They say that this Winter is looking like it's going to be a rough one.  So, while we're still here in Indian Summer, I thought I'd share some shots of the PLETHORA of sun-loving tomatoes that have graced our tabletop (and dehydrator, and blender, and sandwiches, and sauces aaand... you get the picture). This has definitely been our bumper crop this season!












The kids are finally both back in school.  That gives me a little more time to play.
Here's a recipe for a new pickle that I tried out.  It's a new personal favorite, combining the sweetness of grape tomatoes with a sparkling, crunchy explosion of flavor.  Oh, and it's probiotic!

Ok.  I've been slacking in writing about this stuff.  We've also been traveling a bit and it's been fantastic.

Full CSA Share Week 8

Full CSA Share Week 9

The last 2 weeks have been populated by peaches, plums, apples, melon, and blueberries.  All of which we ate raw and at once.   I actually supplemented our fruit supply with storebought fruit as well.   Just leave it on the table and it disappears.


We made raw salads out of the lettuce, and cucumbers and green beans during week 8.

The leeks (3) and red potatoes and onion were used in a version of Manhattan Clam Chowder.
I modified the recipe to contain Leeks, canned clams and juice (I KNOW!   it was a weeknight!) and 3 or 4 HUGE heirloom tomatoes (more about those in a moment).
 

I also made another batch of Borscht out of the beets and grilled up the japanese eggplants and broccoli.

So guys.  Here's the thing:  I'm finding that I'm happiest when I supplement my CSA share!  "Using it up" as a family of 4 has never once proven to be the challenge that I was hoping for.   Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE the idea behind a CSA membership and being surprised each week with a variety of produce, but it just isn't enough to keep me inspired.   I'll keep updating with photos of the CSA hauls for the rest of the season, but I'm thinking most of my inspiration will be coming from elsewhere...


And with that:  I was feeling uninspired.  Didn't want to cook the same old stuff.  Didn't want to write about it. 

Then Mom went on vacation and let me loose in her garden...  I came home with this:


HEIRLOOM TOMATO GLUT!!  And fresh herbs and carrots and onions and cucumbers and flowers.

THIS is what I'm talking about.

I immediately responded with a tomato/basil/cucumber salad with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.  It was amazing in a way that only fresh heirloom tomatoes can be:

 To go along with the clam chowder (or so I told myself, Actually this could be a meal unto itself) I made a Crostata out of heirloom tomatoes, fresh sage, parsley and basil, and fresh picked caramalized onions.

These ingredients were actually enough for 2 Crostata!

I wrote about how we had gotten some beets with our CSA share last week.  Well, I cooked the greens a while back but the roots still remained.  I have a recipe for  Refrigerator Pickled Beets that I really LOVE which involves cooking the beets first and then pickling them in vinegar.

This time I decided to try getting a little probiotic goodness in there as well.

So!   I was presented with this lovely head of Nappa cabbage.  The only answer I could think of was Kimchi.  As a matter of fact, I couldn't help myself.  This particular cabbage was SCREAMING Kimchi!

I've made Kimchi in the past.  Both Classic Kimchi and Baek (White, or Vegan) Kimchi.   I personally LOVED the Vegan Kimchi.  It has a great light pickle flavor, and was super-fast to make.  I wasn't such a big fan of how the Classic Kimchi practically burned my face off when I tried it!  My husband, however, loved it.  Especially on hotdogs!

This time around I'm going for less heat, but the added classic flavors of chili, garlic, and fish sauce... along with the probiotic "pickle" tang that I love so much.

I also went ahead and substituted in easily-found (read, in my cupboard) ingredients along the way.  

This week is highlighted with the appearance of a HUGE nappa cabbage.  Perfect, I'll be making kimchi!  I plan to tweak the recipe I used last time so as to make it spicy, but not SUPER spicy like it was last time.

We pitted and froze the sour cherries, and the apricots and blueberries were eaten within the first day.

The swiss chard was combined with the beet greens from last week.  It was chopped, and sauted with bacon, onion, salt and pepper and made a great light dinner along with a crusty loaf a bread.

The we got 2 small zucchini and put them together with a couple more we had laying around and made a batch of Ur Oma's Zucchini Soup! 

The green beans were used in a 3 bean salad and the head of leaf lettuce was made into side salads during the week.

I see now that I wrote about my projects last week, but failed to explain what was in our CSA box.   Well, we got 1 bunch beets, 1 bunch radishes, 2 quarts sour cherries, 1 pint blueberries, 1 pint wax beans, 3 cucumbers, 3 small zucchini, and  a head of red leaf lettuce.

We'll start with the beets.  I separated the greens from the roots and will be making roasted pickled beets ala Alton Brown's recipe . I usually fiddle with recipes and make them my own, but this one is SO GOOD that you'll eat the whole jar in one sitting.  Trust me.

The beet greens were stored in the refrigerator and later chopped and sauteed along with chopped swiss chard, bacon, salt and pepper, and a sweet onion.  We ate this with a loaf of crusty bread and it was a perfect light dinner on a 90 degree day!



At this point, I actually had 2 bunches of radishes waiting to be eaten.  I did a separate post dedicated to this because I came up with a radish salad idea that takes the bite out of radishes. And I was PROUD of it!




The blueberries were eaten before the day was out.

The sour cherries were pitted and made into Blackcap/Sour cherry wine (it's still bubbling on the counter!).  

I made the wax beans plus about a quart of green beans from my Mom's garden into Dilly Beans!   I wait all year to make these!

The cucumbers were eaten whole by my husband and kids.

The lettuce was washed, chopped and kept in a bag in the refrigerator for easy green salad making.

AND the zucchini will be grilled tonight in oil and garlic to go alongside some BBQ chicken.

ENJOY!!

So radishes.  I received 2 more bunches of globe radishes and I already have a quart jar of pickled radishes going. If you remember from a few weeks ago, nobody in our house likes radishes.  I personally don't like the bite they impart.  Their texture is just fine and holds up well to grating, so I got an idea:  How about a marinated radish relish? I thought about how marinating raw onion takes the bite out of them... so why wouldn't it work for a radish??   Oh, It does!!!  Does it ever!

This is a really simple recipe for marinated, not spicey, globe radish relish that is refreshing, crunchy, and delicious by itself, on a salad or even on a burger or cold cut sandwich.

These were sitting in my crisper...

I've been processing away all day today.    

I pitted the sour cherries and had about 4 gallons of frozen blackcaps in the freezer.  It is OFFICIALLY time to make Blackcap Jam and Wine!

Here's this years first small batch of Blackcap Jam!

Follow the link above to find my original recipes for these. 

This year I'm doing a variation on the Blackcap wine recipe that includes 2 lbs of pitted sour cherries.  For the fruit, you just add 2 lbs Blackcaps and 2 lbs Sour cherries.  Mash, add dried cranberries (or golden raisins) as suggested let set 24 hours, and carry on from there just as the instructions from the original post tell you!

First, you pit the Sour Cherries!

Put all of your frozen fruit (cherries and blackcaps) into a large pot, add raisins (or dried/sweetened cranberries), and top off with 4 quarts of water.

Cover with a hand towel and set sit 24 hours.  This is actually 2 different batches of wine. One plain Blackcap, and one Sour cherry/blackcap

See the original recipe here!
Have Fun, and Happy Fermenting!!!

This week's CSA haul consisted of:

1 quart sweet cherries
1 quart sour cherries
2 pints blueberries (1 pint disappeared in the car on the way home)
1 head red romaine letuce
1 bunch cilantro
2 heads broccoli
1 large bunch beets
3 medium cucumbers
3 small zucchini
1 small bunch kale
Well, the sweet cherries and blueberries were put out on the table and eaten as they were.  We had green salad all week that was a mix of the last of the Romaine hearts from last week, this week's red romaine, and kale. I kept it chopped in a plastic bag for easy use. The cucumbers were eaten on salads and the kids ate one of them cut up themselves.

I still don't have a plan for the broccoli (I'm working on it!).
The Zucchini will be turned into  Ur Oma's Zucchini soup for dinner tonight.

The Sour cherries were pitted and made into really gorgeous scones by my husband. He substituted 1 1/2c fresh cherries for the usual 1 c of dried.  We brought them to a Summertime Wine Party (you CAN dip them in wine if you have a big enough glass!).



The beets were made into Borscht which we had for Sunday dinner, along with ham sandwiches on marble rye and a green salad.

And that leaves the cilantro.  Guys, I hate to admit it,  but nobody in our house likes cilantro.  I think it tastes like soap... I've read that this is an inherited taste preference.   Soap scent, however, makes great SOAP!   So, I'm making a Cilantro Vinegar surface cleaner out of it, once I collect enough.

Enjoy!!

So, this was a lost week.  Well, maybe not entirely lost, but entirely not planned.  I DID end up making Vegan broccoli and cheese bake, which I will share my recipe for because it came out wonderfully. 

Here's the photo from Week #3 CSA share: