TTo cookbook?

[Ellen Michelson]

The yummy lemon bread at last night's meeting made me wonder about a TTo cookbook. The couple of folks I mentioned it to at the end of last night's mtg were positive. I emailed & Daniel replied with interest. He thinks we could use it as a fundraiser, & is wondering how to differentiate a TTo cookbook from all the others out there.
A 50-Mile Cookbook (or whatever radius we decide on) could be the theme. There are a zillion possibilities for veg, meat, poultry, fruit, breads, desserts. It would be a stimulating exercise to figure out what will be missing: coffee (but I think chicory grows around here), tea (herb teas can be included), chocolate (can carob trees grow here?), lemon bread (unless we have a greenhouse section). What fish from close by is safe and healthy to eat?
Daniel suggested I 'get the ball rolling' by offering a couple of my own recipes. I can offer yeast bread and vegetarian soup recipes.
Another way to make this cookbook special that would fit in with our goals is to offer it online only (no print edition), for a fee.
Daniel suggested starting a forum for this. I'm not up to taking that on by myself. Might anyone else be interested?

[John Fleming]

Occasionally we get a year with both ample heat and precipitation, and this is one of those years. Bumper crop. The cucumber patch at my folks' is currently producing beyond all expectations and I was more than happy to help out with a batch of relish.

Note that the recipe does not explain the canning details - so it is assumed you already have the bottling know-how to jar safely.

Ripe Cucumber Relish
7 large ripe cucumbers, peeled seeded and coarsely chopped (not too coarse)
5 large onions - chopped
3 tbsp salt

Let stand in pot for 1.5 hours
Drain well in a strainer

Then add
3 cups white sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp celery seed
1/2 cup flour

Boil and mix together for 10 minutes
Stir well, and BOTTLE

[John Fleming]

Ok, here's a couple favourites of mine:

Corso Italia No-Fat Pizza Dough

This one is quite simple and reliable, a good way to get acquainted with yeast breads, and deal with your abundant backyard tomato harvest at the same time. (Also try ‘Calzone’ variant – make multiple smaller pizzas and fold over into pockets, pinching the edges to seal.) The hardest part is locating lively yeast.

2 tsp yeast
1cup warm water
2 ½ - 3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
¾ tsp salt

- If not using quick yeast, let the yeast develop in the water for several minutes
- Mix all together, and let rise for 1 hour
- Punch down the dough and then form it onto a baking sheet by kneading outwards from the middle
- add tomato sauce, toppings, Italian seasoning (oregano, etc)
- bake 425 degrees for 25 minutes


Moore Park Rhubarb Cake

A good way to use rhubarb from your patch, makes a very moist almost ‘wet’ cake with brown sugar & cinnamon topping, rhubarb chunks throughout.

2 cups flour + 1/8 cup
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ cups rhubarb cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix flour, soda, salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the brown sugar and margarine until fluffy. Beat in egg. Beat in flour mixture alternately with milk until blended. Stir in vanilla & rhubarb. Turn into prepared pan (~13x9in). Sprinkle with sugar & cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350 for ~40 minutes until a pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

[Jennys_Food_Ink]

Brilliant idea. I'm a cook and a food writer. I would LOVE to help in any way I can!

[Martina Rowley]

Great idea, Ellen! One other useful step in, or before the planning of a 50-mile or 100-mile cookbook (for Ontario, or Toronto) would be to check if such a cookbook exists already. So some research should be included in your plan.
Love the suggestion, and good idea for it to be used as a fundraiser too. Do you need help getting the topic started on a forum here? Let me know.
~Martina

[John Fleming]

Tremendous idea