With all the mayhem on the east coast right now, this might not be at the top of your list but if you were lucky like we were, you might have a few spare moments to plant some garlic cloves for next year.  I picked up some heads of garlic at the Hudson Farmers Market from some of our favorite growers up there (Scarecrow Farm and Fog and Thistle Farm) and cleared a spot in our rather scrappy looking fall garden.

Break heads apart into cloves for planting. Each clove yields a new head for next spring. This is an excellent task for your littlest gardener!

To plant, dig holes or furrows approximately six inches apart and three inches deep. Place the cloves in the ground with the bottom being where the previous roots where from (and pointy side up!) and then cover with soil and water.  We covered ours with all the fall leaves (gotta make use of them) or you can use a commercial mulch if you like.  

That’s it!  Now wait patiently and don’t forget to sauté’ your scapes in the spring.

I’ve been off my postings.  Life got away from me and one of those distractions was a wedding we hosted at our house upstate for the Miller’s youngest brother.  It was a lovely affair and I thought some of you might find a bit of inspiration (for those of you who actually get married!).  It was a very homespun affair, all produce and hors d’oeuvres were made from the local Hudson Farmers Market including the breads and cheeses. The most magical part was the band whom I am forever indebted to for creating such a special ambiance. The Bad Penny Pleasuremakers can be found here on their FB page, if you live in New Orleans, please check them out!

The Bad Penny Pleasuremakers on our makeshift stage.

Guests having pre wedding cocktails.

Imogen enjoying all the benefits of being flower girl with her best bud Finn.

Our beautiful barn that housed the dinner.

Imogen and Finn’s lemonade stand during the cocktail hour (I swear they didn’t drink it all themselves!)

The bouquet which consisted of dahlias, zinnias and millet.

The cupcakes were brought up from the Cupcake Cafe in NYC.  I couldn’t resist how they would match the flowers to the bouquet.

And finally, the bride and groom in all their glory. Congratulations Tom and Emily!

Imogen and I had a little washi tape decorating moment in her room upstate and since tape is one of her obsessions of the moment, I think it went rather well……..

Orange sherbet reminds me of my childhood.  Actually, it reminds me of eating “pushups” after school on a hot day.  So when the weather finally turned to summer I decided it was time to make a big girl version of my old favorite.  I found this recipe from Alton Brown which was both simple and delicious.  Insanely refreshing on a hot day……just made a few tweaks for my taste.

Orange Sherbet 

5 ounces sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 cups freshly squeezed Orange Juice ( I used tangerine juice because its a got a bit more bit)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups very cold whole milk

In a bow of a food processor combine all of the ingredients except the milk and process untill the sugar is dissolved, approximately 1 minute.  Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk in the milk.  Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator until the mixture reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 1 hour.  I garnished mine with peach colored nasturtiums from the garden.

Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process until it is the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  Serve now or transfer to a lidded container and place in freezer until firm, approximately 3 hours.

In preparation for a hot weekend to come (90+ degrees!) I made a batch of what might be called an “Arnold Palmer”.  I used fresh mint leaves to make the tea and then added fresh squeezed lemons (aka lemonade).  I must say I did have to add some sugar (though I’m not normally a “sweet tea” kind of gal despite my southern roots) to sweeten the deal……..

Fresh Mint Tea with Lemonade (aka an Arnold Palmer)

Pour boiling hot water (lets say roughly 4 cups) onto fistful of mint leaves.  I also threw in a few thai mint basil leaves to make it interesting.  

Allow the leaves to steep in the water for about 20 min or more.  This is a good time to add sugar so that it dissolves easily- start with 4 tablespoons, you can always add more.  

Meanwhile squeeze 8-10 lemons (discard seeds) and wait for tea to cool a bit. 

Add a cup or two of ice cubes to water and cool it down.  Then add the fresh squeezed lemon juice to the tea and you may be inclined to water it down a bit more depending on your mint.  I find I add a cup or two of cold water so that it’s not too intense.  Finally add some thinly slice lemons and some  fresh mint leaves and if you have - I also tossed in some of the thai basil and its flowers to the mix for a touch of garnish.  

Very cool!

We have loads of black cap bushes all over our land upstate that run wild and we pick some for snacking every summer.  This year I managed to pick enough to can AND Imogen didn’t eat them all (although she tried).  I just found out they are a heritage fruit and difficult to find- at least in some parts.  At any rate, I managed to capture the flavor of these and this recipe worked like a charm and you make your own pectin simply by adding grated green apple to it.  The perfect consistency and not too sweet.  Oh and I used washi tape to make the labels which was easy and fun!

Berry Jam (from All About Canning & Preserving by Joy of Cooking)

Makes about five 1/2 pint jars

Peel, core and finely grate:

8 oz tart green apples

Mix with:

2 lbs black caps (or any other berry you like)

1 tblsp  OJ

3 cups sugar

Cook, crushing one-quarter of the berries in the pan (but do not crush raspberries).  Boil rapidly, stirring frequently, to the jelling point.  Remove from the heat and skim off any foam before ladling into hot jars.  Leave 1/4” headspace and process for 10 minutes.

Easy Peasy!

I know it’s a bit boring perhaps but I (and Imogen) love banana bread.  It serves as a quick breakfast or snack and it makes me feel better about not having to throw away more spotty bananas that no one got to.  I believe this recipe was originally from “The Silver Palette Cookbook” but not entirely sure as it’s been written on a scrap of paper and sitting inside my copy of “Fanny Farmer” for probably 15 years.  I’ve made a few changes to the original recipe, adding whole wheat pastry flour in lieu of white and if memory serves me (and it doesn’t always) I took out some sugar.  I’ve also added chopped dates and pecans for texture and crunch………enjoy!

The Recipe (yay, no longer waiting to be lost amongst my scraps!)

Whisk together dry ingredients:

1 and 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Cream together:

5 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 cup of sugar

Add

2 large eggs, one at a time and beat till mixed before adding next one.

3 spotty bananas (the darker the better!)

Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed till combined.

After all is blended in mixer add 1/2 cup of pecans and 5 large chopped dates.

Bake at 350 degrees. Timing  depends on vessel. If baking in a bread tin then 45-50 minutes. If baking in a 8” square pan then its more like 25 minutes.

A cure all from Madeline’s Rescue. We harvested this chamomile from the garden this weekend.  I cut it back in hopes of getting another round.