Preserving The Harvest

The rush is on, folks! The Ohio growing season is officially over, but that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy the wonderful fall flavors for several more months. Fall produce, such as apples, pumpkins and squash are among the easiest fruits to keep in cold storage. A bushel of apples kept cool and dry will keep for many weeks, pumpkins and squash for months. A cooler in an uninsulated garage will keep your fall fruit fresh through Christmas and beyond!

We'll have an abundance of apples this week that are perfect for saucing and turning into apple butter...preserved in a pretty jar, it makes a beautiful holiday gift! We'll also have apples on hand for drying, canning or freezing for quick wintertime desserts. Pumpkin is also great for preserving! Cubed into small pieces and pressure canned, you can have fresh, pie-ready pumpkin for a year...if it lasts that long! Simply drain the cubed pumpkin and puree, then create your favorite winter sweet, like pumpkin bread or even better, pumpkin cheesecake!

If you've never tried your hand at canning, this is the perfect time to start! The weather is cool, the days are short and the produce is abundant. And trust me when I say there's nothing more satisfying on a bitter winter evening than a warm bowl of homemade applesauce topped off with cinnamon and served with freshly baked graham crackers. For more information on safe home-canning practices, check out these websites:

http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/foodpres.shtml

http://extension.osu.edu/health_and_nutrition/food_preservation.php

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html

Good luck and good canning!

Pumpkin Bread, Anyone?

Honestly, who doesn't love pumpkin bread? Can you name a single food more wholesome and homey than a fresh, warm slice of pumpkin bread served up with a glass of mulled cider? I love this recipe because it's a BIG batch...2 large loaves of bread instead of one. To keep it fresh longer, either double-wrap it and freeze it or store it in the fridge. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9x5 pans.

2) In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3) Bake for 50 - 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Spiced Cider

Here's another fall favorite for you to try out; for sipping at the Friday night football game or maybe around a backyard bonfire. Spiced cider is simply the most delicious stuff under the sun! And it's so simple, it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to prepare and is even more delicious the next day... if there's any left! The beauty in using the whole orange and cloves is that you get the delicious mulled flavors, without needing to strain the mulling spices out of the cider. It's beautiful and festive with less cleanup!

1 gallon of Huck's fresh apple cider
1 whole orange
1 handful of whole cloves
Cinnamon for sprinkling

Wash the orange to remove any oils or dirt. Using a fork, carefully poke holes all over the surface of the orange peel and insert the whole cloves into the holes. Sprinkle cinnamon over the orange, concentrating on the areas where you poked the holes. Pour the cider into a crock pot and add the orange. Heat on medium til hot, allowing time for the spices and citrus flavors to meld with the cider. Serve hot with a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Squash Souffle

Now that the cool weather is arriving and squash are abundant, one of my favorite dishes is squash souffle. It sounds fancy, sounds difficult, but it's about as easy a side dish as there is. If you can make pudding, you can make a squash souffle. It tastes similar to pumpkin pie but not as sweet. And there's no waiting around for Thanksgiving for this dish! It makes a great accompaniment to savory dishes like roasted chicken or ham, but can also be a warm, comforting dessert served up with a dollop of whipped cream and a hot cup of coffee.

Winter Squash Souffle

3 T melted butter
2 c. hot mashed acorn or butternut squash
1/2 - 1 c. sugar (to taste)
1/3 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1 t. EACH cinnamon and nutmeg
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Add butter to squash and stir til melted. Add sugar, milk, salt and spices and beat with a mixer till blended. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Pour into a greased casserole and bake at 325 degrees til the center is set. Serve immediately! Yield 6-8 servings

Punkin' Pickin'

Fall is only 2 short weeks away, so it's time to start harvesting the pumpkins! The squash and pumpkins have thrived in this cool, fall-like weather and will be available starting this weekend. We have all sizes and shapes of pumpkins, some for eatin' and some for sittin' on the front porch with a pot of mums for a beautiful fall display. Bring the kids and pick out that perfect Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin, and don't forget a pie pumpkin for homemade pie!

Also available this weekend will be our selection of homegrown winter squash. If you've never enjoyed a fresh baked winter squash, you've missed out on one of the pleasures of fall. Simply slice one open, clean out the cavity and fill it with your favorite things: brown sugar, nuts, raisins, butter, cinnamon or maple syrup, then bake til the squash is tender. It's delicious as a side dish, or stuffed with savory ingredients for a filling main course. The other great thing about winter squash is their 'keeping' qualities. In a cool, dark, dry basement, winter squash will keep for months on end making them a great option for cold storage.

Come on out and enjoy the flavor of the season at Huck's!

Chicken Fruit!

Here at Huck's, we strive to be a full-service farm market that provides locally grown, sensibly raised products such as apples, tomatoes, honey, eggplants, peppers and pumpkins. Most of what we sell, we raise ourselves, but from time to time, we're able to do business with small, local farms in order to offer you the best, freshest food possible.

We're pleased to announce that we have joined with Tamarack Ranch, a small, family-run hennery to offer farm-fresh brown eggs to our customers. Tamarack Ranch raises heritage breed chickens such as Dominiques, Orpingtons and Buckeyes in a free range environment, with protection from predators courtesy of livestock dogs rescued from local shelters. The hens are raised on an organic diet, supplemented with grasses and grains (and critters!) that they forage in the pasture. The resulting eggs have lower fat and cholesterol levels, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E and *6 times* the Vitamin D of commercially raised, factory farmed chicken eggs.

Healthy. Local. Seasonal. That's what Huck's stands for and we're proud to offer that choice to our customers.

Fall Is In The Air?

Apple picking starts each day around 5am here at the Orchard, and the chill in the air this morning was a clear reminder that fall is just around the corner. We'll be coming to an end of the summer crop soon, so if you like the sweet-tart crunch of a Mollie's Delicious, don't wait too long! Just a couple more weeks and they'll be finished for the season.

Last week's warm spell is long gone, but it was just enough heat to get our warm-weather crops to ripen. And boy, are they beginning to ripen! Red, ripe tomatoes, golden yellow tomatoes, eggplants, banana peppers, bell peppers, zucchini and cucumbers are ready to go! We have everything you need to can a batch of tomato juice, soup or salsa; or if you prefer fresh instead of cooked, why not try some bruschetta made from our fresh heirloom tomatoes and sweet bell peppers?

To check on availability or for directions, give us a call at 937-323-3987.