Home Farm Herbery

Do you every feel that you are busier than a one armed paper hanging?  This time of year I feel that way and it is not because of the holiday season. 

It is because the plants that we allowed to go to seed.  The seeds are now dried from not only them, but also the ones we retracted from heirloom tomatoes, peppers, melons and more.

Now all those little seeds are being put into envelopes to save for next years plantings. However, it was a good year and we got some to share with anyone who is interested in buying the extras. 

Some we have maybe only one or two packages for sale and others we have more. So within the next week we will be putting them up on our waiting listing and hopefully the Local Harvest webmaster will get to them and make them live.

I finally stopped working like crazy and took time to go to my art studio and create a new drawing and I would like to share it with you..It is called A Brooklyn Memory.  May the Creative Force be with You, Arlene

At Home Farm Herbery the time has been flying with all the chores around here.

We have gotten the new vegetable beds ready for next year and the new herb beds built.  All the new Hydro trays finally arrived along with next years seeds, plant markers and all the other things that went into the green house.

We got the fennel out and dried plus all the other drying, dehydrating and other things that go on around here.

My local artisan bread base is growing and that means Tues and Fridays are extra busy.

We had 4 or 5 days of steady rain that did glorious things for our big garlic beds and then the sun came out just long enough for us to cover them up with straw mulching before the temperature dropped to 26 degrees that night.

We had a great family Thanksgiving dinner during all this with Jennifer and Nate driving in from Wyoming and Linda coming over from Glasgow, even George decided not to go to Florida and joined us.  Glynis cooked up the most moist turkey I have ever tasted and whatever she did to the corn made everyone comment on it.  We brought some of our own homemade mince meat pies and pumpkin pies also and there were other great pie contributions.

Needless to say the wine flowed like wine!

I burned up another blender brewing up my liquid gold compost juice. The sparks were sure flying.

I have been busy making Christmas cookies as gifts for all our bread customers and tomorrow I will make many pans of homemade fudge for the girls at our favorite local bank and the gang at our local post office.

Our new scale arrived to replace the 2 month old one we just purchased. That one was touted as a great herb scale and the only thing I can say for it was the description contained a lot of creative writing.  I think this new one will make life easier around here.

We are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and sane Happy New Year.

May the Creative Force be with you

Arlene Wright-Correll

How to make Pumpkin and Carrot Powder©

By Arlene Wright- Correll

If you own a dehydrator it is not very hard to make your own pumpkin powder which is used to add flavor and nutrients to many dishes, such as pancakes or instant pumpkin puree for pies and other dishes simply by adding water.I like the fact that by making my own pumpkin powder, I can use my own fresh ingredients year round and save money.

It is moderately easy to make pumpkin powder and you must use a pumpkin that is in ideal harvesting condition in order to have flavorful powder.

Once you have chosen your pumpkin you must wash and dry the outside of a pumpkin. You can use a large pumpkin or several smaller pumpkins when you want a large batch of pumpkin powder.I like using the pie pumpkins and I avoid using the Jack-O-lantern pumpkins or decorative pumpkins even though you can.I suggest Sugar Pie pumpkins; red Kuri, Pink Banana and Cinderella pumpkins just to name a few.

Now cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and set them aside and then cut out the stem and blossom end and cut the pumpkin into narrow pieces that are 2 inches long.

Next I steam the pumpkin slices by setting them on a steaming tray over simmering water and I cook them with a lid on until they start to soften. I stop the cooking and let them cool enough so I can easily handle them.

The next step is to set the slices on my dehydrator tray. If you do not have a dehydrator you can place the pumpkin on a cookie sheet the oven with the heat set at "low" or "warm." and dehydrate until all the moisture has been removed. Since this takes several hours it will tie up your oven depending on how much pumpkin you have so I recommend a dehydrator. A good dehydrator is fairly inexpensive and usually costs $25.00 to $35.00 and can be found on such places as Amazon. If you are using your oven you need to check the pumpkin periodically.Using a dehydrator just set the timer to the desired time as per your instruction book.A dehydrator pays for itself in no time and I personally feel that as the economy and the world changes having a dehydrator is a great investment in learning how to survive hard times.

Once the pumpkin is totally dehydrated you must grind the dried pumpkin into a powder using a food processor.I know one gal who uses a coffee grinder and when I was in Mexico I saw a woman using a mortar and pestle which took a lot of muscle and hard work.

Once your pumpkin is ground store the powder in a jar or container with a tight seal and keeps it in a cool dry location.

To reconstitute pumpkin powder use 1 part powder to 2.5 parts water.

You can do the same thing with most vegetables and I like to do carrots the same way.I like to make sure my carrots are not woody.I remove stalks and tips and then wash carrots, scrape off the skins and then slice to about 56 mm thick using stainless steel knife.

Next I blanch the slices for 3 minutes in hot water containing 1.5 ounces of salt per gallon. Then cool immediately in running water. I have never had to worry about the carrots browning, but if you wanted to prevent browning and discoloration you can dip them in 0.1 percent sodium erythorbate.

Now I spread the carrots evenly on my dehydrator trays. I have a friend who dries her carrots in her solar dryer and another who uses her oven at temperature of 150º F. Dry until the temperature is down to 6%. Cool and then pulverize in a blender or electric grinder.

I use carrot powder by adding to flour mixes when I make carrot cake or add to stews or soups when I want a carrot flavored base thickening.You can reconstitute carrot powder using 1 part carrot powder with 4 parts water.

Powders are an easy way to have emergency rations, take up less space and for me reduce space in my freezer or eliminate canning while preserving more of the flavor.

I like the fact that dehydration goes on without taking up all my time and it allows me to do a lot of other things while my dehydrator is doing its thing.

Recently three of our local farmers have brought Kentucky Proud eggplant to the Hart County Farmers Market to sell. These wre all locally grown, beautiful purple skinned vegetables with green stems and they catch everyone’s eye.

However, none of the sellers really know how to cook them and practically all of the buyers have never cooked them and ask how does one prepare them? Some people just fry them up as they would prepare fried green tomatoes. Some people make roasted eggplant soup out of them. Eggplant can be cooked in a variety of ways and most eggplants are used in ethnic recipes.

Eggplants, long prized for its deeply purple, glossy beauty as well as its unique taste and texture, are now available at our Hart County Farmers Market, but they are at their very best from August through October when they are in season. Eggplant by itself is low in calories and it contains a lot of antioxidants while being an excellent source of digestion-supportive dietary fiber and bone-building manganese. It is very good source of enzyme-catalyzing molybdenum and heart-healthy potassium and a good source of bone-building vitamin K, magnesium as well as heart-healthy copper, vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, and niacin.

It contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid and also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid.

Eggplants belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. While the different varieties do range slightly in taste and texture, one can generally describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture. Here are a couple of my recipes.

Cheese Filled Eggplant with Tomato Pepper Sauce is a great way to prepare them. Just remember to use small eggplants and make sure your slices are cut thin. Eggplant slices are broiled then rolled up with a ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese filling. Feel free to use your favorite fresh tomato sauce or a purchased sauce in place of the tomato and roasted red pepper sauce.

Another favorite is Eggplant Parmesan and besides needing 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced you will need 2 eggs, beaten, 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs, 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided, 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil. Next preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

One can even freeze eggplant. Just wash and peel; slice, dice or cut in strips, depending on how you plan to use it. There's no need to peel very young eggplant. Steam to blanch. Steam 2 minutes for diced eggplant and thin slices and up to 5 minutes for thick slices. Have a cold water/lemon juice mixture ready (1 teaspoon lemon juice to each quart of water). Chill eggplants in the cold water-lemon juice mixture; drain and pat dry and pack leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. 2 medium eggplants = approximately 2 pint frozen. The next time you are at the Hart County Farmers Market feel free to purchase some delicious and healthy Kentucky Proud eggplant and go home and experiment with them.

May the Creative Force be With You...

Arlene Wright-Correll

How to Make Good Healthy Chemical-Free Sausage©

For those of us who love good sausage or all kinds of sausage we take it for granted.It just seems to be there.However, when one enters the world of sausage do we stop and think of the chemicals that may be there or the conditions in which they are made. Do we really stop and think about what we eat?

Making sausage today, in this busy world we live in seems like a lot of work.But it need not be.

Basically it just takes a meat grinder and usually one can find them in yard sales, on eBay or many other sites for a nominal fee of $15.00 or less.The Romans used a basic hand funnel to push the processed meat through and into the casings.Of course one may want to invest in a 3 pound “pump handle” push stuffer which can be purchased for under $50.00.Or you can simply make your finished product into patties.

Sausage can be frozen, smoked, dried or used fresh.It can be made by anyone and it is a great way to preserve meat.Sausage has been made for over 2000 years!

When it comes to meat most sausage lovers will say sausages have to be made with pork.However, here at Home Farm Herbery where we grow, dry and create some really great sausage seasonings we feel it is o.k. to create sausage using beef, goat, venison, moose, lamb, turkey or chicken.Just remember that whatever you use must be 80% meat and 20% fat or the sausage will crumble and taste like cardboard.Also feel free to use the cheaper cuts which work just as well.

For those who want the traditional link sausage you will need casings and don’t scrimp on buying them or you will be patching up ruptures all day long.We avoid fibrous or collagen casing and we urge you to buy genuine sheep or hog casing which either come “hanked” looking like a large skein or yarn or the “tubed” kind which come either dry-packed in salt or wet packed.We prefer the dry-packed casings which seem to be the easiest to use.

We also recommend a good sharp knife to cut your chosen meat up into chunks which can go through your grinder.

We like to mix our sausage in a very large plastic container once the meat and fat are ground and into that we add whatever Home Farm Herbery sausage seasoning we are using on that day.

As a gardener at Home Farm I started a Mediterranean Herb Garden 12 years ago which has grown from a small hobby to a satisfying small business with a mission statement.

Over those 12 years I have created, to date, 22 sausage seasoning blends that each come with a tried and true recipe that will allow you to make from as little as 2.5 pounds of sausage to 7 pounds of sausage.Our culinary blends range from Andouille Sausage, Bratwurst, Breakfast Maple Sausage, Cajun Boudin Blanc Sausage, Chorizo, Country Sausage, English Bangers, Garlic and Pepper Sausage, Habanero Sausage, Hot Chorizo, Hot Italian Sausage, Hungarian Sausage, Irish Sausage, Linguica, Mild Chorizo, Pepperoni, Polish Sausage, Smoked Garlic Cheese Sausage, Summer Sausage, Sun-dried Tomato Sausage to Sweet Italian Sausage.We know none of them have MSG in them.We know many of them are diabetic friendly and we sell our Home Farm Herbery Sausage Seasonings on our website (localharvest.org) where all our net proceeds go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

It is truly satisfying to create not only the blends which are created from our own culinary herbs that are grown here at Home Farm Herbery and which are often mixed with certified organic spices that come from our supplier, but it is truly satisfying to know that everything we put into our sausage is chemical free.We try to buy our meat from certified organic local meat producers or when we use wild game we have it processed by an approved meat processing plant.

I like the fact that I can control everything that goes into the sausage we make for home consumption.I know there are no added chemicals that are used to increase the shelf life. I know the sanitary conditions under which our sausage is made.

Though we sell our Gourmet Culinary Sausage Seasonings, we do not sell our finished sausage product.We just enjoy it for our own table or give it away as very satisfying and welcomed holiday gifts.

So why would anyone one want to take the time to make their own sausage?The main reason for us was we wanted to know what was in it and we knew we could make it cheaper by about half than buying it.However, there are other reasons such as making sausage can become an art and an extremely great and satisfying hobby.It can become a fun family affair and it certainly is a lost art that can be taught to children.Over the years we discovered that our 5 kids enjoyed eating what they created.

If you are looking to try something satisfying and meaningful then try sausage making and give your family a wholesome, healthy treat.

May the Creative Force be with you,

Arlene Wright-Correll

How to Temper Chocolate©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

Chocolate seems like a mystery to most people. A wonderful mystery that simply tastes good, no not good, great!

At Home Farm Herbery I make handmade European Chocolates when the weather is not hot and one of the professional secrets is to temper the chocolate. When chocolate is tempered is has a shiny finish, it is smooth and it has a satisfying snap.

For those who are planning on making dipped chocolates or molded chocolates, tempering the chocolate is a must so that it behaves properly and produces candies that are both tasty and beautiful.

If the chocolate you are using does not come in pieces but is in block or bar form then you will need to chop your chocolate into pieces. Never use chocolate chips as they have an additive that allows them to retain their shape at higher temperatures, and so they will not temper properly.I find it best to use 1 pound of chocolate at a time.

You will need a large pan for boiling water and I use a wok type pan or a skillet that resembles the same thing.You will need a large metal bowl that will fit over that pan comfortably.You will need a candy thermometer, a rubber spatula for stirring (not a wooden spoon or a metal spoon), another bowl with ice water into which you can set the melted chocolate pan.

Step one is to prepare your chocolate and put two thirds of it into your metal bowl.

Step two is to bring your water pan to a boil and then shut off the heat.

Step three is to set your metal bowl containing the chocolate onto the pan of hot water and start stirring.Make sure your chocolate bowl is not sitting in the water.

Using your candy thermometer bring the chocolate to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C) for dark chocolate or 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 C) for milk or white chocolate as you keep stirring until your chocolate is melted.

Once you have reached the correct temperature, remove it from the heat, wipe the bottom of the bowl, and set it on a heat-proof surface.

Step four is to add the remaining chunks of chocolate and stir gently to incorporate. The warm chocolate will melt the chopped chocolate, and the newly added chocolate will bring down the temperature of the warm chocolate.

As you cool the chocolate watch the thermometer until it is just below 84 degrees F (29 C).If you still have some chunks of unmelted chocolate just remove them as they can be cooled, wrapped in plastic wrap, and saved for another use.

Step five is to reheat the chocolate briefly by placing the chocolate bowl over the warm water in the double boiler for 5-10 seconds, remove it and stir, and repeat, until the temperature reaches 88-89 degrees F (31 C), or 87 F (30 C) for milk and white chocolate. Do not leave the chocolate over the hot water, or allow it to exceed 91 degrees or you will have to just discard it.

With these five easy steps you have learned how to temper chocolate and to make sure it has been done properly, do a spot test by spreading a spoonful thinly over an area of waxed paper and allow it to cool. If the chocolate is shiny and smooth, it is properly tempered. If it is dull or streaky, it has not been tempered correctly.

We have been busy here developing new products. One is a Home Farm Herbery Bridal Shower Gift Bag which Contains: Betty Crocker Kitchen Cutting Board, salad tongs, pastry brush, double rubber bowl spatula, set of measuring cups with spoons, peeler, set of 4 wooden spoons, 4 recipe cards, long handled spoon, long handled frying spatula (we reserve the right to change the brand of the utensils due of availability) & the following Home Farm Herbery Herbs
Herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, Oriental Chip seasoning, Barbecue chip seasoning, Dill salt, Bouquet Garni & our Ultimate Seasoning Salt.

This can be seen at our store as soon as someone at Local Harvest goes in and approves this and 4 other products which we have sitting there waiting for pending approval.

Another is Home Farm Herbery Gourmet Artisan Oriental Potato Chip Seasoning and another is Home Farm Herbery Gourmet Barbecue Chip Seasoning.  Both are for any kind of fried or baked home made chips such as potato, radish, pumpkin, sweet potato, yams, zucchini, baby spinach, kale or string bean chips.

We also have created a wonderful dill salt and what we call our Ultimate Seasoning Salt that is good to sprinkle on just about anything.

We do hope you will be soon able to go to our store and see them all as soon as local harvest gets them live.

Arlene

Home Farm Herbery’s Fresh Roma Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

This is a wonderful, light, fast and easy Spaghetti Sauce.

Prep time:10 minutes

Total cooking time: 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• salt to taste and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1tbsp. Home Farm Herbery Italian Seasoning Blend.
• 2 lbs. roma tomatoes, diced and crushed

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion in the oil until translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Simmer gently, uncovered, until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with spoon and stirring occasionally until completely heated. During the last 5 minutes add Home Farm Herbery Italian Seasoning Blend. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately over your favorite cooked pasta.

Enough sauce for 4 to 6 servings.

This freezes well and tastes even better.

You can add pre-cooked Italian sausage or meatballs at any time.

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2579546k5855665o1/42612-arlenes--farmers-market-baking

4/29/12

We did not have any rain last night so the morning was divided between running the sprinklers in various parts of the gardens for intervals of 30 minutes. It is a real pain in the neck since the automatic sprinkler system pipes in the ground froze up a few years back, but it gives me a chance to get all my computer work done during the 2.5 hours it takes to give everything a good drink of water.

I am doing well selling my herb and vegetable plants and baked goods at the Hart County Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays and Friday mornings and each time I am able to send a nice little check off to St. Jude Children’s ResearchHospital.We are all still waiting for the covered pavilion to be finished and we hope to see it by the beginning of June.

Our veggies are starting to look good and I am running around and staking things, plus repotting things in the green house.

Here is what we look like around here this morning and remember just hit the first picture to make it full screen.

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2590054k6464155o1/42912-arlenes-gardens-at-home-farm

4/7/12

It was 40 degrees this morning but a clear sky at 6:30 am and I got the watering started.Gloria came in to work at 8 am and we put in the new azalea beds and got the weed fabric down between the aisles so we could put hay on it.Then she started the weeding in the Cottage Garden and is just about finished with it.By noon it was 70 degrees.

Glynis saved some cantalope seed, but I do not know whether or not it was from heirloom cantalope or just a supermarket one so we have an experimental patch going.

Even though all the photos say 4/6/12 I did not realize today was 4/7/12.In the event you want to watch the slide show click here now and remember you can click on any photo to stop it and then start it again.

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2499171k6099240o1/4712-arlenes-gardens-at-home-farm

4/5/12

It was a great overcast grey sky morning and I was out at 6:30 am weeding, bringing out the about 12 old containers to be filled and then planted with the following varieties of Zinnias: Cactus Flowered Mix, Luminosa Pink, Orange King, Cherry Queen, Polar Bear, Purple Prince, Dahlia Flowered Mix, Lilliput Mix, Zinnia Scabiosa, and Canary Bird.

I love Zinnias and Sun Flowers!

Gloria arrived at 8 am and she and I created a new medium size flower bed and a new small flower bed where I planted Cosmos, Shasta daisy, Cleome and the following varieties of Sunflowers: Vanilla Ice, Santa Fe, Maya, Teddy Bear, Sunspot, Autumn Beauty Mix, Grey Stripe, Velvet Queen, and Lemmon Queen.I also planted some of the sun flowers down by the orchard at the end of the Mediterranean herb beds.

I started a dozen or so seed geraniums in the green house now that I have some room.I have never started geraniums from seed so it is another experiment.’

Gloria also tackled the CottageGarden which is always a mega weed magnet among the perennials.

You can see what they will look like by clicking on this slide show link.

http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2490743k1715157o1/4512-arlenes-gardens-at-home-farm

I planted Glynis’ string bean mix and I set out some Martino’s Roma tomato plants, Emerald Giant peppers plants, Marketmore 76 cucumbers plants, Napoleon Sweet Pepper plants and some Japanese Long Cucumber plants.After I finished the inside work I was able to get back out at 4 pm and work for another couple of hours and planted a lot of flowers and some new herb beds that you can see on the slide show link.http://www.kizoa.com/slideshow/d2481432k4613598o1/4212-arlenes-gardens-at-home-farm

3/18/12

It was a beautiful day today and I had a lot to do on the computer so it was about 10:30 am before I got out to the greenhouse where the thermometer said 110 degrees!I quickly propped open the door and window and gave everything a much needed drink just in the nick of time.

The Stevia is coming up and the cucumbers are really doing their thing and I would put some out but we are still in mid March and who knows whether we will have a frost again.  I guess I will wait another 2 weeks.

I cleaned out some more containers today and I planted some more bulbs. I planted Mixed Single Freesia and De Caen Mixed Anemone and both are mid summer blooming perennials.

Carl put up 6 hanging planter racks for me in various places in the gardens and Ken brought in the last (hopefully) of the top soil.

We had a lovely shower about 1 pm or so and that was nice for the newly planted containers.

The first of the tulips I planted in the old Iris bed are blooming right now.

3/17/12

It was an overcast day today with rain off and on so I started working at 8 am.I finished the last little bit of the wild flower garden after putting in 400 pounds of top soil and the rest of the perennial wildflower seeds.I thinned out the Roma tomatoes, the orange Amana tomatoes and some peppers and have over 40 more pots of plants growing.I started to move planters and birdbaths outside today and by noon I was pooped.