This week we must make dilly beans. Also, I picked a small watermelon, to save space in the fridge and to have some hope of finishing it. Maybe there will be watermelon granita.
Easy Garlic Dill Pickles
Large glass jar (½ gallon with screw lid)
Cucumbers to fill above jar – ideally as close to the same size as possible
1 tsp pickling spice
¼ cup kosher salt
3-5 garlic cloves
Bunch of dill
1 slice rye bread with seeds
Wash jar well. Pack cucumbers in bottom of jar as tightly as possible. Pour in salt; shove in garlic cloves and some of the dill. Fill rest of jar with cucumbers. Squeeze rest of dill around cucumbers.
Pour boiling water into jar, almost to top. Cover jar and shake to dissolve salt. Open lid and put slice of rye bread inside top of jar. Move jar to sink. Pour boiling water into jar until it spills over. Screw top on tightly.
Put jar in stainless steel bowl to allow for seepage. Set it in a sunny window for 3-4 days. You will have half-sour dills by that time.
Refrigerate – they will continue to pickle in the refrigerator. Enjoy through the winter, if they last that long in your house.
Printed in the Honey Brook Organic Farm weekly member's email, from a member who said, "This recipe comes from my father’s second wife, Florence, who made them a new family tradition (after I was long out of the house). I asked her how she made them the last time we had a bumper crop of cucumbers."
Everyone is talking about tomato blight, a potentially devastating tomato disease that is getting a lot of press (Sherry even appeared on a segment of NJN news last Tuesday to talk about it). This disease is a fungus, and is spread when its spores hitch a ride on air currents to neighboring farms or gardens. On our farms in Hopewell and Chesterfield Townships we are pleased to report we have absolutely no sign of tomato blight. Since we direct seed our tomato plants and do not purchase transplants, we are more likely to not experience the disease, since reports indicate that transplants purchased at retail centers have helped spread it. In addition, our tomato fields are surrounded by many acres of preserved land in both Chesterfield and Hopewell, and the tomato fields of other growers are relatively far away. There are a few home gardens bordering the Chesterfield farm, but our plants are quite a far distance from them.This week:
David Camacho, our field manager, reports that our tomato plants look amazingly healthy, despite the overabundance of rain and our cool nights. And while those cool nights are inhibiting ripening, he thinks that warmer August days and nights will give us some of our best heirlooms ever! (from the weekly newsletter)
Inspired by the pineapple top we've started in a pot, I decided to try sprouting some lemongrass. I started a stalk in water in April, potting it after it sprouted some roots, and now it has several stalks and seems to be doing well. I'm not sure how soon full stalks will be harvestable, but it looks & smells great. I'm starting a second stalk. They'll live outside with the other herbs until there is a danger of freezing.
Saint-Tropez Chicken
1 large chicken, cut into 10 pieces
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup honey
½ cup rosé wine (though white is fine too)
2 cloves garlic, bruised
1 tablespoon mixed herbs with lavender
Put the chicken pieces in a large plastic freezer bag or shallow dish. Squeeze the lemon juice into a glass measuring cup, and stir in the oil, honey, and wine to dissolve the honey. Pour this mixture into the bag or dish of chicken and chuck in the bruised garlic cloves and the herbs.
Seal the bag or cover the dish with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight or for up to two days.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the chicken in a roasting pan with its marinade, skin side up, and cover with aluminum foil. Cook for two hours, then remove the foil fro the pan and turn up the oven to 425°F. Cook for another 15-25 minutes or until the skin of the chicken is bronzed. Keep an eye on it, as the honey in the marinade will make it burn quickly.
Remove the chicken to a warmed plate, and pour or spoon off excess fat from the cooking liquid. Put the pan on the stove top, add 1/2 cup water and deglaze the pan juices to make your glossy, golden-brown sauce.
Since I've been making my own yogurt, I thought it might be time to try making granola as well. I think I've tried it once before, a long time ago. This batch was good, though the oats got a bit too dark. The toasted almonds are perfect. The recipe came from Feast by Nigella Lawson. The official UK version (with masses instead of volume measurements) is here.Andy's Fairfield Granola
4½ cups rolled oats
1 cup/4 oz. sunflower seeds
¾ cup/4 oz. sesame seeds
¾ cup/6 oz. apple sauce
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
⅓ cup brown rice syrup or rice malt syrup, or failing that, golden syrup
¼ cup clover honey or other honey
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 cups/8 oz. whole almonds
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. sunflower oil
2 cups raisins
Mix everything except the raisins together very well in a large mixing bowl. I use a couple of curved, rigid spatulas; normally, I’d be happy to use my hands, but here it just leaves you covered with everything.
Spread this mixture out on two baking tins (the sort that come with ovens, and are about the width of a rack) and bake in a 300-325°F oven, turning over about halfway through baking and re-distributing the granola evenly during the baking process. The object is to get it evenly golden without toasting too much in any one place. This should take anything from about 40 minutes. I use a gas oven, which doesn’t brown as fast as an electric one, so often leave it in for up to an hour.
Once it’s baked, allow to cool and mix together with the raisins. Store airtight.
First onions this week, though small. We might make some zucchini bread & butter pickles. Only one head of broccoli. The rains are still causing problems at the farm - they have lost some spinach ad early tomatoes, and are having trouble planting some of the fall crops.
Quiche has gotten a bad rap since 1982. OK, it's not like barbecuing a rack of ribs or something, but it's a pretty good summer meal, especially with all the vegetables we have to use up. I generally base my quiche on the Joy of Cooking quiche Lorraine recipe, although I use at least double the number of eggs for a single 9" pie shell, and somewhat less milk. The Joy of Cooking pâte brisée recipe is pretty foolproof for a crust, and nice and flaky.6 eggs
about a cup of milk
two small heads broccoli
one onion, chopped and sautéed
3 strips prosciutto, chopped and lightly fried
about a cup of cubed jack & mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, etc.)
Chop the broccoli into fine florets. Separate one egg white to brush the pie dough before filling, and mix the yolk with the remaining 5 eggs. Stir in the vegetables, prosciutto, herbs and cheese, pour into the pie shell and bake at 375°F for about 40 minutes.
