It’s strawberry season! Preserving strawberries

Strawberry season has begun here in the Midwest, and I’m going to take advantage of the local bounty. But I can’t eat it all in time by myself, and I’m the only one in this house who likes them, so some preservation tactics are in order. Freezing seems to be the best option.

A little bird on facebook told me to use sugar when freezing. Since this is my first time doing this, I researched and found there are lots of techniques, some of which use sugar or a syrup pack and some don’t. While some swear sugar helps them keep better, others say it makes no difference or that they prefer without, so it seems to be a matter of preference. I decided to use sugar and to let the strawberries make their own syrup, which they will do if you let them sit a while after they’ve absorbed the sugar. Here’s my method, using strawberries from Saturday’s farmers market.

First, find some healthy-looking, ripe strawberries.

Farmers Market Strawberries

Aren’t they lovely? And they’re local. Local will mean better-tasting, more nutritious strawberries, rather than strawberries bred to travel over a thousand miles. You can also ask how they’re grown, which is of particular interest since strawberries are on the list of foods with greater pesticide residue when sprayed. I got them for a good price, although they weren’t as cheap as they were during the unusual strawberry season earlier this spring. That was a frugal tip, and this is more about local food.

Wash them with cool water and dry thoroughly to prevent ice crystals. Set aside what you’ll eat right away, as they’re best fresh. Check out the end of this post for a great way to eat them with homemade whipped cream. Pick out or cut off any smashed bits or overly-ripe berries and put in your compost bucket if you have one. I halved mine, but you can leave them whole, smash them with a potato masher to make puree, or put them in the blender if you like.

In a large bowl, combine strawberries and sugar if you are adding sugar. Use about 3/4 cup sugar for each quart of strawberries. Stir until the berries have absorbed all the sugar and then spread them out on a cookie sheet, leaving as much space between each as possible. I lined mine with waxed paper and if you’re going to line yours, I suggest waxed paper over foil of any kind. It’s healthier and eventually you’re going to freeze them this way. They’re much less likely to stick to waxed paper than to foil. I’ve heard bits of foil are not so tasty, and while I’ve not intentionally tried them that way, I’m inclined to agree.

Strawberries on a cookie sheet

Put them in the refrigerator for a few hours, making sure of course that your cookie sheet is level and doesn’t drip syrup all over the inside of your fridge. I kept them in there for about 3 hours, as they are better if you freeze them when they’re already cold. Then put them in the freezer on the cookie sheet and freeze them overnight. In the morning, fold up the paper and slide them into a freezer bag. Push out as much air as possible, seal, and put back in the freezer.

Strawberries in freezer bag

I used a permanent marker to label mine with the date. I have an actual eraser for that marker, and I will wash out and re-use the bag when I’m done with this batch.

Also, if you don’t have room in your freezer to use the cookie sheet or if you’re mashed or pureed them, you can put them in the freezer bag right after you take them out of the fridge. It’s simply that you’ll have a harder time keeping them separate if they’re in syrup, so consider using smaller freezer bags if that’s the case. If you’re not using sugar, just make sure they’re very well dried so that they’re less likely to stick to each other.

I’m told they’ll get darker and softer with freezing, and so while they can be eaten plain, they may be better for things such as sauces, pie fillings, homemade yogurt, and maybe ice cream. Homemade strawberry ice cream sounds divine in this hot weather, doesn’t it? I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Posted in consumer issues, farmers markets, food, food preservation, food storage, local food | 1 Comment

BP Top Kill strategy fails

We’ve been waiting to see what the results of BP’s Top Kill attempt on the oil spill in the Gulf. CNN reports today that Operation “Top Kill” has failed and that BP is moving on to a next step.

Current estimates have this spill at about twice the amount of the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, making it the worst in US history. It may become the worst, period.

I wish I had something more hopeful and positive to say about this situation, but I simply don’t. I can only hope it will further the push toward renewable, sustainable, clean energy and the technology to harness it.

Posted in alternative energy, conservation, current events | Leave a comment

Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago

What’s your favorite local garden center? It’s not close to Oak Park, but mine is Gethsemane Garden Center on the north side of Chicago. They have flowers, ground cover, trees, herbs, fruits, vegetables, annuals, perennials, succulents, gardening supplies and tools, soils, mulches, outdoor furniture – you name it, they probably have it. Their store and their variety are huge; it’s rather surprising they have such a large space in the middle of the city, but there it is in all its glory at 5739 N Clark.

Some of their items are organic and some of their fruits and vegetables are heirloom, and some aren’t. Don’t hesitate to ask, as the staff is knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly.

I didn’t get a good photo of any part of the grounds when I went yesterday, but here’s a treat for you. A certain red lily was hidden but bloomed early. I think it must have wanted its picture taken.

Red Lily at Gethsemane Garden Center in Chicago

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Root Riot’s Oak Park Community Garden is Coming to Life

Root Riot’s community garden in Oak Park is seeing signs of life. Here’s the lot after the beds were built but before any planting was done, not quite a week ago:

Oak Park Community Garden 2010/05/22

And here it is today:

Root Riot Oak Park Community Garden 2010/05/28

Here is my little plot, with kale, bell pepper plants, squash, zucchini, and some marigolds to discourage local wildlife:

My Plot on 2010/05/28

And here is someone else’s plot:

Le Jardin de GiGi

Votre jardin est tres joli, GiGi!

Posted in community gardens, Oak Park | 2 Comments

New Forest Park Farmers Market

Check it out – Forest Park will have a new farmers market on Fridays from 3:30 to 7:30. It’s at 7640 W Jackson in the Howard Mohr Community Center parking lot and it’s close to the Forest Park blue line stop. I’m always pleased to see a farmers market near public transit.

It looks like they have some wonderful organizations selling there, such as Co-op Image. They sell hot sauces made from peppers grown at Campbell Gardens nearby in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood. Their proceeds benefit Co-op’s youth arts center.

Mint Creek Farm will also be there. One of the goals of Mint Creek Farm was rescuing land and soil depleted by modern farming methods. If you are a meat eater, they sell eggs and various meats from free range animals who dine on organic clover, perennial grasses, and alfalfa. Mint Creek Farm began with 50 acres in 1992 and has now grown to 200 acres.

Posted in events, farmers markets, farms, food, Forest Park, local businesses, local food | Leave a comment

Champagne mangoes and making greener choices

Tonight after work I went to Costco. My plan was to buy a few non-perishable items, but I found – and was tempted by – champagne mangoes. Costco calls them Ataulfo mangoes, but they’re the same thing, and they’re in season right now. I thought I might freeze some to have in the winter.

Costco was selling them in six-packs for $5.49 each and they were in plastic containers. I looked but I didn’t see a recycle number on the plastic, so I think it’s fair to say they can’t be recycled. If anyone knows that not to be true, please let me know by commenting. Anyway, I ended up putting them back because of the packaging. If I change my mind, I can get some for almost the same price at Whole Foods. Whole Foods is normally much more expensive, but I don’t have to use any packaging at all for those.

I’m not implying I should be patted on the back for this choice. It was a pretty easy choice, for one thing, and mangoes are not at all local, for another. These particular mangoes come from Mexico, so they have to travel a long way to get here. The conditions in which many farm workers have to do their jobs are usually rather deplorable and those workers are not always paid a living wage. Generally speaking, growing your own and/or buying from the farmers market are much greener choices, but I know few people who are complete locavores. In areas such as this one with harsh winters, either you buy out of season and non-local sometimes, or you freeze enough food for 6 months at the end of the growing season. Or, as a third option, I suppose, is that you starve to death. No one likes that one, by the way. That one is a serious bummer.

But I’m thinking about contacting Costco and asking them to consider greener packaging. I’m not the only consumer out there who shops at Costco, and surely it might encourage someone else to recycle if they had the option or even to go without packaging altogether.

Posted in consumer issues, food, food preservation, frugal, local food, philosophy, reducing waste | Leave a comment

Big day at Green Festival Chicago, plus a possible giveaway

Did anyone else attend the Green Festival this weekend when it was in Chicago? It was huge. To give you an idea of it’s hugeosity*, here’s a bird’s eye view of about half of the festival. Click on the image for the full size, as I’m not going to use its full size in this post.

Lots of vendors set up shop there, but what was really interesting to me was the local groups taking action and offering services. You may have heard of some of these groups, such as Earth Wind & Solar Energy, LLC, an alternative energy company in Chicago. Solar Service, Inc. is another, and they’ve been around for over 30 years.

Green Envelope, a green construction company, was there, as was Green Choice Bank. Green Choice Bank says they will be the Midwest’s first green bank and will launch later this year.

Olive Owl Organics is in downtown Oak Park and I must stop in there one day. They sell lots of natural, organic body products and a few other things.

Of particular interest to me was NeighborSpace, which partners with other groups in the area to acquire and protect community gardens and other open spaces.

Not all the vendors were local. Global Exchange had some of their wares on hand.

Global Exchange at Green Festival Chicago

This is their display of handbags and wallets made from recycled car and truck inner tubes. Have you ever wondered where tires go to die? Often they go to a landfill, and they tend to stick around for a long time after that. By the way, look for a possible Global Exchange product giveaway from Green In Oak Park in the near future.

And finally, many spoke at the Green Festival. I went to see only one, and that was Dr. Kevin Danaher. He is one of the founders of the festival and he spoke about green careers. There are lots of opportunities out there. Check out Greencareercentral.com for lots of listings.

All in all, good if somewhat overwhelming day. Did I mention the festival was huge?

* – My browser’s spellchecker doesn’t like “hugeosity”. I wonder why? 😉

Posted in events | 5 Comments

Community Garden Workday with Root Riot in Oak Park

This past weekend, I didn’t go to the Friday workday for the new Root Riot community garden in Oak Park, but I did attend Saturday’s. A productive day was had by all. We mulched, we shoveled, we filled raised beds, we smoothed out soil, we stapled landscape fabric, we created a soil mound on the north side of the lot, and we drank a lot of water. I had a couple of good chats with Amy, who is a landscape architect and one of the founders of Root Riot.

At the end of the day, the view from the back of the lot looked like this:

Are you in this photo? Let me know in the comments if you are and want to identify yourself. Or don’t, of course, if you wish to remain stealthy. If you’re a member who is renting a plot, feel free to share anything about what you’re planting as well.

Posted in community gardens, events, farms, food, gardening, Oak Park | Leave a comment

The First Oak Park Farmers Market of 2010 and freezing asparagus

So, locals, did you go to the farmers market?  We did, and we bought chèvre, handmade bread, a couple of parsley plants, asparagus, and eggs. This is less than our usual haul, but we were pretty good on food for this week already.

Also, you’ll note lots of asparagus at the market until June or so.  This is asparagus season, so get it while it’s fresh, in-season, and tastiest.  If you would like to know how to keep it for longer, I recommend freezing it if you have the freezer room.  Here’s how:

– Wash the asparagus in water and use a veggie brush if it hasn’t been scrubbed of dirt.
– Cut the tough ends off, about two inches from the bottom, place the bottoms in your compost bin if you have one, and chop the rest into bite-sized pieces or leave the stalks whole.
– Boil a large pot of water on the stove.
– Blanch the asparagus by putting it in boiling water for about 3 minutes and then drain. You can blanch smaller diameter stalks for 2 minutes, medium for 3, and large for 4.
– Transfer it to ice cold water for at least 4 minutes to stop the blanching process, and dry thoroughly after to reduce ice crystals.
– Store in the freezer in air-tight, freezer-proof containers such as freezer bags with the excess air squeezed out, and to squeeze more into available space you can alternate stalks up or down.

These won’t taste quite as good as they did when fresh, but it will taste better than and cost you less than what you get in the grocery store in the winter. You can also boil down the asparagus water to half its volume to use in veggie stock, if you keep any. You can also consider donating excess fresh asparagus to your local food pantry – as I’ve mentioned recently, Ample Harvest will help you do that.

If you went, what did you buy? Any favorite ways to prepare asparagus? Happy Eating!

Posted in events, farms, food, food preservation, food storage, frugal, Oak Park | Leave a comment

Ample Harvest donates excess garden bounty to food pantries

One day in 2007, Gary Oppenheimer did a good thing by donating the excess from his garden to a food pantry.  When he realized how little fresh food was available to those depending on food pantries, he registered domain name ampleharvest.org and had the website built.  Now gardeners who grow more than they’ll eat can use the site to arrange to donate to food pantries in their areas.  There are almost 2000 food pantries registered on ampleharvest.org.

The cheapest food in this country is processed and canned food.  It’s not healthy to subsist on such a diet, but it’s all some can afford.  This project reduces how much food is wasted while providing fresh food for those in need.

If your backyard bounty is too much for your family, consider donating some of the excess to a food pantry near you.  You’ll feel good about it and so will they.

Posted in farms, food, gardening, giving, reducing waste | 3 Comments