A Blueberry Buckle Bonus for Avoiding Mayflies

This is a Mayfly

This is a small sample of their gathering behavior. They tend to
fly up when you approach so I couldn't get a picture of our
walls "decorated" with tens of thousands of them. They fill they air and
the droning sound of their beating wings is unbelievably loud. They live just
one day and in the morning we sweep up dust pans full of them.

Clear Lake's tourist season usually begins in May.  This year concern for the Corona Virus has caused some annual events to reschedule or cancel.Unusually chilly weather has slowed the opening of cottages. However one crowd has not been deterred. I don't think the Mayflies read the Clear Lake Mirror Reporter, watch television, listen to the radio, or go onto the Internet.  Nope, they lurk around rocks in the lake until ready to mate. This Iowa DNR article points out there are between 70 and 95 species in our lakes. file:///Users/RaeAir/Downloads/mayfly.pdf  

This one from Michigan State University describes their life cycle and celebrates them as a sign of healthy bodies of water.   https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/the_mayflies_are_coming_time_to_celebrate

Well, I celebrated by deciding to stay inside and tidy up the freezer rather than working in the garden breathing in scores of pests. Imagine my surprise to discover a lovely small container of Blueberry Buckle nestled between the applesauce and chocolate cake, next to the green beans and smooshed up tomatoes, and underneath the packages of pork roast and creamed corn. 

Thawed and heated up it made a lovely addition to breakfast. 

Easily made Blueberry Buckle features a simple cake topped with
a layer of fresh (or frozen) blueberries and a cinnamon and
sugar streusel.  Whipped cream is a delightful addition.

Blueberry Buckle

1 pint blueberries--Although  this is better with fresh berries, you may use frozen

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
12 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan and set aside.

Stir sugar, flour, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Cut the butter into this mixture until crumbly and set aside.

Buckle Cake

1/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1/3 cup milk

Cream the butter and sugar well. Stir in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, if using Add alternately with milk to the cereamed mixture. Pour into the prepared pan. Kerplunk the berries on top of the dough so that a lay jut one berry deep completely covers the batter. Sprinkle with topping.. Bake until the berries are bubbly around the edges and the topping i a light golden brown, about 25 to 35 minutes.

Signs of Summer from a Stay-Sheltered Kitchen

Ice has been out for a few weeks, but so far spring has been cold and windy.  We've even had two small snow storms! The dock crews have been working as best as they can. It feels good to see some signs of normal activity.

This has been a strange time. With the Corona virus ravaging communities across the nation, we've been pretty fortunate here in north Iowa.  At this writing there are 13 identified cases with another 6 suspected. The businesses around town have expanded drive-up and delivery services. Churches and schools are closed. So distance worshiping and learning are the new form of interaction. Many of us are simply staying inside. Going to the store only when absolutely necessary. And then wearing masks and gloves and disinfecting when we come home. Strange times indeed.

Which brings me to canned goods.  I usually stock up in the fall just in case we get snowed in.  So I've had a goodly supply of vegetables.  But sometimes canned goods need what we used to call "doctoring up."   You can only make so much chili with the kidney beans. And as healthy as they are, canned green beans lack the snappy flavor of fresh.  And without lettuce it is hard to have a green salad.

So bean salads to the rescue.  These two recipes are easily made family favorites. The kidney bean salad from my childhood is not only a nice alternative to potato salad, it could fill in for a main course as well. The green bean salad recipe is from the 1880s. Of course you could put any seasoning you like into the vinegar dressing-- Italian or Mexican spice blends would work just fine.  But I find that I like the more unusual blend of mace, cloves, dry mustard, cayenne, ginger, and horseradish. Both salads keep in the refrigerator for two or three days.

Pickled Green Beans  based on an 1883 recipe 

1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon mustard seed, or 1/8 teaspoon ground dry mustard

½ teaspoon grated horseradish

1 cup vinegar

3 cups cooked green beans (2 cans)

5 thin slices of peeled fresh ginger, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger

In a small non-reactive saucepan combine the seasonings with vinegar and bring just to boiling. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. In a non-reactive bowl combine the beans and ginger. Pour the warm vinegar mixture over the beans and set aside for at least 6 hours at room temperature, stirring from time to time. Beans will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Kidney Bean Salad

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup diced celery

2 tablespoons minced onion

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise 

Combine all ingredients and mix well.. Refrigerate at least half an hour before serving.. Stir well before serving. Bean Salad will keep up to two days in the refrigerator. 

SWEET CORN!!!!

First of the season purchased today from the Harrington pick-up truck in the old K-Mart parking lot.

I don't need to say anymore.  You can imagine!

A fine reward for picking up four bags of branches knocked down by the horrific wind storm yesterday afternoon. We were lucky. There are trees and substantial branches down around town. The yard waste site was pretty busy yesterday evening.

Happy summer foods.. not so happy summer extreme weather.

The Recipe --

boil or grill.. slather on butter.. and eat!

Even Better... the Glorious Fourth -- with freezer raiding treats and tasty leftovers

Perfect--Iowa-- weather filled the days during the week surrounding the Fourth of July celebration. We  had two super steamy days, then more moderate temperatures with a "scurry up the dock steps" threat of thunderstorm. Rain delayed the fireworks until Friday, but the display was well worth the wait.  All of us on the deck declared "the best ever!"

There were other shows, too, including causal air show fly-overs beginning with the B-17 on Saturday and Sunday from the real air show at the airport. The sea plane made several landings and take-offs at our end of the lake, and on the Fourth the biplanes flew over in formation. Quite a sight to see!

All manner of boats, including some woodies from the 1940s and 50s, a very large inflated flamingo and an even larger inflated pelican--this one towed by a jet ski-- filled the lake. At times it seemed as though one could walk across the boats rafted  up at State Park Beach.

I had the freezer well-stocked,. Or so I thought until the hungry -- growing -- boys arrived.

Loaves of zucchini bread, sweet-potato cinnamon rolls, and the Berry Bread disappeared before the week's visit was completed. But that is, after all, why they were there.

We had enough good food to last the week and we had planned well enough so we didn't have to go to the store too often. We grilled meat from Louis Fine Meats, enjoyed meal out at PM Park, crafted the left-overs into sandwiches, pizza, and quesadilla. Gobbled our Farmer's Market vegetables and fruits while we looked longingly at the too-slow progress in our vegetable garden and berry patch.

With the company headed home, time to tidy the cottage for the next round of guests, do the laundry, and convert the bits of leftovers into unexpected delights.  Ham bone in the freezer for winter soup. Yogurt Cheese: I spooned the plain and vanilla yogurt into a coffee-filter-lined sieve and let it drain overnight. Then put the thickened almost cheese in a thin cotton dish towel and hung it up over a bowl to drain for a few more hours.  Plunked the cream cheese like mixture in a container and back in the fridge. Berry Bread: I took the leftover strawberries, cherries, and eggs and made another batch of Berry Bread. Tasted great, but as the strawberries faded a bit it isn't as pretty as the original loaf made with blueberries.  I made more of that, too.  Here's the recipe.

Always good to have this terrific Berry Bread in the freezer.

Berry Bread (Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Roman Breakfast Cake in the New York Times)

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
6 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons, loosely packed,  finely grated lemon zest
     from one huge or two regular lemons
1/2 cup vegetable oil -- such as Wesson
3 tablespoons lemon juice -- more or less depending on what you get from the zested lemons
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups blueberries -- you can also use raspberries, very firm diced peaches, and / or blackberries.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the baking pans by greasing them well and dusting with flour.  OR use the "baking spray" right before putting the pans in the oven.  Loaves can have an tendency to stick, so be generous. I bake this in three loaves -- the foil kind roughly 7 x 3 x 2 1/2.  You can use any pan you like and adjust the baking time.

Combine the flour and baking powder and set aside. Have the rest of your ingredients measured out and at hand. You don't want to shilly-shally mixing this up.

With an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. Combine the sugar and lemon peel in your electric mixer bowl and knead with your hands until the lemon aroma fills the room! Or so it will seem.  Add the egg yolks and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes making a thick, pale batter. Add the oil and continue mixing for another 3 minutes. Then stir in the lemon juice and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well blended. Next, using a rubber spatula, gently fold about a third of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Then fold in the rest, adding the berries just before the egg whites are completely mixed in.

Pour the batter into prepared pans filling them about 2/3 full. Place pans on baking sheet and bake until firm in the center, about 35 minutes for the loaf pans. Remove from oven and put the pans on a cooling rack on their sides for about 10 minutes, flipping them to the other side once. Remove loaves from pans and place breads on the cooling rack. You may find it useful to run a dinner knife around the edges if necessary to help loosen. Continue to cool on their sides

Note: fruit frequently sinks to the bottom third of the loaf.  That's just fine!

Makes 3 loaves  approximately 7 x 3 x 1 1/2
Loaves keep well in the refrigerator for a week, OR in the freezer for months.. I wrapped them in Press-N-Seal, returned them to the foil baking pans and put them in a heavy freezer zippered bag, pressing out as much air as possible.

Best Memorial Day Ever? Sure Seemed Like It

Saturday and Sunday could not have been more perfect. Temperatures in the high 70s, light breeze, fulsome sun all day.  Delicious bbq aromas wafted through the neighborhoods. Driveways were filled with parked cars as folks arrived to open up cottages and entertain guests.

Jet skis, sail boats, motor launches--several pulling water skiers and floaties filled with thrilled children yelling their delight, and even the Lady of the Lake took full advantage of the beautiful CLEAR water. Many fish were caught. Some tossed back in, some brought up to be dinner guests.

Monday's weather was not as fine, but even that provided a chance for folks to clean up, pack up, and depart for the shortened work week ahead.

The back-and-forth winter-to-spring temperature rollercoaster weather this year had me with a mix of seasonal foods to use up for the weekend entertaining. So I pulled out my copy of Potluck Paradise for a favorite recipe and made---

Waldorf Sweet Potato Salad 

Sweet potatoes, apples, and walnuts are a perfect combination. 

2 cups sweet potatoes peeled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes and cooked until just tender
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup cored and chopped apple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup, or more, mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped walnuts for garnish

Gently mix the potatoes, celery and apples in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Stir in mayonnaise to taste. Chill for at least half an hour before serving.

Serves 6 -8 and will keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Rhubarb!!!!!

Between cold temperatures, being new plants, and the deer nibbling. my garden rhubarb crop is slow...and, let's face it... sparse.

So Thank Goodness for Clear Lake Farmer's Market Opening Day!

The market was filled with great foods!  Especially rhubarb.  I came home with three pounds of beautifully packed stems from Red Shed Gardens.

Now I could have made pie, but my new favorite rhubarb recipe is a rhubarb preserve. I discovered it in an issue of The Homemaker from 1900. The key to success is taking your time and careful measuring.  The reward--tangy sauce with nearly candied pieces of rhubarb.  Tasty by the spoonful, delightful warmed over ice cream, scrumptious drizzled over cake, or just dandy dabbed on a simple saltine with a bit of cheese -- perhaps from Lost Lake Farm who will be back at the Market on the first Saturday of each month.

1900 Rhubarb Jam 

1 pound rhubarb (about 4 cups when sliced into 1/4-inch slices)
1 pound granulated sugar (2 cups)

It is best to make this measuring your ingredients by weight. But it will work if you do just measure by cups.  I've found it best to make no more than a pound at a time.

Slice the rhubarb across the stalks into 1/4-inch pieces. If the stalks are wide, slice them in half lengthwise as well. Mix the sliced rhubarb and sugar. Let the mixture stand for at least 8, and up to 24, hours in a cool place. You can put it in the refrigerator, especially if your kitchen is warm. Give it a stir now and then as the rhubarb juices are released. Or, if you put the mixture in a zippered freezer bag, you can just smoosh them with your hands.

When it is time to make the sauce, pour the rhubarb, accumulated juices, and any remaining undissolved sugar into a heavy pot or pan with a 10- to 12-inch bottom. A frying pan with sides at least 2-inches high works well. You want the mixture to come into even contact with the heat. Begin cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently. DO NOT walk away from the stove. As the juices begin to thicken, they bubble up and could overflow or stick. This can happen as fast as it takes to look at a text. So don't do that either. Continue cooking and stirring until the juices have thickened and the pieces of rhubarb look translucent. When you pull a silicone spatula or spoon across the bottom, the jam moves to the sides and you can see the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Cool and enjoy. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Serve at room temperature, or slightly warmed.  NOTE: I have been known to keep this in the fridge for longer than 2 weeks.  If it thickens, add hot water by the tablespoon, and stir carefully to loosen it up.

Makes about 2 cups of delicious preserves.


Copyright 2019 Rae K. Eighmey all rights reserved.

Summer's Bounty is Starting and So It's Time to Finish Up Last Year's Crops

From the sound of it today -- Summer is here!  The dock crews have been busy on our shore all day today. The installed docks are quickly supplied with boat hoists.  Just in time to be ahead of the predicted five days of rain.

The past few days have finally felt seasonable for yard work, too.  Managed to get inside the garden fence to do some digging. This year I hope to stretch the sunny garden space by putting planter boxes and even pots along the edge. That's where the spinach, lettuce, and lunch-box peppers will grow. I've also tried some green beans. It will be much easier to walk around the growing tomatoes to the cucumbers without risk of stepping on those ground-level crops. Tripods are set up to support the pole beans and the peas are getting ready to climb up their own supports. 

If you look closely at the full garden picture you'll see the holes in the background ready for the heritage variety tomato plants and the watering jugs I bury next to them so I can get liquid fertilizer directly to their roots. Six small plants from Seed Savers are hardening off on the back porch ... but I got impatient. So.....

This patio tomato plant, complete with flowers, just happened to fall into the cart while we were shopping at the garden center. Some hearty, yet leggy, basil plants came home with us too, to join the already potted up parsley, rosemary, and lemon thyme. 

Some hearty, yet leggy, basil plants came home with us too,

to join the already potted up parsley, rosemary, and lemon thyme.

But here's the opportunity.  I still have a couple of bags of peeled, seeded, roughly chopped tomatoes in the freezer.  When we've tomatoes in abundance, I just toss them in zipper freezer bags. All winter I pull those out for making soup or chili.  But now I have some fresh produce. So I made a Winter-Summer Pasta. 

Winter-Summer Pasta

1 bag home-frozen tomatoes -- about 8 medium

1 small can tomato paste, optional 

Fresh herbs, finely chopped -- basil, thyme, rosemary -- or your preference 

pasta

Thaw the bag of tomatoes in a large bowl. Drain off the accumulated juices and put into your pasta cooking pot. Add just enough water for the pasta to boil comfortably. You want them to absorb as much of the "tomato water" as possible. While the pasta is cooking, heat the tomatoes, If you want a slightly thicker sauce, stir in a tablespoon or two of the tomato paste. Off heat, stir in the herbs, reserving some for garnish. Drain pasta, plate and add sauce. 

Leftover sauce will keep in the fridge for a couple of days, or can be frozen for the next time winter temperatures come along this spring. Hey!  It's north Iowa.  It happens.