Harvest Monday

Tags

farm fresh eggs, flower arrangement, flowers, free range eggs, frittatas, garlic, Mushipan, organic eggs, potatoes, spinach, wild flowers

Harvest was sporadic throughout the last week and a half. Didn’t really have much chance to get to the garden. It rained and rained, everything was wet and muddy. On days that were dry, I found myself having other commitments taking me away from the garden. 

The garden seems to be in a transition, but not in a good way. Spring crops are dwindling, but Summer crops have been slow to produce. So I’m left with not much to harvest. This really is one of the slowest years for me.

That’s why I’d rather be talking about this, also from the garden. Don’t you just love flowers from the backyard?

Haha … all kidding aside, I did dig up some garlic and a few potatoes. Is there anything more thrilling than digging in the dirt and finding these?

I only took a few and let the plants continue growing. I never did this before, but I learned from Granny that you could scrabble for a few new potatoes without uprooting the whole plants. Hopefully they’ll continue to produce more tubers.

Aren’t they beautiful? I need to plant more potatoes! They were steamed and dressed with a simple yogurt dressing, and we each had a little taste. Sabo and the kids were so impressed. I was even able to extract promises of help in the garden from the kids, as long as I plant more potatoes. But somehow, in the middle of the conversation, the subject of getting them a puppy came up again. So, as it stands now, a puppy = help in the garden. Am I getting bamboozled again? We’ve trained them too darn well!

Unlike the potatoes, the garlic on the other hand, was pathetic and failed to impress the family. They were probably not ready to harvest, but I was impatient. The small single bulbs were planted thickly in March from garlic that sprouted in storage, so I suppose they had no hope.

But I actually like these single bulbs. I think they’ll be beautiful in a jar, as pickles. I have a head of garlic that’s sprouting in the kitchen right now, so it will be planted. Hopefully in September I will be harvesting more single garlic bulbs.

There was also a bit of spinach, the last of it. It was added to a frittata, along with some gigantic scallions.

I also harvested lots of lemon balm, which I used in many recipes, including a Japanese steamed bun called “Mushipan.” It really turned out smashingly good! Give it a try, it’s a healthier version than muffins since it uses less sugar and no butter, just a drop of oil.

Then, there was always a handful of strawberries every now and then. Mostly the alpine strawberries. I’m happy to report that they are still putting out fruits. The Sequoia strawberries, on the other hand, are about done.

Can you see how rich the color of that yolk is?

Last but not least, there were eggs from a friend’s backyard. Thank you, Laurie! I keep telling her I would pay for these eggs, but she keeps refusing my money. These eggs are big and oh, so rich and so good, because they are free-range organic eggs. I have to turn them into something special. Stay tuned, I have something in mind.

All in all, it wasn’t bad, I guess. At least I was able to use something from the garden for a few meals, and that’s always a good thing, right? I can’t wait for the tomatoes and peppers to start kicking in. Seems like everything is slow this year.

In the meantime, enjoy this one more time, and then hop over to Daphne’s Dandelions to view more harvests, real ones!

Parsley Pleases the Carnivores

Tags

Argentina, barbecue, chimichurri, food, garlic, Memorial Day, olive oil, oregano, parsley, recipes, vegetarian

Do you remember my last post? Where I showed off my parsley harvest? I know it didn’t impress you. Those parsley plants were bolting. They had to be pulled and tossed into the compost bin.

But why waste perfectly good food? I cut up the stems and roots (washed clean, of course) and threw them in the pot, to flavor the soup stock. Then I plucked all the leaves.

And turned them into chimichurri. To go with all this,

And the carnivores went wild. And it ought to impress you. It’s resourcefulness 101. Even the flowers graced the table as decoration.

I first was introduced to chimichurri by an Argentinian neighbor. Let’s call him Glenn. Glenn was a character. His wife often travelled for work, and when he was left alone in the house, he would do unusual things. One of them was camping, in his own backyard.

He would pitch a tent, live off the land, and cook his meals on a charcoal grill. Mostly he cooked hotdogs and hamburgers. But once in a while, he fancied up and grill steaks, that he would eat with chimichurri sauce. Most of the time, but not always.

(That’s lesson #1: Argentinians don’t always put chimichurri on their steaks, only most of the time.)

Despite his quirkiness, Glenn was very friendly, and once or twice offered for us to sample his meals. Perhaps in an effort to pacify us, for not paying for his share of the fence. That’s another story, but it’s an old one, so I won’t even go there.

Glenn’s chimichurri was very simply made. Chopped up parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, water, salt & pepper. Sometimes he added oregano and hot pepper flakes, but sometimes he didn’t. His sauce was more watery than the ones I’ve seen in restaurants, and he never added lime or lemon juice.

(That’s lesson #2: Argentinians don’t add citrus juice in their chimichurri.)

At a Brazilian steakhouse in Niagara Falls, Canada, I encountered yet a different version of chimichurri. Reddish, with chopped red peppers instead of the more familiar greenish kind. That Brazilian steakhouse is also another story, for another day.

(That’s lesson #3: Brazilian steakhouses are apparently more relaxed about their chimichurri than Glenn.)

Will the real chimichurri please stand?

I could guarantee one thing, though. That all these versions are delicious eaten with your grilled meats. Rivaled only by Korean barbecue sauce, as the perfect condiment to put on top of a piece of beef.

And if there is one ingredient that is common in all versions, it is parsley. Along with garlic.

(That’s lesson #4: Remember the two most important ingredients in chimichurri: Parsley and garlic. It must have them.)

I’ve made many versions of chimichurri, of course. Some thick, some more watery. Some with lime juice, some without. Some with red peppers, some with other herbs, etc. Obviously, some turn out better than others.

But for now, I’m giving you the easiest and safest version, the one that will unlikely go wrong or offend an Argentinian. Unless he’s a traditionalist like Glenn, in which case he will probably let you know that you shouldn’t use a food processor.

As-authentic-as-you-can-get Chimichurri Sauce

• Difficulty: very easy
• Print

You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate, but make sure you let it come to room temperature, so the oil relaxes (“melts”), before serving.

1½ cups flat-leaved parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dry, chopped
1 – 2 tsp crushed pepper flakes (depending on your tolerance for heat)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp lime/lemon juice (optional) or water
⅓ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Place all ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor, and grind until blended.
2. Add olive oil and blend very briefly, or stir by hand. The sauce should not emulsify.

You can make your sauce chunky or smooth. Whatever you prefer. Anything goes. It’s your sauce, you decide.

(Final lesson: Please don’t let Glenn know of the “anything goes” remark, because he would kill me. On second thought, go ahead and tell him. Hey, life is too short! Everybody should be allowed to put in his or her own twist. Besides, we’ve moved to a different state now.)

So actually, there’s no final lesson. Just have a great Memorial Day weekend. Grill some meats, grill some corns. Make a salad, make yuca frita. And don’t forget to make chimichurri sauce, to go with everything.

And make sure other people around you eat their food with the chimichurri. You don’t want to be the only one with the garlic breath. Maybe THAT should be the Final Lesson.

Have a delicious and safe Memorial Day weekend, everyone!

By the way, this reminds me of a debate I had with a friend over how to properly make sambal. Oy, my head is spinning just thinking about it. Thankfully, that’s also another story, for another day. When I have chili peppers to harvest, to make a “proper” sambal.