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No Artichoke Like the Jerusalem Artichoke!

If you’re like me, you were in your mid-thirties before you had the pleasure of eating a Jerusalem artichoke. Also known as sunchokes, sunroots, or earth apples, these tubers are often used in soups, stews, or served roasted as a side dish. Though not as widely known as that other famous tuber, the potato, they’re equally delicious.

Jerusalem artichoke cultivation traces back to the Native Americans, who used it as a trading tool. Natives also turned settlers on to the tuber, who shipped it back to Europe, where it was commercialized. Though the sunchoke would later fall into obscurity here in the states, it would see a resurgence in popularity in the eighties and nineties.

Some more fun facts about the Jerusalem artichoke:

It doesn’t actually come from Jerusalem! Some theorize that Puritans, who regarded America as “New Jerusalem”, were responsible for the name.
Because it contains fructose, it’s recommended for Type 2 diabetics.
They contain inulin instead of starch, and, as such, are used as a source of a dietary fiber for food manufacturing.
They’re so hardy and easy-to-grow, the plant can sometime ruin a garden if even a small pice of tuber is left in the ground!
In Germany, over 90% of Jerusalem artichokes are used to produce a liquor called Topinambur. It smells fruity and has a slight nutty-sweet flavor.

So if you haven’t already experimented with this delicious vegetable yourself, now is the time! Pick some up at our Pennington, NJ market, or here at our Buckingham PA market.

By admin|September 18th, 2015|News|Comments Off

Five Deliciously Unusual Fruit & Veggie Grilling Ideas!

Labor Day weekend is here, and with it the season’s last official ‘grill-worthy’ holiday. Today we take a look at five of the more unusual grilling options for in-season fruits and vegetables!

Potatoes

Sick of the same old boring potato salad? Liven things up with grilled potatoes! From grilled potato fries to grilled southwestern potato salad, the possibilities are endless! Getting them right requires a little skill—you’ll want to either pre-boil your potatoes, or sear then slow-cook them till they’re ready.

Lettuce and Cabbage

Believe it or not, grilling these guys can be quite the treat! The grill lends a unique smoky flavor to the final product, as well as a surprise for your guests. Grilled romaine hearts with blue cheese dressing, and grilled cabbage with butter and Indian spices are just a few of the many possibilities.

Watermelon

Didn’t think watermelon could get any better? Try grilling it! When heated, fruit sugars take on a deep, caramel-like flavor, as well as a beautiful golden color. Slice in large wedges or coins and grill two minutes per side over high heat.

Kale

You’ve had it roasted, steamed, stir-fried, even raw, but have you tried it grilled? Blanch for a few minutes first, then grill three minutes per side. Crisp, wonderfully smoky, and easy to make—what could be better?

Peaches

Whether served plain, brushed with honey, sprinkled with cinnamon, or topped with yogurt, grilled peaches are uncannily delicious! Simply slice your peaches in half, remove the pits, and grill on high for about five minutes.

By admin|September 4th, 2015|News|Comments Off

The Joys of Potato Farming

Each year in early August, something special happens here at Blue Moon Acres. Our Pennington, NJ farmers head for the fields and start hunting for buried treasure. Not gold, silver, or jewels, but a more edible kind of treasure: potatoes. It’s a magical experience, pulling those first few tubers from the ground—the sweet, earthy smell; the feel of cool soil on your hands; the anticipation of a favorite soup or stew.

Potato farming is of a breed all its own. Although potatoes can be grown from traditional seed, they are almost always grown from ‘seed potatoes’, tubers specifically raised to be disease-free. (A seed potato is basically a potato with eyelets). These hardened seed-potatoes are planted in trenches and covered with a thin layer of soil. As soon as sprouts appear, another layer of loose soil is applied. This process is repeated again and again until a mound is formed and the plant begins to flower. It is not until the flowering process begins, however, that additional tubers (potatoes) begin to form.

After flowering has ceased, the vines are cut back and the tubers are left in the ground for one to two weeks. During this time, the potato’s skin hardens, preventing against bruising, and facilitating in storage. To harvest, larger-scale commercial farmers may use a plow or a similar device, but gardeners use a spading fork or potato hook. A properly harvested potato can last many months in cool, dry conditions.

Here at Blue Moon, we grow fingerling and butterball potatoes. Fingerlings, resembling short stubby fingers, are perfect for roasting or served with salads. Butterballs are oblong in shape, have a lovely yellow flesh, and are perfect for mashing, frying, and baking. Both varieties are delicious roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

But no matter how you cook ‘em, potatoes are one of the season’s most interesting and delicious offerings!

By admin|August 21st, 2015|News|Comments Off

Ode to Summer Savory

One of the perks of writing the product descriptions for Blue Moon’s weekly newsletters is getting to sample those products. This was especially true last week, when I had the pleasure to try the season’s first offering of Summer Savory. I was struck by the thymey, oreganoy flavor; the mild numbing effect it had on my tongue and lips. How had I made it 38 years without once experiencing this gem of an herb?

Summer savory (Satureja hortensis) has a long, storied history. Native to southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean regions, it was singled out by Virgil for its fragrance. One of America’s earliest settlers, John Josselyn also valued the herb, including it in a list of plants introduced in the new world, to help recent migrants remember their native gardens. Even Shakespeare, in The Winter’s Tale, writes about it:

Here’s flowers for you;

Hot Lavender, mints, savoury,

Marjoram;

The marigold that goes to bed

Wi’ the sun

And with him rises weeping:

these are flowers

of middle summer, and I think

they are given

to men of middle age

Summer savory is also famous for its medicinal applications. First used by the Egyptians as an additive to their famous love potions, it has also been used to treat bee and wasp-stings, intestinal disorders, palsy, sciatica, sore throats, and dim vision. Famous seventeenth century apothecary Nicholas Culpepper touted Savory as a panacea, recommending some always be kept on hand:

“…the Summer kind is the best… It expels tough phlegm form the chest and lungs, quickens the dull spirits in the lethargy… dropped into the eyes it clears them of thin cold humors proceeding from the brain….”

These days, Summer Savory is mainly used in the kitchen. It figures prominently in Bulgarian cuisine, where it is known as chubrista. Bulgarians keep savory, along with salt and paprika, on their dining room tables, the same way Americans keep salt and pepper. These three herbs are often mixed together to make something called sharena sol, or colorful salt.

In the Atlantic Canada region, summer savory is used as sage is used elsewhere—in dressing for fowl, mixed with ground pork, or eaten with turkey, goose, and duck.

And if you’ve ever wondered what makes Herb de Provence so zesty: yep, summer savory.

Food writer Marie Viljoen blogs about the myriad ways to use the herb:

“I chop a whole cup of fresh savory leaves… and a cup of chopped flat-leaf parsley and a crushed clove of garlic, and cook both very gently in four tablespoons of butter. After five minutes, add a squeeze of lemon juice, cook another minute or so for it to caramelize, and pour over grilled mushroom just before eating.”

Any way you slice it (or dry it or mince it) Summer Savory is one of the most understated, unappreciated herbs under the sun. It’s high time you savored the savory.

By admin|August 11th, 2015|News|Comments Off

A Brief History of Tomatoes

High summer is here, and you know what that means: fresh, local tomatoes. If you don’t have plants of your own, you probably know someone who does. Whether transformed into your favorite sauce or salsa, or simply eaten whole with a little salt, tomatoes are one of the season’s most rewarding edible treasures. And to celebrate, today we explore the history of this delicious, world-renowned fruit.

Native to western South and Central America, tomatoes were first used in cooking by the Aztecs and other Mesoamericans. Though the exact date of domestication remains a mystery, by 500 BC tomatoes were being cultivated in southern Mexico and other areas. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes may have been the first to transfer the tomato to Europe, though it’s also possible that Christopher Columbus did so as early as 1493. Over the next several centuries, tomatoes spread throughout Europe and into the Caribbean, the Philippines, and into Southeast Asia. By the late 17^th century tomato recipes were beginning to appear in Italian and Spanish cookbooks, yet it was not until the early 18^th century that tomato cultivation was confirmed here in North America.

Today there are around 7,500 tomatoes grown worldwide. Heirloom tomatoes, open-pollinated varieties grown for more than 50 years, are becoming increasingly popular. Here at Blue Moon we offer a blend of delicious heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, including Cherokee, Caiman, Lola, Sunkist, Copia, and Azoychka.

No matter how you slice it, tomato season is a very special time of the year!

By admin|July 31st, 2015|News|Comments Off