Move over plum chutney, there’s another jar that needs to fit on the shelf – or in the fridge.

It has something to do with plums and a whole lot of sweet and sour, with a generous amount of exotic spices tossed in for good measure.

In late summer and early fall when plums are in season, it’s definitely a recipe worth trying.

Where Do Spiced Pickled Plums Come From?

Growing up, I never had the golden opportunity to eat pickled plums.

If the chance had ever come along, however, I’m pretty sure I would’ve taken a bite. I wasn’t a picky eater, though I knew of a couple kids who were. Something tells me they may have wanted to sample it too, especially when it was served with something else they liked. Go ahead and skip to ‘How To Eat Spiced Pickled Plums’ if you think you know the answer.

As far as history of the preserved plums is considered, a typical search will bring you results like umeboshi and umezuke which are salted Japanese plums. Not quite the kind you’ll find here.

You will find, however, that a man by the name of George Macculloch (1775-1858) was a proficient gardener of his time. His wife, Louisa, wrote several recipes in her cookbook, including one of pickled plums which is a more simplified version with fewer spices than the one you’ll be making down below.

Choosing Plums

It’s said that there are about 40 varieties of plums. I’d like to believe there are some undiscovered ones out there as well, hanging around in some old, overgrown orchard with only nature to eat the delicious abundance.

Realistically speaking, there are at least 22 varieties of plums that you may find here and there, depending on how close you are to a plum orchard.

Truth be told, any plum would work for a delightful jar of spiced pickled plums. What you want to look out for, is that the plums aren’t overripe and that they are mold-free and worm-free.

Above all, do your best to make sure they are perfectly ripe. Otherwise if overripe, your pickled plums may become a bit soggy, if underripe, then too hard to be the most enjoyable.

If this happens, make the best out of the situation. Remove any and all hard spices, such as the star anise and bay leaves, then blitz the rest into a spiced plum paste. You can then enjoy this on toast. Nothing loved is ever lost.

So, let’s get to the ingredients before plum season is quickly over.

Quick and Easy Spiced Pickled Plums

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of ripe plums, any kind
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 star anise for each jar
• 1-2 bay leaves for each jar
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• pinch of salt
• optional: 1 teaspoon red, white and green peppercorns

Instructions

Step 1 – Wash plums and cut in half to remove the pit.

Step 2 – In a heavy saucepan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar and water; bring to a light boil. Add salt, peppercorns and allspice. Simmer for five minutes, then add the cut plums.

Step 3 – Simmer the plums for 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and quickly ladle the hot plums into sterilized jars. Cover completely with the sweet and sour pickling brine, leaving a 1/4″ headspace.

Step 4 – If you are canning: process the jars in a water-bath canner for 5 minutes, then remove jars from canner and allow to come to room temperature before labeling and storing on pantry shelf for up to a year, or even longer.

If it’s quick pickled plums you are after, load up the jars, put the lids on tightly and allow the jars to come to room temperature before storing in the fridge. Once you open a jar, aim to finish it off in 3 months. That shouldn’t be a problem, especially if you are strategic and make several small jars.

How To Eat Spiced Pickled Plums

Serve with, you guessed it – vanilla ice cream! No, really, that probably wasn’t your first thought. Though you’ll want to try it, once your spiced pickled plums are ready.

You can also eat pickled plums on sandwiches with smoked ham and cheese, or just with smoked cheese (my mind is chowing down on this right now).

You can add a few pickled plums to a summer salad, spoon a few on your crêpes, serve it next to a winter-warming roast.

And, by all means, save that sweet and salty pickle juice for a later snack or beverage. Toss it in a salad dressing or drizzle some over your morning yogurt. Heck, you can even add some spiced plum pickle juice to a glass of sparkling water for a non-alcoholic refreshing drink, to sip in between bouts of canning or gardening.

If a glut of plums is your biggest problem…

Our favorite way to use up a ton of plums, is in jars of 100% plum jam. This is the ultimate way to stuff as many plums in a jar as possible. Not even sugar, or sweeteners of any kind are needed.

You can also make plum juice, or dried prunes, perhaps even some plum ice cream to go with your spiced pickled plums. Here are a few more ideas if the abundance of plums is too much to bear.

Spiced Pickled Plums

You've probably never thought to pickle your plums, but you'll want to after seeing this.

Print

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of ripe plums, any kind
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 star anise for each jar
• 1-2 bay leaves for each jar
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice berries or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• pinch of salt
• optional: 1 teaspoon red, white and green peppercorns

Instructions

1. Wash plums and cut in half to remove the pit.

2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar and water; bring to a light boil. Add salt, peppercorns and allspice. Simmer for five minutes, then add the cut plums.

3. Simmer the plums for 5-10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and quickly ladle the hot plums into sterilized jars. Cover completely with the sweet and sour pickling brine, leaving a 1/4″ headspace.

4. If you are canning: process the jars in a water-bath canner for 5 minutes, then remove jars from canner and allow to come to room temperature before labeling and storing on pantry shelf for up to a year, or even longer. If it’s quick pickled plums you are after, load up the jars, put the lids on tightly and allow the jars to come to room temperature before storing in the fridge.

The post Easy Spiced Pickled Plums appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Did you know there are several fantastic reasons for growing peas in your garden? Spoiler alert – you don’t have to grow them for the sheer enjoyment of shelling peas alone. The leaves, shoots and flowers of the pea plant are all edible too.

Why Grow Peas?

For starters, peas are very easy to grow; just about everyone can accomplish this uncomplicated garden task. Peas pretty much grow on their own with very little care from you – unless they need to be trellised, which is only as difficult as you make it. A few stakes and some string will do.

The fact that they are easy to grow is quickly followed by the reality of peas being one of the earliest seeds to sow in the garden. They are one of 15 seeds to sow outdoors before the last spring frost, falling in line with radishes, onion sets, parsnips and spinach. And you can grow them again in the fall.

I’m here to tell you that as much as I love to eat spinach, it refuses to grow in our garden to any considerable size without bolting. However, I’ve recently learned that pea leaves are edible, and to some extent, you can use them instead of spinach in many recipes. Since they grow green and lush in the garden, why not eat them?

Naturally, it does help that pea leaves taste rather nice too.

If you are growing snow peas or sugar snap peas, know that the pods are also edible. That’s definitely something to consider when planting a garden to get the most bang for your buck.

And don’t forget the pea shoots.

When the plants are young, go ahead and snap the end tendrils off right where it joins the main stem. It will form another and keep growing; it’s sort of like pruning your peas to encourage more growth, a win-win situation.

When you begin to look at your garden in a different light, you’ll find all sorts of things that you never knew were edible.

Of course, there will be edible weeds such as purple dead nettle, chickweed, purslane and wood sorrel. If you look even harder, you’ll also realize that young radish leaves and radish pods, kale pods and even buckwheat leaves are edible. It all depends on your openness to trying new-to-you foods.

Two More Reasons to Grow Peas

The more you “prune” and clip back your pea plants for breakfast, the more your peas will produce. As soon as you see the pods are full and heavy, harvest them as well, for it sends a small signal to the plant that its job of producing isn’t yet finished.

Lastly, you should grow peas in your garden, even in your no-dig garden or raised beds, to help improve the soil. Peas, like all other legumes (vetches, alfalfa, clovers and beans), fix nitrogen in the soil.

Gardening tip:

When the pea season is over, don’t pull the pea plants, roots and all out of the ground. Instead, cut them back at the soil line and allow the roots to decompose in the soil.

Now, let’s get back to the eating of pea leaves.

When To Harvest Pea Shoots and Tendrils

Long before you actually harvest round peas in their pods is the best time for snipping back some tendrils when they are young and tender. You don’t have to wait three months to harvest anything. In fact, you can start plucking off a leaf or two here and there as soon as the plant is big enough to let go of a few (at least 6 inches tall).

You can harvest pea shoots and tendrils at any time of day, though you’ll probably find them the most crisp in the morning. Just to be clear, eating pea shoots is akin to eating micro-greens. The youngest plants are chock full of nutrients and antioxidants, including vitamins A and C. Only eat what’s tender, never what’s woody or tough. Let your tongue be your guide.

If it turns out that you truly enjoy eating pea greens, you may not even care whether or not the pods come to maturity.

Keep it simple: keep harvesting the leaves and tips until the plant becomes bitter or less palpable than earlier in the season.

Preparing Pea Shoots and Leaves for Cooking

It’s easy enough to pluck any part of the pea plant by hand. After that, give the greens a quick rinse, using a salad spinner if you have one, or simply give them a quick back and forth under running water and shake them dry.

Since they are growing in your garden, pick only as much as you are going to eat in one day. Harvest as often as you need them in the kitchen.

Our New Favorite Ways to Eat Pea Leaves

This is the first year we’ve ever eaten pea leaves. What took us so long? A few years ago, we discovered the deliciousness that is foraged hop shoots, but with peas, I don’t really know what happened.

One morning I was in the garden, looking at ways I could spice up a breakfast of bacon and eggs. The pea leaves were calling out to me, saying, “What about us? Why don’t you give us a try.” From that moment on, I haven’t looked at, or heard, the garden the same way again.

There aren’t a lot of recipes for using pea leaves outside of stir-fried snow pea leaves with garlic, which is amazing, by the way, so we’ve come up with a couple of our own.

Garden Veg & Pea Leaf Soup

A lot of homestead cooking happens with what one has on hand – or in the garden, so feel free to make your own modifications to either of the recipes below.

Ingredients:

• carrots
• celeriac
• parsley root
• peas and pea leaves
• pasta
• spices (such as oregano, basil, turmeric or paprika)
• salt and pepper
• oil, lard or any kind of poultry fat

Instructions:

1. Prepare vegetables: slice or dice them any way you want. Could also add zucchini or new potatoes if they are ready to harvest. Garlic and onions are a great addition too.
2. Toss carrots and other root vegetables into a pot, along with water, oil, salt and spices. Bring to a boil and cook till almost tender.
3. Add pasta approximately 10 minutes prior to being done. At the same time, add the fresh peas.
4. When you remove the pot of soup from the stove, add the pea leaves and let it sit for ten minutes before serving.

Use any amounts you like based on what you have at the moment.

Pea Leaf Dip

Since pea leaves can also be eaten raw (they are quite delicious), I included them in a cheesy-sour cream dip.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1 cup finely shredded cheese (Emmental or Swiss tastes wonderful)
• 1 cup finely chopped pea leaves
• finely chopped green onion, to taste
• salt, pepper, dill (fresh or dried) and paprika to taste

Instructions:

1. Grate cheese and stir in sour cream.
2. Stir in washed and chopped pea leaves.
3. Add salt and spices.
4. Serve with fresh tomatoes, young pea pods, pea flowers and tortillas.

Note that pea leaves can be added to any of your favorite dips. They’ll be tucked in there so nicely; kids or men won’t even notice. Or maybe they’ll be happy to eat something exotic. Either way, cheesy dips are tasty; indulge in them all you want.

Other Ways to Eat Pea Shoots and Leaves

Pea leaves and shoots can be added to:

• any kind of soups or stews
• sandwiches
• stir-fries
• egg dishes
• biscuits and bread
• or sautéed in butter and served as a side dish

Pea greens can also be boiled or steamed, and from now on, at least on our homestead, they will always be eaten. Once you know, you know. What else can we find to eat in our little garden?

The post Eating Pea Leaves – 2 Garden Fresh Recipes to Try Out appeared first on Rural Sprout.

If you are lucky enough to have a productive plum tree in your garden producing buckets full of plums, then you may be familiar with the overwhelming task of harvesting and processing all of your fruit. If you have a heavily laden plum tree, the fruiting can be so prolific that branches can break!

One year, we lost a large limb on one of our plum trees due to overloading. (Fortunately, the fruits were ripe, and so we were still able to make use of them.)

But when you have so many plums, it can be difficult to know what to do with them. To help you work out how to prevent any from going to waste, here is a list of suggestions for things to do with a glut of plums from your garden:

1. Eat Them Fresh

Of course, the number one way to eat plums from your garden is to eat them fresh – straight from the tree. The juicy and delicious fruits are great to bite into without any processing or cooking at all. You can just eat one as is, or halve and de-stone them and add them to a fruit salad or another simple and wholesome dish.

You will know when they are ready to harvest and eat when the flesh softens and will squish when gently squeezed. The fruits will also have their ripe colour – which can vary from a deep purple or red to yellow or even green depending on the variety.

The best way to tell whether plums are ready to harvest is to taste them. Simply bite into a plum – if it yields easily and tastes sweet and good, then it is time to gather in your fruits.

In addition to eating fresh as they are, you can also consider halving and de-stoning them and freezing them for later. While they will mush a little when thawed, they will still be great for many of the options described below.

2. Juice Your Plums

If you have a huge number of fruits to deal with – too many to eat them all fresh, consider juicing some. Juicing them will allow you to imbibe their goodness and enjoy the fresh taste while using up a lot more fruit in one go. While drinking fruit juice will not be as good for you as eating the whole fruit, it can be a great way to make sure that you get your ‘five a day’.

You can simply juice them and drink them up right away or pasteurize your plum juice in a canner or large pan of boiling water in order to keep it for longer. As long as you leave space in containers for the liquid to expand, you can also freeze plum juice for later use.

3. Make Plums into Jam

One of my favorite ways to use up a glut is by making plum jam. There is a wide range of recipes out there to choose from. Personally, I enjoy a spiced plum jam, which combines the fruits with sugar, cinnamon and ginger to add a little something without overpowering the flavor of the fruit.

To make my plum jam:

• Wash, halve and de-stone the fruits. (In this case, around 3.3lbs)
• Place these in a large, heavy pan with around 5oz of water.
• Boil the fruits until they have broken down into mush.
• Add 5 cups of sugar. (More if you like a sweeter jam.)
• Add cinnamon and ginger (to taste).
• Bring to a rolling boil.
• Take the jam to setting point. (Testing with the wrinkle test on a cool spoon. When ready, the jam will form wrinkles when you push a finger through the blob.)
• Add the jam to sterilized jars.
• Leave to cool, label and then store in a cool location.

This year, I also made a batch of plum and blackberry jam – so what with those and my apple butter, we’ll have plenty of options to spread on our toast over the coming months.

4. Make Plum Chutney

Another delicious preserve that you can make using a glut from your garden is plum chutney. Again, there are plenty of different recipes to choose from, like this one from Greatist.

Chutney can go well with cheese or bread sandwiches later in the year. A richly spiced plum chutney could also make a lovely Christmas gift for friends or family later in the year.

5. Pickle Plums

Another delicious preserve that you can make with your harvest is pickled plums. These also go very well with a cheese plate.

Here’s a great recipe from FoodAndWine.com for salty-sweet- spiced pickled plums.

6. Dry Plums to Make Prunes

Another way to preserve your harvest is to dehydrate them to make prunes. Here’s a great guide for dehydrating plums in the dehydrator or oven.

You can leave them to dry to plump prunes that can be eaten right away or dry them a little more for later rehydration in a range of recipes. 

7. Add Plums to Breakfast Flapjacks

One thing that we like to do with plums (or prunes) in our household is to add them to healthy flapjacks, sometimes along with other late summer or autumn fruits.

8. Make Plum Oatmeal

Your harvest can also be enjoyed as a healthy breakfast in other ways. In the winter months, stewed, they are ideal for adding to a hearty bowl of porridge. Alternatively, you can make cool ‘overnight oats’ by layering up some oats, yogurt, plum compote and seeds etc., in a jar and leaving it in the fridge overnight before eating for breakfast.

9. Enjoy a Plum Salad

These fruits also work well, both fresh and cooked, in a range of cold and warm salads. Simply adding a few halved plums, along with some nuts or seeds, to a mixed green leafy salad can add some interest to the dish. Another popular salad in our house is a warm rice salad with plums, spinach greens and beans or pulses.

10. Make a Tabbouleh

World cuisines offer plenty of inspiration for plum recipes. One delicious dish that you could try is plum tabbouleh. Add some fresh, ripe fruits, scallions, finely chopped red chilies, mint and parsley to bulgar wheat and dress this with olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. You can vary this recipe by using couscous, quinoa or brown rice in place of the bulgar wheat.

11. Make Chinese Plum Sauce

Another enticing condiment is Chinese plum sauce. The key to creating a good plum sauce is to balance the sweet, sour and umami flavors to create a versatile dipping sauce that can be used with a wide range of dishes.

Blend the fruits with onion, apple cider vinegar, honey, fresh ginger, garlic, salt and allspice (or cinnamon, cloves, anise, fennel etc..) into a smooth paste. If you want to keep your Chinese plum sauce for longer, you can whip up a batch and preserve it by placing it in sterilized jars in a hot water canner for around 15 minutes. Once canned, this will keep in a cool place for up to a year.

12. Make a Plum Curry

You may not think to use fruit in curries but in fact, plums can replace tomatoes in a range of recipes – providing a similar richness and depth of flavor.

This spicy lamb and plum curry is one excellent curry dish to try with your plums.

13. Poach Some for Dessert

Of course, plums are not only good for savory dishes, they can also work well in a range of desserts. Of course, you could simply add fresh plums to a simple fruit salad, but there is also a range of plum recipes that you can cook up for after your main meal. One of the easiest involves simply poaching your fruit in a sweet or richly spiced syrup, such as these red wine poached plums. These are delicious when served simply with cream, custard or ice cream.

14. Make Some Sugared Plums

Another easy way to create a sweet treat is sugared plums. Simply to roll fresh plums in egg white, then in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar until they are well coated with a sugary crust. Space these in a buttered baking dish and then bake at 350F until the fruits are crusty and juicy.

15. Make a Crumble

Another classic and iconic dessert idea is a plum crumble. A crumble is a mix of stewed fruit beneath a sweet crumbly crust of flour, butter or spread, and sugar, mixed to a breadcrumb-like texture between the fingers. One variation on this that we enjoy is a crumble topping that includes oats and some mixed seeds. Plums can be used alone or combined with apples or other fall fruits like blackberries for this dish.

16. Make a Puff Pastry

Even if you are not skilled enough in the culinary department to make your own pastry, this recipe allows you to use a sheet of purchased puff pastry. Heat your oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Unroll a roll of puff pastry onto the tray and sprinkle chopped plumbs, sugar and ground almonds over the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is golden and risen, then sprinkle on a little more sugar and serve.

17. Make a Plum Tart

If you fancy trying something a little more complex, how about trying your hand at making your own pastry crust and filling your tart with fresh sliced plums on top of a layer of almond frangipane? Serve this tart slightly warm with a dollop of cream, perhaps. Your friends and family are sure to be very impressed by your culinary prowess.

Plum Frangipane Tart

18. Make a Plum Chocolate Cake

Another impressive treat that you can create for your friends and family is a rich and sticky plum chocolate cake. There are plenty of different recipes that you can choose from. Mine is as follows:

• 180g self-raising flour
• The same weight of olive spread
• 180g sugar
• 100g cocoa powder
• Around 10 plums (chopped)
• 3 large tbsp plum jam
• 3 large free-range eggs
• ground almonds for topping (optional)

Mix the spread and sugar, then add the flour, cocoa and eggs. Add the chopped plums and mix well.

Scoop this mix into two greased cake tins, then bake at 350 degrees until the cake has risen and firm and a skewer comes out clean. Remove the cake halves from the tins and leave them to cool. Once cool, sandwich the layers together with plum jam and top with ground almonds.

19. Make a Gingery Plum Cake

Another cake that you could make using some of your harvest is a gingery plum cake. An upside-down cake, for this recipe, you layer halved fruits on the base of a lined cake tin, then top with a cake mix of:

• 175g butter
• 175g sugar
• 140g golden syrup
• 2 eggs
• 200ml milk
• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Melt the butter (or spread), sugar and syrup in a large pan, stirring until smooth. Cool for ten minutes, then add eggs and milk, sift in the flour and spices, then mix to a smooth batter and pour them over the fruit. Bake the cake at 350F for around 45 minutes until it is firm, then cool.

20. Bake a Plum & Almond Pudding

You could also make a plum and almond pudding. This warming treat is wonderful as the nights begin to cool. Add your fruits, cinnamon and lemon zest to a bowl and then make a batter of 100g butter , 100g light brown sugar, 2 eggs, 100g self-raising flour and 50g ground almonds. Sprinkle over flaked almonds (optional) then bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F. Serve warm.

21. Make a Refrigerator Cheesecake

This super easy dessert does not even need any baking at all. Make a simple cheesecake base with crushed biscuits and butter or spread, then spoon over a mix of cream cheese and sugar and top with a cooled plum compote. Leave the mix in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

22. Make Plum Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream maker, you could also consider blending some plums and adding them to ice cream. Plum and ginger ice cream is a particularly delicious combination, though there are plenty of other recipes out there to choose from.

23. Make Plum Wine

Another interesting way to make use of your plums is to make some plum wine. Of course, you will need to invest in some wine-making equipment and make sure that everything is properly sterilized, but if you do, the process from then on is relatively easy and straightforward. A simple plum wine recipe can be found here:

Plum Wine@ andhereweare.net

24. Make Plum Cocktails

You could also simply combine some of your fruits with other alcoholic drinks to make a range of cocktails. Some enticing suggestions include plum daiquiris, a plum gin sour, or a plum bourbon cooler… though you will find plenty of recipes out there. Why not experiment a little the next time you have some friends round?

Plum trees are an incredibly useful thing to grow in your garden. Even if you have a glut, as you can see from the list of options given above, there is no need to waste even a single one. I’ve given a few away to family – as well as processing them myself – and now there are just a few left to enjoy.

The post 24 Things To Do With a Glut of Plums appeared first on Rural Sprout.

When cucumbers are in season, you’ve got to make at least one kind of pickle. Dill, garlic, 5-minute fridge pickles, or even bread and butter pickles if you are so inclined.

My mom absolutely loves bread and butter pickles, but as a child, I didn’t care for a single bite. They were too sour and too sweet at the same time. I thought it was a weird combination that perhaps only an adult could adore.

Now that I’m more grown up, it turns out that I do like their one-of-a-kind taste. Oddly enough, my teenage daughter enjoys them too, even more than me. Now that she knows I can make them, it’s my duty to serve her what she wants, especially when the main ingredients come straight from the garden.

What’s the Deal With Bread and Butter Pickles?

Bread and butter are in the name, but there’s no bread or butter in the pickles. What’s up with that?

Well, there’s little history that can be ignored here. Some folks say plain, and simply that bread and butter pickles get their name from the depression-era meals of thinly sliced pickles lain between slices of buttered bread.

Another story tells the tale of cucumber farmers Jim and Cora Fanning way back in the early 1920s. Folks enjoyed their pickles so much that they were able to trade them for not only bread but other common staples, too, such as butter. That’s a far more interesting story, so I’m sticking to that one. I like it when pickles tell a tale.

The unique flavor of bread and butter pickles.

Unlike dill pickles which are made with a standard pickling brine, bread and butter pickles break the mold by adding sugar and omitting the water to dilute the vinegar. Pure sweet and sour with a lot of grrrrrr.

Seeing as how bread and butter pickles aren’t sold in my neck of the woods, I had to make a few jars for myself. Some for now (refrigerator bread and butter pickles) and a few for later. What a lucky thing it is to be able to cook – and can – on your own.

If you’ve grown bored with dill pickles or pickles in general, you may want to give this recipe a try.

Aim for the height of cucumber season if you’d like to can a few jars, as well as make quick refrigerator bread and butter pickles for a sandwich or two.

Quick and Easy Bread and Butter Pickles

Ingredients:

• pickling cucumbers – approximately 10 chopped cups (3 pounds or slightly less than 1.5 kg)
• 4-5 small to medium onions
• 1/4 cup canning/pickling salt
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1.5 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cup sugar (white or brown – the latter makes a more sophisticated pickle)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• optional spices: whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves or dill seeds

Instructions:

1. Wash and slice the cucumbers.
2. Add salt to the cucumbers and let sit for 1 hour. Add the chopped onions and allow it to sit 1 hour longer.
3. Drain and rinse the cucumber and onion mix.
4. In the meantime, prepare the brine on the stove, adding the vinegar, spices and sugar to a pot. Bring it to a simmer.
5. Add the drained cucumbers/onions to jars and pour on the brine.
6. Making sure that the pickles are covered with brine, put a lid on securely and allow the jar to come to room temperature.
7. Eat straight away, or store in the fridge for up to a month.

As tempting as it is to eat your homemade bread and butter pickles as soon as they are at room temperature, it’s best to let them sit in the brine for a few days before taking those first delicious and grrrrry bites. Don’t rush the flavor.

How to Serve Up Your Bread and Butter Pickles

Obviously, straight from the jar is the most unrefined and fun way I can think of to eat them.

Outside of that, bread and butter pickles complement a number of other savory dishes. Serve them on or alongside:

• cold or hot sandwiches, including pulled pork
• hotdogs and hamburgers (whole slices or chopped into a relishing relish)
• potato salad
• grilled meats and sausages
• scrambled eggs
• or even, you guessed it: buttered bread

If you enjoy the sweet-sour flavor, you’ll make them again and again. Maybe even pass the simple recipe on to others.

While it’s nice to make a small batch of bread and butter pickles for fresh eating, if you have more cucumbers than you can eat at once, consider canning them. The process is simple. Due to the high amount of vinegar and sugar, you really can’t go wrong, making it a great recipe for beginners.

Canning Advice for Bread and Butter Pickles

Without getting into too many details here, on Rural Sprout, I’m going to leave it up to other homesteaders and food preservationists to share their bread and butter canning recipes.

After all, we’re all pretty much making a variation on the same theme.

Here they are, complete with canning instructions:

• Canning Bread and Butter Pickles from Little Home in the Making
• Granny’s Bread and Butter Pickles Recipe from Grow a Good Life
• Bread and Butter Pickles from the Hungry Bluebird
• How to Make Bread and Butter Pickles from Wholefully

One last tip before you go: it’s wise to cut off the ends of all cucumbers before canning – not because it looks bad, but because the blossom ends contain an enzyme (pectinase) that will make your jarred cukes softer as time passes on.

I haven’t always found this to be true when canning pickles in my own experience, but better safe than mushy.

Now get out there, grab some cucumbers, put them in a jar with vinegar, sugar and spices, and create that iconic flavor for yourself.

Easy Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles break the mold by adding sugar and omitting the water to dilute the vinegar. Pure sweet and sour with a lot of grrrrrr.

Print

Ingredients

• pickling cucumbers – approximately 10 chopped cups (3 pounds or slightly less than 1.5 kg)
• 4-5 small to medium onions
• 1/4 cup canning/pickling salt
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1.5 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1.5 cup sugar (white or brown – the latter makes a more sophisticated pickle)
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• optional spices: whole peppercorns, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves or dill seeds

Instructions

1. Wash and slice the cucumbers.
2. Add salt to the cucumbers and let sit for 1 hour. Add the chopped onions and allow it to sit 1 hour longer.
3. Drain and rinse the cucumber and onion mix.
4. In the meantime, prepare the brine on the stove, adding the vinegar, spices and sugar to a pot. Bring it to a simmer.
5. Add the drained cucumbers/onions to jars and pour on the brine.
6. Making sure that the pickles are covered with brine, put a lid on securely and allow the jar to come to room temperature.
7. Eat straight away, or store in the fridge for up to a month.

Read Next:

10 Non-Pickle Ways To Preserve Cucumbers & 5 Pickle Recipes

The post Easy Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Mouthwateringly ripe cherries of the red or black kind hang but once a year on the most beloved trees. Picking a bowlful (one for the bowl, one for the mouth) or eating them without restraint straight from the tree is one easy option for taking care of a few, no matter what your age.

When cherries are in abundance, however, you won’t want to leave more dangling from those highest and furthest out of reach branches than necessary.

To deal with a delicious bounty of cherries, canning cherries in honey comes first on the list of common preservation techniques. This is quickly followed by freezing and dehydrating them.

But what about boozy cherries?

They deserve some space on your pantry shelf too. Just keep them out of reach of children, especially the ones in syrup.

In a few moments, you’ll find out how easy these homemade brandied cherries are to make. You can even make this recipe by looking at the pictures alone. No special tools or canning methods are required.

All you need is a fruiting cherry tree or access to one, some good quality brandy and a jar.

In our home, syrup is optional. Wherever brandy is involved, as in healing herbal tinctures, it’s omitted. We’ve gone simplistic on the boozy cherries, too – cherries and brandy are all it takes, sometimes vanilla bean or cloves if we’re feeling frisky.

If we are making brandied cherries as Christmas gifts, syrup will be added to sweeten up the present.

Take this as a reminder that, although the gift-giving season is far away, homemade gifts are best made “in season”, meaning when the fruit is ripe.

It takes some thinking ahead on your part, but as is the case with brandied cherries, you can never go wrong. A small jar makes an excellent gift for just about anyone with a penchant for imbibing the occasional drink.

Harvesting Cherries for Brandied Cherries

Our maturing cherry tree sits just inside our fence, and this is the first year we’ve gotten a stellar harvest. We’ve harvested about 20 kilograms (about 45 pounds) of cherries in the past couple of weeks.

Locals are helping out too. As they head out to their fields on foot, they are often pulling down branches that hang over the fence with their hay rakes to grab a few refreshing bites.

To harvest cherries for brandying, you’re going to want to pick only the best.

Or harvest a lot and pick through them later.

Also, make sure to leave the stems on as you pick your way through the tree, and touch them minimally.

Naturally, you can buy cherries at the market or a store if you don’t have access to a tree. Keep in mind that you’ll want to purchase more than what fits in the jars you have set aside to ensure top-notch quality control. Only use what is firm and ripe, without any blemishes or worm holes.

Imagine serving a perfect Old Fashioned, or a Manhattan, only to have your guest bite into something less than expected. After a few drinks, they probably wouldn’t notice, but to be sure, start with wholesome fruit.

How To Make Brandied Cherries

I won’t bog you down with too many steps. Here’s the quick and easy process for brandied cherries without syrup:

1. Pick and wash cherries.
2. Sort through for best color (ripeness) and wholesomeness.
3. Allow them to air dry.
4. Cut – or not cut – the stems. It’s more of a cosmetic thing.

5. Fill the jars with cherries.
6. Add any additional ingredients: vanilla pod, cloves, or a few crushed cherry seeds for a more intense flavor.

7. Pour your favorite brandy over them.
8. Wait for 3 months. (That’s the hard part.)

A note about cherry pits and cyanide:

I understand some of you will be concerned about cherry pits containing cyanide. The fear of cyanide in cherry pits is another case where folks have heard a snippet of the facts but not the whole story.

Cherry pits or stones contain amygdalin, which the body converts into cyanide. However, the pit must be crushed or chewed to release the amygdalin. So accidentally swallowing the occasional cherry pit doesn’t pose a risk as it will pass through your digestive system whole.

Even if you were able to manage cracking open and eating a cherry pit, the amount of cyanide contained in each pit is so small it would be negligible. (poison.org)

Many traditional liqueurs contain them in either raw or roasted form. Here’s how you can make your own stone fruit pit liqueur from cherries, peaches or plums.

Here’s some more on cherry pits for further thought:

• Italian Cherry Liquor Recipe
• Homemade Kirsch Recipe With Only 2 Ingredients!

Brandied Cherries With Syrup – Additional Steps

If you prefer your brandied cherries on the sweeter side with a little less booze, you can concoct a simple syrup in a few minutes.

For every pound of cherries you are brandying, you’ll need:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar (or honey – this will lend a different flavor to the finished cherries)
• 1 cup brandy

Dissolve the sugar in water over medium heat on the stove. Once the sugar is dissolved, go ahead and gently stir in the cherries, heating them up for no more than a few minutes.

Put the cherries in jars (they can be de-stemmed and pitted if you choose) and allow the syrup to come to room temperature. Then mix the portioned brandy into the syrup.

Cover the cherries and allow them to sit, some say for 6 weeks, before serving.

How long do brandied cherries keep on the shelf?

Most food experts agree that brandied cherries will last up to a year if they are water-bath canned for 10 minutes. They’ll last even longer if they are stored in the fridge.

Considering how they taste, I don’t think you’ll have any leftovers by the next cherry-picking season. So, you don’t need to worry about shelf life either way. Simply eat and enjoy them in moderation.

While you are picking, eating and canning cherries, don’t forget to set aside the stems and dry them for winter teas.

How to Use Up a Jar of Brandied Cherries

As mentioned above, sophisticated cocktails are one way you can use brandied cherries.

Some other tasty options are:

• chocolate brownies
• cakes
• boozy milkshakes (I’m not sure when you’d drink that, but it is a thing)
• cheese board
• butter board
• pancakes, waffles or crepes
• dip them in chocolate
• and use them as an ice cream topping with whipped cream, of course

Make a jar, or three, and come up with your own ways to use them. My favorite is a single cherry, straight from the jar.

Brandied Cherries

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 3 months

Total Time: 3 months 15 minutes

Delightfully boozy, these brandied cherries are the best thing to do with a glut of cherries.

Print

Ingredients

• - ripe cherries
• - brandy
• - simple syrup (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash cherries and sort through for best color and firmness. Allow to air dry.
2. Fill the jars with cherries.
3. Add any additional ingredients: vanilla pod, cloves, or a few crushed cherry seeds for a more intense flavor.
4. Pour over high quality brandy.
5. For a sweeter product, add a cup of simple syrup for every cup of brandy. To make the syrup, dissolve one cup sugar in one cup water. Allow to cool, mix with the brandy and pour over the cherries.

The post Brandied Cherries Recipe – With (or Without) Syrup appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Zucchini plants are a staple in almost every vegetable garden. Famous for being highly productive, you’ll often end up with more zucchini than you can handle come the height of summer.

(In which case you’ll want to look at our ideas for preserving your zucchini harvest for the long term.)

But another benefit of growing zucchini plants are the seemingly endless supply of delicate and delicious zucchini blossoms. These large golden orange flowers are entirely edible, delicious and versatile.

They are often stuffed, battered and fried, but are also used in salads and pastas.

While we refer to zucchini flowers primarily, any squash or pumpkin flowers are edible and can be used in the recipes below.

How To Pick Zucchini Flowers

Zucchini flowers are highly perishable so you’ll be unlikely to find them in the supermarket. Some local farmers markets might carry them in season, but for reliable availability, you should grow your own.

Only female zucchini flowers produce fruit so to avoid reducing your harvest, pick only the male flowers. You’ll want to leave some male flowers on the plant so they can pollinate the female flowers.

Identifying Male & Female Squash Flowers

A male squash flower has a stamen that looks like a small fuzzy banana or mushroom and is covered in pollen. The male flower also extends on a long thin stem.

A female flower has multiple stigmas and if you look at the stem behind the flower, it will have a small bulbous growth which is the start of the squash formation.

Leave the female squash flowers on the plant to mature into fully formed zucchini or squash.

To pick your squash blossoms, use a clean and sharp pair of pruners and snip the stem half an inch below the flower. You’ll remove the rest of the stem before cooking.

It’s best to pick zucchini blossoms early in the morning before it’s too hot but after the dew has dried.

Zucchini flowers are highly perishable so use within 24 hours.

Eating Zucchini Flowers – 20 Delicious Recipes To Try

Squash Blossom Recipes

1

Squash Blossom Pesto

Photo Credit: therunawayspoon.com

Turn your squash flowers into a vivid orange pesto, perfect for stirring through pasta or gnocchi.

Continue Reading

2

Squash Blossom Quesadillas (de Flor de Calabaza)

Photo Credit: www.lacocinadeleslie.com

Squash flowers + cheese + flour tortillas and you've got yourself some delicious quesadillas.

Continue Reading

3

Zucchini-Corn Squash Blossom Pancakes

Photo Credit: christyw.com

Pair this with a dipping sauce for a sensational springtime lunch.

Continue Reading

4

Frittata di Zucchine e Fiori di Zucca (Italian Zucchini Frittata)

Photo Credit: www.allrecipes.com

This easy-to-make frittata uses both zucchini and zucchini flowers. It's ideal to be eaten cold so take it with you on your summer picnics.

Continue Reading

5

Florabundance - A Zucchini Flower Tart!

Photo Credit: www.notquitenigella.com

The squash blossoms pressed delicately into the puff pastry make this tart a thing of beauty. And despite the few ingredients, it packs a surprising flavor punch.

Continue Reading

6

Pizza Pesto, Zucchini & Flowers

Photo Credit: www.sugarlovespices.com

I bet you've never seen squash blossoms on your local pizza takeaway menu? Ditch the heavy, greasy takeaway and try this light and spring-like zucchini flower pizza recipe.

Continue Reading

7

Orecchiette fresh pasta with zucchini flowers, mussels and saffron

Photo Credit: babettesgaestebud.blogspot.com

If mussels are in season (supposedly in months that don't end in R - so May to August) then pair them with squash blossoms in this delightful pasta recipe.

Continue Reading

8

Risotto with Zucchini, Squash Blossoms and Prosecco

Photo Credit: www.chefbikeski.com

You had me at prosecco! Switch out white wine for prosecco in this delightful squash blossom risotto.

Continue Reading

9

Zucchini Flower, Mint and Pecorino Pasta

Photo Credit: fooddaydreaming.com

Zucchini flowers and mint work so well together against the sharpness of the pecorino in this light pasta recipe.

Continue Reading

10

Zucchini flower, asparagus and fennel salad

Photo Credit: www.gourmettraveller.com.au

This is a zesty, anise-flavored raw salad with zucchini flowers as the hero ingredient.

Continue Reading

11

Feta and Zucchini Blossom Salad with Filippino Dried Herring

Photo Credit: honestcooking.com

What do you mean you've never thought to combine zucchini blossoms with Filippino dried herring?

Continue Reading

12

Yellow Salad with Zucchini Flowers

Photo Credit: thedevilwearssalad.com

Yellow carrots, yellow beets and yellow squash. This is sunshine on a plate!

Continue Reading

13

Arugula Salad Recipe with Squash Flowers

Photo Credit: saladswithanastasia.com

Peppery, crunchy and packed with nutrients - you've got to try this salad featuring freshly picked pumpkin flowers.

Continue Reading

14

Crispy Vietnamese Pork Stuffed Zucchini Flowers Recipe

Photo Credit: whiteonricecouple.com

If in doubt, stuff your squash flowers for the most delectable treat. This Vietnamese pork recipe is one of the best fillings you can try.

Continue Reading

15

Roasted zucchini flowers stuffed with cashew cheese

Photo Credit: tohercore.com

I've never heard of cashew cheese, but now I desperately want to try it. This is a great vegan alternative to the pork stuffed zucchini flowers above.

Continue Reading

16

Parmesan Basil Fried Squash Blossoms

Photo Credit: swirlsofflavor.com

The stuffed zucchini recipes keep on coming with this ricotta, parmesan and basil stuffed flower recipe.

Continue Reading

17

Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Crab

Photo Credit: www.zencancook.com

If Vietnamense pork stuffed zucchino flowers didn't do it for you, if cashew cheese stuffed squash flowers didn't entice you, then perhaps this crab stuffed recipe will.

Continue Reading

18

Stuffed Zucchini Flowers (Spicy Anthous)

Photo Credit: afroditeskitchen.com

This Cypriot recipe can be a bit bland if you get the rice or water ratios wrong - but get it right and you've got yourself a stunning dish.

Continue Reading

19

Italian Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Photo Credit: anitalianinmykitchen.com

Jumping from Cyprus to Italy, these squash blossoms are packed with mozzarella and prosciutto and make a wonderful appetizer.

Continue Reading

20

Air Fried Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Photo Credit: sweetsavoryandsteph.com

I've not jumped on the air fryer bandwagon (yet!) but if you have, then you've got to make these air fried stuffed zucchini blossoms.

Continue Reading

The post Zucchini Flower Recipes – 20 Reasons To Pick Squash Blossoms appeared first on Rural Sprout.

If your pantry doesn’t have at least one jarful of intensely flavored sun dried tomatoes from your own garden, you’re seriously missing out.

Seriously, as you scroll through this list of mouthwatering sun dried tomato recipes, you’ll be wanting to stock up on some quality dried tomatoes for a little taste of a hot summer evening on a cold winter night.

If it’s savory dishes that are close to your heart, hearty sun dried tomatoes are just what you need.

They are rich in vitamins, minerals and beneficial antioxidants including lycopene. Plus, they can last for up to a year when properly stored. What’s not to love about an instant, healthy snack?

How To Make “Sun Dried” Tomatoes In The Oven

Traditionally, sun dried tomatoes are laid on a screen and dried by the heat of the sun. This method is only possible in reliably warm and sunny climates and pests can wreak havoc on the process.

Instead, a more reliable way to dry tomatoes is in the oven.

Start by removing the stems from your tomatoes and slicing as thinly as possible. Place the slices on a cooling rack making sure to leave space for air flow around each slice.

Set your oven temperature as low as possible. If your lowest oven temp is more than 170 degrees, use a wooden spoon to prop the door open.

Insert the tomatoes into the oven and monitor. Check on the tomatoes after 4 hours and every half an hour after that until they are done.

The time it takes for the tomatoes to dry varies greatly depending on the size of the tomatoes, the water content, the temperature of the oven and even the humidity of your home.

To check your tomatoes, try to snap one. If it bends, it’s not yet done. If it snaps, it is.

Our editor, Tracey, suggests taking the dried tomatoes one step further and pulverizing them into a rich and delicious tomato powder. Here’s why and how to use it.

20 Best Recipes with Sun Dried Tomatoes

1. Spicy Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp

Tomatoes and garlic just go together, there’s nothing to argue about there. So, when it comes time for a little fine dining, it’s more than okay to use them together. Along with an entire pound of shrimp (prawns) that is.

You can even use a bag of frozen ones, because, hey, we don’t all live by the sea. But still want to enjoy the fruits of the ocean from time to time.

When you make this recipe, be sure to add just enough chili flakes to your liking.

Spicy Garlic Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp @ Cafe Delites

2. Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Soup

If your idea of a busy weeknight meal is that it should take less than 30 minutes to prepare, you are in luck.

This soup made from scratch uses a can of unsalted cannellini beans, vegetable broth, heavy cream, dried basil and tomatoes, fresh mushrooms (you can opt to leave them out) and, of course, spinach. Fresh is best, but frozen works well too. It’s creamy and rich in flavor, perfect for dipping a slice of sourdough bread in.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Soup @ Eating Well

3. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

If you can’t live without some sort of pesto in your life, you won’t want to miss this one. It can be served with toast, pasta, pizza, eggs, meats and fish, enhancing your life with every bite.

You’ll need a food processor for this, along with almonds, rosemary leaves, garlic and a generous amount of sun-dried tomatoes. You can store it under a cover in the fridge for up to a week. I guarantee you it will not last that long.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Pesto Rosso) @ Striped Spatula

4. Grilled Cheese with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Our favorite local café here in Romania offers up delicious square sandwiches with cheese, prosciutto and a slathering of dried tomatoes in oil. While in size it is among the smallest, nothing like their loaded schnitzel sandwich, it makes up for it in intense flavor. Perfect next to a mug of black coffee. I don’t know why they taste so good together, they just do.

If you are trying to get your kids to eat more things that are good for them, or anyone else in the family for that matter, it’s worth offering up these toasted cheese sandwiches with a similar sun-dried pesto recipe from above. Sandwiches are mandatory. Salad is optional.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto @ Once Upon A Chef

5. Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus and Roasted Broccoli Crostini

Whether you are making an appetizer for a crowd or a meal for two, hummus should definitely be on your go-to list. It’s simple to make, most people love it (not my daughter) and it tastes fantastic. Add that sun-dried tomato hummus to a thick slice of bread and you have yourself a filling lunch.

Top your crostini with broccoli if you are feeling the theme of green. Opt for some smoked duck or roast beef with horseradish if it is something more adventurous you are after.

Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus @ Cookie + Kate

6. Turkey Meatballs with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

There’s always room to put a new dish on your Thanksgiving menu. These beautiful meatballs can be baked in the oven for your convenience, or pan-seared on the stove. Either way, they are guaranteed to be delicious.

You can keep the meal low-carb by serving the meatballs with roasted eggplant or sautéed zucchini. Or go whole carbs and serve it with your favorite pasta and garlic bread, a pot of polenta works too. There’s no wrong way to serve this dish.

Turkey Meatballs with Sundried Tomatoes and Basil @ Feasting at Home

7. Baked Brie with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I don’t know about you, but brie makes my heart sing. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t live without it, or at least I wouldn’t want to. Now, I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I will. Maybe for Christmas and then again for New Year’s. It looks to be a nice party dish. Plus it’s vegetarian, so I can share it with the in-laws too.

If you don’t have fresh thyme, go ahead and use dried. It’s as simple as baking the brie in the oven. Pure yum.

Baked Brie Dip W/ Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Thyme @ White On Rice Couple

8. Salmon in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

If you are looking for a dinner that is both elegant and easy to prepare, this is it. But, you’ll likely want to serve it with a garnish, not to waste that fragrant mouthwatering sauce. Rice or pasta are two simple options, though I suggest cauliflower rice if you are watching your carbs. Loaded with heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, it is sure to please.

Salmon in Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce @ Creme de la Crumb

9. Marry Me Chicken

There’s apparently more than one version of Marry Me Chicken you can gather inspiration from. If you are cooking for a date, you might want to check them out. They may just say yes to a second date.

It’s another delicious dish that’s ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, complete with a luscious herby sauce. It’s budget-friendly, uses minimal ingredients and is virtually fuss-free. if you don’t have angel hair pasta on hand, you can even serve it over mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

If you are wishing to propose after all, don’t forget a chocolatey dessert and a bottle of Pinot Grigio to win the other’s heart.

Marry Me Chicken @ Insanely Good Recipes

10. Asparagus and Tomato Puff Pastry Bites

Dried tomatoes are for more than just main dishes. They also make the most pleasing of appetizers. Especially where dried tomato pesto is concerned. Seriously, you need to learn how to make it. Scroll back up to number 3 if you missed it.

With a jar of sun-dried pesto in hand, all you need to do, is collect the other ingredients. Puff pastry sheets, asparagus tips, a single egg and a whole tablespoon of milk. Sounds too good to be true? You’ll just have to bake it and listen for compliments.

Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomato Puff Pasty Bites @ Culinary Ginger

11. Chicken Cutlets with Cream Sauce

One-pot meals are a game changer for a busy household. This applies to both homesteaders and apartment dwellers, as well as everybody in between.

Naturally it beats fast food, hands down. It also happens to use some herbs you may have growing in your garden, such as parsley or basil. Toss in some onions, shallots or garlic and you are good to go. It’s creamy and tomatoey, and definitely a family favorite.

Chicken Cutlets with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce @ Not Entirely Average

12. White Bean and Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi

There are a few foods I wouldn’t want to live without, beans are one of them. It doesn’t matter what kind they are, so long as they are in a warming soup or a hearty stew. Better yet, bathed in a creamy sauce surrounded by sun-dried tomatoes, perhaps with some dried oregano tossed in for an Italian-inspired flavor.

It’s not written in the recipe, but I’d love to try this with some stalks of chard from the garden. I’m not sure why so few people grow this amazing leafy vegetable and I’m here to keep reminding people that it exists. Be sure to sow some chard seeds next year.

White Bean & Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi @ Eating Well

13. Italian Beef Stuffed Peppers

Hungarian stuffed peppers often make their way onto our dinner plates, and though I’ll admit to never having tried these beef stuffed peppers, they do sound delish.

With tomatoes, onions, garlic, baby spinach, peppers and chipotle paste, you simply cannot go wrong. Anything stuffed is good, right?!

Italian Beef & Sundried Stuffed Peppers @ Mindful Chef

14. Sun-Dried Tomato Soup

You might recall a sun-dried soup recipe higher up on the list. I assure you, this one is different. Not only is it lacking in spinach, it has a few other ingredients that you may like.

For instance, it calls for Italian sausage and chicken broth. If you have extra broth in the fridge or freezer, you can use it to enrich any soup. It also gives you reason to use up some more carrots from the garden – or the back of the fridge. Yes, you could even boil some carrot tops in the soup too. That will give it an even more enticing flavor.

Italian Sun-Dried Tomato Soup @ The Café Sucre Farine

15. Chicken and Rice Skillet with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Gluten-free comfort food is good for everyone. I know this to be a fact. I gave up gluten for 10 years to heal my gut, and now that I’m able to consume gluten again with no problems whatsoever, I still prefer homemade food without it.

Outside of baking, it’s super easy. Choose your meat, add some veggies, a little bit of dairy and your grain of choice, in this case – rice. In the end, you can add some more shredded cheese for an even more pleasing dish. You won’t be disappointed.

Chicken and Rice Skillet with Broccoli and Sundried Tomatoes @ Peanut Butter Runner

16. Dried-Tomato Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Really, you can stuff any kind of winter squash, but the one you want to grow, or look out for, is spaghetti squash. Roasting the squash does take some time if you really want to bring out the flavor, so you might consider this a weekend feast rather than a quick evening meal.

While most recipes use chicken as the stuffing, I’d like to suggest you to think outside the squash. You might try stuffing it with goat, sheep or rabbit meat, depending on what you have available in your freezer, or fresh from the butcher. Creativity and flexibility in the kitchen will have you eating well in any situation.

Sun-Dried Tomato, Mozzarella & Chicken-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash @ Eating Well

17. Creamy Tuscan Scallops

Forget how intimidated you are to cook scallops for a moment. Most restaurants won’t even do it better than you. Besides, scallops are rich in B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids. If you need more of that in your life, scallops are always the answer.

While it’s probably not an every week meal, it is a special one, perfect for holidays and dinner parties. Fresh is best, but frozen scallops will work for this recipe too, just be sure they are properly thawed before cooking.

Creamy Tuscan Scallops @ Cafe Delites

18. Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers

Did you know that you can turn garbanzo beans into burgers and meat-free meatballs? If you are looking for more ways to get more beans into your diet, you might want to try this recipe. You’ll also need a cup of basil, or parsley, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes (obviously) and some spices such as turmeric and cumin.

Serve these chickpea burgers with whatever kind of buns you have on hand, or add them to a bowl of cauliflower rice. Don’t forget to make some garlic dill sauce as a tasty topping.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chickpea Burgers @ Minimalist Baker

19. Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza

No list of sun-dried tomato recipes would be complete without a mention of pizza.

And yet again, the pesto comes into play, using it instead of a marinara sauce. Top your pie with prosciutto, fresh cherry tomatoes, rocket, goat cheese and even more sun-dried tomatoes for a wonderful treat. Eat it hot from the oven, or straight from the fridge the following day. It’s much more rewarding than having pizza delivered to your door.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza @ The Almond Eater

20. Sun-Dried Tomato Quick Bread

No yeast? No problem. Tracey already has you covered with 5 delicious yeast-free bread recipes.

Sure, you can toss any spices or sun-dried tomatoes in them, but you should really check out this quick bread recipe, especially if you are thinking of baking biscuits. You have 3 choices to make: choose an herb, pick a type of shredded cheese, then opt for an extra.

Sun-dried tomatoes top the list as an extra, but you can also add sliced olives, canned corn, crumbly bacon or a finely diced jalapeño. Personally, I think I might add all of the above.

Sun-Dried Tomato & Cheese Quick Bread @ Sally’s Baking Addiction

Read Next:

26 Ways To Preserve Your Tomato Harvest

The post 20 Sun Dried Tomato Recipes + How To Dry Your Own Tomatoes appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Long before peaches are in season, long before we’re enjoying baskets of plump blueberries, and yes, even before we can pick glossy red strawberries, one ‘fruit’ makes its appearance before any other – rhubarb.

Rhubarb is one of the first crops to welcome in spring as winter is on its way out.

And what a welcome it is with its showy red stalks and large green leaves. The tart tang and colorful pink dishes you can make with rhubarb make it a welcome addition to any table after a long winter of heavy food.

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but because of its flavor, it’s often used in sweet, fruity desserts.

This perennial shows up faithfully every year in many gardens and does best in areas with colder winters. It’s easy to grow and provides a harvest of crunchy, tangy stalks for about a month and a half every spring.

You can harvest rhubarb when the stalks are over 12” long, but always be sure to leave a few stalks behind so the plant will continue to grow and come back next year.

It’s important to note that only the stalk is edible. The leaves of rhubarb are poisonous, so cut the leaves from the plant after harvesting. But save them to use around the garden.

Rhubarb is one of those vegetables that often leaves people scratching their heads and wondering what to do with it. Pie seems to be the most common answer to that question. Strawberry-rhubarb pie being a universal favorite.

But I wanted to bring you something different.

Rhubarb has such a unique flavor and texture; it deserves more than just getting lumped in with strawberries in the same old boring pie.

I scoured the internet to find some truly great recipes for your rhubarb crop this year – and I actually tried them out!

With sweet and savory flavors alike, I think you’ll find a new love for this pink vegetable. And yes, I’ve included a pie recipe, but not your average strawberry-rhubarb.

1. Decadent Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies

Chocolate and rhubarb? Yup.

Who doesn’t love the chewy decadence of a good brownie? The dark chocolate takes the edge off of the tartness of rhubarb. The rhubarb adds moisture to the brownies as it bakes. The end result is a gooey brownie with subtle pops of sweet-tart rhubarb.

Bake them once you may swear off rhubarb crisp forever.

2. Perfectly Pink Rhubarb Cordial

Cordials are so much fun to make. They always sound impressive when you break them out among guests.

“Oh! I have just the thing to sip after our dinner. I made this rhubarb cordial.”

You don’t have to tell your dinner guests how ridiculously easy it was to make.

This cordial is the perfect way to save the flavor of this springtime vegetable and enjoy it all year. Just wait until you see the finished color. Serve over ice for sipping on hot summer evenings or in a small cordial glass after dinner. Add a splash to lemonade for a subtle flavor boost.

3. Scrumptious Rhubarb Oat Muffins

We’re supposed to have four to five servings of vegetables a day, but how many of us reach the end of the day coming up short? Start your breakfast with these rhubarb oat muffins, and you’ll be ahead of the game.

Soft and tender, the combination of rhubarb with oats make these the perfect muffin to bake for your next brunch. If you want to kick them up a notch, slice the muffins in half, spread the cut sides with butter and grill, butter-side down in a cast iron skillet for a minute or two.

I dare you to eat just one.

4. Rhubarb Fool

Everything about this dessert says spring, from the fluffy whipped cream to the tart rhubarb compote swirled throughout. Even the color shouts spring once you’ve drizzled the rhubarb syrup on top.

And after a heavy meal, this sweet treat is the perfect confection – light and sweet.

You can make it ahead or whip it up last minute. Even better, freeze the compote so you can enjoy a taste of spring any time of the year.

5. Homemade Rhubarb Bitters

We’ve cut back on our alcohol consumption lately. (Middle age starts to catch up with you!) But we still enjoy a nice cocktail in the evenings, although these days, it’s often a mocktail.

If you’re like me, you’ll note that most mocktails are loaded with sugar and, often, too sweet. If you prefer your drinks to be more complex and less syrupy, then bitters are the answer to your mocktail prayers.

And homemade bitters are exceptionally easy to make. These potent tinctures pack a powerful flavor punch. A dash or two is all you need to make a delicious bitters and soda mocktail that won’t leave you feeling guilty asking for another round.

Of course, they’re really great in cocktails, too.

6. Rhubarb Salsa

I honestly didn’t know what to expect with this recipe. Rhubarb salsa? But as an avid chip and salsa lover, I knew I had to give it a try.

The tartness of rhubarb combined with the honey and the heat from the jalapeno make this salsa unforgettable. There is so much flavor going on in every bite.

And the recipe even has an option for a gut-friendly probiotic version. Save some whey from your next batch of yogurt and use it to ferment the salsa.

A couple of notes about this recipe: it calls for 1 – 2 jalapenos. I used one in my first batch, and it was okay, but in my next batch, I used two jalapenos, and it made a huge difference in the flavor. The salsa had a better balance of heat and sweet.

Also, the directions state to throw everything in the food processor and pulse it. I put everything in except the rhubarb and pulsed it a few times, then added the rhubarb once the mixture had a texture I liked. This gave a better, slightly chunkier salsa. Rhubarb is soft once it’s cooked. I knew if I blended it all together at the same time, it would just be mush, and I wanted to maintain some of the chunks of rhubarb.

7. Skillet Rhubarb Crisp

Look, pie is great and all, but you’ve got to love the crunchy topping of a good crisp made with sweet fruit. And rhubarb is an excellent candidate for a fruit crisp. What surprised me was the addition of a crispy bottom to this recipe.

Bake it all up in a castiron skillet and serve it warm with an overly generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Jennifer of Seasons and Suppers has converted me on the crispy bottomed fruit crisp, and I’ll never go back to plain old fruit crisp again.

I followed this recipe to a T and didn’t make any changes; it came out perfect.

8. Rhubarb and Greek Yogurt Popsicles

Oh my goodness, these were delicious and so easy to make. I immediately ate both of the popsicles in the photograph as soon as I finished taking pictures of them. And I don’t regret it one bit.

The smooth, creaminess of the yogurt matches up perfectly with the tart fruitiness of the jam. And the best part is you could easily make the rhubarb jam called for in the recipe (it takes about five minutes) and freeze it to make these treats all summer long.

If you want a creamier popsicle, be sure to use full-fat yogurt and heavy cream. If you’re looking for more of that icy popsicle texture, use non-fat yogurt and half-and-half. Both are fantastic, but the full-fat ones are downright decadent!

9. Roasted Rhubarb

It seems as though rhubarb gets lumped into the dessert category all too often. I wanted to take this vegetable out of fruit territory and create something savory with it.

With a little messing around (and a few flops), I came up with this easy and delicious roasted rhubarb dish.

The maple syrup helps to tone down the tartness while adding a smokiness to it. The fresh thyme brings a warmness to the dish. You can easily serve this as a side dish, or it would be equally good on top of pork chops or with chicken.

Ingredients

• 4-6 rhubarb stalks
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves (or ½ teaspoon of dried)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400F. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
• Wash and dry your rhubarb stalks and then cut them into 3-4” long pieces.
• In a medium-sized bowl, toss the rhubarb pieces with the melted butter and maple syrup.
• Lay the coated pieces on the sheet pan, making sure they are not touching one another.
• Sprinkle the thyme over the rhubarb.
• Bake on the highest rack of your oven for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

10. Rhubarb Chutney

This chutney is beyond incredible. It’s warm and spicy flavors pair so well with the tartness of the rhubarb. The acidity of the apple cider vinegar gives it a little extra bite, and altogether it blends into a chutney that is excellent served hot or cold.

Spread on crackers with ricotta as I did here for a delicious summer addition to any cheese or charcuterie board. Use it as a glaze on a pork tenderloin or baked salmon.

Be sure you have a jar of this ready for all of your summer picnics and barbecues. I’m considering making a batch to preserve and tuck into gift baskets for Christmas presents this year.

The recipe calls for you to crush the fennel seed lightly, I used the back of a soup spoon, and it worked beautifully.

11. Rhubarb Lemonade

This recipe completely took me by surprise. Pink lemonade is pink lemonade, right? Wrong. I am never going back to boring old regular pink lemonade.

The color of the rhubarb lemonade is simply gorgeous, and the flavor is so much more refreshing. You get that classic sweet-tart combo that makes a good glass of lemonade. But the taste is more well-rounded and less likely to make you pucker.

Because you are essentially making a rhubarb lemonade syrup that you add water to, you could easily make a couple of batches to freeze so you can enjoy this pretty pink treat all summer long. Serve with lots of ice and a sprig of fresh mint.

12. Barb’s Rhubarb Custard Pie

This recipe is rather special, as it was my mother’s recipe. Mom kind of ruined rhubarb pie for us as a family. No matter who served it, rhubarb pie anywhere else was never as good as mom’s.

For the longest time, I could not figure out why mom’s recipe tasted so different than other rhubarb pie I had. I would order rhubarb pie expecting it to be like mom’s and then be disappointed because there were strawberries in it, and it wasn’t creamy. It wasn’t until I started cooking that I realized it was because mom’s was a custard pie.

Of course, I love a good strawberry rhubarb pie these days. But my mom’s rhubarb custard pie will always be my favorite. And I hope it becomes a favorite of yours too.

The custardy base cuts some of the sweetness that you find in most rhubarb pie recipes. The overall pie is light and creamy with just enough of that tart goodness shining through. Good luck eating only one slice.

Ingredients

• 2 crusts for 9” pies (I love this pie crust recipe)
• 4 cups of rhubarb, chopped into 1” pieces
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups of sugar
• ¼  cup of flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash of salt
• 2 tablespoons of butter cut into 8 pieces

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400F. Place the bottom crust in the pie dish and pour the rhubarb into the prepared crust.
• In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. In a small bowl, gently whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the eggs until smooth and creamy. Pour the egg mixture over the rhubarb in the pie dish. Dot the top of the pie mixture with the butter pieces.
• Place the top pie crust or lattice top on the top of the pie. If you are using a full pie crust for the top, be sure to cut several vents into the top of the pie.
• Bake for 50 minutes. Allow the pie to cool completely before eating. Refrigerate the remainder.

I hope the next time you find yourself with a bumper crop of rhubarb, these recipes give you inspiration for what to make with it.

Who knows, maybe after trying a few of them, you’ll be looking for space to plant more rhubarb in your garden. I know I could use more pie and lemonade in my life. Especially when it’s pretty in pink.

The post 12 Springtime Rhubarb Recipes That Go Beyond Boring Pie appeared first on Rural Sprout.

A visit to any trendy food vendor will yield some interesting ingredients on the menu. For example, my daughter recently tried squid ink ice cream at one of our favorite spots in East Aurora, NY.

It seems bizarre, pricey, obscure ingredients are the go-to for getting people in the door these days. Take, for example, mugolio, otherwise known as pine cone syrup.  

What is Pine Cone Syrup?

Pine cone syrup is exactly what it sounds like – syrup made from pine cones. Mugolio is a traditional pine syrup made from the newly formed buds of Mugo pines in Italy. Oh, so fancy.

Now, come on, wipe that look off your face. (I made the same face the first time I heard of it, too.) I wasn’t sure what to expect when I tried it.

Bracing myself, I readied for something akin to drinking Pinesol.

However, I was instantly transported back to December and the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree in my home, warm toasty wool socks, mugs of tea by a crackling fire and the floor littered with crumpled wrapping paper.

The reddish-amber liquid was warm and sweet, definitely piney, with a slightly dry resin finish. It was a bit like tasting liquid Narnia, pre-Aslan thaw.

Okay, I get the draw of bizarre, obscure and pricey ingredients now, especially this one.

And a tiny bottle of this stuff is pretty dang spendy, especially when you consider you’re getting slightly less than half a cup. The thought of ‘drizzling’ it on anything more than one precious drop at a time made me wince.

Which is why you shouldn’t buy it. You should make it instead.

No, you don’t have to use itty-bitty pine cones harvested from Mugo pines in Italy to enjoy this decadent syrup. Because the ingredients are dead easy to find and cost pennies. Get yourself a pen and paper, and I’ll tell you what you’ll need.

Ready?

Green pinecones and brown sugar.

Did you get it all? I can repeat that if necessary.

Did I mention it’s dead easy to make, too?

Rather than spending a ridiculous amount of money on a teeny bottle, go for a hike this spring and pick some green pinecones. Make up a batch (or several) of pine cone syrup and drizzle it with abandon on flapjacks, roasted lamb, apple crisp, your favorite cocktail, oatmeal, ice cream, or whatever you like.

Heck, many of us don’t even have to take a hike; all we have to do is head to our yard.

My point is this – pine cone syrup tastes wonderful, looks and sounds deceptively fancy (making it an excellent gift) and is one of the simplest and most inexpensive gourmet treats you can make at home.

Fermenting Pine Cones

What makes this syrup different from making pine needle syrup is fermentation. We’re going to pick pine cones while they’re quite young and full of moisture. They will also be covered in naturally occurring yeasts. Mixing pine cones with sugar and macerating them (banging them around the jar a bit) will release liquid, allowing those little yeast to start eating the sugar and fermenting the syrupy liquid.

While it won’t be enough to make the resulting syrup alcoholic, it will be enough to impart some wonderful depth and flavor. Fermenting the syrup also lowers the pH, which allows us to store our syrup without refrigeration. Thank you, little yeasties!

When to Harvest Green Pine Cones

The best time to harvest pine cones is in late spring or very early summer. If you pick newly formed pine cones, they will be quite small and flavorful, but may lack enough moisture to ferment properly. You can still use them, but you’ll need to add a splash of water to your jar to jumpstart fermentation.

Picking pine cones too late in the season nets you the same issue but in reverse. Once the pine cones stop growing, they quickly begin to dry out and lose moisture (as well as flavor). Dried pine cones are better left for using around the home or making some fun Christmas crafts.

Pay attention to local conifers in the spring. When you start to notice light green tips and pollen cones developing, you know that seed cones will only be a few weeks away. While you wait, gather spruce tips and make syrup.

What Conifers Can Be Used

Nearly any conifer can be used to make pine cone syrup. I highly recommend making up a batch of each if you can get your hands on more than one species. There is a noticeable difference in flavor from pine to spruce to fir and even cedar.

We have loads of White Pine, Red Spruce and Eastern Hemlock out our way, so I’ve made those. Of course, I would love to get my hands on some fir cones to try.

Alan of Forager Chef has some excellent tasting notes for different conifer species if you want to check it out.

Avoid These Trees

It’s important to note that the Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) should not be used, as it is an abortifacient. English yew, or common yew (Taxus baccata), should also not be used, as the red berry-like cones are highly toxic, even deadly.

Reaching Pine Cones

Unfortunately, some species of conifers, such as firs, only produce cones at the top of the tree. But don’t worry; you can still luck out and collect green cones from them. It just takes a bit more planning.

Go for a walk after a storm; this is a great way to get unripe pine cones from extremely tall trees. Another trick is to pay attention to where there is logging. You can call forestry departments for state parks and ask where logging is happening. This is a great way to get green pine cones, as they always leave the tops behind. (This is how I scored the cones I used for the batch in this piece.)

Making Pine Cone Syrup

Cooking with foraged ingredients can be challenging, as you may not always find the amount you need to match up with a recipe. This is one reason I enjoy making pine cone bud syrup; your ingredients are measured in ratios. No matter how many or how few pine cones you find, you can make syrup.

The Ratio

You will mix green pine cones and sugar in a 1:2 ratio by weight. For example, if you end up with 8oz of pine cones, you will add 16 oz of sugar. It’s important to remember this is by weight, not volume.

Having a food scale in your kitchen is a must for the serious chef. Or even the not-so-serious chef. I have this one. It’s inexpensive and does the trick.

Choosing a Sugar

I prefer brown or turbinado sugar for pine cone syrup. You want a sugar that still has some moisture, as it will help fermentation and the maceration process. These more natural sugars also lead to a much smoother-tasting syrup.

Avoid using white sugar as it’s highly processed and much too dry. You’ll end up with a very astringent, overtly piney syrup.

If you want an incredible pine cone syrup, find some maple sugar. Syrup made from all the trees!

You Might Want to Wear Gloves

Because we’re using new pine cones that are green and still quite moist, this project can get sticky. Fast. Consider wearing gloves while harvesting and mixing everything up in a jar. If When you get sap on your hands, rub them well with olive oil and then wash them off using soap and hot water.

Remember to wipe down the outside of your jar well, too. Otherwise, you’ll go to shake your jar one morning and find a line of ants leading up to it. (Ask me how I know.)

How to Make Pine Cone Syrup

Fermenting

• Rinse off your pine cones with cold water and remove any debris. Put them in a colander to drain.

• Cut or break pine cones into smaller pieces, adding them to a mason jar large enough to fit all of your ingredients. (For exceptionally tiny pine cones, rough chop them with a chef’s knife.) Add in the sugar.
• Place a lid on the jar and shake the dickens out of it. You want all the sugar to be thoroughly incorporated with the pine cone pieces. You should start to notice some moisture within the jar.

• Place the jar somewhere warm for the first few days, like a sunny windowsill. If fermentation has started, you will notice an increase in liquid in the jar, and the contents will be syrupy within a day or two. You will also notice small bubbles moving their way up through the liquid.

• You will need to burp the jar for the first few days or weeks as carbon dioxide is released and continue to shake the jar each day. Or if you’re like me, whenever you walk by it and think, “Oh crap, I haven’t shaken this in a while.”
• If you do not see an influx of liquid after the first couple of days, add a splash of water to the jar, put the lid back on and shake it up again. The added moisture should help the naturally occurring yeast to get started. It’s not essential for the syrup to ferment, but it does help the flavor and allows you to store the finished syrup without refrigeration.
• Continue shaking the mixture every so often as you remember it. If the sugar starts to crystalize and settle at the bottom, open the jar and stir it up again. You can add a little water to help. Recap it and let it sit.

And now you wait.

Finishing

• Let the whole thing sit for at least one month. Of course, if you have the patience, you’ll get a much more flavorful finished syrup if you let it infuse longer. Waiting until the end of summer to finish off the syrup and bottle is ideal. Just as fall arrives, you’ll have a wonderfully complex pine cone syrup that’s perfect for the coming colder months.
• Finish off the syrup by pouring and scraping the contents into a saucepan. Add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to the empty jar, put the lid on, shake it to help loosen any leftover sugar, and pour it into the saucepan.
• Heat over medium heat just until the syrup begins to simmer. Turn the heat down a little and let the syrup simmer gently for 5-10 minutes.

• Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and bottle your finished pine cone syrup. Now sell it to a fancy restaurant for a crazy amount of money. (I’m kidding. Sort of.)

Storing Your Syrup

The syrup is shelf stable but will last longer if you store it in the fridge once you open it. For the best flavor, I suggest bottling it in amber bottles and storing it somewhere cool.  

The post Pine Cone Syrup – Make This Pricey Gourmet Topping for Pennies appeared first on Rural Sprout.

Crunchy, tangy capers are a staple in Mediterranean dishes. These tiny buds pack a flavorful punch and go great in everything from seafood to the classic chicken piccata.

Normally, there’s no way you could pickle your own, as they’re from the Capparis spinosa bush that grows wild in the Mediterranean. However, one easy-to-find plant offers an excellent substitute – the dandelion.

Once you’ve made homemade dandelion capers, you may find yourself passing up those tiny imported bottles in the grocery store.

You can make dandelion capers in the spring using dandelion buds. You have to catch them before they bloom, as you want the buds to be small and tight. If the buds are too far along, you end up picking a fully formed flower. Not only does this not taste great (it’s a bit like eating dental floss), but it also lacks that characteristic crunch in a good pickled caper.

A good rule of thumb is not to use buds where the outermost leaves have unfurled.

By the way, it’s also the perfect time of year to pick dandelion greens to eat. I’ve got you covered with seven delicious ways to eat them.

The Usual Route

If you check out most recipes for dandelion capers, they’ll have you out foraging for dandelion buds, with the advice to pick the visible bud and any buds you can see beneath it. That’s all well and good if you want to spend the next six hours picking dandelion buds here and there.

Oh, you don’t want to spend six hours picking dandelion buds to substitute a product readily available at most grocery stores?

Yeah, me neither.

That’s why we’re going to make delicious pickled dandelion capers my way – the lazy way.

How I Quickly Fill My Basket With The Perfect-Sized Dandelion Buds

Look, you can totally go frolicking around a field, picking a bud here and there if you want to; no judgment here. But there’s an easier way.

Weed your garden.

Yup, seriously. It’s that simple.

Instead of picking buds, pick the whole flower. Don’t have a garden? Weed your yard. I’m assuming if you’re a Rural Sprout reader, you probably aren’t spraying your yard with anything you shouldn’t be eating, so all those dandelions are fair game. Look for dandelions close to home that haven’t bloomed yet and pull ‘em up.

Get down in there and get as much of the tap root as possible.

The problem with picking only the buds (aside from the fact that it takes the whole day) is you’re leaving behind scads of tiny, compact super-crunchy flower buds that aren’t easily seen even if you do remove that top bud.

Let me explain.

Dandelions don’t make one flower. As I said, if you pick that one central bud you can see, you’ll usually find three or four more beneath it. But if you pick the entire plant, you’ll find a dozen or more buds hiding at the very base of the plant, which you can’t see unless you dig it up.

So, head out to your garden with your hori hori and pull up all the dandelions you can find.

Toss them into a pile.

Keep going; you need to weed your garden anyway.

Get those big honkers, too. You know, the ones as big as a dinner plate. A few of these, and you’ll be finished in no time.

Once you’ve successfully removed all the dandelions from your garden (Ha, who are we trying to kid, we both know they’re going to come right back.) and you’ve got a nice little pile, grab a bowl or a basket.

Now get a glass of lemonade or switchel and put on your favorite podcast.

Grasp each plant at the base of the leaves and gently peel the leaves back, pulling them out of the way of the flower base. Ta-dah! These are all the buds that the dandelion would grow this season. That’s a whole lot of flower buds in one go.

You can pull the individual buds off or, if you prefer to be more precise, use a pocket knife or paring knife to cut them away from the plant gently. (You get less fuzz attached if you cut them off.)

Before you know it, you’ll have a cup of dandelion buds and a dandelion-free garden (for now), and if you do the thing right, you’ll have dandelion roots to roast.

This method is by far the easiest way to pick dandelion buds for capers. I can already taste the chicken piccata.

Making Pickled Dandelion Capers

When all is said and done, one cup of dandelion buds will give you three ¼ pints (4oz) canning jars of capers. I like canning them in the smaller jars, as you don’t have to worry about using up a ton once you open them. There’s less waste this way. You can make refrigerator pickles or take the necessary steps to can them using the water bath method.

Refrigerator pickles will give you the most crunch, but that comes at the expense of a shorter shelf life. Canning dandelion capers leaves you with something more like traditional capers and a longer shelf-life. You may want to do one jar as refrigerator pickles and can the other two and see which you enjoy more.

No matter which method you choose, it’s best to let them age for about two weeks before you open them. This allows a nice pickled flavor to develop.

The ingredients are the same for both methods. Before you make your pickles clean the buds by swishing them around in a bowl of icy-cold water. Any dirt, sand etc., will settle out on the bottom, and the cleaned buds will float. Pick out any pieces of grass that may have come along for the ride. Remove the cleaned buds to a mesh strainer and let them drain.

It’s best to make the pickled capers immediately after you pick the dandelion buds. However, if you can’t get to them right away, store the buds in the fridge in a paper towel-lined air-tight container. Don’t let them go longer than 48 hours.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dandelion buds, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup of white vinegar
• ½ cup of water
• 1 tsp salt
• Lemon zest, skin washed, no pith

Refrigerator Dandelion Caper Pickles

• Add a length of lemon zest to the bottom of each jar and gently pack dandelion buds into the jars, leaving 1/2” headspace.
• Add ½ cup of warm water to a measuring cup. Stir in the salt until it’s dissolved. Now stir in the vinegar to create your brine.
• Pour the brine over the dandelion buds, leaving ¼” headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth and screw the lids on. Label with the date and keep the capers in the fridge. Refrigerator pickled dandelion capers should be eaten within three months.

Water Bath Canned Dandelion Capers

If you want your tasty capers and hard work to last a little longer, canning them is the way to go. Because you’re not preserving many jars with this recipe, there’s no need to drag out all of your canning equipment. All you need is a pan that will hold the three jars, plus an inch of water over them. A large, heavy-bottomed saucepan should do the trick. Place a washcloth in the bottom of the pan to set the jars on.

• Heat your jars in the saucepan filled with water just until boiling, then turn off the heat to keep them warm.
• In a small saucepan, stir the vinegar, water and salt until the salt is dissolved. Heat until the brine starts to simmer, then turn off the burner and remove from heat.
• Remove the heated jars from the water and add a length of lemon zest to each. Gently pack dandelion buds into the jars, leaving 1/2” headspace. Pour the hot brine over the buds, leaving ¼” headspace.
• Use a clean wooden spoon handle or chopstick to stir and squish out any air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp cloth and screw the lids on until fingertip tight.
• Process in boiling water for ten minutes, then remove jars to a kitchen towel to cool and seal. Label the jars with the date once they are fully cooled. Canned dandelion capers will last for a year. Store them in the fridge once you open them, and use them up within a month or two.

Since you made dandelion capers the easy way, you’ve got time to kill. Why not go frolicking through a meadow picking violets for delicious violet simple syrup?

Read Next:

20 Reasons To Pick Dandelions ’til Your Fingers Turn Yellow

The post How to Make Dandelion Capers the Easy Way appeared first on Rural Sprout.