Market Supper

Lets face it. We live in Minnesota, and that means that eating locally can be a daunting task for a good portion of the year. While there are many things that we can get year round such as our meat, cheese, eggs, milk, and of course, jelly, we are slim on the fresh veggies, that abound mid-summer. As I polish off the last of a quiche that I made with eggs, cream, asparagus, and cheese from the Mill City Farmer's Market, I wonder if it would be so hard to eat at least one meal a week that is made up from local ingredients, even during the "lean months" To that end I am going to be putting together a Market Supper sheet each week to help plan a healthy local meal for my family and yours. Due to my limited technical abilities, you will have to click on the image to get it to enlarge, so that you can read and print it. I will also have copies available at our booth at the market each Saturday from 8:00AM to 1:00PM. For more information on the impact of eating locally and how one local meal can cut thousands of food miles from your weekly total and lessen your oil consumption, follow this link to an article that Kare 11 did with the help of Linden Hills Co-op http://www.kare11.com/onlive/shopping/shopping_article.aspx?storyid=494018 See you at the Market!

A Word on Preserves

I think that it is worthwhile to take a bit of this blog to answer a few questions that I am frequently asked, since I would bet that for 20 people who have a question only one or two ask it. Feel free to continue asking questions, I have really enjoyed receiving the emails and will do my best to answer or find out an answer for you. So. . . a word on preserves. .

What is the difference between Jam and Jelly?

Jams and Jellies are both usually made from a combination of fruit, sugar, and pectin. With jelly the fruit chunks are strained out making for a smooth consistency, while jams keep the fruit chunks in, making for a textured consistency. Some people make jam using fruit juice, thus eliminating the messy, sticky, time consuming, step of straining. Lucille's Kitchen Garden makes all of our products from scratch, which means that we start with a pile of fruit and a bag of sugar and move on from there.

What is a preserve and how is it different from jam or jelly?

Preserves, such as our Apple Pepper Preserve, are basically chunks of fruit in a sugar syrup. The fruit chunks can be large, like my mom's, Special for Sick Days peach preserves, where the peaches are whole slices or they can be small like those found in marmalade. Some people would argue. . .really. . . people can get pretty heated over this subject. . .that marmalade is a separate category, however for simplification purposes we will put them in the category of preserves, though, they do use pectin. In our Apple Pepper Preserve we keep the apples a medium, bite size and chop the peppers really fine, because most of our customers use it as a sauce, and would prefer a full bite of apple to a full bite of pepper.

• What makes Lucille's Kitchen Garden jams, jellies, and preserves different from commercially produced products?

Where do I begin? Probably the best way to illustrate the difference is the same way that we compare products at the grocery store and the statement that if your eight year old can't read the ingredient, then it probably isn't something good for you to eat. Here is a label for pepper jelly that is commercially produced and available in most grocery stores:

• Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup,Sugar, Water, Grain Vinegar, Jalapeno Peppers, Pectin, Citric Acid, FD & C Red # 4



• Here is our label: Ingredients: Sugar, Peppers, Vinegar, Pectin, Lemon Juice

We use no color additive and we sweeten with sugar. The reason for that is that sugar is . . well . . sugar. The processing is relatively simple dating back to Napoleon's time. We believe that the natural fruit colors are beautiful and need no enhancement. There are two things that make sugar sweet, fructose and glucose. Every cell in the body can absorb glucose, while the liver is required to do all of the absorption for fructose. There have been enough studies to show that fructose is the greater villain of the two. High fructose corn syrup is a much cheaper sweetener developed in the late sixties. The process is very complicated and involves genetic modification. As evidenced by it's name, it relies on much higher levels of fructose to sweeten. High fructose corn syrup also diminishes your feeling of being full which has linked it to the obesity problem in the United States. It is also my opinion that it diminishes, rather then enhances the flavors of fruit in jam. If you would like more information concerning high fructose corn syrup here is a link to an interesting article http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html

We also use only locally, sustainably, or organically grown produce in our products, which lowers the food miles and the negative ecological impact that food production can have. This and the fact that our products are made in small batches is reflected in a small way in the price and an enormous way in the flavor.

OK. . off my soap box and on to a great recipe that I tried this weekend. It originated as a Panini dipping sauce and after scavenging the fridge and trying everything in sight, fruit and shrimp to name a few I dub this the Everything Dipping Sauce. Try it the next time you have friends over and let me know how you liked it!

Lucille's Kitchen Garden Everything Dipping Sauce
2 TBS Lucille's Kitchen Garden Green Pepper Jam
1TBS Stone Ground Mustard

Mix it up and serve!

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. Doug Larson

Spring seems to be a resistant guest this year. While the weather man has said not to bother shoveling this last batch of snow, I think the mail man would not appreciate my waiting. As I procrastinate this task, I am put in mind of a week ago when the sun was shining and I was itching to get down to some serious grilling. A friend of mine was in town for the weekend and I was able to convince him to make his famous, fall off the bone ribs. While his method is not barbecue in the strictest sense of the word, I think that it works well for cold weather grilling, as it does not require as much time on the grill. He simply rubs the rack of ribs down with a dry rub and wraps them tightly in tin foil. The ribs then go into a preheated oven of about 250 degrees and cook for four to six hours, depending on the size of the rack. The important thing is to make sure that they have an internal temperature on the thickest portion of 155 to 165 degrees. Start your coals about a half hour before the ribs are done, so that they are white hot when it is time to place the rack of ribs on the grill. While my friend loves to cook the ribs, he asked me to make the sauce that he then spread on the ribs while they grilled to crispy in all the right places perfection.


I used my family's favorite sauce recipe to make Raspberry Ribs. This sauce will work with any method of grilling that you prefer. I leave you with my raspberry grilling glaze recipe and hope that you enjoy it with friends as wonderful as mine!


Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Ribs
1Jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam
2 Tbs olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 Tsp liquid smoke
1 Tbs Worchestire sauce
2Tbs Irish Whiskey (I like Jameson)

• Heat oil in sauce pan on medium high
• Remove skin, crush, then rough chop garlic cloves and add to oil
• Allow the garlic to cook gently in the oil for about two minuets. The garlic should brown slightly on the edges, and stick slightly to to bottom of the pan, but not fry. Turn down heat if necessary.
• Add Irish Whiskey and scrape the chunks of garlic loose in the pan.
• Add the rest of the ingredients starting with the jar of Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam.
• Turn heat down an simmer for fifteen minuets, stirring occasionally. You can use the sauce immediately, or cool and refrigerate it to use in the next couple of days.

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. Mark Twain

If you have been blessed with children, you no doubt understand the supreme joy of waking up on a Saturday morning when they have stayed Friday night somewhere else. It may be the first time in weeks that coffee can be treated with calm affection, rather then gulped as a vital drug to your bloodstream. We found ourselves on just such a Saturday last weekend, leisurely reading the paper, and listening to our bird, Simon, sing his zebra finch good morning, when I offered to cook us something wonderful. Food, at least good food, is, of course, the purest expression of love. I smiled to myself as I walked into the kitchen, thinking of the romantic triumph that my breakfast would be. It was only when I opened the refrigerator that I realized that I had forgotten to get eggs. Now. . . list your top five breakfast foods and tell me how many of them can be made without eggs. . .not many. Even if it is not the obvious, omelets, quiche', scrambled eggs etc. You usually need at least one egg to make pancakes, potato pancakes, french toast and so forth. As my morning pastoral scene faded before my eyes, I went into the mode that motherhood has taught me: don't panic, fix a drink and figure it out. So mimosa in hand, I took stock of what I had, a still quiet morning, a partner relaxed and hungry, and puff pastry. I realize that I have blogged quite a few recipes containing puff pastry, and the more kitchen intuitive of you have probably figured out that it is my go to back up plan that must always be in my freezer. So with a bit of scavenging and a bit more mimosa, I came up with our new favorite breakfast pocket pastry. By the way. . . I passed it off as the plan all along. So if you could not tell my partner that would be great.

Breakfast in a Pinch Pastry

Serves 3 or 2 if your really hungry or maybe 1 after a bad breakup.

Ingredients:

• One sheet puff pastry


• 2 oz cream cheese cut into 12 small pieces


• three strips locally produced bacon(see Mill City Farmers Market link to find a producer)


• two green onions sliced


• one tbs. Italian parsley


• two cloves smoked garlic sliced(see below on how to have this wonderful ingredient in your freezer at all times)


• four tbs. Lucille's Kitchen Garden Blueberry Pepper Jam

Directions:

• Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions


• Fry bacon to your preference, remove from heat and pat excess oil off, allow to cool and dice into small pieces.


• Cut puff pastry into 6 equal pieces


• Place 1/3 of each of the ingredients on three of the squares( If it looks like you have more then you need save the leftovers to toss on your salad for lunch)


• Spread 1 tbs of blueberry pepper jelly on the center of the other three puff pastries and use them to make pockets by pinching a blueberry square to the sides of the ingredients square. Make sure to pinch them tightly so that you have a good seal.


• Place on a greased baking sheet and bake according to puff pastry instructions. Serve with fresh fruit, MN cheese and more Mimosa.

**HINT: To have the wonderful flavor of smoked garlic at your finger tips, try placing a whole garlic bulb (or two) on the coolest part of your grill next time you cook out. This works especially well if you are using a charcoal grill, as you can leave the garlic on for quit some time while your grill cools. Check to make sure that your aren't burning it IE. the skins should turn a lovely brown, not black. You will be able to feel the garlic soften and when this happens your garlic is also sweetening and gaining a smoky, buttery taste. When it feels soft you can remove it from your grill and if you can manage not to eat it all on bread, toss it in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. You will be amazed how often you use it when you always have the option!

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. ~Erma Bombeck

If there is one thing that will sustain us through a day when the temperature drops forty degrees, it is dessert. My mother raised me with strict rules about food. The most important of these tenets being that no civilized person would finish a meal without dessert and coffee. For many of my growing years my only motivation to eat at all was the promise of some delectable home made sweet. It is no wonder that my sister is a cake decorator and I make spicy sweet jellies and preserves. If you have been paying attention to the local candy scene you will have had the opportunity to sample Edna's Caramel's, which has a cult like following.

Their caramel's are handmade gourmet caramel's made from the finest natural ingredients. They make a perfect companion to our Real Apple Butter or if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, our Apple Pepper Preserve. While caramel and apples are not a new idea, I think that this dessert treat will offer you something unique for your coffee guests or just a cozy evening at home. You can find Edna's Caramels at //www.ednascaramels.com/



Caramel Apple Explosion





One Sheet Puff Pastry

One jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Apple Pepper Preserve or Real Apple Butter

Six Edna's Caramels

• Preheat oven according to puff pastry instructions


• Cut puff pastry into six equal squares


• Drop one teaspoon of Apple Pepper Preserve or Real Apple Butter in the center of each square.


• Place one caramel on top of preserve or apple butter


• Pinch edges of puff pastry together making a pocket, be sure to seal the filling in completely


• Bake in oven according to puff pastry instructions


• Take out of oven and allow to cool for a few minuets as the inside goodness will be really hot!


• Serve warm or refridgerate and serve cool at a later time (lock the fridge as they have a tendency to wander off unexpectedly!)

We enjoy ours warm with a cup of Celtic coffee. Since our trip to Costa Rica, home to some of the warmest people one the planet, as well as some of the most talented coffee growers in the world we recommend using a Fair Trade Costa Rican Coffee.

No clever arrangement of bad eggs ever made a good omelet” C.S. Lewis

Since I heard in the news about the decision to not label cloned animals, it made me think even more seriously about the need to buy local meat from small farmers who are accountable for the methods that they use for raising our food. One food that I have been reading about lately is eggs. The FDA has stated that there is no difference between eggs that are factory farm raised and free range, however when you look more closley you realize that this has to do with how they have chosen to define free range.
Braucher's Sunshine Harvest Farm located in Webster, MN offers 100% grass fed beef and lamb and pasture raised chicken and eggs. Yes, farm fresh eggs. It is important to note the difference in the terms free range and pasture raised, as free range only requires that chickens have a certain amount of space and access to the outdoors. They still can eat a diet of processed "Grain products, Protein products, Grain by products" ect. Pasture raised chickens reside primarily outside with access to the indoors and eat. . .well like a chicken. They feed on grass, insects, various green plants and insect larva. Frequently this diet is supplemented with organic grains and in Sunshine Harvest Farm's case, flax. Pasture raised chickens produce eggs that can have up to 50% more folic acid and roughly half the cholesterol of factory farm eggs. With Sunshine Harvest Farm's addition of flax, the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids is three times better then the average USDA factory Farm eggs. Fatty acids can not be produced by your body, they have to be absorbed from food. They are important in decreasing cholesterol, lowering hypertension, helping your blood to clot properly and controlling the chemicals in your body that cause inflamation in your joints. Plus and this is a big one if you love food like I do; eggs that come from pasture raised chickens just taste better.
With that in mind I offer you my favorite breakfast in bed recipe. This recipe looks beutiful and feels luxurious, without taking half the morning to prepare. If you are interested in learning more about pasture raised chickens there is a great article at MotherEarth.com/eggs and you can preorder or buy a farm share from Braucher's Sunshine Harvest farm by calling 952-652-1911. You can also look them up on http://www.eatwild.com/.


Breakfast in Bed

1 organic puff pastry shell
1 pasture raised chicken egg
2 slices local farm raised bacon
1 tbs Lucille's Kitchen Garden Apple Pepper Preserve

• Bake puff pastry shell according to package directions


• Fry or poach egg according to preference (You can buy fancy cook wear to make sure that the egg remains small enough to fit on the pastry shell, but I just use a metal jar lid ring.)


• Fry bacon to preference


• After removing puff pastry from the oven, place bacon slices crosswise on top shell; place egg on top of bacon; finish with a dolop of Apple Pepper preserve and serve. We enjoy a mimosa with crisp fresh squeezed orange juice with our weekend breakfast in bed!

Lamb It Up

I admit it. I have listened for years to people rave about lamb with utter confusion. I consider myself to have a pretty complex sense of taste, but lamb has just never done it for me. Well, all that changed last month when I discovered Azariah Acres Farm. They had a booth next to me at the winter market that occurs on the third Saturday of each month after the Mill City Farmers Market closes at Let's Cook in North East Minneapolis. Azariah Acres is a small, family-run, sustainable farm located in central Minnesota. They raise registered Icelandic and Shetland Sheep, Tibetan Yak, llamas and alpacas, goats, pigs, Satin Angora, Jersey Wooly, and French Lop rabbits, Aracauna, Rosecomb Leghorn, and Turken chickens, and guinea fowl. http://www.azariahacres.com/

The lamb chops looked too good to pass up. They look smaller then often found in the grocery store and that is because small farms raise sheep to the size that they are naturally meant to be. Sustainable farmers create a higher-quality product because they let animals roam on pastures and graze on grass and other plants they would naturally eat. Many small-scale sheep farmers can offer a unique variety of lamb meats with more subtle flavors than those produced by large scale operations. I noticed that several loyal customers came to the market to pick up a specific type or cut of meat that they had preordered with Azariah Acres. Sustainable lamb producers also refrain from giving their flock unnecessary antibiotics. Aside from being full of flavor, lamb is an excellent source of easily absorbed zinc and iron.

I took my lamb chops home and tried the following recipe, which is a take off of a traditional Irish Stew. The results were fabulous. The longer cook time allowed all of the flavors to seep together and the lamb to become tender and layered with taste. The dash of Raspberry Pepper Jam adds a touch of sweetness along with a hint of heat.

I would recommend this recipe for your next family gathering or cold winter evening at home. Since it cooks for so long, you can start it before your guests arrive and have more time to spend catching up on all the juicy gossip. We served ours with a mixed green salad, Irish soda bread, and a nice Chardonnay. Simple and elegant, so we say "Lamb it up!!"



Sweet Heat Lamb Stew

Serves 4

3lbs of Lamb Chops or approximately 8 chops

2lbs pealed potatoes

4 generous stems of parsley and thyme rough chopped

1 pound sliced yellow onions

2tbs Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jelly

Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt



Directions:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees


• Cut potatoes into large chunks and put 1/3rd in the base of large casserole or Dutch oven sprinkle with herbs and ground pepper


• Place half of the lamb chops on top of the cut potatoes, cover with half of the sliced onions, and sprinkle with herbs


• Repeat this with remaining ingredients finishing with the final third of the potatoes and salt top layer generously to taste.


• Spread the Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam on top


• Add two cups of water and cover tightly


• Simmer stew for two hours, checking liquid level occasionally. There should be a nice, natural gravy building in the pot. Add water as necessary. DO NOT STIR. Shake pan gently from time to time to keep sticking to a minimum.