So we had this incredible drought all year, and then the remnants of hurricane I..saac? Isaac, right? Well, hurricane whomever comes through and BAM--what comes back? The gherkins! Not only did they come back, but it was the comeback of a century. Move over, everything else ever. These things went from these shriveled, burnt, crispy looking plants into a gorgeous green carpet that was positively exploding with fruit! Seriously, we would pick about halfway up the row and then get tuckered out because there were just dozens and dozens of pounds on them.
You can probably guess where this is going.
Our CSA has been inundated with these little dudes the past month or so--although we've taken it easy on you lately, but no more! This week, our canning shares received ten pounds each of the little spiky watermelons, and our normal CSA can expect a healthy dose as well! And what to do with all the darn things? Pickles, duh!
There are a ton of pickle recipes. A ton. Something for everyone! I prefer dill, Farmer Brown prefers bread and butter, and I tried my hand at (what else) sweet gherkins this year, which smelled just AMAZING although they took a considerable amount of time. You can legitimately can them or make refrigerator pickles. They're so easy to can that you might as well commit to an afternoon of it and waterbath them to increase their storage time to up to a year. What can beat a jar of crispy, delicious pickles to fight off the winter blahs in January?
Well, here are some of my favourite pickle recipes. What are yours?
Classic Dill Pickles
3 lbs small pickling cucumbers
2 c white vinegar
2 c water
2 tbsp pickling salt (this is important; for crystal clear brine, use ONLY special pickling salt!)
1 tbsp granulated sugar
4 large heads of fresh dill or 2 tbsp dried--or a handful of fresh
4 small cloves garlic
2 tsp mustard seeds
Cut a thin slice from the ends of cucumbers--they ooze a chemical that can make bitter, soggy cukes.
Combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan (also important; you want non-reactive metal) and bring to a boil.
Remove hot jars from canner. Place 1 head fresh dill (or dried, or fresh dill greens, or 1 1/2 tsp dill seed), 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds into each jar. Pack cucumbers into jars and pour boiling brine over, filling to 1/2" of rim. Process for 10 minutes for pint jars and 15 minutes for quarts.
Makes 4 pints.
Old-fashioned Bread and Butter Pickles
4 lb small pickling cucumbers
4 small onions, thinly sliced
1 sweet green pepper, thinly sliced into strips
1 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced into strips
2 tbsp pickling salt
4 c cider vinegar
3 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cloves
Cut a thin slice from the ends of cucumbers and cut into medium thick slices, about 1/4". Place cucumbers, onions and peppers in a non-reactive container, sprinkle with salt and let sit for 3 hours; drain. Rinse twice and drain thoroughly.
Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric and cloves in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add vegetables and return to a boil for 30 seconds or until cukes are no longer bright green.
Remove hot jars from canner. Remove vegetables from liquid with a slotted spoon and pack into jars. Pour liquid over vegetables to within 1/2" of rim. Process 10 minutes for pint jars or 15 for quarts.
Makes 6 pint jars.
Refrigerator Pickles--for any kind of pickle-able vegetable!
Wash and cut up your vegetables and pack them
into a clean jar. Use whatever veg you’ll eat (or put into a martini):
cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, onions,
garlic, etc. Weight of your starting produce will vary depending on what
you’re pickling. Eyeball it at the market, and if you end up with too
little veg, just use a smaller jar (or make more brine to account for
extra space in the jar).
Add spices, fresh or dried directly to the jar.
For a quart jar, use anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 tsp of whole dried
spices like peppercorns, fennel, cumin, coriander, dill, cloves, or
whatever sounds delicious to you.
Combine 1 c any kind of vinegar, 1 c filtered water and 1 tbsp pickling salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
You can add sugar if you like a sweet pickle, but the above is a
standard tart pickle recipe. Try starting with 1 tsp sugar; be sure to
taste the brine to see if you like it.
Pour your just-boiled brine over the vegetables in the jar. Wipe any vinegar spills from the rim with a clean towel or a paper
towel and put on the lid. Any lid is fine here since you’re not
shelf-sealing the jar, reuse your already used two-piece lids or recycle
those single-piece screw lids that once capped salsa, tomato sauce or
peanut butter.
Now for the hard part. Hide the jar in the back of the fridge for
at least a week. Two weeks is better, and three weeks is best. Your
pickles will only continue to become more deliciously infused. But if
you break into them early, I won’t tell. They’ll keep what seems like
forever, but if you have pickle experiments in there from more than 6
months back it’s probably time to do a fridge inventory.
This makes enough brine for one quart of pickles; increase accordingly.
Pickle away, kids. Pickle away!
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
If you haven't noticed, it's tomato season.
I don't know about you guys, but the time of the season has finally rolled around to where I am EYEBALL DEEP in tomatoes. ALL tomatoes! Slicers, romas, cherries, plums, pears! Rainbows of tomatoes. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. And let's be honest here--there's only so much you can do with them, right? WRONG-O! Here's a list of my favourite ways to preserve tomatoes!
1. Sauce - Basil, chunky, smooth, all-purpose--the variations go on and on! I've included my favourite all-purpose sauce after the list.
2. Dehydrated - Think sun-dried--stick them in some olive oil a day or two before you're using them, and they turn into this AMAZING tomato crack candy! Plus, you get delicious, flavored olive oil too! You can't can this though, so freeze them or put them in a sealed container for future use.
3. Paste - It's really not that hard--just skin them, puree them, and cook it down in a crockpot until it's the consistency you like. It smells heavenly, tastes amazing, and is awesome to have on hand.
4. Roasted - Cut your romas in half, place them cut side up on a parchment lined tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on salt and pepper, and roast them at 200-250* for several hours until thin, crackly and delicious! Freeze those babies for all-winter use!
5. Tomato Jam - Sounds gross, but it is seriously delicious. Seriously. Delicious.
6. Ketchup - I was put off by ketchup-making because I thought it would be hard, but it is SO EASY. Like, throw-it-in-a-crockpot-or-stock-pot-and-walk-away easy. It tastes more "grown-up" than a bottle of Heinz, but it is an amazing difference (amazing--must be a trend!).
7. Stewed - Sometimes, you just need a jar of plain old stewed tomatoes. This one kind of sucks though, because if you want to can it, you need a pressure canner (which freaks my freak still). They're easy-peasy to freeze, although consistency can be iffy.
8. Salsa - Where would this favorite appetizer be without tomatoes? Check out recipes that include end of the season produce such as zucchinis and red peppers!
I bet I left some ways off. But you get the gist! Sooo many ways to preserve tomatoes--and there are a billion different flavours you can incorporate into each!
Since sauce is such a crowd pleaser, here's my favorite recipe for all-purpose seasoned tomato sauce. It's for a small batch, but doubles--even triples--nicely. Make sure you only prepare enough that you can can at one time, otherwise you jeopardize the quality of the sauce by overcooking.
Seasoned Tomato Sauce
6 lbs ripe tomatoes, skinned and pureed--romas work great for a nice, thick sauce
1c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano OR 1 tsp dried
1 tsp sugar
1.2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar OR lemon juice
1/2 tsp pickling salt
Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, sugar, pepper and bay leaves in a large, heavy stainless steel or enamel stockpot (it's ultra important to not use aluminum when canning--it reacts to the acid in food). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours or until very thick. Add vinegar and salt.
For canning: Remove hot jars from canner and ladle hot sauce into jars with 1/2" headspace. Process for 35 minutes for half pints and pint jars.
This recipe makes about seven-ish cups, depending on how thick you boil it down to.
This sauce is awesome on pizzas, in stews, on pastas, in soups and in casseroles. Throw in some other herbs, and you can alter it to the dish you're making!
Hope you all have a blast canning tomatoes and other produce this season! Leave a comment with your favorite way to preserve tomatoes!
1. Sauce - Basil, chunky, smooth, all-purpose--the variations go on and on! I've included my favourite all-purpose sauce after the list.
2. Dehydrated - Think sun-dried--stick them in some olive oil a day or two before you're using them, and they turn into this AMAZING tomato crack candy! Plus, you get delicious, flavored olive oil too! You can't can this though, so freeze them or put them in a sealed container for future use.
3. Paste - It's really not that hard--just skin them, puree them, and cook it down in a crockpot until it's the consistency you like. It smells heavenly, tastes amazing, and is awesome to have on hand.
4. Roasted - Cut your romas in half, place them cut side up on a parchment lined tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on salt and pepper, and roast them at 200-250* for several hours until thin, crackly and delicious! Freeze those babies for all-winter use!
5. Tomato Jam - Sounds gross, but it is seriously delicious. Seriously. Delicious.
6. Ketchup - I was put off by ketchup-making because I thought it would be hard, but it is SO EASY. Like, throw-it-in-a-crockpot-or-stock-pot-and-walk-away easy. It tastes more "grown-up" than a bottle of Heinz, but it is an amazing difference (amazing--must be a trend!).
7. Stewed - Sometimes, you just need a jar of plain old stewed tomatoes. This one kind of sucks though, because if you want to can it, you need a pressure canner (which freaks my freak still). They're easy-peasy to freeze, although consistency can be iffy.
8. Salsa - Where would this favorite appetizer be without tomatoes? Check out recipes that include end of the season produce such as zucchinis and red peppers!
I bet I left some ways off. But you get the gist! Sooo many ways to preserve tomatoes--and there are a billion different flavours you can incorporate into each!
Since sauce is such a crowd pleaser, here's my favorite recipe for all-purpose seasoned tomato sauce. It's for a small batch, but doubles--even triples--nicely. Make sure you only prepare enough that you can can at one time, otherwise you jeopardize the quality of the sauce by overcooking.
Seasoned Tomato Sauce
6 lbs ripe tomatoes, skinned and pureed--romas work great for a nice, thick sauce
1c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano OR 1 tsp dried
1 tsp sugar
1.2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar OR lemon juice
1/2 tsp pickling salt
Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, sugar, pepper and bay leaves in a large, heavy stainless steel or enamel stockpot (it's ultra important to not use aluminum when canning--it reacts to the acid in food). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours or until very thick. Add vinegar and salt.
For canning: Remove hot jars from canner and ladle hot sauce into jars with 1/2" headspace. Process for 35 minutes for half pints and pint jars.
This recipe makes about seven-ish cups, depending on how thick you boil it down to.
This sauce is awesome on pizzas, in stews, on pastas, in soups and in casseroles. Throw in some other herbs, and you can alter it to the dish you're making!
Hope you all have a blast canning tomatoes and other produce this season! Leave a comment with your favorite way to preserve tomatoes!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Beer Brats and Greens
Sooo, had a DELICIOUS dinner tonight and needed to post it for you all! Another GREAT way to enjoy your greens!
Beer Brats with Onions and Greens
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz beer
4 bratwurst
lots of greens, chopped
Saute onions in hot oil in large saucepan until tender (about 2 minutes). Add garlic and heat through. Add brats and brown on both sides. Pour in beer and bring to simmer. Reduce heat and cover; simmer gently about 35-40 minutes (watch to make sure the beer doesn't evaporate! You'll need some to cook the greens in, and your onions will definitely burn if the beer evaporates out). Add greens and cook until wilted. Serve immediately.
Soooo good! We used wheat bread as buns and it was just delicious. The beer really takes the bite out of arugula. .. But use a good beer, seriously. We recommend Fat Tire Ale. Or Keith does. He likes it a lot.
Enjoy!
Beer Brats with Onions and Greens
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz beer
4 bratwurst
lots of greens, chopped
Saute onions in hot oil in large saucepan until tender (about 2 minutes). Add garlic and heat through. Add brats and brown on both sides. Pour in beer and bring to simmer. Reduce heat and cover; simmer gently about 35-40 minutes (watch to make sure the beer doesn't evaporate! You'll need some to cook the greens in, and your onions will definitely burn if the beer evaporates out). Add greens and cook until wilted. Serve immediately.
Soooo good! We used wheat bread as buns and it was just delicious. The beer really takes the bite out of arugula. .. But use a good beer, seriously. We recommend Fat Tire Ale. Or Keith does. He likes it a lot.
Enjoy!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
10/22 CSA Pick-Up
Hi guys! Did you ever think you'd have a pick-up again? We're trying as hard as we can to keep greens growing for you so that we can make up for the terrible summer season. Now, we know that greens will never make up for missing a fresh, ripe tomato that is still warm from the sun, but it's better than nothing!
This week's share includes kale, pak choi, arugula, purple basil and green tomatoes (for pictures of the greens, see the previous post). I've dug up some recipes for you so that you can enjoy these greens and 'maters in their best flavor! Of course, all of these greens are terrific fresh in salad (you may want to cut the arugula down with another green if you aren't used to the flavour), or you can wilt them in butter or olive oil, or throw them in a stew. They're so versatile! Bread and fry green tomato slices for a quick, delicious dose of comfort food. And don't forget to eat the stalks of the pak choi also--it tastes just like buttery celery. Throw them in a soup or pasta sauce!
Classic Colcannon
4-6 large potatoes (about 3 pounds)
2 Tbsp. butter
3 c. packed chopped kale leaves
1 c. chopped onion
1/2-2/3 c. milk, warmed
1-2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (1 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper
Peel and cut up potatoes. Boil in salted water until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add kale and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are barely soft. Drain potatoes and mash them with the milk; mix in kale/onion mixture and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a buttered baking dish and bake at 375* for 20 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
Kale Souffle
softened butter to grease dish
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 2/3 c. milk, warmed
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne
5 egg yolks
1 c. cooked and finely chopped kale, cooled
1 c. grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried
7 egg whites, at room temperature
Heat oven to 400*. Butter bottom and sides of an 8-cup souffle dish or deep, round baking dish; spread buttered areas with Parmesan. Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook over low heat several minutes, stirring often. Whisk in milk until thickened; season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Cool 10-15 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in kale, Gruyere and dill. Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with electric beaters until firm peaks form. Fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the kale mixture, then gently fold in the rest (DO NOT OVERMIX). Gently spread mixture into prepared pan. Place into oven, reduce heat to 375*, and bake until high, golden, and barely set in the center, 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Shelled Cranberry Beans and Arugula
1 1/2 c. shelled fresh cranberry beans
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. chopped fresh arugula
salt and pepper
Bring a medium potful of salted water to boil. Add cranberry beans and garlic; simmer until beans are tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain off nearly all liquid. Stir in arugula. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings.
Raspberry Breakfast Salad
2 Tbsp. raspberry preserves
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar (or raspberry balsamic vinegar)
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
5 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
8-10c. assorted salad greens (SOOOO good with arugula!)
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 c. raspberries
Make dressing: Combine raspberry preserves, honey, vinegar, and mustard. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, toss greens with just enough dressing to lightly coat them. Portion onto plates and garnish with sliced apples and berries. Makes 6 servings.
Green Tomato and Egg Gratin
1 1/2 c. chopped green tomatoes
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. (preferably unbleached) flour
1 1/2 c. low-fat milk
Heat oven to 350*. Alternate layers of egg slices and tomatoes in shallow baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. Add bread crumbs; stir well. Melt remaining butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, 3-4 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Pour milk mixture over tomato/egg layers. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 35-40 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
Grilled Pork Chops and Pak Choi with Sesame Garlic Glaze
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2-2 tsp. bottled Vietnamese-style chili garlic sauce
4 pork chops
8 large stalks pak choi (including greens), root ends trimmed
Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce in a large, deep plate or dish. Place pork chops int he mixture, turning to coat all surfaces. Let stand at room temperature, turning the chops occasionally while you prepare coals in an outdoor grill to medium heat. When coals are ready, remove chops from the marinade and grill them until just done (3-4 minutes per side). Meanwhile, grill the pak choi stalks until tender, about the same amount of time as the chops, basting them with the remaining marinade while they cook. Serve with rice or an Asian noodle dish. Makes 4 servings.
I hope you guys enjoy these awesome greens as much as we do! Feel free to post your favourite recipes for here too.
We're planning bi-weekly pickups currently, but if these greens rebound well, we'll do weekly. Check here and emails for updates. If you have any questions, give us a holler on here or on Facebook, or email, or call, or whatever! Send smoke signals if you'd like, but we may not notice them!
- Keith & Sierra
This week's share includes kale, pak choi, arugula, purple basil and green tomatoes (for pictures of the greens, see the previous post). I've dug up some recipes for you so that you can enjoy these greens and 'maters in their best flavor! Of course, all of these greens are terrific fresh in salad (you may want to cut the arugula down with another green if you aren't used to the flavour), or you can wilt them in butter or olive oil, or throw them in a stew. They're so versatile! Bread and fry green tomato slices for a quick, delicious dose of comfort food. And don't forget to eat the stalks of the pak choi also--it tastes just like buttery celery. Throw them in a soup or pasta sauce!
Classic Colcannon
4-6 large potatoes (about 3 pounds)
2 Tbsp. butter
3 c. packed chopped kale leaves
1 c. chopped onion
1/2-2/3 c. milk, warmed
1-2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (1 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper
Peel and cut up potatoes. Boil in salted water until tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add kale and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are barely soft. Drain potatoes and mash them with the milk; mix in kale/onion mixture and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread in a buttered baking dish and bake at 375* for 20 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
Kale Souffle
softened butter to grease dish
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. flour
1 2/3 c. milk, warmed
salt and pepper
pinch of cayenne
5 egg yolks
1 c. cooked and finely chopped kale, cooled
1 c. grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill or 2 tsp. dried
7 egg whites, at room temperature
Heat oven to 400*. Butter bottom and sides of an 8-cup souffle dish or deep, round baking dish; spread buttered areas with Parmesan. Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in saucepan; stir in flour and cook over low heat several minutes, stirring often. Whisk in milk until thickened; season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Cool 10-15 minutes. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Stir in kale, Gruyere and dill. Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with electric beaters until firm peaks form. Fold a quarter of the whipped egg whites into the kale mixture, then gently fold in the rest (DO NOT OVERMIX). Gently spread mixture into prepared pan. Place into oven, reduce heat to 375*, and bake until high, golden, and barely set in the center, 35-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Shelled Cranberry Beans and Arugula
1 1/2 c. shelled fresh cranberry beans
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 c. chopped fresh arugula
salt and pepper
Bring a medium potful of salted water to boil. Add cranberry beans and garlic; simmer until beans are tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain off nearly all liquid. Stir in arugula. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings.
Raspberry Breakfast Salad
2 Tbsp. raspberry preserves
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar (or raspberry balsamic vinegar)
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
5 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
8-10c. assorted salad greens (SOOOO good with arugula!)
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 c. raspberries
Make dressing: Combine raspberry preserves, honey, vinegar, and mustard. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, toss greens with just enough dressing to lightly coat them. Portion onto plates and garnish with sliced apples and berries. Makes 6 servings.
Green Tomato and Egg Gratin
1 1/2 c. chopped green tomatoes
6 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. (preferably unbleached) flour
1 1/2 c. low-fat milk
Heat oven to 350*. Alternate layers of egg slices and tomatoes in shallow baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. Add bread crumbs; stir well. Melt remaining butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and cook, stirring often, 3-4 minutes. Whisk in milk and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Pour milk mixture over tomato/egg layers. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 35-40 minutes. Makes 4-6 servings.
Grilled Pork Chops and Pak Choi with Sesame Garlic Glaze
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 1/2-2 tsp. bottled Vietnamese-style chili garlic sauce
4 pork chops
8 large stalks pak choi (including greens), root ends trimmed
Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili garlic sauce in a large, deep plate or dish. Place pork chops int he mixture, turning to coat all surfaces. Let stand at room temperature, turning the chops occasionally while you prepare coals in an outdoor grill to medium heat. When coals are ready, remove chops from the marinade and grill them until just done (3-4 minutes per side). Meanwhile, grill the pak choi stalks until tender, about the same amount of time as the chops, basting them with the remaining marinade while they cook. Serve with rice or an Asian noodle dish. Makes 4 servings.
I hope you guys enjoy these awesome greens as much as we do! Feel free to post your favourite recipes for here too.
We're planning bi-weekly pickups currently, but if these greens rebound well, we'll do weekly. Check here and emails for updates. If you have any questions, give us a holler on here or on Facebook, or email, or call, or whatever! Send smoke signals if you'd like, but we may not notice them!
- Keith & Sierra
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