Monthly Archives: June 2012

Making a Messy Kitchen

Posted on June 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

For whatever reason I seem to be able to make a real mess while cooking. Maybe because my husband cleans up when I cook. Must be something significant in that, but who knows.

Today, a lovely Saturday, saw us out with the masses taking trash to the landfill. The storms last week took down lots of trees so the back area of the landfill was hopping this morning.

Then, from there, like all good west countians, we headed off to Glenwood to the market. Had to get veggies and eggs and bread. TLV had no eggs so we stopped at the farm on the way home, and also picked up half a chicken with those eggs. We had to get veggies from Zahradka, to complement the turkey from them that we grilled last night.

The veggies were squash and green beans.

We heated the turkey wing and kale casserole that I made last night, and added the steamed veggies to make tonight’s local dinner.

I also was fixing things to take on a picnic to VA tomorrow. That’s where the messy kitchen comes in.

Bread from the Breadery to go with mushroom pate that needs to be eaten soon. Watermelon for salad. Berries to add to tonight’s sangria along with the watermelon juice.

I keep a container of cut watermelon in the fridge. Great to snack on after working outside. The accumulated juice, after being strained, makes a great addition to wine and orange soda, for sangria.

As for those garlic scapes, they went back into the fridge. Not needed yet, but tomorrow night I may be messing up the kitchen again to make hummus with them.

I did boil some new potatoes and then steam some green beans to make a salad for tomorrow’s picnic. Adding some tzatziki to them to make simple potato salad.

I am currently using Costco’s tzatziki.

But that is only until my cukes start ripening, and I make my own tzatziki. There are two out there already, one slicing and one pickling.

Once the cukes and tomatoes start coming in, the kitchen will be a work zone full of stuff. Can’t wait to start canning and freezing.

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Grilling Outside the Bun

Posted on June 8, 2012 by AnnieRie

Never one to be constrained by the notion that hot dogs and hamburgers are prime grilling candidates, I have gone outside the bun with many of my grilling dinners. This time it was turkey.

This is the second time I have grilled turkey. A mild Thanksgiving was the last time. We had half a turkey in the freezer from the winter CSA. It has been in the freezer five months waiting for me to get around to grilling it.

This turkey is making at least three meals. I cut it up and brined it. The breast portion and leg portion went on the grill. The backbone and thigh went in the crock pot to make stock for soup. We will have the breast portion for Sunday night’s eat local supper, but tonight it was all about flavor in the leg of a slow grilled turkey sitting there for four hours.

Served with a wonderful Chateau St. Jean Robert Young Vineyard Chardonnay, new potatoes and onions from the Miller Library farmers market, and rolls from Stone House Bakery, almost all local tonight. The lemon, olive oil, wine and some of the herbs were the only non local items on the menu.

I love Stone House Bakery’s dinner rolls. I buy them all the time at the markets. They are at almost all the Howard County markets. You need to check them out.

It was a lovely night tonight. Perfect for eating on the patio. Here’s to locally sourced free range turkey, and thinking outside the bun!

hocofood@@@

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Sandy Spring CSA Week Five

Posted on June 7, 2012 by AnnieRie

Thursday. CSA day. What are we getting this week?

Eleven items. All certified organic. I swapped herbs as usual. Value taken using what I find in organic markets and farmers who follow organic practices and sell at markets.

1 Bag Pickling Cucumbers – five cukes, value approximately $2
1 Head White Cauliflower – value $3
1 Bunch Collards – value $3
1 Bunch White Scallions – large, worth 1 1/2 of what I find at markets, so $3
1 Head Green Deer Tongue Lettuce – $3
1 Quart New Red Potatoes – 2 pounds, worth $5 at organic pricing
1 Bunch Garlic Scapes – $2
1 Bunch Broccoli – $2
1 Head Green Cabbage – $3
1 Bag Young Rainbow Chard – I swapped the herbs for this, equivalent each bag to $4 worth of chard at farmers markets, $8

Value this week: $34. Price of CSA is $29.75, so add another $4.25 to my surplus from week 4 tally, now at $44.40 for 5 weeks in.

What am I going to make? Definitely more of this garlic scape hummus.

This was on the Lancaster Farm Fresh Coop Recipe Blog, where we get lots of ideas of what to do with our weekly haul. Easy peasy, as they say. Just need a food processor and a can of beans.

It doesn’t use all the scapes, so this week I will be grilling the rest with the scallions, potatoes and my turkey parts, that are brining as we speak. The turkey was from last winter’s CSA meat share. Grilling bonanza Saturday night, if the weather cooperates.

As for pickling cucumbers, time to make these again. I love them. Bread and butter pickles. Made these last year.

Cabbage. Hmmm, sauerkraut, maybe?

Who knows? The possibilities are endless! Eating locally? Having fun reconnecting with making real food. That is what a CSA lets you do. Dinners like this. Join a local CSA or shop the farmers markets. Much better food. Fresher. And so tasty. There’s at least one of these on my menu in the next week. Scallions, scapes, local cheese and bacon and eggs. Yum!

hocofood@@@

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Foraging Wild Asparagus

Posted on June 7, 2012 by AnnieRie

All my past posts about my asparagus growing under my crepe myrtle sparked interest in how to find asparagus, and what it looks like when it goes to seed.

This is a really good example. Caught Tuesday night while I was volunteering at the transit of Venus. This is cultivated asparagus. The wild asparagus in my yard came with the crepe myrtle. Now that you know what it looks like, you can look around your area and see if you find some. This is a climate they like and plants will produce for 20-30 years.

Ours has been producing for the eight years we have lived here. I harvested what seems to be the last three spears yesterday. Nothing else coming up. A total of 36 spears from the one plant this year. They are fun to watch as they push through the deep layer of mulch. Particularly when they come up white.

The size differences are interesting to observe, as well. The thin ones stay thin, and don’t fatten. The thicker spears push through at the same size as they grow. The thin ones just get taller, not thicker. Took me a while at first to realize that leaving them in the ground won’t change their diameter much. Just pick them and enjoy. The thinnest ones don’t even need cooking, they are so tender.

My final three spears will probably find their way into something like my steamed spring veggies with butter and mint, that I made the other day.

Check around your area now that asparagus would be visible like the pic above, and maybe you can find a source of foraged deliciousness. Or, with patience, put in your own asparagus beds. Either way, spring flavor unique and fleeting.

hocofood@@@

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Posted on June 6, 2012 by AnnieRie

At first last night it didn’t look promising to view the transit of Venus across the sun. As dozens of astronomers were setting up, the skies were cloudy.

Dozens of people started arriving, to wander among the scopes and binoculars. The clouds began to clear away and first views were registered.

Lots of excitement and people crowding around STARDOC’s sunspotter, where you would be able to capture a photograph of what you would see through the safely protected equipment that the Howard Astronomical League (HAL) members had set up across the Conservancy meadow.

I came in to take a picture of what I had viewed using a number of different scopes and binoculars around the field.

Then, as things progressed, the sun came out below a cloud cover and lit up the area.

Lots of viewing for quite a long time until the sun finally fell below a cloud cover on the western horizon, but it was certainly bright out there for long enough to capture some great views. The sheer numbers and sizes of all the scopes were incredible, and everyone got opportunities to view. The HAL members are such wonderful people, giving their time and sharing their equipment with the hundreds of people who attended.

Many people there had never heard of the Conservancy and they were interested in the trails, the events, the walks and the gardens, asking the three of us who volunteered that night countless questions about using the facilities, hiking the trails and coming to events. I had to refill the kiosk with trail maps and give out rental brochures to a couple of potential wedding rental queries.

It was a win-win event for HAL and the Conservancy, and I was happy to volunteer a few hours to park a few hundred cars. I recorded another picture of what I had seen.

Recorded the sunny finish of the event.

This event is the first of many in the month of June at the Conservancy, which also includes an event sponsored by the Columbia Festival of the Arts. Check out the upcoming events page and come out to a lovely site in Woodstock. This weekend is the monthly free wonder walk, Saturday at 10 am.

Don’t wait for the next solar event, but also keep in mind the August meteor showers, Night Sky/Dark Sky: The Perseid Meteor Showers on August 12th.

hocoblogs@@@

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Kofta

Posted on June 5, 2012 by AnnieRie

Something I have wanted to make, and never got around to it. My New Year’s resolutions included cooking different ethnic foods.

Kofta Kebabs

Made with Kite Hill Farms lamb bought at the market in Catonsville. More spices than you can shake a stick at. Worth it to grind them yourself. I did have cumin seed, coriander seed, allspice, cinnamon and peppercorns to grind and mixed that with the cayenne, ginger and sea salt to make the spice mix that went into these kebabs.

The recipe is from Sara Moulton.

I made three large kebabs and used metal skewers instead of soaking bamboo. We ate outside last night as the weather was lovely. I opened an old bottle of Virginia wine from King Family Vineyards. A Meritage blend of 75% merlot and 25% franc, a soft wine that went well with the lamb. Besides, it was ten years old and definitely ready to drink. I just checked on my wine cellar spreadsheet and see we have one left. Need to make a note to drink it soon.

I served the kofta with tzatziki, not home made, since I don’t have ripe cucumbers yet. Costco does make a nice tzatziki, and we use it all the time with spicy foods, or put it on potatoes. I made steamed English peas, asparagus (foraged), mini bok choy and snow peas. Served with butter and mint. Parboiled, then grilled new potatoes. Most of these are CSA or farmer’s market veggies, and the asparagus is almost the last of my wild ones. I have four spears still growing out there, ready almost but not quite. Haul this year seems to be a total of 36 spears of wild asparagus.

Dinner was relaxed, the breezes mild and the sun stayed out. A perfect evening enjoying the weather.

hocofood@@@

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Eating Locally: The First Weekend of the Challenge

Posted on June 4, 2012 by AnnieRie

As I have posted, I am participating with a group of women in a challenge to cook seasonal local foods all summer and fall. We call it our SSFC and blog about it. We have set up a google reader page, as well as we all link to one another.

I also have a page where I will link back to all my posts on the challenge.

Sunday night I made the first completely local meal for the challenge, even though Saturday I also went almost totally local.

I used CSA collards, CSA Yukon Gold New potatoes, Love Dove Farms scallions, Boarman’s bacon, and South Mountain Creamery chicken, with herbs from my garden. All put in a crockpot with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a rub of herbs I dried last year. The fresh herbs included tarragon, sage, rosemary, and marjoram from my herb garden just off the kitchen.

To complement the dinner, we opened a 2009 Linden Chardonnay. This wine is a blend of all three contributing sites that make up Linden’s wines. A creamy, soft wonderful Chardonnay that does well with chicken and seafood. No longer available, this wine sold out quickly with only 206 cases made. It includes the famous experiment with the “egg” for the Avenius contribution to the blend. The “egg” is still in the cellar at Linden, and I forgot to ask at the barrel tasting what they are using it for.

We finished the meal later in the evening with a small bowl of South Mountain Creamery ice cream, their peach flavor.

Definitely a delightful meal from local sources, and using fresh meats and veggies. Not a bad wine, either, from VA.

hocofood@@@

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The Transit of Venus

Posted on June 4, 2012 by AnnieRie

For those into astronomical events that only occur once or twice in your lifetime, Tuesday evening has one of the better ones. Cross your fingers that the weather cooperates, and come to the Howard County Conservancy where HAL is holding a viewing party for the transit of Venus across the sun.

Set up is around 5:30 pm, with the start of the transit at 6:03:38 pm EDT. If the sun is visible, there should be viewing available until almost 8:30 when the sun has set.

If there are no clouds, many club members are bringing nighttime viewing scopes and will hold a star party after the solar viewing ends.

If you miss this viewing, you can catch the next transit in 2117, one hundred and five years from now. Do not try to view the sun directly on your own, as you may damage your eyes.

Come say HI as I am one of the volunteers from the Conservancy assisting in HAL’s visit to the site.

hocoblogs@@@

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Everything is Better With Bacon

Posted on June 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

At least that is what you hear on TV constantly. It is why I keep a small package of thick cut bacon from Boarman in the freezer. I buy only 5-6 slices, freeze them, then take it out and cut off a few squares to add to dishes as they are being made. Like last night’s frittata.

My first Southern SOLE Food Challenge meal. A mostly local meal, with a few exceptions when putting it together. We got a boatload of chard in this week’s CSA delivery. It needed to be used in something that would highlight its earthiness, but also I wanted to balance it with a little creaminess. South Mountain Creamery to the rescue.

Mozzarella, peach ice cream and provolone from SMC

We made a trip to Hagerstown to the outlets today so stopped at the creamery on the way back. The outlets and the creamery are both off Alt. US 40, about 10 miles apart. My hubby had to get an ice cream cone, and we watched them milking cows. I also picked up two chicken leg quarters to use for Sunday night supper with some of the collard greens from the CSA. So, I get two nights meals mostly local. I miss South Mountain being at the Glenwood market.

Back to the bacon, though.

The frittata was made with eggs from TLV Farm, bought Friday at the hospital farmers market. First, I put Love Dove Farms scallions in a pan with a bit of oil, and added the equivalent of two slices of bacon, just cut off in one inch sections from the frozen package. The one inch squares will defrost and cook quickly in the skillet, giving the scallions that bacony taste. I used about 12 ounces of the chard, wilting it on top of the bacon and scallions. A little salt and pepper.

I then mixed 6 extra large eggs with a couple of ounces of milk, and two tablespoons of my recently made garlic scape pesto. Poured all of it into the pan. Let it start to set.

Then added: leftover cheeses. Firefly Farms chevre, and Bowling Green Farms feta. Totaled about 8 ounces of cheese. While we were driving home, I decided to investigate England Acres Farm as a source for meat in the future. They run a farm stand on weekends attached to their historic farm, just west of Mt. Airy.

If you are in the market for fresh chicken this week, their Cornish Rock X chickens, first batch, will be ready on the 6th. While talking to the women who run the farm stand, I found out that they would start processing and selling chickens this week. They already sold out of this week’s eggs before I stopped there at 3 pm Saturday. They do a brisk business and also carry Trickling Springs dairy items, and some amazing goat cheeses from Obergood in Sharpsburg.

I picked up a couple of greenhouse tomatoes there, one of which ended up on top of the frittata, with thin slices of the South Mountain mozzarella. Under the broiler to melt the cheese, and finish the top of the frittata.

Finished off and served with a 2010 Linden Seyval, a hybrid grape that has a citrusy taste. This wine, well balanced and relatively low in alchol, at 12.7%, went well with the frittata, and cut through that richness of the mozzarella. The greenhouse tomato had that hint of acid, and actually tasted like tomato. A promise of what we will be getting in just a few weeks from my garden.

hocofood@@@

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The Calm AFTER the Storm

Posted on June 2, 2012 by AnnieRie

Last night was pretty intense. The worst weather passed us by, east and west of us. We sat in the middle but winds made us nervous when it came to the antennas and the gardens. We lost no trees this time, thankfully.

I did a walk around this morning to check the garden and the wires in the trees. We got 0.6″ of rain. Ten miles east or ten miles west there were reports of 2-3 inches of rain. I count ourselves lucky this time.

The garden survived. Things are growing like mad.

Tomatoes

Cukes getting closer

Pole beans

My flowers are ready to pop open

I think again Howard County was mostly spared from lots of damage. We are thankful that we dodged the devastation and our prayers are with those in the other areas of Maryland affected by the severe weather last night.

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