Stewed Cabbage with Dried Fruit

For another interesting variation on cabbage, try this recipe from Mennonite Foods and Folkways, contributed by CSA member Zella Penner.

4 Tbsp. shortening
6 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 bay leaf
10 prunes
1/2 cup raisings and/or 1 cup dried apples
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar

In a heavy saucepan melt shortening. Add cabbage, bay leaf and fruit. Cover tightly. Simmer over low heat about 1-1½ hours. Stir occasionally. Add extra water if necessary. Cabbage should be golden brown.

Mix salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar and season cabbage and fruit mixture. Serve

Orange Mint Tea

Another favorite summer recipe from Simply In Season.

3-4 cups water
5-6 sprigs fresh mint (each about 6 inches)
Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Add mint, cover, remove from heat and steep 15 minutes or longer. Remove mint.

1/3 cup sugar or to taste
Add and stir until dissolved. The resulting concentrate may be poured over ice to dilute and serve, or may be cooled and frozen for later use.

For orange mint tea:
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
water and ice
Combine juices in a half-gallon serving pitcher. Add mint concentrate plus water and ice to fill the pitcher. Chill completely and serve garnished with mint sprigs and thin slices of oranges or lemons.

Pickled Beets -- Merlin's Favorite

As we're sending you all this good crop of beets, might I suggest a great way to enjoy them through the summer, or all year:

Pickled Beets

Select and prepare small whole beets with 1-inch stem and all the root. Boil at least 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Trim off roots and stems. Slip off skins under running cold water.

Prepare a boiling pickling syrup of equal parts vinegar and sugar. Dilute with 1-2 cups beet juice (from cooking) according to taste. Add 1½ tsp salt. If desired, add 1 cinnamon stick and 6 whole cloves or whole allspice. Cover cooked beets with boiling syrup.

For refrigerator storage, boil beets and pickling syrup for 3-5 minutes. Cool. Beets may be kept, covered and refrigerated, for 4-6 weeks.

For canning, pack beets whole, sliced or diced into hot canning jars, and cover beets with pickling syrup, leaving ½-inch headroom in jars. Process in boiling-water bath for 30 minutes.

Rita's Favorite Poppy Seed Cole Slaw

Here's a favorite way to enjoy the freshness of summertime cabbage....

Chop in blender, or shred and cut finely:
2 large or 3 medium heads cabbage
2 stalks celery (if desired)
3-4 carrots
1 onion
Sprinkle generously with salt and set awide while making dressing. Before adding dressing, squeeze dry.

Poppy Seed Dressing:
With an electric mixer mix:
1 ¼ cups sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. grated onion
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
Stir together and gradually add 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
Beat for a long time (at least 10 minutes). This cannot be mixed too long.
Add:
a bit of garlic salt
1 ½ Tbsp. poppy seed, as you stop the mixer.

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.

OR...
For a lighter dressing that lasts for months in refrigerator...
(from More with Less cookbook)
Combine in saucepan:
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup vinegar
1/8 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp. celery seed
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. When cool, add to cabbage. Mix well.

Whole Beet Skillet

Here's another good one from Simply In Season --

Start with:

4-6 medium beets with fresh greens

Cut greens off beets, leaving about 1 inch of greens on beets. Place beets in large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender when pricked with fork, 15-30 minutes depending on size. While beets are cooking, remove stems from beet greens. Chop stems in 1-inch pieces. Chop greens separately. Drain the cooked beets and rinse with cold water. When beets have cooled enough to handle, slip peels off with fingers. Cut beets in slices. In saucepan, saute' stems in 1-2 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add greens and saute' until bright green and just tender. Add sliced beets and heat through.

Add in:

1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 tsp. ginger root (peeled and minced)

1-2 tsp. honey (optional)

Serve immediately.

What to do with those beet greens....

This time of year is wonderful for using greens as a flavorful side dish. We often think of using spinach or even kale this way. Many people are also familiar with using beet greens in the same way. The die-hards among us will also cook mustard greens or turnip greens, although they're a bit much for us!

The following recipe is from Lorrie Stierwalt, and will work with your leafy green beet tops....

Lorrie's Greens

Cook greens from several beets in a little water until they have a deep color and are cooked through.
Add a little bit of unsalted butter, garlic powder, pepper, basil and a "smidgen" of vinegar. :-)

We tried it and we liked it!

Strawberry Vinaigrette dressing

This salad dressing is one of our seasonal favorites, along with all the fresh salad greens we're eating at this time of year! And, we have been known to occasionally enjoy making this recipe from frozen strawberries in the off-season.
1 cup sliced strawberries
4 tsp. vinegar (white or rice)
4 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil leaves, dried parsley flakes, pepper
1/4 cup olive oil.

Puree strawberries in blender. Add remaining ingredients except oil. Blend, then gradually add oil while blending on low speed.

Enjoy!
.... (another recipe from Simply In Season)