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.

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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.

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From Bettina:
Please come by to say hello and see what’s just been harvested:

I look forward to seeing you!.
Happy, Healthy, Hope-filled Holidays!   Plant a tree, sow a seed!

Bettina will be on the patio from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday 12/19, Sunday 12/20 and Wednesday 12/23!

Arkansas Black Apples- Snap, crunch, sweet, tart…. If you were at the Saving the Season canning demo you had the chance to taste them. They are fantastic!

Can you imagine the pie made from these jewels?

Bettina of BeeGreenFarm, certified organic since 1990, will be on the patio selling her high quality produce and giving tips on organic and sustainable gardening and canning THIS SATURDAY from 11am – 4pm.

See you there!

If you’re looking for copies of the recipes, they’re up on the home page, or click below:

• Chunky Cranberry Jam with Ginger and Orange Zest
• Fresh Persimmon Butter
• Persimmon Chutney

15 oz cranberries
1 hard apple such as Arkansas Black, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2″ chunks (this is optional, but it’s my father’s way of doing it and I like the added contrast of texture and flavor)
1 cup water
2 cups sugar (for an approximate 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger or crystallized ginger
3″ cinnamon stick
zest of 1 orange in finest possible threads
1 tsp vodka (I used vodka that that I had previously flavored with a few slices of fresh citron peel, but plain vodka would work be fine. Brandy, Cointreau or even gin would be other options)
1/4 cup chopped pecans — or you could also use walnuts or pistachios if you prefer

1 — Rinse cranberries and put in a kettle with water, cubed apple, ginger, cinnamon stick and orange zest. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes until berries pop.
2 — Add sugar to the kettle and return to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has fully dissolved, add alcohol and nuts and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring carefully to prevent scorching. Because cranberries have so much pectin, the mixture will quickly reach the jell point, so once it begins to thicken in the pot, turn off heat and test for a jell set.
3 — Once a jell set is achieved, remove cinnamon stick and ladle hot jam into prepared 1/2 pint jars and seal. (Work quickly! You won’t believe how fast the pectin in this recipe sets up.) Process sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

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Please note that persimmons do not have enough natural acidity to be safely canned, since low-acid foods can develop botulism during shelf storage. Accordingly this is a “fresh jam” that should be stored in the fridge and eaten within about a week. It can also be frozen.

5 pounds fuyu persimmons
1 cup water
1.5 cups sugar (or even less to taste—the fruit is very sweet on its own, and the sugar is just to add succulence and develop the natural flavor, in the same way that salt develops the flavor of savory foods.)
1 Tablespoon molasses
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5″ cinnamon stick

1  Rinse persimmons, cut away stem and peel. Cut into 1/2″ cubes.
2  Place sliced fruit in a small kettle with 1 cup water and simmer 20-25 minutes until soft. Pass pulp through a food mill. You should have about 5 cups of puree.
3  Return puree to the kettle and add sugar, molasses, lemon juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Taste and adjust sugar and lemon juice if necessary. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. While constantly stirring, reduce to the consistency of apple sauce. It’s ready when a teaspoon of puree holds its shape on a cold plate and the liquid no longer separates at the edges.
4  Refrigerate and eat within a week or else freeze in a snap-seal container.

YIELD: 5 pounds fruit yielded about 2 pints of butter

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1 pounds ripe persimmons
1 pound Black Arkansas apples
1/4 cup apple vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup raisins, or other dried fruit
1/8 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 organic light sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon seeded, diced chile pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Prepare half-pint canning jars according to manufacturer’s directions. Remove the skins of the persimmons and apples, dice flesh into 1/4 inch cubes. Combine the fruit and other ingredients in a mixing bowl, once well combined, place (in a heavy saucepan. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is very thick. Add a little more water if the mixture starts to be sticky.

Spoon the chutney into the prepared jars, and screw on the lids. Refrigerate the jars, or process them in a water bath for 10 minutes. If you are processing the jars, leave about 1/4-inch headspace. The chutney is best if it is allowed to blend flavors for a couple days.

Processing: Processing is the final step in the canning process. This step seals your jars and ensures that the contents are sterile. Most fruits and some vegetables can be processed in a hot water bath (low-acid foods should be pressure-canned).

* The water should cover the lids of the jars by one inch, and should be Some say to keep at a full boil other sources say keep at a low simmer or just below the boiling point.

* Processing times vary based on acid levels and even your altitude.

* After processing, as the jars cool, the lids will become sunken in the center and you may hear a little “ping.”

* If you can press down on the center of the lid and make it move, the jar is not properly sealed: refrigerate and consume within two weeks. You can also check the lid and jar rim for imperfections, reseal, and process again within 24 hours.

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