Jamaican Ginger Carrot Apple Bread

What an amazing weekend!  Friday my spouse and I tried Abyssinia on Wickenden Street in Providence and had a royal sampling of Ethiopean cuisine.  Everything was delicious, but the red lentils were by far my favorite.  Saturday I volunteered at the Burriville Farmer's Market doing soil testing through URI and met one of the women from Rhody Warm, where wool from local sheep is made into high-quality blankets.  Then I met friends who took my daughter apple picking, and we went to Waterfire to see my martial arts school break boards for breast cancer research.  They broke over 5000 boards in under ten minutes and raised over $25,000.

Sunday I made the Jamaican Carrot Bread (below), which I brought to church.  I talked to one of the women from the food pantry about our school garden donating our winter lettuce and they are thrilled to get produce in the frigid months.  Service was followed by the Scituate Art Festival.  Good finds all around: A hippie shirt for me, hot sauce for Daddy, and a book and butterfly wand for our daughter.  Took some nice shots.  Picked up our CSA.  Relaxed back at home, as much as a four year old will let you.  

Monday I attacked the garden, cutting the blackberry canes down to a foot.  There are no acorns to be found.  I think we're in an off-year.  I also attacked the fridge, cooking all the corn that's piled up in the crisper.  The older cobs I made into salsa with the counter-ripened tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño.  The rest of the corn I cut from the cob and froze for a chowder later.  I made a portabello, onion, and Yukon Gold "cake" with fresh thyme, from a recipe in Gourmet magazine (October 2000).  Then I roasted cubed butternut squash and comice pears in Worcestershire sauce and thyme at 450ºF for 40 minutes, stirring gorgonzola and toasted pecans in after it was cooked.  I got the idea from a dish my friend brought over to my husband's 50th birthday, but added the pears and sauce to bring it up a notch.  I think a pinch of cayenne would be good too, although I didn't try it in this batch.  The first batch had cayenne and I pureed it all, but the textures are one of the best parts and got obliterated in the puree.  I also pan-roasted the squash seeds in butter and Worcestershire sauce.  Do this over LOW heat or the seeds will start jumping out of the pan!!!   Tomorrow, I'm making my Fiesta muffins with the salsa to freeze and trying out the sunflower muffins from a local cookbook: Out of the Earth A Heritage Farm Coast Cookbook.  I am now on the hunt for Maycombers, a cross between a radish, turnip, and cabbage.  Let me know if you find any!

Vegetarian/Vegan Option

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Jamaican Ginger Carrot Bread

Taste of the Caribbean

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Prep: 20 minutes  Cook:  25 to 60 minutes  Makes: 4 small loaves, 

     25 muffins, or one bundt cake

2 eggs or 1/2 cup of apple sauce

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups peeled, grated, organic carrots (4-6)

2 cups peeled, grated, fresh or stored apples

1 tbs. minced ginger (include juice)*

2 cups unbleached flour 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg** 

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup of milk or water

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup flax seed (optional)

This is a Jamaican-inspired carrot cake that also includes apples for a very moist result.  Apples can be available year round with careful storage.  Some Rhode Island orchards send unsold, perfect apples to a temperature- and humidity-controlled facility in Conn-ecticut for just such storage.  Home-stored apples should keep until February.  Chose only unblemished or bruised, under-ripe and tart apples, washed and completely dry.  Wrap tightly in newspaper and store in a root cellar around 30-32ºF and with 90% humidity, careful not to let the apples freeze or their cell walls will burst.  

Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Beat eggs (or apple sauce) and oil with an electric mixer until the consistency of pudding.  Mix in sugars, then ginger, carrots, and apples.  Sift flours, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, then add dry mix in small amount to wet mix, blending with mixer after each addition.  Stir in milk or water, and raisins, flax seeds, or nuts, if using.   Grease pans or tins and fill half-way (use all of batter for bundt cake).  Cook 40-45 minutes for four small loaves, 20-25 minutes for muffins, 1 hour for bundt cake, or until toothpick comes out clean.

* Ginger can be easily peeled around its unpredictable curves using a spoon.  Or use prepared minced ginger.

** Use a micro-planer to quickly grind whole nutmeg.