Monday, July 29, 2013

GRILLED VEGGIES, FRESH BERRY PIES, IT'S SUMMERTIME !


HIGH BUSH, LOW BUSH "no spray" blueberries, outrageously delicious, magnificently nutritious and my favorite in pies, rasberries!
SUGAR AND GOLD scrumptious local corn is here!  You can grill corn in the husk, in foil, or directly on the grill (with a watchful eye). 
If in foil, add a dab of butter, seasoning, maybe even onion, herbs... go for it!   
TIMING
in foil or husk= rotate every 5-10 minutes, cook for 15-20
bare= spray or rub with oil, seasoning, turn ofen for approx 10 minutes. 
The kernals will carmelize, looking and tasting delicious!  Be careful not to overcook.
 WEALDEN'S own tender beet greens are plentiful and perfect right now. I simmered some last eve, then drained and added a nice red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.   It was the perfect compliment to the fingerling potatoes!
 Ohhh, a fresh carrot--far superior to the stored, bagged carrot on the supermarket shelf! Treat yourself.  I can't make it to the car without munching on one of these.
 IN A SALAD, JUICED, PICKLED, PLAIN, A CUKE shouts out SUMMER. Yum!
 YELLOW AND GREEN, sit on your porch with your Grandpa and snap off the ends (sneaking a raw one now and then), then cook, but don't overcook these tasty beans.

 Mollie Katzen seems to work magic into many of her recipes and this is a perfect example.  Who wouldn't want to eat a tree from a forest in a field of cheesy, herbed rice?  Children love it, we all love it.
**recipe below from THE ENCHANTED BROCCOLI FOREST cookbook.
 MELT IN YOUR MOUTH toll house cookies made by neighbor, cook, and famous local caterer Jennie Gwilym. <www.cateringtoyoufreeportme.com> Jennie tries to keep our basket brimming, but it's a challenge!  Do you know the Toll House Cookie history?  I had never really thought about it... until today.
Here goes (inventors.about.com)

Ruth Graves Wakefield graduated from the Framingham State Normal School Department of Household Arts in 1924. She worked as a dietitian and lectured on food, until, together with her husband she bought a tourist lodge named the Toll House Inn.
Ruth Wakefield prepared the recipes for the meals served to the guests at the Inn and gained local notoriety for her deserts. One of her favorite recipes was for Butter Drop Do cookies. The recipe called for the use of baker's chocolate and one day Ruth found herself without the needed ingredient. She substituted a semi-sweet chocolate bar cut up into bits. However, unlike the baker's chocolate the chopped up chocolate bar did not melt completely, the small pieces only softened.  

As it so happened the chocolate bar had been a gift from Andrew Nestle of the Nestle Chocolate Company. As the Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe became popular, sales of Nestle's semi-sweet chocolate bar increased. Andrew Nestle and Ruth Wakefield struck a deal. Nestle would print the Toll House Cookie recipe on its packaging and Ruth Wakefield would have a lifetime supply of Nestle chocolate.
OUR ANNUAL AND PERRENIEL FLOWERS ARE ALL ON SALE!  Color brings joy and joy is contageous.  Spread a little around your yard, your flower beds and enjoy.
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**THE ENCHANTED BROCCOLI FOREST
Mollie Katzen
2 cups brown or white rice
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 tablespoon butter or canola oil (plus a little extra for the pan)
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
3 tablespoons fresh mint (or 3 teaspoons dried)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
pepper to taste
cayenne to taste
Options:
-1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
-1/4 pound Swiss or cheddar cheese, grated
-a little extra butter for the top
-Trim the tough bottoms from the broccoli stalks and cut the tops into smallish spears of whatever size suits you.
Preheat oven to 325° F.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Melt the butter or heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onion and salt and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and the lemon juice and saute for about 2 minutes longer. Stir in the rice, some black pepper and cayenne to taste along with the optional ingredients. Taste to correct salt, if necessary, and spread in the prepared pan.

Now the fun part. Arrange the broccoli upright in the rice, and, if desired, drizzle with melted butter. Cover loosely with foil and bake just until heated through (15 -20 minutes). Serve right away.