Peace and Prosperity, Really Just Delicious

The ancients considered them sacred and a symbol of peace and prosperity. Fig season. It is here and then gone it seems in an instant.  The season is June-ish through October-ish, all weather dependent. These little treasures are hands down my favorite fruit. I don’t remember having them growing up except maybe being given a fig newton which I was told was a cookie but when I ate it felt I had been lied to. As an adult, I can’t remember my introduction to figs or how I came to love them so and frankly it’s neither here nor there.  I look forward to fig season each year because there is nothing better than fighting the bees, wasps and birds for that just perfectly ripe fig off the tree, still warm from the sun, that practically oozes as you bite into it and literally tastes like candy.  Here are some fun things to do with them…Enjoy them while you can!

ODF (Oven Dried Figs)

Cut fresh figs into thin slices.

Dry, placed on a clean tea towel or a rack set inside a sheet pan in your oven on the lowest setting for about 4-6 hours. Store in a container with a tightly fitting lid.

Use on granola, yogurt, grilled pork, or sprinkle in a salad. Just as good to snack on all by themselves.

Figgy Vinaigrette:

I served this on an arugula salad with blue cheese, sliced Fuji apple, toasted pumpkin seeds and almonds, Yum.

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 shallot, minced

4 ounces fresh figs, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon honey

5 tablespoons apple cider or white wine vinegar

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

Fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon apple juice

3 ounces canola oil

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until soft then add the figs and cook for about 4 minutes, or until they start to break down and are very soft. Allow this to cool a bit then place in a bender or food processor and add all the other ingredients except the oil and process until smooth. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the oil. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Figgy Newtons 

 For the dough:

3 oz. butter, softened

¾ cup demerara sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

For the filling:

2 pounds fresh figs, chopped

½ cup water

½ cup demerara sugar

To make the dough:

In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time then beat in the milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine the salt through whole wheat pastry flour. Add the dry ingredients in batches to the wet until thoroughly combined. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

To make the filling:

Combine the figs, water and sugar in a large pot over medium heat and cook until the figs begin to breakdown, and the moisture evaporates, about 30-35 minutes. The mixture should look like loose preserves. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

To assemble:

I.               Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. My dough weighed about 1#8oz. total so  each dough ball was about 12 oz.

II.              Working on a silicone baking mat or parchment,  (this will help you easily move them to the pan once formed), shape the dough balls into rectangles, lightly flouring as you go to prevent sticking. 

III.            Roll the dough into 14 in. x 8 in. x ¼ in. thick rectangle like shapes.

IV.           Spread the cooled filling down the middle leaving about a 2 in. border of dough around the edge.

V.            Fold the top long edge over the filling

VI.           Fold the bottom long edge up and over lap with the dough from the top.

VII.         Fold up the ends AND   

Bake in a 350° for 25-30 minutes until golden! Allow to cool 

then slice into 1 inch strips (they kinda look like biscotti)

*** Note: if you want to use dried figs instead of fresh use 2 cups dried and chopped figs and about 3 cups of apple juice and ¼ cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until softened about 30-40 minutes.  Then cool, etc. If you would like a smoother filling puree the filling mixture until desired consistency.

*** My friends Terry, Glenna, and Claire told me about a recipe that our other friend Donna had made with figs. I didn’t have time to make it but thought it was pretty cool idea. They all said it was delicious!

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spicy_fig_orange_microwave_jam/

-Enjoy! V

Ground Cherries

Ever heard of them? I hadn’t until I was at my local farmer’s market and one of the farmers had me try one. Now if you know me at all you know that I like little things, well let me be clear, things like miniature pot belly pigs, humming birds, baby beets, and pigmy varieties of food products. Why? Because they are cute and I am a girl and I like cute things. Ground cherries look like tiny, golden tomatillos on the outside wrapped in their papery husk and yellow cranberries when you pop them open. They taste like pineapple-y, citrus-y, figgy, snappy little treasures. I was so excited about these cool little things and asked everyone I know if they had ever heard of them, no one. Even cooler! I did a little research and found out that they are a part of the Nightshade family, and the genus: Physalis to which the tomatillo also belongs, are sometimes called Cape Gooseberries (although I think that these are something different), are native to the Americas and good in desserts, jams, jellies, or raw in salads or in salsas.  So I made a syrup, although they are labor intensive the work is worth it…would be good on ice cream or a biscuit or some good stinky cheese! If you see these things get some and let me know what you do with them!!!

Ground Cherry Syrup:

Makes about: a cup of syrup

2 cups ground cherries, husks removed

½ cup natural cane sugar

½ cup water

½ vanilla bean, scraped

            In a food processor, pulse the ground cherries 10-15 times. Place in a saucepan along with all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the mixture will coat the back of a spoon, at least 18-20 minutes but times will vary.  Careful not to reduce it too much, it will thicken up more when it cools, otherwise you will end up with candy.

 -V

Nice Melons

My husband every year talks about wanting to go to the Watermelon festival in Cordele, GA (which happens in late June and has been going on for over 60 years!) because he is going to win the Watermelon Seed Spitting contest that they hold. Every year we forget about it and miss it, but I am going to make an effort from this day forward to help get my husband there. I will assist in the training; I will escort him there and cheer him on. I want to see this!

The watermelon originated in the southern Africa and has now spread worldwide. It is related to other plants such as cantaloupe, squash and pumpkins. It comes in all shades of pink and red and there are even orange and yellow varieties. All parts of the melon are edible. The flesh, the seeds and the rind!

I also know that whenever I buy a watermelon no matter how small it is it is always too much for us unless we are having a party. I have come up with some ideas for using up that extra melon when you just can’t finish it all.

Melon Sorbet - Serves: 6-8 

 2 pounds melon, cubed

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup natural cane sugar 
(this amount will vary depending on sweetness of your melon, start with less because you can always add more but you can’t take it back!)

Pinch of salt

Process the melon in a food processor until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until combined. Refrigerate the mixture until it reaches as close to 40°F as you can stand waiting then churn in an ice cream machine per the instructions. Don’t own one? Make a Granita! Pour mixture in a shallow casserole dish and place in the freezer. Check on it after at 30 minutes then every 30 minutes for about 1½ hours to scrape the frozen surface with a fork to create crystals. Repeat until it is nice and fluffy.  Keep frozen. To serve, allow to thaw slightly at room temperature then using a scoop scrape out desired amount.

Watermelon Feta Salad: Serves: 4  

 4 cups cubed watermelon

4 ounces feta, crumbled

Fresh basil leaves

Good extra virgin olive oil

Fresh ground black pepper

Toss together watermelon and feta. To serve, top with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with fresh ground black pepper.

Watermelon Drink - Serves 1  

Leftover watermelon

Vodka

Soda water

Lime wedges

Mint or basil

Agave nectar (optional)

Puree the watermelon in a food processor and freeze solid in ice cube trays. To serve pour vodka over a few cubes of watermelon puree. Fill with soda water and garnish with lime and herb. You can add some agave nectar if your melon isn’t that sweet.  Or rim the glass with sugar.

Enjoy those melons responsibly!

-V

Love Apples/A.K.A. Tomatoes:

It is tomato time!!!! I remember as a kid my mom giving us sliced tomatoes with mayo and salt and pepper as a snack. Or tomato mayo sandwiches in our lunch. Doesn’t get any better then that. Since she grew up on a farm and my grandmother still has a garden that produces some of the most delicious tomatoes you ever ate, my mom appreciated seeking out good tomatoes. During the summer they were served at almost every meal, just sliced. 

Oh the wonderful tomato, Art: Andy Warhol Campbell’s Tomato Soup Can, Movies: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, festivals all over the world including the Tomatina (tomato throwing fight in Valencia, Spain), and countless dishes from condiment to dessert. There is a national Tomato Day: June 1st and National Tomato Month in October. What can’t you do with this fruit/vegetable?

Originally cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas as early as 700 A.D. this beautiful food made its way across the Atlantic in the 14^th century with Spanish explorers. Once it got to Europe it had to shake its bad rap of being in the nightshade family and being related to the Deadly Nightshade and finally made it’s appearance on European tables in the mid-15^th century. Today, tomatoes are grown and eaten worldwide.

What is an heirloom tomato anyway? An heirloom variety is defined by the following; an open pollinated seed (meaning they are pollinated by the birds and the bees not scientists), non-hybrid cultivar as well as they must be at least 40-50 years old (time lines conflict!) Heirloom varieties are essential because they maintain diversity, this is important because with depletion of plant diversity we put ourselves at risk to plant epidemics and devastating pest infestations.

Nutritionally they are low in fat and calories but high in dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and of course the super phytochemical lycopene (organic ones contain 3x as much as conventional ones!).

So, as they say “an apple a day…” Eat your tomatoes! Here are some ideas on what to do with this summer’s love apples:

Summer Bounty Ketchup:

Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon celery seeds

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon cinnamon, or 1 whole stick

1 bay leaf

1 star anise pod

6-8 whole all spice berries

4 whole cloves

2-3 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon molasses

Salt


In a food processor pulse the onion and garlic until finely chopped. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. In the same food processor, puree the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the pot along with all the spices (the vinegar through salt go in later).  Cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, sweeteners, and some salt and cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until thickened. Taste again for seasoning and add more vinegar or salt if desired. Pass through a fine mesh sieve and allow to cool before storing in the fridge for a few weeks.

Note: The spices in this recipe are all suggestions. You can truly do anything here. Leave some of them out, make it spicy with some cayenne or chili flake. Make it smoky with some smoked paprika. Make it a curry ketchup by adding some curry powder. Use different color tomatoes. I made one with red tomatoes with all the ingredients above but also did a yellow tomato one using ¼ cup honey instead of sugar and molasses and no paprika. Next: green tomatoes. The elusive Green Zebra has escaped me but I might try a green (unripe) tomato ketchup…

ODT (Oven Dried Tomatoes)

Makes about 1-2 cups tomatoes

1-2 pounds tomatoes cut in half, or ¾ inch slices

Olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper

2- 4 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

Heat an oven to 300°F. Place the tomato pieces on a rack set inside a sheet pan.  Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and then sprinkle each piece with garlic and thyme. Dry in oven for 2-2 ½ hours until collapsed and tender (times will vary depending on variety of tomato).  Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in a jar and completely covered with olive oil. Store in the fridge.

 Quick Tomato Sauce:

Makes about 5 cups

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, or 3 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or1 teaspoon dried

Salt and freshly ground pepper

     

Process the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan along with olive oil, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.

Summer Squash

Talk about Southern Comfort: Squash Casserole is what I think of first. I could eat a whole pan of my moms. Squash is so versatile and abundant this time of year. I am always looking for new things to do with all of it and have come up with some good stuff. I just used yellow crookneck squash and zucchini for the Ribbon Salad, zucchini for the Bread, and a variety called zephyr for the Casserole. They are all pretty much interchangeable and there are some other cool varieties out there to be explored like the eight ball and patty pans! Keep an eye on your garden because these things will get big fast and the bigger they get the more fibrous and bitter they will become. If you can’t use it all up immediately you can always slice it up, blanch it in boiling water, shock it in an ice bath, freeze in a single layer until frozen solid then store in a zippy for later use. Even the blossoms are edible!

Grilled Summer Squash Ribbon Salad

Serves: 4

2 pounds mixed squash and zucchini, trimmed

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped toasted almonds

2 ounces fresh goat cheese

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium high heat. Cut the squash and zucchini lengthwise into long thin ribbons using a mandolin or wide vegetable peeler, about 1/8 inch thick. Toss with enough olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper. Cook on the grill for a minute or two per side just until they get marks from the grill and are tender but not falling apart. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly. Toss with lemon juice, zest, dill, and more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve on a platter and sprinkle with the almonds, little nobs of cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Summer Squash Casserole

Serves: 4 as a side dish

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 pound summer squash, cut into ¼ inch thick rounds

1 small onion, thinly sliced

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ chopped fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, chives, or oregano

Pinch of cayenne pepper, optional

1 cup grated cheese*

1 egg beaten

¼ cup crème fraiche (you can use mayo, sour cream, or Greek style yogurt)

1½ cups homemade breadcrumbs or panko style breadcrumbs

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

            In another skillet melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter and add the breadcrumbs and garlic. Cook until the crumbs become golden. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the herbs.

            Heat an oven to 350°F. Add the cayenne, if using, the cheese, crème fraiche, egg and ½ cup of the bread crumb mixture to the squash and onions and stir to combine. Load into an 11x7 casserole and top with remaining breadcrumbs.  Bake until hot in the center and bubbly around the edges, about 25-30 minutes.  Allow to cool a bit before serving.

*Any cheese can be used. I used cheddar. Gruyere would be nice, fontina, a combo including parmesan, goat cheese or feta. The herbs to you can play with!

Zucchini Bread:

Makes 2 loaves

4 ounces butter

1¼ cups natural cane sugar

2 tablespoons molasses or honey

3 eggs

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups shredded zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out

3 cups white whole-wheat flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon

Topping:

½ cup white whole-wheat flour

¼ cup natural cane sugar

Big pinch of salt

Big pinch freshly grated nutmeg

¼ cup toasted chopped nuts, optional

2 lemons, zested

4 tablespoons butter, room temp. and cut into cubes

Non-stick spray

Heat an oven to 350°F. Spray two standard loaf pans with spray and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the molasses or honey, then the eggs 1 at a time stopping to scrape down the bowl if necessary.  On low speed, add the zucchini. In another bowl whisk together the flour through the cinnamon. Add the dry to the wet in batches using low speed until thoroughly combined but not over worked.

            Combine all of the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl. Add the butter with your fingers rubbing into flour mixture to form large crumbs. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a rack. Serve warm, toasted with some butter. These loves freeze well and make great gifts.

 Enjoy!

Preserving the Bounty

I realize these days that you can get almost anything anytime of the year. What we are trying to spread the word about is the importance and value of eating seasonally. But sometimes in the winter you might have a hankering for some blueberries. Yes, the grocery store will probably have some but know that they came from very far away, will probably have no flavor, and will be very expensive. What you should do so that you can satisfy these cravings cheaper and while supporting locally and seasonally: PRESERVE! It is so worth the little time it takes and you will be far more rewarded with good flavor AND you can feel good about what you are doing for the local farmers (supporting them), not supporting the environmentally detrimental transport of foods from far away, and giving your wallet a break! Here are some ways to preserve some berries, onions, and basil! Enjoy!

Blueberries:

Wash and thoroughly dry your fresh blueberries. Spread them out on a parchment- lined sheet pan in a single layer. Place in the freezer until frozen solid then store in in a zip lock or freezer safe storage container. Use in smoothies, drop in pancakes, make muffins, cook down with some water and honey into a syrup and use over ice cream or puree and put a spoonful in your glass of champagne!

FUNIONS:

I know I told you to buy those Vidalia Onion bags and you have too many onions or if you didn’t and you wanna scoop these sweet babies up and stock your freezer with some delicious. Here is a good way to utilize these sweet beauties and preserve them for later.

Caramelized Onions:

Olive Oil- 1 tablespoon

Butter- 1 tablespoon

Vidalia Onions- 2 pounds, thinly sliced

Salt- a good pinch

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large sauté pan over very low heat. Add the onions with a healthy pinch of salt and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour (maybe more), stirring occasionally until the onions are very soft, and a delicious deep brown. You may have to add a bit of water here and there if the onions begin to stick, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, this is flavor! Use immediately with the suggested uses below or freeze in ice cube trays(once frozen store in an airtight container) for easy use later!

Other suggested uses:

--Add warm broth and Parmesan crostini to make a quick French onion soup

--Use in scrambled eggs or a frittata

--Use as a pizza topping or on your burgers

--Make an onion dip by mixing together some sour cream (or Greek style yogurt), mayo, salt, pepper, pinch of garlic powder and chopped caramelized onions. Serve with fresh veggies or chips. Dang! That’s good!

Fresh Basil Pesto Cubes: Makes about 1½ cups

The cool thing about pesto is that you can mix and match or interchange most of the ingredients based on what you have. If you don’t have basil, use cilantro or parsley. Are you allergic to pine nuts? Use almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts. Don’t like garlic? Leave it out. Want something different? Use a mixture of herbs, or a different hard cheese. Add some spice with jalapenos or crushed red pepper. PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD. Make this and freeze in an ice cube tray (once frozen store in an airtight container) for great little cubes of flavor love to add to soups, pastas, or to slather on some grilled meats.

Fresh basil leaves- 4 cups-ish

Grated hard cheese- ½ cup, Parmesan or Pecorino Romano

Pine nuts- ½ cup, toasted*

Garlic- 1 clove

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil- ½ cup

      In a food processor combine the basil, cheese, nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper until they form a paste. With the machine running slowly drizzle in the olive oil. You can add more if you want it thinner. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired. Use immediately or freeze in ice cube trays for later use.

* To toast nuts: place nuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat. Toast for a few minutes stirring occasionally until they turn brown and begin to become fragrant. Careful, if you walk away they can burn easily!

Please Preserve responsibly!

YEAH COMPOST: Bokashi

I have been wanting to compost for many years. I never really knew that much about it but knew that I hated how much food waste we produced and wanted to figure out how to reduce this. I wanted my husband to build us a compost bin but didn’t think that inside our backyard fence was a good idea because it would stink and our dog, Mina, would be all up in it. So I thought maybe outside our fence. I am sure it would offend some neighbors and break some sort of HOA rule and attract some wildlife that might cause a ripple. Then I thought maybe a tumbler, I was going to surprise my husband with one for Christmas one year and tried to get him to tell me which one he might want…never happened. Then I learned about worm composting. It works much faster (2-3 months vs. a yearish) it is contained, yadah, yadah, but what if you kill the little suckers, too much pressure.

Then by accident I found out about Bokashi! It is inexpensive, self contained, user friendly, and doesn’t really stink…until it is done! I am performing a test and am hoping that this is the one! It is the coolest thing I have come across and is super easy. Also, it can be done year round and just about anywhere. Since I had been waiting and waiting for a compost solution I just started collecting our compostable materials in a 5 gallon bucket and taking it to Dekalb Farmer’s Market and adding it to there “teaching” compost (I also know that community gardens usually accept outside compost as well as The Atlanta Botanical Gardens). Bokashi composting is actually done in a bucket, although one with a spigot is recommended it is not necessary. All you need is a bucket, food scraps, and bokashi. Which is wheat or rice bran that has been inoculated with micro organisms that ferment organic waste. Perfect, it was like it was meant to be, I already had my buckets, lots of food waste, all I needed was the bokashi itself. Farmer D carries it if you are in the Atlanta area and if not, you can order it online.

I started this a few months ago and have been making progress. I have completed 3 buckets of bokashi compost and they are all in the ground doing their last phase of transformation. Can’t wait to see how much it improves our soil!

Here’s How:

Step 1: get a 5 gallon bucket, a bag of Bokashi (about $14), a ruler, a potato masher, some wax paper, and a plate. 

Step 2: Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Bokashi in the bottom of the empty bucket.

Step 3: Layer in 2-3 inches worth of food scraps, egg shells, paper towels, coffee grounds, you can even compost meat and dairy with this method. 

Step 4: Sprinkle on another 2 tablespoons Bokashi and add another 2-3 inch layer of food scraps. 

Step 5: Continue this layering and sprinkling. Between the layers press down with a potato masher. As you continue the process, keep a layer of wax paper on the top with a plate or cardboard to extract and protect from air. Keep the lid on at all times. 

Step 6: During the process, every 3 days you need to drain the bucket of the collected juices. If your bucket has a spigot, no brainer. Mine doesn’t so I just pressed a dinner plate on the top and tipped it over in my sink and let it drain into a jar while holding the plate in place. STOP. Don’t get rid of this liquid! It is valuable too…a “tea” if you will. You can use it diluted as a topical fertilizer for plants, flowers, soil, etc. It will even clear slow running drains when used down the sink at full tilt. 

Step 7: Once your bucket is full, drain, top with lid and let her rest (ferment) for 2 weeks.

Step 8: After the 2 week nap, you will need to do 1 of a few things with your Bokashi compost. Drain again and… 

A.    Bury it a minimum of 6 inches deep in the garden…but don’t let plant roots come in contact with raw Bokashi, allow it to age a bit (about 2 more weeks) in the soil.

B.     Add it to existing compost

C.   Put in bottom of raised bed or plater pots, then 12 inch layer of soil then plant.

D.    Mix it directly in the dirt where you want to plant but allow another 2 weeks of aging before you plant in that dirt.

Step 9: Do it again! I have more than 1 bucket so that I can continue this process. 3 is ideal.

Farmer D Organics Garden Center:

http://www.farmerd.com/

Just do  Google search for Bokashi and several places to but it pop up!

Happy Fermenting!!!