Sweet and Punchy Mulberry Syrup

It's mulberry season down in North Carolina, and my friend Genna and I have been harvesting off trees on the farm across from her house every few days for the last week or so.  They seem to grow like weeds around here, but I think it is less common to find a large enough tree for a significant harvest that isn't too high off the ground.  This one is huge and sprawling, so it is perfect for easy picking and lots of it.  This of course sent me looking for mulberry recipes, online, in books, even calling my grandma to see if she had any ideas...  but really (as she said) they can be used just like any other berry.  Below is the first of many mulberry recipes to come, but if you don't have a tree nearby, feel free to substitute just about any other berry.  

Recipe:

-Mulberry juice

-Sugar

-Lemon juice

->  Heat however much mulberry juice you have and an equal amount of sugar in a medium saucepan until just simmering.  

Remove from heat, and stir in fresh-squeezed lemon juice to taste.  This is a critical step.  The mulberries are sweet but lack a certain punch, so add plenty of lemon juice!  Skim foam if necessary.  

At this point, you can just keep it in a jar in the fridge or you could can it in sterile jars with lids and rings for 10-15 minutes in a hot water bath.  

Uses:

I think the uses may be virtually limitless.  So far, I have added it to fruit and yogurt for a great light dessert...

Put a few tablespoons in the bottom or a glass and added prosecco or champagne and a splash of gin...

Added it to my fruit and yogurt smoothies, and made mulberry lemonade out of it by adding water and a generous squeeze of lemon.  The possibilities go on!  I can't wait to try it mixed with ice-cold tonic or mineral water this summer on the porch, or drizzled over ice cream (again, probably this summer on the porch), even on pancakes or in any number of potential cocktails.  I canned my first couple of batches, but I seem to keep opening it before it even makes it onto the pantry shelf!

~*TIP:  To juice my mulberries, I ran them through a food mill (you could also just mash them) and then let them drain in a tea-towel-lined colander.  You could leave it like this overnight to let them juice themselves effortlessly, but this requires patience.  Alternatively, you could squeeze it through the towel with all of your might periodically over the course of a couple hours, requiring more effort, but less patience.  I'll let you decide which method I used.  *~

Housewarming Greens

I wanted to bring a bunch of greens as a house-warming gift, but as I was about to stuff them  in a plastic bag, I thought how much nicer a gift they would be as a big bouquet of greens!  I always think about how beautiful my greens are all together, so why not showcase that rather than hide them away in a bag in the bottom drawer of the fridge?  Also, my ruby streaks mustard is blooming like crazy right now, so it makes a great focal point to the center of my greens bouquet.  Whether they are for your own table or as a gift to someone else, they will be house-warming.  

What you'll need?
-large bunches of a variety of greens, here I used red kale, ruby chard, dinosaur kale, and ruby streaks mustard.
-any long-stem edible flowers from the garden, here I used bolted ruby streaks mustard flowers.
-large, pretty container

How to?
->  Just trim the greens and flowers by holding them up to the height you want them next to your container, and cutting off any excess on an angle.  I then arranged the greens in concentric circles by type (red kale, swiss chard, ruby streaks, dino kale, and then flowers in the center), and filled up my container with water.

~*Care and Tips:  The bouquet will last a few days on the counter, so you can just pull from it and use the greens as you need them.  After a couple of days, you could just put the whole thing in your fridge as is if it will fit, or you may need to bag them up.  If you give it as a gift, you may want to include a card with a few of your favorite greens recipes.  *~

Kohlrabi Curry

Kohlrabi returns this year for a cameo appearance.  I learned my lesson last year to ease up on the kohlrabi planting for this year.  Last year I think I must have planted around 16+ kohlrabi, and as illustrated by the week of kohlrabi, it took a lot of kohlrabi dishes to make it through all of that.  This year, I've planted about 4-6 which has been much more manageable and makes me appreciate it each time a bit more!  This dish is an old kohlrabi favorite of mine, so I am surprised it never made it into the week of kohlrabi.  As usual, if you don't have kohlrabi, feel free to substitute other vegetables, such as potatoes or the stems of broccoli for the kohlrabi in the recipe below or to substitute other greens such as kale, collards, or chard for the greens.

Recipe:
-3 Tbsp olive oil
-4 whole cloves
-2 cardamom pods

-2-4 kohlrabi, peeled and cubed

-1 pinch asafetida powder (omit or use garlic as a substitute)

-1 c water
-1 tsp turmeric
-1 tsp ginger
-salt
-2 Tbsp garam masala or curry powder
-1 c yogurt
-1 large bunch kohlrabi greens, chopped
-garnish of cilantro and/or green onions, chopped

->Heat oil in a large pot.  Add cloves and cardamom and saute until aromatic.  Add kohlrabi, turmeric, ginger, and water.  Be careful here and use a lid to block splattering.  Cook for about 10 minutes or until kohlrabi is fork-tender.
Meanwhile, mix yogurt and curry powder.  When kohlrabi is tender, add yogurt mixture, and cook for 5 more minutes.  Add chopped greens, put the lid on the pot, and take off the heat.  Let sit until kohlrabi greens have wilted.  Stir.  Serve with garnish of fresh cilantro and/or chopped green onions.

~*TIP:  Kohlrabi matures much more quickly than other cole crops, in as few as 55 days, and is less sensitive to fluctuations in heat and water conditions.  Use it to fill in gaps in the garden between sowings of vegetables that take longer to mature or to squeeze in a quick spring crop before your summer garden.  I generally pick it when it's just smaller than a tennis ball.  You can always pick it early if you need to open up the space it's occupying, yielding a smaller but even more sweet and tender harvest.  *~

Orange and Green Asparagus

There are those times when you pull random ingredients off the counter and out of the fridge around lunchtime to throw something together, and it turns out less than delicious, but then there are those days when whatever you have around seems to magically go together just right.  Enter, orange and green asparagus.  Asparagus with citrus and garlic is nothing new, but this take on a classic pairs the flavors of orange, green garlic and fresh chervil for something fresh and new.  This leads me to one of my favorite things about receiving a box of seasonal produce each week...  It spurs me to try out new ingredients in new combinations, yet each dish is still reminiscent of classic flavor combinations.  Why are these flavor pairing so familiar, and why do they seem to go together so naturally?  Perhaps because they harken back to dishes that emerged from generations of people cooking with whatever was in season, adapting their recipes and their palate to whatever was on hand.  

Recipe:

-Olive oil

-about 4 inches of green garlic, minced

-1 tsp orange zest

-juice of 2 oranges (or about 3/4 c)

-salt and pepper

-one large bunch of chervil, chopped

-1 bunch of asparagus, rinsed and woody stem removed 

->  Heat oil over medium heat in a medium pan.  Add green garlic and saute until translucent.  Add orange zest and mix.  Add orange juice and season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until reduced by about half.  Add chervil.  

 
 Lay asparagus over sauce and stir to combine.  Allow to steam in the orange and green sauce until fork tender.  Toss and serve.

~*TIP(s): Chervil is similar in flavor to parsley, but with a slight anise flavor.  If you do not have access to chervil, you can substitute parsley for a less-anise flavor or tarragon for a more-anise flavor.  Green garlic can have a short window of availability, as it is the immature stalk of the garlic plant before it forms a bulb.  Mature garlic could be substituted in lesser amounts for the green garlic in this recipe, but it would still result in a much more pungent, less fresh flavor.  A better substitute if green garlic is not available might be leeks or even green onions.*~  

Matrimonial Strawberry Goat Cheese Pie

I made this pie for my roommate's wedding this past weekend.  Although others said it was *surprisingly* delicious, I'll never know, as it was gone by the time I made it to the front of the pie line...  So sad.  I guess I will just need to make another!  Strawberries and goat cheese is one of my favorite combinations, so why not have them in pie form?  Try it out.  I know I will again.  

*

Recipe:
-1 pie shell, baked and cooled
-1/2 c orange juice
-3/4 c sugar
-1 c strawberry jam (I used my mom's jam, but you could also use mashed fresh strawberries)
-3 Tbsp corn starch
-6 oz goat cheese
-1/4 c whipping cream
-1 quart strawberries, halved

->For glaze, combine juice, sugar, jam, and corn starch in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Cook until thickened and bubbly.  Allow to cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, whip goat cheese and cream together with whisk or hand mixer until light and creamy.  Fill chilled pie shell with goat cheese mixture, spreading evenly.

Top with halved strawberries in concentric circles, pointy end up.  Coat with cooled glaze mixture until just covered (you may have extra).  Chill for about 4 hours, and then serve!

~*TIP:  As recommended by the bride, this pie is sitting on a do-it-yourself pie stand.  A quick trip to goodwill resulted in several combinations of eclectic plates, vases, and candy dishes.  I glued each plate to the top of an upside down vase or dish for a great pie stand.  I was in a hurry, so I just used hot glue, which will work temporarily, but if you want a more permanent piece, use epoxy.  *~

*Thanks to Eric George for getting the above picture of my pie, as I did not think to get a shot of it during all the rush!

Sauted Spring Greens

Those spring greens in my first spring salad are just as beautiful and tasty cooked up as they are cold.  The mix is changed up slightly for the sauted greens below, and it's a chance to use some of the older, more sturdy greens.  No recipe really needed for this one.  Just a few easy steps.  

->  Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat.  Add a big pile of rinsed greens, still slightly wet.  Add fresh garlic or even garlic powder, as well as salt, pepper, red pepper, and a bit of nutmeg.  As noted earlier, nutmeg is my secret weapon against the bitter taste that makes many people think they don't like greens.  Be wary of over-seasoning, as that big pile of greens will quickly shrink, concentrating the flavor.  Also be wary of over-cooking.  Remove greens from heat when all are evenly wilted and stems are fork-tender.  Enjoy!  

For the greens pictured above, I have included red winter kale, broccoli raab rapini, lacinato kale, ruby chard, and ruby streaks mustard, all from the spring garden!  

*~TIP:  My favorite way to finish cooked greens is to spritz them with some Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids, similar to soy sauce but a low-sodium alternative, full of amino acids.  *~

First Spring Salad

As soon as I have enough leaves on my lettuce that they will survive even if I pick a few, I can't resist making a delicious spring salad.  Each of the greens used here (see below) were started from seed during those long winter months, and now they are fresh and beautiful in my salad bowl!  See my post from last year for a break down of my favorite dressings, toppings, and greens.  I just had to share how beautiful these are and how excited I am for it to be this time of year again.  

This salad has a mix of young oak leaf lettuce, forellenschluss lettuce, australian yellow lettuce, ruby streaks mustard, bordeaux spinach, very small young lacinato (or dinosaur) kale, and very young ruby chard.  These are all dressed with a simple olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper dressing, and a smear of local goat cheese thrown in the middle.  Simple.  Fresh. Beautiful.  And tasty!