Beet the Heat

Pattypan Squash Blossoms

We're cooped up indoors for a few days trying not to wilt, melt, suffocate, dehydrate, or whatever else this intense heat index could do to us. I'm thinking back to just a few days ago (like from my last post) when we were grilling outside and enjoying the lovely summer weather.  On Saturday I made some risotto with blossoms from our crazy-huge pattypan squash plants (the leaves are basically ENORMOUS natural solar collectors!)  I love squash blossoms--stuffed, chopped in risotto, battered and fried--but never want to sacrifice any potential squash that would grow from it.  I recently learned that I can have my cake and eat it too.  It's fairly easy to identify male versus female blossoms and just pick those that will not produce and offspring.  Yay!

Speaking of things reproducing (no, I'm not with child), I have been trying to utilize other vegetables in my garden that are going to seed.  I've so enjoyed the delicate wispy flowers on my cilantro plants lately, but realized I should pull them up to make room for the next succession of red beets, rutabagas, and fall radishes.  I salvaged what slightly bitter cilantro I could from the stems then arranged the flowers in a large vase, which sits cheerfully on the kitchen counter.  At first the smell of cilantro was quite intense, but it's died down and now I get to savor the last day or two of these teeny tiny flowers.  

"Bouquet" of Cilantro Flowers

Delicate White Blossoms

Working to make more "coriander seeds" as we know them

Bolted Spinach

ASC dried veggies

While we were on vacation two of my summer spinach varieties went to seed.  I left them in place for a while and continued to harvest greens to throw into smoothies, but finally again decided that they needed to go in order to make room for the next crop.  At the Cape, we visited the Atlantic Spice Company, which is not too far up the road from the LeFort place, but I'd never before stopped.  Aside from all the kitchen doo-dads and supplies, they sell bins and bins of loose tea and bulk spices.  I was inspired by the bags of dried spinach and leeks as well as the tomato powder.  In my mother's words I thought "I can make that!"  I bought a bag of both spinach and leeks--feeling as if I was smuggling home some huge pack of "green stuff" in the secret compartment of my suitcase--but I put that drying project on my to-do list anyway and found some time to follow through this past weekend.  I picked through the bolted spinach and roughly chopped it (tender stems and all) in the food processor, spread it onto the solid fruit-leather trays of the dehydrator and let it dry for the afternoon.  I've been saving dessicant packets from supplement bottles because I've heard of people using them to control moisture when storing certain vegetables or nuts.  Correct me if there's a major safety issue here, but I threw two of these packets in my Mason jar of dried spinach just to be sure it would remain dry.  I rendered a whole quart jar just from what I gleaned in about six row feet of my garden.  Nothing goes to waste!  I can use this spinach in the winter to add to soups, smoothies, casseroles, eggs, etc.

Spinach on the Dehydrator Tray

Full Quart of Dried Spinach

As the new preserving season moves on, I'm still working to rotate the frozen and canned items I have left in the basement.  I pulled a bag of frozen shredded red beets from the freezer and made a cake for our Saturday grill-out.  I'm still new to adapting wheat-flour based baking recipes to gluten-free.  This was another success.

Beet Chocolate Cake

Makes 10-12 servings (or if you have a hungry, chocolate-loving husband/family, you might get 6 servings!)

Adapted From the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition's From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook.  I added some homemade applesauce to take the place of some of the oil as well.  There's a very small chance that your friends and family will detect the veggies in this cake.  Don't tell!  

Barely got a photo before it was GONE!

2 c. granulated xylitol (or sugar if you desire)

2 c. all-purpose gluten free flour

1/2 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate (or 1/2 c. semi-sweet gluten-free/soy-free chocolate chips)

4 eggs (or 2 T. egg replacer diluted with 1/2 c. water)

1/2 c. applesauce

2 T. grapeseed oil

3 c. shredded red beets, raw

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (gluten-free, soy-free)

Organic powdered sugar or your favorite chocolate frosting

Heat oven to 325 F.  Grease a 9x13" glass baking dish.  Whisk dry ingredients together.  Melt chocolate very slowly over low heat or in double boiler.  Cool chocolate; blend thoroughly with eggs/egg replacer, applesauce, and oil.  Combine flour mixture with chocolate mixture, alternating with beets.  Pour into pan.  Bake until toothpick can be removed from center cleanly, 40-50 min.  Let cool then frost or dust with powdered sugar (which I think makes it plenty sweet!)

There was actually a gently breeze off of the lake this morning that allowed me to stand the heat and do some deadheading, weeding, and pruning in the yard.  I recently read an article in Mother Earth News about garden mulches and had the idea that I could make my own from our tremendously prolific comfrey plants.  These medicinals become HUGE during the summer and are gradually taking over the front yard.  Today I chopped a lot of them down, spread them out on the tiny patch of grass left in the backyard and ran them over with the rotary mower until there was just a pile of leaves and stalks.  It isn't the prettiest looking mulch so I spread it around the base of my bean teepees and winter squash, which are tucked back in my favorite vegetable corner in the yard.  Hopefully the comfrey will keep down weeds in an area I can't very well climb into in order to weed and they will also nourish the soil as they break down.

I know I should just wait a few more days and the weather will change, but in the meantime I need to get some canning done.  I'm not crazy about doing that when the house in closed up.  I harvested a whole bucketful of mulberries from the park on Sunday and am eager to make jam.  Stay tuned for some wild berry jam in my next post.

Bucket-o-Mulberries

Flowering Plants

Last night after making our customary lap around the South Shore Frolics Festival here in our neighborhood, we sat out in the yard, drank wine/beer, watched the fireflies by citronella candle, and enjoyed our garden--including what's left of the twinkle lights on the cherry tree (the chipmunks and squirrels have literally been chewing through the wires and removing individual bulbs!)  I realized how many vegetables and herbs--and the occasional perennial I've allowed to stay in the backyard--are flowering.  Beautiful, delicate flowers indicate that their fruits are not far behind. (Pardon the graininess of these photos, it was dusk.)

Orange Butterfly weed (native, non-edible)

Blackberries 

Lima Beans

German Chamomile 

French Lavender

Thai Basil

Broccoli Raab (gone to seed)

Bush Pickling Cucumbers

Cilantro (gone to seed)

Dill (just in time to make dilly beans)

Orange Nasturtiums

"Sherbet" Nasturtiums

Yellow Nasturtiums

The amazing underside of the Nasturtium (can you tell I'm obsessed w/ the beauty of this flower!)

Tomatillo

Summer Sugar Snap Peas

Evening Primrose (non-edible)

Scarlet Runner Beans (to eat fresh and/or shell and dry)

And though it's not a flower--a lovely new grape leaf

Doing my Duty

"Red Finger Berries" from the Westown Farmers' Market

A couple of weeks ago I was summoned for jury duty for the first time ever.  It caught me off guard, of course.  As I think many people do, I frowned upon the assignment, mostly because I was concerned about my childcare situation, especially if I was assigned to a trial that went beyond the two days for which I was originally called and had Vera-sitters lined up.  So yesterday morning I found my way to the Milwaukee County Courthouse, through the metal detectors, and into the jury management room.  After our orientation I promptly transferred to the "Quiet Room" where I used my laptop to get quite a lot of preparation done for my upcoming Urban Homesteading series at the Urban Ecology Center and my gourmet preserving classes at Timothy J Kitchen and Bath.  I also gnawed away at a couple more chapters in my library book and took care of some other online business.  The universe must be looking out for me because I was not selected and dismissed from my civic duties by noon.  My friend who was watching Vera said that if I got out early I should go run an errand or something before heading back out to pick her up.  As I was cruising around downtown looking for a place to eat, I remembered that the Westown Farmers' Market was going on at Zeidler Square.  I whipped into a street parking spot then meandered the city block admiring the beautiful strawberries, raspberries, and other vegetable goodies for sale.  Picked up lunch from the Tigerbite food truck (I love how our city is finally catching on to the awesome food truck culture!), sat and read a magazine, then strolled around to make my purchases.  It was a lovely afternoon all by myself.  How wonderful!  Made me realize how much I still need another staycation, but I'll take any personal time I can get right now.  Whew!  (Two can be a challenging age with which to keep up!)

Purslane growing in the tomato bed

Homegrown "Mountaineer" Yellow Wax Beans

Once V and I got settled back at home and had some fun playing outside, it was time to prepare dinner, a late one because Ben had a meeting after work.  Along with our homemade bratwurst and (admittedly store-bought) kraut I knew I wanted to prepare a side dish with all the purslane filling in as a ground cover in our garden.  My husband had recently heard from a local "gardening expert" that purslane in one's garden is a sign of good soil.  It's certainly become more prolific since last year, especially in the beds where I made amendments to last year's crusty topsoil.  It's also extremely nutritious as it contains the omega-3 fatty oils found in fish oils as well as loads of Vitamin A--more than any other leafy green.  Last year I tried this succulent in a potato salad.  I made the same one this year, but used the yellow wax beans that just started to pop in our garden.  It's the first time I've grown them and am very excited to use them for this year's dilly beans.  Didn't plant Provider variety like past years because I ran out of the seed and since I vowed to buy no new seeds this year (and forgot to save any seeds from last year's crop) I was forced to try something new.  We'll see if the yellow wax are as prolific, but at least it will be something different.  With the loads of bush and pole beans thriving out back right about now, I'm sure I'll have a significant yield to put up in my salty dill brine.  (Dilly beans are one of or main bartering tools in the off-season so I rely heavily on preserving them.)

I'm just about finished with a library book called Pink Brain, Blue Brain by Lise Eliot, Ph.D.  After reading a review I knew I wanted to check it out.  It's a fascinating, though heavily research-based (and therefore science-jargon-laced) account of the differences between boys and girls from prenatal through adulthood.  I feel like I'm better understanding myself, my husband, and my female child as well as my nieces, nephews, and other family members just from what I've read thus far.  It's changed my perspective about what toys I want to buy for Vera to encourage the parts of her brian that may not get used as much as a "standard" female and has also made me think about what gift toys or books I want to purchase (or make) for others.  I've learned more about how to perhaps nudge her as she begins school and how to help her confidence levels as she gets into subjects at which girls don't typically excel.  On that note, I was thinking about mathematics, science, and visuospatial matters, which are more often subjects and ideas at which males, on average, do well and become more highly successful than woman. I never considered myself to be good at math, but now I wonder if it was just my self-esteem because I wasn't "supposed to" do well at it.  I did enjoy science very much and pursued a highly science-based major in college (Nutrition--lots of food science, chemistry, biology, and biochemistry...NOT that I got all A's--or even close--but I did, in fact, enjoy my coursework).  So as I was reading this book and thinking about how I could encourage my own child to exercise her brain outside the normal realm, a part of me was secretly--and selfishly--wishing she wouldn't get too interested in chess, science team, or the like because I wouldn't have anyone with whom to craft.  I took this thought to my sewing table the other day and as I began a new pattern I realized that there is a TON of math involved in sewing--measuring, calculating, adapting patterns and, of course, LOTS of opportunities for stretching the perhaps otherwise flabby visuospatial-oriented part of her brain.  Then of course there's an endless amount of science with gardening and cooking--though sometimes I try to ignore that and just have fun.  It seems like I could teach V a lot about both of these subjects through the work I routinely do around here without sacrificing my crafting/gardening/baking buddy.  Maybe the Easy-Bake Oven isn't such a bad idea (not that anyone said it was...though I still think more boys should have one) as long as it's accompanied by blocks, toy "machines," and other playthings that can get her thinking outside the box.  Right now she's outside closely observing an army of ants attacking a piece of celery from her morning snack of "Ants of a Log" (how ironic).  I have few concerns about this child getting interested in science at least.


In other news, I was recently interviewed by the blogger from Heartland Living on a Budget.  Here is the link to the interview about basic composting.  When she first approached me I was hesitant because I never thought of myself as a composting expert (and I still don't), but I guess it's a good basic guide if you're interested in starting.

Back to Work on the Homestead

Georgia Peaches for canning

I hit the ground running last week after vacation. It felt like the most difficult readjustment from vacation that we've ever experienced. Once I got the jungle of our garden tamed, I spent most of the weekend in the kitchen cooking, preserving, drying, and taking stock of what par items were needed. At one point Ben walked through the kitchen and said "this kitchen is getting used and abused this weekend!"  (I'm earning my new one next winter.)  I also found time to hunt for mulberries in the park and make some cupcakes on the side. Even though I've been given a green light to add a bit of dairy and eggs back into my diet, I've decided that I like the idea of continuing to bake vegan once in a while. And believe it or not, the champagne I used for these cupcakes was still left over from the "expired" stuff we popped open on New Year's Eve.

GF, Vegan Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

Makes 1 dozen cupcakes

You could use any kind of seasonal berries for this recipe: blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, etc.  The consistency of these cupcakes is very fluffy considering they are GF.  I was extremely pleased with the texture.

Beautiful pink batter

1 3/4 c. all-purpose gluten-free flour

3/4 c. xylitol (or unbleached cane sugar)

2 T. tapioca flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. xanthan gum

1/2 t. salt

1 c. whole strawberries, sliced

3/4 c. dry champagne

1/4 c. grapeseed oil

2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. red wine vinegar

For Strawberry Champagne Frosting:

1/2 c. coconut oil, room temp.

1 1/2 T. strawberry puree (reserved from above)

3/4 t. vanilla extract

3-3 1/2 c. organic powdered sugar, sifted

3 T. dry champagne

6 fresh strawberries, cut into quarters, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 12-cupcake tine with liners.  Puree all strawberries in food processor until smooth consistency, reserve 1 1/2 T. for frosting and pour remaining into medium-sized bowl.  Add   remaining wet ingredients and whisk together.  Slowly add wet ingredients to dry while whisking together.  Mix well.  Scoop batter into prepared cupcake tin.  Bake for 20-22 min. or until toothpick slides out smoothly (cupcakes should rise and brown nicely on top.)  Let cool in tin (out of the oven) for 5 min., then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Frost and garnish each with 2 quarters of strawberries. Enjoy!

For frosting:

I used coconut oil, but the original recipe called for a vegetable spread.  My frosting separated slightly after a while, but if eaten right away (for a party), it would be fine.

Use electric mixer to beat together coconut oil/vegetable spread, remaining strawberry puree, and vanilla for about 1 min.  Add powdered sugar and champagne.  Beat for 2-3 min. until light and fluffy.

Though it was a blazing hot weekend here, I found the need to have a big food preservation session and heat up the whole house. Ugh!  But it's certainly worth the sweat.  I picked up two cases of Georgia peaches before our trip from Tree-Ripe, a fruit truck from the south that brings fresh peaches, citrus, and pecans to our area in season.  Though it's not local, it's from a small family farm in its own area.  To be honest, getting peaches this way is about the only way I can handle canning them because the local peaches aren't ready until August and by that time I'm knee deep in preserving other fruit and the garden's overabundance.  This way I can distribute the work.  Yesterday I put up 17 1/2 quarts of canned peaches in a very light syrup (using xylitol as my sweetener).  We also grilled some of these fresh stone fruits and enjoyed them on a salad with mixed greens from our garden, a Dijon vinaigrette, shaved Parmesan, toasted almonds, garlic scapes, and some nasturtium flowers.  

Grilled Peach Salad

I also finally had a chance to use the very prolific daylilies in my yard.  Last year just after the daylilies finished a local food friend gave me some information about eating and preserving daylilies, which she's been doing for years.  The article she forwarded was from 1990, scanned from The Business of Herbs: The International News and Resource Service for Herb Businesses.  I can't seem to find a digital copy of this resource, but there are certainly other sources online.  The night we got home from our trip I had very little food in the fridge to draw from until I went grocery shopping.  But I did have a whole clump of daylilies out front that I knew I could use to make fritters.  They accompanied some bunless grass-fed beef burgers and our grilled peach salad.  The original recipe suggests that they could be eaten for breakfast like pancakes and I would agree.  I might also chop up the flowers next time for ease of biting (especially for a toddler.)  But overall, I was pleased with this new edible and the following day I dried more of the blooms in the dehydrator then ground them into dust to use--according to my local food friend--as a thickener in place of cornstarch or as a local substitute for saffron to add color to a dish. The flowers keep coming so I'll be drying them for weeks.  (Without a dehydrator, one can also oven dry  at 200 degrees until dry enough to grind.)

Daylily "powder"

Daylily Fritters

Though the daylilies grow in my yard, I still consider them sort of wild because I'm not really "cultivating" them in any way.  The same goes for my wild grapevines, which have now formed a gorgeous living fence on the south side of our backyard.  I have been trying to keep them trimmed back this year, especially because I've noticed many grapes actually forming for the first time.  If they are able to reach for enough light maybe we can add them to the very meager fruit harvest I'm expecting this season (at least my gooseberries are still in tact after our vacation.)  I used some of the trimmed grape leaves to make preserved pickled grape leaves yesterday.  Can't wait for a mid-winter meal of dolmades with rice and lamb.  

Blanched Grape Leaves, ready for rolling and packing

Packed and ready for lemon juice brine, processing

One beautiful pint--60 grape leaves

Vera patiently playing w/ play dough

It's Monday and I feel back on track with my routine.  A very rainy morning gave us some time to hide out in the basement and do some crafting.  Vera sat patiently for over an hour playing with her Play Dough while I FINALLY reworked the zipper into my "party dress."  I called my mom for advice a few weeks ago and nearly forgot her wise words before I got back at it this morning.  Let's just put it this way, she's a sewing goddess and her trick worked like butta.  Thanks Muzz!  I attached the hook and eye above the zipper, hemmed it--I'm finally getting better at machine-sewing a blind hem--and other than a final press, it's ready for dancing this fall at some weddings!  Now on to another dress for Vera though this one will be 3T so it won't likely fit her until next year.  Our local chapter of the Holistic Moms Network had a kids clothing swap yesterday where I picked up lots for this fall and beyond so I don't need to be sewing any more 2T size.  

Party Dress--no waist, above the knee

Gray/Silver antique silk damask

Now to find the perfect shoes

The sun's finally coming out today.  We really needed the heavy rain this morning (mentally and physically).  Now we can move on to walking to the park to harvest more mulberries this afternoon.