A Culinary Escapade

What to do when you're cooped up inside on account of the rain? extravagant cooking! I see my interest in cooking as a continuation of my interest in gardening. Its the next step in nutrient cycling: soil to plant to tummy to compost to plant. (ok, so we don't compost human waste, but we do compost food scraps). Taking the time to cook, thinking about what you're cooking, and thinking about where it's from enhances your appreciation for the food, for the farmer, and for mother nature. It transformes it from just another meal into nourishment and life! Plus you just appreciate a meal way more if you've spent the time to make it.

To continue my homesteading-esque summer adventures, I tried my hand at jam-making last night. Freezer jam to be specific. I got me a box of that weird white fruit pectin stuff and simply followed the instructions.

ingredients:
3 cups mashed berries (in my case black raspberries from Eastern Market)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
5 1/4 cup sugar (organic! yay)
3/4 cup water
1 packet of fruit pectin

directions:
1) Combine fruit mash with lemon and sugar. mix thoroughly and let stand for 10 minutes.
2)Combine water and fruit pectin in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
3) Add pectin mixture to fruit mixture and stir for 3 minutes.
4) Ladle into designated containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace for expansion. Lasts for 3 weeks in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer (they say. I haven't proven this yet)

I read online about one lady who just uses apple peel instead of fruit pectin because store bought fruit pectin is made of apples anyways. Next time I'm going to try this. It would further my independence from processed, industrial, "food-like substances" as Michael Pollan would say.

I thought i'd also take a moment to share my wonderful dinner with you too. It was just too delicious. Just a simple, local summer salad, but my tummy thanked me.

spinach (from market), cucumber (ok, i confess. I don't know where it was from, but it was organic if thats any consolation), black raspberries (from market). Topped of with a Honey-Lemon Dressing I found on one of my new favorite food blogs: http://thebittenword.typepad.com/.

Honey-Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon honey (local raw honey from Eastern Market!)
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme (from ze garden)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the lemon zest, honey and thyme. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Et voila!