Just a quick share of my husband’s pickled eggs and beets. He grew up with this Pennsylvania Dutch traditional snack. It is usually made with red beets, but since we had both golden beets and red in the garden, the last round he made a jar of both. I love how the colors turned out. We will share his recipe for pickled beets and eggs soon!
Just a quick shot of today’s harvest. Tender rainbow chard, mustard greens, lacinto kale and red Russian kale. Papa Bird quickly sautéed them in coconut oil. Greens that fresh don’t need a lot done to them.
Not that long ago, he and his friend, Mark, built a new raised bed by the house. They used a new (to us) technique called hugelkultur, a permaculture practice of layering wood and soil “like a lasagna”.
Here’s a link to another blog with some more on hugelkultur: click here. I like that their chickens look a lot like Bebe and Butters, and that they have a toddler helping, just like Little Bird helped Papa and Mark. Plus she dug up the yard while babywearing! (And I thought I was crunchy for babywearing while composting diapers!)
With the fall equinox, the season finally seems to be turning in Southern California. It seems as though the rest of the country has moved past apples and onto pumpkin, but we are still picking tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. (Complaining of SoCal problems sounds like humble bragging.) I’m sharing my favorite fig and feta salad as a farewell to summer. Our tree’s fruit are in their last stages and our mint barely survived the last heat wave. I had wanted to first post my feta recipe, but at this stage of my pregnancy, I don’t have the time or focus for a long cheesemaking post, like this one on chèvre.
Little Bird thoroughly enjoyed figs straight from the tree this summer. There is something lovely about eating them slightly warm from the sun. Here she is showing one of her best buddies where to find the ripe ones:
As I wrote the recipe (below), I felt a little silly typing out the ingredient list. With only the four ingredients in the title, it seemed a little pointless. This combination is so flavorful and balanced, it doesn’t even need salt and pepper!
Gently rinse figs. Cut off stems and then cut in half. Arrange in a shallow bowl or plate. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and chopped, fresh mint. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or a balsamic reduction. Gently mix and serve.
Posted in Food, Healthy Recipes, Home Dairy, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden, Recipes to Make with the Kids, Seasonal Recipes, Urban Agriculture, Urban Homesteading
Tagged appetizers, cheese making, easy entertaining, easy farm to table, easy seasonal cooking, easy seasonal recipes, meals for the whole family, naturally gluten free, Urban Homesteading, vegetarian, victory gardens
We had a glitch with the subscription service being down for a couple of days. It is back up now, but you may have missed the last post on Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. In any case, this gives me the opportunity to share one more picture of Little Bird helping pick cherries.
I finally got around to processing our extra tomatoes this weekend. Out of 5 pounds of heirlooms and Roma’s, I made tomato sauce with garlic, based on Alice Water’s recipe. But my absolute favorite alchemy is what happens to cherry tomatoes when they are slow roasted in the oven. If you like the taste of sun-dried tomatoes, but could do without the leathery texture, then you will love these oven roasted cherry tomatoes. And you will be surprised how easy they are!
I love having the taste of summer throughout the year, and nothing speaks to the sunshine and vitamins of summer as well as these easy tomatoes. Try using them in place of sun-dried tomatoes in recipes, such as this Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Pesto.
Rinse tomatoes and cut in half. Spread, cut side up, on a silicone mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle, lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Roast in a 225°F oven for 2-3 hours or until somewhat dried, but still a little juicy. Let cool.
Enjoy as is or pack into a clean jar, cover with more olive oil, and can or freeze. If freezing, leave a little space at the top. Tip: as awesome as garlic, shallots, and fresh herbs are with tomatoes, DO NOT put them in your jars. They contain moisture and will make it mold more quickly.
Click on any picture in the gallery below to expand and see the steps.
Posted in Food, Healthy Recipes, Preserving and Canning, Recipes from the Garden, Seasonal Recipes, Urban Agriculture, Urban Homesteading
Tagged easy farm to table, easy seasonal cooking, easy seasonal recipes, farm to table, heirloom tomatoes, homesteading, naturally gluten free, naturally paleo, Urban Homesteading, vegan, vegetarian, victory gardens
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