Archive for June, 2005
Using My CSA Bounty
Things are starting to pick up at my CSA. Today I got a bunches of Swiss chard, red leaf lettuce, mizuna (an Asian-type green, very tasty in salads!), and basil, along with a couple garlic bulbs and a half-pound of sugar snap peas.
When we walked into the pickup area, however, we were greeted by the scent of freshly picked strawberries. I couldn’t resist, so I bought two quarts. I had enough to make some chilled strawberry soup (see below) and jam, as well as a little snack for Oliver. He can’t eat too many as they give his tushie a rash. 
The chilled strawberry soup is easy. I hull maybe a pound of berries, dump them in a blender, along with a cup of yogurt and some fresh mint. Puree till smooth, then add honey to taste. I had vanilla yogurt on hand, so my soup was extra sweet. I have enough left for breakfast tomorrow.
Above the bowl are some lovely red clover I foraged, which I will dry to make tea. On the left is some of the garlic, and at the far left you can see the red leaf lettuce. I also found some delectable lamb’s quarters growing like crazy near a rather foul-smelling chicken manure pile. I picked a bagful of those to blanch and freeze for lasagna. And on the way home I found some elderflowers, which I will keep my eye on this summer — their berries make a nice jam in the fall.
Fun with Royal Icing
A couple days ago, Oliver wanted to bake cookies, so this is what we did. Looks disgusting, eh? But the cookies were actually quite tasty. They came from a Cook’s Illustrated recipe for holiday cookies — I tried it because I always have trouble with spreading, and these looked perfect for our needs. The recipe called for a couple tablespoons of cream cheese, which I didn’t have — instead I used creme fraiche.
The icing was made from 3 tablespoons meringue powder, 16-oz. powdered sugar, and 6 tablespoons water, beaten in a mixer. I added a lot more water to thin out each color. Colors are Wilton pastes, thus the vivid hues.
Cookies did not last long. “OLIVER” and “MOM” were devoured soon after the icing hardened. CAT and BOY lingered for a few hours longer.
Strawberry Jam
Deb, thanks for kicking our butts on this blog!
I may have been quiet, but I’ve actually been cooking up/baking a storm. This week, our local U-pick farm starting selling strawberries, so on Tuesday Oliver and I went up and bought two quarts. I turned it into the yummiest strawberry jam ever — it’s tart and sweet and a brilliant ruby red. As soon as this stupid rain stops, we’ll be going back for a couple flats of berries to make jam for the winter. The recipe is easy:
2 lbs. strawberries, hulled and quartered
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Put berries and water into nonreactive pot and bring to a boil with the cover on. As soon as it comes to a boil, take top off and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally so that berries don’t stick. Add lemon juice. Then add 1/2 cup of sugar, adding the second 1/2 cup only until the berries resume boiling. Cook until temp comes up to 220 degrees Fahrenheit (jell stage) or until jelly sheets off cold spoon. Can as usual.
The yield on this wasn’t so great — I got two full 8-oz. jars, plus half of a second jar, which I didn’t bother canning. No, I pretty much sat down and ate the jam with a spoon.
