Blog

• Aichele Farm is back and they come bearing Tayberries!

  Aichele Farms is back at the market and they have a wonderful treat you may not have heard of: Tayberries! 

  Tayberries were developed in Scotland and are a hybrid of a raspberry and a blackberry. They are similar in color to a red raspberry and full of juice and more seedy like a blackberry. These berries are sweet tart and do well with some sugar. They make a wonderful jam berry because they have a naturally high level of pectin. Tayberries can be substituted for raspberries in your favorite raspberry jam recipe.

  Goat Cheese Cheesecake w/ Fresh Tayberry Sauce

  8 oz Chevre from Chattaroy Cheese Co.
  4 oz cream cheese
  3/4 cup granulated sugar
  1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  1 teaspoon lemon zest
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  6 large farmers market eggs separated
  3 tablespoons flour

  Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9” spring form pan.

  Combine the goat cheese, sugar, cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the egg yolks beating them in 1 at a time until fully incorporated into the batter. Mix in the flour on a low speed.

  Beat the egg whites until firm but not dry. Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the goat cheese mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the springform pan and bake for 40 minutes. Test with a skewer to make sure the cake is done. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

  Tayberry Sauce

  1 pint Tayberries from Aichele Farms
  1/3 cup of sugar
  2 teaspoons of lemon juice

  Combine tayberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Mash the ingredients together and just barely bring to a boil until all of the sugar has disolved. Press the mixture through a fine sieve or through a strainer. Tayberries are seedy, so this is mainly to remove the seeds. Cool and spoon over a slice of goat cheese cheesecake. Garnish with whole tayberries.

• Magical Rhubarb

  

  Rhubarb holds a special place in my heart. I think that it all started with my grandmother's rhubarb pie which she always served with vanilla ice cream. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I think that is why I get so excited when I see rhubarb starting to pop up at the market. It triggers happy childhood memories of summer.  

  Rhubarb compote has become a staple in our kitchen this time of year. It makes a delicious topping for vanilla ice cream, I love to serve it with scones and nothing beats homemade yogurt w/ rhubarb compote topped off with some granola. It also works really well with grilled pork or chicken. Today I will share this easy recipe with you, and I encourage you to keep some on hand as it can cover so many bases. If you are feeling ambitious you can preserve rhubarb compote by canning and have a little taste of summer all winter long. It is always a quick fix when you have company and don't have a lot of time. This will keep in the refridgerator for a couple of weeks. Keep in mind that when you freeze compote the consistency may change a little. 

  —MaryAnn Delaney

  
  

  Rhubarb Compote

  6 cups of fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces - approximately 2 lbs

  1 1/4 cup of sugar

  2 1/2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

  Combine the rhubarb, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until all of the sugar is disolved. At this point you can cover the pan and simmer over low heat until the rhubarb is tender which will take about 8 minutes. Sometimes I will add a vanilla bean or vanilla extract, which goes well scones or vanilla ice cream. You can also add fresh ginger or cinnamon. This is a simple recipe that you should definitely experiment with. 

• Pickled Aspragus!

  My kitchen has been pumping out asparagus and greens pretty regularly now, and as asparagus season in particular is winding down, it's time for me to preserve some of this beautiful, seasonal, local produce. I work pretty hard to feed my family the real food that I am so grateful to have access to. So, the canning, pickling and freezing is something I've added to my repertoire these last few years. One thing I've learned is it's not so scary and hard as I thought. Don't get me wrong, botulism is scary stuff and all, but if I follow the directions and understand the basics, canning is pretty safe. And besides, I don't have to can it at all! Every single thing that is intended to can, can easily and safely be stored in the refrigerator. So, if you're not quite ready to dive into all that waterbath, jars and rings business, don't short yourself the treats, just stick them in the fridge. And if and when you're ready to dive into shelf storage, find the help of a good book or a Grandma with a wealth of knowledge, a phone call away. And the next thing you know you may have a larder that would make your Grandma jealous.

  

  Pickled Asparagus

  1 pound asparagus, cut to approx 4 inch spears
  2 cups rice vinegar, or plain white if that's what you've got
  1 1/2 tea pure kosher salt
  1 tea sugar
  2 tea pickling spice (homemade or purchased blend)
  2 cloves of garlic
  (makes 2 pints)

  Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus, bring back to a boil. Remove from water, drain and transfer to ice water, drain again.

  In another pot, bring vinegar, salt and sugar -- with 1 cup of water --to a boil. Divide asparagus into 2 jars. Add 1 tea of pickling spice and 1 clove of garlic to each jar. Ladle the hot vinegar mixture into each jar. At this point, if you have experience water bath canning, follow the steps to do so. If not, allow your mixture to cool and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

  Here are a couple of books that I really enjoy:

  Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry

  Put 'em Up!