2 cups wineberries or raspberries
1 750 ml bottle of Riesling or other fruity/semi sweet wine – Grape juice or ginger-ale can be substituted for non-alcoholic version.
2 bottles of Kombucha – flavor of choice – we used 1 bottle citrus and 1 bottle hibiscus
2 T honey
Fresh orange slices – plus more for decorating sides of serving glasses.

1. Mix all together and chill well.

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES
Makes about 30

30 wild grape leaves
Sea salt
1/4 cup white vinegar
DRESSING:
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup red clover or apple cider vinegar
1 tea Dijon
2 T honey
1/2 cup olive oil or more to taste
FILLING:
2 onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olives – black, green or a combination, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
3 T milkweed buds
1 T milkweed pods, chopped
2 T field garlic kernels
1 T black mustard seeds
2 crisp apples, cored and chopped fine
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 T herb spice blend of choice – TJ’s 21 salute is very nice
4 cups COOKED millet

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar and grape leaves. Simmer at least 10 minutes, then turn off flame and steep leaves until cooled enough to touch the without burning.
2. In a jar or food processor, add all the dressing components and mix well until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, combine all of the stuffing components** and mix well.
4. Add 1/2 the dressing to the stuffing and mix. Add more dressing a little at a time or until the filling starts to clump together easily.
5. To stuff: Lay one grape leaf down on a flat surface – pretty side down – and top with about 1 T filling. Fold both sides over the filling and bring one flap up then the other and, while guiding the stuffing inward, roll the leaf away from you until a tight cylinder is formed.
6. Continue with rest of the leaves and brush with olive oil to keep the leaves moist and glossy.

** The ingredients we used were what we had on hand. Please feel free to add, subtract or change any of the filling ingredients. Rice for millet, cranberries for apples, sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds. . . etc. Also, if you have a favorite bottled dressing, you can use that vs the homemade dressing above, although in our opinion, homemade is always best :)

to watch the video click here

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for Chef’s Lisa’s recipes click here

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Milkweed pods

Milkweed is one of the most useful plants that we have been blessed with.  Beginning in May, the shoots appear, heralding the spring.  If I encounter a large enough patch, I’ll carefully harvest a few by slicing off the tender tops.  I’m careful to only select from those that are about 10 inches or less, as the taller plants begin to get tougher and as they develop a red blush, they become somewhat toxic.  The harvested shoots are usual about 6 to 8 inches in length, and have 2 or three pairs of leaves, with a cluster at the top.  I remove all but the very top leaves and put them aside to be used in other dishes.  What remains resembles asparagus.

These tasty shoots are delicious to eat as is or they can be lightly boiled or steamed and serves with butter or your favorite sauce.  I prefer them to asparagus.  One of our recommended recipes for May I call Milkweed Seaweed noodles, in which I shave thin slivers from the stems until I have a bowl of green “noodles”.  I then either steam or blanch them until slightly softened.  I generally make up an Asian style dressing, using soy sauce or tamari, rice vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil and palm sugar, which I pour over the noodles.  Finally, I sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds and serve.  Try it.  It will become a perennial favorite with your family.

In June the flowers begin to appear.  Before they open they resemble clusters of capers.  If there are enough clusters at this stage, I like to pick a few to use in a variety of dishes from salads to soups to stir fries.  As the flowers open up they become more colorful and really help to brighten up a salad or just about any dish.  They are a perfect snack when you are walking through a meadow and happen upon a patch of milkweed.  However, be careful not to pop a bug in your mouth, as milkweed flowers are very popular with insects, particularly the Monarch butterfly and a little orange and black beetle known as the milkweed bug.  It is quite harmless, and if you are feeling adventurous, quite delicious.

After the flowers fade and drop away, start to look out for the seed pods.  There are generally about  2 or 3 to a plant, particularly in sunny areas.  When they reach about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in length they are ready to be harvested, however, only pick them if there are plenty to be had and always make sure to leave a few to propagate for next year.  The pods only remain edible for a few days before they begin to get tough and stringy. You can tell if they are too ripe without having to pick them.  The edible pods are very firm.  As they become spongy feeling, you’ll know that it is too late.

The pods can be used in many different ways.  They are quite tasty raw, or sliced up and added to salads.  They can be sautéed, battered and deep fried or prepared like you would okra (without being slimy). Another idea you can try is to split them along the seam and remove the insides (immature seeds and silk, then stuff them with grain and chopped vegetables, cover them with cheese and breadcrumbs and bake them in the oven or steam them and drizzle your favorite sauce over them.  There are so many ways that you can prepare them that the only limit is your imagination.

In the Fall, after the plant has begun to die off, it still has its uses.  The stalks can be stripped of their outer layers, which can be used to make twine.  I have made some very strong thread from milkweed, that I used to sew on a button that is still firmly attached several years later.

As if this wasn’t enough, the latex from the plant can be used to remove warts (I’ve done it – it really works).

To watch a video on cooking milkweed  click here

For a recipe for cooking milkweed click here

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Caramelized milkweed pods

Here’s a recipe for this month’s seasonal ingredient Milk Weed Pods: simple and delicious.

CARAMELIZED MILKWEED PODS

2 T coconut oil
3 cups fresh milkweed pods, cut in half horizontally

1.  Add coconut oil to a large skillet over high heat.
2.  Add pods, cut side down, and sear for about 1-2 minutes or until nicely browned.
3.  Flip pods carefully with tongs and cook on second side about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
4.  Season lightly with sea salt and pepper add to pot with meatballs.

To Learn More about Milkweed click here

Pork and Lambsquarters Meatballs in a Coconut Chicken Broth

Serves 8-10

MEATBALLS:
1 T coconut oil
1 stalk lemongrass, tender part only, minced
2 cups onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups lambsquarters or spinach, chopped
1 T lime juice
1-2 eggs
2 lbs ground pork
1 tea salt
1 T liquid aminos or soy sauce or soy free coconut aminos
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup spelt flour or all purpose flour

SAUCE:
2 T coconut oil
1 stalk lemongrass, tender part only, minced
2 tea fresh ginger, grated
2 fresh tomatoes, diced – or 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tea palm sugar or brown sugar
squeeze of lime juice to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
2.  Heat 1 T coconut oil in a large skillet and cook onion, lemongrass and garlic until soft.
3.  Add lambsquarters in batches, folding in until all are wilted and reduced to half their volume.
4.  Add lime juice off heat and mix well.  Set aside to cool slightly.
5.  In a large bowl, mix pork, sea salt, liquid aminos and cinnamon.
6.  Add greens and mix well.
7.  Add spelt flour to firm up the mixture if too wet.
8.  Roll meatballs into 1/2 inch or quarter sized balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until cooked through.
9.  While meatballs are in the oven, add 2 T coconut oil to a stock pot over medium high heat.
10. Add lemongrass and ginger and cook 1 minute, or until fragrant.
11. Add diced tomatoes, coconut milk and chicken broth and bring to a boil.
12.  Add sugar and stir to dissolve bringing the broth to a simmer.
13.  Add meatballs and simmer in the sauce for anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour.  The longer they simmer, the more tender they will be.
14.  Serve with Caramelized Milkweed Pods and soba noodles, if desired.

Recipe by Chef Lisa Caccamise, Simple Earth Cuisine Personal Chef Service, LLC.

 To watch the cooking video click here

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To Learn More about Milkweed click here

For our recipe click here

Cropsey Farm

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Join us on our mission to reclaim lost foods, ancient culture, and the ways of the wise

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However, with every upside, there is always a downside. In today’s convenient world, foraged foods are very un-convenient. They take an investment of time to get the from pasture to table. Although much of the food is growing only steps away from your front door, most plants need to be dug up, washed, dried, soaked, pickled or par- boiled. In the case of stinging nettles, gloves and sheers are needed just to harvest them. But if our diets can be significantly enhanced for the better by including even a small percentage of foraged foods shouldn’t the effort be willingly made?

Once a survival trait, our ancestors had, by necessity, an extensive knowledge of foraged greenery. They knew wintercress, with it’s high vitamin C content, prevented scurvy in winter months when only meat, grains and some root vegetables were available. Although our ancestors did not know the scientific reasons why these particular foods did what they did, they found, by being tuned into nature and through generation after generation of use, that these particular foods did the trick. We now know that wild plants vs cultivated plants contain up to 50% more vitamins and minerals, more phytochemical content (antioxidants and anti-microbial properties) and a more natural balance of anti inflammatory omega 3’s to inflammatory omega 6‘s. Our lawns are scattered with highly nutritious foods. Dandelions, for example have high concentrations of vitamin A, C, K, B6, E and minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium and manganese. Wood sorrel are extremely high in vitamin C and red clover is abundantly high in calcium, magnesium as well as isoflavones. We also know that eating with the seasons gives the proper amount of vitamins, minerals and medicinal properties our bodies need exactly when we need them. And, by eating local food vs food that has been shipped in from across our country or from other countries, the nutritional value is much more dense.

It stands to reason that food growing right under your feet, in your own back yard, far surpasses anything you can get at the grocery store. And, as if nutritional value weren’t enough, a foraging expedition satisfies all our primal needs too. The thrill of the hunt, never knowing what will be found in the season you are in, patients and care when tending to the plant or plants in the preparation of a meal and gratification of a full stomach at the end of a foraged feast. This brings on an accomplishing feeling, more so than any trip to the grocery store can do. For there is a vibrant feeling from within the forager who creates such a feast and a comfortknowing that even with our food system being as screwed up as it is, nature will alway find a way to dig it’s roots in and survive.

By Lisa Caccamise

Farmer's Market Food Demo

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