A neighbor of mine in the village
Likes to tell how one spring
When she was a girl on the farm, she did
A childlike thing.
One day she asked her father
To give her a garden plot
To plant and tend and reap herself,
And he said, "Why not?"
In casting about for a corner
He thought of an idle bit
Of walled-off ground where a shop had stood,
And he said, "Just it."
And he said, "That ought to make you
An ideal one-girl farm,
And give you a chance to put some strength
On your slim-jim arm."
It was not enough of a garden
Her father said, to plow;
So she had to work it all by hand,
But she don't mind now.
She wheeled the dung in a wheelbarrow
Along a stretch of road;
But she always ran away and left
Her not-nice load,
And hid from anyone passing.
And then she begged the seed.
She says she thinks she planted one
Of all things but weed.
A hill each of potatoes,
Radishes, lettuce, peas,
Tomatoes, beets, beans, pumpkins, corn,
And even fruit trees.
And yes, she has long mistrusted
That a cider-apple
In bearing there today is hers,
Or at least may be.
Her crop was a miscellany
When all was said and done,
A little bit of everything,
A great deal of none.
Now when she sees in the village
How village things go,
Just when it seems to come in right,
She says, "I know!
"It's as when I was a farmer..."
Oh never by way of advice!
And she never sins by telling the tale
To the same person twice.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
How to Freeze Eggplant
Wash and peel; slice, dice or cut in strips, depending on how you plan to use it. There's no need to peel very young eggplant.
Blanching Time:
Steam to blanch. Steam 2 minutes for diced eggplant and thin slices, and up to 5 minutes for thick slices.
Have a cold water/lemon juice mixture ready (1 teaspoon lemon juice to each quart of water).
Chill eggplants in the cold water-lemon juice mixture; drain and pat dry.
Pack:
Leave 1/2 inch of headspace in bags.
Yield:
2 medium eggplants = approximately 2 pint frozen.
Blanching Time:
Steam to blanch. Steam 2 minutes for diced eggplant and thin slices, and up to 5 minutes for thick slices.
Have a cold water/lemon juice mixture ready (1 teaspoon lemon juice to each quart of water).
Chill eggplants in the cold water-lemon juice mixture; drain and pat dry.
Pack:
Leave 1/2 inch of headspace in bags.
Yield:
2 medium eggplants = approximately 2 pint frozen.
The Corn Moon
Both Celts and many Native American cultures call the full moon at this time of year the “corn moon.” However in Northern Europe, the Germanic word “corn” means “grain.” When European colonists were first introduced to maize in North America, they called is Indian corn, meaning Indian grain. Over time, it simply became known as “corn.”
Source: Full Moon Feast, Jessica Prentice, 2006
Source: Full Moon Feast, Jessica Prentice, 2006
Plant Profile: Corn
By Nina Berryman
Corn has received a lot of attention these days with such movies as “King Corn” and Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” The main message in these two works is that corn is in a frighteningly large percentage of our foods, whether it is in the form of high fructose corn syrup, or in the bodies of the cows we slaughter for meat. This article however, is not going to be about that. If you haven’t seen or read either of these works, I do strongly recommend them.
Zea mays is in the Poaceae (also known as Gramineae) family, along with almost all other grasses and grains. It originated in tropical America and slowly spread north via Native American trade routes. The broad categories of edible corn are sweet corn, popcorn, and baby corn, seen in fancy restaurants. Baby corn was originally harvested out of necessity in Asia, as a secondary harvest after the larger, primary ears. Royal Chinese families popularized it and now there are specific varieties that produce baby ears. More recent varieties of sweet corn have been developed that have many more times the sugar content than older varieties. The ancestor to all modern corn varieties is a wild plant called teosinte which still grows in Mexico.
Looking at corn is a great way to learn about grain anatomy since the plant is so large. On the top of each plant are the tassels, which are the male flowers of the corn stalk. Each tassel produces pollen. Along the stalk of a corn plant are leaf sheathes branch off, like blade of grass. In the crevice of a leaf and the stalk (an area called the node) grows the ear of corn. One ear of corn is a collection of female flowers. Each flower sends up a silky thread which you see at the top of an ear of corn. Each silk catches a grain of pollen. One pollen grain will travel down the silk, into the protected “inflorescence” of female flowers and fertilize an ovary. This fertilized egg is one kernel of corn! One ear of corn has about 200 to 400 kernals. Kernals can be white, yellow, black, blue, red green and purple.
Sources: Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth
Corn has received a lot of attention these days with such movies as “King Corn” and Michael Pollan’s book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” The main message in these two works is that corn is in a frighteningly large percentage of our foods, whether it is in the form of high fructose corn syrup, or in the bodies of the cows we slaughter for meat. This article however, is not going to be about that. If you haven’t seen or read either of these works, I do strongly recommend them.
Zea mays is in the Poaceae (also known as Gramineae) family, along with almost all other grasses and grains. It originated in tropical America and slowly spread north via Native American trade routes. The broad categories of edible corn are sweet corn, popcorn, and baby corn, seen in fancy restaurants. Baby corn was originally harvested out of necessity in Asia, as a secondary harvest after the larger, primary ears. Royal Chinese families popularized it and now there are specific varieties that produce baby ears. More recent varieties of sweet corn have been developed that have many more times the sugar content than older varieties. The ancestor to all modern corn varieties is a wild plant called teosinte which still grows in Mexico.
Looking at corn is a great way to learn about grain anatomy since the plant is so large. On the top of each plant are the tassels, which are the male flowers of the corn stalk. Each tassel produces pollen. Along the stalk of a corn plant are leaf sheathes branch off, like blade of grass. In the crevice of a leaf and the stalk (an area called the node) grows the ear of corn. One ear of corn is a collection of female flowers. Each flower sends up a silky thread which you see at the top of an ear of corn. Each silk catches a grain of pollen. One pollen grain will travel down the silk, into the protected “inflorescence” of female flowers and fertilize an ovary. This fertilized egg is one kernel of corn! One ear of corn has about 200 to 400 kernals. Kernals can be white, yellow, black, blue, red green and purple.
Sources: Seed to Seed, Suzanne Ashworth
Green Surprise Dip
Try this with carrot sticks, crackers, or tortilla chips.
1 cup steamed kale or Swiss chard
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cooked chickpeas
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Puree in blender or food processor.
1 cup steamed kale or Swiss chard
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup cooked chickpeas
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves of garlic
½ onion, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
Puree in blender or food processor.
Pickled Beets
What to do with all those beets? Try this canning recipe. Its one of my all-time favorites. Nicole, Megan and I just made a batch last week!
Clean 7 lbs of beets. Trim off tops, leaving 1 inch of stems and roots to prevent nutrient loss. Cover with boiling water and cook until tender (25 to 30 minutes). Drain and run under cold water to cool. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into ¼ inch slices.
Combine 4 cups vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Put cinnamon sticks and 12 cloves in a spice bag and add vinegar to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil.
Add beets, simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag. Using a sterilized ladle and or funnel, fill sterilized jars with hot beets and vinegar, leaving ½ inch head space. Make sure to keep lip of jar free of splashes or drops. Wipe lip with clean towel if necessary. Screw on lids lightly. Submerge jars in boiling water (on a rack so as to prevent them from touching the pot) for 30 minutes.
Remove jars and cover with towel to allow for a slow cooling. Check in 12 hours to make sure a seal has been formed
Clean 7 lbs of beets. Trim off tops, leaving 1 inch of stems and roots to prevent nutrient loss. Cover with boiling water and cook until tender (25 to 30 minutes). Drain and run under cold water to cool. Trim off roots and stems and slip off skins. Slice into ¼ inch slices.
Combine 4 cups vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Put cinnamon sticks and 12 cloves in a spice bag and add vinegar to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil.
Add beets, simmer 5 minutes. Remove spice bag. Using a sterilized ladle and or funnel, fill sterilized jars with hot beets and vinegar, leaving ½ inch head space. Make sure to keep lip of jar free of splashes or drops. Wipe lip with clean towel if necessary. Screw on lids lightly. Submerge jars in boiling water (on a rack so as to prevent them from touching the pot) for 30 minutes.
Remove jars and cover with towel to allow for a slow cooling. Check in 12 hours to make sure a seal has been formed
Potato-corn Chowder
From Full Moon Feast, Jessica Prentice, 2006
4 ears of corn on the cob
1 quart filtered water or light chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
A few parsley stems, minced
1 carrot, diced
2 pounds of potatoes, cut into chunks
1bay leaf, thyme and sage, in a spice bag
Salt and pepper
¼ cup raw cream, or half and half
Chives or scallions, for garnish
Cut the kernels off the corn cobs into a bowl and scrape the corn “milk” into the bowl as well.
Make a quick corn stock by simmering the cobs in about a quart of filtered water or light chicken broth, covered, for 20 minutes.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter (or heat the oliv oil) and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the parsley and carrot and cook through.
Add the potatoes and enough corn stock to cover (if you don’t have enough stock, add a little milk or water). Add spice bag, bring to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are soft.
4 ears of corn on the cob
1 quart filtered water or light chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
A few parsley stems, minced
1 carrot, diced
2 pounds of potatoes, cut into chunks
1bay leaf, thyme and sage, in a spice bag
Salt and pepper
¼ cup raw cream, or half and half
Chives or scallions, for garnish
Cut the kernels off the corn cobs into a bowl and scrape the corn “milk” into the bowl as well.
Make a quick corn stock by simmering the cobs in about a quart of filtered water or light chicken broth, covered, for 20 minutes.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter (or heat the oliv oil) and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the parsley and carrot and cook through.
Add the potatoes and enough corn stock to cover (if you don’t have enough stock, add a little milk or water). Add spice bag, bring to a boil, and simmer until potatoes are soft.
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