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Plum and Cardamom Preserves
7 1/2 c. pitted, chopped plums (about 3-3.5 lbs)
6 c. sugar
1.5 c. water
1 t. + 1 t. ground cardamom
Makes ~3.5 pints
Sterilize 4 pint jars, lids, and rings according to your favorite method.  (I heat the jars in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, and boil the lids and rings for 10 […]

Simplest Summer Fruit Melange
1 handful strawberries, trimmed & sliced
1 handful blackberries
1 handful sweet cherries, pitted & halved
1-2 T. fresh mint, chopped
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
Combine strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and mint in a bowl.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to coat.
Note: You can cut and mix the fruit ahead of time, but don’t add the mint […]

Danish Braid with Nectarine & Strawberry Butter Filling

This month I joined the Daring Bakers!  After drooling over the opera cake at Sugarlaws and Feeding Maybelle last month, I decided I would throw my hat into the ring and learn to bake something new.
And then…. I read this month’s challenge and questioned my decision — a […]

Quick Citrus Pickled Red Onions
from Chow.com
Makes 3-4 cups
2 medium red onions, cored, sliced into very thin (1/16 inch) rounds
1/2 c. lime juice (fresh squeezed is preferable - about 4-5 limes)
1 c. orange juice (fresh squeezed is preferable - about 5 oranges)
1 t. sugar
1 T. pickling salt (any non iodized salt will do, such as sea […]

 
Beet Towers with Farmers Cheese and Oranges
2 medium beets, washed, greens removed
1 small orange (Cara-cara are my favorites)
~ 2-4 T. farmers cheese or good quality ricotta
Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400. Wrap beets in a foil packet and roast for about 1 hour, or until beets are tender and can be easily pierced with a […]

Blood Orange Marmalade with Rosemary
Adapted from The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld
2.5 lbs blood oranges
2 large meyer lemons
6 cups cold water
8 cups sugar
6 6-in sprigs rosemary, wrapped in a single layer of cheesecloth and tied with twine
Special Equipment:
6 pints worth of canning jars (I used three pint jars plus 6 half-pint jars), and corresponding […]

Suyo Long Cucumbers : a slender asian variety

Tigger Melons : 1 pound fruits with stunning red and yellow stripes

Pantano Romanesco Tomatoes : medium sized red with hints of purple

Seedlings on the windowsill. (5 tomatoes: Purple Russian, Dr. Wychee’s Yellow, Pantano Romanesco, Riesentraube, Fuzzy Yellow; 2 cucumbers: Mexican Sour Gherkin, Suyo Long; purple […]