Friday, July 22, 2016

Blackberry Liquer Recipe

 I like this recipe because it is fairly easy to make and you can add other things to it.  It is easy to change as the ingredients do not need to ferment or be bottled.  Can be made without the herbs, too.


Start by making the simple syrup first.
SIMPLE SYRUP
Combine 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tsp lemon concentrate, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla in a small saucepan  and heat over med heat, stirring constantly until sugar and honey is dissolved.
Add: 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, 3 sprigs fresh lavender, 3 sprigs fresh thyme.  Stir.
Cool.

BLACKBERRY INFUSION
5 cups fresh blackberries (can use frozen berries that have been thawed)
1 cup water
Put in a heavy large pot and heat while stirring.  Cook till blackberries are tender.

Strain the juice through Gramma Hutch's colander or chinois,  into another container.

Then add the seeds and pulp back into the pan with another cup of water.  Cook again.  Lots more juice will come out.
Strain this juice into the container with the first batch.  Add the simple syrup to it.  Cool.
Then add: 1 cup vodka, 1/2 cup gin (or any combination that you like).
Pour into a glass jar that can be sealed with a ring and wire closure.

Store in fridge.
Drink as is or add to lemonade or sparkling water.

Dispose of the seeds by making sure all the juice is drained out first, then tapping the sieve upside down on several layers of newspaper, wrap the seeds up and put into garbage.  Do not put them into your compost or think you will feed them to the birds -unless you want a thousand more blackberry vines growing in your yard.

Coneflowers - Echinacea

Coneflowers – Echinacea



Echinacea is a hardy transient perennial that flowers in August.  Should be grown as annuals as in some areas they have difficulty coming back the next year.  This may be from rotting in our mild wet winters here on the West Coast or from damage done by slugs. 

These plants are quite tolerant of drought like conditions and thrive in dry summers.  The flowers draw bees and butterflies and the stalks are sturdy and rarely require staking to stay upright.
 
Plant them in full sun and in well drained soil. Make sure to put proper spacing between plants for air circulation to prevent powdery mildew.


It seems they grow well on their own but seem to suffer if crowded by other plants.  



Monday, July 18, 2016

Blackberry Lemonade w/ Herbs

We have so many blackberries growing around the outside of our yard.  Today, I made Blackberry Lemonade w/ Herbs.  It was healthy and delicious.  I started with this basic recipe and added the juice from 6 cups of cooked, strained blackberries to it.

LEMONADE WITH HERBS
Start by making a basic simple syrup:
Add 1/4 cup honey or sugar to 1 cup of water.  Stir until dissolved.  Add juice from 2 fresh lemons. Added some of grated lemon peel in too.  Add 2 tbsp concentrated lemon juice concentrate.
Bring to a slow boil.  Add a few springs of fresh rosemary, thyme, and lavender.  Cool.

Once cool, strain out herbs.  Add 4 to 6 cups of cold water or sparkling water for some fizz.  Add ice. Try it with mint leaves.  Try it with added berries such as blackberries, blueberries, mange, orange, etc.

Try adding the syrup to cold steeped tea.


Saturday, July 16, 2016

Plum Chutney

Lots of fresh plums growing on our island now so I have decided to make some plum chutney.  Use this spicy plum chutney on samosas, kebabs, spring rolls or with cheese and crackers.  Or put it on pork tenderloin, pork chops or chicken before roasting.

Plum Chutney

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
5 gloves garlic, peeled, diced
Cook the above ingredients in pan till onion is soft, then add:
8 Large purple plums, cut in half, remove stone and cut into 1/2 " pieces
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1/2 cup white wine
1 orange, add the orange zest and then add the juice from the orange, too.
Pinch salt, pinch black pepper
Pinch Hungarian paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp curry spice
3 tbsp chopped in half raisins
Bring to boil and start to reduce liquid.  Stir so as not to burn over medium heat.
When it starts to thicken add 2 cups of brown sugar.  Cook till thicker.  Can puree if you want a smoother sauce.  Check seasoning.
Sterilize 4 small jars.  Put a metal spoon into the jar to take away the heat so that the jar will not break as you spoon the chutney into it.  Makes 4 small jars.  Keep in fridge or freeze.





Growing Figs on Gabriola Island

Growing Figs
Fig trees are semi-tropical in origin.  They thrive in areas where winter temperatures do not drop below -10 degrees C.

DESERT KING FIG TREE
Today we planted a Desert King Fig Tree.  The Desert Fig comes from a fig tree found in 1930,near Madera, California.  This is a fast growing tree.  In spring we will need to pinch back the terminal buds to prevent it from rising up to rapidly. This fig tree produces Brebas  of average size, "melting in the mouth and very sugared".  At complete maturity the skin color changes from light green to pale yellow. It is earlier than most breba varieties by about two weeks.  Desert King is one of the most productive breba producers.  This tree also produces a main crop, piriform and flattened with a dark strawberry pulp.  This tree was highly recommended for its exceptional early crop with numerous brebas and the excellent resistance to cold.  This variety prefers only light occasional pruning.

GENERAL FIG TREE INFORMATION
Figs are self-pollinating, so you need only one plant to produce fruit.  If you have room plant several.  Mature fig trees can grow to be 15 to 30 feet tall.  Choose early, mid and late types to extend your harvest time from summer into fall.  Some types of fig trees produce bonus fruit early in the season, called a “breba” crop, as well as the main crop. 

Figs can vary in size, shape, time of harvest, texture, and flavor.  They can be violet, yellow, purple, black, green or brown.

Plant where you have the most sun and shelter.  During the first year, as plants become established water regularly and mulch.  Once established, figs can be very drought tolerant.  Fertilize with a food such as Espoma-Citrus-tone 5-2-6 in late winter and early spring.  You can add used coffee grounds and chopped banana peelings to the soil in the spring and compost all year long for overall health.  Full sun is the key for an abundant harvest and the sweetest fruit.  When fruit is developing it is important to water regularly.

When the fruit starts to swell apply a high potash liquid fertilizer feed such as tomato fertilizer weekly.
Check daily, and pick just as they ripen.  It’s time to pick the figs once they are fully colored, slightly soft and the stalks start to bend.  A ripe fig will hang or droop from the branch and will be soft when you squeeze it.  Look for drops of nectar appearing at the base of the fruit, but don’t pick to early.  The figs won’t ripen further.  Eat soon after picking as figs don’t keep well.  Dried figs are equally nutritious; if you have a bumper crop then dry some of the fruit in a hot press or drying cupboard.  If you turn them daily they will be preserved in 6 to 8 days.

Clean up the fallen fruit and leaves in autumn to discourage pests and disease.  In September, remove any fruit larger than small pea size.  The remaining tiny embryo fruit towards the ends of the shoots will over-winter and, providing they have protection from icy blasts, will ripen the following year.

All pruning should take place when while the tree is dormant in say February or March.  Avoid heavy pruning.  Start your fig tree winter care by pruning your tree.  Prune away any branches that are weak, diseased or crossing other branches.  Fig sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning trees.  Place a thick layer of mulch on the ground over the roots.  The fig tree will regrow from its roots if winter-killed.

Few insects and diseases affect figs.  Birds are the most annoying pests.  To deter birds from eating the fruit, hang reflective tape. Some people grow figs tall and let the birds get the tall, hard to reach figs.  The only way to prevent loss of the crop is to cover the plants with netting.  Remove the netting after fruiting.


If your figs grow vigorously but develop few fruit, do not fertilize for six months.