Visitors: A Short Ode

To those far away yearning for home, To those at home aching for movement, 

It's hard to think several of my sisters were just here a few months ago, sweltering with us, sitting sweat trickling in the Jeep.   How I miss them!  

We've been blessed with visitors from home several times out here in Virginia.  My mom came, three sisters, my mom-in-law, and one of my closest friends - what a joy for us!  I was inspired to write an ode to these generous-spirited travelers.

Ode to Visitors

Visitors are so 

Sweet

Like a piece of pie gone

Too soon

But the memory stays

Mrs H


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A Boy and His Green Beans: Canning Paradigms

Dear folks who love the adorable, as well as the vegetable,

The little mister had a good time helping me snap green beans this summer.

He actually did snap it in half, but then he got bored and I had to finish them all on my own!  Watch Ball Canning's video on pressure-canning green beans at home.

Changing the Canning Paradigm
This year, canning was a bit different for us; instead of canning large quantities at a time like we have done previously (although we did do a little of that), I canned items as they trickled in, both from the food auction, the CSA, the market, generous gifts from friends and neighbors with overflowing abundance, and anywhere else I could glean food.

The other afternoon, for instance, I processed a pressure-canner load with three quarts of diced turnip, two quarts of green beans, one quart of chopped bell peppers, two quarts of diced banana peppers, and two half-pints of habaneros and one half-pint of cayenne peppers.  I just kept unloading things from my fridge and preparing them for canning and adding them to the load until I had a full canner, then screwed the lid on and processed for the amount of time specified for turnips - the longest-cooking of all the items listed here.

Over the course of the summer and this fall, canning has been like that; a few times a week, I will put a few jars through the canner.  Occasionally there will be a Big Day with Lots of Food, but generally it's just me, the baby, and a few jars at a time.  This is different for me, but it works; we're still getting a pantry stuffed with food.

I started off the season going through my list of Regular Stuff to Can thinking, who can I buy my green beans from?  Where will I get my tomatoes?  I ended the season just welcoming with open arms any and all produce I could find for a good price (or for free!) and get into jars or the freezer in time.  Instead of seeking specific items I knew how to use, I just hunted down whatever I could find locally and learned how to use it after the fact (I don't normally hunt down okra, cherry tomatoes, turnip greens, basil by the bucketload, bananas, beets and habanero peppers).  We got what we got, and in the end we have shelves filled with vegetables and fruit for the winter.

Using Juliet Tomatoes for Tomato Jam (Or Amish Paste, Sweet Million, or any other small paste or cherry tomato)

The Mysterious Mrs S turned me on this this recipe by the talented canner Marisa McClellan, a blogger I've been following ever since my mom first showed me her site.  Make this heavenly Tomato Jam - no peeling, no seeding!  You can use any tomato, really; but I found it the perfect way to use ten pounds of cherry tomatoes that I wasn't too keen on peeling.  The jam is a sweet, hovering taste of heaven.  Delicate, fragrant tastes, with deep, ambient undertones; just sweet enough, just warm enough.  Can't. Stop. Eating.

Still. Eating.

Mrs H

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Monday Menu with Many Smoothies and Vegan!

One of my dear friends, whom I've known for almost two decades, flew in to town the same day that Mr H left again with the Navy.  She eats vegan, so our menus for the next two weeks will reflect that!

 Noms This Week
I wish I could do a detox and a cleanse, but it is unsafe to do so while breastfeeding (the baby will be noshing all the toxins!).  So I've been compromising and enjoying lots of vegetation smoothies! 

Genmaicha  |  A relaxing tea and rice dish for settling and soothing the stomach.

Rice and Salsa  |  Rice, cooked with genmaicha.  Seasoned with Bragg's liquid aminos, sriracha sauce; stuff in as many chips (tortilla chips, pita chips, computer chips) as possible, then spoon salsa on top.  Spicy, seasoned, and crunchy!

Le Belle Verte Smoothie  |  A delicious, sweet green smoothie.  We made super-food shots to boost our nutrition levels - more on that later this month!

Jasmine Green Tea and Raw Nuts  |  Mixed almonds, walnuts and cashews (raw, unsalted) make a nice snack for going on a walk, along with a mug of hot tea to stave off the cool breeze!

Sandy Debris Chocolate Chunk Treat  |  After an evening of yoga, we settled down with a few of these chunky treats.  I especially love them with tea or coffee!

Quinoa Salad  |  Using warm or cooled cooked quinoa, stir in: chopped apples, craisins, minced celery, minced green onion.  If not preparing vegan style, add chopped cooked chicken.  Stir in white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and oil until it reaches the consistency and taste of a salad you desire - this is ridiculously deliciously good!

Orange Julius  |  After tasting this blended drink, my friend Joanna proclaimed she desired to marry me.  Stay tuned for the recipe, schedule to show up this month - it is dazzlingly, wildly delicious.  An imitation orange julius, but NO sugar!

Oatmeal  |  I love oatmeal ... We added crispy dried pears, crumbled to the boiling water before adding the oatmeal (I learned this trick from my mom).  To serve, we stirred in craisins, bee pollen, a little honey, and coconut-almond milk.

Fire Cider: Tonic  |  Ward off winter sniffles with this immunity-boosting, homemade tonic.

Green Almond Smoothie  |  Put in Vitamix or blender: 1 cup coconut-almond, or almond milk, 1 cup water, 2 large leaves kale or mild swiss chard or spinach, 1 stalk parsley, 1 heaping tablespoon almond butter, 2 frozen bananas and a handful of ice cubes.  Blend thoroughly until smooth.

Kitchen Tasks

Almond Butter  |  We made a delicious batch of almond butter using this outstanding book.

Crop Circles
Come into my garden and ... help me weed! 

Cockroaches  |  These nasty critters have been invading our house as the cold sets in.  Fortunately, I am a bit braver than I used to be!  I was in the kitchen when I heard an anxious voice behind me say, "I think I saw a cockroach!"  Joanna was sitting on a chair in the dining room with her feet pulled up underneath her, pointing towards a stack of jarred food.  Sure enough - a big daddy cockroach.  I chased him down, squashed him and removed the evidence.  "I have to confess," she said, "That I sort of thought you were exaggerating a bit ... about how big they were, and - now I see you weren't!"  We had to laugh over it because I have always been the wimp of the two of us, and she the bold intrepid one.  For once, my nerves were growing steely!

Kale  |  Still somewhat stunted, as it tried to recover from the drowning it received from our guest, Sandy.  But, it is alive!!!


Mrs H

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Row Your Boat, and Sandy Debris Chocolate Chunk Recipe

To the dry and to the soggy and to those just a little damp, 

As you know, we experienced a taste of Hurricane Sandy.  We saw some big waves, and our neighbors experienced some flooding.  But just how much water did we see?  Read on to see how we made the best of a hurricane flood, and snag the recipe for Sandy Debris Chocolate Chunks! 

Rain or shine - our postman was at the door in knee-deep boots! 

We got 10 inches in our driveway, but we are on a high point; the rest of
the street slopes down, and they received the brunt of it.  

This is the view from our back deck.  The water by the fence is about at chest-height.

Little Man and Big Man head outside ... and do you see what I see? 

That's right!  With Mr H's help, I launched the kayak from our driveway and
rowed about the neighborhood, checking out the damage, fighting the wind
the whole way, and enjoying what normally is not a backyard sport.
Note the fishing pole ... 

Hmm let me just check out these trash bins here ... yep, they're tipped over! 

When I came back inside, we warmed up with demitasse cups of strong espresso, and a little treat we came up with in honor of the storm.  Based on my foggy memory of a childhood favorite I used to make called Cow Pies (Mom hated the name), these snacks are full of chocolate, dried fruit and nuts.  They pair well with espresso, milk or tea, and can be made into whatever size you like!  And they are as easy as can be!

Just melt the chocolate ... 

Chop, sliver, or grind the nuts as you like ...

Choose your dried fruits ...

Add everything to the double-boiler of chocolate ...

Stir well ...

Blob onto a plate, pan, or parchment paper and freeze or let sit until firm - then enjoy!

Sandy Debris Chocolate Chunks: a treat in honor of Hurricane Sandy
I use approximately equal amounts chocolate and nuts; add fruit as desired. 

Chocolate chips - bittersweet, dark, semi-sweet, milk, even white
Nuts - almonds, cashews, peanuts, hulled pistachios, walnuts, pecans
Dried fruit - raisins, craisins, cherries, blueberries

1. Grind almonds to a coarse powder in a blender, or use slivered almonds.  Chop the other nuts if desired.

2. Melt the chocolate chips in a double-boiler.  Add the chopped, ground, or slivered nuts, dried fruit and stir briskly with a wooden spoon or spatula.  Remove from the heat; mix in white chocolate chips or yogurt chips if desired.

3. Use a spoon to drop tablespoon-sized drops (or whatever size you prefer) onto a cookie sheet, plate, or waxed or parchment paper.  Set this in the freezer, or leave on a counter in a cool room until firm (approximately one hour or less).  Or, spread a half-inch-thick layer on a cookie sheet or in a rimmed pan and let harden; cut to desired size and shape.

4. Serve with a strong coffee or black tea.  Think about hurricanes while eating; consider the amount of debris washed up on shore after a hurricane; enjoy the chocolate.

Not flooded,

Mrs H

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White Chocolate Mocha

Thanks for reading this post, I'm so excited to visit with you!  

After you've gleaned all the good information you need, visit our new blog platform at www.farmandhearth.com to read even more fascinating tidbits from the kitchen and the fields. 

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November fellows, 

The air has turned quite chilly here in Virginia; I haven't seen frosty mornings like in Washington state yet, but I look forward to colder and colder weather with some anticipation. 

Why? 

Because I have this to keep me warm! 

While it is still fun to visit Starbucks or some other local cafe for a specially-crafted sweet drink, it is equally rewarding to stay holed up in the house and prepare a fashionable drink by hand.  If you aren't a fan of powdered drinks, and you enjoy the thick, melting deliciousness of a mocha, read on! 

Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha

White Chocolate Mocha 
or
Chocolate Mocha

1/4 cup chocolate chips (white, milk, or semi-sweet)
About 8 ounces steamed (or hot) milk
1 shot espresso (1.5 ounces) or strong coffee
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate, white, or caramel syrup (optional)

Melt 1/4 cup chips in a double-boiler.  Using a spatula, scrape into a warmed mug (you can rinse with very hot water for a few moments prior to using).  Pour in the shot; add the steamed or hot milk.  Whisk briskly.  Top with whipped cream, if desired.  Go all out and add syrup; get really fancy and sprinkle with shaved chocolate.

Serve to a lucky person, or indulge yourself.

Indulging,

Mrs H

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Storing Herbs for Winter

Dear seasoned folks,

There are many ways to preserve herbs for the winter, all varying in what sort of storage space you have and what kind of flavors you want from the herbs.

As we bring in what for some herbs and climates is the final harvest of the year, we can choose various ways to save them for later months.  Our three basil plants (two sweet, one purple) flourished this year, and I was putting some aside almost every week.

Drying Herbs
Tough or needle-like herbs are the best candidate for drying (rosemary, mint, sage, bay leaves).  Their flavors will still be pronounced and strong!  However, you can dry any herb. 

Herbs can be hung to dry.  Once they are crispy-crumbly dry (about six weeks) they can be bagged, ground into crumbles or powder and stores in jars, or stores whole.

Herbs can also be laid in the fridge to dry.  I lay my basil branches on a top shelf and let them dry for several weeks until they crush at the touch.

Herbs can also be laid on a dehydrator on the lowest setting (usually about 145), or whatever setting is marked for "herbs" and dried until crumbly (12 - 48 hours, depending on your dehydrator!).

Rosemary - I strip my rosemary from the stems and store in jars.

Mint - I strip the mint from the stems and store in jars for use as tea leaves, etc.

Basil - I strip the leaves from the stem and grind into fine flakes and store in jars.

This bunch of basil, from our CSA, will need a few more days to dry fully in the fridge.

A coffee or spice grinder makes quick work of the dry leaves.  

Grind to your personal specifications!

I dried three types of basil: sweet basil, lemon basil, and cinnamon basil

Oils and Vinegars
I have only tried this with rosemary and bay leaves. 

Clean, air-dried, fresh herbs can be added to pure oil or vinegar for an infused oil or vinegar product; it is a fun way to add variation to your cooking cabinet.

Our porch garden thrived this year

The buckets I gleaned from bakeries and grocery stores in the area;
the container Mr H built

Freezing Herbs
Tender, leafy herbs like cilantro or basil are the best candidates for freezing - their flavor is well preserved! 

Puree leaves with olive oil and put into bags; freeze.  Using scissors or a knife, snip off desired amount for a recipe.  Or, mash into ice cube trays and freeze solid.

Stuff chopped herbs into ice cube trays and cover with water; freeze.

Stuff leaves into bags and freeze whole; chop leaves coarsely or finely and stuff into bags and freeze.

one of the many batches of basil we harvested over the summer

You don't have to remove the stems from herbs like parsley or cilantro, but you can if you wish. If you are pureeing them, however, definitely don't bother.

Remove the stems if you wish.  This is not necessary.  

Mince finely for storage in freezer bags. 

For loose, disorganized leaves: Wash, bunch together, and hold with one hand while chopping.
Jump to 1:05 of this video to see how to quickly chop herbs with a stationary knife.  

Stocking up,
Mrs H

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This post is linked at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesdays, Wednesday Fresh Foods, What's In the Box Wednesdays, and Simple Lives Thursdays