Today, as we do on most Sundays from May 1 through the end of November, we went to our favorite farmers' market. We like to be there by opening time, since a lot of the vendors tend to run out of my favorite items fairly early on. Today we actually got there about 15 minutes early. This gave me ample time to make the rounds to see what everyone was offering before deciding upon which vendor I'd start with.
At vendor 1, I found some lovely strawberries, asparagus & soil-grown greenhouse tomatoes. I was off to a good start, and very happy about it!
Vendor 2 had the mint I needed for the sun tea that we drink gallons of in the warm weather. As I reached for the little bunch of mint, my eye landed upon the jumbled mass of stalks (seriously, it strongly resembles a small, green, tangled-up octopus) that I would recognize anywhere- Garlic Scapes! This was *the* find of the visit, and I bought the only 2 packages they had.
Since some of you may be unfamiliar with garlic scapes, here's the scoop...
What we all recognize as a head of garlic is the bulbous root. I'm pretty sure all of us have found that forgotten head of garlic, sitting in the pantry for so long that it has actually started to sprout a green shoot. That shoot is called the scape. Scapes are edible when they're young. As the plant matures, the scape grows tough and becomes pretty much inedible.
They are green stems that twist and curl, and usually have a little bulge on the end. (That bulge eventually turns into a garlic bulb.) They smell like very mild, sweet garlic. The flavor is that of garlic without the bite. I am not doing them justice right now, because I'm a bit tired, but if you ever see them, snap them up!
The thing about garlic scapes is that they're usually only available from this one vendor at my farmers' market- I've never seen them anywhere else- and they're only available for 3-4 weeks out of the year. I usually don't realize they're available until the last week. Part of the reason for today's major excitement is that this is the FIRST week he's had them! This means I have another 2-3 weeks to be able to get them!!
So you're probably wondering, "What exactly does one do with a garlic scape?"
My answer would be to get creative. If the flavors of garlic and onion would work well in a recipe, why not give the scapes a try there? I have used them in grilled veggies, frittatas, stir fries and salads. I also think they'd make an amazing pesto. Oh, and they lend a really nice flavor to soups and stews, as well. The vendor from whom I buy them says that they pickle them, but I've never tried that. Honestly, they all get eaten before I could even consider doing something like that with them!
So, in the coming week, I'll be attempting to create a recipe that fits in with our allergy/sensitivity restrictions and uses the scapes. Hopefully I'll come up with something tasty to share with you soon.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Peppers
Today's post is going to be short- just a couple of comments on peppers.
1) Cubanelle peppers are also called Banana Peppers. I have always known them solely as cubanelles, so when someone offered me a banana pepper plant a few years back, I gave them a funny look and asked what it was. She was unable to describe them, so I declined, since I had no clue what to do with them. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I found out that they're cubanelles. They are long yellow-green peppers that are often used in latino cooking. The flavor ranges from sweetly mild to rather intense spice, depending on the variety. I have no idea of where they fall on the Scoville scale, but it's not a scotch bonnet.
2) I was recently told that bell peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter than those with 4 or more bumps. I don't know what the reasoning is, but in my casual testing I'm finding it to be true.
So, do you have any fun food facts or garden lore?
1) Cubanelle peppers are also called Banana Peppers. I have always known them solely as cubanelles, so when someone offered me a banana pepper plant a few years back, I gave them a funny look and asked what it was. She was unable to describe them, so I declined, since I had no clue what to do with them. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I found out that they're cubanelles. They are long yellow-green peppers that are often used in latino cooking. The flavor ranges from sweetly mild to rather intense spice, depending on the variety. I have no idea of where they fall on the Scoville scale, but it's not a scotch bonnet.
2) I was recently told that bell peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter than those with 4 or more bumps. I don't know what the reasoning is, but in my casual testing I'm finding it to be true.
So, do you have any fun food facts or garden lore?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
planning ahead, preserving the summer bounty
Well, today is Farmers' Market day. I look forward to Sundays from May through November, because it's the 1 day per week that my farmers market is open. It's a producer-only market, and that means that the people I'm buying my food from are the ones who actually grew it. And that makes me very happy. Anyway, since Sunday is Farmers' Market day, Saturday is clean-out-the-fridge-and-see-what-veggies-have-not-been-eaten-yet day.
I noticed on Friday that I had a pretty substantial amount of produce left from the previous week, so I broke out my food dehydrator. Now, I used to use my oven for drying veggies, but that only works if you have a gas oven with a pilot light that stays on. The pilot light keeps the oven the perfect temperature for such endeavors. I no longer have a stove with an always on pilot light, though, so the hubby and I went out last year and purchased a food dehydrator.
So, over the past day and a half, I have dehydrated:
7 sweet red peppers
around 12 summer squash (2 yellow and the rest zucchini)
5 parsnips
The peppers were cut into pieces, maybe 1/4x1/2 inch, and everything else was sliced on a mandolin.
When I come back from the farmers' market today, I'll be loading the dehydrator trays with carrots and celery.
I like dehydrating my own food for a couple of reasons. First, I am in control of exactly what's going in, both quality-wise and ingredient-wise. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a package of dried veggies? (shudder) Second, it allows me to support my local farmers, since most of what I dry is from the local farmers market. And, last but definitely not least, it saves money. Since most of what I dry is stuff that I bought with the intent of eating it that week but forgot or didn't get a chance to, I am saving food from being thrown into the compost heap or trash.
So yes, food dehydration is a very happy thing!
I noticed on Friday that I had a pretty substantial amount of produce left from the previous week, so I broke out my food dehydrator. Now, I used to use my oven for drying veggies, but that only works if you have a gas oven with a pilot light that stays on. The pilot light keeps the oven the perfect temperature for such endeavors. I no longer have a stove with an always on pilot light, though, so the hubby and I went out last year and purchased a food dehydrator.
So, over the past day and a half, I have dehydrated:
7 sweet red peppers
around 12 summer squash (2 yellow and the rest zucchini)
5 parsnips
The peppers were cut into pieces, maybe 1/4x1/2 inch, and everything else was sliced on a mandolin.
When I come back from the farmers' market today, I'll be loading the dehydrator trays with carrots and celery.
I like dehydrating my own food for a couple of reasons. First, I am in control of exactly what's going in, both quality-wise and ingredient-wise. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on a package of dried veggies? (shudder) Second, it allows me to support my local farmers, since most of what I dry is from the local farmers market. And, last but definitely not least, it saves money. Since most of what I dry is stuff that I bought with the intent of eating it that week but forgot or didn't get a chance to, I am saving food from being thrown into the compost heap or trash.
So yes, food dehydration is a very happy thing!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Macaroni & Beef
A quick and easy dinner. Here's how I make it:
1 lb GF pasta noodles, cooked al dente (still firm)
1 jar of your preferred tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked, finely crumbled and drained
Put it all into a large pan or pot. Fill the sauce jar about 1/2 way with water, shake to get the last of the sauce and add to the pot. Add some garlic, dried minced onion, oregano, basil, and any other spices or seasonings you like. For adults I usually add a bit of hot pepper flakes, and for kids I usually add a teaspoon or so of sugar. Cook over medium, stirring frequently, until hot and liquid is cooked down.
Serve with a green salad.
Notes:
-If your pasta is mushy, see my previous post on Cold Rinse and Rice Pasta
-This is one of the ChaRM Plan stars, made using leftover pasta and leftover ground beef. It cooks up in all of about 15 minutes, which makes it perfect for those crazy, hectic days.
1 lb GF pasta noodles, cooked al dente (still firm)
1 jar of your preferred tomato sauce/spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb ground beef, cooked, finely crumbled and drained
Put it all into a large pan or pot. Fill the sauce jar about 1/2 way with water, shake to get the last of the sauce and add to the pot. Add some garlic, dried minced onion, oregano, basil, and any other spices or seasonings you like. For adults I usually add a bit of hot pepper flakes, and for kids I usually add a teaspoon or so of sugar. Cook over medium, stirring frequently, until hot and liquid is cooked down.
Serve with a green salad.
Notes:
-If your pasta is mushy, see my previous post on Cold Rinse and Rice Pasta
-This is one of the ChaRM Plan stars, made using leftover pasta and leftover ground beef. It cooks up in all of about 15 minutes, which makes it perfect for those crazy, hectic days.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Planning ahead
Planning ahead is very important for me. I work best when there's some sort of structure to things. When it comes to putting dinner on the table, taking a half hour or so every other week to decide what we'll be having for dinner each night is well worth the time.
-It saves me the stress of realizing at 4:30 pm that I have no idea of what to make.
-It saves electricity because I'm not standing, staring vacantly into the freezer trying to find some inspiration.
-It saves money because we eat out less frequently.
-We waste less food because it reduces the forgotten produce/veggies, etc. that tend to get lost behind other stuff. It reduces the incidence of frozen food ending up in the trash due to freezer burn, because I'm constantly rotating through everything. We end up wasting less because I plan out my leftovers and how they'll be used.
-It also saves last minute trips to the grocery store for random items because as I make my menu plan, I make my grocery list.
So yes, I plan out 2 weeks worth of dinners in advance. It reduces my stress levels, saves money and time, and is, when you stop and think about it, better for the environment. It works for me. It took me several tries to find an approach that works for me, though. If you are interested in me posting about the various approaches, or want to know more about mine, please post a comment and let me know. I'll be happy to share the information.
For today, I'm going to share one of the tools I use to keep meal prep sane. I don't have some spiffy name for it or anything, but it's really helpful.
What do chili, tacos and sloppy joes have in common? They all call for browned & drained ground beef. In our house, before allergy knowledge, we would often have one or 2 of those things within a couple of nights of having a meatloaf dinner. Back then, I would break the meatloaf up and use it as the 'ground beef' ingredient for the chili, tacos or sloppy joes, just seasoning and adding other ingredients as appropriate. Since wheat, parsley, mustard and eggs are no longer on the menu for us, we don't eat meatloaf any more. I have had to adapt.
Now, instead of using the leftover meatloaf, I brown up 2 lbs of ground beef at a time, even if I only need 1/2 lb for that night's dinner. The rest is drained and then stored in the fridge or freezer for another night's meal. With a little planning, you can chop a lot of prep work out of the equation. Also, it cuts down on active cooking time, which is really good in the summer. (Especially if, like us, you don't have air conditioning!)
Tonight (Tuesday) I am having pasta salad for dinner. Brown rice macaroni (don't forget to rinse with cold water after cooking!), canned tuna, peas and salad dressing, served on a pretty bed of frilly lettuce, and maybe some sliced black olives and tomato wedges to add a little extra interest to the look and taste.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will use leftover pasta from tonight to make macaroni and beef in tomato sauce. I will brown 2 pounds of ground beef and use about 3/4 of a pound for the mac and beef. The remaining 1 and 1/4 pounds will go into the fridge, drained. The veggie side will be green beans.
On Thursday I will make an apricot chipotle glazed pork roast in my slow cooker. We're unlikely to eat more than 1/2 of it, so the remainder will go into the fridge to await being turned into Saturday night's dinner. The roast will be served with roasted sweet potatoes and spinach.
On Friday, I will pull out the 1 1/4 pounds of ground beef from Wednesday and turn it into homemade sloppy joes, served with a nice green salad.
On Saturday, we'll be having pulled pork BBQ sandwiches made from the leftover pork roast. The side will be asparagus.
Maybe I should call it the Chain Reaction Menu Plan, or ChaRM Plan for short. What do you think?
-It saves me the stress of realizing at 4:30 pm that I have no idea of what to make.
-It saves electricity because I'm not standing, staring vacantly into the freezer trying to find some inspiration.
-It saves money because we eat out less frequently.
-We waste less food because it reduces the forgotten produce/veggies, etc. that tend to get lost behind other stuff. It reduces the incidence of frozen food ending up in the trash due to freezer burn, because I'm constantly rotating through everything. We end up wasting less because I plan out my leftovers and how they'll be used.
-It also saves last minute trips to the grocery store for random items because as I make my menu plan, I make my grocery list.
So yes, I plan out 2 weeks worth of dinners in advance. It reduces my stress levels, saves money and time, and is, when you stop and think about it, better for the environment. It works for me. It took me several tries to find an approach that works for me, though. If you are interested in me posting about the various approaches, or want to know more about mine, please post a comment and let me know. I'll be happy to share the information.
For today, I'm going to share one of the tools I use to keep meal prep sane. I don't have some spiffy name for it or anything, but it's really helpful.
What do chili, tacos and sloppy joes have in common? They all call for browned & drained ground beef. In our house, before allergy knowledge, we would often have one or 2 of those things within a couple of nights of having a meatloaf dinner. Back then, I would break the meatloaf up and use it as the 'ground beef' ingredient for the chili, tacos or sloppy joes, just seasoning and adding other ingredients as appropriate. Since wheat, parsley, mustard and eggs are no longer on the menu for us, we don't eat meatloaf any more. I have had to adapt.
Now, instead of using the leftover meatloaf, I brown up 2 lbs of ground beef at a time, even if I only need 1/2 lb for that night's dinner. The rest is drained and then stored in the fridge or freezer for another night's meal. With a little planning, you can chop a lot of prep work out of the equation. Also, it cuts down on active cooking time, which is really good in the summer. (Especially if, like us, you don't have air conditioning!)
Tonight (Tuesday) I am having pasta salad for dinner. Brown rice macaroni (don't forget to rinse with cold water after cooking!), canned tuna, peas and salad dressing, served on a pretty bed of frilly lettuce, and maybe some sliced black olives and tomato wedges to add a little extra interest to the look and taste.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) I will use leftover pasta from tonight to make macaroni and beef in tomato sauce. I will brown 2 pounds of ground beef and use about 3/4 of a pound for the mac and beef. The remaining 1 and 1/4 pounds will go into the fridge, drained. The veggie side will be green beans.
On Thursday I will make an apricot chipotle glazed pork roast in my slow cooker. We're unlikely to eat more than 1/2 of it, so the remainder will go into the fridge to await being turned into Saturday night's dinner. The roast will be served with roasted sweet potatoes and spinach.
On Friday, I will pull out the 1 1/4 pounds of ground beef from Wednesday and turn it into homemade sloppy joes, served with a nice green salad.
On Saturday, we'll be having pulled pork BBQ sandwiches made from the leftover pork roast. The side will be asparagus.
Maybe I should call it the Chain Reaction Menu Plan, or ChaRM Plan for short. What do you think?
Monday, May 17, 2010
A good day...
Yesterday I went to the Holistic Expo in Allentown. I've been wanting to go for a couple of years, but something always happens to prevent it. So anyway, this year I got to go and I'm really glad!
I bought a bunch of pretty rocks, got a reading and had a foot detox. While sitting for the detox, I got to talking with a couple of people. One of them said she'd heard of this blog & I was so happy! I really didn't think anyone was reading this and I'd been considering giving up. The other woman seemed very interested in the blog, so I gave her the web address. I'm so happy to know that people might actually be reading what I write here!
Before the Expo, we went to the local farmers' market in Emaus. I love it there! Always such wonderful, local grown food! Anyway, we got some eggs, asparagus, kale, ground beef, lettuce and zucchini. I had hoped someone would have fresh basil, but no such luck. Oh well. If that's the biggest disappointment that I have to face all week, I'll be in good shape!
I plan to dry some of the zucchini and stuff the rest. Stuffed veggies freeze really well and make a nice dinner or lunch on those days when I don't have time to deal with cooking or can't decide what to make.
The stuffing will be made of sausage (if I were serving a vegetarian, I'd use the spicy sausage crumbles), onion, brown rice, probably some pine nuts or almond slivers and whatever seasonings I decide to throw in. I may also include some spinach, but haven't decided yet. Before the allergy results, I would've used breadcrumbs instead of rice and added parsley and cheese, but wheat, parsley and dairy are all off the menu, so I've tweaked the recipe a bit.
One of the things I miss most about the new allergy-free diet is that we can't have spring rolls or egg rolls anymore. They contain a lot of cabbage, which I'm not supposed to have, and the wrappers are wheat based. I got the kale in the hopes of creating an acceptable substitute. On a trip to a gourmet-type health food store, I found rice paper wrappers, so I'm hoping to use them instead of the standard egg roll wrappers.
I'll let you all know how it turns out!
I bought a bunch of pretty rocks, got a reading and had a foot detox. While sitting for the detox, I got to talking with a couple of people. One of them said she'd heard of this blog & I was so happy! I really didn't think anyone was reading this and I'd been considering giving up. The other woman seemed very interested in the blog, so I gave her the web address. I'm so happy to know that people might actually be reading what I write here!
Before the Expo, we went to the local farmers' market in Emaus. I love it there! Always such wonderful, local grown food! Anyway, we got some eggs, asparagus, kale, ground beef, lettuce and zucchini. I had hoped someone would have fresh basil, but no such luck. Oh well. If that's the biggest disappointment that I have to face all week, I'll be in good shape!
I plan to dry some of the zucchini and stuff the rest. Stuffed veggies freeze really well and make a nice dinner or lunch on those days when I don't have time to deal with cooking or can't decide what to make.
The stuffing will be made of sausage (if I were serving a vegetarian, I'd use the spicy sausage crumbles), onion, brown rice, probably some pine nuts or almond slivers and whatever seasonings I decide to throw in. I may also include some spinach, but haven't decided yet. Before the allergy results, I would've used breadcrumbs instead of rice and added parsley and cheese, but wheat, parsley and dairy are all off the menu, so I've tweaked the recipe a bit.
One of the things I miss most about the new allergy-free diet is that we can't have spring rolls or egg rolls anymore. They contain a lot of cabbage, which I'm not supposed to have, and the wrappers are wheat based. I got the kale in the hopes of creating an acceptable substitute. On a trip to a gourmet-type health food store, I found rice paper wrappers, so I'm hoping to use them instead of the standard egg roll wrappers.
I'll let you all know how it turns out!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Spring has Sprung!
Well, yesterday was Mother's Day. My only children are of the 4-legged, furry variety- 1 dog and 2 cats. I hope that all the moms had a lovely day, spent doing whatever they enjoy best. And if your kids cooked for you, I hope that it was good and nothing too crazy. (One friend mentioned that her daughter made her a special drink involving milk, yogurt, peanut butter and several varieties of ice pop, LOL)
Anyway, since my mom lives way too far away for a day visit and his mom and dad came on Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day, we had Sunday to do with as we liked. It was really nice to have a day with my hubby. He's been away for work so much lately and I've missed him. But I digress...
Every Sunday from May through November a nearby town has a really great farmers' market. This particular farmers' market requires that the food sold there all be locally grown, and most of the vendors stick with organic practices on their farms. The prices are reasonable and the foods they sell are wonderful- fresh, tasty and beautiful. It's really one of the things I enjoy most about the warmer months.
So that's where we went yesterday morning.
It's very early in the growing season, so there wasn't a huge selection of foods to be had. There were the non-seasonal food sellers- bread baker, chicken & egg seller, cow & pork seller, 2 goat cheese mongers and the honey guy. The veggie sellers had a few things available- we got some nice green onions, asparagus and baby zucchini. Most of the veggie vendors were selling all sorts of wonderful varieties of seedlings, though.
I am so excited to be able to report that we will have several varieties of heirloom tomato, as well as green pepper, cubanelle pepper (aka banana pepper) zucchini, yellow summer squash, standard basil, lime basil, cilantro, thyme, savory and marjoram. There were a few other things I had been hoping to plant, but, according to my husband, that's all we have room for in the current garden bed.
So this morning's breakfast is to be a locally grown egg sandwich on a millet roll and tonight's supper will consist of pork chops, roasted veggies from the farmers' market and either rice or potatoes. (I'll figure out something for lunch.) I truly love that my farmers' market is open again!
Anyway, since my mom lives way too far away for a day visit and his mom and dad came on Saturday to celebrate Mother's Day, we had Sunday to do with as we liked. It was really nice to have a day with my hubby. He's been away for work so much lately and I've missed him. But I digress...
Every Sunday from May through November a nearby town has a really great farmers' market. This particular farmers' market requires that the food sold there all be locally grown, and most of the vendors stick with organic practices on their farms. The prices are reasonable and the foods they sell are wonderful- fresh, tasty and beautiful. It's really one of the things I enjoy most about the warmer months.
So that's where we went yesterday morning.
It's very early in the growing season, so there wasn't a huge selection of foods to be had. There were the non-seasonal food sellers- bread baker, chicken & egg seller, cow & pork seller, 2 goat cheese mongers and the honey guy. The veggie sellers had a few things available- we got some nice green onions, asparagus and baby zucchini. Most of the veggie vendors were selling all sorts of wonderful varieties of seedlings, though.
I am so excited to be able to report that we will have several varieties of heirloom tomato, as well as green pepper, cubanelle pepper (aka banana pepper) zucchini, yellow summer squash, standard basil, lime basil, cilantro, thyme, savory and marjoram. There were a few other things I had been hoping to plant, but, according to my husband, that's all we have room for in the current garden bed.
So this morning's breakfast is to be a locally grown egg sandwich on a millet roll and tonight's supper will consist of pork chops, roasted veggies from the farmers' market and either rice or potatoes. (I'll figure out something for lunch.) I truly love that my farmers' market is open again!
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