Pretty Pitty Bazaar
This is Audrey. She was a rescue that friends in Virginia adopted several years ago. She is a sweetie and sometimes visits when she is in Cleveland. I will be vending my goodies this weekend in an event to help raise money for “The Love of Pits”. The event is Saturday , November 10, from 4-9 pm. There is a $10 donation at the door that will get you a glass of wine and appetizers. It is being held at 24510 Cornerstone in Westlake, Ohio.
There will be other vendors beside me and a portion of our sales will be donated. This really is a win win. A chance to get some early holiday shopping out of the way and a chance to help a good cause.
I will have my cookbooks, herb packets, beer bread mixes, bean soup mixes, jellies and relishes for sale. There will also be baked goods for sale. If you have questions you can contact me at judi_strauss@att.net. You can also contact me if you are coming and want a specific baked good. Hope to see you there. Woof woof.
Crooked River Herb Farm
I will be spending some quality time in Wadsworth tomorrow. Hope to see you there.
YOU’RE INVITED TO MEET THE AUTHORS AT CROOKED RIVER HERB FARM.
Meet cookbook authors, Lisa Abraham and Judi Strauss at the store
FAMOUS CHEFS AND FABULOUS RECIPES available for purchase and signature.
THE CHARMED KITCHEN, and her mini cookbooks.
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Blue Pike Farm Market
Blueberry Jam
Tomorrow, June 21, marks the first day of the Blue Pike Farm Market season. There will be fresh produce and baked goods. I’ll be there selling herbs blends and an assortment of jams and jellies including fresh blueberry jam. I’ll also have Vidalia Onion Relish. The market runs from 4-7 pm and is on E.72 street- just 1/4 mile south of the Shoreway. If you have never been to an urban farm stop by and say ” hello”. Since I am also doing camp in Mentor I may be there a little after 4. Hope to see you there. 
Ramps and Free Cookies!!!
Just a reminder that I will be at the Blue Pike Farm Open House tomorrow, May 5, from 10-2. If you stop by just ask me and I’ll give you a free cookie. I will have mint chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.
There will be free samples of other foods as well.
It is a chance to see a real urban farm. I’ll have ramps, pomegranate jelly, wine jelly, apple pie filling, herbs and an assortment of baked goods. I also have vegetable based goodies including pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chocolate beet cake and carrot cake. Chef Deb Jones will be there, too. She’ll have chili and cornbread and more. We’ll have eggs, honey, salsa verde and vegetable plants for sale. As a special treat we will also have fresh nettles for sale. Mint, too.
Blue Pike Farm is located on E 72 Street- about 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway.
Blue Pike Farm Open House and Free Cookies!!
Pumpkin Bread
Mark your calendars folks. The Blue Pike Farm open house is this Saturday ( May 5) from 10-2. It will be a chance for you to see a real urban farm up close and personal. I will be there selling my books, herb seasonings. I’ll also have ramps for sale and pea sprouts. I’ll have a fresh batch of Pomegranate jelly, wine jelly, apple pie filling and an assortment of baked goods. I will also have fresh baked cookies- if you ask- you can have a free one!!!!
There will also be other baked goods from Chef Deb Jones- her stuff is great, Blue Pike Farm limited edition Salsa Verde and organically grown vegetable plants for sale.
So come down on Saturday and say hello. There will be food for sampling. Meet Carl and see all the chickens. You can also learn about the benefits of joining Blue Pike Farm’s CSA program. Blue Pike Farm is located about 1/2 mile south of the Shoreway on E.72 street in Cleveland.
Akron Farm Market
I will be at the Farm Market at Lock 3 in Akron this weekend. This will be the last show I am doing this season so please come by and say hello. There will be all my usual offerings like herb blends, cookbooks, beer bread mix, bean soup mix, herb vinegars and more. There will also be baked goods, local produce, maple syrup and honey. It is one of my favorite shows and I hope you can make it. There is ice skating and a village of German craftspeople making ornaments and more. For more details and directions check out the link below.
http://lock3live.com/winterMarket.aspx
Craft Fairs
I will be at the Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice annual Craft show at Pilgrim Church in Tremont tomorrow. The church is located on W. 14th street at Starkweather. It runs from 10-4 and is well worth the trip. Local artists and craft people will be there. I will be selling my herb blends, books, soup and bread mixes, wine jelly and cranberry/rosemary vinegar. Hope to see you there.
I will also be at the Wildwood Craft Show in Mentor on Sunday. That show runs from 10-4 as well. Wildwood is on Little Mountain Road- between Rt. 84 and Rt. 20- East of R. 615.
Beary Merry Christmas Show
The 26th annual Beary Merry Christmas Show will be held at the Normandy Party Center in Wickliffe on Wed. November 30 and Thur. December 1, 2011. I will be there both days selling my herb and spice blends, cookbooks, beer bread mixes, bean soup mixes, jellies and more. I will also be joined by Carl from Blue Pike Farm with his locally produced honey. This is one of the best shows around with a wide assortment of local artisans and crafters. There is a $3 admission which includes chances for hourly door prizes Hours are from 11am-9 pm both days. The Normandy Party Center is at 30310 Palisades Parkway ( E.303 and Euclid Avenue. ) Stop in and say hello.
Fragrant Floral Vinegar
Thanks again to all of you who came to the Fabulous Food Show. It was a lot of fun. As promised the Fragrant Floral Vinegar I had for sampling is now available. It is an infusion of chive blossoms, purple basil blossoms, lilac, lavender and roses. You can get it at:
Chef’s Ingredient Outlet
4145 Mayfield Rd. South Euclid, OH 216 381 9916
Food Show Recipes
Thanks to all of the wonderful people who attended my talks at the Fabulous Food Show . As promised here are the recipes from Friday and Saturday.
Pesto Sauce
1 c. tightly packed basil leaves
1/4 c. olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
1/2 c. pine nuts, sunflower seeds or walnuts
1 c. fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients, except the cheese, in a blender and mix until smooth. Stir in the cheese and toss over hot, cooked pasta or use as a sauce on meat and poultry. Sauce will keep a few days in the fridge and makes about 1 1/2 cups, enough for 1 lb. of cooked pasta or hot cooked potatoes.
Herb Vinegars
You will need:
A clean jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid
Fresh or dried herbs
Vinegar, any flavor but must be 5% acidity
Food grade cheesecloth or coffee filters
Decorative jars or bottles
Nice extras: whole garlic cloves, hot peppers, fruit, edible flowers or herb sprigs
For herb vinegar you need 2 cups of vinegar for each cup of fresh herbs or each 1/3 c. of dried herbs. Place herbs in jar and pour over the vinegar. Screw on lid and store in a cool, dry place for 10 days or longer. You can then strain out the herbs and pour the vinegar through a filter- lined strainer. You can use the cheesecloth or coffee filters. Vinegar will be completely clear. Now just bottle your herb vinegar in a pretty bottle and seal. You can make your own decorative labels or even seal with paraffin. You can add garlic (6-8 cloves per quart) to your vinegar, before or after filtering for flavor. You can also add hot peppers to spice it up. An edible flower like chive blossoms can be added for appearance or just a sprig of the fresh herb. Lemon or orange peel in a thin strip adds flavor and looks nice as well as raspberries or blackberries.
Some good herbs for vinegar include: basil, dill, fennel, chives (blossoms), garlic chives (blossoms), marjoram, mint, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme and lavender. This, of course, is only a partial list and you can use other herbs that you like.
You can also make herb vinegar by placing herb sprigs and flowers in a pretty bottle then filling with vinegar. Seal and decorate bottle before giving as a gift.
To use paraffin to seal your bottle: Always melt paraffin over hot water, never over direct heat or in a microwave. Place a ribbon over the top of the corked bottle, hanging down a couple of inches on each side. Tie this piece down with another piece of ribbon around the neck of the bottle. Now dip the bottle top in the melted paraffin and allow to cool. You can trim off some of the ribbon, but leave enough to get hold of. The ribbon becomes a means of easily unsealing the vinegar. Just pull on the ribbon to remove the wax.
Make your own labels and add a recipe or use ideas if you like. For color retention, vinegar should be refrigerated. Use within a year of making.
Judi’s Herb Braids
5 ½ -6 ½ c. flour- white, spelt, whole wheat or a combination
2 packages quick rising yeast
¼ c. dried toasted shallots or onions
2 T. each dried marjoram and parsley
1 T. each dried oregano and minced garlic
1 T. honey
2 t. dried thyme
2 t. salt
¼ c. olive oil
2 ¼ c. hot water
In a mixing bowl combine 2 c. of flour with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Beat with electric mixer 4 minutes then add 1-cup additional flour and beat 1 minute longer. Stir in flour ½ cup at a time until soft dough forms. Turn onto surface and knead, adding flour gradually until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to cover. Cover with a towel and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Turn dough onto surface and cut in half. Cut each half into thirds. Roll each piece of dough into an 18-inch rope. Loosely braid three ropes together and repeat with the remaining dough. Place on greased baking sheet and cover until doubled in size, about 20 minutes.
Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bread sounds hollow when tapped lightly. Makes 2.
Variation: Whole wheat: Add 2 cups of whole-wheat flour to replace 2 cups of white flour. Also try adding ¼ c. of wheat germ, oat bran or 2 tablespoons of seeds (sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, poppy, etc.)
Regular yeast can be used, but rising times will be longer and water should be warm, not hot.
