Backyard Farmgals

It's early morning, the clouds are thick on the mountains with bits of red and vibrant orange colors from the leaves peeking out in various patches.  Rain has come and will soon be disappearing up and over the mountains, on with it's journey.  These are my favorite days.  Every year, I fall madly in love with fall.  I love everything about it.  I love that crisp feeling in the air and the way the light changes to highlight the colors that appear and give them a sort of vibrance you don't see anywhere else.  The leaves lightly falling to the ground and the storms that roll through the valley that remind you winter is coming and invite you to enjoy the moment that you are in. With all of this comes a desire to cook and preserve, I am not sure why.  Maybe it's the whispers of the generations of women that came before me that relied on the harvest being "put up" so they could eat through the winter.  Or perhaps it is just the comfort that come...

Okay... I know it sounds a little weird.  Rhubarb + beer = jam... what???  Actually this turned out completely divine.  For those of you who steer clear of the spirits, let me reassure you that the alcohol cooks out, I mean really cooks out, what remains after 215ºF is the most fantastic array of flavors.  Sweet and sour with a little of that malted wheat and barley flavor in the background.  It is divine, and I am not exaggerating! As I was cooking this up, my mind kept wandering to what it would compliment and one word seemed to stick out: PORK!  I bought a half of a pasture raised organic butchered pig from Clifford Family Farm last fall.  I never thought we would eat through it all.  Let me tell you... this pig has been delicious!  My family has eagerly gobbled it down and we are looking forward to purchasing another this fall.  (Don't you love knowing your farmer and how your food was grown?  I do!)  I pressure ...

Let's just start by saying that this salad ultimately rocked my world!!!  I was given a fabulous little trio of local jams by a dear friend, and I simply thought that it would be shameful if they were used just for toast.  So I concocted this little recipe based on Amour Spread's Savory Heirloom Tomato Jam. Let me tell you just a bit about this company.  It was started by accident, as most great things are.  The woman who owns it is here in Utah, and she makes marvelous jams.  I admit...I did do a little homemade bread toasting to see where I stood on her jams, and THEY ARE AWESOME!  This woman is a jam goddess, to put it simply.  Her fruit has great texture and firmness, it is not mushy and the sugar does not overpower the fruit as is the case with so many other jams.  The jam is made from all local fruit, so it supports local farmers and local business, which I love, and she has some very interesting flavors and combinations.  Her pro...

I've gone a little nuts...with the jam that is.  I have made oodles of it this year, but this one is by far, the most outstanding of any jam I have made.  I was inspired by another vendor at the farmer's market and thought I could make my own, and make it better.  I think that the key to this is using really, really, horribly ripe apricots.  So ripe that they fall apart when you peel them and your hands are coated in juice.  I made another batch with not so ripe fruit and it was good, but not fantastic. I am really in love with the flavor combination and with the lime juice.  It brightens the whole flavor and surprises your taste buds.  I used the lime juice and zest because I loved the little flecks of green zest in the orange jam.  What can I say...orange and green...I must be a child of the 70's!  The ginger plays a lovely role after the jam has cooled, you get this sweet spiciness in your mouth toward the end of your bite.  It's ...

Red currants in the garden. Call me old fashioned, but I love currants.  I have bushes of them all over my yard.  They are multipurpose; giving me both landscape appeal year round and delicious tart little antioxidant packed berries.   Currants are amazing in so many ways.  They are loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants which are both excellent for boosting your immune system.  Currants also have a cooling effect on the body.  They have been used for burns and fevers in times past.  An old remedy for sore throats was to take a tablespoon of currant jelly, dissolved hot water and then sipped slowly.  The high vitamin C and cooling effect calmed inflammation in the throat and helped to get rid of the illness.  Currants are really an asset in the garden, in so many ways.  However, they are a PAIN to pick!  They hang from the limbs of the bush in little bundles and can be a bit time consuming to pick and them de-stem.  With al...