Farming in the shade

Sometimes you just want something hearty in the deep, dark cold of winter. Soak and cook Jacob's Cattle beans. Yes, you can use another kind. When they are fully cooked, drain and discard all but 1 cup of broth. Chop carrots and cook in saucepan. Drain. Chop veggies. Yes you can vary these, based on what you have on hand. Cook bacon in pan (use your imagination for this--someone forgot to take a photo). Remove bacon from pan, reserving some bacon grease in pan. Sauté veggies in bacon grease until soft. Combine all ingredients together and place in a slow cooker for a couple of hours just to combine flavors. Winter Bean Stew: 1/2 pound Jacob's Cattle Beans, cooked 1/4 pound bacon, cooked 1 small onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 3 carrots, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 tsp. rubbed sage 2 tsp. salt Cook beans in saucepan following directions on bag; drain, reserving 1 cup broth. Cook ca...

This isn't a recipe, to be honest. Recipes tell you how much of what to add, and when. I would really like to encourage to get beyond recipes. As a recipe-lover myself, I understand those of you who just want it to be easy and clear. Tidy and neat. Predictable. I get that. But sometimes you need to take a leap of faith when you're cooking. If you cook enough, you will get so that you feel comfortable with cooking. And that's when you can start to experiment. Enough philosophy. Here's something I made this past week. Nuña Stir-Fry Nuña beans, 1 cup dry (use more or less--this fed 3 people) Butter Salt Carrots Ramps Garlic Chives Dried Apricots Soy Sauce Here's what I did. I soaked the beans from mid-morning until just before suppertime. I drained the beans, and rinsed them several times. I heated the butter in a non-stick skillet, and put the drained beans in. I sautéed the beans for about 7 minutes. They whistle as they're cooking and then p...

I suppose that most of my readers will call the evening meal dinner. For us, dinner is a fancy night out. Or a word that is used in conjunction with "Spaghetti" to denote a fund-raiser. In the early evening, we eat supper.  Yesterday, time was short. I found this meal cooked up just as fast as a microwaveable meal. When I was home for lunch (see, now you know what we call the noon meal, too), I started some Nuña beans soaking in cold water.  When I got home from work, I drained them. Then I washed and chopped up some bok choy. A word about these bok choy. I bought them 16 days ago at Sweetwater Local Foods Market from Liberty Farms. They were still wonderfully fresh. I dare you to buy greens at your favorite chain grocery store and keep them untouched in your refrigerator for over 2 weeks. I heated some bacon grease in our fry pan, threw in some whole cloves of garlic, and sautéed the garlic and the Nuñas for about 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, sti...

And I am not a foodie blogger. I'm not even all that great of a cook. I can keep people from starving, but I tend to fall back to the old favorites instead of being creative. However, in the interest of getting more people to eat beans, I will give you a peek at what I did yesterday. We can pretend that I am a foodie blogger, just for once. I was hungry for chili, and so got out some Jacob's Cattle, Jacob's Cattle Gold, and Black Valentine beans. Three-Bean Chili sounded good. I decided to cook the Jacob's Cattle and Jacob's Cattle Gold in the traditional way--bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer until fork tender. But I'd been talking with a customer who pressure cooks all her beans. And I thought I'd try it myself with some of the beans. So I started with 2 cups of Black Valentine beans and 4 cups of water.  My trusty Mirro Pressure Canning book suggested adding a Tbsp. of vegetable oil to prevent foaming. I am not a big fan of f...

Mike’s Black Bean Soup 2 cups dry Black Turtle Beans 1 lb. ground beef, browned with 1 chopped medium onion 1 pint (16 oz.) salsa (choose your heat) 1 pint (16 oz.) tomato juice 1-2 cups water 2 Tbsp. concentrated lemon juice 2 cups frozen corn 1 bell pepper, chopped 3 bay leaves 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (adjust to taste) 1 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. salt 1 cup sour cream   Soak and cook black beans until fork tender; drain. Combine beans and browned, drained ground beef with other ingredients and simmer for 30-60 additional minutes. This soup has a healthy kick to it, so adjust to taste. 

Two Bean Sausage Rice Soup 1 cup Jacob’s Cattle beans 1 cup Jacob’s Cattle Gold beans 1 lb. pork sausage 8 cups water 6 chicken bouillon cubes 1/2 cup rice 2 bay leaves 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced salt to taste   Soak and cook beans in water until fork tender. Brown sausage while beans are cooking. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients and cook for 30-45 minutes longer.

Hutterite Bean Vegetable Soup 3/4 cup dry Hutterite Soup beans 2 TSBP. olive oil 1/2 onion, finely chopped salt and black pepper to taste 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery rib, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup broccoli florets & stalks, chopped 1 cup cauliflower, chopped 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional) 4-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped Soak and cook beans in 3-4 cups of water for 30-60 minutes. As they cook, prepare veggies. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil and add onions. Cook until translucent, adding salt and pepper. Add carrot, celery and garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli and cauliflower and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally. Add simmering beans and all their liquid to the large pot, along with the chicken or veggie broth. Bring just to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for at least 1 hour, and preferably 2-3. ...

Maple Baked Beans 1 pound Jacob's Cattle or Jacob's Cattle Gold beans 1 large onion chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 3 glugs of maple syrup (about 1/2 cup) 3/4-pound chunk of bacon 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons dry mustard The night before, pick over beans, cover generously with cold water, and set aside. The next morning, drain water, and add fresh water to the beans. Bring beans to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until just tender--about 2 hours. Drain beans; put in slow cooker on high. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and chopped bacon. Add maple syrup and enough cold water to cover beans. Stir beans from time to time and add a bit of hot water if necessary to keep the top layer just nicely submerged. Mid afternoon, stir in salt and dry mustard. Remove the lid for the last hour of cooking so the beans thicken.

If you still have cherry tomatoes in your garden, quick, run out and pick them before it freezes. (Or cover them with an old sheet every time it freezes to prolong your enjoyment.) I have been remiss in posting this yummy bean salad recipe to our blog. It's been available at markets, but now I'm adding it to my collection here . October Bean Tomato Salad 4 cups cooked October Beans and set aside to cool (reserve broth for later) 2 TBSP. olive oil 1 small sweet onion, diced 2 tsp. fresh garlic 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/4 olive oil 1 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. pepper 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced 2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped 2 tsp. parsley, chopped In skillet heat oil. Add onions and garlic and sauté until soft. Add cooked beans, 1 cup of reserved broth, and remaining ingredients (except tomatoes). Simmer for half an hour (until beans are soft and broth is thick). Remove from heat; let cool. Add tomatoes and toss (also add more fresh basil and p...

It's getting to the point where we are starting to think less about bean soups and more about bean salads. It's officially spring now (even though we drove through snow yesterday!) and some of the vendors at the year round markets are bringing lots of greens from their hoop houses. This black bean salad would be excellent served plain or with chips, like a salsa. Or you could spoon it over a huge bed of lettuce or spinach and have a complete meal. 3-4 cups black beans (cooked previously)* 1/2 cup sliced green onions 1 large tomato, seeded and diced 1 stalk celery, diced 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried mint) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil a dash of Tabasco sauce 1 tsp. cumin salt and pepper to taste Drain and rinse black beans. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, refrigerating for at least 1 hour (better if left overnight) to combine flavors. *Soak black beans overnight. The next day, cook in heavy pot for about two hours, or until te...

I come from a very limited bean background. Baked beans were regular fare, as was chili with kidney beans and ground beef. But I think that was the extent of our bean-eating. I like to joke that with a garden full of yummy veggies and Angus beef (and sometimes homegrown, pastured turkeys) filling the freezer, why would we ever eat beans? So now you know my food heritage. Meat and potatoes, with a side of veggies. So I had never heard of cassoulet. One of our bean customers shared this recipe, and I thought I'd try it before I posted it. She seems to be one of those gifted, creative cooks who throws together wonderful food dishes on the fly, so I questioned her closely about some of the ingredients. How much? What kind? I purposely did not google cassoulet, as I wanted to use what I had on hand, and didn't want exotic ingredients (like duck?!?) to spoil my enthusiasm. Here is the recipe as it was given to me. My comments are below... Soak and cook legumes of choice until tender....

New bean recipe on this page . Yellow Indian Woman Bean dip. Mmmm...

This is an experiment that worked. The Farmer came up with this one yesterday, and we'll be eating it for supper tonight. (Yes, I tasted it, and yes, it's good!) Colorful Hutterite Bean Soup 1/2 lb. Hutterite Soup beans water 3 large potatoes 3 carrots 1 cup broccoli florets 1 cup cauliflower 2 cloves garlic 1 small red onion 2 cubes chicken bouillon 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese salt, to taste Soak beans in cold water, drain. Fill saucepan with water to cover beans plus about 2". Bring to boil. Cook for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. As the beans cook, mash some against the side of the pot to add to creaminess of soup. While the beans are cooking, peel and chop potatoes in 1/2" cubes. Cook potatoes with added salt in soup pot with enough water to cover. Chop carrots in small pieces and add to potatoes halfway through cooking. Add broccoli, cauliflower, garlic and onion to potatoes when they test done with a fork. At the same time, add beans and bean broth t...

I've added a new recipe page for beans. (Look right under the tree in the blog header for a list of blog pages.) Right now I only have a recipe for refried beans posted there, but this is a work in progress. If you'd like to have us add a great bean recipe (with or without your name) to the list, email me by using the green "Email me" button in the sidebar.

Recently we purchased a WonderMill for grinding our grains. While we haven't fully explored the wonders of the WonderMill, we have been using it for corn meal. We have been taking freshly ground corn meal (made from our organic corn) along to the Saturday Farmers' Market. The mill does a nice job, but we wish we could set it to grind just a bit more coarsely. This is what we get from the "Coarse" setting: And here's a basic cornbread recipe--perfect for breakfast with butter and syrup or paired with chili. Corn Bread (a.k.a. Johnny Cake at our house): 1 cup unbleached flour (may substitute all-purpose) 1 cup corn meal 1/4 cup sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 egg, beaten Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 8" or 9" square baking dish. Combine flour, meal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan. Bake 20-30 minutes (close...

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not and never will be a food blog. I am not a great cook. No one will starve in this household, but neither will they become accustomed to fussed-over meals. It's just not in me. The proof is in the pudding--a true "foodie" writing on her food blog would not wait until AFTER the meal is mostly consumed to take a picture of the leftovers resting in a plastic storage container. So now that we have the disclaimers out of the way, I'd like to share a favorite recipe. It's for a side dish (watch below for how to make it a main dish) and feeds a crowd. I made it most recently for a church potluck. Apricot Barley Casserole 2/3 cup slivered almonds 4 Tbsp. butter, divided into 2 equal parts 2 cups pearl barley 1 cup sliced green onions (optional) 6 cups chicken broth 2/3 cup diced dried apricots 1/2 cup golden raisins In a large skillet, sauté nuts in 2 Tbsp. butter untjil lightly browned; remove and set aside. In the same skill...

This is not an original recipe of mine. The fact is, there are no recipes that originate with me. I'm just a conduit, passing on those that we enjoy... Cowboy Caviar 3/4 cup canola (or other vegetable oil) 3/4 cup white vinegar 3/4 cup sugar black pepper red pepper flakes 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped 1 orange bell pepper, chopped 1 large red onion, chopped celery, chopped 1 can (15 oz.) corn, undrained 1 can (15 oz.) black-eye peas, undrained 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained well Mix oil, vinegar and sugar in saucepan. Bring to full boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add black pepper and red pepper flakes. I don't measure--I perhaps use four shakes of pepper out of our shaker, and 1/2 tsp. of the flakes. Total guess. Good luck with this. While this is cooling, chop veggies and mix in large glass bowl. Add beans and corn. Pour over cooled vinegar/oil dressing and refrigerate for several hours bef...

Disclaimer: I am not the greatest cook, and it's not something I enjoy very much. I tend to make the favorite 7 or 8 meals over and over again. But occasionally I step out of my comfort zone and try something new (because I like being married, KWIM?). I am a by-the-book cook, and find it scary to tweak recipes. But this tweaked recipe worked well, so I'll share it here. Herb Lamb Stew in the Slow Cooker 2 lbs. lamb stew meat 1 large onion, cut in chunks 6-10 small red potatoes 4-5 carrots, cut in chunks 1-2 ribs celery, cut in chunks 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup red wine (I used a cheap merlot) 3 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/8 tsp. allspice 1/4 tsp. thyme 2 bay leaves 6 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca 12-16 oz. of canned tomatoes* Layer all in the slow cooker in order. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours. *I used 12 oz. of a chunky salsa from last year that we didn't like--I'm trying to use it up by cooking with it. We tend to not like quite to much liqui...

We finally (!) got a batch of salsa to be hot enough. For years I have been afraid to use chilis, after a nasty up-close experience with the pain of dealing with them. The Farmer was conscripted to help this year with the salsa prep. He used gloves--smart guy! We used our Victorio Strainer this year on about 1/3 of the tomatoes, to provide a smoother texture (something that was important to the kids). All tomatoes, both chopped and put through the strainer, were first disemboweled. Our weapon of choice was a grapefruit spoon. It seems that scooping out the center of the tomato (seeds and all) makes for a thicker salsa (something that is important to all of us). Here's a photo of the finished results. We're happy! Here's how the Salsa of 2009 was created: 8 cups of tomato puree, made from Roma tomatoes, disemboweled and put through the strainer 14 cups of Roma tomatoes, disemboweled and chopped 3-4 cups of chopped onions (the food was flying, folks, it was hard to keep up...

We are winding down on the strawberry season. It's been cool (except for one nasty hot week), and that seems to prolong the season. We only have 2 short rows of berries, but they have produced well this year. Last picking we harvested 16 quarts. We have to share a bit with the birds, as they love sweet, ripe fruit. We place these noise makers (made from stakes, twine and aluminum pie pans) throughout the patch, which helps a little. Mostly we just learn to cut away the part of the berry that is bird pecked. When picking strawberries, you really have to get up close and personal. They try to hide from you. Any ripe (or overripe) berries you leave behind will turn nasty by the next time you pick. We typically pick even the yucky ones and throw them out of the patch, to avoid the spread of rottenness. My favorite food in the whole world is fresh strawberry shortcake. Here's the recipe for the shortcake: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup shortening 2 eggs 1/2 tsp. salt 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder...