Urban Farm Hub

Zingy Dried Tomatoes

August 21, 2016 by admin

Our hot summer is bringing on the tomatoes early and in great quantity. There are so many that for the first year in a while my family can’t keep up with the bounty. The cherry variety is especially sweet and tangy dried. These little gems can then be used in sauces, marinades, soups or any other place you need a little burst of summer flavor.

Red, orange or yellow varieties all dry beautifully.

Cut them in half and place them on your dehydrator flesh side down.

Dry for about 12 hours or until they are hard to the touch.

I like to store dried foods in a mason jar kept in a dark place to prevent discoloration.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged dehydrated tomatoes, dried tomatoes, drying foods | Leave a Comment »

Herbal Caramels

August 20, 2016 by admin

Fennel seeds for a new taste.

I have been experimenting with herbal caramels for a while and the possibilities are endless. You can use almost any herb such as rosemary, thyme or lavender. I tried using green fennel seeds and the buttery sweet licorice result is delectable.

You can add herbal flavor either by infusing or by sprinkling the setting pan with dried seeds or dried leaves. To infuse, melt the butter in the cream, put in the herb, remove from heat and let sit for 50 minutes. Take out the herb and the resulting mixture will have a lovely herbal flavor. (The easiest way to do this is to drop a whole sprig in. If you just have dried herbs then place in a small square of cheesecloth before steeping for easy removal.)

To sprinkle, wait until the caramel begins to set then add the seeds on top so they just sink in to the top layer. This is really gilding the lily but I like to sprinkle a small amount of sea salt on top as well. (If you like chunky bits in your candies try the sprinkle route if you really like the smooth creaminess of caramels then I’d go the infusion route.)

Here is the recipe I like to use:

Herbal Caramels

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, (one stick)
1/2 cup evaporated or regular milk
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Your favorite herbs

Directions

Grease a 9 inch square pan.

Put all the ingredients but the vanilla in a heavy bottomed pan and heat until mixture comes to a boil and the butter melts.

Put all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan. The mixture will boil up as it heats so make sure the pan is big enough.

Keep cooking, 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 244°. If you don’t have a thermometer you can drop a small amount into ice water and when it forms a soft ball it’s ready.

Butter is just beginning to melt.

Almost there! It takes 20 to 25 minutes to reach 244 and the last few degrees can rise quickly.

Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pour into your buttered pan. Once cooled slightly add herbs on top.

Fennel seeds and salt.

When cool, cut into squares and wrap in waxed paper. These keep best in the fridge.

These are wrapped in parchment paper but waxed paper works better.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged caramel, exotic caramels, herbed caramels, herbs | 2 Comments »

Dried Apples

August 19, 2016 by admin

The apples on my front parking strip are starting to fall and it’s time to do something with those apples! Over the years I have made apple sauce, apple butter, apple pie filling and several other types of apple based products. The thing that my family likes the most are dried apples. These can be added to morning oatmeal, put in cookies and muffins or just grabbed as a quick snack. What I like about going the dried apple route is that they are quick and easy to make.

First pick your apples. It’s ok if they have blemishes or worm holes. You can cut these out.

I like to use this apple peeler and slicer. It really cuts down on time and is great fun to use.

Here is what the apple looks like fresh from the machine.

Lay the slices out on your dehydrator racks and fire them up.

Here are the dried slices. It takes about 5 hours for thin slices, more for thick ones. You want them dry but not hard and brittle. Once they are dried put them in Tupperware or mason jars.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged apples, dried apples, dried fruit | Leave a Comment »

Making Pickled Beets

August 18, 2016 by admin

It’s wonderful to pull out a jar of home-grown, home-canned pickled beets for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. They are very easy to make, so get your canning supplies ready…

First you pick the beets.

Medium sized beets work best.

Then you either cut the tops off to stir fry or, if you have goats or chickens, they love them too!

Yum

Once you’ve removed the tops and trimmed off the long tap root, simmer the beets until they are tender, which you can test by piercing them with a fork. Peel them, then cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. I have a tool that gives them a pretty wavy edge.

I got this tool at Fred Myers.

Pack the slices into sterile jars and add in about a teaspoon of pickling spice. Make up a pickling solution of 3 1/2 cups vinegar to 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pickling salt. Be sure to use 5%, store bought vinegar as acidity levels can vary in homemade vinegar. It’s the acid in the solution that will keep your food safe.

Toasting the spices first can bring out the flavors.

Fill to within about a half inch of the top. Then seal up and boil in a water bath for 30 minutes. This will help to ensure that the beets are truly safe to eat.

Let sit for at least two weeks for flavors to blend.

Enjoy!

Posted in Cooking | Tagged beets, pickles | 4 Comments »

Streissguth Gardens

July 21, 2016 by admin

Streissguth Gardens is a hidden garden located just west of St. James Cathedral on Capitol Hill in Seattle. A family labor of love this delightful public park is open for strolling.

Botanical walks

Sunflowers

Hollyhocks en pagaille

Blooms

Roses

Posted in People on the Move | Tagged hidden gardens, public gardens, Streissguth Gardens | Leave a Comment »

Garden Fresh Potato Salad

July 16, 2016 by admin

A summer staple for my family is a hearty garden fresh potato salad. We have this sustaining dish with almost every outdoor meal and prepare it for guests as well.

Walking through the garden I found onions, nasturtium flowers, peas, purple potatoes and new eggs from the hens. Ready for 4th of July picnics it’s time for a fresh as can be garden potato salad! Best of all you don’t need to leave your yard and head to the grocery store.

Directions:

Roam your garden and pick what’s ripe.
Make the vinaigrette dressing with a dollop of Dijon mustard, a clove of garlic, red wine vinegar, a bit of salt and olive oil.
Quarter and boil your potatoes, drain them and put them in the bowl.
I add the eggs in with the potatoes to hard boil as the cooking time is about the same. Peel and slice the eggs.
Add in whatever other tasty items you can find in your garden.
Drizzle with the dressing and enjoy.

Fresh garden potato salad

Posted in Cooking | Tagged garden potato salad | 1 Comment »

How to Use Anise Hyssop

July 16, 2016 by admin

Anise hyssop is a lovely plant that grows well in our climate. This edible licorice flavored member of the mint family can be grown from seed, divided from another plant or purchased at a nursery.

Minty anisey and delicious!

Here are some of its many uses:

Cut flowers
Dried flowers – the flower heads dry to a pretty navy blue
Pot pourri – it blends well with lavender and lemon balm
Tea – it makes a nice tea on its own or can be combined with lemon balm and/or chamomile, it is reputed to calm nerves
Addition to fruit salad – the minced leaves add zest
Flavoring for sweet breads or cookies – mince flowers and add them to the dough for an anise touch
Sprig in a glass of ice tea – simple but tasty

This plant will self seed and it’s roots will run underground as will other members of the mint family but it is not invasive. It is beloved by rabbits but supposedly avoided by deer.

Let me know if you find other delicious uses for this delicate herb!

Posted in Cooking | Tagged anise hyssop, using herbs | Leave a Comment »

Oregon Grape Jam

July 6, 2016 by admin

The Oregon Grape in the park near our house is a luscious deep purple blue color and the berries are just a bit soft to the touch. On the way home I picked some berries then made jam with my harvest. This deep blue jam has a great flavor and pairs nicely with sourdough bread or vanilla ice cream.

The two species we have growing in the Seattle area are the tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) and low Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa). The berries from both of these can be used to make jellies, jams or fruit leather.

Here’s how to make the jam:

Prepare the Oregon Grapes

Collect berries that are a deep blue purple color and slightly soft
Wash and pick through your harvest removing leaves, stems and any berries that are over or under ripe
Put berries and enough water to just cover in a pot and cook until soft. This usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes
Run the cooked berries through a food mill to separate out the seeds and skins from the pulpy juice

Turn fruit into jam

Measure 4 cups of mashed berries and 2 cups of sugar. (If you like sweet jam may need 3 cups.)
Add two tablespoons of pectin to the sugar and mix well. (I like to use Pomona Pectin)
Get your canning jars and lids ready for filling
Add the amount of 2 t calcium water to 4 cups of fruit mixture
Bring to a boil
Add in the well mixed pectin powder and sugar
Bring to a second boil and pour into waiting jars
Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes

Enjoy!

Posted in Cooking | Tagged jam, Oregon Grape, wild edibles | 4 Comments »

Using Glass to Decorate Your Wire Fence

June 24, 2016 by admin

Wire fences are functional but sometimes lack color and beauty. To beautify your fence or trellis try this simple trick of hanging glass between the squares.

making glass decorations for wire fences

To attach wire to the glass I use sticky metal tape.

Pick your glass from a stained glass store or if you are in the Seattle area, Bedrock Industries has a great selection. Cut two pieces of wire and lay them along the sticky side of the tape. Smooth them along the edges of the glass and fold the edges of the tape over to cover any rough edges and attach the wire.

Once wire is attached go wild!

Here is a dangly piece. Be careful if you do this as the wire can break and the glass may shatter.

Posted in Crafts | Tagged glass decoration, wire fence | Leave a Comment »

Focus on Collards

May 31, 2016 by admin

Collards grow well in the Seattle area so it’s one of those fail safe crops that I plant every year. To get a good yield enrich your soil with some compost and manure then sow your seeds once the soil has warmed. I often start these indoors then plant them out to get a jump on the season. The plants grow quickly and aside from the rare caterpillar or aphid, seem to have few problems.

Over the years I’ve come up with lots of ways to prepare this versatile and nutrient packed plant. Here are some of my favorites:

Stir Fried Collards

Pick and wash the collard leaves.

Stack, roll and cut leaves into thin ribbons.

Mince garlic.

Heat oil in pan, lightly saute garlic then add collards. Cook until tender. May need to add a bit of water and cover if they are tough.

Delicious with collards.

Here is a corn bread recipe that usually turns out well. The combination of cornbread and zesty greens is great!

I also like to:

Harvest the greens then cut them into thin strips and freeze them. These frozen greens can then be tossed into almost anything to boost nutrition and flavor.
Make green smoothies with collards, bananas, orange juice and apples. Sometimes we add nuts or protein powder too.
Collard chips – To make these heat your oven to 400 degrees, tear the collards into bite sized pieces and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with oil then bake until crisp and sprinkle with a small amount of salt. We sometimes sprinkle on some brewer’s yeast as well.
Make a massaged collards salad. To do this cut the greens into thin strips then massage until they turn from light green into dark green. Add cider vinegar, olive oil and salt to taste. Garnish with toasted pecans, red onion, apples and dried cranberries.

What are your favorite ways to prepare collards? We’d love to hear from you!

Posted in Cooking | Tagged collards, stir fry | Leave a Comment »

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