Shrooms

Farm Lesson #6: Wash dried mushrooms before you cook them

Everything seems to grow in Oregon, everywhere, all the time. This includes a variety of different mushrooms that are very popular in this region. Some people go "mushrooming" in the nearby forests to forage for hidden fungi treasures. We stuck with Market of Choice to begin our mushroom experimentation. The above picture shows some re-hydrated morels that I used in some paella (recipe to follow soon). Apparently, the hot water used to re-hydrate the shrooms can into a delectable broth to use in cooking. It was fragrant and nutty and rich, and full of dirt and sediment at the bottom of the pan. Hence, the reasoning behind my new rule. 

Why look! These popped up in the yard! Maybe we'll try some and see what happens! 

Mushrooms aren't the only thing growing in our yard. There is a patch of ground which was occupied by some petunias this summer outside the kitchen. I have great plans to convert the bed into an herb garden, but while I have been procrastinating this endeavor, a mountain of plant species have voluntarily sprouted up without warning. It is like a jungle in there - honestly, it kind of scares me. I have no idea what most of the plants are, but I do know the light green leafy guy on the left side of the picture is called hemlock and it has an ancient claim to fame: it was the plant used to poison Socrates! Woah. We have really got to clean up the herb garden. 

          

There was seriously only dirt here before!

 

Pumpkin Manicotti

This recipe is from Country Living and was the perfect opportunity to try out our galaux d'eysines squash, pictured below... I also added kale to the ricotta mixture and used manicotti instead of big shell pasta. 
A link to the recipe: http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/pumpkin-ricotta-stuffed-shells-recipe-clv1011 

Blending the squash for the filling

The October Garden

The clover cover crop is already growing

Squash squash and more squash

The pumpkin patch

Planting shallots in the raised beds

Kale Pesto

How to use this much kale??!

Kale Pesto!

A couple years ago, Cole and I went to a Kale cooking class at Whole Foods where we got this recipe. The original however, was meant to be super healthy and included no salt, no garlic and (gasp!) no olive oil. So, I added a few ingredients to increase the flavor. The pesto can be placed in an ice cube tray for freezing, or used in pasta, rice, or potatoes.

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups basil

1 bunch kale

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup almonds or walnuts

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup green water from cooking kale

Instructions:

Tear and clean kale. Cover the kale with water in a saucepan and steam for about 5 minutes or until tender. Reserve 1/4 cup of the green water. Put all ingredients in blender and process until ground into a paste.

Kale pesto with orzo, olives, white beans, roasted red peppers, and feta

Pressing Cider

Last weekend some friends from Corvallis brought over a few boxes of apples from their tree. Last year Cole bought this cider press so we got to try it out!

After slicing out bad spots, we throw them in here to be ground into pulp

Then the pulp gets pressed through a cotton bag and the juice comes out of a tube

Ray enjoyed the afternoon too!

Harvest Time

Tis the season to harvest: We have beautiful corn drying, several varieties of beans curing, squash and pumpkins finishing up on the vine, and the last of the tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are being pulled up this weekend. Cole is roasting some more anaheims now outside, and I must admit the smell makes me nostalgic for Colorado in autumn. Almost every market and farm stand in Colorado has that deep, spicy, smoky aroma floating in the air from the big barrel roasters. Peppers are less easily grown in Oregon, and I've only seem one small roasting at a Saturday market in Corvallis. The fall season includes all my favorite smells, foods, sights, and memories, and for the first time I get to experience this time of year in a new place. 

Another exciting development on the farm! The new additions to our chicken flock are both males, and they have hit puberty! One young rooster has begun to crow. His first attempt was on August 31 at approximately 2:00pm. Once he began successfully crowing, he couldn't stop for about a half hour. Almost every morning afterwards I've heard a nice wake up call coming from the direction of the chicken coop. Now I'm just waiting for the alpha male cock fighting to begin... 

Chile Rellenos

Farm Lesson #5: Cooking disasters can still yield delicious results

This summer Cole and I decided to make chile rellenos with the poblano and anaheim peppers from the garden. We also used our garlic, tomatoes, and onions to make a roasted salsa. This four hour process ended up ok, but while we were cooking we faced several mini-disasters including a strong unstoppable breeze that blew out the flame on the outdoor stove, a decently sized grease fire, runny and soupy egg whites that slipped off the peppers, and a giant mess covering all our clothes, tables, and counter spaces. The frustrating evening was all worth it when we got to sit down and enjoy our savory  Mexican dinner. Plus, we took some notes for next time. :)

Roasting ingredients for the salsa

Roasting peppers, blow torch style

Sweating the peppers after roasting to help the skins come off

Slice the peppers down the center

Stuff with cheese, then dip in egg batter before frying

End of Summer Berry Pie

What can I say? I love pie! My fascination with learning how to bake pies began when I was about 16 years old... and it continues today. This end of summer berry pie has a mixture of strawberries, marionberries, and boysenberries from Oregon, but you can use any berry in this recipe. I use my grandma's recipe to make the pie crust from scratch, and of course, serve it with some vanilla ice cream.

 

My Grandma Audrey's Pie Crust

(makes one 9-in pie crust) 

1 C flour

1/2 C shortening 

1/4 C ice cold water

1 t salt 

Cut shortening into the flour and salt mixture, mix with a hand held blender until crumbly. Pour water into center of dough and gently mix together with a wooden spoon. Form into a ball, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Double this recipe if you want a crust top to your berry pie instead of a crumble.

Berry Pie Filling

From Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

5 C berries

1 C sugar 

1/3 C flour

 (I also add the zest of one lemon and a pinch of nutmeg to the filling to bring out more flavor)

Bake the pie on 375 for 50 minutes. I would recommend placing a cookie sheet or pan underneath the pie in case any bubbling over occurs. Enjoy the last few bites of summer! 

 

Canning Tomatoes

Farm Lesson #4: All of this work will be worth it during the winter

Today Cole and I canned 20 pounds of tomatoes from the garden. Eight quart sized jars sit on our counter now, filled with a mixture of Roma, Jersey Devil and San Marzano whole tomatoes. It was a hot, sticky, messy, and somewhat exhausting endeavor, but we keep reminding ourselves how great it will feel in January to make a delicious soup or pasta sauce with vegetables grown right outside our back door. Here's some more pictures!

Blanching to loosen the skin for peeling

Boiling the jars

 Wow, all this preserving, growing food, cooking... It's almost like we're back in the 90s... The 1890s that is. Watch and laugh, another great clip from Portlandia:    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2mAs5pnA34

Meet Boots

Farm Lesson #3: Don't hang out by the barn at dusk

Upon moving here, we have inherited a barn cat. He came with the house, and his (or her) name is Boots. Boots' exact gender and age is unknown, but we usually stick with the male pronouns and the neighbors estimate he is 11 years old. He resides in a little cat home in the rafters of the old, red barn. Boots is kind of a diva. He loves to be brushed and cuddled, but only on his rug, and only when he has a dish of food. However, if no brushing ensues, he refuses to eat. As you can see, Boots is pretty darn cute, and Cole and I enjoy our daily hang out sessions with him each evening. 

I have learned to feed Boots before dark, hence the above farm lesson. Boots is not the only animal that lives in the red barn. There are about 50 bats that reside, squeak, tweet, and hang upside down in there and they like to pour out at lightning speeds around dusk, diving through the air to hunt for bugs. Creepy. Creepy vampires living in the barn. Anyway, enjoy some more pictures of Boots. 

"Does this Friskies contain artificial flavoring?"

"I WILL get down if you don't pet me."