Let’s talk about cooking seasonally. I think we all get so used to our rut, and we are all so used to grocery stores having all the things, all the time, that seasonal cooking has fallen by the wayside. I don’t mean we need to abstain from using cauliflower in late Winter- let’s not be drastic here!- but I am saying that knowing what is in season and taking advantage of it can transform your dishes in a way that you may not expect.

On the Farmhouse social media pages, I have started to post monthly lists of what you can expect across the board as coming into season. Obviously, these lists don’t have everything and can vary by climate, but they are a good basis of some things you can mix into your kitchen at an optimal time. The biggest difference you’ll notice is simply flavor. Things that are fresh from the farm simply taste better.

An unexpected benefit that many people don’t think about is health. Even if you eat super healthy and “fresh foods” all year round, you actually get more nutrients from your produce when they are in season because they can be picked when ripe. Most ‘fresh’ produce is picked before it is ripe for long storage or further transportation, and this means that it finishes ripening off the vine, losing the time it needs to develop key nutrients and antioxidants.

Believe it or not, frozen vegetables that you find bagged are always picked at peak time, but that doesn’t necessarily preserve the nutrients. Frozen vegetables are always blanched before being preserved, but this boiling process can strip anywhere from 10-80% of nutrients. Fruit is not blanched before being frozen, but it can also lose nutrients if frozen for longer than a year, which can happen easily when the sell-by date is normally two years from the date of packaging.

TLDR: Fresh and in season is always better. Multiply that by 1000 if it's coming local! Even fresher!

Needless to say, it made me so happy when Christin (yes, there’s another one here) brought me a HUGE bag full of fresh green beans from her grandparent’s super-garden. I LOVE stuff like this because I have a black thumb. I cannot grow things. Even my little herb garden is tended by my eldest daughter. I have killed cacti -- don’t judge me.

And Summer is, by far, the easiest season to cook seasonally. Everything is growing; there’s something new ripening every week for months! Green beans are one of them and my favorite way to make them is a quick blanch before sautéing them lightly with shallots and finishing with our Smoked Bourbon Barrel Flake Salt.

The salt… Now this is the fun part!

It all starts with a high quality salt. Sea salts are pressed through a heated roller, forming the irregular, plate-like crystals called lamellose crystals. This is what most of us commonly know as as "flaked" salt. These flat salt flakes stick to food more readily than a cubic grain of salt would, but also linger a little longer than a regular salt would, adding a bit of crunch to your bite.

Not all smoked salts are created equally, however. With the increasing popularity of smoke flavor, many inferior products have popped up on the market. A naturally smoked salt is different from a "smoke-flavored" salt because a smoke-flavored salt is made through the introduction of smoke flavored liquid to the salt. These artificial, smoke flavored salts are quick to make to keep up with production, but often these smoked salts are made of a lower quality salt so the manufacturer is able to benefit there, too. These cheap practices lead to a larger profit margin for the manufacturer and a less than stellar product for you.

Not this salt! You know we value quality here at the Farmhouse!

A naturally smoked salt is made by burning wood in a "cold smoking" chamber so the smoke can circulate around the flakes and impart a unique, woody flavor into the salt. The flattened salt is cold smoked for roughly 8 to 12 hours. Smoking salts can be quite a process, but it is a labor of love by those who value it as a craft. Our Smoked Bourbon Barrel Salt is produced with this type of care, by individuals who genuinely love smoked salts. It is crunchy, salty, and smoky, making it the perfect addition to any spice cabinet that needs something a little more unique than your standard garlic salt.

You can use this smooth and smoky Bourbon Barrel Smoked Salt just about everywhere you love smoky flavor. It's great on burritos, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, eggs, macaroni and cheese, salads, tacos, roasted and steamed vegetables, soups, spice rubs, and stews. Try it on your caprese salad, or even on chocolate desserts! It's also an excellent salt to use as a rim salt for a Bloody Mary or a Dirty Martini. It's excellent on starchy vegetables, like the potato. The smoky flavor enhances the sensory attributes of other foods and spices, so it works well as a finishing salt. This is not the type of salt that you would use to salt your pasta water, but it is the type of salt that you would put on top of your finished pasta dish for that smokiness and the nice crunch.

Today, we are using it on Sauteed Green Beans with Shallots, and you will be able to taste every smokey and oaky note as it adds a new dimension to this common dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fresh whole greenbeans
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (or replace with 3 Tbsp of our Butter Flavored EVOO)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp kosher salt (feel free to substitute with the
• 1 tsp Smoked Bourbon Barrel Flake Salt

Instructions:

1. In a pot, bring water to a boil (you can add a Tbsp of salt for flavoring if you like. Blanch your green beans for 3-5 minutes to your preferred doneness, then immediately drain and drop into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
2. In a large skillet or fry pan, melt down your butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and allow them to cook down and caramelize until sticky. This normally takes about 20 minutes but does take longer if using oil instead of butter.
3. Add the salt and pepper, stirring well before adding your green beans (drained of all water).
4. Toss together for a few minutes until green beans are heated through. Top with Smoked Bourbon Barrel Flake Salt and give a quick toss.