How to turn grapes into raisins & other stuff.

Ask Arlene©

By Arlene Wright-Correll

A question asked of me this week, “How can I turn my grapes into raisins?”

Here is my Home Farm Herbery Homemade Raisins Recipe

Blanch grapes by dropping by the bunch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then transferring into a bowl of ice water.  Remove stems.  Pat dry with a towel and spread in a single layer onto baking sheets.  Place baking sheet in an oven set to warm (180 degrees is ideal) and allow to dry 18-24 hours, turning after 12 hours to prevent sticking.  Once dark and wrinkled, remove from oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. 

An email question asks, “Do you know how to make Wild Greens Soup?”

Yes and here is a good recipe.  1 medium onion, finely chopped 
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups chopped potatoes
4 cups chopped tender wild greens
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Tamari sauce to taste

Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil, stirring constantly, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the curry powder and sauté a minute longer. Stir in the potatoes and greens. Sauté briefly. Add the water and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Puree, then reheat and season with salt, pepper, and tamari.

Another email question asks, “I heard one can make sorbet out of lilac flowers. Is that true?”

Yes and here is a great recipe for lilac sorbet by Cathy Wilkinson Barash, who says she adapted it from her dianthus sorbet recipe in her book Edible Flowers: From Garden to Palate (Fulcrum Press, 1995).

 2 cups water,   ¼ cup sugar,  ½ cup lilac florets, stems removed and coarsely chopped (the stronger scented, the better).

Pour water into an enamel or stainless steel saucepan. Add sugar and florets, stirring well to dissolve sugar.  Next bring liquid to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Now pour into an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. If not serving immediately, scoop sorbet onto waxed paper in serving-sized portions, on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen, put in a freezer bag.

Serving suggestion: Put a sweet-flavored daylily flower (pistils and stamens removed) in a wineglass, and then add a scoop of the sorbet. Top with candied lilac blossoms.

*Dark-colored flowers produce an interesting color sorbet; light-colored flowers produce an almost translucent white sorbet.

May the Creative Force be with you as you tread the earth lightly.

Home Farm Herbery LLC