Andrea's former roommies, Thalia and Steve (whom I've never met but greatly respect for their taste in cakes).

The to-die-for frosting is made from macadamia nuts and pitted dates soaked in orange and lemon juice, blended with more orange juice and vanilla extract, with juice-soaked poppy seeds folded in. MMmmm!

More Fun with Tomatoes

2007-09-28T21:43:00.001-06:00

The order of the day is slicing up tomatoes to put in the dehydrator. At KVG, dried tomatoes help the canned pasta sauce and salsas fill the winter lycopene void.

Though nothing beats a fresh tomato, dried tomatoes can add color and flavor to hummus, bagels, dressings, you name it. After the first 5-gallon bucket full, patterns emerge before your eyes...

But, we're not drying them all. For samosa night we found a great tomato chutney recipe online. I'm still on the lookout for a canning recipe (it seems like this one would be cannable without the addition of a lot of vinegar, since it's basically just tomatoes with some spices, but i'm not a confident enough canner yet to go ahead with that). Becks and Posh have a sweeter version for canning (okay, you got me, i didn't even read the recipe, but the photos were really nice), but I'd want to avoid white vinegar and sugar if possible. So the search is on, to be continued next tomato season.

Breaking down the Garden

2007-09-27T10:41:00.001-06:00

Today was a hard day. Not so much in a physical way, though we macheted and hauled most of the rows; it's just difficult to accept such drastic change. The weather's been slowly shifting, but looking at the garden we went from summer to autumn in under 7 hours (and autumn is so flat!).

Some random garden shots

Child of the Corn

2007-09-26T17:49:00.000-06:00

Do you remember the first time you had sweet corn raw? I was at the Evanston farmer's market (one summer ago? two?) and one vendor was just sure that if you tried his corn raw you'd have to get some. I'd had cooked corn on the cob before, but more often corn from the can, so I was a bit hesitant...

I'll probably never forget that taste.

We've been cutting a lot of corn for freezing this past week on the farm. And we made these delicious corn-cilantro panackes. Pancakes, patties, I don't know what to call them. But they are good.

Corn's ready when the silk turns brown.

If you think you're safe because you're off in a non-midwestern city--think again!

Basil E. Tomatoweiler

2007-09-22T13:23:00.001-06:00

Summer's not over yet! There's still basil to be eaten! Shown here in the form of sunflower seed pesto. This lighter- tasting (and dare I say, healthier?) version is quick and simple to make, but it does require a Vitamix or food processor or perhaps an overachieving blender.

Sunflower Seed Pesto

1 part garlic
4 parts sunflower seeds (or walnuts!)
4-5 parts fresh basil leaves
water/oil as needed

The proportions are actually a big guess on my part, I'd just throw in some garlic, nuts, and basil, blend, and see where the consistency and taste are at. Serve as 1 part substrate: 3+ parts pesto. It also goes really great in tomato soup. Here again, I have no real numbers. Maybe one of the chefs will email me their take on it:

Kyli + Lore's Tomato Soup (as vaguely remembered by Jess)

Saute onions and garlic (lots!), then fill pot with coarsely chopped tomatoes (don't bother removing the the seeds, they'll get strained out later). Cover and let stew for a while, then add lots o' chopped basil. Let stew for a few more minutes, then carefully blend (it's hot!). To each part blended, add a bit of olive oil (we ended up using about 1/8-1/4 of a quart jar). From the blender, strain soup into a pot, heat up again, and serve. If it's too liquidy, let simmer to reduce.

Gad-Zukes!

2007-09-15T14:34:00.000-06:00

I don't know which I like better: when vegetables resemble animals or when, wait, there's nothing I like better.

Stop looking at me, swan.

One good way to use up a stockpile of zukes is to make zucchini pizza. It's shown below flipped over on itself like a very thick omelette, but it works as a single layer as well. Sauce and top with whatever your usual pizza works are.

Another is Lorna Sass's zucchini bread. Fluffy, moist, vegan. Need I say more?

Onion harvest

2007-09-12T19:21:00.001-06:00

Time to get the onions out before the rains come. The ones at Kings Valley Gardens are especially fierce, I think they even got Justin (the resident onion dicer) crying the other day. I happened to notice that the French Republican Calendar, possibly the most vegetable-friendly time tracking system ever created, has no day named for onions (or garlic for that matter!) Talk about setting up your revolution for hard times. At least these people know what's up.

This site tells you (in science babble) why we cry , t his one tells you how to avoid it (try sticking the onion in a freezer for a few minutes before chopping).

And as usual for veggies without any particular recipe, I dug up some facts. Onions originated from the Middle East, and have been eaten, since, well, forever. Lots o' folks thought that they increased strength and courage: they were ordered up for the laborers who built the pyramids as well as the troops of Alexander the Great. Today, the average Libyan eats almost 67 pounds of onions each year (Americans? 21 pounds). The largest onion recorded weighed almost 11 pounds1. Onions have even been used to predict who you'll marry 2. Oh, and the Onion Goddess looks a lot like Lore.

Honey harvest

2007-09-07T19:28:00.001-06:00

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best -- " and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called --The Tao of Pooh

In our case the moment lasted for a number of hours--the honey harvest!!! The robbery began early in the day since bees become more active with warmer temperatures. What I remember most is the buzzing sensation on my hands--feeling their vibration through two layers of gloves! I mean, I'd be pretty angry, too.

Kyli and I with our spacesuits on

I think we've already raved about honey's healing properties in a mead post, so i dug out some other random related facts: About 1/2 of the human diet comes from plants that are pollinated by bees. Honey is the only food that does not spoil (they found edible honey in King Tut's tomb!). All the worker bees are female (male bees, called drones, don't collect pollen, and they either die soon after mating with the queen (their purpose) or get kicked out of the hive before winter). And can you guess where most of the world's honey comes from? China supplies almost half, with the US, Argentina, and Ukraine filling in most of the rest (1,2) . It's weird to think about industrial production of honey, especially since the animals themselves are so delicate.

Alright, that's all i've got. Photos of the extraction process here

Tomato Inspiro

2007-08-14T08:16:00.001-06:00

Monday means tomato harvest here at Kings Valley Gardens. There's a 100 foot bed with 4 varieties, and even though Andrea staggered their ripening by planting some in the corn's shade, we always come away with over four 5-gallon buckets.

<--- better angle for the Gumby look-alike branch.

Also, since Colin's not around to dissuade me, I've decided that it's okay to post photos without specific recipes. Crazy, right? But I'll try (try) to keep the posts semi-useful. These stuffed tomatoes were Kyli's brainchildren, the inner ingredients stir fried and then poured into the tomatoes. I can't remember if she scooped out the tomato guts previous to stuffing them--seems like they must have been...(hmm, not so useful, jess). Recommendation: Make the innards a bit spicier and drier than you normally would, maybe adding a slightly-undercooked grain?, because when cooked the water from the tomato will seep in and dilute it, and if it can't hold it's own in the flavor department, everything will taste like tomato. Which hardly counts as a disappointment...

Fresh Fava Spread

2007-08-10T22:24:00.001-06:00

This recipe is great if you're waiting for your fava beans to mature, which we were this past July.

2 c hulled fava beans (you can leave the white thin skin on)
2 t chopped rosemary
2 T lemon juice
1/4-1/2 c olive oil
salt, pepper
1 or 2 cloves garlic

Food process/blend all ingredients. Depending on the age of the fava beans, you may want to steam them 5-10 minutes, but we just left 'em raw. I think next year I'll be asking around at the farmer's market to see if anyone grows favas and if they'd let me buy some early.

A Triumphant Return

2007-08-07T23:52:00.001-06:00

Hello from the Land of the Blueberries! My computer is fixed! I can unleash my mass of food photos onto the unsuspecting internet!

My computer's been away on holiday, but it has decided to return (It's actually September 13th, so some of my posts will be back-dated, sneaky, eh?)

Okay, back to the food.

Mushrooms!

2007-08-05T21:30:00.001-06:00

A few weeks back a hike on Oregon's misty coast turned into a mushrooming adventure. What a thrill to see them in the wild! First we were met by these oyster mushrooms, later the bright turkey mushroom (which isn't technically a mushroom, i believe), and then, da da dah!, chantrelles. Lots of 'em.

Apparently mycelium, the mushroom's "roots", in a way, rule the world (an honor they share with phytoplankton). This book even shows how they're being used to clean up toxic waste spills.

No recipe, we just sliced them up and gently sauteed them. Mmm mmm, I have seen the light.

I know, I know

2007-07-28T19:55:00.000-06:00

A line has been crossed. I'm using tofu in sweet things. But, before you skip over this suspect post, you should know that a) the tofu was really fresh and b) it was done in the name of Project Blueberry. Since we're living mere steps away from a netted heaven of "bluebundance", Kyli and I initiated the Project, the goal of which is both single and simple: make as much stuff with blueberries as we can. We're currently taking a break from the Project, but this one made it in before our sweet tooth started to rot out. The first bite was a little weird--oh, tofu?!?--but after that I liked it. It couldn't compare to what we made next, but I'd make it again for a vegan affair, although I'd probably add a bunch more sugar to the base. Recipe here.