Green Shiso

A friend gave me a small packet of Green Shiso from Mountain Seed Co.http://mountainseedco.com/ I know nothing about this plant, but it sounds amazing: "purplish green annual herb with a cumin-like aroma used in Japanese cooking - young stems and leaves are used in slads, cooking & pickling. Grows 2 1/2 feet tall." It kind of looks like nettles!

Common names are perilla mint, Chinese basil, or wild basil ~ obviously a member of the mint family - you can make a tea with the dried leaves. Shiso leaves can be eaten raw or cooked or even pickled. Toss the tender leaves into salads or use them as you would mint or basil in savory dishes like soups and rice or to flavor fish. Older leaves might be sliced into strips and added to stir-frys or other vegetable preparations. Shiso foliage is sometimes used to flavor vinegar. Shiso seeds, toasted and salted, are a popular snack in Japan. Crushed, consider the slightly sweet seeds as a flavoring for cooking oils and mustard. Don't forget the flowers. The young sprays can be used as a garnish and in some cultures the older blooming clusters are fried. "> Here is recipe for Edamame salad with Shiso: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001353.html

Picked the last of the overwintered swiss chard - a big pile of which made it into a stir fry with asparagus, recipe from one of my favourite blogs, 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/asparagus-stirfry-recipe.html toasted sesame oil 8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil 4 green onions, thinly sliced scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled) 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard zest and juice of one lime 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 small handful fresh mint, slivered 1 small handful fresh basil, slivered Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan - one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden - a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside. Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while. Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed. I did not have mint or basil, so used some cilantro instead, which was very nice. Make your own Hoisin Sauce: 4 Tablespoons Soy sauce - dark/light/usual 2 tablespoons Peanut butter - or black bean paste 1 tablespoon Honey - or molasses 2 teaspoons white vinegar 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil 20 drops Chinese-style hot sauce 1/8 teaspoon black pepper The rest of the chard will be sauted with garlic, an old standby for greens.

Hi! Long time no blog! now that the growing season is finally ramping up, I'll definitely be posting more. We were moving dirt today and here is the final result - beds prepped for planting - the soil is too wet still, and the weather is too cold -so must be patient!! view from the porch and as I'd found a big bag of frozen rhubarb and plums in the basement freezer, thought I'd make some chutney again: Recipe: 10 cups of rhubarb (I used some plums) 4 cloves garlic, slivered 1 1/2 cups candied ginger, chopped 2 cups dried cherries 2 onions, chopped 2 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds ground 1 tsp kosher salt 2 cups organic apple cider vinegar 2 cups brown sugar 6 jalapenos peppers minced bring to a boil, simmer 45 mins until thickened, pour into hot sterilized jars, process in hot water 10 minutes. This chutney is slightly sweet from the candied ginger and cherries - and would make a wicked sweet and sour sauce for a stir fry, too!