Summertime and Farmers Markets

It's been such a crummy summer for our garden. The cool wet spring gave way to tomato blight, slow growth, and lots of mildew problems. Weeks of rain and cloudy skies didn't give our plants the sunshine they needed. We had a pretty decent first couple crops of radishes but that quickly ended when we had a couple weeks of blistering heat. In typical Iowa fashion, that was followed by more cold, wet, rainy weather. I had planted a few heirloom tomatoes- all cherry type, most of which were started from seed. This was another year for growing super hot peppers to stock up the shelves again. However......by the time July ended, the tomatoes were pretty much a lost cause and the hornworms turned the pepper plants into a salad bar. 

Homemade treats for sale in Stuart

It's a good thing we have wonderful farmer's markets all over Iowa! My garden might be a flop this year but plenty of other folks are having success in theirs and sharing their goods at the numerous small town farmers markets in the towns surrounding the lake. 

Springtime freshness in Panora

Dexter, the closest town, has two farmers markets every Tuesday. One is in the city park, and the other is an indoor market in the historic Roundhouse. Every week the local residents set up tables in the markets and offer fresh garden produce, homemade baked goods, homemade jams, and even hand-picked walnuts. Just up the road is Stuart, where we get to do it all over again every Wednesday. The Stuart market also features farm-raised beef, eggs, bakery goods and a wide variety of produce from Early Morning Harvest, an aquaponics farm. It's just a short drive to Panora where their market is held on Friday evenings and Guthrie Center on Saturday morning. Each market has something a little different, like handmade jewelry and craft items. Yard decorations, garden plants, quilts and even a food truck sometimes appear at the farmers markets. 

Freshly baked quick breads in Panora

Since I primarily garden in containers, some vegetables just don't grow as well- like winter squash and zucchini. I never try to grow them anymore and rely on the farmers markets for all my zucchini and cucumbers for making pickles. In Stuart I can get great deals on pickling cucumbers and always get plenty to last through the winter. 

Live music in Guthrie Center

Some years we grow green beans at the Little Lake House and other years we don't. We have a pretty cool deck with some latticework that is perfect for climbing plants like Kentucky Wonder pole beans, which is one of our favorites. Letting the plants grow up the deck looks really pretty too- the blossoms look so cute and we get lots of butterflies and bees buzzing around. Most years we don't actually, because so many local growers have them. Green beans and wax beans are probably my favorite summer vegetable to can so I buy lots of them. Sometimes I get extra lucky and get a decent score of peas too. Of course every farmers market offers at least one if not more vendors selling Iowa sweet corn. It wouldn't be summer without it. Peaches and cream corn is pretty readily available but the last couple summers I have seen some different varieties as well. A blogger friend of mine even found pink sweet corn- so I'm on the lookout!

Guthrie Center's market

Summer in Iowa is all about the tomatoes. At the markets you can find any kind of tomato you could possibly want- grape and cherry tomatoes, all kinds of heirlooms, great big giant Beefsteaks, and every size in between. Since I do a lot of home canning, I often buy tomatoes in bulk, either at the pick your own farm or from the farmers market vendors. I don't have to worry about planting dozens of plants and I can get great prices! I just have to load the box in the car and head home.

Each Stuart vendor has a great variety

It's not just vegetables at the farmers market, there are plenty of fruits available too. Vendors offer spring berries like strawberries and raspberries and one guy at the Stuart market even offers gooseberries. I hadn't seen fresh gooseberries since I was a kid. These are wild gooseberries he forages for in the woods surrounding the lake. I'll gladly pay him to go tromping through the woods! Later in the season we see apples, plums, peaches, cherries, pears and more. While I have always wanted fruit trees in my yard I know I can get plenty of fresh fruit right at the farmers market.

Early Morning Harvest sells aquaponics
and much more

Of course when I want a more big and bustling market experience I can head to Des Moines every Saturday morning for the Downtown Farmers Market. It's a HUGE deal, covering several city blocks, at least three different streets, dozens and dozens of vendors, live entertainment, sidewalk brunches and all kinds of food- fresh vegetables, Indian food, breakfast burritos, cocktails, Asian foods, pizza- anything you could possibly want. It's an experience everyone should check out at least once.

For me though, nothing beats our small town farmers markets.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Canning Cookbook- Pepper Steak

Canning food at home is a HUGELY popular trend right now. People want to control what's in their food. They want to keep chemicals out and nutrition in. Growing our own food and knowing where it comes from when we buy it is very important. Of course, once we get it home we need away to preserve it, and canning is just one way to do so.

Along with this trendy new canning movement people want convenience. "Meal in a jar" foods, heat and eat soups and stews and ready-to-use pasta sauces are very popular and easy to prepare. People are really getting into this and I love it! I've been a home canner for many years and now I have all kinds of new canning friends to chat with, share pictures with, and discuss recipes and trends with. If you have been following City Girl you have seen quite a few home canned recipes on the blog- that's just a tiny peek into my annual canning.

Honestly, we buy very little from a grocery store. Seriously. We rely on vegetables and fruits we grow, buy from a local farm and the farmers markets, from friends who share their extra- you get the idea. Every year I put up hundreds of jars of tomatoes, salsa, pickles, jams, plain vegetables like green beans, corn and carrots, and lots of sauces, soups and things to build recipes with. We don't buy processed foods, we don't buy mixes or premade things, and we cook real food. Living like this does have it's drawbacks- like when you want something on the table right away, and we have no convenience food........ or snacks in boxes.........

But that's when the meal in a jar thing comes in handy. Need a quick lunch? Pop open a jar of vegetable beef soup. Busy day at the office? Grab a jar of spaghetti sauce, cook up some pasta and toss together. Sounds great right? Of course it does! 

Today we are going to make my friend Edie's home canned pepper steak. Pressure canning steak at home is a great way to make the most out of a less expensive, less tender cut like round steak, while giving you fork-tender results. You control the salt that goes in, and the seasoning, and for all the hard work up front the reward is well worth it. 

There are a few things to keep in mind when making ANY home canned foods- you want to follow approved directions, such as those found on Ball's website, for canning instructions. You need to use the freshest ingredients you can get, and prepare them as soon as possible. Canning food is not the time to use up those last few sad looking tomatoes and peppers. Know your recipe's source too. A lot of people are sharing recipes, and not all of them are suitable for home canning. Also make sure you use a pressure CANNER not a pressure COOKER when canning low acid foods. They are not interchangeable. When in doubt, check with your local university extension. Safety is always the first priority!

So, on to Edie's Pepper Steak...... you will need:

lean beef such as round steak or a small roast you can cut into strips

bell peppers

onion (if desired)

salt

pepper

garlic powder

beef broth

Prepare your wide mouth pint canning jars for canning and keep hot. Prepare the pressure canner. Heat the beef broth to boiling and hold at a simmer.

Cut the beef into shall strips. Season with salt, pepper and garlic if desired.

Prep the peppers by trimming off the top and bottom; remove seeds and ribs. Cut peppers into small strips. You can use any color of bell pepper you like.

If using the onion, cut off the top and bottom and cut into wedges similar in size to the peppers.

In your hand, make a stack of beef strips, pepper strips and onion wedges. Use enough to fill the jars completely. 

Ease them into the jars as shown in the picture.

Ladle a little beef broth over the meat and peppers if you are using. Since you are raw packing the beef it will make it's own liquid- so you don't want to fill the jars if using broth, just add about half the jar full. DO NOT thicken the broth with cornstarch or any thickener!!

Wipe the rims well, fix lids and rims and seal jars.  Place in the canner and following directions for your canner, bring to pressure and process pints for 75 minutes at 10 lbs pressure (Make sure to adjust for your altitude).

When the processing is complete and canner has returned to zero pounds pressure, remove jars to a towel covered counter and allow them to cool undisturbed 12-24 hours. Test for seals and refrigerate any that did not seal. Use them within a couple days. Wash jars, label and store in a cool dark place.

NOTE: This recipe has not been tested by the NCHFP. If you are not comfortable canning untested recipes, please do not use this one.

Now when you are ready to serve, heat up some rice or pasta, pop the lid on a jar and pour the liquid into a small saucepan- thicken if you like and then add the meat and peppers. Season with soy sauce, Asian seasonings, Italian seasonings, whichever you prefer, heat and enjoy! Home canned pepper steak will be VERY tender, including the peppers. My mom always made it like this (not canned, but very tender) so it reminds me of her.

A few last notes:  Edie uses wide mouth PINT jars for this recipe. Stick with that size. Quarts can become too dense for heat to penetrate sufficiently to the center. 

Edie cans hers without added broth. I added a small amount to mine because I like more sauce with the rice. You can decide if you want to add broth or not. 

For the best pepper steak try to have an equal amount of beef and peppers. I also like mushrooms in pepper steak, but I add them when I open the jars to heat up. Generally speaking, you shouldn't alter canning recipes unless you are very experienced in canning safety and know that you aren't altering the acidity of the food to make it unsafe. 

Again, ALL low acid food MUST be processed in a pressure canner. You cannot waterbath any low acid food for any amount of time to make it safe. It will never get hot enough.

Dinner from the garden

What a terrible thing it is- to be able to step out in the yard, pick an armful of fresh veggies and make dinner happen. Just terrible. Especially right now, with all the tomatoes, zucchini, herbs, onions, garlic...... just awful.

Tonight we're having dinner from our garden! Fresh yellow summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, onions- the only thing we didn't grow was the hamburger and Parmesan cheese. This is a quick to put together dish, pop it in the oven and relax for 20 minutes or so, then get some pasta water going, toss in some pasta to go alongside and voila! Dinner is served.

Italian Stuffed Summer Squash

• 1 medium yellow summer squash or zucchini
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• big pinch crushed red pepper
• 2-3 tb minced fresh marjoram, basil, oregano or a combo
• oil
• 1 lb hamburger
• 2 cups tomato sauce or puree

Wash squash well and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Also scoop out some of the flesh leaving a half inch shell. Chop squash flesh.

In large oven-safe skillet heat a couple TB oil. Add onion, garlic and chopped squash. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Crumble ground beef into skillet. Cook and stir until beef is cooked. Add herbs and pepper. Add half the tomato sauce to skillet, then stuff the squash halves with mixture. Add all remaining sauce to skillet, stir, and nestle the squash in the mixture. Sprinkle with topping mixture (see below). Place in 425 degree oven about 20-30 minutes until squash is tender but not mushy.

Remove carefully to plates, cut in half if you like, and serve with pasta and extra sauce.

Topping-

• 1/4 cup panko
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• pinch of herbs used in dish

Combine in small bowl. Sprinkle over squash. Drizzle with a tiny touch of oil. The topping bakes up crunchy from the panko and salty from the Parmesan cheese and makes the perfect textural element. 

You'll notice I did not precook my squash before stuffing. I prefer mine to still have some hint of crisp to it, but you can certainly precook yours if you like it softer. Put on a microwave safe plate,sprinkle with a few drops of water and cover tightly with plastic wrap- cook for a minute or two until barely tender.

All you need now is a hunk of crusty bread and a breezy spot on the patio to enjoy a perfect summertime dinner!

Canning Cookbook- Who planted 10 zucchini anyway?

Ahhhhh zucchini, that wondrous crazy vegetable that goes from blossom to BLIMP in 24 hours. We all at one point in our lives, as a cook or gardener, have had a love/hate relationship with it. We love the tender baby zucs we can halve or quarter and throw on the grill, and we love the big monster zucs that we shred and make delicious baked goods from, while at the same time we absolutely loathe dealing with those big monsters, and zucchini overload when the office master gardener shows up with yet another big bag full to share. This just might be ME this summer, since I got the wise idea to plant ten, yes ten, zucchini in the garden- and it's just The Chef and I at home. We do, after all, love fresh zucchini, and we hate to waste perfectly good food.

By the time summer is nearing the end, even though those plants are STILL producing, most of us are pretty tired of trying to use the crazy things in dinner night after night. Zucchini bread and cakes and muffins fill the freezer. What else can you do? Make relish!!

When it comes to canning recipes, everything BUT pickle relish is something I want to make. I already make pickles, I don't want to do pickle relish too. I like trying different vegetables in relishes though, like radish relish, corn relish, and a carrot relish I'm trying to figure out. It's just natural to me that zucchini should fit the bill in relish recipes. It has a mild flavor on it's own, much like cucumbers do, and should meld well with relish flavors. Almost every canning cookbook has a zucchini relish of some kind. Do a little research and reading and you will find one with the right blend of flavors for you. I tend to like "peppery" and hot spicy foods and make relishes and sauces that reflect that. This time, however, I think I'll go with a dill relish and see how that turns out. So let's get busy with Summer Zucchini Relish.

You will need:

12 cups finely chopped UNPEELED zucchini

4 cups finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped bell peppers, one green, the other red or orange

4 tb canning or kosher salt

Combine all vegetables in large mixing bowl, sprinkle with salt, toss to mix. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, rinse and drain thoroughly.

In a large stock pot combine:

• 2 1/2 cups vinegar (I prefer apple cider but white is ok- 5% acidity)
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 tsp celery seed
• 2 tb mustard seed (I use one each of yellow and brown)
• 2 tb dill seed
• 2 tb dried dill weed or 4-5 tb fresh
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Bring ingredients to boil. Add vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes. 

Pack hot mixture into prepared pint or half-pint jars with 1/2" headspace. Adjust lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and allow jars to cool, check seals.

Because this is a pickled product, you will want to let it mellow and let the flavors meld. You can also switch out yellow summer squash for some or all of the zucchini if that's what you have an abundance of. 

Recipes like this always look so pretty in the jars, and I can't wait to enter them in the county fairs. Sometimes that unusual relish combination gives you an edge over the same old relish recipes that have been entered for decades. I hope you will give this recipe a try- I'm sure you will love it.

Summer at the Little Lake House

June is now behind us, and July is starting off cool and breezy. Perfect weather, two days after a tornado moved through our county and caused a little chaos. We are nearing the end of the Invasion of the Cicadas, which can't come quick enough for me! Gardens are producing, and the Farmers Market offerings are growing by the week. Today I was finally able to get some gooseberries- my jam making plan is finally going to happen! 

I also bought my first kohlrabi. Growing up my parents always had a garden in the summer, and my dad always grew these (my mom was from Germany and it's a common vegetable there) but I, being a kid, saw this weird looking THING sitting on the counter and decided I didn't like it. Now that I am all grown up I am going to try this versatile veggie and discover what I've been missing all these years. I'm going to play with some dressing ideas and probably make a fresh and citrusy slaw, so stay tuned for that.

Driving home along the back roads I snapped a few pics of the beautiful countryside in west central Iowa. Ditches filled with lilies stretch on forever. Many people in the city don't even realize the daylilies they spent good money on in garden centers are actually a common wildflower.

The Iowa wild rose has finished blooming but the thistles, even though they are a weed, are still very beautiful and attract lots of flying visitors for a sweet snack.

One of my favorite things about living in the country is the incredible amount of food that's just everywhere. Wild plums line the road sides. Abandoned farms often have apple trees, old rhubarb and asparagus patches. Mulberries, gooseberries and wild blackberries are everywhere, if you're brave enough to wade through the tall grass and woods to get to the delicious treasures.

Today as I was driving home something off the side of the road caught my eye. Green leaves, flash of red. I stop, back up and I can't believe my eyes- it's a Nanking cherry! Guess who is coming back with a couple of buckets? My brain has been in cherry overload ever since. My childhood home had a Nanking cherry tree and my mom made many pies over the years, so I'm thinking pie, jam, cakes, sauces........

Our little container garden is doing fantastic! I picked the last of the lettuce and the first HUGE harvest of basil, which makes me very happy. While I know fresh is best, when it's the long cold Iowa winter, dried basil comes in handy too, so I dry quite a lot- enough to last all winter. The Serrano chilies are coming along wonderfully, and loads of blooms on the Habaneros. It's time to replant something in the lettuce and kale pots, and I'm thinking bush beans. Lots and lots of blooms and baby tomatoes are all over the tomato plants, including the volunteers. That's very exciting to me. The corn........still not sure what to expect there. Zucchini are not getting pollinated so I might not get as many as I'd hoped. The lentils......are just a wild and crazy fernlike plant. I have no idea what that will look like, but it's fun to see what it does.

As July unfolds at the lake, we'll be seeing tomatoes and peppers and lots of other good things from the farmers market. I hope you will check in from time to time and see what we're up to at the Little Lake House.

** Gooseberry picture courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Farmers' Market Season is here!

It's my favorite time of year again- farmers' market season! The spring produce is just starting to be ready, the days are getting warmer, and all the small towns in west central Iowa are starting their farmers' market season. It won't be long and gardens will be bursting with fresh, delicious food. 

For the first time since I moved from the city, the nearby town of Dexter now has a farmers market. Tuesday afternoons the historic Roundhouse will be filled with vendors selling locally grown produce, homemade baked good, jams and jellies, handcrafted items and more. Nearby Stuart has their market on Wednesday in the city park. Almost every night of the week you can find a market within a few minutes drive.

It's fun to watch the weekly offerings change as the season progresses. Early markets boast loads of asparagus, radishes, peas and spring greens. If you're lucky you might find a market with morels for sale. Mid-summer brings all the warm weather fruits and vegetables- strawberries to sweet corm, tomatoes to zucchini. One of the best things about the weekly market is the ever-changing variety of fresh ingredients. I love to stop after work and grab something I see and create a dinner with vegetables picked just hours ago.

Pick your own farms are a big hit in the area as well. It's a great way to get a large quantity of something like cucumbers for pickle-making, or tomatoes for canning, and usually saves a lot of money. It's a great resource for people like me who love home-canned foods but just don't have the garden space to grow so much.

Most of the farmers' markets continue until the end of October. Fall markets boast apples, pears, winter squash, decoratives like cornstalks and of course, pumpkins!

From the humble road side corn stand to the bustling big city Downtown Farmers Market, summer is all about celebrating the wonderful fresh foods we have available, so get out there and shop your local farmers' markets!

(Top photo of produce in baskets courtesy of Online Farmers Markets Group)