Heading Off Scurvy

     I signed up for an unusual grocery delivery service last winter.  It is called Imperfect Produce and the marketing concept is that it is providing its customers food which is perfectly good, but fails to meet the bar for retail in this country.  This could mean blemishes, or it could be too large.  Sometimes it is overstock.  Sometimes it is too small.  This is food that otherwise might end up wasted, and is offered at a large discount.  I struggle conceptually with it, as the food sometimes comes from fairly far away, and I value local food when possible.  However in the winter that is tricky, so I massaged that guilt away.  I also hate the fact that I cannot return the box, and it feels wasteful.  Finally I don't know why I continue the service, as I have a vegetable garden, an excellent food co-op, chickens, and a weekly farmer's market.  Do I really need this?  It's all really so easy, and my current approach is to use it until I find that I am either not happy with the produce, or I am no longer in need of the extra.   All of which seems a bit arbitrary, but there you go.
   Therefore I am in a phase of ambivalence and still getting deliveries, and thus received limes in the last box.  An abundance of limes.  Something on the order of 5 of them.  What to do with all of these limes?  Well, I could only drink so much gin and tonic.  I started thinking about a tart.   There are several recipes for this online, and I used the one from Martha Stewart, with some tweaks.

    First tweak:   I have discovered gluten-free graham crackers, so that my neighbor can have a piece of the tart.   I added some garnishes which might be consider gilding the lily, but the tart is a bit mono-chromatic and needed a little something.  I have some ideas for modifications, which I will add in the notes.  The beauty of this dessert it how easily it all comes together.  And the fact that eating a piece of this surely can be considered consuming one's daily vitamin C dose and therefore justifiable.  Right?

Looks a little bland, right? 

Ahh, better with garnish

Lime Tart
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart
Makes a 9" tart

Make the crust:  

6 oz graham crackers, broken up (see note)

2 T sugar

4 T unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Place the crackers and sugar in a food processor, pulse several times until only small crumbs are left.  Add the butter and pulse briefly until well blended.  

Dump mixture into a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom, press with a flat bottomed glass to spread out and then with your fingers or the side of the glass to go up the sides as well.  

Place on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, until slightly colored.  Cool.  Leave oven on, and leave on baking sheet.   

Make the filling:  

3/4 c lime juice

1/2 c sugar

1 x 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

pinch of salt

4 egg yolks

Stir ingredients together until smooth.  Pour into crust, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until edges are set and center is slightly loose or wiggly.  Remove from oven and cool on a rack.  I found the pan a bit oily on the bottom after this phase, might be good to have a kitchen towel around, especially when placing in the fridge.  Once cool, refrigerate x 2 hours, unless the ravenous masses refuse to give you that kind of time.  In which case remove sides and gently slide off the base and onto a flat serving plate, garnish and serve. 

Garnish:  

1/4-1/3 c whipping cream

1 T powdered sugar

Whip until soft peaks form, mound in center of tart.  

Dot with fresh blueberries and grate lime zest over the top.  

Note:  I can now find gluten free graham crackers, which work great in this recipe.  Depending on your access this is an option.  I also found sweetened condensed coconut milk, which seems like it might take this tart in a whole new direction, and is worth a try.  

Spring Gardening

     I really think spring is my favorite season.  There is so much promise.  Things just glow.  The light is intense.  The greens are bright, the reds are too.   My garden always looks tidy and sparkly at this time of year.  The weeds are under control.  For now.
     This month has been a bit unusual since I broke my ankle.  I have actually had enough time to really get weeding under control and mulch heavily.   Perhaps this will be the year where I at least stay apace with the weeds, as opposed to other years, where the fight seems lost by September.   One can only hope.
     A few photos from this cheery day:

Some of the first strawberries

This is actually an odd concern, as we have had issues with broody hens this spring,.  In the background is Alice who is looking like she wants to butt in and be broody despite efforts to dissuade her.  The day is young....