Foraging Fun #3!

I was done with two weeks worth of apricot picking and preserving (among other projects) and about to breathe a sigh of relief when I determined that I had a problem on my hands.

I've been remodeling one of my sister's houses as preparation for sale, so I was familiar with the tree which overhangs the driveway, it is a plum. I hadn't seen much fruit on it so I presumed it was an off year for this particular plum; I was wrong. Each time I would go to do something on the house an yard, I noticed plums littering the ground in twos and threes, then fours and eights, and then 12s and 15s. If I didn't want food to go to waste (and I didn't) and if I didn't want to have to pick up rotten plums for a month (nope, not that either), I was going to have to take some drastic measures.

I was unprepared to spend weeks preserving plums the same way I did with apricots, and nobody in my family really wanted anything to do with them. (Plums, as they say, are only good fresh, and that at a rate of one per day.) So I thought I could get creative. After all, foraging is largely about learning to eat from what's locally available, and the fruit was good.

My dear neighbor has a steam juicer of a kind my family has never used and she swears by it. She prefers her apricots juiced, not in nectar form, and as I saw her using it she offered to let me try it anytime; this was my opportunity. I had a lot of plums and couldn't eat them but was sure if I just bottled them as juice I'd come up with something.

The set-up of a steam juicer is pretty simple: you have three containers, the lowest you fill with water to boil, the top is filled with prepared fruit to juice, and the middle collects juice! The juicer I am using will collect ~ 4 quarts of juice safely before it needs to be emptied to collect more.

The usage can be a little more dicey depending on the fruit, so for initiates let me give a few rules of thumb:

1 - If you are watching the pot it will not boil.

2 - If the pot is boiling, and you are watching it, it will not produce juice.

3 - If you go visit your neightbor when the pot is not boiling and visit for 30 minutes, it will be overflowing and wasting juice when you get back.

4 - If you allow the juice to overflow in the bottom section (with the boiling water) and don't promptly clean it out, the rest of the juice you collect from that batch will take on a 'burned' flavor.

5 - It's not worth trying to salvage juice with a 'burned' flavor.

6 - As the fruits release juice they will compact. You can toss fresh fruit on top of the old stuff no problem.

7 - After the fruits have released their juice they will stop producing as quickly. Time to toss that batch in the bin and start on a new one!

8- Check the bottom level of water once you collect a lot of juice - it will need to be refilled.

9 - If you have hard water, you will have to refill it more often unless you want a massive cake-up of residue to clean when you're done.

10 - Even if you're careful you'll probably get a cake-up of residue anyways. Use vinegar.

That's what I have learned so far. The best part about juicing is that because fruit juice tends to be super acidic and it's boiling when you collect it you can seal the jars immediately with no additional processing needed.

The plums, which had a great flavor fresh, made a light pink syrupy juice that is very sweet and tart. I think it will work great as a Wassail mix-in this winter, and plan to try some syrup too. If I experiment around with plum-ade in the meantime on the hottest summer days, maybe I can get through all 26 quarts I bottled! Does anybody else have any ideas for use?

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!

The Great Utah CSA Experiment 2009 - Weeks 6 & 7!

Okay, so I had all the amounts for week 6 and prices to boot, and the day I sat down to write the blog I couldn't find it. Anywhere. So I gave myself extra time and cleaned the house from top to bottom and apparently it ran away. So now I'm late and I still don't have solid numbers, I apologize but I'll estimate the best I can. Week 6 brought larger, mature carrots, more squash, and two new additions to the season - green beans and green onions! Prices again from the local Dick's Market.

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
~1 lb medium carrots (with tops)					0.79/lb	$0.79
~0.5 lb green onions (1 bunch)					4.72/lb	$2.36
~1 lb zucchini (2)					1.29/lb	$1.29
~1 lb summer squash (2)					1.29/lb	$1.29
0.75 lb pattypan squash (1)					*1.49/lb	$1.12
~1 lb green beans					1.29/lb	$1.29

I was super excited for our first glazed green beans and tomatoes dish of the season - seriously it's a big family favorite. Of course, the summer squash and zucchini were sauteed with green onions for flavor and served straight. I have been making regular smoothies with a little bit of carrot tops in them, it imparts a nice carroty flavor. The pattypan has stumped me, but I don't know why - I can treat it just like a summer squash. Something about its cute little magic box shape makes me want to do something special with it.

When pricing out the green onions, I thought my little bunch wouldn't be worth much. Then I realized those little bunches that the store sells for $0.50 weigh less than 2 oz! Or maybe, they cut the bunches in half when they put them on sale. Either way, I was happy with the CSA bunch =)

I wasn't going to be home to pick up week 7 share so I asked my sister to do it for me. Since we both live in the Bountiful area it was convenient, and she was happy to do it. She only took one bag of green beans from the share for her troubles so I had to estimate that portion (I can't complain, that's what I would have taken too). Week 7 brought more squash (including some very small baby zucchini and baby summer squash), larger beets, and red potatoes!

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
2.75 lb zucchini (5)					1.29/lb	$3.55
0.56 lb baby summer squash (2)					1.29/lb	$0.72
0.25 lb green onions					4.72/lb	$1.18
0.75 lb medium beets					1.29/lb	$0.97
1.31 lb red potatoes					3.99/lb	$5.23
~ 1 lb green beans					1.29/lb	$1.29

I've been practicing my steady demands for more local food at Dick's market. Every time I go in there, I ask what's local. Apparently they've had local green onions, but they were having a special ad price on them this week and thus 'had to get them from the warehouse'. Turns out all they had as local was zucchini and summer squash. (Still no apricots. Seriously.) I thought about it for a minute, and then went over and grabbed 1-2 of each squash.

It's not that I don't have some zucchini and summer squash that I can use, but I figured what's the point in asking if I'm not going to act? I'm glad I did, because on my way out I saw the produce guy spying on me. Certainly, my requests for more local food won't be taken seriously if I don't even buy the stuff they have. Still, some irrational part of me whines "How come you don't have any local blueberries? Why not apples?" The inner child may never learn.

It was a good thing I did pick up the extra produce though, because I was asked to prepare a vegetable dish for a large family gathering. How convenient, since I had extra squash! So that's what I made, and it was great.

Foraging Fun!

So I recently read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma at the suggestion of several friends. It's a great book which continues the theme from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, though the perspective is a little different: Michael Pollan takes four different American meals and traces them to their initial roots, whether that be a factory farm or the tree stump next door.

After reading Animal, Vegetable, Mircale, I was inspired to investigate the local CSA offerings and try and incorporate more local choices in my shopping, not just for food but other things as well. The Omnivore's Dilemma ends with a story of a food found almost entirely by foraging, and that's what's been eating at me recently.

There are many ways to forage food from your surroundings, including expeditions as large as hunting for a weekend, down to small things like picking an apple from a local tree as you walk by it. The key is noticing what's going on in the world around you, and taking advantage of it.

Also, to be clear, what foragin isn't about freeloading or garden-snatching; but the truth is that at least in my neighborhood, lots of fresh fruit from trees spoils on the ground because the owners can't use it, or at least not enough of it. Others don't realize the bushes they have out front produce edible fruit, and some just don't have the time to bother. Most people didn't plant the mature trees they have in the yards they inherited with the houses they purchased.

The idea of foraging resonated with me because it wasn't just about saving fruit from rotting (and supplementing your diet with fresh locally grown produce), it was also about forming community, and being aware of your neighbors. After all, you do need to ask if you can harvest some of that neighbor's food; and in some areas dedicated foragers have established connections where contributors can trade some of their fruit for shares of others'.

So when I noted that a beautiful tree at a busy intersection was loaded with apricots, and that many were rotting on the ground, I made the jump from watching to interacting, and knocked on a perfect stranger's door to ask if I could pick some. The gentleman who came to the door was kind enough to overlook the fact that I had interrupted his morning and told me to pick as many as I desired.

I had brought a few grocery sacks in case the answer was yes, and I got to work fairly quickly, though the easily accessible fruit was already gone. I filled two grocery sacks full of 8 lbs each - this wasn't me being greedy, I had plans; my sister-in-law had expressed some desire for apricots, and I wanted to give some to my neighbors as a present.

From there, I loaded up my backpack and started hiking back home (it's ~ 1.5 mi). But I didn't get past two blocks before I decided I might take a detour to my brother's house, as it was getting hot and I wanted to share a portion of the pickings with his family. When I got there I discovered my mistake: picking perfectly ripe apricots is all well and good, but putting them in bags and then moving them around while walking is a recipe for apricot smash. =[

My nephew and I ate a lot of smashed ones so the remaining apricots in the bag might look better for use. When I finally got home myself, I was quick to slice and freeze the bruised ones (they weren't bruised when I picked them, promise!) and sort the ones which were too mashed.

I saved a few in good condition (pictured, at right) to deliver my neighbors - though at least half were not quite ripe; which is why there weren't mashed in the first place. I put them in a paper bag to help the ripening process, and delivered them a day or two later, only to find that they have an apricot tree too! It wasn't ripe, yet, so at least I wasn't overloading them, and even better; they offered to let me pick as many there as I wanted as well. That will give me enough to make and bottle nectar and juice, which is more efficient overall than freezing them.

So that's my first foraging experience - a little bit of courage, a little bit of work, and a lesson learned: pick ripe fruit into shallow boxes so they don't get smashed!

I already have my eye on a few other foraging opportunities, including apples, pears, plums, and chokecherries, and I'll keep you posted as we go along. But already I'm excited to get to know my new neighbors, and I hope they won't think too ill of me when I inquire about their fruiting bushes and trees.

P.S. as of this picking Dick's Market only had Chilean apricots on sale - at $4.99/lb. I'm sure there are local apricots available - I just picked 16 lbs at perfectly ripe! I have continued to ask which of the produce there is local, but I might just step up my interaction a little bit.

The Great Utah CSA Experiment 2009 - Week 5!

Is it already week 5? While last year I felt I was drowning in greens and afraid of the next pickup, this year I feel like there isn't sufficient and I'm afraid the next one won't come fast enough. That's not to say I'm eating everything, I'm storing a lot of it. But I don't know if it will be enough to sustain me when greens season is over. Case in point: we received no salad greens this week, and only one bunch of chard.

Prices listed this week are again from the local Dick's Market, and non-organic. I received:

CSA SHARE					Price	Value
0.75 lb rainbow chard					2.62/lb	$1.96
0.75 lb peas					3.49/lb	$2.62
1.63 lb zucchini					1.29/lb	$2.10
1.25 lb summer squash					1.29/lb	$1.61
0.56 lb baby purple carrots (tops attached)					*0.79/lb	$0.44
2.38 lb bing cherries					1.99/lb	$4.73

*Price based on loose normal carrots, the closest equivalent.

Cherries!! This is the first share (including all of last year) that I have received fruit from East Farms. They were really good. I ate them by handfuls, I shared with my family at get-togethers (where they received rave reviews), and my nephew happily polished off the last bit of them at a picnic. Yay for fruit!

And purple carrots (see photo at right). They taste like normal carrots to me, except that the outer 3 mm diameter is a deep purple color. Very pretty. My nephew (the same one who polished off the cherries) happily tried one, proudly showed it off to his family, and took a bag home with him afterward. This is the same family who thinks vegetable hash (sauteed zucchini and summer squash in butter and spices) qualifies as a dessert. That's okay, I have plenty to share!

Speaking of carrots, they have been piling up in my refrigerator (this is the 3rd week in a row for carrots). I like the flavor, and use them steamed and in smoothies, but I have a hard time eating them raw (my poor jaw!) And they keep coming with stems attached. A quick google search told me the stems were indeed edible and very nutritious, but it's hard to get past the flavor and texture. They make a good substitute for parsley, but I don't have a lot of recipes which use parsley by the cupful.

I experimented around a bit and found I could put up to 1/2 to 1 cup of rinsed carrot greens into my blender with the other smoothie staples (fruit, ice, juice concentrate, occasional yogurt) and have a nice drink without having the greens be too overwhelming. (Note: don't do 3 cups. Just take it from me.)