Tag Archives: cooking

Food Processing Friday

Posted on August 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

Well, we didn’t make it to the auction tonight. I just finished processing food for the freezer, and it has been a crazy day weather wise. I still need to handle the beets for the fridge, and the eggplant for the ajvar.

Almost another half inch of rain, and we had some outdoor work that needed to be done this morning.

Add to that a power glitch right in the middle of roasting veggies.

The eggplant is destined for a small container of ajvar, that I thought didn’t have the smoky charred eggplant flavor I wanted. After roasting, I am letting them cool and will mix them in the spread. The two red peppers I used for them were a bit more than I should have used. Live and learn.

As for tomatoes, there were three batches done today. Two blanched to be frozen, and one batch for sauce.

After blanching, I peel them. Squeeze out the seeds, and pack them tightly in freezer bags. I do not use the food saver on tomatoes. Too much liquid in them. I do make sure to remove those damaged areas, the ones where you see the stink bug holes.

As for the romas from the CSA, they became a tomato sauce. A chunky tomato sauce with sausage bits (just enough for flavor).

Sweating the veggies first.

Peppers, onions, garlic, carrots in olive oil.

Then, add the peeled squeezed tomatoes. I don’t worry if there are still some seeds in it. I just try to get out the big stuff. Let it simmer on low for at least an hour, until you can completely smash the tomatoes into pulp. I add just salt, pepper, oregano and fresh basil to this sauce.

I got two one quart plastic freezer containers full of sauce out of this batch.

Now, if my paste tomatoes will just get on the ball and start turning red, I should be able to put up at least another six or eight quarts of this type of sauce.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Real Food and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Locavore, real food, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

Tomato Sauce Boss

Posted on August 8, 2013 by AnnieRie

Week Twelve. Halfway through the summer CSA. An overload of tomatoes.

Grape tomatoes. Slicing tomatoes. Roma tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes.

Here is the entire list.

1 pint Red Grape Tomatoes – Breezy Morning Farm
6 ears Sweet Corn – Farmdale Organics
1 bag Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes – Freedom Acres Farm
1 container Microgreens – Eastbrook Produce
1 bag Red Slicing Tomatoes – Green Valley Organics
1 bag Garlic – Valley View Farm
1 bag Purple Viking Potatoes – Bellview Organics
1 bag Rainbow Carrots – Cherry Lane Organics
1 bag Sweet Onions – Cherry Lane Organics
1 bag Red Roma Tomatoes – Healthy Harvest Organics
1 bunch Pistou Basil – Kirkwood Herbs

My microgreens were microradishes, which we love. You will notice the missing basil in my picture. I swapped for some eggplant sitting in the swap box. It will be part of a new batch of ajvar. I now make it in small quantities.

But, this is tomato sauce base. Tomatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, basil. Since I grow four varieties of basil, I decided the swap was worth it.

Besides what the CSA gives us, we have my windowsill full of tomatoes, and my garlic that has cured.

Some of the tomatoes from my garden.

Plus,

cured red and white garlic hanging in the mud room.

I figure the next few days, there will be sauce making. There will be pesto making. There will be blanched, peeled tomatoes to freeze.

I did make it all the way through last winter and this spring with the sauces and oven roasted tomatoes from last summer. Sure beats jarred sauces full of sodium and sugar.

Here’s to my favorite fruit, tomatoes.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Hobbies, Howard County, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Locavore, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

Stretch Goals

Posted on August 6, 2013 by AnnieRie

Making the most of our lives. Finding something new and exciting that continues to inspire us.

There has been quite a bit of discussion within the Howard County blogger community that reflects this. Posts about Comfort Zones by Julia. About volunteering by Tom. About connecting with neighbors by Bill. About community by Lisa.

It was Bill who proposed the #summerofneighbors and I wrote a post about being neighborly. It sparked some of this discussion.

For me, I found that pushing the comfort zone after I retired meant learning to use and understand the connective tissue known as social media. It also meant pushing my hobby to a higher level, by entering the county fair. Not being afraid to fail with my tomato entries. Learning and growing and every year doing better. Meeting and talking with the people who make this county fair so special.

It meant taking responsibility for some large events at my volunteer location. Like bringing together farmers for a panel and an opportunity to connect.

It also meant changing how we cooked, ate, shopped and traveled. Locavore, locapour, foodie. All those interests merging into a driving force that influences us.

In other words, “Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night” (Dylan Thomas)

For both me and my husband, retirement was the entry point for doing those things we never had time to do. Things like his pursuit of DXCC (an amateur radio program that credits you for contacting each separate entity around the world).

And, his desire to have the time to do home projects, and bird watch, and take trips, and just walk in the woods. The slow pace outside that commuter world. The time to read. Books, newspapers, magazines.

For me, it has been the hobbies and the volunteering. The cooking and the writing. The garden.

We will probably spend four days at the fair this year. Saturday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Talking to friends there. Watching the auction. Checking out the exhibits.

Tomorrow we will be learning more about county history at the fair. Later this month I will be volunteering to clean up the CAC garden. Next month leading family hikes at the Conservancy. In October taking the social media class offered by David Hobby.

After all, isn’t what makes life interesting is the constant challenge, the “stretch goals” that keep us active and involved? I have to admit. Howard County certainly has enough going on to keep us busy.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Commentary, Community, Farms, Food, Gardening, Hobbies, Howard County, Locavore, People, Retirement, Volunteering, West HoCo and tagged amateur radio, commentary, community, cooking, farms, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, hobbies, hoco loco, Howard County, Locavore, retirement, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Before and After

Posted on August 5, 2013 by AnnieRie

For my red pepper eggplant spread. Ajvar. Serbian, Hungarian, Balkan, whatever. All over Eastern Europe, this spread (with all its various versions) celebrates the pepper harvest.

This is the “Before” picture. Before blending, that is. Two eggplants and two large red peppers. Sweat the eggplant first to pull out moisture. I slice it and drizzle it with salt. Then roast, in a very hot oven or in a gas grill. I used the grill today.

The peppers went into a paper bag to steam after roasting, and then were easily peeled.

All into the food processor with five or six cloves of roasted garlic, half a cup of olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

The “After” picture. Garlicky, rich, yet smoky and sweet, all at the same time. A celebration of summer harvest.

Try it sometime. It is addictive.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Real Food and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, grilling, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Doing My Happy Dance

Posted on August 1, 2013 by AnnieRie

For the CSA bounty. This week we got a baker’s dozen. Thirteen items. Some of my absolute favorites.

The list:
10 ears sweet corn – Farmdale Organics
1 quart garden peach heirloom tomatoes – Riverview Organics
1 bag green bell peppers – Twin Pines Organics
3 (monster) green zucchini – Spring Valley Organics
1 bag red slicing tomatoes – White Swan Acres
1 bag mixed garlic – Eagle View Organics
1 bunch Italian parsley – Noble Herbs
1 bag orange carrots – Pine Hill Organics
1 bag white garlic – Friends Road Organics
1 bag yellow roma tomatoes – Millwood Springs Organics
1 bag red beets – Farmdale Organics
1 lil sweetie cantaloupe – The Back 40 Ranch
1 pint blackberries – Freedom Acres

Yes, for $31 (the weekly charge), we got close to 35 pounds of organic produce.

We are heading into that part of the summer when we almost drown in veggies. Today we also got some great fruit. This week I will be giving away a few veggies. My neighbor loves zucchini. We will probably trade concord grapes from their arbor for a couple of zucchini.

I just wish my tomatoes would kick into gear. Lots of green ones out there. Not a whole lot that are ripe.

The parsley was inspiring. I decided to make tabbouleh.

I chopped up all the parsley and ran with it. Yep, we have tomatoes. Nope, no green onions so I used a sweet onion. Nope, no bulgur so I used couscous. This tabbouleh came from parsley, mint from my garden, onions, cucumbers, couscous, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and allspice. Please don’t ask me for a recipe, because I just added stuff in amounts that looked good.

Sometimes you just have to wing it.

hocofood@@@

3 Comments

Posted in CSA, Food, Gardening, Howard County, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Hot Dogs and Fries … With A Twist

Posted on July 30, 2013 by AnnieRie

Once every summer my husband requests hot dogs on the grill. Preferably those from his home state, and served on potato rolls.

Since my motto is “Everything in Moderation”, even though I try to eat locally, while we were coming home from Frederick today (a trip to pick up tractor stuff to service the mower deck), I stopped at Wagners in Mt. Airy. If you have never been to Wagners, it is a must do.

A traditional butcher shop.

Much of their meat comes from local farmers and 4Hers. They also carry items from small local suppliers, like Kunzler. So, I bought a package of hot dogs to grill. And some potato rolls.

But the rest of the meal. Definitely not your typical fare. Thanks to the facebook page for the HoCo Farmers Market, I found a recipe for zucchini fries.

I don’t have Shake and Bake in the house, so here is what I did. Cut the specialty squash into sticks. Filled a bag with panko bread crumbs, grated pecorino cheese and seasoned salt. Eyeballed the whole mess so I didn’t measure. Cracked an egg and whisked it. Dredged all the squash in the egg, then put batches of them into the bag to cover them. Put them in a pan and baked at 450 degrees for 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. I did wipe the pan down with light olive oil to keep the fries from sticking.

Served it all with the last of the mozzarella and one of the CSA heirlooms. Oh, and my basil.

A great grill meal on a cool sunny evening, sitting on the patio and watching the baby rabbits chase each other around the shed. Sometimes you just want a hot dog. So, indulge!

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Day Trips, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, day trips, Food, foodie, heirloom tomatoes, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Don’t Buy Food From Strangers

Posted on July 29, 2013 by AnnieRie

The Lancaster Farm Fresh logo on their web site and produce bags.

After finishing the Buy Local Challenge, and attending events where we could talk to the farmers, this logo is even more meaningful to us.

This morning at 9AM, the cell phone rang. It was the Amish farmer (yes, some of them use phones and computers in their business, they just don’t allow them in their homes) who gave us the fava beans. One of the farms that supplies our CSA, Sandy Spring, through the cooperative non profit venture now totalling close to 80 small farms.

He wanted to know if it worked out OK. We again thanked him for his gift, and told him we got almost eight pounds of beans. Some were frozen. Some were used.

To us, this connection with those who grow our food is something special that we have realized after a few years of buying locally.

With the latest food problem, that of cyclospora infecting people all across the USA, we feel that minimizing our risk of infection, by using locally produced organic fruit and veggies whenever possible, is one of our smartest decisions.

Buying local produce, meat, dairy, fruit and eggs, and belonging to an organic CSA all help us stay healthier and, definitely, eat fresher, better food.

So, here’s to the Howard County Farmers Markets, full of great local farms. Here’s to the local farmstands with fresh produce and fruit. Here’s to CSAs that connect us with the producers and make us part of their “family”.

Here’s to dinner tonight.

A frittata. Made with Love Dove eggs, Misty Meadows milk, TLV’s fingerlings, Bowling Green Farms feta, Trickling Springs butter, Sandy Spring CSA chard, onion and green pepper, Breezy Willow ham, and served with Stone House bakery’s focaccia.

I know the people who feed me. Do you?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Commentary, Community, CSA, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, People, Real Food and tagged commentary, community, cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Buy Local Success … Big and Small

Posted on July 28, 2013 by AnnieRie

The Buy Local Challenge ends tonight. Pledging to eat at least one locally produced item every day for nine days. Still time to enter the challenge contest using pictures that will be uploaded to the facebook page.

Guests at our picnic get together at the Howard County Conservancy took pictures to upload. Attendance was a little sparse because the weather didn’t cooperate until an hour into the picnic time, but those who came out got some undivided attention from our volunteers and our animals.

After all, how many of you get to feed the goats and take them for a walk with a volunteer. One of our guests did. He also brought one of his Boy Scout projects. Pine needle tea. They served it alongside some awesome looking BLTs using bacon from a farm in Cecil County. Home grown tomatoes, too. They had peaches for dessert.

We saw local cheeses. Local tomatoes. Easy fun simple. And, then believe it or not, the sun came out.

We made caprese, and brought some Stone House focaccia.

Thanks to Casey Caulder Todd from Breezy Willow who came out to meet people and enjoy the picnic goodies with a small bunch of friends, volunteers, family who showed their support of our local farmers.

As for us, we made it easily through another local challenge. Our farmer’s markets and farm stands make buying and eating locally a real cinch. All nine days of it.

Now, if I could have had a working sandisk card in my camera, there would have been pictures. Note to self, never pick up a card and stick it in the camera without checking to see if it registers.

And thanks to Love Dove I had a farm bag to put some local goodies in as a prize for the best picnic spread.

Hope the winners enjoy the local treats from Breezy Willow, TLV, Lewis, Stone House, Great Harvest and from our gardens.

Farm to Table restaurant weeks are still going strong here in the county. We should be at a couple of them this week.

And, just six days until the county fair begins. Crossing my fingers that more Box Car Willie tomatoes ripen before it rains again. I do have a good collection of herbs for that category. I hope to enter herbs, cherry tomatoes, heirlooms and romas this year. Sadly, all my cukes are done for the year. I may dig up some of my white sweet potatoes. They look pretty healthy and are spreading in the garden.

See you at the fair?

hocofood@@@

Eat A Peach

Posted on July 27, 2013 by AnnieRie

Or in my case, freeze a peach.

At today’s market, I picked up a basket full of seconds from Lewis orchards. Brought them home, blanched them, cut them up and put them away to become something good (like a galette) this winter. Whenever I can find the seconds, they are a great deal for getting peaches to freeze.

Or, maybe we will head out to Larriland this week. Peaches and blackberries. To round out my fruit stash for next winter.

Today I also oven dried and froze my first pan of cherry and roma tomatoes.

I oven dry tomatoes after slow roasting them at 250 degrees for two or so hours. They were liberally sprinkled with pepper, dusted with salt and sugar, and tossed in olive oil before roasting.

These beauties will brighten a winter day in a pasta dish.

I have to admit, there are five fruits that I associate with July and August. Tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches and blackberries.

Yes, tomatoes are a fruit. A lovely fruit but not the same as those incredibly soft juicy ripe peaches.

And, yes, food savers are amazing devices.

You just have to use the moist setting, normal and leave lots of room so the juice doesn’t all leak out.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Food, Gardening, Locavore and tagged cooking, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Locavore, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

The Tomato Tsunami

Posted on July 25, 2013 by AnnieRie

Week Ten. And so it begins. The onslaught of tomatoes. Thankfully, one of my favorite things.

Tomatoes comprised four different items this week. Here is the list:

1 bag red tomatoes – chemical free – Breezy Morning Farm
1 heirloom tomato – chemical free – Breezy Morning Farm
1 quart garden peach heirloom tomatoes – Riverview Organics
1 bag specialty squash – Liberty Acres
1 bag green beans – Liberty Acres
1 bag red beets – Farmdale Organics
1 bag orange carrots – Red Fox Organics
1 bag red garlic – Liberty Branch Organics
1 bag sweet onions – Liberty Branch Organics
1 pack portabello caps – Mother Earth
1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes – Farmdale Organics

Farmdale is the farm we visited for the picnic last Saturday. Picked some of those cherry tomatoes while we were there. Here is the entire haul.

I already roasted the beets. Some for salads. Some to pickle.

I dry roast my beets in a bed of kosher salt. They shrivel up and concentrate the flavor.

As for that large heirloom tomato, it is destined to be sliced thickly. Covered in basil. Dropping a piece of fresh mozzarella on it and putting it directly on the grill. With dinner tomorrow or Saturday. Pics later.

Here’s to buying locally and supporting our farmers. How much of your food comes from a 100 mile radius of your home? The more, the better. For freshness, health and the environment you can’t beat eating locally grown fruit and veggies, meat, cheese, eggs.

hocofood@@@

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