Crocktober: Fresh Ham Roast

We're Fall meat shareholders with 8 o'clock Ranch out of New York state, and in this month's box we got a 2-3/4 pound fresh ham roast. I scoured the internet for a recipe for slow cooker ham roast and didn't find anything that really jumped out at me. After reading several recipes ranging from Paula Deen to Chowhound I came across a short and simple recipe involving apples and brown sugar, sounds like a perfect fall dish to me!

Recipe:
1 fresh ham
1/2 cup brown sugar
sliced apples (I used two medium and one small apple)
ceramic slow cooker

Spray the slow cooker lightly with an olive oil or vegetable oil spray. Place the ham in the bottom of the cooker and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Wash and slice the fresh apples and arrange around the sides of the ham. Slow cook for 8-10 hours on low or for 4-6 hours on high.

I'll be serving this with homemade mashed potatoes using the potatoes from the farm CSA box and the cooked apples.

Crocktober: Apple Butter

Making Apple Butter
Apple butter was such a delicious treat growing up! We'd spread it on peanut butter sandwiches, in peanut butter quesadillas, add it to hot oatmeal for breakfast and eat it straight out of the jar.

To make apple butter you first need apple sauce:
10-15 pounds of apples, washed, cored and chopped (your choice to peel or not)
large stock pot with 2 inches of filtered water

Bring the apples to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 20 minutes until the apples are mushy. Remove from heat and let cool, lid removed, for about half an hour or so. Using a blender, immersion blender or food processor, puree the apples into desired consistency.

Now to make apple butter:
homemade apple sauce
ceramic slow cooker (large enough to fit your quarts of applesauce)
2 tblsp. cinnamon
honey to taste (maybe a cup)
2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice

Combine ingredients in the slow cooker and set on the low heat setting (8-10 hours). Apple butter needs to be cooked down, slowly, so that the liquid in the sauce evaporates. To accomplish this the lid needs to be left ajar. I used two long bamboo skewers, kabob style, to hold the lid above the seal to let the steam escape but to prevent the bubbling liquid from splattering all over the counter.

Ten hours later you should have a very thick, aromatic sauce ready for consumption! You can freeze some for later in the season, and reserve some for use over the coming week. Enjoy!

Crocktober: October 1st - Purple Rice Pudding

I love using stoneware slow cookers this time of year! Bubbling liquids, wafting aromas and big batches of produce to "put-by" for use later in the season.

Today's recipe is inspired by Judith Finlayson's The Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

What you'll need:
1-1/2 cups Thai Sticky Rice (I'm using purple)
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of sweetener (I'm using vegan cane sugar, but I'll bet honey would be awesome!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt (optional)
1 can of coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen's unsweetened coconut milk)
Fresh fruit and nuts for topping

I brought the water and rice to a boil in a saucepan on the stove top, boiling for two full minutes on high. Then removed it from the heat to stir in the sugar and vanilla and a tiny pinch of sea salt.

With the slow cooker setup I gave it a quick spray of cooking oil to prevent sticking and then poured the hot, purple liquid in to cook. You can cook this on either a high setting, or start it at night to cook through to morning! I bet this would make an awesome breakfast dish with a touch less sugar.

Once it has finished cooking in the slow cooker add the coconut milk and stir thoroughly. Serve with pieces of fresh or dried fruit like banana and mango and some toasted almond slivers or a sprinkling of flake/shredded coconut. Yum!