strawberry dressing

Ingredients

• 1 cup fresh organic strawberries from any of our farmers
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp organic cane sugar, honey, Beautiful Dreamer from Beautiful Briny Sea or sweetener of your choice
• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt or I use Friends Forever from Beautiful Briny Sea (a sea salt blended with honey)
• 2 tbsp Pecan oil from Oliver Farms

Instructions

1. Mix berries with vinegar and sweetener.

2. Let sit for at least 1 hour.

3. Add salt and pecan oil and liquify in blender or food processor.

4. Refrigerate.

Good on salads, fruit, ice cream, and Greek yogurt.

Ricotta, Homemade

Chef Andrew Isabella (No. 246), recommends first making your own ricotta when creating his Ricotta Fritters.

Yields: 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 gallon whole milk
• 1 quart heavy cream
• 1/2 gallon buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons sea salt
• 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar

Equipment

large sauce pot, cheese cloth, colander, bowl

Method

1. Heat the milk to about 170º on medium low heat. Add heavy cream and bring to about 170º.

2. Once it creates small bubbles on top, slowly add: buttermilk, salt and vinegar. The dairy will start to curdle. Cook until whey and cheese completely separate.

3. Pull off the heat and strain over cheese cloth. Once the ricotta dies, cool in the refrigerator and use as desired.

Okra, Pickled

This recipe was generously provided by the great and talented Becky Striepe of glueandglitter.com,eatdrinkbetter.com, and other spots of greatness.

Yield: about 3 pints

Ingredients

1 pound whole okra

1 tablespoon table salt or sea salt

2 3/4 cups apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced

1 tablespoon dried dill/1 bundle fresh dill

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped with seeds removed

Method

1. Combine the okra and 1 tablespoon salt in a colander, and toss to combine it really well. Let the okra sit for one hour, then drain and rinse well.

2. Meanwhile, combine the onion, vinegar, dill, garlic, and jalapeno right in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture on high until it comes to a boil, then simmer for just a couple of minutes, until the onions and peppers begin to soften.

3. Divide the okra between your jars, and pour the vinegar mixture over them. As you can see in the photo above, I used one quart jar and one pint. You can also use three pint jars, if you prefer.

4. Screw the caps onto your jars loosely, then tighten them when the jars have cooled to the touch. Let your pickled okra chill for 24 hours before serving.

Use within 3-4 weeks.

Shishitos, Sauteed

Ingredients

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 pint shishito peppers

sea salt (Beautiful Briny or 3 Porch Farm)

lemon juice (one fresh quarter wedge or 1 tbs

Directions

1. Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn't char except in places. Don't rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a pan-full of peppers.

2. When the peppers are done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.

For variety, you can use a little toasted sesame oil or coconut oil instead of olive oil. If you have leftovers, an unlikely incident in my experience, chop off the stems and put the peppers in an omelet or some scrambled eggs.

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Shishitos are the perfect little treat!

These peppers are small and about a finger-long, slim, and thin-walled. Although they turn from green to red once ripe, most farmers harvest them when they are green.

Sautéed shishitos are undeniably the best thing to nibble on with drinks, add them to eggs or as an appetizer. Here is an easy way to prepare these peppers.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 large heirloom tomatoes (any produce farmer at the market will have heirloom tomatoes)

• 1 cup heirloom cherry or teardrop tomatoes

• 1/4 lb. goat feta or blue cheese (Decimal Place Farm has feta)

• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 bunch fresh basil (Rise N Shine Farm or Woodland Gardens)

• Salt and pepper to taste (Beautiful Briny Sea has plenty of salts to choose from)

• 1/2 Tbs. aged balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbs. extra- virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Core the large tomatoes and dice into wedges; cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place all in a bowl. Crumble the feta or blue cheese and set aside.

2. Cut a chiffonade of the fresh basil by stacking leaves, rolling them into a cylinder, and thinly slicing. Add both to the tomatoes.

3. Season with salt and pepper and arrange on the plate as desired. Drizzle with vinegar and olive oil and serve.

Peach BBQ Sauce

It has to be summer now that the peaches have arrived. It is all things peachy for the next month or so…

This week I want to share a recipe from Marisa McClellan author of Preserving by the Pint. She was at the market in April selling and signing her awesome canning cookbooks. You can find out where to buy this cookbook by visiting her website.

This is a recipe for canning but I like to cut the quantities in half and use it right away.
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Makes 2 (HALF-PINT/250 ML) JARS

Ingredients
1 dry quart yellow peaches (about 2 lb), from Watsonia Farms
3/4 cup/180 ml cider vinegar
1/2 cup/115 g packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup/80 g minced yellow onion, from Hickory Hill Farm
1 garlic clove, crushed, from Goodness Groceries
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons finely milled sea salt, from Beautiful Briny Sea
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While it heats, cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the peaches in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then immediately transfer to the ice water. When cool, remove the peach skins.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat and stir to combine. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the peaches and onions have softened. Using a potato masher, break down the peach pieces. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, until mixture has reduced by about half.

3. Remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender, purée the mixture until smooth (you may have to tip the pan a little to do this) If you don’t have an immersion blender, scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

4. If the sauce is nice and thick, it is done. If it’s still a little watery, return it to the heat and cook a bit longer. At this point, taste it and add more salt or pepper, if necessary.

Celery + green onion soup

Ryan Smith's brilliant green soup was served chilled
and topped with a salad so incredible, it could've stood
on its own.

Ingredients
2 bunches green onions
2 bunches baby celery
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon sea salt
2 cups celery juice
2 each lemons
1 pound razor clams, poached and cleaned and sliced
1/4 loaf sourdough
2 bunches baby carrots, washed and shaved into thin rings

Directions
1. Slightly warm the olive oil up in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cut the white bottoms off the green onions and reserve the tops. Add the onion bottoms to the pot of oil and season with a pinch of salt. Slowly cook the onion bottom stirring constantly to prevent color.
2. While the onions are cooking cut the leaves off the baby celery. Slice the celery stems into inch pieces and add to the pot. Continue to cook the onions and celery for 10 minutes.
3. Add the celery juice and bring to a boil. Once the juice is at a boil add the celery leaves and green onion tops. Cook for 1 minute and take off the heat.
4. Prepare an ice bath and submerge a container into it that will hold the finished soup. Puree the soup in a blender on high until completely smooth. Strain the soup directly into the container in the ice bath. Chill the soup as fast as possible to retain the vibrant green color. Adjust the seasoning and reserve the soup until ready to serve.
5. Dice the sourdough into small bite size pieces. Fry the sourdough in a small pot of oil over medium heat until golden brown.
6. Make a small salad of lemon zest and juice, razor clams, carrots, and the fried sourdough. Season the salad with a little sea salt and olive oil.

To serve
Place 2 ounces of the soup in a bowl. Top the soup with the salad and a little bit of celery leaves and carrot tops.