Rose hip syrup with honey

Rosehips contain 20x more Vitamin C than you find in oranges, and you can find them growing on rose bushes everywhere. Some are larger and others smaller, but they're essentially the same. If you pick them after first frost they're a bit sweeter, but they're ready once they go all red.



Ingredients

Honey
Rosehips
Water

Kitchen sink stew

Kitchen Sink Stew


Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 leek or small onion
• 2 Tbsp flour or thickener of your choice (I use tapioca flour)
• Enough stock to cover the contents of your pot
• 1 cup beans, fresh or tinned (kidney, lima, etc.)
• 1 cup chopped, cooked meat (optional)
• 4-5 cups chopped vegetables of your choice- whatever you have in season in your garden- kale, carrots, beans, potatoes, etc.
• Salt and pepper
• Mixed culinary herbs- fresh or dried to taste (dill tastes good with fish, rosemary tastes good with everything else, but I like to put in a bit of parsley, sage and thyme as well).
• Milk or cream (optional)

Wildcrafted local mustard

Garlic Mustard-Mustard               
makes about 1/2 c.

7 Tb ground garlic mustard seeds
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tb water
2 tsp honey or 3 tsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp turmeric

1. Grind the seeds using either a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder, then stir together with the salt and turmeric. Add the water, honey and vinegar and stir until smooth.


Let it sit, covered, in the fridge for a week, and then stir before use. It will darken up a bit. Keep it covered, and use within seven months.

The only ingredients which aren't possibly local are the salt and turmeric. Not bad!

Wildflower mead

This is a good time of year to make mead, and I'm going to try. Again. Last time didn't work out so well because I forgot about it in the closet and it went... stinky. I was a bit disappointed. Plus, it was such a large carboy that it was unmanageable.

However, this recipe seems like a good way to start- one gallon jar, local honey, and flowers from my own garden (and hopefully some of the ones which I've planted out there in the wild this past spring).

Wish me luck.

And this time I'm using a calendar.

Thrifty garden goodness- pea pod soup

Pea Pod Soup

Ingredients
a colander's worth of empty pea pods (use fresh pods from your garden)
water
1 large onion
1 large or 2 small potatoes
a handful of fresh mint leaves (from your own garden if possible)
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
garnish with chopped green onions and/or cream or yoghurt

How to plant a verge or front yard garden

Sometimes people want to plant a garden, but their backyard is unsuitable for some reason- too small, too shady, that's where the dogs and kids like to rampage, etc. More and more people have been breaking out of the mold and trying gardening in their front yards. Some have even taken it down to the edge of the road, on the verge.

Garlic mustard hummus and falafels

Garlic mustard is an incredibly invasive species. I'll call them 'weeds', but they're actually incredibly edible, so maybe we should call them 'free food'... It grows everywhere.

So, here are a couple recipes you can use them in. Blanch the plants in a bit of boiling water if you find them too bitter when used raw.


Garlic Mustard Hummus 
makes about 2 1/2 c.

2 cups washed, chopped garlic mustard leaves
1 cup washed, chopped ramps greens, or 1/2 cup onion
2 cups cooked chick peas
5 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cumin

1. Put everything into your food processor and blend until a nice consistency. Add more olive oil if you like it smoother.


Green Falafels            
makes about 35 falafel patties

1 cup packed, chopped raw garlic mustard greens
10 green ramps leaves, or 1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cans chickpeas, or about 3 cups raw, soaked chickpeas
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp flour of your choice- choose something with a bit of sticking power like tapioca or corn starch if wheat isn't your thing
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 c. breadcrumbs (gluten free if you like, or more tapioca starch)

1. Heat the oven to 375°.
2. Blend everything in a food processor until a slightly chunky paste forms. You may need to add more olive oil as you want the mixture to be scoopable.
3. Form the mixture into patties, about 2 Tablespoons for each patty. Coat the falafel in the breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet. Spray the falafels with a light coat of olive oil cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, flip over and bake 10 minutes longer. Serve with pitas and fillings.