Garlic – more than just a  bulb!

A few years ago, Ingrid from the Armstrong Farmers’ Market shared a little secret with me – a really good part of garlic is actually the scape. And that was the day I became a little obsessed with garlic scapes.

What is a scape? Scapes are the shoots that grow out of the ground from hard-neck varieties of garlic. When they're young and tender, they look like curly green stalks with tightly closed buds on top. Farmers and gardeners harvest them at this time of year so that they won't drain nutrients from the garlic bulbs that will be dug up in a couple of months.

That Saturday I left the market with bags (yes – bags!) of garlic scapes and started looking for ways to use and preserve these spring treasures.

I started with something fairly easy that I knew I would use - Garlic Scape Pesto. Who doesn’t love pesto – it puts a bit of sunshine in pasta and soup for a whole dreary winter – and also made a quick appetizer on crostini.

I was also thinking that if you could pickle asparagus or beans – was it possible to pickle scapes? So to the computer I went – and found out that not only was it possible, but Garlic Scape Pickles were pretty tasty.

So, before you run away from the giant pile of them at the farmers' market or snip them from your garlic and plop then in your compost, grab a handful and give one of these recipes a try.

And Ingrid – thanks for the tip J I can hardly wait to replenish my supply of Garlic Scape Pesto!

Garlic Scape Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts

3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon salt

A few generous grinds of black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

In a small, dry pan over very low heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, stirring or tossing until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Combine the scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. 

When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you've defrosted it.

To freeze: put in small freezer containers or freeze in ice cube trays until solid – then transfer to a freezer bag. One of my ice cubes = 1 tbsp. of pesto.

Pickled Garlic Scapes

1 pound garlic spaces (approximately 2-3 bunches)

2 tsp. dill seed

1 tsp. whole black peppercorns

1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 c. water

2 tbsp. pickling salt

Trim the ends of the scapes, both the blossom end and the hard bit that formed at the original cut, and cut them into lengths that will fit in your jar. Prepare a small boiling water bath and 2 pint jar. Divide the dill and black peppercorns between the jars then pack the trimmed scapes into the jars.

Combine the vinegar, water and pickling salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Slowly pour the hot brine over the garlic scapes, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Once the jar is full, tap the jar lightly to dislodge any air bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.

Wipe the rim, apply the lid and ring, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Let these pickles cure for at least a month before eating. Enjoy!

Pickles, kuchen and cropping - oh my!

A bit late posting this - but it has been a busy week!

Last weekend was a great time to catch up on a few things - including making a batch (two!) of Maritime Mustard Pickles. I have posted the recipe on here before - but in case you forgot how appealing these pickles are to the eye as well as the taste buds - here is a reminder!

Megan and Will have a plum tree in their yard - and every year, they have lots of plums to give away. Mom usually makes Plum Peachy Jam and does some baking with them - I usually just eat them.

But thanks to a recipe shared by a facebook friend, I thought I would try making a Plum Kuchen. In the past, I have found the cake a bit dry and not really worth the time to make. This one changed my mind! It is moist and delicious - lots of plum flavour plus a nice streusel topping.

Oma's Fruitcake Recipe

(Note from Tammy E: This was my grandma's (Oma's) fruit cake recipe with streusel topping. I have made it with plums, blueberries, and peaches. It is kind of a rough recipe as it was handed down, but it works and it is tasty!)

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (or more if you want it sweeter)       
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Beat all ingredients together. Batter is a little thicker than most cakes. Spread evenly in greased 9 x 13 pan.

Streusel

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour (to make it crumbly)

Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle on top.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and very light brown on top.

Serve warm or cold. Good with ice cream or a bit of whipped cream.

After all that time in the kitchen, I spent Sunday with my 'scrapsisters' at a crop working on some of my scrapbook projects.

I am currently trying to get caught up with the circle journals that have been patiently waiting on my table - and worked hard to get one done. Like many of us, I have a hard time scrapbooking about myself and there are not many pages about me in our albums. I was happy with how this turned out - I even made a copy to put in our album.

 

Now if I can get a few more of those unfinished tasks on my fall to-do list done this weekend...

 

 





 

It has been a long time...

Just realized that it has been over a year since I posted anything on here. It isn't that I haven't done anything that matters in our home, just haven't made time to blog about it. I am going to try to blog at least monthly - after all, the reason for this blog was to leave a journal of sorts of our family - what we eat mostly :) But other things too - like what we do when we are together and what we do to make our house a home :)

So, it is September and that usually means harvesting and preserving. This year, the deer quite enjoyed most of my garden. Thankfully, mom didn't have deer and had lots to share - especially cucumbers for pickles.

Bread and Butter Pickles
(Recipe from the BC Women's Institute Centennial Cookbook 1958 - Granny had this one marked!)

3 or 4 medium cucumbers
1 large onion
2 tbsp. pickling (coarse) salt
1 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. turmeric

Slice cucumbers and onions. Place in glass or plastic bowl, sprinkle with salt and stir. Let stand for several hours, then drain well. Rinse and drain again.

In a large pot, heat vinegar, celery and mustard seed, sugar and turmeric to boiling. Add cucumbers and onions and heat through. Pack into sterilized jars and seal.

Makes 3 - 16oz. jars

It was a busy weekend...

...at our house - putting everything away in the yard, pulling up the last of the plants, putting up a new light and house numbers.

Barry worked really hard - even had time to clean the bathrooms for me - something I really do not like doing. That left me some time to decorate our front entryway.

I also cleaned out the pantry - good thing, as I also finished up most of my canning - Apple Cranberry Mincement (a spoonful was really good on my yoghurt!) and Maritime Mustard Pickles. I have one chutney left to do - hopefully this week.

  

Apple Cranberry Mincement

6c.        finely chopped tart apples (about 2lbs)

1c.        sultana raisins

1c.        dark raisins

1 1/2c.  dried cranberries

2/3c.     lightly packed brown sugar

2 tsp.    ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/4c.     brandy (see note below)

1/2c.     water

            grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

           

Combine all ingredients, except brandy, in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in brandy and return to a boil.

Ladle preserves into hot jars, top with hot lids and rings. Process for 20 minutes for small jars and 30 minutes for large jars.

I made a couple of changes to the basic recipe - I added 4 pears, peeled and finely chopped, and didn't have any brandy, so used some Butterscotch Ripple Schnapps.

I also had lots I wanted to do - so instead of being tied to the stove, I used my crockpot  - on high heat. Once it was bubbling, I bottled the mincement and then processed it as above.

Mustard Pickles

 I found the recipe on http://islandkitchenparty.blogspot.com/2007/10/mustard-pickles.html and it tastes pretty close to the one I tried (and loved!) at Mary's Place Diner and Cafe in Victoria, PEI.

4 c diced onions
8 cucumbers
1 medium cauliflower
2 medium sweet red peppers (diced)

3 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
3 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ginger
2 1/2 c vinegar

Peel and cut onions into medium sized pieces. Peel cucumbers, remove seeds and centres - cut to desired size. Separate cauliflower into small flowerets. Dice red peppers. Make a brine to cover vegetables of 1/2 cup coarse salt to 1 quart water and let stand overnight (or for 8 hours).

Next day, drain vegetables. In a large bowl mix sauce dry ingredients together until there are no lumps.In   a large stockpot add the vinegar and 2 cups hot water to the dry ingredients, bring to a boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly, Then add the vegetables to the sauce,  bring to a boil, and boil for an additional 5 minutes stirring constantly  - be careful not to scorch it.

Ladle into hot, sterilized jars, while mixture is still hot. Process for 10 minutes.