Wild Berries in the Park

The little forested area and park near my apartment is more productive than one might think. There's wild columbines along the trail, and stinging nettle (edible), and I even found some morels this spring at the edge of a grassy park area.

But my favorite time of year is when the blackcaps ripen, which are also at the edge between grass and forest. They aren't much, but it's just enough for the breakfast bowl in the morning. It seems the bushes are less productive with each passing year, but hopefully they'll rebound on their own.

There's also a raspberry bush mixed in, but I haven't spotted it yet this year.

 

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July Fourth

I hope everyone had a great July Fourth holiday. I had the chance to test out my camera to capture some great fireworks.

This is on a hill overlooking Saint Paul, Minnesota. There was quite a crowd, and one kid near us seemed to enjoy it. He clapped wildly at every little spark in the sky. 

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Farmer's Market Weekend in St Paul

I'm so sorry I haven't talk to you guys in awhile , I've been really busy with the opening team of a new restaurant in St Paul, Minnesota as one of the chefs, but I'll tell you more about that in a different post. So last Saturday I had an opportunity to have a day to myself and I took full advantage of that and went to explore the local farmer's market in St Paul. It's a great market because everything there is truly local within a 50 mile radius of the Twin Cities. There was so much to see and smell and taste! I was only there for 15 minutes before i was making my first trip back to the car to drop off two full bags of spring onions, garlic shoots,new potatoes, bok choy, cilantro and on and on. It was truly a very pleasant experience and it was only my first trip to this particular market and I'll definitely keep going back throughout the season!

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What Organic Really Means Under Federal Law

As with all food in this great U-S of A, wording is not as clear and you would think, and "Organic" is no different. Here's a good little list of what that organic labeling really means.

I do wonder why organic products cost more...Aren't they saving money by not buying pesticides?

"100 Percent Organic" products must show an ingredient list, the name and address of the handler (bottler, distributor, importer, manufacturer, packer, processor) of the finished product, and the name and seal of the organic certifier. These products should contain no chemicals, additives, synthetics, pesticides or genetically engineered substances.

"USDA Organic" products must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. The five percent non-organic ingredients could include additives or synthetics if they are on an approved list. The label must contain a list that identifies the organic, as well as the non-organic, ingredients in the product, and the name of the organic certifier.

"Made With Organic" products must contain at least 70 percent organic ingredients. The label must contain a list that identifies the organic, as well as the non-organic, ingredients in the product, along with the name of the organic certifier.

If a product contains less than 70 percent organic ingredients, it cannot use the word "organic" on the packaging or display panel, and the only place an organic claim can be made is on the ingredient label.

from Washington Post

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Pickled Beets

I'm still going through all the great vegetables I got from the farmers' market. If anything, it's forcing me to eat my veggies. There's something great when you know you're eating things that were pulled out of the ground that morning.

So when I spotted beets for $1 who could pass that deal? I love beets. They're really, really earthy with a unique flavor. I wanted to make something light and summery with them, so I decided on pickled beets. Don't forget to save the greens, they're great with some bacon and onion.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1 Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.

2 Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets.

3 Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.

Serves four.

from Simply Recipes

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Rhubarb Shortcake

When spring transitions to summer, that means it's time for rhubarb. When I was a kid, we had a huge rhubarb plant that would grow humongous stalks. Occasionally, my sister and I would pull a stalk and daringly bite into it for the tart rhubarb taste. But they were also pretty good dipped in sugar.

When I saw rhubarb at the St. Paul Farmers' Market, I knew I had to get some. I recently had rhubarb shortcake at a local restaurant so I though I'd try it at home.

Almost any shortcake recipe will do, but this is the one I used. I will say the recipe for the rhubarb is pretty much perfect. A nice tart and sweet rhubarb taste, with only sugar and a little butter. Yum!

Ingredients:

-Shortcake

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing
• 1 teaspoon Sugar in the Raw

-Rhubarb

• 1 lb rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Also, lightly sweetened whipped cream

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

• Lightly butter a baking sheet.

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in cream just until a dough forms. Gather dough into a ball and gently knead together once or twice on a lightly floured surface.

• Roll or pat out dough into a 6-inch square (about 1/2 inch thick). Trim edges with a floured knife and cut into 4 squares. Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with Sugar in the Raw. Bake on baking sheet until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.

• While biscuits bake, cook rhubarb with granulated sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit is very tender and falling apart, about 10 minutes.

• Stir together cornstarch, then add to rhubarb mixture and simmer, stirring, until mixture is slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

• Split biscuits, then sandwich rhubarb and whipped cream inside them.

 

 

Remember, the leaves of the Rhubarb plant are poisonous, although you'd have to eat a lot.

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Peas on the patio with purple flowers?

Peas aren't really meant for container gardening but there's no hurt trying. With that said, I've gotten a few good pods and it's worth a fresh little treat every other day or so. Not to mention my Jardine's parrot loves them way more than the frozen ones thawed with hot water.

I was also surprised by a pea plant with a unique mutation. It has purple flowers!!!

I did a little research online to see what was up, but then I cam across purple-podded peas. I want to grow those!

Technorati Tags: peas,patio,gardening,growing,pots,planters

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