The Four Seasons Farm Gardener’s Cookbook Review

Recently, I read and tried some recipes from The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook, From the Garden to the Table in 120 Recipes, authored by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman. Both have been operating the Four Season Farm for more than 20 years, and have been involved professionally in farming and teaching (both in authoring/publishing and hosting the series Gardening Naturally for the Learning Channel 1993-2003, among other credentials) for more than 35 years, with more than 75 years experience between both of them. You can read more about them in the New York Times profile from last year “The Land That Keeps Giving“.

The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce

This extensive background and experience of this couple really shows in the first half of the Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook, which actually focuses on the Garden rather than food recipes-  you can interpret it really as the first half being a Garden “Cook”book, and then the second half is the Table, with the promised 120 recipes and traditional cookbook.

I have been an urbanite whose gardening skills never have been explored more than growing a few of my favorite herbs of basil, dill, thyme, and Thai chili peppers, annually, so you can take this review as someone who is a total newbie to gardening, much less farming produce or anything beyond a windowsill box.

The book starts from the ground up- literally. The first chapter helps you identify what kind of soil you have, teaches you the difference between types of soil and how to improve your soil. The next chapters expound into how to think about and then decide on the size and layout of your garden, how to rotate different crops in your garden whether it be through a single year across seasons or across years. They then present six options of different kind of garden themes varying from one that is focused on producing lots of quick and satisfying results in the smallest space (The Salad Garden) to a theme of  dependable crops (The Hard Times Garden) or one that you don’t have to reseed every year because they are perennial or produce seeds (The Self Reliant Garden).

There is one chapter that goes into depth on each possible crop (grouped by family as they require similar care in growing). One example is spinach, talking about the differences between the taste of spinach through the season, giving advice on how to grow it, then harvest it, then store it, and finally various options to cook it- and they expand this to include almost 70 kinds of produce you might be considering to grow. This is probably going to be the chapter that I thumb through over and over as I encounter beautiful items in the farmers market, as I look up the produce and read suggestions on ways to cook and enjoy it. Although this chapter is technically in the Garden portion of the book with its advice on growing and harvesting, the information on storing and cooking it are definitely Table territory.

Each of these chapters is written with the voice that has clearly done everything that has been written and can provide tips. The voice is aware of both the science of how to make decisions based on the reality of various situations and talking through all of the data and information you might use to analyze and decide or more efficiently garden (such as offering advice on tools or watering techniques or weed control)- aka extremely practical- while also catering to the art of garden as an emotionally fulfilling enterprise by detailing the rich colors and textures and beauty of nature and feeling of productivity and satisfaction of feeding plants and them feeding us in return. At one point, the authors note how as each crop is ready you feel like the year is full of “little festivals” of produce.

In this first half of the book, pictures and illustrations abound, enticing you with beautiful photos of produce  you too can grow, or step by step of saving tomato seeds, or various map layouts of gardens or charts for crop rotations. So I was a little disappointed there were not more photos in the second half for the recipes. There are definitely some beautiful whole page layouts of some of the recipes, but many recipes have no photo, or at most a small photo of one of the ingredients of the recipe but not the dish itself. I am definitely a visual person, and the recipes I tried ended up being ones that had accompanying photos of the finished dish.

Her recipes are simple (she calls her style  “prosperous peasant”), featuring the freshness of the ingredients, all from scratch and the majority of the components which can come fresh from the garden… or in my case, purchased from the farmers market and someone else’s garden. Since asparagus has been looking so beautiful at the market that was one of the first recipes I picked out to try.

Asparagus Goldenrod

The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe

This recipe comes from Barbara Damrosch and her mother, and is named for the grated egg yolk that appears like goldenrod pollen. I chose to use two types of bread (paesano and seedy grain), but did not remove the crusts (and whoever styled the dish for the food photo did not either!). As an homage to what Barbara and Eliot stand for, I used everything from the Portland farmers market or Local Choice Market except the butter and black pepper.

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 4 large eggs (mine are from Stiebrs Farm)
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used Garry’s Meadow Fresh Jersey whipping cream)
  • 4 ounces (1 cup) of shredded Gruyere cheese (or, since I didn’t find a local Gruyere, I used a Gruyere-like cheese, Adams Alpine from Cascadia Creamery)
  • 40 medium size fresh asparagus spears
  • 4 large or 8 small slices of whole grain bread, crusts removed
  • 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Hard cook the eggs by placing the 4 eggs in a saucepan and adding enough water to cover the eggs. Bring the water to simmer over high heat, then immediately lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the hot water and fill the pan with cold water to cool the eggs for at least 5 minutes.
  2. Peel the eggs and remove the yolk carefully so they remain whole. They should be firm enough to now grate. Coarsely chop the egg whites and set aside for the sauce.
  3. Pour the cream into a medium size skillet and bring to slow simmer over medium heat, stir, stirring constantly, until it has thickened. Gradually add the grated cheese, stirring until it has melted and is smooth. Add the egg whites, and keep the sauce warm over low heat.
  4. Toast the bread and then butter (optional), putting them on the plate you plan to serve with.
  5. Trim the asparagus spears to about 5 inches in length, and steam until the asparagus is tender, 2-5 minutes. (Or, you can roast or grill the asparagus, whatever you’d like.) Distribute the asparagus spears over the pieces of toast, and then cover with the creamy sauce. Top with the grated egg yolk and some black pepper to taste, and serve immediately.

The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Asparagus Goldenrod recipe

Barbara advises that depending on the season, you can easily substitute broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, leeks, garlic scapes, etc for the asparagus. For most of the recipes there is a “Try This Too” section that suggests some variations to try. She often also suggests other dishes to serve with to make a complete complementary meal. She suggested a salad and a dessert of fresh fruit for this, but I made her Green Gazpacho that celebrates the bounty of greens with green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives. Barbara also notes that you might also try adding green tomatoes, or tomatillos, to this “chlorophyll explosion, refreshing and pungent”.

Green Gazpacho

Ingredients (serves 4 as a main course, 6-8 as an appetizer):

  • 1 medium to large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small chunks (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1-2 (I used 2) green jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
  • 1 medium size cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (approximately 3/4-1 cup)
  • 2 medium sized ribs celery, coarsely chopped (approximately 2/3 cup)
  • 6 scallions (white and green parts), coarsely chopped (approximately 1 cup)
  • 1 cup (packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon agave syrup or 4 teaspoons raw sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I happened to use blood orange olive oil)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (you can also substitute tofu here)
  • 1 tablespoon very finely chipped fresh chives

Directions:

  1. Combine the bell and jalapeno peppers, cucumber, celery, and scallions and stir briefly. Put half the mixture into a food processor with 1 cup water and pulse until the mixture is just pureed, about 30 seconds. Return this to a large bowl (I used one that was 2.5 quarts).
  2. Repeat the above with the second half of prepped veggies + 1 cup water , but this time also adding the parsley, cilantro, agave syrup, lime and lemon juice, dash of salt and black pepper. Combine both purees in the large bowl, and add the olive oil and stir to mix. Taste and add salt or ground pepper as desired (this soup tastes best with enough salt to accent the flavors).
  3. Refrigerate if not serving right away. When serving, pour the gazpacho into individual bowls or glasses. Top each serving with 1 to 2 tablespoons of sour cream and a pinch of chives.

The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Green Gazpacho recipe, green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives, spring soup recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Green Gazpacho recipe, green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives, spring soup recipe The Four Seasons Farm Gardener's Cookbook review Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman gardening farming recipes local produce Green Gazpacho recipe, green pepper, celery, scallions, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and chives, spring soup recipe

Barbara Damrosch will be at POWELL’S BOOKS AT CEDARS HILL CROSSING (3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton) on THURSDAY, MAY 30TH at 7pm to say hi and find out more about The Four Seasons Farm Gardener’s Cookbook (and get signed copies) she co-authored (she helped write the first half, and did most of the second half), or get advice about gardening. Barbara also authors a weekly column A Cook’s Garden in the Washington Post, seriously she is amazing.

Disclosure: This book was provided by Workman Publishing for me to review.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Chard Story- the continuation of that fresh pasta into dinner

Chard Story. It starts as a gift of chard from Kumi, (Kusuma of Ruchikala, and the amazing goddess behind the Ruchikala spring pop up dinner I blogged about previously) hooking me up with goodness from Blue House Greenhouse Farms (an urban farm in Portland). I decided to have the chard simply sauteed with garlic in olive oil, and served tossed with fresh fettuccine (as covered in the last post). I also made fresh ricotta (I am planning to bake the ricotta with mushrooms but knew I had some extra to spare) and added a sprinkle of asiago and called it delicious dinner.

Blue House Greenhouse Farms chard Blue House Greenhouse Farms chard Blue House Greenhouse Farms chard Blue House Greenhouse Farms chard Blue House Greenhouse Farms chard sauteed with garlic in olive oil with fresh ricotta and fettuccini

Don’t you love how beautiful chard is when it’s all leafy like a big fan, and then after you cut it how it’s like colorful streamers?

If you are interested in supporting local, urban farming, and sustainable farming practices, Blue House Greenhouse Farm has a seasonal farmstand every Tuesday afternoon at the SW corner of N Williams and N Cook- and Kusuma is often there with her fresh homemade baked breads or curries (such as sag paneer using the spinach from Blue House Greenhouse Farm), and they also have a subscription service (although it looks from the website it is currently full!) so check them out!

Disclosure: This chard was gifted to me by a friend, but I knew that it came from Blue House Greenhouse Farm. They did not require that I write this review nor did they request it.  The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own, and I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences regardless of whether they were complimentary or not.

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Fresh Pasta- Fettuccine

A photo post… the birth of fettuccine. This pasta recipe comes from F’s grandparents… It’s hand written on notebook paper that we keep in my recipe binder. Ok, that version does not have the Kitchenaid like you see here- we also have the hand crank pasta machine, which we still have in our cabinet just in case. Making pasta the old fashioned way is a workout!

making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini  making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini making fresh pasta homemade fettuccini

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Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

I attended another Caprial + John cooking class last week, this one centered on Modern Pot Pies. This was held again at their Chef’s Studio 2818 S.E. Pine, and included

  • Radicchio Salad with Black Pepper Fromage Blanc Dressing with toasted hazelnuts
  • Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato Crust
  • Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower Crust
  • Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust
  • Buttermilk and Lime Curd Layered Panna Cotta

As usual, the class started with Cappy opening up various wines for the class- it is BYOB- so that us students could sip and swirl as they started teaching us the various courses that we would also be eating as our dinner. Recipes are already printed with our names for our places at the table so we can take notes as they cook and we drink.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

My favorite of the three pies was the Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese crust. The roasting of the vegetables just brought out a wonderful depth of flavor that I really liked and could make even for F and I (without the bacon). The vegetables in the recipe include onion, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, fennel but Cappy talked about how she loves to throw in swiss chard or kale too, and I love that idea.

The vegetables were already roasted when we arrived as that takes more time, so mainly John and Cappy talked about creating the ricotta crust on top- and I totally agree that the topping alone just thrown with pasta would be delicious. Putting pieces of the recipe on pasta was mentioned a few times- perhaps because they happened during the class to be on day 5 of a no carbs no alcohol diet in preparing to rest their stomach and livers for an upcoming trip to France.

She also made her own ricotta for this recipe using milk, cream, and white vinegar, and talked about her obsession (which will soon become mine) with being able to recreate a baked ricotta dish (just plain pressed ricotta- not ricotta cake) and finally tracking it down in some Australian recipe.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

At the same time, the pork for the Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower Crust was cooking and the cauliflower steaming away in the background: they are definitely multi-taskers in the kitchen. John showed us his trick to very efficiently dice an onion which includes flattening one side and not cutting fully through when doing the first rows so everything holds together at first until you cut the rows the other way.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class dicing an onion Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class dicing an onion Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class dicing an onion Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class dicing an onion

As John sauteed the pork and onions and added potatoes, Cappy talked to us about the panna cotta part of the Buttermilk and Lime Curd Layered Panna Cotta, specifically the combining of cream, sugar, gelatin, and buttermilk so that it would then have time to chill as we returned out attention back to the pies.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

Back with the Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower crust recipe workstream, John zested and squeezed lemons and prepared the mashed cauliflower crust with all its cheesyiness thanks to parmesan and goat cheese. We agreed we could enjoy that mashed cauliflower just as too.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

We finished the Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust assembly and put it in the oven.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust

Meanwhile, the pork was ready to be placed in the pan and topped with the cauliflower mixture, and also put in the oven.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

At this point the Bacon and Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Crust was almost ready, so Cappy quickly talked through the importance of soaking the radicchio while John prepared the dressing and talked through how to attempt to fix the dressing if it breaks. And then it was time to eat the salad and that first pie!
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Bacon and Herb Roasted Vegetable Pot Pie with Ricotta Cheese Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class

The Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower Crust didn’t seem as seasoned as it should be. In order to make it for a meal for vegetarian F, I will probably take their other suggestion which is to just make the cheesy mashed cauliflower and fry those into cauliflower cakes!
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower Crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Pork and Lemon Pot Pie with Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower Crust

While we were eating the pork and lemon pot pie with mashed cauliflower, John showed us how to create the mushroom leek mustard and garlic white wine (well, they actually used vermouth) cream sauce for the Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato crust. I don’t have a mandoline, so although I like the idea I’m not sure when I’ll execute this recipe.
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato crust Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Braised Leek and Chicken Pot Pie with Crispy Potato crust

Everyone was close to drinking up every last drop of that Buttermilk and Lime Curd Layered Panna Cotta. Because it was not chilled overnight it was softer than a usual panna cotta, but all the flavors were there, and everyone liked how it wasn’t too sweet (thanks to the buttermilk) and was so light and refreshing. It’s a super simple dessert to make, although since F can’t have gelatin I wonder how agar will substitute in…
Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Buttermilk and Lime Curd Layered Panna Cotta  Caprial + John: Modern Pot Pie cooking class Buttermilk and Lime Curd Layered Panna Cotta

I always enjoy their classes and the little stories they tell and tricks and tips they offer that are outside what you would find in a recipe. They have classes once a week- check out their website to see the menus of their upcoming classes (they always create their own menu for the class), or see if you are interested in attending one of their monthly supper clubs!

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Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread

Pinterest, you are bad for my arteries. It was this photo thanks to Deseree Kazda of Life’s Ambrosia blog that sealed my fate for me. This recipe uses roasted garlic butter and brie to stuff the bread, but as Des pointed out, she also saw the Beantown Baker use butter and mushrooms and herbs, and Christy of the Girl Who Ate Everything blog used green onions and Monterey Jack cheese.

So it’s up to you what you want to stuff your bread with! I love all of Des’ and Christy’s recipes, which tend to be very comforting, so consider adding them to your RSS feed- they are on mine (I used to be on Google Reader but with the sad news of its impending demise recently am trying out Feedly).

Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread

Ingredients (serves 4):

  • 1 large boule of some sort. The original recipe calls for sourdough, but I went with Pearl Bakery Italian country bread Paesano.
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 1 tablespoon and then 7 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • pinch of salt
  • a few grounds of freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces of brie cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. First, let’s roast the garlic in the skin. Cut 1/4 inch of the top of the bulb of garlic to expose all the cloves. Place the garlic with the cut side up in a piece of aluminum foil, and put one tablespoon of butter on top, right on those cloves, in such a way it will melt and get each clove. Yum already right? Alternately you can use olive oil for this instead of butter, but why have one little sliver of a tablespoon of butter left? Oh, I guess you could just use all olive oil as a substitute for butter in this recipe. Well, I didn’t.
  3. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the garlic and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Twist the aluminum foil to close it to finish your little present, and roast the garlic for 1 hour. The cloves should be soft and golden and squishy. Set aside to cool.
  4. Slice the bread vertically and horizontally into squares, but do not cut all the way through as you want the bottom of the loaf to hold all these pieces together (sort of like one of those blooming onions of the 80s and 90s…). You will probably want to do the cuts in rows first, making each row about an inch or less apart, and then turn it and cut the other way. Place the bread on a sheet of foil that is large enough to later wrap the whole bread.
    Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread
  5. Dice the brie- the size may vary depending on your bread and how you sliced it- you want each piece of brie to fit in between every cut of bread. It’s up to you whether you want to carefully trim off the white outer layer first- that skin is edible, but it does have a chewiness to it, so not everyone likes it. The people I was sharing this with I have noticed always leave the outer layer behind (I eat it all) so I did trim it off for this recipe. Dip your knife in hot water so the cheese doesn’t stick to it.
  6. Set the oven to 350 degrees F and using a teaspoon, scoop out the soft garlic cloves. Melt the 7 tablespoons of butter in a small pan with the garlic. If you want to add any herbs, you can do so now. Combine well with a quick stir in that pan
  7. Pour this garlic butter YES ALL OVER all the bread, making sure the bread gets down into the doughy inside spaces you cut access to. I used a silicon pastry brush I have to actually spread the liquid gold garlic butter in all the crevices. Seriously, I can just eat this now, but let’s finish this with the cheese like the recipe intends…
    Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread
  8. Press the brie in between each cut. Wrap up the bread and bake for 15 minutes. Then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes- the cheese should get bubbly!
    Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread

Finally, we can eat this! If you’d like, you can drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top, or serve it as a dip on the side for the bread. You want to let it cool down for about 10 minutes before you serve so the cheese can get oozy and calm down from the bubbling and your guests don’t burn their fingers and tongues.

Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread Roasted Garlic and Brie Stuffed Bread

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