Feed on
Posts
Comments

preserves

Picking season is not far away, which for Not Far From The Tree volunteers means countertops and cupboards packed with ripe fruit. Although abundance is a blessing, sometimes it can also be a challenge – after all, there are only so many fruit salads and smoothies you can make in a week. This week, we are sharing some meal ideas that will help you make the best of your fruit abundance. These four recipes put fruits commonly picked in Toronto to good use in summer savoury  dishes, making them more of a dinner and less of a dessert. The sauces and chutneys will store for weeks if not months if tightly sealed and refrigerated, so you can keep enjoying the fruits of summer well after the last peach has dropped from the tree.  Think of these recipes as suggestions, and feel free to experiment and push the limits of how we can use our fruit!

CHERRY BARBECUE SAUCE

cherries

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons minced green pepper

pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ teaspoon minced jalapenos (optional, for a spicier sauce)

2 cups fresh dark sweet cherries, finely chopped

1/4 can tomatoes

1/2 cups ketchup

2 tablespoons Worcester sauce (or vegetarian alternative)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons brown mustard

1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/4 tablespoon chilli powder

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil, onion, green pepper, and jalapeno (if using), over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir, and cook until ingredients are soft and the onions are golden and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add remaining ingredients (except liquid smoke), and cook for 25 minutes until the cherries are soft and the sauce is thickened. Turn off the heat, add liquid smoke, and stir. You may want to put the sauce through a blender afterwards if your cherries are still chunky and you want a smoother sauce.

SERVICEBERRY SALSA

serviceberries

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh serviceberries, mostly chopped (with some left whole)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh basil, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh mint, coarsely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, minced and seeded

1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

pinch of cinnamon

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl, chill in the refrigerator for about an hour and serve with corn chips, or in tacos.

PEACH – MINT CHUTNEY

peaches

Ingredients:

1 tbsp melted coconut oil (or other vegetable oil)

¼ cup diced onion

¼ cup diced red pepper

1 small chili pepper, seeded and minced

1 cinnamon stick

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

two tablespoons coconut sugar (or brown sugar)

2 cups fresh peaches, coarsely chopped

¼ cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped

Directions:

Heat oil, onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and cinnamon stick over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir, and cook until ingredients are soft and the onions are golden and translucent. Add garlic and ginger cook for another minute. Add vinegar, sugar, and peaches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer mixture until thick (about 5 minutes). Turn off heat and cool, then stir in mint. Seal in mason jars and keep in the fridge. Serve with Indian curries or Caribbean rotis.

THAI VEGETABLE / PLUM KEBABS

5958706160_28a33e03f2

Ingredients:

one medium eggplant, chopped into ¾ inch thick slices

one medium zucchini, chopped into ¾ inch thick slices

two portobello mushrooms, chopped into ¾ inch thick slices

one yellow bell pepper, and one red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into small squares

¾ pound plums, chopped

Marinade:

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped (if not blending)

¼ cup sesame oil oil

¼ cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons tamari sauce

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 tablespoon salt

12 inch skewers, (if using wooden skewers, soak in warm water for a half hour)

Directions:

Blend or whisk all marinade ingredients into a sauce. Place vegetables, mushrooms, plums, and marinade in a container with a tight fitting lid, and shake until the marinade is distributed. Let sit for 15 minutes to an hour. Alternate the marinated vegetables, mushrooms, and plums on the skewers, and barbecue until browned and softened (about 10 minutes).

Bob and Helen

Helen and Bob with a group of cherry pickers in 2012. Helen is third from the right in the blue shirt, and Bob is at the far right.

Last week I sat down with Helen and Bob, two fruit tree owners who signed up their cherry tree to be harvested by Not Far From The Tree. I wanted to pick their brains about … read more

nesting bees

Bee nesting tubes. Photo credit: Chris Worden

This week we’ve come to the final instalment of our three-part conversation about the role that wild bees play in gardens and orchards as pollinators. Many people may think of bees as little more than stinging collaborative architects … read more

Help us reach our goal

The 2013 picking season is nearly here. Let’s make it the sweetest yet! The work we do at Not Far From The Tree is made possible because of your ongoing support. Please ensure that more fruit is picked from … read more

fresh

“What’s in season in Ontario?”  Ask and you shall receive.

While this chart doesn’t cover all the goodness Ontario has to offer, we’ve got you covered for common household produce. Look for these foods, coming soon to a market (or yard) near you! … read more

Elderberries in Toronto

This summer the David Suzuki Foundation is working on building Canada’s first “Homegrown National Park,” a crowd-sourced green corridor in downtown Toronto. The park will consist of restored and … read more

group pick

So you have a tree that ripens with delicious fruit each summer? Better yet, you’re blessed with so much fruit, that you just don’t know what to do with it? Well aren’t you the apple of our eye! After all, a person can only bake so … read more

bee love

Bees at the Ben Nobleman Park Community Orchard Harvest Festival in 2010

If you have been following our blog, you may remember that a few weeks ago we posted about the role that bees play as fruit tree pollinators in conjunction with our Blossom Watch project, and spoke with two … read more

Single plum blossom. Photo from harry_harms

Blossom season is winding down and so is our Blossom Watch Project, until next year. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their blossoms with us. The blossoms seemed to come and go so fleetingly … read more

DSC_0402

(What is hopefully) stinging nettle at the Rosedale Ravine

A few weeks back I posted excerpts from an interview with Elliott Katz, author of Great Country Walks Around Toronto, where I asked him to describe a few of his favorite, well, great country walks around Toronto … read more

Older Posts »

download autocad 2008 download autocad 2010 download adobe acrobat 8 quarkxpress 7 download adobe illustrator cs5 Steinberg list Steinberg Cubase SX3 Cakewalk Sonar 4 Producer Edition Cakewalk products