Southern Fried Apples

Would you like a quick, no-frills side dish of fried apples? This is the season in Georgia for everything apple!

Fried Apples for Two

2-3 Apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 TBL Butter

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Pinch of ClovesPinch of Allspice (This enhances the flavor of your cinnamon) Optional

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/8 cup Brown or Granulated Sugar

Melt butter in heavy skillet or saucepan. Add other ingredients and simmer until apples are tender (apx 15-20 minutes). Serve warm.

Fresh Farm Eggs

Back in the Spring I called every local farm in Bartow/Cherokee County area trying to convince them I was a good sales outlet for their produce or other farm goods. Most of the more farms just blew me off in favor of their already established customer base. But, some took my number and promised to call me when they had something to sell.

One of these individuals Mr. Ted Perry of Hanging Mountain Farms, dropped by the store today. He had trouble back in the Spring with coyotes killing a number of his laying hens. During the summer he re-established his flock of Delaware and New Hampshire laying hens and now has eggs to sell.

Jake's now has the fortune of being one of the first locations to offer eggs from Hanging Moutain Farm's new flock. The first eggs from the new hens will be smaller in size. There will also be larger brown eggs from his older hens mixed in the bunch. All of the eggs from Hanging Mountain Farms are hormone free and free range. We will sell the smaller eggs at $2.00/dzn and the larger eggs at $2.50/dozen.

Some facts to consider on fresh farm eggs beyond their flavor and success in the skillet, eggs are also rich in immune-boosting nutrients. According to the American Egg Board (which for years has promoted the “incredible, edible egg”�), adding eggs to your daily diet can help prevent common colds and illnesses. Selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and zinc are all found in eggs and are all proven to help bolster the immune system. Additionally, eggs pack high-quality protein —one egg contains 6 grams of protein, which is 13 percent of the recommended daily intake for the average person. Excellent protein, good fat and all kinds of culinary possibilities —a carton of eggs, which yields up to six servings, is an unbeatable bargain. Another fact to consider is the fresh eggs purchased at your local grocer can be anywhere from 4 weeks to 9 months out of the coop. The eggs from Hanging Mountain Farms will be rarely over one week old by the time they reach your kitchen.

Another benefit through this new relationship between Hanging Mountain Farms and Jake's Produce will be having a place on the list to receive his heirloom tomatoes. Mr. Perry glows as he speaks highly of his Radiator Charlie variety ... can't wait 'til next summer to taste this tomato sandwich.

Lisa @ Jakes
404-667-5121

Green Tomatoes and Okra

Let me start with okra...as there are two ways I mostly preserve it for winter enjoyment. The first is the easiest of course, freezing.

Freezing Okra:

Wash your selected okra and spread it out on a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly. Once dry, cut the pods into 1/2 inch slices (or to your desired thickness). Measure sliced okra into 2 cup increments and place in quart bags. Dust apx 1/4 cup flour into bag. Seal without releasing air and toss flour in bag until okra is coated. Open and reseal bag squeezing out air before freezing. Place bag(s) in a single layer in freezer. Once thoroughly frozen, you can stack bags as freezer space allows. Don't forget to label and date each bag before freezing.

Pickling Okra:

2 - 3 lbs fresh okra (small pods to fit into pint jar)

4 cups White Vinegar

1/4 cup Pickling/Canning Salt (non-iodized)

5 Cloves of Garlic (1 per jar)

5-10 Small Hot Peppers (red and green if available)

1 TBL Mustard Seed

1 TBL Tumeric Seasoning (can substitute Dry Mustard Seed)

1 TBL Dill Seed

5 Sterilized Pint Jars

1. Cut stem off each okra pod being careful not to cut into pod itself. Rinse, thoroughly pat dry and pack okra into sterilized jars leaving 1/2" head space. Place 1-2 hot peppers and 1 clove garlic into each jar.

2. Combine water, white vinegar, salt, mustard seed, tumeric seasoning and dill seed into medium sauce pan, bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves.

3. Pour liquid mixture over okra filling to 1/2" headspace. Spoon remaining seasoning mixture in pot equally over each jar. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rim. Immediately place metal lids on jar and screw on bands.

4. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, wipe jar and allow to cool before storage.

5. Don't forget to label and date before storing.

Next is a "handed-down" recipe for crisp pickled green tomatoes that is sure to please the senses.

Pickling Green Tomatoes:

3-4 LBS Small Green Tomatoes

2 Cups White Vinegar

1 Cup Water

1 TBL Pickling/Canning Salt (non-iodized) (Per Jar)

Hot Peppers (small green and red)

Sterilized Jars

1. Rinse and dry tomatoes. Cut into wedges and tightly pack into jars. Add 1-2 hot peppers in each jar. Add salt on top of tomatoes.

2. Combine Water and White Vinegar into medium saucepan and bring to boil. Pour boiling liquid mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rim. Immediately place metal lid and screw on bands.

3. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and wipe jars. Allow to cool completely before storage.

4. Don't forget to label and date each jar before storing.

Okra Okra Okra

Good morning friends and neighbors! It is dreary outside in Sutallee, but the rain is hopefully good for the freshly planted fall vegetable crops. We were able to plant our collards, cabbage, beets and mixed greens at the store this week....I decided to hang on to my tomato plants a little while longer while they are still producing. I just can't bear the thought of pulling up a plant that still has some good in it....don't we all?

On to the main reason for the update. Can I just say okra...okra...okra? We have lots of Mr. Howell's okra this week....and it is beautiful in color and size. Yum! You will want to put some of this in the freezer for later. We also have a small quantity of green tomatoes, just the right size for pickling. Refer to my next post for recipes on freezing or picking okra and green tomatoes.

Today the market was still in its transitional stage...a few things here and there, but mostly everyone has closed for the season. I did manage to find more of those late season tomatoes from Cleveland, as well as squash, half runners and shelled peas. I also found small quantities of corn, cabbage heads, cucumbers, radish bunches and muscadines. Fresh crops of new potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, gourds, wheat bales and corn stalks were the main items on display at the market today....(I did pick up a few of each.)

Before I forget to mention them....we also have more Ellijay apples this week. Winesap, Rome, Mutsu, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious varieties....

My baking is back for the second week...on the menu today and Friday will be Lemon Blossoms, paired with pecan and apple turnovers. Later in the weekend we'll add the smores bars and fudge. Stop by for a taste...

Have a good day everyone...and we look forward to seeing you this weekend.

The Seasonal Transition

The seasonal change from summer vegetables to fall vegetables is more dramatic than I anticipated. The only exception of the transition being swift is a 2 week period in September when almost nothing local is available for purchase.

We chose to to purchase produce from the extreme North Georgia counties and into the southern boundaries of Tennessee namely the Unicoi area. The hardest task of doing this is finding produce not refrigerated during transit. Believe or not, it was easier in the peak of summer to find produce straight out of the garden without refrigeration than it has been these last two weeks.

I am anticipating the our local fall crops to follow the path of summer. The travel distance from garden to Jake's varies between 2 miles to 50 miles, but almost all within the Georgia state boundaries. This allows up to pick up the product on Wednesday and sell for the week. I do sometimes choose to refrigerate items after it has reached the market in order to maintain its freshness.

Mentioning seasonal changes in the air.....I am finally changing out my vegetable plants at Jakes this week by adding Georgia Collards, Beets and Mixed Greens to replace my squash, peppers and cucumber plants. I am leaving the tomato plants a while longer as they are still bearing fruit and I am also looking forward to harvesting some good late season green tomatoes for pickling.

Check back for the photos of Jakes upcoming changing landscape.....

Jakes Weekly Update

Good morning everyone...it really looks dreary out today, but the weather man thinks we'll get some sunshine later today. Fingers crossed!

Wednesday was a long, long day driving around north Georgia. It was made even longer by the knowledge that all my new leads were dead-ends...and I still drove to Ellijay for pies, corn (Golden Sweet and Peaches & Cream) and tomatoes. I did decide once there to pick up a few Georgia pecans, peanuts, dried apples and apple bread fresh from the oven. The small amount will acclimate everyone to the idea that we are entering into our un-official last weekend of summer and Fall is just around the corner....apples, pumpkins, greens...

I did recover some confidence this morning at the Atlanta Farmers Market. Squash, watermelons, pears, figs, okra, Silver Queen corn, "mixed" beans, pickling cucumbers, shelled butter beans and Pink Lady peas and last but not least, South Carolina peaches were a few of my finds this morning.

Let me briefly explain the term "mixed" beans......the farmer planted his rows of white half runners, pole and snap beans together instead of different fields....his workers did not know the difference apparently and picked his beans as one type without separating them. This was the first...but, because of the error, we were able to get a good price on the bushel. I'll take a few minutes today when setting everything out and separate the beans and sell each at $1.00/LB.

We thought there was to be 2 more weeks of South Carolina Alberta peaches, but I was told today they had enough for about 3 more days this week....I picked up 3 bushels as usual, but am willing to pick up more if anyone is doing last minute jams and/or jellies. I am selling the peaches at $1.25/LB this week and will talk discount on quantity.

The last item on my list today is to let you know I have a small number of cabbages this week that will be sold at $1.00 each. This is my cost and I want to be prepared for the upcoming availability of Fall cabbages. Try creating a new spin on salad by using cabbage in lieu of lettuce. Add a few tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, bell peppers or anything in the fridge (or at Jakes), then toss with a little mayo, S&P.

Please enjoy a safe holiday weekend....and don't to stop by Jakes for your fresh vegetables this week.

Thanks,
Lisa @ Jakes
404-667-5121