How high's the water, Mama?

No time to talk about our flood . . . Besides, the pictures speak for themselves. More soon . . .

Peak OKRA

The tropical okra plant is amazingly beautiful, from its flamboyant Georgia O’Keefe-esque golden hibiscus blossoms, to the perfect 2-3 inch pods that form within 2-3 days of the blossom, to the okra slices, which are bands of green around a pearlescent floral inlay of seeds.

Beautiful as okra is, harvesting it is not pretty. Like any beautiful woman, she needs to be skilled in self-defense. And since okra has no hands for judo or mace, she wraps herself in tiny spikes that prick any hands that seek to pluck her. The spikes are spikiest right where the pod attaches to the stem, so we put on cotton gloves and do our best not to rub against the leaves as we harvest. Of course we can’t help but touch the plants and our punishment is red and itchy hands and arms for the rest of the day.

Working on an organic farm where everything is hand-harvested often is an exercise in blood, sweat, and tears. But no pain, no pleasure. As Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe says, “Good food is trouble.” But the time and trouble and pain are worth it when you bite into a delicate okra pod. And, yes, I said delicate. Even though okra has a bad reputation amongst some, okra is NOT the slime creature from the black lagoon.

The trick to using okra in a stew is to sear the slices first. The dry heat upfront keeps moist pod juices hovering around the seeds. Cooking time is also crucial-- a relatively quick simmer is best.

Teresa’s daughters only like okra as Tempura, so if you're new to okra, try this, with or without ketchup.

Okra Tempura

About 3 cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1/2 cup flour
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup iced water
1 cup small okra
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a deep saucepan one-third full of oil until a breadcrumb sizzles in it (about 365 F)
2. Place the flour, egg yolk and water in a bowl and whisk well to form a batter.
3. Dip the okra into the batter mixture to coat and immediately place carefully into the hot oil. Cook in batches for one minute, or until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels.
4. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serve immediately with or without a dipping sauce. (Teresa’s girls like it with ketchup.)

ARONIA SUCCESS . . . and JELLY TOO

We had a blast at the Aronia Harvest Sunday . . .



That's Teresa's daughter Kira with a big handful of freshly-picked berries, and Sean and Devon (hope I'm not mispelling their names), our most enthusiastic pickers, pointing at the scale that shows how many pounds of berries they picked.

If you'd like to try your hand at aronia jelly, here's Teresa's recipe.

Aronia Jelly

3 1/2 c. juice (You will need 2 pints of aronia to get this much juice)

4 T. lemon juice

1 package low-sugar pectin (such as Sure-Jell in the pink box)

4 c. sugar

Wash fruit and freeze. This allows more juice to be extracted. Cover frozen berries with water; simmer for 15 minutes. Mash the fruit with a potato masher. Strain juice through cheese cloth, squeezing hard to get every drop. Measure juice into a 2 quart kettle, adding a little water, if needed, to make the 1 3/4 cups. Add pectin and stir. Bring to a boil, add sugar, stir, and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil exactly 2 minutes. Skim off foam and pour into jars. Store in the refrigerator.

Aronia Harvest Time Is Here!

Come out to the farm and join Teresa and the crew THIS SUNDAY, Aug. 24, 1:00-6:00 or whenever you need to go.

Teresa called me earlier and said, “I’m out here in the aronia field, and it’s ready!”

“What’s aronia?” you may ask. Well, there are a few pictures here that I took yesterday, but come out and see for yourself!

There will be prizes for the most berries picked, and the opportunity to have your wages donated to the charity of your choice.

Teresa planted two acres of the bushes two years ago, went to Poland a year ago to research harvesting and processing, and is now offering you and your family and friends a day in the country picking them -- with the option of having your “wages” go to either The Land Connection’s New Farmer Scholarship Fund, or the charity of your choice.

Directions to the Aronia Harvest: We are located in between Bloomington and Peoria.

From the East or West. Take the Goodfield Exit on I-74, and go straight through the stoplight in Goodfield. A quarter mile after you leave the village, turn right just before the “Hillside Hideaway” display of wooden gazebos, sheds, play-sets, etc. There is a sign that point to the Yogi Bear Campground at the turnoff.

Follow the road as it zigzags around and goes by the trailer park. When you come to the 2^nd stop sign (Grimm Road), turn left. Take the next right (less than ¼ mile) onto 400 North. Go about half a mile to the top of the hill, and look for a sign.