Monthly Archives: November 2009

Giving the Gift of Self Sufficiency

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Annette Cottrell| 11 Comments

santa-list

This Christmas I am focusing on gifting things that teach people how to fish. I will shop from Heifer International and give thoughtfully chosen things based on interest.

Perhaps someone is interested in beer – a book about home brewing might be exciting enough to start them off on that path.

Who doesn’t love warm homemade bread right out of the oven? How about a book on artisanal baking and some new bread pans?

And just because someone isn’t an avid gardener doesn’t mean they wouldn’t appreciate the gift of a blueberry bush that bears year after year with little effort on the part of the recipient. If they live in an apartment consider a potted low bush variety.

Any baked goods or jams should come with the recipe, home preserves should also have suggestions for uses (i.e. lavender jelly is a unique gift and makes a great icing for cupcakes or roast poultry.)

How about a collection of essential oils along with a book about aromatherapy and making your own lotions?

A copy of The Art of Simple Food for someone trying to learn how to cook seasonally?

A copy of Nourishing Traditions for someone trying to learn how to eat more healthily?

Or copy of In the Sweet Kitchen for someone with a sweet tooth.

A copy of Four Season Harvest or Fresh Food from Small Spaces for someone interested in growing a large portion of their own food, no matter how cold or how small their living accommodations.

With the planning and doing of Thanksgiving behind me I finally cracked my open my fall One Green World catalog. It may be too late in the year for them to ship bare root but you can frequently order them now and they ship in the spring when it’s appropriate to plant.

Here is what’s on my list:

3 Seaberries (one male, one sweet and one sour)
1 European Elderberry
2 Red Currants
1 Black Currant
1 Rosa Rugosa
1 Mulberry tree
2 Olive trees (for wind pollination)
2 Almond trees (for wind pollination)
1 Grape for the planned trellis spanning across the driveway
1 Red Dragon tree
1 Mason Bee house. I really want honey bees but my husband has not warmed up to this idea yet so I’ll start small.

The almond trees will hopefully end our desire to purchase peanut butter from warmer climates. The olive trees will hopefully supply us enough olives for eating and oil. The seaberries, rosehips and currants will hopefully curb my family’s cravings for orange juice. The elderberry will make lovely syrup to boost the immune system and help reduce the duration and strength of any flu viruses we encounter. The mulberry tree will hopefully provide a lot of low maintenance and tasty berries to snack on summer through fall. The grapes are for eating and juice, and the Red Dragon will provide a good lemon substitute for juice and cooking.

These selections will likely be the last large plant buy I make since I am just about strapped for space. I think any of these bushes would also make fine gift selections for anyone with a yard that strives to eat more self sufficiently, especially in a small urban garden.

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Rockridge Orchard Apple Cider Smoked Turkey

Posted on November 27, 2009 by Annette Cottrell| 9 Comments

 smoking-turkey

Inspired by the blazing lard incident we decided to smoke the turkey this year. It turns out turkey was meant to be smoked. The combination of brine and low cooking temperature ensures that even the most horrifically overcooked turkey will come out succulent and moist and fragrantly seasoned with an enticing smoky aroma. The fact that we used local honey and apple cider in the brine probably had something to do with the sweetness of the meat as well.

Sage and thyme are both low fuss herbs that weather our maritime winters well as long as they are in a spot with good drainage. You can keep the plants for several years before they get too woody. At that point you can divide them or replace them with nursery starts. We used our own herbs for this recipe and honey from Tahuya Aviary.

This recipe is based on this one.

Rockridge Orchard Apple Cider Smoked Turkey
Rub:

  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons rubbed sage
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme
  • 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

    • Mix all rub ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

    Brine:

  • 1 gallon filtered water
  • 2 cups sea or kosher salt
  • 3 cups Rockridge Orchards apple cider
  • 1 cup bourbon
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2/3 cup local honey
  • 1 pastured turkey from Pastured Sensations
  • Olive oil
  • 4 cups hickory soaked wood chips, or enough to smoke for 4-6 hours depending on the size of your turkey.

    • Mix all the ingredients in a 5 gallon bucket or brew kettle lined with a large plastic bag until the sugar and salt are dissolved. We used the bathroom size one. This steps helps you conserve the amount of brine you need and ensures the turkey remains in the brine the whole time.

    Place the bucket or pot in the refrigerator overnight to brine. Turn the turkey after 3 hours to be sure both sides get brined. We actually just put the turkey breast side down and didn’t worry about brining the back or drumsticks.

    Smoke your turkey at 225 F according to the manufacturer’s directions until a probe thermometer reaches 160 F. Ours took about 5 hours for a 16 pound turkey.

    One important thing about the smoked turkey – if you want gravy you need to place a rack with a bowl under the turkey in order to catch the drippings. I was afraid the smoke would be too strong to make a pleasant gravy but boy was I wrong! It made the most pleasantly memorable turkey gravy I’ve ever had.

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    Posted in Pastured Poultry, Recipes for Seasonal and Local Foods, Thanksgiving

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    Crispy Rosemary Flatbread Crackers

    Posted on November 27, 2009 by Annette Cottrell| 6 Comments

    camembert-crackers1

    These flat breads make marvelous crackers that are less work than smaller rolled and cut crackers.  They are the perfect thing for satisfying a need for crunch and can substitute for tostada shells and even be used to make northwest nachos.

  • 3 1/2 cups any combination of ground Bluebird Grain red winter wheat, Lentz Spelt or Emmer grains
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 cup filtered water*
  • 3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil

    • Mix the flours, salt and rosemary in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the hook attachment. Add the water and oil and knead the dough for about 2 minutes until the dough comes together. Turn off the machine and let the dough rest for 5 – 10 minutes to give the whole grain flour a chance to absorb the liquid and the gluten to develop. Turn the machine back on and knead for another 5 minutes (less time if using emmer or spelt), then check the consistency of the dough. It should be fairly stiff and smooth – not at all tacky or sticky. If it is add more flour in 1 tablespoon increments until you achieve a smooth and non-tacky dough. Cover the dough bowl with a plate and let it sit at room temperature for at least an hour or overnight.

    When ready to make the crackers heat the oven with a pizza stone in it to 475 F. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, keeping the extra pieces covered until you are ready to work with them. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured Silpat as thinly as possible – trying to achieve a 10 or 12 ” circle with each piece. Shake some course sea salt or seeds on the cracker bread surface and push them in by rolling over the dough one last time.

    Place the cracker bread onto a lightly floured pizza peel or lip less cookie sheet then deftly slide the cracker onto the pizza stone with a forward thrust of your arm. If you aren’t using a pizza stone you can bake these on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

    Bake the crackerbread for 4-6 minutes, until it has bubbled and begun to brown on the surface. Test the first cracker as a learning one before making the rest. Because you are working with naturally dark whole grain flour there is a tight window between done enough to crisp and burnt.

    Continue until all the cracker breads are done. When cool break them into cracker sized pieces. These will last for several days in an airtight container. If they get stale simply re-crisp them in the oven.

     

    * to convert this to a soaked cracker recipe replace 2 Tablespoons of the water with whey.

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    Posted in Crackers, Local Grains - Where to Get Them and What to do with Them, Snacks

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    Savory Squash Gratin

    Posted on November 27, 2009 by Annette Cottrell| 2 Comments

    squash-gratin

    We grew an amazing number of acorn squash this summer from Rents Due starts purchased at PCC. The tag said prolific but I had no idea just what that meant.

    se-acorn-squash

    Here we are almost December still with several boxes of squash in the garage. Faced with no sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner I made up a savory side dish that would hold up it’s own sharing a plate with our smoked turkey.

    Savory Roast Acorn Squash Gratin

    Roast 4 acorn squash by slicing them in half, scooping out the seeds, rubbing the cut surfaces with olive oil and roasting them in a 350 degree oven until soft when poked with a fork.

    Scoop out the soft flesh and whizz it in the food processor until smooth.  Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1/4 cup of sharp Samish Bay Montasio cheese. The amount of salt you use will depend on how salty your cheese is. If you are using parmesan you will need less.

    Place the squash mixture in a small pyrex dish, dot the surface with butter and bake in a 350 degree oven until warm and the top begins to brown around the edges. The length of time will depend greatly on how many other things you have in your oven.

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    Posted in Recipes for Seasonal and Local Foods, Squash, Thanksgiving

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    Preparing Quince to Use in Recipes

    Posted on November 27, 2009 by Annette Cottrell| 1 Comment

    quince

    This spring I planted a quince tree as a total leap of faith since I’ve never before eaten a quince and was not even sure I would like them.  Boy am I glad now I did!  Raw they are painfully sour and rock hard but once cooked they are delectable – like a firm textured pear with a well rounded flavor.  They turn anything apple into something surreal.

    There is a little extra preparation involved with quinces but it’s totally worth it.

    To prepare your quinces peel, quarter and core them.  In a pan combine 4 cups of filtered water with 2 cups of organic sugar, one cinnamon stick and 1/2 a split vanilla bean. Add 4 quinces and simmer until they are soft and just beginning to turn pink.  Let them cool, drain and use them in any tart or pie recipe, or serve with a scoop of homemade snickerdoodle ice cream.

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