Golden: Loquat foraging

As you already know from our pecan hunting, and from our extensive edible wild plant guide collection if you have ever seen our bookshelf, Nathanael and I appreciate the merits of fresh, free food. So, after the friend sharing her land with us (for our garden) pointed out one of her trees as an unknown fruit tree a few months ago, I took special note of the developing fruit each week...and I had no idea what they were going to be. Finally, this weekend, when I saw some falling off the tree I decided to test for ripeness, and ended up biting into something wonderfully delicious!

 

Nathanael thought they might be loquats, and he turned out to be correct. This warm climate fruit was something cold-climate-me had never seen or tasted. It is a distant relative of apples (and cherries, roses, plumbs, peaches, etc.), and has a texture like a plumb or large cherry. The flavor is sweet and tart, like a nectarine with a bit of plumb or berry essence.

 Inside, the fruit contains one to three smooth slippery seeds which pop out quite easily, and have a beautiful golden sheen.

Our friend's tree was sparse, but Nathanael recalled having seen a loquat tree planted on campus as an ornamental piece of landscaping, so we ventured out and discovered ripe fruit aplenty.

 

Nathanael was the primary harvester since he is a bit taller, and because I was eating so many loquats and taking so many pictures. But, I did collect the fruits I could reach.

This is me imagining the loquat popsicles I will make. (And looking a great deal like my grandmother.)

As we walked back I told Nathanael, "I am going to have a loquat orchard." I also told him that I would enjoy being a fruit bat, so I don't know how seriously he is going to take me on the loquat situation.

I am rather enamored with this fruit.

It is certainly on my top five list.

In other foraging news, we have begun to eat the first of the blackberries.

Aren't blackberries supposed to be around in July?!

This climate continues to amaze me.

Do you ever collect from the woods or city landscaping plants?

Have you ever tried a loquat?

What new foods have you discovered lately?

Golden: Sweet Potato Black Bean Mole

When we lived in Wisconsin, dairy was a bargain; cheese, mustard, cranberries, and honey were plentiful, and there was an enormous employee owned grocery store where food was priced so that even graduate students could eat. In our new home grocery shopping and I are not as good friends. 
I have always liked the idea of buying local and seasonal produce, but now that I am out of my home climate and apples are $1.89/lb on sale in the fall, I've realized I should take an even harder look at the whole thing and make an effort to cook like a southerner....though perhaps with fewer sticks of butter.

Golden: Orange Goings On

Between last week and the beginning of this one there has been a bit of orange here and there. 

We devoured a perfectly ripe cantaloupe (after it was refrigerated to optimum coolness), and yesterday finished planting our three varieties of cantaloupe in our garden...I hope they are as tasty as this one was.

I played play dough with a wonderful two year old friend, and while we were making creatures she went into the kitchen to ask her mom for some seeds. Then she crafted this friendly orange snake. (Name those seeds for bonus points!)

 And we also enjoyed carrot pasta sauce, one of our favorite and simplest foods, so I took the opportunity to update last year's recipe post with some fresh new pictures to make you hungry.

And check out Flex Family Arts today, where Amanda likes to blog about etsy shops which haven't had a lot of traffic yet, and today she's featuring Harmless Color with a shop interview!

Golden: Flame Throwing

Don't have time to candy your peels, but still want to put them to use?
With all this talk of citrus lately, I thought I would show you something my Mom showed my sisters and me when we were little (we never played with fire, so it was no danger). Every so often, when we were eating oranges she would get out a candle.

 

Look at all of that great smelling oil squirting out.

And to think, it would have just gone to waste.

Did your Mom teach you this?

*Attempt at your own risk. Adult supervision recommended 

(But it's about as dangerous as burning a candle in the first place.)*

Golden: Mug Nu Saak--Mung Beans With Yogurt

Do you recognize these lovely olive green legumes?

Golden: Candied Grapefruit Peels

**At the end of February I won a sponsor spot on the fun and creative blog Cross My Hooks, and today I am the featured sponsor!

 Go check out the post, and have a look at my mini button in the right column of her blog. If you like it, and think your blog readers might enjoy Harmless Color, you can grab the html for it at the very bottom of my blog.**

Candied Grapefruit Peel is a great way to use something which would otherwise be wasted: the grapefruit rind. I know a choice few people who use the zest of a grapefruit in recipes instead of lemon or orange zest, but for me the wonderful grapefruit essence is often (depending on the recipe) overwhelmed by its bitterness.

Red: Grapefruit Cranberry Marmalade

I have always loved grapefruits. But grapefruits also play a small part in our love story, so Nathanael and I enjoy them a little bit extra. 

Remember how the first installment of the story ended with me not jumping to conclusions, and then Nathanael calling my Dad? That was the beginning of the fall semester of my senior year of college, and in my strong efforts to not jump to conclusions about him liking me or not, I hadn't mentioned Nathanael or his letters to anyone...so my Dad didn't actually know he existed until he called that day and asked to pursue me in a relationship headed the direction of marriage. Needless to say, my Dad was a little surprised. He told him he'd get back to him.

New Textures and Tastes

 A number of weeks ago, an acquaintance of mine from our apartment complex and I began walking together on weekday mornings. Since our route is a six mile loop, it takes us just under two hours to complete, and we have quickly become good friends. She is from China, and we both love to learn about the traditions, foods and other differences between our two countries, so we have hardly a moment of silence.
    It has seldom rained in the morning here, but usually at night, so we have only had one rain cancellation on our walk. However, we decided to turn it into a grand occasion. She came to our apartment to play games and have tea with me, and carried with her these neat little pumpkin shaped snacks. They were molded out of a dough composed of sweet potato puree mixed with sticky rice powder. As the stem and as a filling, she used red bean paste. They are a bland little snack of an uncommon texture around here, but it was fun to have them with our tea. (She said I could roll them in sugar if I wanted them to be more dessert-like.) In exchange for this treat I taught her to play Pass the Pigs and Phase 10. Perhaps not the most iconic of American games, but we had fun nonetheless.

Another new thing I have tried lately is bitter melon, also known as bitter gourd. I had seen it at a few different Asian markets, but finally purchased it at a produce stand with a wide selection of mostly local produce. I had a recipe for preparing bitter melon from my favorite Indian food cookbook (Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law by Simon Daley).

My recipe instructed me to empty out the seeds and pith, cut 1/2inch pieces, and layer them with salt in a colander for 30 minutes in order to reduce the bitterness, but I have to admit I was still surprised by the intensity. The vegetable reminded Nathanael and I of a cucumber, but dense instead of watery, and the flavor was very reminiscent of a bitter cucumber skin. However, unlike the bitterness of a grapefruit or some cucumber skins, the flavor dissipated quickly and did not disrupt the enjoyment of the other flavors in the dish. I would not prepare bitter melon often, but it would be a neat side dish occasionally. Nathanael will be growing some in his garden during the coming season. (He probably liked it a little more than I did.)

And if nothing else, they are fascinating to look at.

Finally, during our Thanksgiving focused grocery trip, Nathanael and I picked out three Mexican grown mirlitons. They looked familiar, but I neither of us had ever tried one, or heard that name before. When we eventually looked them up we recognized the Spanish name, chayote, which they are more commonly sold under elsewhere in the United States, but here in Louisiana they go by their Cajun name, mirliton. Another cucurbit (member of the cucumber, melon, squash family), the mirliton can be eaten raw or cooked, but either way, it has almost no flavor. Inside there is a single seed, but not a pit, but a very soft squash-like seed, which is also edible and essentially flavorless. 

   We ate our mirliton raw, and it reminded me of a zucchini or summer squash, but very very crisp. Nathanael wasn't a big fan, but I enjoyed it very much, purely for it's interesting crunch. Eventually I had some pieces with salt on them, and ate the others with strawberry-rhubarb jam. I recommend the jam especially.

Chromatic Kimchi

     Until I went to college I did not realize the diversity of my Dad's palate. The fact that he regularly consumed and incorporated international ingredients never really occurred to me. The dried anchovy snacks in the car, the 12 inch pieces of stretched dried bean curd in the cabinet, the "crab crackers" that inflate when you deep fry them; all seemed a little random, but exotic wasn't really a word that occurred to me. Since then international students have been continuously surprised at my knowledge of ingredients from their homeland. Unfortunately, I can't say being familiar with these things has always eliminated my being intimidated by them.
    Enter kimchi. A smell that will drive you away, like sauerkraut only spicier and more complex, and more nose crinkling. Dad ate kimchi, but he did it alone while we all wondered why.
     As I got older I figured one day I would probably like it, but I was in no rush, and it seemed more fun to tease than to be daring. One day Dad finished the last bits of cabbage in his kimchi jar after dinner and left it on the table while Melissa and I were cleaning up. I was in a silly mood (Melissa and I always have fun in the kitchen together), and I began acting out something ridiculous with an altered voice and dancing around the kitchen shaking the kimchi jar. Only when I realized Melissa couldn't possibly think I was that funny did I notice that the lid of the jar had been screwed on crookedly...and that I was covered in garlic rich, deep orange kimchi sauce. Melissa and Mom were merciful (and didn't want to smell me) and let me skip out on dishes to go shower.
     Last year was a big turning point in my relationship with kimchi. My friend Young Wha and I began cooking together once a week; she would teach me to make Korean food and I would help her fine tune her English. Our times together were always amazing and delicious. I am sure there are phrases she would still like to learn, but it seems as though we talked about all of life without any hindrance. Still, cooking words not being on the top of the ESL list, we had a lot of moments that made both of us laugh.
"Sarah! What am I doing with the noodles?"
"You are tossing them."
"Ah! Toss!"
She could probably have a cooking show now.
Kimchi and anchovies were ingredients I was skirmish of at first, but she convinced me.

Despite kimchi being the most ubiquitous thing in Korean kitchens, not everyone makes their own. Young Wha's mother made a big batch every so often and sent it to her daughter (and perhaps other family members). But, curious as I am, I thought I would attempt it. The recipe I chose is from the Momofuku cookbook. Momofuku is a noodle bar owned by the Korean-American chef David Chang. He shared this recipe on NBS's The Today Show, but in case of dropped links I have copied it here. (Orange notes are my own.)

Momofuku Napa Cabbage Kimchi (aka Paechu kimchi)
Yields Makes 1 to 1½ quarts
Ingredients
1 small to medium head Napa cabbage, discolored or loose outer leaves discarded
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
20 garlic cloves, minced
20 slices peeled fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup kochukaru (Korean chile powder)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup usukuchi (light soy sauce)
2 teaspoons jarred salted shrimp
1/2 cup 1-inch pieces scallions (greens and whites)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
Cut the cabbage lengthwise in half, then cut the halves crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces.

 

Toss the cabbage with the salt and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Other recipes recommended placing the cabbage in a large colander to prevent it from sitting in the water that drains out of the leaves. I didn't have one big enough, so I placed a cereal bowl upside down in my big mixing bowl to lift the cabbage off the bottom.

 

The next day, prepare the sauce.

One of my favorite cookbooks taught me the easiest way to peel ginger. Believe it or not, the edge of a spoon peels off the skin, but very little extra. Try it. It's magical.

After peeling it is best to slice ginger into rounds and then smash the rounds with a mortar and pestle, or with your garlic press.

Combine the garlic, ginger, kochukaru, fish sauce, soy sauce, shrimp, and remaining ½ cup sugar in a large bowl. If it is very thick, add water 1/3 cup at a time until the brine is just thicker than a creamy salad dressing but no longer a sludge. You can see that kochukaru (Korean chile powder) is not the same as other varieties found in the United States. I found mine at a Korean food market. The owner told me to let her know how the kimchi turned out. Despite having a lot of kochukaru, the resulting kimchi is only medium spicy, and not especially hot.

Stir in the scallions and carrots.
Drain the cabbage and add it to the brine. Cover and refrigerate. Though the kimchi will be tasty after 24 hours, it will be better in a week and at its prime in 2 weeks. It will still be good for another couple weeks after that, though it will grow stronger and funkier. Some people leave their kimchi at room temperature for 24-48 hours before refrigerating in order to encourage fermentation. This recipe does not call for it, but it is really up to you.

Getting Vitamin A

 Nathanael and I are in the midst of planting our garden. Yesterday we spent the afternoon cleaning out our garden plot, and marking new rows in the sun and warm breezes. The space is pretty large, but I am still impressed by how many things we are planning to grow. The seeds that will go directly into the ground (which is most of them) have not been started yet, but 44 pots of more fragile seedlings are beginning to sprout on our windowsill. Some of the more unique things we will be growing this year include purple carrots and yellow carrots. Last year Nathanael grew three varieties of orange carrots and I have just finished the last batch of them from the freezer using this recipe.

An Amber Colored Cheesecake

Cheesecake is an interesting dessert in that most people you attempt to serve it to will either be outspokenly a fan of any cheesecake that crosses their path, or a vocal cheesecake despiser. Most desert foods don't seem to evoke such feelings, sugar cookies for example seem to receive a medium response from nearly all people. I have always liked cheesecake, but I'm pretty sure it is more reflective of my general love of dairy products than anything else. Yogurt or cheesecake; I would be pretty happy with either.
Last year, while I lived with my roommate Lucy, we baked five cheesecakes...in six months (we didn't mention this to our doctors). The two of us enjoyed sampling cheesecakes that had some extra pizazz, so I think we ended up making one of each Grapefruit, Lemon, Bailey's Irish Cream, Apple, and Ginger.
Since Monday was the six month anniversary of Nathanael and my marriage I decided to make us a special cheesecake using the re-occurring ingredient which is the mascot of our gardening bounty: pumpkin. I came across this recipe the cookbook, "Simply in Season" by Mary Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert, but I altered it just a bit to suit my ingredients. I also concocted the chocolate coconut crust listed below, because we don't really have gram crackers just running around the house. Using coconut instead of crumbs makes this a good celiac alternative, but since coconut is even more widely disliked than cheesecake, feel free to substitute crumbs on the crust recipe and reduce the sugar/cocoa.





Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake with Chocolate Coconut Crust
For the crust:
2 cups of flaked coconut
1 cup wheat bran (or more coconut for celiacs)
3 Tablespoons of brown sugar
4 Tablespoons of baking cocoa
4-6 Tablespoons of softened butter (or oil), depending on the absorbency of your coconut.
Mix crust ingredients using a fork or your hands. Combine with a little bit of water and press onto the bottom and sides of a 10 inch springform pan. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes, then let the crust cool until you are ready to fill it.


For the cake:
A. 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese (don't use non-fat, and if you don't have a food processor or blender substitute with low fat sour cream)
20 oz cream cheese, softened (use low or full fat to your discretion, I used some of each)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Puree cottage cheese in blender or food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into a bowl.

B. 2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix in. Remove 1 1/2 cups batter and set aside

C. 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, cooked and pureed
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Add to the remaining batter

D. 1/3 baking cocoa
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
Add to the reserved batter. Stir until thoroughly blended.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into crust lined pan, then spoon chocolate mixture on top in small rounds; swirl together with a knife. Bake in a preheated oven at 325, in a pan of water (1-2 inches deep) if possible until edge of filling is set, 60-65 minutes. Let cheesecake stand in oven with door closed for 30 minutes. Remove and cool on rack to room temperature, about 3 hours. cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serves 12-16.

Pumpkins a’plenty

The graduate housing at the university has a community garden associated with it, and though we do not live there, through some good connections Nathanael was able to rent one of their garden plots last year. Since we were married in August, I had no part in the hard work of gardening. Nathanael did all of the seed selection, planting, weeding and maintenance of the garden on his own all summer and I arrived just in time for the easy part: harvest time. From the time I arrived there was no rain at all for more than five weeks, but water is available to each of the plots. Through the end of August until early October we made weekly or bi-weekly visits to the garden usually on our tandem bicycle, filling a backpack with the basil, tomatoes, carrots and peppers, which became a large part of our diet. As the season wrapped up there was one thing we could not carry on our bike…well, twelve things actually.
Nathanael had planted two pumpkin seeds, which resulted in two enormous vines that merrily took over our garden and filled it with twelve large Cinderella pumpkins. In order to collect these beasts we would put them in a wheelbarrow and rolled them down the long hill to our car.
One Saturday afternoon, when we had not been to the garden in over a week and our kitchen compost was brimming to the top, we decided to venture out and collect a few pumpkins and a bit more basil and tomatoes before the frost came. When we stepped outside we realized that it looked like rain was coming, but we were pretty determined and anticipated a quick trip. When we arrived at our plot there was strange stillness. Out of the acres of plots covering the hillside ours was the only one with gardeners foolish enough not to have realized that enormous thunderclouds were blowing in at quite a ridiculous speed.
Hurriedly clipping basil and picking tomatoes, the two of us stuffed our bags and piled pumpkins into the wheelbarrow as all layers of our clothing stuck with wetness and our shoes began to slosh. Not wanting to be struck with lightning, we decided to leave the pumpkins and run to the car. By the time we were half way down the hill we could hear each other when we shouted but not make out the words.
After we had waited out the thunder, we returned to the plot and collected our pumpkins while the purple swirled sky subsided to a drizzle. The square bottomed wheelbarrow had about a centimeter of water covering its bottom.
The storm did not pick up again until we had begun to drive, increasing to cherry sided hail for about three minutes while we found street parking. The roadsides were flooded with rushing water, melting hail and bits of garbage, but our shoes were already soaked through, so we sloshed our way to the door and made our way inside, relieved at the warmth.
Since then we have been canning, cooking and baking with pumpkins, and attempting to give them away.
There are still three in our apartment.


















This pumpkin using recipe is adapted from the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, which I recommend to anyone with excess vegetable purees lying around, or to cooks who serve a crowed that just doesn’t have a taste for ordinary vegetables.

















Pumpkin Banana Peanut Butter Muffins

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup pumpkin puree (or nearly any mild vegetable really)
½ cup thoroughly squished banana
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Mix ½ cup of the sugar with the pumpkin, banana, egg, vanilla and peanut butter. In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add wet and dry until just mixed. Divide into a greased muffin pan (12 muffins), and divide the remaining ½ cup of brown sugar onto the muffin tops and stir once shallowly to make the sugar stick.
Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack. Store when completely cool.