Strawberry Lavender Smoothie

Smoothies are a perennial favorite.  They can be made with just about any fruit or vegetable if you have a strong enough blender.  I like adding herbs and spices to my smoothies to add a little zing.

Today's recipe for Strawberry Lavender Smoothies is simple, delicious, and healthy, too.  I used English lavender from my garden, and I pulverized it in spice grinder.  If you don't have a spice grinder, you can do this with a mortar and pestle.

Most varieties of lavender are edible, but not all of them taste great.  Some varieties of lavender contain camphor which may give off flavors to your dish.  English lavender is the most popular culinary variety, but there are many others, too.

For 2 generous servings:

1 generous C washed, hulled and coarsely chopped strawberries
2/3 C plain yogurt
3/4 C milk
6 ice cubes
1/4 t finely pulverized English lavender
2 T honey or to taste (optional)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth.

For a thicker smoothie, use more yogurt and less milk; for a thinner smoothie, more milk and less yogurt.

I prefer to use plain yogurt, but vanilla yogurt would work fine, too.  There's probably no need to add any sweetener if you use vanilla yogurt.

Today's bounty included:

From County Line Harvest:  Romaine and Bloomsdale spinach;

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Carrots, strawberries, cilantro, dandelion greens, lacinato kale, beets, and cabbage;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia:  Golden Nugget mandarins;

From Sun Coast Farms:  Asparagus and dried pinto beans;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Chives, sage, rosemary, sorrel, mint, and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

It's strawberry season in Southern California.  We're so lucky to have delicious local strawberries available for much of the year, but these are the first in our CSA box for 2013.  You may want to enjoy these berries completely unadulterated.  But if you'd like to dress them up just a little Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar is a simply wonderful way to do it.

I must admit I was a skeptic about putting strong flavors such as vinegar and pepper on sweet little strawberries, so I was truly surprised at how inspired this combination of flavors turned out to be.  It's really not a surprise, though, when you think about it, since balsamic vinegar is made from grape juice reduced and aged to a thick and sweet syrup.  The pepper perks things up, but finely chopped fresh mint or basil can be equally perky substitutes if you're not fond of pepper.

Use the best, thickest, most syrup-y balsamic you have.  It makes a big difference in this recipe.  You only need 1 teaspoon per serving.  I like to use agave syrup in this recipe.  Granulated sugar may not dissolve well giving the dish a slightly gritty texture.  If you don't have (or don't like) agave syrup, use simple syrup instead.

It's easy to make simple syrup.  Just bring 1 C water and 1 C granulated sugar to a boil stirring occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved.  Then cool completely and store in a glass jar in the fridge.  It keeps for weeks.

For 2 servings:

1 C washed, hulled, and very coarsely chopped strawberries*
2 t aged balsamic vinegar
2 t agave syrup or simple syrup
freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.  Put the chopped strawberries in a bowl.

2.  Drizzle the balsamic and agave or simple syrup over the berries.

3.  Stir gently to coat.

4.  Let sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.

5.  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste and stir gently.

6.  Serve or refrigerate and serve within 3 hours.

This recipe can be easily doubled or triple.

*Very small strawberries can be left whole, and small strawberries can be halved.  Larger berries are best quartered or coarsely chopped.

Today's bounty included:

From Jimenez Family Farm:  Spinach, kale, wild arugula, red or green butter lettuce, dandelion greens, beets, strawberries, and mache;

From Country Line Harvest:  Baby fennel, white Tokyo turnips, red radishes, carrots, and spring onions;

From Rancho Santa Cecilia:  Navel oranges;

From Weiser Family Farm:  Parsnips and Russian banana baker potatoes;

From Silver Lake Farms: Chives, rosemary, thyme, cilantro, or French sorrel.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Mixed Summer Fruit Crumble

There are all sorts of wonderful fruit desserts that are baked with some sort of topping or crust and a crumble is just one of them.  Summer fruits lend themselves well to crumbles because their high water content creates a thick, bubbly juice that bathes the fruit and infuses some of the topping or crust making three delicious layers of crisp topping, gooey-crispy fruit infused crust, and thick baked fruit.

I used peaches from today's box as well as raspberries and blueberries that I picked earlier this week at Underwood Farms in Somis.  But you can use any combination of stone fruits or berries to make this tasty dessert.  You can add a little sugar to the fruit mixture, or not, it's up to you.  And herbs like lemon verbena, or a little lemon or orange zest adds a little extra zing.  The ratio of fruit to topping is also a matter of taste, so feel free to experiment with that, too.

Prepare 4-6 C summer fruit:  Use whole berries such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and/or blackberries; and/or peel, pit, and slice peaches, nectarines and/or apricots.  Add 1/2 C sugar to the prepared fruit mixture, if desired.

4 T cold butter, cut into small cubes, plus butter to grease the baking dish
2/3 C flour
1/3 C white sugar\
1/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C rolled oats, toasted
1/3 C toasted almonds, chopped
pinch salt

1.  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Generously butter an 8x8 (or similarly sized) baking dish.  Spoon the prepared fruit in the buttered dish.  Set aside.

3.  In a medium bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or a fork, until combined but still crumbly.

4.  Sprinkle the topping mixture over the fruit in the prepare baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-40 minutes until the fruit is bubbly and the topping has browned.

Today's bounty included:

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Chantenay carrots, 8 ball squash, strawberries, green garlic, spring candy onions, and bull's blood beets;

From JR Organics:  Red butter lettuce, strawberries, basil, and cucumbers;

From Jaime Farms:  Radishes, chard, yellow peppers, dill, and cilantro;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Apricots and peaches.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Strawberry-Infused Vodka

Last Saturday, I went strawberry picking with two Master Food Preservers, Roshni and Michael.  It didn't take long to pick pounds of bright red, sun-ripened berries to eat and to preserve.

On Wednesday evening, we got together to swap the fruits of our strawberry preservation labors.  I traded my whole berry preserves for Roshni and Michael's strawberry garnacha and strawberry lavender jams.  While we were chatting, Michael strained the strawberries out of an exquisite, rose-colored liquid which turned out to be strawberry-infused vodka.  It tasted like sweet, ripe berries with a kick.

Strawberry-infused vodka is simple to make.  Roshni and Michael followed a recipe on David Leibovitz's blog which I've adapted here for a pint of strawberries which is usually what we get in our weekly box.

Strawberry-Infused Vodka

1 pint strawberries
1/2 bottle (375ml) vodka

1.  Wash and dry the strawberries.  Cut off the stems and leaves.  Remove the hulls.  Compost the stems, leaves, and hulls.

2.  Cut the berries into pieces.  Place in a glass jar with a lid.  Cover with vodka.  Seal the jar and store in a cool dark place for 3-7 days.

3.  The vodka is infused when the berries have lost most or all of their color and the vodka has become a beautiful rose color.  Strain out the berries with a fine mesh strainer or through cheese cloth.  For a clearer product, strain through a coffee filter.  Chill the infused vodka before serving.

The flavor of some infusions fades quickly.  Strawberry-infused vodka is best stored in the fridge or the freezer and consumed within a relatively short time.  It makes a great summer cocktail on ice.  Or mix a little with white wine or champagne for a variation on kir.

A word on vodka infusions:  It's probably best to use organic or pesticide- and chemical-free strawberries for your infusion as the vodka is likely to pull any pesticide residues out of the berries as well as the flavor and color.

Today's bounty included:

From Sage Mountain Farm:  Black simpson lettuce, zucchini, yellowstone carrots, bull's blood beets, young garlic, purple scallions, red russian kale, and arugula;

From JR Organics:  Cauliflower and strawberries;

From Jaime Farms:  Celery, parsley, dill, and chives;

From Sweet Tree Farms:  Zee Fire yellow nectarines and white donut peaches;

From Silver Lake Farms:  Tomato seedings.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Strawberry Shortcake

Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Red beets
Red radishes
Avocados
Grapefruit
Tat soi
Negi onions
Russian kale
Arugula
Red romaine
Green chard
Squash blossoms

This week we're introducing a new farmer, Phil McGrath from McGrath Family Farm. They are certified organic and are based in Camarillo. This week, McGrath Family Farm provided:

Carrots
Black radishes
Strawberries
Mizuna
Spring onions
Black kale
Dandelion greens
Romaine head lettuce
Red chard
Lemons
Garlic

Local strawberries have been in season for nearly two months; and we're fortunate to have such luscious berries grown less than 50 miles away in Camarillo. A substantial percentage of the nation's strawberries are grown in Camarillo which gives us access to some of the ripest and freshest fruit on the market.

Ripe strawberries are terrific by themselves or with a little cream, but strawberry shortcake is a wonderful and easy dessert to whip up. When the strawberries are as beautiful and tasty as the ones we got today, I like to start by macerating only half of them; I use the rest fresh. Then I mix up a quick shortcake, or sweet biscuit dough, and bake it. Just before serving I whip the cream and assemble the dessert.

Strawberry Shortcake

Macerate the Berries:
Wash 1 pint strawberries. Divide in 2 equal portions. Remove the hulls and slice half of the berries into a medium bowl. Set remaining berries aside. Sprinkle 2-3 T granulated sugar over the sliced berries. Cover and set aside on the counter for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally, or refrigerate for several hours. The berries should soften slightly and the sugar and juice from the berries should form a light strawberry sauce. If you'd like, add 1-2 t Grand Marnier or Cointreau with the sugar.

Make the Shortcake:
1 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 rounded T granulated sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 stick (1/4 C) cold butter, cut into pieces
3 oz milk or cream

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl or stir them thoroughly with a fork.

3. Add the butter pieces and mix with a fork or pastry blender until the mix resembles a coarse meal. [You can do this in a food processor, just be careful not to over-mix.]

4. Add the milk or cream all at once and mix with a fork or your fingers until just combined. It's ok if it's lumpy. Don't over-mix.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead it once or twice until it holds together. Pat it to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. I usually pat mine into a round disk and cut it into 8 wedges.

6. Place shortcakes on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.

This recipe makes about 8 shortcakes, but you'll only use 4 with 1 pint of strawberries, as 1 pint of berries makes about 4 servings. For 8 servings, double the berries or add a pint of another fruit. Or save the shortcakes for another use, they're great for breakfast with butter and jam.

To assemble shortcakes:
1/2 C whipping cream (or more to taste)
1/2 t vanilla
2 t powdered sugar

1. Whip the cream with the vanilla and sugar.

2. Slice the remaining fresh berries that were set aside and stir them into the macerated berries.

3. Slice open 4 shortcakes and arrange on 4 plates.

4. Divide the strawberries among the 4 shortcakes. Be sure to spoon some of the juice from the macerated berries on each of the shortcakes.

5. Top with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Shelley