Do you have a large quantity of onions that you need or want to use quickly? Here's a recipe Rachel found and made with her best friend several years ago. We enjoyed it again the other night after harvesting a complete row of Texas Super Sweet onions and separating out a large quantity of "seconds" for home use.
Onion Pasta Serves 4-6
5 onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c olive oil
4 T butter
1 c water
1 t dried basil
1 T chicken bouillon
1 pinch black pepper
1 lb. uncooked pasta
Parmesan cheese
Sauté onions in oil and butter until golden brown. Add basil, pepper, water, and bouillon. Cook on low 10 minutes. Boil pasta in separate pan. Add onion mixture to cooked pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, toss, & serve.
NOTE: Good with chicken pieces added.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Two Kale ideas
Kale is useful for more than a garnish that will look crisp in hot weather! Really!
Many people tell us they've tried to use kale, but haven't cared for it. These are two recipes that we've enjoyed...the first one given to us by former CSA customers who moved to another state and the second by a former intern. Oh, look, both recipes call for potatoes and one uses some of the mid-summer onion supply!
Restaurant-style Zuppa Tuscana 6 servings
1 lb. smoked sausage, cooked and cut into 1/2" slices
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
3/4 c chopped onion
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 t minced garlic
2 c kale, washed, dried, and shredded
2 T chicken soup base
1 quart water
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
Fry onions and bacon together. Remove bacon pieces and crumble. Add garlic to onions and continue to fry for 1 minute. Add soup base, water, and potatoes and simmer 15 minutes. Add bacon, sausage, kale, and cream and simmer 4 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Mashed Potato Spinach Casserole
5 lbs potatoes
2 or 3 10 oz-pkgs chopped spinach--or substitute washed & shredded kale.
1 t salt
Dash of pepper
1/4 c butter
Dill weed
1 c sour cream
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
Peel, wash, and cut potatoes in smaller chunks. Put in large cooking pan with lid. Add water up to half the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are very soft. Drain, reserving "juice." Add butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill weed to potatoes. Beat with mixer until fairly smooth. If too dry add some of the potato "juice" or milk.
In second pan, cook spinach or kale until soft. Drain off liquid until dry. Add cooked, drained spinach or kale to mashed potatoes and mix well. Put mixture into a greased oven dish. Sprinkle grated cheese over top evenly. Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through. This is good served with cooked sausage.
Many people tell us they've tried to use kale, but haven't cared for it. These are two recipes that we've enjoyed...the first one given to us by former CSA customers who moved to another state and the second by a former intern. Oh, look, both recipes call for potatoes and one uses some of the mid-summer onion supply!
Restaurant-style Zuppa Tuscana 6 servings
1 lb. smoked sausage, cooked and cut into 1/2" slices
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
3/4 c chopped onion
6 slices bacon
1 1/2 t minced garlic
2 c kale, washed, dried, and shredded
2 T chicken soup base
1 quart water
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
Fry onions and bacon together. Remove bacon pieces and crumble. Add garlic to onions and continue to fry for 1 minute. Add soup base, water, and potatoes and simmer 15 minutes. Add bacon, sausage, kale, and cream and simmer 4 minutes longer. Serve hot.
Mashed Potato Spinach Casserole
5 lbs potatoes
2 or 3 10 oz-pkgs chopped spinach--or substitute washed & shredded kale.
1 t salt
Dash of pepper
1/4 c butter
Dill weed
1 c sour cream
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
Peel, wash, and cut potatoes in smaller chunks. Put in large cooking pan with lid. Add water up to half the potatoes. Cook until potatoes are very soft. Drain, reserving "juice." Add butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill weed to potatoes. Beat with mixer until fairly smooth. If too dry add some of the potato "juice" or milk.
In second pan, cook spinach or kale until soft. Drain off liquid until dry. Add cooked, drained spinach or kale to mashed potatoes and mix well. Put mixture into a greased oven dish. Sprinkle grated cheese over top evenly. Bake at 375ºF for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through. This is good served with cooked sausage.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
"Strawberry Fields Forever" -- Reprise
OK, so I know this is cheating, but the best new list of strawberry recipes I've found is at www.about.com. Paste the link below into your browser to see the likes of....
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie with Almond-Filled Crust
Strawberry Chiffon Cake
Strawberry Mousse
Strawberry Cordial
Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/fruits/tp/strawberries.htm?nl=1
Or, go back to our archive entry in this blog from June 2009 titled "Strawberry Fields Forever" for another nice list featuring a number of recipes from our favorite seasonal resource, "Simply in Season" (pub. Herald Press)
Includes:
Strawberry Bread
Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Strawberry Pie
Strawberry Daiquiris
An equally important thing to do, in my opinion, is to squirrel away some berries for the rest of the year. (You may need to get some more from us!). It's simple to do: Just wash and trim, then spread out on a tray and freeze, then pack into freezer bags for storage. Let us know if you need more! All our varieties have a very short shelf life, even on a shelf in your frig! So use promptly.
"Strawberry Fields Forever!"
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie with Almond-Filled Crust
Strawberry Chiffon Cake
Strawberry Mousse
Strawberry Cordial
Strawberry Rhubarb Tart
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/fruits/tp/strawberries.htm?nl=1
Or, go back to our archive entry in this blog from June 2009 titled "Strawberry Fields Forever" for another nice list featuring a number of recipes from our favorite seasonal resource, "Simply in Season" (pub. Herald Press)
Includes:
Strawberry Bread
Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Strawberry Pie
Strawberry Daiquiris
An equally important thing to do, in my opinion, is to squirrel away some berries for the rest of the year. (You may need to get some more from us!). It's simple to do: Just wash and trim, then spread out on a tray and freeze, then pack into freezer bags for storage. Let us know if you need more! All our varieties have a very short shelf life, even on a shelf in your frig! So use promptly.
"Strawberry Fields Forever!"
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Green Tomato Salsa Verde
Yet another really good recipe from Simply In Season (Herald Press, 2005). We've tried this one and really like it with tortilla chips....!
1 cup green tomatoes (coarsely chopped)
1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper or other chili pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 green onions (white and green parts cut in 1-inch pieces)
1/3 cup water
Combine above ingredients in a small microwavable bowl. Cover tightly. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully remove cover. Place cooked vegetables in blender or food processor.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
Add and blend until smooth. Use as a salsa over beans and rice, with tortilla chips, or as a dressing on salads.
1/2-1 fresh jalapeno pepper or other chili pepper
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 green onions (white and green parts cut in 1-inch pieces)
1/3 cup water
Combine above ingredients in a small microwavable bowl. Cover tightly. Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully remove cover. Place cooked vegetables in blender or food processor.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
Add and blend until smooth. Use as a salsa over beans and rice, with tortilla chips, or as a dressing on salads.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How to Keep a Sweet Potato for Winter Storage
Sweet potatoes are a funny crop, really a southern plant, and not actually a potato at all. Nor are they related to "yams" grown commonly in tropical countries.
They can be harvested all the way until the vines are frost-killed. However, around here, mice will take too large a toll if the sweet potatoes are left in the ground that long. Also, curing sweet potatoes is easier while we still have some warm days.
After early harvest, if eaten immediately, some varieties of sweet potatoes will be starchy and not sweet. So we usually give them at least a few days before using them. This allows some of the starch to convert to sugars, for the familiar sweet flavor.
Sweet potatoes will usually keep for a month or two with no curing, just kept in a cool/dark place. However, if you want to enjoy them all the way through winter and spring, they must be "cured." When a sweet potato spoils, it generally does so through the nicks in the skin, and where the plant stem broke off. These areas need to form a hard plug or scab, to protect the stored sweet potato from spoilage. To do this, the sweet potatoes should ideally be kept at 85-90 degrees in a well-ventilated spot for 10-15 days. This is not exact, but the more warmth they get during this curing time, the better.
After curing, store sweet potatoes in a cool place (55 degrees or so) but not too dry (75-80% humidity) so they don't shrivel too badly. A "root cellar" is ideal!
They can be harvested all the way until the vines are frost-killed. However, around here, mice will take too large a toll if the sweet potatoes are left in the ground that long. Also, curing sweet potatoes is easier while we still have some warm days.
After early harvest, if eaten immediately, some varieties of sweet potatoes will be starchy and not sweet. So we usually give them at least a few days before using them. This allows some of the starch to convert to sugars, for the familiar sweet flavor.
Sweet potatoes will usually keep for a month or two with no curing, just kept in a cool/dark place. However, if you want to enjoy them all the way through winter and spring, they must be "cured." When a sweet potato spoils, it generally does so through the nicks in the skin, and where the plant stem broke off. These areas need to form a hard plug or scab, to protect the stored sweet potato from spoilage. To do this, the sweet potatoes should ideally be kept at 85-90 degrees in a well-ventilated spot for 10-15 days. This is not exact, but the more warmth they get during this curing time, the better.
After curing, store sweet potatoes in a cool place (55 degrees or so) but not too dry (75-80% humidity) so they don't shrivel too badly. A "root cellar" is ideal!
Pumpkin Season!
What do you do with a pumpkin ?! (Or any other winter squash, for that matter)
To bake your pie pumpkin, just cut it in half, remove the seeds and strings, and place the halves open-side down in a cake pan, with about 1/2" of water in the pan. Then bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or more, until the flesh of the pumpkin is tender and begins to fall apart. Put the pulp through a bleder or ricer.
At our house, this often gets made into a pumpkin pie filling, which becomes "crust-less pie."
From the Joy of Cooking cookbook: Pumpkin or Squash Pie
Mix until well blended:
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin or squash
1 1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk or rich cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
2 slightly beaten eggs
Pour the mixture into a pie shell or a greased bowl or pan. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degress and bace about 45 minutes longer or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
For a variation, try omitting the milk and substituting 2 Tbsp molasses and 1 1/2 cups sour cream.
Another favorite at our house: Winter Squash Bars (from Simply In Season)
Beat together in a mixing bowl:
2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked, pureed as above)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Mix in:
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pour into a lightly greast 11 x 17 inch pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degress for 25-30 minutes. Mmmm....
And finally, get a copy of Simply In Season cookbook (Herald Press, 2005) and try out their
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake (p. 219) or their Pumpkin Pecan Pie (p. 217). They sound wonderful !!
To bake your pie pumpkin, just cut it in half, remove the seeds and strings, and place the halves open-side down in a cake pan, with about 1/2" of water in the pan. Then bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or more, until the flesh of the pumpkin is tender and begins to fall apart. Put the pulp through a bleder or ricer.
At our house, this often gets made into a pumpkin pie filling, which becomes "crust-less pie."
From the Joy of Cooking cookbook: Pumpkin or Squash Pie
Mix until well blended:
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin or squash
1 1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk or rich cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
2 slightly beaten eggs
Pour the mixture into a pie shell or a greased bowl or pan. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degress and bace about 45 minutes longer or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
For a variation, try omitting the milk and substituting 2 Tbsp molasses and 1 1/2 cups sour cream.
Another favorite at our house: Winter Squash Bars (from Simply In Season)
Beat together in a mixing bowl:
2 cups winter squash or pumpkin (cooked, pureed as above)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
Mix in:
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pour into a lightly greast 11 x 17 inch pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degress for 25-30 minutes. Mmmm....
And finally, get a copy of Simply In Season cookbook (Herald Press, 2005) and try out their
Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake (p. 219) or their Pumpkin Pecan Pie (p. 217). They sound wonderful !!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
THE SEPTEMBER CHICKEN MASSACRE !
OK, well, no, the sky isn't exactly falling, but SOMEthing has reduced our hen population by about 40 birds...! It started with a look at the flock on Friday evening as I was doing chores, and saying to myself, "THAT doesn't look like 90 birds to me." As it was almost dark, and the hens were on their roosts, a quick count came up with only about 48 birds. .... ..... UH-OH. So, we go into "lock-down" mode -- sorry, ladies (addressing the poultry, that is). No more free-ranging until we have a chance to move the birds and their hoophouse closer to the buildings.
Now, the reason the hens have been banished so far from the house in the first place is their known propensity to enjoy the garden entirely too much. I mean, they're welcome to eat all the foxtail seed heads they want. But, they're NOT welcome to peck on the strawberries during September! So, if they move in closer, they'll have to be inside the electro-net fence, a confinement they don't entirely appreciate, nor do they entirely respect it, leading to a daily nuisance of playing "chicken round-up."
What is the prevailing theory? Well, we don't suspect Salmonella contamination of the feed -- contrary to the recent scare involving the "big boys"!!! More likely, a coyote and/or a fox -- or 3. We've never lost this many birds completely unsuspected. Raccoons, possums, skunks, and even stray dogs, all leave their grisly evidence behind, each with its own unique appearance -- "Let's not go there". But we've heard many a tale of foxes grabbing a bird and going off some distance to enjoy the feast. And, our hens really do enjoy poking around in fox heaven, meaning the brush on the south edge of the farm. So it seems pretty likely. And then, there's the "smart farmer" confession that I really think the last "hen count" was probably the day the hens moved back into their rebuilt quarters, which was... well... 3 months ago.....
I'm a little chagrined that just earlier Friday morning I was replaying for our tour group my usual brag on our ace-in-the-hole farm mutt (you all know, Bonzo), and how, no, we really haven't had any problem with losing chickens out 300 yards from the house. Bad brag! I think we made a tactical error, though, in that, between the house/garden and the chicken pasture, we are currently grazing 5 steers, one of whom has recently shown a distinct dislike for the dogs, especially the "little one" (rather hot contempt/disdain might put it better!), and this seems to coincide with a recent distinct lack of presence of the dogs in the pasture near the chicken coop.
Which of course leads back to a recurring theme in the ongoing saga of the Friesens' steep learning curve in this "diversified farm" game. I never cease to be amazed how the various pieces of the farm puzzle interact in fascinating, but often unpleasant and seemingly totally unpredictable (at least "unpredicted") ways. How am I, the confessed newbie, supposed to guess that finishing a steer in the cornfield would result in losing almost 1/2 of the layer flock in another pasture 200 feet away?! Get smarter, I guess. "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."
Now the good news: We were debating how to thin down our aging flock of hens, a few still veterans of our move here 3 1/2 years ago. We were semi-seriously considering releasing a bunch of the elder ladies for a last hurrah free-ranging in the back 40, until they became (inevitably) "food for the wildlife." Although.... I don't think the killer in this case was quite as discriminating in sparing the younger hens!
The other good news: I found 3 eggs today from the new pullets just maturing in the barn pen. And, I don't think it's too late yet to carry out our plan to raise a crop of pullets through the fall and winter. All does not appear to be lost -- for the moment!
And, thirdly, this does put the current egg production of about 20/day in a more favorable light, considering the number of remaining birds....
In the meantime, we patrol the now "cooped-up" hoophouse at chore time, trying to be sure a determined attacker hasn't chewed right through the chicken wire in its enthusiasm -- and yes, that is the voice of experience speaking from a few years ago. (That memorable morning we awoke to "the sounds of silence -- complete silence -- from the coop!
Now, the reason the hens have been banished so far from the house in the first place is their known propensity to enjoy the garden entirely too much. I mean, they're welcome to eat all the foxtail seed heads they want. But, they're NOT welcome to peck on the strawberries during September! So, if they move in closer, they'll have to be inside the electro-net fence, a confinement they don't entirely appreciate, nor do they entirely respect it, leading to a daily nuisance of playing "chicken round-up."
What is the prevailing theory? Well, we don't suspect Salmonella contamination of the feed -- contrary to the recent scare involving the "big boys"!!! More likely, a coyote and/or a fox -- or 3. We've never lost this many birds completely unsuspected. Raccoons, possums, skunks, and even stray dogs, all leave their grisly evidence behind, each with its own unique appearance -- "Let's not go there". But we've heard many a tale of foxes grabbing a bird and going off some distance to enjoy the feast. And, our hens really do enjoy poking around in fox heaven, meaning the brush on the south edge of the farm. So it seems pretty likely. And then, there's the "smart farmer" confession that I really think the last "hen count" was probably the day the hens moved back into their rebuilt quarters, which was... well... 3 months ago.....
I'm a little chagrined that just earlier Friday morning I was replaying for our tour group my usual brag on our ace-in-the-hole farm mutt (you all know, Bonzo), and how, no, we really haven't had any problem with losing chickens out 300 yards from the house. Bad brag! I think we made a tactical error, though, in that, between the house/garden and the chicken pasture, we are currently grazing 5 steers, one of whom has recently shown a distinct dislike for the dogs, especially the "little one" (rather hot contempt/disdain might put it better!), and this seems to coincide with a recent distinct lack of presence of the dogs in the pasture near the chicken coop.
Which of course leads back to a recurring theme in the ongoing saga of the Friesens' steep learning curve in this "diversified farm" game. I never cease to be amazed how the various pieces of the farm puzzle interact in fascinating, but often unpleasant and seemingly totally unpredictable (at least "unpredicted") ways. How am I, the confessed newbie, supposed to guess that finishing a steer in the cornfield would result in losing almost 1/2 of the layer flock in another pasture 200 feet away?! Get smarter, I guess. "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."
Now the good news: We were debating how to thin down our aging flock of hens, a few still veterans of our move here 3 1/2 years ago. We were semi-seriously considering releasing a bunch of the elder ladies for a last hurrah free-ranging in the back 40, until they became (inevitably) "food for the wildlife." Although.... I don't think the killer in this case was quite as discriminating in sparing the younger hens!
The other good news: I found 3 eggs today from the new pullets just maturing in the barn pen. And, I don't think it's too late yet to carry out our plan to raise a crop of pullets through the fall and winter. All does not appear to be lost -- for the moment!
And, thirdly, this does put the current egg production of about 20/day in a more favorable light, considering the number of remaining birds....
In the meantime, we patrol the now "cooped-up" hoophouse at chore time, trying to be sure a determined attacker hasn't chewed right through the chicken wire in its enthusiasm -- and yes, that is the voice of experience speaking from a few years ago. (That memorable morning we awoke to "the sounds of silence -- complete silence -- from the coop!
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