Berry Muffins

 Are you starting to miss the apples and oranges and bananas from those Christmas fruit baskets now that they've been gone for a while?
If so, it's time to visit the freezer or go to the "freshest" stock available on the produce shelves to get that kick of fruit fiber and vitamin C. I did both for the muffins featured in this post--thawing the blueberries and purchasing the cranberries.

 Berries--fresh or frozen--dress up even the mot basic muffin recipe, like the one from Better Homes and Gardens that's included here:

Basic Muffins
1 egg
3/4 C milk
1/3 C cooking oil
1 3/4 C all purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Prepare muffin pan or line with muffin cups and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, slightly beat eggs before beating in milk and oil. Set aside. In a larger bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Make a well, and add liquid all at once, mixing. Stir until just lumpy, but don't over-stir. Spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

To this basic recipe you can add:
1 C frozen berries thawed and drained and 2 T sugar or 1 C cranberries (coarsely chopped) and 3/4 C sugar. If desired, add 1/4-1/2 C of chopped walnuts or pecans, too. Stir in gently just before spooning into muffin cups.

Now, to find another basic recipe to embellish, this time one for thawing chicken and a quart of thawing tomatoes...

Pumpkin Cake

 What do you do besides bringing in THIS much wood to dry when the weather team forecasts 48 hours of -10 to -40 degree temperatures? If you're like me, you make a visit to your much-more-temperate garage freezer and look for something to bake.

 I decided to go with a pumpkin spice cake, so I took in a bag of pumpkin puree to thaw. I processed a single large pumpkin this year and got about 4 bags of puree from it.  One of those bags went into this cake you see cooling alongside the all-day chili pot.

Spiced Pumpkin Cake
1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 C eggnog
3/4 C pureed pumpkin
1/4 C honey
2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp. shredded orange peel
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour 9 x 13 baking pan.  Cream together sugar and butter, then add eggs and blend well. Combine pumpkin, honey, and eggnog in another mixing bowl. Then, combine thoroughly the flour, orange peel, soda, salt and spices. Alternately add dry ingredients and creamed butter mix to the liquid ingredients. Put into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool thoroughly. Either frost with a cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Resplendent...

...what to do when this adjective is not the best descriptor for your garden. Don't you still have that longing to put up garden-fresh flavor for your winter menu? That's the subject of the day.

I gave half my garden a rest this year. (Have you noticed that sky-blue tarp spread out on the ground in my garden pics this year?) That rest zone meant I grew far less than fills my winter-larder. ("Just what is a larder?" a fellow blogger asked the other day. Well, whatever it is, mine is more sparsely stocked than in years past--with homegrown fare, that is.) What's more, it was such a dry season that what did grow wasn't up to the standard of previous years.

Supplementation is the key at this point. See the 7 quarts of tomato sauce cooling on the back of the stove? They're the result of that 25 lb. box of tomatoes from the farm veggie-store. I mentioned them in a post the other day.

I also got sweet corn from a local producer. $4 for 10 ears this time of year. (Well, $5 if you want to include the dollar I gave Junior Gardener for shucking them and toting the inedible remains to the compost heap.) Mid-summer, the corn was even cheaper. In fact, the Brussels sprouts are the only thing in the freezer-ready basket that actually came from the back yard, but they aren't the only thing that's nearly fresh from the vine.

So what if the green beans spent a day or two traveling from the bean patch to the farm store shelf to my shopping basket. I'm sure that when I pull a bag out of the freezer come Thanksgiving, I'll never have a clue whether it's a bag from my own garden or from someone else's. They will still have that "kicked-up-a-notch" flavor that I want gracing my holiday table. And, they were only five and a half bucks for this 3 lb. bag.

A couple of pointers about freezing produce:

• Blanche before freezing. If you're not sure what blanching is all about, check out this post from the deep freeze: http://http//suburbansettler.blogspot.com/2010/11/blanchits-not-just-your-great-aunts.html




• Expel as much air as possible when using freezer bags. Freezer burn is less likely.





• Finally, make sure you let anything in glass jars cool completely before you freeze it. Otherwise, you'll open your freezer to a scattering of glass shards.

Today I'll sign off with:

Happy farmer's market shopping!

One More Round of Berries

No one grieves over the end of strawberry season, and do you know why? Because blueberry season follows so closely on its tail!

I don't know how it is where you live, but here in Central Indiana at my berry farm of choice, this time of year you can pick your own berries for $1.65 a pound, making the batch of berries shown above cost in the neighborhood of $10.

And, getting them fresh from the farmer's market or berry farm is almost as convenient as buying them at the grocery store, because blueberries are some of the easiest berries to clean and freeze. Blueberries can be frozen from fresh by arranging them on a cookie sheet and putting it in the freezer. When the berries are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag for longer-term storage. Blueberries also keep well in the refrigerator, though, so if you're planning to eat them within 10 days, don't even bother with freezing them.

Like a few ideas for ways to use those fresh, sweet, juicy berries--besides eating them almost as fast as you pick them? This list comes from a handout offered free of charge at the checkout of my local berry farm. Enjoy!

*Sprinkle in a tossed green or spinach salad

*Create a blueberry vinaigrette salad dressing

*Serve in melon halves

*Alternate layers of blueberries with vanilla pudding to make a parfait

*Serve in a bowl of fresh whipped cream

*Drop in sparkling water for a refreshing alternative to soft drinks

*Make blueberry nut bread

*Stuff French toast with blueberries

*Serve with cottage cheese

*Make blueberry tarts

Happy purple fingers, everyone!

Blanch...it's not just your great-aunt's name

When the hard freeze comes and the garden starts the day under a frosty blanket, the last of its fare will freeze, too--either in your freezer or in nature's! If those foods are meant to grace your table through the winter, they will often fare better from a blanching before you freeze them.





What is blanching, you ask? Blanching involves dipping vegetables in boiling water. This process slows the negative effects of enzymes on the food while it is in the freezer.


And blanching isn't just for gardeners! As your farmer's markets close for the season, or even in the produce section of the grocery stores, the last of the seasonal food can often be purchased in bulk at cheaper prices than will be found for that fresh produce for many months to come. Now is the time to buy that produce and freeze it for yourself. For instance, I purchased a large batch of broccoli and big bag of cranberries with the intention of freezing most of it.



But if you're going to blanch those veggies, you should know that everything has different blanching requirements, and some things need no blanching at all, for example, the cranberries need no blanching; so it is good to have a chart of blanching recommendations handy. I have a home preserving cookbook that includes a blanching section. According to it,the Ball Blue Book, you should begin by washing and cutting vegetables as if for cooking fresh. Use a ratio of 1 gallon of water per pound of vegetables. A wire basket, mesh bag or metal strainer works adequately as a blancher. Use the blancher to lower the vegetables into vigorously boiling water. Begin timing as soon as you put the vegetables into the water. Keep the heat on high as you blanch. Either stir the water or keep the container covered while you blanch.



An important point to note: underblanching increases enzyme activity, so you're better off not doing it at all if not taking care to note the time recommendations. On the other hand, overblanching decreases vitamins, minerals, flavor and color. Obviously, it is vital to note blanching times!


When the blanching is finished, immerse the vegetables in icy water to stop the cooking process and pack loosely in airtight freezer containers. I like using freezer bags that I can label with the food type and the date. You can remove most of the excess air with these bags, but they don't store as tidily as stackable freezer containers.




Here are a few commonly frozen foods and their blanching times:


Asparagus: 1 1/2 min. small spears to 3 min. large spears


Snap beans: 3 min.


Broccoli: 3 min. (large sections need 4 min.)


Carrots: 3 min. for cut carrots to 5 min. for whole


Greens: 2 min.


Fresh herbs: don't blanch!


Onions: wash and chop but freeze without blanching.


Peas: (sugar or snap) 2 minutes


Peppers: neither hot nor sweet need blanching.


Potatoes: wash, peel, wash again and blanch 3-5 minutes.


Tomatoes: must be made into sauce before freezing. No blanching.


Tomatoes (green): wash, core, slice and freeze with freezer wrap between the slices. No blanching.


Plums, pineapples, kiwi and many berries such as blueberries, gooseberries and cranberries can be cut (if needed) and dry packed to freeze. No blanching is required. Others like cherries and strawberries fare well in a sugar pack. To sugar pack, use one part sugar for every six parts sliced berries or one part for four parts with pitted cherries. Allow to stand for 10 minutes for sugar to dissolve, then freeze.


Apples and pears often call for specific syrups. (More on these syrups in a future blog.)


Finally, who can boil mass quantities of a vegetable, fill the kitchen with its aroma and not make something for immediate consumption, too! So as a bonus, I'll share my broccoli quiche recipe. It was the main entree for dinner the day I froze broccoli. As a side? Cranberry salad, of course!




Italian Broccoli Quiche
2 cups of broccoli
1 unbaked pie crust
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup cooked Italian sausage
4 beaten eggs
2 cups light cream (half and half)
1 T flour
1/2 t salt
1 t Italian seasoning
1 1/2 shredded cheddar

Prick pastry shell and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.

Crumble sausage after cooking and cook onion in the sausage drippings. Drain.

In a bowl, stir together cream, eggs, flour, salt and seasoning. Stir in the broccoli, sausage, onion and cheese. Mix well. Pour into the pastry shell (still warm) and sprinkle with another 1/2 C cheese if desired. Bake in 325 degree oven 45 to 50 minutes. (Cover edges with foil to prevent browning if desired.)

Happy blanching (and baking)!

Repurposing in the Kitchen: Corncob Molasses and Crockpot Applesauce

I don't remember hearing the word recycle used much when I was a kid. It may seem a relatively modern idea, but our ancestors did a lot more of it than we realize. They just called it life.


Take those left-over ears from the corn I froze yesterday. A Midwestern farmer in the 1800's would turn right around and use those cobs for corncob molasses. Now it's not really molasses, but those old farmers were happy to re-purpose words, too, so any sweet syrup might get labeled molasses, whether it was made with corncobs or pumpkins or apples.





I got this particular recipe from a book called By the Seasons, by Kathryn M. Fraser. It was put out in 1983 by the TVA as a survey of homestead recipes used in Kentucky's Land Between the Lakes, recipes as they were popular in the 1850's. It's a unique little cookbook, offering a nice progression of recipes to follow the growing season, and all interspersed with sepia-tone photos and descriptive articles detailing 1850's farm life. Thirty minutes preliminary work sipping coffee and perusing that cookbook makes it all the easier for the suburban chef to at least pretend she's washing her produce at a well pump instead of with her vegetable sprayer, or that she's standing at a tall, wide cooking hearth rather than at her electric stove with microwave above.

The ingredients for this particular recipe are quite simple: 8 corncobs, 4 C water, and 3 C brown sugar. The recipe reads as follows:

"In a kettle, cover the corncobs with the water, and bring the water to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes. Remove the corncobs and strain the liquid into a 3 quart saucepan. Add the sugar, and bring the liquid to a boil over moderate heat, and simmer, stirring and washing down the sugar crystals that cling to the side of the pan with a brush dipped in cold water until the sugar is dissolved. Cook the syrup over moderately high heat for 10-15 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 220 degrees. Pour the molasses into a sterilized one-pint Mason-type canning jar and seal the jar with the lid. The molasses will keep indefinitely in a cool, dry, dark place. Makes about one pint."

The syrup does have a distinct corn flavor to it, so bear that in mind as you decide how to use it. Also, it is rather thin compared to our modern concept of syrups. I'd warm it. A tablespoon of butter might be a good addition if you want it to be a little richer, maybe use a little cornstarch for a thickener. On the other hand, you might just choose to go with the authentic consistency. Drench those hotcakes;float that cornbread!

This recipe calls for sterilized jars. I chose to do it the easy way today: by running a load of them through the dishwasher's sanitizing cycle. I also sterilized a few for the applesauce, which we should probably inspect now. Making applesauce can be as hard or as easy as you want it to be. I decided to go with easy, using a crock pot recipe I found online. http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,crock_pot_applesauce,FF.html

I'd like to include two gadget tips at this point. You'll save yourself a lot of time if you invest in this handy little tool to use whenever "peel, core and chunk" shows up in your recipe. Peeler/corer/slicers run about $25, but the simple corer/divider is only $10-15 and quite sufficient unless you're working apples by the bushel.




After you peel the apple, one quick thrust and you have it cored and sliced. Or you can do what I did: forget to peel the apple until after you've cored and sliced it, but it's quicker to peel it first. This gadget also works nicely for serving a simple dessert of sliced apples with caramel dipping sauce. Just be careful to center it well over the core, or you could end up"dividing" the core, too. And for goodness sake, don't get your finger underneath it!

This recipe didn't call for ascorbic and citric acid to be used, but if you'd like to use some, add 1/4 of a teaspoon for every quart of apples you cut. Then with the water, sugar and cinnamon coating them, the apples are ready for the crock pot.

Another utensil I'd mention for the sake of re-purposing is the humble potato masher. (It can mash more than just potatoes, you know.) After four hours with the crock pot set on high, the apples are easily mashed into a delicious spicy sauce. I used enough apples to half-fill my crock pot and ended with two pints of applesauce. One went in the freezer; the other is to enjoy now. The family thought it was tasty enough they want me to make more. "It's as good as your zucchini bread, Mom," said one son, which is saying a lot since they really like the zucchini bread! One hint, flavorful applesauce starts with flavorful apples. Tell the vendors at the farmer's market what you intend to do with the apples you buy. They'll direct you to the best of "what's in season" for your purposes.

Once mashed, I left the applesauce to cool while dinner was served. Bread on the sideboard tonight: classic cornbread naturally, to go with the corncob molasses. I used the traditional recipe on the bag of cornmeal but added two teaspoons of PureVia. I like to make ours a sweet cornbread, but try to save on a few calories where I can.

I'll mention one last necessary utensil for canning and freezing. If you're planning to can salsa with me in a few days, you'll want to have one of these. In fact, if you're going to do much at all with this canning hobby, you'll want to have this: a funnel. Funnels help you get your carefully prepared jams, relishes and sauces directly into the jars rather than splattering them all over the counter, not to mention on your feet. If nothing is pressing over-ripe tomorrow, I'll take a break from the cooking and freezing talk and prepare you a list of other supplies you'll need if you plan to come alongside me and make Salsa Day your first canning project.

By the way, as I type this, my sealed jars of corncob molasses are sitting nearby. They remind me I should mention the ping, and I don't mean the one you hear after a good golf swing. It's the canner's ping. Your goal in canning foods that would spoil is to seal your jars until ready for use. As each jar lid seals after canning, you'll hear a distinctive ping. Grandma says you should say, "Thank you," when the ping happens--a folksy habit I've taught my own family so well they're downright Pavlovian with it. The syrup I made today didn't go in the canner, but I got it from stove top to jars so quickly that the syrup's own heat sealed the jars. Ping! Just be certain that you put hot syrup into hot jars (rinsed in hot water or pulled from the heat dry setting on the dishwasher) so the jars don't break when you fill them!

Last but not least, tonight's blue plate special: a light serving of boiled ham, one meal's worth of green beans and potatoes (see today's gardening blog for why so few), the rest of the yesterday's sauteed veggies, a few slices of Amish garlic and tomato cheese, fresh hot applesauce, and hot buttered cornbread with corncob syrup! Eat up!

Left-overs Straight from the Garden...

Canning season is in full swing, with the garden offering a variety of produce fit for canning. Sometimes, however, you bring in just a little more than fits your canning needs. There's just no way to communicate to your garden exactly how many cucumbers that relish recipe needs. Besides, part of the fun of the hobby is choosing recipes based on what your garden decides to give you on any given week.

So today's recipes use up those "extras" alongside a bit of stove top multi-tasking: freezing up a batch of locally grown sweet corn. Nothing brings the taste of summer wafting over your winter table quite like a steaming dish of corn brought in from the freezer and warmed up with a bit of salt and butter.

Tonight, only two of us were dining, so a few extra peppers made stuffed peppers a great option. And since the oven was hot, baked custards made a good choice for dessert. I found the recipe for these custards at:


http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Custard/Detail.aspx


Topped with a little chocolate sauce and whipped cream, these were easy and delicious!





But I get ahead of myself talking dessert. Back to the peppers. I've read enough stuffed pepper recipes to know, peppers make great little boats for all sorts of left-overs. Tonight, I used some Spanish rice, the remainder of a package of bacon, a jar of pimentos that was in the back of the pantry and a can of seasoned, diced tomatoes. I baked them in a little water at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then topped them with a little cheddar for the last 15 minutes of baking time. Delicious!





Still in keeping with the "leftovers" theme, I used the leftover bacon grease (an occasional dietary indulgence) to saute some leftovers from a recent canning day: chunks of zucchini, onion, tomato and minced garlic all joined a can of mushrooms (water included) in the skillet for a side dish. What's left will probably find its way into a breakfast omelet tomorrow, and the remaining rice mix warming in the back just may show up as lunch for the kids. Today's bread on the side board: a super rapid bread recipe for the Breadman bread machine. These recipes use a little more yeast, but cook in just one hour! If you have a machine that can make them, the rapid recipes turn out a beautiful loaf so don't hesitate to try the setting.


As for the remaining side dish, it was the only part of the meal not classified as a leftover: corn!

Saturday, we shopped for corn at the farmer's market. My backyard garden space is limited, so I don't grow corn. I just buy several dozen ears from farmers' markets in mid-July when the sweet corn is available. I suspect other backyard gardeners follow suit, because this time of year, the line at the fresh corn booth often runs 20 people deep. It's a nice idea to buy snow cones to keep your little shopping helpers cool and occupied in those long lines. (I can almost always get a little helper to go along to the farmers' market.) Here are some tips on successfully "putting up" a batch of corn to freeze.

One option is to freeze it on the cob. Just blanche the ears, 6 minutes for small ears up to 10 minutes for large one. (Blanching involves putting the vegetable in boiling water to slow the processing of enzymes.) Wrap them individually and pack them in freezer bags. I prefer freezing whole kernel, and so I keep this handy gadget alongside on the days I put up corn. After blanching, this corn stripper will in one quick move strip the kernels right off the cob, but be careful. If the ear isn't stable, it till tip and send kernels flying everywhere!

(In fact, don't be surprised if you get corn everywhere anyway, but it is worth it!)



You can pack the corn in freezer jars or freezer bags, but if you use bags, try to be certain to get out as much of the air as possible. You'll be less likely to have issues with freezer burn.


With the corn finished and the oven timer beeping, it was time to dish up! But I quickly wrapped and refrigerated the bare cobs. Tomorrow I'll use them in an old-fashioned recipe for corncob molasses. (Check back to see how it's done.)

A last note, young hands are often happy to shuck the corn for you, especially if they get to eat the fruits of their labor right away!

Tomorrow: corn cob molasses and crock pot to freezer applesauce, as well as a run to the blueberry patch and tips on keeping the garden from going "sour" on the hot and humid days of July!