The Charmed Kitchen

I will be selling ramps at the Coit Rd. Market tomorrow. This will likely be the last for this year. If you have not been to the market before- please come down and check it out. It is a great place to come and support local business. Market hours are from 8-1.

I had reported earlier I would have purple asparagus tomorrow, too. Sadly I will not. Sorry for the confusion.

Ramps are abundant now but their season is short and there is no time to waste. Enjoy them any way you can. I love them in omelets and stir fries. Sometimes I just brush ramps with olive oil and oven roast until tender. If you can get a hold of extra ramps you can saute them in oil and freeze for later.

Creamy Ramp and Potato Soup

4-6 ramps, cleaned, trimmed and chopped

1 T. oil

3-4 cups chopped potatoes

4 c. chicken or vegetable stock

1 c. milk, soy milk, almond or rice milk

3 T. flour

salt and pepper to taste

fresh chopped parsley

Heat oil in saucepan and cook ramps until wilted- about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and cover pan, cooking until  potatoes are tender- about 15 minutes. Combine milk with flour in small jar with tight- fitting lid. Shake until mixture is smooth and pour into simmering soup. Stir and cook until thickened and simmer a couple of extra minutes ad just seasoning and add parsley just before serving.

I’ll be at the Coit Road Market tomorrow from 8-1. I have a fresh supply of ramps. Hope to see you there.

If you want to know how to make crumpets I’ll be teaching all about it tomorrow night. The class is called Tea Time and it is at the Wellness Center in Rocky River. We’ll also be making lemon tea bread, scones, clotted cream and more. To register contact The Wellness Center at 440 356 0670.

I will be at the Coit Road Farmers’ Market this Wednesday from 10-1 and on Saturday from 8-1 selling ramps, my cookbooks and seasoning mixes. Since ramps have a short season be sure to get them while you can.

So after 3 months of not going to the grocery store I am shopping again. I was pretty good at first. Just buying fresh produce and a few other items. Then I went to see Martha in Winchester, Virginia. A new store had opened recently that specializes in international  foods. Let’s just say the pantry is full again. I picked up Hispanic, Indian, Chinese and Caribbean. I’ll be cooking leg of lamb with Amy Mcwilliam  later this week with pomegranate molasses. Recipes will follow. Thanks for all the feedback and support.

These are some Caribbean soup mixes I bought. Can’t wait to taste them!!

For the ramp lovers out there I will be doing a harvest soon. They will be available for sale at a reasonable price. Let me know so I harvest enough.

After 3 months ( 91 days) of not going to the grocery store I ended the challenge on Sunday. I actually felt sort of odd about it. I was still far from running out of a lot of stuff and felt like I could have gone on longer. The initial plan was to go a month or a little longer. It soon became obvious to me that there was not much challenge in that for me. So I decided to go for 2 months and then 3.  So many of you have commented on what that first grocery store trip would be like. I think the image would be of me grabbing several carts and loading back up. I actually thought that would happen, too. It didn’t.

To celebrate the end of my little experiment I was invited to Amy McWilliam’s house. We enjoyed Indian take out and fresh fruit. By Sunday morning- after a very late night I got a call to go out for lunch. We went to a favorite Chinese restaurant where I was treated to Mongolian Duck and fried lotus root. Special thanks to Jonathan for that one. So now it’s Sunday afternoon with stores all around. I just picked up some oranges and a few other things.

It was strange. Like a prisoner let out who doesn’t know quite what to do with the freedom. I think part of it was the way I had been living for the past three months. I learned not to take anything for granted and not to waste.

Well, its not quite all I did. I went to a bakery outlet near my house. I love baking bread. Heck, I’m teaching a bread baking class tomorrow and 4 loaves are rising as we speak. Still, I got tired of having to bake bread whenever I wanted it.  So I went to the discount bread store and got 2 loaves of 100% whole wheat. I do have freezer space now. I also saw a sign that if you bought 2 loaves of rye bread you would get a third loaf free. So I bought 3 loaves of rye bread. There I was with 5 loaves of bread!!!! Do you have any idea how long it takes me to eat 5 loaves of bread?

By the time I got to the store to buy other stuff I realized that I only NEEDED some fresh produce and eggs. I didn’t need to go crazy and stock up the house. I know that sounds odd, but its true. I think I’ll shop differently from now on.

I do think we all need to be prepared and have food reserves. I can, freeze and dehydrate as a way of preserving seasonal foods and taking advantage of sale prices. But I also don’t want to buy so much of perishable foods that I end up tossing them.  I want to enjoy the foods of the seasons, too. The foods that are fresh and local.

So for now I will take a look at what I have and what I need. I’ll shop smarter and waste less. It will also mean spending less and that is a good thing. I look forward to the various farm markets that I frequent. I will forage more for sure. We are expanding my garden at Dona’s house so I will be growing even more of my own food. Also inspired by Mari Keating and her group Food Not Lawns I am planning on making even more of my landscape edible. Every little bit helps and adds up.

I have more to say about all this but for now the bread is in need of baking. Thanks to so many of you for your support and feedback. Love you all.

Lemon cake with candied violets

This was one of the desserts from last night’s dinner. The lemon cake was baked in a tube pan then cooled and frosted with lemon glaze and candied violets.   I used violets from my yard.

Candied Violets

Clean, dry pesticide-free violets (not African violets)

Powdered , Pasteurized egg whites

water

extra fine sugar*

Reconstitute egg whites according to package directions. Using a small brush paint the blossoms with the egg whites and then dip them into the sugar. Place on clean surface and allow to  dry. This will take a couple of days. Store in a cool, dry place. I actually store mine in the freezer. Use to decorate cakes and other pastries.

Candied Violets

*Note: If you don’t have extra fine sugar you can place granulated sugar in a food processor and pulse several times. Be careful not to process too long or you will have powdered sugar!

Note: Other edible flowers and flower petals can also be candied. I like to candy rose petals.