Maple and Acorn Rugelach Cookies!

Rugelach, crisp yeast-free cookies rolled with a variety of goodies inside, has its roots in old world cuisine.  You can find many versions (and spellings) in different cultures across the world.  They are frequently made with an heirloom recipe and served during holidays.  Here is a version using wild ingredients, the acorn and maple syrup! 

These taste amazing.  I am no expert at rolling pretty dough, but after one bite I did not care!  I tried them also as a cookie and made in a small muffin tin.  All are excellent!

Maple and Acorn Rugelach

Ingredients

Dough:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 sticks unsalted butter (1/2 lb), room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of flour
1 egg for brushing

Filling:

1 1/2 cups of acorn flour coarsely ground (how to make Acorn Flour)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

Whip with mixer cream cheese, butter, salt, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add flour until just mixed. Separate dough into three balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or up to one day.

Mix acorn flour, sugar and cinnamon together. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll into circle. You can use a floured surface or roll dough between two sheets of plastic wrap for easiest method.

Spread a thin layer of maple syrup on dough. If your maple syrup is cold, you may wish to warm it for easier application. Top with a layer of filling mixture. Use a pizza cutter to cut into eight slices. Roll from the large end to the small. If your dough is too pliant, place in your refrigerator or freezer for five minutes. Repeat with remaining balls of dough.

Arrange cookies on pan covered with foil or parchment paper. Brush with egg white for glossy sheen on finished cookie. Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden on the edges.

You can experiment with different shapes if you prefer.

Made in small muffin tin.

Made as square cookies.

Roasted Garlic Jerusalem Artichokes

Jerusalem Artichoke can be grown domestically or found in the wild. The plant grows very tall (several feet above me) and produces a flower resembling a small yellow sunflower.  You can grow it in your flower bed and no one would know!  It is easy to pull from the ground once the vegetation has died for the year.  Leave some root behind to grow for next year.  It is a prolific root vegetable that has been used as a low carb substituted for the potato. You can often find it at high end grocery stores like Whole Foods if you want to experiment, or need roots to plant to start your own patch.

The flavor is different, more nutty and sweet in my opinion. When my husband tried it for the first time he was taken aback because he expected it to be like a potato. Once he adjusted, he really enjoyed it.  I like the texture. It holds up well in extended cooking in a crockpot. I have added it to roasts like I would a root vegetables. Just a warning, it can cause gas in some people. However, I have not found it to be overly problem causing.

This simple recipe can be adjusted based on the amount of vegetables that you have or need for your family.

Roasted Garlic Jerusalem Artichokes

Ingredients:

1 - 2 lbs Jerusalem Artichokes

1 stick of real butter
1 t Garlic salt
1 t dried parsley

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub all dirt away from the Jerusalem Artichokes. Remove any bad spots. Slice them thinly into scallop slices. Layer them in a greased baking dish.

Slice butter into pats and lay on top of Jerusalem Artichokes. Sprinkle with garlic salt and herbs.

Bake for 35 minutes, tossing midway for even baking. Enjoy!

Acorn "Meat" Balls!

No meat!  My fourteen year old son said they taste nearly like meatballs and my twelve year old son said he would not know the difference and that they even smell like meatballs. Both would eat them again, especially in spaghetti sauce.

I was trying a new method to quickly remove the tannins (success) when I realized the nuts looked like ground beef and were bland enough to be used as such with the right seasoning. These began as acorns from a Sawtooth Oak.

Last year I posted that I did the soak forever method and another forager, Mike Krebill, told me about how he did it, and the tannins were gone in under fifteen minutes, less for milder nuts. I said I would try it this year and when I did, I was amazed.  Here are his instructions:

"I put a cup of shelled acorns in the blender, fill it with water, and process it for two minutes. I pour the slurry into a dishtowel-lined colander set in my kitchen sink, and turn the water on to the point where I can stir the slurry around with a wooden spoon without losing any of it over the top of the colander. With the water running, I stir for 8 minutes, then turn the water off. What remains looks very much like damp sand. I taste a pinch to check for bitterness. If it is still bitter from tannins, I turn the water back on and stir for a few more minutes.

The fastest I've ever produced satisfactory red oak acorn meal is 8 minutes. Sometimes it has taken 11 minutes. Bur oak acorns have required 15 minutes. White oak acorns took 10 minutes. I bring up the ends of the dishtowel and squeeze out as much water as possible, then freeze the meal while it is still damp. Drying it is not necessary, as long as you add the damp meal into your recipes after adding water. The flavor and texture of the baked goods is superior to using dried acorn meal or acorn flour. My preference is to vacuum seal two cups of meal at a time in a labeled quart bag, pressing it flat. The flattened bags quickly freeze, and can be thawed out in minutes in a bowl of warm water. Vacuum sealing them this way keeps them good for years, so I always have enough between good mast years."

Acorn "Meat" Balls

Ingredients:

4 cups ground acorns
3 cups bread crumbs
1 large red onion, chopped fine
2 cloves of garlic minced
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons wild garlic chives or green onions chopped
1 3/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup broth
4 eggs

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix in wet ingredients.

Mold into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. At this point you can add a sauce of choice or glaze. I used a glaze of Crab Apple Rosemary Garlic Jelly.

Bake at 350 for 30 - 35 minutes.

Enjoy!

No Knead Rosemary Garlic Peasant Bread

This bread is incredibly easy to make and has the ability to be very versatile depending on what herbs you have.  I could easily see using wild onion, perilla, ground ivy or horseweed as an herb.

No Knead Rosemary Garlic Peasant Bread

Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups flour
2 t sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 t dried rosemary
1 t minced garlic (from jar)
1/2 t dried oregano
1 t yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl.  Add garlic and water and mix.  Dough should be sticky. Cover and let sit over night. Time is flexible.

The next day, add a lot of flour to your surface.  Coat your hands with flour.  Pour your dough onto the floured surface.  Mold into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit.

Turn your oven on to 450 degrees.  Add your covered pot.  I use a cast iron dutch oven.  Any sturdy baking pot with a lid will do.  Let heat up for 30 minutes.

Carefully remove pot and put dough in the center.  Return lid to pot and put into oven.  Bake 30 minutes.  Remove lid and continue baking 7 - 10 minutes until golden.

Perilla Drop Biscuits

Here is an easy, pretty recipe to use with stew.  The weather has been so hot here that cooking in the crock pot is a great way to keep the kitchen cool during the day.  These are a quick addition to stew and can be eaten either crumbled on top or dunked!

Perilla grows at the edge of nearly every field in this area and is an easy herb to dehydrate and use.  It is in the mint family but is not minty.  It has it's own unique flavor leaning toward anise.

Perilla Drop Biscuits

Ingredients:

4 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup oil
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons dried, crushed Perilla
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients and mix well.  It will be sticky.

Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

Makes two pan fulls.  You can cut in half for a smaller result.

Pickled Squash!

This is one of our favorite recipes and great to use when you have an abundance of squash!  While it is not foraging related, chances are, you have a neighbor, family member or even you with too much squash and willing to give it away!  This is an easy recipe and a great side dish all year long.

Pickled Squash

Ingredients:

2 pounds squash, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 medium-size red bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons celery seeds

Preparation:
Place squash, bell peppers, and onion in a colander. Sprinkle with kosher salt; cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour. (Do not rinse.)

Tightly pack squash mixture in 4 (1-pt.) hot sterilized jars, filling to 1/2 inch from top.

Bring sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, and celery seeds to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat; boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Pour hot liquid over squash mixture in jars, filling to 1/2 inch from top. Remove air bubbles by gently stirring with a long wooden skewer. Water bath 20 minutes.

Garlic Rosemary Crab Apple Jelly

If you are fortunate to have access to a crab apple tree, here is a great recipe to use.  It is wonderful as a glaze for meat or with cream cheese on crackers.  I've doubled this recipe with out any issues.  The pectin in crab apples, particularly if they are not quite ripe, makes it easy to set up.

Garlic Rosemary Crab Apple Jelly

Ingredients:

4 quarts crab apples (16 cups)
3 large onions
3/4 cup white vinegar

Handful of fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Sugar equal to liquid

Water

Directions:

Remove stem, flower from end and any blemishes from crab apples.  Chop in half and add to stock pot.  Chop onions into large chunks and mix into crab apples.  Add water to level of fruit.

Bring to boil and simmer until apples are soft (30-45 minutes).  Mash gently just to break open apples but not so much to make mush. 

Strain in a jelly bag or use a fine mesh strainer several times.  Measure and add liquid to clean pot.  Add 3/4 cup vinegar. For every cup of liquid, add a cup of sugar. Bring mixture to a boil.  Add chopped rosemary and garlic.  Boil until jelly begins to sheet/set (about 30 minutes for me).

Ladle into prepared jelly jars.  Water bath 15 minutes. 

Makes 6 - 8 half pints.

Note: To use as a meat glaze just warm in the microwave to make pourable.

Blackberry Pie Filling

This was shared with me by another canner, and I am so thankful that she did. It turned out perfect!

Blackberry Pie Filling

Makes 7 quarts

Ingredients:

6-quarts fresh blackberries
7 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups Clear Jel
1 teaspoon cinnamon
9 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Select top quality, firm, ripe berries. Rinse berries and set aside.

Measure lemon juice and set aside.

Combine Clear Jel, sugar and cinnamon in a large saucepan. Add water and mix until smooth. Stirring during the thickening process is critical for a smooth end product. Heat, stirring mixture constantly until it bubbles. Quickly add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and fold in berries.

Fill 7 quart jars, leaving 1 to 1 1/2 inches of headspace.

Process in a boiling water canner for 30 minutes at sea level, 35 minutes at 1001 to 3000 feet and 40 minutes at altitudes 3001 to 6000 feet. Each quart of pie filling will make an 8- or 9-inch pie.

Blackberry Ketchup!

Blackberry ketchup.  Really!  I would eat it on a hot dog.  It's good!  Before the invention of supermarkets and the decline of home canning, fruit ketchups were much more common. 

Blackberry Ketchup

Ingredients:

4 quarts blackberries
2 lbs brown sugar
1 1/2 c vinegar
2 onions, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in large pot.  Cook slowly for 1 1/2 hours.  Use an immersion stick blender to blend berries.  You will see seeds floating in syrup.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. You may need to scrape the strainer with spoon to dislodge seeds so liquid can go through.  Strain several cups at a time and rinse off strainer between strains to make it easier. When finished, wash original pot.  Return mixture to pot. Return to stove.  Continue simmering for 1 1/2 hours more, mixing occasionally.

Ladle into prepared jars.  Wipe rims with paper towel dampened with water/vinegar mixture.  Seal.  Water bath 15 minutes.

Makes about 5 pints.

Blackberry Ice Cream Toppings! Yumm!

Continuing in my wild blackberry theme, here are two fantastic recipes!  If the economy goes south, this is what I want in my pantry!  These are comfort foods and definitely not diet friendly.

Chocolate Blackberry Sauce

Ingredients:

9 cups blackberries
13 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
2 boxes pectin

Directions:

Combine blackberries and sugar in a large pot.  It will be stiff but the heat will melt the sugar.  Bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Use an immersion stick blender to blend berries.  You will see seeds floating in syrup.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. You may need to scrape the strainer with spoon to dislodge seeds so liquid can go through.  Strain several cups at a time and rinse off strainer between strains to make it easier. When finished, wash original pot.  Return mixture to pot. Return to stove.

Add lemon juice.  Bring mixture to full boil, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder and pectin. Stir until blended.  Add to boiling liquid. Whisk until smooth, or use immersion blender.  Boil hard for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

Ladle into prepared jars.  Wipe rims with paper towel dampened with water/vinegar mixture.  Seal.  Water bath 15 minutes.

Makes about one dozen half pints. 

Blackberry Lime Ice Cream Topping

Ingredients:

9 cups blackberries

6 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 can frozen limeade concentrate (12 oz), thawed
1 package powdered pectin

Directions:

Combine blackberries and sugar in a large pot.  Bring to a boil for 15 minutes. Use an immersion stick blender to blend berries.  You will see seeds floating in syrup.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. You may need to scrape the strainer with spoon to dislodge seeds so liquid can go through.  Strain several cups at a time and rinse off strainer between strains to make it easier. When finished, wash original pot.  Return mixture to pot. Return to stove.

Add corn syrup, lemon juice, and limeade.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Remove half a cup of syrup and add to a bowl.  Add pectin to bowl and stir to combine.  Return mixture to boiling liquid.  Boil hard for one minute.  Remove from heat.  

Ladle into prepared jars.  Wipe rims with paper towel dampened with water/vinegar mixture.  Seal.  Water bath 15 minutes.

Makes 8-10 half pints.

Crock Pot Blackberry Pancake Syrup to Can

If you are fortunate enough to enjoy a bounty of wild blackberries this season, this is an excellent recipe.  It is heavenly on pancakes!  It's also very simple to make with most of the cooking done in your crock pot.  Anyone who cans knows that canning often uses a lot of energy, so if you can cut it down by using a low energy tool like the crock pot, you are happy!

Crock Pot Blackberry Pancake Syrup

Ingredients:

4 quarts blackberries (12 cups)
8 cups sugar (1 4 lb bag)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

Directions:

Rinse blackberries and add to crock pot.  Add sugar and toss.  It will look clumpy but that is okay.  Do NOT add any water even if you are tempted.

Cook on low for 2 1/2 hours, mixing every thirty minutes.  At the end, either blend in the blender or use a stick blender.  You will see seeds floating in syrup. 

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pot.  You may need to scrape the strainer with a spoon to dislodge seeds so liquid can go through.  Strain several cups at a time and rinse off strainer between strains to make it easier.

Add lemon juice and ground cloves.  Mix.  Bring syrup to a boil on stove and turn off.  Ladle into prepared jars leaving a 1 inch head space.  Wipe rims using a paper towel with water and vinegar on it.  Seal.  Water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 5-6 pints.

Canning Pickled Milkweed Bud Capers

I tried unopened milkweed flower buds several years ago and since then they have been one of my favorite wild edibles.  They grow abundantly here (as in fields of them) so I am not concerned with depleting the food source for butterflies.  I usually only take one pom pom of buds from each plant leaving the rest.  They taste like mild asparagus.  Pickling them produces a strong similarity to capers. 

Pickled Milkweed Capers

Ingredients:

1 loosely filled gallon baggie of milkweed bud pom poms (do not remove individual buds yet)
9 cups of water (using 3 cups per day)
12 tablespoons kosher salt (use 4 per day)
2 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

Buds after boiling.

bay leaves (1 per jar)
fresh thyme (1 per jar)
5 teaspoons of sugar

Directions:

Day One:

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Wash milkweed buds and boil for 2 minutes (no longer).  Drain and spray cool water on the buds. Carefully trim individual buds from the pom pom into a bowl with clean scissors.

Mix three cups of water with 4 tablespoons of salt.  Pour over buds.  This should just cover buds.  Place paper towel over and allow to sit until the next day.

Day Two:

Drain.  Mix three cups of water with 4 tablespoons of salt.  Pour over buds.  This should just cover buds.  Place paper towel over and allow to sit until the next day.

Day Three:

Drain.  Mix three cups of water with 4 tablespoons of salt.  Pour over buds.  This should just cover buds.  Place paper towel over and allow to sit until the next day.

Day Four:

Drain and rinse buds.   Prepare half pint canning jars and lids.  I finished with five half pint jars filled.  Per jar, you will need 1/2 cup of vinegar, one each bay leaf, one stick of fresh thyme and one teaspoon of sugar.  Adjust accordingly.


Bring vinegar, bay leaves, thyme and sugar to boil.  In each jar add a bay leaf and stick of thyme.  Add buds.  Pour vinegar over buds to 1/2 inch head space.

Waterbath for 10 minutes.

Common Plantain in Peanut Sauce

Plantain was one of the first wild edibles that I learned.  There are two types that grow in this area, Common and English.  Common plantain is the type with the wide leaves while the English variety has narrow leaves.  Once you connect the picture to the name, you will see these everywhere.  English plantain tends to linger all winter, though the color turns a bit muddy green.  You can actually dig through snow and still find it, if you were desperate.  Common plantain disappears and does not return until spring. It is more tender.

This is a great plant to know for relief from skin irritations.  You can chew the leaves and place the wad of green pulp on a bug bite to take away the sting or itch.  However, making a salve out of it is much preferred.  I use the salve on everything and am always amazed about how well it works.  I prefer to use the English plantain for salve and the common plantain for eating. 

Both types have lines or veins that run the length of the leaves.  Within each vein is a string, which makes eating a whole leaf unpleasant.  However, if you cut against the grain of these veins so that you have strips of green leaf to cook, you will not even notice a string.  You want to choose the youngest leaf available as they are the most tender.

Common Plantain in Peanut Sauce

Ingredients:

1 gallon baggie of plantain leaves

salt for boiling water

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t dried ginger

handful peanuts for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Wash plantain.  Stack leaves to slice against the grain of the leaves into strips.  Repeat until all leaves are cut.  Boil in salted water for 10 minutes.

 

In a sauce pan, add remaining ingredients (except peanut garnish) and mix until smooth.  Heat until warm.

Drain plantain and mix in peanut sauce.  Place into serving dish and top with loose peanuts for garnish.

Savory Rosemary Pumpkin Casserole

Remember in November when the stores were selling huge pumpkins for .99 just to get rid of them? Those carving pumpkins?  Well, those are edible.  And they taste good.  You can even forage them from your neighbors with permission after Halloween since they will be wanting to get rid of their decorations!  Just collect the uncut ones.  I grab a bunch and cube and freeze or can.  This past year, Kroger had 50 - 70 lb pumpkins.  That's a lot of vegetable for .99!  So I have a freezer shelf full of pumpkin.  I use the frozen raw cubes in stews like I would potatoes, and the canned cubes for pumpkin bread, cake or brownies.  I really wanted a side dish that uses the frozen cubed pumpkin that I could make occasionally without have to make a stew.  This is a great alternative!

Savory Rosemary Pumpkin Casserole

Ingredients:

1 quart bag of frozen cubed pumpkin (can use fresh)
1 onion chopped
2 T melted butter
garlic salt
pepper

3/4 c ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
3/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 t dried rosemary

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place pumpkin and onion in baking dish.  Pour butter over.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.  Bake for 30 minutes. Drain after baking since pumpkin will release a lot of liquid.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, eggs, milk, Parmesan cheese and rosemary.  Spread over pumpkin mixture.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until golden.

Canning Grape Leaves!

If you are fortunate enough to know where wild grapes grow, now is the best time to pick and preserve some leaves. They are abundant, young and tender. They are great for making Dolmas, a Greek dish of grape leaves stuffed with a spiced rice mixture.

This is a simple recipe from Leda Meredith from About.com.

Canning Grape Leaves

Ingredients (per pint):

35 grape leaves
2 T salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water plus 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Meanwhile, wash the grape leaves well and snip off the stems as close to the leaf as possible.

Immerse the grape leaves in the boiling water for 40 seconds. Leaves will change color from green to olive green. Remove and immediately rinse the leaves under cold water.

Stack 5 with the stem ends all facing the same way. Roll from the sides into a cigar-shaped bundle. Place the bundles in a pint canning jar stem end up, leaving at least 1/2-inch headspace above the stems (you made need to fold the tip ends shorter in order to do this).

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice or citric acid.

Pour the liquid over the grape leaves. Screw on a 2-piece canning lid. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.