→ 2010-05-05 05:50:26 (3 Comments)
June 11, 2010
The loquat is a delectable but much neglected member of the pome family, which includes apples, pears, and quinces. Most look like a small apricot-colored pear, although they’re a bit more oval in shape. They range from one- to two-and-a-half inches long and have several glossy brown seeds in the center. The thin skin is [...]
May 10, 2010
For those of you who would like to try out Chef Brian’s and Chef Manouschka food dishes from the show (watch it online here)
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Rosemary Muffins with Candied Pansies
Mini Vegetable Casserole Topped with a Fried Duck Egg and Apple Butter
OvenRoasted Winter Squash Soup with Goat Milk
Vegetarian Cuban Black Beans with Fail-Proof Brown [...]
May 5, 2010
It’s spring! Well actually, this week it feels more like SUMMER!
And that means lots of fun culinary delights coming out of the urban homestead’s kitchen.
Combining edible flower, herbs and butter for a delightful treat to slather on biscuits or smother veggies.
Here’s a recipe for HERB BUTTER
Fresh From Our Garden to Your Table
Our front porch farm [...]
April 26, 2010
Recipe will make eight 16oz bottles
INGREDIENTS:
3 ounces of fresh ginger root (You can add more if you like strong ginger taste.)
6 tablespoons of citrus juice (Lemon &/ or orange)
3/4 cup of sugar (Natural cane is best. Light brown sugar gives an extra richness to the flavor.)
4 1/2 quarts of water
Some yeast from the supermarket. Bread [...]
April 23, 2010
One of the fun things about urban homesteading is growing your own herbs. Not only are you growing your own spice rack but tasty drinks, medicine chest and beauty products.
From teas to tinctures from herbal butters to brews herbs are one of the most useful things you can grow on your urban homestead.
Going Herbal on [...]
March 24, 2010
Food is the center of our lives here on the urban homestead – we grow it, cook it and preserve it. Our lives center on the change of seasons, good harvests and bad. The fruits of our labor is reflected by what’s on our plates.
Talking with a friend the other day, he mentioned what if [...]
March 23, 2010
It’s been really busy here on the urban homestead. With daylight savings and first day of spring, the flurry of activity and projects have increased a hundredfold.
Back when we were teenagers, we read Euell Gibbon’s classic Stalking the Wild Asparagus.
Since then, we’ve self-taught ourselves to identify wild edibles and their uses – both edible and medicinal. [...]
September 17, 2009
With all the hard work goings on at the urban homestead these days (shed building, animal enclosure improvements, raising up the raised beds, etc, etc) – water just doesn’t cut it. I mean one needs a good thirst quencher and we don’t mean that colored stuff in the markets.
So in addition to the lemon verbena [...]
June 30, 2009
In ancient Rome, roses were often added to celebratory cuisine, and Middle Eastern fare still includes roses in numerous desserts. In America, candied rose petals were a favorite during the Victorian era.
It’s been a good year for roses. Not only are the fragrant flowers useful (we like to make rose petal syrup to flavor lemonade [...]
June 26, 2009
Here on the urban homestead we grow some quite odd/unusual fruit. This year our tropical cherry bushes (aka surinam cherry) bushes are loaded with a decent harvest.
A decent harvest is when we get more than a (one) handful so that means asking “grandma google” (ask Jordanne has so rightfully dubbed this search engine) for advice on using [...]
May 7, 2009
With temperatures skyrocketing into the 90’s and strawberries ripening faster than we can eat ‘em. Guess what? It was jamming time.
My favorite foodie Alice Waters has this simple sun dried strawberry preserve recipe.
I modified her technique a bit. Instead of slicing I used my hand cranked food processor to chop the strawberries into small chunks. [...]
April 28, 2009
With two baskets full of loquats and a bag of extra raisins leftover from the potluck on Sunday, I whipped up this very simple yet tasty loquat dessert.
Everyone enjoyed it so I was glad I made enough for breakfast tomorrow.
Read more about growing and using highly nutritious loquats.
December 16, 2008
I’ve had a few inquiries about the stovetop, aka, skillet granola. It’s a little like eating toasted museli, which is supposedly better for you anyway. I’m one for not cooking food too much – almost raw if we can.
With Justin getting a wee bit bored with oatmeal and me with so little time in the [...]
July 14, 2008
Our family are big water drinkers. That’s basically what we drink everyday 24/7, except for homemade wine on Friday nights. Water is necessary for good health and it’s cheap! But sometimes on hot days water just doesn’t “hit the spot.” One needs a serious thirst quencher, especially after working in the garden.
With the neighbors lemon [...]
November 29, 2007
Q.I’ve been catching up on your posts and would love to know what is in the swiss chard salad. I have chard in my garden right now and would love another way to use it. Thanks!!
A. Thanks Mia for your wanting the recipe. Having cooked from scratch with homegrown ingredients ever since I was 13, [...]
October 21, 2007
Homegrown Diet – Fall Edition
Summer veggies are still holding out and growing here on the urban homestead. Salad days are here again and pretty soon broccoli and snow peas will be ready. Onions, potatoes, turnips, radishes, and other root crops are going into the garden. Need to plant fava beans and garlic.
Saturday
B – homemade, [...]
July 13, 2007
Chris Kimball, left, and Harry Smith discuss solar cookers on The Early Show
Monday (CBS/The Early Show)
Q. …we’d like to do some solar cooking and are unsure of how/what to do. – Tia
A. Cooking with the sun is fun, easy and environmentally friendly. We made our first sun oven out of cardboard and aluminum foil over [...]
April 10, 2007
Grape leaves
Grape Leaves
With the longer days and warmer weather the garden’s finally taking off and that means busy days on in urban homestead’s kitchen.
The grapes vines are full of light green leaves, perfect for preserving in anticipation of a summertime filled with platters of stuffed grape leaves.
Ingredients :
1 qt Whole grape leaves
2 tsp Salt in: [...]
February 20, 2007
Urban homestead cheese
The Worlds Easiest Cheese (Vinegar Cheese)
1. With frequent stirring, heat one gallon of milk to 185 degrees F.
2. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, stir briefly.
3. After 10 minutes, strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander.
4. Hang to drain. VOILA!! One and 1/2 pounds of cheese in about two hours!
Courtesy: Saanendoah (thanks for sharingFern)
Jordanne showed me this [...]
February 8, 2007
Passion Fruit Sauce
Thanks to an increase in our passion fruit production this month we were able to make a huge batch of “tropical sauce.” To add a bit of a citrus/berry twist I added some blood orange juice (still working on using the 400 lbs of blood orange harvest!)
4 cups passion fruit pulp (seeds and [...]
January 19, 2007
Homemade bread
We tried out a new bread recipe this week and it turned out really yummy. Besides that fact that it’s a “no-knead” recipe (leave it rise overnight and put in oven the next morning – that’s it!) I like that this method gives the hard outer texture and holey inner lightness of an artisan [...]
August 18, 2006
by Anais in Bicycle, Homestead, Kitchen, Menu Planning, News, Posts by Anais, Recipe Box, Transportation
Bike trailer
We are inspired by folks we know who use bikes as their only form of transportation. So, continuing towards our goal to lessen the use of our biodiesel car, which we use on average of 3 days a week (less than 4,000 miles a year), we decided to get atrailer for our bike(s).
One of [...]
August 13, 2006
by Anais in Garden, Homestead, Kitchen, Menu Planning, News, Pickling & Preservation, Posts by Anais, Recipe Box
Figs for lunch
It’s another cool and overcast morning, quite unusual for August. Everyone’s wearing a light jacket/sweater. Poor plants are just as confused as we are.
We recently we tried a delicious new fig recipe since we’ve been inundated with figs (the fruit trees are finally maturing!) –Fresh Fig Quesadillas, along with some steamed freshly [...]
August 28, 2005
Good ol summertime
The heat is on!!!! The past few days have been unbearably hot. The mercury will continue to reach well into the 100s for a few more days.
On Thursday morning a huge flock of geese passed over the house heading South. Wonder if it was the same flock we saw pass over the [...]
August 15, 2005
by Anais in Community, Garden, Homestead, Kitchen, Natural Pest Management, Posts by Anais, Recipe Box, Weather
Harvested the last of the peaches and pretty soon the apples will be finished.
The fall tomatoes have been planted, along with sweet potatoes, carrots, radishes and green crops. Pretty soon, JC will start snow peas and broccoli.
Aug is vacation time for many of our restaurant clients — a few are off this week and the [...]
June 20, 2004
The past couple days, JM and I have made two yummy desserts for a dear friend of ours. The first on this “dessert marathon” was a chocolate cake made with duck eggs and topped with our luscious strawberries and cheery pansies.
JM wanted to try a three layer cake, moving op from our normal two layer. [...]
April 19, 2004
CATCHING UP
We’vebeen a bit absent in posting these past few days as it was a busy-busy week here on the homestead… yep, heard all this before? Life on the”urban homestead” is busy, but we always have timefor a little sharing & socializing as we did over the weekend.
Here’s some of the latest happenings:
ECO-PRINTING
On Wednesday, [...]
June 15, 2003
by Anais in Energy, Homestead, Kitchen, Posts by Anais, Recipe Box, Solar Oven, Solar Power, Weather
Corn almost as high as an elephant’s eye? Tomato jungle … machete anyone?
What’s this!?! Could it be? There’s something bright and yellow in the sky…. Yes, the sun finally has come out and decided to stay! Hmmmm, I wonder if this sudden occurrence had anything to do with Melissa’s (akaPioneer Woman) sun dance?
Now [...]
March 28, 2003
If thou canst but thither, There grows the flower of Peace, The Rose that cannot wither, Thy fortress and thy ease. ~ Henry Vaughn ~
After a long absence of new photos, I finally had the time to upload some to ourPHOTO GALLERY. There are quite a lot ofNEW PICTURES, so please be patient while the [...]
February 6, 2003
… it’s grrrrr-eat!
Had a request for our granola recipe, so here it is folks.
Enjoy!
2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup flake coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds, peanuts, or pecans (I personally like the pecans)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seed
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/3 cup oil
1 tbl vanilla
1 cup raisins
1. Combine the oats, coconut, nuts, and [...]
