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Special Holiday Edition: 5 Tree-Inspired Recipes

11/8/2016

Chilli Pecans
Makes: About 2 cups
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups pecan halves, (about 4 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 275°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, brown sugar and garlic powder in a small bowl. Toss pecans and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the pecans, tossing to coat. Spread the spiced nuts on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the pecans, tossing every 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned and very fragrant, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; sprinkle with salt and toss well. Let cool.

Acorn Maple Shortbread

Makes about a dozen large cookies.
Prep Time: 45 minutes, including chill time for the dough.
Cook Time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup maple sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose or King Arthur’s “white whole wheat” flour
1 cup acorn flour

Put the butter in a large bowl and add the sugars. Use a fork or spoon to mix them together until well combined. Add the vanilla extract.
In another bowl, mix the salt and the flours with a whisk until combined. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter and sugar and mix well with the fork or spoon. The dough will come together quickly, but will be sticky. Don’t overwork it, but be sure you don’t have hidden blobs of butter in your dough.
Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and set in the freezer about 1 hour, and up to overnight in the fridge.
When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Flatten the disk of dough to about 1/2 inch thick and cut into cookies. I used a 2-inch cutter, but any sort of cutter would do. An acorn-shaped one would be cute. Keep doing this, reshaping the dough, until you’ve used it all.
Arrange the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 23 to 26 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies just begin to brown.

Mulberry Sorbet

Makes 2 pints.
Prep Time: 75 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
5 cups mulberries or blackberries (can be frozen)
1/4 cup cassis, elderberry or blackberry liqueur, or Port

If you are using mulberries, pick off all the green stems from the berries.
Bring the sugar and water to a boil over medium heat. Let it simmer gently for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool a bit.
Meanwhile, put the berries in a blender. Pour the syrup over them while it is warm but not hot. Buzz into a puree.
Push the berries through a fine-meshed sieve set over a bowl using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon; this removes a lot of the seeds and stems.
Pour the liquor into the bowl with the pureed berries and chill in the fridge for an hour or so.
Pour into your ice cream maker and follow its directions.

Birch Leaf Cocktail

2 ounces bourbon
1 tablespoon birch syrup
2 ounces fresh squeezed Meyer lemon juice
pinch sea salt (just a few grains, really)
ice
Combine the bourbon, birch syrup, meyer lemon juice, and salt in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice, cover, and shake well enough that the birch syrup and salt dissolve into the drink.
Strain into one or two glasses and serve.
Makes 2 small drinks, or one larger cocktail.

Persimmon Chia Pudding
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS

For the Vanilla Chia Pudding
2 cups vanilla coconut milk or almond milk
½ cup + 2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 vanilla bean or 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch ground cardamom
For the Persimmon Cream
3 very ripe persimmons*
¼ teaspoon ground cinnnamon

Instructions
To Make the Vanilla Chia Pudding
Add nut milk, chia seeds, vanilla bean seeds or extract, maple syrup, cinnamon, and cardamom to an airtight container. Whisk and refrigerate overnight or for at least 8 hours.
To Make the Persimmon Cream
Once your chia pudding is ready, de-stem your persimmons and add them to a food processor along with the cinnamon and process into a smooth cream.
In four small glasses or two larger glasses, create layers of chia pudding and persimmon cream starting with the pudding. I did 6 total layers or 3 layers of each.
Enjoy and refrigerate leftovers!
Notes
*Persimmons are ripe when they’re extremely soft to the touch throughout the entire berry. Wait until they are fully ripened so that they reach their full flavor potential and blend easily.

Reference:

Casey Trees. http://caseytrees.org/blog/5-tree-inspired-recipes-that-will-impress-your-relatives/ Nov 24, 2015.

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November Tree of the Month: Pecan

11/8/2016

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Pecan

Ample shade producers and givers of delicious pecan nuts, so loved by many of us and used in multiple recipes, pecan tree are a worthwhile investment for South Carolina growers.

,Pecans (Carya illinoinensis) will grow in almost any soil in South Carolina, except poorly drained soil, stiff clays, or thin sands with a high water table.

Requiring lots of space to reach their standard 70-to 120-foot height and 80-to-120-foot spread, they are worthy of consideration for their beauty alone. Pecan trees should be planted well away from building and particularly important - power lines. Properly care for pecan trees will produce shade and majestic from, enhancing landscape and helping structures and dwelling stay cool under its dense canopy. If the savory nuts are your primary ambition for growing pecan trees, you can boost your chances of a good fall harvest. Starting from scratch? Be sure to buy at least two varieties with overlapping bloom cycles. Choose varieties that are resistant to pecan scab, the major disease that limits nut production. Within these constraints, the best varieties include Cape Fear, Curtis, Elliot and Stuart. New plantings will need six to 12 years to become productive.

The next step to ensure good pecan production is to fertilize properly. Improper soil fertility is the biggest factor in underperforming trees. Because pecan trees have a high zinc requirement, use specialty pecan fertilizers—typically 10-10-10 with 2 percent zinc. Broadcast the fertilizer beneath the tree’s canopy in late February. Pest control and proper sanitation of areas under the tree are just as vital.

Despite even best efforts, a bountiful pecan harvest just isn’t possible every year. Some factors are out of our control. Best advice: prevent nut loss by harvesting early. Harvesting the nuts as soon as they mature ensures better quality. One of the quickest ways to lose nut quality is to let them lay on wet ground. Harvest early and store nuts in a clean, dry place.

References:

Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist, and Debbie Shaughnessy, HGIC Horticulture Specialist, Clemson University. Revised by Joey Williamson, Horticulture Specialist, Clemson University. (New 06/99. Revised 12/06.)

S. Cory Tanner. "Going Nuts for Pecan Trees". South Carolina Living. Feb. 2015

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Special Holiday Edition: 5 Tree-Inspired Recipes

November Tree of the Month: Pecan

Pecan

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