Friday, July 30, 2010

Well whadda ya know....

our first watermelon was delicious!

This little fellow was about the size of a soccer ball and was as sweet as it could be. This was the first...we did the thump test on them all until we decided on it. It was one of the solid green "twins" I pictured the other day.

Wow - I'll be glad when we can go grocery shopping again...Sunday the first will be the day. Hubby went by the produce market to check on corn....it's right at $25 a bushel for Silver King variety. We always buy that because it is so sweet and it does wonderfully on the grill. That comes out to around $.42 per ear (60 ears to a bushel), so what we will do is purchase the bushel and freeze it, then buy what we want to eat right now as we go. That way, when the season is over, I will still have my bushel.

We bought fresh corn at Aldi's at the first of this month and I baked it on the cob. It was really good...they had stripped the husk off on one side, so I washed it and got the remaining husk good and wet. I buttered the open side and seasoned it with cajun seasoning and a little garlic pepper. I put it on a cookie sheet and put it in the oven. It baked until the exposed kernels were lightly browned. It was delicious! We normally do it on the grill, but we didn't have it on.

I can buy my corn and other fresh produce with my food stamp card. Every little bit helps. Freezer space is getting short, so I'll probably have to go ahead and make my blackberry/raspberry jam soon. Hubby dug out the jars from his shed so I've got plenty to work with. That might just be a weekend project.

Have a berry good day!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Oh yeah...

cooked cabbage last night to go with baked pork chops and sliced tomatoes (natch). It is so easy and inexpensive and good.
Choose a medium to large firm head of cabbage...it should be heavy for its size. Remove the first few outer leaves and rinse off. You can core it if you want, but I leave mine in tact because the remainder of othe head will stay fresher in the fridge. That will be cole slaw some night soon.

This is about half a head, cut in large chunks.
Place in a large sauce pan and season with about 2 spoons of sugar, crushed red pepper, a little bacon grease and enough water to come up about a fourth of the way from the bottom. This is one of those "as you like" dishes...we like enough sugar to smell sweet and enough crushed pepper to make you sniffle. The bacon grease I keep in the freezer and just chunk off about a teaspoon to give the cabbage a little bacon flavor.

Cover the pan and cook over medium heat until it's done, again as you like it. I cook mine until it's just tender and still has a little green color. You can cook it to crisp tender or gray...what it's called when it is nearly translucent and almost mushy. Grayed cabbage is good with hot cornbread...pour the cabbage and some of the liquid over the bread.

This is when ours was done. As you can see, it loses a good bit of volume so you need to fill your pan full. If you over fill the pan, just sit the lid on top and as it cooks the lid will shut. It only takes about 20 minutes or so, depending on how done you want it to be.

This was about $.75 worth of cabbage, the pork chops were less than $4.00, and we have leftovers for lunch.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Pickled Okra

Wow has the okra started to come off...the faster you pick it the faster it comes back. I already have three gallon sacks in the freezer, so I decided to pickle some.

This is very, very simple. You start with canning basics, which is clean, sterilized jars, lids and rings.
Gather the okra you want to pickle. Pint jars are easier to fill, but quarts will work as well.
Match the size of the okra to the jar. It has to be completely covered with brine, so you don't want the pods sticking out of the jar.
Into each jar, place a dried red pepper...you can use crushed red pepper if you don't have the dried pods. This is entirely to your taste. I find a whole pepper works fine. Put in a piece or two of whole peeled garlic. Put in about 1/8 tsp. of alum. Some recipes don't call for alum, so that is your choice too. Put a large dill head in. If you don't have fresh or dried dill, dill seeds will work. I wouldn't recommend using dried dill weed...it sticks to the okra. (Makes me feel like I've got grass in my mouth).
Now, trim the stem end of the okra down to about a half inch. Don't cut the end completely off. Place the whole okra in the jar, staggering the stem ends up and down.

Make a brine of 4 cups vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup canning salt. Canning salt is merely salt without iodine in it. Regular table salt will discolor the pickles. Place in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil.

While the brine is coming to a boil, I insert a metal skewer down the side of each jar. This takes the heat and might save you a burst jar when you pour in the hot liquid. You can use a table knife...anything that will rest on the bottom and extend out the top. When your brine starts boiling, get your HOT lids and rings ready, also wet a paper towel to wipe the jar edges before you put the lid on.

I have a large measuring pitcher I pour the boiling brine in...then I pour it into each jar, making sure to cover the okra. Remove the skewer, wipe the jar edges, put on a lid and ring and tighten the ring just to hand pressure.

I came out with one quart and two pints. Notice the front jar is bright...I went out and picked it right before I used it. The other two jars were made with thawed, frozen pods. Let the jars cool completely. The lids should pop and sink down in the middle, indicating a seal.

Now the hard part - they have to sit 4 to 6 weeks before they are ready to eat. They will be tart and taste of dill and garlic with a little heat. Excellent with anything!

If you have brine left, just put it in a jar and heat it up when you need to pickle another jar. It is no trouble to do two or three jars at a time.

My cost for 2 quarts of pickled okra: about $1 worth of vinegar, about $.10 worth of salt, and about $.20 cents worth of garlic. See what it costs at the grocery...you will be doubly proud of what you did.

Happy pickling!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Big Melons...

are in my garden.

Hubby stuck his hand in the picture so you could see what size the cantaloupes are. This make four ripe melons so far...not bad for a freebie! I cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut slices and trim the rind off...we keep a container of them in the fridge when we get them...good to snack on.

I found a few recipes for homemade ice cream without using an ice cream freezer. It really sounds good and since I don't have an ice cream freezer I'm gonna give it a try.

The general instructions for these recipes say that you should thoroughly whip the cream for as long as each recipe states, otherwise it will be like ice milk. Keep the condensed milk in the fridge so it will be cold when you start.  I don't see why just about anything could be added to this basic recipe, folding it in gently right before you put it in the container.

Condensed Milk Ice Cream: 6 servings

1 cup cold heavy cream
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 can cold sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)

In a mixer, whip heavy cream just until it begins to thicken. Add vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. With mixer running, slowly pour in condensed milk and whip until high peaks form. Transfer into a container or bowl for freezing. Freeze at least four hours or overnight.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream: makes 1 and 3/4 quarts

2 cups cold heavy cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. maple extract

Whip cream to stiff peaks in a large bowl. Combine condensed milk, pecans, melted butter and maple extract in a bowl. Blend thoroughly and fold into whipped cream. Pour into a 9 x 5 loaf pan or a 2 quart container, cover and freeze 6 hours or until firm.

Cafe Au Lait Ice Cream: 8 to 10 servings

4 tsp. instant coffe crystals
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups heavy cream
1 can Eagle Brand
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup toasted chopped pecans or almonds (optional)

Dissolve instant coffee in water in a large bowl and cool. Add cream, Eagle Brand and almond extract. Beat with a mixer for 7 minutes or until light and fluffy. The mixture will mound but will not hold peaks. Fold in nuts if desired. Spoon into an 8 inch square pan or a 9 x 5 loaf pan, cover with foil and freeze about 4 hours or until firm.

Heavy cream is whipping cream. Don't use frozen whipped topping. When my Dad used to make ice cream (with a hand crank freezer) he always chilled the bowl and beaters before he started whipping cream. The old recipes call for milk or cream to be scalded and cooled...and usually had raw eggs in it. The purposed of the sweetened condensed milk is to take the place of mixing the milk and sugar and heating it.

That ought to be good with some of our berries!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Sweet Jalapenos?

Our newspaper runs the food section every Wednesday. This week they featured a lady who makes jalapeno jelly and pickled jalapeno pepper slices. Jalapeno plants are hearty producers and they are usually plentiful in the stores for around $1 a pound. I am going to give you the recipe for pickled slices, and a recipe I got some time ago from a dear friend for sweet pickled jalapenos. For the basic pickled jalapeno slices:

5 cups jalapenos, sliced thin
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. canning salt (no iodine)

Simmer jalapenos in water for 5 to 7 minutes until tender.

Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil in another pan.

Using a slotted spoon to drain the slices, fill jars with the slices. Cover with the vinegar mix. Seal with hot lids or keep in refrigerator.

This is akin to pepper jelly without all the fuss:

4 lbs. fresh jalapeno peppers slice, or use a large institutional size jar of sliced pickled peppers.*
2 lbs. onion, diced into bite size chunks
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
6-8 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. turmeric
2 tsp. celery seed (optional)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger

Slice the fresh jalapenos into thin slices, or drain the pre-sliced jar of jalapeno, reserving 1 cup of the liquid and dice the onions.

Place jalapenos and onion into pan with water and vinegar. *If you used the already canned slices, use the 1 cup of liquid you saved. Since the peppers are already cooked, just put the onion in the pan and cook until tender, then add the peppers and add the sugar and spices and proceed.

Bring mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.

Simmer until tender - about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and pour off the liquid. Do not breathe the fumes. It will be fine if there is a little of the liquid left.

Add sugar and spices to the jalapenos. Put back on the stove and bring to soft ball stage (use a candy thermometer or test a small amount of the liquid in ice cold water) to completely dissolve the sugar.

When the liquid has thickened to your satisfaction, place boiling mixture into sterilized jars leaving about 1/4 inch headspace and top with a hot jar lid and ring.  OR, if you have used the large jar of peppers you can just put them back in the jar and refrigerate.

I made several batches of these and the sweet peppers are delicious in potato or tuna salad or on burgers. Hubby ate them as a relish with his evening meals. The typical way to enjoy them is on a Ritz cracker spread with cream cheese and topped with the peppers.

If you don't like the super hot pickle, try splitting the fresh jalapeno in half length wise and removing the seeds. Always remember to wear gloves when working with that many peppers...they will burn your little fingers! And especially do not rub your nose or eyes!

We also do poppers on the grill...they are yummy! We have found that the really large peppers are a little milder that the smaller ones. Split them in half length wise, remove the seeds and white pith and fill with a mixture of softened cream cheese and crumbled, cooked breakfast sausage. Wrap each pepper half with a half piece of raw bacon, securing the bacon with a toothpick if necessary. Our grill has a rack in the lid....we just put the poppers up there and cook until the bacon is done. If you are feeling industrious, you could make a large batch and freeze them and cook when you get ready.

Have a great day!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Do NOT...

eat a tomato and Miracle Whip sandwich over your computer desk.


It has been so scorching hot that Hubby covered the tomatoes with old sheets. While they do like hot weather, this has been cooking the plants.
He draped the sheets over the stakes and has them held in place with big rubber bands. This will keep the direct heat off the plants. Some of them have already suffered...thank Goodness we have some younger plants going. If this 100 degree plus heat index continues about the only thing that is going to prosper is the okra.

I took a picture of my garden spider...it's a little fuzzy but he seems to be enjoying the shade. I think I heard him ask for a cold beer.


Hope you are staying cool!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Herbs!

Since it was only about 100 degrees outside today, I decided to pick herbs to dry. This is the second batch I've picked for myself.

They are really nice right now...I tend them frequently and keep them picked so they have lots of new growth. I cut them with scissors and take only the top leaves. They are more flavorful than the lower leaves. If the plants are very large, as my basil and parsley are, the lower leaves get very large and sometimes a little "woody". I didn't pick very much dill as I want it to go to seed.

All you have to do is cut them, wash them off - I use the sprayer at my sink - and lay them out in an airy, bright place on a kitchen towel. Make sure you are able to identify them when they dry, sometimes it's hard to tell. When they are completely dried out, place them in an air tight container...I use glass canning jars...and keep them in a cool dark place. They should be brittle to the touch. If they are not completely dried they will mold after being sealed up.

I put two gallons of whole tomatoes, peeled and cored, in the freezer yesterday. Gosh they have been good!

Kept Little Man the other day. He really keeps my on my toes! We have a large floor fan going in the living room to circulate the air conditioning. It can be tilted to blow straight up or at an angle. I was in the kitchen and heard what sounded like a barrage of BB's going off. I looked around the bar and Little Man said Ooooh Nooo! He had tilted the fan to blow straight up and dropped a handful of kibbles dog food in it. My living room looked like a herd of goats had come through - there were pellets everywhere. I'm sure there are still some under the couch but I'm afraid to look.

Stay cool!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

I digress...

frequently. I was looking around my house today and found several things you might like to hear about. I guess you can surmise that frugality is what I am striving for...I don't mean cheap...I mean being cautious with your money and your time.

Our house is a work in progress and we have the back end (bedrooms, bathrooms, coat closet and entry way) nearly done. I have always wanted a pot rack, but I didn't want to pay a small fortune for it. Our neighbor was trying to hone his carpentry skills and built us a permanent bar. Our house is small and a dining table was not very practical. The kind of entertaining we do calls more for buffet and sit where you can find a spot, so a bar was perfect. I wanted this pot rack directly over the bar, as it is the end of the working space I have in the kitchen.
Hobby Lobby had a sale on their garden items, and I went browsing and found this cast iron "door mat" which is meant to be used to scrape your feet when you come in. It was a really pretty dark green antique looking finish and has frogs and reeds in the design. We simply measured, marked for the exact placement, bought heavy duty hooks and put the in the ceiling timbers. Hubby hung about four links of heavy chain on each hook, and another heavy duty S hook attached the chain to the grill. We then got lighter weight S hooks to hang in the grill work and hung our pans from those.

My cost: the grill was on sale for 50% off of $20.00. The hooks were another $5.00 and Hubby had the chain we needed in his shop. $15.00 and a little time. We hung a length of chain from the center of the grill, put S hooks in the chain, and that's where I hang the lids.

We bought bar stools on sale at Bed, Bath & Beyond and had a 20% off coupon from signing up for email notices.  By doing this, we also freed up some much needed cabinet space.

We got our first cantaloupe today...it smells like cantaloupe heaven.

                             
It's a pretty nice size and if it tastes as good as it looks and smells our Mystery Garden was well worth the attention.

Have a great day!


Saturday, July 17, 2010

The tomatoes that ate Birch Street

I have been picking tomatoes every day. I have them laid all over my counters, on the bar, and some in the fridge. My kids have tomatoes, our neighbors have tomatoes, and pretty soon we're going to have to open "Tomato City" out on our front lawn.

The big ones I can cope with...the little ones, cherry, plum and grape types, is another story. Our little rogue cherry tomato that came up behing our mailbox has spread out to the yard, and we're getting about two to three cups a day. Our neighbors have a little toddler who loves them, and we've been keeping them supplied until yesterday. Every day we would walk over a bag of cherry tomatoes and she would run up with her arms out and say "MINE, MINE". I make sure they're washed, because they usually don't make it in the house. Yesterday her dad, when asked if they needed more, said "We still have some. You should come over here and change her diapers some time". Hmmm...was that a hint?


They really are very nice and taste great, so Hubby and I are going to freeze them whole and when things slow down, we can run them through the food mill to get the pulp and make ketchup or tomato sauce. Guess I'd better hunt me up a recipe for something. They are too dear to pitch and I will not sit there and let them rot.

We have a cantaloupe that is turning and will be ready soon. It's so dang hot I don't know how anything is making it now. I went out to pick today and we have one of those great big black and yellow garden spiders in one bed. Glad I saw him before I looked him in the eye when I bent over to pick a tomato. That would not have been pretty.

Life is good.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

My okra is...

really goofy looking! It is pale green, almost white. We ordered our usual Clemson variety from Park's and they included this as a bonus. Hubby planted it, thinking we had our usual dark green variety. The pods are very nice and it's not too spiny. We haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking soon.

The yellow tomatoes came up from who knows where, we had them in a bed last year, and we've had several come off. I don't can with the yellow tomatoes because I'm afraid of the acid content.  These are very sweet but have a really good flavor. We will put them in Randy Relish, but I would hate to go through all the time and effort to can them in something and then find out they spoiled.

These are the okra plants, with a few melons and some weedus-weedus. Hubby can't get the weedeater close enough without me holding up the vines and now the melons are big enough that I don't want to damage the vines by picking them and the melons up off the ground.  The okra is about 5 feet tall now, so it gets plenty of sun in spite of the other "crops".

I blanched, peeled and cored enough tomatoes to make two batches of salsa yesterday...26 cups put in specially marked bags in the freezer. Now all I have to do is pick a slow day and go to it. I'm going to be canning a little more than ususal this year - everything has been so plentiful and I keep telling myself "think winter".

We will have to do sweet pickles soon, the cucumbers are peaking here now and I only need about 7 pounds. Thank goodness I stocked up on sugar earlier on. We have a refrigerator in our garage that's full of cornmeal, sugar and flour.

I've dried one big batch of herbs so far (and given a lot away), so we're getting set on that end.

Have a super sunny day!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Mystery garden update

Apparently we ended up with 2 types of watermelons and cantaloupes, along with a blooming coneflower or two.


This is so funny...we probably have a dozen each of the melons. If we can keep the critters off of them we might actually get to eat one. I have visions of us pulling the truck in, lowering the tailgate, and selling watermelons on the side of the street. Hubby and I both come from the Bootheel in Missouri. They have produced watermelons for years and made a huge business out of it. Every school kid many years ago used to go "pitch" melons in the summer for extra money. We could find a melon stand on every main street, sometimes in somebody's yard, or down a country road. You could buy a whole watermelon for a quarter or fifty cents.

I managed a senior apartment complex in Ft. Scott, KS some time ago. They were having a pot luck dinner and wanted watermelon for dessert. Hubby and I ran up to the grocery store and OBVIOUSLY I misread the price. It was by the pound, not for the whole melon. The price was $42.00 for ONE melon. They didn't get to have watermelon for their dinner.

We have found a nasty little critter in our tomatoes and on the dill...we noticed a tomato plant had some branches that had been stripped...there were about 4 green tomato hornworms hanging around. We had them in nearly every tomato bed. A very easy solution...pick them off and put them in soapy water...it kills them. BUT, since I wouldn't touch one with gloves on and a ten foot pole, Hubby mixed up 2 tablespoons of Dawn dishwashing detergent in a gallon of water and sprayed the ugly things. They do not like it at all...they started backing up and rearing up...it killed them and doesn't harm the plants. If you grow tomatoes check every day for damage. They can strip an entire plant in a few days.


Monday, July 12, 2010

Randy Relish

With all the fresh tomatoes on hand we keep a jar of Randy Relish going all the time. Randy Relish is what some people call tomato slaw or tomato relish that is not canned but eaten fresh as a side dish.


I have a large half gallon jar that I fill with tomatoes, sliced onion and sliced jalapeno pepper. You can put anything in it, green peppers, cucumbers or whatever you like. For this jar, I add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, black pepper and 1/4 cup water. Shake the Dickens out of the jar to mix. The tomatoes will make liquid. When it settles and has made enough liquid, taste to adjust the seasoning. If you like it more tart, add a little vinegar. Sweeter, more sugar. I like crushed basil in it. This can keep going until the tomatoes are gone, just make sure to keep the liquid vinegary and as sweet as you like it. I can't eat the jalapenos, but I like the zip it gives the tomatoes.

My Mom used to make cucumbers and onions - I make it too - and that uses the same kind of "dressing". I don't have enough produce on hand to make another batch of salsa, so I am going to blanch, peel, core and chop my tomatoes and freeze them in 13 cup batches. When I get the onions and other stuff, all I have to do is make the salsa and I'll have the worst part done.

Rain, rain go away...come again another day...do you believe this weather!!!!

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Groceries

We finally made it the the store for our month's supplies...did pretty good and found some bargains. Our first stop was Aldi's to restock some of the canned goods and check out the produce. We found strawberries for $.99 a pound and they were very nice...got 2 pounds. Fresh mushrooms were $1.29 a carton and celery was $1.19. We bought corn to roast on the grill for $.99, 4 ears. Three pounds of Vidalia onions was $1.99, and bagged salad was $.99. Fresh cantaloupe was $.99. We got 2 cases of canned veggies, this time green beans, peas, kraut and tomato sauce. I bought 2 dozen eggs @ $.89 each, 2 pounds of real butter @ $1.99, wheat crackers, frozen waffles, pasta, 2 bottles of salad dressing, soup, graham crackers, a jar of spaghetti sauce and a bag of large frozen raw shrimp (Hubby's birthday) and a few odds and ends. The total bill at Aldi's was $46.89, less than half our budget.

Country Mart was the second stop where I used my coupons. We got a 10 pound sleeve of 80/20 ground chuck for $19.14, 10 pounds of chicken leg quarters for $3.79, a double package of pork tenderloin $5.68, 2 pounds of bacon, $5.00, 2 pkg. hot dogs, 2 pounds of  sliced ham, on sale and a coupon for $3, a large pack of country style ribs for $5.68, and a whole fryer. I had coupons for the condiments they had on sale...I got Hunt's Ketchup for $.80. All total I had $6.70 in coupons and by using the Country Mart card and additional $18.46 was taken off for a total of $25.16 in savings. Hubby also received a birthday coupon from Country Mart for $5 off the total purchase price, bringing the savings to $30.16. We did splurge (birthday) on tri tip steak for $10.89, enough for 2 meals. We used the entire remaining balance of food stamps for $68.11. We went over our budget by $15.37...non-food items.

With the things I am putting in the freezer...okra and berries, and the canned tomatoes and salsa I have been able to put up so far, we have plenty to go on. We are going to Conrad's Produce for corn soon, it is usually under $20 a bushel for first day pick. A bushel contains 60 ears of corn. I am also looking at a bushel of green beans for the freezer. My recipe for sweet pickles calls for 7 pounds of cucumbers. Two batches make us enough pickles for the year.

It is a lot of work, but nothing in a can tastes the way our fresh produce does in the middle of winter. We always have fresh corn and green beans for Thanksgiving and my home grown sage seasons the dressing. How lucky we are!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Well, wasn't that a hoot!

Finally...sorry about the interruption...I had to get a bigger computer. Found that out after I fried the last one! The only problem is - this is Windows 7 and it is completely foreign to me. Took me 2 days to figure out how to upload pictures!

Thank you for hanging in there...I missed my daily blab. While I was going through computer withdrawal, I managed to make a gallon and a half of SALSA! We have always hoped to have the first tomato by July 4th, but we had so many I had to use them or lose them. Hubby has staggered planting more, so we ought to have them right up until fall.
This is what I had left after making the salsa...looks like another batch to me.

The recipe for the salsa is in the recipe section. It calls for 13 cups of diced tomatoes drained before cooking.
This is the juice I got off the tomatoes...don't throw it away, it is wonderful to drink or cook with, just a little salt is all it takes. If you are so inclined, it can be mixed with V8 or cocktail juice and used to make a killer Bloody Mary.
Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about a minute, remove from water and place in iced water to stop the cooking process.
The peel simply pulls off. All you have to do is core and chop them up.
The jalapeno is very fine dice as is the garlic. the onions and green peppers are a little coarser. This calls for 3 cups of peppers and you can mix them up as you like. I use a scant cup of jalapenos and 2 cups of bell peppers. I would not recommend using habaneros unless you have a cast iron stomach. The scant 1 cups of jalapenos makes a medium salsa.
Everything goes in the pot, stir it well and let it cook at medium or low heat.
When the veggies are done and the sauce has thickened, ladle it into clean sterilized jars and cap it with a new canning lid and a ring. Place it in your boiling water canner. Since I had quart and pint jars in the same batch, I used the quart time of 20 minutes to boil. Remove from the boiling water and set on a towel, you should immediately hear the lids pop to seal. Let the jars cool and store for future use.
We opened one jar for taco salad last night and it really turned out good!

From the looks of the garden I'm going to have to make another batch soon. Our blackberries are almost done, we have 8 plus gallons in the freezer and our okra is starting to come off. Looks like I'm going to be busy!

Have a wonderful, safe 4th of July!