Bitter Cucumbers {Friday Five}

Lots of awesome things happened around the homestead today: we pickled homegrown peperoncini peppers, filled the basil jar with dried basil, made stuffed sausage, put cabbage into a crock for sauerkraut, and brined pork belly. In the evening I convinced Alex to clear out the cornichon cucumber patch because they were past their prime. What happened with the excess cukes? Witness the unscripted madness:

1) Take a bite to confirm it's bitter. The cuke is indeed sharper than my grandmother talking about health insurance coverage.

2) Pose for goofy pictures with cucumber props.

3) Practice bludgeoning.

4) Give the chickens a snack. 

5) Fire up the air cannon. What?! Your family doesn't have a pneumatic potato gun?

Be My Guest and Meet Will Allen {Giveaway}

A week ago, I shared that urban agriculture genius Will Allen is visiting Columbus. Tickets are still available to the Friday keynote and Saturday-Sunday workshop intensive.

Thanks to a donation from Scotts via Slow Food Columbus, I am able to give away a ticket to the keynote address this Friday, July 15, 2011 at Franklin Park Conservatory. The winner can attend both the semi-private meet & greet session at 5 pm and the 6 pm talk, a $50 value!

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with the reason you want to attend.

I'll start. I can't wait to hear Will Allen because:

• he has all the dirt on building healthy soil. I aspire to be more than a lazy composter.
• a former basketball player, Allen now builds hoop houses. I need to have one of these some day.
• he believes in the transformative power of edible gardening. I look forward to being inspired by his radical back-to-the-earth ideas.

Leave a comment with your reason and a way to contact you before midnight Wednesday July 13, 2011 when the contest ends. I'll draw a random winner and notify them by 10 am Thursday.

Pearl Alley Farmer's Market

Tucked between Broad, High, Gay, and Third Streets in downtown Columbus is the tiny Pearl Alley. On Tuesdays and Fridays the alley fills with tents, food, and downtown workers during the Pearl Farmer's Market. Pearl Alley has a different feel than other Farmer's Markets in Columbus. It is a lunch hour market, so the vendors tend on the side of homemade food and produce essentials. There are few crowds and none of the 'get there first before the fruit runs out' mentality.

On the day Lil and I went in mid June 2011, we saw three or four fresh produce stands selling strawberries, peas, lettuces, and the season's first zucchini. There were several vendors of homemade sweets, two lovely bread stands, and places to buy meat, cheese, and lunch foods like sandwiches, samosas, and drinks. Several vendors were selling household goods including homemade soap, clothing, and flowers.

Lest you think that Pearl Alley is only for office workers, let me reassure that kids and families are very welcome. There is often a musical act performing, vendors are very friendly with kids, and samples draw in foodies of all ages.

The market is situated within easy walking distance of the new Columbus Commons, the Ohio Statehouse and the Santa Maria. It is fun to make a day of exploring our state capital on foot.

Parking is fairly easy to find at meters on Third, in the garage under the Statehouse, or in the Columbus Commons garage. COTA buses run frequently downtown too.

Lil and I enjoy touring farmer's markets around town. We attended the opening day of the Easton Farmer's Market, regularly visit Clintonville and Worthington, and look forward to hitting up New Albany or OSU this week. The Columbus Farmers' Market Blog just posted a great list of markets by day - there's something for everyone!

If you go:

• Bring change for meters or cash for the bus/parking garage.
• Carry cash for purchases or go to the red Pearl Alley market tent to purchase tokens with your credit or debit card.
• Bring an insulated bag if you plan to buy meats or dairy. Downtown is hot with all the pavement and you don't want your food to spoil.
• Come hungry. There are so many great choices for lunch!
• Be ready to picnic. There aren't a lot of seating options at the market, but just across Broad Street is the Ohio Statehouse with lots of benches, stairs and grass perfect for picnics.
• The Pearl Market is open 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 17 through October 28.

Scenes from Franklin Park's Edible Gardens {Friday Five}

I had the pleasure of volunteering with the Franklin Park Conservatory Women's Board at a cooking class last night. Yes, I was on my feet for almost seven hours, and yes I spent a fair amount of it around a hot wood fire. But I was truly entertained by instructors Jim Budros, Rich Terapak, and Steve Stover and I was thrilled to take pictures around the garden. Here are just some of the beautiful edibles I saw:

If you have never been to the Scotts Miracle-Gro Community Garden Campus, go! Find parking in front of the caretaker's house off Franklin Park South or you can enter via the conservatory main entrance and keep driving towards the south end of the park until you reach the far parking lot. Wander around and take note of the hundreds of culinary species growing. It is a place of inspiration for kitchen gardeners and beauty for all others.

If you've never been to a cooking class, I suggest Rich and Steve's Spanish Tapas offering on July 19. Even an experienced home cook will be inspired and entertained while eating a fine meal.

Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries {Recipe}

I love a good cocktail but I despise maraschino cherries. The rubbery red-flavored spheres resemble the natural fruit in name alone.

I decided to tackle creating cocktail cherries at home when faced with an extra quart of fresh local sour cherries after making sour cherry preserves.

While searching for a recipe, I discovered a bit of history. Apparently cocktail cherries used to be pitted cherries soaked in maraschino liqueur, hence the name.

During prohibition, one of America's cultural mistakes, cocktail cherries had to be remade without the alcohol. The sickeningly sweet, artificial maraschino cherry was born.

Most recipes for DIY cocktail cherries either fall in the camp of the traditional (soak in maraschino liqueur) or modern (can in sweet, flavored syrup).

All recipes recommended pitting the cherries but I came across a suggestion that the pits themselves could make a liqueur.

I combined all these ideas into my sour boozy cocktail cherries. They are boiled in vanilla syrup and canned with pits and bourbon. The result is a flavorful hybrid with balanced sweetness that begs to be made into an old fashioned.

My hope is that the pits will age and flavor the syrup so that when the cherries are gone, the syrup will be an enticing liqueur of its own.

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Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries

makes 4 half pints

1 1/2 cups demara sugar

1 cup water

4 allspice berries, crushed

1 vanilla pod, sliced open

4 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted with pits reserved (approximately 1 quart)

2 cups bourbon (we like Bulleit)

1. Mix sugar, water, allspice, and vanilla in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat over medium high until boiling.

2. Add the sour cherries and pits. Boil for 5 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Pour in bourbon.

4. Ladle cherries into sterilized jars. Cover with some of the steeping liquid and pits to quarter inch head space.

5. Top with a new lid and finger tighten a ring. At this point, cherries may be stored in the fridge for up to one month. If you desire to preserve them longer, can using the following directions.

6. Boil in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove to a level surface and allow to cool completely. Remove rings and wipe off jars.

7. If excess syrup remains, strain and use for cocktails or dessert topping. Store in refrigerator.

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Added to Hearth and Soul 55.

Last Minute Father's Day Gifts {Friday Five}

My dear Dad, pictured at right, will be the recipient of a gift to facilitate his camping trip to the Pacific northwest later this summer. If you are left with only a few days to buy something for your father or the father of your children, here are my top five last minute ideas: 1) When I need a gift for a cook in my life, father or not, I can always find something at Wasserstrom. They have fun drink ware, professional grade kitchen gadgets, and knives. Every father man I know loves knives.

2) Let's be frank - father's often have reason to drink. Wrap up a bottle of locally made Watershed gin, OYO vodka, or Brother's Drake mead to soften the sleepless, frustrating moments of parenthood.

3) Give Dad an experience to remember with a Columbus Food Adventures tour or special menu dinner at a local restaurant, like the Goose Island dinner at Latitude 41. Not in Columbus? Look for tours in your area - I just came across awesome sounding bike tours in Cleveland.

4) If your pop is more of the bookish type, my second favorite father, Alex, recommends these foodie reads: Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman is "an incredibly well-thought out and put together book. He takes a lot of time to describe the techniques used in addition to the recipes." Don't mind cursing? Try Alex's other favorite, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles cookbook, replete with vividly-told stories of the New York restaurant scene.

5) From the self-promotion department: How about a gift registration for a preserving class? Many dads would love to learn how to make pickles, barbecue sauce or bacon. Register for my Preserving Series classes at Wild Goose Creative online.

We are hosting a local burger cook-out for our Dads on Sunday. What are you doing for Father's Day?

Mint Lamb Sausage Inspired by Jorgensen Farms {Charcutepalooza}

On a picturesque 65 acres in east central Ohio, there lies Jorgensen Farms, a biodynamic animal and vegetable operation. Proprietor Val (pictured below in blue) works the land guided by her distinguishing palette and eye for pleasing design. She builds vibrant soil through careful crop rotation and pasturing. Perhaps the most recognized crop is her mint grown especially for central Ohio based Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream's Backyard Mint flavor. You may click on pictures to enlarge them.

I attended the Ohio Lamb Chef's Day at Jorgensen Farms one cold and rainy day this May. The event included tours and tastings aimed at educating restaurant chefs. We walked through herb gardens near the farm houses and viewed sheep out to pasture on rolling hills. Two chilly day-old lambs visited in the arms of flower grower and livestock helper Roger Genter.

The meat of the event was a fascinating demonstration by Dr. Paul Kuber, associate professor of Animal Sciences at Ohio State University. He expertly butchered a lamb into cuts usable by restaurants and home cooks, sharing anatomy and culinary tidbits throughout. A six course sampling meal followed, using some of the cuts demonstrated.

At the end of the lamb cutting, a large bowl of scraps was left. Kuber shared that these could be used for sausage or other charcuterie. When the June Charcutepalooza challenge, stuffing, was announced, I knew what I had to make: mint lamb sausage, inspired by Jorgensen Farms.

Lamb mint sausage makes good use of the abundant mint and garlic scapes in our own backyard. We chose Ohio lamb and pork to keep the recipe local. The binding liquid included some of our own apple cider vinegar made last autumn.

As we have been stuffing sausage for a few years, the process runs quickly and smoothly now. Alex and Lil do most of the meat handling while I clean up behind them. From grind to bind to stuffing, a batch only takes about thirty minutes.

I served the sausage tonight with barley risotto and wilted homegrown greens. I highly recommend this hearty and healthy combination. It warmed us on a unseasonably cool evening, reminiscent of the chilly day I spent at the lovely Jorgensen Farms.

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Mint Lamb Sausage

Makes 10 7 inch links

2 pounds lamb shoulder, boned 1 pound pork shoulder, boned 0.9 oz kosher salt (a hair less than 2 tablespoons) 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh young garlic scapes 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup water hog casings

1. Grind lamb and pork with a large die. 2. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add salt, mint, and scapes. Mix with batter paddle to combine. 3. Slowly pour in apple cider vinegar and water while mixing on low speed. Continue mixing until sausage binds or becomes very sticky, approximately 5 minutes. 4. Stuff into hog casings and make links.

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We Love Garlic Scapes

What is it? Garlic scapes are the magical-wand-like flower shoots of the garlic plant. They emerge in late spring and contain a small bud that will become a flower if left on the plant.

Many farmers, including me, prefer to cut the scapes away. The theory is that instead of the garlic spending energy growing the allium blossom, it will focus on the bulb.

The scape is edible at this early age. Many farmers include them in June CSA shares. Others sell them at the farmer's markets.

Eating Garlic Scapes

As with all vegetables, I encourage cooks to taste the garlic scape raw as a first step to using it in recipes. I find it has a mild garlic and onion flavor. The texture is dense and stringy in wider parts of the scape but palatable raw in the thin ends.

Young scapes are very curly. Choose these for the most tender bite. The flower bud can also be eaten and tastes like the rest of the scape with a hint of bitterness.

If you enjoy the scape raw, toss it in salads or use as a garnish. You can also blend it with basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a delightful pesto sauce. We'll be eating scapes that way at least once this week.

If you aren't a fan of raw garlic flavor, try cooking with the scapes. Chop finely and use as you would use garlic or chives. In larger chunks, a garlic scape is a savory addition to stir fry, frittata, or quiche. They can flavor rice or quinoa dishes.

If you find yourself unable to fit them into your menu, freeze the scapes whole with the rest of your vegetable scraps for the next time you make stock.

Our family <3s garlic scapes, does yours?

PS. I asked Lil to arrange the scapes for me to photograph and she came up with the heart. How cute!

Added to Hearth and Soul First Year Anniversary.