January Spring :-(

 After an unseasonably mild holiday season, we finally got snow this past weekend - enough that I finally had a nice x-c ski on Monday. So much for winter, for now at least. After a day of heavy rain the snow is all but gone and the temperature today was in the fiftys. Spent most of the day taking care of downed branches and trees that had been damaged by the heavy snow. When cutting up the branches of the top of a small tree that had broken off in the storm, I noticed something very disconcerting: tiny buds - tiny buds on January 10th in Massachusetts. Not a good sign! The rule of thumb used to be one could bring forsythia into the house in mid February, put it in warm water and after several days it would bloom. The buds on my forsythia are already tender. What is happening to the fruit trees? Hoping that 2024 won't be even hotter than 2023.*

*"BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Last year was the planet's hottest on record by a substantial margin and likely the world's warmest in the last 100,000 years, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Tuesday."

December Tomatoes

If one wants to eat local in New England, November and December are the Brussels sprouts, apple, cranberry and root vegetable months. That is until Chris arrived this December with a box of tomatoes from his loft in Somerville (MA). After putting his outdoor garden to bed this fall, Chris decided to give indoor tomatoes, grown hydroponically a try.

"They just keep coming", he said, as he handed several to me, and frankly I'm getting a little sick of them."  What a treat!

Unfortunately he had harvested all his basil and made pesto a few weeks ago (not offered) so I had to purchase some basil to make pasta with fresh tomatoes.  Yumm! A delicious treat, full of summer, on a cold winter evening.








Reviewed 9/14/2017

Taming Paperwhites

I love the hint of spring paperwhite narcissus bring to a cold January day but have never liked the way the plants collapse and fall over the pot just as they come into bloom.  This year I noticed a sign beside the paperwhites at our local Christmas fair suggesting alcohol would prevent this collapse. When I was given a bunch of bulbs for Christmas, I remembered this suggestion and cruised the web. I found many variations, but the most definitive instructions called for pouring off and replacing water surrounding the bulbs with a water-alcohol mix when the shoots are about 2 inches above the bulb.

The high sugar content of beer and wine makes these liquids less optimum than spirits or rubbing alcohol.  The ratio should be about 1 part spirits (I used vodka) to 7 parts water or 1 part rubbing alcohol to 10-11 parts water.  As the photo at left shows this worked for me.  The fragrance was less than usual. whether this was due to the particular bulbs or the added alcohol, I'm not sure. This was fine with Ed who has never been a fan of the paperwhite's "obnoxious" fragrance. Looking forward to paperwhites again next year!

Reviewed 9/21/2017

Wineberries

Time to check out the  woods!  For a number of years, (2009 berries at left, 2015 berries below), I have picked a sticky red raspeberry-like berry from the brambles on the west side of our house. Today after picking another heaping quart, I finally decided it would be a good idea to positively identify these wild things. Thank you Wikipedia:

Wineberry "is a perennial plant which bears biennial stems ("canes") from the perennial root system. In its first year, a new stem ("primocane") grows vigorously to its full height of 1-3 m, unbranched, and bearing large pinnateleaves with three or five leaflets; normally it does not produce any flowers. In its second year, the stem ("florocane") does not grow taller, but produces several side shoots, which bear smaller leaves always with three leaflets; the leaves are white underneath.

The flowers are produced in late spring on short, very bristly racemes on the tips of these side shoots, each flower 6–10 mm diameter with five purplish red to pink petals and a bristly calyx. The fruit is orange or red, about 1 cm diameter, edible ...it is not a berry at all, but an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets around a central core. Ripening occurs from early summer.^[3][4] .

The canes have red glandular hairs. These red hairs give the species its scientific name from the Latin phoenicus meaning red .In addition to seed propagation, new plants are formed from the tips of existing canes touching the ground. They enjoy moist soil and grow near and within wooded areas.

As a fruit develops, it is surrounded by a protective calyx covered in hairs that exude tiny drops of sticky fluid...^[7]"*

Biennial stems,  tips of the canes rooting in the ground, the protective calayx, the red sticky berries,  this plant, which is now boardering on invasive on our property, meets all the criteria of wineberry.  

Over time many of the canes in our woods have died and turned brown. This spring  I  pruned the thicket and got rid of dead cane. This made the picking easier and, I think, the berries more abundant.  

We will enjoy these wineberries, mixed with a few wild blueberries (more favored by the birds so less abundant) and wild blackberrries also found on the same wooded slope. Wineberries are also good as a topping for local peaches which are now in season too.

* Quoted text Wikipedia; all photos Cook's Cache.


Reviewed 9/14/2017

Shaved Asparagus Salad

No recipe posts in quite a while. Am I less adventurous or having more failures in the kitchen? Maybe a little of both.  This recipe turned out to be a resounding success on the first try --- only wish I had had it for last year's asparagus season too!  A couple of Christmases ago Chris gave me the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I immediately read it and flagged several recipes to try.  One that missed my eye the first time, maybe because of the pizza part, was "Shaved Asparagus Pizza". On re-reading I discovered the origin of the pizza. Deb Perelman writes, "I was at a restaurant that served it [asparagus] shaved raw into ribbons, dressed only with lemon, olive oil and Parmesan"*. Wow, I thought, we are in the height of asparagus season, forget about the pizza, go for the salad.  Using Perelman's pizza recipe (no lemon juice), it was easy to come up with a salad recipe.  I had a critical tester who I think this time of year begins to hope the asparagus season will soon be over.  After tasting this salad, he offered no suggestions except to make it again soon.   It is as pretty as it is tasty, especially when made with asparagus that is picked the same day.

When I boil/steam asparagus I like the pieces with small diameters.  However, the bunches usually have spears of mixed diameters.  Slightly larger diameters work best with this recipe.

Wash and dry

1/2 pound (about 16 medium size spears) asparagus; do not remove the tough end of the stalk.

Place each spear, on the edge of a cutting board, hold it by the tough end and and using a vegetable peeler, slice into thin strips. The last piece will be thicker than the others which will be "ribbon like". Cut the thicker piece into bite-size pieces. Save the tough end of the stalk to make Asparagus Stock.

Put the asparagus in a bowl and add:

2-3 scallions thinly sliced (purple bulb scallions, if available, add a bit of color)
1 t olive oil
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste
1-2 T Parmesan cheese, grated

Divide between two plates and garnish (optional) with a dusting of Parmesan and a few scallion rings

VARIATION: Make the salad, increase the olive oil to 2 T and toss with 6 ounces cooked whole wheat spaghetti (to serve two).  So sorry I just discovered this combination as the asparagus season ended....

* Page 109

Reviewed 6/18/2017

Market's Choice Dinner

In my trip to the farm stand last night, I found pea tendrils and scallions. I already had some chicken breasts in the fridge. Ed grilled the chicken and the scallions (recipe at bottom of post) and I prepared the pea tendrils by removing the toughest stems and divided the tendrils between two plates. Topped with a chicken breast and grilled scallions this was an easy, pretty dinner for a hot night!





Reviewed 9/14/2017

Lady's Slippers!

This blog is more than recipes... what's in season... our family in the kitchen...what's growing in our yard. This post falls in the latter category. When we first moved to Lincoln, we had a few lady's slippers on our property and our neighbor's woods had over two dozen.  Over the thirty years we have lived here, largely due to being eaten by deer, most of these rare orchids have disappeared. In April of 2003 our woods was severely burned by a forest fire and all the ground cover as well as mid-canopy was destroyed.  Before the fire, we had about four lady's slippers growing under a large birch which miraculously survived the fire. In subsequent years these four returned.  This year, however, in the location where four had been, I found nine, and in another part of our woods I found an additional lady slipper! Considering that lady's slippers do not reproduce easily and have been disappearing in many locations around us, this is a special surprise.

Reviewed 9/14/2017

Christmas Color

Yesterday we left snowy New England for Portland, Oregon. We spent this morning wandering around the Farmers' Market.  The weather was overcast, and the veggie selection was not as varied as in warmer weather. However, there was lots of local holiday color and we easily filled a backpack with local produce, sausage and roasted hazelnuts :-)


















Reviewed 9/14/2017

Christmas 2012

This Christmas we enjoyed some of our old-favorite traditional dishes* as well as some new ones.  The house was full with family which justified huge plates of cookies, some old favorites** along with Chris's Oatmeal Cookies (made with dried cranberries instead of the usual raisins) and Brownies and Alex and Dan's Candy Cane Cookies.

Dan's Scandinavian heritage was recognized by some family baked gifts:  "Fattigman",  and Norwegian Cardamom Christmas Bread. Dan's Mom sent a box of Michigan treats recalling Dan's Marquette roots and Alex and Dan made a rendition of Dan's Mom's Swedish Meat Balls for dinner one night.  These recipes are all special to Dan's family so with the exception of the Candy Cane Cookies were not shared and will not be a subject of future posts.

For the first time in many years, I made Dilly Beans this fall and they were a special addition to the holiday d'oeuvres as well as a holiday gift for family.  Alex and I blind tasted the two versions: (1) the way I have always made them and (2) a hot water bath version I made for the first time this year.  Especially given the varying sizes of the beans it was hard to distinguish between the two. Final verdict was, given same size bean, the hot water bath beans may be a tiny bit less crisp.

Since Dan had never been to Cape Ann, between Christmas and New Year's we picked a clear (but cold and windy) day right after a snowfall and headed in that direction.  We walked around  Eastern Point and Halibut Point, prominences we are more used to seeing from the water. We stopped at Rockport enroute and then had lunch at Woodman's, the home of the fried clam. Ninety years and five generations later Woodman's is still frying clams in lard. When I questioned this choice, they justified the use of  lard saying lard has no trans fats.

Checking online sources, including Wikipedia,, I found this is true but, "By the late 20th century, lard had begun to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high saturated fatty acid and cholesterol content. However, despite its reputation, lard has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat, and less cholesterol than an equal amount of butter by weight. Unlike many margarines and vegetable shortenings, unhydrogenated lard contains no trans fat."

Given the special occasion I just enjoyed the clams and did not point out there are healthier non-transfat options for frying these whole bellied delicacies. 

After lunch we drove to the entrance of the Crane Estate and walked up Castle Hill and around the grounds overlooking Essex Bay and Plum Island Sound, then ended our afternoon with a chilly but pretty walk on Crane Beach.

New's Years dawned. We took Alex and Dan to their plane and returned home to an empty house and 3 cookies left  from the holidays.

*  Roasted Almonds
    Hot Potato Salad (Christmas Eve)
    Strawberry Shortcake (Christmas Eve)
    Cranberry Stollen (Christmas Morning)
    Cranberry Bread
    Cranberry Pudding (Christmas Night)
** Nut Puffs
    Ginger Snaps
    Mexican Chocolate Meringues

Cape Ann photos © 2012 Edward C Kern, Jr.

Reviewed 9/22/2017

Edible Gifts

It's that time of year again, and I'm thinking what can go from the kitchen to under the Christmas tree.  This year it is going to be Dilly Beans (I planned ahead this fall), Maple Walnuts, Caramelized Pecans and Roasted Almonds.

During the year I save attractive jars (especially red topped jam jars) to use as holiday containers for my various gifts. I've done almonds for years, pecans recently and walnuts are new this year. Most of the maple walnut gifts are maple walnut pieces for ice cream and salad topping.  I've included a recipe for Maple Mustard Dressing with some of the jars. I separate out the whole walnuts and package them separately, as "nibbling walnuts."



Fruit Cake was one of my Dad's favorites.  I used to make at least 3 fruit cakes for Christmas; one to share, one to go under the tree for Dad and one to save as his February birthday gift. The rest of the family is not really that keen on fruit cake, so since Dad died I have scaled back and occasionally make one cake for the holidays. This is still a good present, however, especially if made in the smaller mini-gift size pans.

Cranberry Bread (photo left) was always the "teacher's gift". For a few years I made it, and then Alex and Chris helped me or really made it themselves for their favorite teachers.  This is always a most appreciated item for holiday fairs.

Cookies, especially Mexican Meringues, Molasses Cookies/Ginger Snaps, particularly in the form of gingerbread men/ladies, and holiday stars and trees, and Nut Puffs also make nice gifts. And sometimes I have made a Cranberry Pudding, our traditional Christmas night dessert, for special friends/absent family members.

BEACH PLUM JELLY

Many years ago when "Grandmother" (Ed's Mom) summered on Chappaquiddick Island we gathered beach plums in August.  Old photo at left shows ripe beach plums in foreground and Pogue Pond in the background. I would then make Beach Plum Jelly, the majority of it eventually filling Grandmother's Christmas stocking. Ed's Mom died in 1997 but even for several years prior to then I had no source of beach plums.  However, since this blog is is in part "historical",  I include this well tested recipe, for "Standard Beach Plum Jelly"* adapted from Plum Crazy, by Elizabeth Post Mirel for the "archives".

Make beach plum juice:

Simmer for 30 minutes

10 c beach plums
2 c water

Strain through cheese cloth. Do not squeeze.

Make the jelly:

Bring to a boil and boil hard for one minute

3 1/2 c beach plum juice [I use 4 cups]
6 c sugar
3 oz (1/2 bottle)liquid pectin such as Certo

Skim off foam. Put in sterile jelly jars and seal.

*  In the preface to the jelly recipes, Ms. Mirel writes: "Before producing jelly, you must decide whether you want Natural Beach Plum Jelly, made with fruit, sugar and water only, or Standard Beach Plum Jelly, made with fruit, sugar, water and added pectin. The adherents of Natural Beach Plum Jelly claim that the pectin is an unnecessary adulterant. The advocates of Standard Beach Plum Jelly state that making jelly without added pectin is risky." (page 31) She then devotes several paragraphs to the pros and cons of each method.  As I recall, when I tired to go the natural route, my batch did not jell properly.

Reviewed 9/22/2017

Pomegranate Seeds

I never thought I would quote Martha Stewart. However, I was doing errands Saturday and listening to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! Ms. Stewart was a guest and, as part of her introductory banter, she discussed how to de-seed a pomegranate. Since pomegranate seeds are one of my fall favorites, and since I already had 2 among the groceries in my car, I paid attention.

Cut a small sliver off the top of the pomegranate. Score the skin, first in half and then in quarters; don't cut deep enough to cut the seeds.  Then break the pomegranate into quarters. Hold a pomegranate quarter, seed side down, over a bowl (I put the bowl in the sink to help contain the pomegranate juice which stains anything it touches) and tap vigorously on the skin with a wooden spoon.  While Ms. Stewart removes all the seeds in this manner, I helped some of them along with my fingers.  This method is very quick and does not damage the seeds. Store the seeds in a covered dish in the refrigerator.

Though we had beautiful pomegranate trees (top photo) outside our room at Las Chimeneas, I do not recall being served any. Must have been our timing. Pomegranates are found in traditional Moorish recipes as well as in Samuel and Samantha Clark's Moro cookbooks both of which inspired the cuisine of Las Chimeneas.  On my list of "to trys" is a Moro recipe for Bulgar, Celery and Pomegranate Salad. Meanwhile, I use the pomegranate seeds on Bitter Greens with Maple Mustard Dressing or with a little bit of aged balsamic vinegar on top of mixed greens.

Another favorite. Pomegranate seeds along with orange fused olive oil and  fresh rosemary make an elegant topping for topping for non-fat chocolate frozen yogurt/chocolate ice cream.









Reviewed 9/14/2017

Beet Greens

Beet greens go back to my childhood. simply steamed and topped with vinegar and sometimes butter. Traditionally they are a spring crop, the by-product of thinning the beet field.  However, I have recently found beet greens along with pea tendrils available locally in the fall as well; a crop in themselves.

I got a huge bag of beet greens last week and decided to try cooking half (~ 7 ounces) as I frequently cook spinach. In a small wok sautee:

2 t olive oil (heat first)
2 cloves garlic, minced

until the garlic is lightly browned, then add

7-8 ounces beet greens, still damp from washing.

Sautee, stirring constantly until the greens are wilted.

The greens were tasty but I still think I like them steamed until they are wilted and then tossed with vinegar (I use my homemade tarragon vinegar) to taste.

I recently served the steamed version and Pork with Plums, and found this to be a particularly good pairing. Also good with  Lamb Shank with Wine Jus, Gremolata and White Bean Puree










Reviewed 8/23/2017

Cranberry-Orange Oatmeal Cookies

We hosted a neighborhood open house this weekend and my invite read "seasonal beverages and munchies".  But what seasonal munchies to serve?  Hummus would go well with fall carrots, radishes, broccoli  and all of the various colors of cauliflower now in the farm markets; Pumpkin Pie Muffins (mini) and Fiery Pumpkin Seeds also made the list. But cookies.... Browsing through Sarah Leah Chase's Cold-Weather Cooking  I found an interesting recipe for Cranberry-Oatmeal Cookies (page 111) but was put off by the amount of butter (1 1/2 cups/3 sticks to make 24 cookies). Taking the idea, I decided to modify my old standby recipe for Oatmeal Cookies and was pleased with the result.  While normally I would just add a "variation" to the original recipe, I decided this is such a great option for a more healthy holiday cookie, I would give it its own post. If you want a truly awesome (holiday splurge) cookie, go for the Awesome Oatmeal Cookies with the cranberry (rather than raisin) option.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat together until creamy (I use food processor fitted with steel blade):

¾ c canola oil (or 1/2 c canola oil + 1/4 c orange juice)
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
½ c granulated sugar
1 egg (I usually use 1/4 c "egg product")
¼ c orange juice
Zest of one orange (optional)
1 t vanilla

Then add:

3 c oats, uncooked (traditional, not quick-cook)
1 c flour
½ t soda

Pulse mixer just to blend oats with other ingredients; don't pulverize the oats! Mix in by hand not with food processor:

2 c (8oz) cranberries, coarsley chopped
1/3 c nuts (I use walnuts/pecans), coarsley chopped

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Bake ~15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Reviewed 5/14/17
Revised 11/14/2024 changed olive oil to canola oil

Watermelon Radish

Still more new veggies to try - I found these at the farm stand this week. I'd never noticed Watermelon Radishes before so went on line to see if they are really new.  Apparently not, but maybe one of the vegetables from another culture's cuisine that is gaining traction in this country. The Organic Authority offers a good description of the Watermelon Radish:

"The Watermelon Radish - so unassuming from the outside, resembling a parsnip - but slice it open to find a brilliant fuschia core that resembles that of, well, a watermelon. Also sometimes referred to as a Beauty Heart, Rose Heart, Shinrimei, Misato, Asian Red Meat or Xin Li Mei radish, the Watermelon Radish is an heirloom variety of the Chinese daikon. Compared to other radishes, expect these brilliant babies to be a bit milder and sweeter than regular, and much larger, averaging about three inches in diameter. Generally, their flesh is hotter toward the outside and sweeter toward the center, and they lose pungency as they mature (unlike most radishes). Crunchy and sweet, with just a hint of spice and a flavor,  this radish is reminiscent of jicama. But most of all - it's simply gorgeous!"

The watermelon radish almost justifies owning a mandolin.  Sliced very thin it would make an incredible garnish.  I used some slices to garnish a Carrot Cashew Salad.  Tasty, but not as visually appealing as they would have been thinly sliced. 

Reviewed 8/23/2017

Wild Mint

The brook by our house is full of fresh mint and Chris has been wading out on the dam and picking me large bunches.  I've been using the mint in many summer dishes, as a garnish for ice tea and gin and tonic, and as a centerpiece.  As some of the mint grows roots I transplant it to my garden.

I love mint paired with fresh tomatoes and goat cheese, whether in an omelette or on a pizza (or just toasted on pita bread).  Other favorite mint recipes include:

Tabouli
Easy Asparagus Pho
Fresh Spring Rolls with Tofu and Mint
Watermelon Salad
Tandoori Sweet Potatoes and Rice

It has been fun to watch the mint, at first limp from the extremely hot dry weather we have been having, drink up the water from the vase and lift itself skyward. The mint in top two photos is the same bunch; first photo taken the afternoon the mint was picked, the next photo taken the following morning. 





June 2017:  In 2014 mint was abundant (invasive) in Colorado and inspired Freezing Mint/Mint Gremolata.










Reviewed 6/19/2017

Garlic Scrapes/Spring Scallions

Have I had my eyes closed all these years or are more and more items that used to be reserved for the compost pile coming to the market at premium prices?   I've long enjoyed spring Beet Greens, the product of thinning the growing beet crop, steamed and topped with a splash of vinegar.  Over the past several years many other "thinnings" have made their way to the market, and the menus of local-farm-oriented restaurants, or at least I am noticing them for the first time.

I've seen pea tendrils for a few years and successfully tried them several times this spring, but recently garlic scrapes caught my eye for the first time.  Their curvy-free form shape is particularly interesting. The scrapes are apparently trimmed off the garlic plant to prevent them from sapping nourishment from the garlic head itself. I was told they are a garlicky version of a scallion and can be used in place of a scallion, either raw or cooked. I tried them first in a salad and they were quite tasty albeit with a strong bite. I also tried them basted with olive oil and grilled along with scallions.  While the green scallion stem is hollow, the green garlic scrape stem was filled with a fibrous garlicky tasting substance.  This was perhaps because the garlic scrapes I tried were a bit on the large size.  Interesting to try, but I'm not adding them to my list of spring/early summer highlights. They will definitely not replace the awesome green and purple spring scallions I so look forward to.  (Photo at left includes grilled scallions and asparagus and  Rosemary Chicken.)

Reviewed 8/23/2017

Ramps - Bitter Greens - Pea Tendrils

New things at the farm stand this month include ramps (late April/early May), bitter greens for stir fry, and pea tendrils.


I've walked by the basket of ramps, sometimes called wild onions or wild leeks, at our local farm stand for several springs, deterred by their price per pound and the fact I'd never had them.  Finally this year I decided to buy a few to use as a garnish instead of scallions.  6 ramps turned out to cost less than a bunch of scallions. I lightly coated them in olive oil, then Ed put them on the grill for just a minute being careful not to burn them.  The were very tasty -  a cross between onion and garlic. They made a wonderful garnish to Mushroom Risotto as well as grilled fish and chicken.

Bitter greens for stir fry, a combination of mustard and turnip greens and brocilli rabe are a new farmstand offering this year.  For a quick dinner, I sautee them in garlic and olive oil and serve over pasta topped with Parmesan cheese. When I told Powen, the farmer who suggested I try them that I liked them, he replied that I would like the just-arrived pea tendrils even better.

He was right! The pea tendrils are indeed my favorite of the group. They can be eaten raw in spring salads, sauteed in olive oil and lemon juice, Powen's favorite, or used in stir-frys.  As with other greens, any tough stems should be removed before cooking/serving.  I've read that pea tendrils should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and eaten within a day or two before they wilt and loose some of their wonderful delicate pea flavor. Maybe the reason I find them so tasty is I buy them fresh from the local farm stand and eat them soon after.

Ed and I like pea tendrils (sometime accompanied by snap peas) sauteed in sesame seed oil as a base for Lime Ginger Mahi-mahi.

Pea tendrils are also excellent mixed in and as a base for Mushroom Risotto.

Prepare the pea tendrils per the directions above and the risotto per Mushroom Risotto with Pea Tendrils variation.  Just before serving the risotto add a handful (to taste) of pea tendrils and stir just until the tendrils have wilted.  Serve the risotto on a base of raw pea tendrils or pea tendrils that have been lightly sauteed in olive oil.



Reviewed 8/23/2017