Sweet Pepper and Cucumber Relish

This is the only relish I will ever eat. It's not even comparable to that green stuff in the store. It shouldn't even have the same name.

8 cups cucumbers, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
2 cups red sweet peppers, chopped
2 cups green sweet peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 cup pickling salt
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 chili peppers
4 cups sugar
4 cups vinegar

Combine the chopped vegetables and sprinkle with the turmeric. Dissolve salt in 8 cups of cool water and pour it over the vegetables. Let stand 3-4 hours and then drain. Cover vegetables w/ cool water and let stand for 1 hour. Drain.

Mix sugar and vinegar and heat to boiling. Pour the boiled mixture over the vegetables and add the other spices. Let stand 12-18 hours. Simmer until hot (don't let it cook, want it crispy). If too dry add more vinegar and bring to boil again. Pack into jars.

Garlic Chevre

What you will need:

1 heavy, non-aluminum pot or saucepan
2 quarts pasteurized or raw (not ultra-pasteurized) goat milk
1 tsp salt
1 clove finely minced garlic
1/8 tsp M4001 culture, a fairly common "farmhouse" or "chevre" culture
1/8 tsp. liquid vegetarian rennet or 1/8 rennet tablet, mixed or dissolved into 1 tablespoon water

If using pasteurized milk, you will also need 1/8 tsp calcium chloride

Cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve, or cheese mold*

Optional: Extra salt, fresh herbs, or other condiments for rolling (thyme, oregano, marjoram, mint, rosemary, lemon zest, chopped olives, sundried tomatoes, etc.)


Procedure: 

1. Add the milk to the pot and stir in salt and garlic. Heat to 86-90°F (this goes very quickly, be alert!)
2. Remove from the heat to stir in the culture, using 20 gentle strokes. Wait three minutes.
3. If necessary, add calcium chloride water. Stir.
4. Add rennet water, stir and cover. Let stand at room temperature (68-72˚F -ish) at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
5. Ladle the creamy curd (which looks like yogurt) into molds* on a draining rack, or a fine mesh sieve, or a cheesecloth-lined colander. Drain about 12 hours at room temperature. Remove whey and, if necessary, continue draining 12 hours. Depending on how creamy or hard you want your cheese, draining time will vary greatly. In the past, I have drained it for only a total of 24 hours and ended up with a very creamy, spreadable cheese. If drained for a total of 72 hours, the texture will be much more crumbly, like feta.
6. Unmold and place on draining rack and (optional) sprinkle with salt on all sides. If desired, dry cheeses on a bamboo mat or wire rack on a cookie sheet for 24 hours.
7. Roll in desired herbs or condiments. Wrap in cheese papers (waxed paper side in, shiny side out), or parchment paper, or simply tupperware or ziplock bags. Refrigerate and enjoy any time. Use any leftover whey to make fresh bread, preserve produce with lactic fermentation, or to boil pasta, veggies, etc.


MMMMMmmmmmm

* No need to buy a cheese mold. You can make a homemade cheese mold out of any number of household items. Old yogurt containers work well, as can an old plastic food-storage container. Avoid using reactive metals that may leach into the cheese. You'll need to punch or drill holes into your container if it doesn't already have some, so that liquid can drain from the cheese.  Crudely shaped holes cut with scissors can work if you are using an old yogurt container or similarly thin plastic. Holes should be placed at the bottom and sides of the container.

Rose Water Spiked Plum Sorbet

About 2 1/2 lbs. fresh juicy plums
1-1 1/2 cup sugar
1 banana (optional)
1/4-1/2 tsp rose water

This recipe completely depends on the ripeness and flavor of the plums, so use only the freshest, ripest plums you can find.

Using a sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth set over a saucepan, press juice and some pulp out of plums into the pan. Only pits and skin should be leftover-squeeze out as much good stuff as possible. If adding banana, mash it into the plum puree at this point. Banana will add sweetness, and offset any bitterness from the plums. Don't worry, if your plums are flavorful, the banana will not be a dominant flavor in the final product. Add sugar to taste, starting with 1/2 cup. The puree should retain it's tartness, but very sweet at the same time. Too little sugar will result in a solid frozen block of plum puree. The appropriate amount of sugar will create a fluffy, ice-cream-like texture.

Heat the plum puree until the sugar is fully dissolved and the edges start to foam. Avoid boiling, as it would change the fresh flavor of the fruit. Stir in rose water to taste, again starting with only a small amount. Rose water is stronger than you may think, and it should not overpower the flavor of the plums.

When satisfied with the puree, pour into ice cream maker and follow the directions of the ice cream maker to churn. Can be saved in freezer for up to two weeks, but may need a bit of thawing before serving if it has been stored in the freezer for more than 24 hours.