Nettles, also known as Stinging Nettles, are delicious and versatile wild plants. Their signature sting disappears when the nettles are cooked, so they can be harvested as greens, drunk as a mineral-rich tea, or even used to make this delicious nettle beer recipe. Although nettles are so widely distributed that they are easy to wild harvest, when we arrived on our homestead, we could not find any stinging nettle, although we were wildly successful in foraging for wood nettles. I started some stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) by seed and planted them in a few moist and shady spots. When I received a copy of Wild Drinks and Cocktails, by Emily Han, I was immediately drawn to the nettle … [Read more...]
Lacto-Fermented Radishes Recipe
Each spring I sow radish seeds amongst my beets and carrots. Because radishes are such a fast-growing crop, I'm able to harvest them when the beets and carrots are still young, allowing plenty of space for the root vegetables to continue their growth. And while radishes are a treat to eat fresh in salads, or to dip in Zacusca or hummus, after a while, I find myself getting a bit radished-out. That's when I reach for a quart jar and make a batch of lacto-fermented radishes. Lacto-fermented radishes are made with the same basic technique as lacto-fermented pickles and garlic scapes: The vegetables culture in a salt brine with spices or herbs for several days until your desired level of … [Read more...]
Persimmon Cake Recipe
One of my favorite Autumn fruits is the American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana. This native persimmon grows across much of the Southeast and lower Midwest, and produces small orange globes of fruit on stately trees. We have planted a few trees on our property and have access to a few mature trees, each with hundreds of ripening fruit for gleaning. We pick the ripest persimmons, mostly freshly fallen from the ground, process them into a pulp for freezing, and reserve a few cups of pulp to experiment with recipes, such as this persimmon cake. The most well-known persimmon recipe is the classic Persimmon Pudding, a baked or steamed pudding with the consistency of a dense custard. We … [Read more...]
How to Make Shrubs, or Drinking Vinegar
During a recent heat wave, Brian and I found that water was not replenishing our bodies or quenching our thirst. We did not have any of our homemade sodas on hand, so we searched through cookbooks to find a simple, refreshing drink that we could make with ingredients we had on hand. We found shrubs. Shrubs, or drinking vinegar, were popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, and have enjoyed a revival in recent years, not only in home kitchens but also in cocktails. A shrub can refer to a type of fruit liqueur, or a non-alcoholic beverage made from a sweetened, vinegar-based syrup. The addition of vinegar preserves the fruit syrup, and also adds a tangy and thirst-quenching quality. A … [Read more...]
How to Make Homemade Soda :: Three Herbal Recipes
When it's hot and we've been working in the garden or barn, the most thirst quenching drink we can imagine is something cold, sweet, and fizzy. A soda. Occasionally we find organic, all-natural sodas at the Amish bent and dent store and enjoy them as a treat, but in general we find them to be too sweet. Recently we've gotten in the routine of creating something even better: homemade sodas infused with herbs and flowers. They are among the most delicious beverages I've ever tasted, so today I'm going to share how to make your own homemade soda from herbs and edible flowers you might already have in your garden. How to Make Homemade Soda First off: there are naturally fermented sodas … [Read more...]
Cilantro Pesto Recipe
Cilantro is one of those love it or hate it foods. You rarely come across someone who does not have a passionate response - either positive or negative - toward cilantro. Perhaps it's the soapy flavor that some people experience, or perhaps it's just that cilantro has a strong odor that really sticks with you. Personally, I love cilantro, and it's a staple in my garden, from spring through fall. The past few years I've been working hard to successively sow cilantro so we have it through the entire salsa season. This year, volunteer plants have popped up all over the garden, making cilantro growing effortless at last. I had to pull a few larger plants last weekend to make room for … [Read more...]
Braised Turnips and Apples Recipe
Two storage crops that we have an abundance of this year are turnips and apples. Turnips did remarkably well in the garden (and of course, I over-planted), so we have a large bed of turnips in the ground and ready for harvest! We also have 8 or so bushels of apples from local orchards sitting in the root cellar for winter eating. A few years ago, for Thanksgiving, I made this dish, adapted from this recipe at Finecooking.com. It was a delicious and hearty side dish that balances the zing of cider vinegar and the earthiness of turnips, with the sweetness of apples and locally pressed sorghum molasses. I plan to make it again this week, along with my winter squash cheesecake. Braised … [Read more...]
Winter Squash Cheesecake Recipe
I love cheesecake, and back in Oregon when we were milking Alpine goats, I made it regularly with our soft goat chevre. I adapted a recipe from Donna Hays, and instead of using ricotta and cream cheese, I just substituted chevre. This winter squash soft cow's cheese cheesecake is one of the most delicious cheesecakes I've ever made, and the fact that it's made with almost all locally grown ingredients makes my heart soar with delight. On my birthday five years ago, when I was 9+ months pregnant with Everett, I made an enormous cheesecake, cut half for myself, and saved half for my good friend Kerstin, whose birthday is the day after mine. Kerstin lived uphill from us - up a very steep … [Read more...]
Three Lactofermented Pickle Recipes
Thanks to an abundance of rain, my pickling cucumbers are growing and producing like crazy, providing us with bowls of cucumbers each day. Thankfully, I LOVE making lactofermented pickles, creating new recipes with each batch. This type of pickle is enjoyed fresh - no canning required - so the process is incredibly quick and easy, and the end result is crisp, delicious, and good for you! Here are a few tips to get you started: Start with the freshest cucumbers for best results. I have a few favorites varieties: National Pickling and Delikatesse being the top two. Since pickling cukes are best when they are small, I check my plants every day. Pre-mix a large batch of brine to make … [Read more...]