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."

Three Ingredient Eggplant Bake

This summer we've had two very successful eggplant plants. Having never cooked with eggplant before, I have learned to get creative by adding it to stir fry, pasta, and this tasty dish that is full of "cheesy goodness" as Cole would say. Best of all, only three main ingredients! 

Three Ingredient Eggplant Bake

(makes two 9x13 pans)

Ingredients:

-6-7 medium sized eggplants

-two jars of your favorite red pasta sauce

-one brick of fresh mozzarella cheese 

-olive oil

-salt 

-fresh basil 

Instructions:

1. Slice eggplants into 1/4 inch slices. Lay slices on a cookie sheet (no overlapping), brush the tops with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. 

2. Bake the eggplant slices at 375 for about 30 minutes until lightly browned. 

3. Starting with the sauce, then eggplant, followed by cheese, layer the ingredients in both pans. 

4. Bake pans until bubbling, about 30-40 minutes. 

5. Sprinkle with fresh basil, serve with salad and garlic bread.  

 

 

We Can Pickle That!

My first taste of pickled eggs - homemade by one of Cole's family friends who lives nearby. Sweet, spicy, and a nice texture! And, just because we are on the subject of pickling and everyone needs to have chuckle once in a while, check out this clip from Portlandia: "We Can Pickle That!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYey8ntlK_E

Oh, and a note about the show: I used to think that Portlandia was overly quirky and strange just for effect, but then I moved here. Even though it may be a bit exaggerated, I pretty sure Armisen and Brownstein base their writing off some real-life Oregon experiences... :) It cracks me up!