Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 7 Sept, 2011. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.
In the garden
The WSU Master Gardeners say that this is the time to plant winter cabbage, choi, and mustard, as well as all that harvesting. Water trees and shrubs less to harden them off, and keep your flowers picked (or at least dead-headed).
In the kitchen
Since we're in full harvest season (i.e. somewhere between the end of apricots and the beginning of winter squash), how about another round of preserving recipes? There's already some information in the Market recipe pages, including such classic recipes as dilly beans, kale chips, and two kinds of green tomato relish, but if a little's good, more must be better, right?
Sweet onion and fennel relish (What can I say? I like fennel--ed.)
8 oz. sweet onion, sliced into thin half-circles
10 oz. fennel, sliced into thin half-circles
1 swet red pepper in thin strips
2.5 tsp. pickling salt, divided
1.5 c white wine vinegar
0.5 c water
0.25 c sugar
2 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
Place onion, fennel, and red pepper in a non-reactive bowl and sprinkle with 2 tsp. salt. Toss and let stand 4 hours. Rinse well and drain thoroughly. Bring vinegar, water, sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt to a boil in a large non-reactive saucepan; add vegetables and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Pack vegetables into hot jars and cover with cooking liquid, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Distribute bay leaves and peppercorns among jars. Process 10 min. for half pints, 15 min. for pints.
Peach mint salsa
2 c peaches, peeled and chopped (about 4)
0.25 c finely chopped red onion
0.25 c finely chopped sweet green pepper
1 Tbsp. finely chopped jalapeño pepper
2 Tbsp. honey
0.25 tsp. pickling salt
grated rind and juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
Combine all ingredients except mint in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Gently boil, uncovered, 5 min., stirring occasionally. Add mint and cook 1 min. more. Ladle into half-pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process 20 min.
Asian plum sauce
9 purple plums, washed, pitted, and finely chopped (about 1.5 lb./1.75 c)
1.5 c brown sugar
1 c cider vinegar
1.5 tsp. salt
1.5 c onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
0.25 c raisins
2 tsp. soy sauce
0.25 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Bring plums, sugar, vinegar, and salt to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan; boil gently, uncovered, 3 min., stirring occasionally. Add onion, garlic, raisins, soy sauce, and spices; return to a boil. Boil gently 45 min, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened. Ladle into hot half-pint jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace; process 15 min.
All from: The complete book of small-batch preserving : over 300 delicious recipes to use year-round / Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. Firefly Books, c2007.
