WHAT’S IN SEASON

WHAT’S IN SEASON CRAFTY CONDIMENTS

With barbecue season in full swing, make healthier, more delicious accompaniments

BY JAMIE COLLINS PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL BIRNS

Have you ever wondered why organic mayonnaise made with a healthy oil is so expensive or thought about how much ketchup your household goes through each month? Or how some sauce or spread really tied your meal together or improved a snack? Making your own condiments allows you to choose healthier oils, avoid unwanted ingredients and create custom spreads that are so delicious. All you need are fresh, local ingredients, high quality oil, garlic, spices and a high speed or stick immersion blender!

At Serendipity Farms I am always playing around with various herbs, fruits and vegetables in the kitchen and now sell nutrient-dense spreads, salad dressings, hummus, pestos and dips at the farmers’ markets, alongside our fresh produce. It is not complicated to make great tasting condiments. The summer bounty offers so many options for creativity and an opportunity to put up some of the best flavors that will add brightness to your meals.

First you need fresh eggs, preferably pasture raised with nice bright yolks, and an oil of your choice that is liquid at room temperature. I like to use avocado oil because the flavor is neutral, but other neutral tasting oils include walnut, almond and macadamia nut. Olive oil is also good, but adds olive flavor, which is tasty but does not resemble traditional mayo like my childhood favorite: Best Foods. You may also blend olive oil with nut oils if you feel the flavor of olive is too strong. All of the forementioned oils are healthy oils to use, as is coconut oil, however it tastes very much like coconut—which may be good if you are making a tropical tasting aioli. If you do decide to use coconut oil, it needs to be fractionated, meaning in a liquid state at room temperature, or it will not work. Avoid using canola, sunflower, soybean, corn or any vegetable oils as they are typically genetically modified and processed using chemical solvents, which makes them full of omega 6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation in the body.

Mayonnaise

1 32-ounce Mason jar, wide mouthed 1 egg, at room temperature 1 cup oil (avocado, olive or nut oil, of your choice) 2–3 teaspoons lemon or lime juice, or apple cider vinegar (I prefer citrus juice, but vinegar will work) ½ teaspoon dry mustard or prepared regular mustard or

Dijon (optional) ½ teaspoon salt

Crack the egg into the jar, then pour the oil on top. Add the lemon juice, the mustard and the salt. Settle the immersion blender into the jar until it hits the egg at the bottom. Turn on immersion blender and keep it at the bottom of the jar for about 20 seconds or until you see the mixture turning into a creamy white color. Then, gradually pull the immersion blender out a few inches and keep it there until all the mixture at the bottom of the blender is creamy. Work your way up until it is all mixed.

I suggest doing the recipe above several times and transferring the yield into a bigger jar if you want more mayo than the recipe makes because adding the extra ingredients will create an imbalance in the jar, making it di cult to get the desired creaminess. Refrigerating will make the mayo rmer as the oil gets cold.

At this point you can add other ingredients to the mayo to turn it into aioli, like roasted or nely grated fresh garlic, dried herbs, paprika, cayenne or ginger. If you add fresh herbs like basil, parsley or cilantro, you will need to eat the aioli within two days. Otherwise, the herbs will start to go o and the avor will not be as tasty. My favorite aioli for sweet potato fries or crab cakes contains honey, garlic and Sriracha. Roasting small chunks of vegetables like fennel, sweet or hot peppers or leeks and blending them in will add depth and avor. These extra ingredients should be added after the mayo is completely emulsi ed. Homemade mayo lasts a week in the refrigerator, not as long as store bought, but is much healthier and fresher tasting!

No Egg Vegan Mayo

1 cup soaked and drained cashews 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon white vinegar ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast ¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard ¾ teaspoon salt 1⁄3 cup water

Blend for 60 seconds and refrigerate!

GARLIC SPREAD

Many farmers are harvesting fresh garlic at this time of year, which is all the more reason to make my favorite simple garlic spread. You may also substitute leeks or onions in this recipe, but will need to cut them up in small chunks before roasting so the blender will be able to grind them up well. Toss 1 cup of garlic cloves or leeks in olive oil, or the oil of your choice. Roast until brown around the edges. Let cool and blend with 1 cup of oil, 1 teaspoon of salt. You can add honey mustard for an extra tasty spread, or some dried herbs or spices that you like. Thyme, curry or chili powder make it amazing, as can adding 2 teaspoons of orange, lime or lemon juice. I like to keep it simple with this one, letting the carmelized garlic shine since it is so versatile and great on everything from roasted chicken and veggies to sandwiches and rice dishes. It will last over a month in the refrigerator, so I suggest making a big batch because you are going to find yourself wanting to drizzle it on just about everything.

PESTO SAUCE

You can turn almost anything into a delicious pesto. In a high speed blender, add herbs, oil, garlic, an acid such as lemon juice, seeds (pumpkin, sunflower or hemp) or nuts (toasted pine, walnut or almond), salt and Parmesan cheese if you eat dairy. Otherwise, add nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor. Aromatic herbs are in full swing during the summer. Good ones to make into pesto are basil, mint, dill, tarragon, cilantro, pea shoot and parsley. You can add vegetables like spinach, kale or arugula to bulk it up and increase the nutrient factor. There is no wrong way to make a pesto, just work with what is available, either using a single herb or various raw herbs and greens. In pestos, herbs and greens are never cooked.

Pesto Sauce

2 bunches of herbs, or 1 bunch of herbs and 1 bunch of greens 4 cloves raw garlic 1⁄3 cup nuts or seeds ½ cup fresh Parmesan cheese or ¼ cup nutritional yeast ½ cup oil ½ cup lemon juice (most recipes don’t call for lemon juice but I nd it helps preserve the herbs) ¼ teaspoon sea salt

CHUTNEY AND BARBECUE SAUCE

Summer is the best time for stone fruit, and what a better way to savor the season than by making chutneys and barbecue sauces. Ask farmers at the market if they will sell their soft or bruised fruits that are typically pulled from the tables. Most farmers have a stash of fruit they would likely sell for a good price rather than compost at the farm later. If they don’t, ask for case pricing as there may be certain varieties they need to move. Chutneys are usually a freshly minced mix of both fruit and vegetables and are a refreshing side to fish or in place of salsa fresca. Try a piel de sapo melon from Happy Boy Farms, pair it with some cucumbers and fresh, raw sweet corn from Pinnacle farm, grab some cilantro, a red onion, jalapeño peppers, a few limes and some mint, add a dash of salt and it’s done—a tasty, fresh and interesting summer fruit chutney! Another way to make chutney is to cook down fruits like peaches and nectarines in brown sugar, spicy peppers, garlic, ginger, curry powder herbs and vinegar, and chiles, of course.

Making barbecue sauce is similar to chutney but with a few different ingredients. I love making barbecue sauce out of fruit like blueberries or plums instead of tomatoes. I once made pulled pork sliders, slow cooked in a homemade blueberry barbecue sauce, which were topped with a mango fennel coleslaw on soft Hawaiian rolls for a birthday lunch. The guests all stopped talking. Fresh, homemade food will do that to people. Don’t you want to give it a go?

Fruit Chutney

4 pounds stone fruit, nectarines and peaches work well 1 cup apple cider vinegar ½ cup honey ½ cup golden raisins 1 teaspoon mustard seeds ½ teaspoon garam marsala ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 yellow onion, diced 1 serrano chile, seeded and diced 2 cloves garlic, sliced

Combine all ingredients and let them sit in refrigerator to marinate overnight. In a saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring then lower to medium low. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring now and then. Fills 5 ½-pint jars, which can be canned if desired. Lasts in refrigerator for 2–3 weeks. This would be great as a glaze for chicken, brushed on for the last 10 minutes, on the barbecue or in the oven. It is also good on sh tacos or with soft cheese bruschetta.

Blueberry Barbecue Sauce

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 small to medium onion, nely chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 quart blueberries 3 chipotle chiles, ground, or 2 fresh jalapeños, minced without seeds ½ teaspoon paprika 1½ tablespoons cider vinegar ¼ cup unsulfured molasses Juice of ½ lemon Coarse salt and black pepper, freshly ground

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in bluberries, chiles, vinegar, molasses, paprika and lemon juice. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by a third, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then purée using an immersion blender (if you don’t have one, purée the sauce in a blender, in batches). Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate in a jar with tight- tting lid for up to 2 weeks.

Jamie Collins is the owner of Serendipity Farms and attends all of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers’ Markets, where you can find its fresh organic fruit, vegetables and nutrient-dense prepared food items.

LOCAL FOODS IN SEASON

JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST

FRUITS

*Apples • ****Apricots • Avocados • Blackberries • ****Blueberries *Boysenberries • Cactus Pears • **Cherries • Figs • ***Grapes • Lemons **Loquats • ***Melons • Nectarines • Olallieberries • Oranges • Peaches ***Pears • Plums • Raspberries • Strawberries • Tayberries

Vegetables

**Artichokes • Arugula • **Asparagus • Basil • Beets • Bok Choy • Broccoli Cabbage • Cardoons • Carrots • Cauli ower • Celeriac • Celery • Chard Chicory • Collards • Corn • Cress • Cucumber • Dandelion • Eggplant • Endive Fava Beans • Fennel • Garlic • Green Beans • Kale • Leeks • Lettuces Mushrooms • Mustard Greens • Onions • Pea Greens • Peas • ***Peppers, Bell Potatoes • Radishes • Spinach • Summer Squash • Tomatoes • Turnips

Seafood

Abalone • Halibut, California • Lingcod • Rock Cod (aka Snapper,Rock sh) • Sable sh (aka Black Cod) • Salmon, Chinook/King Seabass, White Squid, Market Sole (Dover, Petrale) • Spot Prawns Tuna (Albacore)

*Comes into season in June **Ends in June ***Comes into season in July ****Comes into season in August *****Goes out of season in July

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