Preserving Summer Blueberries

      Whether the berries are from a local farm or my own yard, the flavor of sweet blueberries, ripened in the July sun, is one of the ultimate tastes of summer.  After picking as many as I can physically manage, I begin the process of preserving them, saving the flavor for many months to come.

      Last week, I revisited Secor Farm in Wappinger's Falls to pick blueberries.  I returned home with buckets full of berries ready to be preserved in three different forms: frozen for pancakes and muffins, dehydrated to create dried fruit for granola, and canned jams to spread on bagels and English muffins.

Freezing 
Freezing is the simplest technique and perfect for berries that will be added to pancakes or muffins.

 I place the picked berries in a recycled berry container in the freezer overnight; 

 and repackage them in a zip lock bag for long term storage.   

When added to pancakes throughout the year, their taste and consistency is close to that of fresh berries.

Dehydrating
 Dehydrating blueberries is easy.

  The berries are simply cut in half to allow the moisture to escape; placed on trays in the dehydrator; dried at 135 degrees for 16 hours;

removed  from the tray; and placed in canning jars, ready for granola. 

  The real benefit of dehydrating is that minimal storage space is required. 

Five pints of fresh blueberries can be stored in one 32 ounce jar when dehydrated.

Jam

To create jam, blueberries are boiled down for approximately 50 minutes using a 4:3 ratio of berries to sugar;

poured into warm, sterile jars; given a boiling water bath, and stored for up to a year.

 

(If you've never tried jam before, http://www.pickyourown.org offers illustrated, step-by-step directions.)

     When the strong July sun is a distant memory, the sweet taste of the berries, in all its forms, will bring the magic of summer each morning.

Frustrated by Pawling's Recycling Limitations?

http://www.royalcarting.com

     On World Water Day, I blogged about a carting company that would recycle many items that our local, Pawling, recycling center doesn't accept:

Plastics #3, #5, and #7 

Telephone books, paperback books, junk mail (including envelopes and coupons)

All dry, loose or bagged white and colored ledgers

Copy paper, note pads, loose-leaf fillers, computer print-outs

Single wall, non-corrugated boxes used to package dry food

Cereal boxes, shoe boxes and other similar packaging

Paper egg cartons, construction paper 

I hoped that by using their facility monthly to recycle items our town’s recycling refuses, I could increase the volume of my recycling and therefore lessen my water use. 

     Today, after collecting these items (junk mail, school workbooks and loose leaf, non-corrugated cardboard, and # 5 plastics) for three months, I took a trip to the Royal Carting Company, on Route 82 in Hopewell Junction, to see what they would actually accept.  

      The people were pleasant, helpful, and accepted all items to be recycled for free. They said sorting is not even necessary, which will make storage easier. Since I do most of my recycling at the Pawling Transfer Station, I do not need that much space for the materials Pawling will not accept.  My goal to go monthly can be modified to quarterly.  Today, I was able to stop on my way to another errand in the area, so I didn't have to waste gas in an effort to save water.

 

Pawling Farmer’s Market – Open for the Season

 

Update for 2015          SATURDAYS 9AM - 1PM          JUNE 13 - SEPT 19 

     Support local farms and our local economy while purchasing food that has traveled less distance and is therefore fresher and more sustaniable.  The Pawling Farmer’s Market is open for the season. 

 Breezy Hill Orchard, certified in the Eco Apple program, has joined the other local farmers, crafts people, confectioners, and winery to bring the farm to us.   

 Trinity Pawling’s School garden had a nice display of beautiful greens. 

 If you'd rather not take the drive to Dykeman's Farm on West Over Road, they bring produce to town for you.  

Their famous corn will be available next Saturday.

 

Families share their baked goods and preserves.

 

Locally grown meat can also be found among the ample supply of vegetables.

Think globally, shop locally.

Lavender - The Versatile Perennial

     Lavender needs little care, has few pests, adds beauty and fragrance to your garden, and when dried, decorates your home and pleases your palette.  This versatile perennial comes in many varieties that bloom throughout the summer, beginning in June. 

North Wind Farms, Pawling, NY

     Lavender's uses are endless, creating fragrant oils, candles, baked goods, jellies, pillows, sachets and other crafts.  If you purchase your lavender from our local lavender farmer, Ellen of North Winds Farm, it guarantees that the lavender will thrive in your Pawling garden.  She will help you choose the appropriate lavender for your purposes: culinary or landscape varieties, and give you planting tips. Along with the plants themselves, she also sells an extensive array of hand-made lavender products.

     When she is not in her lavender field, creating crafts, or in the kitchen creating amazing lavender goodies (scones, biscotti, jelly, syrup, breads) you can find her at a number of local farm markets.  She is extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of lavender: growing, baking, crafts and use as aromatherapy; she generously shares her knowledge with her customers.  You’ll find her at the following locations this summer:

Muscoot Farm Market, Katonah, NY  www.muscootfarm.org/farmersmarket 

(Every Sunday 10am - 3pm) - Starts May 9, 2010

Millbrook Farm Market, Millbrook, NY  www.millbrookfarmersmarket.com 

(Every Saturday 9am - 1pm) - Starts May 29, 2010

Scarsdale Farm Market, Scarsdale, NY

Starting May 22nd, every other Saturday 9am to 1:30 pm.

Bronxville Summer Market - April 24, 2010 - Kick Off Day

Bronxville, NY Starting May 29th, 2010 every other Saturday

Clermont State Historic Site - Hudson Bush Plant Sale June 5, 2010 -

10am - 2pm (www.friendsofclermont.org for information)

Harvesting Your Own Lavender

     Because I use lavender as a perennial border plant as well as a culinary herb, I harvest stems one-by-one, allowing me to have garden plants in full bloom, while my harvested stems dry in the cellar. 

Cut stems near the bottom of the stem, just above a pair of shoots.

 Peel the leaves off the stems.

 

Wrap a rubber band around the base of the stems. 

 

Hang the bunches upside down in a dark, cool, dry place for a few weeks until the stems feel dry.

 Then use the lavender on the stems for floral displays or peel the buds off the stem for culinary uses. 

 Combine sugar and lavender in a ratio of one tablespoon dried lavender buds to every cup of sugar.

When baking, measure the amount of sugar you need into a food processor and blend, then use this flavored sugar to add the delicate flavor of lavender to almost any of your favorite baked goods:

cookies, biscotti (recipe), cakes, pancakes, muffins, and scones.

    If you have lavender plants with very long stems, try making lavender wands by following this step-by-step process described by Peaceful Valley Organics.

And if you're not the "crafty" type you can purchase beautiful hand-made wands from Ellen at one of her markets. 

Flavoring Vinegar with Fresh Herbs

Perennial herbs are bushing out in the garden, ready to be harvested to add varied flavors to vinegars.  

Flavoring vinegars with fresh herbs is quick, simple, and one of the sweetest smelling tasks of summer.

The best time to pick herbs is in the morning when they are still damp with the morning dew. 

 Rinse herbs in a large bowl of water and strain. 

(Add 1 tsp. bleach to the water to sterilize, if you choose.)

 Pour ½ - ¾ cup of vinegar out of a gallon jug to allow room for the herbs.

 Push clean leaves into the vinegar and return the cap.

Store in cool dark place for a month.

Strain the vinegar and pour it into smaller glass bottles to use throughout the year.

The vinegar’s flavor can be intensified by adjusting the amount of herbs added and the length of time they remain in the vinegar.

Strawberries are Ripe for the Picking

     Rows and rows of strawberry plants, separated by hay covered walking paths, are dotted with ripe red fruit waiting to be picked at Secor Farm, 63 Robinson Lane, Wappingers Falls, one of our local pick-your-own farms. Bring your own containers or grab a cardboard box, and hand pick to your heart’s content. The sound of young pickers delighted by the task accompanies you as you fill your containers to the brim. 

     The strawberry, symbol for Venus, the Goddess of Love, has significant health benefits: they “contain a large amount of antioxidant, anticancer, anti-neurodegenerative, and anti-inflammatory properties.”  Strawberries are packed with nutrients; help prevent Alzheimer’s disease; and improve cardiovascular health.  Positive results from recent studies have researchers “investigating the possibility that strawberries may be valuable as an add-on or alternative treatment to cancer-treating drugs.” 

    Although strawberries are listed on the "Dirty Dozen", due to the numerous species of insects that attack the strawberry plant, growers at Secor Farm explain that they spray minimally and never once the  fruit appears, avoiding spraying pesticides on the fruit itself.  

   If you have a dehydrator, you can use the following steps to preserve this amazing flavor (intensified by the drying process) throughout the year:

Hull strawberries (remove the stem).

    

Slice them ¼” thick.

 Soak for 30 seconds in water with a squeeze of lemon.

Spread them out on the trays; dehydrate for 8 – 10 hours, until brittle. 

 

Store in a canning jar. 

Enjoy!

A Solar Clothes Dryer

   Not only are the kilowatt savings significant, but the process of hanging our clothes outdoors in the early morning and taking them down in the evening is one of the "chores" I truly enjoy.  Planning a clothesline takes thought to ensure that the location is convenient and aesthetically pleasing.  Ideally the line won't obstruct your view of attractive areas of your yard, and an appealing view from the perch you are standing on to hang your clothes will add pleasure to the task.

1.      Try to locate your line in a part of the yard that is not easily seen from your neighbor's home.

2.      Locate your line somewhere that is easy to access from one of your exterior doors. 

3.      Attach one end of the line to the house, if possible—it's much harder to pull down the house with a heavy load than a vertical post—and the other end high off the ground (twelve – fifteen feet) to a tree, braced post, or building.

  4.      Attach the ends securely using hardware that allows the line to move smoothly.

5.      Hang the line so that the distance from the line to the ground is significant, allowing sheets, towels and pants to hang without touching the ground—even when the line is weighted down with clothing.

6.      Stand on a bench, if possible, while hanging clothes to avoid raising your hands over your head while pinning.

7.      Purchase enough clothes pins so that you can attach the clothes securely to the line without worrying they will fall on a windy day.

 8.      Use hardware that draws the two lines together to keep the line from being dragged too close to the ground.

9.      Hang clothes inside out if they are susceptible to sun bleaching, and give clothes a quick “snap” before hanging to help shake out wrinkles.

10.   Watch the weather—but don't worry too much, because a little rain doesn’t hurt your clothes; it just prolongs the drying process.

     A clothesline is one of the simplest, least expensive, low-tech solar devices on the market.