Dam Toaster!!!

To all "toaster manufacturers" I challenge you to make a toaster that lasts 10 to 20 years.  I know "Jenn buy a better quality toaster and it will last longer". I tried that one and it only lasted about 2 years. One very cold winter morning as I was making my rich chocolate mocha that went to put down the anticipated toast for my crunchy peanut butter, the toast would not stay down. I had to hold the handle down and it screeched the whole time, it was having a toaster temper fit!!!  Yes, this was one of the expensive high end toasters...which I did a search on and read the consumer reviews...laughing.  This last one was a top ten pick....perhaps I should have read the comments posted by the people who bought the toasters, they paint a whole different picture about the top ten toasters on the market.

The average consumer is looking for kitchen bling, bragging rights about a toaster????  Please people reality check!!!!, it's a fricken toaster, it makes bread brown and crunchy!!!  One women said her 499.99 Kitchen Pro toaster really didn't toast as well as it should and perhaps it had a small defect, but it matched her color combination for her kitchen, so it's fine.  Are you serious lady...for 499.99 you could have had any 15.00 toaster custom painted and still could have had lunch at the Ritz with a manicure.  Now that would have been bragging rights...custom painted toasters!!!  But to spend 499.99 on a toaster that doesn't work and keep it, tells the manufacturers that quality is not important. 

No more housewifey toasters for this girl!!!!  When my kitchen appliances finally get the best of me, I go to the restaurant supply store and peruse commercial grade toasters!!!  I peruse the big bad boy of all toasters and drool...and count my pennies. Damn, Damn, Double Damn ALL you housewifey toaster manufacturers!!! damn you all to pits of hell...after counting my pennies for the 10th time I am still extremely short of the 1027.98 price tag of the Hobart Toaster I have been drooling over for 10 years...Perhaps I can find a slightly used one?  I am wondering if I bought the Hobart Toaster if it would outlive me...

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat Toast

Jenn

It's been a extremely busy week...

I have been running flat out for days...Bruce and I have been preparing the garlic beds and planting for next spring, we just don't do things SMALL around Petty Catwater Gardens and Edibles.  Nope that would be to simple and life would become boring.  It would feel like we could live with our eyes closed...and than how could Bruce and I admire the absolute beauty we have created and naturally live in.  So that is why we planted 782 head of garlic...rolling on the floor laughing my ass off...tears are running down my face as coffee was sprayed out of my nose.

We had extra garlic seed this year...laughing, I know, I know... We gave some to our neighbours Brian and Shannon Hiller, who are rich in water and amazing fertile soil, so we will have to see who produces the biggest bulb next year. 
 
That was just one of our many projects this last week, I pressure canned 13 litres of delicious Potato Leek Soup and made about 6 litres of deep rich roasted turkey demi-glaze. It was a beautiful hue of rich suntan, like the ones you see on the Hawaiian Tropic commercials. I now have only one more box of turkey carcasses to turn into stock...The organic turkey farm out our way called Family Tree Farms is where I purchased my organic carcasses, which I have to say are unbelievable!!!  If you live in the area give Melaine a call and pick some up, you will not be disappointed.

Today I am making Garlic Confit and Carrot Cake Jam...you heard me... Carrot Cake Jam.  It is definitely divine and when the loaf of bread and mascarpone cheese disappear of the counter and all you are left with is crumbles...you wonder who stole them!!!  I have made Duck Confit which is out of this world delicious, so I am hoping this Garlic Confit will be along these lines.  I have mixed about 6 different kinds of garlic cloves together and adding my secret herbs, spices and waving my magic wand over the jars...Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo, Look East, Look West make my Garlic Confit taste the best!!!  The recipe is on one of my blogs, it's really simple if you have a pressure canner. 

Lastly "The New Generation Travel Beverage Gear" has arrived...Lid your mason jar and head confidently into the HIPSTER Generation.  I have all colours and sizes for everyone in the family. 
Petty Catwater Garden Stand is a proud seller of the Hipster Sippy Lids!!!  So come out this weekend and have first pick of the great colors and vintage jars. 

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat and become a HIPSTER

Jenn

Waving my magic wand...

Scrumpdillyicious, Scrumpdillyicious, Scrumpdillyicious...what the cake didn't appear!!!  Dam magic wand is on the fritz again.  Now that would be dangerous, can you imagine a dessert magic wand and anytime you waved it the dessert of your choice would appear.  My first dessert would be a Chocolate Dacquoise, it's a multi-layered pièce de résistance of toasted hazelnut meringue and espresso buttercream coated in dark chocolate ganache.  Hands down this will be the best thing you have ever put in your mouth, it will even beat out Cristal Champagne and I am sure you would even trade your Birkin handbag for just one itty bitty slice.  My first time I had the pleasure of devouring a slice of this small piece of bliss, it was made with pineapple buttercream, toasted coconut and a velvety rich white chocolate ganache.  If I close my eyes I can smell it, taste it, and feel the itty bits of toasted coconut crunch between my teeth, the creamy smooth buttercream glide over my tongue...this like one of those almost real sex dreams...rolling on the floor laughing.  Did I just say that out loud...

Since I am still in the middle of my canning season, this dessert fantasy will have to wait. Patience is my strong suit, my husband Bruce is amazed at the fortitude I have for waiting for things.  I bought a extremely expensive handbag which needed to be made for me, I was over the moon at the anticipation of such a beautiful handbag, I danced around the living room at the thought of the lush matte black slightly textured leather with sterling silver hardware that sparkled like stars in the sky. The sale lady told me it would be anywhere from 6 months to a year, she would call me when it came in.  Off I went knowing I would receive a phone call that my lovely handbag will one day be mine all mine, it arrived 7 month later...my car was the same, I just know good things come to those who wait. 

So I'll be waiting for that perfect day to indulge my inner pastry chef this fall and whip up one of the most stunningly delicious pieces of bliss known to man.  This recipe requires an advance skill level and a off set spatula, a serrated knife, parchment paper and a ruler...it is not for beginners.

Espresso Dacquoise

 

Meringue
3/4 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar  

Buttercream
3/4 cup whole milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons amaretto or water
1 1/2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Ganache 
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons corn syrup
12 whole hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
1 cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted

For the meringue: 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, ink side down.

Process almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 pulse.

Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. With mixer running at medium-high speed, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in 2 batches.

With offset spatula, spread meringue evenly into 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on parchment, using lines on parchment as guide. Using spray bottle, evenly mist surface of meringue with water until glistening. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringue to cool in oven for 1 1/2 hours. (Do not open oven during baking and cooling.) Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (Cooled meringue can be kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.)

For the buttercream:

Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in bowl until smooth. Remove milk from heat and, whisking constantly, add half of milk to yolk mixture to temper. Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to remaining milk in saucepan. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickens to consistency of warm pudding, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before using, warm gently to room temperature in microwave at 50 percent power, stirring every 10 seconds.

Stir together amaretto and espresso powder; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and light, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pastry cream in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add amaretto mixture and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes longer, scraping down bowl thoroughly halfway through mixing.

For the ganache:

Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool until chocolate mounds slightly when dripped from spoon, about 5 minutes.

Carefully invert meringue and peel off parchment. Reinvert meringue and place on cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle, repeated scoring motion, trim edges of meringue to form 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Discard trimmings. With long side of rectangle parallel to counter, use ruler to mark both long edges of meringue at 3-inch intervals. Using serrated knife, score surface of meringue by drawing knife toward you from mark on top edge to corresponding mark on bottom edge. Repeat scoring until meringue is fully cut through. Repeat until you have four 10 by 3-inch rectangles. (If any meringues break during cutting, use them as middle layers.)

Place 3 rectangles on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup ganache evenly over surface of each meringue. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 15 minutes. Set aside remaining ganache.

Using offset spatula, spread top of remaining rectangle with 1/2 cup buttercream; place on wire rack with ganache-coated meringues. Invert 1 ganache-coated meringue, place on top of buttercream, and press gently to level. Repeat, spreading meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream and topping with inverted ganache-coated meringue. Spread top with buttercream. Invert final ganache-coated strip on top of cake. Use 1 hand to steady top of cake and spread half of remaining buttercream to lightly coat sides of cake, then use remaining buttercream to coat top of cake. Smooth until cake resembles box. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 2 hours. (Once buttercream is firm, assembled cake may be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Warm remaining ganache in heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until mixture is very fluid but not hot. Keeping assembled cake on wire rack, pour ganache over top of cake. Using offset spatula, spread ganache in thin, even layer over top of cake, letting excess flow down sides. Spread ganache over sides in thin layer (top must be completely covered, but some small gaps on sides are OK).

Garnish top of cake with hazelnuts. Holding bottom of cake with 1 hand, gently press almonds onto sides with other hand. Chill on wire rack, uncovered, for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices with sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice. Serve.

 

Grow, Harvest, Cook, BAKE CAKE, Eat...

 

Jenn

Another Wednesday...

Instead of being out in my garden today, I will be in the kitchen whipping up some peach preserves.  However if anyone would like to participate in Weedy Wednesday it's still on, we have changed it up, instead of weeding horse tail...you'll be digging horse manure into the garlic beds with Bruce.  The bribe for this is shots of Bulleit Bourbon and big basket of home fries with Bruce's Possum Lodge Bulleit Bourbon Catchup. 

Last winter I must have read an entire encyclopedia of peach preserve recipes hunting for the perfect one for my peaches canned in syrup.  I found seven which I would deem worthy of being placed in my recipe archives. I only use recipes as a guide line, however saying this I have had years of experience and years of cooking classes and school to be able to understand what can be dumped and what can be bumped.  We each have a unique palate, mine likes to range outside the normal limits, it's like it fell thru the rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland. Today my canned peaches have me hiking the winding hilly spice trade route tasting green cardamon, Saigon cinnamon, saffron, ginger.  It's a starting point and where I end up depends on my palate this morning, it will guide me like a seeing eye dog.  I will also be making Caramelized Peach Bourbon Jam, this is a recipe I dreamed up last summer and it is out of this world, mouth watering, delicious and yummy good.

Well, I have been investigating my mason jar sleeves.  I found this great wool sleeve from Rogue Theory, however they do not ship outside the USA.  So I have made a few inquiries and am in the process of connecting all the dots to hopefully produce my own mason jar sleeves.  So anyone who reads my blog from the USA, you can purchase mason jar sleeves from Rogue Theory.  They look fabulous and I would love it if anyone could review and post your review in the comments...Thanks.

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat...

Jenn

Bruce Blogs: The Whys and Wherefores of Catchup

The Possum Lodge Bulleit Bourbon Catchup is joining the Duct Tape Salsa on the garden stand today and they are fitting companions. Both are seriously too much tomato and seriously how can I eat this after consuming just those wimpy supermarket jars all my life. The Catchup in particular reminds me of eating my first boeuf bourguignon in Paris; every spoonful was like eating 5 cows, far too much taste to have in the mouth at one time. And oh yeah, I left the wooden spoon standing  vertical in the centre of the pot last night; if had not shifted this morning.

So those who are willing can come and get some and suffer wondering how can they go back to those wimpy supermarket jars after consuming Possum Lodge.

If you don't grow up by middle-age, you don't have to.
Getting younger by the day

Bruce

Reducing and Reusing the right way....

I believe in "reducing and reusing"....the last thing we should be looking at is recycling.  I am the women you see at the check-out counter taking all her excessive packaging of her purchases and handing it back to the store.  As a business you have the opportunity to directly address the excessive packaging problem to the manufacturer, where when I address the issue in writing all that happens is my ends up in the junk mail slot or the recycling basket.  My mother was visiting last week and she brought a plastic container of croissants ( clam shell ), well instead of put the plastic container in my invisible recycling bin...I used it to pack her sandwich, cookies and fruit so, when she stopped for lunch on her way home it was not squished.  I reused it....if I had purchased the croissants the package would have been left at the check out counter. 

I have become the crazy vegetable lady at our local Save-on-Food Store because I refuse to accept the poor quality of the produce that they try to flog off on my community, as a consumer I demand quality over quantity!!!  Perhaps it is my up European up bringing, where you buy something of good quality and if looked after will last years to come.

In all aspects of our lives we could do with a little of this philosophy...so Petty Catwater Garden Stand has found away to reuse all those mason jars you have purchased with delicious jams, salsas, and compotes in.  I have a few of these items myself and after quality testing the product, I believe it has value and durability that will last for years. I went online this morning and hit the purchase button. 

 

 

There are many ways to use the dip cup add-ons....fill it with a dip for veggies or yogurt to your cereal. The storage cup in a jar can be used in so many ways...chips and salsa, a sewing kit thread on the bottom and needles in the top, it would be great for my camera cables and batteries.  Turn the Dilly Bean Jar into a travel mug...I use my mason jar "sippy cup" in the garden in summer, I have saved myself a few dollars and many wine glasses...laughing.  Hey and for all of you who have ever played midnight croquet they make a cocktail one, with a straw. I switched out my straw for a glow in the dark one found at the dollar store...flashlight, oh and you never lose your drink!!!!

 

 

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat, Reduce, Reuse

 

Jenn

 

 

Tomcat Edibles

Summers winding down, Bruce and I have almost finished harvesting the garden. Next we will be looking at the fall planting, GARLIC is our main planting crop than it's the bulbs for our landscape gardens which are many. This year I am going to add alliums into my tall grasses to give some colour and texture during the summer season.  I have ordered a few dozen gigantic trio-coloured alliums which should be arriving soon with a few more dozen tulips and daffodils. We have a season here in Quesnel called the "brown season" it's the equivalent of living in a composter for about a month, it's when the snow goes and all the winters garbage, sanding gravel and mud appears, along with the road kill that has been buried in the snow banks for the pass 5 months.  So in Spring I love to have a explosion of colour...to make up for the a month of BLAH!!! 

Bruce has come out with his own label of edibles called Tomcat Edibles, he will be featuring a line of salsas made with green and purple tomatillos and a variety of red and green tomatoes.  His first salsa called "You can't grow tomatillos here...Roasted Salsa Verde"  hit the garden stand today. He is working on a green and red tomato salsa inspired by the duct tape duo of The Red and Green Show.  It's exciting to have a male canner in the Petty Catwater Kitchen.  I myself am working on a few exciting garlic products for the garden stand, Phantom Fog, Roasted Garlic Pate and Sweet Roasted Persian Garlic Crème Brulee...they will be hitting the stand when I can get Bruce out of MY kitchen!!! 

In winter Bruce and I head out to his wood working shop and fire up the wood stove for heat and build things for our cottage & gardens.  Last year I built our new garden stand, a few obelisk's and all the new window boxes and the sandwich board at the end of the road and Bruce built the island for our kitchen/living room.  This year we are still making a list of needs and wants...

 

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat and Build

 

Jenn

Jenn's Rustic Fresh Garden Herb and Tomato with Goat's Cheese Galette

                     Jenn's Rustic Fresh Garden Herb &Tomato with Goat's Cheese Galette

Pastry
2 cups of all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
12 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water as needed

To make the rustic tart dough, mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter by hand or using a mixer with a paddle attachment, leaving some pea-sized chunks. Sprinkle the ice water over the top by the tablespoon and toss it with the flour mixture until you can bring the dough together into a ball. Press it into a disk and refrigerate and let the dough chill for 15 minutes.

To form a galette, roll it out on a lightly floured counter into a 14-inch irregular circle about 1/8-inch thick. Fold it into quarters and transfer it to the back of a sheet pan or a cookie sheet without sides. Unfold it. It will be larger than the pan.

Pesto Rosso
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (re-hydrated in warm water for 15 minutes)
1/4 cup pine nuts
4  garlic cloves
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/3 cup parmesan cheese

To make the Pesto Rosso, put all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor and process to a rough paste; if necessary, add a little oil from the tomato jar to bring it together. If your food processor bowl is too large, you may need to do some of the chopping by hand.

Assembly
1/4 cup of fresh oregano, chives, thyme roughly chopped
10 oz plain goat’s cheese, sliced into rounds
1 lb ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing on the tart dough
Freshly ground black pepper and flakes of salt


To assemble the tart, Spread the Pesto Rosso over the prepared tart dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the herb mixture, goat's cheese and arrange the tomatoes on top, slightly overlapping but not too precisely. Make sure the Pesto Rosso is covered by fresh tomatoes because it tends to burn. Sprinkle the other 1/2 of the herb mixture

over the tomatoes and drizzle with a little olive oil. Fold the edges of the dough over the tomatoes, creasing every inch or so. Brush the top lightly with olive oil.
To bake the tart, bake until the crust is golden, 25 to 30 minutes, until the dough is cooked and the tomatoes are tender.

I have made this tart with all different kind of cheeses, pesto's and tomatoes.....You can create your own fillings......JUST DON"T SCREW WITH THE PASTRY!!!!

Grow Harvest Cook Eat.....

Jenn

 

Back in the kitchen and garden....

Good Morning Weedy Wednesday......

What happens on Weedy Wednesday...laughing.  I try my best to entice anyone to come out and pull weeds in my garden.  I tried offering a glass of wine which I had zero takers than I upped it to a bottle of wine...which again no takers!!! So now I am adding organic cheese to the offer, Jerseyland  Organic Cheese and Grassroots Organic Cheese.  Small artisan cheese companies, one located in Grand Forks, BC and the other in Salmon Arm, BC.  And just further entice you how about a sampling of the Famous Vampire Jelly, I had a taste of it last night and oh my garlicaceous before I could put the lid back on half the jar was gone.  So come on out to Petty Catwater Gardens and pull a few weeks.....today!!!

Bruce had to harvest tomatillos yesterday, it was threating -2 over night...So this morning he is making roasted purple and green tomatillo salsa.  He is really coming into his own in the kitchen, I guess after 14 years I kind of rubbed off on him.  I will be making Carrot Cake Jam this afternoon...I have a few orders to fill...and some will be on my garden stand this week. This year I grew Paris Market Carrots and Purple Haze...they are both have a wonderful flavour and will lend a new creative twist to my jam. 

You can ring my garden stand bell....I am back from holidays.  Thank you for all who came out while I was gone.  Sorry I missed you!!

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat...

Jenn

No FEAR Garlic Confit......

Pressure cooking garlic???....FEAR is every where, you CAN'T, It will kill you!!!! Well, I am going to become one the fearless canners I have met in my interestingly creative short canning life. Yes, I am going to become a pressure cooker garlic survivor...laughing. 

For all of you scared of pressure canning, it's darn easy as long as you can follow the steps than it becomes as simple as a adding soothing bath salts to the claw foot tub on a cold winter day...I say this after my pressure canner sat down in the basement for a year until my husband gave me the tutorial of pressure canning 101.  Bruce is such a dare devil...He's the guy who drove his Vespa (scooter) on a 3000 mile trip one summer. 

It took a lot of searching, but I finally found a recipe for Garlic Confit. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, botulism spores are killed if you can hold the temperature between 240°F to 250°F for 20 to 100 minutes, depending on the size of the jar. Conveniently, those are the temperatures you get with 10PSI to 15PSI pressure cookers. This recipe pressure cooks the jars for 2 hours, so there's no way botulism can survive. After the jar is opened, the garlic keeps for a month in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker/Canner Garlic Confit
Adapted From: Modernist Cuisine at Home 
Cooking time: 120 minutes/2 hours

All you need:
~Pressure Cooker/ Pressure Canner
~half pint canning jars

Ingredients:
~enough olive oil to fill each canning jar, when filling jars leave the 1/2 inch head space
~50 cloves garlic, peeled (4 large heads) should fill about 3 jars
~fresh rosemary, thyme, you will want to put a small sprig of fresh herbs per jar
~salt and fresh ground black pepper a sprinkle into each jar
~1/2 bay leaf into each jar

 

Fill the jars:Put everything in the canning jars, wipe the rim of the jar clean with a wet paper towel, tighten down the lid finger tight and then release 1/4 turn.

Pressure cook the garlic:
1)Put a rack in the pressure cooker or canner and add the required water for your pressure cooker/canner, mine calls for 3 quarts of water.
2)Put the jar on the rack, lock the lid, and bring the cooker/canner up to 15 PSI.
3)Pressure cook/can on high for 2 hours, if you are using a pressure canner, make sure it remains at 15 PSI for the entire 2 hours. 
4)Let the pressure come down naturally.
5)Carefully remove the jar from the PC, using tongs (or, even better a canning jar lifter).
The jar will still be dangerously hot, with bubbling oil inside - let it cool to room temperature before handling. The sealed jar will last for a year at room temperature; refrigerate after opening, and the garlic will last for a month.

You can use either a pressure cooker or pressure canner for pressure cooking, but one has an additional function. A pressure cooker is sold in either a stove-top model or as an electric appliance and is used to cook foods under pressure in a fraction of the time needed to cook with a regular pot, oven roaster or cooker.

 

Pressure cookers can be used to cook many different meats, pasta sauces and other types of foods. Because it cooks under pressure, it has a valve in the locking lid, to help regulate the amount of pressure that remains in the pot during the cooking process.

While a pressure canner can also be used for cooking these various foods, it is usually much larger and is designed to be used for home canning of foods. When the canner is fitted with a pressure valve the same as the smaller cooker, it can be used only for canning specific high acid foods.
A pressure gauge must be present with the valve on the canner, in order to use it for canning low acid foods, meats and fish. The pressure gauge must be monitored during the canning process and the heat adjusted in order to maintain the recommended pressure level for a specific period of time, to safely cook and can certain foods.

You can watch the video from the Modernist Cuisine at Home , it's easy


Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat
jenn

Those who inspire

I am not alone......it keeping ringing in my head as I chatted with the creator of The Jam Pot, Pat Russell thinks outside the box when it comes to Jam and Jellies....her creation of Toe Jam had me chuckling, but what really drew my attention was the Vampire Jelly and Garlic Jelly.  As we talked jam she told me to hold my jam secrets close to my heart, however she let me in on one of hers.  I'll never tell promise and pinky swear.....Thank you Pat for your advise and tips on jamming.  I am newbie to canning when it comes to women like Pat and I always love to pick the brains of the experts...they are fearless canners.  Pat will be a vendor at this years Hill's Garlic Festival and she will be featuring her soon to be FAMOUS Vampire Jelly.  If you want to see where Pat will be next or get your hands on some Vampire Jelly...you can email her: thejampot@cablelan.net 

Well, Bruce and I have hit the Artisan Trail starting with antiques in Lone Butte (Smith Antiques & Lighting, Hank Smith is a fountain of knowledge) where I picked a fabulous 100 year old scale for my garden stand and a lovely unique sugar shaker in Barriere, BC.  In Salmon Arm we found Grass Root Dairies, we bought out the store in handmade cheese....now all we needed was the wine. We never did scout out a winery, however we did come across Wild Kootenay single flower honey and my name sake Jennifer's Chocolates in Nakusp, BC.  Plus all the wonderful merchants at the Revelstoke Farmer's Market Saturday Morning.  We have had a wonderful time so far and will continue on tomorrow as head off to the Hill's Garlic Festival for the most garlicaceous day ever!!!!!

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat

Jenn





 


We all

New Denver Garlic Festival

Good Morning Friday......Bruce and I are off to one the Top Ten Garlic Festivals in the world...Hill's Organic Garlic Festival in New Denver, British Columbia. 

 Homemade - Homegrown - Organic

this year's event will feature 160 vendors selling:

• organic garlic, garlic wreaths, products and snacks;
• fresh organic produce;
• plants and plant products;
• local crafts of art, jewellery, wood, flutes, furniture, pottery, textiles, rocks;
• soaps, lotions, and herbal remedies
• great food

The Garlic Festival is a local community fundraiser put on by local volunteers through the Hills Recreation Society (a non-profit society). Over the years it has become one of the highlights of the Hills / New Denver / Silverton community and has raised money to provide recreation facilities and services for the area including basketball/ tennis courts, yoga classes, children's recreation programs, and local cross-country ski trails.

 

What started as a small gathering of friends who decided to have a garlic-themed pot luck supper in the park grew quickly to a community event drawing local garlic growers and garlic lovers to the Hills Community park. By 2003, the Garlic Festival had outgrown its home and was moved to Centennial Park in New Denver.

Vendors from all over the Kootenays, the BC Interior, and farther afield gather to sell the bounty of their harvests: vegetables, herbs, arts and crafts, and, of course, GARLIC! The festival attracts about 6000 people of all ages with lively music, great food, children's entertainment, and old fashioned community fun.

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat, GARLIC

Jenn

Garlic, Garlic and more Garlic.....

A simple head of garlic can turn into a gastronomic delight, it's quite simple really all you need is a few heads of garlic, olive oil, salt flakes, fresh ground black pepper and a oven.  Don't worry about smelling of garlic for days, roasted garlic doesn't have that effect.....it's just addictive.  So you have been warned. 
The first thing you need to do is find large garlic heads, farmer's markets right now should be featuring garlic or if you are out my way stop in at Petty Catwater and Bruce will select you some wonderful Outer Siberia or Papal Legate Garlic.  After you select your garlic it's as simple as pumping gas....Preheat your oven to 375, than cut the top of the head, place the garlic in a metal pan, drizzle it with a generous dose of olive oil over the garlic heads and sprinkle with salt flakes and fresh ground pepper.... roast for about 20-30 minutes.  You want the garlic to be brown on the top and sometimes it will look as if it is slightly trying to pop out of the cloves.  Take out of the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes and serve with a toasted baguette.  

Roasted Garlic smeared on a grilled baguette drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with fresh rosemary is absolutely delicious!!

Grow, Harvest, Cook, Eat.....
Jenn

As the dust settles.....

It's like the vapor trails in the sky....the dust trail is faintly hanging in the air on my dirt road in the middle of nowhere....the last car of family members is on their way home.  There is still visible bits and pieces of them around the house.  Roshann's forgotten camping towel, found hanging on the curtain rod in the bathroom....I think Patrik about now is wondering where his tooth brush is....I have it along with his tooth paste....laughing.
My nephew is very thoughtful, for my 50th birthday he bought me a beautiful bouquet of French flowers....they are not only beautiful the fragrance fills the sunroom....it makes me feel like I am in a French flower market.  He said he read my post about the absolutely beautiful flower bouquets sold at our local farmer's market...Thank you again Tegan and Amanda from Edgewood Farm.  Penny the owner of Edgewood Farm does the most amazing things with flowers, herbs, foliage this side of nowhere.  I could gush all day long about it.... the flower gardens are breath taking...I asked her if she would partake a few of her flower arranging tips to me....she gladly said she would love to. 
So today I spent my day cleaning the cottage....remaking beds, cleaning the bathroom, and putting everything away....to me it felt like the final chapter of that really good book.......I can hardly wait for the sequel...."Freak Show with out the tent 2"....rofl

You have only one life LIVE IT
Jenn

Good Afternoon Monday.......

Labour Day Monday... I guess everyone is coming back from were they went this weekend. I had house guests (aka FAMILY), they will have all exited stage left by Tuesday Morning. What a weekend... Family... mothers, grandmothers, sisters, nephews, girlfriends, step-fathers, husbands, uncles, aunts, dogs, cats and even the odd fruit fly was in the mix. Like my fridge magnet says: "The Freak Show without the tent," but who are we without family??? Hmmmmm... well perhaps that question is for another time.

Last night for dinner, it was a create a dish from the left overs in the fridge. Patrik won hands down with his Harvard Beet, Black Olive and Blue Corn Chip Nachos!!! Another budding eccentric culinary genius in the family.

I am finishing up the last of the weekends canning, Delicious Dilly Beans, Diced Tomatoes, six bird stock and Rhubarb Ketchup... Yes, I canned the entire time my family was visiting. We have a few foodies in the crowd, okay my entire family are foodies!!!! My brother's ex-girlfriend once commented: "Every time I have dinner at your families they talk about FOOD....",laughing. Just to show her we don't always talk about food...the next time she came to dinner we had an entire conversation about place mats.