You Say Cacciatore, I say CacciatorA!!!!

Americans may know this dish as cacciatore (hunter’s style), but it’s really cacciatora, named in the honor of the hunter’s wife – who, in parts of northern Italy, traditionally cooked it on the eve of the hunt as fuel for the chase.

You could also call this dish "Ken had a crazy September Schedule and couldn't can his tomatoes so he came up with this instead". The fact is that my September was insane...and August was no picnic either. Work was a bear, I started a graduate school program and I decided to take an 11 year overdue vacation! But the garden waits for no man, not even me; so I decided to freeze my tomatoes whole to be able to make sauce later. The freezing process is easy...don't peel the tomatoes, just wash and core, pop them into freezer bags and get them into the freezer quickly! I happen to be fortunate and have a chest freezer...very conveinent!

Once you have a break and can do something with your tomatoes, just bring the freezer bags out and thaw either in the sink or in the refrigerator until they are completely thawed. I popped mine right into the slow cooker and put them on high for one hour. While I waited, I 1 large onion and a head of garlic (minced) in a separate pan. Once the onions and garlic are soft and completely cooked, I set them aside. After one hour, I pass the tomatoes through a food mill to separate the skin and seeds from the valuable juice and pulp of the tomatoes. The food mill attachment makes a nicer texture than ricing the tomatoes or using a food processor, plus the mill really does a nice job collecting the peels for the compost heap.

Return the sauce to the slow cooker, add the onions and garlic and allow to cook (covered for part of the time and uncovered for part of the time) for 6-8 hours.

While the sauce is cooking, sterilize and prepare your jars. Once ready, fill the jars allowing 1/2 inch head space, add 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice to the jars and pressure can (you cannot water bath can this sauce due to the extra ingredients). Quarts and pints are to be processed at 11lbs pressure for 15 minutes. Once passed, shut the heat off and allow the canner to depressurize before removing the lid, extract the jars and cover with a towl and allow to cool...the seals will pop as the product cools. Store in a cool dark place until ready to make your dish.

Chicken Cacciatora

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 3 pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 cup dry white wine
1 quarts of canned Cacciatora sauce

1/4 cup minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup rich chicken stock (see note below)

In a cast iron or enameled cast iron pot, add the olive oil, then add the chicken and fry, turning the pieces several times to brown evenly, about 4 minutes per side.

Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add the prepared sauce and parsley, reserving 1 tablespoon or so for garnish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, add the chicken stock gradually as the tomato juice evaporates, for 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and garnish with the reserved parsley. Serve with steamed potatoes or white rice.

Note: If you have to use canned chicken broth, supplement it with a little chicken stock base paste or a bouillon cube.

Happy Gardening!

Halloween Candle Making!

Halloween or Samhain is a traditional time to make candles since it marks the start of the pagan new year and also a time when (at least the Northern Hemisphere) enters a time of darkness.

Since the day was sooo cold, I decided to stay in all day. Aside from a little housework and the completion of the apple butter, I decided to make candles to commemorate the holiday. These candles will be gifts for the later winter holidays.

I made Lemon Verbena and Sage Candles with essential oil of Lemon and Sage. These are perfect candles to be burned in the kitchen since the are in jars and the scents are complimentary, but they can be burned anywhere in the house (following safe practices of course). I added powdered herbs that I dried from the garden. Herb lore tells us Lemon Verbena has the energy for purification and love. Lemon brings longevity, purification, love and friendship, while Sage's energy is for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and inspiration. I can't think of a better gift to give to my friends and family than these energies!

I added the herbs to the brick of pure beeswax being melted in a double boiler. I also added some natural green pigment for color. Once the wax was melted I added the essential oils and blended. I placed the waxed wicks in the jars I selected (these are fantastic Italian canning jars!) and used only soy wicks. I anchored the wicks with a little melted wax and poured the candles in sections to avoid the wicks slipping. I supported the wicks with some handy chopsticks.

Once the candles cool completely, you will probably find a depression near the wick, simply melt a little more wax, add color and fill in...trim the wick once the candle cools and close up the candle. Package as you like and keep for yourself or give as a gift. I hope these gifts will bring my friends and family comfort and light!

Happy Gardening!

Frosty Morning

One of the things that drove me into the kitchen today was the frosty cold morning! I thought about getting up early and heading out to the garden for some work, but the fact that we had our first heavy killing frost last night/this morning prevented me from working out there so early...but I did sneak out in my jammies and wellies to grab a few shots of the frozen, frosty beauty.

Happy Gardening!

Mmmmmmm Apple Butter

Not a long post, just pulled the apple butter out of the canner...I cannot wait to dig into one of these!

Happy Gardening!

The Marvelous Apple

I love apples, I hope that the trees I planted a couple of years ago are prolific and provide my home with bunches of delicious Lodi and Winesap apples....but until then I content myself with going to Lynd's Fruit Farm (http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/ ).

Established in 1919 and currently in the 7th generation, Lynd's is 160 acres of beautiful orchards, brambles pumpkin an gourd fields right here in central Ohio. They are marvelous!

I headed out early yesterday morning for my annual picking, I picked about 30 pounds of winesap and 30 pounds of goldrush apples (1 bushel total) and brought it home alongside some spectacular pumpkins and squash for decorating and eating!

Some apples end up in the root cellar for later eating, some will end up being apple chips. The bulk have been split up to make both applesauce as well as apple butter.

Since I make everything in large batches, the recipe is as follows...just cut it down for smaller batches

15 pounds of apples (a mix of sweet and tart apples) cored, peeled (roughly) and sliced...I love my apple peeler, it makes quick work of a lot of apples

2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

the juice of one lemon and zest of one lemon

2-3 cups sugar

1/2 cup honey

Cinnamon & Nutmeg to taste

Cook the ingredients for 20-3 minutes on medium heat to soften the apples. Turn off the heat and allow to steam covered for an additional 10 minutes. Pass the apples through a foodmill to remove stems or core bits.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks. Freeze or can for longer storage!

Happy Gardening!

GORGEOUS!

I made a visit to my favorite Columbus treasure, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens last week. One reason for my visit was to view the exhibition “Hungry Planet” a photo exhibition on global diets….more on that later. The other reason was to get a chance to wander through an outdoor fantasy garden of blown glass pumpkins, gourds, fruits and vegetables created by Michael Cohn and Molly Stone of Cohn-Stone Studios. These pieces were so finely crafted and detailed, I was definitely in awe….I may have to save my pennies (and a lot of them) and purchase a small item from their collection…they are pricey, but stunning!

Michael Cohn and Molly Stone have been making glass art pieces at their studio in Richmond, California, since 1980. Many of their pieces are inspired by nature and the horticultural world. Molly is an avid gardener as well as a glass designer/ blower and has created an art garden showroom as a part of the glass blowing studio. Their work has been exhibited throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and South America; it is included in numerous museum, corporate, private art and botanical garden collections and has been featured in a variety of garden venues. http://www.cohnstone.com/

Click on the image above for a better look at the pictures I took and visit http://www.fpconservatory.org/ for more information or to plan your visit!

Happy Gardening!

Two Year Tree Update

Just about this time two years ago, my dwarf apple trees arrived from the National Arbor Day Foundation. These trees were tiny twigs with a few roots at the bottom of them. I selected two varieties of apple tree (Lodi and Winesap), these are delicious varieties and they cross pollinate well. While the trees are not ready to bear fruit, they are nearly ready to begin training on the trellises. I will begin to coax them along the lines of the trellis system in the spring, but I wanted to show you an update of their progress so far!

The trees are healthy, bushy and spouting side branches. They have also grown about a foot taller than the tiny sapplings I put in the ground two years ago. I am excited to a have the trees and more excited at the possibilities of the fruit they will eventually bear.

Happy Gardening!