Apple Chutney

another recipe from Moosewood (more or less)

1.5 pounds cooking apples
1 medium clove garlic, minced (optional, in my mind)
1 T chopped ginger root
1/2 cup orange juice (or pear juice, whatever you have around)
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1 t salt
1 c honey (i used way less--maybe 1/4 cup? honey to taste, i guess)
1 c cider vinegar*
cayenne to taste (i didn't use any)

*i had used red wine vinegar the first time and worried that the cider vinegar would be too strong, but it worked nicely. so, either one.

Coarsely chop the apples (unpeeled works just fine). Combine everything in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour.

The Fall Collection

I Heard It ThroughThe Grapevine

Grapes, glorious grapes!

The Vine hard at work

After the harvest

Yea, we stacked the jars and did a photoshoot with the Jesus rays coming through the kitchen window. That's what happens when you can for too long...

John's Peanut Sauce

At first I was nervous about giving away this perfect recipe. But after returning home from Oregon I quickly learned that the perfection lies not only in the quantity, but also the quality of the ingredients (and chef). I couldn't recreate the magic! But, maybe you can:

1 quart H2O
2.5 cups (appx) PB
7 T tamari
2 T red wine vinegar
8-10 cloves garlic (in a press or finely minced)
1 inch? a packed 1/8 cup freshly grated ginger

Heat the water, add PB, stir to completely dissolve. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so depending on the desired consistency, you may want to add more or less PB. Add rest of ingredients, stir well, taste. Salty enough? gingery enough? Adjust to taste.

MMMmillet bars

I'm long overdue to post this recipe!

2 c sucanot
2 c earth balance

1/4 c ground flax
1 T vanilla
1/2 c vanilla soymilk
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoon Energ G egg replacer - whisk with water

5 c oats

4 c wheat flour
1 T cinnamon
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1.5 t salt
1 c millet

1 1/2 c walnuts

Barely mix sucanot and earth balance. Add EnergG + water, flax, vanilla, and soymilk. Add oats.

Combine rest of dry (except walnuts) and add to wet ingredients. Stir/mix to barely incorporate. Mix walnuts in (by hand if you've been blending up to this point).

Bake at 350 just until top is browned! Keep em soft!

The Wheel Turns...

The garden in early July


Corn just getting started--lettuce going to seed

The obligatory close up of a sunflower

Beans just getting started and later flowering

Frost finds the squash plants

General carnage

The corn loses some height

The lone broccoli stands it's ground

With two rows of fall greens to keep it company

Tomato Chutney

Ammini's Thakkali (Tomato) Chutney from Indian Food Rocks (here's the link)

6-8 ripe tomatoes (i used 8 romas)
1/2 t turmeric
2 T veggie oil
1/2 t mustard seed
3 t cumin powder
2 t fenugreek powder (i just used the seeds)
4 t chili power (i wimped out and went with 2-3)
1/2 t asafoetida/hing powder
12-15 curry leaves (i didn't have these)
salt

(and there's a scribbled note-"maybe coriander")

Boil some water. Make a shallow "X" at the stem end of the tomatoes with a knife. Put them in the boiling water for 30 seconds, then into cold water (i had a bowl waiting in the sink and just forked them out of the water). Peel skin and deseed, then chop coarsely and cook in 2 T of water with turmeric and salt. Heat oil in a pan, add spices and cook for a minutes, stirring, then pour over tomatoes, mix in. Simmer uncovered. The tomatoes will probably just fall apart, but if you don't like the consistency you're getting, use a masher. For how long? Well, til you get a consistency you like. I probably had them on heat for 45 minutes? an hour? stirring occasionally. Can probably be done in less if you mash the tomatoes up. If you're worried about the tomatoes sticking to the pot, cook covered until they've released some juice.