Apples! Pommes! Tarts! July's bounty

While I was busy with another huge crop of Apricots my Anna apple tree's branches were getting heavy with beautiful fruit.  I would pick a few each day and share them with my goats.  They love apples.  Soon I realized that I had a huge crop and would have to think about preserving them too.  After the apricot production started to wane I started in on the apples.:

                                                           A bushel or a peck?

I think a peck is a basket that holds about 25 apples.

A bushel is 4 pecks

My childhood song lyrics:  "I love you a bushel and a peck.....a bushel and a peck....and a hug around the neck."

basket of apples

Apples are  best eaten whole but I have to find another route for them so my French cooking kicked in an I decided to make a simple apple tart.... galette pommes.  really very easy:

Mis en place

As American as Apple Pie?  No as French as an apple tart

Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 small apples

1 sheet of premade puff pastry

sugar enough to sprinkle the tops of the apples

butter - enough to drop a little on top of the sugar

apricot jelly or jam - to make the glaze after baking

Calvados ( or as you can see I used Pernod) to flavor the glaze

Method:

Defrost one sheet of frozen puff pastry in the fridge.

Cut into 4 pieces and place on a parchment lined baking sheet

Peel, core and slice the apples.  Place the slices on the small rectangle of pastry

Sprinkle with sugar

Dot with butter

Palace in fridge while oven is preheating

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the apples are slightly caramelized and the pastry is golden

Cool slightly

The French ALWAYS glaze their pastries with an apricot glaze.  It leaves the tart shiny with a slight sweetness to the finish

To make the glaze:

Heat about 1/2 cup apricot jam or jelly (Yep- got lots of this after my bounty of apricots In June.)  with about 2 TBS of Calvados ( ar any other compatible liquor  or water)

Paint a thin layer of glaze over the apples

Bon Appetit!

Apples on puff pastry

Out of the oven and glazed

finished presentation  (I ate the fourth one - the edges were a little burned so it didn't make the photo shoot)

But wait!   There's more!

I have been pretty successful dehydrating my fruit and then can share or eat in the off season although I'm not sure there is an off season here in Southern California

Many people say that this variety of apples is not any good but I disagree.  I have pruned, fed, watered and cared for my little tree with lots of love and dedication.  She has rewarded me for my efforts and I can put up a good argument for the quality of these beauties.

Bullet and LuLu enjoying their breakfast

An addition:

A lovely tarte tatin

A tarte tatin is an upside down caramelized apple pie.  The crust is a puff pastry puff.  This is a simple tart

 to make:

Start with 5 apples, rich spices ( cinnamon, star anise, cardamom pods and ginger "coins"

You'll also want to use a cast iron skillet - 8" or 9", a melon baller and a knife for pizza cutter to trim the pastry

Peel, half and core the apples with the melon baller

See how pretty they are?  You will use the halves to fill the skillet after the caramel has been started

Melt 4 TBs butter and add 2/3 cup sugar.  Cook slowly to dissolve the sugar.about 5-6 minutes  When golden and the sugar has melted drop in the spices ( cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamon pods and peeled ginger "coins"  Then add the apples cut side UP.   Coat all the apple by turning in the caramel.  It will take about 10-20 minutes to cook the apples.  Don't let the caramel burn so watch your heat and your pan

Roll out one sheet of prepared puff pastry.  Store in freezer but defrost in fridge.  Roll out when pliable to 2" larger than skillet. Then cut a circle with the pizza wheel or knife.  Keep in fridge until ready to add to the cooked apples.

When the apples are cooked enough remove from the heat and preheat the stove to 425.  Let the apples cool while the oven is heating.  

Remove the pastry circle from fridge and top the apples tucking about 1" into the side of the pan and over the apples.  Faire attention! The skillet and/or apples may still be hot enough to burn you.  Work quickly so that the pastry is still cold.  Piece the top with a fork and pop in the oven   Bake until golden - about 25 minutes 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes 

Run a knife around the edge of the pan to release any pastry that might be stuck.  Place a heatproof serving plate over the skillet and, using potholders, carefully invert them together--  Might be messy if the caramel leaks out in the flip

Serve warm or at room temperature.  Great with a dollop of sour cream.

Bon Appetit!

Recipe from a mixing of Zoe Bakes ( a fabulous muse) and Simple Tarts by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen

Enjoy your July!

SCOBY----> Jun tea

 In the world of fermentation a SCOBY is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.  When added to a mixture of green tea and raw honey it will ferment into Jun. What the heck is Jun?  It is a drink very similar to Kombucha.  The difference is that Kombucha is made from black tea and sugar and Jun is made from green tea and honey.  Well I love drinking green tea and I prefer honey to sugar so I thought I'd try it

Yum!

First you need to get your hands on a SCOBY.  I am lucky there is a little Kombucha supply store near me in Torrance.   Then a big glass jar to use for fermentation.  I brewed the green tea and diluted and let it cool.  Then I added raw honey and stirred

The jar is covered with a cloth allowing the SCOBY to breathe 

After 7 days the magic has happened and the first fermentation is complete.  Next step:  

Remove the SCOBY and some of the liquid and save for the next batch,  Then add your flavorings to a jar 

I added alpine strawberries (fraise de bois) and pineapple mint

Add the original fermentation to about an inch from the top and seal tightly this time.  You must leave room for the carbonation which takes place in the second fermentation

from left to right: lavender/lemons, passion fruit/ blood orange  and loquat/mint

Blueberry lavender Jun tea

Why drink Jun tea?  First of all it's delicious.  It is only slightly sweet after the double fermentation process.  

Fermented beverages promote healthy bacteria in the gut

Jun lowers glucose levels by preventing energy spikes

The flavonoids and polyphenols in the honey are antioxidants 

Green tea is purported to have anticancer, antiviral and antibacterial effects 

Green tea also has theanine and amino acids which help lower blood pressure and improve brain and nerve function

Green tea also has caffeine so may give you a kick of energy

I'm having the glass above as I compose this post.

There are few distributers of Jun.  There is a store in Leavenworth, WA https://www.huneyjun.com/store

Wild Tonic in Arizona https://wildtonic.com    You can also find kits to make your own on Amazon or 

Kombucha Kamp https://www.kombuchakamp.com/?s=jun

Or drop by my little farm and let me pour you some.

To your health!

Don't you just love seed catalogues?

 

This month's seed catalogues

February is planning month for the garden.  It's a good time to reflect on what worked well last year and what you want to try new this year.  Several nights a week I thumb through these mail order guides to see what I need and what I wish i could grow.  There are always so many choices.  I'm still thinking about it.  In the meantime I've planted two new fruit trees ( Pink Lady apple and Blenheim apricot) and prepared about 60 linear feet for boysenberries, blackberries and raspberries.  Hopefully I'll get the ground ready by the time the bare root plants get here.  But a little spark of hope already bloomed:

Apple Blossom: Anna

Charlotte- always there to help me dig a hole

Happy January!!! Happy New Year 2023 If the year gives you any lemons just make soufflés!!!!!

  New addition:  Chicken Piccata meatballs:

Who doesn't love chicken piccata?  Lemons and capers?  So yummy.  I thought I would add another recipe to this LEMON post   I subscribe to Giddy.com which is Giada de Laurentis' cooking website.  I found this recipe complete with video.  It takes very little time.  The recipe is perfect but I would double the sauce part....you just have to have plenty of sauce to cover  pasta or sop up with bread. Bueno appetito!

Chicken Piccata meatballs 

 Here we are in a New Year with lots of hope and ideas to look forward too.  Somewhere in every year something "poopy" happens.  Then what?  Make lemonade from your lemons or soufflés or dessert bars or simply a fabulous vinaigrette:

There's always something to harvest in the garden.  This week it's LEMONS!  If I were to have only one food producing plant in my home or garden it would be a lemon tree...even better a Meyer lemon tree and even better two trees.  The first year I moved here (2018) I planted a Meyer lemon tree.  It was small but with a lot of hope.  Last year she gave me 4-5 beautiful sweet fruit.  This year I have about 25.  I am thrilled:

Meyer lemons are a little sweeter than regular California Eureka  lemons.  The skin is a little more orange and thin,  It's zest is so pungent and flavorful in cooking.  It's thought that Meyer's are a cross between a Eureka and a Mandarin orange.

 So now that I have an abundance of lemons in January what do I do with them?  My first urge was to make a lemon soufflé.  So for New Year's Eve I prepared this delightful dessert:

I started counting my eggs - I need 4 eggs plus 2 extra whites. I need the zest of a lemon and 3/4 cups of lemon juice.  Well here's the complete recipe; 

 for lemon soufflé  from the Food Network and Ann Burell.  I also like Julia's recipe found in an earlier post.

OK now I have two extra yolks.....hmm..... Lemon Bars??  Lemon bars are basically a shortbread on the bottom and lemon curd baked on top.  This calls for 4 eggs and 2 extra yolks...hey...I have two extra yolks.  Also the zest of a lemon (Meyer, please) and a full cup of lemon juice

Oh these are pretty, nest pas?  Any other time of the year I would be searching for friends to give my extra farm eggs to but I actually had to buy eggs to supply myself with the 10 eggs for these two desserts and you all know how hard it is to find pasture raised eggs these days and I had to pay for them!!!!  Yikes!!!

I have tried a lot of lemon bar recipes but this one is my best so far.  I actually made the shortbread layer two days before I added the lemon curd layer.  It worked out fine.  Here's my recipe for lemon bars

also from Food Network.

All of my granddaughters are fabulous bakers.  Last week the youngest (almost teenager) Gabriela made lemon bars too:

Oh the curd looks so rich and what a beautiful color.  She used Rose Levy Beranbaum's Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar recipe which is also very reliable and a go to must.  I would highly recommend Rose's Christmas Cookie book for your kitchen library.  Her Cookie Bible is also a great investment.  Well done Gabriela!!!

Well what else to do with my bounty?

I'm going to side step a bit and share a little art quilt project I did a few years ago.  When I had collected enough full size quilts I started looking for a variation art.  I met Jane LaFazio in Oceanside for my first art quilt class.  I love love embroidery, ribbons, buttons and beads so this little post card sized "quilt" was a perfect project.  

OK next lemon recipe:  Simple lemon vinaigrette:  

1/3 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup good olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

plus any seasonings, herbs you want to add

OK  Now that I have my vinaigrette ready time to make a salad.  I had to buy a fennel but all other participants are from the garden....yes even in January

Kale salad mis en place:

4 cups Kale leaves - if the ribs are tough, cut out

radishes - about a cup 

fennel, 1/2 bulb

I like to grow the dinosaur kale with purple ribs....who doesn't want more anthocyanins in their diet?

What's this? you ask.  It's a watermelon radish.  This one is about a 2 1/2" bulb.  Watermelon radish has no bitterness especially freshly picked.  They are easy to grow in cool weather.  You can also get them at good produce markets this time of year.....about $4/lb

Kale salad with fennel and radishes - undressed

Then I dressed it with the lemon vinaigrette and added some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. avocado and some Nicoise olives.  That was my dinner!!!!  I'm having it again tonight.  This salad holds well even when dressed.  It's one of those few salads that you can make ahead and will last almost a week.

Another side step:  This art quilt is about 8" by 8" 

With all of my favorite notions: fabric, beands, embroidery and ribbons.  Don't you just love pink grapefruit?

So what's better than one lemon tree?  Two!!  I live on my grandparents property.  My grandmother loved lemon trees too.  She had one in the front yard for many years.  My brother, Dan, tells me for some reason it was moved to the back of the property where my orchard is now.  A month before I moved in almost all of the trees on the property along with all of the overgrowth was cut to the ground.  Last year on the side of an unidentified trunk up came little stocks with leaves on them that looked like citrus leaves....lemon leaves.  So I nurtured it, fertilized it, pruned it and had about 3 lemons last year.  Well look at it this year! Eureka!!!  I love my job as a farmer.

And a footnote.  As I walked the property this evening I can see my next bounty ripening:  Key Limes

Happy January friends!!

A very Merry Christmas to all of you

I hope you are all in the midst of enjoying this wonderful holiday season.  Christmas is now just six days away and hopefully we all can slow down enough to celebrate and be with the ones that you love.  I never really plan for a yearly theme and when I do I always change it.  This year I changed twice but it is not difficult to figure out what I landed on.  I have always loved Van Gogh and have enjoyed studying and learning about his art through the years.  A couple of years ago I dove in and copied three of his paintings. I painted with my most familiar medium: watercolor and then tried acrylic and ended up painting rocks.  I painted only from the colors that were in his palette.  I copied the wheat fields, lavender fields and a not so famous vase of sunflowers.  But I avoided The Starry Night....too scary.

You probably knew that Van Gogh painted all of these plus about 100 more while he lived in Saint-Remy-de-Provence but did you know that he drew inspiration for The Starry Night in the wee hours of the morning?  He could only sketch in his room at the asylum but could paint in a public room elsewhere in the complex.  Venus was the morning star and the brightest.  He placed it to the right of the cypress tree. The background hills were accurate but he created the little village below including the steepled church.

So this year's Christmas theme:  STARS!

My Christmas card...each hand painted with gouache 

Under the Christmas tree

My first attempt at copying- then I just immersed myself

in my studio: felt and my new gouache set

to create swirling star ornaments on "night" card stock

Then to the kitchen to make star shaped butter cut out cookies

both white and blue

I cut out felt and scrap fabric stars, sewed them together with seed beads and added ribbon to make a garland for the tree.  Yes Vincent came along for the ride

Again a very Merry Christmas from me and the farm:  Charlotte (the dog) Eloise (LuLu), Poppy, Bullet and Rose ( the goats) and my 7 hens - one of them French

Add on: Van Gogn on the rocks:

The Starry night on rock - 4"

lavender fields paint pens on a 3" rock

Haystack on rock

Five sunflowers- lost during a raid in WWII - oil pens on rock