The Dog Days of Summer

Vera "digging" the beach

We just returned from a Wegner family vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Hot hot hot!  Good food, good family times, lots of relaxing.  Ben and I always enjoy checking out the "local color" when we make these trips; the jaunt via rental car from the Florence, SC airport to MB provided another opportunity.  We took in all the local sites as we crept down the highly-trafficked main highway--the South's requisite slew of Waffle Houses including a local knock-off called "Mr. Waffles," Thorny's Steakhouse and Saloon ("Home of the 80 oz. Steak Challenge"), Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, and lots of little roadside stands selling sweet potatoes, pecans, and watermelons (which we managed to sample--Mmmm!)  The week consisted of beach time, pool time, personal time, and lots of home-cooked meals back at our villa.  It's enjoyable to cook on vacation because there aren't a million other duties simultaneously staring me in the face.

Jumbo picking cucumbers

Lots of cherry tomatoes

Now it's back to reality.  Upon our return we found out it hadn't rained all week, but the vegetable garden and yard were still a jungle.  I fought the mosquitoes even midday to harvest green beans and tomatoes among other veggies.  My watermelon trellis collapsed (as expected) under the weight of at least three fast-growing melons; my potted pumpkin plant succumbed to powdery mildew which is quickly taking over my summer squash and zucchini, and our grapevines have now grown into a beautiful arch over the side gate.  Wow!  The critters seem to have enjoyed our hiatus as well--the aforementioned "skeeters" were as big as chipmunks, the chipmunks as big as squirrels, and the squirrels probably all passed out under our neighbors' deck with bellies full of cherry toms and my fall cabbage seedlings (which were doing fine before I left, but have now vanished).  I had green beans as big as pickling cukes, pickling cukes sized up like zucchini, and zucchini the size of baseball bats (these will be shredded and frozen for winter quick breads.)  Pounds and pounds of vegetables rolled through the backdoor today and there's more work to do tomorrow.  Might not be what one wants to face right after a week's vacation, but the advantage is that even though the fridge was empty from last week's clean-out, I had my own grocery store in the backyard.  Tonight I made a pot of ratatouille with the majority of the veggies coming from our garden.


Ratatouille
Serves 4-6

Adapted from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles.  If you don't have the right amount of zucchini or summer squash, you can sub. some combination of either.  Also, with a recently empty fridge, I didn't have tomato paste so I subbed organic ketchup then left out the sugar.


2 T. olive oil
2 c. chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. diced eggplant
1 c. red bell pepper chunks
1/2 c. green bell pepper chunks
3 c. tomato wedges
2 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. sliced yellow squash
1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. red wine
2 T. tomato paste
1 t. sugar
1 t. dried basil (or 2 t. fresh, chopped)
1/2 t. dried rosemary, crumbled
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried sage
2 t. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. salt, or to taste
1/8 t. pepper

In a 6-quart pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and garlic; cook stirring until softened, about 2 min.  Add the eggplant and bell peppers; cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 min.  Add the tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, parsley, wine, tomato paste, sugar, herbs.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, uncovered, 25 min., stirring occasionally.  Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper, simmer 5 min. longer.  Serve over rice, pasta, or polenta.

Depending on our energy levels tomorrow, we may venture out to the Wisconsin State Fair.  It's been year's since I've attended, but this year I scored a free ticket and I think Vera would enjoy expanding her repertoire of farm animal sounds (so far most animals are called "moos.")  I also have a strange curiosity about this season's new Food on a Stick.  I'm still waiting to see if they can produce deep-fried cigarettes on a stick, but with the state's new smoking ban, they may have missed the boat on what could have been a very popular idea.  Anyway, I'm also excited to check out the Horticulture, Crafts, and Culinary Pavilion, no surprise.  I'm anticipating a flashback to my days as an Edgar County, Illinois Pine Grove Ag. 4-H'er and baking or crafting for the judges each summer.  Stay tuned.

Cleaning Out the Fridge

I love going on vacation, don't get me wrong, but there are certain tasks I always feel mildly stressed about completing before we head out of town.  One of those is cleaning out the fridge.  As I've mentioned before, we don't throw out much food in this house so on Sunday I made a list of what needed to be eaten by week's end and used that to create a menu.  I was actually doing well until today when I picked up our latest CSA box.  Fortunately my in-laws are babysitting later this week so they will likely benefit from an overflow of veggies.  What's left will go to our neighbors, friends, or get preserved.  I've been blanching and freezing green beans like crazy this week as well as preserving a few things I don't think will last till we get back in another week.  Aside from the fridge inventory, there's also cleaning before we go.  The first time I found myself cleaning the house pre-vacay I thought I'd turned into my mother.  Now I realize it's quite logical.  I was just reading a post on a blog I follow, Simple Mom, about providing post-vacation peace for your kids and family.  Now I believe that rushing around to tidy up before we leave--as hectic as it may be--will A) make us need/enjoy our vacation time more and B) make it less stressful to unwind when we return.

One of the dishes I created this week as I dumped the fridge was a Green Gazpacho.  I took so many liberties with the original recipe that I feel I can safely call this it my own.  You could even add tomatillos or green tomatoes once those become available this summer.

Green Gazpacho
Serves 4

I found this to be very refreshing on some of these hot, hot days we've been having...and it doesn't heat up the house.


2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 small hot pepper (Thai chile size), coarsely chopped w/ or w/o seeds for desired spiciness
12 romaine leaves, washed and coarsely chopped
3 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1/2-3/4 c. cilantro leaves
1/4 c. lime juice
1 1/2 c.-2 c. vegetable stock
1 t. ground cumin
3 c. buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, or milk depending on desired thickness
salt and pepper to taste
Avocado, to garnish (optional)

In a food processor, combine chopped cukes, hot peppers, lettuce, scallions, celery, and cilantro.  Process until almost smooth.  Transfer to a large pot or bowl and stir in lime juice, stock, and cumin.  Stir in buttermilk, sour cream, etc.  Season with salt and pepper, or more lime juice as needed.  Garnish with sliced avocado and additional yogurt or sour cream if you wish.

More Wild Foraging and Preserving

Wild Rose Hips

Vera and I went out this morning in search of more wild black raspberries.  The canes are mostly done bearing for the season; we came home with just a scant half cup.  In the process I found a trove of wild rose bushes that have finished blooming.  I collected just a handful of rose hips, but will likely go back soon.  When I told Ben about this find, he looked panicked.  On his (fortunately) short list of things I should never make again is Rose Hip Pie.  As an intern in East Troy in 2003, my host family gave me a bag of hand-picked, dried rose hips; I couldn't wait to use them.  I found a recipe for this unique dessert and got to work, but had no idea that rose hips had so many seeds.  We'd waited all evening to enjoy this sweet, but the first bite nearly ruined the night; it was completely inedible.  Straight into the garbage and onto the do-not-make list it went.  I used the rest of those rose hips for a winter tea because they have 200% of one's daily needs for Vitamin C; I'll likely do the same with this batch.

Queen Anne's Lace flowers

The rest of our foraging walk was pleasant--what a gorgeous Sunday by the lake!  'Tis the season for mullein, wild bergamot, jewelweed, and Queen Anne's Lace, which I've always wanted to use for jelly.  This wildflower, along with purple chicory, always reminds me of my childhood.  My mom gave me a recipe for these preserves years ago--long before I had any interest in wild foods--but it took me until today to make them.  QAL is a member of the umbelliferae family (think umbrella shaped flowers) along with carrots, parsnips, cilantro, dill, and the like so the steeped "tea" had a slight carrot-y undertone and was a yellowish color like most herbal tea.  Once I added the pectin, it turned more pinkish, a hue I found delicately attractive in the final product.


Queen Anne's Lace Jelly 
Makes 6 8-oz. jars

The original recipe says you can add pink coloring if desired, but I found that Pomona Universal Pectin naturally gave it that color.  Making herbal jellies is much simpler than fruit jellies because there's no jelly bag for straining.  You basically just pour the juice through a sieve.  

An antiquated pink Queen Anne's Lace jelly

18 large Queen Anne's Lace heads
4 c. water
1/4 c. bottled lemon juice
1 pkg. powdered pectin
3 1/2 c. + 2 T. granulated sugar (can sub. xylitol)


Bring water to boil.  Remove from heat.  Add flower heads (push them down into the water.)  Cover and steep 30 min.  Strain.  Put liquid into a 4-6 qt. pan.  Add lemon juice and pectin, stirring immediately.  Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Cook and stir until mixture comes to a rolling boil.  Boil one minute longer, then remove from heat.  Skim. Pour into sterilized jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe rim of jar.  Put treated lids in place and secure to finger-tightness.  Process in hot water bath for 5 min.  Let cool at room temp., label, date, and store in a cool, dark place.

Black currants

Summer Squash Pickles

This past week also found me preserving summer squash pickles in a curry ginger brine and black currant juice concentrate to dilute as juice this winter.  One of my major preserving goals this year is making more juice, something on which we tend to spend a lot at the co-op.  I bought the black currants from my friends Sandy and David at Pinehold Gardens and made a gorgeous deep dark syrupy juice.  Making homemade juice is nothing more than cooking the fruit in a little bit of water to prevent burning then extracting the juice like you would to make jelly.  You add your sweetener, fill jars, and process.

Filling the jars with juice

Jars of black currant juice concentrate

Veggies for Lottie's Birthday Box

I pulled the first carrots from our garden this weekend to add to a gift box we made for Vera's little girlfriend Lottie's first birthday party.  We knew she didn't need any new toys so I thought a box of fresh garden vegetables would be fun for the whole family.  Also took more garden photos this weekend.  It's a jungle out there!

Melon Trellis--it makes a beautiful garden arch

A baby watermelon

Trellis w/ Rattlesnake Beans (to be dried)

Ants of a Luffa Squash flower

  

Baby Eggplant

Pineapple Sage and Thyme

Loading the Pantry

The past two days, hot as it continues to be, I've been preserving.  It's cherry and green bean time and the grand totals are cherries: 10 quarts, 9 pints; dilly beans: 2 quarts, 9 pints, 2-12 oz. jars.  Until our cherry trees really start to produce I'll be purchasing these fruits from Door County Fruit, a regional grower who sells at the South Shore Farmers' Market in our neighborhood.  Last weekend I pre-ordered a whole lug of sweet dark cherries to can just like my Gramma did in a simple syrup.  Both the cherries and dilly beans are memories in a jar for me and my family.  My Gram also made dilly beans--she was known for them.  I always joke that when we were cleaning out her house after she and my Grampa passed, no one was fighting over the fine china, but the last jar of Lucille's signature dilly beans was a point of contention.  The recipe below isn't from her files, but tastes exactly like her beans.

Dilly Beans
From the UW-Extension Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series' Homemade Pickles and Relishes
Yield: 7-8 pints


4 qts. whole green or wax beans (about 4 lbs.), trimmed
8 fresh dill heads, or 1 1/2 t. dill seed or dill weed per jar
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small dried hot pepper per jar (optional...I do not add this)
Pickling Solution:
4 c. white vinegar (5% acetic acid)
4 c. water
1/2 c. canning and pickling salt

Wash pint canning jars.  Keep hot until filled.  Wash beans thoroughly and drain.  Cut into lengths to fit pint jars.  In each hot pint jar, place dill, garlic, and pepper (if desired).  Pack beans upright, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  Prepare pickling solution of vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Pour boiling hot pickling solution over beans, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  Remove bubbles with a rubber spatula.  Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth.  Cap jars with pretreated (sterilized) lids.  Adjust lids.  Process in boiling water canner 10 min. for pints.

I used a combination of our Provider bush beans and Rattlesnake pole beans.  I love putting the pole beans in quart jars so we can appreciate how long and beautifully these beans grow.  One good thing about these pole beans, which double as dried beans if left on the trellis, is that if you go a couple of days without harvesting, those beans become the ones that will stay on, grow large, and eventually be dried for the beans inside the pod.  The disadvantage of that is the more you pick, the more energy goes into growing new beans.  Your choice depending on how you like to use them.  One of my goals this year is to grow more dry beans.

I finished these preserves just in time to make room in the fridge for our first delivery from Pinehold Gardens, our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  Ben always says you know that it's CSA season, or at least summer, when the refrigerator is in various states of disarray on a weekly basis.  My therapy is cleaning and organizing the fridge (truly) so hopefully it won't get so out of control very soon. Tonight I made a dish using as many of these fresh new ingredients as possible.  I also added some eggplant I had leftover from a cooking class earlier this week.

Grilled Zucchini, Eggplant, and Bell Pepper Fattoush
Adapted from a recipe printed in Bon Appetit.  Fattoush is a Middle Eastern version of panzanella, Italian bread salad.
Serves 4-6


On the Grill (or a grill pan on the stovetop):

1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 4 pieces, salted and set aside on paper towel
3 medium bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, quartered
4-5 slender zucchini and/or summer squash (about 1 lb.), trimmed, cut lengthwise in half
2 5- to 6-inch pitas, each cut horizontally into 2 disks
Grapeseed oil (for grilling)

Prepare grill (medium heat).  Brush eggplant, peppers, zucchini, and pitas on both sides with oil.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Grill peppers and zucchini until slightly charred and just tender, turning often, about 6 min.  Transfer vegetables to foil-lined baking sheet.  Grill bread until lightly charred and just crisp, turning often, about 3 min.  Transfer to sheet with veggies and cool.  Tear bread into 1-inch pieces.

For the Dish:
1 8-ounce cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
12 cherry tomatoes, each halved or 1 slicing tomato cut into 1/2-inch chunks
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 c. pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
1/2 c. (packed) fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1 4-ounce piece feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut peppers, zucchini, and eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes.  Place in a large bowl.  Add cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, olives, mint, and cilantro and toss to combine.  Add bread pieces.  Whisk 1/2 c. oil, lemon juice, and cumin in small bowl to blend.  Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.  Add dressing to salad; toss to coat.  Add feta and gently mix into salad.  Transfer salad to large bowl and serve.

We've also been trying to keep up with what's growing in our own garden.  Last night I cooked the first of our Red Russian kale to make a vegetarian entree.

Potato, Kale, and Swiss Chard Skillet Cake
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet.  
Serves 4-6


1 lb. (total) kale and swiss chard, stems removed
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter, 6 of the T. melted and cooled
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
2 lbs. potatoes (4 medium)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Blanch kale and swiss chard for about 1 min.  Drain, let cool, squeeze out excess moisture.  Heat 2 T. butter in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until golden, about 1 min.  Add greens, season, and saute, stirring until greens are tender, about 4 min.  Transfer to a bowl and wipe the skillet clean.  Thinly slice the potatoes and work quickly to prevent them from discoloring.  Generously brush bottom of skillet with melted butter and cover with 1/3 of potato slices, overlapping slightly.  Dab potatoes w/ some of melted butter. Spread half of kale over potatoes and season lightly with s&p.  Cover with half of remaining potatoes and dab with butter, then top with remaining kale.  Season.  Top w/ remaining potatoes and season.  Put foil over top of of potatoes and weight down with another skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat approx. 10 min. then place in oven and cook about 15 min. or until the top browns.  Cool slightly.  Cut and serve.

We have delicate edible flowers coming out of our garden now.  Yesterday I mentioned the calendula.  Last night I picked some borage flowers (slight cucumber flavor) to add to our salad.  They can also be candied and would be beautiful garnishing a chiffon cake.