Filed under: recipes
I just read in Rasmussen’s cookbook( Mark Rasmussen, author of the Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook) that it is best NOT to put vegetable skins in when you make broth. He says that it will give it an off taste. He peels his potatoes before he adds them to his broth pot.
I usually save my peelings for my broth but will try it without and see what I think.
Any opinions out there?
Filed under: gardening
The tv says we got 3 inches of rain this week, but I thnk more like 6 at my house and 4.5 at the rain gage at Sunshine.
My kale, collard, mustard, beet, turnip and rutabaga seeds are coming up and I planted some broccoli transplants too.
I also planted cilantro, dill, parsley and celeriac but the seeds haven’t come up yet.
We are stll eating 4 kinds of summer squashes. I say we but John is squashed out so I mean me.
Sprouts opened in Austin and Central Market has lowered prices to complete. I got big red peppers for 50 cents each as well as avocadoes at 3 for a dollar and 50 cent cantaloupes. I feel like I am back in 1967.
My leek bed is starting to fill up with leeks and I am thinking it is time to take down the okra. I dug up one of my 2 sweet potato beds last week and am curing the sweet potatoes. My lima beans should be ready to harvest soon. Should I or shouldn’t I dig up all that zucchini and squash???
Filed under: gardening
This August every day is over 100 degrees. But my garden is still green thanks to my lima beans, sweet potatoes, Early Bulam squash, Italian zuchinni and peppers.
I am starting to think about cool weather crops like cauliflower and brussels sprouts. We are planting seeds in the air-conditioned trailor because the germination rate for cool weather crops is zero over 95 degrees.
Filed under: gardening
The tomatoes are dying. You can hardly garden in Austin in July or August. Today it is 105 degrees. So hot so early in the season. The pool is 96 degrees, barely cooling at all. Some plants are doing well in the garden , the okra, the sweet potatoes and the Italian pole zucchini, Trombocino Squash (Zucchetta Rampicante).
So hot, so early.
Filed under: canning and freezing
My gardening friend Jerry says he has the time but not the know how to can so I am posting this for him. I also told him to get a ball canning book and just follow their directions. Anyway this is how I do it. Funky but oh so delicious. I mix orange, yellow , green and red tomatoes in my sauce. I use whatever is ripe from the garden.
First I get out everything I need.
- canner
- 7 pints or 7 quarts
- slotted spoon
- canning funnel
- lids and bands
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- canning tongs
- one 4 quart pot
- one heavy duty 6 quart pot
- one stainless frying pan 9 inches
- one stainless frying pan 6 inches
- 4 trays of ice
- 14-21 ponds of ripe tomatoes
- a bunch of basil
- a head of garlic
Then I begin.
- I weigh out my tomatoes. Three pounds make one quart or 2 pints.
- I put water to boil in the 4 quart pot
- Fill the sink with water and add ice.
- When water comes to a boil put in tomatoes and let them boil for 2 minutes to loosen skins.
- Take out with slotted sppon into large frying pan and dump in ice water to cool.
- Put 6 qt pot nearby.
- Decore tomatoes and take off skins.
- Cut nude tomatoes into chunks and put in 6 qt pot.
- Repeat steps 4-8 until all the tomatoes are in the pot.
- Fill canner with water and turn on high.
- Put tomatoes on the stove and turn to high
- Add 8 or so cloves garlic, 2 handfuls of garlic and 1 TBSP of salt to the tomatoes. Taste.
- Bring to a boil, turn down and let simmer for 15 minutes or so
- Put lids in hot water in small frying pan to soften.
- Dip clean jars in hot canner water to semisterilize.
- fFll jars leaving 1 inch air space on top.
- Wipe tops with wet towel, put on lids and screw on bands.
- Set jars on canner rack and immerse in the water.
- Bring to a boil and leave at a rolling boil for 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts.
- Lift cans with rack. Let sit for a minute and then remove to counter with canning tongs.
- Let sit for 24 hours.
- Unscrew bands, label and date with permanent marker, wash off if necessary and put away for the winter.
Filed under: canning and freezing
My rhubarb is gone! In Texas it is an anuual and the heat has taken it out.
but lucky for me I froze some before it wilted and disappeared
Some I froze by just cutting in one inch chunks and putting in quart freezer bags. This works according to the books. I guess there are no enzymes to destroy>
Here is how I froze the rest.
- Wash rhubarb after removing poisonous leaves.
- Cut in 1 inch chunks.
- Put 4 cups of rhubarb, 1/8 cup water and 2 TBSP of sugar in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a boil.
- Lower heatand simmer for 2 minutes.
- Put in 1 qt freezer container without lid and cool in freezer
- Put on lid when cooled down a bit and freeze.
Filed under: gardening
My gardening friend Jerry gave me a Early Bulam squash plant. It is a summer squash and is quite prolific. I think it is Korean.
Nicknamed avocado squash because of its appearance, this squash hybrid produces oval fruit with thin, light green skin and white flesh that is similar to that of zucchini.
Ripe fruits measure about 4” in diameter and 5” or 6” in length. Fruits weigh approximately 400 grams. The Cucurbita moschata vine-type plant is a vigorous grower.
I got most of this information form the Kitazawa seed catalogue
Filed under: recipes
Prepared hot sauce can be pricey so I make my own. I make a pico de gallo with canned tomatoes because in Austin the cilantro is harvested in the winter and the tomatoes in the summer. When I make this for my husband I use 4 cloves of garlic and omit the jalapeno as he doesn’t like hot. Some of the jalapenos in the store are NOT HOT these days so sometimes I use a serrano or other pepper.
I can make this in about 5 minutes when I use my pampered chef chopper.
- 4 cups of canned tomatoes from last summer
- 1/2 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- juice of 1 lime(or lemon) about 1/4 cup
- salt to taste( 1/4 tsp)
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- jalapeno
- Chop cilantro including stems to make about 1 cup
- Chop tomatoes coarsely.
- Chop onion, jalapeno and garlic.
- Combine garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeno and tomatoes.
- Add salt and lime juice
- Let sit for at least 30 mintes to combine flavors.
Filed under: recipes
- 1/2 cup matzo meal
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tablespoon potato starch
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1/2 cup soup broth
- Mix dry ingredients.
- Combine wet ingredients.
- Put wet mixture into dry.
- Stir and put in freezer for 10 minutes
- Form into ball(a TBSP per matzo ball.)
- Simmer in borth for approx. 8 minutes
- Take out .
- Add to hot broth as you serve as they will dissolve if left in broth like egg matzo balls.
Comments welcome.
Filed under: weather
Up at Lakeline Mall they showed pictures of softball and golf ball size hail. In Marble Falls the street cleaners were sweeping the hail off the roads. But here off far West and Mopac it was only rain. Praise the Lord.
