fig jam: it's delicious.

My first foray into fig preserves turned out to be a success; last night, some impromptu biscuits (glorious in their own right) were topped with spoonfuls of golden fig preserves. 

The preserves are sweet and have a lovely texture. They're just the right consistency, if I do say so myself. I think the frozen plate test does the trick. (I learned it here--thanks, Kristina!)

The biscuits started out as two-ingredient biscuits, until I decided to consult Mark Bittman and found a similar....but different...recipe to follow. 

A Riff on Mark Bittman's Quick Drop Biscuits

2 cups AP flour

scant 1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

4 tbls cold butter, cut into cubes

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, plus two tbls 1% milk

Preheat the oven to 450 (or ready a toaster oven) and butter/flour/grease a 9" round cake pan. Mix the dry ingredients with a whisk and cut in butter with a pastry cutter. Blend until butter is incorporated in smaller-than-pea-sized bits. (How's that for accurate?) Add the yogurt and mix. If batter is still bone-dry in parts, add milk and stir. Batter should be very shaggy. Drop in large spoonfuls into the cake pan (these can be messy!). Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until biscuits are golden-brown and cooked through. 

Enjoy HOT, with a spoonful of fresh preserves on top!

Ryan was hesitant to try these--but one bite in, he was hooked too. These are buttery. And moist. And fluffy. And just downright delicious. We almost devoured the entire pan, but had the self-restraint to save a few for breakfast. 

from the tree to the jar: fig preserves

I'll come clean with you. 

I went a little crazy this weekend, but I had to. You see, fruits and vegetables wait for no one--not the sick, not the busy, not those trying to enjoy a holiday weekend. So even though I'm on (hopefully) the tail end of the worst summer cold in my memory and have been taking every OTC medication on top of antibiotics that the pharmacist told me I can handle, not to mention about eight Neti pot adventures daily.... I decided that my plans for the long weekend--to harvest and can and pickle produce from my mother's garden--had to go forward. 

Friday morning I made it out early to my mom's house, and after an hour or so of catching up, we went out to harvest figs. My mom stood on the ground to grab the ones within reach, and I climbed up the ladder. Once we started, it was hard to stop; there were beautiful, perfectly ripe figs at every turn, hiding under every leaf. In all, we picked about seven pounds; she had four in the fridge from the day before for a grand total of ELEVEN pounds of fresh figs. And that was just the beginning. 

The tree in the East Garden is so big that it's got enough for everyone: the birds enjoy their fill from the top of the tree, fifteen feet in the air and unreachable even with our tallest ladder, and we pick more than enough just from the bottom canopy. 

In all, I packed up about 25 pounds of produce, split between figs, cucumbers, banana peppers, zucchini, and carrots. After a quick stop at Wal-Mart (I know, I know--but they really do have great prices) for some half-pint jelly jars and a pot big enough to process quart-sized jars of pickles, I got to work. (I found the giant pot on clearance for only $17, but the look on Ryan's face could be priced much higher. "Now, are we borrowing that?" No--it's ours... so if anyone needs a 21.5-quart stock pot, let me know. You can borrow it!)

On Friday afternoon, I got started on the figs. I'd sterilized the kitchen the day before with hydrogen peroxide, and I kept my hands clean. With all the boiling, anyway, germs were nowhere to be found.

Fig Preserves

15 cups pureed figs (about 11 pounds)

5 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

First, prep the figs. Rinse them, trim the stems, and toss out any that look highly suspect (I think I only tossed out three figs!). Puree in batches with a food processor. Transfer to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) and add sugar. 

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture has reduced and gelling stage is reached.

(I use the frozen plate method: place a small plate in the freezer before you begin. To test the jam, place a small spoonful on the plate and tilt the plate. Swipe your finger through the jam and count to five. If the line reconnects before you count to five, the jam needs more time. If it does not reconnect after five seconds, you're good to go. ) 

Once gelling stage is reached, add lemon juice and cook one more minute. Carefully spoon jam into sterilized jars. Wipe the rims clean and process for 15 minutes in boiling water. 

Friday, the figs got done (12 half-pints, two full pints, and a little left over that went straight to the fridge), and Saturday I worked on pickling the cucumbers. The way I was feeling, though, I only had energy to pickle and left out the documentation. Suffice it to say, three briny hours later I was exhausted and my Fourth of July plans were completely wrecked. Ryan took my brother to the concert we had tickets for, and I stayed home watching Barry Manilow and the National Symphony. 

Sigh. Like Ryan said, though, "At least we have pickles."

where have i been?

So you're hungry for the next recipe, eh? Me too, but I've been too busy making mistakes like these in the kitchen:Ok, things aren't quite that bad. But I have been sick, and out of town, and...Alright, enough with the excuses. I've got a strawberry jam post in the works, and I of course have to show you the apple pie I made for my dad for Father's Day, right?

We're making a big trip to the farmers' market this weekend, as well as I'll be picking up cucumbers in Taylor to pickle. There's plenty on the dockett, and I promise to pick up the pace here at The Sustainable Diet!

the first of the summer squash bounty: zucchini bread

Summers at home were ushered in not so memorably by the end of the school year, but instead by loaves of fresh zucchini bread. My sister and I would devour the green-flecked loaves, drenched with glossy powdered-sugar icing, almost as soon as our mother could get them out of the oven. 

Last year, I must have asked my mom on a busy day for her zucchini bread recipe because she told me to "Google it, something similar is sure to come up." Well, last weekend, I asked again, and she helped me find her cookbook with the recipe scrawled in it. 

I jotted it down and made a batch as soon as I got home--one loaf for my sister and a half-batch of muffins for me... And that disappeared just as quickly as the loaves we enjoyed as kids.

Mom's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil (OR 3/4 cup applesauce plus 2 tbls oil for a low-fat version)

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups shredded zucchini

3 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 350. Using parchment paper, create a sling in two loaf pans, or butter and flour a muffin tin. (This recipe will make two 8x4 loaves, 24 muffins, or one 9x5 loaf and six muffins.... your pick!)

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil (or applesauce and oil for a lower-fat version), sugar, vanilla, and zucchini. I always double the amount of zucchini, so feel free to put as much as you want in there. 

In a smaller bowl, sift together the flour (you can substitute some whole wheat flour if you'd like--I always do) and other dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the wet, and mix until well incorporated. No need to use a mixer for this recipe--a simple hand whisk will do the trick. 

Pour the batter into the appropriate baking vessel, and pop into the oven. For muffins, bake about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For loaves, bake about 50-65 minutes, or or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you'd like to ice them, whip up a simple glaze icing:

1 cup powdered/confectioner's sugar

2 tbls lemon juice

Mix together, adding either more sugar or liquid until the desired texture/thickness is achieved. Pour over the hot bread and be sure to lick the bowl. 

eating light: black bean and fresh corn salad

Here's a first: I have no photo of this. 

I know. I KNOW! It won't be the same! But here me out: I got back from my first triathlon training class, where they taught me that all these years I've been running incorrectly, and it was way past my dinner time. I was hot, my muscles were exhausted, and my adrenaline was pumping from a hard workout. And then I realized the hunger pangs.

My plan was to recreate a salad I'd had earlier in the week at Blue Dahlia Bistro. A beautiful bed of greens topped with black beans, corn, pico de gallo, avocado, and a delectable citrus vinaigrette; the perfect cool salad for a very hot summer night. And although there was no cheese in sight, it took care of my Tex-Mex craving.

As is the case in my kitchen, that plan was thwarted when I discovered my fresh lettuce was completely and irrevocably wilted. Lettuce leaves really don't last outside of the crisper, folks. 

Life goes on, though, and I continued with the rest of my plan in haste. With only a few ingredients, I pulled together a healthy, fresh dinner straight from the cupboard. High five!

Black Bean Garden Salad

1 can organic black beans, rinsed and drained (or 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and cooled)

1 ear fresh sweet corn, husk and silks removed

1 medium mild pepper (I used a banana pepper)

1 medium tomato

garlic salt and cumin to taste

juice of one lime

Lay the corn on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, carefully shear off the kernels. Dice the tomato and pepper, and toss the veggies together with the beans. Add spices to taste. Squeeze the lime juice over the salad and toss. Serve room temp or chilled. 

~*~

I fried an egg and served it all together with a small handful of grated cheddar for a protein-packed meal that hit the spot. That said, here are things that would have made this dinner better:

• Fresh cilantro

• Diced red or yellow onion

• Sliced avocado 

• A bed of lettuce 

• Citrus vinaigrette

Wait, did I just describe the exact dish from Blue Dahlia? Yep, but it was that good. Know what I'll be having for dinner tonight? Same thing--with avocado.

looking forward...

The heat is beating down on us already this summer, but I am truly looking forward to what's in store.

There is, of course, this movie coming out, all about eating more sustainable and local and organic foods (right up my alley, don't you think?):And I'm sure after I see it, I will become even more of a "locavore," except when my doing so would put someone in a bind. Hear me out; I'll mostly be vegetarian, and eat local, grass-fed, humanely raised meat when I have the chance. If that's not an option at a restaurant, I'll go veggie. And if we're out in the country with the fam, without access to an all-veggie or locally produced meal, I won't make no bones about it, because my momma raised me to be polite above all else!

Moving on! There are plenty of good things to come in the kitchen; I'm hoping to make another carrot bread/cake soon, based on this recipe from 101 Cookbooks (my first one started out delicious....but I didn't bake it all the way through and the middle was a heap of raw mush. Not appetizing).

My mom has been sharing her beautiful garden bounty with us, and that means I have plenty of carrots. And summer squash, and sweet corn... Here's a little sneak peak: Oh, I cannot begin to wrap my head around what's coming down the pike with the tomatoes and okra and cucumbers and such. If our Caprese salad yesterday is any indication, we've got the vegetative world at our fingertips and nothing standing in the way of creative kitchenry.

Soon to come, too, is canning season. My canning kit is in the mail, along with the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

And then there's a new side of me: the side that's determined to work toward a fitness-related goal. It all started with the MS 150, and my difficulty completing just half of the 180-mile ride (the first day was rained out, so we endured only 85 grueling, hilly miles). Coupled with my desire to get outside more and spend time on the trails (and in the water) with Fin, I decided to start training for a triathlon. As an early birthday gift, Ryan signed me up for a beginner training group, and from here on out I'll be incorporating fitness into my sustainable diet. Because what's more sustainable than eating responsibly for the Earth? Eating responsibly for Earth AND body.

Other goals for the summer include learning to make cheese (mozzarella is first on the list), eating more sprouts (enjoyed a bowl of sprouted wheat cereal this morning!), making more rustic breads (perfect for summer sandwiches), and going on at least one picnic a week (what started out last Thursday as a gorgeous night in the park turned into Escape the Tornado '09!).

Stay tuned for great things to come--and to hold me accountable for all the things I've put myself up to.

beating the heat, caprese style

Yesterday I spent the morning with my mother, helping her harvest some of the most beautiful produce I've ever seen. For the second week in a row, I came home with pounds of vegetables: carrots (of course), lettuce, banana peppers, okra (green and burgundy), onions (secret!), zucchini, cucumbers, squash, and a few of the most gorgeous heirloom tomatoes.

It is an unbelievable sight to get home with an ice chest full of home-grown goodies and know that you'd better get to work soon. How inspiring to stare at vegetables you harvested yourself, that your mom grew from seed, and think... We get to eat this. What's better, is going to the grocery store only to buy things like flour, and Topo Chico, and maybe some cheese; there's no need to purchase veggies that have been flown in from around the world. Coupled with our Saturday morning trip to the farmers' market, where we scored some candy-sweet blueberries, the harvest from my mom's garden was more than enough to get us through more than one week of meals.

The first thing to be gobbled up? The gorgeous heirloom tomatoes, of course. I had one brandywine and two green stripe varieties set aside for Sunday's lunch.

On the menu? Caprese salad. This is perhaps one of the easiest salads to put together, and I'd venture to say one of the most elegant. After drizzling extra-virgin olive oil on the plate, I began layering slices of fresh, handmade mozzarella, then quarter-inch-thick slices of the heirloom tomatoes, then a single leaf of basil from our small container garden. I drizzled a little more EVOO over the striped plate, and topped it all off with a few twists of fresh-ground pepper.

Nothing could be simpler, and few meals are more refreshing than this strictly-summer salad--and of course, it's always better with fresh and local ingredients. Ryan and I agreed, this was the best Caprese salad we'd ever had. Serve with sparkling water or maybe, if you're feeling spritzy, some light and refreshing prosecco or vinho verde.
I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
I love this even more so with the heirloom tomatoes, and can't wait to bring home more from mom's. Of course, we're about ready to harvest our own heirloom tomatoes from the front garden, and I'd love to learn to make mozzarella at home... So maybe, just maybe, the next time we have this it will be 100% grown and made right here from our little apartment.