DIY Sauerkraut

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Hello!  My name is Erica and I’m excited to join the Farm to Philly team!  I’m a community garden organizer and local food lover from West Philadelphia, check out my bio for more info on the gardens I tend in Philadelphia and Camden, NJ.

For my first post I decided to go with a tried-and-true recipe that I am constantly making in my kitchen; sauerkraut.  Cabbage is a great winter staple, I get mine at Mariposa Food Co-op where they’ve recently been selling small cabbages that are perfect for a mini batch of kraut.

The first step is to assemble your equipment:  a ceramic crock or (food-grade) plastic bucket and a dish that fits snugly into it.  I found my crock at a second-hand store, but you can sometimes buy them at housewares stores.  You’ll also need a cutting board, a glass mason jar with lid, a knife, a dish cloth and a large bowl.

Your ingredients are one small cabbage, sea salt, and water.  The amounts depend on the size of your crock, but I use one small head of cabbage, ½ cup of water, and 3 or 4 Tbs of salt in my ½ gallon crock.

Thinly shred the cabbage.  I find that the best way to do this is to cut it in half and slice thinly from the cut side.  When you’ve cut off a handful of cabbage, put it in the bowl and sprinkle it with salt.  Keep doing this until you’ve shredded the entire cabbage, layering the cabbage and salt as you go.  Put the cabbage in the crock and mash it down with your fist to get it tightly packed.  Mix together one teaspoon of salt in a cup of water and pour it over the cabbage until the cabbage is submerged.  Put the dish into the crock and put it down so the cabbage is under the salt water.  Fill the mason jar with water and use it to weigh the plate down.  Cover the entire thing with a dish cloth to keep away flies and dust, and place it in a dark corner of your kitchen.

Taste the sauerkraut daily to observe the fermentation process.  When it has reached the perfect amount of “sourness,” take it out of the crock and place it in a mason jar in the fridge.  For me, it takes between 1.5 and 2.5 weeks in the winter to reach the perfect point (less time in the summer).  To see the original recipe I used and more fermented food recipes, check out wildfermentation.com.  Enjoy!

Green Drinks Philly on Weds. Feb. 3rd!

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Green Drinks Philly meets the first Wednesday of every month at Standard Tap in Northern Liberties. Open to anyone who considers themselves any flavor of environmentalist (that’s you, local eaters!), Green Drinks is an opportunity to hang-out, drink, and network with like-minded Philadelphians. Not only is Standard Tap a beautiful building in a convenient location, they source ALL local beers! Hurray! Join this international green drinking movement. And if you don’t happen to live in our fair city, find a Green Drinks in your town HERE.

Standard Tap
6:00 - 9:00 PM
2nd & Poplar St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Tel: 215 238 0630

http://www.standardtap.com
http://www.standardtap.com/map.htm

Good News! Root is back on the shelves!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

After the holidays, it got impossible to buy Root on the shelves of our local liquor stores. FINALLY that situation has been rectified and Wine and Spirits is back in stock. You can purchase Root at these locations:

2nd Street
12th Street
19th & Chestnut
Society Hill
17th & JFK
Manayunk Main Street
South St

If you haven’t already found your favorite Root recipe, try some of the recipes features on the Art and the Age of Mechanical Reproduction website HERE. 

New Year-Round Farmers Market at the Piazza and other Winter Markets

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

A new YEAR-ROUND Farmers Market featuring locally produced items will launch on 1/16 at the Piazza at Schmidts’ (North 2Nd Street And Germantown Avenue) and continue every Saturday from 10:00am-2:00pm. Grass Fed Beef, Naturally-Raised Pork and Duck, Free Range Chicken, Naturally-Raised Lamb, Cage Free-Pastured Eggs, Artisan Cheese, Breads and Baked Goods, Organic Vegetables/Produce, Honey, Preserves, Fair Trade Coffee and even all natural Dog Treats! Over 20 vendors to choose from and FREE PARKING in the designated lot across from the Piazza.

There are other local farmer’s markets open throughout the Winter at:

Fitler Square Farmers’ Market
23rd St. & Pine St.
Saturdays 9 am - 2 pm; Year round

Rittenhouse Farmers’ Market
Walnut St. at 18th St.
Saturdays 9:30 am to 3 pm; Year round

Clark Park Farmers’ Market (accepts SNAP cards)
43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
Saturdays 10 am - 2 pm; Year round

Taste test: Fattoria Fresca Jersey Fresh Crushed Tomatoes

Thursday, December 31, 2009

When I was last at the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market, I decided to buy a can and try it out. Let’s face it, most canned tomatoes are crap to middling. But in the spirit of my commitment to local foods, it deserved a chance.

And I’m so glad I did. I ate a spoonful out of the can, and it was delicious. Not merely good, but a great, deep, tomato-ness. Salt and basil are in there (although I couldn’t detect the basil and would prefer to add my own anyway), but otherwise the can says no water, sugar, citric acid, concentrate, puree, or paste. At $3.00 for 28 ounces, it’s not inexpensive, but a can of imported San Marzanos will cost you more than that, and because there’s no water added, what you might call the “usable volume” of the Fattoria Fresca tomatoes is greater than the same size can of something else. Try them—I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed. 

November GRID is out

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

The new GRID magazine is hitting the shelves at local coffee-shops, co-ops and businesses near you. Check out the issue for more bicycling articles, how to cook dried beans, just what is a green roof, local fashion designers, community garden, a green event calendar, and much more. Or, read it online HERE.

It’s Not Too Late to go to the Orchard!

Monday, November 02, 2009

If’ you thought that you missed orchard season - you’re wrong! While most local orchards have ended their U-Pick apple season, you can still purchase apples, pumpkins, squash, decorative cabbages, mums, and more. This weekend I made a trip to Linvilla Orchards (in Media, PA) and was surprised at both the selection - so many different apples I lost count, cider, cider donuts, plants, gourds galore! A great trip for a sunny Fall afternoon, you can still stock up on Fall’s bounty (and enjoy a hay ride) before Thanksgiving.

More photos to follow!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

Well look at that—a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin.  Those farmers at Blooming Glen Farm seem to always have a surprise for us!  I have no idea what te future has in store for that pumpkin, but it’ll have to wait, as my kitchen is chock-full of wonderful, vitamin-rich, hearty and delicious root vegetables right now.  Here’s my go-to recipe for celeriac, rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, etc.:

Root Stew with Barley

3 tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pearled barley
4 cups vegetable stock
4 - 6 cups of scrubbed, but unpeeled* diced root veggies
1/2 - 1 cup of chopped fresh herbs (dill works well, but any one or two will work)

*Except the celeriac. Go ahead and peel those gnarly, dirty bad boys. Most of the nutrients in root vegetables live close to the surface; by peeling them you’ll inadvertently loose the good stuff.

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened (about five minutes). Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Stir in barley and vegetable stock. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off any froth, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add root veggies.  Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes more, or until barley and vegetables are tender. Just before serving, stir in herbs. Salt and pepper to taste

So delicious and easy!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

I’ve been so happy to find my favorite salad green, arugula, at Blooming Glen Farm over the past two weeks.  We’re still picking herbs and flowers, and radishes made a reappearance this week.

That beautiful Cinderella squash and those tomatillos are going to become soups for a family dinner this Sunday night.

Cinderella Pumpkin Soup with Apples and Sage Oil
(From Whole Food Whole Family)
Ingredients
1 leek, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
about 1/3 of a large Cinderella pumpkin (or other variety), peeled and diced
4 apples, preferably Winesap or another sweet-tart variety, diced
enough vegetable broth or water to barely cover
2 T. maple syrup
1 T. cumin
2 t. coriander
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 c. chives, minced for garnish
Sage oil:
3 T. olive oil
large handful of sage leaves, stripped from the stem

Directions
1. Heat 1 T. oil in a soup pot and add the leek and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring regularly.
2. Add the squash and apples. Add broth to within an inch of the squash and apples. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the squash is very soft.
3. Stir in the spices and maple syrup and turn off the heat under the soup.
4. Heat the oil at a low temperature in a small pan. Add the sage leaves and infuse them for about 1 minute, until the have released their flavor and scent into the oil. Turn off the heat and allow the sage to continue infusing while the rest of the soup is prepared.
5. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and process until smooth.
6. Return the soup to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Strain out the leaves from the oil.
8. Serve the soup drizzled with sage oil and sprinkled with chives.

Tomatillo Soup
(From Vegan Diva)
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 jalapeno peppers, sliced in thin rounds (use less for a milder soup)
2 heaping teaspoons ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon ground coriander
Green Tabasco Sauce to taste
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cans chopped green chiles, drained
1 cup water
2 15-oz. cans Cannelli Beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. Add garlic, onion, jalapenos, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring often until onions are lightly golden, about 7 – 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in 5- to 6-quart pot, combine tomatillos, sea salt, sugar, vegetable broth, green chilies, Green Tabasco sauce, and water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the onion mixture and cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Stir in beans and cilantro until beans are heated through.

Served with fresh bread from our local bakery, Bakers on Broad, and a green salad, I think our taste buds and belies will be satisfied!

FLOTUS Shops at DC Farmers’ Market!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Hooray! Read the story on the New York Times website.

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, September 17, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

The Blooming Glen Farm farmers gifted us with green tomatoes, tomatillos, arugula and butternut squash this week.  More potatoes, onions, peppers, garlic and greens were also waiting for us.  The weather may be cooling down, but we still had fresh herbs to pick, and even managed to put together a wild flower bouquet.

I’m excited to make a batch of Nanny’s (our farmer Tricia’s grandmother) green tomato relish with those tomatoes.  I’ve used this recipe for the last couple years and just love it. The quantities are to produce a big batch for canning (about 10 to 12 pint jars), so adjust as needed.

Nanny’s Green Tomato Relish

Put through chopper (or chop by hand), and drain:
1 peck green tomatoes (roughly 20apple size)
6 large onions
6 green peppers
6 red peppers

Make syrup:
3/4 pint sugar
2 pints vinegar
1 T whole cloves, in cloth or tea ball
1 stick cinnamon
Boil about 20 minutes, until sugar is dissolved, remove cinnamon stick and cloves.

In a big pot, pour syrup over over relish and add:
1 T Salt
1 T celery seed
1 T mustard seed
Boil 15 minutes, then process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

It’s always a treat to open a can of this sweet, crunchy and colorful relish in the dark days of winter!

Picking blueberries in South Jersey

Sunday, July 12, 2009

One of my favorite annual events is going to Haines Berry Farm in Pemberton, NJ, to pick blueberries, even though it means getting up early on a Sunday. (They’re open all day—it’s just my crew who like to get there in the a.m.) Haines doesn’t spray but instead uses integrates pest management techniques—good for you, good for the land. They’re open everyday for picking during the month of July, and they have blueberry honey also. (Not flavored—from hives in the area.) It’s a wonderful thing to do with friends and family.
They take you to your row to pick on this tractor-wagon.
Berries in a zillion tidy rows.
Nice, healthy plants.
After I wash them, they dry on dishtowels so that the berries for the freezer don’t clump together. This is a third fo what I picked—11 lbs. I know, that’s a lot of blueberries. But they’re just $1.50/pound. Yes, per pound.
After a freshly picked blueberry, all packaged pints will be ruined for you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. (Haines’s website is no longer, but the phone is 609 894 8630.)

Opening day at Indian Valley Farmers’ Market

Saturday, July 04, 2009

I’m pretty sure there couldn’t have been more beautiful weather for today’s Indian Valley Farmers’ Market opening.  Clear blue skies and sunshine were the perfect backdrop for local fruits, vegetables, maple syrup, wine, roasted coffee and flowers, homemade baked pies, cakes, breads and stromboli, and handcrafted rag rugs, glass earrings and glass watering bulbs.  This year’s vendors include:

Annie’s Rag Rugs: Rugs made of 100% natural, recycled cotton and wool blankets.
Bakers on Broad: Specialty and traditional artisan breads.
Country Creek Winery:  Variety of Pennsylvania wines produced and bottled by the winery; farmstead cheese made by Goot Essa.
Creations by Carmine: Beautiful hand-blown glass items including pendants, earrings, ornaments and watering bulbs.
Farmer’s Daughters: Fresh baked goods using Pennsylvania Dutch themes such as funny cakes, shoofly pies, whoopie pies, assorted cookies and breads; handmade crafts such as afghans, and hanging dish towels.
Frankie’s Favorites: All natural oatmeal cookies in four scrumptious flavors: oatmeal raisin, oatmeal raisin with coconut, oatmeal with dark chocolate ad pecan, and oatmeal peanut butter.
Nita-Baker:  Delicious variety of strombolis, tomato pie, garlic knots, and many fresh baked sweets.
Peanut World: Fresh ground nut butters, roasted peanuts and a variety of healthy snacks.
R & L Home Baked Goods: Large variety of breads, cakes and cookies.
Rising Sun Coffee Roasters:  Fresh roasted coffee in a variety of flavors; coffee drinks.
Willy’s Wood: Handcrafted cedar and pine furniture and wood products.
Ray’s Greenhouse: Vegetables, fruit, perennials, annuals; homemade jarred goods such as chow chow, sweet and sour beets, ketchup and apple butter.
Windy Springs Farm: Seasonal vegetables and fruit; jarred homemade goods including ketchup and spaghetti sauce.

Next Saturday’s market, which will feature the 2009 Field to Table Food Festival, is not to be missed.  Be sure to stop by for exhibits from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, 4-H, the Searching for “Berried” Treasure Contest, music, menu samples from local restaurants and activities for children.  The market will open as usual at 8:30am; Field to Table events will run from 10am - 3pm.

This season, the Indian Valley Farmers’ Market will be held each Saturday until October 17, from 8:30am until 12noon (except in the case of special events) at the Telford Train Station on Penn and Main Streets in Telford, Montgomery County.  Keep an eye on all market news and events at http://www.ivfm.org/.

Two quick Milkalicious photos

Monday, June 29, 2009

Here is some raw milk we picked up at Willow Creek Orchards.  I’m afraid I don’t remember which farm it comes from, but I know that M turned it into fabulous yogurt.  Willow Creek’s dairy case is not huge, so it should be easy to find. 

If you look closely, you can see the yellow cream start halfway up the bottle.  When I was a girl, we would visit my grandparents in England, and Pip (my grandfather) would let me pour off the cream from the bottled milk that was delivered every day.  That would go in a separate pitcher, and then in the evening, I would be sent out to the netted “room” in the garden to pick raspberries.  We would eat them for dessert, the red raspberries making pink streaks in the thick cream. 

As you can see from this picture, they had a variety of other great products at Willow Creek, including the best raisins I’ve ever eaten (and the first that actually made me think of grapes!), a couple of good red sauces, parmesan, and peanut butter.  All local, local, local!

Market Report: Headhouse Square

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Headhouse Square Farmer’s Market was lovely this morning.  After weeks and weeks of rain (including Headhouse’s opening day last month), it seemed almost decadent to have such a beautiful Sunday.  I arrived early - a few minutes before the official opening at 10am - and it was already hopping.  By the time I left around 10:45am, the place was absolutely packed.

Blooming Glen Farm had gorgeous displays of fantastic-looking produce.  I loved the basket full of arrowhead and purple cabbages, and could not resist taking a photo.  I bought zucchini and fresh garlic from the stand, but I wanted to buy a lot more.  With just two of us in the house and my limited time for cooking, I have to be smart about not overbuying.  I was sorely tempted by the squash blossoms.  Last year I bought some and made great cheese and pesto stuffed blossoms.  Blooming Glen also had some pretty good-looking tomatoes, but I’m wary of tomatoes this early in the season.  Hydroponic or not, the flavor always seems off to me.

The best deal of the day for me was the four pounds of fava beans I got from Queen Farm for a mere $2.00.  I’m not sure what I will do with the fava beans yet - suggestions?  They also had lots of Asian greens and great-looking mushrooms.

Three Springs Fruit Farm had tons of cherries, both red and white, as well as early apples, black and red raspberries, and blueberries.  I’m always so tempted by their fruit stand.  I bought cherries (they were $4 per pint), and they are some of the best cherries I’ve ever eaten - perfectly ripe with a deep, lush sweetness.

I was really excited to see Mark from Natural Meadows Farms selling his eggs.  Since I’m not volunteering at Fair Food Farmstand right now (on an unrelated note, Fair Food has started construction on their new home in Reading Terminal!!  I hear it should be another four or five weeks until they can move in.), I haven’t seen him in a while.  I do love his eggs.  If you’ve never seen them, you must get your hands on some - they are blue, green, brown, pink, and all colors in between from a variety of heritage breed chickens.  I had a nice chat with Mark today, although I was horrified to hear how much professional processors are charging to slaughter his Tamworth pigs.  While I realize federal regulations exist to protect the consumer, they also make it very difficult for small farmers like Mark to make a profit.

Margerum’s was selling their usual selection of dried beans, herbs and spices, preserves, etc. Bags of red lentils and cannelini beans came home with me today.  With so much great produce available, a good white bean salad with vegetable and vinaigrette will make a nice lunch one day.

Weaver’s Way had some great-looking red and white kohlrabi (and lots of other beautiful stuff) that I bought for my husband.  Now that I’m working at Awbury Arboretum, I see the folks from Weaver’s Way hard at work at the farm on a regular basis.  Their fields look amazing - very healthy and productive.

A bunch of golden beets caught my eye, I think at either Culton Organics or Yoder Heirlooms.  I just made a really great salad (recipe will be forthcoming this week) out of them, and I’m debating with my myself about how I want to use the beet greens.  Beet green risotto is always delicious!

Happy Cat Organics was selling a lot of vegetable plants along with some nice looking produce.  I was tickled to see that they are selling shiitake mushroom logs.  I’ve always wanted to grow my own mushrooms, so I’m hoping they still have them next time I make it to Headhouse Square.  Something else at the market was the first of Jersey sweet corn, although - like the tomatoes - it seems awfully early for good sweet corn.

Along with a few flatbreads from Wild Flour Bakery, I managed to buy nearly everything I needed for the week and didn’t spend a ridiculous amount of money.