More Good Thymes in The Kitchen

Holy Pig, It's Another Year!

2012-01-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

Holy Cow (or should I say Pig) it's another year!! Just for fun, I hoped the Chinese animal of the year would be the pig since I'm writing about it - but no - its the THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON, 2012---01/23/2012 - 02/09/2013 (Water) The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal signs. The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. In ancient China, the celestial Dragon represents an emperor and power. Today, it is the ultimate auspicious symbol signifying success and happiness. May the celestial Dragon bring great good luck to everyone.

In Sung Dynasty (a Chinese imperial dynasty lasting from AD 960 - 1279) texts, the dragon is described as having the head of an ox, muzzle of a donkey, eyes of a shrimp, horns of a deer, body of a serpent covered with fish scales, and feet of a phoenix. The dragon usually clutches a pearl symbolic of its super-natural powers. Invariably accompanied by thunder and rain, dragons move like lightning and whirlwinds - - all powerful yet totally unpredictable.

But this year in terms of herbs is the year of the Rose. The International Herb Society selects a special herb each year and this one is the year of the rose, so look for extra special notes on our love of eating roses - we like to make rose tea and also rose jam - but that's another blog - they won't be blooming around here 'til June!

For now, we'd like to say Happy New Year to all our followers and wish you the best of luck in the upcoming year! There are all kinds of food/good luck traditions associated with the new year and since my husband and I have a German background, we go with what we know - it is good luck in our heritage to eat pork and sauerkraut on 01-01-0-whatever!!

For years, we'd just hung out, usually hung over, on New Year's Day until about 15 or so years ago when our brother-in-law mentioned this lucky meal that must be consumed on the first day of each year. He was working in his family re-upholstering business at the time with a couple of bachelor uncles who cooked lunch for them each day at work, (I know, how special is that!) so Rick was around great food all the time and enjoyed cooking it, as well as eating it. He went into great detail of how he made the lucky new year meal and to this day, we have said "I want to make sure we're lucky" so have adapted this meal to our new year's day tradition.

What we need:
3# pork shoulder roast, (I use,bone in)
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary or Sage, optional
2-3 large garlic cloves, peeled and cut into 12-15 slivers
1 quart of sauerkraut (I use my own homemade)
2-3 onions, sliced
oil as needed

How we do it:
Poke a lot of holes in your roast with a paring knife and poke in the garlic slivers. Then, give the roast a good rub with lots of salt, pepper and finely chopped herbs. I heat a bit of oil in a cast iron Dutch oven to shimmery and then place in the roast, and sear it on 4 all sides. When you get to the second side, throw in the onions along side and cook them to translucent, stirring to make sure they don't burn. Once the onions are cooked and all sides of the pork are seared, add your quart of sauerkraut and then rinse the jar almost full with water and pour over. Cover with an oven safe lid or foil and put into a 350° oven for a few hours, checking now and then for the pork to begin to get tender.

This is a great meal to have on the day after New Year's, because it really does the work itself. You can just lie on the couch and read and savor your last day of the holiday season, or you can busy yourself taking down some of the decorations, or if it's between rain storms like it was here yesterday, you can go out and rake some leaves you didn't get to the year before.

Mashed potatoes with this meal is a MUST! So, when you notice after several hours that the pork is "beginning to break", turn the oven down to 300°, peel a few russets, cube and boil in salt water til done (about 20 minutes). Then, mash them with a bit of butter and milk to the consistency you like and dinner is ready!

Applesauce is a great accompaniment to this meal if you have some around! And, really, when I make sauerkraut and sausage (just heat in the skillet for 20-30 minutes) I always fine chop a nice apple, peel on, to cook in with the sauerkraut for a little added sweetness.

It's great comfort food and our lives have been pretty darn lucky, so I urge you to try this tradition on New Year's Day, or just any old day!!

- Posted by Janet

Warm Your Home (and Your Plate) with Oven Roasted Tomatoes!

2011-10-20T11:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing tastes fresher than a tomato straight from the garden with a leaf of basil and bite of mozzarella. This is my husbands favorite after work snack. We grew 4th of July tomatoes exclusively last year because we love their compact size, firm texture, and the fact that they really begin getting ripe in July! And,here it is October already (a fact I can't believe as I am having a baby in early December, and I keep asking my husband if maybe I haven't forgotten a few months in between October and December??!) and those little 4th of July's are still trying to ripen! Alas, the rainy and cool weather of autumn causes our tomatoes to lose some of their earlier freshness - they split, mold, never seem to ripen, and succumb to other sad maladies. I hate to see them just drop to the ground and turn to zombie spit, so this year Mom and I decided to gather them all up and make something good with them. The following recipe is easy...not too much measuring involved. It will make your house smell like an Italian Bistro and you may find yourself humming that ol' tune "when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's amore..." at least that's what happened to us.

Ingredients:
A large colander worth of red tomatoes
A liberal handful of basil, chopped
Head of garlic, slivered
Large yellow onion, course chopped
Drizzle of olive oil (about 4 Tbsp)
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degree.

Rinse tomatoes and cut into roughly 1 1/2 inch chunks...if you are using the glorious 4th of July tomatoes this will mean quartering, but do what you need to with what you have. Make sure to remove any late season black-mildewy-weirdness.

Place evenly between two 9"x13" pans. Divide the basil, garlic and onion between the two pans and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Give them a stir.

Cook in preheated oven for 45 minutes - an hour, depending on your tomatoes juiciness level. A little blackening adds that delicious roasted flavor! Cool and store in airtight containers in the freezer.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as is over your favorite pasta or ravioli with a dash of fresh Parmesan!

- or - Throw a batch in the food processor to get a nice smooth sauce for pizza. My husband strongly dislikes the skins and processing them takes care of that. We also blanched and peeled a batch of the tomatoes prior to oven roasting...a bit time consuming but you get a smoother texture.

-Posted by Bethany

MOJITO - FUN IN A CUP!

2011-09-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, we fell in love with mojitos! They transport us to a tropical island, so are usually a summertime dalliance for us. It's fall now and the days are hot, and the night are not, and its dry, and beautiful. We like to invite over a couple friends and relax on the deck, gazing at our verdant garden.

And, lately, we adjusted our way of making them to a simpler, more user friendly version, thus allowing the bartender to get into the party too and not to just be the mixer!

We make a super-strong spearmint syrup instead of mulling the sugar and mint leaves. This cuts down on the work by a ton. So, feel free to give this new way a try and see yet another way to enjoy infusions.

THYME GARDEN MOJITOS:
CAUTION: These are strong, so use a whiskey tumbler, not a tall glass.

Ingredients:Ice cubes
1-1/2 shots of spearmint syrup
1-1/2 shots of light rum
Juice of 1/2 lime
Lots of ice
Top off with Club Soda or Tonic Water
Spearmint leaves for decor

Directions:

Make a strong Spearmint Simple Syrup Infusion by dissolving 1 cup of white sugar in 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, add a handful of fresh spearmint leaves and let steep, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain off leaves. Chill.

Get out a favorite glass and fill with ice cubes.Add your shot and a half of rum.

Pour in your Spearmint Syrup.

Squeeze in your lime juice.

Add your choice of bubbly water.

Give a stir and drop in the mint leaves.

Take it along on a walk through your herb garden!

Chicken Roulade: An Elegant Dinner Idea

2011-07-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Our luncheon season is beginning to come to a close, and we've enjoyed every one! We've hosted birthday parties, book clubs, and red hatters this year, and the following is one of the recipes we've perfected that's wowed and awed our luncheon visitors. You can also use dried basil in this recipe if you don't have fresh available.

Ingredients:4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 asparagus spears
1/4 lb thin sliced Black Forest ham
4 slices provolone cheese
12 large basil leaves

Night Before: Blanch the asparagus spears for 3-4 minutes. Drain and run cold water over to stop cooking process and set aside.
Flatten the chicken breasts to 1/3" thick. This is best done with a small cast iron skillet (a rolling pin or wine bottle also works.)

Place chicken breasts skin side down on a clean work surface. Layer each individual breast with basil leaves.

Add a layer of black forest ham...

Add a slice of provolone...

Add three asparagus spears across short side near one end...

Roll the breasts lengthwise, allowing asparagus ends to stick out the ends.
Tuck chicken ends in. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This step makes them much easier to work with later.
Breading Ingredients:1 egg, mix in 2 tsp water, beat with fork
2/3 cup herbal bread crumbs
1/3 cup parmesan

In Morning: Dredge chicken rolls in the egg and water mixture. Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan and bread the chicken. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

At Cooking Time: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken seam side down on lightly sprayed or wax paper lined tray. Cook 15 minutes, turn and cook another 10-15 minutes, until topping is golden and chicken feels firm. We like to slice the cooked roulades on a diagonal into four sections - an electric knife works great for this - and then fan them out a little on the plate to highlight the layers inside. Janet makes an awesome mustard sauce to finsih off this dish - maybe she'll share it sometime if you're lucky!

Serving suggestions: Serve with a side of Marinated Carrots and Fresh Pasta!

A Walk Through a Rainy Day Garden

2011-05-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, May 26, and there's been no sun today. Continuous rain. I know we shouldn't complain with tornadoes and hurricanes and all the loss going on elsewhere, but this week and next week are our "vacation" weeks....before we begin luncheons during the weekdays, aka as our "days off" from the nursery business. The seed orders are slowing down, the bills have been paid (yesterday's headache) and the last of the hop orders for this spring will be completed tomorrow. So, I'd been hoping for sunny days, my time to spend out in the garden, making them continue to get better. It is really hard to accept this indoor confinement!

We've had some beautiful sunny days where we got to work outdoors, and that lost taste of sun makes gray days even harder.. In the sunny "gift" days, most of our Corsican Mint seed crop beds have been weeded already for this season Rolfe and I (in our older age) have committed to an hour of "work after work" and that's when a lot of these beds got completed. Many say weeding is not a good job, but to me, using our muscles, hearing the birds, seeing the blue sky toward evening that we here in Oregon seem to always receive as a reward for enduring the gray days, noting the instant improvement, being with the land and laughing as the chickens come to watch and hope for our weeds to be gifted to them for treats just seems to put life in the right perspective.

Bethany and I have been hard at work getting the wedding hillside second-weeded, and ready now for new plants in riots of color...when the ground dries.
We have begun to plant the herb garden. It is already alive and growing more beautiful every day with the perennials quietly asserting themselves, the new bark mulch, the new black mulch on the beds. It is truly a stunning sight.
Back (a day or two ago) Rolfe and I in our late work hour weeded our brick pathway and what a difference! The Elecampagne in the middle has already sprung to knee-high and as often happens, some night creature comes to munch on its abundant leaves. Our plan (tonight?) is to install some "yellow sticky cards" and maybe we can catch the offending insect and identify and alleviate the problem.

But, today, rain, to get my outgoing orders down to the mailbox, I had to add a coat (for warmth) and a hat (due to rain)and it's really hard to make progress. The thing I do note, though, is that the plants do fine with lack of sun. They sit quietly growing in the warmth of the days, the gentle sprinkle of the rain. We even had thought we might get our food garden tilled a little early this year. The rototiller was non-functioning, so we rented one, began the task and had to scrap that plan as the soil is still too wet, and still more rain predicted. We covered the main body of the food garden with plastic - we don't want to have to regress in our drying-out process. It looks like a blanket of snow covering the waiting garden.

On Saturdays, I go to Farmers Market. But I seem to remember our spring Saturdays as sunny and warm and pleasant, sometimes even needing sunhats, sunblock, etc. Now, days ahead I have to wonder if the weather-guesser is right and it will be cold and wet.

The gardens are now 22 years old. Crazily, we are now 22 years older too!. How can time have passed so swiftly? And, perhaps it changes our memories - along with the bad weather,. we now must deal with the high gas prices and the bad economy, less folks are hopping in their cars and coming out.We are lucky to love to enjoy our gardens ourselves, so few have made the effort yet this year. And yet, those who have come have seemed to see the beauty that is created here.

~ Posted by Janet

Ole Mole Chicken

2011-04-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

We have been going to Mexico for over twenty years and I have been tasting and comparing Moles everywhere I have gone since our first trip to Oaxaca. As a matter of fact the first meal I had in Mexico was Chicken Mole. I'll never forget getting in to Oaxaca really late tired and hungry. We sat down at the restaurant next to our hotel that was still open and I ordered Chicken Mole. The waiter kept trying to explain to me in Spanish, which I had zero knowledge of, that they were out of chicken. I kept saying 'That's OK no problem', not understanding a word he was saying. Eventually he gave up and put my order in. When it came out it was a couple of rolled up tortillas with a rich dark brown sauce over them. No chicken. I enjoy the complex tastes of this recipe. The flavors continue to come on long after you swallowed the last bite, but mostly I like to make it just to impress my buddies on poker night.

Ingredients:
3-4 Fresh Pasilla Peppers or Dried Poblano or Ancho
20 oz medium size canned tomatoes1 medium onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp fine ground coffee
1 Tbsp Chipotle seasoning
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cloves
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups chicken broth or water
salt and pepper to taste

12 Chicken Legs or Thighs
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup prepared rice per person
Warmed tortillas

Remove stems and seeds from fresh pasillas and cut into pieces. If using dried, tear them into pieces. Add them to food processor with tomatoes, onions, garlic, cinnamon, raisins, cumin, coffee, and chipotle. Use a food mill or coffee grinder to grind sesame seeds, almonds,coriander, and cloves and add to food processor mixture. Puree until smooth.

Pour mixture into a saucepan, add chocolate and simmer for at least 20 minutes...the more you simmer it the better the flavors meld and the longer your be able to enjoy the smell! Remove from heat and set aside.

In a cast iron pot or dutch oven, brown the chicken on all sides in vegetable oil.
Once browned add the sauce to the chicken in the pot and add just enough chicken broth or water to cover the chicken, if necessary. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with rice and warmed tortillas.
Note: The sauce is especially tasty if you make it the night before. Flavors improve with age on this recipe. This makes a large batch and any extra can be frozen - it keeps awesomely!

Lavender Apricot Paquettes

2011-03-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

Spring is bursting onto the scene and already the asparagus is showing up in stores. We were ready to post a recipe for our favorite Fines Herbes Aspargus Omelette's and then realized we had posted them last year at this time! I guess that is a good testament to how much we love them.

This may not be a new recipe, but it is always popular and they look pretty impressive but really aren't that difficult. I've added a few suggestions at the bottom for ways to tweak it and make it your own.

One of the things I love about spring is that people start to venture out. Suddenly friends I haven't seen in awhile start coming around, including the beautiful blossoms of crocuses, daffodils, daphne, and forsythia. The magnolia and willows plump up a little more everyday and the fruit trees are getting ready to burst with flowers too. Our friends the bluebirds and swallows are moving back as well. It's a wonderful time for exploration in the garden...finding what's coming back and planning new projects where plants were lost to the winter. Between the raindrops we have been able to get out a little and do some garden cleanup. Something about the feel of dirt under the fingernails is invigorating to the winter weary heart.

So we invite you to invite some friends over for a sweet treat and celebrate the beginning of a new season in the garden.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pkg. frozen phylo dough, thawed in refrigerator
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 lb cream cheese, brought to room temperature
2 tsp dried lavender
1/2 lb finely chopped organic non sulfured apricots
6 oz apricot jam
Lemon juice
Flour

Warm the jam in a small saucepan. Add the lemon juice and chopped apricots. In a separate bowl mix the cream cheese and lavender and put it in either a pastry bag or a plastic bag with a corner cut off.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place a full size sheet of phylo dough on the counter, brush with butter. Butter muffin tins or a cookie tray. Cut the phylo into squares about 2 1/2" x 2 1/2". Place a sheet in the center of each muffin tin, push it in a little. Add a dollop of the apricot mix and a swirl of the cream cheese mix.

Close the tops over. If you are using a cookie sheet, fold the four edges to the middle and seal with wet fingertips.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or lightly browned. Check frequently.

Cool slightly for ease in serving.

This recipe can also be made with Brie cheese and any type of fruit mix you can imagine. Also, you can make it a savory treat by adding sun dried tomatoes and pesto for the fruit mix. You could also do a simple sautee of onions and garlic and sweet peppers.

A Weeknight Supper/ Read as: Quick and Easy and Tasty

2010-12-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

SAUCY CHIPOTLE CHICKEN WITH VEGGIES

Rolfe and I squeezed in a mini-vacation to Yelapa, Mexico for a quick Vitamin D infusion. Then, came home with one week before Christmas and not a lot of shopping energy. But still, we get hungry, and I had some great chipotle sauce left from our Saturday Night Holiday Gathering (boy,could we provide a lot of great recipes from the great cooks in our community!) So, I came up with an idea that is (kind of) low calorie, healthy and ended up being really satisfying!

You can, of course, add as many varieties of veggies as you like -or have on hand - we just sometimes like to limit our selection to a few to keep the tastes clear.

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz chicken breasts, cut to bite size pieces
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, vertical slices
1/2 green pepper, sliced length wise
8 mushrooms (any variety), halved and then sliced in thirds

3 handfuls (about 5 oz) your favorite pasta

CHIPOTLE SAUCE
1-1/2 cup low fat yogurt
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1 tsp Chipotle seasoning
1 packet of onion soup mix

Use any remaining sauce for dipping - fresh veggies (cukes are great!) or chips.

Heat butter and olive oil in saute pan. Add chicken and brown. Start water boiling for pasta and cook immediately, this dinner is quick! When nearly cooked, add the onions and peppers, continue cooking. Then when almost done, add mushrooms. Pour 1 cup of the chipotle sauce over and heat through.

Serve half the chicken and vegetables over half the noodles and you'll have a happy belly for this weeknight!

PS Wanted to include pictures, but we just made it and ate it all up! No time for photo ops on this one!

Posted by Janet

The Sweet Taste of the River: Salmon Cakes

2010-12-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

Over the past couple of years, my husband has developed a love of fly fishing. A transplant from Minnesota, he's found that the fishing in our ample Oregon system of rivers and streams is much different than that of the lakes he fished as a boy. But they are beautiful rivers with runs of equally gorgeous fish. As he is still in the learning phase, we haven't been overrun with fish this year, but we enjoy our time riverside anyway, taking in the sights of beavers, otters, great blue herons and occasionally bald eagles. Fly fishing also requires a keen eye for the smaller, less conspicuous but equally important creatures of the river ecosystem. The various fly hatches that the fly fisherman tries to mimic are seasonal and have to be followed pretty closely to get them right. Casting also requires practice, skill and graceful patience. Fly fishing combines a mix of biology and choreography, stimulating to both the body and mind.

As for me, I am more of a river watcher. I enjoy walking the trails here at The Thyme Garden, taking in the scent of the fallen leaves, Western cedar, and the peculiar slightly metallic scent of snow on the horizon. At streams edge, I enjoy picking up rocks emerged in the frigid water and checking for nymph phase of stoneflies and mayflies, and the unusual casings of the caddisfly larvae that binds together a protective cloak out of the smallest river pebbles using a glue like substance it produces internally. Remarkable adaptations of such small creatures.

With the leaves gone, the structure of the trees stand out against the sky. Sturdy trunks covered in thick moss and bright lichens weave bold patterns. Licorice root ferns beckon with elegant fronds. Mushrooms of all sizes and in a full rainbow of color cover the forest floor and even climb up the sides of stumps. The days may be growing shorter but the forest and stream are still vibrant and awake. Signs of owls and bears suggest this is true even in the long dark nights.

With the winter almost upon us, it sometimes feels like the motivation to cook extravagant meals falls to the wayside. The holidays often center around food, but what to do in the in between days when the darkness and snowy roads don't make you want to get out on the road and drive to the store? I look to my freezer or the recesses of my refrigerator where I sometimes find caches of forgotten food (some of which I have to toss, of course.) But with a little imagination, there is always the potential for a great recipe to be born!

My recent discovery were some nice cooked wild salmon fillets in our freezer that were left after our Salmon Walk and Banquet that I didn't want to go unused (I hate wasting food, and especially something as precious as salmon)so I whipped up some good old fashioned salmon cakes as an appetizer. By adding the zesty raspberry chipotle dipping sauce, I gave them a little extra spunkiness that was a big hit at our house. You could also make your patties bigger and serve them on a bun as the main entree.

Salmon Cakes with Raspberry Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Ingredients for Salmon Cakes:
2 cups cooked salmon, skin removed
1 slice toast, crumbed (Gluten free works great!)
3/4 cup celery, fine chopped
1/2 cup onion, fine chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper
1 tsp chili flakes or fresh jalapeno
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill weed or seafood seasoning
2 eggs, beaten

Use a fork to crumble the salmon and remove any bones you come across. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with a fork or your hands.

Form firmly into balls about 1.5 inches in diameter and flatten between your palms. It's important to press them firmly so they will hold together while cooking. Place the patties on a plate and chill until ready to cook.

Ingredients for Raspberry Chipotle Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise or vegenaisse
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 Tbsp dried ground chipotle peppers
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbsp snipped chives or green onions
2 Tbsp raspberry jam or fresh crushed raspberries when in season

Mix all ingredients and let flavors meld in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour. The smokey heat of the chipotle peppers develops overtime and is truly delicious with the sweet tanginess of raspberries.

Back to the cakes...When ready to cook, add a healthy amount of oil to a frying pan and cook your cakes over medium heat until a nice golden brown.

I like to serve mine with a garnish of purple cabbage, and of course the amazing dipping sauce.

-Posted by Bethany

Breaking Ground and Broken Bones

2010-10-27T10:50:00.000-07:00

The Chinook salmon are back! So far we've seen at least six! That combined with the maple leaves sashaying through the nose-chilling morning air says to me that fall is fully settled upon us. Due to high interest, we opened up Friday, November 12th, as a third day for our Fall Salmon Walk and Banquet and there are just a few seats left. Call us for info and reservations.

We have some exciting news...and some bad news. The bad first - Janet broke her wrist! And wouldn't you know it's her right-wrist too, and, as she is right-handed, she is noticing just how important wrists are for doing a multitude of things like typing, writing, driving, and cooking! Pobrita Janet! She has been using comfrey, also known as knit-bone, under her soft cast and she feels like that is helping, so wish her a speedy recovery. Comfrey is also amazing for healing clean open wounds. Neat looking plant too, although it can get a bit carried away with its multiplying, given the chance.
So back to the exciting news now - we've poured the foundation for a Gift/Craft Shop here at The Thyme Garden! Yeah! It's something we have wanted to do since we started here but it hasn't made it to the top of the priority list until now. We were able to combine the pouring of the craft shop foundation with a few other projects we've got going including a small storage shed for some of the wedding rentals and a much needed walk in cooler that will be *awesome* for storing hop rhizomes in the spring and wedding cakes and such like in the summer. So cool! And, the craft shop will be a really fun way to share some herbal products like soaps, essential oils, spices and teas, as well as Thyme Garden honey and cookbooks.

Our hope is that we will also be able to sell our fabulous fresh salad dressings such as our most requested Curry Tarragon Dressing that we give you the recipe for below. There are so many ways to use herbs to bring more joyfulness and wellness to our lives, and I envision our craft shop to be a place to explore some of their usefulness for yourself or your loved ones.

We hope you will be able to stop by when it's open! In the meantime, try this delicious dressing tonight!

Curry Tarragon Dressing
Ingredients:
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, fine diced
2 Tbsp fresh minced tarragon (French or Mexican tarragon -both work!)
1 tsp Muchi Curry powder
2 Tbsp sugar

Whisk ingredients and adjust to your personal taste. We use this as salad dressing, but it is also really good over chicken or potatoes.

Zucchini: Relishing the Harvest

2010-09-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

The fall equinox is still a few days away, but autumn has arrived in our little valley. I know this because each morning the trees are decorated with intricate strands of dangling dew drops. Thick bodied spiders have begun to appear in unexpected places. The grass has gone from green to brown and back to green. The sun - when it decides to burst its way through - somehow feels not quite as strong as it did a few weeks past. The herbs in our garden have turned their attention away from making greenery now and focus instead on ripening precious seeds for next year's bounty. In sunspells, you can see Janet out in the garden gathering them before the rain or the birds take them. It's an exciting time and a peaceful time both, as the colors of summer fade, annuals get pulled, perennials get pruned. The garden seems to sigh and settle into a restful state.

Meanwhile, we both rest and scramble to get things done while we are between events and the weather permits. One project we've completed this year are two new bridges along our trail. These new bridges will make it much easier and safer to walk the loop along our salmon habitat restoration project that we started in 2002. With help from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and a lot of our personal time and inspiration, we were able to recreate a half mile of ideal spawning habitat for coho salmon. The stream had been rerouted many years before by a previous owner for farming purposes. Each year, more and more gravel is washed into the new section of the stream from higher up river, creating pockets where the coho can spawn. Coho prefer small, cool streams like the one on our property and in years past, we've seen as many as 30 fish in one stretch of the new stream alone! We've also enjoyed watching the stream find its way in the world as it cuts its new path across the land, meandering, morphing, becoming more permanent. Water is a powerful force for change.
This small stream, called Ernst Creek, flows into the bigger Crooked Creek, an arm of the Alsea River that empties into the Alsea Bay in Waldport. In Crooked Creek, we also have the bigger Chinook salmon spawning each year. One of the new bridges parallels the main riffle they prefer for making redds (the nests they lay their eggs in) and we are excited to be able to watch respectfully as they do so.
Salmon are anadramous, meaning they begin life in freshwater then make their way to the ocean, undergoing rapid adaptation to a salt water environment along the way, and then return to freshwater to spawn as adults. As they return to the place of their birth, they have a solitary purpose: to find a mate and spawn. They barely eat on the journey from ocean to homeplace and their bodies begin to break down. It is a beautiful, arduous life cycle with many many potential snags along the way. That any make it back to spawn takes my breath away every year. To be able to see them live in action is really a gift and something that I am very proud to have helped make possible on our land.

When we can't be outside working, we've been busy putting up the harvest for the another part of fall I love. This relish recipe is my Mom's (Janet's) and it is awesome added to potato salad, tuna, or just on a good old fashioned hot dog!

Zucchini Relish
Makes 3 quarts or 6 pints
This is a 2-day process, but don't be alarmed! It is fairly simple and worth it!

10 cups of chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped onions
5 Tbsp salt

Stir together the zucchini and onions in a colander. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand overnight in the sink or over a bowl. The salt draws out water.

In a.m. rinse well with cold water and put in large kettle.

ADD:

2 1/2 cups vinegar
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp mustard (dry)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp celery seed
1 tsp black pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper

Cook until the mixture reaches a rolling boil and then cook 20 minutes. Pack in clean hot jars and seal.

Posted by Bethany

Pickles & Fall Musings

2010-09-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

I love fall! I was born in the fall, first child in the family, on my mother's birthday, and it is also the birthday of an uncle on either side of the family....one being my godfather and the other being my elective grandfather, as my mother's parents died within six months of each other when she was 8 years old. She was the baby of the family. Her oldest sister, Helen, (already grown) married Uncle Virg and they took in my mother to raise.

Anyhow, maybe that's why I love fall. Or, is it because I love the newness of every season? But, right now it is fall, and I'm loving it! It's also the final push to harvest and eat all the goodies we've grown over the past few months.

Today, it looks like rain, so I gathered all the ripe tomatoes and cucumbers. Looks like more pickles in our future and I even left on some little ones which will hopefully mature in a week or so.

Here's a pickle recipe we like, and its sooooo easy and good I thought if you've got extra cucumbers you might like to utilize them this way:

EASY REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

Makes 7 Quarts
Bring the following to a boil for the brine:
6 cups water
6 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup salt

Let cool a little.

In 7 clean quart sized jars, add to each:

3-5 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp teaspoon
Red pepper flakes or one or two fresh hot peppers
One head of dill (or 1 tsp dill seed)

And stuff with cucumbers (slice them if they've gotten big)

Fill jars with hot brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Refrigerate for 2 weeks before eating and keep them refrigerated. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Blueberry & Cream Galette

2010-08-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

It was a hot day in August. The blueberries were "almost" ripe and the birds were picking them off like prizes. We'd run out and shout them away but as a better solution, rounded up some black netting and carefully (with three of us struggling to keep from being bound in)placed the netting over the barely ripe berries to finish off. The birds could find their way in, but not out it seemed so we were continually out saving the very culprits we were trying to prevent from entering. But, admittedly we weren't mad at the birds, we just wanted our berries!

Finally, they were at their juicy blue bursting point and we went picking. Picking with netting is not the ideal!! First of all, when you try to pull back the netting, lots of the perfect berries pop off, as they're wound into the netting. Then, you have to kind of slink your arms up under the net and suffice it to say, we now know how the birds feel when they dare to enter.

Got a lot though, and the amazing thing is, once they were fully ripened, the birds were no longer as interested. That's one to ponder.

So, we started with the usual - blueberry pies, and some pancakes but to change it up a little, I created this blueberry and cream galette. It was a hit in my house, try it in yours:

CRUST:
Your favorite or use mine:
1 single pie crust
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves (mix in pie crust)
Roll out larger than the pie tin (used for shaping and preventing dripping). For best pie rolling, use lots of flour on the board and roll out in a circular motion.

FILLING:
8 oz light cream cheese
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp (or to taste)finely minced lemon verbena leaves(fresh or dried)(optional)

Beat these together until creamy and smooth

BLUEBERRIES:
4 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries (can use less, but I was rich in blueberries)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup non-bleached flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp minced lemon verbena leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp butter

Mix dry ingredients in bowl, stir in blueberries. Drizzle on lemon juice and give a good stir. (This will coat the berries and cause the flour-sugar mix to better hold to the berries)

Spread the cheese filling on the pie crust.

...smooth the berries on top, add a few tiny little pats of butter.

Roll in the edges of the pie crust, crimp with fingers or fork.

Bake at 425 for about 30-40 minutes. I like to turn my food every 15 minutes.

When berry sauce boils, I call it done.

Posted by Janet

Creamy Dill Cucumbers: The Cool Taste of Summer

2010-08-25T03:30:00.000-07:00

This is recipe is a cool summer treat we never seem to tire of! The crunch of the cucumber with the creamy sauce and fresh dill - oh boy! Often I've been tempted to drink the sauce once the cucumbers run out, but instead, I put it to good use as a light salad dressing.

Right now in our garden the cucumbers are really kicking in, so we've been having this side dish frequently. It pairs well with chicken, fish, steak, pretty much anything your cooking up on a hot summer day. Definitely a barbecue must have. Enjoy!

3-4 cucumbers
1/2 cup mayonnaise, low fat or Veganaise okay
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp skim milk
1 Tbsp finely chopped dill
1/4 cup snipped chives
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp salt

Peel and score cucumbers with a fork, or, if preferred, peel and don't peel the cucumbers in alternating strips to give a striped look. Either way makes the cucumbers a little more festive.

Slice the cucumbers into thin coins and place them in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let stand for at least ten minutes (this draws out extra water and removes bitterness.)

Make the dressing by whisking together the remaining ingredients. Then, squeeze off excess water from the cucumbers and blot with a paper towel if needed.
Add them to the dressing.

Garnish with nasturtiums, parsley and more snipped fresh chives. Refrigerate until serving.

Vietnamese Lemon Grass Fish

2010-05-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

The other day I happened upon a lucky accident. I was moving my West Indian Lemongrass that had been overwintering in the greenhouse to our new home when a chunk broke off. Let me tell you, after having my arms cut up by the lemongrass' defensively sharp leaf blades, I was mildly perturbed that I had not only minorly hurt myself, I had also minorly hurt my plant. Luckily, the plant had grown to enormous proportions in its few years in my care, so it wasn't the end of that, and, as a farmer and compulsive DIY-er I had suffered much greater cuts and scrapes in my day and I knew I could recover from this as well. But it got me thinking...now that I had come by this piece of citrus goodness, what could I do with it? And that got me thinking about my all-time favorite lemongrass eating experience. It has been a while ago now, but it's still fresh in my mind...

I was in San Francisco with a friend checking out the Art Institute down there and we happened in to this little Vietnamese restaurant. I ordered the Ca Uop Xa, Lemongrass in Fish Sauce, and what I got was an awesome dish constisting of a whole fish (eyeballs and all) just dripping in onions and lemony goodness. I think I may have licked my plate...I just couldn't stop myself. The combination of fresh fish, lemon, garlic, onion and probably butter was a knockout. And, I was just a tourist travelling with a dear friend who knows me probably too well, so of course all my usual good manners fell to the wayside.

So with that thought in mind and my little windfall, I headed to the internet to see what kind of recipes I could find that could mimic my foodlicous fantasy lunch some years ago. This recipe is a result of that search with a few seasonal touches and a bit of flair.

FYI: The curry or turmeric in this recipe is mostly to dye the fish yellow, not as much for taste, so don't worry too much about which you use.

Ingredients:
2 stalks Lemongrass - minced including both green and white parts
2 leeks, cut in half lengthwise then into 1/4" chunks and rinsed in a strainer
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 chilies, chopped fine
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Lemon Curry Powder or turmeric
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 lbs fresh white fish, such as red snapper, cod, or sea bass
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped basil (or 3 Tbsp dried)
4 Tbsp olive oil

4 sprigs of cilantro or a few basil leaves for garnish

Wild Rice, Prepared

Combine the lemongrass, leeks, garlic, chilies, black pepper, fish sauce, honey, curry or turmeric and lime juice in a large flat resealable container. Stir or shake.

Add the fish and shake it in the container a few times to coat it with the marinade. Set aside for one hour. Now is a good time to start thinking about making your wild rice.

After an hour, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is ready, add the fish. Cook on the first side for 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. You want it to brown but not sear.

Flip the fish to the other side and add the marinade plus the cilantro and basil. Brown this side same as the first.

While the second side is browning, prepare your serving plates with wild rice and garnish. Place fish directly onto plates and top with some of the sauteed marinade mixture.

Enjoy!

Posted By Bethany

Thyme Garden Participates in Coastal Cuisine

2010-04-28T14:12:00.001-07:00

From left to right, we are Bethany Schiminsky, Rolfe Hagen and Janet Hagen ready to serve you something tasty!

April 20, 2010
The Thyme Garden staff took their food on the road and headed to The Three Rivers Casino for the Coastal Cuisine Expo, a benefit for the Food Share of Florence, Oregon. We had never been to this particular casino, and are not particularly "gamblers" but the whole idea of leaving the land for a short period here in the crazy overload of spring time seemed to totally appeal to us. And, as lady luck would have it, my 83-year-old Mom was here visiting and I knew that she enjoyed a dalliance at the slots ever so irregularly! So, it was easy to sign up for this chance at sampling out our products with proceeds going to such a worthy cause. Since it was more than a two hour drive, we quickly booked ourselves a room to avoid a long late drive home and thought up some tasty morsels to share!

We shopped, we cooked, we loaded vehicles (it took two) and off we went to the festivities! We quickly set up our booth, above, went to the room to get settled in and spiffed up, and then went nervously to primp our space and wait for the flood gates to open. (This was, after all, our first such event and there was judging in four categories to be reckoned with.)

So, since any person coming by initially or throughout the day could be a judge we put on our happiest faces and handed out some of our favorite things. A flood of folks flowed in just after opening and we were busy visiting, informing and feeding for a couple hours without a breather!! By then, though, even the heartiest eater was satisfied and we could leave our post and go taste the delectable wares of others and check our their presentation, etc.

We had received soooo many compliments on our "main dish" item - a Chicken-Broccoli-Potato Curry, and sooo many people coming by saying "I was sent over to taste your curry", that we dared to hope we might be the taste winners, so waited with bated breath. We were third in several categories, first in none, but now we know more and we'll be back!!

It is so good to leave the land and have new experiences, I know this is not the last time we shall head off for parts new and different!

The dishes we brought were....
Chicken-Broccoli-Potato Curry which highlights our Muchi Curry Powder

Baguettes seasoned to perfection with our All-Purpose Seasoning

A savory topping for Baguettes was an Italian Seasoned Cream Cheese

Coriander honey-butter with hint of citrus on crackers for a sweet course

And, for those not imbibing in wine or beer (a judging category we were not even eligible for) a hibiscus tea sweetened with a lemon verbena syrup.

Posted by Janet

Chile Rellenos Casserole

2010-03-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

This dish is one of my all time favorites and since it is a casserole instead of a breaded chili it is not only easier to make, it is much simpler to make gluten-free, which is a double plus in my book! We grow all kinds of peppers in our garden and have found that most all of them work pretty well in this recipe, as long as they are big enough to stuff and peel easily. It's also fun to use a variety of peppers, as I did tonight. You can also substitute canned peeled whole chilies in this recipe for a less smokey/spicy alternative.

Chili Rellenos Casserole
For a 9x9 dish ~ 4 Entree Servings
Ingredients:
2 Anaheim Chili Peppers
2 Pasilla Chili Peppers
Batter:
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (or regular)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

1/3 lb Monterrey Jack Cheese, cut into thin chunks
1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)
Toppings:
Janet's Salsa or whatever you've got on hand
Sour Cream
Avocado
Chives or green onion
Directions:

Preheat broiler. Place whole chilies in a 9x9 baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water in the bottom.

Broil chilis until the skin blackens and bubbles (about 4 minutes on each side.)

Remove to cooling rack, but do not let the chilis cool completely as they are much easier to peel when they are hot. Discard any water left in the baking dish and set aside for reuse.

Turn oven down to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, mix the batter ingredients, being sure to get out all the lumps.

Once cool enough to handle, carefully peel the peppers and destem/deseed them.

Stuff sliced cheese into the chilis through the gap created when deseeding and place them in the casserole dish. Try to space them pretty evenly so that each bite will get a little pepper in it. Pour batter over them and cook at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with grated cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes (if not using grated cheese just cook a full 30 minutes.)

Cool for a minute or two and serve with up with your toppings of choice. A side of black beans makes a nice accompaniment or maybe with a cup of Tortilla Soup and a glass of Malbec or maybe a Mojito - yum!

***I have to apologize for the picture quality on this entry...Earth Hour began right about when we were taking this out of the oven and since we wanted to participate in the celebration we had to rely on our flash, making the picture a little macabre! If you don't know about Earth Hour, I encourage you to check it out at www.myearthhour.org and mark your calender for next year so that you can be a part of the movement!

Fines Herbes Asaragus Omelettes

2010-01-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

When our minds turn to spring, we think of asparagus!Combine that thought with trying to keep up with our wonderful chicken's eggs production and a dash of a really tasty seasoning, and we had all the ingredients necessary to create this next recipe.

Fines Herbes Asparagus Omelettes
Ingredients:
4-5 asparagus stalks per person
1 or 2 eggs (yes, an one egg omelet is possible!)
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar
1 scant tsp Fines Herbes Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

Steam the asparagus until bright green and softened. Cut into 1/2 inch lengths.

Thoroughly whip the eggs in a bowl.

Stir in the Fines Herbes Seasoning and asparagus, reserving a little asparagus for garnish.

Pour the eggs into a preheated skillet with sloping sides (makes for easier flipping.)Cook for a few minutes then flip - good luck! Add cheese immediately after flipping, reserving a little for garnish.

Fold one side over the other and slide onto a plate. Garnish with cheese and asparagus.

We suggest serving with homefried potatoes seasoned with All-Purpose Seasoning and a cup of good coffee...very yum!

Posted by Rolfe

Janet's Salsa

2010-01-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

We are heading down to Mexico on Monday for a two week recharge. We're very very excited. It's an excellent time to leave Oregon and dry out for a while (I always say I feel like I am molding by the end of winter)but I also love all the hubbub of this time of year and hate to miss it. Every year I think that once it gets into autumn and winter we will have some down time and just MORE time in general, but then the next thing I know it's spring and where has the time gone? Well, autumn time is harvest time, not just for the fruits and vegetables, but for all the seeds we hand harvest from our garden. It's also a time of garden maintenance as we give the garden some room to breath. I feel a certain sadness when we put the garden to bed at first, but when I look at it now from behind my computer screen, I don't see a dead space, I see a peaceful one, resting until spring awakens it. And I see that the Star Magnolia my sister and I gave my mom for Mother's Day already has some fat buds forming on it, so it won't be long now!

With winter time comes a rush of new seed catalogs (ours included - which we just got out in the mail and it looks AWESOME!) and time to plan and plot and dream of next years garden. A farmer's work is never done, but it's never dull either!

The whole staff will be leaving for Mexico (Rolfe, Janet, and me and my husband) so we won't be available for awhile, but you can always place orders online. Our house sitter won't be answering the phone though, so any plant/luncheon/hop/wedding questions will have to wait until we return on the 26th!

Happy New Year Everyone. We look forward to hearing from you in the new year and wish you all the best. I, for one, have a great feeling about 2010! Let's make something good happen!

And in the meantime, here's the recipe for my Mom Janet's salsa so that you can bring a little bit of sunshine into your homes (especially those of you in the Midwest deep freeze - we feel for you!)

Janet's Salsa

7-8 ripe tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small serrano chili
1/2 tsp hot chili powder
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped

In a food processor, whirl the yellow onion, garlic and chilies until fine. Add tomatoes, chili powder, lime juice, sugar and salt. Process again until thoroughly mixed, then add the cilantro and green onion. Give one final whirl just to blend. Serve with warmed tortilla chips or pita chips and enjoy!

Hasta luego!

Posted By Bethany

Black Bean Mojo Chowder

2009-12-31T11:45:00.000-08:00

With rainy weather setting in, my husband and I were looking for a little spicy pick me up to get our energy fired up. We both agreed: we needed Mojo Soup. We came up with the following recipe which was just what we needed!

Black Bean Mojo Chowder
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
2 fingerling potatoes, sliced into coins
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of bok choy (top and bottom), chopped
1 cup sliced sweet peppers or chopped bell peppers
1 jalapeno (deseed and remove membrane for less spicy version)
2 cups tomatoes (I used tomatoes from our garden I had chopped and froze)
2 stalks of celery, coarse chopped
2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 Tbsp bouillon powder or 2 cubes
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 cup cilantro
3 cans of organic black beans, drained (or prepared from scratch; I was lazy)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish:
Sour cream
Green onions, chopped
Cilantro, fine chopped

Saute potatoes, onions and garlic in butter or oil for about 2 minutes or until onions are translcuent. Add bok choy, jalapeno, tomatoes and celery and let them cook down over medium heat. The bok choy will sort of liquefy into a broth after about 5 mins. Add the bouillon.
Stir in the peppers, spices, cilantro and beans and let the flavors meld for about 5 mins. If you want it creamy, remove about a cup of the soup and blend it with a food processor and add back in. Otherwise, garnish with your sour cream, green onions and cilantro and enjoy!

Posted by Bethany

Curried Coconut Shrimp

2009-12-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

This is our current favorite dinner. We made it on Christmas Eve and might make it again on New Year's Eve too! By the way, this New Year's Eve is a Blue Moon, so maybe we should name this one Twice in a Blue Moon Shrimp!

We serve ours over rice in a flat bowl - yum! Makes four very hardy servings plus leftovers if you're lucky.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. shrimp, peeled
1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 heaping tsps Muchi Curry - we like ours hot! Get some now
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp fish sauce
4-7 cloves garlic, sliced (you know how much you love!)
2 medium onions, slivered
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cilantro, optional
Green onions, for garnish

Cooked rice ~ A cup per person

Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil. Now is a good time to start your rice.
Add curry powder and stir to let the flavors bloom. Then add coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Add shrimp and poach until shrimp turns pink and solid - Do Not Overcook!
Adjust flavors to your liking and serve immediately over rice with a sprinkle of green onions and cilantro if using.

We Have Lift Off!

2009-12-28T16:47:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Herb Lovers!

We are excited to be starting our very own blog from the kitchen of The Thyme Garden as well as a little bit of our home kitchen good cooking too. This is something we've been wanting to do for awhile but we all know how time goes. Our plan is to periodically (hopefully frequently) post recipes we create that feature herbs...fresh ones, dried ones, ground ones, tied ones...you get the idea. Some recipes will also be from our Second Edition Thyme Garden Cookbook, More Good Thymes in the Kitchen, maybe with a few updates and tweaks here and there.

This is a fun new venture, and hopefully one we will stick with and you will enjoy.