Sucre á La Créme

My father's birthday was just a couple of days ago, and today all four of us were finally all here at once to celebrate it! Supper was homemade mac and cheese, some of the first, delicious, corn of the season, and an extremely tasty cake from my favourite bakery. And for gifts? For his gift I made him one of his favourite candies: sucre á la créme.

For anyone who lives outside of Quebec, sucre á la créme is basically like a slightly harder, crumblier version of fudge, except unlike fudge which can be a ton of different flavours, sucre á la créme is always pretty simple (or at least, I’ve only ever had it with nothing but vanilla added, or with maple used instead of white or brown sugar).

It's quite tasty. But as someone who pretty much never makes candy, I was terrified it wouldn't turn out, or that I'd spill hot sugar on myself. Luckily, neither of those fears came to pass! It turned out as well as I could have hoped, and a good deal better than I expected it to. This recipe helped. 

But most importantly, my father loves it!! Now that is what I call a success.

Tying My Luck with Green Growing Things

I wrote this article a month ago, with the intention of including it in a zine project I'm working on (subtitled suburban-kid-seeks-radical-rural-homesteading-dream, to give you an idea of the theme). But once I realized my goal was to have that zine completed and released in late Fall, this very Springtime piece no longer seemed to fit quite right. So instead, I'm sharing it here! All photos in this post were taken in the garden this very day...

I grew up around plants, to some extent. My other always kept a few tomato plants, black raspberries sprawled between our house and the neighbors, and sometimes she would plant a few potatoes, or other veggies... But when it came to more serious gardening than a few pots and fruit brambles, what I remember is my great-grandmother’s house in Gaspe, where, along with my mother and little sister, we’d visit for a few weeks at the end up each summer up until I was 10 or so.

I vividly remember digging up potatoes, patiently sorting through the dirt to pick out even the smallest potatoes, which I liked the best, and which I’d happily eat covered in butter and salt.

Good memories, yes, but for a while my gardening experience was limited just to those memories. those, and a pepper plant or two, bought as seedlings, in pots amongst my mother’s tomatoes. It’s only two years ago that I planted some seeds and cared for my own green growing things from seed through the end of production. I planted some peas, sugarsnap, and waited with much excitement and impatience for the small sprouts to break ground, twine slowly upwards along my homemade old-sticks-and-string trellis, put out delicate flowers, and then, finally, form plump and delicious pods.

Baby green bell pepper.

The harvest wasn’t huge, but it was exciting. So the next year, fueled by eagerness and a desire to grow ALL THE THINGS, my mother and I maybe went a little bit overboard on the seed ordering (from The Cottage Gardener, a great heirloom seed source). I planted mixed mustard greens, mixed lettuce, purslane, broccoli, peas, kale, bunching onions, bush beans, multi-coloured carrots, multiple different herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers... Those last four were bought as seedlings, the rest started from seeds. And, well, the summer was a very hot and dry one, and I didn’t really know what I was doing, and things didn’t turn out as well as they could have. The broccoli became leggy plants that never produced broccoli, the the bunching onions never came up, I left the purslane too crowded so that they never grew more than an inch or two, the mustard greens went to seed very quickly, the carrots were small and bitter, the tomatoes were diseased, and I let the lettuce get too big before eating it. It was a let down in some ways, but I learned a great deal, and developed quite a bit of respect for the fragility of agriculture. Because while some of the not-success was thanks to my own ineptitude, some was simply the weather. It was damn hot. And no one can do much about that.

Yellow zucchini plant flowering.

This year, it stayed cold unreasonably long, and when I should have been planting things, I didn’t, then went away for a week, then had visitors here for a week... And I was feeling pretty sad, pretty hopeless about the whole growing-green-things thing, like I’d frittered the time away and it was too late for anything.

But then, I was wandering around in the yard, and I spotted some sunflowers (the ornamental rather than edible kind) that had self-seeded outside of their little patch of cleared earth. I love sunflowers. And close by, I noticed a Southern Giant Curled mustard green plant growing in the lawn. And once I knew to look, I found dozens of little mustard greens sprouts growing. Both the aforementioned, and Red Giant. And from some local organic farms, I got four cucumber plants, a yellow zucchini, a few different types of sweet and hot peppers... And a friend offered some heirloom paste tomato plants, today.

Today, on June 10th, was the first day of real gardening for me this year. I transplanted some of my sunflowers and mustard greens so they won’t get mowed along with the lawn, and planted my cucumbers and zucchini. And with my hands and feet muddy, skin sweaty, I felt peaceful. It might not be as big a garden as I wanted, I might not have done as much work as I’d hope to do earlier in the season, but I have plants. I’ll be tending them, eagerly watching them grow, training my cucumbers up their trellis, watering and watching and eating the fruits of my labour of love.

Baby Tasty Jade cucumber.

Gardening might not be a deep-felt passion, but I think it’s fair to say that plants, and food, are. I need a reminder of that sometimes, as well as a reminder that it’s almost never “too late.” My garden will grow as it will this year, and no matter what, I know I’ll spend lots of good time with my green growing things.

Recipes: Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup with Coconut Milk

Having made this soup just last night, I still sort of remember the recipe! Pretty impressive, right? Since I never follow recipes, and am bad at writing ingredients down for all of my own recipes, I often find myself at a loss for what, exactly, I put in that dish when it comes time to share it with others... But, I'm working on getting better actually-writing-recipes-down habits!

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup with Coconut Milk

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1/4 cup each of finely diced celery and carrots
• 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed and finely diced
• 1 whole head of cauliflower, tough core and any tougher stems removed, sliced and diced into nice small pieces. You want this to really combine with the broth, not just float around in big chunks
• A bit of veggie oil
• 1 19 oz/540 ml can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups veggie broth
• About 2 cups water
• About 1 cup coconut milk
• About 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons fresh (or frozen) grated ginger
• About 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground coriander
• About 1/2 teaspoon black (or preferably multi-colour mix) pepper
• A dash of ground cinnamon
• A dash of hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste
• Honey or ginger syrup (we always have Ginger People's ginger syrup on hand, which I love to use, but I recognize that this is not a pantry staple for most people!)

Add cumin seeds to large pot, toast lightly dry or add oil right away (toasting dry gives a better flavour, I believe, but if you're prone to burning things just add seeds and oil at the same time). Once seeds have toasted a bit, add onions, celery, and carrots, and salt lightly. Cook until softened nicely, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes more, then add all other spices, continuing to fry another minute or so. Add cauliflower, stir to coat, then add broth, and 1-2 cups water (depending on how thick you want your soup to be. You can always add a bit more water later!). Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, more salt, and a bit of honey or syrup, cover once more, and continue to simmer until cauliflower is very soft. Once it's completely softened, stir in coconut milk, and enjoy!

Supper Ideas: Cleaning Out the Fridge...Of Veggies, At Least

When my mother and I decide that there are a lot of veggies in the fridge that have been sitting there for too long, we really know how to use them well. This was the meal we created.

Starting on the left, going clockwise: Sweet and smoky beans (with chipotle peppers and maple syrup), molasses rye cornbread, maple glazed roasted carrots and parsnips, buttery sautéed kale with onions, and roasted sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes) and garlic.

Making a Basic Mead

My first experiment with fermenting drinks was about a quarter-gallon of mead I made in the late fall, yet despite really liking it when I drank it young (or "green"), it took me until a couple of weeks ago before I started another batch. I blame the gloominess of winter that kept me from experimenting much with food of any sort for a couple of the coldest months. But as spring arrives, I'm feeling differently, reading a birthday present I received a couple of weeks ago entitled The Art of Fermentation (which I previously started after borrowing from the library, and which was what inspired me to start fermenting anything), and wanting to make lots of fermenty things.

This batch of mead was a whole half-gallon, and I like it even better than my first batch! While I'm still not quite ready to age it until dry (I don't yet have the patience, equipment, or space to do so, though I'm planning on changing that this summer), I can talk about what it's like to make green mead. The flavour is delicate, sweet, with a nice bit of alcoholic flavour, a touch of yeastiness, and a lovely light effervescence.

My mead! Doesn't it look tasty?? Trust me, it is.

And making it could not be easier.

Equipment needed:

1. A jug/carboy, mason jar, or really any non-reactive container that can be covered in some way, by a lid, or even a cloth held on by an elastic band. Anything that keeps fruit flies and dust out would be good, I believe!
2. A funnel, if you're using a container without a wide opening
3. A measuring cup or other smallish jar
4. A spoon 

Ingredients:

1. (Preferably) Raw (unpasteurized) honey
2. Dechlorinated water (from a well, bottled, or boiled then left to sit for a little while, which since the main water I have access to is chlorinated, is my usual method.)

I use a ratio of approximately 1 parts honey to 6 parts water, but that is VERY approximate. Sandor Ellix Katz states in The Art of Fermentation that a ratio of anything from 1:1 to 1:17 and beyond can work and has been used successfully, so it seems more than anything it's a matter of personal taste!

As you can see in the photo above, I use jugs, though unlike pictured I put that amount of mead in a 1 gallon instead of half-gallon jug while it's actually fermenting, because as it ferments it gets really bubbly, and is prone to overflowing and making a sticky mess when in too small a container. So leave plenty of room for bubbles!

I like to use crystallized honey or the end of jars that have been shoved to the back of the cupboard, basically the bits of honey that are hard to get out, especially old, or otherwise not being used. My first batch I used clover honey. My most recent batch I used mostly buckwheat honey, and I LOVE how it turned out! It's important if you're using a container that isn't open to the air and thus open to wild yeast, that you use raw honey, so that the honey itself can provide the wild yeast necessary for fermentation. 

A lot of info I've seen encourages you to sterilize everything and be VERY AFRAID, but all I've done (and all Sandor recommends you do) is make sure everyone is washed in hot and soapy water. So clean is important. But sterilizing things isn't necessarily needed.

I pour the honey and dechlorinated water through a funnel and into my jug, tighten the lid, and shake until honey and water are well combined (no honey on the bottom when you stop shaking). I then loosen the lid and leave on the counter, shaking multiple times a day, whenever I think of it. It's really important to loosen the lid whenever you're not shaking it. If you don't loosen it, pressure from the fermentation process could build enough that the glass literally explodes. Not good.

It'll start getting really foamy/bubbly after a few days, and continue to bubble for something like 1-2 weeks (also really approximate). When the bubbling subsides, and it only gets a little foamy when you shake it/the bubbles fade very quickly once you've put it back down, it's done. Once it no longer bubbles much, it should be put in the fridge and drunk. If it's left out, even with continued shaking, with so little bubbling it might mould on top.

That's for just fermenting until green. At that no-longer-very-bubbly stage, you can then go on to transfer containers, put on an airlock, later rack and siphon, etc. But since I have no experience with ageing fully, I'm not going to talk about it.

I wanted to share my process and enthusiasm, but please remember I am NOT an expert. I've only done this a few times, and if you're serious about doing it yourself, I'd strongly suggest looking at other sources (especially my previously mentioned inspiration, Sandor Ellix Katz!). If you work solely off of this post and my instructions, I take no responsibility if something goes wrong. I can't emphasize enough that I'm still very much a beginner.

That said, I've found making a green mead to be ridiculously easy, rewarding, and super tasty! I'm just scratching the surface, and looking forward to making mead with different fruits and herbs, ageing it until dry, and making other alcoholic beverages. Fermentation is super exciting to me, and I can't wait to make a ton of other tasty things! I hope that you decide to try some fermenting of your own. And mead is a very good place to start for a beginner, as I can personally attest to!

Salad Ideas: Cucumber, Apple, and Walnut Salad in Sweet Dijon Vinaigrette

I keep not posting because so often I don't have pictures of the food I make (since my beautiful and much loved digital SLR died last year, I haven't had a camera that I actually enjoy using), and it only feels like a proper food post if I include photos. However, I'm going to try not to let that stop me from posting, though I do also hope to start using my father's very nice camera in the immediate future, and get a new camera for myself this coming year. But for now, I wanted to share a tasty salad I made tonight, without pictures!

Salad

• 1 large cucumber, sliced in fairly thin rounds
• 1-2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
• 1 apple, cored, halved, and sliced thinly
• A handful of walnuts

Dressing

I don't have amount for this one I'm afraid, but I can still give the ingredients!

• Grapeseed oil or other mild tasting oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Seedy dijon mustard
• Ginger honey (alternately ginger syrup, or honey and some freshly grated or powdered ginger)
• Salt

Mix dressing, toss with salad, and enjoy! This was a success with all salad eating family members, and my dad who usually isn't as into salads actually came back for thirds, never mind seconds.

I feel like lots of people have the idea that salad is boring, and approach it with a grudging attitude of getting through this annoying healthy thing as soon as possible. But with a little bit of creativity, there are SO many really tasty things you can do with salads. Salads are cool.

A Cool Canning Workshop

Last week I went to a canning workshop, held at this cool vegan kitchen called The People's Potato that serves free lunches every single week day during the school year at Concordia University. This was the first time I've seen their space, and woah is it nice! HUGE kitchen. Like, huge, with lots of shiny equipment. And it was really nice that not only was the canning workshop offered there, but it was offered for free. And since I've been wanting to start canning for a while now, but have been too terrified to try yet, it seemed like a good idea for me to go!

The workshop facilitators were great, the attendees really nice, and we each got to go home with a jar of Vietnamese pickles (which are extremely tasty) and apple butter (which smelled and looked positively delicious, though I haven't tasted it yet). Good times. And if you want to see a bit of it, there's an album of the workshop posted on Facebook!

Canning is cool.