Freezer Pickles

I got this recipe from my Aunt Sophie via my mom. I first made it last year. It was kind of sweet so this time I reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups. I did not peel the cucumbers. Here's the recipe as I got it. Very easy.

Method for Freezing Cucumbers

12 cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced

Brine:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup pickling salt

Boil the brine mixture and let cool.

When cool, pour over the vegetables.
Let stand 12 hours.
Freeze in either glass or plastic containers.

To unfreeze these the best way is to put them in the refrigerator so they unfreeze slowly.
The cucumbers can be served as is, or add a little cream, or salad dressing, etc.

Easy Pickles

from Stalking the Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons

Mr. Gibbons says, "The fat tender stems of purslane make a splendid pickle. While searching the literature for information on this subject, I came across several old English recipes for Purslane Pickles, but the all required more work than I was willing to do. I had a very simple recipe for unfermented dill pickles, which had served me well, so I used it, substituting purslane stems for cucumbers. The pickles are crisp and tasty , and now, nine months after they were made, they are still in perfect condition."

I usually make a gallon of these each year and stick them in the frig for storage. Very easy. LT

Mix:
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup salt
1/2 teaspoon alum

This is enough for 2 pint jars. I make 2 1/2 times as much for a gallon jar.

Into each pint (or proportionally more in a bigger jar) place a flower of dill, a clove of garlic and a small hot pepper. The jars are then packed, not too tightly, with clean cukes, puslane or other vegetables. Add more dill on top. Cover with liquid, seal the jars, (I just put on a lid or plastic wrap or waxed paper and a rubber band - LT) and store for about a month before using. Mr. Gibbons says to store in a dark place and it's unclear to me whether he heat seals the lids or not. For refrigerator storage, just covering the tops works fine.

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA DI ZUCCHINE

Here's a great sounding recipe from one of our farm members:
You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/232096

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA DI ZUCCHINE
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 pound medium zucchini, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (about 3 1/2 cups)

2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces)
12 ounces spaghetti

6 large fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces, divided
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until pale golden, about 1 minute. Add zucchini and sauté until beginning to color, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat; discard garlic.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs and Parmesan in large bowl to blend. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; add to egg mixture and toss to coat (heat from pasta will cook eggs).

Add zucchini mixture and half of basil to pasta; stir gently to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.
Bon Appétit
May 2005
2005-05-05 11:52:44.0

Zuke and Eggs

I don't know where I first learned this recipe. There is a version in The Vegetarian Epicure.
This is easy and light and one of our family's favorite summer meals.

ZUKE AND EGGS

Grate zucchini or summer squash.
Chop some onions.
Saute zukes and onions in a cast iron skillet with some olive oil.
Season with S & P and oregano.
With the back of a spoon make shallow dents in the cooked squash.
Into each dent, place 1 shelled egg.
Either bake the eggs in the oven or put a lid over the skillet and gently cook the eggs.
Do not over cook.

While the eggs are cooking, make Hollandaise sauce.
Serve zukes and eggs with the sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce
This is secretly easy.
I got this recipe from my mom.

Use these proportions:
1 egg:juice of 1/2 lemon:a "walnut sized" piece of butter

Melt the butter with the lemon juice.
Stir in the beaten egg(s).
Using a whisk, beat constantly over low to medium heat until the sauce thickens.
That's it.

Cooking Greens

This is my favorite way to cook green vegetables. I use this general technique for nearly everything, including escarole, kale, collards, brussel sprouts, and more.

Wash and chop or tear your greens to the desired size.
Put some olive oil and some chopped garlic in a pot.
Add the greens.
Cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally if needed until done.
No need to add water.

Garlic is optional.
Add other seasonings if desired. For example, caraway is nice with cabbage; cumin is tasty with brussel sprouts.

Grapefruit Arugula Salad

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes
This is from the World's Healthiest Foods web site.
www.whfoods.org

Ingredients:

• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 large bunch arugula, (about 4 cups)
• 1 bunch watercress (about 2 cups)
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt & cracked black pepper to taste (use plenty of cracked pepper)
• ½ TBS coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions:

• Peel grapefruit and cut out each section between the membrane.
• Prepare arugula by tearing into pieces, washing and drying. Cut off tops of watercress and wash and spin dry along with the arugula. A salad spinner is the best way of doing this.
• Mix together dressing ingredients, toss with salad greens and grapefruit sections and top with chopped walnuts.
Serves 4

French Sorrel Eggs

From Diane Kanzler, Sweetfern Farm, Greenfield via Mary McClintock of the Greenfield Recorder

Wash a large fistful of French sorrel leaves Cut out center vein and stem by folding the leaf in half longwise and removing vein with a single cut.

Saute leaves in butter or margarine over low heat, stirring regularly until sorrel collapses and gets a bit mushy. It will reduce a lot (like spinach).

Scoop sorrel and any remaining butter into Pyrex custard cups. Break an egg into each cup over the wilted sorrel, salt and pepper to taste. If you'd like, grate fresh Parmesan cheese over each egg. Place custard cups into a double boiler with 1 inch of boiling water. (A large covered soup pot works well as an alternative; make sure the water level doesn't go over the cups.) Cook eggs until done to your liking. Cooking takes longer than you expect, but it's worth the wait!

***

I am a lazier cook than this recipe requires. I would probably change this to serving the sauteed sorrel with a fried or poached egg on top. Or perhaps a fried egg with cheese on top. In our house we sometimes put cheese on a slowly cooking fried egg, add a bit of water to the pan, cover and finish cooking the egg with steam.

Jerusalem Artichokes and Nettles

RECIPES:
Both recipes are from "Stalking the Good Life" by Euell Gibbons

Pickled Jerusalem artichokes
Wash and peel the chokes
Pack into quart jars
Add to each jar:
1 cup cider vinegar, 1 clove garlic, 1 red pepper, 1 t. dill seed
Fill with cold water.
Cover and refrigerate to pickle. Eat when they seem done to you.

Sauted Stinging Nettes
Yes these are Stinging Nettles! Do not touch with bare hands. Use
tongs or wooden spoons to stir the nettles in a bowl of water until
throughly washed and then lift from the water with tongs or a slotted spoon
and drop into a kettle. No need to add water-the few drops that cling to
the leaves will be plenty.
Cover the pot and cook slowly until the nettles are as tender as cooked
spinach. Season with S & P and butter, if desired, and serve. Cooking
completely removes this plant's stinging abilities. Besides being very
tasty, nettles are high in protein and vitamins A and C.

And from Mr. Gibbons' "Stalking the Healthful Herbs":

Creamed Nettles
Mix cooked nettles, about 2 cupfuls, with a small can of cream of
mushroom soup and 1/2 cup cream. Heat and serve over toast.

Now if you are really interested, he goes on to describe uses for the juice
leftover from cooking nettles - mixed with S&P and a little vinegar, as good
for "removing unwanted pounds" or mixed with honey to cure a cough or used
as a hair tonic.

Here's one last nettle recipe:

Nettle Beer
To 4 quarts freshly picked nettle tops add 2 gallons of water, 2 sliced
lemons, and 2 ounces dried ginger root. Boil gently for 40 minutes, strain
and add 2 cups brown sugar. When cool to lukewarm, dissolve 1 cake yeast in
2 cup of the liquid and stir into the brew. Bottle and cap immediately and
it will be ready in a few days. Serve ice cold. (foams wildly) Considered
"a good beverage for old people, relieving their gouty and rheumatic pains"

I make no claims about any of this but offer Euell Gibbons' remarks for your
enjoyment.