The pock-marked hoop houses.

Swiss chard

The leaves were stripped off the stalks of chard. There might be hope for the onions even though the plants were flattened in the hail storm.

Some of the larger hail shattered through the greenhouse.
Potato plants looking very sad.

Allison is harvesting the chard so it can be sold through the CSA at a reduced price.

1) Barbara cleaning the fresh-picked lettuce.
2) Mesclun
3) More mesclun
4) Forellenschluss lettuce

When I’m getting bored with salad greens, I make them special by using a homemade dressing. It doesn’t take much time, so I’m not sure why I don’t make dressing more often… But, then it wouldn’t be special, would it? Tonight I made “Kentucky Salad Dressing” from the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook.

1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
2 T sesame seeds
1 T onion
1 T poppy seeds
Splash of Worcestershire sauce

Whir it around in the food processor for a couple of seconds and there ya go!

What do you do to avoid the salad boredom blues?

Swiss chard growing under row covers in late April.

To braise greens: cover about 1/4–1/2 of the greens with broth or water. If you are working with large leaves (chard, kale), take the time to trim out the tough stalks. It would be very time consuming to trim out mustard green stalks, so just cook them a little longer (30–45 minutes) so the stalk will be tender. Cooking times vary depending on the age of the greens and personal preference. However, the longer the greens cook, the more potent the pot liquor. Make sure you reserve the braising juices for use in vegetable broth or for watering plants. Meanwhile, sauté some onion or garlic in butter or olive oil. Once the greens are tender, toss them with the cooked onion and red pepper flakes. Dress them with balsamic or apple cider vinegar. This is just the beginning—make this recipe your own!

Day 1: Braised greens with sautéed green onion, served with toasted baguette and brie.

Day 2: Chopped braised greens tossed with orzo, chickpeas, prosciutto, and capers. You can find the recipe here.

Just as quinoa was a staple of the Incan diet, amaranth was that of the Aztecs. The grain can be cooked, ground, or popped. According to Gary Paul Nabhan, the Aztecs mixed amaranth grain with wild honey and sacrificial human blood. They shaped the sticky mix into statues of the gods, calling them candies of happiness, or alegrias. People still enjoy alegrias, sans blood.

Cooked amaranth grain has a slightly gelatinous quality and can be used to thicken soups. You could also use it as a breakfast cereal (see recipe below) or pilaf. Amaranth contains more of the essential amino acids than almost any other plant food, is quite high in calcium, and is second only to quinoa in iron.

The grain is also milled into flour. In Coming Home to Eat, Nabhan describes his efforts to find amaranth (as well as mesquite) tortillas: “I recalled the root meaning of amaranth, ‘the flower that does not fade,’ and only wished it had meant, ‘the flour that did not fade away from use.’” Amaranth flour is gluten free and can usually be found in health food stores.

But that’s not all! The greens are also edible. They can be eaten raw or cooked. Wouldn’t the red leaves add a nice diversion to your typical lettuce salad? You cook them just as you would any other green (see recipe below).

June 2009

July 2009

September 2009

Cooked Amaranth
from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c amaranth
salt

Since amaranth is a tiny grain, it cooks quickly. Combine water, amaranth, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes or until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Top with whatever you like: honey, brown sugar, dried fruit, fresh fruit, nuts, milk, yum!

Amaranth Greens with Brandied Orange Sauce
from Wild Foods Field Guide and Cookbook by Billy Joe Tatum
3 cups cooked amaranth greens
3 oz. frozen orange-juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 c water
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1/4 c fruit-flavored brandy, preferably apricot or peach
1 t fresh ginger, grated or chopped (1/2 t if dried)
freshly cooked hot rice or egg noodles to serve 8

1. Combine greens, orange-juice concentrate, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium.
2. Add brown sugar, brandy, and ginger root.
3. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot over rice or egg noodles.
Serves 8.

Peppers are still hangin’ on here in central Oklahoma. Perhaps you picked up a lot from Guilford Gardens, have a bumper crop in your garden, or took advantage of a deal at the farmers’ market. What are you going to do with them? You can roast and freeze them. You can dry them. Or you could make pepper jam or relish, hot treat that is a great condiment for cheese and crackers. Mmmmm!

Maria is making pepper jelly in Kam’s Kookery

Sweet and spicy, pepper jam will warm your belly all winter long!

Easy Jalapeño Jam
Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
12 oz. jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and deveined
2 cups cider vinegar, divided
6 cups granulated sugar
2 pouches (6 oz. total) liquid pectin

1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
2. In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, puree peppers and 1 cup of vinegar until smooth.
3. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine pepper puree, remaining 1 cup vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
4. Quickly pour hot jelly into jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
5. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

You could bypass the water bath canning process by sharing some and keeping the rest in your refrigerator. It should keep for at least a month.

For example, salad greens keep much longer when stored in a salad spinner. It lets them breathe and stay dry. It’s probably one of my best kitchen gadget purchases. If you don’t have a salad spinner, slip a paper towel in with the greens to absorb moisture and make sure the container or bag is vented. This chart has thorough recommendations for produce storage, including fruits or vegetables that are particularly sensitive to ethylene—a gas emitted most notably by apples that hastens ripening in other produce.

Some fruits and vegetables are more flavorful and juicier when they are at room temperature. I’m thinking especially of tomatoes and peaches. What do you think? I keep this chart [pdf] handy in my kitchen as a quick reference for determining produce storage.

Even more information is here and here.

Do you have any tips for storing produce?

Cheesy Roasted Eggplant Bake
from Oklahoma Living
2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise, 3/4-inch thick
3 T olive oil, plus more for baking dish
1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 c mozzarella cheese, grated
3 T chopped fresh or dried oregano, divided
1 1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
2 t fresh or dry basil
red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450˚. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on two, rimmed baking sheets. Brush both sides lightly with oil; season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is tender and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, 2 T oregano, 1 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper. In a separate bowl, combine sauce, basil, 1 T of oregano, and salt, pepper, and pepper flakes to taste. Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with oil. Lay a fourth of a roasted eggplant slices in bottom of prepared dish; spread with half of tomato sauce. Top with another fourth of eggplant; spread with half of ricotta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta; sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake until bubbling and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.