P I C K L I S T
KALE - CHERRY TOMATOES - PLUM TOMATO - MELON - LEMONGRASS - THAI BASIL -
JALAPENOS - SCALLIONS - HAKURAI TURNIPS OR DAIKON RADISH -
BELL PEPPER - LEMON CUKE - SLICING CUKE - ZINNIAS!!!!
The New England growing season is terribly short (June-October). We break up this tiny passage of time into short bursts we call seasons: strawberry season (5ish weeks), blueberry season (3ish weeks), melon season (JUST GETTING STARTED WOOT WOOT!!), etc… These fruit bursts force you to show up and give all you got because the harvest is so fleeting and nothing during any other time of year compares to the season that you are currently in. As we combine melon season with the entrance of tomato season, we simultaneously welcome in the real muscle season: canning season. August is this wild month where everything (all the crops) catch up and suddenly you are hit with this pain in your gut that SUMMER IS SHORT and SUMMER IS ALMOST OVER and holy shit, it's time to savor every bit of it and figure out ways to bottle up the sun. So, I turn to processing veg (can/pickle/ferment/freeze) as a coping mechanism to battle the inevitable change to Fall. Also, canning is pretty fun and deeply satisfying and mostly delicious (however there is the occasional science fair experiment gone wrong). From here on out, with every CSA that comes and goes, I will try my best to provide one item in bulk(ish) that will beg you to be processed, so you too, can take summer with you into the cold dark months ahead (i hate winter).
But before we go into pro-tips and how exactly you are going to deal with all those jalapenos- I need to tell y'all about this extremely productive and joyful experience that occurred weekly alongside the CSA Summer Harvest: enter, Kayleigh season. Kayleigh worked at the farm years prior, but we never connected- she was slingin veg at the farmstand, and I was picking veg in the field. This year she approached us looking to get back to Edgewater and low and behold, I needed help. AND-SHE-SHOWED-UP. Yall, Kayleigh season lasted for 9 whole weeks and I am GRATEFUL for every single one. Working alongside Kayleigh is actual magic. Her work ethic is insane, her jokes slap, and while paying attention to every detail of every task, she is constantly looking ahead, reading my mind, and lightening the load. On top of all this, she glows and our convos flowed. My best connections and life changing conversations always happen during a full day outside- sunrise to sun up- in a field, during a harvest with someone great. She is someone great. Kayleigh season ends today. Next week she begins Nursing school and I’m so excited for her… (to take care of me when I'm in need of medical care jkjkjk).
All that said, so long Kayleigh season- a damn good season- all too fleeting, powerful, and so full of joy.
PRO TIPS:
This recipe is recommended by my dear friend Sam who is a master jalapeno pickler… He gives the following suggestions:
I would use less sugar
Also you can put the sliced jalapenos in the jar and just pour hot pickling liquid over it.
YIELD: 1 PINT SIZED JAR The BEST recipe for easy homemade pickled jalapenos from scratch! Fresh jalapeños pickled and jarred.
15 to 20 large jalapeños, sliced, stems discarded 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 cup distilled white vinegar 1 cup filtered water
4 tablespoons sugar (optional as it is for flavoring) 2 tablespoons kosher salt
In a medium sauce pan combine the garlic, water, vinegar, sugar and salt.
Heat to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once at a boil; add the sliced jalapenos pressing them so they are submerged under the pickling liquids. Remove the pot off of the heat and let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the jalapenos into a clean jar. Ladle the pickling juices over top until you've reached the top of the jar. Let cool at room temperature before securing a lid and popping them into the fridge.
I personally would treat these as I would any opened jar of jalapenos. They should last a long while if kept refrigerated in the airtight jar.
**REVISED: I've found that 20 medium jalapenos will fill a quart size jar. I upped the water and vinegar to 1-1/4 cups each. Sugar and salt stayed the same.
*This is not a canning recipe therefore not shelf stable and will need to be kept refrigerated. With that said, I personally would treat these homemade pickled jalapeños as I would any opened jar of pickled produce in your fridge. They should last a long while if kept refrigerated in the airtight jar. Also, the spicy heat of the peppers should mellow out the longer they are in your fridge. If looking for canning instructions or directions, follow the USDA guidelines.
BY SHOSHI PARKS (bonapp)
As its name suggests, lemongrass is a grass with botanical origins that stretch across South and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Indonesia and the Philippines. Also called Malabar grass, Cochin grass, or fever grass among many other names, lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) grows in large bushy clumps. Its stalks are woody and pale green with bulbous lighter-colored bases that are somewhat reminiscent of green onions. Used whole, chopped, or pummeled into a paste, lemongrass adds a light but complex flavor and aroma—simultaneously lemony (hence the name), gingery, and floral—to sauces, soups, and meats.
In some parts of the world, lemongrass is also treasured for its health benefits. When brewed into a tea, the plant is considered an immunity-boosting treatment for a wide variety of ailments including gastrointestinal distress, fever, and asthma.
How can you use it? In South and Southeast Asian cooking, lemongrass commonly conspires with ingredients like garlic, galangal (and/or ginger), cilantro, Thai basil, shallots, lime leaves, and coconut milk to create bold, complex flavors.
To prepare lemongrass, start by peeling the stiff outer leaves away from the stalk to reveal the slightly softer underlayers. Slice the grass in two spots, about half an inch from the root and approximately three inches up, where the whitish color begins to turn green.
The pale lower section of the lemongrass is the meatiest bit. Even so, it must be sliced thin and then finely chopped, pounded into a paste with a mortar and pestle, grated with a box grater, or tossed in a food processor so that it isn’t too tough to chew. This is frequently how lemongrass is used in Cambodian cooking, Yun says, especially in the preparation of the spice paste kroeung.
Lemongrass is often finely chopped or pounded in order to break down the tough stalks.
Once minced or pounded, lemongrass can be added to marinades or grilled meats for a touch of sweet citrusy flavor or used to brighten curry pastes and simple sauces. Powdered lemongrass works here too. “Start with one teaspoon powder per lemongrass stalk, but be sure to taste as you go to make sure you’re getting that lemony-ginger bite,” Payumo advises.
And despite the fact that lemongrass isn’t traditionally used in recipes of Western origin, adding it to creamy pastas or homemade ice cream is an unexpected delight.
But while only the lower bulb of the lemongrass stem is edible, every portion of the stalk has a role to play in the kitchen. The fibrous upper section of the stalk is full of tons of lemony, gingery goodness. To release the flavorful oils, both Yun and Payumo like to bash or flatten the lemongrass stalk with a cleaver or the side of a large knife. Payumo will also sometimes bend the stalk back and forth a few times instead of smashing it to release the oils.
Fresh lemongrass stalks work best in dishes like soups and slow-roasted meats that simmer for long periods of time. In Filipino cuisine it’s commonly stuffed inside whole pigs or chickens and then roasted, Payumo says. Extensive simmering or roasting is also the best use for dry lemongrass, which rehydrates as it cooks. Like with bay leaves, remove the lemongrass stalks from the dish before serving.
Bruised, oil-rich lemongrass stalks work in the glass too. They not only make a mean cocktail stirrer, but they can also infuse spirits with almost no effort at all. Go ahead, throw a lemongrass stalk or two in a bottle of vodka and let it sit for a week before drinking. You won’t be sorry.
How should you store it? If you store it right, lemongrass will pretty much last forever. Wrapped loosely in a towel, the stalks will stay fresh and flavorful for a few weeks in the fridge. Otherwise, they’ll do just fine in the freezer, either uncut or pre-prepped. Try portioning minced, pounded, or grated grass into an empty ice tray for no-fuss future use. Dried and powdered lemongrass should be kept in sealed containers and out of the light.
Now go smash, slice, and pound away. You may not be getting to South or Southeast Asia this year, but with your new lemongrass skills, at least your culinary skills will permit you to imagine.