Tag: Roselle

  • CSA 2023 Fall Week 6

    Green/Yellow Beans
    Bok Choy
    Grapefruit
    Fingerling Sweet Potatoes
    Radishes
    Roselle
    Arugula
    Scallions (LPF)
    Cucumbers, Pickling (SFO)
    Yellow Squash (SFO)

    Our roselle bushes are still bursting with calyces! This week we share two recipes to highlight this amazing plant’s versatility; roselle nourishes our bodies with loads of Vitamin C and minerals and nourishes our souls by giving a tangy shot of color to recipes. The curd recipe below is a classic example. If you’re tempted to make it without roselle, take heed. Sure it tastes lovely enough, but the egg yolks and strawberries are gonna give you something that looks a little bit like hummus. Not to knock hummus – we love it, but it’s not exactly beautiful. The roselle is what gives this curd multiple flavor notes and a beautiful Barbie-pink hue.

    With flu season upon us, we also share a simple fire cider recipe to keep those sinuses clear and ignite the immune system. Note that this recipe is a “quick” method and needs to be kept in the fridge. After a year, give it a sniff before you sip to make sure it’s still fresh.  Tell us: how are you loving our roselle? Send us your own kitchen magic and photos on IG @frogsongcsa

    Roselle Fire Cider

    Ingredients:

    • 64 ounces apple cider vinegar
    • 10 ounces honey
    • 2 medium onions
    • 2 large garlic bulbs
    • 4 ounces fresh ginger or galangal root
    • 2 ounces fresh turmeric root
    • 5 ounces horseradish root
    • 2 large pomegranates – When ripe they are plump, succulent, and garnet in color. Can substitute with 4 ounces of pomegranate juice for 1 pomegranate.
    • 2 oranges
    • ½ ounce dried whole cayenne peppers
    • 1.25 ounce dried roselle, cut and sifted.

    Instructions:

     Peel the garlic, and coarsely chop the onions, ginger, horseradish, and turmeric. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the cayenne peppers. Add enough apple cider vinegar to cover. Work in two batches. Blend carefully with the lid on and take care not to let fumes or slurry get in your eyes.

    Place the mix into a double boiler.(Don’t have one? Nest a smaller pot inside a bigger pot or saucepan) Add the rest of the apple cider vinegar to the mix and keep the heat on low, with the lid on. Let the mixture heat on low; don’t let it get above 120°F (49°C) for three hours, stirring occasionally. Take care with the fumes – they don’t’ call if fire for nuthin’!

    Peel oranges and deseed the pomegranates. Mash the pomegranates and oranges with a potato masher in the sink.

    After a couple of hours, taste the mix. If it’s too mild, add more of the spicy herbs and cook for one more hour. After three hours of total cooking time, turn off the heat, and add the roselle and the juicy pomegranate/orange mixture. Let sit for one hour and check the color—if it’s too light, add more hibiscus. When the cider is a beautiful red hue, strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or potato ricer. You’ll need to squeeze out or press the slurry, or you will lose a great deal of the medicine. (Don’t use your bare hands to squeeze out the cider or you’ll burn/irritate your skin.) Add the honey and mix well, making sure all the honey is dissolved.

    Place in sterilized, clear-glass jars, label, and refrigerate. Dosage is 1 teaspoon as needed.

    Roselle Hibiscus-Strawberry Curd

    Ingredients:

    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1½ tablespoons dried roselle
    • ¾ cup strawberry purée
    • 3 whole eggs
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • 2 teaspoons lime zest
    • 2 teaspoons corn starch, sifted
    • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes

    Instructions:

    • Pulse sugar and dried roselle in a food processor until roselle is finely ground.
    • Prepare a double broiler, or fit a heat proof bowl over a large pot filled with an inch of simmering water.
    • In the heat proof bowl, combine roselle sugar, strawberry purée, eggs, egg yolks, lime juice, lime zest, and corn starch. Whisk to combine.
    • With stove on medium-high heat, cook, whisking continuously, until mixture thickens and reaches 170°F on the thermometer, about 4-5 minutes.
    • Remove bowl from heat and strain curd through a fine metal strainer to remove any pieces of cooked egg or hibiscus.
    • Add butter and whisk to melt and combine.
    • Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve with pastry, meringue, or enjoy alone.

    Bok Choy in Ginger (or Galangal!) Sauce

    Ingredients:

    • 6 small bok choys
    • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1/4 cup ginger or galangal
    • 1/4 cup water

    SAUCE

    • 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
    • 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
    • 1 tsp oyster sauce
    • 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine
    • 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1/4 tsp cooking salt
    • Pinch white pepper

    Instructions:

    Cutting – Trim the base of the bok choy then separate all the leaves. Leave the delicate baby bok choy in the center intact, it’s precious! Cut giant stems in half lengthwise so they are all roughly the same size. Rinse in colander, shake off excess water (don’t need to dry fully).

    Sauce – Stir sauce ingredients except water until cornflour is dissolved. Then stir in water.

    Gingery oil – Put the ginger/galangal and oil in a large non-stick pan. Turn onto medium heat. Once the ginger starts sizzling, sauté for 1 minute until it turns light golden and is a bit floppy. Add bok choy then use 2 spatulas to toss the ginger for around 15 seconds to coat.

    Steam – Turn heat up to medium, pour water over. Cover with lid and steam for just 45 seconds.

    Sauce – Remove lid (bok choy will still be a bit underdone), pour in sauce, toss for 30 seconds until sauce changes from murky to clear, and thickens. Bok choy should be just floppy but still soft crunch, not mushy.

    Serve – Pour the bok choy and all the sauce onto a serving plate, then eat!

    Summer Squash Gratin – adapted from foodandwine.com

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 2-4 scallions white and tender green parts thinly sliced into rounds
    • 1/4 cup dry white wine
    • 3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
    • 3 medium yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 cup finely shredded Gruyère (about 2 ounces)
    • 1 cherry tomato, very thinly sliced crosswise

    Instructions:

    Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over moderately high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Spread in a 9-inch round baking dish

    On 2 large baking sheets, spread the zucchini and yellow squash and brush with the remaining oil; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese and let sit until slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

    Tightly roll 1 piece of zucchini and set it on the scallions in the center of the dish. Working outward from that center slice, continue rolling and coiling additional pieces of zucchini and yellow squash until you reach the edge of the baking dish. Season the tomato slices with salt and pepper, then tuck in intervals between the zucchini and squash. Scrape any cheese off of the baking sheets and sprinkle on top.

    Bake for 30 minutes, until the zucchini and squash are tender and browned in spots. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool slightly, then serve with crusty bread.

  • CSA 2023 Fall Week 4

    Check out the goods in this week’s share!

    Grapefruit Citrus

    Eggs (half dozen)

    Curly or Lacinato Kale

    Lettuce Romaine or Red Leaf (NSOF)

    Fuyu Persimmons

    Roselle

    Baby Squash Mix

    Murasaki Sweet Potatoes

    Green Tomatoes (WAT)

    Week four of our fall season is extra special: it’s the return of Roselle Festival on Saturday, Oct 28. Here’s your chance to take a deep dive into the world of organic farming! Pick your own Roselle, tour the fields with Farmer John, sample and learn how to make recipes from our partner chefs, lose yourself in a crop maze, chill with live music, and shop at our farmers market… we’re so grateful to our team and partners for helping us produce this wonderful event!

    So what’s the big deal about this plant? Why do we love it so much we created a festival? Let’s start with it’s kitchen magic. The calyx and flower are used for tea, jam, jelly, juice, wine, syrup, gelatin, pudding, cake, ice cream, flavoring, and coloring. The leaves are pretty awesome too- use them in salads for some extra zing or cook ‘em up in curries or dals. Bakers can substitute roselle for rhubarb when making a fruit crisp or pie. Roast the seeds, which are high in protein, and brew like coffee, or grind and add to soups and salads. If you search for recipes online, note that Roselle goes by a few other names depending on where you live: Florida cranberry, red sorrel, or Jamaica sorrel.

    Why consume it? Um, where do we begin? How about health benefits? It’s a powerhouse of vitamins and packed with essential minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. It’s high in fiber too and recommended in Ayurveda for a gut health. Each part of Roselle offers amazing benefits that range cleansing to cancer prevention. At the festival, you’ll learn more at our talk by Susan Marynowski, The Amazing Health Benefits of Roselle, at 5pm. You’ll leave filled with knowledge, and we hope, inspiration. Roselle Festival, sponsored by Visit Gainesville, is free and open to the public but does require reservations. Click here to add your name to the guest list!

    Roselle Mochi Cake adapted from gastricurious.com

    Ingredients

    Hibiscus Syrup

    2 cups fresh roselle calyxes, chopped

    1½ cups water

    1 cup sugar

    Mochi Cake

    1 lb box of Mochiko rice flour

    2½ cups sugar

    1 tbsp baking powder

    ½ cup butter melted

    5 eggs

    1 can coconut milk

    Instructions

    Hibiscus Syrup

    • Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Strain through a mesh strainer to separate hibiscus solids from the syrup. Reserve both, and set aside.

    Mochi Cake

    • Preheat oven to 375° F.
    • Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, eggs, and coconut milk in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix well.
    • Stir in the candied hibiscus pieces and ½ cup of the reserved syrup (save the rest for another use).
    • Pour into a lightly greased 9″x13″ pan. Bake at 375° F for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • Cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.

    Fuyu Persimmon Bread

    Ingredients:

    2 large eggs, room temperature

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1 Tbsp real vanilla extract

    3 cups fuyu persimmon pureed (a little over 1 1/2 lbs)

    10 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

    2 tsp baking soda, sifted to make there aren’t lumps

    1/4 tsp (generous pinch) of salt

    2 tsp cinnamon

    3 cups all-purpose flour *measured correctly

    1 1/2 cups walnut pieces, toasted

    Instructions:

    Remove tops of persimmon with a butter knife. Cut into quarters and puree.

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Mix in 3 cups persimmon puree and the melted butter.

    Add 2 tsp of sifted baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 tsp cinnamon and whisk to combine. Whisk in 3 cups flour until blended.

    Fold in 1 1/2 cups walnuts until evenly dispersed and divide the batter between buttered loaf pans. Bake for 45 – 50 min or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min then turn out onto wire rack to cool to room temp.

    Kale Salad Dressing

    This dressing can be enjoyed with all salads, but the honey/vinegar ratio specifically helps balance kale’s bitter flavor.

    Ingredients:

    ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

    ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

    ¼ cup honey (use maple syrup for vegan)

    2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

    1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

    2 cloves garlic, finely minced

    A pinch of sea salt

  • CSA 2023 Fall Week 3

    Your week 3 share includes:

    Nonconformer Cucumbers

    Galangal

    Asian Pears (WAT)

    Mississippi Peas

    Ripe Jalapeno Peppers

    Daikon Radishes (COG)

    Roselle

    Spring Mix

    Yam Fingerling Sweet Potatoes

    The Mississippi peas in this week’s share technically aren’t actually peas, they’re beans with roots that stretch back to Africa. Brought to the colonies by enslaved Africans, they were food for livestock and slaves before becoming a dietary staple for everyone. Families and neighbors often saved the seeds and passed them down through the generations. Other varieties include Crowder, Blackeyed, Southern, Field, or a host of other names that end with “pea.” Southern peas are adaptable and thrive in our climate with its intense sun and dry periods. They enrich the soil with nutrients as they grow, and they enrich our bodies with protein, fiber, and vitamins A and C.

    In Southern and soul food recipes, peas and okra go hand in hand, a nod back to those African roots.  The purple Mississippi variety you’ll taste this week is creamier and milder than the more well-known black-eyed version. We share a basic recipe with okra below that lends itself to experimentation. Try pairing them with other types of salted pork, onions, garlic, and herbs to find the taste/texture combo for you taste buds!

    Mississippi Peas with Okra

    Ingredients:

    • 1 ½ pounds fresh Mississippi peas
    • water to cover
    • 8 ounces fresh okra
    • 4 ounces FSO bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 1 tablespoon white sugar
    • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions:

    • Place peas into a large pot; pour in enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat.
    • Add okra and boil for 2 minutes, stirring twice.
    • Reduce heat to medium-low; add bacon, sugar, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until tender, 1.5-2 hours.

     Spicy Roasted Daikon Radish French Fries

    • 3½ tablespoons grapeseed oil
    • 1½ teaspoons chili paste
    • 1 teaspoon Tamari or soy sauce
    • ½ teaspoon galangal, freshly grated
    • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
    • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (use half the amount if you’re using table salt)
    • 5 cups (about 1 ¾-pounds) Daikon radish, peeled & sliced

    Instructions:

    • Preheat the oven to 475°F, and adjust a rack to the center.
    • Make the seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the oil, chili paste, Tamari or soy sauce, galangal, sugar and salt.
    • Prep Daikon. Cut the Daikon into sections approximately 3-inches long, then cut about ¼-inch slices off the side of each one, to make a base. Stand the sections on their bases, and cut them, vertically into slices about ¼-inch thick. Stand these slices on top of each other, and then cut them into sticks about ¼-inch thick. Add all of the Daikon slices to a baking sheet and set aside.
    • Drizzle this over the Daikon slices and then use your hands to toss them until they’re all evenly coated and in a single layer.
    • Place the baking sheet in the preheated 475°F oven and roast until they are golden brown on all sides, about 30 minutes. (You should gently toss/flip them about halfway through the cooking time.)
    • Drain, cool and serve. Add a double layer of paper towels to another baking sheet, and when the fries are done, add them on top of the towels to drain and cool.

    Roselle Walnut Bread 

  • CSA 2023 Summer Week 13

    Orange Carrots (COG)

    Galangal

    Moringa

    Okra

    Asia Pears (WAT)

    Green Bell Peppers (WAT)

    Jalapeno Peppers

    Roselle

    Spaghetti Squash (COG)

    Murasaki Sweet Potatoes

    This is the last week of our Summer CSA season! Back in 2011, our first thirty CSA Members helped us start our farm by providing seed money (literally, not just figuratively). Since then, and with CSA member support, we have grown from “just” a small family farm to supporting over a dozen other local farmers and employing over thirty people! We are truly amazed and humbled by how much our community has supported local and organic farmers – THANK YOU!

    Week 13 brings one of our favorite plants- Roselle! Why do we love it? For starters, it’s tangy and versatile. Use it in tea, jam, salad, baked goods… the list goes on and on. Roselle makes you feel great, too. It’s loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants and for centuries been used as a therapeutic plant and overall tonic. If you’re not sure how to use it, we share instructions on how to process the crimson calyx for use in teas and smoothies. Or, you can cook them up for uses like the jam recipe below. Already a fan of this gorgeous, amazing plant? Be sure to mark your calendar for our Roselle Festival, sponsored by Visit Gainesville, on Oct 28. Look forward to roselle u-pick, live music, farm tours, crop mazes, workshops & food trucks! Roselle Fest is free and open to the public but does require reservations. Click here to add your name to the guest list!

    Dried Roselle Calyx

    • Remove the crimson calyces (the outside part) from the seed pod.
    • Place the calyces on the dehydrator trays in a single layer without overlapping or bunching them up too much. Make sure that there is plenty of airflow between pieces, as this will help them dehydrate evenly. Set dehydrator to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and dehydrate for 3-6 hours, or until it is completely dried. Rotate the trays halfway through, if needed, to ensure that they all dehydrate at an even rate. Roselle can also be dried in an oven set on the lowest setting for 6-10 hours.
    • Once dehydrated, store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It can be enjoyed as a tea or added to recipes like smoothies and teas for extra flavor and nutrients.

    Roselle Jam

    Ingredients:

    • 1 quart Roselle calyces with seed pods
    • ½ -1 cup raw sugar
    • Filtered water
    • Lemon juice, just a squeeze

    Instructions:

    • Remove the calyxes (red leaves) from the seed pods then wash and drain them separately
    • Slightly break open the seed pods and add them to a small saucepan. Pour in filtered water until the pods are just covered. Do make sure they’re submerged
    • Bring to the boil and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until the pods are soft
    • Strain and keep the liquid and put the seedpods in the compost
    • Pour the reserved liquid back into your small saucepan and add in the washed calyxes. If the calyxes are not submerged in water add a tiny touch more filtered water
    • Boil down for another 20 minutes allowing the mixture to thicken
    • Remove from the heat and measure the volume of cooked pulp. Return this to the saucepan and add the same volume of sugar along with the squeeze of lemon juice
    • Bring to the boil and cook for 10-20 minutes or until the jam has thickened
    • Transfer to a clean jar and store in the fridge

    Spicy Jalapeño Margaritas

    Ingredients:

    JALAPEÑO TEQUILA

    • 2 c. tequila blanco
    • 1-3 jalapeños, quartered
    • 1 medium cucumber, cut into 1/2″ slices

    MARGARITA

    • 1 tsp. granulated sugar
    • 1 tsp. kosher salt
    • Lime wedges, for glass and garnish
    • 2 oz. infused tequila
    • 1 oz. orange liqueur (such as Cointreau)
    • 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
    • Sliced jalapeño, for garnish

    Instructions:

    JALAPEÑO TEQUILA

    In a large clean jar, combine tequila and jalapeño. Using handle of a wooden spoon, gently muddle jalapeño. Add cucumber and seal jar.

    Store in a cool, dark place at least 8 hours or up to 12. Strain tequila mixture, discard solids, and pour back into jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

    Make Ahead: Tequila can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.

    MARGARITA

    In a small shallow bowl, combine granulated sugar and salt. Run a lime wedge around rim of a rocks glass and dip into sugar mixture to coat.

    In a cocktail shaker, combine infused tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice. Fill shaker with ice and vigorously shake until outside of shaker is very cold, about 30 seconds. Strain into prepared ice-filled glass and garnish with a lime wedge and jalapeño slices.

  • CSA Fall 2022 – Week 8

    This week, we are packing lots of items from our farm, plus a few from one partner producer. We are grateful for all of our amazing CSA members and customers who support our farm and give us the opportunity to grow and deliver this nourishing food!

    From Frog Song Organics
    Romaine lettuce
    Murasaki sweet potatoes
    Spring mix
    Ruby Red grapefruit
    Roselle Hibiscus
    Galangal ginger
    Bok choy
    From Little Pond Farm
    Dandelion greens
    Cherry tomatoes

    One of my favorite ways to enjoy lots of veggies in a quick meal in the winter is to simmer them in broth to make a ramen bowl. I make homemade chicken and bone broth weekly, and purchase plain ramen and soba noodles at an Asian grocery store. This way, I can have a convenient and flavorful meal made with my own seasonings. Using this week’s box, wash and slice the murasaki sweet potato, then wash and chop the bok choy and dandelion greens, taking care to remove the sand from the rib of each leaf. Bring your broth to a simmer (pork, chicken, or veggie stock) and add the sweet potatoes. Add slices of galangal for extra flavor and aroma. After about 5 minutes, add the bok choy and simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.

    While the veggies cook, boil your ramen in a separate pot, drain and rinse. Assemble noodles in the bowl, and add your veggies and stock. Dress with a dash of tamari or (soy sauce), toasted sesame oil (the toasted is very important), and a few sesame seeds or chili oil. You can add a hard boiled or poached egg, or leftover meats if desired, for a satisfying meal in minutes.

    We now have stewing chickens back in stock, which are our retired laying hens. I cover one with water and cook it for 8-12 hours on the slow cook setting in my instant pot until the meat falls off the bone. A few slices of galangal and turmeric, some sea salt and peppercorns, and some time, are all you need for a great broth!

    Below, check out a great recipe for Roselle Sauce (like Cranberry Sauce) that is great as a side for Thanksgiving or any time.

    ~ Amy