Blueberries brought me out of the funk...

I can't say why exactly I've been in a funk.  Life is good, all is well.  Yet I kept letting the small things get to me.  Well, other small things got to me as well, namely 4 quarts of exceptional Michigan blueberries! 
This year's berries are quite large and sweet, firm and plump!  John purchased them from a local fruit farmer at the Farmers Market in Saline Michigan and I began the hunt for a little something different to create.

I am the savory type, versus the sweet tooth.  I cannot make another batch of jam, we just won't eat it all!  So I was perusing a magazine and much to my delight came across a recipe for Honey-Bourbon Pickled Blueberries.  (Better Homes and Gardens "Canning" magazine)  What is not to like in THAT combination?!  I whipped up a batch at home and then presented it to my PRESERVE IT! class last night.  WINNER!  I adjusted the recipe slightly on my second and third batches...I added some white balsamic vinegar and peppercorns for a hint of spice.  I also added a bit of kosher salt which really balanced the sweetness!  The recipe that follows is my adjusted recipe!

When looking at the name and listing of ingredients, you would imagine this being too savory for sweet applications, yet not really.  I can see this layered in a sour cream coffee cake or served with a whole wheat dessert waffle just as well as drizzled over a grilled pork tenderloin or served with a lovely sharp cheddar cheese.  Another reason to make this is the yield factor...6 half pints.  Small, doable in the morning before heading to work in my case! 

HONEY-BOURBON PICKLED BLUEBERRIES

3 inch cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole allspice
6 or 7 whole peppercorns
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
8 cups blueberries
1/4 cup bourbon
1 3/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Put spices in cheesecloth or spice bag.  
In preserving pot combine vinegars and spices and set over high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered 5 minutes.  Add blueberries and bourbon and bring to medium heat and cook about 8 minutes until berries are heated through.  Do not stir as you want the berries to remain as whole as possible.  Remove from heat, cover and let rest 8-12 hours.  (I did these steps in the evening and let the mixture set overnight.  It was then ready to be processed in the morning!)

Remove spice bag and place mixture in a colander placed over another large pot.  Ladle blueberries evenly amongst sterilized half pint jars.

Heat juice and add honey over high heat, boiling until mixture turns syrupy, about 5 minutes.  Pour over blueberries leaving 1/2 inch headspace, wipe rims of jars and place lids and tighten bands or clips.
Process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes.  Remember to start timing once water is boiling! 

Happy Independence Day!

It's been a thrilling weekend at the Aylward household!  We have spent our days catching up on household projects and enjoying the beautiful weather in Michigan!  I've been slathered with bug spray versus suntan lotion and all is good in my life! 

I had my first garden harvest...a little odd to have both raspberries and lettuce at the same time of year!

Today I will be picking some wild blackberries to add to the raspberries and make freezer jam.  It is my favorite jam ever.  Some may not like all of the seeds, but it doesn't bother me a bit!  The wild berries are just so intense and sweet, black juice that stains your hands and lips. 

I am using the Pomona's Universal Pectin for my jam as it's a natural pectin derived from citrus and doesn't require the crazy amount of sugar usually necessary to set jam.  You can also choose to sweeten with honey, agave syrup etc. and it still sets up!

 I picked up some really nifty labels that will remind me what's inside those jars!

I defrosted my upright freezer circa 1975....I won't tell you what was stashed in the back under a film of frost.  Now it is ready for a new season of fruit and vegetable harvests!

John is always willing to rev up the smoker and with the freezer defrosting, I thawed a little roaster chicken, stuffed it with onions, garlic, salt, pepper and fresh lemon thyme!  I put it on for about 5 hours at 200 degrees with applewood chips (last month's tree trimming expedition) and some local charcoal made with any chemicals.  Here she is about 2 1/2 hours in:

This lovely little bird was a deep mahogany color when finished and beautifully juicy and crisp on the outside!  We threw the breast meat on fresh greens with black beans and colby jalapeno cheese from The Boulevard Market with tomatoes and a light maple cider vinaigrette!  So, so delicious.  I still have a couple pounds of chicken left, so I think  this recipe will be today:

SMOKED CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES
2 cups smoked chicken, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
salt & pepper to taste


DRESSING
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar




Whisk olive oil into mayonnaise until fully emulsified, add vinegar and chives and whisk until blended.  Stir in chicken, fruit, celery and nuts and stir until completely coated.  Let rest in refrigerator about an hour until flavors meld.  Taste and season appropriately!  I've got a lovely baguette to go with and a cold cucumber soup! 

Happy Independence Day!   

Summer Days...food and more

I'm in love with summer days.  Days of clear blue skies, a scented wafting breeze, berries ripening, bees buzzing lazily and days that stretch sunshine until 10pm!  I'm at home and there is no place I'd rather be, putzing in the garden, making jams and conserves in the kitchen, grilling supper outdoors and reading the last pages of a great novel. 

John and I visited a lovely farmer, Nina, at a local Farmers Market and purchased all of these beets!  I really enjoy Nina's sense of style with her signs and table layout!  I came home and made a lovely Beet Relish to enjoy this winter and present to my Preserve It! Class at The Market later in the week.

Fresh shell peas are had to come by these days!  A yield of 1 cup shelled peas for every quart of pea pods seems skimpy, yet SO worth the effort!  I made my peas into a "Pea Cream".  It's a condensed sauce of peas, stock. garlic and seasonings that can be frozen and then made into soups, a spread for toasted baguettes, pasta sauce and more! 

Our "South Bed" perennial garden is full of lovely blossoms and Pierre's playground!  Pierre is allowed to romp and roam, roll in the grass and take naps in the shade as the invisible fence encompasses this entire area.  The small red tree is a dwarf peach and he is quite smitten with it....it's just his size! 

Two years ago we lost a huge, magnificent ash tree to Emerald Ash Borer.  I wasn't planning to plant anything in it's place until this little beauty of an American Chestnut!  I cannot wait for the harvest to begin (it will be a number of years) and just ponder the possibilities of my own chestnut tree!  Soaking the leaves in Calavados to wrap tiny goat cheeses, roasted chestnuts, Marrons, a candied chestnut treat, soups and MORE! 

Pierre is always shy for the camera.....

My mom, Linda, makes a mean Strawberry Pie!  Perfectly ripe, ruby red berries in a homemade glaze...the nicest blend of sweet and tart!  

Of course I needed another tart pan, I didn't have one this shape and it was on sale.  Justification.

Pate Brisee with freshly ground peppercorns always makes a lovely tart.  I made several batches this week to keep in the freezer for quick weekday tarts and quiches.  The dough freezes beautifully and I can take a package out in the morning to be defrosted and ready to roll when I get home from the shop.  

 

My quiche turned out lovely and the shape of the pan inspired me to be fussy and add a few sprigs of chives!

Now it's off to work I go...the cacao beans are calling me to make chocolate bars this morning!  Peppalo Stone Ground Chocolate is our new company and we are having a blast!  More about this in the future... 

Farmers Market Etiquette

Enfant Rouge Farmers Market Paris France

Tables of fresh lettuce all in a beautiful, towering stack, bundles of radishes still damp from their morning under the faucet, wooden quart boxes overflowing with ripe, red, fragrant strawberries, globes of fresh mozzarella cheese and jars or jewel colored jams are just a hint of what we find at the Farmers Market each week.  It's also a large part of Four Corners Creamery and Prochaska Farms weekly work load. 

Les Halles Farmers Market, Paris France

There is something special about the Farmers Market, a way to connect a person to the food we eat, a sense of community, the anticipation and surprise of what we might find to take home this week and for me personally, a bit of mystery as to what we will be eating fresh this week!

Saline Tuesday Evening Farmers Market Saline Michigan

I thought I'd share a few insider tips on how to make the Farmers Market vendors your very best friends and get the best selections for the week!

• TRUST; trust that your vendor is bring the very freshest, ripest,  finest product he has to offer!  Look for the busiest vendors, they usually have a good reputation that you can build on.  Ask them to pick the "best" of the selection for your and they gladly will! 
• KNOWLEDGE; know approximately what should be in season and what to expect this week.  All climates are different and unlike the grocery store, farmers will have only what they have grown and is ripe that week.  

• QUESTIONS; Be clear when asking questions about pesticide use, production, handling etc, and be conscience of the farmer's time as Farmers Market hours are usually limited.  Often you can ask to visit the farm or facility if you'd like more information. 

• BAGS; I always bring at least 2 bags; one for dry stuff and one for wet stuff.  I never take the wooden or plastic boxes on display, they are too bulky and cost the farmer.
• TOUCHING; I just don't do it!  This is not the grocery store that has product and produce sitting on the shelves for weeks.  Fruits and vegetables are picked ripe and sold in a short time from the farmer.  Customers handling them for 6 hours will ruin tomatoes, berries, lettuce etc.  Cheeses and breads are also fragile, not to mention, do I want to purchase food that 100 people have had their hands on that morning?  I expect the best and if I don't get it, I won't buy from that particular farmer again.
• NEGOTIATING;  I have read many articles in magazines encouraging negotiating/asking for a price break with farmers and am always flabbergasted at this notion.  I feel as the value for the asking price is always very fair, if not downright cheap.  The cost involved in getting a farmer to market is quite extensive; labor to pick and wash, cost of space at the market, gas in driving large trucks full of product, time and extras like bags, signs, etc. Also, depending on the availability of produce, the farmer is competing with everything from backyard gardeners to huge stores like sams club.  There is no level playing field in farming.  If I come across the last head of napa cabbage, I am giddy that I got there before it was gone for the week!  I don't ask for a discount.  I'm not sure where people got the idea that it's acceptable to bargain with a farmer over a 50 cent pepper or $3 watermelon....Would your employer ask you for a discount on or negotiate your paycheck?  It's the same concept.  Walking 10 feet in a farmer's shoes has me gladly paying $3 for a quart of fresh strawberries.
• ENJOY YOURSELF; The Farmers Market is the one place you can really have fun with food, enjoy the weather & your community.  You can bring your dog (check out this gal dressed up) and your  children, ride your bike and have a coffee and a multitude of tasty treats!  You can feel great about shopping locally and bring home a beautiful bouquet!      

We really love bringing Four Corners Creamery cheeses to many farmers markets in the area and have met so many lovely people, we feel very grateful that they purchase from us each week and enjoy what we make for them!  I think it's particularly special that they have chosen our cheese for their supper table.  It's being there in spirit!

Main Street Farmers Market loot! Blissfield Michigan

Kafta Spice Recipe

For those of you that attended the Grilling Class at The Market this week and wanted the spice blend for Lamb Kafta; here you go:

1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 Tablespoon Ground Coriander
Plenty of Salt & Pepper

Blend all and it should make enough seasoning for 1 pound of ground lamb!  Enjoy!

Rose Petal Jam

Rose Petal Jam...it sounds so romantic, so European and so quaint.

For 2 years I've held onto this recipe and finally took the time to make it!  I feel like this is an autumn recipe with the apple jelly being the base of the jam, but all of my reddest roses are blooming now!  I only have some pale roses that bloom through the fall and I really wanted this jam to be red in color. 

I used an English rose which is quite fragrant and prolific, just what the recipe called for.  I didn't spray them this Spring, for this recipe and the fact that it has been too rainy or cold to spray effectively.  In fact, I hand picked worms off of my David Austin...how repulsive is that?! (I wore gloves!)  According to the recipe, I chose fresh blooms that were fully open and nearly ready to fall.

When removing the tough white ends, I found it easiest to grip and pull off the entire blossom and use a very sharp knife to slice off the ends.  I then but the petals into a colander and shook it a bit to remove any bits of icky. 

ROSE PETAL JAM
{Gelee de Pommes et Petales de Rose; recipe from Anne Willan}

Apple Jelly
3 lbs very tart apples, I used granny smith 
1 1/2 cups sugar


Scrub apples and quarter, only removing the stems.  Put in large, heavy pot, just cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook an hour or so until apples are very soft and falling apart.  Let cool about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cheesecloth lined mesh sieve or colander set over a bowl.  Let drain without pressing on fruit or jelly will be cloudy.  Leave undisturbed about an hour.

Rose Petals


6 cups rose petals, with white tips removed
3 cups water, boiling
1 cup sugar
juice of  1 lemon


Put the petal in a large bowl and cover with boiling water just to cover.  Cover and let steep until cool.

Measure out 2 cups of the apple juice and add 1 1/2 cups sugar in large pot.  Bring the juice to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.  Boil over high heat until jelly reaches 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Should take about 20 minutes.  Skim any foam off as you go.  Let cool about 5 minutes then add the rose petals and their liquid aslong with 1 cup sugar and the lemon juice.  


Heat mixture to boiling over high heat and boil until reaching 220 degrees on candy thermometer.  Let cool about 5 minutes and fill sterilized jars and seal.  Can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

 Yes, this was a bit of work.  I let my apples drain and rose petals steep and cool overnight, since I did not have a full day to put this together directly.  Yes, it is fabulous and tasty, beautiful and delicate!  SO worth the time and energy!  I love it paired with Four Corners Creamery Fresh Chevre!

The Possibilities of Strawberries

Pierre LOVES Strawberries!

 Yesterday took John, Pierre and I to the family farm just a couple miles away from our home.  My brother has planted acres of strawberries in the last couple years to sell at Farmers Markets and also to fill his CSA customers weekly boxes.  He is always generous to allow us to share his bounty too! 

This week is beautiful strawberries!  It took me only about 20 minutes to pick this huge basket full and begin to indulge in springs finest fruit!  This year we are making conserve (a concentrated jam without added pectin) strawberry shortcake, Verrine with  lemon balm and bowl upon bowl or sliced strawberries with raw sugar!

A dirty but fulfilling job!

I tried a new shortcake recipe that we really enjoyed.  I'm not much for the "biscuit" type shortcake and I detest those weird sponge things at the grocery store (with a 12 year shelf life) so the experiment continues, but I think this recipe is a keeper! 


STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES:
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons self rising flour (you can make your own easily; 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt)
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 stick butter
2 Tablespoons raw sugar or demerara sugar




Mix flours together and cut in the butter until mixture resembles crumbs.  Mix in the sugar until dough just comes together.  Using your hands, form into a log, wrap with plastic and refrigerate about an hour. 

Cut dough into 6 chunks and roll out each one into a thin circle about 4 inch round.  Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until lightly golden and just firm.  Remove from parchment immediately and place directly onto serving plates with a large spatula. 


Instead of whipped cream, I beat together a carton of mascarpone cheese with a couple tablespoons powdered sugar and a 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest.  Beat until smooth and spread evenly onto shortbread or drop a nice dollop along side your fresh strawberries.

I can't wait until you see the verrines tomorrow!  I brought back all of our yogurt containers from France JUST for these delightful desserts!  (Yes, there was much eye-rolling in security)