Kate's Garden & CSA: CSA Harvest

CSA Harvest - Week 6

I had the best of intentions to send out a weekly blog with new recipes and news from the garden. However, the weather and the bugs have kept me so busy keeping things tended and cared for that I just have not had the time. Making sure that everything is watered well in this heat has been of the utmost importance. It also helps to keep the grasshoppers at bay. I am not saying that they are not in the gardens; but at least there has not been too much feasting going on. This has been the worst year for bugs that I have seen in my gardening experience here in Montana in the last 10 years. The drought is attractive to many insects, especially the flea beetles and the grasshoppers.

Never the less, there is such bounty and beauty out there! Mother Earth never ceases to amaze me with her resilience. Even though it has been challenging, I awake each morning with an inner knowing that I will be rewarded with wondrous new insights and gifts when I go to the garden!

Your food basket this week will contain long, skinny, French Haricot Vert Green Beans, Yellow & Red Beets, those cute little round carrots, summer squash (zucchini, yellow and patty pan), cucumbers (Suyo Long Japanese & slicers), leaf lettuce, small first harvests of a selection of heirloom tomatoes, scallions, basil and dill.

There are still some subscribers who are showing up late, or not showing up at all. Please let me know if you are going to be late. I can then put your share out in front of the gate for you to pick up. If it’s really hot out, the greens will suffer, but you will at least have your weekly share. If you are not going to pick up, let me know as soon as possible. I can then donate your share to one of my neighbors or my garden helper, so that it doesn’t go to waste. Your share can be picked up between 2 and 6 PM.

I hope you are all enjoying your organic veggies and herbs. I know you are all pretty busy, but you are certainly welcome to spend more time here walking through the gardens, and taking in the visual beauty and fragrance of real food being grown…just for you! Harvest days are really busy, so if you would like to come and help, Barb and I will welcome you with open arms!

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Recipe Corner

Chocolate Lavender Kisses

Meringue is the secret to these sweet fudgy lavender-scented cookies. Easy, quick and delicious, these are a perfect homemade gift for the holiday season. For a festive touch, place kisses in small cellophane bag and tie with a bow. Your friends and family will cherish this sweet expression of your love!

Recipe
4 egg whites (at room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup lavender sugar*
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

*Note: To make lavender sugar, combine 1/4 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon lavender buds. Place in food processor and blend into a fine powder. Add to 1 3/4 cups of sugar in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Allow it to sit for 3 days to infuse the sugar with the lavender flavor.

Preheat oven to 200F with the rack in the center of the oven.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Beat 4 egg whites in a large mixing bowl with cream of tartar, vanilla and pinch of salt until foamy.
Take 2 tablespoons of the lavender sugar and sift together with cocoa and set aside.
Add remaining lavender sugar - 1 tablespoon at a time- to the egg white mixture. Beat well after each addition making sure the sugar is dissolved. Continue to beat until mixture is glossy and makes stiff peaks.
Sift the cocoa/sugar mixture over the meringue. Using a spatula, fold in the cocoa mixture gently just until it is blended.
Spoon the meringue mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch star tip. Place 1 inch meringue kisses onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (I use a reclosable storage bag and clip off ½ inch at the corner. Alternatively, drop the meringue by tablespoon on to your baking sheet.)
Bake the meringues for 1 ½ hours. The meringues are done when they are crisp and firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues in the oven for another hour to finish drying.
Store lightly covered in a dry place.
Makes 75 meringues.

Spicy Spiked Cocoa

This piquant hot chocolate is bursting with bold flavors to keep you warm on chilly nights.

Serves 4

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or grated
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly grated cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tbsp cardamom pods
1 tsp grated ginger
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
1 egg, beaten
Whipped cream
Splash vanilla vodka, spiced rum, coffee liqueur or bourbon (optional)

Directions:

Heat the chocolate, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder and cayenne in a double boiler. Whisk together until the chocolate has melted, then set aside.

In a separate pan, heat the milk, cream and remaining spices over low heat. Stir until the milk begins to bubble but not boil. Remove from heat and strain out the spices. Whisk the milk mixture into the chocolate.

In a small bowl, whisk a tablespoon of the chocolate-milk mixture into the beaten egg, then slowly stir it into the chocolate (this helps avoid cooking the egg).

Use the double boiler again to heat the combined mixture, whisking briskly, for afew minutes before serving. Stir a little bit of your booze of choice into the whipped cream and a little into the cocoa. Then top each cup of cocoa with the whipped cream, and serve immediately.

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CSA Harvest - Week 6

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