SALSA!!

Or pico de gallo or whatever you want to call it.  Here is my version of salsa made with heirloom tomatoes, garden fresh peppers, red onion, garlic, cumin, salt, chili powder and a dash of lime juice.  It was deeeeelishus!  I used a variety or heirlooms including ceylon, green lightning, yellow taxi, cherokee purple, black krim, flamme, carmello, and juliet.

Argh! Give me your Booty!! Or Keep it if You'd Like...

I'd make a terrible pirate.  I'd be giving away more than I'd keep.  But, this year, I've got more than enough to keep and give away, so I'm using a lot but I want to make sure I have some stuff for the doldrums of winter.  What's better than taking a little sunshine out of your freezer on a cold blustery day and making a great soul-warming meal with it?

So in last night's Asian Fusion class I had some requests for information regarding freezing.  Canning is a great option and okay if you don't mind the work and the additives, but I prefer freezing because it's easy, quick and a bit more nutritious.  The only drawback is it's not easily "giftable".  You can give someone a vacuum sealed pack of beans or tomatoes, but it's not as presentable and they have to have room in their freezer or use it right away.

So, for the past few months, I've been pulling out stuff from the freezer and using it in order to make more room for my new wave of produce.

What follows is a guide to freezing produce.  I HIGHLY recommend investing in a vacuum sealer if you plan on going this route.  You can find them at all kinds of places and buy rolls of uncut, customizable bags and pre-made bags in bulk from some of the big shopping clubs at a really good price.  I have a Food Saver.  This brand has been around forever and it's the same kind my mom had, so I've stayed loyal.  The one I have now was a gift from my friend who owns the kitchen store, Culina.  She helped me dig nearly 100 pounds of potatoes, I gave her about 50 and she bought me a sealer.  Pretty good deal for me, I'd say! The model I have stands upright and is automatic, in that you don't have to hold down a button ad it senses the bag and starts right away.  It's the V3840 and it's been a real life and penny saver.

I approve of the methods discussed here for tomatoes since all methods have worked for me.

Good luck, and have fun preserving those little rays of sunshine!


Artichoke, GlobeRemove outer leaves. Wash and trim stalks. Remove "chokes" and blanch, a few at a time, for 7 minutes. Cool in iced water for 7 minutes. Drain. Pack in freezer bags, seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
Artichoke, JerusalemPeel and slice. Place in cold water with the juice of a lemon to prevent discoloration. Blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Cool in iced water for 2 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
AsparagusWash and remove woody portions and scales of spears. Cut into 6 inch lengths and blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Cool in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain. Place on trays in a single layer and freeze for 30 minutes. Pack into suitable containers, seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
Beans, BroadShell and wash. Blanch in boiling water for 1½ minutes. Cool in iced water for 1-2 minutes. Place on tray in a single layer and freeze for 30 minutes. Pack into freezer bags, remove air, seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
BeetsOnly freeze young tender beets, not more than 2-3 inches across. Cook until tender and slice. Cool and transfer to plastic containers. Label. Freeze up to 6 months.
BroccoliChoose tender young heads with no flowers and tender stalks. Wash well and divide into sprigs. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water. Cool in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain. Spread on tray in single layer. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the smell from permeating the freezer. Freeze 30 minutes. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
Brussels SproutsRemove outer leaves and cut a cross at the stem end of sprout. Wash thoroughly and blanch for 3 minutes. Cool in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain and spread on tray in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the smell from permeating the freezer. Freeze 30 minutes, remove from tray and pack into plastic bags. Remove air, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.
CabbageRemove outer leaves and wash the remainder. Cut into thin wedges or shred. Blanch 1½ minutes if shredded or 2 minutes if cut into wedges. Chill in iced water 1-2 minutes. Drain well. Pack in freezer bags, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.
CarrotsWash and scrub carrots and cut large carrots into pieces. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water. Chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain. Spread on a tray in a single layer and freeze 30 minutes. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.
CauliflowerDivide into florets and wash. Blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water. Chill in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain and place on a tray in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
CeleryUse young, tender stalks. Wash and cut into 1 inch pieces. Blanch for 2 minutes in boiling water. Chill in iced water for 2 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
ChayoteCook sliced chayote until tender in boiling water. Drain well, mash and cool. Pack into plastic containers with well fitting lids, leaving space at the top for expansion. Freeze up to 6 months.
ChiliesRemove seeds, wash and dry. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
Chinese BroccoliRemove coarse leaves and thick stems. Wash and blanch in boiling water 2 minutes. Chill in iced water for 2 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
Chinese CabbageOnly freeze crisp and young cabbage. Wash and shred finely. Blanch for 1½ minutes. Chill in iced water for 1-2 minutes. Drain and place in freezer bags, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.
Chinese SpinachWash and trim leaves off stalks. Blanch 1 minute. Chill in iced water 1 minute. Drain, pack into freezer bags and remove air from bags. Seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
CucumberPeel and chop in food processor. Pack into plastic containers with tight fitting lids. Label and freeze. Keeps up to 6 months.
EggplantCut into slices, sprinkle with salt and allow to stand 30 minutes. Drain off excess liquid and fry gently in butter or margarine until just tender. Cool and pack into plastic containers. Seal and label. Keeps up to 3 months.
FennelUse fresh young stalks. Wash thoroughly. Blanch 3 minutes. Chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain, pack in freezer bags and remove air. Keeps up to 6 months.
GarlicPlace separated bulbs in freezer bags. Remove excess air from bags, seal and label. Keeps up to 3 months.
GingerSeparate ginger into convenient sized knobs. Place in freezer bags. Remove excess air from bags, seal and label. Freeze up to 6 months.
KohlrabiWash well, peel and cut into pieces. Blanch for 3 minutes. Chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
LeekRemove tough outer leaves, wash remainder. Cut away green part of stem, slice white flesh or cut in half lengthwise. Blanch 2 minutes if sliced and 3 minutes if cut lengthwise. Chill in iced water 2-3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
Winter SquashPeel, cut into pieces and cook in boiling water until just cooked. Cool and place in freezer bags, remove air, seal and label. Keeps up to 3 months.
MushroomsCultivated mushrooms need no preparation. Pack clean mushrooms in freezer bags. Remove air, seal and label. Freeze up to 6 months.
OkraWash and trim off stems. Blanch in boiling water 3-4 minutes. Cool in iced water 3-4 minutes. Drain and pack in freezer bags. Remove air from bags, seal and label. Freeze up to 6 months.
OnionPeel, chop or cut into rings. Wrap in layers of plastic wrap, place in a plastic container. Label and freeze up to 3 months.
ParsnipPeel and dice. Blanch 2 minutes, chill in iced water for 2 minutes, spread on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Pack into freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps up to 6 months.
PeasShell, wash and blanch 1 minute. Chill in iced water 1 minute. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
PepperWash, remove seeds and cut into slices or leave whole. Place on a tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Freeze up to 6 months.
Potato

• Scrub new potatoes. Cook in boiling water until almost done. Drain, cool, pack in freezer bags. Seal, label and freeze for up to 6 months.
• Slice and deep fry 4 minutes. They should be tender but not browned. Drain and cool on paper towels. Place on a tray in a single layer and freeze 30 minutes. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Freeze up to 3 months.
• Prepare mashed potatoes and freeze up to 3 months.

PumpkinPeel and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Mash, cool and pack into plastic containers leaving headspace. Freeze up to 3 months. Alternatively, peel and cut into pieces. Bake until almost done. Pack into freezer bags when cool, remove the air, seal and label. Keeps up to 3 months.
RutabagaOnly use tender young rutabaga. Cut to required size and blanch 3 minutes. Chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
ShallotsSeparate cloves and place in freezer bags. Remove excess air. Keeps up to 3 months.
Snow PeasUse tender leaves. Wash and trim. Blanch 30 seconds. Chill in iced water 30 seconds. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
SpinachWash well and trim leaves from stalks. Blanch in small quantities of boiling water for 1 minute. Chill in iced water for 1 minute. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
SquashPeel and cook in boiling salted water until tender. Mash, cool and pack into freezer containers leaving room for expansion. Seal and label. Freeze up to 3 months.
Sugar Snap PeaRemove pods, wash and blanch for 1 minute. Chill, drain and spread on a tray. Freeze of 30 minutes, pack in plastic bags, remove air, seal and label. Will keep up to 6 months.
Sweet CornClean well and remove all silk. Cut off top of cob. Wash, blanch a few cobs at a time for 5-7 minutes, depending on size. Chill in iced water 5-7 minutes. Drain and wrap each cob in plastic wrap. Pack in freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Freeze up to 6 months.
Sweet PotatoPeel and cut into pieces. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water, chill in iced water 3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
Tomatoes

• Wash, remove stems, cut into halves or quarters or leave whole. Dry and pack into freezer bags. Remove air, label and seal. Keeps 6 months.
• Dip into boiling water 1 minute. Remove and peel. Place on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes. Place in plastic bags, remove air, seal and label. Keeps up to 6 months.
• Simmer chopped tomatoes in a pan for 5 minutes or until soft. Push through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds. Cool and pack in plastic containers, leaving headspace. Keeps 6 months.

TurnipPeel and trim young, tender turnips. Cut to required size and blanch 3 minutes. Chill in iced water for 3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
Water ChestnutsBring chestnuts to a boil. Drain and peel off shells. Pack in freezer bags or plastic containers, remove air, seal and label. Freeze up to 6 months.
WitloofWash well. Blanch for 3 minutes. Drain and place on tray in a single layer. Freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to freezer bags, remove air, label and seal. Keeps for 6 months.
ZucchiniSlice into 1 inch pieces without peeling. Sauté gently in a little melted butter until barely tender. Cool, pack into plastic containers leaving headspace at the top. Freeze up to 3 months.

Don't worry faithful garden spot followers: photos of recent dishes including Caprese salad; balsamic chicken and pizza!!

Tonight: homemade pizza with heirlooms, fresh mozzarella, kalamatas, caramelized onions, basil... You get the idea!

Far East meets Lynchburg Tuesday night at Culina! The lucky Buddha will be burning, the Jasmine rice will be steaming, and the beef will be shaking!!! Looking forward to all who are signed up. We'll also enjoy a nice Palauan sunset...

Just a Few 'Maters!

The heat is definitely oppressive and the tomatoes are not their happiest when it's this hot.  How hot is it?  So hot that I could skip a step making tomato sauce and cook them on the vine!!!!

Seriously, thanks to the heat we had a bout of blossom end rot, which is a calcium deficiency.  I applied some foliar calcium and fast-acting lime and seemed to help.  I did notice that the tomatoes I mulched with straw have fared better than the ones that I didn't. Any periods of super fast growth, major fruiting and drastic temperature changes can cause this problem.

It seems to have abated somewhat, but now, with the heat, I'm having to pick a lot that aren't quite ready because they risk being scorched.  I have lost two black brandywine to hot spots, but have been getting lots of others.

Tonight I'm making Caprese salad and am wondering why I hadn't made it yet this summer.  What was I thinking?  I need to get on it before the basil is toast!  I picked up some fresh mozz from the gourmet store and am using really high quality BR Cohn balsamic vinegar.  It's a 25 year balsamic made by the BR Cohn winery which, incidentally, is owned by the manager of the Doobie Brothers.  "It keeps you running, yeah, it keeps you running".... This heat is having the opposite effect on me!  It's keeping me dragging.

So, for an awesome Caprese salad, start with high quality (preferably heirloom) tomatoes, use a high quality olive oil (I use the BR Cohn organic olive oil or one from Paso Robles. Spanish ones are nice, too), high quality balsamic, fresh mozzarella (buffalo if you can get it) and fresh basil.
Why am I stressing high quality?  Because none of this is going to be cooked, so it needs to accent the fruit and not overpower it. You want it to brighten and liven the salad without masking it and you don't want a vinegar-y taste, so taste your balsamic first before you put it on your salad.  If it makes you wince, don't use it!!  If you feel like you could polish silver with it, throw it away.  And make sure your olive oil is still good.  It does turn rancid as it ages after being opened,  or if it's exposed to heat, so be aware!
A little good sea salt and a dash of pepper and you're good to go.  Chiffonade the basil and Voila!  You could add some super skinny slivers of red onion for color and if you like onion.  Otherwise I think it is divine as is.

I will post pictures of mine after I make it.  It should be really colorful  with the variety of tomatoes I have this year.

Bon Appetit!

Next time: Carb-loving Bees.....

Summer Break

A Garden Spot takes a break for a few days to do some much needed garden maintenance and some indoor gardening! See you soon!

So.....

"What do you want to have with your green beans for dinner, dear?"

California BACT

So the husband comes home for lunch the other day and I wasn't really prepared....or WAS I????

So I whipped out the bacon from my handy Clip It bacon holder and microwaved a couple strips (the only way I make bacon anymore: less grease and less mess); pulled out some local chevre; sliced up an avocado, a garden fresh tomato and two slices of local Lorraine Bakery sprouted wheat bread and toasted it and voila!  My new favorite sandwich and now his, too.  I didn't have any lettuce, so the avocado was the green substitute.  I love bacon with avocado and goat cheese with everything.  And tomato brings int the acidity it needs and you already have salt from the bacon.  Yummy.  Ok, so the bacon is not that great for you, but I was using all natural bacon that's free of nitrites/nitrates. And when you cook it between layered paper towels on a paper plate, you don't have as much grease because it all goes into the paper towels and still stays crispy.  Avocados of course, have monounsaturated fat and the goat cheese, well... I have no explanation for that. The whole grain bread isn't that bad for you even though everyone seems to think that bread is evil and a diet buster. If it's good quality, free of preservatives, whole grain, and unprocessed flour, well then it's good for you!  Tomatoes are full of vitamin C and Lycopene, but I didn't have to tell you that, did I?  Even Heinz ketchup brags about Lycopene on their bottles now.

So enjoy this easy, breezy and yummy sandwich while the tomatoes are in season!

Happy growing and happy cooking!

Duck Fat Fries

Duck fat French fries! Wonder how bad they are for you? I don't eat French fries very often, even though they're one of my favorite foods, but these are worth it!

Thank you for your Support!

Thanks to my friends who cam out to support me on Green Market Wednesday while I was wearing my bird nerd hat!

Thanks to Beverly for perking me up with her bubbly self!  I was a tad wilted from teaching the previous night.

Thanks to Sue for coming out and bringing me recipes, some product recommendations and lovely fresh tarragon.

Thanks to Pegeen for bringing her sparkling personality by and making me laugh like she always does.  I also want to thank her for lunch!  What a nice thing to do.

Thanks to Steve at Lorraine Bakery for helping me schlep all of my stuff out to the car and saving me a trip.

And as always, thanks to Audrey for providing me the opportunity to share my photography and love of nature with the community.

I will be revisiting the market on the 17th of July.  Hope to see you out there!

JESS

Cool Salad for Hot Days and Nights

Hello, blog readers!  I have received a request for some salad recipes for these hot days and nights.  This is one of my all time favorite recipes for summer.  It's from the Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  I once had to provide lunch for a group of people and one of them was vegan, so I made this.  I really didn't expect the rest of the people to even try this salad.  They were delighted with their meal of fried chicken, mac and cheese and the rest. One of them tried it, then the rest followed and soon, they were all loving it!  I wasn't sure I would have enough for the vegan to be satiated!  It's a little prep-intensive, but worth every chop!  Enjoy.

Sri Wasano's Infamous Indonesian Rice Salad 

Serves 4 to 6

2 cups cooked, cooled brown rice*

½ cup raisins
2 chopped scallions
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
½ cup thinly sliced water chestnuts
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
¼ cup toasted cashews
1 large, chopped green pepper
1 stalk chopped celery (it looks nice if you slice it on the diagonal)
fresh parsley

dressing:
¾ cup orange juice
½ cup safflower oil
1 Tbs. sesame oil
3-4 Tbs. Tamari sauce
2 Tbs. dry sherry
juice of one lemon
1-2 cloves minced garlic
½-1 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
salt + pepper

Combine all ingredients; serve chilled on greens. Optional to top with Duck Sauce, which, along with bean sprouts, sesame oil and ginger root, is available in most oriental food supply stores.

Variations to this recipe:

½ cup thinly sliced bamboo shoots
fresh, raw snow peas
fresh pineapple chunks
toasted coconut (unsweetened)

*1 cup raw rice cooked in 1¾ cups boiling, salted water

HAPPY COOKING AND HAPPY EATING!