Cincinnati Urban Farm = Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Owasco Lake Farm

Cincinnati Skyline

I have been growing food since I was a little girl.  I remember our garden at our home on Owasco Lake in upstate New York.  Mom gave my sister and I each our own space.  I remember growing cucumbers and marigolds.

I have always grown some sort of food/herbs and basically lived in a city.   Urban farming is defined by Wikipedia as “the practice of cultivating food in a densely populated area."  Cincinnati definitely qualifies for that. 

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So now I am an Urban Farmer.   I like the term better than gardener.

We grow corn, carrots, beets, beans, cucumbers, herbs, tomatoes, eggplants, watermelon, squash, garlic, onions, peas and garlic.  You probably think I have a huge space.  Not really – 10 feet by 10 feet.  We just plant everywhere.   Watermelon grow best by our AC unit.  Herbs and peppers are mixed with flowers.  Peas grow out of an old fountain that is filled with dirt.    We are creative urban farmers.

I have thought about raising chickens, but thought is all it is.  As, I don’t think my dogs would treat them very well and then of course you are committed to take care of them on a regular basis. 

This weekend I made a Strawberry Rhubarb pie, my husband’s favorite.  Topped with Graeter’s ice cream and you have quite the treat. 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Crisco Pie Crust - I make the double crust.  The top crust I cut and do a lattice pattern.

http://www.crisco.com/recipes/details.aspx?RecipeID=1242

Homemade Rhubarb Pie

For the filling - 2 quarts of freshly washed strawberries and 8 to 10 stalks of Rhubarb depending on size.  Slice the Strawberries and cut the rhubarb in small chunks maybe 1/2 inch pieces.  Mix in a bowl with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and a little lemon zest.   

Put the filling in a pie plate lined with a bottom pie crust.  Cut lattice for the top.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees.  Cook for 45 to 60 more minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pie crust is golden brown.

Serve with Graeters vanilla ice cream. 

Memorial Day, S'mores and Summer Fun

Folding the flag at sunset

Memorial Day unofficially marks the start of summer.  Flags are flown.  Gardens are planted. The neighborhood pools open. Delicious food is cooked on the grill for families and friends picnics.  Days are longer. Nights are warm.


My favorite summertime place is our cottage on the east side of Cayuga Lake.  We have a family cottage shared by 4 generations.  This cottage was passed down from my great-grandmother. As kids we would play outside all day.  We would go to the playground, play store with acorns, make door stopper out of bricks that we would color, swim to the raft and just spend hours gazing at the clouds.  At night we are treated to the beautiful sunsets like in the photo.  

Available at www.svintagecollection.com

Some of the pieces from the summer collection remind me of my grandmother's jewelry.  Big chunky beads and flowers.  I know she would have loved the plucky rooster.


A favorite family meal is Cornell Chicken, fresh corn on the cob, salad and salt potatoes.  After a run to Pete's Treat for an ice cream cone, we may have a special night where we start a campfire.  Some may sing or play guitar, but I just like to stare at the dancing fire.  S'Mores, a special family treat are always served.

S'More

Gephart Family S'More Recipe


Ingredients


Regular size marshmallows
Hershey Chocolate Bars
Plain Graham Crackers




Take two graham crackers and put a piece of chocolate on one half. Find a stick - roast two marshmallows over the flame (be careful) - until they are golden brown or burnt depending on your liking.  Make a sandwich with the graham crackers and chocolate.  Put the marshmallows between the sandwich and pull the stick out.  Enjoy.  They are sticky but delicious.

Who were the China Painters?

Victorian ladies - China painters?

During the late 18^th century women were expected to stay home and have only “feminine” hobbies such as needlepoint or sewing.   Marriage was the main career choice but unmarried women were socially accepted as a governess, teacher or running a boarding house.

This restrictive femininity applied across the board, from fashions and painful corseting (where women often underwent surgery to remove ribs, so they could have an “hour-glass” figure) to the latest, elegant “fainting” couches (now highly collectable) where they could collapse, unable to breathe, from being tightly corseted.

Hand Painted China Dish

Because of the social restrictions of the Victorian age, china painting was one of the few jobs appropriate for proper young women. Even if they did not need to work, Victorian women painted china to express their artistic talents and beautify their homes. Factory and home decorated china did not differ in quality: talented artists worked either place. Unlike machine-made china, no two pieces of hand-painted china are exactly alike - and that is part of its appeal.

No Victorian home could be without a berry set, a large serving dish with matching smaller dishes. Chocolate sets with a tall slender pitcher and matching cups were also popular. Anything made out of china could be hand-painted: parlor lamps, dining room chandeliers, wall tiles, umbrella stands, and porcelain dolls.  I have several family plates that I would never sell, but we do have a few plates available at www.svintagecollection.com.

Despite the significant male cultural biases against Victorian women working as artists, these women represent a growing number who bucked traditions to follow their own artistic creativity.

Here is a Victorian recipe taken from a Victorian cookbook. 

Science in the Kitchen, 1892.  (Science in the kitchen. 
A scientific treatise on food substances and their dietetic properties, together with a practical explanation of the principles of healthful cookery, and a large number of original, palatable, and wholesome recipes. 
By Mrs. E. E. Kellogg, A.M.)

Berry Toast

Add yogurt or icecream

Canned strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries may be made into an excellent dressing for toast. Turn a can of well-kept berries into a colander over an earthen dish, to separate the juice from the berries. Place the juice in a porcelain kettle and heat to boiling. Thicken to the consistency of cream with cornstarch rubbed smooth in a little water; a tablespoonful of flour to the pint of juice will be about the right proportion. Add the berries and boil up just sufficiently to cook the flour and heat the berries; serve hot. If cream for moistening the zwieback is not obtainable, a little juice may be reserved without thickening, and heated in another dish to moisten the toast; or if preferred, the fruit may be heated and poured over the dry zwieback without being thickened, or it may be rubbed through a colander as for Apricot Toast. 

Personally I would use fresh or frozen fruit and serve it over pound cake or yogurt.  I am not a fan of zwieback.

Serve with hot tea.

Visit our website at www.sivintagecollection.com.

Springtime and Swan Babies

Springtime is one of the most beautiful times of the year.  Flowers are beginning to bloom and the wildlife is busy creating and taking care of their young.   I love watching the birds building their nests.   Watching a young bird take its maiden flight is amazing.

SVintageCollection’s Spring Collection was chosen from my experiences with nature.  There are spring colors, flowers, insects and butterflies.

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from our garden

I enjoy planting flowers and our garden.  We grow many things including tomatoes, corn, beans, edamame, garlic, onions, peas, herbs, peppers, eggplant and anything else we can fit in our small spaces.  We have watermelon growing next to our AC unit and herbs and peppers sharing places with our flowers.

We live on the Portage Lakes in Ohio and experience beautiful sunrises and get to listen to beautiful birdsong.  I love to take my kayak out in the morning when it is very still.    I get to experience nature first hand – beautiful plants, ducks, fish and Blue Heron.  This weekend while boating we saw a family of Canadian Geese.  There were 17 little yellow fluffy goslings.  We had a very special treat when we saw the white swans with their little babies.

Swans and Babies on Portage Lakes, Ohio

I chose a recipe for peas and pearl onions – it is very appropriate for a spring dish as peas, mint and onions are early crops.  You can substitute fresh peas for frozen.  I would probably cook fresh peas for maybe one minute instead.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart - http://www.marthastewart.com/317781/peas-and-pearl-onions

Ingredients

            10 ounces red pearl onions

            Coarse salt

            1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) unsalted butter

            2 tablespoons water

            2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen petite green peas

            1/2 cup small fresh mint leaves

Directions

.                 Cut an X in stem end of each onion. Cook in salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and peel.

Heat butter and water in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook for 4 minutes. Stir in peas and 3/4 teaspoon salt, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in mint. Serve immediately.

Vintage Tulip Plates and Chocolate Raspberry Cake

            

Great for cake and ice-cream on birthdays
For Valentines Day it held cold seafood and sauce

I have found three sets of this wonderful dinnerware.  Are they tulips, pansies, or dogwood flowers?   What type of Pottery – California, Ohio?   Researching vintage items is sometimes like searching for a needle in a haystack.   If my readers have any clues, please make sure to comment.

There is also the dilemma should I keep them for myself?  I love these sets, they are so whimsical and different.

three different colors

So the decision for now?   Keep them and serve them with chocolate cake and ice-cream.   That’s what we did last night – they are just so pretty. 

Here’s the recipe for Jeff's Birthday Cake

Compliments of bon appétit

Ingredients

Delicious 

Cake

                    3 eggs

•               2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

•               1 3/4 cups sugar

•               3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•               2 teaspoons baking soda

•               1/4 teaspoon salt

•               1 cup water

•               3/4 cup buttermilk

•               3/4 cup vegetable oil

Chocolate ganache and raspberry topping

•               18 ounces bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), chopped

•               2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

•               6 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, stirred to loosen, divided

•               2 6-ounce containers fresh raspberries

•               Powdered sugar

•               Special Equipment
2 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides

•               Test-Kitchen Tip
A two-step process ensures a picture-perfect dessert. First, a thin layer of ganache is spread over the cake and chilled briefly to set (this is called a crumb coat). Another layer of ganache is then poured over the cake, which gives the treat a smooth finish.

•               Equipment Tip
This recipe calls for two 9-inch cake pans with 2-inch-high sides, which is a bit deeper than an average cake pan. You can find these pans at kitchen supply stores and restaurant supply stores, or buy them online at surlatable.com or culinarydistrict.com.

Preparation

Cake

•               Position racks in top and bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Coat two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray rounds. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into large bowl; whisk to blend and form well in center. Whisk 1 cup water, buttermilk, oil, and eggs in medium bowl to blend. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients; whisk just to blend. Divide cake batter between prepared pans (about 3 cups each).

•               Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. (If cakes form domes, place kitchen towel atop hot cakes, then press gently with palm of hand to level.) Cool completely in pans on cooling racks. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover cakes in pans and let stand at room temperature.

Chocolate ganache and raspberry topping

•               Place chopped chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream just to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then stir until ganache is melted and smooth. Transfer 1 1/4 cups ganache to small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ganache is thick enough to spread, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm.

•               Place rack inside rimmed baking sheet. Carefully run knife around pan edges to release cakes. Invert 1 cake layer onto cardboard round or bottom of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Peel off parchment paper. Place cake layer on round on prepared rack. Spread 3 tablespoons jam over top. Spoon dollops of chilled ganache over, then spread evenly. Invert second cake layer onto another cardboard round or tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper. Carefully slide cake off round and onto frosted cake layer on rack. Spread remaining 3 tablespoons raspberry jam over top of second cake layer. Pour half of barely lukewarm ganache over cake, spreading over sides to cover. Freeze until ganache sets, about 30 minutes. Pour remaining ganache over cake, allowing to drip down sides and spreading over sides if needed for even coverage and to smooth edges. Freeze to set ganache, about 30 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours before continuing.

•               Arrange raspberries in concentric circles atop cake. Sift powdered sugar lightly over raspberries and serve.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/06/chocolate_raspberry_layer_cake#ixzz1tcz4FVqG