Simple and Delicious

Have you ever eaten bone marrow? If not, I highly suggest you do. It is very cheap and delicious and so easy to make. All you do is stand the bones upright in an oven-safe pan and bake for about 15 minutes at 475 degrees. You will know when they are done when the marrow is butter soft. When they are done, eat it with some good bread and it will spread like butter. I also made a little sauce with parsley, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to go with it. This may not be for everyone but I suggest giving it a try. The bones freeze great and they will keep your dog busy for a while after you are done eating the marrow! Scrappy was very excited about this treat.

This was just the start to our meal and next I roasted up some beets from the garden and topped them with fresh basil and feta cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.

After eating the marrow and beets I didn't even need the main course but of course I made room. I made fresh pasta with a roasted red pepper and tomato cream sauce with some more fresh basil.  If you have never made fresh pasta, I highly suggest you do. Store bought really doesn't even compare. Below is the recipe. There are lots of recipes out there and some suggest using semolina flour but I use this one and it has always worked great for me. Try different ones and see what you like!

Fresh Pasta

6 eggs

4 3/4 cups white four

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the eggs and olive oil. With a fork beat the eggs and then slowly begin to incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients. Once the dough is too thick to mix with a fork, knead with your hands. Be sure that all of the flour is well incorporated into the egg. If it seems too dry, add 1 tbsp of water at a time, or add more flour if it is too wet. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at least 1 hour before rolling out. I highly suggest using a pasta maker to roll the dough out because it is a very tedious process to do by hand and it is difficult to get it thin. The pasta will cook in 1-2 minutes in boiling water. 

The Threat of Frost

We still have a lot growing in the garden but it is becoming evident that the end of the season is coming around. The mornings and evenings are pretty chilly and although the first frost typically isn't until mid-October, it always threatens to come sooner. This planting of green beans is coming along and will not survive a good frost so hopefully it will hold out for the harvest. 

The carrots should last us through a good part of the winter and we will cover them in a bed of leaves to keep some of the cold shock out of the ground. Hopefully the parsley and kale will last through the beginning of winter as the frost doesn't harm them. 

Lettuce is still growing strong in the garden and is fresh and sweet and although the frost would wipe it out, we luckily have some planted in the cold frame so that we can have fresh salads even when winter is here. 

The swiss chard didn't do that well this year and we think that is because the plants were planted too close together and it was planted on the shady side of the garden. The far end of the garden near the row of trees makes it shady for a good part of the day and after a few years of having many different crops not do so well there, we might just abandon that part next year and plant grass. It also tends to stay pretty wet since the sun doesn't dry it out as well.

We don't have a lot of acorn squash as the plants take up so much room in the garden but here are a few that are looking ready to harvest. 

We're hoping that by the end of the market season our kraut cabbages and red cabbages will be ready to harvest. If they're not and we don't sell them then I guess I'll be making a lot of sauerkraut!

As crops are winding down, Terry is weeding the beds and tilling them and leveling them out getting them ready for their long winter nap. This process is still a lot of work and but luckily we can take our time with that as crops are one by one ending for the season. The last day of the market is October 12th so please come out and get some of the last fresh veggies of the season!

Fall Recipe

I realize it's been a while since I posted a recipe and last night I made a dinner that used so many fall farm fresh ingredients that I had to make a point to take pictures and share it with you. I made squash soup and I made up the recipe so will try to recount it for you. There are so many variations of squash soup and I wanted one that wasn't too sweet and had bright flavors so I added ginger and cardamom and fenugreek.  I had some leftover chorizo in the freezer and took it out of the casing and cooked it up so it was crispy and crumbly.  The spice really balanced the sweetness of the squash and I always love topping this soup off with some caramelized apples which were windfalls from a neighbor.  If I didn't have chorizo I would have also added bacon and/or blue cheese. I feel that squash soup always deserves some toppings to spice it up a little bit.

Although the soup could have been a meal on it's own, I also made a meatloaf and tomato salad. Maybe the combination of the meatloaf and the squash soup is a bit heavy but it was a great meal to eat out on the porch on a cool fall night!

Squash Soup

2 butternut squash

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh ginger

2 carrots, roughly chopped

1 potato, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup plain greek yogurt

3 cups chicken stock

1/4 tsp fenugreek

1/4 tsp cardamom

Peel, seed, and cube the squash into rough pieces and roast in the oven at 400 for about 30 minutes or until soft. Sautee onions and carrots and potato in your soup pot on the stove top in some olive oil until just starting to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes. Add the squash and the chicken stock. You can add as much stock as you like depending on how big your squash are and how thick you like the soup. Add enough stock to cover the vegetables and let simmer for a few minutes. Once everything seems soft, immersion blend the soup. I like to leave it with some texture so that it's not a smooth puree. Add salt and pepper and the spices and the greek yogurt at the end. Top with your choice of toppings: apple, bacon, chorizo, blue cheese, or croutons.

Fall

I have really been enjoying these cooler mornings and evenings and we are beginning to smell fall in the air. Some leaves are falling and with the cooler weather, our crops are evolving too. We are able to have beautiful heads of lettuce again and the cilantro and parsley love the lower temperatures.

Below is the kraut cabbage and I'm hoping it does well because it's been a while since I've had a batch of kraut fermenting in my house! 

The napa cabbage is coming along beautifully and we just hope the slugs stay away. In the past we've had great luck with this and I think it makes a great slaw. It is more delicate than regular green cabbage and I enjoy how tender the leaves are when you finely chop them. It is great to throw in a stirfry at the end for a little more crunch and texture.

Although the leaves of the kale have been smaller this year, it has been consistent and we've managed to keep the bugs away. The leaves are virtually hole-less and this is a great crop that can keep producing through the much cooler temperatures. 

The garlic is now finally cured and it has been selling great at the market. Now I just hope we have enough leftover to get us through the winter! Terry always pulls the best heads for seed garlic for next year first so that we can grow our crop from our own heads. Garlic is so cool in that way that it keeps on giving because we don't have to buy seed each year. 

The flowers are just beginning to slow down. Some of the zinnias are looking like they're on their way out and we are having fewer sunflowers each week. We'll still have enough to make arrangements through the market, but their colors might be more uniform. This week it was apparent that the bouquets were generally more red and a lot of the yellows and greens are done flowering. 

Bev's Angel Trumpet has finally flowered which was later than it was last year due to the wet and cool summer. We can enjoy it just long enough before Terry has to dig it up and put it in a pot in the basement for winter storage. 

Addendum

Last week I showed the pictures of the pears ripening in the basement and I didn't exactly explain that and some of you may have wondered why. If you did or even if you didn't, hear is the skinny on canning pears!

 You can't let pears ripen on the tree or else the will ripen and brown from the inside out and not be edible. So, you harvest them when they are hard and put them in a cool, dry place in one layer and check them until they give a little when you press your thumb near the stem. These pears turn from green to yellow and you want to catch them when they still have a hint of green. Terry and Bev have 2 pear trees and the last time they produced fruit was 4 years ago and they have been eating canned pears from those trees for that entire 4 years! If you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe!

Yield: 2-3 lbs of pears per quart 

Prepare a bowl with about 5 cups water and 3 tbsp lemon juice (doesn't need to be fresh lemon). After you have the ripened pears, peel, core, and quarter them, and be sure to remove all brown spots. Immediately after slicing, place them in the lemon juice water to prevent browning. There should be enough water to cover the pears so just add more according to how much you need. 

Make a light syrup of 5 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar. Heat syrup so that the sugar is dissolved and ladle the pears out of the lemon water into the light syrup and heat until they are hot throughout (a light simmer). Pack the hot pears into sterilized jars and ladle the hot syrup over the pears leaving 1/2" headspace. Adjust with 2 piece lids. Hot water process quart jars for 25 minutes and pints for 20 minutes. 

Good luck! You can buy pears from the store and I am sure it would be less work cutting out brown and buggy spots, but the good thing is that we know our trees are not sprayed and are 100% organic. 

This Saturday, August 31st, we will have at the market:

 - swiss chard

- beets

- carrots

-  lettuce

- green beans

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

- cherry tomatoes

- flowers

- sunflowers

- red cabbage

- tuscan kale

- curly kale

 - green onions

- assorted peppers (green, jalapeno, hungarian wax)

- cilantro

- parsley

Happy Friday!

It's Friday which is harvest day for us at Endeavor Farm. Terry is always up early and we try to pick whatever we can before it gets too hot. He is picking beans as we speak! We usually have to wait until late afternoon or after dinner to pick some of the more delicate things like cilantro and parsley.

Our sunflowers really took off this year and people love seeing them and buying them at the market.
Our tallest plant is 9' - 6"!

 

The garlic has been drying and is almost done. It is certainly edible and we have been selling it but for winter storage, we will keep them hanging for a few more weeks to make sure they are all dried out. We used all of the Leningrad variety for green garlic this year, so are just selling Music, German Porcelain, and Italian Purple Stripe. Please let me know if you aren't in the area and would like some shipped to you!

 

Canning season is far from over and this week Hannah and Bev made 40 jars of salsa! They both now have pears ripening in their basements to can once they're ready. Canned pears are not to be underestimated! The sweetness in the winter is so delicious and they are beautiful as well. 

 

 

 

The final product!

Please come see us at the market tomorrow on Saturday, August 24th. We will be selling:

 - swiss chard

- beets

- carrots

-  lettuce

- arugula

- green beans

- cucumbers

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

- cherry tomatoes

- flowers

- sunflowers

- red cabbage

- tuscan kale

- curly kale

 - green onions

- assorted peppers (green, jalapeno, hungarian wax)

- cilantro

- parsley

Market

This Saturday at the market is the annual Corn Celebration. There are great activities for kids where they can paint an ear of corn and there will be grilling and samples available. It's always a great event that draws a lot of people so please come enjoy some corn and come get any of the following from Endeavor Farm!

Saturday, August 17th

- kale (tuscan & curly)

- swiss chard

- beets 

- carrots

- green beans

- parsley

- basil

- green onions

- arugula 

- salad mix 

- spinach

- garlic

- flower arrangements

- sunflower stems

- grape jelly 

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

Above are the results of my pickling the other day!

Farm Update

Between the recipes and jam and pickling season I haven't given you a good update on what's actually happening in the garden theses days! The garlic has been harvested and hung and is almost finished curing.  Most of the work in the garden is weeding and it never seems like the job is done. Thanks to Hannah's help this year, the weeds are under control a bit better. She is great to have around this year to help out and make sure we are on top of it.

The flowers are huge and doing great and have been selling really well at the market this year. We sell arrangements for $5 and sunflowers for $2/stem. Sometimes the bees even come with us to the market!

Cucumbers are ending, and tomatoes are starting. Eating the first tomato out of the garden is always one of my favorite moments. This time of year I eat tomatoes for breakfast lunch and dinner because I know the season is always shorter than I want it to be.

Our leftover tomato plants that we composted are taking over the pile and producing some fruit! 

As fall approaches it's also time to plant some of the cool weather crops. We are able to plant lettuce, radishes, spinach, cilantro, and parsley. 

 Radishes

Spinach

Check back later this week for what we'll have at the market. I'm off to make pickled carrots, dilly beans, and bread and butter pickles!

Market

Please forgive me for the short post this week, but here is what we'll have at the market tomorrow. The weather looks like it will be perfect. Hope to see you there!!

Saturday, August 3rd:

- kale (tuscan & curly)

- swiss chard

- beets 

- carrots

- cucumbers

- green beans

- parsley

- basil

- green onions

- arugula 

- salad mix 

- garlic!

- flower arrangements

- sunflower stems

- grape jelly 

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

Jam + Pickles

Pickling and jam season is upon us and last week I made blueberry jam and a dill pickle called Dutch Lunch Spears. It was a great week to spend in the kitchen since the weather finally gave us a break. I used pickling cucumbers from Endeavor Farm and I went and picked blueberries from Blue Jay Orchard, who also sell at the Geauga Fresh market. I have had some requests for not only pictures of my canning projects but also the recipes. So below are the recipes I used and I have done them a few times now and they have proven to be winners. The blueberry jam doesn't have pectin in it which I much prefer so it's a bit of a trickier process to know when the jam is done, but it's really not that complicated. 

Blueberry Jam

Yield: 7 - 8oz jars 

2 lbs 10 oz blueberries

1 lb 10 oz white cane sugar

6 oz strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place 5 metal teaspoons flat in the freezer. 

Combine blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in an 11 or 12 quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle. Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice begins to run from the berries. When the juice starts flowing freely, increase the heat to high. Continue to cook, stirring very frequently, until the mixture boils. Once it reaches a boil, cook it for 10 or 15 minutes more, stirring frequently, and decreasing the heat slightly if the jam starts to stick. Begin testing for doneness after 10 minutes.

To test the jam for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of jam to one of the frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3-4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Tilt the spoon vertically to see whether the jam runs; if it does not, it is ready. If it does, cook the jam for another few minutes, stirring, and test again as needed.

Turn off the heat but do not stir. Using a stainless stell spoon, skim off any foam from the surface of the jam. Pour jam into sterilized jars. (I hot water processed my 8 oz jars for 6 minutes)

The stages of cooking the blueberries.

The final product!

Dutch Lunch Spears by the Quart

1 1/4 lbs of 4”-5” pickling cucumbers, blossom ends removed

3 tbsp plus 2 tsp pickling salt

1 quart plus 3/4 cup water

1 garlic clove

1 small onion

1 dill head

2 grape leaves

3/4 cup cider vinegar (I used 1/2 cider, 1/2 white)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp Mixed Pickling Spices (see below)

Quarter the cucumbers lengthwise and put them in a bowl or crock. Dissolve 3 tbsp salt in 1 quart water, and pour the brine over the cucumbers. Top the cucumbers with a heavy plate that fits just inside the crock or bowl. Let the cucumbers stand at room temperature for 8-12 hours.

Drain the cucumbers, rinse them, and drain them again. Pack them into a quart jar with the garlic, onion, and dill. Add the grape leaves.

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water and 2 tsp salt with the vinegar, sugar, and spices. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the cucumbers and seal the jar. Hot water process for 10 minutes in boiling water. 

Mixed Pickling Spices

Makes about 1/2 cup

1 4” cinnamon stick, broken into small pieces

6 Mediterranean bay leaves, torn into small pieces

6 small dried hot peppers, such as japonés or de árbol, cut into small pieces

1 tbsp whole black peppercorns

1 tbsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp whole fennel seads

2 tsp whole allspice berries

1 tsp whole cloves

2 tsp whole coriander seeds

1/2 tsp blade (unground) mace

1 tbsp dill seeds

Combine all ingredients into a small jar. Mix thoroughly before measuring. If the spices are fresh to start, and you keep the jar tightly capped in a cool, dark place, the mixture should keep well for at least 1 year. 

Dutch Lunch Spears

In market news, last week we had a rainy start to the market and only about 1/2 of the vendors showed up. Luckily, half way through the market the skies cleared and customers showed up. We actually had one of our best-selling days and hope the rain holds out for us tomorrow.

Empty market last weekend

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 27th, we will be selling:

- beets: red & golden

- carrots

- green beans

- cucumbers: slicing & pickling

- swiss chard

- basil

- kale: tuscan & curly

- green peppers

- parsley

- red cabbage

- dill

- red lettuce

- arugula

- flower arrangements

- grape jelly

- red currant jelly

- black currant jam

Guest Blogger...Mom!

To give you all some insight on the process of making jelly, my mom wanted to contribute her insight and descriptions on making the delicious and precious currant jelly. It is very labor intensive and it is definitely something we all covet. So here is Bev!

"When we bought this old farm house in 1973 it came with 3 red currant bushes. Even if I picked every other day until they were gone, I only had enough for half of a recipe of red currant jelly. 7 pounds of currants is a lot of picking time.  A couple of years ago a friend of Anne’s invited me to pick from her husband’s Grandmother’s garden on the west side of Cleveland. That was the first time in years that I had enough for a whole batch of currant jelly. The reds are usually made into jelly because the seeds are large in proportion to the berry. I just discovered black currants last year. They are a larger berry with much smaller seeds so they make a fabulous jam that includes the skins which are very high in pectin. This means you don’t have to add pectin to thicken the jam. The owner of the berry farm where we pick pointed out that black currants have four times the vitamin C as oranges, more anti-oxidants than blueberries or pomegranates and are rich in iron and potassium. 

red currant bush                                                         black currant bush

I was crazy about the sweet/tartness long before I knew they were actually good for you.  To make the grape jelly I use a juice extractor made in Finland which draws every bit of juice from the grapes using steam and a cone shaped pan. I don’t really understand how it works, but it is an amazing invention. Currants, on the other hand, require much more labor to get to the end product. Consider that each black current has a dried flower that has to be either snipped or removed with your thumb and forefinger before cooking. Let me just say that I spent 9 hours cleaning 16 pounds of black currants after spending 5 hours picking them. Then there is the time to sterilize the jars, mash, cook, test for doneness several times, ladle into jars, seal, and then process in a hot water bath. I love every minute of it.  

Harvested red and black currant berries

Currants are a beautiful red color when cooking!

The process of heating the berries to the right temperature and then straining the liquid.

This year at the market we are offering three jams and jellies for sale. The grape jelly is very good...but the red currant jelly and black currant jam will knock your socks off. They are just sweet enough to soften the tartness of the berries.  You taste the fruit, not the sugar. The red currant is a low sugar recipe which makes me feel better about consuming it. Even though the berries will be gone in a short while, we will be enjoying them all winter long."

The finished product ready to sell!

I hope that learning about the currant jelly is making your mouth water for that sweet and tart taste on your tongue. To be honest, I am surprised that my mom is willing to even sell the jelly because it is always something that is so cherished in our family that I didn't think she would want to part with it! So please, come to the market this weekend and see what it's all about! 

In addition to our jellies, this weekend on Saturday, July 20th, we will be selling:

- green beans

- carrots

- arugula

- swiss chard

- beets (red & golden)

- basil 

- dill stems with seeds

- cucumbers

- kale (tuscan & curly)

- parsley

- red cabbage 

- flower arrangements

Flowers Are Back!

The flowers are finally big enough to make our arrangements. Last week Bev made 13 arrangements and they all sold quickly. This year I really like the variety of texture and color in the blooms and the foliage. Every week the arrangements will look a little different and are great to bring as a hostess gift to a party or just to brighten up your own home.  Last year we had several people place orders for a wedding or larger party and we are happy to accommodate special orders if we have enough flowers. Just let us know ahead of time and we can help you out! 

In other news, Terry has planted a second batch of cilantro, starts for napa cabbage and red cabbage, and we continuously have new beets every week. We plant successively so that we always have new growth. It is almost time to harvest the garlic and will keep you updated on when that is ready. As we did last year, we will be able to ship garlic to you if you are not in the Cleveland area! Our garlic is a great hit and also makes for a wonderful gift. 

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 12th, we will be selling:

-dill plants with seed heads for pickling

-swiss chard

-beets (red and golden)

- lettuce (red and green)

-parsley

-carrots (first of the season!)

-salad mix

-arugula

-basil

-radishes

-kale (tuscan and curly)

-red cabbage

-flower arrangements