Foraging Fun #2!

The wonderful thing about foraging is - once people know you're interested, they pass you tips!

During apricot season, I was tipped off by neighbors or family to a total of 9 apricot trees which were free for picking if I wanted any (this on top of those I spied from the public rowadways). In the end I got everything I needed from only 5 of them (two had already been mostly picked off), and my father and I together bottled 52 quarts of apricot nectar and 26 pints of apricot preserves! That's a lot of time picking, and a double lot of time processing/preserving, but it was totally worth it. I'm kind of sorry I didn't get to meet more random people on the street, but I think Craig is probably happier this way. I did get to know some new people in my neighborhood though, and they were all extremely nice.

Apricot nectar, for those of you out of the loop, is not just juice - it also contains processed juicy pulp (but it's not pulpy like orange juice pulp) which thickens it to a more syrupy consistency. It has a tendency to be tart, and so it's best mixed with other juices. It makes a wonderful breakfast blend mixed with orange juice.

To make nectar, first take ripe apricots, split them and remove the pit and any diseased portions. Steam them until well cooked and juicy, about 20-30 minutes. Putting ~2 inches of water in the bottom of a large canning pot full of apricots is sufficient. Once fully cooked, transfer the entire contents of the pot (apricots, juice, and all) through a Victorio Strainer and collect the nectar. Transfer to quart jars and process ~25 minutes in a steaming or boiling water bath to seal.

Without the Victorio Strainer (which is a great canning tool for many foods) you can take an immersion blender to the steamed apricot mash as a next best approximation, but this will leave the skins in, so try this with blemish-free skins.

Apricot preserves follow the same path, but cook until reduced, or thicken with pectin or Clear Jel (the latter doesn't add the flavor that pectin does, leaving a more intense apricot flavor behind.) We like to make apricot preserves with some cranberries (just toss in craisins) and a hint of pineapple as added with crushed pineapple. And, as always, sugar to taste; though we add very little sugar compared to most jam recipes. This leaves a preserves which tastes mostly like fruit, instead of tasting mostly like sugar. Transfer to pint jars and process for ~25 minutes!

Of course, this post coming in late August, you will all have to wait until next year to try it; unless you want to visit =).

The Great Utah CSA Experiment 2009 - Weeks 10 & 11!

Week 10 brought some new things - cabbage and peppers! Yay for sweet peppers, I'm going to have to make stuffed peppers soon!

CSA Week 10:

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
0.88 lb zucchini (3)					1.29/lb	$1.13
2.25 lb cucumbers (3)					2/$1.00	$1.50
0.25 lb green onions					2.36/lb	$0.59
0.50 lb green peppers (2)					2/$1.00	$1.00
2.31 lb red potatoes					3.99/lb	$9.23
2.00 lb corn (4 ears)					5/$1.00	$0.80
3.75 lb cabbage					0.69/lb	$2.59

The cabbage was a funny squat shape, but it's still cabbage, it'll do just fine for potstickers (or as I've decided, spring rolls; as potstickers are just too time consuming). 4 ears of corn is a lot more manageable than the 7! I got last time. All in all, it was a nice mixture of storable goods and reasonable portion sizes of perishables.

CSA Week 11 brought cantaloupe! You know it's getting on in the summer when you get melons.

CSA Week 11:

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
1.21 lb yellow zucchini (3)					1.29/lb	$1.56
2.00 lb cucumbers (2)					2/$1.00	$1.00
0.63 lb green onions					2.36/lb	$1.48
1.0 lb green peppers (2)					2/$1.00	$1.00
1.88 lb red potatoes					3.99/lb	$7.50
2.25 lb corn (4 ears)					5/$1.00	$0.80
4.00 lb cantaloupe					0.39/lb	$1.56

So this time I remembered to tell you it was a special zucchini variety - yellow zucchini! It's just like regular zucchini, only um - yellow. Earlier this year I got a large yellow zucchini from my neighbor, but I passed it along to my sister (story follows) so I didn't get any myself.

So the story goes: my brother in law claims to not like zucchini but love yellow squash. They pretty much taste the same to me and my sister, so I provided some yellow zucchini and she submitted him to a blind tasting of yellow zucchini under conditions where he thought he was getting summer squash. He thought it tasted great, but when the trick was revealed he just exclaimed, "I guess I only like yellow zucchini!" Whatever that means.

By this time I'm up to my ears in green onions, and the stalks are not holding up under prolonged refrigerator storage. I was able to use a bit for a family potato salad, but I've started slicing and freezing them - we'll see how well they hold up.

The Great Utah CSA Experiment 2009 - Weeks 8 & 9!

Well this year has not been as smooth as last, and I fear that East Farms has not had fair treatment from me in terms of consistent reporting. Not only did I have estimate numbers for week 6 instead of an exact analysis, but I completely lost the listing for week 8 and haven't been able to find it anywhere! I keep putting off posting, hoping it will turn up, but now after several thorough house-cleanings I think I'm out of luck. The weekly newsletter indicates that I probably got green beans, beets, green onions and corn, and I think there were potatoes as well. If I find it later I will come back and post it , but other than that all I can say is I know it was good food because it disappeared quickly.

Not only have I been lax in keeping track of my shares, but I've also struggled to pick them up. When I registered, I was working Monday and Wednesday evenings, so I thought a Tuesday pickup would be trivial. Of course, when the pickups started so did my schedule - to Tuesday Thursday evenings! I have had to pick up three of my shares a day late - on Wednesday morning, and twice I've been lax in processing them, leaving them on the counter for days! (This has changed though, so we're good for the rest of the season).

I know it's bad treatment for fresh produce but I've been overwhelmed - if it isn't work, it's home remodeling (mine or my sister's) to be done, or it's food processing for preservation (how else am I going to survive another winter?) or it's family obligations. In some cases, even when I did post, I forgot to add pertinent information, for instance: that the zucchini was a special variety (globe-shaped, with grayish green skin) instead of the standard green tubes. Probably due to the poor treatment, some of the food has started to spoil earlier - the cucumbers particularly, though I've had some bad potatoes (how that happend I can't say, except that apparently I did a bad thing by storing them next to onions). The point being, if East Farms looks bad this year, it's my fault, not theirs.

Anyways, enough with the excuses. I do actually have numbers here for the rest of it, so here we go! Numbers are from the local Dick's Market, and they were taken the same week the produce arrived.

CSA Week 9:

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
1.81 lb cucumbers (5!)					0.79/ea	$3.95
1 lb carrots					0.79/lb	$0.79
0.69 lb green onions					2.36/lb	$1.63
1.88 lb large beets					1.29/lb	$2.43
1.75 lb golden potatoes					5.32/lb (red)	$9.31
5 lbs corn (7 ears)					3/$1.00	$2.33

5 Cucumbers! I've taken to slicing them up and putting them in a vinegar/water bath in the refrigerator, then I can snack on them at my leisure. I did have a few go bad, but I've been slow to get to them. The beets were amazing. I finally nailed a cool evening where I didn't feel bad running the gas oven and roasted them - only to find a surprise in my large beets - they were Chioggias! They have a gorgeous candy-striped center. You can see from the picture how they compare to the intense color of the little ones, and the yellow from the potatoes. The corn I've been sharing, and grilling for personal use. Because I have a hard time justifying running the grill for 2 ears, I do 4 at a time then save the rest for leftovers. They're great!