Ditmas Park CSA Extended Season Week 2

Fall foods, earthy, and not as vibrant as the summer varieties

Is there a better way to get your weeks food then with a group of like minded people sharing a supporting a farm? You can say hello to your farmer, swap recipe ideas, swap unwanted vegetables with your neighbors, ask questions. Its nice. Hundreds of times nicer then the grocery store.

I bought two of five weeks of the extended share option from my neighbor. That breaks down to a whole share, every other week. I will spend less time rushing between my neighborhood and Ditmas Park, a bonus. The trick is for me to spread the extra food over 2 weeks before it wilts. Not so hard with potatoes, beets, onion, and squash. Tomatoes, peppers, turnip, and bok choy are on this weeks menu.

Ditmas Park CSA Extended Season Week 2
8 oz honey!
1 fat turnip
2 green peppers
1 big head of bok choy
2 tomatoes
6 small beets
10 small potatoes
3 big onions (I swapped my broccoli and cauliflower one onion, I just cant eat that much food)
1 big honking daikon
1 hubbard squash

Saint Lucia Bread

brilliant saffron yellow and just a little less rich than brioche

Scandinavians mark the beginning of the Christmas season on December 13th, with a Saint Lucia day. The eldest daughter dress like in white pajamas topped off with a wreath of candles on their head. Candles burning its traditional for the girls to serve brilliant yellow saffron rolls and coffee to their family. My sister in law (now technically the eldest daughter) of Northern Minnesotan origins brought the tradition to my familys house minus the candles. Even after the buns were past their soft and fresh stage Sabrina pointed out that 6 seconds in the microwave roused the St. Lucia in the rolls.

Saint Lucia Saffron Rolls

5 packages yeast or 1.5 oz
2 cups warm whole milk
1/8 oz saffron
1 cup butter or 2 sticks, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten
7 cups flour

1 egg, beaten
raisins for decorating

Mix milk and yeast together and allow to sit for 5 minutes until yeast is foamy. If the yeast does not become foamy within 10 minutes, throw it out and buy some fresh yeast. This process is called proofing to prevent you from hours of labor for bread that wont rise. Add the saffron to the milk and allow sit for another 5 minutes. Stir in the melted butter, sugar, salt, and first beaten egg.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour in a large bowl mixing until the dough pulls away from the sides. I like to do this step in a food processor because it mixes the dough uniformly. The dough will be sticky but manageable. Turn the dough out onto a floury surface and knead for 10 minutes. Be careful not to add too much flour, which will make the buns tough. The dough will be smooth and soft.

Put kneaded dough in a clean lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and keep in a draft-free, warm place for 2 hours or until dough doubles. After 2 hours punch the dough. Shape the dough into buns on baking trays. We tried pretty hard to stay traditional at my home, but its too much fun to get creative. In Sweden they would typically form fat swirls of dough, S-shapes, cats, or the initials of loved ones. One plump cat broke when its skinny tail tore free. The key is to use fairly similar amount of dough for each shape, so they cook evenly. Cover with towels and let sit 25 minutes to allow the yeast a final chance to rise.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush beaten egg over the tops of the buns, and decorate sparingly with raisins. Think one to two raisins per bun. Interesting note, my family only has golden raisins around so my sister in law, Sabrina, dug out a handful of dark raisins from the bran cereal. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffy and begin to darken. Cool and serve. Sing some holiday songs, its nearly Christmas.

Cardamom Spice Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Ace Pumpkin Bread

The goal was to have this recipe up by Thanksgiving. Lets just say this recipe is good enough to make 365 days a year even though I missed my opportunity to get it up during prime gourd time. Ive been baking this recipe for 3 years. A wink and a nod to my vegan friends, who are always thankful for spiced baked bread.

I promise NO ONE will guess its vegan. Coconut milk, moist pumpkin, and flax are seamless replacement for the binding and flavor of butter and eggs. Cardamom and ginger give it unforgettable flavor. The recipes only rival is my lemon zucchini bread. I used my homemade pumpkin puree, which isnt any better then store bought. You can also use pureed butternut squash or yams, or a mixture. My favorite results were with half parsnip half yam puree. Pumpkin seeds are pretty on top, but fanned apple slices are a nice touch too. The recipe is based on the Post Punk Kitchens version.

Vegan Pumpkin Bread

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tblsp molasses
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup coconut milk
(do not buy sweetened coconut milk often advertised for pina coladas)
1/4 cup ground flax meal
2 cups pumpkin puree
*16-20 cardamom pods
2 tsp ginger powdered
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I use 1 1/2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups unbleached white flour)

*Note: Cardamom pods can be found at Indian grocery stores or ordered online from spice stores. I dont suggest substituting less flavorful powdered cardamom. Instead increase ginger by 1/2 tsp.

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly coat 2 bread pans with oil. Drop in 1-2 tablespoons of flour into a bread pan. Shake and knock around until all surfaces are coated. Shake excess flour into the second bread pan, and repeat.

Grandmas pans have turned out hundred of great loaves of bread

Smash open cardamom pods by crushing with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Separate shells from seeds. Carefully chop up cardamom seeds until medium-fine. They kind of pop and roll when you chop the hard seeds.

Fragrant

Meanwhile blend oil, sugar, and molasses for 1-2 minutes until combined with a standing or handheld mixer. Open the can of coconut milk and measure out 2/3 cups of the thick white cream. Leave the clear coconut water for another purpose. Add coconut to sugar along with pumpkin puree, flax, spices, salt, and baking soda. Mix another minute or more until blended. Add half of the flour and mix until mostly combined. Add remaining flour, and mix by hand. Be careful to mix as little as possible to prevent bread from getting tough.

Sugar and oil

Divide into 2 prepared loaf pans. Bake until a knife comes out clean 70-90 minutes. The bread will be golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning on to racks. Cool for another 20-30 minutes before serving. This bread freezes well wrapped in foil and placed in a ziplock. Eat one now, and save one for unexpected craving for pumpkin bread! I have those.

Vanilla Extract

Letters courtesy of the dollar store

Full disclosure: I havent owned a bottle of vanilla extract in close to 2 years. I was annually buying a big bottle of Massey vanilla to last a year of baking. I fell out of that habit when I couldnt validate the extra expense during a tight year. So yes, I have been lying. Most of the recipes Ive tested/written with vanilla actually contained almond extract, vanilla powder (an odd xmas gift from way back) or vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are $0.99 each at the Flatbush co-op, about half or less what you would pay at the grocery store or online. Planning for Christmas baking I decided it was time to end my vanilla drought. Vanilla extract isnt a magical elixir squeezed from rare plants. Its just cheap alcohol infused with vanilla beans. I can do that, so can you. You need 4 things: a bottle of cheap booze, vanilla beans, a dark place, and time. Two of those things are free.

$12 worth of vanilla beans

Small mouth glass bottles for storing are nice too. I made mine directly in the store bought booze, but bottled it down to give out to friends, and for easier pouring. Bottles are atrociously expensive at brick and mortar stores in NYC. I considered buying little bottles of vanilla at the dollar store, dumping the contents and refilling. It would have been cheaper then buying them at Sur La Table, but wasteful. In the end I found Specialty Bottle online. The bottles are cheap, but shipping and handling is expensive. Still a deal in the end. The quality of the vanilla is a good price compared to store bought.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

10-12 Vanilla beans
.75 ml cheap brandy or vodka

The proportion I found trolling the internet is 3-5 beans per cup of alcohol. A .75 liter bottle of alcohol is almost a 3 1/4 cups, so 10-12 beans. Break it down anyway you want for more or less vanilla extract.

Split the beans in half with a the tip of a sharp knife. Place beans in the bottle of alcohol. Shake and let sit in a dark place. Shaking every week or so is supposed to help develop the flavor, but can you prove it? Vanilla will be ready after 2 months. Ive read that after 6 months the flavor will be at full force. My vanilla at 3 months seems a little better then after 2 months. Only experience and practice will tell. My last batch of cookies tasted great, so Im on to something.


If you plan to bottle your vanilla I suggest sterilizing first by boiling in water for 1-2 minutes. Its difficult for bacteria to grow in alcohol but not mold. Anyways, you never know, and if you do know (cough cough, Dad) then let me know in the comments. Ive stopped washing in soap in water to avoid the chance of leaving soap residue. Vanilla is a concentrated flavor, and I would hate to mess it up with dish detergent.

I bottled my vanilla with a 1/4 of a split bean. A little indicator of how the vanilla is made. Maybe by the time I remember to ship out all of the vanilla it will be at full strength.

Roasting an Entire Pumpkin

To be roasted in the spirit of the season

Pumpkin goods are the reason behind my favorite season. Pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin polenta, pumpkin pancakes, braised pumpkin with short ribs, pumpkin seeds. I could eat pumpkin flavored anything, everyday. A few years back (putting together a Thanksgiving abroad in Glasgow Scotland) I discovered that it is more labor intensive and expensive to roast a pumpkin then to buy a can. Pumpkins have high water content, and yield less per pound with more effort. Nonetheless when Poorfarm farm brought its perfectly orange bounty to a Brooklyn corner near me I could not resist.

When shopping for a roasting pumpkin look for smaller varieties or a "Sugar Pumpkin" which is grown for baking. You dont want a jack-o-lantern. Tough, watery, and stringy. There are hundreds of other kinds of pumpkins, and you can usually get all kinds of gems at the farmers market. I often roast Hubbard, butternut, or even yams in addition to or in place of traditional pumpkin. They have less water, are easy to peel, and dont need to be strained of water.

How To Roast a Whole Pumpkin

Remove rack so that only one remains on the bottom, or next to bottom shelf. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You arent going to peel or cut the pumpkin in pieces. Roasting the whole thing whole will steam the pumpkin from inside out and loosen the tough skin. Place pumpkin on a foil lined pan. Water is going to seep out while the pumpkin cooks. Save your oven and use a rimmed baking pan or jelly roll pan. Cut 5-8 slits around the top and sides of the pumpkin to vent hot air. Remove the pumpkins stem.

Looks like a sad basketball, tastes like pumpkin bread

Bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours. The pumpkin may begin to brown on the outside. It will be soft to the touch, and an indentation will remain when poked. Right now the pumpkin is an orange balloon filled with hot steam. Be careful with it. Allow the pumpkin to deflate for 10-15 minutes. Cut open the pumpkin and allow it to completely cool about 20 more minutes.

Hot do not touch

Here is the best part! Just scoop out the guts and seeds with your hands. No need to scrape and scrape. Dont forget to save the seeds for roasting. Your oven is still pretty warm, and you can clean them up and pop them in right away. You can also peel the skin off too, but it requires a little bit of attention, as may not peel clean away.

You will be left with hunks of cooked, but watery pumpkin. Puree the hunks in a blender or food processor until smooth and consistent. Place in a fine mess sieve balanced over a container. This will allow the juice to drip off leaving you with a more condensed pumpkin puree for about 5 hours to overnight in the refrigerator I found that I got equal (if not greater if I had saved the juice that I squished out and baked off first) amounts of pumpkin juice to pumpkin puree. The pumpkin juice is pretty tasty, and you could save it for other purposes, like mixing with oj for an excellent breakfast experience.

1 3/4 cup Pumpkin Juice vs 1 3/4 cups Pumpkin Puree

I like my pumpkin puree a little chunky.

Note that I yielded less than 2 cups of pumpkin puree, less than 2 cups of juice, plus seeds from that big 3-3.5 pound pumpkin. It took around 12 hours to complete the process end to end, and cost me $5 plus some change for gas utility. The puree has a strong pure pumpkin flavor, and Im confident it will make some excellent pumpkin bread. It would take me about 20 minutes to walk to the store and buy a 24 oz can of pumpkin for about $3. Luckily I love fresh roasted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are the deal breaker.