The Last Chard

As winter looms, there are chores to check off the list: hay, firewood, garden produce. The other day my brother was helping me harvest beets. “These are carrot-shaped”, he said, shovel in hand. “That’s because you’re digging up the swiss chard”, I replied. I managed to salvage enough chard for a meal. I made a dish from Recipes For a Small Planet. I cooked onions from the garden, no garlic because I don’t care for it, a bit of olive oil, the chard with the leaves and stalks chopped separately, a can of red kidney beans, cooked rice, soy sauce. Add some sharp cheddar. It’s a colorful dish for a colorful fall day. The chard I raised this year was the Bright Lights variety, a red, yellow and purple mix.

Harvest or Not

The ground in the orchard is carpeted in apples. My neighbor gave me another giant cabbage, and I have a gallon crock in the kitchen for making sauerkraut, which I have never done before. I’ve already frozen tomatoes and made salsa but it’s ready to be done again. Beets, green onions, fennel, and shell beans are still in the garden. What’s more, the big bag of ripe bananas from Teals are now overripe. The killing frost that destroyed the swiss chard (which is very hard to kill) might be termed a blessing. No, wait. In the warm weather it has started growing again……

Carob Brownies

Carob beans, also known as locust beans, have been used for thousands of years, for everything from celebrating religious holidays to fodder for animals. Carob powder can be used like coco powder in recipes but it is not chocolate and if a chocolate taste is anticipated, one is likely to be disappointed. Yesterday I made carob brownies and ate them with Greek God yogurt. It was just a standard brownie recipe so I won’t bother writing it down. Carob is slightly sweet so I used a bit less sugar. I ground up almonds and substituted almond extract for vanilla. They were incredibly good.

The Vegetable Monster Again

I took a big bite out of the vegetable monster yesterday. There are some people both young and old who think anything that goes to waste from a garden is a dirty shame. A little of that has rubbed off on to me. In reality, anything that isn’t harvested goes back into the soil. But I still try to use or give away as much as possible. And I hardly ever turn down vegetables offered to me. In the past two days I have frozen and given away tomatoes, froze corn, stuffed myself with corn, and enjoyed fried green tomatoes. I also made scalloped tomatoes.

Pea Soup

I should have picked my peas two days ago.  A few of them were beyond prime.  However, I found  a recipe that included a pinch of sugar to compensate and the peas were fresh from my garden.  The mint was from my herb pots.  I used a vidalia onion, vegetable broth, water, and butter.  The proportions aren’t written in stone.   I simmered the ingredients  for thirty minutes, then added some milk and cream, and seasoned the soup with black pepper.  It was quite good.  So far  this year I’ve had beet greens, swiss chard, cress, string beans, and peas from my garden, and I’ve made liberal use of herbs and flowers for garnish.

Jazzed Up Tofu

Colombian Treat

A Colombian friend made these for me today. They are simple. Slice plantains, salt lightly, and fry gently in olive oil. They are a good snack, and taste a little like potato chips and a little like eggplant.

Milk Day

I had quite a lot of expired milk, which my dog does not drink. So I googled cooking with expired milk and found a recipe for paneer.

The origin of this soft cheese is northern India. It is made by boiling milk (be careful not to burn it) and adding a curdling agent just as it starts to boil. I used balsamic vinegar because I didn’t have the recommended fresh limes. I didn’t save the whey because like the cheese itself, it took on a brown color from the vinegar. Dump the contents of the kettle in a colander lined with a towel or muslin, rinse with cold water, and drain. You can make it drier by pressing under a heavy kettle.

The cheese is very bland and somewhat rubbery but pictures of the dishes made with it look flavorful and delicious and I know it’s good for you.

St. Pats activity

I had these nice, brown, free range eggs but alas I had too many.  So I decided to use up two dozen in one swoop…or sweep.  I boiled the eggs, peeled, and rinsed them in cold water.  Then I boiled up two cups vinegar, a cup of water, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons sea salt, and pickling spice.  I packed the eggs in two quart jars and poured the vinegar solution over them.  I intend to let them sit for two weeks at least before using them in salads.  The teddy bear cookie jar belonged to my grandma.   Oh, by the way, I used red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar.

Garden Dreams

I was reading the local Master Gardener’s column yesterday. He was saying it’s the time of year for avid gardeners to cozy up to a stack of seeds catalogs and pick out the new varieties they went to try. I’ve done just that and have picked out a few things, at least in my head. I’m not a big carrot raiser but the new multicolor blend looks attractive. Never knew carrots came in white, yellow, orange, red and purple. Last year I planted herbs in pots. The article mentioned planting several varieties of basil, and the enjoyment of eating basil salads. I would like to ask, does the entire salad consist of basil? That would be quite a treat. I’ve looked at fruit trees: butternut, a northern apple, a sweet cherry. For decoration, the primrose lilac. And to grow indoors, mini trees in pots: pineapple, figs, olives, key limes, coffee. I have also spied in a Jung’s catalog the show lady slipper. New methods of propagation have brought this rare MN orchid into the market but at $30 per plant I’ll wait until the price goes down.