The New Year Post

This is the post where we look back on 2009 and look ahead to 2010.

I know for sure that the biggest change in 2009 was The Boyfriend losing his job and our decision to relocate back to Minneapolis. The house here in Austin is still on the market and we haven't moved yet. This means we know for sure one thing 2010 has in store for us is The Move. I think I'm doing pretty well with this change--I'm sick and tired of the house being on the market and the constant cleaning and interruptions that go with it, but I'm also looking forward to the house shopping on the other end, and the return to Minneapolis. Minneapolis is home, it is where my family is, and it's great city.

As a knitter 2009 saw the successful launch of ElizabethCarls.com. And the inclusion of my designs on Patternfish.com. I started my affair with sock knitting, self-publish several new patterns, and taught several workshops. I finished a plethora of projects, but sadly did not finish my gift knitting in time for Christmas.

2009 was the year I became a "Texas Gardener". The Boyfriend and I built the Kitchen Garden back in March. I wrote about the whole process here on the blog and for the Oct/Nov issue of Texas Gardner Magazine. The garden was pretty much a huge success. I'm still eating the pesto and the baba ghanouj I made and froze.

This past year has been an interesting one when it comes to food. In 2009 I made a return to eating meat, which is really a much longer story and I should and probably will write about it sometime, but the short version of the story goes something like this: I have be en a non-meat eater for more than 20 years and my reason for abstaining has always been the lack of clean meat. I didn't want to eat all those antibiotics, and hormones, and I certainly didn't want to support an industry that is so destructive to our environment. But in 2009 I discovered Greenling and found myself buying good clean meat for The Boyfriend. Everything was pasture raised, organic, drug free, and local. I could support that. And one day while cooking a clean local lamb burger for The Boyfriend I thought "I'm going to eat this." And I did. And now I can hardly call myself a vegetarian--we still only eat meat a couple of times per week, and we only eat local, pasture-raised organic meat. It's a big change.

2009 was also the year I decided to learn to can, as in food preservation. I did jams when the strawberries hit the farmer's market, and peach sauce when the peaches were in. I also pickled peppers from the kitchen garden. I organized a couple of Soup Swaps in 2009. And did lots of shopping at the Farmer's Market.

As a runner I did the 3M Half Marathon in January, several charity 5Ks, and of course the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in 2009. I've taken on a new running partner and never lace up the shoes without Aaron Johnson at my side. It's nice to have the company.

So what lies ahead in 2010... The Move of course... Minneapolis of course.

2010 promises many new knitting designs, a few new workshops, and the publication of 1,000 Fabulous Hats (which will include several of my hats.)

I know I'll have a garden again in 2010, but it will be in Minneapolis. Which is fine, because Minneapolis is a great place to garden and I have lots of experience growing in the Upper Midwest.

We will of course continue to eat as locally, and as organically as possible. I have started researching sources of local clean meat in the Minneapolis area, and even found a meat CSA, I suspect that 2010 will see us continuing to eat clean and local meat. We will also continue to shop the Farmer's Market, and at our local food co-op.

There is already talk of a canning party with several of my Minneapolis friends. And I suppose there will be soup swapping as well. And I'll continue to post recipes here on the blog.

As a runner I look forward my return to Minneapolis also--I'll never have to run on the road again as Minneapolis is a runner (and cyclist's) dream in terms of paths and green-ways. The Boyfriend and I have said we will run the Valentine's Day 5k at Lake Harriet if we're there. I'm sure there will be plenty of running in 2010.

I'd love to learn to cross country ski, and to make pasta. I'm planning a reunion with my Austin knitting friends--we'll meet the first weekend in October in Taos NM for the Wool and Fiber Fest.

What does 2010 have in store for you?

The End of a Growing Season

The first growing season in my kitchen garden has officially come to a close. It seems almost unbelievable to the northern gardener in me that July 4th weekend brings the end of the growing season, but it has.

It is just too hot. During the month of June we saw a number of record breaking highs, and at least a dozen days with temperatures above 100 degrees, and it just doesn't cool off all that much over night. When it's hot like this the pepper's won't blossom and set fruit, and neither will the tomatoes. The basil has bolted and gone to flower. And the eggplants just stopped. It seems really wasteful to me to continue to water plants that aren't producing foodstuffs, and so the watering has stopped, and the kitchen garden has shriveled.

Looking back it was a fruitful and productive growing season. My freezer is full of pesto and baba ghanouj. I had my first foray into canning, preserving a large batch of tomatoes, and a variety of pickled hot peppers. (I learned tons from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving ). I had enough greens early on to share with friends, and enough cucumbers to give some to pretty much everyone I know. All in all I'd call it a success.

Today we have had a relatively "cool" day, with temperatures in the upper 80's and completely cloudy skies. I took advantage of this break in the weather to put the garden to bed for the rest of the summer. I took down all the bird netting, and cut down all the shriveled plants. I took down tomato cages, and stakes. And I mulched.

There are a few additional things to do until the fall growing season rolls around: I will keep the perennial herbs watered, mulched, and alive. I'll start a new compost pile, and turn the one in progress. And I'll let the soil rest during these sweltering months.

Come September I'll plant the kitchen garden again. I'm planning the fall growing season with a mind towards preserving the harvest: green beans for pickling, tomatoes for sauce making, and carrots just for fun.

Until then, I'll be in the kitchen I suppose.

Tips for Shopping at your Farmer's Market

Farmer's markets aren't just a good place to buy fresh, seasonal fruit and veggies. Most larger urban markets also have farmers offering healthy meats, fresh cheese and dairy, fresh baked goods, and eggs from pasture-raised hens. Many also offer a selection of value-added foods like homemade pastas, and various sauces, salsas, and preserves. In other words, it is possible to do the majority of your shopping at your local farmer's market.

Following are some tips and suggestions for a satisfying market experience.

> Bring bags from home and be sure to bring several, that way fragile, and easily bruised items like peaches or tomatoes can have their own bag and stand a better chance of arriving home in good shape.

> Spend a little time before you go planning a few meals, looking over a selection of recipes, and thinking about what you'd like to cook this week. You stand a better chance of getting what you need, and using what you buy if do a little planning. But plan with the season in mind - don't go to the market looking for butternut squash in the middle of June. And keep an open mind while you shop, be prepared to be flexible with your plans.

> Talk to the farmer's and get to know them. This is actually one of my most favorite aspects of shopping at the farmer's market. You'll know where your food comes from, and you'll have a more enjoyable shopping experience. Also, the farmers and growers well let you know what's coming in soon and what's almost gone, which will make it easier to plan and allow you to take full advantage of foods with a short season.

> Remember that not all farmer's are "certified organic" because it is costly to maintain certification. Ask your growers about their growing methods and standards, you may be pleasantly surprised. If you're buying meat ask if the animals are pastured and how they live. Most farmer's are more than happy to share, and actually like to talk about their farm and their animals. Many will even invite you to visit.

> Expect to pay a fair price - remember farming and selling at market takes tons of hard work, special skills, and business know-how. The farmers and growers deserve to earn a fair wage. However, don't hesitate to ask for a quantity discount if you are buying a whole bunch of something, most growers will be happy to give a little. When the strawberries were in and I wanted to make jam I bought a huge flat a berries which the farmer discounted. On the other hand, peaches have been in short supply this year because of a late freeze, and so I was more than happy to pay full price for the peaches I bought to preserve.

> Reuse and recycle. Return things like egg cartons and berry baskets to the farmer/grower, it will save them money, and it's good for the environment. It is always better to reuse before you recycle.

> Try something new. Challenge yourself to buy something you're unfamiliar with and ask the grower for ideas about how to cook it or use it. You'll learn something.

> Get a good cookbook or two that focus on seasonal and local cooking. Fresh from the Farmers' Market (Reissue): Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop
and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets are both excellent choices. Also a good book on canning and preserving like Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
These books will help you take full advantage of seasonal produce, and to preserve the harvest.

Make shopping at your local farmer's market a part of your weekly routine and a family event - it's a lot of fun, it gets you in touch with your community, and the food tastes better.

Pick a Peck of Peppers

I'm going to pickle these peppers. I found a very simple recipe in Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving . The recipe makes 6 pints of sliced hot pickled peppers. The perfect condiment for almost anything - salads, sandwiches, burgers. I've also been known to eat them straight out of the jar.

My garden has an abundance of peppers right now - they are all coming ripe at the same time. I will most likely get one, maybe two more harvests of peppers before things slow down for the summer.

Where I live, here in Central Texas, the overnight lows aren't all that low any more. And the weather man is predicting our first triple digit temperatures already this weekend. In other words, it's hot. And it's going to get hotter, and stay hotter until the end of September.

And what that means is my first growing season is already winding down. Without cooler temperatures at night the pepper blossoms won't set. Likewise, my cucumbers are struggling with the heat, and I have probably harvested the last of them. The tomatoes will ripen, if I keep them watered, but then they too will shrivel and die in the stifling temps.


I will get a second growing season that will start when things start to cool down in September, and last until the first freeze in January. I'm already planning this second growing season - and I'm planning it with my canning books in hand. I'll grow what I want to preserve: hot pickled green beans, tomatoes for sauce, and zucchini to grate and freeze for bread and muffins.

But first, I'll pickle these peppers, continue making baba ghanouj and pestos, and wait for the tomatoes to ripen.

When Life Gives You Eggplants, Make Baba Ghanouj

A few posts back I posted a plethora of pesto recipes and encouraged you all to freeze them, and preserve your culinary herb harvest.

This week my garden over flows with eggplants. And I've been making Baba Ghanouj.

Way back when I worked in the sweetest little Egyptian restaurant stuck smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood in SE Minneapolis. From the owner and chef I learned that the best baba ghanouj has just four ingredients: Eggplants, parsley, garlic, and tahini.

I've tested and sized the following recipe for a single batch of about 1 and 1/2 cups. I've been making a batch or two everyday and freezing it. It freezes well.

Baba Ghanouj

1 pound fresh eggplants, roasted
3 gloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons organic tahini

To roast the eggplant: Wash and dry eggplants. Pierce skin several times with a fork to allow steam to escape and avoid exploding eggplants. Place in broiler, turn every few minutes, and cook until the skin is charred and the meat feels soft and tender. Let cool for several minutes before handling.

To make Baba Ghanouj: Once the roasted eggplants have cooled enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrap the meat away from the skin and into a food processor. Add all other ingredients to food processor and give it a whirl. Process until a smooth creamy texture is achieved.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

That's all there is to it, another super simple recipe. Again, I sized this recipe for household use, but by all means, if you have a lot of mouths to feed or a lot of eggplants, feel free to double or triple the recipe.

And don't forget to freeze some, preserving summer's bounty to be enjoyed over and over again.

Enjoy!

The Peaches Are In!

I shop at my farmer's market on a pretty much weekly basis. It's a part of the routine, and just daily living. But this past weekend turned out to be special - the peaches are in.

Nothing smells as good as a fresh ripe peach. And there is no fruit as sexy.

I knew in advance there would be two grower's with peaches this week. I got the head's up in the weekly email newsletter from the farmer's market, which I'm happy to subscribe to. The advance warning gave me the opportunity to peruse a few cookbooks and decide what to do with the peaches. Knowing what you'll cook is a handy piece of information to have when deciding how many peaches to buy. And an afternoon spent with a glass of wine and a pile of cookbooks is not a waste of time.

We scooted down to the market a little later than usual- the sky was gray, the forecast called for stormy weather, and the coffee tasted good. The delay nearly cost me my peaches.

After The Boyfriend bought his requisite breakfast tacos, and I had dawdled around buying bread and produce, we made our way to my favorite farmer and egg guy. As we chatted and waited for our turn at the eggs the cold front arrived. Literally. With one big gust of wind the temperature drop by 15 degrees. I exaggerate not, this happens here in Central Texas. I knew I had mere minutes to get my peaches and get out.

I paid for my eggs, and hurriedly made my way to the peaches. They were beautiful - so soft, so delicate, and the smell... but no time for dalliance the storm was on it's way. I loaded up my market bag with several pounds of peaches, paid, and thanked the farmer.

Then the rain came. In buckets.

We ran the 5 blocks back to the car, carefully handling my little lovelies so as to neither bruise them nor let them get too wet. And I was in flip-flops. But nothing could stop me.

With the peaches safely home and the cold front firmly in place I opened all the windows in the house, a treat as rare as ripe peaches in Texas in May, and prepared to spend the afternoon in the kitchen.

I wanted to get out the canning equipment and try my hand again at preserving the harvest. My previous success with the strawberries had whet my appetite. After previously mentioned cookbook perusing I had decided on the Spiced Peach Jam from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, and the Peach Rum Sauce from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (both links in the lower right column).

It wasn't an easy decision, there's a ton of yummy things you can do with peaches - besides just eating them. Which we also did. Of course. But not too many.

Both recipes turned out perfect - delicious, a bit out of the ordinary, and the smell... By dinner time that evening I had six pints of jam and eight pints of sauce. Every jar sealed. Dinner time was 9 PM.

Word on the street is that the blackberries will be in this Saturday...

A Plethora of Pestos

My kitchen garden features a fair number of culinary herbs and I've been putting those herbs to good use with pesto. Pesto is the perfect way to preserve an abundance of herbs, as they freeze well, especially if you don't add cheese.

I've been making a variety of pesto - mixing and matching ingredients to create new recipes. The idea is that any pesto has a basic set of ingredients - the fresh herb, an oil, a nut, the aromatics, and sometimes an acidic, usually citrus. Within this concept I've been improvising and have been creating some truly fantastic recipes.


Let's start with a Basic Basil Pesto - the one everyone thinks of when they think of pesto.

Basic Basil Pesto
3 cups fresh basil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 olive oil
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved.

Again, I have omitted the cheese, which in a traditional basil pesto would be Parmigiano Reggiano. Leaving out the cheese both reduces the fat content and allows for a nicer texture when freezing the pesto. By all means, add the cheese when serving your pesto with pasta.

I based this next one on the idea of an Herbs De Provence bouquet .

Pesto Provencal
1 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh tarragon
1/4 cup fresh thyme
1/2 cup fresh oregano
1/4 cup marjoram
1/4 cup sage
1/3 cup almonds, chopped
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2 tablespoons of orange juice
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved.

Make sure when your measuring your fresh herbs that they are loosely packed, and don't fret about being too exacting.


This next one is hands down my favorite - I took my inspiration from Thai cuisine.

Thai Pesto
3 cups fresh cilantro
1/3 cup no-salt peanuts, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, rough chopped
1/4 cup grape seed oil
juice of a very juicy lime
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved.

I've also made a variation of this Thai Pesto - after my cilantro had bolted I substituted lemon basil as the main attraction. It was delicious.

Parsley Pesto
2 cups fresh parsley
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 fresh chives
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved

When I use any nut other than pine nuts I chop them first. Otherwise they tend to bounce wildly around in the food processor. Also note that I often use grape seed oil instead of olive oil, it has a milder flavor which really lets the other ingredients shine.

This next one is a garlic lover's dream. The flavor is reminiscent of some Indian Chutney's I've had. I was only able to make this once as the season for green garlic is extremely short.

Green Garlic Pesto
8-10 sprigs of fresh green garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved.

And finally a Cilantro Pesto which has similar ingredients to the Thai Pesto. But the addition of fresh ginger, and the switch between peanuts and almonds, and lemon for lime juice makes it completely unique in flavor.

Cilantro Pesto
3 cups fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno rough chopped
1/3 cup almonds chopped
2 tablespoons diced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of grape seed oil
salt and pepper

Put all of the ingredients, except the oil into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and blended. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle the oil into the mix until a smooth, and somewhat creamy textured is achieved.

Most of these recipes will yield between a cup and a cup and half of pesto. I freeze mine in half cup portions, which seems about right for serving two. Pesto is most commonly tossed onto pasta, but it can also be used as a spread on sandwiches, or to spruce up grilled chicken or fish. I also like it on a baked potato.

Enjoy!

Just Do the Jam Thing

It was my intention on Saturday morning to go to the Sweet Berry Berry Farm and pick some fresh strawberries. But it seems I was about a week too late - when I checked their website they warned that picking might be slim, not a lot of berries were ripe this week. I decided it was not worth the risk nor the hour-plus-drive to get there. I ran down to the farmer's market instead, where I found a farmer happy to sell me several pounds of fresh, ripe, picked-just-this-morning-berries.

Incidentally, I also found some tiny green garlic, a few greenhouse tomatoes, and a fresh baguette, to which I added some basil from my garden for the best darn bruchetta I think I've ever eaten. I also saved myself enough time that I was able to visit a few of the stops on the Funky Chicken Coop Tour. But my bruchetta and my fascination with urban hens are different stories I shall save for another day, or not.

I needed the quantity of super-fresh berries because I had reserved Easter Sunday for jam making - my first solo effort at jam making. I've been wanting to learn to can for just about as long as I can remember, or at least as long as I've been gardening.

I have tons of fond memories of the canning process. My mom used to preserve the harvest, as did my aunts and my Grandma Ruth. My dad still does. I can remember the kitchen getting steamy from all the boiling water, and the deep sweet smell of the berries cooking, or the sharp savory smell of dill, depending on the harvest. I remember the "pop, pop, pop" of the lids as they sealed themselves and the tiny thrill I got as a kid counting all the "pops" to be sure the whole batch had sealed. It was my job the next day to press the center of each lid and make sure there was no failed jars.

I love those memories. I also love the taste of samples I get when I visit home - hot pickled veggies, salsas, raspberry jams, and old-school dill pickles. There are so many memories in each and every bite. Not just the distance memories of my childhood either. But also the fresher, more recent recollections of summer in Minnesota - when the weather was perfect and the garden overflowed.

Nostalgia is a big motivator for me, as is my new kitchen garden. The time has come for me to learn to can. This past week I did what I almost always do when I want to learn something new; I get a few books, read like a maniac, and give it a go.

That's how I spent my Easter - in the kitchen with a pile of fresh strawberries giving it a go.

The results are fantastic - 9 half pint jars of strawberry vanilla jam and 7 half pints of strawberry lemon marmalade. Both recipes are from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (see link in the sidebar). My first endeavor into canning was wildly successful. I had just one jar that didn't seal of the marmalade, which of course I started eating today. It is a brilliant shade of red, and the tiny bits of lemon peel give it a bright, sunny taste. And while it was delicious this morning, I can only imagine how delicious it will be come December.