Eco-eating: How to Pickle

By Sara Kramer for Green Goes Simple

Ever found yourself with pounds of beets from a CSA surplus? Or knee-deep in cucumbers from a buying spree at the farmers market? That extra produce no longer has to suffer a rotten fate. Waste less by learning how to pickle like a pro.

Pickling may seem like an activity for advanced foodies, but it’s much easier than you may think. While canned or processed pickles are the most well known, there’s another pickle to consider: Leaving brine-submersed vegetables out in warm temperatures produces oh-so-good-for-you lacto-fermented pickles (chock-full of healthy bacteria). Think sauerkraut and kimchi!

Here are the basics on how to pickle:

What You Need

1. Fresh vegetable of choice, trimmed appropriately (cucumbers are just the beginning -- green beans, okra, cauliflower, carrots and beets are also excellent pickling options)

2. Salt, non-iodized

3. Vinegar (any will do)

4. Water

5. Sugar, to balance the pucker effect

6. Spice: Throw bay leaves and coriander seed into your brine or add a dill sprig to each jar

How to Pickle

1. Sterilize glass jars and lids in a bath of boiling water.

2. Bring vinegar and water (in equal proportion), salt and sugar (to taste) to a boil.

3. Fill jars with raw veggies.

4. Pour enough hot brine in the jars to cover your veggies.

5. For long-term pickling, seal jars tightly and submerge in the water bath. (Different vegetables will require different submersion times -- you can find specific instructions from vendors at the farmers market.)

6. For short-term storage, you can quick-pickle without the canning process by putting your jars directly in the fridge and waiting 24 hours before eating. (These will store for about two weeks.)

Seasonal veggies all year round? Yes, please!

Sara Kramer is a chef and butcher in Brooklyn, N.Y., who attended NYU and the Natural Gourmet Institute. She believes we should all think more about where our food comes from.


Thanks to Green Goes Simple for sharing this blog post!

Share a recipe or 2

If you have a yummy recipe that you would like to share with the readers of  Over Coffee - the green edition I would love to here from you.

The more yummy recipes the better!

Share a recipe or 2

If you have a yummy recipe that you would like to share with the readers of Over Coffee - the green edition I would love to here from you.

The more yummy recipes the better!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

My son’s school has an annual auction (these days, what school doesn’t). One of the items that we purchased from the auction was organic blueberries. Locally grown, fresh picked, plump, yummy, delivered to our home, organic blueberries.

My children and I love blueberries. We eat them by the handfuls, mixed in our yogurt or topped on our cereal. My husband on the other hand….not a big fan of blueberries.
Leave it to him to find a way to make the blueberries yummy enough that even he will eat them.
Blueberry Crumb Bars:

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup packed golden brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Filling Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries (about 15 ounces) or one 12 ounce package frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
• 1 cup blueberry preserves (10 to 11 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Making the Crust:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Butter bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking pan
• Whisk flour, oats, sugar, salt, & cinnamon in large bowl.
• Add 1 cup butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture sticks together in small clumps.
• Transfer 2 cups to medium bowl, mix in almonds, and reserve this for topping
• Press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan.
• Bake crust until golden and just firm to touch (about 22 minutes)
• Cool 10 minutes

Making the Filling:

• Mix all ingredients in medium bowl
• Spread evenly over cooled crust in pan
• Sprinkle reserved topping over the filling

Bake the bars until the filling bubbles thickly at edges and topping is golden brown (about 40 minutes).


Cool in pan on a rack.


Cut lengthwise into 4 strips then cut each strip into 6 pieces.


Enjoy with a fresh brewed cup of organic coffee or black tea. (At least that is how I enjoy them. My kids and husband prefer to enjoy then with a glass of 1% organic milk. Either way, they are very enjoyable!)

Blueberry Muffins

Let me just start by saying that blueberries are by far the easiest berry to pick.

Last weekend my family and I picked ~15 pounds in ~ 1 hour (and the kiddos ate ~ 5 pounds in 1 hour).

One of the things we did with the berries (before my kiddos ate them all) is make these very yummy blueberry muffins.

We actually put in a few more blueberries than the recipe called for but I figured the more the merrier.

If you have a few extra blueberries (or strawberries, raspberries, marionberries, etc) on your hands I highly recommend this recipe!

Recipe for Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins from The Food Network

Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes/Muffins

At the first sign of our back yard pumpkins changing from green to orange my children could be heard asking (repeatedly) "When can we make pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins with them?"

That time has finally come.

Here is the recipe that I use to make them Pumpkin Muffins.
I make them into mini ones so I can put a couple in their lunches or serve a couple as a snack. Technically the recipe is a cupcake recipe but I have never put frosting on them, they are plenty sweet enough without it.

I took a huge batch to my daughter's pre-school for her snack day and the kids devoured them (i.e. kid approved).

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg (the jar stuff is fine)
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 15 oz solid-packed pumpkin
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 4 eggs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, & salt
• Toss the raisins & walnuts with the flour mixture
• In a large bowl whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, & oil
• Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition.
• Add the flour mixture in small additions, stirring with a large wooden spoon after each addition
• Fill the muffin tins ~ 3/4 full (these don't rise much so you can fill them all the way to the top if you would like)
• Bake until they are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. ~12 minutes for mini and ~22 minutes for regular size.
• Transfer to a wire rack for cooling

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Nut Bread

Thanks to Daisy from the blog Compost Happens for submitting this yummy looking recipe!

Rhubarb Nut Bread:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups raw rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter

Directions

• Heat oven to 325F, lightly butter and flour two 8"x4"x3" loaf pans.
• Combine the brown sugar, veggie oil and the egg.
• Combine the buttermilk (sour milk), baking soda, salt & vanilla.
• Add the milk mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the flour, beating well after each addition.
• Fold in the rhubarb& the nuts.
• Turn batter into the two loaf pans.
• Sprinkle with the melted butter and sugar.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until done.
• Turn out on a wire rack to cool.

If you have a yummy recipe you would like share just drop me an e-mail!

Zucchini Bread

If you or anyone you know is growing edible landscaping (i.e. organic garden) chances are you have a few of these laying around.

My favorite thing to do with zucchini is make zucchini bread. SO I thought that I would share my zucchini bread recipe with you.

Enjoy!

Preheat oven @ 350°

What you need

• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup applesauce

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy

Stir in all the ingredients

Place mixture into 1 large or 2 small greased loaf pans

Bake for ~60 min (this time varies with each oven so you may want to check it prior to the 60 min)

Test bread with toothpick. When the toothpick comes out clean the bread is done.

I usually let it cool in the pan on a cooling rack before I remove it.

Then I place the cooled bread into a bread bag (reused of course) and store in the refrigerator.

Zucchini bread also freezes well as does shredded zucchini (so you can make zucchini bread all year long).

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I know summer is not really baking time, and I usually avoid turning on the oven when it's 106 degrees outside, but sometimes I've just got to bake. Besides, who doesn't love fresh baked cookies, regardless of the time of year?

A friend gave me this recipe recently and my husband declared last night that he thinks these might be his new favorite cookie. A combination of his two favorites, what could be better? Officially I am a Chocolate Chip Cookie lover, but I ate at least half a dozen of these yesterday, so they can't be too bad.

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup Peanut Butter, creamy or crunchy (your preference)
• 1 1/2 cup Butter, softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups Oatmeal
• 1 cup Raisins (optional)

How To Make:

Set oven racks to middle position, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, and sugars.

Add eggs, milk and vanilla,

and continue to mix until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Stir into peanut butter mixture. Mix in oatmeal and raisins, if using.

Let dough set for about 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

Drop by teaspoons onto ungreased baking sheet,

and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking to ensure even baking.

If you like a crispier cookie, bake longer, if you like a softer cookie, bake less.

Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before tranferring to racks to cool completely.

Enjoy, and try not to eat too many at once.

Emeril's Homemade Granola Bars

I was clicking around the Planet Green website when I came across this: Emeril's Homemade Granola Bars.

I am not sure why this recipe caught my eye because it was an Emeril recipe or maybe because of the obnoxious amount of granola bars that my family eats but either way I stopped to check it out.

It seems like a pretty doable recipe so I thought that I would share it with you.

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


• 1 cup slivered almonds


• 1/2 cup honey


• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter


• 1/2 cup chopped dates


• 1/2 cup golden raisins


• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease an 8- or 9- inch square baking pan and line with parchment. Lightly grease the parchment and set aside.

Place the oats and almonds on a large baking sheet and bake, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F.

While the oats are toasting, combine honey and butter in a small saucepan and heat until butter is melted and honey is hot.

When oats come out of the oven, transfer to a large bowl and add hot honey, dates, raisins, brown sugar, salt, and almond extract and stir to thoroughly combine.

Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan.

Cut a piece of wax paper and place on top of the granola mixture.

Using your hands, press the granola mixture very firmly into the pan.

Remove wax paper and discard.

Bake the granola for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

Remove from the pan by pulling up on the edges of the parchment.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 10 (or desired number) even bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Yield: 10 to 20 servings, depending on the size of the bars

I have not had a chance to try it out yet but when I do I will let you know. Or, if you try it before I do let me know how it worked for you.

Carolina Pulled Pork

Summer is synonymous with Bar-be-cue. I'm not talking about grilling, I don't mean throwing a steak or piece of chicken on the grill, (which I love by the way). But by bar-be-cue, I mean low and slow. And what better way to cook something low and slow than in your crock pot?

I know, I'm committing bar-be-cue heresy, just bear with me. Unlike most of my Texan neighbors I do not own a smoker, (yet). I'm one of the few out here with a propane gas grill. And while I can make a mean rack of ribs on it, pulled pork and brisket are just not feasible. I cannot justify the amount of propane it would take to cook something for at least twelve hours. I also don't enjoy the summer heat and humidity here is Texas, so am glad to make this indoors. So I turn to my crock pot the night before I want to serve this, with very delicious results.

I adapted this recipe for my crock pot from an authentic smoker recipe and started making it when I lived back in California for catering. It is so easy, and makes so much, it's really a no brainer. Many, many people have asked for the recipe, and are shocked to find out it is as easy as it is. They too think they're going to have to be standing guard all night over a smoker, and are delighted to find out they get to sleep through the work.

There are actually four parts to this recipe, but don't let the number of components worry you, each one only takes about five minutes to complete.

The Pork:
~6 lbs. Pork Shoulder (Boston Butt)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

The Rub:
3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons (packed) dark or light brown sugar
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

How to Put it All Together:

Mix the rub ingredients together in a small bowl to combine. Then "rub" over the Boston Butt. No I don't know why it's called "butt" if it's from the shoulder. Anyway, place pork in your crock pot, and drizzle vinegar and Worcestershire sauce over the meat. Cover with the lid, set on low, and go to bed. Sleep in, the meat can wait. The great thing about this dish is the meat can be ready for lunch, or just keep it going until dinner. It's very forgiving. When your pork looks like this . . .spoon the extra juices off the meat and any fat. The pork will give off a lot of juice and you don't want your pulled pork swimming in it. I take out as much as I can with a ladle, some extra moisture left behind is fine. Especially if you're going to keep the pork in the crock pot on "warm", or whatever setting your crock pot has, until everything else is ready. Take two forks to the roast and shred the meat.

You now have delicious pulled pork.

Since this is Carolina pork we're talking spicy and vinegary. Not the sweet sticky Kansas city stuff, (which I also love). So this bar-be-cue sauce packs a punch. I usually also serve a good bottled sauce on the side, especially for the kids who like the sweet stuff. But if you're going to go authentic, make your own sauce.

The Sauce:
1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon (packed) light or dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Simply combine all the ingredients until the sugar and salt dissolves. The sauce can be made a couple of days in advance, and it keeps well in the refrigerator.

The coleslaw is also Carolina, so again, we're talking tangy and sharp. Not the sweet stuff you get at your grocery store deli counter. It only has three ingredients, and if you made you're own sauce, you're already 1/3 of the way there.

The Coleslaw:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Bar-be-cue Sauce
1 2 1/2-pound green cabbage, quartered, cored, very thinly sliced (Or you can use the preshredded stuff)

Whisk the mayonnaise and bar-be-cue sauce together to combine well. Add the cabbage and toss to coat. You may add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least two hours and up to ten before serving, tossing occasionally.

The cooking method may not be authentic, but the classic Carolina Pulled Pork is served sandwich style on a soft bun, topped with the coleslaw with just a drizzle of the tangy sauce. Especially good served with a spear of dill pickle and some crunchy chips, (potato or corn, you decide). And there you have it, Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches, and you didn't even have to sweat away in the blazing summer heat to enjoy some tasty summer, (or anytime of the year) bar-be-cue.

This recipe easily serves 12 hungry people.

Iced Tea

This may seem ridiculous. After all, how hard could it be to make a glass of Iced Tea?

Really, it's not, yet I see so many people purchase that powdered stuff, that I wonder. Full of ingredients I really don't want to put into my body, ranging from all sorts of additives like artificial flavor, artificial color, aspartame (in the sweetened kind), down to the simplest ingredient list of instant tea and maltodextrin.

Sure it's convenient, and you can make one glass at a time, but why not go ahead and brew a small pitcher to keep in the refrigerator? That pitcher never lasts that long around my house anyway.

You can find so many kinds of tea on your supermarket shelves these days, so if you want something a little more exotic, go for it. Just remember cost is not necessarily indicative of quality. Lipton Tea makes a full bodied classic glass of iced tea. I make mine with decaffeinated tea bags, the kids like it too, so I don't feel guilty sharing with them.

For extra flavor you can stir in some simple syrup, or mix 1 cup of defrosted juice concentrate and 1 cup of water, then add to the finished iced tea.

What you'll need:

• 5 Tea Bags
• 1 Quart Cold Water
• Sugar* (optional)
• 1 Quart Ice**, plus extra for serving

*Just a quick note about adding sugar. Like using salt in dessert recipes, salt brings out flavors and keeps baked goods from tasting flat. Sugar in Iced Tea works the same way. Without sugar, the tea will taste flat and bland. Just a couple of tablespoons of sugar brings out the complex flavors of the tea without making it taste sweet. If you like your tea sweet, just add more sugar. I never promote the use of artificial sweeteners, but if sugar is a problem in your household, I would suggest giving Stevia a try.

**It may seem silly to measure the ice, but too much and you'll dilute the brewed tea too much, not enough and the tea will be too strong.

How to Brew:

1.) In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the water and tea bags. Heat over medium-low heat and allow to steep until small bubbles begin to form on the bottom and sides of the pan and the tea looks very steamy. It is very important you never let your water boil, this will made the tea bitter. This will take 10 to 15 minutes. If you want to check your water temperature it should read 190 degrees F.

2.) Remove pan from the heat and allow to steep for a couple minutes longer, no longer than five. Remove and discard the tea bags and pour the tea into your pitcher. Stir in sugar (if using) until fully dissolved, then add the ice, continue stirring until melted. 3.) Pour into glasses filled with ice, and garnish with a slice of lemon if you wish. Tea should be kept covered in your refrigerator, and will be fresh for up to two days. But like I stated before, ours never lasts that long.

Tomatillo Sauce

Welcome to the 2nd installment of Dawn’s, the newest contributing writer of Over Coffee – the green edition, bi weekly yummy and easy to follow recipes. Enjoy!

I'm sure nothing is easier than opening a can of . . . whatever, and heating it up. But in my mind I take a certain amount of satisfaction in the fact that I take the time to make something from scratch that most people would never dream of. Enchilada sauce seems to be one of those foods.
Why, I'm not sure.

There is very little effort and time involved in making green enchilada sauce, or Tomatillo Sauce, it is even less involved than it's more popular red cousin.

So the day that something that came out of a can tastes better than something that came out of my kitchen I'll get off my high horse. But until then, I would like anyone who likes green enchilada sauce to give making it at home a try.

Some people even grow tomatillos in their garden. I understand they are easy to grow, and need very little fussing over.

So for you adventurous types, here is what you'll need:

• 1 lb. Tomatillos, remove husks and rinse
  
• 1 small Onion, peeled and quartered
  
• 1 cup coarsely chopped Cilantro
  
• 2 medium Garlic Cloves, peeled
  
• 1 Serrano or Jalapeno Chili (or to taste), seeded if desired
  
• 1 14oz. can Chicken Broth (or homemade)
  
• Salt, to taste
  
• Juice of 1 Lime
  

Now, just like the Tomato & Basil Salad, this isn't really a recipe. I seem to cook a lot that way, but one day I got tired of purchasing lack luster canned sauce and decided to try making my own. So unfortunately I don't have specific amounts of ingredients. The plus side to that is that this "recipe" is very forgiving and adaptable to individual tastes.

1) In a medium saucepan, place tomatillos, onion, garlic, serrano or jalapeno, half of the cilantro, and the chicken broth. I add half cilantro to cook, and keep the other half after the sauce has cooked for a fresher cilantro flavor. If you don't particularly care for cilantro, cut down on it, or cut it out entirely. Same with the chilis, if you like things spicy, add more, if not add less or be sure to seed them first, that will cut down on their heat.

2) Over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until onion is softened and tomatillos have split open. Remove from heat.

3) Add remaining cilantro, and blend sauce. I use my trusty immersion blender, or you can carefully pour the contents of your saucepan into a standard blender and blend. If using a standard blender, I would recommend holding a folded kitchen towel over the lid to ensure protection from the hot contents

4) Season to taste with salt and lime juice.

You should now have a wonderful and fresh tasting Tomatillo Sauce. Great served with tamales, enchiladas, or even chilled as an alternative salsa.

Buon Appetito!

Tomato Basil Salad

Even though I write for a magazine called Blissfully Domestic I am far from domestic, especially in the kitchen. With all the talk of organic gardening and seeing how many of you are going to have yummy fruits and veggies to harvest soon I wanted to give you some ideas on what to do with those harvests. But since I have no idea how to do that I turned to my friend Dawn, who is amazing in the kitchen.

Dawn has kindly agreed to become a contributing writer here at Over Coffee- the green edition. (Yaa!) So starting today, you will be able to find an easy to follow recipe for your fruits, veggies, and everything in between, every other Wednesday.

Welcome Dawn, the newest contributing writer of Over Coffee – the green edition!

Summer to me means many things, but one of my favorite Summer things is Tomato Basil Salad. One of my favorite foods is tomatoes. And I mean real tomatoes, the kind that you grow in your garden, or you're able to buy at your local farmer's market, not the cardboard tasting things they sell at the grocery store. So with Summer just around the corner, I'd like to share a recipe I grew up with and my kids are enjoying growing up with too.

It's not even a "recipe" really, it's too easy for that.

Here's what you'll need:

• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Olive Oil
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper

1.) Sliced your tomatoes and fan out in a shallow dish. A pie plate works for me.

2.) Thinly slice (chiffonade), your basil leaves, and sprinkle over the tomatoes.

3.) With the flat side of a knife, smash a garlic clove and drop on top of the tomatoes and basil.

4.) Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.


That's it. You can make this an hour or two in advance. I keep the garlic clove fairly whole to remove easily before serving. Wouldn't want anyone biting into a raw garlic clove.

The longer it sits the more juices will be extracted from the tomatoes, giving a wonderful sauce to dip fresh baked foccacia or ciabatta (we can get to those recipes another time).

Tip: Never put tomatoes in the refrigerator, it kills their flavor.

And if you want to fancy things up, like my husband often accuses me of doing, you can slice some fresh mozzerella and layer between the tomato slices. It's heaven.

Buon Appetito!