Corn-Free,
CSA,
Dairy-free,
Fermentation,
Full Share,
kimchi,
Lacto-fermentation,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
Mason Jars,
Summer,
traditional fermentation,
Wheat-free
Kimchi: An Upstate New York Variation
4:28 AM
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.
Upstate New York Kimchi
1 large Nappa Cabbage, cut into 2-inch pieces
approx. 1/2 cup kosher salt
3 small carrots, grated
Sauce
6 inches of fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp Hot Mexican Chili Powder
2 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Vidalia (or Spanish) Onion
1 tsp Paprika
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Tamari
1 tbsp pear or apple juice
Put the chopped cabbage and carrots into a large bowl. Add the salt and massage it into the veggies. Add just enough water to come up to the top of the cabbage and let it soak for a few hours with a plate on top to keep everything submerged.
After the cabbage is sufficiently wilted, strain the veggies in the sink and rinse them lightly with fresh water. Set aside.
Combine all the "sauce" ingredients in a blender. Puree' until completely incorporated.
Toss together sauce and veggies in a large bowl.
Pack your kimchi into wide-mouthed quart jars. Really cram it down in there (I used a rolling pin).
Make a brine to top off the kimchi (It will create it's own brine, but mine needed a little extra). Combine 2 tbsp kosher salt with 1 quart of water (a Mason jar works great for this). Top off your kimchi and make sure everything is submerged. I held mine down with pieces of skewer this time, but you can use glass weights, large cabbage leaves, river rocks... whatever you have on hand. Just make sure the veggies are completely submerged.
Cap loosely with mason jar lids. Burp if and when necessary over the next 3-5 days. By day 2 your kimchi should be nice and bubbly. You can taste it to see if it's to your liking starting at day 3. Once you like the taste, transfer it to the refridgerator. ENJOY!!
cooking greens,
CSA,
Fermentation,
kimchi,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
slow food,
Summer,
Zucchini,
Zucchini Soup
CSA Full Share Week 6: Nappa Cabbage and More Zucchini = Time for Kimchi, and Zucchini Soup!
1:34 PM
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.
Beans,
cooking greens,
CSA,
Fermentation,
Lacto-fermentation,
Mason Jars,
preserving,
radish salad,
radishes,
sour cherries,
Summer,
traditional fermentation,
wine
CSA Full Share Week 5: Sour cherries galore, and Wax Beans (Dilly Beans!)
5:49 AM
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!!
CSA,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
Marinade,
radishes,
Raw food,
Relish,
salad,
slow food,
Summer,
Vegan
Taking The Bite Out Of Globe Radishes.
1:26 PM
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.
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
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... |
Mild Globe Radish Relish
2 large bunches of Globe Radish, grated
1 mild onion, grated
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Sugar to taste (about 1 tbsp for me)
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
Put grated radishes and onion in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit a couple minutes at room temperature and then squeeze out any excess moisture (I used my hands and paper towels that I had on hand. The radishes DO stain things pink and the onion... well... it's an onion... so save your clean dishtowels).
Whisk together ACV, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over the radish mixture and toss thoroughly. Cover and let marinade AT LEAST overnight (24 hrs is even better) in the refrigerator. The bite will magically disappear and you'll have a lovely little salad/relish to enjoy over the next several days.
Happy Harvest!
black caps,
canning,
cooked jam,
Fermentation,
foraging,
from scratch,
homebrew,
Jam,
Mason Jars,
preserving,
sour cherries,
Summer,
wine
Jam and Wine Bubbling Away!
12:36 PMI 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 |
Have Fun, and Happy Fermenting!!!
Beet Soup,
borscht,
Cherries,
Corn-Free,
CSA,
Dairy-free,
Little Kids in the Kitchen,
Pureed Soup,
Scones,
Summer,
summer squash
Week 4: Sour Cherries and Beets
12:05 PM
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!!
