We’ll have Certified organic seedlings and seeds; Tomatoes, Herbs, Eggplant, Kale, Mustard, and more.

Come celebrate Earth Day! Hug a tree, twirl beneath a tree, Dream beneath a tree. Plant a tree!

Get some tips on planting your Spring Garden! Bettina will be glad to answer your vegetable garden questions.

Sowing Seeds

Prepping the Be Green Farm

Bettina will be back on April 24th from 11-4pm!

3 large ruby red grapefruits
3 cups water
4 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
2 tablespoons rose water or lemon juice

1. Set a large pot of water to boil. Cut off the peel of the grapefruits, working to get good thick slices, but leaving the inner white pith closest to the fruit still attached to the fruit. Cut the peels into strips. Blanch the peels by submersing them in boiling water for about three minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under running water. Bring a fresh pot of water to a boil and repeat the blanching process again, this removes any bitterness. Drain and rinse again.
2. Place the peels in a large pot. Cut off all the white pith from the remaining fruits then, working over the pot, cut between the grapefruit membranes so that the fruit sections fall into the pot. Squeeze juice from the membranes and discard them. Repeat with remaining fruits.
3. Add the water and sugar to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring to combine. Lower the heat to a very low simmer. Simmer until the marmalade is thick and translucent, about one hour. The marmalade may still appear a touch watery- keep in mind it will thicken as it cools.
4. Add the vanilla bean seeds and simmer another five minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the rose water (or lemon) and set aside to cool. You could can this and process in a hot water bath or simply store in jars in the fridge.

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My friend Susan Rush was an angel and made up a couple of different citrus recipes for tasting.
Following is one great and easy lemon curd recipe:

Good enough to eat by the spoonful, this curd can be used as a cake or tart filling or served with scones, muffins, or fresh fruit. 

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 Meyer lemons (about 1 pound)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large very fresh eggs
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preparation

Finely grate enough zest from lemons to measure 2 teaspoons and squeeze enough juice to measure 1/2 cup. Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a metal bowl and add butter. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking, until thickened and smooth and an instant-read thermometer registers 160°F, about 5 minutes. Force curd through a fine sieve set into another bowl. Serve warm or cover surface of curd with wax paper and cool completely.

Cooks’ notes: • Lemon curd keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.
• If substituting regular lemons, increase sugar to 3/4 cup.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District! 

Christine Ferber, author of “Mes Confiture” inspires with her recipe for “Pectin Stock”, a natural alternative to packaged pectin.

3 1/2 pounds green apples 
4 2/3 cups granulated sugar
6 1/2 cups water
Juice of one small lemon

1. Rinse apples in cold water.  Remove stems and cut fruit into quarters without peeling.  Put them in a pan and cover with water.  When mixture comes to a boil, simmer for half an hour on low heat.
2. Collect the juice by pouring preparation through a fine chinois sieve and pressing lightly on the fruit with the back of a skimmer.  Then filter a second time through cheese cloth that has been wet and wrung out.
3. Pour 4 1/4 cups of the juice into a preserving pan with the lemon juice and the sugar.  Bring to a boil, skim and continue cooking on high heat for 5 to 10 minutes.  Skim again if necessary. 
4. Return to a boil.  Check the set.  Pour the jelly into jars and seal.
5. This is a “pectin stock” jelly and can be added to jams such as pear or cherry which have very little natural pectin:  it will facilitate the jell.  Choose very green apples, preferably at the beginning of July when they haven’t ripened yet.  You can make a compote with the pulp by putting it through a coarse food mill and adding sugar and spice to taste.

Thanks to my good friend Susan the pastry chef who shared Ferber’s book with me.

Purchase items in BOLD in-store at Surfas or online at Culinary District!