This Food Safari doesn’t take us far, but if you are an orchardist, it’s an important trip to take.
This Journey takes us to our back field or wherever your fruit trees grow. Proper fall care ensures healthy trees the following season and beyond.
The protocol couldn’t be easier:
HARVEST YOUR FRUIT and clear away any drops that you cannot use or give away. This stopes disease from spreading and pest from seeing a free lunch.
CLEAR DEBRIS like leaves and branches, twigs, etc. We don’t want to harbor bacteria.
PROTECT THE TRUNK only needed if the tree s are young , but then a wrap or mesh can help
WATER DEEPLY especially after the summer we’re had, a deep soaking is beneficial. Followed by a gift of mulch or compost to retain moisture., several inches away from the trunk itself . We want to do this early on before the roots could possibly freeze.
It’s too late in the season to fertilize,or to do any pruning so skip that thought until Spring.
These tips should give you a leg up on keeping your apple or other fruit trees happy and healthy!
This recipe can be added to my sheaf of successful * non recipes*, because it is supremely forgiving when it comes to preferred ingredients and technique.
It’s also very retro, comforting and perfect for this early Autumn moment. Who’s Mom or Grandma didn’t make these for a family dessert? Maybe we were just lucky, but then baked apples came into the dessert rotation in the Fall, we were always ready!
INGREDIENTS
6 Large apples suitable for baking , like Honeycrisp , Granny Smith, Pink Lady or Wolf River
1 cup Raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup lt brown sugar or could use maple syrup
Cinnamon to taste, pinch of sea salt.
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 tb soft butter
Combine all to create a crumble and set aside.
Carefully core the apples, taking care not to punch through the bottom the apple. The goal is to fit about 4 TB of filling into the apple. Any apple flesh you can dig out that is not core may be chopped and added backing the crumble.
Stuff the apples with the crumble, then bake on a buttered pan fitting the apples snugly together so they stay upright. Add a bit of water and cover tightly with foil.
Bake at 350 degrees for25 minutes, then remove the foil to add crispness to the top and bake until desired doneness. Test with a toothpick.
This is spectacular served with a vanilla ice cream or gelato.
Perhaps the first thing people think of when you say the word “Maine” is blueberries.
Maybe that’s because the low bush variety that yields the sweet wild blueberries we know and love….low bush, and so different from a high bush berry, have been thriving here for over 10,000 years.
Maine also supplies the lion’s share of wild blueberries to the US markets.
Twice as high in antioxidants as a cultivated berry, these wild wonders thrive on the glacial barrens so prevalent in these parts of Maine and the northern area we call “Downeast”.
These low bush blueberry lands were not planted but do need to be managed. They occurred naturally when the glaciers receded ,and spread through an underground network of runners.
They stay healthy by burning the fields every other year. The burn year regenerates growth, the second year stimulates production.
Much of the blueberry land in Maine is managed by the Wabanaki confederacy and is indeed an integral park of tribe economy and identity.
Around Waldoboro and until quite recently you could see spirited local kids of all ages with their blueberry rakes crowded into in a flatbed truck, headed for the blueberry farms around town. It was a summer rite of passage to rake blueberries for whatever pittance they were offering per flat while foundering yourself on berries, returning home stained and exhausted.
A few names come to mind. Businesses who have been at it forever: Brodis Blueberries in Hope, Me, White Oak Farm/Beth’s Farm Market, and Molly Sholes’ Spruce Mountain Farm in Rockport.
Spruce Mountain is one of my favorites for her excellent Blueberry Chutney and also for Molly! Molly passed away this winter at the age of 95. I am honored to have known her and so glad to have been the recipient of many visits, as she liked
to ride along to deliver her products, until very recently. So when my chutney arrived, I’d fetch it from the delivery vehicle in order to get in some conversation in with Molly.
She was truly a force, an inspiration and a forerunner in every way and we will miss her bright presence.
This is a wonderful take on a Wild Blueberry Chutney.
Probably a little different from Molly’s, but hard to lose if you’re using fresh wild blueberries ,in season, from Maine!
This recipe doubles well or scale it up because it keeps well in the fridge. ALSO Makes a lovely hostess gift:
Photo Credit Laura Cabot
INGREDIENTS
4 cups of fresh wild Maine blueberries
1 minced, white onion or shallot
1/2 cup of cider vinegar, red wine vinegar also works well
1/2 cup, packed dark brown sugar
1 TB fresh grated ginger
1 tsp. yellow mustard seed
1/2 tsp. Ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. Fresh ground pink pepper
A pinch of salt
METHOD
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Bring this mixture to a gently boil. Stir well to dissolve the sugar.
True down the flame, let it simmer uncovered for about 40 minutes.
It’s done when the berries burst. And the mixture reduces into a glossy, jammy texture.
Let this cool and store in a glass jar, refrigerated.
Delicious with roasted meats, poultry or try it on a warmed wheel of brie with crackers!
July is a lovely time to be alive! Especially as a kid.
How many of you remember walking in the woods and finding puckery, acidic sorrel at this time of year?
It was Wood Sorrel, it looked bright green with yellow flowers and seeds reminiscent of a tiny banana, interestingly like shamrocks and good enough to put in my mouth. What an addictive surprise! Like the first “sour patch” experience.
The sorrel family is varied: there’s wood sorrel, French ( or round leaf) sorrel, sheep sorrel, red vein sorrel, a favorite (in micro form) of chefs everywhere…and the larger leaf sorrels. I grow the red vein for salad and decor and the larger leaf French for a delicious sauce or soup, a suitable, saucy foil for oily fish or the traditional Ukrainian/Jewish soup Schav. Follow me over to Seasonal Recipes for that recipe.
Sorrel is easy to grow in Maine. Think of it as the northern gardener’s lemon.
It is an early perennial, thrives in moist soil and cooler weather. It tolerates shade, and can be used either raw or cooked. Acidic and lemony by nature is contained an abundance of Oxalic Acid. It deserves a place in any potager or herb garden and probably on your table.
If there’s a soup perfect for these ultra hot days, my Grandma Marad’s chilled and tart, creamy yet acidic Eastern European Schav soup. It fits the bill on many summer evenings.
Made of potato, lots of sorrel and good homemade stock, you’ll find it refreshing, filling and terribly “of the moment.”
Serve it ice cold on a hot summer day . We prefer it prepared with a strong chicken stock.
TRADITIONAL CHILLED SCHAV makes a pot full!
INGREDIENTS
SORREL, 1# WASHED AND TRIMMED OF ANY TOUGH STEMS.
APPROX. 6 CUPS SPRING WATER
A LARGE SWEET ONION, CHOPPED
ONE STALK OF LOVAGE, CHOPPED, optional , I have it in my garden…
3 TB UNSALTED BUTTER
2 TB SUGAR, OPTIONAL
JUICE OF ONE LEMON , SQUEEZED.
2 LARGE EGGS SEPERATED. WE’LL USE JUST THE YOLKS
METHOD
Choose a heavy Dutch oven and melt the butter. Add the onion, then after a quick sauté, add the roughly chopped sorrel. Salt and cover to wilt. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, then use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.
Season with sugar, lemon juice, white pepper to taste.It really is individual.
Temper the egg yolks by beating them in a small bowl. Set aside 2 cups of cooled soup and whisk the yolks vigorously into the cooled soup, then back into the pot of cooled soup. This should thicken the soup and give it a silky texture.
Refrigerate once the soup is completely cool, chill for a day.
Garnish with sour cream or creme fraiche and fresh chopped dill.
Technically a vegetable, Rhubarb is most often used with sugar to make desserts. Classically, it is paired with strawberries. I am not a fan, and prefer the zing of lemon zest and candied ginger in mine. Vanilla too and lots of it! When adding the vanilla I always dab a little behind my ears like a real country gal.
INGREDIENTS AND TECHNIQUE FOR THE FILLING
Begin by gathering your rhubarb, disgard the leaves outside. They’re poisonous, so compost them. Wash the stalks, and then chop it into chunks, not too small or it disappears.I prefer texture. I generally do not peel mine as I enjoy the pink color.
Once chopped, place in a large bowl, mix with white sugar ( for 6 cups of fruit, use 1 cup of sugar. Then add 2 TB vanilla, a pinch of salt, 1/2 cup chopped candied ginger, a grate or nutmeg and the zest of one half lemon. Sprinkle with 2/3 cup of instant tapioca. Mix well and let this bloom for about an hour. Stir once or twice.
PREPARE THE BAKING DISH
Use a bit of butter to grease the dish and make sure it’s deep enough. PRO TIP: Place it on a parchment cover sheet pan to easily clean up spills. They are messy.
CRISPY CUMBLE
A streusel recipe is a personal thing. Mine has buttery chunks, rolled oats, pieces of walnuts, flour, cinnamon and brown sugar. I’ll bet you have a favorite. Use that recipe and put on as much as you like on the top.
BAKE
@350 degrees for an hour or until bubbly around the edges and golden brown.
SERVE
6-8 with vanilla ice cream…..unsweetened Greek yoghurt works well for those of us trying to eat lighter. Ideally served warm.
Enjoy the glorious month of June and see you in July!
A Spring as wet as this one has produced a glorious burst of juicy rhubarb stalks, just begging for a go-round with some lemon zest and vanilla sugar.
Rhubarb is generally ready in my garden at about the same time as the first asparagus and the wild fiddlehead. It’s a celebration because winter is in the rear view mirror, finally, and the earliest jewels of the garden are here and ready to enjoy! My rhubarb is already sending up a blossom or two. These must be cut off in order for the stalks to get the growth needed to be fat and juicy. I always treat them as the lovely cut flower that they are and place those flowers in a vase.
The crab apples are snowing petals, grass s growing at an alarming rate and carrot seeds are being sown. It’s a heady moment for the Maine Gardener. There’s a lot to do outdoors after a long winter and the work days can be arduous .
Don’t you owe your self a nice, sweet/tart rhubarb dessert once you wash the dirt out from under your nails for the day?
Follow me over to Seasonal Recipes for a gorgeous Rhubarb Crisp made special with a crunchy crumble and a bit of candied ginger.
Gochujang packs a funky, complex punch with salty, smoky and spicy notes. It is a red chili paste which is fermented. I don’t always have the time to make it traditionally, which may require a trip to a speciality grocer or natural foods store and a couple of months to ferment. The weather must not be too hot, which is one reason the making of traditional Gochujang is done in Springtime.
I’m including a short cut recipe here, dynamite on rice bowls and in stews. I’m also including an image of a store bought version that I consider VERY GOOD!
Using it requires you to mix it with vinegar, sugar or Maple, water and Tamari , which is the best way to add the right amount to your rice bowl.
Here’s how it’s done. This is a Vegan recipe and offers a few shortcuts, if you don’t have 2 months to wait for a true ferment:
INGREDIENTS:
MISO PASTE
MAPLE SYRUP
KOREAN CHILI FLAKES
TAMARI SOY SAUCE
A HEAD OF GARLIC, minced
Mix them all together and play with the ratio of sweet, salty, hot and garlicy.
Give it a try and you may be so impressed that you decide to try making it the old fashioned way!
This Spring finds me with a new fascination for the healthy cuisine of Korea.
If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I recently had a heart episode.
The doctor’s directive was “ eat closer to a Vegan diet”. My first thought was that it sounded a little boring, but after diving into Korean cuisine, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The robust flavors and fermentation techniques prevalent in this traditional cuisine are defined by a “golden ratio” of 7 to 3, or vegetables to meats and carbs. So really very vegetable forward.
Rice, soup and sides are supported by fermented sides and pastes like kimchi, a popular side dish (made with chili and cabbage) and gochujang, which is a fermented red chili paste that brings a ton of flavor to the party.
Cooking like you live in Seoul, doesn’t require too much special equipment, but a rice cooker is a plus.
Another great dish to begin with is Kimchi. It takes a while to get the fermented result, but in the mean while learn how to make a Korean rice bowl, or Bibimbap, with its wonderful array of vegetables.
Nothing tops off Bibimbap like the umami filled spicy and piquant Gochujang. Making this sauce is a right of Spring in Korea.
Follow me over to Seasonal Recipes for the recipe!
The protocol couldn’t be easier:
Perhaps the first thing people think of when you say the word “Maine” is blueberries.
Around Waldoboro and until quite recently you could see spirited local kids of all ages with their blueberry rakes crowded into in a flatbed truck, headed for the blueberry farms around town. It was a summer rite of passage to rake blueberries for whatever pittance they were offering per flat while foundering yourself on berries, returning home stained and exhausted.
July is a lovely time to be alive! Especially as a kid.
If there’s a soup perfect for these ultra hot days, my Grandma Marad’s chilled and tart, creamy yet acidic Eastern European Schav soup. It fits the bill on many summer evenings.
INGREDIENTS AND TECHNIQUE FOR THE FILLING
The crab apples are snowing petals, grass s growing at an alarming rate and carrot seeds are being sown. It’s a heady moment for the Maine Gardener. There’s a lot to do outdoors after a long winter and the work days can be arduous .
Gochujang packs a funky, complex punch with salty, smoky and spicy notes. It is a red chili paste which is fermented. I don’t always have the time to make it traditionally, which may require a trip to a speciality grocer or natural foods store and a couple of months to ferment. The weather must not be too hot, which is one reason the making of traditional Gochujang is done in Springtime.
This Spring finds me with a new fascination for the healthy cuisine of Korea.
