Recipe
Honey Lavender Ice Cream
By Rebecca Sornson
Last year, a good friend of Salt Water Farm gave us a huge, beautiful bag of dried lavender blossoms. We decided to whittle the bag down this week and made some honey lavender ice cream. We served it last night at our Full Moon Supper with a delicate lemon tart.
Honey Lavender Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tbs dried lavender blossoms
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons rapadura sugar
Gently heat milk and heavy cream. Just before it begins to boil, stir in honey, lavender blossoms, and sugar. Turn of the heat, and drop in the vanilla bean. Cover the mixture with a lid, and let steep for one hour. Then, strain and place mixture in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, put mixture in your ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Recipe
Nettle Infused Ricotta Cheese
By Rebecca Sornson
On Saturday, I drove to Winthrop, Maine on a mission to find nettles. Upon arrival, a kind grandmother named Sandy graciously filled the back of my car with buckets of them, warning me that once you plant a nettle, you’ll never get rid of them. An overabundance of nettles is a problem that I would like to have. They are one of the most nutritious and tasty potherbs around. Here’s a recipe that we invented this week.
Nettle Infused Ricotta Cheese
1 gallon whole milk (from the farmer down the lane)
1/4 lb fresh nettles or about 2 cups
1/4 cup vinegar
Equipment:
a candy thermometer
a large non-reactive pot
Pour milk into a pot and add nettles. Slowly heat to 190 degrees and let the nettles steep in the hot milk for 15 minutes. Then, remove the nettles and turn the heat back on, bringing it back up to 190 degrees. Slowly pour vinegar into the pot and watch in wonder as the milk curdles and the curds rise to the top of the pot. Let the vinegar work for 5 minutes and then, using a large slotted spoon, scoop the ricotta cheese into a strainer. The remaining whey should be a lime green color and can be used in baking or fermentation. For more ideas on the use of whey, check out Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, a wonderfully interesting and informative cookbook. Eat your nettle infused ricotta hot with a spoon or with eggs in the morning.
Recipe
Elderberry Mead
By Rebecca Sornson
Mead, also known as honey wine, is the fermentation of honey mixed with water. Sometimes, it is also flavored with fruit or herbs like this elderberry mead we made at Salt Water Farm.
Mead has a fascinating history. Scholars believe that the practice of mead-making is significantly older than agriculture. Some even argue that when cultures began making mead or similar fermented beverages that it marked the beginning of the transition from a nature-based tribal existence to more organized culture. If this piques your interest, check out Sandor Katz’s new book, The Art of Fermentation.
Elderberry Mead
Makes 3 gallons
2 gallons of ripe, purple-black elderberries, destemmed
2 quarts warm water
2 quarts raw honey
Destem berries and pick out unripe berries and chaff. It’s easiest to do when the berries are frozen. Put your berries in a large glass or food-grade plastic fermentation vessel. Cover your clean, ripe berries with boiling water. Stir and let ferment for 24 hours. Make sure to cover your brew overnight with a tea towel. Strain out berries with a cheesecloth lined strainer or jellybag. Squeeze berry filled cheesecloth to get all of the juice out. Heat the remaining elderberry juice until warm and then add honey and additional warm water. Do not heat over 110 degrees or you will kill the enzymes in the honey. Stir to thoroughly combine honey into the elderberry brew. Ferment in a open vessel covered with a cheesecloth or tea towel for 3-7 days or until your brew begins bubbling. Stir at least twice a day or whenever you walk by. When the mead begins to bubble with fervor, transfer it into a 3 gallon glass carboy. Cap it with an airlock and let ferment in a dark place for 3 weeks to 3 months. Then, either have a big party and drink it all up, or bottle it and store the bottles in a dark place for as long as you can.
Recipe
Spring Dandelion Fritters
By Annemarie Ahearn
In early spring, dandelions are bountiful in just about everyone’s backyard. This year at Salt Water Farm, we’ve used their greens in salads and soups and their flowers to make wine and fritters. Here is a sweet little recipe for dandelion fritters – a wonderful way to start a spring meal.
Dandelions abound at Salt Water Farm
Dandelion Fritters
24 dandelion flowers
1 egg white
1/4 cup rice flour (or All Purpose Flour)
1 cup light beer, champagne or seltzer water
1 teaspoon sugar, plus a few pinches for finishing
A pinch of Kosher salt
2 cups grape seed oil
Whisk bubbly, olive oil, salt and sugar together. Slowly whisk in rice flour. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites to soft peeks. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Adjust thickness by adding more rice flour. Heat grape seed oil in a small sauce pan to 325 degrees. Dip dandelion flowers into batter. Drop into oil. Fry until golden brown and remove with a slotted spoon. Finish with a little sprinkle of sugar and serve hot.