Sweet Corn
Farm fresh eggs
Blueberries
Tomatoes – slicing
Blackberries
Eggplant
Summer squash
Bell pepper and sweet banana pepper
Peaches
Rosemary
Basil

Sweet Corn
Farm fresh eggs
Blueberries
Tomatoes – slicing
Cherry tomatoes
Summer squash
Bell Pepper
Peaches
Cucumber
Red onions
Rosemary and Thyme
Basil

Pomona's Universal Pectin is a lovely product that allows the making of jam or jelly with any amount (even NONE)  of any sweetener you like.  It is available in the Texarkana area at Granary Street health food store, 3425 New Boston Road
Texarkana, TX (903-831-5940), at least I bought some there a while back.

The jam that I made today had:

12 cups of mashed up peaches (plus juice of one lemon)

2 cups of sugar.

The quantity of fruit used the whole box of pectin - this is not a product like SureJell, where you use the whole box at one time - but you could have made three 4cup batches of jam or jelly with  one box of pectin.

For comparison, using low sugar SureJell, the recipe would have been:

12 cups peaches

9 cups sugar.

Just for fun, I looked up the recipe with regular, full sugar SureJell (brace yourself):

12 cups peaches

15 cups sugar.

Now, it is fun to knock sugar, and my jam does taste really fresh because the fruit flavor comes through, but let's look for a minute at the function of sugar in "preserves" - our jams and jellies.  Sugar is a powerful antimicrobial agent in our canned goods, keeping deadly bacteria at bay.  These low sugar jams do not have enough sugar to act as a preservative.   In my opinion they are not suitable for hot pack canning.  That is why I am using this for freezer jam.  Furthermore, they may not have adequate acid for safe water bath canning.  Please refer to  your local county home economist or some "real" recipe, as in the packaging of your pectin, to insure safety.

These jams and jellies will not keep in the fridge for an eternity like your jar of smucker's grape jelly, either.  They need to be eaten up within a week of thawing or opening the jar - no problem!  On toast, on biscuits, stirred into yogurt, warmed and poured over ice cream - you will find a way.

Another function of sugar in jellying and jamming is to hold color and brighten flavor.  Over time, low sugar preserves may darken.  This is natural and is not an indicator that they are unsafe, but if you show them to your grandma, who used 15 cups of sugar in her brilliant, bright jam, she probably won't be too impressed by your dull orange peach jam.  That's ok, we know why it isn't technicolor.   And while jams with no sweetener are possible, adding  just a little does improve the flavor - for an all fruit jam, use apple juice concentrate as the sweetener.  In fact, we all think another cup of sugar would have intensified the flavor of our peach jam a little, so next time I will probably adjust the quantity.

So, here is the jam.  My big revolutionary idea was to pack it for the freezer in pint size freezer bags instead of jars.  I run short on jars, and I plan to just squeeze it out of the bags into a clean jar to put in the fridge when I want to eat it.  The bags fit better in the freezer and I don't have to worry about breakage.  I think it will work!

If anyone on my Sunshine for Dinner subscription wants a 1/2 bushel of peaches, call me, 870-653-3062.  I can bring it to you for $30.00.

The first delivery of the season!  It feels good to be handing over bags of goodies again - everyone is smiling.

Fresh Garlic
Farm fresh eggs
Blackberries
Cucumber
Summer squash – straightneck yellow, green zucchini and ’Gold Rush’ zucchini
Bell Pepper
Peaches – cling type
Sweet Corn ‘G-90’
Rosemary and Thyme
Basil
Potatoes ‘Red La Sota”

This week we have a recipe from Jameson’s Orchard in Nashville, AR, where our peaches were grown.  I ate one of these muffins at the market on Saturday, and it was delicious!

Peach Muffins

3 c unbleached flour
1 1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
2 c sugar
Pinch of nutmeg
4 eggs, well beaten, or substitute 1 c sourdough starter
1 c oil
1 t vanilla
Optional seasonings:  1/2 t ginger, 1/2 t almond extract, or 1/2 t cinnamon
2 1/2 c diced fresh peaches or WELL DRAINED canned peaches, diced

Mix the dry ingredients and make a well in the middle.  Gently stir in the egg, oil and seasoning.  Fold in the peaches.  Spoon 1/3 c batter into lined muffin pans, makes 24 muffins.  Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. For peach bread, pour batter into two generously greased bread pans and bake for 1 hour at 350 F.

Slicing Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes ’Black Cherry’

Eggplant

Apples 'Golden Delicious'

Rosemary

Sweet Basil

Baby Onions

Garlic

Potatoes

Bell peppers

Cucumber ‘Burpless’

Farm fresh eggs

Slicing Tomatoes

Salad tomatoes – assorted, including ’Black Cherry’, ‘Sun Gold’, ‘Be My Baby’, and romas

Eggplant

Lemon Grass

Rosemary and Sweet Basil

Cabbage

Garlic

Potatoes ‘Kennebec’

Bell peppers

Cucumber ‘Burpless’

Farm fresh eggs

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is an ingredient in Thai and other Asian cooking.  Lemongrass often flavors fish and chicken dishes and soups.
Lately there have been a few vendors at the farmer’s markets selling Asian ingredients – they are providing much needed diversity in the Texarkana food supply.
Here are some tips for using lemongrass from my online research.  I will be trying this new seasoning along with all of you.
The useful part is the thick white end of the stalk.  The rest of the stalk and leaves can be tied in a bundle and added to soups as seasoning or simply discarded.
The thick stalk can either be crushed and added whole for seasoning or minced and pureed and added as an ingredient to the dish.
To crush, split the stalk lengthwise and press with the flat of a knife or any hard surface, such as the bottom of a heavy glass.  You will smell the fragrance being released.  Add the whole crushed stalk to the dish as it is cooking, and remove it before serving, as you would a bay leaf..
To puree, cut the stalk into thin slices using a sharp knife, then puree in a food processor or pound with a mortar and pestle.  Then add the resulting paste to your dish and allow at least 10 minutes cooking time to soften the lemongrass fibers.
Look at thaifood.about.com for recipes or google “lemongrass” and a lot of recipes come up.
Have fun and enjoy!

Slicing Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes – assorted, including ‘Sun Gold’, ’Black Cherry’, ’Gold Nugget’, ‘Ruby Gold’, ‘Be My Baby’, red cherries and romas

Cantaloupe

Rosemary and Sweet Basil

Cabbage

Garlic

Potatoes ‘Yukon Gold’

Bell peppers

Farm fresh eggs

Baby onions

Slicing Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes – ‘Sun Gold’ and ‘Black Cherry’

Summer squash

Peaches ‘Loring’ and ‘Red Globe’

Rosemary ‘Tuscany’ and sweet basil

Cucumber ‘Burpless’

Garlic

Farm fresh eggs

Potatoes

Bell peppers

Green onions

Tomatoes
Blackberries
Peaches ‘Harken’
Potatoes
Rosemary ‘Tuscany’
Garlic
Farm fresh eggs
Sweet Corn ‘G-90’
Green Beans ‘Kentucky Wonder’
OR
Sweet peppers – Bell and banana

If you did not get green beans this time, I will give you some next time – if they are still producing well.

I only have one row of green beans, and I had not intended them for the veggie deliveries, only for my personal use.  But they are growing so prolifically that I thought I would share!  However, they are hard to pick, and I can only get enough at a time for half of the delivery list.

I am hoping this works out!  Next year I will plant more rows if I can come up with the trellising.

Slicing Tomatoes and ‘Sun Gold’ Cherry tomatoes

Blackberries
Summer squash
Rosemary ‘Tuscany’ and basil
Cucumber
Garlic
Farm fresh eggs
Sweet Corn
Sweet and mild peppers – Bell, banana, and poblano
Baby red onions

It is that time of year, tomato season, and that means it is time for the annual reissue of the
Sunshine Tomato Salad recipe!
Here it is:

For a platter salad, use slicing tomatoes and cut very thin.  Lay in a single layer, and top with a drizzle of olive oil, salt to taste, finely minced garlic and fresh basil.  Serve either chilled or room temp.

For a layered salad in a pretty clear glass container, do the same but stack the tomatoes with each layer dressed with the seasonings.

To use cherry tomatoes, just cut each one in half and dress with the seasonings.  Serve as a side dish.

Leftovers (if there are any!) are wonderful on a sandwich.

If you lack fresh basil, just leave it out – the salad will still be delicious.  Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to replace with dried basil!

About ‘Sun Gold’ tomatoes – these are an orange or gold color when ripe.  They are the variety that is all the rage this year, and I think they are a winner.

I packed them in clamshell to prevent crushing in the bag, but they need ventilation, so open the shell as soon a possible.  Conventional wisdom is to store tomatoes at room temp and not in the fridge, and I find that this is true.  But these sugary little cherry tomatoes need to be eaten up rather promptly.