Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

We have gone through an astounding amount of jam this year. I blame it primarily on the fact that we make our own yogurt and I often put a dollop in the bottom of the jars before adding the cultured milk. With the stock of home made nearly gone, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still had enough strawberries and rhubarb in the freezer to make a batch of this.

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

Makes about 2 Pints (4 jam jars)

3c Strawberries (cleaned and hulled)

3c Rhubarb (cleaned and diced)

1/4c Water

1 Packet Instant Fruit Pectin (I used Ball 1.59oz)

1-1/2c Sugar*

Put Strawberries, Rhubarb and water in a large pan. Simmer stirring regularly for about 20 minutes until it cooks down to a thick sauce. Let cool about 10 min.

In a large bowl mix pectin and sugar. Add cooled fruit, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved.

Ladle into containers and allow to set about 30 minutes.

Can be kept in the refrigerator 3 weeks or frozen up to 1 year.

Makes an awesome sauce over vanilla ice cream or sweet flavoring for plain yogurt!

*This jam is NOT super sweet. To make a sweeter jam increase the strawberries (maintain the total fruit quantity of 6c) and/or increase the sugar to 2c. 

Simple Savory Butternut Apple Soup

Soon to be soup in my belly!

Simple Savory Butternut Apple Soup

Serves 4

Takes about 30min

Ingredients:

1 Large Red Onion

1” Piece Fresh Ginger

1T Olive Oil

1 Medium Butternut Squash

3 Medium Apples

5c* Vegetable or Chicken Broth

1/2c Almond Butter

Chop onion & mince ginger. Sauté with olive oil until the onions begin to get translucent. Peal and dice squash and apples. Add broth, apples and squash to the onion mixture. Simmer until the squash can be easily squashed with a fork. Add almond butter, then puree the mixture with an immersion blender.

Serve with crusty bread. Use apple slices as a fancy garnish if presentation is your thing.


*This recipe yields a very thick soup that can be thinned to taste by adding up to 3c additional broth, milk or cream.

Peach Plum Honey Jam

Peach Plum Honey Jam

4c combined Peaches and Plums (I used 2 parts peaches 1 part Italian plums)
2T Lemon Juice
1c Apple Juice
1pkg No/Low Sugar Pectin
1c Honey (I used wildflower)

Prepare the fruit: pit but leave the skins on then either chop small by hand or in a food processor on pulse.

Mix together fruit, lemon juice, apple juice & pectin in a large pan. Bring to a heavy boil, stirring continuously.

Stir in honey. Return to a heavy boil for 3-5 minutes again stirring continuously.

Skim any foam, then can it up in 1/2 pint hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Process in a hot water bath for 10 min.

 Makes about 4 jars

Swiss Chard with Polenta & Egg – A Very CSA Dinner

 

 

Our CSA season kicked off this week and our first share featured Swiss chard, garlic scapes and onions. I had tried this recipe with the polenta we got from our winter CSA and some frozen greens so I was excited to change it up and make it with everything super fresh. The results were delicious!

 

 

Swiss Chard with Polenta & Egg

The Polenta Part

3/4c Polenta

1c Milk

2c Water

1t Butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/4c Grated Parmesan Cheese

Bring milk, water and butter to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, then slowly pour in the polenta, stirring briskly so it doesn’t get lumpy. Simmer for about 20min stirring regularly. Add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese in the last few minutes.

The Swiss Chard Part

+/- 1/2lb Swiss Chard Washed with stems removed and ripped up

2 Green Onions chopped

1 or 2 Cloves Garlic (Or a few Garlic Scapes if you are lucky enough to have them) chopped fine

Olive oil or butter for the pan

Salt & Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic, then add in the Swiss chard. Cook until tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

The Egg Part

1 or 2 eggs

Fry sunny side up over low heat with a lid or over easy if you are good at flipping

The Presentation

Stack it all up, starting with the polenta, then chard then egg. Take a picture – because that is what CSA hipster foodies do – or you can skip that step and just enjoy!

 

Inspired by a recipe on http://www.alexandracooks.com



Parsnip Morning Muffins

Still have some parsnips hanging around in your fridge from your winter CSA share? I found an unusual recipe in a seed catalog from Baker Creek (http://www.rareseeds.com/) that is just the thing. Of course, I had to give it my own spin. I hope that you enjoy!

Parsnip Morning Muffins

Makes 1 dozen

 

1 > 1-1/2c Raw Parsnip finely grated

3/4c Coconut Milk

1/2c Oil (can be coconut oil but not required)

1/4c Apple Sauce (can be replaced by more oil)

1 Egg

1/2c Sugar or Honey (omit applesauce if using honey)

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Orange Zest

2c Flour (I used a mix of white and wheat)

1/2c Grated Coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 400

 

Mix up all the wet stuff then fold in the dry ingredients. Spoon into lined or greased muffin tins.

Bake about 25 minutes.

These smell great warm but taste far better after they have cooled completely.  

Apple Yogurt Whole Wheat Pancakes

 

Apple Yogurt Whole Wheat Pancakes

1c Vanilla or Apple or Maple or Plain Yogurt
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Walnut Oil
2 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup
Dash Cinnamon
1 t Baking Powder
1c Whole Wheat Flour
1 Large Apple Diced Up Small (Peal Optional)
A Bit of Butter for the Griddle
More Maple Syrup for Eating

Mix it all up in the order listed. Heat the griddle to medium, grease with a little butter then fry them up. Enjoy!

Notes:

If batter seems too thick, add a couple of Tablespoons of milk - If it seems too thin add a couple tablespoons more flour
Single serve yogurt is often a few ounces shy of a cup so you’ll need to add a couple Tablespoons of milk
The walnut oil adds a subtle nutty flavor but vegetable oil works just fine
These cook best at a slightly lower temp than regular pancakes – too hot and the batter closest to the apple pieces won’t be fully cooked
Apple Butter is a nice topping for these - It is also less messy if you have anyone who believes that forks should be optional

Yogurt, Apple & Summer Squash Muffins

Yogurt, Apple & Summer Squash Muffins

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar
¾ cup Vanilla yogurt (you can use any complementary flavor or plain too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups combined summer squash & apple shredded (I used a small yellow straight neck squash and a large Macintosh apple – you can use whatever variety of summer squash and apple you like)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and prepare the muffin tins.
In a big bowl beat egg, sugar, oil, and yogurt. Fold in the summer squash and apple. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon then the flours.
Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

ENJOY!

 

 

No Pectin Ginger Nectarine Jam

 

No Pectin Ginger Nectarine Jam

Makes about 2 Pints (4 jam jars)

10 Medium Nectarines (about 2-1/2 lbs)

1 T Candied Ginger (minced)
1 T Fresh Ginger (peeled & grated)
1 T Dried Ginger
1-1/2 C Sugar
2 T Lemon Juice

Wash, pit and chop nectarines. How small depends on how chunky you like your jam: smaller = smoother. You can peel them if you want to, but that just seems like way more work than it is worth as the peels break down a lot while cooking.

Put all of the ingredients into a large wide saucepan or deep frying pan. Bring to a boil them lower to a simmer stirring regularly for about 20 minutes.

You can tell when it is done a few ways: It will be about 200 degrees on a candy thermometer, when you stir it will leave a ‘path’ behind the spoon for a moment, or you can just test it by taking a small spoonful out and popping it in the freezer for 30 seconds to cool.

Ladle into jars leaving about ¼ inch head space, wipe the rims, lid and process in a hot water bath. If you plan to eat it up in the next 6-8 weeks, you can skip the bath and just keep it in the fridge.  

 

Based on a recipe  originally found on www.foodandwine.com

Yummy on Honey Wheat Ritz!

Zucchini Peach Bread

Not too sweet and not to heavy, this bread is a great grab on the run breakfast

or afternoon snack - perfect for those up and coming school days!

 

Zucchini Peach Bread

¾ C Whole Wheat Flour
¾ C All Purpose Flour
½ C Quick Cook Oats (Uncooked)
1 t Baking Soda
½ t Baking Powder
4 T Butter
4 T Vegetable Oil
1/3 C White Sugar
1/3 C Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 T Milk
1 t Almond Extract
½ t Lemon Zest (or 1 T lemon Juice)
1 C Shredded Zucchini
2 Peaches Shredded or Mashed (Yes, this means peach mush!)
½ C Pecans (Optional)

Preheat oven to 350

Cream together butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs, milk, almond extract, and lemon zest and mix thoroughly. Mix in the zucchini and peaches, followed by the baking soda, powder, oats and flour. Fold in nuts last. Grease and spread batter into 2 small loaf pans 8” or 9” square baking pan. Bake for apx. 40 minutes.

Note: This bread will slice ‘cleaner’ after sitting overnight.

(Originally based on Garden Fresh Bread from Cooks.com)

The Ultimate Hide-a-Veggie Recipe - A Letter to a Home Town

My Family Says I Try to Hide Veggies in Everything!

In honor of Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day (August 8th) here is a Letter from the archives.

Those with a garden of significant size can tell you: now is the season of bounty! Veggies abound in midsummer. Tomatoes shine like red Christmas balls on the vine. Carrots have grown beyond wee fingerlings. Summer squashes could squish out every other dish on the table.

Thanks to the CSA I mentioned a while back, even without a garden of our own, this year we are lucky enough to partake as though we had. The quantity of fresh vegetables delivered weekly reflects the bounty of the season. (Bonus: knowing it would cost far more if we bought them at the grocery store.)

Contrary to planting our own garden, we had no say over what seeds were sown in spring. The result is that nearly every week we receive some vegetable that I have no experience preparing: garlic scapes, purple kale, fava beans, etc. I consider this incentive for culinary exploration. I am also thankful that my companion has an adventurous pallet!

Along with the unusual, sometimes the sheer quantity of produce presents a challenge. Nearly every dish I have prepared over the past few weeks, from stuffed eggplant to fresh squeezed lemonade, has contained fresh basil. One week’s surplus of cucumbers became refrigerator pickles for the elder kids to enjoy when they come home from their upstate adventures. Lately the challenge has been how to use the gluttony of zucchini.

Excess zucchini is not an unfamiliar experience. Zucchini grows well in the North East. Almost everyone with space enough grows them. This means a bumper crop in one garden is a bumper crop in every garden. This inevitably leads to sneaking zucchini onto neighbor’s porches in the dead of night; a well meaning, yet desperate measure that an unyielding overabundance of zucchini may yield.

Thankfully zucchini is a versatile and easily disguised vegetable. (Come to think of it, I don’t remember Grandma ever making plain zucchini.) Zucchini bread was the first thing I made (Joan’s recipe from the church cookbook.) I’ve snuck it into omelets. It is a staple in stir fry. Marinated in Italian dressing, it is fabulous on the grill (an idea borrowed from Aunt Patty). With eggplant in the CSA basket, ratatouille is on the menu. My latest endeavor: Chocolate Zucchini Cookies - an ultimate hide-a-veggie treat! Just in case anyone else is looking for a way to use up some zucchini…

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

* 1/2 cup butter *1/2 cup white sugar *1/2 cup brown sugar *1 egg *1 teaspoon vanilla extract *2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour *1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder *1 teaspoon baking soda *2 cups grated zucchini

Mix butter, egg, vanilla & sugars – then the baking soda and cocoa then the zucchini and finally the flour. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto baking sheet the bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen.

Optional additions – a scant cup of chocolate chips in the batter or swipe of cream cheese frosting on top. If a veggie hater asks what the green stuff in them is, tell them it’s apple.

             I hope this letter has found you and yours in good spirits and good health. Until I write again…

Letters to a Home Town - "What is a CSA?"

Today it felt like spring so under the guise of putting up fliers for the CSA, we headed for the park. "What is a CSA?" you ask. Read on...

Mixing Work With Play

What is a CSA?
(Letter Circa June 2010)

A CSA in my neighborhood?! I stared wide eyed at the flier stapled to the pole by the train station stairs. I glanced up to be sure I had gotten off at the right stop. ‘Fresh from the farm organic produce’ the flier touted. My mouth salivated at the prospect.

Mine is not exactly the kind of neighborhood that you would expect a CSA to be forming. We don’t have a farmers market (though there are about 50 in NYC) or a health food store.  There is no coffee shop offering organic fair trade coffee and live jazz every Saturday night. It is a working class neighborhood where people get their morning coffee at the corner bodega and come home at night with no wish greater than to kick off their shoes and watch a little TV. Don’t get me wrong. I really like the area I live in. It just doesn’t have the same offerings as can be found in some other areas of NYC.

CSA is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture. How it works is that members pay a farm in advance for shares of a seasons produce, then receive deliveries of fresh product throughout that season. In some ways it is a lot like having a big garden; you can’t be picky. You get what is in season. If it is a bumper year for cucumbers, you get to make pickles. 

One of the most challenging things about getting enough people together in an area to form a designated CSA delivery point for a farm is that becoming a member is an investment. CSAs are based on a shared risk and reward system. Money is paid to the farm at the beginning of the season with no guarantee beyond an unspecified quantity and variety of produce delivered weekly. For families accustomed to budgeting their groceries by the week, investing in produce months in advance is an unfamiliar and sometimes difficult concept to fathom. Then there is always the (not so) simple matter of having the money to invest. 

With a creative cook and an adventurous pallet in the house, we knew we wanted in. With a little fund shuffling, we’ve found a way. Beyond the promise of fresh fruits and vegetables, joining a CSA gives us the opportunity to support something we believe in; small farms and local businesses. A portion of our groceries this summer and well into the fall will be coming from a farm less than 200 miles away. This may sound far, but then consider, much of the produce at our local grocery stores comes from Florida, California, Mexico and Peru. Tomatoes that have traveled 1,000 miles get road weary.

Peas, beans, mixed greens and strawberries are all expected in the first week’s delivery. I’ve heard there are sometimes ‘surprises’ so I am hoping for asparagus too. I am sure that there will be times when I am soliciting recipes for whatever arrives, but it will be worth it. I’ve never made pickles before.

I hope this letter has found you and yours in good spirits and good health. Until I write again…