Great canning blog

Photo from Food in Jars

I've starting reading this great local canning blog, Food in Jars and thought I would share it with IMBY members.

It's written by a Philadelphia named Marisa McClellan and she says "the goal of this blog is to document this canning journey and get as many people excited about canning as is possible. In between canning projects, I also write about some of my favorite cookbooks, participate annually in the Dark Days Challenge (cooking locally during the winter months) and occasionally offering up a recipe that makes use of all those canned goods I make."

She has great photos and recipes, and explains canning clearly - check it out!

Tea from your garden!

The New York Times had a great article on Making Tea From Plants Grown in the Backyard.

If you start thinking ahead now to the colder winter months, you can lay in a stock of dried material and have your tea bags all ready to go for the first cold of the season . . .

Sally mentions that IMBY has these ingredients in the yard, look for them the next time you are picking up your share! She thinks they'd all work as well as drying and grinding cayenne pepper. Adding our locally grown honey makes it especially potent as an herbal fortifying, healing, enhancing drink.

basil (Genovese & Lemon)
burdock (weed)
calendula
chamomile
cilantro
dandelion (weed)
dill
echinacea
garlic
lemon thyme
lovage
plantain (weed)
rosemary
savory
sage
tarragon
thyme
verbena
and more!

Solution to 2 lbs of tomatoes in your IMBY share

Tomato soup!

Between our IMBY CSA share and my husband's grandmother's backyard tomoatoes, we had 7 1/2 pounds of tomatoes in our kitchen. We used them up in one delicious recipe.

Whole Roasted Tomatoes, from Everyday Food, April 2010

Spiced Tomato Soup, from Everyday Food, April 2010

The croutons are from the tail end of a loaf of bread we made on Friday, cubed and browned with a bit of butter and salt in a frying pan.

White Sandwich Bread, King Arthur flour

Article on value of local organic foods

From MSNBC:

Nutritional value of fruits, veggies is dwindling

Bouquet from my garden

Something beautiful from the garden - bolted oregano and mint.

I can't really take credit for this, I saw the exact same shot on a blog and thought, "I can do that!"

Mint Syrup

I saw this recipe for a mint syrup on a blog I read, make grow gather, and thought IMBY members might put it to good use! It looks very easy, just pound the mint with sugar and lemon juice and pour boling water over the mixture.

The blogger says the recipe is adapted from The River Cottage Preserves Handbook by Pam Corbin.

Mint Syrup

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches

We had these delicious grilled salmon sandwiches at a party last summer, and we've made them twice so far this season!

We love this recipe because the salmon cooks easily on the grill and you can throw on other veggies at the same time. The sauce is amazing and it's a great way to use all the herbs that Sally and IMBY provide throughout the summer.

We highly recommend using basil leaves as the garnish.

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches
Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh salmon fillets
Good olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

1 cup good mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
12 fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped scallions, (white and green parts)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 teaspoons capers, drained

To assemble:
6 fresh white or brioche rolls (4-inch round) [we use potato rolls, or thin bread]
1/4 pound mesclun mix or *fresh basil leaves*

Directions

For the salmon, heat coals in an outdoor grill and brush the top of the grill with oil. Rub the outside of the salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until the salmon is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

For the sauce, place the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, basil, dill, scallions, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until combined. Add the capers and pulse 2 or 3 times.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls in 1/2 crosswise. Spread a tablespoon of sauce on each cut side. On the bottom 1/2, place some mesclun salad and then a piece of salmon. Place the top of the roll on the salmon and serve immediately.