Apricot Preserves

We harvested a number of pounds of apricots from our tree in the backyard recently. Apricots have a very short season and shelf life so it's good to have ways to quickly utilize them and preserve them. Visit the California apricot web site to find out more information about California apricots.

I decided to try my hand at apricot preserves. I did some searching online and ended up borrowing heavily from this site. Not being a big sugar fan, I like how this particular recipe is lighter on the sugar than other recipes. I also like my preserves with chunks of the fruit. So in my version, I added the apricots in waves of thirds. The longer they cook, the more they will reduce down. So by doing them in thirds, I am going for a mix of pure jam along with some nice chunks of fruit.

Apricot Preserves

• 20-30 fresh apricots
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Directions:

• Melt the sugar and water in an enameled cast iron pot or other non-reactive pot and bring to a boil until clear and syrupy.
• Meanwhile, cut the washed apricots in half discarding the pits.
• As you cut up the first third of the apricots, add them to the sugar mixture and stir to coat them. The fire should be on medium low so that the apricots cook down but it should not be bubbling.
• Add in another third of the apricots when they are ready. Stir frequently.
• Add in the final third. Stir until they are reduced but still chunky. Total cooking time will be an hour or more.
• Add in the lemon juice and stir.

Sterilize some jars and add the preserves following proper sanitary canning techniques.

I can't yet say how it tastes. I put them in the pantry to enjoy later.

In the Garden: July 2011

Came home from a vacation to find that the backyard produce was in full swing. I harvested five gypsy peppers, a small handful of strawberries, a large handful of green beans, and a bumper crop of basil.

There will be some pesto-making in the near future.

This will also be the first time that we've been around when the apricots ripen. So I will be borrowing a neighbor's ladder and harvesting some apricots.

Herbed White Bean Puree

Many years ago, a friend recommended this book and later I found it at a used book store. He recommended this recipe and I've made it a number of times. It has become one of my "go to" recipes for entertaining and it is always well received. It's easy to make, healthy, and it's easy to create variations of it.

Herbed White Bean Puree

• 1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions
• 2 -3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• basil - I used 3 fresh leaves. If using jarred, about 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dill
• 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)

Directions:

First off, don't worry too much about having all of the exact ingredients. You can improvise on the herbs.

In a food processor, add all ingredients except the hot pepper sauce. Process until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pepper sauce if desired.

Transfer to a serving dish and add a garnish of herbs. Serve with sliced baguette, bread sticks, or fresh vegetables.

So easy!

Bok Choy Stir Fry

When you have a CSA box there are times when the objective is to just blast through a certain ingredient because you have an overabundance of it. That was the case this weekend with the bok choy. As I went through the latest delivery on Friday evening I found 5 heads of bok choy. There were still 3 from last week's box! What to do with 8 heads of bok choy?

The solution: A bok choy stir fry with shrimp, carrots, and garlic.

I sliced up 5 of the bok choy heads. You need to carefully clean them since they can be gritty. I also sliced up the last 3 carrots from the box. Took out some frozen shrimp from the freezer. Stir fried the shrimp first along with some minced garlic in a wok with canola oil. Then added everything else and topped it with my go to sauce which I adapted from a LA Times recipe saved from years ago.

Chinese Chili Sauce

• 3/4 tablespoon of Chinese red chili paste or Sriracha ("rooster sauce")
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 4-6 tablespoons of water

You can vary the amount of chili paste depending on your tolerance for spiciness. I find that 3/4 tablespoon is medium. One tablespoon for very spicy. Stir the sauce well to blend the ingredients.

As the stir-fry nears completion, add the sauce and stir to mix. If the sauce is too gummy add more water. Keep stirring until the sauce is coating all of the ingredients.

Serve immediately as is or over a bed of Jasmine or white rice.

CSF: One Step Closer

Last month, I was introduced to the concept of "community-supported fishery" or CSF. My initial investigations revealed (surprisingly) that we don't yet have this in the bay area. I figured that it was just a matter of time, though, before we did.

Today's paper had an article that shows that we are one step closer to that reality.

In the same way that you can pay up front to receive a once-a-week delivery of just-picked fruit and vegetables directly from a local farm, expect someday soon to enjoy that same convenient service with fresh seafood caught by Bay Area family fishermen.

The concept of community supported agriculture, in which consumers purchase a subscription or membership to a farm to receive seasonal produce boxes, has been transported from soil to sea in community supported fishery programs that have been popping up along the coastal United States. Now the first one in Northern California is set to begin on Friday at none other than Google.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/20/FD2P1JHR99.DTL#ixzz1N78Nv1YR

In the Garden: May 2011

The last few weekends has seen a flurry of activity. The city did its annual free compost giveaway and I got at least one of the three free bags mixed into the soil on the front bed. I let it work in for a week and then I've been slowly adding vegetables.

Front bed: Front to back: 6 Red Sails lettuce, 6 spinach, 9 basil, 1 gypsy pepper, 1 green bean bush, 2 Early Girl tomatoes in their cages. The drip system is in place and working. At the far end of each bed is some sort of flowering plant I put in last year to attract bees, humming birds, and butterflies. Seems to be working.

Back bed: I picked up a strawberry plant last fall because it was there at the nursery. Since then I've learned that it is a spring/summer plant. Consequently, it didn't do much until now and it's finally getting full of strawberries. I'm hoping it will be done with soon so I can tear it out and get some late summer veggies going.

Breakfast from the Box

Something cool occurred to me as I was making our Sunday breakfast: I knew the source of just about every ingredient. Most of it came from our weekly CSA box but for those that didn't I knew where it came from. Here's how it went.

I began by cutting up a couple of fingerling potatoes and sweet potatoes (leftover from last week's box). I got them started in the skillet with some butter, black pepper, and a dash of salt.

Then I decided to go for a Southwestern egg scramble given the ingredients in this week's box. I started by dicing half of a yellow onion (from the box) and got it started in a skillet with some EVOO. While the onion cooked down, I diced half of a green bell pepper (from the latest delivery) and added it to the skillet. Four eggs (from a friend's backyard chickens) were whisked together along with some of Penzey's Southwest seasoning and into the skillet they went. I chopped up some cilantro leaves (from the box) and added them into the eggs. A diced avocado (finally ripened from last week's box) got added and then some grated cheddar cheese (OK, this was from Trader Joe's).

Oranges and tangerines (from this week and last) were juiced.

After plating, I sprinkled some dried parsley (from the backyard) over the potatoes and served.

All in all, an enjoyable locavore breakfast.