December 5, 2011
Squash, squash and more squash. This is the time of year to get really tasty squash. Whether it is pumpkins, butternut, acorn, hubbard, spaghetti or other fall or winter squashes you fancy, squash is a versatile vegetable with lots of nutritional kick! Steamed, roasted, stuffed, baked, cubed, pureed into soup, lasagna, pasta sauce, grated and turned into pie, squash is delicious. Squash store well if properly cured and will last into the winter. Winter squash like butternut squash get their orange color from beta- carotene which your body can convert into retinol, an active form of vitamin A. Nothing like a hearty bowl of squash soup drizzled with olive oil on a cool day. For a super treat in the fall months, I always save a small pumpkin for a pudding or pie. I grow small sugar pumpkins for baking and cooking, I find they make the best pies and soups. Pumpkin soup is a real treat, you can season it however you would like. I sometimes use cinnamon, cardamom and coriander for an eastern inspired change. You can add onions, garlic, leeks, carrots, celery and any other vegetables/herbs for seasoning since, although extremely flavorful, squash are almost a blank slate.
Nutrient rich brussel sprouts are still growing in my garden at this time, with the exception of a few my hens stole. They are quite cold tolerant and the cold actually improves their flavor. Gram for gram, brussel sprouts contain more vitamin c than an orange, making them an ideal fall/winter food. Brussel sprouts can be steamed, roasted, baked, added to soups, casseroles and more. Broccoli is also very cold tolerant. I have cut broccoli after digging it out from under the snow, it is often stored under ice on grocery store shelves. Another member of the brassica family, that’s doing extremely well in our cold frame, is kale. Kale is quite cold tolerant, very nutrient rich and contains antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer nutrients. Kale is a great source of vitamins k, a and c. Kale is amazing simply steamed and topped with good quality butter. If you have not tried it before, now is the time, when the kale is freshest! These days we have been eating lots of carrots, rutabaga, green onions, garlic, onions, swiss chard, lettuce, radishes, leeks, potatoes, parsnips, celery, kale, brussel sprouts and broccoli. Cabbage is another cool weather favorite and usually plentiful in the fall months. Did you know real sauerkraut is simply fermented cabbage? Cabbage is shredded, additional seasonings and vegetables are added along with sea salt and the cabbage is left to ferment. We all hear an awful lot about probiotics these days, instead of buying probiotics; eat the foods that naturally contain them. These foods used to constitute a considerable portion of our diet, however they have slowly been phased out as people vary from the more traditional diets of our past. Fermented veggies and foods contain these beneficial bacteria. Sourdough bread that I make at home contains beneficial bacteria. Probiotics are extremely important during the fall/winter months since this seems to be the time we pick up more colds and flus.
Spinach grows quite well in the cooler weather when it is less likely to bolt. Steamed and topped with butter it can’t be beat. I grow spinach in the spring and fall months, giving up on it completely during the warm to hot days we may have during the summer months.
Cranberries come in season in the fall months and will freeze well to have some during the winter months. We picked our own wild cranberries this year around the end of the summer and I planted two bog cranberry bushes in my yard for future berries. When consumed whole, cranberries contain an array of phytonutrients, vitamins c and dietary fiber. Although unsweetened cranberry juice makes for a delicious treat, the health benefits are really only obtained through whole cranberries and not just their juice. Cranberries aren’t just for cranberry sauce, they can be incorporated in many sweet and savory dishes. Alternatively if you think cranberry sauce comes from a can, try homemade cranberry sauce this year, as far as I’m concerned the two are different species.
Rosehips are also edible, have a high vitamin c content (again higher than citrus fruits), contain vitamin a and are oh so pretty. Some eat them as is, some make jellies and baked creations with them and some use as a cute garnish. To really impress holiday guests, freeze either a cranberry or rosehip into your ice cubes for drinks. I eat rosehips when I’m in the woods and out for walks with my dog. They tend to grow in large drifts by the beach and can be found clinging on to branches well into the winter months. In my family, when we were kids, we would string together rosehips and dry popcorn to make garland for our Christmas tree. When the tree came down we would toss the garlands outside for the birds to pick clean. They were beautiful!
Apples and pears are the fruits du jour for the fall season. Both store really well in a cool environment. Stewed apples and pears make a fantastic snack during cool weather.
Recipes:
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Local Bacon
Brussel Sprouts about 20, recipe can easily be doubled, tripled or more.
About 10 rashers of local nitrite free bacon
3 small shallots diced
1-2 tbsp. ghee
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice the bacon into about ½ inch pieces, halve the brussel sprouts. Heat a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat, melt the ghee and start to brown the bacon slightly. Add the shallot and stir until slightly softened. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, add the halved brussel sprouts, season with salt and pepper and stir well. Pop the whole thing into the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, until brussel sprouts tender to desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Super Easy Carrot and Thyme Soup
As many carrots as you would like, more carrots makes a thicker soup and less carrots makes a thinner soup.
Chicken stock, enough to cover all your carrots.
Onions, shallots, garlic, or leeks for flavor, diced.
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Fresh thyme, save some for garnish
Ghee or butter
Chop carrots into workable pieces, about 1 inch. Melt some butter or ghee over medium heat, add onions and sauté until softened. Remove from heat and add lots of sprigs of fresh thyme. I use the tender stalks that don’t require the leaves to be removed from the stalk. Add carrots and stir until well coated. Put back on heat and add enough stock to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil over medium/high heat and simmer over low heat until carrots are softened and just before they start to fall apart. Puree using hand blender or food processor, adding more stock if desired. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper and any additional herbs, I usually add a little rosemary, and serve garnished with thyme.
How to make real sauerkraut.
Grate cabbage into a bucket or crock. Layer additional vegetables, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts etc. into between layers of cabbage and sprinkle evenly with sea salt. Alternate layers until crock is full and sprinkle the top with sea salt. Use about 3 tbsp. sea salt to 2 heads of cabbage with additional veggies. With clean hands, crush and mix the mixture together until the cabbage becomes juicy. Place a clean plate on top of the crock with a clean weight placed on top of that. Cover with a clean towel and lid. Check after two days, clean off the scum mix and check about every 3 days. After a week or more the kraut will be ready to consume. A fermented smell is, obviously, normal. CONSUME FERMENTED FOODS AT YOUR OWN RISK. ALTHOUGH FERMENTED FOODS ARE INCREDIBLY SAFE SINCE THEY CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE BAD BACTERIAS WOULD RATHER NOT GROW, I CAN NOT ENSURE THAT YOU PREPARE YOUR FERMENTED FOODS PROPERLY. WHEN PREPARED PROPERLY FERMENTED FOODS ARE UNQUESTIONABLY SAFE. ALWAYS USE CLEAN UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT.
Do not forget to start parsley indoors for garnishing soups and stews during the colder months with nutrients and enzymes contained in the parsley.
