Our season is coming to an end, but some of the late items like butternut squash have a great shelf life. I love to roast a few of them, and then either freeze the puree or make casseroles and soups. This time I decided I wanted something sweet, so took our basic sweet potato pie recipe and subbed butternut squash puree. It turned out to be fabulous!

Butternut Squash Pie

2 cups butternut squash puree

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions:
1. Roast butternut squash and then mash to make 2 cups butternut squash puree.


2. Place squash puree in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 60 to 70 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Notes:
After an hour of baking, I turn the oven off, crack the door, and leave the pie in the oven to cool for another 30-60 minutes. This helps with cracking. I also place a crust shield over the pie to prevent the crust from getting too dark.

This is a great alternative to sweet potato or pumpkin pie. I love it cold the next day with a dollop of whipped cream.

Pickled Dill Green Beans

 

I just purchased a new canning cookbook. I have so little time in the kitchen right now, but none the less stay fascinated with recipes. Our green beans are in beautifully. We have Green, yellow, purple, and flat. I can plenty of green beans, but I want to pickle some.

Pickled Dill Green Beans
Canning by Better Homes and Gardens (Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication)

Prep:45 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Process: 5 minutes

3 pounds fresh green beans

5 fresh Thai or red Serrano chile peppers (optional)

3 cups water

3 cups white wine vinegar (I may just use white vinegar)

3 T snipped fresh dill or 1 T dried dill

1 T pickling salt

1 T sugar

6 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

5 small heads of fresh dill (optional)


1. Wash beans; drain. If desired, remove ends and strings. Leave beans whole. In an uncovered 8-quart pot, cook beans and 5 fresh chiles (if using) in enough boiling water to cover for 5 minutes; drain.

2. Pack hot beans lengthwise into five hot, sterilized pint canning jars, cutting beans to fit, if necessary, and leaving a ½ -inch headspace. Add one of the boiled chile peppers (if using) to each jar. Set aside.

3. In a large stainless-steel, enamel, or nonstick heavy saucepan, combine the 3 cups water, vinegar, snipped or dried dill, pickling salt, sugar, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Bring to boiling, stirring unitl sugar dissolves.

4.Pour hot liquid over beans in jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. If desired, add a head of fresh dill to each jar. Wipe rims; adjust lids.

5. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks.

Makes 5 pints

Nutrition information
Per ½ cup: 42 calories, 0g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 357mg sodium, 7g carbs, 3g fiber, 2g protein

New Produce Stand

Chris and I decided to try a new venture this year. The farmers markets are wonderful, but are also hard on your body. There is so much set-up and breakdown to be done for the 3-4 hours markets. We did 5/week last year, and felt very run down at the end of the season. Chris has wanted to open a produce stand closer to home, and focus our energy on that for quite some time now.

One day driving down Route 360, we noticed a place that had been vacant for quite some time, and after some negotiations and quite a bit of permit filing, we have a new place! Deer Run Produce is now open 6 days a week. I stay at the stand most days, and Chris stays at the farm along with working 3 markets this year. It has been a learning process, and there have been frustrations along the way. We are used to showing up at a market and selling, and now we are waiting for the customers to come to us. Quite a difference that I am not use to. It gives me a new appreciation to all the hard work that goes into getting customers to a farmers market.

We are open Tuesdays through Saturday 9:00-7:00, and Sundays 2:00-6:00. We can be followed on Facebook under Deer Run Produce LLC. Right now we have a mix of produce, with more than 70% of it being produced right on our farm. We will even have our own tomatoes within a week or so. We hope you will help us spread the word and get this up and running. I miss being at the markets and seeing all of my market buddies. Any of our market followers reading this should definitely stop in and see me if you are in this neck of the woods.

Strawberry Marmalade

I really wanted to try to do a little something with some of the strawberries we are picking right now, and I think I have found a recipe that I can put together really quickly. The strawberry season is winding down, and I have processed all that I am going to for regular jam, but this marmalade looks yummy, and quick. I am going to make up a batch tomorrow and see how it goes. The girls would probably love this with biscuits in the morning.

FRESH STRAWBERRY MARMALADE

2 1-pint baskets fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered


1 1/2 tablespoons sugar


1/2 cup orange marmalade


1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar



Stir strawberries and sugar in large bowl. Let stand until


berries release juices, about 5 minutes. Stir in marmalade,


lemon juice and vinegar. Chill at least 30 minutes and up


to 4 hours.


Makes about 3 cups.


Bon Appetit June 1998

Garlic Scapes

I was able to try something new this week...garlic scapes. I grew elephant garlic last year, but this year have elephant garlic, hardneck, and softneck garlic. I have been watching the scapes emerge for the last week or so, and last night harvested some for dinner. Yummy! I made shrimp scampi, and made a compound butter with minced scapes.  I made sure to put some in the freezer for later use.

Chris has scapes with him at the market today for sale. We will see how that goes. They are rather strange in appearance, but such a great mild garlic flavor. With such a limited quantity and such a short season for them I am sure those that recognize them will snatch them up.

I was looking for ways to use them yesterday, and I think this will be my next try with the scapes.

Garlic Scape Carbonara

serves 4

This pasta is fantastic as a meal served with a big garden salad and some crusty bread. If desired, add a half-cup of fresh, lightly cooked peas to the mix for a little added nutrition (and sweetness).

1/2 lb campanella pasta, or shape of your choosing
4 slices bacon (about 3 1/4 ounces), chopped
1/4 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1/4 inch coins
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape).

While it’s cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).

Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.

When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don’t let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the Romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don’t add it all at once or it won’t mix through out the pasta as well (since it will clump).Serve immediately.
Source http://sarahscucinabella.com/

Yummy Roots and Greens

I thought I would post a few recipes for some of our abundance.  Right now the cabbage, beets, and kale are amazing.  I never would have thought that fresh beets would be so popular in Richmond. I need to pickle some soon, as the season gets busy, and I often run out of time. We have a customer picking up two dozen bunches from us tomorrow, and I have a feeling that is what she will be doing! I hope to try at least one new recipe every week this summer, and post my results. This week I am going to make the creamy coleslaw, and try the salting method. I am even going to make fresh mayonnaise from our eggs. Can't wait!

Creamy Cole Slaw Adapted from "The Best Recipe" by Cook's Illustrated

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

2-3 carrots, grated

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt

1 walla walla onion, chopped, or more to taste

1/2 cup mayo or sour cream, or a mixture

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Black Pepper

Toss cabbage and carrots with salt in colander set over medium bowl. Let stand until cabbage wilts, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Rinse the cabbage/carrots. Drain and dry with towels. Add other ingredients.

If you try this salting method, you won't get runny coleslaw! They took 8 paragraphs explaining why, I'll spare you the science behind it all.

 
Balsamic-Dressed Roasted Beets Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005

A simple sweet-and-sour dressing complements earthy roasted beets. Its bright flavors make this dish a fitting accompaniment for roasted meats.

6 medium beets (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 tablespoon sugar

1 star anise

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°.

Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Wrap beets in foil. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool beets to room temperature. Peel and cut each beet into 8 wedges.

Combine juice, vinegar, sugar, and star anise in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Discard star anise. Combine beets, vinegar mixture, salt, and pepper; toss well.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)


Creamy White Beans with Greens Adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked

3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter

Fine grained sea salt

1 onion, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons

Fresh ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Freshly grated Parmesan for topping


Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes.

The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens.

 Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper.

 Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

So....How long do you think it will take a 30lb turkey to cook? FOREVER. Chris traded a deer for a turkey. This came from Empress Farm, who vends with us at one of our markets. They raise poultry. I think this big guy was destined for Thanksgiving, and got a few more months of life. It has been washed, seasoned, and stuffed. It would not fit in my oven on the roasting rack, so it is just sitting down in the pan. I have my oven on the bottom rack, and it only had about 1 inch clearance.

One of my goals for 2010 is to eat more locally and help support some of the local businesses. I know how important that is now. Funny how things become ever so clear when your own livelihood depends on it. I also liked that we could trade. We have so much venison, and I am ready for turkey again. I will post how the final product comes out, but it may be tomorrow (before its ready).

I hope I can also spend more time in my kitchen this year. My 8 year old is showing a real interest in cooking. She even chopped the onion and carrots used in the bird. It was nice to use carrots fresh out of our ground.