Cherries Jubilee!

Ok. I didn't actually make Cherry Jubilee but we have had quite a celebration of cherries around here recently.  Sour cherries come in ripe (usually) at the end of June and are available to pick for 1 week.  It's a small window so you have to know when to start calling to ensure you don't miss it!  This year we picked again at Lohr's Orchard.  The cost was only $1.40/lb and picking started last Thursday (June 14, 2012).  If you are still interested in picking in your area, be sure to call soon or check out pickyourown.org.  The kids and I were able to pick 7 qt's in about an hour, that's about 10 pounds.

With the cherries we picked I washed and pitted 1 quart and set it up in my dehydrator to make dried cherries.  That took only ten minutes.  The cherries spent the next 24 hours drying.  From my 1 quart I made about a cup of dried cherries.  I found a calculation online that said that drying cherries reduces them to .175 of their original weight.  If you are looking for an electric dryer, this is the one that I use:

The next quart was made into cherry cobbler.  I used this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.  Instead of a large container I made the cobblers in individual ramekins which made controlling portion sizes and divvying out servings to the kiddos much easier.

This year my plan is to make at least 1 batch of jam of each kind of fruit that we pick.  I already have 2 batches of strawberry freezer jam prepared and this morning the next 2 quarts of cherries were made into cherry jam.  I prefer the low sugar recipe available in the Sure Gel No Sugar Package.  The Sure gel costs about 2.79 a package.  I have the jars and you need 3 c. of sugar.  Making your own jam is definitely less expensive than buying this stuff and tastes so good.  You always have a nice gift to give, too, in a pinch.

The last 3 quarts, or what was left after the kids scavenged the fruit, was washed, pitted and frozen.  I freeze my cherries in a single layer on a cookie sheet with edges and lined with parchment paper.  Then, once frozen, I just put them into freezer bags.   You can then use the whole bag at once or just take out what you need.

The fresh and frozen cherries are fantastic in oatmeal, muffins and yogurt.  Next year, I am going to pick another quart and make this cherry sorbet from EatingWell.com.  With only 2 tablespoons of sugar it would make a refreshing, healthier alternative to ice cream.   Maybe by then I'll have my own cherry trees planted.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

I love the internet for finding just the right recipe when I need to cook something.  Tonight, I knew I needed something relatively quick to cook. I could have made spaghetti but I didn't have any pasta noodles, at all, in the cupboard.  I did have pork sausage and risotto rice and veggies so I googled sausage risotto and found this recipe adapted from Martha Steward Everyday's Tomato and Sausage Risotto.

It fit the bill for being relatively quick and including only ingredients that I had on hand.

I also picked up a bushel of shelling peas today from Brad's Produce for $45.  This bushel will last our family for the entire year.  It is a simple process, albeit a bit time consuming, to shell the peas and then you need only freeze them.  No washing, blanching or other processing required.  I use a FoodSaver vacuum sealer to ensure that the peas stay fresh through the year.

Foodsaver V2450 Foodsealer

What's For Dinner?

This Wednesday was the first day of our summer share with Sunny Hill Farm.  Wow!  What an abundance!  We received broccoli, spring onions, romaine lettuce, spinach, cabbage, asparagus, eggs and a potted herb.  So much delicious food but planning meals based on your basket can be a challenge.

I have several goals with each meal: to utilize the stores of food that I already have, to create a healthy well balanced meal, to provide a meal my family will enjoy.  I am not sure that my young children would say that they 'enjoy' my food but certainly the opportunity is there!

Wednesday - Spinach Soup, fresh whole wheat bread and poached eggs.

• The spinach soup recipe calls for frozen spinach but you can easily replace this with fresh.  Bring a large pot with 2 inches of water to a boil.  Add fresh washed spinach and replace the lid.  Keep a close eye on your pot.  It will only take about 2 min to wilt the spinach. You can stop the cooking by draining the spinach and placing it in an ice bath.  It isn't totally necessary for this recipe.  I do find it helpful to chop the cooked spinach some.  I use an emersion blender to puree the soup in the pot when it is finished cooking.  

Thursday - Beef and Broccoli with brown rice.

• I used beef from Sunny Hill.  I didn't have oyster sauce that the recipe called for but substituted sauces I did have and that worked out just fine. 

Friday - Ham Steak, quinoa with broccoli, carrots and onions.

• The quinoa dish was one I concocted.  I cooked the quinoa and simultaneously blanched 1 head of broccoli and 3 carrots.  Next, I drained the vegetables and sautéed them with butter and 2 spring onions.  When the quinoa and veggies were finished I combined them with 1/4 c. of feta.  The ham steak was from Rumbleway. 

I have linked to the recipes that I used to help you in planning your meals.

Ah! Strawberries!

As much as I wanted to do strawberry picking earlier this season, especially since they came in early this year, life just wouldn't allow it.   So today, I literally had an hour and a half to squeeze a memorable moment of picking in.  I grabbed my two oldest helpers and headed over to Brad's Produce.  Strawberries are coming to an end at Brad's but we were still able to pick 5 quarts for $1.75 a pound in about an hour.  Lohrs, Harman's and Sunny Hill all still also have strawberries for pick you own.  So there are lots of options even if you are a late picker, like me.

I came home and made a quick batch of strawberry ice cream to enjoy after dinner.

The recipe I used was from the Cuisinart recipe book that came with the ice cream maker.

You can find it here.  This recipe contains lemon juice which adds a light, fresh note to the strawberry ice cream that I love. They actually say that you can add food coloring if you want a more pronounced pink color to the ice cream but there is truly no need for that.  It is a lovely delicate pink and very, very tasty!

After the kids went to bed, I set to making a double batch of strawberry freezer jam.  For all other jams and jellies I make them cooked but for some reason, maybe because my mom did it, I use the easy, freezer jam recipe for strawberries.  I think it maintains the bright strawberry flavor the best but that could be bias.  In any case it truly is easy to make but the process took about an hour.  I had picked 4 quarts of strawberries exactly for this purpose.  I washed and hulled them in a big bowl of water and with so many little, sweet berries, this step took longer than usual.

My preferred recipe is the low sugar Sure Gel recipe you can find here or inside the box of the low sugar Sure Gel pectin.  You use 3 c. of sugar per batch and since I made two batches that is 6 cups.  And yes, this is less sugar than the original version.  I find, again, that the strawberry flavors are more pronounced with using less sugar plus sugar is the most expensive ingredient in jam.  

For this recipe I used Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Sugar because it was what I already had in the house.  I do try to purchase things like tea, chocolate and sugar in their fair trade versions since they come from places that I can't personally ensure the farmer is being supported and well treated.  You can learn more about fair trade through research such as Wikipedia.org

Whenever making jams and jellies be sure to always measure carefully. I will double a recipe but that is it (never triple or more) you run the risk of ruining the food or it just won't set because not all recipes multiply well.

Now that these jams are finished, they will set on my counter for 24 hours and then store in the freezer for up to 1 year.  And with that my season of preserving has begun.

Asparagus Soup and Fresh Bread

I love that fantastic, healthy food does not have to be complex.  On a recent grocery store trip my littlest one had the choice between cookies and bananas.  She chose bananas.  We have them infrequently and they are treat.  Mostly, we don't keep them in the house because they are so coveted that my little one can plow through three large bananas in 1 day.  But what a wonderful testament to fantastic, healthy food when a young child chooses it over cookies  (I probably would have a hard time making the same choice!).  Now that spring is upon us and summer is just about to burst forth what wonderful simple snacks will you choose?  Strawberries, snap peas, fresh asparagus and dip?

Cooking for a family of five with young children in the house means that meals have to be quick and easy on most nights. Still we stay away from the prepackaged as much as possible and focus on in season local foods.  If you haven't done so already, I highly recommend that you look into joining a  CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) you can find out more on LocalHarvest.org  We are members of Sunny Hill's CSA for the summer and often join an early spring share with Brad's Produce.  Once you start looking you will find there are lots of options out there and more appearing each day.

As I said, I love simple, healthy meals.  So last night I made Quinoa Bread and Cream of Asparagus Soup.  It is always a toss up knowing whether the children will dig in or turn up their noses on any given night.  But last night, my eldest went back for thirds.  The quinoa bread came from   I have now baked 3 batches of bread from this book and it is really simple.  One day you mix the ingredients then another day you pull off enough dough to make a loaf.  As long as you have time for the rising and baking there is very little else you spend time on.   I found this tub today, which I purchased to make the storing of the dough easier but that is just because I wanted my soup pot back. 

For the cream of asparagus soup I chose a very simple recipe that I had used before from epicurious.com.  I skipped the step of making a garnish since that nicety would be lost on my wee ones and they gobbled it up anyway.

Every week I plan meals around the following main dishes: eggs, beans, beef, chicken, fish, pork and ... pizza?  Well, maybe eating out.  We often spend 1 night a week enjoying a meal with our neighbors or family so  for those we are either pitching in to a meal financially or with a side dish.  In the winter, one meal a week is soup based.  In the summer, one meal a week is salad based.  It just makes it easier to take advantage of the cooking styles and foods that are most available during a particular season. The children have not noticed we eat less meat and doing so allows us to afford the local, grass fed meats we prefer.

Tonight, I picked up half a pig that I ordered earlier this year from Rumbleway Farm and a fresh chicken that was processed on Friday.  I'll put an order in for a quarter cow soon.  You'll hear about the chicken tomorrow but once you go fresh...you can never go back!

Eat Well!

PS if you are looking for the books and products that I recommend check out my list here.

Spring Sprung a Little (LOT!) Early

This might just be a perfect moment.  The kids are outside playing.  It is a wet but not raining afternoon.  I have a pot of milk coming to a boil on the stove from Kilby Cream in Rising Sun and another pot with American Organic Brown Basmati Rice cooking.  I am planning to make Palek Paneer with the spinach I acquired today during the second week of our spring csa from Brad's Produce.  Many of the markets are already opened and have amazing fresh produce like STRAWBERRIES, spinach, asparagus, onions, herbs, flowers and lettuces.  The hens are ramping up egg production again so eggs are easy to come by and always there is milk.  There isn't much you couldn't by locally and I LOVE that!

Ok.  So the milk has come to a boil.  I added salt and vinegar to make the cheese and turned the burner off.  That will sit for a few minutes before I pour it into my cheese bag to strain it.  It still amazes me just how simple it is to make cheese.  I've always found that particular food a bit mysterious.

The oven is also heating up to receive a loaf of bread.  I started using the method of baking fresh bread in 5 min a day and found it to open up so many opportunities for bread.  You can check out the book I am using at http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/.

Just an FYI there are still openings at Sunny Hill Farm for their summer CSA program.  Check it out here.

So, that is all for now.  Let me know what you would like to hear about and I'll pick up writing again!

Locapour

Haford County is ripe with local wineries and growers.  I don't know but maybe we'll become the next Napa Valley :-)   We visited Harford Vineyard and Winery last weekend and had a wine tasting with pairings.  It was delicious.  I had LOTS of favorites and we of course came home with a few bottles.  The Cab Franc was the perfect addition to my Valentine's meal: porterhouse, scalloped potatoes, steamed green beans and for dessert chocolate truffles.

This weekend, we hit Mt. Felix.  My favorite table wine, O'Neill's Bravado, comes from Peter and Mary at Mt. Felix.  But the Black Jack was delicious, too.  They have a few specialty fruit wines: Cranberry, Cherry and Pumpkin that are fun especially with just the right meal.

For a while, I have considered myself a "locavore" but now I think I might have to add "locapour" into my culinary description of myself.  Here Washington Post writes all about it.