First Camping Trip of the Season

Memorial Day weekend found us enjoying the first family camping trip of the season.  We checked out the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park...and we determined we don't need to go back.  Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful coastline and so close to home, but it's sandwiched between the steel mills outside of Gary to the west and the NIPSCO coal-fired power plant to the east--not your most picturesque beach scene.  But this trip had been on our bucket list so we've finally crossed it off.  We took a side trip to Three Floyds Brewery in nearby Munster the day we arrived and enjoyed an outstanding tour and some delicious microbrews. But back at our campsite, it was another story.  I ranted about it in my original post, but wasn't feeling good about the negativity threaded so I'll just say that while we were looking forward to a long weekend powered down, eating and sleeping outside, most everyone else was "glamping" and very plugged in.  Needless to say, we managed to have a good time and Vera fared well, but we're excited for our Labor Day camping trip to one of our outstanding Wisconsin parks, which are--from my experience--quieter, more wooded, and hopefully generator-free.
This is our favorite camping recipehan ded down from the Sheaffer family of Glen Ellyn, IL.  We call it Foil Dinner and it's so simple and delicious.  You could even cook this in an outdoor firepit at home.  Also, I like to be conservative with the aluminum foil; if we use a piece that hasn't gotten gooey we just rinse and let it dry.  You could reuse foil for this recipe.

Foil Dinner

Aluminum foil
Green Cabbage, torn into leaves
Carrots, washed and chopped
Potatoes, washed and chopped
Onions, peeled and sliced
Ground Meat
Butter
Salt and Pepper

Spread out a large piece of aluminum foil and build your dinner: a layer of cabbage, carrots, potatoes, onions, raw ground meat in the middle, pat of butter, salt and pepper then keep building it in reverse.  Keep in mind that it builds up quickly so don't add too much to start.  Wrap it tightly in foil making sure there are no holes where the butter can seep out.  Toss it onto a campfire that has burned down to coals and let it cook for about 30 minutes.  Unwrap (be careful of the steam) and enjoy!

More Spring Cleaning

I've always thought it would be quaint to have a big spring cleaning session where I throw open the windows and clean the house from top to bottom including all cracks, crevices, and windows.  Well, this notion is just in my brain and I'm satisfied with that, though I've had some minor but important spring cleaning rituals this year.  Yesterday I emptied the basement upright freezer--the old inefficient one that, for me, was a selling point on the house.  It needs to be defrosted every year, but the trick is to manage the rotation of food so there are at least a few days I can unplug it and let it drip clean.  The freezer inventory spreadsheet I made last season (what a geek!) helped tremendously to keep a steady flow of inventory.  I managed to fit the remaining in the upstairs freezer, but not without a week's worth of meals planned and pulled out first.  It hasn't been painful at all, in fact, quite fun for me because I love the challenge of using leftovers.  It was Green Tomato Soup with Sage Walnut Pesto on Monday, a Spaghetti Pancake with Homemade Italian Sausage Bacon, and Garden Chives on Tuesday.  Tonight will be Beets Burgers, tomorrow Homemade Brats, and Friday the weekly Pizza with some frozen Green Tomato Sauce.

I'd like to share the the Spaghetti Pancake recipe, which I tweaked from one I found on Tea and Cookies.  Mine didn't do the recipe justice because I was working with one egg too few (I'm also trying to clean out the fridge before a holiday weekend of camping so we're out of lots of stuff.)  It was still delicious, but didn't hold together like a pancake.

Spaghetti Pancake with Sausage, Bacon, and Chives
Serves 4

3 c. leftover cooked spaghetti noodles
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 oz. cooked bacon, chopped
4 oz. bulk Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
2 T. chopped fresh chives
1 t. salt, or to taste
black pepper to taste
butter or oil for frying, at least 1 t.

In a large bowl beat the eggs until smooth.  Add the spaghetti noodles and mix until they are all coated.  Mix in the bacon, sausage, and chives, salt and pepper.  Heat the oil or butter in a large frying pan, it should be well oiled.  Pour the noodle mixture into the pan and allow to set on the bottom.  Using a heat-proof spatula, run it around the side of the pancake to prevent sticking to the pan.  Peer under the bottom from time to time until the pancake begins to brown.  Turn over by sliding it onto a plate and putting the frying pan on top and flipping it over.  Cook until slightly brown on both sides and the center has firmed.   Turn out onto a plate and cut into wedges.

One garden is definitely in phase 2 for the season.  The spinach, radishes, and some mustard greens are done--they began to bolt so I gleaned what I could and composted the rest--the mesclun mix could go to seed any day, and some of the cucurbitae I planted last week are already popping out of the ground.  I feel like this is the first season I've been able to keep up with it.  Good thing Vera loves being outside in the garden with me; I can work while she plays (when will it be the other way around?)  I also did a bit more wild foraging this week.  We had a friend over for a playdate yesterday so I gathered some catnip from the lakefront and made some iced tea to go with some scones (from the freezer, of course).  She said the tea's flavor reminded her of the mint tea made by her host family when she studied in Morocco.  It has a definite earthiness and it very refreshing when chilled.  To make some, wash the catnip and remove any roots (you don't have to strip the leaves otherwise).  Heat up a pot of water and toss in the catnip once the water simmers.  Turn off heat, cover and let steep about 20 minutes.  Serve hot or cold.  (The ratio of catnip to water is your choice.)

According to Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen, authors of The Urban Homestead, dumpster diving is an essential part of being self-sufficient in the city.  I can't say I've ever really jumped into a dumpster for something, unless you count the time I was six or seven and my friend lived across the street from the electric company and one day her older brother had the idea that we should go rifle through their dumpster...found some cool colored resistors and other components we had no clue about, but got chased away by someone on staff.  But ANYWAY, I have been more into curb surfing than actually going all the way into the garbage bin.  I've found and refinished and old desk; scored a metal plant stand, end table, and metal doo-hickey I use for filing my baking pans in the pantry, among other items.  My most recent find was a small chalkboard whose frame was a bit broken.  It called out to me "Take Me Home and Fix Me!" I examined the damage, tossed it under the stroller and spent about two seconds with the staple gun when I got home to make it good as new.  It will be a darling menu board or to-do list for our kitchen.  Still, I believe there are plenty of curbed items that should be passed up--a friend was just telling me about a great blanket he found by the garbage which turned out to have fleas.  Some things are better left for the trash collectors.

With the heat this week, it's been great for spending time in the cool basement.  I made another outfit for Vera and it cost me next to nothing--the turquoise fabric was from the thrift store, the purple fabric and pattern we from my mom's stash, I found the perfect color rick rack at a rummage over the weekend, and I had the perfect color buttons and thread on hand.  Aside from the energy to run my machine and my labor (which was enjoyable so it doesn't count) I couldn't have bought something cheaper and better quality at a big box store (not that I would.)  She may fit into this in the fall.  I can't wait to dress her up.

Spring Foraging

Saturday was a great day for a ramp foraging foray.  This is the first year I've preserved these wild leeks in some way.  Usually I gather a huge bag and by the time I use them in cooking they've started getting slimy in the back of the fridge.  Vera and I set out early that morning--or at least early by most standards on a Saturday--and went off-roading with with the buggy in the nearby woods.  It was a dew-capped morning so everything was a beautiful, glowing shade of green.  We saw tons of jack-in-the-pulpit, wild geraniums, Virginia waterleaf, mayapples, and finally the prized ramps, which are part of the lily family like other alliums.  Their leaf most closely resembles that of a lily of the valley.  Armed with my weed digger and a couple plastic bags, I went to town digging them up whenever I saw a large patch.  This was the latest in the season I've ever gathered ramps so I found them to be good size.  While I was in the woods I decided to casually look for morels.  I'd never gone "mushroom huntin'," as they call it in my small hometown in east central Illinois.   When we moved there in the late 80s the first thing my dad did was buy cowboy boots, then a friend took him hunting for fungi.  So until the last several years I'd always thought of it as an activity these rural folk partook in when they weren't fishin' or frog-giggin'.  I was reminded of this recently when my husband handed me a Newsweek article about the sport.  "Hillybilly Haute Cuisine" was the title and the writer reminisced about fryin' 'em up in Crisco.  (Gasp!)  I saw plenty of other mushrooms in the woods on Saturday, but not the elusive morel.  I'd heard that a moist day after a good rain was prime time for hunting.  I thought my thrift store eyes, which can quickly scan for the littlest details, would serve me well, but the little goodies were better at hiding than I was at searching.  So I went home empty-handed as far as morels go, but walked about with two bursting bread bags of ramps.  Vera slept through it all, as usual.

I found some tried and true preserved ramp recipes online at the blog Well Preserved that use both the greens and the bulb.  I tweaked the pesto recipe a bit to use sorrel, which is growing like a weed in our yard and probably going to seed very soon.  I think it's safe to say I'm on a pesto kick, what with the radish leaf pesto I made the other day.  It isn't even basil season yet and I've got more than 35 portions in my freezer.  I'm mentally tasting all the ways I can make bruschetta for winter appetizers, not to mention pasta, pizza, and soups with a pesto accent.

Ramp and Sorrel Pesto
Makes 3-4 oz. portions

1/2 c. ramp greens, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. sorrel, coarsely chopped
1 T. olive oil
1 t. lemon zest or 1/2 t. dehydrated lemon peel (check the spice aisle)
1/4 c. pine nuts or almonds (toasted)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. Parmesan or part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients in the food processor and process until smooth.  For freezing, portion into a dedicated ice cube tray or a mini muffin pan.  Once they are frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer-quality bag, label, date and freeze.

Pickled Ramps
Makes 8-1/2 pint jars

8 c. ramp bulbs, loosely packed
5 1/2 c. white vinegar (5% acidity)
1 c. water
2 t. canning and pickling salt
2 c. granulated sugar
4 t. mustard seed
4 t. coriander seed
4 t. celery seed

Sterilize canning jars, rings, and dome lids according to instructions.  Add a 1/2 t. of each spice to the eight half-pint jars.  Simmer the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar for 3 min.  Add the ramps and bring back to a gentle simmer for 5 min.  Lift out the ramps with a slotted spoon and place them into the canning jars.  Add the brine, remove air bubbles and place in a hot water bath under a full boil for 10 min.  Let cool completely, label, date, and store.

Despite the success of our spring garden, which is now almost done, I've had one big disappointment.  Our asparagus never came back.  This would have been year three, which meant we could finally harvest.  I had dreams of posting all kinds of recipes using my homegrown stalks.  I've asked farmers I know, consulted books and websites and I can't find any information about why this perennial wouldn't have returned.  My only thought is that as they were installing the new fence, there was so much soil compaction that the asparagus just couldn't push through.  Ben and I shook on it last night that if it doesn't come back next year, we'll put a hot tub in place of the patch (Yeah right!  My growing space is too precious for that!)  I'm sure I'll still enjoy some local asparagus this season, even if I didn't grow it myself.  I'll be sure to share any interesting recipes.

All I have left to say is let summer begin!  We made some great progress yesterday in readying our patio for al fresco dining and entertaining this summer.  We hung the shade sail--pardon me (ahem), "Party Sail" and added some chili lights, which I had stashed in the basement and believe to have retrieved from my brother's fraternity house in college.  Last night Ben and I kicked it off by enjoying some local wine and beer in the yard.  We need to do more of that on summer nights.  Here's to christening the "warm season" here in Wisconsin.  Cheers!

More Spring Recipes

Today I made my first jell-o mold.  My mother would be proud because she always says she can't make pie crusts or jell-o molds.  I was reading something recently--I think it was by cookbook author Marion Cunningham--about the lost art of aspics, savory gelatinized dishes usually made with meat stock.  Those have fallen out of vogue, but Jell-O, of course, may be around forever whether you like it or not.  In trying to find a different way to use spring's bounty of rhubarb, I came up with a molded salad.  I've tweaked it a bit to use local ingredients (frozen thawed raspberries instead of pineapple), but it's up to you.  Cunningham's advice for dipping the bottom of the mold pan in hot water before inverting it was really the key to success.  This makes a refreshing dessert.

Molded Rhubarb Salad
Serves 10

4 c. diced rhubarb
2 c. water
1 2/3 c. granulated sugar (you can substitute all or some of the sugar with xylitol, if you prefer)
6 oz. unflavored gelatin
2 c. frozen, thawed and drained raspberries (or fresh, crushed berries)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the rhubarb in water until tender, about 5 min.  Remove from the heat; stir in sugar (or xylitol) and gelatin until completely dissolved.  Add raspberries and nuts.  Pour into an rinsed, but not dried, 6-cup mold.  Chill until set.  Before inverting, dip the bottom of the mold pan in hot water.  Place a serving plate over the mold and invert.  Cut and enjoy!

And let's not forget all those beautiful spring radishes.  I'm growing French Breakfast and White Icicle Radishes this year and have been harvesting most of them fairly young because in the past I've had many go to seed before we could enjoy them.  There's nothing worse than trying to cut or bite into a woody radish.  Along with all of those crunchy treats are lots of leaves.  You can certainly put them into salads though they're a bit hairy.  One season I tried juicing them along with some winter storage beets and carrots.  The flavor was so intense I had to hold my nose to swallow it.  Last year I got a new idea from my farmer friends Sandy and David at Pinehold Gardens.  None of us like to waste food, especially when we've put effort into growing it.  I have tweaked this recipe a bit for my taste.

Radish Leaf Pesto
Makes about 1/2 cup
This pesto has an intense spicy flavor; you may not find it interchangeable with basil pesto.  I suggest using it as a base for bruschetta topping.

2 c. radish leaves, washed and stems removed
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 c. blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan or part-skim mozzarella
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place the radish leaves, garlic, and almonds in a food processor and process until everything is chopped to a rough or fine consistency, depending on your preference.  With the machine running, add half the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.  Turn off the processor and add the cheese.  Process until the cheese is absorbed.  With the machine on, slowly add the remaining olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a small bowl.  If you do not plan to use it immediately, cover with a thin layer or olive oil and store refrigerated in a tightly closed container.  To freeze, portion into ice cubes trays (use trays dedicated to making pesto) or mini muffin pans.  Once frozen, remove from trays/pans and store in a freezer bag. Label and date.  To thaw, put in a small dish and let sit several minutes before using.

My summer garden is almost completely planted.  Over the last week I've been seeding corn and beans.  Today I seeded all of my cucurbitae--cucumbers, melons, zucchini, summer squash.  To make the most of my urban plot, I have intercropped the next wave of vegetables in the original raised bed.  By the time the salad greens are done, my cucumbers will be poking through and soon after will need trellising.  I'll save the details about the trellises for a later date because they will be better understood with photos.  Leftt to transplant are the tomatoes and eggplant.  I didn't start any of my own bell or hot peppers this year.  I haven't had success doing so in the past so I decided to purchase some starts from a local grower at the Bay View Garden and Yard Society plant sale in the next couple of weeks.  This is the first year I feel like I've kept up with succession growing in our garden.  Hopefully we'll get the maximum yields and will have a lot of fresh produce and preserves to show for it.