Dear CSA Members:
I
feel for the bakers on those hot summer days. I really do. But the one thing no
one around here has on the cheese makers is the humidity. Chris talked about exuding joy. After pulling
out 150 pounds of alpine curd at 115°F and then spending another hour washing
down with really hot water, the real test is: Who can squeeze more joy out of their T-shirt
at the end of the day? Yup, we got joy in the dairy alright. But that is not really what I wanted to write
about.
My
grand parents on my mother’s side of the family were German and during the
summer my grandmother would make something called Sauermilch. An equivalent
term in English is clabber milk, although I usually end up just calling it by
the literal translation: sour milk. It can be used for many things including
wherever buttermilk is called for, but I like eating it straight.
Proper
sour milk is not the last cup of milk in the bottom of the bottle that has been
sitting in the refrigerator door for the past week and has developed chunky
texture and a dubious odor. It is milk that has been fermented, much like
yogurt, under somewhat specific conditions. Unlike yogurt, however, it depends
on the action of a different class of bacteria generally referred by cheese
makers as mesophiles. These bacteria play a primary roll in familiar products
like sour cream, buttermilk, cultured butter, cheddar cheese,
Yogurt
bacteria, which belong to the warmth-loving class of thermophiles thrive at
temperatures between about 103 to 110°F. The mesophiles, however, would perish
at these temperatures; they do their work in a more temperate regime between 65
and 85°F, which is pretty much room temperature during the summer months.
Making
sour milk is quite straightforward. Fresh milk is inoculated with a small
amount (about 1 Tbsp per gallon) previously made sour milk or buttermilk (which
must have live cultures), gently but thoroughly mixed and set out on the
counter at 65 to 70°F for about 18 to 24 hours. When it is finished, the sour
milk should almost have a yogurt like consistency (though a little more tender)
and a fresh, clean-sour aroma. Some people (like my grandmother did) use raw
milk and depend entirely on the native bacteria. This is great if it works, but
a little sour milk starter would not be amiss for consistent results. I know
from experience that the Hawthorne Valley Farm raw milk does not dependably
sour on its own in my kitchen.
We
actually make sour milk at Hawthorne Valley Farm, which is used internally by
the bakery for biscuits and muffins. At the dairy, Buttermilk, Bianca, Quark
and Edamer all have their roots in sour milk.
So give me a hot summer afternoon, a cold bowl of sour milk and liberal
sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. That’s my kind of joy.
Abe
Madey
Looking Forward to
Next Week
Anticipated for July 27th
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Peppers,
for some
Rainbow Chard
String Beans
Summer Mini-Onions
Summers Squash/
Zucchini
Sharing the Bounty
A great way to
introduce your friends to CSA is to let them taste the benefits of membership:
·
Taking a vacation? Offer
them your share for the weeks that you are away.
·
Friends over for dinner? Serve side dishes made with your share items.
·
Packing a potluck picnic? Show
off with salads brimming with farm fresh veggies.
(And no, it’s not too early to start recruiting
members for next season!)
Baked Omelet with Zucchini, Leeks, Feta, and Herbs This classic
Greek dish can be prepared several hours in advance and brought to room
temperature before serving. 
3/4
cup water
1/4 cup uncooked long-grain rice
Cooking spray
2 1/4 cups thinly sliced leek
4
cups shredded zucchini
1/2
cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
Bring water to a
boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes
or until liquid is absorbed. Place rice in a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 325°.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low
heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add leek; cover and cook 12 minutes or until
tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan; add leek to rice. Coat pan with
cooking spray; increase heat to medium. Add zucchini; cook 6 minutes or until
tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan; add zucchini to rice. Add egg
substitute and next 5 ingredients (through eggs) to rice mixture; stir until
blended.
Pour egg mixture
into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with
cheese. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes or until golden brown and set. Yield: 16
servings (serving size: 1 piece)
by
Joanne Weir for Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2005
LOOKING FOR
MORE RECIPES?
Visit the CSA page at www.hawthornevalley.org
for back issues of all the newsletters.
Beet and Leek Salad with Peanut Dressing
2
medium beets (about 3/4 pound)
Cooking
spray
4
cups thinly sliced leek (about 1
pound)
1/2
teaspoon olive oil
1/2
teaspoon salt, divided
1/4
cup water
1
tablespoon fresh lime juice
1
tablespoon creamy peanut butter
1
1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2
cups alfalfa sprouts
Preheat
oven to 425°. Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place
beets on a small baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 1
hour or until tender when pierced with a fork. Cool. Trim off beet roots and
stem; rub off skins. Cut each beet in half lengthwise; slice each beet half
crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Combine leek, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a
baking sheet coated with cooking spray; toss well to coat. Bake at 425° for 15
minutes or until tender and just beginning to brown; stir after 8 minutes.
Combine water, lime juice, peanut butter,
ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk until smooth.
Arrange 1/3 cup sprouts on each of 6 salad
plates; divide the beets and leek evenly among servings. Drizzle about 2
teaspoons dressing over each serving.
Cooking
Light, MARCH 2005