Chamomile Shortbread

Shareholder Mark enjoying the fragrance of fresh chamomile



You can make a lovely tea from fresh chamomile flowers, but if you take the time to dry them, you can crush the flowers to a fine powder and add it to a variety of baked goods, conveying chamomile's subtle floral flavor with a hint of apple to your favorite cakes, cookies, or muffins.

It's easy to dry the flowers. Simply pull them off their stems. Compost the stems. Leave the flowers out to air dry for a couple of days, then store them in a glass jar or a paper bag.

To use chamomile in baked goods, it's best to pulverize the flowers. Use can do this in a mini food processor or a clean coffee grinder. You can also use a mortar and pestle. The flowers are soft and will crush easily when dry.

I added some pulverized chamomile flower powder to my favorite shortbread recipe to delightful results.

Chamomile Shortbread

1 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 C powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/4 C granulated sugar, plus 1 T for sprinkling on top, if desired
1 t vanilla extract
1-1/2 C flour
1/4 t salt
3 T pulverized chamomile flower powder

1. Preheat oven to 300 Fahrenheit.

2. Cream butter with an electric mixer until fluffy and pale yellow.

3. Add 1/4 C powdered suger and 1/4 C granulated sugar. Continue beating until granulated sugar is completely incorporated and mixture is not gritty.

4. Beat in vanilla.

5. Sift together flour, salt, and pulverized chamomile flowers and add gradually to the butter mixture until just blended.

6. Using floured hands, press the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square cookie pan. If desired, sprinkle top with 1 T granulated sugar.

7. Bake about 1 hour, until the edges of the shortbread are just slightly golden.

8. Remove from the oven and immediately cut into 3" x 1" strips. small triangles, or whatever shape you wish. Allow the shortbread to cool in the pan before removing the pieces.

You can use dried chamomile flowers in many recipes. However, chamomile's flavors are subtle, so pick recipes that have simple flavors, or substitute chamomile for other spices or flavorings. Try it in corn muffins or yellow cakes.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Spring Bounty

Where your arugula comes from - arugula field chez Farmer John



Where your broccoli comes from, chez Farmer John



Mizuna above


What a bountiful box we had in Silver Lake today! Here's what Farmer John had for us:

Turnips
Avocados
Garlic
Beets
Mizuna
Arugula
Kale
Butter lettuce
Adolescent romaine and oak leaf lettuces
Mint
Baby spinach
Chamomile
Radishes

Jed Lind also brought tangerines and loquats to share with shareholders.

I'll post a recipe soon. In the meantime, make a lovely fresh salad with a combination of greens: mizuna, arugula, a little of each of the lettuces and a chiffonade of 4-5 mint leaves. Dress it lightly with your favorite flavored vinegar and olive oil, add a little salt and pepper, and enjoy the taste of spring.

My friends give me poop

Molly says I say poo a lot. It's true; I can't help it. Horse poo, worm poo and now rabbit poo.

Thank you Ann!


(And in case my neighbor is reading this, I placed the poo in City approved compost bins. This makes it legal for me to compost stuff I did not generate on our property. Frank: dude, you gotta stop taking pictures of me and anyone who comes to my house! So rude! And very creepy....)

Round 2 - Beachwood Canyon

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Beachwood Canyon CSA pick-up this week:

Beets - golden and red
Arugula
Broccoli
Baby spinach
Oak leaf lettuce mix
Fresh garlic
Radishes
Cilantro
Chrysanthemum leaves (see March 23 blog for recipe from Shelley)
Chamomile for tea
Russian Kale
Butter lettuce head
Mint
Avocados - yay!

Our first fruit! Avocados! Thank you Farmer John!

Zen's Spicy Green Rice Recipe

Hi Tara

Thank you for all the wonderful goodies today.
Here is a recipe that we used your cilantro for.

Thank you!
z & b

Spicy Green Rice

Makes 6 servings

6 cups — cooked warm Jasmine Rice ( 2 1/2 cups uncooked)
1 cup — finely chopped cilantro
1 1/2 cups — chopped green onions
1/4 cup — finely chopped jalapenos (less or more depending on how spicy you like it)
1 cup — cooked and drained green peas
3 tbsp — olive oil
1 tbsp — sesame oil
2 tsp — salt
Black pepper to taste
Juice from 1 or 2 limes depending on size and juiciness


Place cooked rice in a large bowl and add ingredients and gently mix!

So easy! Thank you Zen! Tara

Plant Sale at Raymond Ave Neighborhood Garden

Julie Burleigh, Manager of the Raymond Avenue Neighborhood Garden sent this is:

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PLANT SALE & CELEBRATION!

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The Raymond Avenue Neighborhood Garden is Celebrating its 2nd Year!

Sunday, April 11th

11:00 – 2:00 in the Garden

2632 S. Raymond Ave., 90007

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*Vegetable seedlings, herb seedlings & flowering plants being sold at great prices!

*Amazing bread by Bicycle Bread Bakery!

*Pickling demonstration by Jen Smith of Full Moon Pickles and Preserves!

*Master Gardeners on hand to answer your toughest gardening questions!

*Lots of great food made by our amazing gardeners!

This fundraiser event benefits the garden located in West Adams, just west of USC.

Pan-Fried Turnips

Turnips

Russian Kale - great sauteed

Farmer John (above) looking dapper at market today with
Sabrina, whose helping get the farm ready for visitors...

Shareholder Kress and vollie Jed at the pick-up today

Chrysanthemum leaves - see Tuesday,
March 23 post for recipe with sesame oil.

Here's what Farmer John had for us at the Silver Lake pick-up this week:

Turnips
Red and golden beets
Broccoli (with its tasty leaf)
Russian kale
Arugula
Adolescent red and green romaine
Butter lettuce
Chrysanthemum greens
Green garlic
Cilantro
Dill

Roasting turnips is such a snap it's easy to forget that there are many other ways to prepare this delicious vegetable. Pan-frying is about as easy as roasting and can produce a lovely crisp and brown exterior full of complex flavors.

Start by removing the greens. Compost them or save them for another use. Peel the turnips, but don't be daunted by their pungent aroma when raw. Turnips are mild and delicately flavored once cooked. Cut the turnips into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a heavy skillet with a cover. I like to use a cast iron pan with a glass cover that fits snugly. Add the turnips and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat lightly with the oil and cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until the turnips well-browned and soft, about 10-20 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.

Three small turnips will make a small side dish for two people. However, since turnips keep so well in the fridge, you might still have your turnips from two weeks ago, so go ahead and double this recipe.

If you have only three turnips, you can expand this recipe by combining the turnips with potatoes. I like to use baby Yukon Golds, Fingerlings, and/or Peruvian Blues. Use an equal amount of potatoes, cut them about the same size (no need to peel the potatoes), and put the potatoes on a few minutes before the turnips because they take a little longer to cook.

If you happened to pick-up a couple of mandarin oranges a share-holder brought in today, consider topping your pan-fried turnips with a little finely grated mandarin orange zest. Or snip a little of Farmer John's fresh dill over your turnips before serving.

Enjoy!

Shelley