FROMONLINE | 2013-09-18

  • By Daphne Ross
  • September 18, 2013
  • 424
                        
My first whiff of fall Column Summary The hints are here, and beginning to fall hard evidence; dropping leaves, blooming mums, falling fruit, ripening pumpkins. Can you smell the seasonings of autumn? While on my way home yesterday I smelled it I smelled fall. Someone living along my asphalt trail home must have raked up enough leaves to burn a pile. I could see no skyline smoke trail, but the smell of fall was indeed moving silently across the Plain Township acres. My Amish friend Rachel and her neighbor Eli have both been selling late harvest vegetables, pumpkins, and gourds at the end of their farm lanes. The fruits of their labors have filled pints with homemade jams and jellies, and quarts are packed with pickles and peppers. Comforters and rugs are also for sale in Rachel’s honesty stand; to blanket our chill and cover our floors with a change of season dirt at the door. Our quarter mile lane remains a corn corridor to our five acres off the road. Our two-story farmhouse is not so noticeable with full green leaves on the trees, a chestnut tree heavy with spikey hull covered nuts, and a couple of apple trees still clinging to a few yellow delicious. What sweet fruit doesn’t drop on their own will be shaken loose by a family of raccoons, that resident their selves each evening amongst the apple tree branches. At dusk, they wobble their full bellies into their cornfield trail, crossing the lane a few hundred yards in. In the spring the fragrant lilacs breezed their perfume through my kitchen window screen. Their leaves are still a rich green for the most part; a few leaf curls have a hint tint of red. The fragrance through my window now is the tree ripening quince fruit. Fortunately the quince tree is along a yard bank, so my noggin’ won’t be pounded by Mother Nature’s natural fall harvest while on a walk-about my yard. On the other hand a stroll under the many black walnut and English walnut trees in the back yard is a danger zone. Their leaves, many already fallen no longer hide the green, hard balls of the walnut hulls. Our only swing hangs from a walnut tree branch, but no one swings there anymore, the grass grows green underneath. A safe place to rest would be on the rope hammock under the shade of the maple and elm trees. A couch pillow, and comforter from the blanket trunk, and a day worked body are perfect elements for an early fall breeze sway. And when the leaves have fallen, and the sun of an Indian summer shines down, I may need a pair of shades, but maybe not a quilt. When the campfire is ready for hotdog roasting and marshmallow toasting I’ll get upright and move over to the fire ring, my feet propped up on a rock from our field stone harvest. Stone soup anyone? Send your fall time, comfort food recipes to Country Cupboard, 5973 Blachleyville Rd., Wooster, Ohio, 44691. Emails are always welcome: thewritecook@sssnet.com Unstuffed Pepper Soup (Donna Lotcher, New London) 1 1/2 pounds ground beef 3 large green peppers, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 cans (14 1/2 ounce each) beef broth 2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes, undrained 1 can (4 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained 1 1/2 cups cooked rice In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the beef, green peppers and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the broth, soup, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for at least 30minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice and heat through. Yields: 10 servings. Apple Pear Crisp 4 ripe pears 6 apples 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon lemon zest 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Topping: 1 1/2 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar 3/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl; add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 x 12 x 2 inch oval baking dish. For the topping: Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping. A drizzle of golden caramel with be awesome. Easy Zucchini Bread (Donna Lotcher, New London) A less sugar recipe. 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 cup oil 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 cups grated zucchini Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir dry ingredients together. Add remaining ingredients and blend well Pour batter into 2 well-greased bread pans and bake 1 hour. Yield: 2 loaves. Sweet and Seed Trail Mix 2 cups pumpkin seeds 1 cup slivered almonds 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup Coarse salt 1 cup dried cherries Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sunflower seeds and the syrup until evenly coated. Spread the nuts and seeds out, in an even single layer, on the lined baking sheets and season with salt to taste. Bake the nuts at 300 degrees, stirring several times with spatula or wooden spoon, until just golden, about 20 minutes. Cool the nuts completely on the pan then add the cherries and toss to combine. Store cooled trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature. Zucchini Bread (Donna Lotcher, New London) 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini 1 cup chopped nuts 1 cup raisins 3 eggs 1 cup oil In a large bowl, whisk eggs and oil. Add zucchini, nuts, raisins and remaining dry ingredients. Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until done. Quick Red Bean Soup 6 ounces smoked sausage, diced 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 3/4 cup chopped yellow onions 6 tablespoons chopped celery 6 tablespoons chopped green bell peppers 1 bay leaf 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon minced garlic 3 (16-ounce) cans cooked canned red beans 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice 2 tablespoons chopped green onions In a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside. To the fat in the pan, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, bay leaf, salt, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add the red beans and their juices, cooked sausage, and 3 cups of the chicken stock, stir well to mix, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes, adding more stock as needed if the mixture gets too thick. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls and top each portion with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cooked rice and sprinkle of green onions.


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