Preserve and Cook #171

Hello friends!

I planted about 1600 onion plants in the fall… Winter was really cold and I ended up losing most of the plants. So this spring, I had to replant almost all the onions. This is just how farming works sometimes, but the onions are doing great, and in just a few short weeks, we’ll be able to start harvesting.

I wanted to share this extra special onion jam with you! Selling so many jars at the market in the past few weeks reminded me just how delicious this recipe is—not only to me! I hope you'll like it, too.

In Israel, we use this jam mostly on red meat. Think of a topping for a hamburger or a steak. But really, serve it on top of mashed potatoes or simply on a cracker with some goat cheese. Yum!

Here are the ingredients:

• 5 pounds of onions (red, white or yellow or a combination)

• 2 1/2 pounds of white sugar

• 1 tablespoon of whole cloves

• 500 ml (~2 1/4 cups) balsamic vinegar

• 250 ml (~1 1/8 cups) white vinegar

And here is how to make it (click here for the step-by-step picture tutorial on the blog)…

Onions can be grown from seed, sets, or plants. I recommend either sets or plants, especially if you are new to growing onions. Check out this blog post for all the growing information!

Aside from the onion jam, another great way to preserve onions is to dehydrate them. I love having dehydrated onions on the spice shelf, they are so easy to add to so many dishes and add a ton of flavor. Click here for the step-by-step tutorial.

And make sure to also check out how to dehydrate green onions if you are at it!

I am adding two delicious recipes here for you to try… The first is this classic chicken liver and onions recipe. I know livers are not so popular these days, but I’m sure that there are some of you here who grew up eating livers and know how amazing they are!

This is an Israeli recipe. I don’t know if you make it the same way in America, but I hope you’ll give this one a try.

The second recipe doesn’t have to do with onions (even though there are onions in it). This one is all about the eggs because I’m sure that you guys who own chickens are starting to get more and more eggs now that the weather is warming up!

Try this amazing Israeli breakfast called Shakshuka. Basically, eggs in tomato sauce. And definitely save it for tomato season!

I bought my beautiful piece of land back in 2013. Over the years, for various reasons, I couldn’t get water there. Every farming attempt was unsuccessful because even though we get a good amount of rain here in NC, it’s not consistent, and you can’t rely on it.

Last week, I was able to set the irrigation and lift the handle of the hydrant. Water went everywhere and I started crying! I cried for 30 minutes… There were so so many overwhelming good emotions!

I am very excited for this next chapter of my life. I’ve been dreaming of growing food for the community for so many years, and now, because of this water, it finally feels as if it’s possible!

If you want to follow my farming journey, you can follow Kismet Farm NC on both TikTok and YouTube. I post farm updates and gardening tutorials in a short video format.

I also have a farm newsletter now! For my local friends, the first portion of the newsletter will let you know what is going to be available at the markets that week, then, I’ll share some of the happenings on the farm! Even if you aren’t local, I’d love for you to join me and follow this journey of building a vegetable farm. You can subscribe to that newsletter by clicking here.

That’s it for now! Happy April everyone!

~Lady Lee~