Kitchen / Garden / Sanctuary - Urban Homesteading to Nourish Body + Spirit
Did you see the moon last night at dusk? This year’s Frost Moon is on December 2nd, so there are a couple more nights to enjoy it. I just love seeing the black, leafless tree tops silhouetted against a rising moon in a dusky sky. It was a special treat last night on my bike ride home from work!
Michelle Obama's Vegetable Garden (click for larger picture)
What’s a trip to Washington, D. C. without a stop at the Presidential Victory Garden And Beehive!?
While the garden itself was just a little anti-climactic because it was so far away from the fence, it was still pretty cool to see it in person. (Click below to continue reading…)
Garden Salad with Purslane, Tomatoes, and Cucumbers
Once you discover the world of edible wild plants, you realize that there’s food everywhere! Even in the asphalt jungle of an urban environment.
Purslane is a very common weed that I often see growing in sidewalk crevices or in barren, disturbed soil. It’s extremely nutritious, so I was happy to find it growing near our apartment recently.
A few days ago, I wrote about how to make your own pickled grape leaves. It’s the easiest thing ever! I love how I didn’t have to make a special trip to the store to spend $4 on a jar of grape leaves (which usually contains preservatives 🙁 ). Also, the homemade ones are lacto-fermented, meaning your body gets a nice little health boost.
As promised, here’s my recipe for Zucchini Dolmas. I love these things! I served them this past weekend, and they got rave reviews! They make for a light and refreshing summertime dish, and they help to use up that overabundance of zucchini!
Approx. 24 pickled grape leaves (1 jar, or make your own)
2 cups grated zucchini (skin and all)
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (measured after you chop it up)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 heaping Tablespoon dried, crushed mint leaves
Salt to taste (I usually start with 1/4 tsp and add more)
Pepper to taste
Mix everything together in a bowl.
Lay out a grape leaf, underside up. Put a small spoonful of filling at the base of the leaf (you’ll get a feel for the amount). Fold up the bottom edges of the leaf, then fold in each side. Roll it up, tucking the edge of the leaf underneath. There you go! Isn’t it cute?
Place a spoonful of filling onto the base of the leaf...
Fold up the bottom edges...
Fold in one side...
Fold in the other side...
Roll up, tucking the edge of the leaf underneath. Voila!
Have you ever eaten Dolmas (or “Dolmades”)? I absolutely love them! Dolmas are a delicious Turkish finger food made by stuffing pickled grape leaves with a filling made from rice, onion, parsley, olive oil, spices, and various other things. Sometimes they’re also made with meat.
A couple years ago, I created my own recipe for Dolmas that doesn’t use rice, but rather shredded zucchini, as the main filling. I ought to make that recipe more often, since it’s one of my favorite things to eat! I’ll post my recipe for Zucchini Dolmas soon (UPDATE: here’s the recipe), but today I’m going to show you how to make your own pickled grape leaves — which you’ll need for the Dolmas. (You can also just buy pickled grape leaves in a jar, which is what I used to do, until I recently discovered how much cheaper and more fun it is to make my own!)
Grape leaves are plentiful and ubiquitous, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding them. If you don’t have your own grape vine, just take a walk down any random alley, and you’ll probably find at least one vine spilling out over someone’s fence. (You could ask first before picking of course, but if the vine is trailing into the alley — or hanging over a public sidewalk — it’s in the public domain.) The grape leaves I collected were from a vine in my alley. Choose leaves that are young enough to be tender, but large enough to stuff with filling, and clip the stem close to the leaf.
The grape leaves we’ll be making are pickled by way of lacto-fermentation, rather than vinegar. Lacto-fermentation is a traditional way of preserving fruits & vegetables by harnessing the power of lactobacilli bacteria, which are present on the surface of all living things. The bacteria convert plant starches & sugars into lactic acid, which is the preservative. The lactobacilli themselves also improve the vegetable’s digestibility, as well as boost its vitamin and enzyme levels.
24 grape leaves
1 Tbsp sea salt
4 Tbsp whey* (if you don’t have whey, use an additional 1 Tbsp salt)
2 cups water, filtered if you have it
Wash the leaves well, and stack them neatly together.
Put water, salt, and whey in a big bowl and stir. Soak the leaves in the liquid for about an hour, weighting them down with a plate.
Soak the leaves for about an hour, weighted down with a plate.
Roll up the leaves and stuff them into a pint jar. Pour in enough liquid to cover the leaves, but leave 1 inch of space between the liquid and the top of the jar. Cover tightly, and leave on the counter for about 3 days. Then, transfer to the fridge, where they’ll keep for quite a while. I had mine in the fridge for about 10 days before using them.
* Whey is the clear, yellowish liquid strained off when making yogurt or cheese. Don’t use powdered or commercial concentrated whey!
Recipe courtesy of Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.
Welcome to The Herbangardener! This site is dedicated to nourishing the body + spirit, backyard organic gardening, traditional foodways, and homesteading in the heart of the city. Do come along and join me!
"There's nothing more pleasurable than making things by hand, and nothing more beautiful than handmade things."
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
- Theodore Roosevelt
"Only after the last tree has been cut down; only after the last fish has been caught; only after the last river has been poisoned; only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten."
- Cree Nation Tribal Prophecy
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