6.23.2010

11-22 Carla Hansen's Pickled Beets - SUPER delicious!

Select small, young beets, cook until tender, dip into cold water. Peel off skins.

Make the following syrup:

2 cups sugar
2 cups water or beet juice
2 cups strong vinegar
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Pour over beets and boil 10 minutes. Pack into sterilized quart jars and seal at once.

USU Extension service says to process 40 minutes in a water bath. You will have to decide how many beets you have as to how many batches of syrup you make. Be sure to stir it altogether good and then bottle. The spices all go to the bottom of the jar so I shake them up good before I open them. This recipe is from an old Kerr book. USU Ext. would have you put more vinegar in them too, but it would ruin them and I haven`t ever had any trouble with them and they keep for years. Enjoy! If your beets are big, just cut them up. I put them in a big pan when they are cooked and make enough syrup to put over them so it looks like it would fit in the quarts.

11-22 Char Grilled tuna with oregano oil and beautifully dressed peas and broad beans

by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

The simplicity and flavor of this summer dish are fantastic. Buy your tuna steaks about ½ inch thick rather than going for massive inch-thick ones. That way they cook quickly, giving you a juicy, silky steak that hasn’t had a chance to dry out. If you can’t get hold of tuna, then shark and swordfish are reasonably good steak-like alternatives.

ingredients for the oregano oil

• a small bunch of fresh oregano or marjoram, leaves picked
• sea salt
• juice of 1 lemon
• best-quality extra virgin olive oil
• 4 handfuls of podded peas
• 2 handfuls of podded broad beans
• 150ml/5½fl oz best-quality extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 7 oz sustainably sourced tuna steaks, cut ½ inch thick

To make your oregano oil, pound the oregano with a good pinch of sea salt in a pestle and mortar until you have a paste. Add the lemon juice and 8 tablespoons of olive oil and stir until you have a good drizzling consistency.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add your peas and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon or sieve. Add the broad beans to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on their size. Drain and leave to cool, then pinch the skins off any big beans (you can leave the skin on any small or medium ones).

To dress the peas and beans you want the same balance of acid and oil as you would have in a salad dressing. So, put the olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Chop up most of the mint and throw it in, add the peas and beans and mix everything around. Add lemon juice to taste. You can serve the dressed peas and beans hot or at room temperature.

Heat a griddle pan or barbecue until hot, season your tuna steaks with salt and pepper and pat with some of the oregano oil. Place in the pan and sear for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Personally I like to keep my tuna a little pink in the middle as this tastes much nicer, but if you’re going to cook it through please don’t nuke it.

Tear the tuna into 2 or 3 pieces and toss in a large bowl with the rest of the oregano oil. This will give you a lovely combination of flavors. Serve the fish immediately, with the peas and broad beans, scattered with the rest of the mint leaves.

PS Sometimes I love to throw random delicate greens like baby spinach, watercress, even rocket, in with the broad beans for 30 seconds before you drain them. The combination of peppery irony greens, creamy broad beans and sweet little peas makes the veg taste even better.

6.18.2010

SherylXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXHerb demonstration

Salad dressing from Janet Clark (Homespun restaurant in Leeds, Utah)

Herb tools and taste test: stevia, various salts and pepper (pepper mill from la cuisine/France), zester, various sizes of bottles of herbs, kitchen shears

Food samples:

Tomatoes with fresh basil (ingredients: pre-sliced, tomatoes, mozzarella, salt, sugar, pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh basil)

Fresh salad greens from yard plus dressing



When growing an Herb Garden

Plant it in a place that is easy to get to and convenient

Containers need to be easy to reach and pinch the herbs

Many herbs will take over and need to be thinned i.e. sage, etc. They can end up woody and unattractive.

Do's and Don'ts:

Too many herbs may make you crazy. Less is more when it comes to herbs.

One idea: Create two rectangle pots just outside your kitchen door.

Grow only the culinary herbs you use on a frequent basis.

basil – three plants plus a new one

chives

parsley – curly and flat

thyme

rosemary

dill

mint – in a small confining container…. Make sure you like the mint you plant – less partial to spearmint (canal mint) love peppermint

sorrel – bright lemon taste


Herbs and spices are what elevate foods and cooking.


About a cookbook: "If you got one good recipe from a cookbook, it was worth the purchase of the book".

Where to get your Dried Herbs: Penzey’s (penzey.com)
So much cheaper thru this website.

Why buy at Penzey's? Cost savings and much fresher than store purchased herbs where you don’t know how long sitting in warehouse.

Going to Baltimore? Go to the harbor – McCormick and Shilling spices – smell the cinnamon aroma. Sorry, no tours.


How to store them: Glass jars, varying sizes, FREEZE your herbs. split an order with others. Best to store in air tight container. Never plastic; glass is best. Can order glass jars from Penzy’s



Discuss some favorite spices and how use them

Fresh ground nutmeg – different smell and taste (use nutmeg grater)

Grind spices in coffee grinder



current catalog


20 year old herbs of my mother – No comparison in aroma.



Identify 20-25 fresh and dried herbs (mystery)



Door prize to individual who identifies correctly the most herbs





Marion Searle

June 2010

Our Garden Motto....

Everyone doing just a little bit of work, results in a very big beautiful garden!

6.16.2010

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxGarden Harvest Distribution

We have Harvest Days often—usually once a week during the main harvest season, and sometimes more often depending on what produce is ripe. You will be notified in advance of when they will be, and RSVP is required. You will receive a share of produce from all of the gardens.

To participate, just RSVP at least an hour in advance to the Garden Supervisor of the Garden you typically work at (or, for no-labor members, the one nearest you). Then, have one member of your household show up at the designated time. (Bring grocery bags when you come; if you forget, we’ll have some you can use.)

How do we determine how much each household receives?

We allow everyone who shows up on Harvest Days an opportunity to receive an equal share of the harvest, but we let you determine when you have as much as you want.

The process goes like this: All of the harvest is laid out in a way so everyone can easily see what there is. The Garden Supervisor counts how many households are present and calculates how much each household can take during the first round so there will be enough for multiple rounds. The supervisor then gives each household a chance to step forward and take the allowed portion for that round. When all have received their first portion, the supervisor determines the portion for the next round and gives each household a chance to come up and take that portion. When you have as much as you need or want, you can pass on taking more. No one gets extra until everyone is satisfied with the amount they have received.

What if some households have put in more work than others?

Each working membership requires the same amount of work during the year, and members may join at different times of the year. Therefore, the amount you receive at any particular Harvest Day is not determined based on how much work you have done so far. Each household is allowed an equal chance to receive produce.

What if I can’t come at the time you schedule the harvest?

We try to schedule harvest days at various times to accommodate people’s varied scheduled. If you can’t come to one, you can either wait until the next one or send someone else from your household to pick up your share.

Note: When picking harvest, they're not picking for just them. We don't divide it at that time.

6.10.2010

11-22 Arugula and Fava Bean Crostini

1 cup shelled fresh fava beans (1 1/4 pounds in pods) or shelled fresh or frozen edamame (soybeans; 3/4 pounds in pods)

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided, plus additional for drizzling

1 1/2 cups packed arugula (1 1/2 ounces), divided

3 tablespoons grated Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 baguette

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

16 mint leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook fava beans in boiling water, uncovered, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking. Gently peel off skins (if using edamame, don't peel).

Pulse fava beans in a food processor until very coarsely chopped, then transfer half of mixture to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup arugula, cheese, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to favas in processor and purée until smooth. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop remaining cup arugula and gently fold into fava-bean mixture.

Cut 16 diagonal slices (1/3 inch thick) from baguette and put in on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon oil. Bake until pale golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub with cut side of garlic.

Spoon fava-bean mixture onto baguette toasts, then drizzle with oil and top with mint.

Servings » 8

Source » by Kay Chun, Gourmet magazine, 2009

xxxxxxxxxxxIn Season: Fava Beans

Spring produce has entered the market. This week, look for: Fava beans.

What are they? » Also known as broad beans, favas are legumes native to north Africa and southwest Asia. They're popular throughout the world, though usually in their dry form as their peak season usually lasts just a few weeks. People who take MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) should avoid eating favas as they contain high levels of tyramine.

How to use » Shell the beans from their leathery pods, discarding the pods. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the beans for 4 minutes. Strain the beans into an ice bath to stop them from cooking. Gently peel the skins from the beans and use as desired.

Look for » If you can find them, look for pods that are leathery, firm and without blemishes. Check for pods that contain large beans.

Storage » Fava beans are highly perishable. Store them in the refrigerator for up to three days.

E-mail: food@sltrib.com.

6.09.2010

11-22 Fava Beans Recipes

Fava Bean & Tomato Salad

Ingredients

20 tomatoes
1 pound fresh fava beans
1/4 pound finest prosciutto
1/4 pound gruyere
3 tablespoons fruity olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
pinch sea salt

Directions

Set a pot of water, with a pinch of salt, to boil. Put a bowl of ice water in the sink. As the water is coming to a boil, shuck the fava beans. How to do this? Snap and extract. There should be three or four beans per pod. (Be sure to feel the inside of the pod, which is as soft as dryer lint.) When the water has come to a boil, plop all the shucked fava beans into the pan and let them bob there in the boiling water for thirty seconds. After that, immediately drain them and plunge the fava beans in the ice water to stop cooking. After a moment, take them out and let them chill in the refrigerator for a few moments.

Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin from individual beans by peeling it off. Fava beans are kind of a pain to prep....but they pay off in flavor.

Meanwhile, slice the grape tomatoes in halves, lengthwise. Cut the gruyere into small squares, about the same size as the fava beans. Make up a simple vinaigrette, by combining the olive oil, white vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together, with the fava beans, then thread small slivers of the prosciutto in among the beans, tomatoes, and cheese. Eat with the small sigh of spring.


Grilled Fava Bean

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 pounds Fresh Fava Bean Pods

Directions

Spray whole fava bean pods with cooking spray. Place pods directly on hot grill of BBQ. Turn fava pods frequently until pods char and begin to burst open (about 7 to 10 minutes). Remove from grill and cool pods for 10 minutes. Remove fava beans from pod and peel beans by pinching one end of the bean to pop bright green fava bean from it's waxy shell. Grilled fava beans are delicious served as an appetizer with slices of Parmesan cheese.


Rigatoni with Fava Beans and Artichokes
Source: Adrieene Meier, Ocean Mist Farms

Ingredients

3 Ocean Mist Artichoke hearts and bottoms cubed
1 cup (5 ounces) blanched shelled fava beans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 cup spinach leaves coarsely chopped
One 28 ounce can plum tomatoes (drained)
1 pound rigatoni pasta (cooked)
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions

In large frying pan over medium-high heat warm olive oil.
Add carrot and onion and cook until tender, about 7 minutes.
Add artichokes, fava beans, spinach, broth, salt and pepper.
Cook until heated through.
Stir in tomatoes and simmer about 15 minutes.
Add cooked drained rigatoni to sauce and gently toss.
Plate and top pasta with shaved parmesan cheese.


Sauteed Fava Beans

Ingredients

boiling water
salt
ice
tap water
2 lbs fresh fava beans, in the pod (yields about 1 1/2 to 2 cups shelled beans)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced, to taste
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

First, shell the beans from the fava pods.
In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, then add salt – the amount depends on how much water you have, but it should be very salty, like seawater.
In a bowl, combine ice and tap water to make ice water; set aside.
Add the shelled beans to the boiling water and let cook for about 3 minutes, then remove from saucepan and immediately plunge into the ice water to halt the cooking.
Let the beans cool, then peel the outer skin from each of them.
Over medium heat in a skillet, melt together the butter and olive oil, then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add the peeled fava beans and sauté for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are done to your preference.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, serve, and enjoy!

Note: in choosing your fava beans, get the pods that are firm and fresh looking.

Note 2: once you've made these basic fava beans, you can add other delicious items such as caramelized onions or fennel, chunky fresh tomatoes, and/or a bit of chopped proscuitto.

6.03.2010

xxxxxxxxxxxMore about the Holladay Gardens....

Right now, during the first part of June we are in a transition mode from the cool weather into the warmer weather and we need to make some adjustments.

Holladay is the MOST demanding gardens of all of our 5 garden locations, since it has been going on since Jan. 27 of this year.

Planted in the Holladay Gardens as on June 3, 2010:

peas
carrots
beets
onions
8 kinds of lettuce
fava beans
garlic
chives
rhubarb
broccoli
cabbage
kale
spinach
strawberries
tomatoes
peppers
grapes
apples
giant sunflowers
a wide variety of flowers
peppermint
oregano
marjoram

And soon we'll have corn and beans