Thoughts While Gardening; Another TIP; Recipes!

Some random thoughts while tending the gardens

I don’t know about you but I am of the opinion that individual exercise regimens, like individual religious practices, should be a private affair. There’s way too much about both all over social media,and sometimes even in person. I propose that all of these discussions go the way of food sensitivity explanations. Let’s talk less about fantasy and more about reality!

An unrelated thought.  We belong to “Angie’s List”.  It has proven to be a good move - our home is old, and while we do a lot ourselves, plumbing and electricity are pretty much out of our range.  Every month a little magazine comes from “Angie”.  The feature article in the June edition gave detailed instructions on how to get to know your neighbors. This is not written for those who have just moved into an area. It is based on the premise that most of us don’t know - or know much at all - about those we live around.  The author gives us three “whys’ as to the value of making the effort:  1.  Relationships matter; 2.  Conversations matter; and 3.  Knowledge matters. Yes!  True.  All of it.  That said, is there something seriously wrong when we need a primer and guidance in order to consider what it takes to know, speak to, and occasionally help or ask for help from our neighbors?  You be the judge of that one.  I’ll just enjoy the fact that in our little urban block, you don’t get away with isolating yourself.   

Homesteading Hint

Ball or Mason jars with screw on lids are so useful for so many household purposes.  In addition to canning foods, pickles and jams for our larder, we  probably use them the most for short term food storage - so leftovers of homemade soups, instead of going into something plastic, goe into a big jar. So do gravies, sauces, fruit salads, my cold brewed coffee, you name it - we probably store it in a jar.  The issue becomes how to get those jars clean and free of any of the aroma of their former contents.  We of course want to use them over and over, and avoid waste.  Well, thankfully, it could not be easier. When a jar is empty, just put 2 - 3 tablespoons of white vinegar into the jar, screw the cap on and swish it around a bit.  Let the jar sit with the vinegar in it for a few hours or overnight if the aroma is strong.  Then just dump the vinegar and wash the jar as usual.  Another effective use for our household buddy, plain old white vinegar.

Early Summer Recipes:  

Recipe:  “Strawberry/Peach Tart” 

Note:  You can use whatever fruit or fruits you have in season or canned or frozen.  The original uses pears.  (Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s “A Farm Wife’s Fresh Pear Tart”)

Ingredients:

Three large eggs

!/2 cup whole milk

1 cup granulated sugar - you can substitute Sugar in the Raw 

A pinch of Kosher salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Two pounds of fruit (for the one pictured I used fresh local strawberries and peaches we had canned in water in the Fall)

A nine inch round cake pan

Butter for greasing the pan and butter for dotting the cake

Technique:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees for conventional and 350 for convection

Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl

Add the sugar and a pinch of salt and continue beating the mixture

Add the flour and the baking powder and mix thoroughly into a batter

Drain (if necessary) and cut the fruit you are using into medium sized pieces 

If you are using multiple fruits, mix them together and add them to the batter

Butter the cake pan generously 

Pour the fruit batter into the pan; give it a couple of good raps on the counter to even it out

Dot the top of the batter with little bits of butter here and there (you can start by making tiny indentations with your finger and drop the bits of butter into those)

Bake for 50 minutes (Conventional) or Bake for 45 minutes (Convection)

When it is done, and still lukewarm, loosen the tart around the edges and either flip it over onto a plate and back top side up onto another plate OR slide a spatula under it.  I use the two plate approach - it just works better for me.  If you turn it out onto a plate, give a few raps to the bottom of the cake pan to help release it.

When you have the tart on your serving plate, sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

It is delicious warm or at room temperature

Enjoy!

Recipe:  “Zucchini Logs stewed in olive oil with Greens and Onions”

Note:  This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison.  You can use whatever combination of other vegetables with the zucchini.  Again this is more technique than recipe.

Ingredients

Three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish

1 yellow onion - sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons chopped sweet marjoram or oregano (we used a teaspoon of each, fresh)

1 1/2 pounds of zucchini - cut into “logs” - just halved lengthwise if small and about 11/2 to 2 inches long

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

8 Swiss Chard leaves, coarsely chopped (we used 4 -5 chard leaves, 2 - 3 kale leaves, and 2 large mustard leaves.  We do not remove the stems of fresh leafy greens; Madison does)

1/2 cup water or stock (we used no salt chicken stock)

Technique

In a large wide pan with a tight fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion, the garlic and half of the herbs.

Cook - stirring occasionally until softened, about 4 minutes

Add the zucchini logs, stir to coat with the olive oil, season with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Lay whatever leafy greens you are using over the zucchini and sprinkle a few pinches of salt over. 

Add the stock or water, cover the pan and lower the heat.

Cook gently until the zucchini is tender - about 20 - 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and stir the leafy greens into the zucchini - gently - and add the remaining herbs

Re-cover and cook for another few minutes

Taste for salt and pepper, drizzle extra virgin olive oil over and serve.

Enjoy.

Note:  We used a vegetable peeler to drop shavings of parmesan cheese all over the top.  It’s a delicious addition.

Recipe:  “What’s in the ‘Fridge Frittata”

We’ve been perfecting our Frittata technique for a number of years now.  It is worth it to have your own favorite technique for these delicious and versatile egg dishes.  The best Frittata results from clearing the ‘fridge and your larder of left over vegetables, cheese, herbs, peppers and potatoes.

Ingredients (this will make a frittata for 4 or for 2 with leftovers for lunch the next day.  This time around I used two all clad baking pans to make individual frittata but it is just fine to use your favorite omelet pan  The pan just needs to be deep enough to hold all of the ingredients - and they will “puff” up a bit.)

6 large farm eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup regular flour

Salt and Pepper

2 - 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter 

1 cup of cheese, grated or cubed; one cheese or, even better, a mix of cheeses

For the pictured Frittata I used a mix of fresh mozzarella, some gruyere and some parmesan

Vegetables:  decide on what you are using and chop the vegetables a bit.  For the Frittata pictured I used tomatoes, cooked leafy greens, mixed herbs from the garden, some roasted red peppers and very thinly sliced spring onions

Technique

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Generously butter whatever pan or pans you are using

In a large bowl or mixing pitcher, beat the eggs until frothy

Add the milk, the baking powder, and the flour

Whisk vigorously

Add a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground pepper

Add whatever vegetables and herbs you are using to the mixture and stir

Add whatever cheese or cheese you are using and stir

Pour the mixture into the pan and level it off

If you’d like (and I like) add some bits of butter around the top of the mixture

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the a toothpick in the center comes out clean or nearly clean - I tend to take it out of the oven and let it sit a bit when the center is almost done.  But if you like your eggs cooked through - look for that toothpick to be clean. 

Enjoy hot or at room temperature!

Cherish Real Food!

Soft Shell Crabs & Homesteading Hints

Again, we are in the middle of that time of year when fabulous and delicious seasonal treats are available.  But the “season” for so many of these wonderful treats is very short lived (see my last two Blogs). And, unlike some of the other things I’ve discussed here, you are not going to preserve the amazing Soft Shell Crab - well at least most of us won’t. 

So get yourself some soft shells, follow the guideline/techniques below - and create your own options.  

Following the soft shell crab guidelines, I have posted a few earth and human friendly alternatives to the commercial products we use for everyday activities.  I intend to make these alternatives a regular part of this Blog and of my Facebook page.  Not only can you save money using some of these alternatives, you can also avoid being bombarded by aluminum, chlorine, chemicals and other additives on a daily basis.

Technique:  Soft Shell Crabs

Fresh, Live Soft Shell Crabs

Ingredients

Soft Shell Crabs.  We usually go with two whole crabs per person.  When feasting on these crabs, you are really not too interested in eating a lot of other sides, so if they are small, go with three per person!

Whole Milk

Seasoned Flour - preferable Wondra Flour

Clarified Butter for frying

Get your soft shell crabs from a good seafood shop.  I don’t recommend buying them in supermarkets.  The crabs in the seafood shop will be live. They should be prepared very close to when they are cleaned.  If you are not comfortable dispatching the crabs (by cleaning them), have your fish monger do it for you, but start preparing them soon for optimum flavor.

Soak the cleaned crabs in the milk.  Use enough milk to have the crabs submerged.  Let them soak for 30 minutes or so.

In the meantime, make yourself some clarified butter.  Clarified butter is very useful for high temperature frying and if you make a batch of it you can keep the unused portion in a jar in your refrigerator for a month or two.  If you are not familiar with clarifying butter, the clearest directions I know of are provided here:  www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/03/how-to-clarify-butter-recipe/

While the crabs are soaking, season the flour with whatever you wish.  Certainly add some salt and freshly ground pepper.  After that, it’s up to you. You can add some heat with cayenne, some smoke with smoked paprika - whatever flavor you want.  Don’t over do though.  These crabs are delicious with just salt and pepper.

Heat a cast iron pan on medium high and add some of the clarified butter

You want very hot butter in the pan

Lift the crabs from the milk, dredge them in the flour and drop them into the pan.  For good sized soft shell crabs allow 2 - 3 minutes per side, flip them over once.  Do not crowd the pan.

As the crabs are done, turn them out onto paper towels or bag paper to drain and continue cooking the other crabs. If you have a good number of crabs to cook, you can keep the cooked crabs in a very low oven - but not for too long!

When the crabs are all cooked, serve immediately with lemon wedges.  You can offer a simple tartar sauce or an aioli for dipping.  Remember all of the crab is edible and delicious.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  Another option is to make Tempura Soft Shell Crabs.  Use your favorite tempura batter, dip whole crabs into the batter and fry up in the clarified butter.  

Some Worthwhile "Rules"

Homestead Made Alternatives

1.  Tooth Whitening Toothpaste

(you can certainly alternate this with a commercial paste if you are worried about cavity prevention - but that doesn’t necessarily have to come from toothpaste).

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon of water

Put the baking soda in the palm of your hand, add the water until a paste forms.  Dip your toothbrush in to the mixture and brush as usual. It takes a little getting used to because we are accustomed to being overwhelmed by flavoring. 

2.  Wine Glass “Sparkler”

(If you note a cloudy hue on your glasses, this will really revive them)

1 quart of Vinegar

Arrange glasses - stems up -  in a dishpan or clean bucket 

Add enough vinegar to keep the actual glasses covered

Let the glasses soak for 1 - 2 hours.  Rinse.  Hand wash in warm water and dry with a lint free cloth.  You will be surprised!

3.  Dishwasher Cleaner

(Food gets stuck in nooks and crannies and odors linger in dishwashers. Every once in awhile, they need a cleaning)

Make Vinegar ice cubes by filling an ice cube tray with vinegar and freezing

Place 6 cubes in the bottom of the dishwasher and run it - empty - on its highest heat setting. Once a month or so will do wonders. 

I hope you try some of these less expensive and healthier alternatives!  Share any of your favorites too, please.

Cherish Real Food!

Getting Ready Now for a Year of Real Food/Recipes

Ramps

Fiddlehead Ferns

Local Asparagus

Morel Mushrooms

Now that Spring is really here, the weather is beautiful, great fresh foods are starting to appear and all of the area Farmers Markets will soon be open for the season.

It’s that time of year when we growers are amending soil and planting and worrying every seed and seedling - and enjoying every minute of it, of course.

But you don’t have to “grow your own” to enjoy the taste and health benefits of Real Food.  Many folks whom I have advised have no outside space at all and yet they maintain a Real Food philosophy, do a lot of cooking for themselves, and preserve seasonal foods for enjoyment later on in the year.

NOW is the time to start!  If you know that it would be a wonderful thing to have some local, delicious asparagus in mid winter, buy it now and freeze it or pickle it or can it.  Pickling keeps asparagus “snappy”.  If you do it right, freezing asparagus will provide you with a vegetable that you can use in the same way as fresh.  Canned asparagus makes a wonderful soup or sauce and can be used in stews and with pasta as well.  The point is - the season is short.  If you want to eat a Real Food diet, you won’t be able to buy factory asparagus in the off season.  

Remember: Real Food folks eat Seasonally and Locally.

Also on the “get ‘em now” list:  Ramps, Morel Mushrooms, Strawberries and Fiddlehead Ferns. Also, if you love fresh water fish, now is the time to eat and freeze or preserve the ever wonderful Shad.

Ramps can be frozen and are great pickled.  Morels can be frozen or dried.  And start making room in your freezer now for seasonal berries.  This past winter we used up lots of locally grown strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and sour cherries.  There is nothing better in the dead of winter - we made pies, used berries as a granola topping and topped our favorite ice cream with berries, of course.

Recipe:  Berry Buttermik Cake (adapted from The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook)

If you find yourself with a lot of preserved blueberries, strawberries, cherries - or all of those -  this delicious cake is something worth making.  It has an almost pudding like consistency and wonderful flavor. The last time I made this I used a lot of blueberries and about 1/2 cup of raspberries.

Ingredients

1 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons of sugar

1 tablespoon of Cointreau

1 egg

1/2 cup of real buttermilk (do not buy supermarket buttermilk.  Buy it at a Farmer’s Market or if you make your own butter you know that buttermilk is a by product of the butter making process).  

2 cups of defrosted and drained berries - whatever you have in your freezer.

Technique

Preheat oven to 400 degrees/375 degrees convection

Butter and flour a round 9 inch cake pan

In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt

In a separate bowl cream together the butter and 3/4 cup of the sugar; beat it until it’s nice and fluffy - 2-3 minutes

Mix the Cointreau and egg into the sugar and butter mixture

Beat in the Buttermilk

Stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture - stir just to combine

Turn the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle the berries and the 2 tablespoons of sugar all over the top

Bake for 25 minutes/conventional oven or 20 minutes in a convection oven

NOTE:  depending on the moisture in your berries, the cake may take a bit longer to cook all of the way through

The cake is done when a toothpick comes out of the center clean.  Let the cake cool for a few minutes before slicing. Sprinkle confectionary sugar over the top if you wish.

Additional Toppings:  whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Berry Buttermilk Cake

Recipe:  Things to do with fresh asparagus

Fry them!  Just dip spears into beaten eggs, some seasoned flour, back into the beaten eggs and roll in bread crumbs.  Fry in your favorite frying medium and serve with aioli.

Shave them!  Using a vegetable peeler, shave each stalk into thin ribbons.  Dress with your favorite vinegar and oil dressing and add some shaved parmesan cheese and sea salt and pepper.

Wrap them!  Blanch spears in salted water - just to get a nice green color, not too long.  Drain the spears, wrap thin slices of prosciutto around each spear. Drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.  Serve with fresh mozzarella slices and good crusty bread.

Cherish Real Food!

Adopting a Real Food Diet. Spring Treats!

In a recent Blog I presented some tips for discussing changing to a Real Food diet and helping friends and loved ones do the same. A Real Food diet is based on fresh, seasonal, local foods - many of which are plant based - and humanely raised, chemical and hormone free meats and poultry.  Real Food folks also avoid farm raised fish.  Observers of a Real Food diet shop locally and buy as much food as possible from Farmers’ Markets, Farms, and Markets representing local producers. Real Food eaters cook at home from scratch often; observe a regular “dinner time”;  and avoid fast food, artificial sweeteners, "substitute" foods like no fat yogurt or margarine, convenience food, and commercially processed and/or commercially frozen food.

Honestly the more I know, the more concerned I become that folks are doing themselves harm with the way that they are eating, so the more knowledge about a Real Food Diet that we can share, the better. More and more I get the opportunity to have in depth discussions with folks who are concerned about their diet and their health and the connection between the two.  Of course, I still have to field the “fresh food/food at the Farmers Markets is too expensive” complaint.  I tend to not engage with that too much because there are ways to analyze it and it is often not true, depending on what you buy, what you waste, the cost of prescription medications, etc.  Real Food as opposed to chemically laced supermarket products might just be worth a few more dollars.

The Food/Health Connection

I have spent a good deal of time already in April watching documentaries and doing a lot of reading and research regarding the connection between Food and Health.

Documentaries like, “Forks Over Knives”, “Cooked”, “Fed Up”, and “Food Matters” - just to name a few - are well worth putting some time aside to view.

I was particularly interested in learning more in depth information about the astonishing rates of diabetes in America - not to mention Heart Disease and Cancer - and the relationship between those diseases and diet.  

I learned some astonishing facts:

*In 2013, 50% of all Americans were taking at least one prescription medication!

*1/3 of all Americans will become Diabetic in their lifetime!

*Americans ingest, on average, 147 Pounds of refined sweeteners a year per person!

Happily, one of the most promising things that i learned was that, through diet, the progression of these diseases can sometimes be slowed or even reversed!  Imagine that.  And imagine how Big Pharmaceutical feels about any scientist or physician advertising  that reality!

Out of all of this learning, and with my own personal experiences, I have come to the conclusion that practicing a Real Food approach can go a long way in improving the American way of eating and the health of Americans in general.

I offer these questions again here to help folks get started in a Real Food direction.

Asking the Right Questions/Getting Started on the Path to Real Food

In order for a person to develop their own goals, it is necessary for them to look at their own habits and practices and decide where they want to make changes.  These general questions can be a good start to helping individuals see their habits and patterns and what they would like to change.

1. How often do you eat fast food in a week?
2. How often do you eat take out in a week?
3. Do you “Brown Bag” your lunch?
4. Do you make menus and shopping lists prior to shopping for food?
5. How often do you cook “from scratch”?  Would you like to do more real cooking?
6. Do you have a - relatively - set “dinner time” for everyone? 
7. How often in a month do you cook for family and/or friends?  Would you like to do more of that?
8. Do you know where the Farmers Markets and Markets selling local farm products are in your immediate area?  
9. Where do you shop for food?

Honest answers to these questions, along with the development of a do-able plan, can provide a real blueprint for adopting a Real Food diet.  This is just a start.  But it is a start!

Please Note:  I do have a limited number of spaces available this Spring for consulting with individuals looking to adopt the practices of a Real Food diet.  These short term consults involve supporting individuals in getting an idea where they are currently and where they want to go in changing their diet.  It also includes some start up "Recipes for Success" as well as an analysis of the best markets and resources in the area.  Shopping tours and menu development activities are also available.  Contact the Philly Foodist at:  DoneganMRI@aol.com

Spring Treats are Here!

Now is the time folks!  Keep your eyes open because the Asparagus, Ramps, Morel Mushrooms, and Fiddlehead Ferns have arrived!  These delicious treats have a very short season and are worth binging on when you can get them. I will be sharing some of our favorite asparagus recipes as the season unfolds.  Ramps and Fiddlehead Ferns bring such a punch of flavor to any dish:  think pasta or rice or sautéed with grilled chicken, fish or meat.  Morel Mushrooms are so amazing - pair them with a basic cream sauce with thyme and freshly ground black pepper and you have an incredible side dish. Morels sautéed by themselves in a little butter with salt and pepper are amazing. Some folks like to stuff them.  The point is, the recipes are out there so do not hesitate when you see any of these spring treats and use your imagination to cook with them. 

Ramps

Fiddle Head Ferns

Cherish Real Food!