• Home
  • Shop
    • Farm Shares/CSA
    • Recipes
  • Visit
    • Bush Skills
    • Farm Stays
    • Tours
    • Map & Directions
  • Email News
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Little LaGrange Farm
RIDGE TO REEF FARM, ST CROIX USVI
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Farm Shares/CSA
    • Recipes
  • Visit
    • Bush Skills
    • Farm Stays
    • Tours
    • Map & Directions
  • Email News
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Little LaGrange Farm

Fall Week 9 - Fruit Share Newsletter

10/26/2013

0 Comments

 
Happy Halloween!

The strange red pointy pod in your bag this week is Achiote - a regionally native plant used for thousands of years in food. Inside each pod is a collection of small red forming seeds. The coating around the seed portion produces a red dye, which is one of the most well-known safe food colorings in the world. Ever wonder how many latin-cuisines get their red, such as rice and pork? This is the stuff! 
Picture
One word of caution, however. It is a dye, so watch it an your clothing when you handle it. You will see it on your fingertips if squeeze them. Since does wash out, this is a perfect and completely safe and edible skin coloring, which gives it's common name "lipstick bush." It is wonderful for face painting with kids, with its nice rosy red hue. So if you're feeling adventurous, you can feel free to play with your food here! Mix with a little egg white for a high-quality non-toxic body paint! 

For more information check out this website, and try the recipe for Achiote Paste below!

Enjoy the harvest,

Claudia & the crew at Ridge to Reef Farm

Recipes

Achiote Paste
Achiote paste, favored in Yucatán and Oaxacan cuisine, is made from the slightly bitter, earthy flavored, red annatto seeds, mixed with other spices and ground into a paste. Achiote is a distinctly colored and flavored mainstay of the Mexican kitchen.

A typical preparation mixes:
1/4 cup annatto seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup bitter orange juice (Seville) or 1/3 cup white vinegar

Grind the spices (annatto, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, oregano and cloves) in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle. Blend the ground spices with the salt, garlic and the bitter orange juice until it is smooth. Rub the mixture onto chicken, pork or fish and let it marinate for 4–6 hours then cook as usual. Or use the achiote as an ingredient in another dish.

The paste is dissolved in either lemon juice, water, oil or vinegar to create a marinade, and marinated or rubbed directly upon meat. The meat is then grilled, baked, barbecued or broiled. Sometimes it is added to corn dough to create a zesty flavor and color in empanadas and red tamales.   

-from Wikipedia
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Us

    Ridge to Reef Farm serves the US Virgin Islands with certified organic produce grown with sustainable permaculture practices (and a lot of love).

    Learn more about our CSA and sign up at the top of this page (when available), or scroll down to view archives of our past CSA newsletters.

    You can also search or browse our recipes page for fresh inspiration, and share your own favorite creations in the comments, email, or Facebook.

    We love to see new visitors and volunteers at the farm :)
    Thanks for growing with us! 

    Archives

    June 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    RSS Feed

Picture
All Content Copyright 2022-2023
PO Box 2903
#1 Ridge to Reef Farm Rd, Frederiksted, St. Croix, USVI 00840
www.ridge2reef.org Contact: csa@ridge2reef.org 340.473.1557
  • Home
  • Shop
    • Farm Shares/CSA
    • Recipes
  • Visit
    • Bush Skills
    • Farm Stays
    • Tours
    • Map & Directions
  • Email News
  • Jobs
  • Volunteer
  • Little LaGrange Farm