Smithy

Our family's annual salsa-making weekend went off with only small hitches. First was the difficulty of rounding up enough canning lids; we usually go buy them along with more jars to ensure that we have enough. There have been no lids to be found anywhere around here for a month. By the time we realized the shortage, even Amazon couldn't come through in time. We were able to round up enough unused lids from previous years to know we could fill several dozen jars. Then came the tomato shortage! I had purchased some beauties (beefsteaks, not canners) at a roadside place on the way, and it's a good thing I did. Our usual place ran very short, and we got the last of their stock for the year. Peppers and onions were readily abundant. We ended up with 30 pints of salsa to be split 3 ways: not the largesse we'd hoped for, but still a good way to enjoy last summer in the coming winter. Assuming we'll be able to plan anything next year, we think we'll plan to move next year's canning weekend into August, rather than wait for Labor Day.

A cautionary note: my father, who made his living as a citrus grower, always admonished us kids against either method. Twisting or breaking the stems leaves the tree open to disease in a way that a clean cut can't. He asserted that the clipper was the best way to preserve the health of the tree, even if it's the clipper-on-a-pole so useful for tall trees like avocados.

Hello, Farzaneh / daminadorani! What sorts of things do you like to cook and eat? Do you cook at home, or let others cook for you?

Nice writeup, @blue_dolphin. I feel inspired when I read the descriptions. I'll have to go look for some of these the next time I hit a wine shop. I got away from rosés years ago because I tend to associate them with sweet wines, but of course we know they aren't necessarily. I still remember my sense of sophistication when, in college, I graduated from Mateus to Lancer's. Oh my, how grown up we felt! Over the years I've tried the occasional blush wine and they can be nice, but I haven't really explored them.

I'm bumping your question up to see if anyone has an answer, or whether you already tried it and if so how you liked it. My other question would be whether 190F for a few hours is enough to kill botulism in that anoxic environment. I don't know. Somebody here knows, perhaps you already do?

@liamsaunt, more about the zucchini, please. I have one bigger than my forearm that I haven't managed to give away...need to do something with it. Your approach looks a bit simpler than zuc fritters.

I had never heard of Octoberfest Pie until now, and I too have been interested in the turned-over pie presentation. It makes sense if one isn't going to eat the pie directly from the baking tin, but I'd never seen it until this topic. Incidentally, I loved the sound of the curried pie a few posts ago. If I ever get around to trying my hand at pot pies again, I'm going that way.

When you do this, do you individually oil the phyllo leaves? I made a phyllo "pizza" last night with roasted summer vegetables, and the hardest part to me was the peeling the leaves apart and brushing each with an egg/oil/water mixutre. Maybe I'm too impatient. If there's an easier way, please let me know.

That's a delightful post! I'm with Heidi and Kay - love looking at people's pottery and glassware. I have a large salad bowl and some tumblers that match your wine pitcher/decanter. The meals all look delicious, too. The term "pork scotch" threw me for a loop. It looks like what we Yanks would call medallions. Is that right? Are they cut from the loin?

I picked up a bottle of Gateway Vinho Verde in honor of this topic. There was a time when I drank Vinho Verde often; then I kinda forgot about it. I'm glad I tried a bottle again. Things I learned tonight: Vinho Verde refers to the region in Portugal that is the source of the wine; it is not a varietal or particular blend. Think Bordeaux in France, or Rioja in the Basque region. I have only ever had white Vinho Verde, and until tonight didn't know that other varietals are grown there. (See this article for more information.) I can't speak to the reds or blushes. As for this white, which is much like the white Vinho Verdes I've had in the past: it has a bit of carbonated sparkle; the alcohol content is low for wine (this bottle is 9.5% ABV); the flavor is light and semi-sweet (or off-dry?) with citrusy notes but it is not what I would call fruit-forward. It's very refreshing for a summer evening. I think it would be interesting to try side-by-side with one of the fruitier Sauvignon Blancs. That said, I'm not sure what I would pair it with for food. The roasted red pepper hummus on crackers didn't clash terribly, but I don't think the food or wine did each other favors. Then came dinner.... ...and no, Vinho Verde (white) and chili are not a good match. Not that I expected them to be, but I had to try.

@weinoo, as much as I admire the idea of the Frog Hollow Farm produce, I've been unwilling to spend the money for them. Please let us know what you think of these.

Get going on those Asian dishes you wanted to cook....

Wow! I would normally run the other way from anything that describes itself as reminiscent of a Muscat (dry or otherwise) but I do love Gewürtztraminer. I've never heard of Madeleine Angevine, much less Siegerrebe. I'll see whether any of our local shops carry that particular wine. My go-to white wine is Sauvignon Blanc, but I'm also fond of dry Reisling and the occasional Chenin Blanc. Seghesio makes a very nice Vermentino that I may be able to find again. I'll bring in some of my faves and I look forward to seeing what others here come up with. My "real-world" friends turn up their noses at ANY white wines, so it'll be nice to compare notes here.

I remembered the 366F and the test, which was when I discovered that my oven wildly overshoots its target temperature. I hadn't remembered that it's decomposition instead of melting, as such. I also hadn't noticed the 170C baking temp, which makes my question moot. Thanks for the corrections.

Doesn't the sugar melt at that temperature? If not, why not? Does the dough insulate it?

True, but as one of those people watching the leaves start to turn already I can appreciate that much of the world (in the northern hemisphere) considers it to be high summer still. I also think that a seasonal theme is fun, even though participants may not be in the same season. All that said, I'd be fine with a different schedule and theme if Rebel Rose proposes it. I'm just keen to try a virtual group wine tasting, led by a knowledgeable teacher!

The moussaka looks great. When I think of that dish I tend to think of the Egyptian version (which @Wolfert said at the time should be spelled mussaka) which has eggplant, the lamb mixture, and a tomato-based sauce. (Gratuitous plug here:) If anyone is interested in various takes on moussaka, have a look at the eG Cook-off#7: Moussaka topic.

I think I'd favor the time-framed posting here, in order to allow more people to participate and possibly to maintain our usual anonymity. However, I'm open to other ideas. @Rebel Rose may have different and better ideas!

My three cherry tomato plants look prolific, and at last the fruit is beginning to ripen. These plants are all taller than I, and they just keep bearing in their delightful indeterminate way. The Sun Gold and Black Cherry tomatoes make a nice color contrast to the classic reds, don't they? The bowl fragment is from a beloved hand-painted Italian bowl that slid off a the top of a bookcase a few weeks ago, a casualty of trying to fit one too many books in the case. The bowl broke into too many pieces to consider trying to glue it together. I've scattered some of the sherds around in various plant pots, but I have trouble letting go of these bigger pieces that still show the original pattern. It's a measure of my general good fortune, I think, that I could spare emotion to lament a dish!

I love the looks of those crumpets, @Kim Shook. Did you make them? It may be about time for me to do that again.

Me, me! I learned so much from the eGCI course "Evaluating Wine", but my local wine-tasting group has aged out or moved and now I tend simply to drink blended wines. There are some fine blends out there, mind, but a sharpening of the perceptions would be welcome. I think biweekly would give time for everyone interested to find the wine and participate. I'd favor kicking it off on a weekend, but in truth it doesn't much matter for my work schedule. Thanks for starting this up - and welcome back!

Thanks for reviving this topic, @JessicaDowd. If you go back to the first page, you'll see that it's supposed to be your own local wine shop, wherever that is. Pick a bottle at random, blindly if you can so safely. Show us what it is, and those who want to participate will get the same wine. Compare notes. We didn't really have much luck with the game because of uneven availability of the same wine. The current pandemic adds another complication: I think the whole "get someone to spin you around in the store" idea is untenable while maintaining social distancing. Maye there's a virtual way to do a random choice. Anyone? I had forgotten that this was how I discovered inexpensive but good Malbecs.

I haven't seen that brand before. Are those from a supplier online?

We always go to the Oasis Date Gardens in Thermal. Here's my most recent visit.

I have no idea what that pattern is called or who the manufacturer could be, but I think it's a very handsome design.