Somedays Simple is Best

"I'm hungry."

"What would you like?"

"Apple.  And something."

"Well, let me see what we've got." Fridge opens to a hopeless mish-mash of this, that, and the other.
"How about oh... umm... well, we've got...."

"No, I just want something simple."

And here it is.

Yes, with the new crop apples, it is time to bring back apples and peanut butter - whether you like creamy, crunchy, salted or not, and with extra goodies - like flax seed.  Or for those who've had it with the peanut, there are plenty of options sunflower butter, cashew butter...

And then there's another favorite - pears with almond butter.

Apple vs. Apple flavor... Peach vs. Peach flavor

Over a year ago, I make this post on Yucky & Yummy, and was reminded of it by a friend, talking of teaching our kids to cook.  Even the most rudimentary stuff - as a place to start.

But to move ahead - I also had meant to write a post on Apple vs. Apple Flavor, and then, as so often happens, I got distracted.

But now is the time.
As I'm swimming around in a fabulous kiddy-pool of summer fruit, freezing what we can't eat, making dates to can & freeze more, and reveling in the complicated variety of flavors.  Take raspberries.  I was considering some alternate yogurt (because what I wanted wasn't there), and for all its organic-ness and all-natual-ness, it had "raspberry flavor" instead of raspberry juice.  And that got me caught back up in this old thought train.

Flavor (or flavour... you know who you are) is part of something bigger - or it used to be.  We all know when it's missing - anyone subjected to under ripe fruit knows the problem, the peach is there, but there is no Peach.

The new problem is flavor, but no food to go with it!

Way, way, way back in the day, ya' know before we had phones (and artificial flavors), the only way to get apple flavor, was to eat an apple, drink apple juice, or generally consume something made with apples - and thus all those other things apples have for us - fiber, energy, vitamins, flavanoids, companion vitam-ettes†.  Now, we can get all the appliciousness we can handle without any of the above, and thus sugar-free-apple-flavored-diet.... whatever.

Thus, the eating of something becomes all about the flavor, and the other stuff that accompanies it - the smell, the texture, the stuff your body runs on - is lost.  And since (as paleoanthropologists assure us) we evolved as (and still are) reward motivated consumers - the flavor was the reward for all the hard work to hunt down the tasty, nutritious, energy packed morsels.  Now we are getting all reward for no work.  All style, no substance, and not even the bother of having to go to the store to get it.

And as many a behavioralist will tell you, unearned goodies lead to a jaded attitude, and a desire for more, More, MORE!  (Alas, also with no work.)

And as a result, you go from Apples, to the Grapple:

The important part of the text:

 …created the modified fruit by soaking the apples

 in a bath of water and methyl anthranilate (a flavoring agent in grape gum)

 and other ingredients

Wait - what's wrong with apple flavored apples and grape flavored grapes?  All the goodies grapes bring are lost to us, kids don't get to taste the good of the apple, and, oh yeah, apples go from a nice simple food to a packaged, processed and more expensive one.


So if you are still with me, the last problem is the loss of nuance - if we come to believe all apples need to taste like Apples, and grapes need to take on the aspect of Grapes, and peaches are only good if they taste like Peach, they variety is lost, diversity looses its appeal.  And as the corn industry (like many another monolith) is discovering, mono-culturalism is the calling card for mass infestation of pests (if you can make it against the Bt corn, you can make it Anywhere!)

That's right, from jaded consumers, a national obesity crisis, to the next food collapse all on the shoulders of artificial flavoring.  OK, not really, but it is a problem, and one that bears pondering next time you are looking at consuming something flavored with substances that never worried about rotting.

† OK, now I'm making up words, but you get the picture.

1st CSA Bag of 2011!

The first bag arrived... and it is time for salad!

Sweet, spicy, bitter with crunchy & creamy.  A little sour and salty from the dressing.

From the bag I had access to:

Arugula - 1 large handful washed and chopped

Lettuce - 3 leaves washed and shopped

Radishes - 4 small mild ones (I would have used fewer spicy ones)

Walla Walla sweets (1/2 of a tiny, young one)

Apples (1/2 of a Fuji sliced into sticks Half the height of the apple)

Tossed some bread cubes with a little oil - toasted them to crispy crunchy

Some mild super soft rinded cheese (in this case Fromager d'Affinois)

The dressing was white wine vinegar, a bit of chopped parsley, a smashed garlic clove and a small spoon of mustard. Then I whisked in walnut oil (olive would have been fine, but this was sitting in my fridge, begging to be used!)  Added salt to taste.  Skipped the pepper.

It was divine as I munched on the salad while nibbling on the cheese smeared on my fresh croutons, and sipping a nice white wine.

But dessert was there too!

Summer strawberries in Cointreau Marscapone

As many strawberries as you think you can eat in 1 sitting (Half in my case - the other half were for breakfast).

The right size dollop of marscapone cheese (sour cream, creme fraiche, greek yogurt all work fine.  Just needs to be thick and creamy to start -  I was just feeling particularly hedonistic in the face of my first strawberries of the summer.)

Stir in dribbles of Cointreau (or Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur) and sprinkles of brown sugar until it tastes decadent and a tiny bit sour.  (You may need a dash of salt if using yogurt)

Place a dollop over your strawberries, and then realize it looks skimpy, and pour it all on.  You only have your first of the season strawberries once a year.

Enjoy in greedy, satisfied bliss. 

Cider Tour!

 A little while ago I went on a tour of North Western Washington Cider.

We only really had 1 day to do it.  We could spend Saturday night out, but had to be back on Sunday afternoon.  Amazingly - we did it, and did it in fine style.

These cider spots are all pretty new.  If you are looking for consistency... look elsewhere.  If you are looking to be in on the birth of a vibrant Washington State cider industry, strap on the shoes, choose a designated driver, and take the car for a spin!

The MAP:  Check out the cider tour on Google Maps
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104096926033029904079.000491d73bd76b3d6ab8e&ll=48.078079,-122.601929&spn=1.005604,1.947327&z=9

The places:

1. Red Barn Cider (http://redbarncider.com/) - An impressive selection of tastes.  And it will be different next pressing.  In Mt. Vernon, about 1.5 hrs north of Seattle.  It seems a little far, but it is the gateway to the rest.  Show up there at 11 (or call and arrange to show up at 10:30, so lunch is more relaxing on Whidbey Is.)

***take the Keystone/Coupville - Port Townsend Ferry (GET A RESERVATION!!! ) *** don't meant to yell, but this is essential.  We were on the 1:30 ferry.  Just had to get there at 1ish.

2.  Wildfire Cider (http://www.wildfirecider.com/) - Pretty close to Port Townsend.  The 1st place we went.  Be sure to call and see if they are open.  They weren't the weekend we went (fooey!).  2 food festivals that weekend, I s'pose I can forgive them.  I need to taste their stuff.  It can be found at Central Market... and other places.  Lesson, call ahead.

3.  Eaglemount Cider (http://www.eaglemountwinery.com/)  The largest selection... and nice and dry.  May I also recommend the Ginger Cider.  They are also a respectable winery.  But we were just tasting cider.

4.Finn River Farm (http://www.finnriverfarm.com/) Apple cider champagne?  Well, if done right, with cider rather than dessert (eating out of hand apples) YES!  it can be done.... and done well.  Surprisingly well.  This was a great last stop.  Their Perry (pear dessert cider) was my favorite.  And it was practically back to back with the place we spent the night.

Nap Time and where we spent the night...

5.  Solstice Farm (http://www.solsticefarmstay.com/)  A comfortable, homey clean place with a wonderful atrium, and a crazy good breakfast.  Engage in conversation knowing it will be an extended engagement if you want it.

6.  Dinner in Port Hadlock/Irondale area.  We went to Halibut and the Scampi's, but if you want to really Do-it-up-Right, check out the Ajax Cafe.  http://www.ajaxcafe.com/funstuff.htm

Pick a designated driver (the one who has to spit), and go for it!

7. Take the Kingston - to - Edmonds ferry back.  If you get on before Noon.  Then you are home free.  And you will wonder why you don't go to the Olympic Peninsula more often.  It is SO close!

Have fun.

Applesauce!... or The Perils of Procrastination.

Even the modern girl can Can.

So, I've been trying to find time to make applesauce again.  If you've never had good, homemade applesauce, you most likely won't find this exciting, but good applesauce is like fresh ground, fresh brewed coffee vs. Sanka (that weird freeze dried, de-caf coffee-ish stuff).  A whole different animal, and totally worth the trouble.






When we moved into our current house, the dwarf apple tree produces a BUMPER crop of apples, and about 1/2 way into the apples growth, my son and his friend (both about 3 1/2 and the time) pick about half of the apples.  They were still somewhat green but tasty, and I hated to see them all go to waste.  So I made applesauce for the first time.  Pretty easy, except for the straining.

Did that through a sieve.
What a pain.

Everything old is New Again... Why did we give this up?
 This is better than a bendy straw! 

This year, I have a food mill for the first time.











And so, when I finally went to the fruit stand to get a box of apples, I was relieved to see that Gravensteins were still there.  I was worried I had missed them.
I almost had.

Ugly Apples get a Bath

And since the end of the season was approaching, the "scratch and dent" boxes were out - for $5, I could get about 15lbs of ugly apples.

Looks don't matter for apples sauce (or chutney for that matter).  So I got three (3) boxes. (see also; 3x15 = 45 = ARE YOU NUTS!)
I made a small kiddy-pool's worth of apple sauce.  It is good.  Very, very good.  Especially the cinnamon spiced.  I made so much I had to break out the canning equipment.




If I had just gotten apples when they were first coming off the tree, I would have gotten 1 box, and that would have been the end of it.

 And I wouldn't have gotten into this fix.

 Ah well, we have apple sauce for a big chunk of the school year, and I don't have to think to hard about how to round out my son's lunch.
And it is so good, it deserves to be eaten with ice cream.

How does one do this?

I'll give you the starter size recipe.  Once you taste the results and get the hang of it, you can decide if you want to make the plunge (in my case literally) into large batch applesauce.  Because I love my new toy so much, I will give the food mill instructions.  NOTE: If you only have a sieve and a spatula, you MUST peel and core your apples.  And where I say, pour it into the food mill and turn the crank, you just need to use a spatula to press it though the sieve.

Ingredients:

8 new summer apples (what ever size you have) (you can us.e ANY apple... but the best sauce comes from new crop apples, sweet, flavorful, fruity.)

about 1 C water
1/2 tsp salt

(for spiced applesauce - 2 Tbs cinnamon, 4 cloves, 4 allspice berries, & maybe more cinnamon)

Equipment:

1 BIG pot (about 8 quarts - a spaghetti pot)
chopping knife
cutting board
non-conductive spoon (wood or plastic, not metal)
food mill (or sieve... see note above)
spatula
zip-top bags or tupperware you are willing to freeze

Cook!:

Cut the apples into quarters (if you have  a food mill, throw in everything.  The extra pectin from the skins etc., will make for a richer sauce.  Just try it.  Trust me this once.) and throw everything into the big pot.
(For spiced applesauce, also add the whole cloves and allspice berries)
Pour in the 1 C water, and place over high heat for 10 minutes.

Turn down the heat to med low,  and stir the apple occasionally for about 20 more minutes or until the apple flesh turns mushy (feel free to squash the apple pieces with the back of the spoon).

Pour the apple mush into a food mill placed over a large bowl, and turn the crank to separate the yummy from the yucky.

Discard the yucky bits, and stir in the 2 Tbs of cinnamon.  Taste.  Adjust.
Add more cinnamon if you want (red hots are always a fun way of doing this, they give the sauce a fun pinky-red color).

If the sauce seems too thin, return it to the original pot (rinsed out) and cook at a high simmer/low boil to steam off excess water and thicken up the sauce.

As soon as it is delectable, ladle into zip-top bags or tupperware, and cool & freeze for future consumption.

Since this is high in sugar & acid, it will keep well frozen for at least a year.

If you a a canner, this is prime canning material.  Unlike jelly, this is not rocket science.  Just get it hot, and process it.

P.S. I highly recommend Snoqualmie Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream as a pairing.