Classic Greek Salad

The classic Greek salad - The taste is carried on the freshness of the vegetables and the flavour of the olives, feta and olive oil.  I still remember traveling through Greece consuming this salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner - using fresh bread to mop up the left over juice. Ingredients I whole tomato cut into 1/8's 6 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 large cucumber, skin forked, quartered lengthwise, chopped 1 small red onion, chopped 1 small red capsicum, chopped 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved 100g Greek feta cheese, cut into cubes 1 1/2 tblsps olive oil 1 1/2 tblsps lemon juice 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves

Method 1. Place oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano in a screw-top jar. Season with salt and pepper. Secure lid. Shake to combine. 2. Combine tomato, cucumber, onion, capsicum and olives in a large bowl. Top with feta. Drizzle with oil mixture. Serve.

Tzatziki Dip

Ingredients½ large cucumber 200 ml plain yoghurt 1 small clove garlic, peeled 1 teaspoon dried mint 1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar

Method 1.  Coarsely grate the cucumber into a sieve set up over a bowl. Add a few good pinches of salt, then use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Pour the water away, then tip the cucumber into the empty bowl and add the yoghurt. 2. Pound the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a good pinch of salt until you have a paste, and spoon that into the bowl with the cucumber. Add the dried mint and red wine vinegar and mix really well. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Preserving the Harvest

For the past two weeks, the CSA boxes have been really full with up to 16 different vegetables, not including herbs and garlic!  We cleaned out the last of the early summer cabbage and the first beetroot and carrot plantings, had a great broccoli crop, a bumper harvest of beans and a rocket planting that never seemed to end.  We love loading these heavy boxes into the cooler and wonder what will be created in kitchens around the peninsula.

We have had a few emails regarding what's left in the vegetable drawer as members get ready for this weeks box.  Here are some of the ways we have found to preserve the harvest - fermentation, condiments, freezing and jarring.

Last year, I wrote a post on Preserving, Fermenting and Freezing which may also lend some inspiration. It has a list of some of my favourite preserving books.

These suggestions range from very simple to requiring a bit more time and effort.  It really helps to keep a supply of jars and new lids on hand throughout the summer.  If you do not have to look and/or clean the jars, you greatly reduce your time. The relish for example takes 1hour and 15 minutes from start to finish.  I also tend to stock our pantry with good quality vinegars and any special herbs now so that when I have the produce, I can get started right away.

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Greens Beans I was passed on a traditional New England recipe for Dilly Beans.  I usually make at least one batch as they are a fun addition to an entree platter or you can make a batch of these Spicy Dilly Beans to stir a Bloody Mary.

I love adding beans to minestrone soup.  So when there is a bumper harvest, I quick freeze them by chopping them into 1 inch pieces, dropping them into boiling water for 2 minutes, quickly transferring them into very cold water and then letting them dry in a colander before bagging them into ziplocks and freezing them.  These beans can be thawed and lightly steamed for a vegetable side or added in the last five minutes to a soup.

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Beetroot Although in these parts, we can harvest beetroot year round, I love having jars of pickled beetroot and beetroot relish to add to summer and winter sandwiches and platters.

Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff has a fantastic spiced, pickled beetroot recipe.  The vinegar is countered with a touch of honey and then cinnamon sticks, whole allspice berries and peppercorns offer that wonderful spiced scent that is a pickling memory I still hold from my childhood.  These beets are a far cry from the sickly sweet ones that used to be served in the diners dotting US1 in my home state of Florida.

Beetroot Relish is a great addition to a sandwich and a cheese platter.  There are two recipes with the link and they take less then 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete!

Cabbage I love sauerkrauts and kimichis and also believe in their health giving benefits. I highly recommend Sador Ellix Katz'sbooks about fermentation.  Scythes Australia offer great fermentation pots and other useful tools.

I also like a quicker Pickled Red Cabbage recipe which includes a pickling spice mix that I really love.

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Carrots We have carrots from the beginning of December until about the end of September when it is too cold to germinate more and the ones from winter have gone to seed.  I have to admit that I have never frozen or jarred carrots to try and have them for those two months in the middle.  But I do love Home-Made Vegetable Stock!  Each week starting in mid summer, I make a big pot of stock. Vegetable, chicken, beef - I use whatever I have around and let it simmer for several hours.  I freeze it in glass bottling jars. You can also find quart containers from a packaging supply store.  It is wonderful to have fresh stock for a myriad of recipes...from gravy to stir-fries to soups.

We also juice extra carrots and make a delicious Carrot Mash.

Celery Again, as an essential ingredient in stock, I add any extra celery each week into my stock pot or we juice it.

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Chillies If you love hot sauces or Sweet Chilli Sauce,  make your own spicy condiments using pure ingredients!  They are usually simpler then the ones you can buy, do not include the myriad of preservatives or corn derivatives and are much tastier. Liana Krissoff offers several hot sauce recipes including the mango and peach hot sauce pictured above.

You can also make Curry Pastes and then keep them for at least a month in the refrigerator in an air tight jar or freeze for longer!

Kosher Dill Naturally Fermented Pickles

Cucumbers Fermented Dill Pickles or Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles, I love them all.  You can make the bread and butter pickles as refrigerator pickles in small batches and use them within 1 month, thus eliminating the need to seal the jars with a water bath.  Both Sandor Katz and Liana Krissoff have wonderful recipes for pickles that range from quick dills to two week naturally fermented ones.

Eggplant Nikki Fisher at The Wholefood Mama posted a great Eggplant Pickle recipe from Jay Black.

Radishes Again, another vegetable which pickles and ferments into a wonderful accompaniment.  I will be trying a beetroot and radish ferment in the next few weeks using Sandor Katz's recommendations and a bit of imagination.  I did find this recipe for Pickled Radish which sounded good to me.

RocketRocket Pesto freezes well and uses large amounts of rocket!  Great way to get all of its wonderful health giving benefits.

Tomatoes Now that is a post on its own and, as we are not really to that stage yet, I will leave that for now.

Zucchini You can grate zucchini, drain it in a colander and freeze it in bags to add to quiches, slices or zucchini bread all through the winter.  You can also slice it, blanch it and freeze it to use in pasta sauces or as a vegetable side.  Here is a post on Farmgirl Fare which talks about how to freeze zucchini and summer squash and the many uses for it.

Herbs And what about any extra herbs you have each week.  A simple thing to do is hang the whole bunch upside down in a cool and shaded spot of the kitchen.  When the plant has completely dried, separate the herb from the stalk or stem, ensure that it is completely dried (or put onto a baking tray and leave on top of an oven that is cooling...NOT in the oven) and jar the herbs.  These fresh herbs will be far fresher dried then anything you can buy.

You can also freeze Basil Pesto for simple dinners and yummy pizzas throughout the winter. Make it omitting the cheese and freeze in glass jars or ziplock bags.

What other ideas do you have?

Light and Refreshing Cucumber Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes Ingredients 3 cucumbers peeled and thinly sliced 3 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar 2 tsp chopped fresh dill 1/4 tsp salt freshly ground pepper

Method 1.  Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper. 2.  Place sliced cucumbers in a bowl.  Coat with dressing.  Top with dill and blend.

Herby, Peanutty Noodly Salad

A bright and zingy dressing, handfuls of herbs and crunchy peanuts pack loads of flavour into simple, easy-to-cook noodles. Taken from the River Cottage Veg Every Day! cook book and featured in the TV series. Check out the River Cottage website for more recipes. Prep Time 10-15min Cook Time 10-15 min

Ingredients 150g Thai rice noodles 150g French beans 2 Large handfuls of peanuts 2 tbs Rice wine vinegar 1 tsp Soy sauce 1 tsp Sesame oil 1 Lime, juice and zest 1 clove garlic, grated ½ Red chilli, finely chopped 1 small cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced 4 Spring onions, sliced 1 ½ tbs each of Mint, coriander and basil

Method 1.  Cook the noodles and beans in boiling water for about three minutes or until noodles are cooked and beans still have some crunch. 2.  Drain in a colander and refresh under cold running water. 3.  Roast the peanuts in the oven for 8 minutes or until golden. 4.  Put the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice and zest, garlic and chilli in a large bowl and give everything a good whisk. 5.  Add the drained noodles and beans to the bowl and give everything a good stir to ensure everything is evenly coated. 6.  Add the cucumber and spring onions to noodles and toss. 7.  Add the chopped herbs and give another good stir. 8.  Crush the peanuts with the back of a spoon. 9.  Plate the noodle salad and sprinkle with the toasted nuts.

Crunchy Salad

Here is a recipe adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe...which he prefaces by saying that it is a very adaptable salad..."One of the things I love about a good crunchy salad is that you can simply change it according to where you live  and what fresh ingredients are available to you."  So have a go at inventing your own crunchy salad - be inventive with how you slice, chop, shave your ingredients.  Explore texture and flavours and revel in a truly seasonal compliment to any meal! Ingredients 1 cucumber 1 red onion, peeled and shaved 3 small carrots 1 fennel bulbs outer leaves peeled back, quartered lengthways 1 zucchini ribbon sliced 6 radishes, quartered 1 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 heaped tsp castor sugar 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil small bunch of fresh dill or thyme small bunch of flat leaf parsley finely chopped

Method 1. Chop, shred  and/or ribbon slice all of your vegetables. 2. Mix olive oil, vinegar and castor sugar in a small jar.  Shake until well blended. 3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix by hand with the herbs.  Serve.

Photo credit and recipe suggestion - Emma Travers

Asian Cucumber Condiment

This is a recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.  If you want to enliven a dish, this relish can do the job.  It's sweet, sour and spicy all at once. Ingredients 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded 1/4 cup peeled and shredded carrots 1/2 fresh chilli, seeded and minced 1/4 cup fresh lime juice or 3 tbsps rice vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method 1.  Slice both halves of the cucumber crosswise on the diagonal to make thin crescents. 2. In a large bowl, combine cucumbers, carrots and minced chilli.  Set Aside. 3. Whisk together the lime juice, brown sugar, and fish sauce or salt, and stir until the sugar completely dissolves.  Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well.  Add coriander. 4. Chill for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.

Preserving, fermenting, and freezing

Preserving Jars

My great aunt lived in a 200 year old house with a walk-in pantry that always smelled of cloves and all-spice berries and a cellar with stairs lined with filled preserving jars. Winters froze the soil in her part of the world and preserving was an essential chore.

Here on the Peninsula, we are very lucky to live in a climate that allows four-season vegetable gardening and harvesting.  While we love eating seasonally, we have spent the past three weeks preserving, fermenting and freezing the last of our summer harvest to have as additions to our autumn, winter and spring meals.  Preserving is not only a great way to extend the season of some of our cold tender vegetables and seasonal fruits, it is also an age-old practice differing in flavours and techniques from culture to culture.

Tomato Relish

Kosher Dill Naturally Fermented Pickles

Tomato Sauce

Tomato, Basil and Sherry Vinegar Jam

No sugar Zucchini pickles

Tomato and Macademia Nut Chutney

Bread and Butter Pickles

Corn

Besides the corn, which we blanched, cut off the cob and froze in little ziplock baggies, we put the other prepared condiments into cleaned, used jars with new lids we found here.  Condiments not only taste good, some also aid the body's digestive juices, lower blood sugar levels, guard against cancer, and help balance the energy of a meal.

In addition to the Ball's Blue Book Guide of Preserving which is still available and widely used...at least in the United States, I found a book by Liana Krissoff, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry.  Liana was raised in a preserving family, has written two other cookbooks and writes a blog as a foodie and mother Pie and Beer.  I am enjoying her canning book and have loved her use of fruit for natural pectin and other sugar reducing recipes.  She writes for the home kitchen - The recipes produce small amounts that only require equipment that most kitchens already have.  The recipes are also seasonally written...which made me think of our CSA Summer Share Trial members and home gardeners struggling with what to do with more zucchinis, cucumbers and tomatoes.

Then there is Sandor Ellix Katz's book Wild Fermentation and my grandfather's recipe for Kosher Dill Pickles.  The smell of them fermenting under a tea towel has been wonderful...re-awakening a smell memory from my childhood while making my mouth water for the taste of a good not overly sweet nor sour pickle!!  Naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut, pickles, kimchis and yogurt are great digestive aids and a protection against disease.   The pickles taste delicious and I am very excited to see how our fermented beetroot relish will turn out.

I am also really enjoying Pietro Demaio's book "Preserving the Italian Way"

Several local friends have generously shared their family recipes as well. Tomato chutney, tomato sauce, tomato relish and a tomato Kasundi recipe from Marieke Brugman of Marieke's Art of Living.  Marieke is a passionate, highly regarded chef and a world traveller. Her website contains a great recipe library and culinary seasonal inspirations. It is a wonderful resource offering a traditional Chinese medicine insight into our seasonal produce and herbs.  She is also hosting a Mornington Peninsula gourmet weekend in August that includes local, seasonal produce and ingredients and cooking instruction!

2012 Summer Preserving

While the cupboards are filling up and there seems to be a constant warm spot on the floor from the large Fowlers pot, until all of the summer crops have been tilled in, I keep finding recipes to try.  The tomatoes have succumbed to green shield beetle damage and late blight with the rain.  The last of that harvest is ripening in the shed...and there is still salsa and green tomato relish to make...and then we move on to figs and quinces!

Cucumber, Tomato, Feta and Olive Salad

Ingredients 2 medium cucumbers cut into 1/4's and then into 1cm cubes 20 cherry tomatoes cut into 1/4's 15 kalamata olives cut in half 200 gms Main Ridge Dairy feta cheese cut into 1cm cubes Balsamic Vinaigrette 3 tbsps balsamic vinegar 5 tbsps olive oil 6 basil leaves cut into thin slivers salt and freshly ground pepper

Method 1. Cut all vegetables, olives and cheese into a large bowl. 2. Add vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and basil and stir. 3. Serve over lettuce or on its own.

Aunt Bee's Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients3 litres of thinly sliced cucumbers 1 litre thinly sliced red onion ¼ cup canning salt Brine 3 cups white vinegar 3 cups white sugar 3 tsp mustard seed 3 tsp celery seed 1 tsp turmeric

Method 1. Place the cucumbers, onions and salt in ice for at least three hours – preferably over night. Afterwards, drain and rinse and drain and rinse. Otherwise the pickles are too salty 2. Boil gently for 5 minutes the following: vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed and turmeric. 3. Add cucumbers and onions leaving them in long enough to lose their colour, turning yellow. 4. Place in jars (makes about 6 size 20 fowlers jars) and process as per your preserving units recommendation.

Tabouli

I have included two recipes for tabouli.  One is the traditional recipe using cracked wheat (bulgar) as the grain.  The other is my quinoa adaptation which my children love served alone (for a beach picnic) or as a side salad. Quinoa Tabouli Ingredients 3 cups water 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed juice of one lemon 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup chopped parsley 20 cherry tomatoes halved 2 cucumbers, quartered and cut into 1/2 cm pieces 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) 20 pitted kalamata olives sliced 1 small garlic clove pressed Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Method 1. Place water in a sauce pan and bring to boil.  Add quinoa, bring to a boil again and then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork and let stand 5 minutes to absorb remaining water. Fluff again with fork 2. In another bowl add oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Mix thoroughly.  Add quinoa. 3. Just before serving add feta and olives.

Traditional Tabouli Ingredients ½ cup cracked wheat (bulgar) 3/4 cup boiling water 3 tomatoes 1 long cucumber 2 spring onions (scallions) 1 clove garlic 10 stalks parsley 15 mint leaves (optional) 1 lemon 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil salt freshly ground black pepper

Method 1. Place the cracked wheat and salt in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water.  Cover and let stand 15 - 20 minutes, or until chewable. 2. Add lemon juice, garlic, oil, parsley, mint and black pepper, and mix thoroughly.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. 3. Just before serving add vegetables, mix gently and correct seasonings. 4. Garnish with feta cheese and kalamata olives.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients1 large cucumber, thinly sliced 1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced 1 tsp of sesame seeds, toasted 2 tsp of coriander (cilantro), chopped 1 clove of garlic, grated or crushed 2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar 2 & 1/2 tsps of sesame oil 1 tsp of honey

Method 1.    Combine the cucumber, chopped coriander and red onion in a bowl and toss to combine. 2.    Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and honey in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add to the salad and toss to coat evenly in the dressing. 3.    Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds just before serving.