recipes – Page 3 – Planet B Gardens

pickled summer squash

When summer squash comes on, it’s amazing how many gourds mature quickly from each plant. I happen to love fresh summer squash, but even the yield from my little garden was too much for eating fresh. I decided to pickle some. Happy experiment — summer squash makes the best pickled veggies ever! Here’s what I did: Sterilize canning jars and lids in boiling water Slice each gourd in half lengthwise and into slices 1/8″ – 1/4″ thick Pack sliced summer squash into canning jars with a dozen or so whole black peppercorns In a saucepan, mix 1 cup of white distilled vinegar with 1 cup water (adjust this amount and the following for

August 13, 2016

collard wraps

What to do with fresh collard greens? Turns out they make a fantastic wrap material. As a bonus, this recipe fits the criteria for a range of diet-restricted guests: gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and organic (if you use organic ingredients). I use fresh red cabbage, carrots, collard greens, jalapenos, and garlic from my garden — and the gardens of my community of local, organic farmers — supplemented by organic lemons, shredded unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, and Braggs’ Amino Acids. The recipe is simple: shred the red cabbage and julienne the carrots. Chop fresh garlic (early young garlic is best) and fresh jalapeno. Add to the carrot cabbage mix. Mix in a couple tablespoons of

July 10, 2016

roasted radishes

Radishes fresh from the garden are good for adding a crunchy bite to a salad or sandwich, but my favorite way to eat radishes is roasted. Preheat your oven to 450F, halve and quarter the radishes, toss with a little olive oil and coarse salt, and place on a cast iron skillet. I added a few whole garlic cloves and sprigs of fresh thyme, too. Roast for 7 minutes, turn, and roast for another 8 minutes or until soft. The roasted radishes taste nothing like their fresh counterparts. They’re juicy and slightly sweet with a satisfying pop when you bite into them.

on food and gardens

Ruth Reichl’s memoirs — Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires — are among my favorite foodie reads. If you’re a fan of hers —or just someone interested in food culture, gardening, and changing the way we eat — Ruth Reichl’s Commonwealth Club podcast interview is worth a listen.

preserving eggplant

My favorite way of preserving eggplant is freezing. I’ve heard people say you can’t freeze eggplant because it gets bitter. Here’s a technique I learned from an ’80s recipe in The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook that works great as a pre-freeze treatment and removes the bitterness: Cut the eggplant into 1″ cubes, skin on Put it in a colander, sprinkle with little coarse salt (like a kosher salt), and toss to cover Place the colander in a dish to catch the liquid, and leave it in the fridge overnight During the night, liquid will drain from the eggplant leaving you with slightly dried-out looking cubes. Spread the cubes in

March 8, 2016

homemade apple cider

What to do with small, blemished apples not pretty enough for pies or eating whole? I’m making apple cider. If you have a juicer, this is super simple. Wash the apples. Quarter the apples and throw them into the juicer — skins, cores, stems and all. Run the apples through the juicer, and that’s it. The cider will last a couple weeks in the fridge. It will ferment naturally, so be aware that you could get a bit of a buzz once that process happens. It could also get a bit sour — let your taste buds be your guide for when the cider is no longer drinkable. You could

October 7, 2015

hand pies for freezing

Large pies work well for freezing in my experience, but they take up a lot of room and are more suited for a larger crowd. Hand pies seem like the perfect solution. They can be tucked in nooks and crannies in the freezer, and I can take out as many servings as I have people when I’m ready to bake them. The process starts the same as for large apple pies. If you’re preparing a large batch of apples for pies (or dehydrating) I highly recommend investing in a hand-crank apple peeler and corer. It’s fast, fun, and you get perfectly uniform slices. Once you’ve run the apples through the

October 5, 2015

apple butter

First time making apple butter. Apple butter has no dairy in it despite the name. The end result is supposed to spread like butter, but be made of only apples, sugar, a touch of salt, and spices. The recipe I used also called for apple cider vinegar during the simmering process. I started by washing and slicing the apples into quarters, keeping the skins and core attached. The quartered apples went into a large stock pot with 4 cups water and 2 cups apple cider vinegar. After bringing to a boil and simmering for 20 minutes or so, the apples were soft. I put them into a food mill a

October 4, 2015

knäkkebrød

Traditional Swedish knäkkebrød is a great option if you’re looking for a high-fiber, low calorie, and low gluten alternative to regular bread. I’ve been buying the Wasa brand for years, and finally decided to make some from scratch. I like the result much better, and it’s fairly easy to make. First, gather your ingredients: 1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast 2 cups lukewarm water 2 teaspoons salt 1 tablespoon fennel or cumin seed, crushed 1 cup coarse rye meal 2 1/2 cups dark rye flour 1/2 cup rolled oats 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (more as needed to make a firm dough) Mix ingredients in order of the list above.

August 23, 2015

vegan “cheddar”

Learning new ways of using ingredients interests me, so I picked up a book on making artisan vegan cheeses. I usually prefer beans, nuts, vegetables and fruits over dairy and meat as a dietary staple, though I’m down with a healthy wild or small-farm raised turkey or tasty free-range elk steak. Vegan “cheddar” needs a new name. It’s a tasty product on its own. A great cheddar made from milk is its own thing, as is its vegan homage. The key to making a vegan cheddar is a sour starter the author of the cookbook I used calls “rejuvelac.” Rejuvelac is based in fermented grains, similar to what you would use in beer making. That gives

May 3, 2015