tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56840356795775062262024-03-20T00:48:55.287-07:00Inbetween HomesteadThe Inbetween Homestead is a blog about the adventures of an suburban "homesteader" trying to live more simply and more self sufficient in these trying times. Follow along as I show my triumphs and disappointments, experiments and tips and tricks to getting the most from your suburban environment as frugally as possible.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-51024465421530200192017-04-25T11:39:00.000-07:002017-04-25T11:39:29.790-07:00Cooking Class 4: A Matter of Taste<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this class I will be tackling the issue of flavors. Understanding how flavors work together will go a long way toward feeling confident when experimenting with cooking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are five main flavors that the tongue can discern: Sour, sweet, bitter, savory and salty. There are a ton of tongue "maps" out there claiming that sections of the tongue only taste certain flavors, but that is not true. There are receptors all over the tongue (taste buds) and they appear to be randomly placed, mixing different abilities all over the tongue, rather than "just sweet" or "just salty". <br /><br />Each of these flavors affect the others in different ways. When I was a little girl, I would watch my Grandmother make applesauce when there were apples in season. She would simmer the peeled apples until they were soft, then squish them through a cone shaped strainer. When the bowl was filled with the light colored fruit, she would add a pinch of salt. When I said "ewww!" because my four year old brain didn't understand how salt and sweet could ever go together, she would give me a spoonful of the unseasoned applesauce, and then another with a bit of salt in it. It was amazing how that teeny bit of sodium would bring out the sweetness and flavor of the apples. They actually tasted more like apples with that little pinch of salt. I suppose that was my very first revelation about how flavors work with each other to make a better one together.<br />Try it yourself. If you don't have unsweetened applesauce on hand, try a little salt on your cantaloupe or other melon. This is one of the reasons salted caramel has become so popular, because the salty and sweet play off of each other so well.<br />Salt is also good at combating bitter flavors. A bitter flavor is not sour. Bitter is the flavor found in many greens and also in things like citrus pith (the white part between the peel and the fruit). Bitter flavors are believed to be distasteful to us as protection against poisonous plants in the wild, as many poisonous fruits and vegetation will have a bitter taste to it. Salt will trick your taste buds by attaching to the receptors that sense bitter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Some cooking styles require a balance of all of the flavors, and I think that is always a good place to start when you are wondering what seasoning a dish needs. Is your red sauce too acidic? Adding a little sweet (I use carrots in the mirapoix) and a bit of savory (the anchovy paste) brings all of the flavors in line to create a full flavored dish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the most important pieces of advice I have ever been given is to taste your food as you go. There are some recipes that I have done so many times that I omit that step, but even then, it is always a good plan to give it a try before serving it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Your assignment, should you chose to accept it, is to experiment combining these basic flavor components. Take out some sugar, vinegar, soy (a good savory condiment), salt and something bitter, like endive or other bitter green. Try different combos with the bitter, or try them with a slice of sweet melon to experiment further. Really try to get a feel for how the flavors play with (or against) one another.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-84865208185967864762017-04-09T10:33:00.000-07:002017-04-09T10:56:50.823-07:00Cooking Class: Introduction<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love Julia Child. Even in the present tense as I seek out old clips from her original PBS series. She made me love to cook. In the late 60's and early 70's she helped women see beyond what they grew up eating and beyond the frozen tv trays and be bold! Her techniques inspired people who may have never otherwise attempted cooking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Still, I felt something was missing. Maybe when I was a child, there was a large population who were titillated by French Cuisine. Judging from the numerous articles and recipes from the era, I feel pretty confident in that statement. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately French cooking often conjures images of Haute' Cuisine, with each vegetable cut in a tedious and specific way, and careful arrangement on the plate with various components carefully inter-weaved. While lovely, no one has time for that. So, while I will always love Julia Child and her cooking shows, the ones she meant to be an introduction to cooking fall short today in so far as inspiring people to feel confident in the kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This series is hoping to break down that barrier and make cooking very simple and step by step. First there will be some articles on basic equipment and a few techniques. As the skills build I will start making extremely basic recipes with ideas on how to change the recipe using the skills learned so far, and in some cases teaching a new skill. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I welcome any and all questions about this series. The only way to learn is to understand, and by answering your questions well, I am helping you to understand. This contributes to learning, and in the end, gaining the confidence you need to to be able to whip something up out of a few on hand ingredients or fix an internet recipe that looked interesting but fell flat.<br />I really hope that this series inspires you, with regards,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Michele</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://inbetweenhomestead.blogspot.com/2017/04/cooking-class1.html">Start Class Now!</a></span></h3>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-82571944497832256002017-04-08T12:27:00.001-07:002017-04-08T12:27:11.045-07:00Cook Once, Eat All Week: Red Sauce<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is the first in a series of posts that I will be making documenting ways to reduce your time in the kitchen and reduce waste and save money while you are at it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">These are the things you can do with the sauce once it is complete:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ziti with sauce and meat</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Italian sausage subs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meatball subs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chicken Parmesan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Eggs in marinara</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Pizza</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The main recipe will take a good portion of the day to cook, but the good news is that it is mostly hands off time as the sauce simmers away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sauce:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 onion, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped or shredded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">6 cloves minced garlic (or more, to taste)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tablespoon anchovy paste (or a couple whole anchovies)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 small can of tomato paste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">6 ounces of wine (or one single serve bottle) Use the wine you like to have with red sauce. I often use a white wine because that is what I have. I have also used Merlot with a good outcome. This is an optional ingredient, you can use the broth to deglaze the pan too if desired)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 cups chicken broth or homemade stock. (you can substitute veggie stock here if you wish)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3 28 ounce cans of whole or crushed tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons dry Italian seasoning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Heat the oil in a good sized dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pan. This can also be done in a slow cooker if yours gets hot enough to saute in.<br />Add the onions and carrots and a good pinch of salt, saute for about 5 minutes, stirring often. The onions should get less opaque and even a bit browned. Add in the garlic and stir until you get a good whiff of cooked garlic smell.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add the anchovies or anchovy paste and cook and stir until fully incorporated with the vegetables.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add the tomato paste, stir and cook until incorporated. The bottom of the pan should have a thick coating on it, but not burned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Deglaze the pan with the wine by adding it to the pan and scraping the bottom to loosen all the bits. Allow to boil down until good and thick. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Stir in the chicken broth. Mix well and add the 3 cans of tomatoes. If they are whole tomatoes, chop them up first. Don't forget to add the liquid the tomatoes were canned in. Stir in the seasonings and another big pinch of salt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bring it all to a simmer, put on the lid off center (I prop it with a wooden spoon) and lower the heat to a low simmer. Allow to simmer for four hours or more, stirring occasionally. It will need more attention towards the end of the simmering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">When done cooking, adjust for salt and seasoning by tasting it.<br />Blend the whole thing with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender (a stick blender) you can do this in a regular blender, but be careful as blending hot things in a stand blender can be messy and hot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While that is simmering, you will want to get started on the meatballs, which are super easy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meatballs:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 pounds ground beef</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 pound ground pork</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 envelope unflavored gelatin (this can be omitted, but will make up for the texture that ground veal would normally add) Mix with 1/4 cup of cold water and let sit for a few minutes before adding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 finely chopped onion (about 1/2 to 3/4 a cup)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs, I prefer to use panko, but regular plain will do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 egg</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 big pinches of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mix together the bread crumbs and egg and let sit for 5 minutes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add in the rest of the ingredient and mix gently with your hands until fully incorporated. Over mixing can make the meatballs tough, so you want everything mixed, but with a gentle touch so that the meat doesn't get warmed up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Roll 2 inch meatballs. To do so, first, dampen your hands with water and place some of the meat mixture in the palm of your hand. Roll until a ball forms. I like to use a cookie scooper that holds about 2 tablespoons to keep everything uniform. Keep your hands slightly wet to avoid having everything stick to your hands.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. You want them cooked through, but they can be slightly underdone as the rest of the cooking will happen in the sauce.<br />Put the meatballs in the sauce and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One more thing to do is to cut the Italian sausages in half (sweet or hot, whatever your preference, but hot ones will add heat to your sauce). Brown them nicely in a hot pan and add to the sauce to cook with the meatballs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ziti with Red Sauce and Meat<br />Bread, preferable a nice crusty bread. You can make the dough in advance and freeze it in quantities, or just go ahead and buy a loaf.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Side salad would be ideal, but lets get real. The sauce is full of veggies anyway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Italian Sausage Subs with Peppers and Onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sweet Potato Fries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meatball Subs with sauce and mozzarella</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 4</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chicken <span style="background-color: white;">Parmesan: Fry up some breaded chicken breasts Recipe:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Butterfly and pound one pound of boneless chicken breasts</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Put some dry bread crumbs in a bag and season with salt, pepper and italian seasonings.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">In a dish, beat an egg with a little milk or water</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Put 1/2 cup of flour in a dish and season well with salt and pepper</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">put a chicken piece in the flour and lightly cover it, shaking off all the excess. Then put it in the egg wash and place the cutlet in the bag of crumbs. Shake the bag to cover the cutlets well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. When hot and the butter is no longer foamy, add the cutlets and cook on medium high until browned and crispy. Turn and finish cooking. 2 minutes per side (approximately) Remove to towel lined plate (paper towels, torn up paper bags or just a cake rack will do) After draining, place in a baking dish. If doing this ahead of time, pop them in the freezer until ready to use. You can also use pre-made cutlets if efficiency is more important than saving money, so it depends on your needs.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Place the cutlets in a baking dish and top with some grated Parmesan and mozzarella over the top. Melt in a hot oven (425 for hot, fresh made cutlets. Follow package instructions for frozen)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Serve on a bed of pasta and top with sauce. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Serve with a vegetable, a nice salad or some green beans that have been tossed with olive oil, garlic and some toasted bread crumbs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meal 5</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Eggs in marinara: Put about 2 inches worth of sauce in a skillet and heat to a simmer. Break some eggs into it, 2 per person. Cover and let cook 5 minutes, or more until the eggs are done to your liking. Top with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt if desired.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Serve with crusty bread and a vegetable of your choice.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meal 6</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Pizza: Use some of that frozen dough we talked about, or pick up some ready made stuff. Pillsbury puts out one that is pretty passable. Another option is if you have some of that crusty bread left, slice it in half lengthwise and lightly oil the cut sides. Use this as the base for some french bread pizza. Heat the oven to 425 to bake. A regular type of pizza will take about 15 minutes tops in a heated oven. The bread type varies in time, so keep an eye on it. Top the pizzas anyway you wish before baking. Left over meats from the sauce? Some veggies or canned things you would like to get rid of? Put them on the pizza with a good amount of mozzarella cheese (and a touch of cheddar or Swiss if you have it) and you have a delicious meal.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">If you are keeping the sauce for more than four days (which is probable as there are at least five meals in there), measure out some of the sauce for the freezer in meal sized portions, for safety sake. Don't forget to freeze any meatballs or sausages that won't get used quickly. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Grocery List:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meat:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">2 pounds ground beef</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 pound ground pork</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">2 pounds Italian sausage, hot or mild or a mix.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 pound chicken breasts</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Produce:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">2 lbs onions</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">3 heads garlic (or more)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 lb carrots</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 pound green beans</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">flat leaf parsley</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Salad fixings: lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, whatever you like)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Bell peppers (red, green, orange and/or yellow)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">2 large sweet potatoes (also marketed as "yams")</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Grocery:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">3- 28 ounce cans crushed or whole tomatoes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 small can tomato paste</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Anchovy paste</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">32 ounces chicken broth</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">6 ounces of wine (do NOT use cooking wine)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Panko bread crumbs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Italian seasoning</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Unflavored gelatin (optional)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Salad dressing if you don't make your own</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Crusty bread</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">8 Sub rolls</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">flour</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Dough for pizza if not making yourself</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Dairy:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Parmesan cheese</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">16 ounces mozzarella cheese</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">1 dozen eggs</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Additional cheddar or Swiss as desired for the pizza</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">butter</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;">Ingredients assumed in pantry: salt, pepper, cooking oil, olive oil (preferably extra virgin, good quality, but that is optional)</span></span><br />
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-71361075230782105452017-04-08T11:36:00.000-07:002017-04-16T11:02:51.999-07:00Cook Once, Eat All Week: Chuck Roast<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">As part of the series on cooking once and eating for the week, I will share my plan for using a large chuck roast (with video!). The first meal will be a pot roast dinner. Minimizing your time in the kitchen will help you to save money on those last minute "let's just order out" days when you are exhausted or simply do not have the time to start a meal from scratch.</span><br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Menu</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 1: Pot Roast and Vegetables</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGJKjIxzJ9GXBhN68uEhqrSi4TNmMnjpAAhcGCyFkQbjQ7WZcHW25XkQkYXX3aMwQ9lxJ2h7OY1wt-YmJVHMrBTAa9sd_RfhOemue3QART4Akjf5TkVZq2ylFkxcFhvZeGirzR5Myyq7m/s1600/Pot+roast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Pot Roast Dinner" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGJKjIxzJ9GXBhN68uEhqrSi4TNmMnjpAAhcGCyFkQbjQ7WZcHW25XkQkYXX3aMwQ9lxJ2h7OY1wt-YmJVHMrBTAa9sd_RfhOemue3QART4Akjf5TkVZq2ylFkxcFhvZeGirzR5Myyq7m/s320/Pot+roast.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pot Roast Dinner</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 2: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">BBQ Beef on bulky rolls, </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sweet Potato Fries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 3: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Taco Salad</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhQ-w29AFVkgzeMXTZBy7RXd8ES8ADnFyf36zdrzq-gOvjA-rNNuq2bAsceorIuqQFrzOFIW-6FSeRo0NYJZwEhlSStwIbvjweGvTOQnZx1Xpn3DW1pq5AkJuPWepOdEnddbtO6ynDtNJ/s1600/tacosalad+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Taco Salad, no cheese" border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhQ-w29AFVkgzeMXTZBy7RXd8ES8ADnFyf36zdrzq-gOvjA-rNNuq2bAsceorIuqQFrzOFIW-6FSeRo0NYJZwEhlSStwIbvjweGvTOQnZx1Xpn3DW1pq5AkJuPWepOdEnddbtO6ynDtNJ/s320/tacosalad+%25281%2529.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taco Salad without Cheese</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 4: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Beef and Barley Soup</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJWMf9KqQhXKqd-f83YoZDj5RE9K2mBnKwvx1_VRLKoAnqEUwot4IdKpV8nnaaRCDYuVcEr9zp2vh4mQEKQllEfh8Oj4oAGR6vsoer3gYclbVIJEvHgSzpEaZ-L_gyYxPxiXwrNun8ZZa/s1600/IMG_20170415_190521-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Beef and Barley Soup" border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJWMf9KqQhXKqd-f83YoZDj5RE9K2mBnKwvx1_VRLKoAnqEUwot4IdKpV8nnaaRCDYuVcEr9zp2vh4mQEKQllEfh8Oj4oAGR6vsoer3gYclbVIJEvHgSzpEaZ-L_gyYxPxiXwrNun8ZZa/s320/IMG_20170415_190521-1.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef and Barley Soup</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 5: </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cheesy Potatoes with chopped broccoli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(this uses no roast beef, but does use up left over potatoes)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Atok3YfmZf72dIO94zENb9a_aJ465wTIAIISBxre1Sxg2dZrVN9GRyIaFvzcABoXDv-cI5ioUzfTUHfdjNhXvp85Z47RCk_LvWxIltFQrCPY1pxMGJnw0vkHt0Tjeq-CnyPucRT7JFV-/s1600/IMG_20170413_184138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cheesy Potatoes with Bacon" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Atok3YfmZf72dIO94zENb9a_aJ465wTIAIISBxre1Sxg2dZrVN9GRyIaFvzcABoXDv-cI5ioUzfTUHfdjNhXvp85Z47RCk_LvWxIltFQrCPY1pxMGJnw0vkHt0Tjeq-CnyPucRT7JFV-/s320/IMG_20170413_184138.jpg" title="" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheese Potatoes and Bacon (this one has no broccoli)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Recipes</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Pot Roast with Veggies</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 large chuck roast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 carrot, chopped fine </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 onion, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 1/2 cups chicken broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">4 red potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8 ounces baby carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">(optional: Turnips, cut up into bite sized chunks)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cooking directions below video</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/M1s1NHJ8Ox0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M1s1NHJ8Ox0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I apologize for the bad subtitles. Practice, practice practice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Heat up a large dutch oven (I prefer enameled cast iron for this application). Add a tablespoon of oil. Salt and pepper both sides of the beef and add to the pan once the oil is shimmering. Leave in the pan on high heat for several minutes. When very browned, turned meat over and allow to brown on the other side. If your pot roast is not flat, you will want to brown the other sides too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remove meat from the pan. Add a bit more oil if necessary, and add the onions and carrots to the pan. Cook for several minutes until you see the onions starting to lose their opaqueness. Lower the heat slightly and add in the garlic. Stir and cook until you really smell the garlic cooking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Deglaze the pan by adding the broth to the pan and scraping the bits off the bottom. Raise the heat a bit if necessary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once the pan is deglazed and the liquid starts to boil, add the meat back in the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and put into a 275 degree oven. Let cook for at least three hours. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Add the vegetables to the pan after three or four hours, cover the pan again and let cook in the oven for another 30 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Remove the meat and vegetables from the pan. Pass the liquid through a sieve to remove the bulky vegetables and skim the fat if necessary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In the now empty pan, heat 2 tablespoons of fat (oil, butter, even schmaltz or bacon fat will do). Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour and mix together while cooking over medium heat. As soon as the flour starts to smell a bit nutty and maybe getting slightly browned a bit, slowly add in the now clarified liquids while whisking. You want the gravy to be slightly thinner than you plan to serve it as it will thicken as it cools. If the gravy isn't dark enough for you, add a small touch of gravy master until it is the shade you prefer. You don't need a lot of this stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While you are cooking the roast, now would be a great time to boil a bunch of red potatoes. I usually get a 5 lb bag, use some for the pot roast and boil the rest for the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shred any left over beef to refrigerate for the rest of the week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 2: BBQ sandwiches with Sweet Potato Fries</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shred enough left over pot roast for the number of sandwiches you are making. Top with BBQ sauce of your choice and slowly reheat over a low flame until hot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Toast the rolls. Top with the beef mix and any other sandwich fixings you like. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sweet potato "fries": Scrub and peel two large sweet potatoes (sometimes marketed as "yams"). Cut in half lengthwise, then cut slices about the size of fries, as you like them. Toss the slices in a bit of oil, place in a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and bake in an oven at 475 for 10 minutes, flip the slices and bake until they start to brown and are cooked through.</span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 3: Taco Salad</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shred iceberg or romaine lettuce. Cut some tomatoes into chunks, or use a can of diced tomatoes. If you have the time, toss them with a little oil and roast in the oven at 475 until they shrivel and brown a bit, but this is completely optional. Slice a small can of olives. Crush some tortillas and lay at the bottom of the bowl, top with a mix of the vegetables and olives.<br />Cook up some of the shredded beef with some taco seasoning using the directions on the back from the point after you brown the beef. Alternatively, use the recipe below to make your own seasoning, then add 3/4 cup of water and simmer with the beef until heated through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Top the bowls with the meat mixture and shredded cheddar if desired, when ready to serve. </span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 4: Beef and Barley Soup</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Shredded beef (or small chop)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 onion, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 large carrots, chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">garlic, as much as you like. Or none. Up to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">6 cups broth </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">assorted chopped vegetables: potatoes, turnips, parsnips, broccoli, whatever you have on hand</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 cup of pearled barley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 - 1 cup frozen peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I can petite dice tomatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (use soy if you don't have this, or just leave it out. It will be a bit different, but still good)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">heat some oil in a soup pot. Saute onions and carrots. When cooked, add in garlic if using. When you start to smell the garlic cooking, add in the broth. Bring to a boil. If using fresh vegetables, add them now, then add the barley, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and peas and heat through taste and season as desired (salt, pepper) and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce. </span><br />
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<h4>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Meal 5: Cheesy Potatoes with Chopped Broccoli</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 or more cups of boiled potatoes, cut into small bite sized pieces. Finely chop cooked broccoli to make about a cup.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Heat a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add some very finely chopped onion to taste. Cook onion until it starts to brown. Add the potatoes and a bit more fat if necessary. Heat potatoes through and let them brown. Mix in bacon bits if desired, mix in broccoli. When heated through, top with cheddar cheese and cover until cheese melts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Advanced cooking tips:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Boil potatoes when making pot roast</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">An alternative to cooked, chopped broccoli would be to pick up a bag of frozen chopped broccoli and let thaw before using.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chop up onions, garlic and carrots in advance all at once for use during the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mix up a batch of taco seasoning in advance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I buy a bag of bacon bits from Costco. Easily add that delicious flavor to anything without the mess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Freeze any portions of beef that you will not be using in the next 3 or 4 days, to avoid spoilage.</span><br />
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<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Shopping List</u></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Meat</u>:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 pounds chuck roast</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Produce</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 lbs carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">16 oz bag baby carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 pound of broccoli OR 16 oz frozen chopped broccoli</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 lbs onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3 heads of garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">5 lbs red, white or yellow potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Iceberg or Romaine lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 pound or more tomatoes (or, a can of petite diced)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 large sweet potatoes (also marketed as "yams")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Groceries:</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Black olives</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Taco Seasoning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">3-32 ounces containers chicken broth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gravy master (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Good quality bacon bits (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bulky rolls</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Tortilla chips</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">pearled barley</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">BBQ sauce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">14 ounces petite diced tomatoes if not using fresh</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Frozen</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">16 ounces peas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">16 ounces chopped broccoli (if not using fresh)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Dairy</u>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8 ounces shredded cheddar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">8 ounces sour cream </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><u>Make your own taco seasoning mix! </u></span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 tablespoons chili powder</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 5px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 tablespoon ground cumin</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 5px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 teaspoons cornstarch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">2 teaspoons kosher salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 5px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1 teaspoon ground coriander</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 5px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Put all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Taco seasoning recipe courtesy of Alton Brown</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-19537290214624677282017-04-05T12:47:00.001-07:002017-04-08T09:53:05.374-07:00Cooking Class 3: Slicing and Dicing<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There is a reason professional chef's and caterers have sous chefs. While some chopping and other prep work can be fun, having to do it all the time can be something that keeps us from cooking altogether. I fix this problem by chopping up all my aromatics at one time and keeping them in the fridge for use through the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For the purposes of this blog class, I will refer to the aromatics that are sauteed before most dishes as "mirepoix" (chopped carrots, celery and onions). Mirepoix is actually the French combination of aromotics, but I will be using it for all the different mixes of aromatics, regardless of the nation of origin, for the sake of keeping things simple. The Spanish use a "sofrito" which is a combination of onions, tomatoes and garlic. Germans use a "<span style="background-color: white;">Suppengrün</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">" which is a mix of celeriac, carrot and leeks. Then there is the "holy trinity" in Cajun cooking which consists of onion, celery and green bell pepper. There are many possibilities and you don't have to be tied down to one or the other. You may find yourself putting together your own blend using any number of the herbs, in roughly equal quantities. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The typical aromatics that you will find in a United States grocery are: carrots and tomatoes (neither are particularly highly scented, but they are used with aromatics), onion, garlic, peppers (bell or hot), and celery. There are others, but these are the ones that will be easy to find. In some mixes, like another type of Sofrito, herbs are used, such as cilantro or flat leaf (Italian) parsley.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-81384299676330076532017-04-05T12:47:00.000-07:002017-04-16T11:05:32.574-07:00Cooking Class 2: Knives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36ox-lutHEfAZR5mZw0RHffnTWYD3rv11SjATNWENvun-9Ny9TNGAbVpr753vfJHHC40rgsbf4Uq3Jsfno7qI3U8nSANd4dRmLp34-Ai6c04_GZxzftzWzqkeu-Ag2PwpSUs2VJnhpDOQ/s1600/IMG_20170327_121302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36ox-lutHEfAZR5mZw0RHffnTWYD3rv11SjATNWENvun-9Ny9TNGAbVpr753vfJHHC40rgsbf4Uq3Jsfno7qI3U8nSANd4dRmLp34-Ai6c04_GZxzftzWzqkeu-Ag2PwpSUs2VJnhpDOQ/s320/IMG_20170327_121302.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">For me, these are the most basic knives you will need. Do not get a block set of knives. They are never that good. It is better to have one excellent knife than to have 10 crappy ones. There are many brands out there, some expensive, some pretty reasonably priced. These ones are middle of the road Henckels that I started getting over 20 years ago and they are still working excellently and hold a lovely edge which will help keep accidents from happening. Victorinox makes some pretty inexpensive blades that, while I have not used them personally, were well rated at Cook's Illustrated. In the best of all worlds, you will be able to hold the knife before purchasing. This will help you to feel the balance and the heft of the blade. I like a heavy blade, but as I get older I am seeing how a lighter blade would be handy, so choose a quality knife that you feel comfortable with and has a grip that won't be too slippery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The very first tool you need for your knives is a sharpening steel. Despite the name, this item does not sharpen knives. This tool will help to hone the blade as it bends from use. The edge is still there, but hidden by a slight roll that will happen as you use the blade against the surface of the cutting board. A few passes over the steel will make it as good as new in between getting it sharpened properly.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2LHMXpSRUCMaKGD8d5XaEYarvkiFfKTDkm48E7s9Z2qO-l9vf-D6TdBct1FFUHTnws-FnIx3LGjwmgJ_gYvo3E0euqtiNbJUa1mYCFCtc2kuxwPltTea3UQoC5pU3GwkTVFzDtb5a9sT/s1600/Steel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sharpening Steet" border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib2LHMXpSRUCMaKGD8d5XaEYarvkiFfKTDkm48E7s9Z2qO-l9vf-D6TdBct1FFUHTnws-FnIx3LGjwmgJ_gYvo3E0euqtiNbJUa1mYCFCtc2kuxwPltTea3UQoC5pU3GwkTVFzDtb5a9sT/s400/Steel.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Sharpening Steel</span></td></tr>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
A sharpening steel does not have to break the bank, and it doesn't have to be the same brand as the knives you use it with, but do get a good quality one.</h3>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Most cooks will likely say that the most important knife to get would be a Chef's style knife.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRUmyH6M3NXnMqzi19QIV9jGhBqWDHAiEDy2aIwqfy0oFZpEtyfs9UspwPvHoqhV97jZb6QqaFym7cC3hSTRfWV-HynAMs7UGMgRpW-JJfcIvNG-ytIdUcmtIxV7SaSngbjLYDJZPXcJk/s1600/IMG_20170327_121351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Chef's Knife" border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaRUmyH6M3NXnMqzi19QIV9jGhBqWDHAiEDy2aIwqfy0oFZpEtyfs9UspwPvHoqhV97jZb6QqaFym7cC3hSTRfWV-HynAMs7UGMgRpW-JJfcIvNG-ytIdUcmtIxV7SaSngbjLYDJZPXcJk/s400/IMG_20170327_121351.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chef's Knife</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Chef's knives come in several different lengths. You want to use the type you are comfortable with. The shape of the blade helps particularly with having to chop or mince finely, and the width makes a good surface for squishing garlic cloves to remove the skins. More on that when we get to the actual prepping of foods. Of all the knives you want to hold in your hands before purchasing, this is the one and the one you will use the most, especially when just starting out with a good knife set.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOctMBDOw_pMMEk4r7ZAuVcDU_1uSDDGWdhcX8TDlbDo3IZdCqG4uj4aJdQBwzQ9CgEp8b_OlXQv5bA_H7vqRR1bHtZ3OZ8Q3Adm2ImbufPpxs-37qQVNP9pucEalWfM6Zr3VFEJMqvRO/s1600/IMG_20170327_121404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paring Knife" border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOctMBDOw_pMMEk4r7ZAuVcDU_1uSDDGWdhcX8TDlbDo3IZdCqG4uj4aJdQBwzQ9CgEp8b_OlXQv5bA_H7vqRR1bHtZ3OZ8Q3Adm2ImbufPpxs-37qQVNP9pucEalWfM6Zr3VFEJMqvRO/s400/IMG_20170327_121404.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Paring Knife</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Honestly, if the only thing you plan to do is peel vegetables, a good vegetable peeler would suffice. If you want to do fine cuts or peel items with a heavy skin, you will want a good paring knife that fits well in your hand. I use it all the time, but I do understand the concept of not being able to afford everything at once. This one can wait, but I would still pick it up as soon as you can manage. Victoronix has some well rated, inexpensive ones that are (as previously mentioned) well rated with Cook's Illustrated. From the reviews, their paring knife is quite light weight, but is sturdy enough to last a long time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn-89lTDDZ5hsWAqcn7FZmRwqiXY464e0rHLool6Hl0DW7RpoaX_-f_PAQ_3Ni2aieTj9NKvv-4FYKazRYpuAOysds6N9Tbv4-YoC6b3rxOWan9saEYSA78iDUtRCcBYhVyyNEjNqiA4y/s1600/IMG_20170327_121357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bread Knife" border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcn-89lTDDZ5hsWAqcn7FZmRwqiXY464e0rHLool6Hl0DW7RpoaX_-f_PAQ_3Ni2aieTj9NKvv-4FYKazRYpuAOysds6N9Tbv4-YoC6b3rxOWan9saEYSA78iDUtRCcBYhVyyNEjNqiA4y/s400/IMG_20170327_121357.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bread Knife</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This knife is not a "necessity" exactly. The reason I consider it indispensable is because the serrated edge is perfect for getting those super thin slices of tomato or homemade sandwich bread. Never use a sharpening steel on a bread knife or any serrated or scalloped edged knife. I hope that the video below will assist with a visual of how to use the steel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Gv_cMFJvZ6o/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gv_cMFJvZ6o?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Even when you hone the blade regularly it will eventually get dull and form small nicks in the edge that will need sharpening. I never do this myself. I simply do not feel confident in the craft, so I bring them to a professional who has never failed me. I have a grand total of 7 knifes and it costs under 30.00, though the bread knife needs to be done in a special way that could cost significantly more. Fortunately, the bread knife very rarely needs sharpening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">A final word on caring for your knives: store them properly. Do NOT throw them in a drawer, as you will risk cutting yourself and dulling your knives prematurely. Also, never ever put them in the dishwasher. Just don't do it. Besides the jostling dulling the blade, the detergents used in dishwashers is pretty harsh and will leave your blade pitted over time. I use a dish brush to wash my knives. It has a long handle which keeps my fingers away from the blade while handling a knife that is slippery from soap and water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Here are some photos of where I keep my knives at the ready:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAm3zX_x0vYrUgNrIz5qIuzeF0teR_L_VzSa_5ffRzyOVWtj2l3o3yMVWWMoNYVWyaBUjiEyxgE1J8G_LEZEuDn2_Vi7YAI159jSiXS14nbgelUjb_5RUJ6eGoa05ek0-3wuPnAQ7F7hjb/s1600/knife+block+down.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Knife Block attached to kitchen island, down position" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAm3zX_x0vYrUgNrIz5qIuzeF0teR_L_VzSa_5ffRzyOVWtj2l3o3yMVWWMoNYVWyaBUjiEyxgE1J8G_LEZEuDn2_Vi7YAI159jSiXS14nbgelUjb_5RUJ6eGoa05ek0-3wuPnAQ7F7hjb/s400/knife+block+down.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Knife Block in "down" position</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4ntz718egRv8zwRHH4kp1TvB70phJUiw_2ufJscZInI0eH_wWhvMbV4WirZWXO-Hrzm8n_RMx2CijiTdNq-J2j9m6yQFa0NEgYpqbJI7JimH7jzKz2WSrbmItZEfG5_qK876y3x76Y5o/s1600/knife+block+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Knife Block attached to kitchen island, up position" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4ntz718egRv8zwRHH4kp1TvB70phJUiw_2ufJscZInI0eH_wWhvMbV4WirZWXO-Hrzm8n_RMx2CijiTdNq-J2j9m6yQFa0NEgYpqbJI7JimH7jzKz2WSrbmItZEfG5_qK876y3x76Y5o/s400/knife+block+up.jpg" title="" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Knife Block in "up" position</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwob74c_Vd6AY-xjDefSoFV_NBk7s2MNc2MslcJDahALpEsM-q3K_j1MwAXAG5cl75TfvUL0sIhlIy6ZoPna24rpyWEbiRr5ZfbSbc9ILUeXJqnXy-rWyI3gWa75fUhbnYdDeQ2cHASsya/s1600/magnetic+strip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Magnetic Knife Rack with knives and utensils" border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwob74c_Vd6AY-xjDefSoFV_NBk7s2MNc2MslcJDahALpEsM-q3K_j1MwAXAG5cl75TfvUL0sIhlIy6ZoPna24rpyWEbiRr5ZfbSbc9ILUeXJqnXy-rWyI3gWa75fUhbnYdDeQ2cHASsya/s400/magnetic+strip.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">And this is where I keep the knives that don't fit in my block, a magnetic knife strip which is also handy for storing other things like my rasp and lid wand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-70802590507704333972017-04-05T12:46:00.000-07:002017-04-16T11:01:07.408-07:00Cooking Class 1: Let's Start at the Very Beginning<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Of the course of the decades I have been cooking regularly, I have learned that the most important factor in having a recipe turn out right is understanding some basic techniques and tools use in order to make the most of every new recipe you try.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are many techniques in cooking, but I will start with the most basic and include how to use them in a variety of dishes. If you know what a rue is, and how to incorporate liquids, you will always be able to make a sauce, even if your recipe is vague about it or omits this step entirely. Learning how to properly sear meat without steaming it and inhibiting the Maillard reaction, which is the lovely deep browning that adds so much flavor to foods and will perk up any dish that you already make regularly but just can't get "right".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The very first part of this series will focus on preparation. Proper preparation will make your meals much easier to make and proper techniques combined with good instruments will make the job so much easier, and safer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You may think that the first thing you need are knives, but cutting boards should be at the top of your list too. You will need three good cutting surfaces. One is for raw vegetables and fruits, the other for raw meats and one more for cooked foods. Some people also prefer to have different ones for poultry, but if you care for and disinfect your boards, it isn't really necessary in my opinion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In this house, one of my surfaces is the kitchen island with a butcher block top that is not sealed. It must be disinfected after each use, though I only use that surface for raw vegetables and fruits. The other two are two different surfaces, bamboo and a poly board which is basically a type of plastic that isn't too hard on knives.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRjMYGDAiUB0udr9cBZE0taPWg-qVMoQUJHaGpJIItH35BPX5tt-oyE3DzgNFpShr9icqbWilHg34m0xFjZmj7z0Y6QLhudsU7Hux2KGyq2jQMyZyktfeS0Une6E8MUynb90XP4bCHLLk/s1600/IMG_20170327_121148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Bamboo Cutting Board" border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkRjMYGDAiUB0udr9cBZE0taPWg-qVMoQUJHaGpJIItH35BPX5tt-oyE3DzgNFpShr9icqbWilHg34m0xFjZmj7z0Y6QLhudsU7Hux2KGyq2jQMyZyktfeS0Une6E8MUynb90XP4bCHLLk/s320/IMG_20170327_121148.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">The top board is made of Bamboo</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZWMbIbyMmyfp-MkRWGrn5dk1kgMfgKPM0vozBjeIAqGa2Kd0Jl9rwkDeT2HyOEF7e_foQWQK-31sfDZQLSMUfsMI9Sl1Gd52yqqAfynCfwMFKG4tX1_4H6L3RE8o67CSsCgoezaIZ9nl/s1600/IMG_20170327_121202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Poly Cutting Board" border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZWMbIbyMmyfp-MkRWGrn5dk1kgMfgKPM0vozBjeIAqGa2Kd0Jl9rwkDeT2HyOEF7e_foQWQK-31sfDZQLSMUfsMI9Sl1Gd52yqqAfynCfwMFKG4tX1_4H6L3RE8o67CSsCgoezaIZ9nl/s320/IMG_20170327_121202.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Poly Board</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">You never want to use a hard surface such as marble or other counter top surfaces. If the surface you are cutting on is unyielding, the blade will dull much faster, causing accidents while prepping foods. I am not a fan of those flexible boards either. They are not thick enough to use on their own to keep the impact to the blade down, but if you really love them, put them on a cutting board or other surface to keep the blade damage to a minimum. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhKpHURAatqHIwFGMzt74_E-jreue1FED09XVbqYLuT4MHokMMlz_BzaCQTfj7ghh1e6nZ2y1b-hSnLTNXA-yixtaVZbqaurSsNB8Y8i7w0iqES0dXljvgputfMrTqvuNicohwDqogAIX/s1600/IMG_20170327_121202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Cleaning the boards is imperative to prevent cross contamination, which is when one foods bacteria is transferred to another food. If there was a harmful agent on your chicken, for example, and that got on the fruits and vegetables, it could cause illness because you cannot cook these items enough to kill the bacteria without making them disgusting. When I am dealing with raw meats, the board is washed with soap and hot water, then wipe it down with a bleach solution of 3/4 cups of bleach to a gallon of water. This mix does mess up standard spray bottles though. Vinegar solutions are far less of a problem with spray bottles. A 50/50 solution of white vinegar to water is all you need. Just allow it to sit on the item for a few minutes before rinsing.</span><br />
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<h2>
<a href="http://inbetweenhomestead.blogspot.com/2017/04/cooking-class2.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next Class</span></a></h2>
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhKpHURAatqHIwFGMzt74_E-jreue1FED09XVbqYLuT4MHokMMlz_BzaCQTfj7ghh1e6nZ2y1b-hSnLTNXA-yixtaVZbqaurSsNB8Y8i7w0iqES0dXljvgputfMrTqvuNicohwDqogAIX/s1600/IMG_20170327_121202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-16454922510775151822016-11-05T11:27:00.002-07:002016-11-05T11:27:41.152-07:00Money Emergencies: Cheap EatsI am putting this up quickly for a specific person in need, so no pretty pictures (for now) and no real formatting. I hope this helps!<br /><br />If you have followed my page you know all about the <a href="http://inbetweenhomestead.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-cheepah-chicken.html" target="_blank">Cheepah Chicken</a>. If not, just click the link. It shows how to create a number of meals from one chicken, and of course broth for your cooking needs. Get them on sale when you can and just do up a lot of stock ahead of time to freeze if possible. I freeze in 2 cup increments for my family size, but use what works for your cooking style and family size. The first recipe tastes better with broth rather than water, so that is why I am starting with this. If you do use water, consider using more seasonings to your liking to make up for the lack of depth. Or a little soy will often help round out the flavor a bit.<br /><br />Ground Beef Soup<br /><br />I easily feed four with this recipe with left overs, so it will likely feed six.<br /><br />1 pound ground beef<div>
1 onion (peeled and chopped)</div>
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4 carrots (peeled and chopped)<br />2 stalks celery (chopped)</div>
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6 cups chicken stock, broth or water</div>
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1 28 oz can of tomatoes (I used chopped, but honestly any type will do. If you want chunks of tomato the diced are treated to not fall apart, for better or for worse)</div>
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2 cups frozen corn<br />And other frozen vegetable that you like, green beans, cauliflower or nothing at all. Use up leftovers too, it doesn't have to be frozen)</div>
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Salt<br />Garlic powder (if you have real garlic, mince and cook with the vegetables)</div>
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Seasonings as you wish. You like Italian? Use some oregano or Italian seasonings.. more of a south of the border person? A little cumin and cayenne would be very nice</div>
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Cook ground beef in soup pot. If you are using a cheaper ground beef, no worries! Just drain off much (not all) of the fat before continuing the recipe once it is browned.</div>
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Add in chopped vegetables (and minced garlic if using). Cook and stir until onions start to go translucent.</div>
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Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Salt well. Add seasonings as desired, but no fresh herbs. Those must wait until the very end if using.</div>
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Bring to a boil, lower heat and partially cover. Simmer until carrots are soft as you like. </div>
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Add your frozen vegetables and turn off heat.</div>
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If you have leftover veg, go ahead and add them (chopped bite sized) at the very end. If you are using a lot of frozen veg, you may need to heat up the soup again.</div>
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To stretch this meal, serve with pasta, rice or bread. This will make it serve more than six, or six really hungry people.</div>
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I think this next one is in most households recipe box, but I am putting it here because this is another one you can stretch with more tomatoes and pasta. a pound of ground beef can go a long way when necessary. This is also known as American Goulash.</div>
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<br /></div>
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American Chop Suey</div>
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<br /></div>
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1 lb ground beef</div>
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1 onion, chopped (if you have onion powder, that can be used instead)</div>
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1 bell pepper, chopped (doesn't matter what color, green are often cheaply purchased)</div>
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1 rib of celery (I have left this out, still tastes good)</div>
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2 garlic cloves, minced (again, if you don't have fresh, just use powdered, I have done it both ways)</div>
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1 15 oz can tomato sauce</div>
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1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes</div>
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OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup of mild cheddar will add a creamy touch at the end</div>
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Again, with the tomatoes you can use what you have on hand. No diced? Add more sauce, or just throw in a 28 oz can of crushed or chopped up whole tomatoes, this recipe is quite flexible)</div>
<div>
1 1/2 cup chicken stock/broth or water </div>
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8 oz elbow macaroni (I have used other types of pasta, just be aware that some take less or more time to cook)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Brown ground beef in a deep, skillet that has a cover of some sort. If using a cheaper type, pour off some of the fat when cooked through</div>
<div>
Add in chopped vegetables and garlic. If using the powdered stuff (1 1/2 teaspoons each, or more to taste) add that now too. Cook and stir until onions are translucent and peppers are slightly softened.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes. </div>
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Add pasta, cover and cook 20 minutes more.</div>
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<br /></div>
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When pasta is cooked as you like it, stir in cheese if using.</div>
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I have also been known to add some grated carrot with the vegetables for some added nutrition, plus, carrots are cheap!</div>
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<div>
Here is a Southern type dish that is often served for breakfast but is just as tasty for dinner. Good if there is ground pork on sale. If you are so inclined, you could grind your own pork from cheap cuts, just remember that you need fat for it to cook properly, either oils or pork fat.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 pound ground pork</div>
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4 tablespoons flour</div>
<div>
4 cups milk</div>
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scraping of nutmeg (optional, just the tiniest pinch, my Swedish heritage is popping up here)</div>
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Salt and LOTS of pepper!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Simply brown the pork in a deep skillet. Use oil or pork fat if the sausage seems dry. We need some fat for the rue we make in the pan.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Stir in flour. Cook and stir a few minutes to cook out the "raw" flavor of the flour. (this is the rue, doing it with the meat is perfect in the case)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Make sure the heat is on medium and slowly stir in the milk. Stir until combined and begins to thicken. It will thicken further as it cools a bit. Allow to simmer a few minutes.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Serve on biscuits with vegetable(s) of your choice. On bad weeks we have eaten this as the whole dinner, but if you have some vegetables it is a good idea to have that to round out the meal. Biscuit recipe below.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Biscuits</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
This is not my own recipe as I cannot find the darned card, but this is very close to what I use. I have substituted the buttermilk for 1tsp of vinegar with milk poured up to the 1 cup mark and also, I have mixed milk with yogurt or sourcream and both also work well. </div>
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<div class="MsoPlainText">
Southern Biscuits<o:p></o:p></div>
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Recipe By :<o:p></o:p></div>
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Serving Size :
0 Preparation Time :0:00<o:p></o:p></div>
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Categories :
Bread<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amount Measure
Ingredient -- Preparation Method<o:p></o:p></div>
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--------------------------------<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 cups flour<o:p></o:p></div>
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4 teaspoons baking powder<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/4 teaspoon
baking soda<o:p></o:p></div>
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3/4 teaspoon
salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tablespoons butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tablespoons shortening<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup buttermilk -- chilled<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder,
baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry
ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don't
want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled
buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very
sticky.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and
gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round.
Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through
the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap
dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from
the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey,
that's life.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to
20 minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Another note, if you don't have a cutter and don't want to use a glass, you can always just pat it out into a square or rectangle and cut out square pieces. Just keep them around the same size to ensure even cooking.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Leftover Popover</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>I usually get breakfast sausage when they are on sale for a buck or less a box and use that, but any leftover will do and will determine if this is a savory or sweet dish.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>8 oz cooked meat (or cooked sausage links) You can also mix in vegetables, but be careful with the ratio, too much won't allow the popover to "pop"</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>2 eggs, beaten</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 cup milk</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 Tablespoon oil</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 cup flour</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1/4 tsp salt</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Grease an 8 inch pan (I use a square). Heat oven to 400 F</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Beat together all ingredients except the meat/vegetables, until smooth.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Pour into pan and sprinkle the meat/vegetables over the top.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Bake 35 minutes. The top should be puffy.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Serve with condiments as suits the fillings. Ketchup for savory is one idea and syrup if going for sweet, as I usually do with the sausage. Sides of fruit or vegetable would also be appropriate. This only serves four with a side. If doubling, use two 8 inch pans if possible, otherwise the puff might not happen and the center may not cook thoroughly.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>If you have some foods from a pantry and some chicken, you might be able to make this chicken dish. Breast meat is best for this one, but if you are taking apart chickens you should have some. 1/2 of a large breast half will easily feed one person, so the four should feed 8 with regular appetites.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Tropical Chicken with Fruit Sauce</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>4 tablespoons butter (margarine will work. a mild oil may also work)</o:p></div>
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<o:p>4 skinless, boneless breast halves, sliced in strips</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1/2 teaspoon garlic powder</o:p></div>
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<o:p>2 Tablespoons flour</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 cup applesauce (chunky, regular, even cinnamon will work use what you have)</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 can pineapple chunks, halved and undrained</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 large banana, sliced</o:p></div>
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<o:p>3/4 cups seedless grapes, any color, halved. Now, this is how the recipe goes, but lets face it, grapes are often pricey, so use some canned mixed fruit! Believe me, it will work.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>2 Tablespoons brown sugar</o:p></div>
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<o:p>1 teaspoon cinnamon (you may want to cut back if your applesauce is prespiced)</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>In a deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter. Add chicken and sprinkle with garlic powder. Cook until done and lightly browned.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Remove chicken to a plate. Do not clean the pan.</o:p></div>
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Melt last of butter and add flour. Stir and cook for 1 minute.</div>
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Add all other ingredients and heat until bubbly and slightly thickened.<br />Add chicken, heat through and serve on nice plate of rice.</div>
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Super Easy Bean and Rice Burrito</div>
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Bean and Rice Burritos<o:p></o:p></div>
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Serving Size :
8 Preparation Time :0:00<o:p></o:p></div>
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Categories :
Basic Recipe Vegan
Friendly<o:p></o:p></div>
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Vegetarian<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amount Measure
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2 cups rice -- cooked<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 small onion -- chopped<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 cups red beans<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 1/2 tablespoons
taco seasoning mix<o:p></o:p></div>
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8 whole flour tortilla<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/2 cup
salsa (see note at bottom)<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/2 cup
shredded cheddar cheese<o:p></o:p></div>
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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees<o:p></o:p></div>
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Peel the onion and chop it into small pieces<o:p></o:p></div>
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Drain the liquid from the cooked or canned beans<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mix the rice, chopped onions and beans in a bowl with the
taco seasoning<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put each tortilla on a flat surface<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put 1/2 cup of the rice and bean mix in the middle of
each tortilla<o:p></o:p></div>
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fold the sides of the tortilla to hold the rice and beans<o:p></o:p></div>
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Put each filled tortilla into a baking pan<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bake for 15 minutes<o:p></o:p></div>
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While burritos are baking, grate cheese<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pour salsa over the baked burritos, add cheese<o:p></o:p></div>
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Don't have salsa? I know it can be ridiculously expensive for what it is. I have made my own mixed some chopped canned tomatoes with some onion and garlic powder and a handful of chopped parsley if I have it on hand. It will do the trick.</div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Back to the chicken! Since I tend to cut up whole chickens, I also have legs and thighs left over to use. One way I use them is to bake them sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper in a 350 degree oven until done and the fat on the skin has rendered. (alternately, I sometimes take the skin off entirely). When cooked, throw on some BBQ sauce (which I likely bought on a good sale over the summer) and cook 15 minutes more. Served with rice, or potato salad and some vegetables. Very tasty, and can be very cheap.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>Another recipe I use with the thighs and legs is Oven "Fried" Chicken. Delicious with a crunchy outer layer.</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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Oven Fried Chicken<o:p></o:p></div>
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Serving Size :
4 Preparation Time :0:00<o:p></o:p></div>
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Categories :
Basic Recipe Poultry<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amount Measure
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1 whole egg -- beaten<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 tablespoons milk<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup dry bread crumbs<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 teaspoon dried thyme -- crushed<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/2 teaspoon
paprika<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/8 teaspoon
black pepper<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 pounds chicken pieces (skinned)<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 tablespoons butter -- melted (can use any oil you have on hand, just be aware of the flavor. I have also used margarine in a pinch)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Grease baking dish<o:p></o:p></div>
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Combine egg, milk thyme, salt (to taste) in a shallow
dish<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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combine breadcrumbs, paprika, salt, and black better in
another shallow dish or gallon sized storage bag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Skin chicken and pat dry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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dip chicken in egg mixture, then breadcrumbs<o:p></o:p></div>
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Place in baking dish and drizzle with butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bake at 375 degrees 45-55 minutes until done. Do not turn<br /><br />This is a typical main dish and can be served with whatever starches and vegetables you have on hand.<br /><br />You want to make vegetables a little special? Drain cooked vegetables and put in a pan on medium high heat. Toss a bit to dry them out, ESPECIALLY if you are using frozen. Do not used canned vegetables for this. Add some oil and dry breadcrumbs and salt and pepper to taste. Toss until bread crumbs stick to the vegetables.<br /><br />You have canned vegetables? Try a seasoning mix sprinkled over them. We have used all kinds and it really makes the vegetables something a little more special. You can do the seasoning trick with any cooked vegetable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here is one more recipe. While the basic ingredients are in the recipe, you can make this any way you want. We often use dairy instead of meat because, although it is more per pound, we don't use nearly as much per person. (usually)</div>
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<br /></div>
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Twice Baked Potatoes<o:p></o:p></div>
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Serving Size :
4 Preparation Time :0:00<o:p></o:p></div>
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Categories :
Basic Recipe Main Dish<o:p></o:p></div>
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One
Pot Meal Vegtables<o:p></o:p></div>
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Amount Measure
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4 medium russet potato<o:p></o:p></div>
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1 cup sour cream<o:p></o:p></div>
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3 tablespoons
butter<o:p></o:p></div>
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2 cloves garlic -- minced<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/4 teaspoon
salt<o:p></o:p></div>
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1/2 cup
shredded cheddar cheese<o:p></o:p></div>
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bacon -- if desired<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Scrub potatoes, prick all over with a fork and bake in a
425 degree oven 40-60 minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When cooked, remove from oven and slice a thin stripe off
the top of the potato. Carefully dig out potato meat, leaving a nice thick
shell.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Mash the potato with garlic, sour cream, 1/4 cup cheese,
butter and salt.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Spoon or pipe mixture back into shells <o:p></o:p></div>
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Put in baking dish and bake for 20 minutes more. Sprinkle
on remaining cheese and bake until melted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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Sprinkle with cooked bacon if desired<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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With or without bacon, this will fill you right up and is especially nice on a cold day.</div>
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<o:p>
</o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-79126203459171219192015-06-03T09:03:00.001-07:002015-06-04T05:09:12.700-07:00Filling in the Awkward SpacesYou know that space above the cabinets? At least those of us with the lower end "builders" cabinets do. They do not reach to the ceiling, and in my kitchen, there was only an 11 inch clearance. I would have loved to extend them up, but I also didn't want to spend a fortune and have to work within my physical limitations.<br />
Enter the answer: fabric. I love fabric. It can cover a multitude of sins, and in this case, it gave me some more storage that did not have to look like a house magazine to not feel cluttered. This is a very inexpensive project, less so if you have scraps of fabric to use instead of having to buy new.<br />
Other resources could be sheets at the Goodwill, or yards sales, and a teeny bit of sewing know how. I did these on the machine because with all the straight lines I would have been bored silly doing it by hand, but a back stitch is all you need to know how to do.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPnWLv6n9xxhBXPrKVzc_1zUDzDcyl6w3pZdssg6qbE188WFJjRZ9NRFFhUeWDdX1rsel3KCPAKbwcxgQnaWQN2Uojs7AdvnC81AdM9rhdTe4jIqWVn9Wekg0jCfkIAJGjFm_utENWSnE/s1600/2015+cabinet+curtain+use.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPnWLv6n9xxhBXPrKVzc_1zUDzDcyl6w3pZdssg6qbE188WFJjRZ9NRFFhUeWDdX1rsel3KCPAKbwcxgQnaWQN2Uojs7AdvnC81AdM9rhdTe4jIqWVn9Wekg0jCfkIAJGjFm_utENWSnE/s320/2015+cabinet+curtain+use.jpg" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the finished work. The curtain extends on both sides to the ends of the cupboards.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
These are held in place with cup hooks and long dowels from the hardware store. To keep them in the ceiling, I suggest using a lightweight anchor to keep the cup hooks in place. To keep the look streamlined, I slit a very small hole in the fabric where ever there was a hook, I did keep the sections as panels, rather than one long piece. This is to avoid dealing with the whole thing when putting thing away, and will also make washing and putting it back up easier later on. This set up does not have anchors (yet). I was very impatient and just wanted to get them done, but I do strongly suggest a lightweight anchor. Unless your fabric is heavy, that is all you will need.<br />The top has a pocket hem of just and inch and a half, and the bottom was cut using pinking shears, so just a 1/4 inch hem was needed, but if you worry about strands of threads popping out, you may want to double the hem to hide the edges. The pinking shears tend to keep the fraying down.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5sbgzGmEZTO0MumePSufQ8Qg7S3-BWoRM5JsN57sfP5aS45fLWca_bYyYUfI7Bx5sBodXocG6VyanBHu7Z7CeFZrvUPgl0vIMSgB03RGyFxr545Uovm7WaURX1L7BiHKU8eq2IvEdpA-/s1600/2015+over+sink+curtain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5sbgzGmEZTO0MumePSufQ8Qg7S3-BWoRM5JsN57sfP5aS45fLWca_bYyYUfI7Bx5sBodXocG6VyanBHu7Z7CeFZrvUPgl0vIMSgB03RGyFxr545Uovm7WaURX1L7BiHKU8eq2IvEdpA-/s320/2015+over+sink+curtain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is is above the sink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The curtains are a little slapped up there. It was a practice embroidered towel I did, but I couldn't bear to wash dishes with it after all that work, so I split it in two, hand sewed a seam and voila!<br />
<br />
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</script><br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Boston, MA, USA42.3600825 -71.0588801000000142.1722125 -71.3816036 42.547952499999994 -70.736156600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-22068189587761031162015-06-01T06:33:00.000-07:002015-06-04T05:09:28.479-07:00Strawberries!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6br95JajZ9O8PdXw4YuWdCV1ZFG-tMaZUGZCSDBxjSWg4bxkyXFMS0acOK_E0EXocKaLSeGSWz8fRjgeFaJ1sRhTTQMdLceKB6I1bUoSnTzRN9YsViYKgGlnUdXqGSDl5BcAzN-DNfcmb/s1600/WP_20150512_10_24_14_Panorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6br95JajZ9O8PdXw4YuWdCV1ZFG-tMaZUGZCSDBxjSWg4bxkyXFMS0acOK_E0EXocKaLSeGSWz8fRjgeFaJ1sRhTTQMdLceKB6I1bUoSnTzRN9YsViYKgGlnUdXqGSDl5BcAzN-DNfcmb/s400/WP_20150512_10_24_14_Panorama.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
My strawberries this year are much smaller than last year. I believe fertilizing at the proper time will fix that for next harvest, but until then, the small berries are delicious to eat, if not a little more labor intensive.<br />
When I posted about them on my Facebook page, I noticed that there was interest in growing them, even from people who didn't normally seem inclined towards food gardening before. With that in mind, I am going to share what I have learned about growing strawberries and hook you all up with a couple of places on the internet that I used for sources on growing them. My Sweet Charlie, that I got three years ago was the first time I tried strawberries. I have noticed, as I have gotten older, waiting a year for a good harvest isn't such a big deal. I have heard of people getting a harvest on first year plants, but my first year the blossoms were spare, so I nipped off the buds to redirect that energy towards establishing themselves. <a href="http://inbetweenhomestead.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-garden-updates.html" target="_blank">Boy, was I rewarded last year!</a><br />
Other things that are in the works is a video series dealing with cooking from scratch. The point will be to really teach the basics, hopefully in the style of Julia Child. I think that a lot of the issues with people not cooking is that it seems so time consuming and complicated. It can be time consuming if you want to be very complex, but most real cooking was invented by women who did not have the time to spare either as they worked the farm and cared for children and, though many may not believe this, work for money too. Women have worked from the beginning of time, it wasn't until the mid 20th century that there was an expectation of women staying home with the kids.<br />
So, the series will help people learn things like cutting up a chicken, how to make the "mother sauces" only five very simple sauces from which you can make any sauce simply with things you have on hand. There will be lessons on braising (the best way to use cheap, meat cuts if meat is your thing), how to cook vegetables and some down and dirty lessons on fast cooking from what is on hand in your home.<br />
I have other things floating around as ideas for this blog, but they are not formed enough to discuss, but there are things in the works. Remember how I said that thing about patience? I am trying to learn to have some with myself too, as it takes me much longer to create here than I would like. Be patient with me please,<br />
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<b><u>Strawberries 101</u></b></h2>
<div>
First and most importantly, choose your strawberries well. The strawberries you get at the grocery are often hard, and tasteless. This will also be true of your strawberries if you pick the same variety, which is grown for size and toughness. The one thing you really don't want your berries to be are "tough", they are delicate and that is why this time of year is eagerly awaited by my family as this is when the "real" berries come out, reminding us why, despite the heat, summer is one of the very best times of year.<br />
Strawberries have two major types. One is "June bearing" which is exactly what it sounds like. The other consists of varieties that are "everbearing", which means that they do not give one large crop, but continuously bloom and produce as long as the weather is good. June bearers do flower out of their season, and it is up to you to allow it or not. I prefer to take off the blooms after the June crops have finished to help focus the plants attention on renewing itself (themselves) for the next year. This year I also planted a bunch of everbearers, but they are in their first year, so I am not expecting anything.<br />
You also want a berry that is good for the climate you are in. The Sweet Charlie is good from zones 5-8, for those not understanding the zones, 8 is pretty much the coldest the US gets (outside of Alaska, poor Alaska, we never count you lol). I am in Zone 6a. "A" represents a "microclimate" large enough to be named within the zone. That means that while I have a cold night, often, just up the road, there is actual frost on the ground. This is important to know when protecting plants. I learned about the microclimates when researching why my rosemary always dies when left outside, even when sheltered. Zone 6 is the most cold a rosemary plant can handle, and then, only certain varieties living in certain microclimates survive our winters. This is information you want regarding your strawberries. Sweet Charlie has a lot of disease and pest resistance, and it one of the more popular varieties for the colder areas of the United States. If you are interested in the specifics, please refer to <a href="http://strawberryplants.org/2010/05/strawberry-plant/" target="_blank">StrawberryPlants.org</a>, and they have everything you would want to know about strawberries. What I put here is what I have learned so far, which isn't nearly as much as is on the site, but should be good as a "quick start" for someone wanting to give strawberries a try.</div>
<div>
If you want a nice cold weather perennial garden, there are ways to grow strawberries in the same beds as Asparagus for a great Spring crop.</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
First Things First</h3>
<div>
Choose a place for your beds. There are many ways to grow strawberries, and I chose the easiest at the time for me, but not necessarily the best. I learned the hard way that I need to make use of the internet about everything I plant, because even though I grew up with gardens, there is still a lot I do not know.<br />
You want one of the sunniest, most well drained spots in your yard. For me that meant growing in a mound. I planted six plants in two rows of three, well spaced apart. As they establish themselves, they throw out "runners" which have daughter plants (clones), which will take over if you do not keep an eye on them. This will matter in the finally configuration of your bed.<br />
You want to dig down about six inches if you are making a traditional bed. Into that mix good amounts of compost that has been well rotted, or well rotted manure, or both. Strawberries like a nice rich soil, and compost is the best (and cheapest) way to achieve that. The plants can be spaced pretty far apart (up to two feet) and will fill in very quickly. If you want neat rows like you see at pick it yourself places, you will need to keep an eye on the runners and carefully lift and set into soil where you want them. If you have had spider plants, you should recognize this type of reproduction in plants.<br />
Strawberries also needs lots of water. I mostly hand water, but as soon as my gutters are fixed, I will be putting in a barrel and hooking up a system of drip irrigation with that. Until then, I hand water. The first year they will not need any fertilizer if you prepared your beds, or rows, well.<br />
<br />
Since they have shallow root systems, mulch is a must. Mulch will help keep water from evaporating into the air and drying out the bed, and will also help supress weeds as the strawberries establish themselves. I prefer to use straw or saltwater hay for this. Both will contribute to the soil as they rot away. Straw is probably best, but the bales are large and I would be using it for my other garden plants as well. If you do not have guaranteed snow cover in the winter, it is advisable to heap straw over them in the Fall to protect them from the frigid temperatures when there is no benefit of snow cover in the offerings.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Now What?</h3>
<div>
Now that you have chosen your site and configuration of the bed, dug in some compost and made sure the bed would be well drained, it is time to plant. I planted my bare root stock, which is how strawberries are usually sold, 2 feet apart in a rectangle configuration. If you look at this post again, you will see that they filled out amazingly, so if you are going for neat rows, make sure that the root stock are planted at least three feet from each other, leaving a nice 2 foot path in between to make upkeep a bit easier to do. I am kind of lucky in that my mound is separating naturally, so I don't feel so badly about stepping in the middle to pick the berries. This is how they looked the very first year after planting them in the fall after raking away the salt water hay I used to cover them for the winter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLndc4P8G1UsB_GXmwFZEFneWvxKiL1oTIlQmpsgHOGGxOPLIjspVUJDkfhHpA8GSCO0PtyF4Cwd2ZnCvZT4TVYtO84EFsAzqSnopZgApwNZPK_o5F2N2jdcRbbmFxB4YfjV1tvrEL4cTe/s640/WP_20130408_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLndc4P8G1UsB_GXmwFZEFneWvxKiL1oTIlQmpsgHOGGxOPLIjspVUJDkfhHpA8GSCO0PtyF4Cwd2ZnCvZT4TVYtO84EFsAzqSnopZgApwNZPK_o5F2N2jdcRbbmFxB4YfjV1tvrEL4cTe/s640/WP_20130408_009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a photo of the second year:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr-n_xEMG293R8W2vK76ogNgvWQ4R8SiYgd0aTJvIbZHWmDWCTwqSYcluorK7irnuMPPma7_g5cgbv1UmFRSU0TaGIvYOuJxuciVzHnc3tcDJHYVFIYMPmOZCgp5uHkzX9zvS4Qv16Iio/s1600/Strawberry+fields+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr-n_xEMG293R8W2vK76ogNgvWQ4R8SiYgd0aTJvIbZHWmDWCTwqSYcluorK7irnuMPPma7_g5cgbv1UmFRSU0TaGIvYOuJxuciVzHnc3tcDJHYVFIYMPmOZCgp5uHkzX9zvS4Qv16Iio/s1600/Strawberry+fields+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And here we are this year</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKY5FNWGfqg51IXv8FRdGKYag69Q2GfYchCCPmToJiPgAEFHhu7Qm3Jw-5ewIV7TFAJs0_gy9PE9QaVEYLAUzNbVlLiCbKejobbkZ4njSAz1Z67ej4aWT-hMi840t3uzfPDXSu8hmGRt1/s1600/Garden+2015+Strawberry+Bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKY5FNWGfqg51IXv8FRdGKYag69Q2GfYchCCPmToJiPgAEFHhu7Qm3Jw-5ewIV7TFAJs0_gy9PE9QaVEYLAUzNbVlLiCbKejobbkZ4njSAz1Z67ej4aWT-hMi840t3uzfPDXSu8hmGRt1/s400/Garden+2015+Strawberry+Bed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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They yellowing and upturned leaves show that when this picture was taken the soil was dried out, and I believe they needed a little magnesium. It is probably best to test the soil for this, but I went ahead and gave them a nice Epsom Salts drink around this time. They were not covered the year before due to not having money to buy the straw or hay, and we did not mow them over in the fall as we did the year before. Both of these things will be remedied this year.</div>
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So, you can see that they spread very fast. Make sure you keep this in mind when picking out a spot. This year we included some every bearers into the mix. They are growing on the borders of my vegetable patch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB-JROA-FZPMy05d8qTX77Gt1N-M0Ik1wFdOoGCde9QbN17bTKhztXVPWYjm5wa9enTVjMIesc-D30WEs7N1-Np01OWx8kNXD1YGBe30zQly2WmWJo08JMEU42fdrPdvg5TMq_YXdGPBs/s1600/Garden+2015+New+strawberry+borders+%2528359x124%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNB-JROA-FZPMy05d8qTX77Gt1N-M0Ik1wFdOoGCde9QbN17bTKhztXVPWYjm5wa9enTVjMIesc-D30WEs7N1-Np01OWx8kNXD1YGBe30zQly2WmWJo08JMEU42fdrPdvg5TMq_YXdGPBs/s400/Garden+2015+New+strawberry+borders+%2528359x124%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The defined border was created just by piling rocks around the area prepared for the strawberries. These will have to be watched carefully to keep them from taking over the rest of the garden. At least if they do run roughshod, I get some juicy jewels out of the deal. That is a take over I can get behind.<br /><br />Another thing to strongly consider is how to protect your berries as they ripen. The red will attract fruit and seed eating birds, so I would suggest picking up some cheap netting to protect your beautiful fruits.</div>
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<h3>
To Sum Up</h3>
<div>
1. Research and purchase the best strawberries for your climate and needs.<br />
2. Choose a sunny, well drain site for your strawberry rootstock.</div>
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3.. Dig in compost or well aged manure into the beds, water well.</div>
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4. Plant strawberries at least 2 feet apart, water in well.</div>
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5. In the fall of the first year, cover high with straw until Spring.</div>
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6. In the first year, it is better to go without the berries and pick off the blossoms so that they become well established.</div>
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7. In the second year, mow well and cover with straw in the Fall before the first frost is best.<br />
8. Don't forget to start thinking about how to protect them as they ripen.</div>
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My second year I picked over 20 pounds of strawberries from six plants (I planted seven, but one was dug up by the squirrels.<br />
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I hope that this helps people looking to grow strawberries. I advise really researching anything you want to grow before purchasing seeds or plants. This is a suggestion based on my own experiences, I wish I had been more thorough the first year with my plantings, fortunately there were not huge losses, but lessons were learned.<br />
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Another site that I use to get information on specific plants is: <a href="http://www.garden.org/plantguide/index.php?q=show&id=2117">Garden.Org</a> which has planting guides and helpful articles regarding a number of plants and is an excellent jumping off point to begin your research. I also use this <a href="http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/">Garden Planner</a> which you can try free the first year. If you choose to continue, you will be able to use your old plans in the next year to help plan around a rotation. The plans will flash red in places that a specific plant should not be grown that year. Totally worth the subscription, especially if you make use of the videos they made. </div>
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</div>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Near Boston, MA, USA42.4250964 -71.06616300000001742.3782149 -71.146844000000016 42.4719779 -70.985482000000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-38937758303899672222014-10-07T11:37:00.000-07:002014-10-07T11:38:02.324-07:00Waste Not, Want NotIn honor of Massachusetts passing a "no food waste" bill for places that serve hot foods, I am taking up a challenge of "no food waste" in my own home.<br />
Having the privilege of a garbage disposal, it is very easy to lose sight of how much food, good edible food, gets wasted due to poor planning or simple laziness. While I do compost quite a lot, I am limited because of close neighbors and too much neighborhood vermin (not necessarily the same thing *wink*), as well as city laws which prohibit feeding the wild life. All it takes is someone to get a wild hair across their ass and I am being fined for "feeding the wild life". I know, I know.<br />
So far, I have instituted a <a href="http://inbetweenhomestead.blogspot.com/2014/07/wormy-composting.html" target="_blank">worm bin</a>, and have a contained compost outside for some of the overflow of scraps and waste. I also have a "less is more" rule when it comes to food. Take a just a little. If you are still hungry, there is more (usually), but it is less likely that food left on a plate will be saved if not eaten.<br />
Still, there is a LOT of waste. I am embarrassed to admit that I have had to throw out, in this past month alone, one whole roasting chicken and 2 smallish round roasts. Partly, it is because I had some flares and 'sodes that prevented me from taking care of it right away, and partly is was piss poor planning. This was food intended for processing and storing, but I had too much to do at once, and with the pain I could not do as much as I needed to. So, wasted food and money, money we do not have and will have to come out of something else, like my med and doctor co pays, or holding off on paying the monthly mortgage in full. That is not acceptable. It is also not acceptable that all of the resources connected to growing that food were wasted too. Meat uses a LOT of resources, so I am especially perturbed at wasting meat, which cannot be composted or used in another way.<br />
The first step is to create a menu. I have often created weekly menus, using the sales flyer and current food stores to save money and cut back on waste. The problems with doing just a weekly menu is that it must be done more often, which means it is unlikely to be done every single week, increasing the problem of food waste. My answer was to come up with a monthly plan, based more on the types of sales one sees during that season. I plan to have several monthly meal plans set up to easily mix and match, so that eventually, I will not have to create one at all. Doing this in excel makes it much easier to play around with various menus so that each month is personalized, working with current sales and most importantly, what is in season to work with.<br />
This months menu took me two full days to create, but please, do not let that stop you. First, it takes me longer to do things than it used to, so my timeline is not yours. Second, I used an Excel worksheet that someone else made up, so I had to not only make the menu, but go through all of the recipes and create a standardized way of converting all of the ingredients so that it would produce a workable grocery list. Since the menu is for an entire month, and there are still a couple months in Autumn left, if I cannot make another next month, this one is easy to reuse since there is a different meal for each day. A monthly rotation leaves a lot more variety than a weekly one.<br />
Besides using an Excel workbook, I also made a cuisine for each day of the week. Monday is "meatless" or at least "nearly meatless", Tuesday is Italian, Wednesday is soup, Thursday is Pizza (homemade is the plan, but at least ordering one is not' expensive), Friday is for family comfort foods, Saturday is up in the air as a way to either use up left overs or foods that were not used from the last shopping trip because, well, life does happen, And Sunday is a family dinner type meal like roast chicken or lasagna, something that I associate with big family dinners. I also try to keep leftovers from meals in mind while planning.<br />
Here is a screen shot of my meal plan:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxhyUItwfn2GrQJRSrT4GTIPOJksaGps5DT4or0VuGuNoAhdqUrzXKC_zejhZCUwhp6_TmPgMtBExMkOfh6vkN-T6yR8mAYtZhxkEPe2xXgAl8GtUkWh_wmMHxiOuQmPFvbHqn_fhiPgV/s1600/screen+shot+of+meal+plan+October.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxhyUItwfn2GrQJRSrT4GTIPOJksaGps5DT4or0VuGuNoAhdqUrzXKC_zejhZCUwhp6_TmPgMtBExMkOfh6vkN-T6yR8mAYtZhxkEPe2xXgAl8GtUkWh_wmMHxiOuQmPFvbHqn_fhiPgV/s1600/screen+shot+of+meal+plan+October.png" height="356" width="640" /></a></div>
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You should be able to find templates for many different types of planners, all free, just do a search using your favorite search engine.<br />
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When there are mistakes, there needs to be a way to take care of the possible waste. I like different preserving practices, and they all have excellent uses, but currently I am using the dehydrator because I find that it is easy to store, and easy to do.<br />
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My husband accidentally got 5 extra pounds of organic carrots and 3 English cucumbers too many for our meals last week, so I have dehydrated shredded carrots as well as sliced some and blanched them for use in soups and such. There is also 1/2 large cucumbers worth of slices flavored with cinnamon and sugar for crispy snacks, but that is an experiment I will share if they turn out properly tasty and edible.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-24714248777721097482014-09-17T06:12:00.000-07:002014-09-17T06:12:30.514-07:00I Have Yum Yums!The pain has really been taking a toll on me the past few months. It is very difficult to think about food when concentrating on just getting important things accomplished. Still, with all the lovely fresh tomatoes coming from my garden, and the wonderful surprise of beautiful carrots, I had no choice but to cook (and preserve) the bounty. So far, I have canned up salsas and tomatoes (cut up and as a plain sauce) and dehydrated a lot of zucchini and such, which is terrific (and will be blogged about another time), but the real treats have been the new recipes I have created to take care of some of the glut.<br />
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My first two recipes were created in tandem. I was whipping up some American Chop Suey and decided that, as will all foods, bacon would be a perfect boost to flavor. I could not bear to waste all that flavorful fat, so I sauteed onions in it for the dish, but realized that I made too much, so 1/2 a cup of the now cooked onions were set aside for the salad.<br />
I also made a delicious pot roast last night. My son came by in the morning, and after poking around in the garden in the cool morning air, we walked (or I hobbled) to the local butcher to see what he had. There, I picked up five pounds of chicken backs for stock as well as 2 1/2 pounds of chuck roast. There was little fat on it, especially for a chuck roast, but it cooked up nicely in wine and dried tomatoes from last season.<br />
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I do not have pictures of everything, that tends to be one of the last things on the list to do, and as I mentioned, it has been rough these past weeks.<br />
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Without further ado, here we go.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBpUwZjvYNb-LxXZXAmNpdhef5IchXYE6_Dn9ZH2Agt0SjvP22nhyphenhyphendSGRL_6eONZBez-VaGn5YMFY9pSTLeaiJGHhG_P1vb808Y8DuEeaUMNRH3081UCLLmtxKuYqUpzuIPMID3wPxA_Z/s1600/Pot+Roast+with+Dried+Tomatoes+and+Mushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBpUwZjvYNb-LxXZXAmNpdhef5IchXYE6_Dn9ZH2Agt0SjvP22nhyphenhyphendSGRL_6eONZBez-VaGn5YMFY9pSTLeaiJGHhG_P1vb808Y8DuEeaUMNRH3081UCLLmtxKuYqUpzuIPMID3wPxA_Z/s1600/Pot+Roast+with+Dried+Tomatoes+and+Mushrooms.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></div>
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Beef Pot Roast with Mushrooms and "Sun Dried" Tomatoes<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast<br />
1 cup dry red wine<br />
1/2 cup dried tomatoes, not in oil (I used dried cherry tomatoes from last seasons garden)<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped (I cut into quarters then slice them)<br />
2 sprigs of rosemary<br />
salt and pepper<br />
3 large white potatoes, peeled and halved<br />
1/2 pound or more of carrots (carrots have a strong flavor, so just enough to serve the number of folks eating) trimmed and scraped when necessary.<br />
8 oz sliced mushrooms, roughly chopped if large<br />
2 Tablespoons flower<br />
2 Tablespoons butter<br />
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I use my slow cooker to make this, but it will work wonderfully on the stove top too. Just cook it on a very low simmer rather than use the slow cooking instructions. Alternative, you can use the oven on a low setting, but you will have to experiment as I have no oven to work with currently.<br />
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Since my slow cooker has an insert I can use on the stove top, I do that. Everyone else should use a heavy saute pan of some sort, just be sure it is non reactive as the wine can cause a reaction with some metals. Non reactive would be enameled cast iron, cast iron that is VERY WELL seasoned. My pans are well over a hundred years old, and I do not feel confident they are sealed enough, but that is me based on my having tried making tomato sauce in the darned things for years before figuring out why it tasted "off" all the time. Other pans to use are stainless steel or anything with a non stick surface, though the fond won't be as nice from non stick.<br />
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Salt the beef and sear in a pan on high heat using a touch of oil just to keep the sticking down a bit. The browned bits are full of flavor, so you don't need to keep it from sticking entirely, we just don't want burned bits rather than deep brown. Give it a really good sear, your patience will be rewarded (thank you Alton Brown).<br />
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Remove browned beef from the pan and add the onions. Keep an eye on it and stir until they start to get translucent. Add the garlic and cook until the smell of the garlic wafts up from the pan. Add the wine, starting with 1/2 cup to deglaze the pan. Continue adding the wine and let cook for a bit to help dull the alcohol flavor a bit. Add the beef back to the pan along with the dried tomatoes and set on high for one hour and turn to low for two more hours.<br />
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Prepare the vegetables. These are small carrots from my garden that were just gorgeous, so I left some of the stem and cleaned them very thoroughly, as well as scraping the skins off of the ones that were bumpy to be sure I removed all of the dirt. Peel the potatoes (I find the larger whites have tough skins, but if you are using younger white potatoes or red skinned types, you can leave the skin on)<br />
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Put the vegetables and rosemary in the pot, turn to high for one hour and then back to low until the vegetables are cooked through, another two hours.<br />
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To make the gravy, add the butter to a frying or saute pan and cook the mushrooms until the liquid escapes, dissipates, and the mushrooms start to brown. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes to get the raw flavor of flour out. Strain the pan juices and slowly add to the pan until you reach your desired thickness. Remember to keep it a bit thin as it will thicken as soon as it starts to cool a little.<br />
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Serve!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3o7oT2PebEIVCGrKHKeE36lHX3UP-DdKQIYniTVUBDgSsPpHv1AIzYdk8eIAtnxr0IyImEe3qEkEpEd3iy2qMOOsP8tn0lDnFXCgpzI5BWKVReMMX6mQSGzLGjTRoISMLRvSRDB9tkvW/s1600/InstagramCapture_b83cd963-5e79-4f20-863f-964a6963d89d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3o7oT2PebEIVCGrKHKeE36lHX3UP-DdKQIYniTVUBDgSsPpHv1AIzYdk8eIAtnxr0IyImEe3qEkEpEd3iy2qMOOsP8tn0lDnFXCgpzI5BWKVReMMX6mQSGzLGjTRoISMLRvSRDB9tkvW/s1600/InstagramCapture_b83cd963-5e79-4f20-863f-964a6963d89d.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are they not gorgeous?<br /></td></tr>
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I have no pictures for the next two recipes. At least I do not right now, but it was so delicious I could not, not share.<br />
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American Chop Suey Michele Style<br />
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1 pound ground beef<br />
6 slices good bacon<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
3 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 1/2 pounds of plum tomatoes, peeled and cut up<br />
1 cup chicken stock (broth will work, but the gelatin in the stock makes this amazing)<br />
2 cups shaped pasta (traditionally elbows, but I used <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campanelle" target="_blank">campenelle</a> which was perfect)<br />
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Cook the bacon until brown and just crispy. Do not over cook as it will taste "off". Remove the bacon to drain. Pour out the fat, leaving two tablespoons for cooking the onion. Add the onions and cook until translucent and just slightly starting to caramelize. Remove 1/2 cup of onion for use in salad. Add garlic to pan and cook until the smell of the garlic wafts from the pan to your face. Remove vegetables to a bowl.<br />
Brown the ground beef. Leave some nice lumps, you want something to chew in this. Drain the beef and add the vegetables back in along with the tomatoes and stock, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add pasta, cover and cook ten minutes more or until pasta is al dente. Add four slices of lightly crumbled bacon and stir. (the other two slices are for the salad)<br />
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Snow White Salad<br />
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I call this Snow White salad because that is the type of tomatoes I used and they are fabulous. Substitutions can be any sweet tasting tomato, preferably a cherry or grape variety.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1-2 cups of Snow White cherry tomatoes, cut in halves.<br />
2 big handfuls of baby spinach, well washed and trimmed<br />
1/2 cup of onions cooked in bacon fat<br />
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled<br />
1 tablespoon mayonnaise<br />
Pinch of salt, if required (to taste)<br />
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This is easy, just toss it all together in a bowl. The onions should not be hot, but warm is fine. The amount of mayonnaise is a suggestion, there is no need to use a lot, just enough to make a light dressing with the juices from the tomatoes and the flavors from the bacon and onions. Serve immediately, this salad does not keep well, to my eternal sadness.<br />
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Stay tuned for my laundry detergent tests, making dishwasher discs, and other fun things I have been doing this season aside from gardening.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Malden, MA, USA42.4250964 -71.06616300000001742.3782149 -71.146844000000016 42.4719779 -70.985482000000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-48393755820502662142014-08-20T13:22:00.002-07:002017-04-17T08:18:20.157-07:00The Cheepah Chicken<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Okay, maybe I am the only one who remembers "Father of the Bride" with Steve Martin, but hey, the title makes me giggle and it is what goes through my head whenever I get chicken. I am not a huge fan of chicken generally, which is unfortunate because a whole chicken is a budgeting dream. This fryer was regularly 1.49 a pound, and while the roasters are .20 cents less, they are also much bigger. With a small family and only one large appetite, the smaller ones work better for us. That and the roasters tend to be less tasty when fried, which is what the legs will be used for.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Since I am usually not well, the idea of spending "spoons" making a grocery list and menu within a budget, and then going to the store and fighting the masses, then lugging it all home, putting it away and starting to process meats and fruits for use, it is a bit too much. I have lost a lot of meat and vegetables trying to do it all, even in a few days, so now I often go through Peapod online. My husband can pick it up for free, and that way doesn't have to work so hard after working so hard at the job all day. I have learned how to keep within a budget this way, and have stopped buying some things that are much more expensive through the service than if we went down ourselves. All of that was a lead up to saying that I got two chickens by accident. This worked out for you all, because after I processed one bird, I had my husband come in and take some photos of the second one to share on this blog. I would like to apologize in advance for the photo set up. The pictures were great, but I had to compile them like this to keep the page from loading improperly. They also seem somewhat over-sized for the blogger format even though I used their settings. This is the smallest I could set them and still be able to see anything.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Each chicken left me with:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 boneless chicken breast halves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1/2 pound of chicken tenders</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 drumsticks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 thighs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 wings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 carcass, bag of innards plus scraps for stock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 liver which I freeze in a container until I have enough to do something with.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 quarts of clear chicken broth</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Keep in mind that there are more than one way to process a chicken. If I were making a large fried chicken dinner, for example, I would have kept the breasts on the bone and cut each half in half again. If I wanted to also serve chicken wings at the same time, I would have cut them off slightly different, so that they would have more meat on them from the breast. In this case, my husband has been helping with the cooking a lot and is a bit leery of cooking meat on bones, so I went ahead and boned the breasts which gave me more bones for the stock pot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The one thing that will save your sanity while doing this very simple task is preparation. Yes, processing a chicken from the market is pretty simple. Once you do it a couple of times you will be a pro and wonder why you haven't been doing this all along.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clean your work surface thoroughly and remove any clutter. You will need:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 large cutting board</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Various knives, I use my 8 inch chefs, Sontuku and paring knives</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Poultry shears, these are not a "must" but they do make some of the jobs easier</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Soft headed mallet, OR a nice heavy cleaver</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2 clothes, one sanitary one that is not to be used with any of the actual chicken or juices, and one that is okay to wipe your hands on, it should be immediately put in the wash after as salmonella bacteria spread pretty easily and cross contamination is how most folks end up sick from it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Paper towels</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 bowl for livers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 bowl for chicken wings</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 bowl or plate for finished parts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 large stock pot, if you have any bags of scraps saved for stock, now is the time to put that in right off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1 wash cloth</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dish soap for clean up and washing hands. You will wash your hands a lot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Set up your work space, making sure everything is easy to get to. I keep the wash cloth rinsed and by the sink so I can use it to turn on the faucet to avoid cross contamination from my chickeny hands.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhLm8pnsEPqx1KYl1v3jUhI4jqoT8-yJVMS0Yl8j2UlQr8vFY0fStk0Vws3XrUQTNRLt-dzEuVakKzXNxGQGcEdAiyR9LA02KEouFkp2GLrtH9xwG3lR26EZhv_pz70y0u-W5ri6BOwNx/s1600/2014+chicken+set+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Set up for cutting up a whole chicken" border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxhLm8pnsEPqx1KYl1v3jUhI4jqoT8-yJVMS0Yl8j2UlQr8vFY0fStk0Vws3XrUQTNRLt-dzEuVakKzXNxGQGcEdAiyR9LA02KEouFkp2GLrtH9xwG3lR26EZhv_pz70y0u-W5ri6BOwNx/s320/2014+chicken+set+up.jpg" title="" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This is part of my set up. As you do this more often, you will find your own way that works best for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">First, remove the wings</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhju4DlcTBC3GdRmG50MYHaxqEMhXz2E0Ng3FmQ7cQWaMnvlAMplD3zBNZs6NQiMU6EzP-i6BVsq8s2tJclVIeXHnbK0D3drTBDnIUsAR4cuydbqfEMf9FWv5vxKAh1RJO6hoTJ8lOwtSxJ/s1600/debone+a+chicken+the+wings+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="How to image for removing the wings on the chicken" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhju4DlcTBC3GdRmG50MYHaxqEMhXz2E0Ng3FmQ7cQWaMnvlAMplD3zBNZs6NQiMU6EzP-i6BVsq8s2tJclVIeXHnbK0D3drTBDnIUsAR4cuydbqfEMf9FWv5vxKAh1RJO6hoTJ8lOwtSxJ/s640/debone+a+chicken+the+wings+%25281%2529.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For a better view of the photos, right click and choose "open image in new tab". When your cursor is over the photo, you should see it become a magnifying glass with a + inside of it. Just click on the photo to make it original size.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Next we take the legs and thighs</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAy3eRLG_Nun57pAFjqYgvQHmobntEsmhoCzMubmHT1wI6mnBlaJNRNKpYh9WdGZChRH1PZl38cVionjsvJsXA9SBOCtAaJo9rHio9nHhvRmM46g-pGZdlb9HoFmNg2kRhRnRxQvQD9Mi/s1600/debone+chicken+leg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Pictorial of removing the legs and thighs from a whole chicken" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAy3eRLG_Nun57pAFjqYgvQHmobntEsmhoCzMubmHT1wI6mnBlaJNRNKpYh9WdGZChRH1PZl38cVionjsvJsXA9SBOCtAaJo9rHio9nHhvRmM46g-pGZdlb9HoFmNg2kRhRnRxQvQD9Mi/s640/debone+chicken+leg.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Removing the back will help with boning the breast</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsLTK0EQHY84xci6JMpVHHcq0YLzrKDzyXVrvtTSPaTM3xFvEi58QsQaky9XEIv5u08dAoNQQIf99iaDrZ-qC07Cwj9DD07h5aZU8ru8ENiCpN8wZprRaMpDsa0CYbWfPXFZeVcstA75N/s1600/debone+chicken+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Pictorial of removing the back bone of a whole chicken" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsLTK0EQHY84xci6JMpVHHcq0YLzrKDzyXVrvtTSPaTM3xFvEi58QsQaky9XEIv5u08dAoNQQIf99iaDrZ-qC07Cwj9DD07h5aZU8ru8ENiCpN8wZprRaMpDsa0CYbWfPXFZeVcstA75N/s640/debone+chicken+back.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">De-boning a breast is easy!</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPdkBfxlhGSJpCImZr-VIkS10KjeSGZ9Zq_hjHhCjR_T1CZUTDxzAE8OLLFoLh6guUYVuy4GINk6zQ0kcPrH8S3-eITlI6UezYhXkcu65uiAYTaKRjPspZDDJ3xMnD58Mn_L5-S3clbdp/s1600/debone+chicken+breast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="Pictorial of deboning a whole chicken breast" border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPdkBfxlhGSJpCImZr-VIkS10KjeSGZ9Zq_hjHhCjR_T1CZUTDxzAE8OLLFoLh6guUYVuy4GINk6zQ0kcPrH8S3-eITlI6UezYhXkcu65uiAYTaKRjPspZDDJ3xMnD58Mn_L5-S3clbdp/s640/debone+chicken+breast.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLZKK1zj9lFu3SE65rHxmyWU0qdrJ1svyMsbJ4Hx1SgKG6J4RmwiTgGv8F-f8EEhCPiQXJeBuSK7CQYoriKGP1LEaClTK2-ne7MEpGQej7zPs_Ne6np0PqULjGQqEJAqZL06Ggsni6WxQ/s1600/2014+chicken+bits+stock+use.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="image of chicken left overs in a pot " border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLZKK1zj9lFu3SE65rHxmyWU0qdrJ1svyMsbJ4Hx1SgKG6J4RmwiTgGv8F-f8EEhCPiQXJeBuSK7CQYoriKGP1LEaClTK2-ne7MEpGQej7zPs_Ne6np0PqULjGQqEJAqZL06Ggsni6WxQ/s320/2014+chicken+bits+stock+use.jpg" title="" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I was done I had a bowl of chicken parts, a stock pot of extra bits for the stock and froze the liver separately for another use one day down the line. I also freeze my wings separately until I have enough for a meal, because buying them pre-cut is ridiculously expensive.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bEnyGN-S4OaUN8OV0OXfOWwdwz7El6US64j-RIaol_u78ZCVUVJZDKWLz5-QowGjn0UG-RANphyphenhyphen3IYtnWayV5U7J4ME6FL8h_G2zJsMEbjUFrdCrz5WaRwC4wxSiMZPngZNXNOzg-OUz/s1600/2014+chicken+bowl+of+parts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img alt="A heaping bowl of chicken parts, ready to go." border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bEnyGN-S4OaUN8OV0OXfOWwdwz7El6US64j-RIaol_u78ZCVUVJZDKWLz5-QowGjn0UG-RANphyphenhyphen3IYtnWayV5U7J4ME6FL8h_G2zJsMEbjUFrdCrz5WaRwC4wxSiMZPngZNXNOzg-OUz/s320/2014+chicken+bowl+of+parts.jpg" title="" width="287" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have a new found respect for folks who blog actual step by steps with photos now. Practice makes perfect.. right? Practice applies to cutting up your own chicken too. My husband took a lot of pictures, but the best ones where the ones when I was not trying to show anything, because it has become second nature to me. It is like trying to say the alphabet without the song, something you have to think about, otherwise you just do it.</span><br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-26958025174355935702014-08-06T10:05:00.002-07:002014-08-06T10:05:51.664-07:00The July Round UpI would be lying if I said that I haven't been a little disappointed with this years crops so far. Although my zucchini are looking really healthy, many of the baby fruits are shriveling before they become more than 1/2 inch wide (there are 8 ball zuccs, so they are round), the raspberries did produce well for the number of plants I think, but I was expecting enough to do something other than a syrup with, and the garlic was really tiny, much smaller than the bulb the cloves came from. Also, every time I plant lettuce, chard or spinach, something comes in and decides to flutter about in it, so all of my carefully placed seeds end up in piles, meaning any seeds that sprout are so close together that I lose more through thinning than I should. I try to transplant them back where they started, but they haven't been sturdy as of yet.<br />
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On the up side, and there is definitely an up side, I have harvested and eaten quite a lot. Oddly, despite the old French ways of cooking vegetables (braising a delicate lettuce like Boston Bibb for two hours? Really?), re watching old "The French Chef" tapes helped me to see how to circumvent some of the waste. For example, my family just won't make salad. It only gets made if I can stand up long enough to make it myself, and even then there are moans of sadness when it is presented on the plate. My husband seems most hostile to it.<br />
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So, when several pounds of it bolted in the garden, I despaired, until I saw Julia Child braise that unsuspecting lettuce. What if I peeled the thick stem that was bolting? I experimented and found that it tastes a lot like asparagus! Some of the leaves were also saved, but more was wasted than eaten because the tough ones and the ones with even a little of the red that happens once bolting starts was simply way too bitter for my family's taste buds. What was left though was excellent. If I have more in the future I will try to make something more interesting than a short braise with butter, salt, and pepper on it. One step at a time.<br />
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As stated before, the Mouse Melons are really happy where they are growing with my last remaining cabbage. I allowed a couple to get very big, but found that, like their cousins, they start to get more seedy and bitter as they get bigger. I will be saving some seeds from these plants though, because I am definitely growing more next year.<br />
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Even though the zucchini have been slow to produce viable fruit, I did get two lovely ones that were put together with some of the tomatoes into a gratin of sorts, with buttered bread crumbs and a tiny amount of Swiss cheese (told you, Julia...)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harvest from today and some of yesterday's harvest too (at least the part that wasn't eaten)<br /></td></tr>
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Yes, the picture is from August. July was a tough month to even manage the basics of the garden, so no pictures. Okay, that is partly because my kitchen was a mess and I generally didn't have enough spoons to clean AND snap photos. Below are the totals for July only. I haven't posted amounts for June other than the 20 pounds of strawberries which still amazes me.<br />
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Rhubarb: 1 pound 9 oz<br />
Garlic: six really small heads. Tasty, but small<br />
Lettuce: 2 pounds 3 oz of Salad type leaves and over 3 pounds of bolting stems and leaves. This was supposed to be a head type lettuce, but that never happened.<br />
Raspberries: 11.5 oz<br />
Swiss Chard: 1 pound 8 oz<br />
Mouse Melons: 1 pound 7 oz<br />
Carrots: a few spindly bits, not enough to weigh really.<br />
Snow Peas: not even a full handful over the course of the month.<br />
Cabbages: 3 pounds 8 oz I planted three heads, one is still in the ground, the other two are making sauerkraut. :)<br />
Tomatoes:<br />
Patio Princess: 6 oz (large cherry tomatoes or small regular ones)<br />
Snow White: 3.25 oz (cherry tomatoes)<br />
Plum: 4 oz<br />
And many bunches of basil, cinnamon basil, mint, flat leaf parsley, chives and snippets of other herbs like rosemary and French tarragon.<br />
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The tomatoes are heavy on the vines though, I expect a lot of ripening in the next couple of weeks.<br />
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For the record, here was the June harvest:<br />
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Strawberries: 20 pounds (can you tell how happy I am about that? LOL)<br />
Rhubarb: 2 pounds (maybe a bit more, I let some sit outside and get ruined after harvesting)<br />
Broccoli Rabe: 14.75 oz (test crop)<br />
Bok Choy: 2 pounds<br />
Spinach: 6 oz<br />
Lettuce 1 pound 6 oz<br />
Radishes: 6 oz<br />
Kale: 1 pound<br />
Swiss Chard: 1.5 oz<br />
Assorted herbsMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-53977279621265865852014-07-26T15:33:00.000-07:002014-07-26T15:33:49.059-07:00Really Good BuySince the weather will not be cool enough in my kitchen for pastries or candies any time soon, I am just posting this here without a recipe or anything to get the word out before these are gone.<br />
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This is a good sized (16x20) marble slab with feet that is 5/8 inch thick. I notice that it does slide on my cheapo countertops, but that is easily fixed. These marble slabs are also available (sans feet) at tiles at some hardware/tile type stores, but I have not been able to find anything of comparable size in the same price range. This link is an affiliate link and will take you to Amazon to purchase it. It is also available straight from Sur La Table and is not Prime eligible. It cost under 8 dollars to ship, which was still a deal for me.</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-3186543581540254262014-07-26T13:07:00.003-07:002014-07-26T13:13:44.315-07:00Getting Ready for Second SowingIt has been difficult getting out to the garden to do more than very urgent weeding and watering. I may have this a bit more under control, with drugs unfortunately. Still, it gets me out in the garden for a little longer than usual, and that is A Good Thingâ„¢. I am going to show some pictures that are already on the blog side by side with what I have going on now. This was a last minute decision because I saw the pictures from just under two weeks ago and was amazed at the difference in such a short time. I feel like I waited forever for the garden to take off, so here is some photographic proof that it is actually progressing pretty well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS7R7TZUYpfdTobqMERxCEUi92MdceZzNWDLXBMc48ILGUBcKFH9j14RLYGaidDbmrFDkisu-hpnAbrzr81_CRXKOCVqoqpw4yXZsjjTaqixxehyEmeDHYPcpfn9cijySApeqNHccmiTj/s1600/garden+2014+The+whole+back+yard+with+molly+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhS7R7TZUYpfdTobqMERxCEUi92MdceZzNWDLXBMc48ILGUBcKFH9j14RLYGaidDbmrFDkisu-hpnAbrzr81_CRXKOCVqoqpw4yXZsjjTaqixxehyEmeDHYPcpfn9cijySApeqNHccmiTj/s1600/garden+2014+The+whole+back+yard+with+molly+26+July.jpg" height="165" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is most of my backyard as seen today, 26 July 2014. In the foreground is my sweet old puppy Molly who has chosen to start coming outside on her own for the first time in her life. She is 13 years old, so you can teach an old dog new tricks! </td></tr>
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This is how things are shaping up so far:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApKtJAvlzi6qa6u-vC2CsxYjMg9ubcTiSsi8nrZ-cPFn7yHZqphGqnRwI-pN_1rTy5HcZz8EcwSjMrWDZQkn6ybxTa-9-BC30gsQjMiQNijQd2laVMTEB165BLzZHS6qWUUByaApbKSBe/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiApKtJAvlzi6qa6u-vC2CsxYjMg9ubcTiSsi8nrZ-cPFn7yHZqphGqnRwI-pN_1rTy5HcZz8EcwSjMrWDZQkn6ybxTa-9-BC30gsQjMiQNijQd2laVMTEB165BLzZHS6qWUUByaApbKSBe/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+1.jpg" height="223" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the three sisters on July 1</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_KDwtgJnZvNh9VxHPYIn0OQbujpA0VYz6DWNqb_R70XPXYULrkkrowaH3k3wfTcZGtg1g30c5TmtYcWKZ6EjcgX8Mce3aT6lhopqKqc9jMrzyhm54G6lmmR7U0rZXGoWdZRXXZCntIOV/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_KDwtgJnZvNh9VxHPYIn0OQbujpA0VYz6DWNqb_R70XPXYULrkkrowaH3k3wfTcZGtg1g30c5TmtYcWKZ6EjcgX8Mce3aT6lhopqKqc9jMrzyhm54G6lmmR7U0rZXGoWdZRXXZCntIOV/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+14.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the Three Sisters on July 14</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMItj1KBACCp1JSyqJFPbXsrjYmTc3-xXlaYwLAoGYrxxZ8gTCf4sfF_dAN5DzfyBlPJhzPgkMbov8bogUBjCns0ywvt0CV7evyrxcZ7VY1NjA_T5fEG9W-8PU6T-PcXCBahg6EG_jeoSk/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMItj1KBACCp1JSyqJFPbXsrjYmTc3-xXlaYwLAoGYrxxZ8gTCf4sfF_dAN5DzfyBlPJhzPgkMbov8bogUBjCns0ywvt0CV7evyrxcZ7VY1NjA_T5fEG9W-8PU6T-PcXCBahg6EG_jeoSk/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+26+July.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here are the Three Sisters today, July 26 !</td></tr>
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That is some serious growth. The corn is looking good and I have been checking the zucchini on a daily basis to see if the vine borers made it through the dirt again. So far the plants are very healthy looking, but the fruits are yellowing before they even shed the flower. I was told that they may not be being (or beeing, hee hee) pollinated, so I went out there with a makeup brush to do the deed myself, but haven't found any male flowers. These are the 8 ball zucchini, so if you know anything, please drop a comment. I saved one that managed to grow a little, but the blossom end looked a bit eaten, so I cut it down and added it to omelets the other night.<br />
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Here is a picture of my sadness:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiXIMRFQRTkOF8e5KsWEFTJuQ8LrVLX0QJiHNUYyXF8OmWI7ToQmkPAUBDMUQM7oAwfzh-wlvs-nINC3v9dITRtBnw0u9ErNjer9P4zpUY5ZK2GsIMnFIGmrHPl2xwA8a9Vq7jqfRNWN0/s1600/garden+2014+zuchinni+damage+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXiXIMRFQRTkOF8e5KsWEFTJuQ8LrVLX0QJiHNUYyXF8OmWI7ToQmkPAUBDMUQM7oAwfzh-wlvs-nINC3v9dITRtBnw0u9ErNjer9P4zpUY5ZK2GsIMnFIGmrHPl2xwA8a9Vq7jqfRNWN0/s1600/garden+2014+zuchinni+damage+26+July.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See how it is turning yellow from the blossom end and the blossom end looks a little like rot, like happens with tomatoes sometimes? These have been fertilized with seaweed several times, and they have been planted with beans that were treated with enzymes to hold the nitrogen.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwg4J44Wy1rKYwSqOno8aeW1TFeXqHN2RR4wL8YVmks023US5-pfCPu8-0PRKoSU9OV1b9L-BM3YLOFsGtsRyyN1t5siZasRJI4qINAtAOQ5M8wF_53AjJsC4Ldg9_ZQKWjsYYUvOPVyP/s1600/garden+2014+more+zuchinni+damage+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxwg4J44Wy1rKYwSqOno8aeW1TFeXqHN2RR4wL8YVmks023US5-pfCPu8-0PRKoSU9OV1b9L-BM3YLOFsGtsRyyN1t5siZasRJI4qINAtAOQ5M8wF_53AjJsC4Ldg9_ZQKWjsYYUvOPVyP/s1600/garden+2014+more+zuchinni+damage+26+July.jpg" height="163" width="320" /></a></div>
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There is a lot more happiness than sadness though. Remember my experiment with Mouse Melons (or Mexican Gherkins, or a few other names)? Well, I believe that they have been a success so far. The growth is amazing and I can't seem to keep up with making trellises for the plants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHYD6jNlgBze1PwOxg2Tu5l49Da7UA5JftG5Jiv__VCClPbAS0M4XD4hjgrUZoCeNQfTemZAPj89bCFV4FoKoeTrP4Qsa52B5kX5ENw7FGdZYb2LDarDVahN2qvT4ZCjDNkFWxB5mTmk-/s1600/garden+2014+gherkin,+eggplant+cabbage+lettuce+sunflower+marigolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqHYD6jNlgBze1PwOxg2Tu5l49Da7UA5JftG5Jiv__VCClPbAS0M4XD4hjgrUZoCeNQfTemZAPj89bCFV4FoKoeTrP4Qsa52B5kX5ENw7FGdZYb2LDarDVahN2qvT4ZCjDNkFWxB5mTmk-/s1600/garden+2014+gherkin,+eggplant+cabbage+lettuce+sunflower+marigolds.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the bed with the mouse melons in them July 1 (on the left). Two of the three of these cabbages are now sitting on my counter turning into sauerkraut. It looks divine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3KQcNYSbhVsglsAbGjlFpNxxqisM4HNKfyEyEu90GwajDJtMwLpXU68DB5jtcSD6VYmYwiBAy-NwvKqlUDTHwwhKDsk26Aa0YSJ7cHdI6R87RnmMifjyEInLQLyUid0L9fANfh1AZXYf/s1600/garden+2014+gherkins+July+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3KQcNYSbhVsglsAbGjlFpNxxqisM4HNKfyEyEu90GwajDJtMwLpXU68DB5jtcSD6VYmYwiBAy-NwvKqlUDTHwwhKDsk26Aa0YSJ7cHdI6R87RnmMifjyEInLQLyUid0L9fANfh1AZXYf/s1600/garden+2014+gherkins+July+14.jpg" height="174" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are the mouse melons just two weeks later, after I had created a trellis with some old supports from the compost pile and rough twine. Oh, and another stick, those suckers are taking off like crazy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjdHZxhHZ1fCihRoV7jZJmXWqvM-FRFfmuyXXWtbxfYh8784Y0K4LxXRtqpXjkUpUFGutM7lPV8-edPEmdCP5Qj4a_TN1zXT8WC6RWLsqit65Hkuwp-JvKbfFIVPMGmxQIl7AUvAQfTXF/s1600/garden+2014+bed+2+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjdHZxhHZ1fCihRoV7jZJmXWqvM-FRFfmuyXXWtbxfYh8784Y0K4LxXRtqpXjkUpUFGutM7lPV8-edPEmdCP5Qj4a_TN1zXT8WC6RWLsqit65Hkuwp-JvKbfFIVPMGmxQIl7AUvAQfTXF/s1600/garden+2014+bed+2+26+July.jpg" height="320" width="220" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is how I found the mouse melons this afternoon. I am definitely going to need a better trellis system set up before the wild growing time.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRI6EN0dgXf0iOTELCHDFfcLy6q7i691r1ZqHIhK9DY9mK0b1TAmB9fG0pbQeqasx7qYdnkI2DltDODEG9YJa1joINRmhxyLpucqlw9ZUS25BHAcmSU_A8pgGCnZt9sENSvzvWo-yLAmK/s1600/garden+2014+mouse+melon+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRI6EN0dgXf0iOTELCHDFfcLy6q7i691r1ZqHIhK9DY9mK0b1TAmB9fG0pbQeqasx7qYdnkI2DltDODEG9YJa1joINRmhxyLpucqlw9ZUS25BHAcmSU_A8pgGCnZt9sENSvzvWo-yLAmK/s1600/garden+2014+mouse+melon+26+July.jpg" height="320" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was out there this morning at 5:30 am and picked all of the large mouse melons that I could find. When I came out this afternoon to take pictures, look at what I found. It most assuredly was not that large this morning. These things are prolific. I love it! Makes me look like I have a green thumb and stuff.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCltkCgj_tQf8tJA3mXZi7oYoORyWxWKDbYedyuczILRHY8zTpH3vuziHvxbYi94s3r_lAmHFe2RGVrI77CWAU7h6Wr_sfm9wqU6Noup1s8wRCP6REAsmFG4N08QhlVXiYhmmhENjtl5S/s1600/WP_20140726_14_19_43_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCltkCgj_tQf8tJA3mXZi7oYoORyWxWKDbYedyuczILRHY8zTpH3vuziHvxbYi94s3r_lAmHFe2RGVrI77CWAU7h6Wr_sfm9wqU6Noup1s8wRCP6REAsmFG4N08QhlVXiYhmmhENjtl5S/s1600/WP_20140726_14_19_43_Pro.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It pulled one of the metal poles over! Mind you, these are just five of the seedlings that I planted. I started 10 seeds inside and they all germinated.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ynt-u1g_13x3xCAYejPymMvXzN3VDaIvKu6HqQOnIWfJHVW5uHPmS6gYOB8iaLU6cAXoytf5Ij3f__p2OTaJr8DeaKqd7Yx0z23HCMIdg485PCA38ZLX985Yh_oXEmnBwb7QG4kYcUi2/s1600/sauerkraut+1+2014+2+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Ynt-u1g_13x3xCAYejPymMvXzN3VDaIvKu6HqQOnIWfJHVW5uHPmS6gYOB8iaLU6cAXoytf5Ij3f__p2OTaJr8DeaKqd7Yx0z23HCMIdg485PCA38ZLX985Yh_oXEmnBwb7QG4kYcUi2/s1600/sauerkraut+1+2014+2+weeks.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></div>
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Here is two of the cabbages I grew. The third is staying outside until I can think of what to do with it. This soon to be sauerkraut is two full weeks old and has stayed perfectly colored. I am very please. Last year I used Savoy, and a plastic bag of brine to keep the cabbage under, but the savoy didn't have the liquid I think that was needed to really work out. I am very pleased so far. The jar inside is just to give a little displacement to keep everything submerged.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHYVIa0vF7cLvGabGll352SriKdvQQ9fd9bmqlDw8XOAA53R5q5HvjjlBgemC1o_2-im2oxfbEDZkjfsfDhvIqiJZHwV4x1VQJLFaS3xRc8eMf1m6u1Ye5dRzeuoT6k5mcevwJ08CgZtB/s1600/garden+2014+bed+3+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHYVIa0vF7cLvGabGll352SriKdvQQ9fd9bmqlDw8XOAA53R5q5HvjjlBgemC1o_2-im2oxfbEDZkjfsfDhvIqiJZHwV4x1VQJLFaS3xRc8eMf1m6u1Ye5dRzeuoT6k5mcevwJ08CgZtB/s1600/garden+2014+bed+3+26+July.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is "Bed Three". The plum tomatoes are growing everywhere and I can't keep up with nipping the suckers, but there are a lot of them. I thought that these were determinate, but now I am not so sure. In the center are two red pepper plants and two jalapeno with some basil and nasturtiums keeping everyone company.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCbK3KELqPDdcTat3DGQNdKZp-gDB4AsGkBj__yW3VAPwcRoNQDWLQnQiP28qpqfz4bpL1L-qha0Oki-EvVIdlVqDf44tY4-Coh9D4nbx4nd18gb1bfwICLqlQheQipln8Vg40RQGNhji/s1600/garden+2014+peppers+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCbK3KELqPDdcTat3DGQNdKZp-gDB4AsGkBj__yW3VAPwcRoNQDWLQnQiP28qpqfz4bpL1L-qha0Oki-EvVIdlVqDf44tY4-Coh9D4nbx4nd18gb1bfwICLqlQheQipln8Vg40RQGNhji/s1600/garden+2014+peppers+26+July.jpg" height="231" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the best photo editing every, but I never claimed to be good at it. :) On the left are jalapenos and the right are (or will be) red peppers. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfmtZaim882sEgFLDobtyI_V7wqS5xDx7VUnPPNn4oSK5ZSYfecgX_thvPrOHawVh1u6BNbRPKHdjapUyPO7NRfjQHE4FNPiHdkT6yL132fI7MZmH5YI2stdjSIgYgk3P6eEwDBLAnbOQ/s1600/garden+2014+bed+4+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggfmtZaim882sEgFLDobtyI_V7wqS5xDx7VUnPPNn4oSK5ZSYfecgX_thvPrOHawVh1u6BNbRPKHdjapUyPO7NRfjQHE4FNPiHdkT6yL132fI7MZmH5YI2stdjSIgYgk3P6eEwDBLAnbOQ/s1600/garden+2014+bed+4+26+July.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is "Bed Four", and in it are more tomatoes, some basil that is barely alive (it looks eaten) and two pickling cucumber plants that I bought because I misplaced my cucumber seeds somewhere and it was getting late in the season. This is my "Hail Mary" so to speak.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaXH1bcEUQmA3X9gDfc_er246mNFdbP3HkjyWoV_4DJT0yFG5gzltavhGuFtjegf4nSMhzT8OrJSqFs9AkjcrDFrGG1inr6cSwM3HzGUI5W4OEF84KzoDj3xCHJcmkdDGir9Nvo8Qh4jZ/s1600/garden+2014+parsley+gone+amok+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaXH1bcEUQmA3X9gDfc_er246mNFdbP3HkjyWoV_4DJT0yFG5gzltavhGuFtjegf4nSMhzT8OrJSqFs9AkjcrDFrGG1inr6cSwM3HzGUI5W4OEF84KzoDj3xCHJcmkdDGir9Nvo8Qh4jZ/s1600/garden+2014+parsley+gone+amok+26+July.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parsley went wild in the asparagus bed! I also have a bunch of asparagus spears coming up amongst the ferns. That was unexpected.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0rw9fd6wJ3wx6gJgaxB6FSKEyYVg0RHobcnAwL6U18VZZTTF7UzVXTz83eDxMSh0vupD5MZB709jBZiGwL2_lw7xg0ST83j_YCh5Gih2U4zYBX39W5IWaXsDgeGkWoNFvpnQMYriEfX6/s1600/garden+2014+raspberries+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs0rw9fd6wJ3wx6gJgaxB6FSKEyYVg0RHobcnAwL6U18VZZTTF7UzVXTz83eDxMSh0vupD5MZB709jBZiGwL2_lw7xg0ST83j_YCh5Gih2U4zYBX39W5IWaXsDgeGkWoNFvpnQMYriEfX6/s1600/garden+2014+raspberries+26+July.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I should have taken pictures earlier. These are my raspberries plants, but it is the end of the first run, so there are not a lot ripe at one time now. Next year there should be a bigger crop and my neighbor said that she would be happy to give me more canes. Now I just have to expand a bit. Any volunteers to do all the actual work? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEJ586NbxuV2nzuYtG6AeG4eN9VeRdvgDkjvLu9x5xz3Nv0ypEnS9pU1Y_17znq64ZmUo_G8rFf_srq3CVE6R5XnHfICwGLA-9wci2XiYgSjN8KpkgFJLIGpW6O5LGUf70jGu4ZfXzfaf/s1600/garden+2014+sunflower+bed+2+26+July.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEJ586NbxuV2nzuYtG6AeG4eN9VeRdvgDkjvLu9x5xz3Nv0ypEnS9pU1Y_17znq64ZmUo_G8rFf_srq3CVE6R5XnHfICwGLA-9wci2XiYgSjN8KpkgFJLIGpW6O5LGUf70jGu4ZfXzfaf/s1600/garden+2014+sunflower+bed+2+26+July.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe to some the sight of a tall sunflower growing strong is not too big of a deal. For me, it is a bit of a miracle as I have never been able to grow these guys past the first two permanent leaves. So, yay!</td></tr>
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I have planted more chard and spinach seed, but it looks as though some of the local animals are scraping around in there. I have to come up with a feasible cover idea for my direct sow vegetables as this happens all the time.<br />
Also a shout out to my husband who did a fabulous mowing job to help me avoid ticks on the pets and family as well as getting the weeds that may have been seeding away from my lovely garden beds.<br />
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How does your garden grow?Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-660501029856364232014-07-17T14:39:00.003-07:002014-07-19T09:11:44.201-07:00Mouse Melons are Here!I have two major gardening experiments this year. One is the basket of potatoes, which should be ready to harvest soon, so I will write about that when it happens. The other was the planting of Mouse Melons or Mexican Sour Gherkins.<br />
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These little viners are taking over! I didn't have more than ten seeds, and these plants are very small as far as space needed between them, but the five that I think made it through the transplant have completely taken over one side of one of my four by four raised beds. This is not a bad thing, I love seeing a plant thrive. It makes me tickly on the inside.<br />
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According to all the literature, these bitty melons are supposed to hit about 2 inches, but these ones are far smaller as you will see. I was noticing some yellow on them, so, if they are like cucumbers, I would rather pick early than end up with a bitter fruit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBQDRFfSfQAAOy4npx8ixyo2c0Y-RZHhyphenhyphenRhLjNif3hJSAIzkXyjybqQXVwpZ5vROYVH-WwJ0VrsJjjFTbSZ8nSTUA7-09g_7DiZ4OcGuJ0VvL2ZvUc-AzlaqWOpFY_MTZpGdxe1FCcJrh/s1600/Garden+2014+Mouse+Melons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBQDRFfSfQAAOy4npx8ixyo2c0Y-RZHhyphenhyphenRhLjNif3hJSAIzkXyjybqQXVwpZ5vROYVH-WwJ0VrsJjjFTbSZ8nSTUA7-09g_7DiZ4OcGuJ0VvL2ZvUc-AzlaqWOpFY_MTZpGdxe1FCcJrh/s1600/Garden+2014+Mouse+Melons.jpg" height="400" width="381" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mouse Melons I picked today. These are also sold as Mexican Sour Gherkins and a couple other names.</td></tr>
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I was so excited I popped one right in my mouth, washing be damned! I avoided eating any bugs in my haste, and was very surprised at the huge flavor in such a little fruit. This tastes the way I expected the Lemon Cucumbers to taste. They taste just like cucumbers, but with a twang of lemon. The first bite registered as a little bitter, but that immediately fell away to the true nature of this lovely little curbit. (I believe the jury is still out on its full classification, but the more f<span style="font-family: inherit;">ormal name is Melothria scabra). The lemon flavor is light, but really refreshing, I really can't explain how much I like these. So far it seems that I will be getting many, many fruits to experiment with over the summer, so stay tuned!</span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-67702507929724333472014-07-14T10:19:00.002-07:002014-07-14T10:23:24.618-07:00July Garden UpdatesI actually have June pictures also, but I am pretty sure I missed the boat on writing about June, so here it is July. This year I am keeping track of how much edibles are being produced. Each time I come in with a harvest I set it on the scale and weigh what I brought in. By the end of June I had harvested over 20 pounds of delicious strawberries from those six plants I put in the Fall of 2012, so this is only their second growing year in my yard. Here is a photo of the size of the patch now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNJ2pIeoJihnhC9dh_XECtI-7o6TD1uB1iKQ4U20tPv9z7rrug0osGBIjVfYB3D8RcQW7KD6N8n4k72e8Lyf8BqD8iUoXI-xLNBhwzNT21TcT7Vh2PebnPEwW31aUWsY3hrF5bIdcDOxY/s1600/garden+2014+strawberries+July+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNJ2pIeoJihnhC9dh_XECtI-7o6TD1uB1iKQ4U20tPv9z7rrug0osGBIjVfYB3D8RcQW7KD6N8n4k72e8Lyf8BqD8iUoXI-xLNBhwzNT21TcT7Vh2PebnPEwW31aUWsY3hrF5bIdcDOxY/s1600/garden+2014+strawberries+July+1.jpg" height="331" width="640" /></a></div>
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All told, the patch is approximately 8 feet long and five feet wide and the patch produced 20 pounds of these beauties:<br />
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While they are not as sweet as their tiny, wild cousins, these are so much sweeter than the supermarket ones, with no tasteless "core" because they ripen on the plant fully before picking.<br />
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My potato in a hamper experiment seems to be going well. I did try to fish out some potatoes, but only managed to find one small one, so I am leaving it be until I can properly harvest them, which should be fairly soon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOrOA7gwyoWy_BTUMHpbFGF2jT38Tgt_xz2WHUF7b_HFZ7LVL8jXAeuCBNJC29Q0RxNyDalw-8Pa7g96z99vF-og9nqPTL099SnwDQPPdeONE1BemiHIFmMZ9vEZW_ab0_TBCZchwoB0s/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment+june+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOrOA7gwyoWy_BTUMHpbFGF2jT38Tgt_xz2WHUF7b_HFZ7LVL8jXAeuCBNJC29Q0RxNyDalw-8Pa7g96z99vF-og9nqPTL099SnwDQPPdeONE1BemiHIFmMZ9vEZW_ab0_TBCZchwoB0s/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment+june+20.jpg" height="244" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just when I was about to give it up for lost, the potatoes popped through at the end of May. I could not contain my joy. :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt-5D2MJJQRnv5MizPiaj6h7SfveveYOj7aE_g4rauldT4UmuLMwgMHbcVLWVP0bS2VFP9U6_GcoGk72SU_mKlCEoH_gJj4-1sJy_THQVHQVndyBEG8jrvEXMrvk6tXCeTmXFxkywTsG3/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt-5D2MJJQRnv5MizPiaj6h7SfveveYOj7aE_g4rauldT4UmuLMwgMHbcVLWVP0bS2VFP9U6_GcoGk72SU_mKlCEoH_gJj4-1sJy_THQVHQVndyBEG8jrvEXMrvk6tXCeTmXFxkywTsG3/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment.jpg" height="320" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the end of June I had already hilled them twice and they were starting to peek over the top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMnHfOkCuXFeR6Ks1mjKgxr0pmn3-ysYfiOdg9lPa_7s6_B5b-3gSUngfNi66-BMbR4oSOTIgyKTvFE1-le0xPGDmyjG0t0rTRT3wuDGsr7u-3UD4JWUR8TPLjdquzcYcY5jpd78OyJ17/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment+july+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMnHfOkCuXFeR6Ks1mjKgxr0pmn3-ysYfiOdg9lPa_7s6_B5b-3gSUngfNi66-BMbR4oSOTIgyKTvFE1-le0xPGDmyjG0t0rTRT3wuDGsr7u-3UD4JWUR8TPLjdquzcYcY5jpd78OyJ17/s1600/garden+2014+potato+experiment+july+1.jpg" height="400" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what my plants look like today (14 July 2014)</td></tr>
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I should have hilled them one last time before they bloomed, but that will be a lesson to put to work next season as these have blossomed and the blossoms have fallen off already. At the bottom you can see some of the foliage growing out the sides. Hmmm.. that gives me some ideas.<br />
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I got this hamper on sale at Family Dollar for six bucks I think. I am optimistic that we will have at least a couple meals of potatoes from my garden this year, and if so, I will be planting more next Spring.<br />
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As for the rest.. everything is growing as fast as the weeds. My trial planting Mexican Sour Gherkins, aka <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">mouse melon</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">cucamelon</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Mexican miniature watermelon</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;"> and </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">Mexican sour cucumber has been going well. They do take over a spot! So far the fruits are minuscule, but I did try one and it was packed with a lovely flavor, far more than the small size would suggest. My lettuce bolted before forming heads, as usual, but I tried cooking it and the stems and found that it is quite tasty. More on that as I experiment. Here is the view of the rest of my garden, including the raspberries that are producing this year! I have already planned for the expansion as they are spreading rapidly, with or without my permission.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JQVbGMKU_dr-lQNd3LwW8gBQxXvrsSiH7NXstaIvKgxCWOsRCi5U8mL2csQw4cefB_dsrnaTCzSD40KHYzrmTauFnWN3u_EEnTL1DZt8MHWit4KyBxlwvJOVNDyh8RaOhVzQedCngHNX/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JQVbGMKU_dr-lQNd3LwW8gBQxXvrsSiH7NXstaIvKgxCWOsRCi5U8mL2csQw4cefB_dsrnaTCzSD40KHYzrmTauFnWN3u_EEnTL1DZt8MHWit4KyBxlwvJOVNDyh8RaOhVzQedCngHNX/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+1.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was my 3 Sisters in July. There are popcorn plants, beans (Kentucky Blue) and round zucchini. The beans keep getting eaten before they can grow. In the foreground are asparagus ferns (I was told that was okay for the first year planting)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvW9ktZkR3Uk1Qg771GMCLn17I3yJEC4aL3rDPVeRhAfkpYD57Rnbnp-s582qeKqAbCt6sAr5lElg3IRtxJx8STdid55zrHrlpPr-Vwk7yyWOx7Y00d4IVRRQFokPVoS03TxccLLa8mHz/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvW9ktZkR3Uk1Qg771GMCLn17I3yJEC4aL3rDPVeRhAfkpYD57Rnbnp-s582qeKqAbCt6sAr5lElg3IRtxJx8STdid55zrHrlpPr-Vwk7yyWOx7Y00d4IVRRQFokPVoS03TxccLLa8mHz/s1600/garden+2014+3+sisters+July+14.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is the 3 sisters today. There are baby zucchini growing an everything is noticably taller and more full. Something is nibbling on the greenery though, I am pretty sure they are slugs and garden snails as we have a lot of those around and they like to leave holes in leaves. As long as it doesn't hurt the yield too much I can be patient. Once my patience wears out I will be serving an open bar (flat beer in a dish). At least they go happy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9GDTTpvqqrLAmmjvMzpzqSGWg0ryf8pnExCkjIbEksCJ-ITkpHFK1RLtI8A_vmR4RZgNzboqjRE_y4Vp2cGVm0qchP4GB-eyrxMmvFPQ5VUpoIROAdtzYWD4npdxvrqewb4h3lnpadBg/s1600/garden+2014+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9GDTTpvqqrLAmmjvMzpzqSGWg0ryf8pnExCkjIbEksCJ-ITkpHFK1RLtI8A_vmR4RZgNzboqjRE_y4Vp2cGVm0qchP4GB-eyrxMmvFPQ5VUpoIROAdtzYWD4npdxvrqewb4h3lnpadBg/s1600/garden+2014+.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up against the fence are my raspberries that my lovely neighbor gave me last year. The poles an sticks are keeping the net off of them. The net is helpful in keeping the birds away from the fruits.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GFlslNmo-c9SBvrmqGHCprPHIdi_TzurDKlw2T_5gUD3bD9kIuE5DXmXmmMCy8WPXJZjvw55Neg6q-kekpBhnX0juKSRBeIRoRi6FcRAQT9qWRB0Zwii0HfD0DYvDor_AF8m2DpI2exw/s1600/garden+2014+backyard+july+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GFlslNmo-c9SBvrmqGHCprPHIdi_TzurDKlw2T_5gUD3bD9kIuE5DXmXmmMCy8WPXJZjvw55Neg6q-kekpBhnX0juKSRBeIRoRi6FcRAQT9qWRB0Zwii0HfD0DYvDor_AF8m2DpI2exw/s1600/garden+2014+backyard+july+1.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is my back yard. Please ignore the ugly parking lot on the right, there is supposed to be a fence blocking the view. Way down the end is the 3 sisters mound and to the right of that my winter wheat which was destroyed after a particularly windy storm. The strawberries are off screen to the left and the raspberries a bit behind me. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQYw6Bc0aQ89Kmun0Bs7fbsSBVCh_UDUG70gUEydVym3_kP4kEb7EeMnk0rlCwrLIAgSt5JZvQ37xZ006GJpY4vUFHsmQ9A5kg8mhZIrxsd2ceS2ZQq2J8qGsWZTGYFq20UPyIBFmMIN8/s1600/garden+2014+cabbage+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQYw6Bc0aQ89Kmun0Bs7fbsSBVCh_UDUG70gUEydVym3_kP4kEb7EeMnk0rlCwrLIAgSt5JZvQ37xZ006GJpY4vUFHsmQ9A5kg8mhZIrxsd2ceS2ZQq2J8qGsWZTGYFq20UPyIBFmMIN8/s1600/garden+2014+cabbage+3.jpg" height="158" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am so proud of these, as well as the sunflower next to it. I have three beautiful cabbages that are close to being ready to harvest.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcbOThJv0QpTSS227suWVD9oWCcgE6H8sCV5x05uneKdkHFIuX1YaIRTZZ0HyjgcLWrDY-oCif2ssvF5nLUzdLcrvmS5igTT3DPiVgl4tsko2a0LW2Y3w6ictxdUIaptffzWnNEgOyqSa/s1600/garden+2014+gherkins+July+14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQcbOThJv0QpTSS227suWVD9oWCcgE6H8sCV5x05uneKdkHFIuX1YaIRTZZ0HyjgcLWrDY-oCif2ssvF5nLUzdLcrvmS5igTT3DPiVgl4tsko2a0LW2Y3w6ictxdUIaptffzWnNEgOyqSa/s1600/garden+2014+gherkins+July+14.jpg" height="217" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although it is a little hard to see, between the two green poles is a netting that I created with twine and up that are the Mexican Sour Gherkins. I think I prefer "Mouse Melon" though. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiWq-hCgWhrg8vrltz36_DPjxqTp34VmsQd8v5a9PY-C1dF3v1mC2LY3kQcwS3P2hbfa57D9CMM3CONAOvwSZv8MhYZbNJhwMGxuVF7tFpJ0GwCHLrggCBNcTwtuWDT7XvSfD39IFQtiu/s1600/garden+2014+lettuce+bolted+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiWq-hCgWhrg8vrltz36_DPjxqTp34VmsQd8v5a9PY-C1dF3v1mC2LY3kQcwS3P2hbfa57D9CMM3CONAOvwSZv8MhYZbNJhwMGxuVF7tFpJ0GwCHLrggCBNcTwtuWDT7XvSfD39IFQtiu/s1600/garden+2014+lettuce+bolted+.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is next to impossible to get my family to eat salad, so here is a lot of bolted lettuce. Preliminary attempts at braising have yielded promising results. Stay tuned.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOD2_MLjWKZISeekOdDMzqJU_UZ0b6lMQqHJMHMk4XsdcX37ySkuldYD8XJN9cUhXbmPDGZ1DzkLL79TEZXycf1CspbAyz4sNUV9dSSsJCAOLvlYXT68uJDrnL7i_6DJrrnSxAW6Suwtf/s1600/garden+2014+old+lemon+balm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfOD2_MLjWKZISeekOdDMzqJU_UZ0b6lMQqHJMHMk4XsdcX37ySkuldYD8XJN9cUhXbmPDGZ1DzkLL79TEZXycf1CspbAyz4sNUV9dSSsJCAOLvlYXT68uJDrnL7i_6DJrrnSxAW6Suwtf/s1600/garden+2014+old+lemon+balm.jpg" height="278" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some how, some way, my lemon balm survived the winter unprotected in this container.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzIbJjLHzc9O1vLbPPcQ1SI2n80FKSUOJvMeTYtI1jucU7u66Z4U6amTHWuPbsT4kyesifZZd8v5Ea3sZye0Lr4Tesr30NfyVCfL_HflcxRcIs-cHG-r2Uy-6Ai4KugSU1vnGRC_RkKSH/s1600/garden+2014+old+sage+lemon+grass+chives+old+camomile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzIbJjLHzc9O1vLbPPcQ1SI2n80FKSUOJvMeTYtI1jucU7u66Z4U6amTHWuPbsT4kyesifZZd8v5Ea3sZye0Lr4Tesr30NfyVCfL_HflcxRcIs-cHG-r2Uy-6Ai4KugSU1vnGRC_RkKSH/s1600/garden+2014+old+sage+lemon+grass+chives+old+camomile.jpg" height="206" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left is my last year's Sage, and in front is some lemon grass. In the round container in the back are the chives and marjoram that survived the winter too. The container on the right is last year's chamomile struggling to live. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsROzzYioj13MHT-cCbOZsUvhGf3F7iTSTFu5a4suYdVyr1Vsgaq9ERr3HIH0QL7hsoE2ZwV12lR2gfTTpZVW-F0UdCWfOG5hCV9wjtsbJ1eMCnQvSdVX5hubSt4LeMtzL3asoIkd__4y/s1600/garden+2014+peppers+tomatoes+nasturtiums.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsROzzYioj13MHT-cCbOZsUvhGf3F7iTSTFu5a4suYdVyr1Vsgaq9ERr3HIH0QL7hsoE2ZwV12lR2gfTTpZVW-F0UdCWfOG5hCV9wjtsbJ1eMCnQvSdVX5hubSt4LeMtzL3asoIkd__4y/s1600/garden+2014+peppers+tomatoes+nasturtiums.jpg" height="260" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are just a couple tomato plants after a deep pruning along with pepper plants and nasturtiums.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">My garlic was puny, but the tops wilted back so they are pulled. These small garlic are quite sweet though, so that is a bonus to me. I have put out some more seeds for a Fall harvest of chard, but I think the birds ate them up.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">My son gathered his friends to help out last week. They brought some food and worked their tails off pulling weeds, planting the old, dying blueberries and clearing out the branches from various storms. They spent so much time weeding my wheat, I feel awful that the very next day a storm beat the grains out of the entire planting. At least there is still the straw mulch.</span></span></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-58292934936561488512014-07-14T09:35:00.000-07:002014-07-14T10:24:39.709-07:00Wormy CompostingAt the beginning of this summer I was bequeathed with red wigglers, aka vermiculture worms for composting inside the house. Armed with the almighty internet and a passion for research, as well as a little pain reduced time, and I built a box for keeping them. The premise is fairly simple, one box to live in, one to make a new home when necessary and one to catch any drips. I did try to cheap out a little and just use two levels, but that makes transferring the worms difficult. It can still be done, using one of the lids to the totes as a drip catcher, but I found that set up to be less stable using the materials I had available at the time. I chose the most simple way possible, but when I think on it, I am sure that there are other configurations that could be more efficient in terms of materials.<br />
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This is what you need:<br />
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2 plastic totes.<br />
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Mine are of the medium sized variety. They should not be too deep, you want enough space for the scraps and then some bedding on top of that and I like having some extra head space in case these normally homebody worms get freaked out and try moving up, as they did when I first put them in their new home.<br />
It is important that the totes do not nestle inside each other tightly. Since the ones I had available did nest tightly, I put a couple of rocks between the two, just under the handles, to give it a bit more space.<br />
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2 drill bits (and a drill!)<br />
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I do not have the exact sizes, and that isn't terribly important. The large holes were under 3/8th inch, but larger than 1/8th inch, and the small one was under 1/8th of an inch. The large holes are to allow the worms to migrate when harvesting the lovely composty material. They start out really small and skinny, but I had no idea how fat they could get, so I err'd on the side of a bit big. The small bit is just to pop in some air holes. I doubt they are small enough to keep the worms from crawling out if they really wanted too, but they are non migratory by nature, so my hope is that the narrow holes will dissuade any adventuring type worms.<br />
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Strips of damp newspaper. Just soak the strips and wring very dry.<br />
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Food scraps, a couple days old and chopped up ideally, but it is not necessary. Just do not feed them any animal products except some crushed eggshells (with the membrane removed, which is a pain, so my eggs shells go straight into the garden usually) and do not put citrus fruit scraps in there as too much acid messes with them.<br />
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Now for the fun.<br />
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Take one lid and drill some small holes in the top like so:<br />
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Around the top portion of two of the totes, drill some small holes too. These are for ventilation. I have a fear of opening the darned thing and having something terrible come out, like very strong odors or worse, decomposing worms.<br />
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These will be your worm nests. The worms live in one, and after a few months it will be filled with a compacted mix of bedding and worm poop! When that happens, they need another, clean nest, to live in. This is where the bottom holes come in. As well as allowing any liquid to drain, these holes make is easier for the worms to move downward when the time comes. I tried to just use the one nest, but when I went to sort through to remove the worms I realized that I was going to lose a lot of them because they look just like their surroundings at that point. So, I made two of the above totes and drilled these holes in the bottom:<br />
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So, now you have two totes with small air holes near the top and a few larger holes on the bottom as well as a lid with some small holes drilled in. The third tote needs no holes, but if your bins fit tightly you may want to put something there to keep a space between the totes so that the water can come out if there should be any. I have not seen any liquid dripping from mine yet, but they say it does happen. I am still on a learning curve, but I have had them for over six months and they are still alive and kicking, so to speak.<br />
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I just used some empty toilet paper rolls to lift the bins up a bit. They don't last long, but there is a continuous supply until I find four items of equal height to replace them. I don't use canned goods often, so I rarely have more than a couple around. That, and I do not want to deal with the rust. I am that lazy.<br />
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Now, put them all together, the one tote with no holes on the bottom to catch anything that may come out. So far I have only had a very little bit of what looks like worm poop (castings, which technically all the compost will be)<br />
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You are scratching your head and thinking "Why are there only two bins? Why did I put holes in a third?" The reason is, this was my first attempt and I have not had a chance to photograph the other and am too lazy at this moment to go take one. Hey, it is hot out there. Not good for the chronic pain, believe you me. The third tote just goes on top. If you wish, you can just make the two totes with holes and use the lid that you did not put holes in as a catcher underneath. I am not so brave as I did not know how much liquid would come out and I was not convinced that the worms would not escape.<br />
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In the very top container, put your scraps. On top of the scraps, loosely layer the damp newspaper shreds (I used the ads and flyers as I do not get a physical newspaper anymore, and neither do my neighbors so I could not scavenge them from recycling bins). Put your worms on top of that, and here is a major trick, keep the top cover off and put the whole thing under a light. The worms instinctively move down, away from the light. I did not do it that way at first and even two weeks later, most of the worms were still near the top. You would think the need to eat would encourage them downward, but I am thinking that without noses they don't know it is there.<br />
Mix a little dirt or used up coffee grounds in with the scraps as the worms need a bit of grit to digest properly.<br />
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After a few hours, check to see if the worms are no longer on top of the bedding and put on the cover with the holes in it. The rule of thumb is a one to one ratio of scraps to worms. One pound of worms (about a thousand red wrigglers) can eat a pound of food in a week. Mine are quite a bit lazier than that, so start with less and work your way up. If the nest material looks dry when you check, spray some water. They don't need a lot, as there is a lot in the food, but the damp is supposed to be good, as long as it isn't sopping.<br />
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In three months or so, you are going to have to change the bins. To do this, lightly loosen the castings in the occupied bin. In the unoccupied one, create a new home, just as you did at the beginning. then, set the old home on top of the new, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the totes. If they are not moving, which honestly, I am not sure how they survived long enough to get this far as mine are super lazy, just set them under a lamp again, coming in occasionally to remove castings and stir up any remaining to get the worms to move down to their new home.<br />
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That is it. I have thought many times that my neglect had killed them. When you have chronic pain, sometimes that takes priority, and my flare last a week or more sometimes, leaving me with a lot of backlogged work that must be prioritized to get done before the next flare which is not predictable. Despite this, my worms are thriving. I even found them mating in a big old squirmy worm ball.<br />
These worms do not have a male/female system, but they do need each other to reproduce. <br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-71510964187450918532014-07-14T08:57:00.002-07:002014-07-14T10:28:10.303-07:00Ah, the pectinSo, I promised an update on the great homemade pectin experiment. So far it does work, but I have not been able to get it to gel as firmly as jams do with the store bought kind. I ran out of strawberries before I could continue experimenting with different batches, but it did gel a bit, more like a very thick and chunky sauce rather than a more spreadable jam. It is still delicious and some was eaten on waffles and I bet the jam would be excellent on a piece of sponge cake in the middle of winter while dreaming of the Spring's gardening ahead.<br />
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Making your own pectin is actually pretty simple, especially if you save all of your apple scraps in the fall from making all of those yummy goodies that the fall harvest brings.<br />
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The fruit that I know has the most available pectin (off hand, there may be others) are apples. Grannysmith have more, as do those that are slightly unripe. Crab apples are brimming with the stuff, so if you find a safe source somewhere, that is free pectin on a tree. The pectin lives mostly in the cores and peels, but in this case I used whole Grannysmiths due to that is what I had in the house and I did not have a lot of them in the crisper drawer.<br />
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The first step is to scrub those apples. Commercial apples are sometimes waxed and often sprayed with insecticides. Even organic types will have residue from handling and sometimes an organic waxing product to help keep them looking fresh for shipping and storing.<br />
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Yes, that is a regular scrubber. Make sure it has been sanitized though as sponges are notorious as little bacteria factories. No one wants to eat that. I use lukewarm water to help loosen any waxes that may be holding on to the skin.<br />
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Next, chop them all up, cores, peels and all. If you are using scraps you may want to chop up the cores a bit if they are whole. The more surface area that is exposed the less heating will be needed to extract the pectins.<br />
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After cleaning and chopping, throw them into a slow cooker or deep, non reactive pot for the stove top, or, if you are okay with heating up the house, this can be done in a covered baking dish on a very low oven. I have not used the oven method, so I have no tips on making it work properly. Personally, I love my slow cooker as has been mentioned in the past a "few" times. <br />
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The next step is to put in 1/2 a cup of water. This is just to prevent any scorching before the apples exude their own juices. If you are not using whole apple you may need to add a bit more.<br />
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Put the cover on your cooker and set the heat to high for just one hour. This helps the juices start coming out right at the beginning to avoid using more water which will dilute the final product.<br />
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After the first hour, put the apples on low and let cook for four hours or more. I neglected to take a picture of the finished product before straining, but it is a lot like making juice for a jelly, except you can give in and squeeze if you want.<br />
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You can use a jelly bag, a very clean tea towel or flour sack towel, or you can use cheese cloth, layer thickly. Line a colander with your material of choice or fill the jelly bag as normal, and carefully (slowly) pour the apples into the fabric. Cheese cloth lets the liquid through a bit faster, but I used a flour sack towel and it worked fine, you just need a teeny bit more patience as the liquid goes through. Stir it a bit if the draining is going very slowly.<br />
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The, gather up the ends (or close up the jelly bag) and secure shut with a large, sturdy, rubber band. This is where all of you jelly makers get to finally do what you always wanted to (do not deny it!). Squeeze the fabric to wring out as much liquid as you can. Then sit the bag in a strainer over the bowl, put a small plate on top and weigh it down with a can of tomatoes or anything that weighs at least a pound. Put it into the refrigerator over night and in the morning you will have a (mostly) dry product in the bag and a viscous liquid in the bowl. This is your pectin.<br />
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I have not tried freezing it yet, but I have been told it will keep in the freezer. Otherwise, remember that this product can get moldy, so keep it in the refrigerator and use it up quickly.<br />
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Here is the tricky part, and unfortunately I can do nothing to remedy that with quick and easy tips or tricks. How much pectin you need depends on how concentrated your pectin solution is, how much pectin was in the fruit you extracted it from as well as how thick you wish your product to be. For a regular sized batch of strawberry jam, I used a little more than half a cup, and it did set, it just did not set as firmly as I would have liked. If you used crab apples that may be enough to use, but if you used ripe apples you may need far more. It is a crap shoot, but a fun crap shoot. And a cheap crap shoot if you are using foraged crab apples or scraps from previously used fruits.<br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-17008451305101487902014-06-17T10:46:00.001-07:002014-06-17T16:02:04.631-07:00Using Your Slow Cooker for Things that are not DinnerThe one thing that helps me get through quite a bit of the hot weather preserving and canning seasons is the use of my slow cooker. Notice that I did not say "Crockpot". The Crockpot name refers to a specific (and trademarked) slow cooker and has been around a very long time.<br />
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The "Crock" in "Crockpot"<br />
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There are basically two types of slow cookers. One type uses a ceramic or pottery insert for cooking. This is excellent for even cooking as it helps to disperse the heat coming from the coils inside. If you have ever cooked jam in a stainless steel pan and noticed that if you left it, the jam would scorch right were the heat hits the pan, but usually not elsewhere. That is a dispersion problem. Further on I have a trick for cooking jam in a steel pan which cuts down on this burning problem in a big way. Materials like cast iron and crockery will disperse the heat so that there are no hot spots which is what causes that round burning spot on the bottom of the pan.<br />
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That would suggest strongly that a ceramic cooker is generally better at even heat dispersion, which is very important when cooking things for a long time. I have had the famous "crockpot" and it does generally cook evenly for the most part. If you are choosing to cook something for 8-10 hours, this is very important to accomplish, and why a slow oven is often recommended if a slow cooker is not available.<br />
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The Problems<br />
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The first problem is confronting the idea that long cooking always means moist meat. Anyone who had long cooked a chicken and tried eating it without some sort of sauce can attest that is not the case. Low temperature cooking is very cook at slowly melting the gelatin found in many cheap cuts of meat, so if it is low enough, the gelatin will coat the meat fibers leaving it sticky (or moist if you prefer) and delectable. This is not so much a function of cooking it forever, but happens at low temps until the meat is done (internal temperature desired for the type of meat being cooked). This means that cooking a low gelatin/fat product will produce a dry meat regardless of how long it cooks. With a good bodied sauce, those foods can still be delicious, but over cooking is over cooking regardless of the method used.<br />
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Another issue is that the slow cooking method, particularly when using a covered pot, sucks all the juices out of what you are cooking. Ever follow a pot roast recipe to the letter and found the pot completely full of liquid at the end of the cooking time? That is what is happening. The best way to circumvent this is to reduce the amount of liquid called for in the recipe, often drastically. When I do a pulled pork in the slow cooker, I use absolutely no additional liquid. The meat itself creates the juices which are now much more flavorful because no water was used. That also makes the juices easier to cook down if you want a more full flavored sauce.<br />
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There is one more problem that always irked me, and that is the problem of having to dirty other pans in order to create a flavorful meal, as so much flavor is created during the <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/10/10/162636059/100-years-ago-maillard-taught-us-why-our-food-tastes-better-cooked" target="_blank">Milliard reaction</a> (browning). That is why, when I purchased my slow cooker I threw out the idea of the "crock". My slow cooker allows for the insert to be heated on a burner so that you can brown your aromatics, seasonings and meat, all in the same pan! The trade off is the more even cooking, but since I now know that longer cooking is not necessarily better cooking, this wasn't such a problem. **for clarity, my slow cooker does not have a crockery insert, it is metal with a non stick coating.. please do not try using your crockery on direct heat as it can crack.<br />
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Why am I Telling You all This<br />
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The slow-cooker will save your sanity for many things during the canning season. I use it to caramelize onions, make stock, and even cook items like apples for apple sauce. Today I am making pectin using granny smith apples. Over the next few months I will be posting information and tutorials on doing things other than pot roast or pulled pork in the slow cooker. So far I have successfully made a large quantity of caramelized onions, many gallons of broth, applesauce for canning and of course, regular cooking. The broth is one of my favorites because it simplifies cutting up whole birds. I just throw the scraps and bones directly into the pot, cover with water and turn on low for several hours. At the end of the cooking all that is needed is straining the broth and defatting. I generally do not add additional flavorings except a little salt when I make it in the slow cooker as some seasonings seem to taste "off" when simmered for such a long time. I prefer it as simply chicken broth, without any additional seasonings that may interfere with any dish it is being used it.<br />
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Stay tuned for the results, and if successful, a tutorial on making pectin in the slow cooker as well as using homemade pectin for strawberry jam.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-30607419221915671032014-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:002014-06-16T09:56:33.910-07:00Chugging Along..It is very difficult to garden when you have doctors tell you not to do stuff. I am trying to take it easy and slow, but alas, there is a different head space when working outside, and all the rules get forgotten if you are not careful.<br />
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The asparagus beds are all in and I am seeing some of the spears start to fern. Almost all of the soil in the beds are from my own compost pile that I let go because I could not bear the idea of dealing with the tangle of weeds and the heaps of trash that local kids (including my own back in the day) contributed to the pile. We stopped added organic material to it over a decade ago, when our rabbit died and these newish (to me) weeds started taking over the entire yard. These vines take over through both incredibly long roots that can span city blocks as well as seeds from the flower.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi003j1fyuRqR-VP4S3fW-Ro4bRj9iyeWRkOU5JYdxAMBRtXCzY9L-8gu5YIAQ94BH5iyVgw_Zroh2vm7W8vKNikIVX-fg50V0Uwz1E1SJ7YuBk_xPXv-1pKujWcSvHz24XrC5MOklFKbfZ/s1600/Green+Asparagus+2014+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi003j1fyuRqR-VP4S3fW-Ro4bRj9iyeWRkOU5JYdxAMBRtXCzY9L-8gu5YIAQ94BH5iyVgw_Zroh2vm7W8vKNikIVX-fg50V0Uwz1E1SJ7YuBk_xPXv-1pKujWcSvHz24XrC5MOklFKbfZ/s1600/Green+Asparagus+2014+1.jpg" height="320" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even with crazy weeds trying to take over, the asparagus is coming up. It was too bright out to get a good picture of the ferns with my phone.</td></tr>
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The strawberries had a huge surprise for me after the weekend rain. Blossoms.. everywhere! I definitely should thin these out this season.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr-n_xEMG293R8W2vK76ogNgvWQ4R8SiYgd0aTJvIbZHWmDWCTwqSYcluorK7irnuMPPma7_g5cgbv1UmFRSU0TaGIvYOuJxuciVzHnc3tcDJHYVFIYMPmOZCgp5uHkzX9zvS4Qv16Iio/s1600/Strawberry+fields+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIr-n_xEMG293R8W2vK76ogNgvWQ4R8SiYgd0aTJvIbZHWmDWCTwqSYcluorK7irnuMPPma7_g5cgbv1UmFRSU0TaGIvYOuJxuciVzHnc3tcDJHYVFIYMPmOZCgp5uHkzX9zvS4Qv16Iio/s1600/Strawberry+fields+2014.jpg" height="242" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to get the blossoms to show better, but I am not a photographer or a graphic designer. Trust me. Loads of flowers.</td></tr>
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This years big experiment is.. ::drum roll::... potatoes in a laundry hamper! Hey, that is what was on sale at the dollar store. I used some newspapers to keep the soil in, but with all the large holes the drainage should be excellent. I just need to find more soil to hill them with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAyqU1_pyEx9LOi3Tsnf80I-RNNOlviPlda_lTBA7U7r0D02U8GtOPEeDciets466VnEXNkTZ9UoYNeLK8KWHqBLwxkwlwIPSNDovhueI6jcfmxPHCqyIO3APYoWGhrRhrJu033xxBhFt/s1600/potatoesinbasket+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIAyqU1_pyEx9LOi3Tsnf80I-RNNOlviPlda_lTBA7U7r0D02U8GtOPEeDciets466VnEXNkTZ9UoYNeLK8KWHqBLwxkwlwIPSNDovhueI6jcfmxPHCqyIO3APYoWGhrRhrJu033xxBhFt/s1600/potatoesinbasket+2014.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I planted four Swedish fingerlings in here. They took forever to start, but now they are taller and more lush every time I take a look at them. I am trying to be realistic about this experiment, but how I would love a big batch of potatoes from the garden!</td></tr>
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Last year I split up the ancient rhubarb plant in the back yard. Only one of these made it, the other just rotted away. So far this year I have had to cut off the flower pods twice! The seeds of this plant are in fact capable of growing, I have a small number under the lights right now. Technically we shouldn't be eating any leaves, roots or stems from my soil as it is on the high side for lead, but so far I have not been successful growing rhubarb in pots or raised beds. Maybe next year I will try that again, with the new seedlings.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8S7nxQTCK4pg2x9Bq5korpUL98KHEyer8IN5fHQQOdKvdc7so0rdS4Xq6NSwU7PKfOAmhYD3J8kyzXDdfvmdMOvHdUQo24rUt3xHEP-Bd-VosvMVg0ZUr3dxy1halpmwYQPMXrOMqBvP/s1600/rhubarb2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8S7nxQTCK4pg2x9Bq5korpUL98KHEyer8IN5fHQQOdKvdc7so0rdS4Xq6NSwU7PKfOAmhYD3J8kyzXDdfvmdMOvHdUQo24rUt3xHEP-Bd-VosvMVg0ZUr3dxy1halpmwYQPMXrOMqBvP/s1600/rhubarb2014.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is very hard to believe that this plant is from a plant that lived at least fifty years, though likely for far longer as the house was owned by a family who had been here forever, and did not garden. It lived through the junk pile that was our backyard before it was cleaned out and sold to us. We are talking an old variety that was planted a very long time ago. Now I have bored you :)</td></tr>
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Last but certainly not least is this image of the "greens bed". There are not a lot in there, but the growth finally picked up and that is pleasing. There will be iceberg lettuce, spinach, chard, and radishes being harvested from here this year. You may notice the clumping of vegetation. We have animals that like to dig up my beds and toss the seed about... so, piles of greens and whole sections with nothing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMhfruXYFNMBPEQIx-xlsSRDP4ngkMjYgA0otyNTMzFrhNANS0EMCrsHZD32AJdVhZZKkXSE83f_oUp20XyuZ1anc4ZvslK-1dOwqJlhyphenhyphensEVcHlqtkTzFEUCRsEKNSPoQOIKH5Dm_R82x/s1600/lettuce+spinach+and+other.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMhfruXYFNMBPEQIx-xlsSRDP4ngkMjYgA0otyNTMzFrhNANS0EMCrsHZD32AJdVhZZKkXSE83f_oUp20XyuZ1anc4ZvslK-1dOwqJlhyphenhyphensEVcHlqtkTzFEUCRsEKNSPoQOIKH5Dm_R82x/s1600/lettuce+spinach+and+other.jpg" height="258" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish my family liked greens more. </td></tr>
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There are a couple of projects going on in there that I will talk about when I get a chance. The potato basket has been discussed. If that works out I will make a few of them. I love potatoes. The other is a root watering system using single serve soda or water bottles with holes punched in them. If nothing else, it should make using the seaweed fertilizer easier.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Massachusetts, USA42.346365331601874 -71.0678100585937542.158495331601877 -71.390533558593745 42.53423533160187 -70.745086558593755tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-13421076778202876962014-04-21T09:53:00.000-07:002015-06-04T09:06:08.239-07:00New Look in the KitchenA little over two weeks ago I received news that my estranged father had passed away. Lots of drama and strife of course, so in an effort to ignore all that for a bit, I decided to finally tackle refinishing my kitchen island.<br />
About a year after we moved in to this house, a store called "The Mill Store" opened a little under a mile down the road. I loved roaming the aisles and smelling the fresh pine scent of all the unfinished furniture. At one point, we got a great deal (well under 200 dollars) on an unfinished wood kitchen island. That was over 15 years ago. Other than putting a few hooks on it and getting some metal baskets for the shelves, I didn't nothing to personalize it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WNqOiMJONk0G2kmBAdBXqPtsSyqPZqrLs3BEO-DFdpYMQ1fN0S-2JjI-be96XodVnQyOrXAno5z_dha1y6IcQk-1w2ewBOTCVBFO3sL5tMjMbI0ZU0aoNbS4MOtwYUEZwnQmeKBEBh-d/s1600/kitchen+island+before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7WNqOiMJONk0G2kmBAdBXqPtsSyqPZqrLs3BEO-DFdpYMQ1fN0S-2JjI-be96XodVnQyOrXAno5z_dha1y6IcQk-1w2ewBOTCVBFO3sL5tMjMbI0ZU0aoNbS4MOtwYUEZwnQmeKBEBh-d/s1600/kitchen+island+before.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looked like after using it for so long and not having it finished. There are also two wood slat shelves that sit underneath.</td></tr>
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So, in a fit of despondency and a strong desire to get something accomplished, I decided to paint and refinish the butcher block top. Tip: if you have a butcher block top you may want to do a little wet sanding before you oil it next time. I am happy I did!<br />
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After sanding off the parts that the cats used as a scratching and rubbing post and painting it a nice old fashioned cream color, my husband and I created a copper hang rail for it and I painted the knobs for the drawers black. I am looking for some nice, small, glass knobs, but that can wait a bit.<br />
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Here is what it looks like now:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf4_8PTs4ekVLen_1Cs5ERvM7ivf18ae3-sp91WAB4fWh80IQgQ2fIzD-OnB9jQrMKn0F0maqwpmqyv5mFiUjuhqtrklv_XdDZ27f9fTMqhrqMkk3n9rJ64otntyfLNdwZBwYChdhfj-m/s1600/Kitchen+Island+side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJf4_8PTs4ekVLen_1Cs5ERvM7ivf18ae3-sp91WAB4fWh80IQgQ2fIzD-OnB9jQrMKn0F0maqwpmqyv5mFiUjuhqtrklv_XdDZ27f9fTMqhrqMkk3n9rJ64otntyfLNdwZBwYChdhfj-m/s1600/Kitchen+Island+side.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgW355H8sdG27pOrKfKXLMAqFmMFkIrupWLjQVdlQkvxthDoROA-deX03O_HpAZXbx_lhPHYcklN2ZVesiA_loMDoi0MuTHwnI5j0VD1_ONVcLRs6xg_GrdlPG0dpdkPyYIWmNOARBF3K/s1600/Kitchen+Island+Front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgW355H8sdG27pOrKfKXLMAqFmMFkIrupWLjQVdlQkvxthDoROA-deX03O_HpAZXbx_lhPHYcklN2ZVesiA_loMDoi0MuTHwnI5j0VD1_ONVcLRs6xg_GrdlPG0dpdkPyYIWmNOARBF3K/s1600/Kitchen+Island+Front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We are hoping to create a paper towel holder using more copper, but I love having it handy there. I don't use paper towels often, but when I do it is almost always right there at the island with goopy hands, so having it here is perfect. Those holes behind it were from the original wooden hooks, I will probably hand herbs from it during the summer to dry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bKHqZ1eJ5zWY_KFpn66Fxwf5TxoLBVdPlCuA_MlVaBiF7T2YBkwMa84gpEfsrIJDTRcJUyOozCAB0HxosUbADMNDrHw9eoMH2DoMGV9lxpCVvz3Mfp_rEC_BtpRSLSkpba0AJzKtky7f/s1600/Kitchen+Island+Back+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bKHqZ1eJ5zWY_KFpn66Fxwf5TxoLBVdPlCuA_MlVaBiF7T2YBkwMa84gpEfsrIJDTRcJUyOozCAB0HxosUbADMNDrHw9eoMH2DoMGV9lxpCVvz3Mfp_rEC_BtpRSLSkpba0AJzKtky7f/s1600/Kitchen+Island+Back+2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This side is the copper rail we put up. It is just 1/2 inch copper pipe and brackets from the plumbing section at the hardware store.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Boston, MA, USA42.3600825 -71.0588801000000142.1722125 -71.3816036 42.547952499999994 -70.736156600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-5126016162804040462014-04-21T09:38:00.000-07:002015-06-04T09:08:11.580-07:00So Much Dirt!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh Spring how I love thee!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So far this season I have had some health issues (big surprise) and a lot of pain, but the garden will happen again this year. The garlic I planted in the Fall is sprouting, thought not as vigorous as I would have liked. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1DYMLkmmMpwql8En1CH2iJYnaqf5JJq3GRyed2-yYMeH7NVDJrpyPT-6JVIObOLvnHQawDVtmedmigOPEBankRQaB25MVUZkONUjKYV0QBLHaTkGyTrmxm3heZC7bxlu1dBGmH38pE2q/s1600/garlic+bed+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1DYMLkmmMpwql8En1CH2iJYnaqf5JJq3GRyed2-yYMeH7NVDJrpyPT-6JVIObOLvnHQawDVtmedmigOPEBankRQaB25MVUZkONUjKYV0QBLHaTkGyTrmxm3heZC7bxlu1dBGmH38pE2q/s1600/garlic+bed+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't taking a picture of the garlic specifically, so this is a fuzzy picture. Still, there is that green! I covered the bed with landscape fabric to keep the soil warm during our frequent cold snaps.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I also planted a bed with spinach and other early direct sow crops, and there is some sprouting happening, though the local wildlife likes to dig in my root crop beds (turnips, carrots, beets). My experiment in growing potatoes in a tall laundry basket is also testing my patience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What started as six little strawberry plants last year has expanded greatly. My husband and I are working on a vertical planting system for them using PVC. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJOsNW3jp3xzGEhqDRS7hzGRJ590aG-MViLrn6dKSrYxtEzUft2Plzaxoovtu7yNkeXb24Riolv427J81J2iYI84ZxSWOBgXsOuH6pdBcXxf92Ei6SxisVO0SNASOAg65MIAFDwQL_-5O/s1600/WP_20130408_009%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJOsNW3jp3xzGEhqDRS7hzGRJ590aG-MViLrn6dKSrYxtEzUft2Plzaxoovtu7yNkeXb24Riolv427J81J2iYI84ZxSWOBgXsOuH6pdBcXxf92Ei6SxisVO0SNASOAg65MIAFDwQL_-5O/s1600/WP_20130408_009%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what they looked like last year at planting. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zBTXsJKC5CHzEPI_vzvP15eZ7nxZehMaRwve6bM1Q0knvTUeaWPYVpysMTVV1LLEp6gZDMesOXcVDYkBfZ4X2IHoUfW8bO5NEmfrnkMB7S-D8XgJ-IoKTw2sZz7Ix-LxbGud_lES16yF/s1600/strawberry+bed+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zBTXsJKC5CHzEPI_vzvP15eZ7nxZehMaRwve6bM1Q0knvTUeaWPYVpysMTVV1LLEp6gZDMesOXcVDYkBfZ4X2IHoUfW8bO5NEmfrnkMB7S-D8XgJ-IoKTw2sZz7Ix-LxbGud_lES16yF/s1600/strawberry+bed+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That entire patch of the darker green? All strawberry plants that overwintered.<br />
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Only one of the rhubarb plants made it through the winter, but I have many seedlings living the good life in my kitchen, so maybe there will be more later My neighbor has tried growing them in containers, but that isn't working out for her.<br />
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Now yesterday was Easter, and the weather was lovely. We had the family together for a few hours and I served deviled eggs, fruit salad and a lovely bread pudding using croissants and buttermilk.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRsd7vMMs6vI3WwufXJOEIMb1BU2y7blUm9_f4seu-70i63yD54JWudvsv0__3n_dTVCVcWLKBkMgfJz0jwFz1G-ewHuL8dxHmV0PGUDO0rRO5KryoHbYOCab0pXmSGevdVL4Eon_bpaF/s1600/Deviled+Egg+Chicks+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRsd7vMMs6vI3WwufXJOEIMb1BU2y7blUm9_f4seu-70i63yD54JWudvsv0__3n_dTVCVcWLKBkMgfJz0jwFz1G-ewHuL8dxHmV0PGUDO0rRO5KryoHbYOCab0pXmSGevdVL4Eon_bpaF/s1600/Deviled+Egg+Chicks+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trick is to make the filling creamy enough to be tasty, but dry enough to hold its shape. I am working on it. :)</td></tr>
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While everyone was eating, I tackled the old compost pile that I started 17 years ago as well as creating a raised bed for the asparagus I have coming in today. Sadly, I can't find a picture of it for a "before", but this is what I have the clearing down to:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEuYRiQTlYC02aUZ7CgOr72TY9b_AhV26KbHeqivMgws7TgZtNw_ZnsgppdvqS8jnKwn9_cC3PewfQ-WB2rve3xUihG1zf8s2cmhLM9g3H2kzL5pY979iQBqgrbJ-cxKGoZnzpCxEkbdY/s1600/compost+pile+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEuYRiQTlYC02aUZ7CgOr72TY9b_AhV26KbHeqivMgws7TgZtNw_ZnsgppdvqS8jnKwn9_cC3PewfQ-WB2rve3xUihG1zf8s2cmhLM9g3H2kzL5pY979iQBqgrbJ-cxKGoZnzpCxEkbdY/s1600/compost+pile+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">17 years of composting leaves, scraps and rabbit poo, all finally getting used.</td></tr>
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Where did I put all that compost? Why in a new garden bed of course!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r4dyBXs8tcVOuKKieDacdO4Ps6HHAlUk92OrctEe5AbsvdCpWXBhbYCjk_FsF3DP1Gk1nlN9sFBw3TCI2rlRPCynpjlfLlcIdJcVU1wm25ZHX9_RxjVDB_aC1xPRcaEKNqPcBwhX_IKA/s1600/Asparagus+Bed+1b+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_r4dyBXs8tcVOuKKieDacdO4Ps6HHAlUk92OrctEe5AbsvdCpWXBhbYCjk_FsF3DP1Gk1nlN9sFBw3TCI2rlRPCynpjlfLlcIdJcVU1wm25ZHX9_RxjVDB_aC1xPRcaEKNqPcBwhX_IKA/s1600/Asparagus+Bed+1b+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpHbw8Dqpg2V8YhdGKizYHgIpP3O7A55bV2IFagt9TGKeC017HE6A72m3EB2DrIZWnDkHrDBz20_GfiEoHCVufq8JqZWb-DEwxeYBEgifUhikK8mY9xrVnec4wYQVLhRPQLpwEfKX8wXt/s1600/One+Asparagus+Bead+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpHbw8Dqpg2V8YhdGKizYHgIpP3O7A55bV2IFagt9TGKeC017HE6A72m3EB2DrIZWnDkHrDBz20_GfiEoHCVufq8JqZWb-DEwxeYBEgifUhikK8mY9xrVnec4wYQVLhRPQLpwEfKX8wXt/s1600/One+Asparagus+Bead+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am using building materials that had been left with the house.</td></tr>
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When we moved in there were a lot of building materials laying around. The bricks were used as a walkway in the main garden bed and the concrete blocks surrounded the daylilies. I will be planting marigolds and such in the concrete blocks because asparagus doesn't play nice with other plants, but marigolds are helpful partners in the garden attracting pests away from the other plants as well as attracting pollinators for all.<br />
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I won't lie, it is hard doing all this will a busted up back and the other health issues, but even with the ouchies, I feel much more centered when I am out in the fresh air helping nature along. </div>
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And, one more note on Spring gardening, my raspberries are growing beautifully!</div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0Boston, MA, USA42.3600825 -71.0588801000000142.1722125 -71.3816036 42.547952499999994 -70.736156600000015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5684035679577506226.post-20728696522683967632014-03-29T13:53:00.001-07:002014-03-29T13:53:52.328-07:00I have excuses!Looks like Mother Nature took a bite out of me. According to my Functional Meds doctor, I likely have Lyme disease. If so, I have had it for at least three years and it is effecting my neurology. The upside is that if they are correct, I can stop any more damage from happening with the antibiotics, but it is going to be a very bumpy ride. I am no longer in college due to memory issues and the depression being poked by whatever the Lyme is doing to me. So, another upside is I have more time so when I am having a good day, I can work on my garden. The downside is that I never know when there will be a good day, so posting is not going to be regular. Not that it was before this LOL.<br />
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Yes, I am still gardening. My husband has promised his help because he doesn't want to see me hurting my back more than it is, and I think he may even be enjoying the engineering and building aspects. Shhhhh.<br /><br />
This year I am trying a few new things, and I have my seedlings all growing and impatient for the soil to warm up enough for them.<br />
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So, let's get started with the 2014 growing season! See you in the yard!Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14628252295534387315noreply@blogger.com0