ONE OF OUR BEST HELP....

....is going to be seven tomorrow.  Happy Birthday Amaya!!!

YOUR HEALTH

Finally, a doctor who gets it.  Dr. Maring from Kaiser Permanente in California started a farmer's market in 2003.  But guess where you can go to get the local veg?  Right outside the hospital!!!! 

He went one step further and started his own blog chock full of recipes, sound health advice, how to use veggies, and much more!  If every physician in this country followed Dr. Maring's example, there would be a health and food revolution like no other!  Here is the link to his blog/website. Dr. Preston Maring. It is also on the left hand side of this page under the heading Cooking, Growing, and Health.

We found out about Dr. Maring through a link to an article in the New York Times that came across our facebook page.  This is an excerpt from the NYT article regarding Dr. Maring. "But increasingly, his reputation and perpetual motion revolve around his conviction that in the health professions, the kitchen must become as crucial as the clinic. Food is at the center of health and illness, he argues, and so doctors must make all aspects of it — growing, buying, cooking, eating — a mainstay of their medical educations, their personal lives and their practices."

Wow! 

FIERY FIERRO JELLY



The cast before - for Fiery Fierro Jelly


On the quest to make a HOT jelly for our son-in-law, Alberto, we used our standard jalapeno jelly recipe but swapped the jalapeno's for red habanero's, mustard habanero's, Ho Chi Minh yellow cayennes, red cayennes, and jalapeno's!  Michael tasted it and then ran for the sugar.  Our granddaughter, Amaya, was here and took a whiff of the peppers, just after they were processed in the food processor, and immediately starting coughing.  Me, well I was too chicken to try it!  Not even a little.

When Michael was able to talk again he did manage to sputter that it does have excellent flavor.

FIERY FIERRO JELLY

So, in honor of Alberto combined with the flaming orange/red color we are calling this supercharged jelly - Fiery Fierro Jelly!!! We are still waiting to hear if it passes Alberto's "HOT" test!

It is available to order and we are suggesting a rub for pork or chicken!

LUSCIOUS COLOR

Color is everywhere and naturally grown produce is rich with color and rich with taste!

SOL 'N TYNES FINAL FALL FLING FOR 2010

Come join us at Lake City's renowned Johnny Appleseed Days on Saturday and Sunday, October 2nd and 3rd.  We will be there on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  SOL 'N TYNE will have bountiful produce, colorful jellies, and information related to the 2011 CSA program we are offering.  Look for us in Patton Park under the SOL 'N TYNE -Natural From Field to Table Banner!!!

Image courtesy of mhl.org



Because I was introduced to Johnny Appleseed as a grade schooler, I thought it would be wise to refresh my memory. Boy was I astounded at what I found.  Expand your mind and discover what an amazing man Johnny Appleseed was by clicking on the Wikipedia link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed.   

At the, two day, Johnny Appleseed Festival there will be fresh apples and apple products, Apple Pie Sales, Arts and Crafts Fair, Children's Activities, Pancake Breakfast, Chili Cook-Off, Kid Pedal Tractor Pull, Petting Zoo, Wild Wings Annual Fall Festival, and much more!! That said, here is the link to the weekend activities sponsored by the Lake City Chamber of Commerce!!!  http://www.lakecity.org/johnnyappleseed.html 

Rain or shine Johnny Appleseed Days will be a fun, activity filled event!!!  See you this weekend and dress warm!

FROST

Kidding right?  Nope - our fall lettuce took a hit, some of it pretty hard.  Michael had ice on his windshield.  The forecast was an overnight low of 46.  In fact at the Red Wing airport right now it's 48 which was registered at 7:02 am.  We, again, were gently reminded that each day is a lesson.  Have a great Monday - it's going to be a gorgeous day!

A SPECIAL REQUEST - POTATO PANCAKES

Today would be a perfect day for potato pancakes.  After the torrential, warm rains of the previous 24 hours (I dumped out over 5" from our rain gauge last night) today is blustery, windy (we are talking windchills now), and obviously much colder.  Looking and feeling like a classic Minnesota fall!! A soothing and satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner option and a great way to use your CSA, farmer's market or from your own garden/farm potatoes, onions, eggs, and garlic is the following potato pancake recipe requested by my daughter.  I'm sure Bella, Amaya, and Noelia would love it if Tona served these with a side of thick bacon!!!  Enjoy!

POTATO PANCAKES

(taken from the vegetarian epicure by Anna Thomas and modified)

Serves 3 to 4

Yields about 12 3" pancakes

2 1/2 cups grated raw potatoes (about 3 large potatoes)
4 T onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
2 to 3 large eggs, slightly beaten
3 T cracker meal or fine, dry breadcrumbs or flour
fresh ground black pepper to taste
oil and butter
sour cream, applesauce, or cranberry jelly for garnish

Peel and grate 3 large potatoes and press the excess water out thoroughly.  Measure out 2 1/2 cups of the grated potatoes.  (Note - borrowing from other wise cooks---if you have a food processor, chunk the potatoes instead, insert your grating disk in the food processor, and send the potatoes down the chute.)

In a large bowl combine the grated potatoes, the finely chopped onion, the finely chopped garlic, the salt, the 2 slightly beaten eggs, and the cracker meal or breadcrumbs or flour.  If the batter is still too moist, add a little more of your dry ingredients.

Heat a large, heavy skillet and melt some butter in it and then add an equal amount of oil.  There should be almost 1/4 inch melted oil and butter in the skillet.  Drop the pancake batter in by heaping spoonfuls and flatten slightly with the back of the spoon.  Fry the pancakes until crisp and brown on both sides. 

Serve hot with sour cream, applesauce, or cranberry jelly!

TIP - To keep your potatoes from turning brown try this - peeled whole or cut potatoes keep in a bowl of water and covered until ready to use.  If the potatoes are shredded you can add a slight bit of ascorbic acid (which is nothing more than Vitamin C powder), but don't over due it!  Peeled potatoes that turn brown or dark are completely fine to eat it only means they oxidized or have been exposed to air.

CREAM OF JALAPENO PEPPER SOUP

Coming this weekend to the Lake City Farmer's Market!

As always, we highly recommend purchasing local produce as much as possible to bring out the most flavor in a recipe!  The quicker produce gets to your table from a grower's field the richer it is in flavor and the denser the nutrients are!  You can pick up the ingredients for the majority of this recipe from your local farmer's market (most of them still in full swing). The milk and butter can be purchased at some of the larger farmer's markets, or try and find Kappers Big Red Barn (KAPPERS BIG RED BARN) cream, and butter from Pastureland (PASTURELAND), it's the real deal!  The only item you will have to swing by a store and get is an avocado!!!

Cream of Jalapeno Pepper Soup

(taking from Jalapeno Madness jalapenomadness.com)

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:
6-8 jalapeno peppers, minced (no heat - remove seeds and veins, want heat - leave seeds and veins in).  For a stronger pepper taste add a few more peppers.

8 cups heavy cream
1 T butter
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small avocado, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 T fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
• Add minced jalapenos, onion, and garlic.  Saute until soft.
• Stir in avocado, tomatoes, and heavy cream.
• Bring mixture to a soft boil, stirring frequently, and then reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer approximately 15 minutes.
• Stir slowly and frequently.
• Stir in fresh basil, then simmer an additional 5 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat and serve.

COOKS NOTE:  We added about 12 large Concho jalapeno's (seeds removed), 6 plum lemon tomatoes, and 2 large cloves of garlic.  What we found with this soup are the following - needed more jalapeno's, more tomatoes, more onions, more garlic, more avocado and more basil.  More of everything would've heightened the flavor's tremendously - but it was still tasty and with the seeds removed from the Concho jalapeno's hardly any heat.

Serve as an appetizer, or in a bread bowl with a side salad as a lighter main course.  We served the soup with a nice, crusty bread from the Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City topped with Pastureland Butter and our Sun-Dried Tomato Jelly.  Or serve with your favorite corn bread recipe, topped with honey from your favorite honey producer!

GROWING FOOD!!!

Pretty exciting isn't it? Fall is just barely sneaking in and we are thinking spring and what we can grow and eat and celebrate and savor in 2011!

Craving a fresh, juicy, red tomato yet?  I am!  I'm also borrowing ideas from other growers, bloggers, people who love the taste of good food and appreciate what food is all about and sharing it with you.  The ideas are endless and the ways to celebrate good tasting, locally grown food is also!

So here is a link I borrowed from Deep Roots post today on Facebook.  10 GREAT BLOGS ABOUT GROWING FOOD.  The list is from all over the world.  We enjoy reading about how other growing zones manage the challenges, share their ideas and discoveries, and rejoice in what they do!!!

We went one step further and added all the links to the right hand side of our page under the heading GROWING FOOD!!! so you can come back anytime to view them and borrow your own ideas.  I know it is overwhelming, welcome to our world, and enjoy!!

DINNER IN THE GARDEN

Kudos go to Whitewater Gardens---Lonnie and Sandy Dietz and family, Sontes---Tessa, Chef Justin and crew, to a fabulous meal and event held yesterday at Whitewater Gardens (Whitewater Gardens) near St. Charles, MN.  The event raised money for the WIC program in Winona, Minnesota. 

Chef Justin from Sontes (Sontes) in Rochester, MN, prepared an incredible meal that used a full range of naturally grown food obtained within a 50 mile radius of Rochester.

The menus was---

Carrot Soup-smoked creme fraiche, rosemary

Apple Salad-Shepard's Way blue, local salad greens, mango vinegar and black walnuts

Heirloom Tomatoes-whipped herbed labneh, watermelon, lemon verbena, basil,

Slow Roasted Pork Belly-tomato and fall pepper marmalade, beet greens, carola potato, heirloom garlic pork jus

 or for the vegetarian

Thrice Cooked Carrot Risotto-citrus, aged cheddar, sage,

 and finally

 Lemon Verbena Creme Brulee-raspberry, honeycomb, pear and grape

 Locally produced wine was available to sample and to top the day off wonderful people who made the afternoon lively and entertaining!

We celebrate Lonnie and Sandy, Tessa and Chef Justin, for donating their talents to a notable cause and for Tessa and Chef Justin for their ongoing support of using local growers.  Thank you!!!

SWEET POTATO SOUP RECIPE

We served the below recipe this morning at the Lake City Farmer's market, but we substituted Galeux d'Eysines squash for the sweet potatoes.  Excellent!  Rave reviews!  The second soup we served was the Butternut Basil Soup and that recipe can be found on the posting, Thursday - Sept 2,  BUTTERNUT BASIL SOUP RECIPE

SWEET POTATO SOUP


Substitute Galeux d'Eysines squash for sweet potatoes!

 (by Margo Stitch from the Rochester Women’s Magazine.)
Serves 4

2 tsp Olive Oil
3 T Chopped onion
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large sweet potatoes cut in ½ inch cubes (about 3 cups)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
¼ tsp black pepper
3/8 tsp salt
3/8 tsp cumin or allspice
½ cup half & half

• Over medium heat, in a 3 quart saucepan heat olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic for approximately 3 minutes.
• Add the ginger and sauté an additional minute.
• Sprinkle cayenne over above, and then stir in potato and vegetable stock.
• Bring to a boil, simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
• Turn contents from pan into blender or food processor.
• Add pepper, salt, cumin/allspice.
• Pulse until smooth.
• Return to sauce pan.
• Stir in half/half
• Heat till warmed through.
• Season to taste and top with sour cream!

Cooks note:  We add more ginger and garlic than recommended and we use Pacific Vegetable Stock.  We encourage buying your garlic locally, especially this time of year when it has the most flavor!

GATHERING SQUASH

Galeux d' Eysines, Musquee de Provence, Waltham Butternut, Sweet Dumpling, and Honey Bear Acorn.  With a cold, wet morning and help of the smallest variety - Ellie was able to muscle one of the wagons, she pushed actually - we had fun gathering for the Lake City market tomorrow.

The Musquee de Provence we found broken off the vine so had to gather it green.  They are huge so it's no wonder.  Those are the ones Ellie is sitting on in the wagon.

We will see everyone in the morning 8am to noon, bright-eyed, and dressed warm!

PIECES OF TORCH

WHAT IS IT?

That was the question of the day yesterday at the Lake City market.  It was also our most popular item and lots of them went either for eating, to sit on a doorstep, or a table centerpiece!

Galeux d'Eysines (translation - embroidered with warts from Eysines) -- was first seen at the Pumpkin Fair in Tranzalt, France in 1996.  Galeux d'Eysines is sweet, moist, has orange flesh, is great for baking and is also used in soups.  They can weight from 10 to 20 pounds.  Ours averaged around 15 pounds yesterday and today we are going to experiement with a soup recipe using fresh fall apples!   

KICKIN' CRANBERRY AND SUNDRIED TOMATO JELLIES

One made with freshly juiced cranberries and Concho jalapenos and the other one made with Plum Lemon tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes.

FALL IS IN THE AIR!

THANK YOU FUNKY SIDEWALKS!!!

Good weather, great people, and lots of interesting items equals a successful Funky Sidewalks this past Sunday in Lake City!  Thank you Jill from Treats and Treasures, http://www.treatsandtreasureslc.com/, for organizing such a wonderful event.  We talked to people from Iowa, St. Paul, Lake City, Owatonna, Little Falls, and beyond!  We met people we knew, made contacts with new people, and totally enjoyed the day. 

We had help and boy did Bella make the rounds.  By the end of the day she had hit all the vendors and did some serious bargain shopping for her sisters, her mom, her dad, and made several trips to Treats and Treasures to keep Michael and I well in the chocolate!

We had brave souls - yes this young man bit into a Ho Chi Minh, a yellow cayenne!!!  He tried super hard not to let his eyes water!!! We were all rolling with laughter and he was a great sport about it all!!  Thank you for sampling and see ya'll at the next great Lake City Event!

BUDDING ENTREPRENEUR

Thank you, Amaya, for your hard work and help at the Rochester market last night and for contributing your artwork to the market funds.  We look forward to your help in the 2011 season.

BELL PEPPERS - STUFFED WITH RICE AND CORN

We have a tremendous abundance of gorgeous green bell peppers that are coming to market today.  Big, just right for stuffing!

Bell Peppers Stuffed with Rice and Corn
(from The Essentials Collection - Vegetables)

4 green or red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
3/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, chili powder, or chili pepper flakes (or use fresh jalapenos lightly sauteed)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (or fresh basil)
3 garlic gloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
7 oz can chopped tomatoes (or you can use fresh chopped with juices- try the Red Zebras)
Feta Cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut a slice off the top of each bell pepper and discard.  Carefully remove all the seeds from inside the bell peppers.  Closely pack the bell peppers, upright, in a casserole dish.

Combine the rice, corn, spices (or fresh peppers), cilantro/basil, and salt in a large mixing bowl, reserving a little corn and cilantro/basil to use as garnish.  Carefully spoon the mixture into the bell peppers.

Drizzle olive oil over the top of each bell pepper.  Pour the tomatoes over them.

Place the casserole in the oven and bake the bell peppers for 1 hour, or until soft.  Remove from the oven and either let cool in the casserole or carefully lift out and arrange on serving plates.  Spoon the tomatoes and juices from the casserole dish over the bell peppers.  Serve garnished with the reserved corn and cilantro.

Note:  When we made this dish we used fresh tomatoes.  We also used black rice (purchased from the Good Food Store) and cooked it in Pacific vegetable stock.  We added garlic and fresh hot peppers lightly sauteed.   Finally, we topped with Feta cheese (we prefer it from goat's milk.)

THURSDAY - SEPT 2

Good morning!  It is a wet, dark, very cool morning and we are headed outside, between rain storms, to finish gathering for today's final market in Rochester.  Future produce will be fall related and can be obtained by ordering and pick up at Carson Framing on Thursday's from 3pm to 6pm.  Please call me no later than 5pm Wednesday to place your order.  We will update the blog Wednesday morning on what is available.

That said, today we are bringing the following:

FRESH PRODUCE

Tomatoes - Sudduth's brandywine, plum lemon, and red zebras.

Peppers - sweet and hot

Squash - summer and butternut and a frenchie variety

Zucchini

Potatoes - Sweet (They are superlicious - we enjoyed some grilled with onions, olive oil, and garlic last night.)

Herbs - Rosemary, lemon thyme, basils, sage, oregano

BUTTERNUT BASIL SOUP

(from the Minnesota HomeGrown cookbook)

1 large butternut squash
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
3 gloves garlic, chopped
4 tsps dried basil
1 quart veg stock
4 slices American or soft cheese
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Brown sugar, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Scrub the butternut squash and microwave for 3 minutes to soften for cutting.  Place on a cutting board and cut in half.  Do not remove seeds.

Place the halves, cut side down, on a buttered baking sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until soft.  Meanwhile, saute onion with butter and olive oil in your favorite soup pot until translucent.  Add garlic and dried basil.  Stir for one minute and enjoy a deep whiff!

Quickly add veggie stock and let simmer.  When the squash is done, remove seeds and process or mash the pulp until it's smooth, adding a bit of broth if necessary.  Combine the puree with the broth and add sliced cheese.  If the soup is too thick because the squash was dry, adjust the texture of the soup by adding more broth.  Stir in balsamic vinegar.

Taste the soup and add up to 2 tsp of brown sugar to enhance the flavor of the squash.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

See you at the corner of 4th and Broadway at 4pm.  In Lake City on Saturday morning from 8am to noon, and this Sunday, Sept 5, from 9am to 5pm in Lake City for FUNKY SIDEWALKS!

MASTER GARDENER

Here's a big shout out to Pam and her new blog on her journey as a master gardener.  The link is springvalleygardener.blogspot.com.  We have also created a listing on the sidebar so you can check back often on Pam's life as a gardener in Spring Valley, MN. Enjoy her stories and her journey!!!