Sunday, July 21, 2013

Southern Fried Rice

 

I will never understand why some people are opposed to leftovers. . . I love them and frankly when it comes to dinner, leftovers mean one less thing to do.  In the spirit of eating and transforming leftovers I bring you 'Southern Fried Rice.'

  • Whatever is left from your blackberry pork loin (you could also use ham or sausage)
  • 3-4 cups cooked rice (I used brown, but white would be good too)
  • 1 carrot diced
  • 1/2 cups soy sauce (Put in a little at a time. . . put in more or less to taste
  • 2-3 cups okra cut into rounds
  • 1 bell pepper diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 of a Vidalia (sweet) onion diced
  • 2 tablespoons oil (peanut, canola, or vegetable)
  1. Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat.
  2. Add oil to the pan. 
  3. Add produce to the pan and stir fry to desired tenderness. . .I cooked mine for about 10 minutes.
  4. Add rice and soy sauce to the pan and continue cooking for another five minutes. 
  5. Give it a taste. . . make adjustments as necessary and remove from heat. 

**Please feel free to alter this recipe to taste.  I was taught to cook by taste, so most of the time (always) the measurements for ingredients are rough estimates.  I am trying to get better at measuring my ingredients, but if you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me via comment.**

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Blackberry Limeade

 
 
6 cups water
 
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
 
1 cup sugar (or to taste)
 
2/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes) 
 
  1. Place blackberries and about 2 cups of water into the blender; process until smooth.
  2. OPTIONAL Press blackberry puree through sieve and discard seeds/pulp.
  3. Add remaining water, sugar, and juice to pitcher.
  4. Stir until sugar dissolves.
As blackberry season draws to a close, some of you may choose to freeze some of the berries you have bought or collected.  This is a great recipe because you have the option of using fresh or frozen. 
 
**Recipe from cookinglight.com** 
 
 


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Grilled Okra

When selling okra, we often get the question, "how am I supposed to cook this?"  I often reply by giving my favorite way to eat okra -- with tomatoes.  Recently, we've had a TON of okra in the garden and I find myself asking, "how am I supposed to cook this now?"  After a quick search on Pinterest, I found grilled okra.  Looking at the picture only, because I hate following recipes, I gave it a whirl.  The result was pretty excellent. 

1.  Cut okra in half lengthwise.
2.  Thread okra onto skewers.
3.  Sprinkle with salt and creole seasoning (recipe to follow).
4:  Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side (until crispy, but not burned. . . just keep an eye on it).

**I liked dipping mine in ranch dressing like you would with fired okra. Yum!**

Mr. B's Creole Seasoning

  • 1/3 cup paprika
  • 3 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon granulated onion
  • 4 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 4 teaspoons granulated garlic

  • Next time you're grilling give it a whirl. It's easy, it's delicious, and by grilling your entire meal, you keep that kitchen a little cleaner a little longer.

    Hope y'all enjoy!

     
    **Also pictured, pimento cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers.**
    

    Monday, July 15, 2013

    Crock Pot Blackberry Pork


     

    Salt
    Pepper
    3 Sprigs Rosemary
    Poultry Seasoning
    1 (16 ounce) Jar of Blackberry Preserves
    1/2 Cup Red Wine
    1 cup Blackberries (optional)
     
    For the Sauce
    1/2 cup Red Wine
    2 Tablespoons Honey
    1 Cup Blackberries
     

     
    Directions:
    1. Generously season the pork tenderloin on all sides with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place the tenderloin, wine, blackberries, and rosemary into the crock pot. Set the cooker to high and cook for roughly 5 hours (until fork tender).
    2. About 15 minutes before serving time, pour the wine, honey, and blackberries into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and some of the berries burst, about 15 minutes.
    3. To serve, slice the tenderloin and spoon blackberry-wine sauce over slices.

    Just for fun . . .the next time we make this we will be adding a tablespoon or two of "juice" from our whisky pickled jalapenos to give it a little heat.  You could add a jalapeno or two during the cooking process to do they same thing.  If you choose to try it, let us know how it turns out.

    **Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-blackberry-pork-tenderloin/.**

    Monday, July 8, 2013

    Blackberry Dump Cake

    You picked your blackberries.  What next?  Blackberry dump cake!  This recipe is super simple, but super delicious. 

    You will need:

    20 ounces of crushed undrained pineapple  (I only had fresh, so I winged it)
    3 cups fresh (or frozen) blackberries
    3/4 cups of of sugar
    1 box of yellow cake mix
    1 stick of butter
    1 cup of chopped pecans



    What to do:

    Grease a 9x13 dish (I used Crisco, but you could use butter) and set it aside.
    Layer the blackberries and pineapple in the dish.
    Sprinkle the cake mix and 1/2 cup of sugar on top of the fruit.
    Melt your butter and then drizzle it over the cake mix, fruit, and sugar.
    Spread the pecans over the top.
    Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the top of the pecans.
    Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.
    After 25 minutes use a butter knife or spoon in several places the let the juices up.
    Serve and enjoy.

    


    Tuesday, July 2, 2013

    Welcome Y'all

    Welcome to Green Acres. . .a little blog centered around life on our farm.  So, who are we?  We are Wet Hammock Nursery.  We began life as a citrus and cattle farm in the early 1900's.  In 1992, we became more closely related to who were are now, Douglass Tree Farm, a small family farm specializing in ornamental tress marketed exclusively to landscapers and developers.  After the downturn in the economy, we knew it would become important for us to diversify if we wanted to keep our farm alive.  In 2011, we began Wet Hammock Nursery to meet this need.  We moved out of our role as a wholesale tree farm and into our new role as a retail farm now offering native plants, edibles, pesticide-free produce, and of course, ornamental trees.  It is now 2013 and we are continuing to grow and find our place in our community.  As the fourth generation, Mr. Douglass and I are avid participants in social media and relish the idea of sharing our experiences and knowledge with our community.
    Please tune in to learn more about us, our farm, share our experiences and journey, seasonal recipes, and any other ideas that may come to mind.