Weekend Workshop: Canned Dilly Beans

If there's one thing you can always find in bulk this season, its green beans. I visited the Chesterhill Produce Auction this past week in preparation for Can-a-thon 2009, and picked up a bushel and a half of green beans for 18 dollars. CPA is an excellent place to go if you're like me and enjoy putting up LOTS of food for the winter. Last year I canned 32 quarts of Dilly Beans-- now that's a lot of pickles!  I'd have thought I'd be sick of Dilly Beans by now, but it's not true. I am so excited to make more for this year. 

I thought I'd try a new recipe this year, spice things up a bit.  The recipe below is for a mere 4 pints, so if you're like me and have overflowing amounts of green beans, you'll have to do some old fashioned arithmetic. Happy canning!

Canned Dilly Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups sugar
  
• 2 2/3 cups white vinegar
  
• 4 cups water
  
• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
  
• ½ tablespoon cloves
  
• 10 cloves garlic, cut in half
  
• ½ tablespoon allspice
  
• 6 dried small hot dried chiles 
  
• 3 bay leaves
  
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
  
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, vinegar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
   
2. Mix all the spices and salt together.
   
3. Pack fresh green beans tightly into clean sterilized jars. Divide the spices into the jars. Pour boiling pickle brine into jars to cover beans and spices, leaving about ½ inch head space. Cover with lids and bands. 
   
4. Process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Carefully remove hot jars. Let cool at room temperature for a day.
   
5. Let jars mellow for two weeks before using.
   

Makes 4 pints

Baby Patty Pan Squash

Patty pan squash are so tender and delicious when picked very young. Look for these tiny squash at the Farmers' Market this weekend! Great roasted, grilled or sauteed, add a little pesto over pasta for a delicious and light summer meal. The following recipe comes from San Francisco chef, Daniel Patterson.

Pattypan Squash Braised With Onion, Tomato and Chorizo

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds Roma tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup sliced chorizo (about 1/2 pound)
• 2 pounds small (1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter) pattypan squash, stem ends trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro.

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until tender. Add the tomatoes, chorizo, squash, the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt.
2. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook until the squash are tender, about 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Stir in the cilantro, season with salt and black pepper and either serve now or cool and reheat late

Serves 8 as a side dish

Respect Your Elderberries

To enjoy this harvest, you better act quick -- you'll be racing the birds for these seasonal delights! These deep-purple berries grow on bushes that produce beautiful white flowers in the spring before forming berry clusters in late summer.

Elderberries have long been known for their medicinal properties. They are a great antioxidant and promote enhanced immune function, cardiovascular health and endurance. When harvesting, use only ripe berries, avoiding under ripe or green berries, as well as the stems. A great tip from Jean Konkle of Chesterhill Produce Auction: freeze the berry clusters for a few hours and then tap them on a flat surface- the berries will pop right off!! Thanks Jean!

Elderberries make a great wine, delicious jam and are great dried in oatmeal, but my favorite use for these super fruits is medicinal. Nothing helps sooth a sore throat during cold and flu season like elderberry syrup. Below is a recipe from renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar and is alcohol free -- a great alternative to over-the-counter cough medicines. Keep in mind, while this recipe is intended for medicinal use, there's nothing stopping you from pouring it over some homemade ice cream or a plate of pancakes!

Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup dried elderberries
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey

Directions:

1. Heat the berries and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 30-45 minutes.
2. Mash the berries, strain, and add 1 cup of honey. I add a half cup of the purple liquid to a measuring cup, then pour in honey until the total volume is 1 1/2 cups. Then stir to mix well, and add to the rest of the reserved liquid.
3. Bottle and store, refrigerated. for 2-3 months.
4. Enjoy a tablespoon daily to keep the immune system strong, use more often when afflicted with the flu.

The Yellow Plum

I have been seeing these delightful little plums at the Farmers' Market the last few weeks. They keep well and are quite delicious. Try this Yellow Plum Chutney for a unique flavor.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet onions like walla walla or vidalia, diced
• 2 pounds of plums, pitted
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• dash smoked habenero hot sauce
• 1/4 t curry
• dash cinnamon
• To sweeten, I used sucanat (unfiltered cane juice) but you can use a few tbs of brown sugar.
• salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mix together all ingredients
2. Simmer until thick

Wild Harvest: Blackberries

There's nothing like putting on long pants and shirt sleeves in August, braving the labyrinth of thorns and picking blackberries at sunset. Although I know they can't compare in size to their relatives on the west coast, but Ohio has its share of delicious wild berries, and blackberries are certainly up there on my list of favorites. If you can get them home without eating them all, try them on a salad of fresh micro greens with goat cheese and sunflower seeds, blend them into a fresh smoothie with yogurt, or bake them into a scrumptious cobbler or pie. I found this recipe for Goat Cheese Blackberry Tart via Delicious Living. It has a wheat-free almond and date crust. I'll be trying this one out over the weekend for sure.

Goat Cheese Blackberry Tart

Ingredients:
Crust

• 2 cups dates, pitted and chopped (about 20 large dates)
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 egg white, slightly beaten

Filling

• 12 ounces goat cheese, softened
• 4 ounces low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 11/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Purée

• 2 cups blackberries
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water

3 cups blackberries, for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Lightly coat a 10-inch tart pan with removable sides with cooking spray. Combine dates and almond meal in a food processor and pulse 15–20 times. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in egg white with a fork until incorporated. Press mixture onto tart pan bottom. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.
2. For the filling, beat goat cheese and cottage cheese with an electric mixer until fairly smooth. Add sugar, lemon zest, and juice and beat until smooth. (For extra-smooth consistency, do this step in a blender.) Spread cheese mixture evenly over cooled crust and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
3. For the purée, place 2 cups berries in a blender or food processor and purée. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook on medium heat for 2–3 minutes. Add sugar; reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook another 5 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve arrowroot powder in cold water. Gradually add arrowroot mixture to berry mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
4. Spread cooled purée over cheese filling. Cover tart and keep refrigerated until serving time. Just before serving, arrange fresh berries on top. Slide a sharp knife around the inside edge of the pan and remove pan sides.

Serves 12