This wonderful event of communal spirit and blogging frenzy has even more eager participants than previous years and a diverse spread of blogging themes and categories. To check out the many options, just click on the MOFO banner to the right. To those participating along with me, WOOHOO!
On this blog, I plan to explore different techniques, revise family classics, and hopefully introduce some new produce into your kitchens. I'll bring lots of love for local products from the farm and from farmers' markets, as well as explorations of mindfulness from the kitchen, the mat, or wherever they happen to occur.
Without further ado, meet...the Husk Cherry.
I first encountered these delights at the farm I help out at on the weekend. At first, I was a bit skeptical of the short row of ornamental-looking bushes. This skepticism did not dissipate with the instruction that the cherries on the ground were actually the ripest or that they had a question mark Dum-Dum like taste to them. Case in point: my hub, who tried it first, said ham 'n cheese, while another farmhand said that he got pineapple. True, the hub was probably giving me a hard time, as he watched me peer critically at the cherry between my fingers and then grimace slightly at the odd feeling of squeezing out the fruit. Still, despite my initial hesitation (and an unripe first bite), I have come to love these amazing fruits and their versatility.
If you can find them at your local farmers' market, enjoy them as an alternative to tomatoes in your salad or in savory dishes. I've sliced them in half and used them in combination with chopped pistachios to provide the"crumb" to a butternut squash, greens, and quinoa balsamic bake; we also enjoyed them sauteed with brussels sprouts and pea shoots in a white balsamic and maple syrup sauce, which I served over a harvest grain blend.
For more information about these delicious bites, click here.
A potato bread revision...in progress.
Last year, I had this crazy notion to turn one of my favorite breakfast sides into bread -- thus, the sweet potato and sun-dried tomato bread was born. In preparing for meals this upcoming week, I had a similar inclination -- instead of a beloved butternut risotto recipe, why not make a bread inspired by this dish? So now, based on the Potato Bread recipe in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, the butternut, sage, and roasted garlic bread is in progress. Hope you'll check back tomorrow to see how it turned out!
Those look awesome - like tomatillos, but small! I'll keep my eyes out for them, I love discovering new veggies (or fruits). :)
ReplyDeleteThose cherries look and sound so tasty! Where do you live that they are local to? I have never even seen one before. Good luck with your bread! I hope it comes out well!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I have ever seen a husk cherry... will you bring one in so we can see it up front and in person?
ReplyDeleteHa, we always called these the "Cape Gooseberry" growing up. I think becausue they are sort of relatede to gooseberries and came from the Cape in Sth Africa??? I never liked them much anyway, and I did like gooseberries.
ReplyDeleteGlad to generate such discussion! I'm in MA and have seen them in RI, but from the website, it seems like they grow all over. One of the farmers I worked with this summer said they grow like weeds and will do so anywhere. Carolyn -- I don't have any this week, but maybe next week, I can bring some in. Carla -- maybe just a variety that wasn't appealing? Seems like there are many different kinds! I've never had gooseberries -- I'll have to look for those for future experimenting. :)
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