Sunflowers: A Failed Experiment

October 1, 2011 allansuddaby 3 Comments

When I was little I watched cartoons on Saturday mornings.

At one o’clock custody of the television passed to my mother, who watched Victory Garden, an American public television show that tours some of America’s greatest gardens.

I hated this show.

Now that I’m all growed up, I rather like it. A couple years ago I was watching Victory Garden when they interviewed a chef from Boston who used sunflowers like artichokes. I filed this idea in the deeper recesses of my brain until this summer, when I came into some sunflowers from Tipi Creek.

I pulled out the flower petals, then started cutting away the dark brown seed heads until I had something that looked sort of kind of … Continue reading.

Tipi Creek CSA, Vegetables

Harvest Day at Tipi Creek 2011

September 25, 2011 allansuddaby 1 Comment

September 24 was the last harvest day at Tipi Creek CSA for 2011. We look forward to this every year. Our Thanksgiving dinner is planned largely around what we take home that day.

Of the three years we have been members of the Tipi Creek CSA, this was the least productive. You’ll remember that May through July was cold, wet, and dreary. While this was mitigated to some extent by the sheer variety of vegetables grown, overall we ended up with a lot less produce than in previous years. That being said, with August and September being hot and sunny, we still had a fantastic final harvest day.

Here’s more information on Tipi Creek:

their website
my run-down of the

Preserves, Seasonal

Button Soup Canning Bee

September 21, 2011 allansuddaby 8 Comments

Taking a jar from the canning pot Until recently the only bees I knew of were spelling bees, quilting bees, and honey bees. There was a time when there were many other types of bees. Canning bees, for instance.

A “bee” is any gathering called to perform a particular task. In the days of yore it was often implied that people were coming together to help one person or family accomplish a large task in a relatively short amount of time. In rural Canada a community might gather to help a family thresh all their grain. Another threshing bee might be held the following week at a different farm.

A family history book tells me that food and whisky were provided to those who helped. That same … Continue reading.

Fall, Foraging, Fruit

Highbush Cranberries

September 19, 2011 allansuddaby 2 Comments

Most of the highbush cranberries in the nearby park have lengthened into a distinct oval shape, which means they’re ready for picking.

Often when harvesting or foraging in balmy summer, I find myself looking forward to the colder months ahead.

Much of the past year has been devoted to exploring seasonality beyond ingredients: looking at traditional dishes and meals that mark the season. I pick highbush cranberries mostly for use in two meals: Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. (If there’s a little extra that can be enjoyed in November with some game meats, all the better.) So as I romp through the bush in late summer, I’m actually thinking about fall and winter.

Similarly, when candying cherries in August, I might … Continue reading.

Vegetables

Vegetable Off-Cuts

September 18, 2011 allansuddaby Leave a comment

One of the benefits of getting vegetables from a CSA, farmers’ market, or backyard garden, is that you often get the entire plant.

As with animals, there are parts of certain vegetables that are usually thrown out. The most common examples are the green leaves of vegetables that are grown for their roots or stalks. These greens deteriorate quickly after picking, so they’re cut off before the vegetables are shipped to the supermarket.

Of course, not all vegetable off-cuts can be eaten. Some are poisonous (the leaves of the nightshade family, including potato and tomato), and I find that some that do make their way to the farmers’ market are of dubious eating quality.

Let’s start with the good ones. … Continue reading.

Fruit

Chokecherries

September 18, 2011 allansuddaby Leave a comment

A bucket of chokecherries There are chokecherries hanging in big bunches over almost every trail in the river valley right now. They are sweet, juicy, and extremely astringent. Pick ’em while you can.

There is the pit to contend with. If you plan on picking more than a handful, the best way to process them is using a food mill. If the plate perforation size is correct, the mill will rub the flesh from the berries and leave the pits behind.

From the juice you can make a jelly or sauce to accompany game and other lean red meat (think: tannic red wine).

Or the juice can be strained and enjoyed on its own as chokecherry cordial.

Cider, Drink, Fruit

Hard Cider

September 16, 2011 allansuddaby 4 Comments

Earlier in the month we pressed our apples into cider. The juice that ran from the press was sweet and tart, with a full, milky mouthfeel, and a subtle siltiness that I think was from the skins and seeds of the fruit. It had a cloudy, oxidated colour and was a pleasing drink in all of its many facets.

Fermentation

As with grapes, there is an abundance of natural yeast living on the skins of apples, and when you crush the fruit and mix the skins with the juices, the yeast has easy access to sugar. I’m always surprised by the efficacy and consistency of this natural fermentation. Basically the cider can sit in your basement for a week, … Continue reading.

Candy and Confection, Fruit, Preserves, Sweets

Glacé Sour Cherries

September 14, 2011 allansuddaby Leave a comment

“Glacé” is a confusing term because it can refer to ice cream, cake frosting, fruit candied in “hard crack” syrup, or simply fruit preserved in syrup. It’s that last definition that applies here. Most sources I consulted had a similar procedure for making glacé cherries:

Make a simple syrup of one part water and one part sugar. Bring to a simmer, add pitted cherries, remove pot from heat, cover and let stand over night. This is simply to infuse the syrup with cherry, and the cherries with syrup. The next day, remove the cherries and reduce the syrup until a candy thermometer reads 230°F. This gives a good thick-but-runny consistency. Reintroduce the cherries, simmer briefly, then store in a sanitized … Continue reading.

Fruit, Preserves

Dried Sour Cherries

September 13, 2011 allansuddaby Leave a comment

Most sour cherry varieties, like Evans, do dry okay, but it takes forever. With my dehydrator running on the “Fruit/Vegetable” setting (135°F), it took 30 hours to reach raisin consistency.

The dried cherries are extremely sour, even more so than when fresh (which I should have anticipated…)

I had originally planned to eat these dried sour cherries in yogurt and granola, but they are way too tart to be consumed with tangy yogurt. Suggested alternative uses: game terrines, “Raincoast Crisp” style cracker, and other applications where there is meat or starch to temper their acidity. I also love tossing them into puddings, like wild rice and barley.

Vegetables

Rhubarb Leaves: A Thought Experiment

September 12, 2011 allansuddaby 4 Comments

Before I say anything else, please, please, please don’t eat rhubarb leaves. They’re considered poisonous.

That being said, I have a theory that I’m working out. I’m wondering if there is a way to prepare rhubarb leaves so that they aren’t poisonous.

I started thinking about this after reading about taro. Taro root is a tuber native to India, but common in the cuisines of the Caribbean, South America, Polynesia, and much of Asia.

Taro, both the tuber and the leaves, contain a large amount of calcium oxalate. When eaten raw they burn your mouth and throat, but boiling them dissolves the oxalates and renders them safe to eat.

Rhubarb leaves also contain a large amount of oxalate, and according … Continue reading.

Button Soup