Ho Ho Houttuynia

Houttuynia!  The area around our front porch is covered with this lovely, green and red variegated plant, officially named Houttuynia cordata.  I thought it was just another pretty face for the longest time, but this season I've discovered it as a culinary herb.  And I love it!

The leaves have a strong flavor, which, according to Wikipedia, is sometimes described as "fishy".  A fishy tasting herb does not sound that appetizing to me, and probably not to you either.  But I've started using it in place of fish sauce in recipes and it is just fantastic.  

Tonight I'll be making the Edible Forest Garden version of Vietnamese meatballs.  I make it a little differently every time (yeah improvising!), but it goes something like this:

Combine:
1 lb ground pork
1/4 c. finely chopped basil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 multiplier onions, finely chopped (can substitute an equivalent amount of scallions or regular onions)
a small handful of Houttuynia leaves (about 10 leaves), finely chopped
1 Tbsp hot chili sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Form into meatballs, cook in sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, about 15 minutes, turning meatballs frequently to cook all sides.  Unless you have an enormous skillet, you'll need to do a couple batches. 

I think we'll eat this tonight with some stir fried eggplants from our garden, and maybe some carrots and cucumbers to cool things down.  Provecho!

What to Do with Perennial Arugula?

Perennial arugula (aka sylvetta, and for the plant geeks out there (and you know who you are), Diplotaxis tenuifolia).  An assertive, dependable plant.  It grows well in our garden and gives us lots of spicy leaves all summer long.  It's flowering right now, which makes its flavor extra strong.  I was outside in the garden last night and my husband came over to say something to me.  He opened his mouth and I was blown back by pungent arugula breath.  This plant is not for the faint of heart!

Does anyone else think arugula tastes a little skunky?  I hate the smell of skunks, but love arugula.  Go figure.

So, we have lots of this plant and I'm thinking about good ways to use it.  I could make a pesto with walnuts, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.  I bet the pesto would be good on some sourdough bread.  The arugula could also be really good on a homemade pizza.  Top the pizza with some olive oil, cheese of choice, maybe some tomato slices and some anchovies.  Mmmm....  How about sauteed in some olive oil and garlic and served on a bowl of pasta with some sausage?  It seems like starch of some sort is a good idea to mellow out the spiciness.

We sold out of perennial arugula at our booth this past weekend at the Northeast Permaculture Convergence.  I'm glad our baby plants are going off to good homes.  I wonder how other people are going to cook with this plant.  What are your ideas?

I Sound My Barbaric Yawp!

Tomorrow we're heading to the Northeast Permaculture Convergence.  We'll have a booth there for our nursery, Food Forest Farm.  I'm going to bring some fliers to announce this blog and the upcoming cookbook.  Putting this out there is scary.  For a long while I was telling people, "I want to write a cookbook."  Now I'm saying, "I AM writing a cookbook!"  (And as a friend of mine in high school used to say (and it turns out he was quoting Walt Whitman), "I sound my barbaric yawp!")

I'm working through Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way.  For those who don't know it, it's a workbook about recovering your creativity.  I'm excited about the process, and it's thrilling (thrilling like riding a rollercoaster and being scared out of your mind but also having a blast) putting myself out there as a creator and artist - in this case, a writer and cook.  One of the things I'm working on in The Artist's Way is affirmations.  Today I'm thinking about this affirmation: "My dreams come from the universe, and the universe has the power to accomplish them."  Step by step I am creating a cookbook.  Thanks, universe, for planting the seed, the dream of this cookbook, in me. 

Starting the Blog, Introducing Gooseberry/Jostaberry Slump

Welcome to Edible Forest Garden Cookery!   I'm writing a cookbook featuring the plants we grow in our edible forest garden here in Massachusetts.  A friend and fellow cookbook-writer suggested I start a blog about my writing process.  I figure it will keep me honest, hold me to writing this thing, and help me gather some great input from other people interested in this stuff.  So, here I go!

I thought I'd kick things off with a recipe.   It's modeled after a recipe my mom made up.  She calls it a slump, so I'll keep the name.  This version calls for a combination of gooseberries and jostaberries.  Depending on where you live, you may still have some of these juicy beauties clinging to the bush.   If not, feel free to substitute other fruits - just adjust the amount of sugar accordingly.

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Gooseberry and Jostaberry Slump 

Berries:

2 cups mixed berries (gooseberries and jostaberries)

1/4 cup sugar 

1 Tbsp. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

Crust:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. butter
1/8 cup milk


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
 

Place berries in a mixing bowl.  Stir in sugar. Add flour and salt and stir to combine.  Dump berry mixture into two ramekins or baking dish.

In small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Cut butter into small pieces, and add to flour mixture, squishing it in with your fingers to make a crumble.  Slowly add just enough milk to make dry crumbs.

Sprinkle crumbs over fruit.   Bake for 15-20 minutes until fruit is bubbling and crust is golden.

Let it cool so you don't burn your mouth, and enjoy with yogurt, ice cream, or as is!
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If you try this out, let me know what you think!