Thursday, September 3, 2009

Labor Day Weekend!

And we will be open regular hours on Monday.

Curried Cauliflower Pistachio Soup (vegetarian, Creamy Tomato Basil
Soup (vegetarian) and Gazpacho (vegan) are our soups today. We also have Pumpkin Cranberry Scones in the pastry case and I am hopeful Oatmeal Cookies v.3.0 will be done by this afternoon.

The Roasted Tomato & Pepper Pasta with Capers is from this weeks CSA allotment.

Please forgive the photo - it was taken with my phone, emailed to the cafe, downloaded from the server, uploaded to blogger... If it were an actual photo it would be crinkled and worn around the edges!



Moon & Stars
Watermelon Rind Pickle

5 lb. crisp watermelon rind, one medium melon green outer skin removed, most of pink fruit removed and remaining white rind cut into even pieces about 1/2 x 1 inch (mine was an heirloom variety called Moon & Stars)
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoon alum (sold with spices)

Day One:
Put rind in a large pot and just cover with water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer until rind can be easily pierced with a fork. Add alum, cover and let stand overnight.

Day Two:
Turn rind into a colander and hold under running cold water to rinse well. Drain. Return rind to kettle and add:
9 cups granulated sugar
1 quart cider vinegar
2 cinnamon sticks
Cheesecloth bag containing
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
2 slices candied ginger or ginger root

Mix well. Bring to boiling point only, stir until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand overnight.

Days Three through Eight:
Drain off the syrup into another kettle with the cinnamon sticks and spice bag (leaving only the rind in original kettle). Bring syrup to the boiling point, but do not boil. Pour over the rind. Cover and let stand overnight.

Day Nine:
Heat the rind in the syrup but do not boil. Remove and discard spice bag and cinnamon sticks. Pack pickles into sterilized jars, cover with hot syrup. Seal and process in 180° hot water bath for 30 minutes. Remove jars and place on a folded towel on the counter away from drafts. Leave until completely cool. Check for proper seal and store in a cool dark place. Pickles are best after maturing for 4-6 weeks.

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