farm recipes

Making Mormor’s Rød Grød med Fløde

/ the untamed alchemist / Leave a comment

As we approach our one-year anniversary in our Idahome, we are beginning to see some of the perennials at Five Element Farm come back for the first time. Daffodils are already trumpeting the return of the sun, tulips and hyacinths are on their way…

fresh strawberryMy heart always delights in seeing nature come back to life, but the joy in seeing life rekindled, especially in kitchen perennials, is especially profound this year. At the point that some of the established fruits and greens were waving at me last year on the farm, I was buried in boxes, furniture, pictures, and STUFF to unpack, organize, and put in place. This year, the emerging flowers, fruits, greens, and bushes have my undivided attention. Inevitably, I am already plotting how to best use them in my now well-established kitchen/pantry–and looking for ways to honor and celebrate my roots in utilizing our farm’s bounty.

I am, as I often say, a Danish-American at heart. Over time, my Beloved has come to cherish many Danish traditions as much as I do–and he is keenly aware of my significant emotional connection to things that remind me of my Danish family in particular. Since my mormor (aka, my grandmother on my mom’s side) was a bit of a whiz in the garden and the kitchen, many of my favorite family traditions center around slow foods whose ingredients were sourced on the family farm. When I look for ways to leverage my gardens’ blessings, I often look to the recipes she taught me…

To wit, today’s recipe honors my mormor’s beautiful gardens and delicious kitchen with a simple Danish favorite: red fruit pudding with cream, also known as Rød Grød med Fløde. (Even though he can’t yet say “rød grød med fløde” with any semblance of confidence (and he sends me into fits of hysterical laughter when he tries), my Beloved enjoys rød grød no less than I do…)

While you can typically make rød grød with any “red” berries, today’s version relies solely on homegrown strawberries and rhubarb for flavor and tang.

Five Element Farm’s Rød Grød med Fløde

  • 4 cups fresh, organic strawberries–rinsed and capped
  • 1 cup organic rhubarb–leaves removed, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • whole, organic cream and sugar for serving
Place strawberries, rhubarb, water, and sugar in a small pot and stir just until blended.
Cover and simmer on low heat until the sugar has melted, the fruit is sufficiently softened, and the liquid begins to thicken slightly (resembling syrup).
Allow to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Sprinkle with sugar and serve with cream to taste.
Danish rød grød, which roughly translates as "red porridge"

Danish rød grød, which roughly translates as “red porridge”

Enjoy!

(Note: In the interest of full disclosure, the photos used here were taken when we last made rød grød with strawberries and rhubarb grown at our previous farm, just be farm, in New Mexico…)

Rise & Shine with our Organic Granola

/ the untamed alchemist / Leave a comment

I’m a big granola lover, but I hate the funky ingredients included in many processed, pre-made granola blends–too many of them have artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, and other junk that I’m not interested in consuming. I basically avoided granola until a friend shared a homemade granola recipe that I immediately embraced–it’s simple, inexpensive, and crazy delicious. Over the years, the recipe has evolved to be a Five Element Farm staple and a favorite of visiting guests….

rise & shine granola

Five Element Farm’s Rise & Shine Granola

Ingredients

dry granola ingredientsDry Ingredients:

  • 6 cups organic rolled oats
  • 1 cup organic sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut–preferably organic
  • 1 1/2 cups organic whole almonds
  • 1 1/2 T cinnamon

Wet Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup organic honey
  • 2/3 cup organic, unrefined coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract

Add-Ins:

  • Dried fruit (such as apricots, dates, figs, cranberries, etc.) that has been been diced or finely chopped

HINT: I made enough granola that I eventually got sick of dicing all the sticky fruits into tiny, squishy pieces that just end up clumped together; I now buy a dried fruit mix designed for fruitcake from King Arthur Flour. Their mix has raisins, pineapple, currants, cranberries, and dates diced into itty-bitty little pieces that are dusted with confectioner’s sugar so they don’t stick together. I can’t recommend the mix highly enough if, like me, you’re easily annoyed when dicing sticky foods! One 20 oz. bag of the Fruitcake Fruit Blend is perfect for this recipe.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan or heatproof container until just melted; remove from heat.

In an enormous bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.

In a smaller bowl, combine all wet ingredients, including coconut oil, until well mixed.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in the larger bowl and stir/mix well. (I actually coat my clean hands with cooking oil and mix/squish/blend everything together with my hands!)

granola ready for bakingSpread in a thin layer on multiple shallow baking sheets. (I use four cookie sheets to make this recipe with two in the oven at one time.)

Bake at 300º until lightly browned (approximately one hour), stirring every 20 minutes or so.

Return to large, clean bowl to cool completely.

Add chopped, dried fruit once cooled; stir to combine.

Store in a large, tightly sealed container. Will keep for several months, though ours never lasts that long…

rise and shine granolaEnjoy your Rise & Shine granola with yogurt or kefir, sliced fruit, and a drizzle of honey for breakfast, mix with carob, peanuts, and extra raisins as a trail mix blend, sprinkle as a crumble on top of fresh fruit salads or ice cream for dessert, or just enjoy with milk anytime…

Bless and blessed be!