Tag Archives: homemade

Farm Fermentations: squash, beet and seaweed

February 8, 2016 squash and awe Leave a comment

I began fermenting back in July as a means of finding even more uses for the vegetables that I grow. In the past six months, I have continued to explore ways that fermentation can be good for me, my farm, other farmers, and the entire community. It continues to be a journey of discovering new things with each new ferment.

This past week I decided to continue to work with other farmers and their abundance. It turns out that my quarts of fermented produce have become a wonderful item to barter with. Squash is the core of all I do, so squash is also the core foundation of my fermentation. I have experimented with two varieties of winter squash, one variety of summer squash from my fellow farmer Lark, and pipinola. Pipinola is what I consider a cousin of squash. We have a unique name for it here in Hawaii, but it is more commonly known as chayote.

I have previously sung the wonders of pipinola on my webpage, but I would like to add that it is a good source of vitamin C. Raw chayote it crunchy, and crisp, which are two great things for fermentation. It is also quite neutral in flavor and color, making it my fill in for cabbage. It also releases water quite easily when salt is added.

I began my pipinola growing with green skinned heavily wrinkled fruits. I found a variation that I liked which was a smoother, softer skinned fruit. I selected these traits and gradually replanted the fruits that displayed this smooth skin. Like any variation there are upsides and downsides. The smoother, softer skin, makes the skin easily used in the kitchen instead of the tougher skinned ones. The downside, is that they are much more susceptible to damage through bruising and nicks. Pipinola/chayote is grown by replanting the fruits, and the one large seed within will germinate with a dynamic vine.

One you have your fermentation base vegetables, it is great to explore how new combinations can change it all up. So this week, I investigated how other farm goods can be brought into the mix. I have always loved root vegetables which are not easy to grow where I am farming. Beets have come into season again here in Hawaii, so it was time to revisit the Bonk family and get my hands on some beets. Marlene was happy to take a quart of pumpkin/carrot/pipinola kraut, while I was excited to fill my bag with beets.

With each new vegetable, I create a series of ferments that are linked by that one new flavor. If we were talking fashion design, my ferments would be a collection, so I will refer to them as such. In the beet collection, I decided to marry the sweet with the heat of ghost peppers in another, as featured above, I threw it all in.

Each of us will like different combinations of vegetables, and as is the case with fermentation, you may like some fermented vegetables, that you do not like unfermented. Fermentation transforms, melds, marries flavors into a complex profile. So with the new addition of beets, we can look at how they shape the ferment in terms of nutrition, flavor, and color. There is also the need to consider what is the limit of how much beet we can handle? When is it enough? Experiment so to know the limitations of your ferments. I love seaweed, known here as limu, but there is a point where enough is enough. To much limu can make the ferment very salty, and very intense in minerals. It can pack a punch and “kinda levels” those not used to it. I feel like beet could go the same route, in being an overpowering vegetable, where you need to understand how to use it as an accent, in a combination of flavors, and as a main flavor. As is the story of fermentation, time will tell. Longer fermentation time may make it mellow…or not.

Above, locally sourced Ogo seaweed is busy making my ferments both intense and complex.

Repurposing found objects is also a great way to begin in fermenting. I chose to repurpose a 4 qt crock pot crock and found a lid that would work with it. Most of my ferments are done in one quart jars, but I decided to try a larger quantity of the “kitchen sink” ferment. Quart jars were used for smaller volume experiments.

I’ll be keeping you posted on how the new farm ferment collection turns out, but until then, think in terms of abundance in your garden, your cellar, your farmers market, and region. Abundance is a luxury as long as you do not allow it to overwhelm you. Too much of a good thing can be stressful, and putting up a bushel of vegetables on your own, is quite a task. I can honestly tell you that it does get easier to work your way through a volume of produce. I think starting with what would roughly fit in a grocery bag is a good place to start. So give it a try…and good luck!

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Tropical Raw Energy Bars With Pumpkin Seeds

January 9, 2016 squash and awe Leave a comment

I am a chronic meal skipper, so at the start of every new year, my promises to myself are always about food. I try to challenge myself to prepare ahead of time, and then have healthy grab and go items. Eating homegrown is so satisfying, and it can be an important way to retrain yourself into new ways of eating things from your garden. But even knowing that, prepping takes time. So I have created strategies to have healthy options at the ready.

One of my success stories is a no bake bar that is comprised of raw foods. This recipe uses two farm ingredients, banana and pumpkin seeds. I am drying macadamia nuts right now, and in the future, those would make a lovely addition.

I use a mix of ingredients to combine into a snack bar full of energy providing nutrients. In general terms, the additions are of two main categories: ingredients that will make things stick, and ingredients that need to be stuck together. Prep time under 10 minutes plus refrigeration.

“sticky ingredients” can be:

coconut milk, almond milk, nut or seed butters, ripe banana

“things to stick ingredients” can be:

Oat bran, ground flax seed (these two or similar ones will create the body of the bar) dairy free or regular chocolate chips, seeds like chia, hemp, sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds, coconut flakes…

I then use carob or cocoa powder to flavor the lot.

Here is roughly my process:

Every time is different, but today, I put some pumpkin seeds through the grinder (or if using the food processor, I put them in whole), add in some sunflower kernels, chia/flax/hemp seeds, some coconut flakes (the big ones) some nuts, dairy free or regular chocolate chips, coconut milk, granola, almond milk, carob powder or cocoa powder. Added flax seed bran, and oat bran, and added bran until it was a good consistency to press into a pan.

I just put in what I have. I add only enough of the milks to smoosh it all together. I think the addition of a glob of almond butter and ripe smooshed banana makes the bars rich and satisfying. I then just press it into a square pan, and top with more coconut, pressing the coconut into the top of the bars.

I have always mixed this in a large bowl, but today I made it in a food processor since I had it out and ready to go. I find that it is easy to use the back of a large spoon to press it all into the pan before topping with more coconut.

I then I cover the pan, and pop it into the fridge, and I will cut them into squares after a couple hours. I keep them in the fridge, and then put a couple in a travel container to carry with me. I keep key ingredients on hand so this takes just a few minutes. It could be served as a healthy desert too!

I should be making these every week….now there is a New Year’s resolution I can stick with!

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The Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake Trials

December 2, 2015 squash and awe 2 Comments

As a pumpkin grower, and a great lover of food, many expect me to make lots and lots of pumpkin pie and soup, but three years on, and I have yet to make either. I cook with pumpkin every single week of the year, but I have yet to make some of the most traditional preparations. I make all kinds of savory dishes, and once an a while something sweet. So it was at Thanksgiving three years ago that I first made a Pumpkin Toffee Cheesecake. This year, I returned to that beloved, yet rarely made delight.

It was really a treat, and I cannot explain why it has taken me so long to return to it. I am making up for lost time though, with four cheesecakes having been made in two weeks time. I do realize that not everyone likes either pumpkin pie or cheesecake, so combining them may not be everyone’s choice. I was so pleasantly surprised that I encourage you to give it a try. I have toned down the sugar, and upped the pumpkin to suit my taste.

First off, I am not a big dessert person. I would always take a second helping of the main course over dessert, but during the holiday season, it seems to be my time for desserts. I love to share them with one and all. I have combed through dozens of recipes online and each time I look, they seem more and more glamorous. They look absolutely wonderful with caramel sauce zigzagging back and forth, but I have never done that. It is a sugar issue for me. Here is a caramel topped one. that looks very special for any event where it will be on display.

I stuck with a rather modest “everyday” cheesecake. The first year, I mixed toffee pieces throughout the cheesecake, and this year, I put them on top.

Here is how I adapted the online recipes:

I stuck with a pretty simple cheesecake preparation that began with roasting a pan of chopped squash without any water, so to dry out the pumpkin a bit. Then I added the lot of baked pumpkin pieces to the food processor to puree. I got the oven ready at 350. I used pre-made graham cracker or shortbread crusts. Pre-made crusts often make sense here in Hawaii, where the cost of the shortbreads is much higher than the crusts. I add in the ingredients to the food processor, and let each one get mixed in well. I watched many chefs walk away and leave the food processor churning away, so I did the same, cutting the work time down considerably. This year, I also used evaporated milk instead of half and half or cream.

With it all churning away, I pulled two small cookie sheets so that each cheesecake would have space in case it needed to bubble over (which none of them did) but it also makes it easier to handle the lot. I turned the oven off after 45 minutes, and let them continue to set for another 20 minutes. I made a simple icing out of sour cream, some sugar and vanilla, drastically reducing the amount of sugar. I figured there would be enough sugar in the toffee pieces that I put on top. The icing was a nice finish, but it isn’t necessary. I enjoy the simplicity of one made without the additional cream.

With the food processor filled to the very top, it allowed me to fill two crusts, giving them a little shake to even the cheesecake batter in the pans. I needed to rush one of them, so I put it in the freezer to set prior to dinner. It all worked quite well. This is a forgiving dish, with many unique variations to try. I hope to keep experimenting with this. A farmer friend of recommended his goat cheese, which I will try at a later date. I also thought about a macadamia nut crust just for a bit more texture.

So go ahead and see what you come up with. May you be inspired!

Hawaii, recipes, Zero waste

Fermenting My Way Through Summer: Pipinola/Chayote

July 30, 2015 squash and awe 1 Comment

For those growing in Hawaii, we know Pipinola, also known as Chayote, but we may not know what to do with it. This squash relative is a big climber, which can be a blessing, or not so much, depending on where it is growing. Edible from the chestnut like seed, to the fruit, leaves, and even the tasty stem tips too. Like all squash, every single bit of it is useful, and edible. Even the pig adores them, as she crunches them like apples. They do not have a great deal of nutrients, nor do they have a lot of flavor, which brought me to ask, “what do I do with a bushel of them?” When conditions are right, they will produce a lot at once.My method is to harvest, and follow by pruning the vines heavily twice a year. The green material is perfect for adding to your compost, the lush vines help to conserve garden moisture, and they make for a very useful pig food/bedding making for what I call Hannah’s edible bed. The vines will soon produce more than you know what to do with, or at least that is how it was, but now this changes everything.

As I was sorting through vine and pipinola fruit, separating the split sprouting fruits out so to replant, or fed to the pig. The small medium and even larger ones seemed to have untapped potential. An idea popped into my head: could this be fermented? I kicked off the rubber boots and looked it up online. In the Americas, expats often use them for kraut. There were several references to how they are available in Mexico, Central, and South America, by the bag or bushel. Elisa Fusi charmed my idea with this wonderful blog post about her organic farming and cooking while visiting Panama. More and more recipes turned up as I sat by the computer. I was growing excited, and needed to begin. I keep couple cases of jars on hand at all times, because, you just never know when a storm is going to hit and you need to put up a bushel of something.

The recipes varied primarily in the way they let the fermentation take place. Some used jars with lids, some used crocks, one used a bowl covered in plastic wrap. I decided to use the jars, since my counter space is limited, and having them ferment in the jars seemed one step closer to being completed.

Each recipe called for a slightly different amount of salt as well. So here is how I did it:

Washed down counter, cutting board, and selected a knife.

Pulled a box of kosher salt and a large glass bowl out of the cabinet.

Washed jars, and set them aside with new lids

I pulled out the ol’ trusty thrift store Cuisinart, and selected the shred blade, feed tube pusher, and the tool that slides into the shred blade and fits it to the machine. I made a nice work area with several clean dish towels up and out of the way.

I washed and sorted the pipinola/chayote, then quartered or halved them to fit in the food processor feed tube. I left them clean and in two colanders so to keep them close at hand. There is no need to dry them.

Next, I rifled through the spice drawer looking for underutilized, but fresh spices. Several recipes called for caraway seed, which I use in my Irish Beer Bread. I am sitting on a goldmine of fennel seed and lemon grass too. I pulled some garlic too.

Then I started shredding until I filled the whole container. Then emptied it into the glass bowl. I added about 4 teaspoons of salt, to over a quart of shredded squash, a dash of caraway seed, and minced two garlic cloves. I massaged it all together for about 5 minutes. In that time, the pipinola begins to foam and release liquid. I then loaded the soon to be kraut into jars, leaving an inch of room at the top, and pressing the mixture down firmly. Liquid should cover the kraut. The lid is screwed on, and they were placed one after the next onto a shelf out of the sun.

I could have walked away at that point, but instead, I kept going. I had just bought fresh seaweed, and the orange Habanero were producing, and I cannot make anything without pumpkin, I was skidding into a creative buzz. So I kept going, and trying all kinds of made up combinations. I treated each in the same manner, of packing the solids down, and having enough brine to cover them. I backed off on the salt when adding salt-laden seaweed, I pumped up the garlic and chilis to make a sort of “Squash-chi” kraut kimchi combo.

Each day has begun with my taking five minutes to open them all, release any air pressure that built up, and then smoosh down the solid material so to keep it pressed together, and below the brine line. We are now at day 4, and I have already eaten a pint through my daily sampling, so do make plenty. I have just gifted jar today, and I am sure there will be some requests for trades.

I made a trade today, exchanging my pumpkin for zucchini, I thought that that may be nice to use as well. I picked up some Hawaii grown Sweet onions too. So the day is filled with promise for fermentation, since I still have most of the bushel of Chayote still to go. Overall, it was easy, fun, and I felt like it made a great product out of a rather extraordinary harvest.