spicy hot cabbage

Calderon was selling cabbage for one dollar a head.



In the 5" oval layer
Two jalapenos chopped in rings or as taste permits.
One or two sweet peppers (red bell or as available) chopped in small strips. Balagellata had smallish sweet pepper.
One garlic clove chopped small
Place one layer of cabbage down and dust with 1/4 teaspoon of fine ground yellow mustard powder.
Repeat until the entire cabbage is in the pot.
Dust an 1/8 of a teaspoon asafetida on top.
Cut half a yellow onion in strips and layer on top.
Drip two tablespoons olive oil.

Cook for two hours in the winter position, mix through the pot, and serve warm.

Brussel sprouts in a mustard dressing

Calderon Farms had their brussel sprout stalks back. There are about 60 sprouts crowded on a stalk that looks like a deadly weapon- on of those curmudgeons featured in cave men movies.

Snip 15 sprouts off. Cut the larger ones in half.
Put in the 5" oval and cook in the winter position for two hours- more if you like it soft. If you use the reflector cut the cooking time in half.

Meanwhile mix
Two tablespoons olive oil
half a teaspoon fine yellow mustard power
1/8 of a teaspoon cayenne.
ground sea salt and pepper to taste.
three green onions cut small.

When done mix the dressing with the hot sprouts and serve.

Spicy dandelions and brussel sprouts and arugula.

Happy New Year. Yesterday was the winter solstice and at 4:10 AM the earth stopped its outward swing and was pulled back in orbit toward the sun. As the sun heads north our days will get longer. Today was a glorious sunny morning. However not trusting the fervor of the rain god to supply water for our crops, I put on the reflector and used the oven in the winter position. Good thing, because just ofter the food was cooked (I started at 9:00 AM) the clouds moved in.

Yesterdays at the farmers market our suppliers from Calderon, Hollister, had celery, dandelion (no chard this far north) and large pretty looking brussel sprouts. Barbagelata Farms from Linden had peppers, onions, garlic, beens, cauliflower, nuts, apples, and tomatoes. Bill Ferry Ranches has a mix of nuts. J&M Farms from Fresno had chard, arugula, and red peppers. Sonoma Oil Company doesn't come around this time of year so you better have stalked up on supplies of vinegar and oil. Spring Hill had a variety of cheeses about a month ago. They still come to the San Mateo Farmers Market.

Chop one bunch dandelions thin and then soak in water. Drain.
In the 5" oval pot layer:
Half a red onion chopped small.
Two stalks celery chopped small.
Two cloves garlic chopped tiny.
One jalapeno chopped small.
Two tablespoons Olive oil.
Sea salt crystals to taste.
Dandelions.
Black pepper to taste.

Cook for 90 minutes.
Squeeze half a lemon. Sprinkle one tablespoon vinegar.
Mix, drain and set the liquid aside for stock.
Mix in a tablespoon of nuts.
Let cool and serve as a side.

Brussel Sprouts.
Cut in half six to eight sprouts.
Chop one clove garlic tiny. Mix with one tablespoon olive oil.
Dip cut sprouts in the oil and layer in the 5" round pot.
Salt with the sea salt grinder.
Cook for 90 minutes with the oval pot (see Dandelions above.)
Sprinkle with ground black pepper and serve hot.
Remaining liquid can be added to stock.

Arugula.
Chop one stalk celery small.
Chop one small apple small.
Chop one red pepper small.
Chop one sweet pepper small.
Drizzle one tablespoon vinegar toss and mix.
Salt and pepper toss and mix.
Top with Arugula.
Pour two tablespoon olive oil and mix, then mix through the whole salad.
Grind pepper to taste.
Shred generously a salty goat cheese like feta over before serving. Since the Spring Hill feta was not salty I salted the Arugula instead.

Cauliflower eggplant curry

At the Belmont Farmer's Market Calderon has most of the item, the table across has the rest.

Layer in the 7" round
One small cauliflower with flowerettes roughly removed.
One large tomato quartered (if you don't use a tomato squeeze half a lemon after the pot is cooked.)
One serrano chile cut in thin strips
One clove garlic chopped fine
one half inch ginger chopped fine
One small red onion cut in thin strips
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
two teaspoons cumin
Two large Japanese eggplants cut into one inch cubes
two teaspoons hot curry powder
two tablespoons Olive oil
salt to taste

Cook for two hours (longer after the fall equinox.) in the summer position. Top with a handful fine chopped cilantro and mix breaking up the now soft cauliflower and tomato (remove the skins which come right off) into small pieces.
Let sit for ten minutes covered before serving with rice.

fresh corn salsa and factory processing

Whole Foods meat recall shows the problems with organics and other foods getting integrated into the factory food price reduction models. These problems are characteristic of large processing problem and date back to the birth of cheap energy and mechanized agriculture. The early response was pasteurization which was sold as a medical advance when in reality it was only a means to clean milk dirtied by process and maintain factory margins.

The farmers market on the other hand allows small batch processing which reduces the likelihood of contamination. The recent recall on tomatoes that was changed to Jalapenos from Mexico is a simila case in point.

Summer markets abound with produce. Calderon had a selection on Sunday that allowed me to buy from only one vendor. Given that they are closest to us this was way past cool.

The salsa is similar to a salsa cruda.

One large tomato chopped small.
Four spring onions chopped small.
Handfull of cilantro chopped small.
Half of a sweet white corn, kernels removed (run a knife down the cob) and then scrape the cob with the back of the knife to remove the sweet kernel centers.
One poblano or jalapeno chopped tiny seeds an all to your taste.
Juice of one avergae size lemon.

Mix and salt and eat with chips or tortilla.