Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year; for gardening begins in January with a dream. — Josephine Nuese | Music and Machines "Gardening begins in January with a dream," and gets exciting in February with the arrival of seeds. Out come the seed starting trays and grow lights. Spring is just around the corner. Jeannie's excited. The warmer weather we had made us think of spring, but the forecast said more snow and cold was coming in a couple of days. Knowing that, James pulled out his heavy equipment and cleaned up some of the corrals. It was captivating to watch how easy James made the operation look and how efficient he was with such huge equipment in a small space with cattle around him. The cows were more interested in eating their afternoon feed of hay, but the calves, like most young'uns wanted to escape and go for a run. I expected to see a calf scooped up in the big bucket with four legs sticking out, but James was too careful for that to happen. And he was careful not to let any calves escape, either. | Putting in a long day on heavy equipment may explain why James was sleeping in the corner behind his drum kit when everyone else was playing a lively tune for us in the evening. To be fair, the piece of music was a duet for piano and guitar that Konstantijn and Mathijs were creating. We did have a delightful evening in the Harvest Haven Harmony House with the group performing their music. Practice pays and we enjoyed the results. | Another Harvest Haven "convenience food" that is hearty and full of flavor. It's also full of ground beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions in beef broth with a touch of tomato, a dash of seasonings, and a handful of garlic. A quick fix for a busy day, just heat and serve or add a bit more broth if you like a thinner soup. It's rich! | Another unique product coming from the Harvest Haven kitchen…dehydrated organic sourdough starter. What is a sourdough starter? The quick version: a sourdough starter is an active colony of wild yeast and good bacteria cultivated by combining flour and water and allowing it to ferment. By feeding it continually and keeping it in happy conditions you will have a reliable "natural yeast" culture that can be used to leaven (raise) breads and pastries of all kinds. The science: a sourdough starter is a symbiotic community of lactic acid bacteria and wild yeast. Both yeast and bacteria feed on the carbohydrates present in flour when hydrated with water and allowed to ferment. As you refresh the starter with new "food," each microbe gets stronger and more vivacious, releasing gases (providing air and lift) as they consume. These two live microorganisms exist in harmony within your starter, creating an environment rich with lactic and acetic acid. These acids provide both flavor and nutritional benefit. Breads that are made exclusively with sourdough are referred to as naturally leavened. Naturally leavened breads have a longer fermentation time than commercially yeasted breads, which allows the lactic acid in the sourdough to "unlock" the nutrients within the flour. This creates a more flavorful, digestible bread with more readily available nutrients. From The Basics Behind Sourdough Starter Harvest Haven starter is made with organic flour and Grander water, both of which produce a healthy, vigorous product. This is the same starter we use to make our naturally-leavened bread that is so popular. Because the starter is dehydrated, we can package it in small packets and ship wherever. Instructions for rehydrating: Combine the full contents of the package into a clean 1 quart glass jar or bowl. Add 50 grams of all purpose flour and 150 grams of warm water. Cover the jar loosely with a lid or the bowl with plastic, and allow it to sit at room temperature (22C/72F) for 12 hours. Place another 1 quart container or glass bowl on a scale and press the tare button on your scale. Transfer 150 grams of the starter mixture (half) into this new container. Add 75 grams of flour and 75 grams of water to the new container. Mix, cover, and let it sit for 12 hours at room temperature. You can discard the starter from the original container. At the end of 12 hours you should see signs of bubbling and rising levels of the starter. Your starter should now be out of dormancy and can be maintained daily by removing half the volume by weight and then adding that same weight in equal amounts of flour and water. This should be done every 12 hours. There are lots of links on maintaining starters. Here are two we found helpful: Sourdough Starter: Everything You Need to Know and How to Feed, Maintain, and Store a Sourdough Starter. | Harvest Haven Pastured Beef Shanks – Shanks come from the leg portion of an animal. Due to the constant use of this muscle, the cut tends to be tough and gristly (full of cartilage). But, it has lots of rich flavor, which makes it perfect for soups, Osso Bucco, and Bourguignon. Harvest Haven Beets – Sweet and tender, low in calories, and high in nutrients and fiber, this earthy root vegetable is great as a side dish, in a salad or soup. Roasting fresh beets brings out their sweet flavor. Harvest Haven Sourdough Bread – At the Harvest Haven Hearth, Heaven meets Earth. Golden loaves of bread made with simple ingredients and baked in our wood-fired oven are wonderfully delicious and nourishing. Fresh from the oven on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. L'Ancetre Organic Cheese Slices (Swiss and Cheddar) – These handy slices are mild, delicately salty, tangy flavored with a buttery finish. With their firm, smooth, slightly creamy texture, they'll just melt in your mouth. Add them to sandwiches and lunch boxes or a slice of toast for instant flavor. Organic Blood Oranges – It's the season for these red beauties. Blood oranges have been popular for centuries throughout Spain and Italy. Their deep red color and delicious flavor add pizzazz to salads, salsas, and savory dishes. Organic Cane Sugar – Organic cane sugar is unrefined sugar minus the cancer-causing and environmentally damaging pesticides present in conventionally-grown sugarcane. Compared to white sugar, organic cane sugar has the full-bodied taste of sugarcane and is much less processed, retaining a lot of the nutrients present in cane juice. It is the best substitute for conventional white sugar in any recipe. | Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic. | Harvest Haven Borscht 2 Harvest Haven meaty beef shanks
1 lb Harvest Haven beef stew, optional
2 Harvest Haven onions, chopped
2 Harvest Haven carrots, diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
3 medium Harvest Haven beets, grated
2 medium Harvest Haven potatoes, cubed
1/3 head cabbage, cut into 1" pieces
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup cooked white beans or broad beans
3 cloves Harvest Haven garlic, minced
1 Tbsp salt or to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
Dash whole allspice
2 Tbsp lemon juice or sauerkraut juice to taste Place shanks, stew meat, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 stalk celery, and 1 clove of garlic into 5 quart pot. Add 2 ½ quarts water and 2 tsp salt. Bring to boil, lower heat, and simmer for about 1 hour or until beef is tender. Remove the meat. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables, and skim off the fat. In a heavy saucepan, sauté remaining onions, carrot, celery, and garlic in butter. Bring meat stock back to boil, add beets, potatoes, and pepper; simmer 10 minutes. Add cabbage and cook 10 minutes more. Add sautéed vegetables, tomato sauce, and beans. Taste for salt and add more as needed. Add parsley, dill, allspice, and lemon or sauerkraut juice. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cut meat into 1" cubes and stir into pot. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream. OR Put everything into the pot in the order listed and cook until done the way you like it. | Sourdough Grilled Cheese 4 slices Harvest Haven sourdough bread
4 tablespoons butter softened, divided
4 slices cheddar cheese
4 slices swiss cheese
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. While skillet warms, spread 1 tablespoon softened butter on one side of each piece of bread. Place 2 slices of cheddar and 2 slices of swiss on top of one slice of buttered sourdough. Top cheeses with another slice of buttered sourdough, with buttered side facing cheeses. Repeat with remaining bread and cheese to form second sandwich. Spread 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise on outside of top piece of sourdough for each sandwich. Place sandwiches in warm skillet, mayonnaise-side down, and spread another 1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise on outside of bread facing up. Cook sandwiches 3 to 4 minutes, then flip sandwiches over and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve warm as-is or with desired sides. | Blood Orange Tart One lemon thyme shortcrust (recipe below) Blood Orange Curd:
3/4 cup blood orange juice
2 tablespoons blood orange zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 whole Harvest Haven eggs plus 1 yolk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces Citrus Thyme Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
optional: 2 sprigs fresh thyme
optional: peeled zest of 1 large blood orange
optional: peeled zest of 1 large lemon (or 2 small ones) Make the shortcrust dough at least an hour ahead of time. It's very simple and can be made up to 2-3 days ahead. You'll want to let it sit out 10 minutes after chilling, roll it to 2" larger than the diameter of your tart pan, fit it to the pan and trim the excess, then freeze it for 20 minutes. You can shape the trimmings into cookies and bake them on the parchment lined pan as you bake the crust (but only for 10-12 minutes). Par-bake the crust at 375F for 30 minutes. While the crust par-bakes, prep your filling ingredients. Zest and juice your oranges, juice your lemon, dice your butter, and measure everything else out. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium saucepan. When the crust has about 5 minutes remaining, whisk together all filling ingredients except for heavy cream and heat over medium low to medium heat, stirring constantly. When the crust is done, remove from oven and remove the foil/rice (you can save the rice for your next pie or tart). If the bottom still looks raw, you can bake it (unlined) a few minutes longer while the filling finishes. Be sure to stir your filling a few times while you check on the crust. Once the filling has thickened slightly and reached 170 degrees (or can coat the back of a spoon--this takes about 5-7 minutes once the pan has heated up), strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any clumps of cornstarch. Stir in the heavy whipping cream until well combined. Pour warm filling into the still-warm crust. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the edges begin to set but the middle is still a little wiggly. If not using convection, rotate tart halfway. Let cool on the counter at least 2 hours. If not serving right away once cooled, cover and refrigerate tart until ready to eat. When you're ready to serve, strain the thyme and peeled zest out of the heavy whipping cream. If you made the tart ahead of time, just be sure the cream doesn't infuse longer than 18-24 hours or it will turn bitter. In a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment), combine the infused cream and powdered sugar and whisk gently until combined. Then whisk vigorously or on high until soft peaks form. You can either spread the whipped cream on the whole tart or place a dollop on each slice before serving. Enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge, tightly sealed, for 3-5 days. Optionally, top with candied blood oranges. | Lemon Thyme Shortcrust 1 1/4 cups flour (spooned then leveled)
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, woody parts removed
8 tablespoons cold butter (diced)
1 Harvest Haven egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract First, you want to wash your lemon and thyme to remove any dirt. I like to scrub my lemons with vegetable wash. While the thyme dries (you can't really pat it down easily), dice up your butter then put it in the fridge to keep it nice and chilled. Zest your lemon (as finely as possible) and remove as much of the brown woody part of the thyme as you can. A few green stems is fine. Process those with your flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the butter and pulse until a wet-sand texture, with some butter pieces a little smaller than peas and the rest is smaller and mixed in with the flour like wet sand. Whisk the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla together then add to the processor. Pulse a few times, until it begins to clump together and pull away from the edge. (If it's easier, you can dump the flour into a bowl and gently stir the egg/cream in to avoid over mixing.) Dump out onto a piece of beeswrap and pat into a 6" disc. If any flour was left in the corners of your food processor, sprinkle those over the dough before forming into a disc. Double wrap the disc and chill at least an hour, or up to 2 or 3 days. If you want to keep it longer, you need to freeze it then let it thaw in the fridge. When ready to use, let the dough sit on the counter for 10 minutes, until a little pliable. Lightly flour a clean work surface or rolling mat. Sprinkle a little more flour over the top. Begin rolling out the dough, rotating the rolling pin as you go. I like to imagine it's a clock and I need to roll it over every hour—so top down is 12 and 6, left right is 3 and 9, etc. Roll it out to be 2-3 inches bigger in diameter than your tart pan (e.g. a little over 12" for a 10" pan). Be sure to flip and rotate the dough every so often, sprinkling a tiny bit more flour as needed to 1) keep it from sticking and 2) ensure you're rolling evenly. I tend to roll the bottom left too thin and the top right too thick. Rotating balances this out. If any bits of the edge crack or break, gently press them back together with your hands. If the dough has become warm (room temperature), cover it with beeswrap and refrigerate for 10-20 minutes (sliding it onto a cutting board or rimless cookie sheet helps). Otherwise, you can gently transfer it to your tart pan. Very gently lift the edges and press it into the corners of the pan, rotating as you go. You want to ease it into the pan. Be sure to press it into the scalloped edges as well, then fold the overhanging crust to a 90 degree angle over the edge. Using a rolling pin or sharp knife, cut off the overhanging edges of the dough. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the crust. Cut any trimmings into cookie-like shapes or leaves to use as decoration on your finished tart or simply to eat! You can bake them on the parchment lined cookie sheet next to the tart (see step 11), but you'll need to remove them after they turn golden, around 10-12 minutes. If pre-baking or par-baking the crust, line with a double layer of foil (criss cross each layer so there's enough to cover all edges). Loosely fold it over the edge of the pan without sealing it in. Fill the pan with rice or beans or pie weights. Rice is my favorite. Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 375F (or as directed by your recipe). If par-baking, you can fill it at this point then finish baking. If fully pre-baking (for a no-bake filling), remove the rice and foil and bake another 10-15 minutes, until the bottom begins to look golden. | Harvest Haven Hearth Our friend, Peter Fiorino, who is a gifted creative, produced a series about local artisans. He included a segment with Martin demonstrating how to make naturally-leavened bread and baking it in our wood-fired brick oven. Enjoy Peter's superb production. | |
