Smithy

I've never sterilized my jars, either. As noted above, there's a huge amount of acid (even with the Meyers) and salt. The lemons deteriorate over time but I don't think it's due to anything growing in them. (Brine shrimp, perhaps? )

If I were ever to design a mandoline, I'd design that holder thingie to have a spring-loaded sleeve that adjusted to the diameter of the object being sliced. That way, said object would be held in position without extra effort on my part, and I could concentrate on pushing down on the pusher. Such a spring-loaded sleeve wouldn't help for things like waffle slices, where you're constantly changing orientation, but it would help for most other circumstances. The OXO, if that's the one I tried, did have a bit of a sleeve to cage the material in question, and it was hinged along one side to keep it more stable. Those seemed like good ideas, but that darned V-blade kept jamming the produce. Meanwhile, the produce kept going sideways because it wasn't being cradled firmly around its middle and held in the proper orientation.

Add 1 more for me: Molto Italiano. It arrived at my house for inspection because either I forgot to tell the club not to send it (I do dither on occasion) or they decided to ignore me (also happens). Its fate hung in the balance for a while: I have too many cookbooks/that's not possible; space & money vs. gorgeous photos; then somebody made gnocchi from one of his recipes over on the Fresh Pasta cookoff. I was undone. So much for unloading cookbooks. My poor husband.

Andie, thanks so much for that update. I'm glad Terry and his folks are doing so well, especially mama and baby. You know, given the way this is working out for them, I bet the kids will have fond memories of this wild storm, fishing from the deck, and so forth. That probably won't be true for the many unfortunates whose houses were flooded, but what an adventure for those with Terry! (I suspect Mayhaw Man's kids will have similar memories, given MM's inventiveness and humor. MRE's and all that. In time the horror may fade from memory, but the fun will remain.) Do you know what they're doing with wastes, such as offal from the butchered drowned steer?

I did several jars, more or less like this, this weekend. Lacking the gumption (or the romance of good company) to go get a charcoal fire burning during a driving rain, I settled for roasting the peppers until quite limp and somewhat charred in a 450*F oven, then peeling and deseeding them and cutting into, oh, quarters or eighths. Those pieces and most of their juices went into a pot with olive oil to cover, the whole lot was heated to a simmer (but not to smoking), and then packed into sterilized jars with more olive oil added as necessary to cover the peppers. I did not add garlic, salt or acid. I did not process the cans in a hot water bath. They did seem to seal. My question is, do these jars still need to go into a refrigerator or freezer, or can I trust them as is for some months? Up to a year? Will anything grow in that? Need I worry about botulism, for instance? The remaining peppers will no doubt become dip or be blistered and frozen, as time permits.

That is a fun fact, and something I'd never heard before. Thanks for that! Boy, howdy. My grandparents in Fresno had Thompson seedless grapes in the arbor out their back yard. Those were the sweetest, most delectable grapes I'd ever eaten. At the time I could hardly be bothered with our Emperor grapes, because the Thompsons were so much better. Now I can hardly stand to buy Thompsons at the grocery store; they're so insipid and tart. Their only redeeming feature until recently was being seedless, but now the seedless reds (whatever the variety) in the store are much better tasting. Grapes are yet another crop that doesn't make it to the stores in true representative style.

Welcome back, Susan, and thanks for the lessons learned. I'm glad that tornado didn't get any closer. I've never had a power loss longer than, oh, 36 hours - maybe 48 - since I've been here, but I'll add one thing to your list: charcoal and grill are good, but so are lots of propane bottles for the gas grill, and wood for the fireplace. Hmm. Now I'm sorry I gave away my hand-crank coffee grinder.

Mizducky, I think you managed to concoct something that even my dog wouldn't touch! But I do admire your thrifty behavior. Now really, folks, I refuse to go looking through photos I posted proudly on other threads. I'm sure I'll manage something before long anyway. Does anyone want to see a pot of canning water after a jar of tomatoes has broken in the hot water bath?

As far as I know, that's still how they do it. I remember seeing the screens laid out between the vineyard rows in Selma only a couple of years ago. I'll check around and see what I can learn. Do they have seeds?

Thanks so much for checking in, Patty. I pray you continue to do well and come through all right. You got it. Has anyone heard from Fifi or Foodman? I hope they're well out of the way.

Abra, those are gorgeous! You may be breaking new ground here. I can tell you that raisins in the Central Valley of California aren't subjected to 200F heat (even though sometimes it seems that hot). They are getting heat from direct sun as well as reflected from the ground, and it's probably over 100F there. Still, it takes quite a few days instead of your 17 hours. You may be able to just start them at 200F in the oven and cut down on the time, but I don't know. Are there enough grapes around that you can afford to experiment? If you hadn't said those grapes were wild, I've had said they were Emperor grapes. We used to grow those at table grapes, and they were wonderfully sweet. I was too young to know about a winey flavor. The color and size are right. I hope someone can identify them for you.

Please do, Brooks, and please pass our well-wishes on to her. Brrrap and damnation, I'll take an earthquake or a blizzard any day. I have to ask: is the east side of the eye worst because the orientation of the Gulf Coast makes those winds into onshore winds and increases the storm surge? Or is the east side always worst regardless of where you are?

My paternal grandparents, of Tennessee and Oklahoma descent (Scots, Irish, English, Welsh) also would not give sharp objects as gifts because the sharp edge would cut the love or friendship. My father remembered to his dying day how disappointed he was when his father gave him his very first pocket knife as a birthday present - and then demanded some money (a dime? a nickel?) in return. OTOH, Dad and his father loved each other deeply, all their lives, so it must have worked. I confess, I've defied the tradition a few times but never been comfortable doing so, even though MY parents gave me wonderful cutlery and it has never cut the love. I suppose the business about cutting off the end of the ham before roasting it falls more into funny stories than into old wives' tales? I'll tell it anyway. Somebody wrote the Reader's Digest long ago that her husband asked her why she always cut the end off the ham before putting it in the roasting pan. The answer was "that's how Mom taught me," and she'd never wondered why. She called her mother to find out why, and her mother said, "that's how Mom taught me." Fortunately the grandmother was still around. When they called her to ask why, she hooted with laughter and said, "Because I never had a pan big enough to fit a whole ham!"

These are wonderful. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should get more peppers!

Well, what do you know. We seem to be part of a fad, or perhaps eGullet is more a trendsetter than I'd realized. Crate & Barrel now offers a new, improved tagine made from French Burgundy clay. It says here that the glaze is "exceptionally heat resistant, making it possible to cook directly over the flame", suggesting that the others can't. (How's that for marketing? ) It's dishwasher-, microwave-, oven- and broiler-safe, too. First Le Creuset, now Crate & Barrel. Who's next?

Well, my question may make you feel better: What's a mouli-legumes? Is it what we call a food mill over here? If so, you might have it assembled incorrectly (I don't know how, but perhaps the spring tension isn't right, or the bottom is on upside down) or, more importantly, it might not work properly. The first food mill I bought had lovely smooth stamped holes in the bottom (sieve) part. They were so smooth that the food passed over them without being torn. I got tomato puree, watermelon puree, you name it out in little dribs and drabs just as you describe. The bottom of the food mill has to feel rough to the touch, because those rough edges have to catch and tear the stuff you're moving around the sieve. There might be other reasons too, that I'm not thinking of. Finally, I might be thinking of the wrong implement altogether. So you see, your question isn't as daft as you think! Do you have a photo you can post of your mouli-legume?

Thank you very much, folks! Those are great ideas, and suddenly I wonder whether I have enough peppers after all! That pasta sauce will have to happen sometime in the next week, I think. Marco Polo, your descriptions are wonderful and evocative. I do have a technical question about canning the roasted peppers with the oil and garlic. Is it all heated in the pot, then cold-packed into the sterile jars? If so, heated for how long and to what temperature? Or are the jars processed in a hot-water bath? Or is this one of those cases where nothing would grow anyway? I'm thinking there isn't any acid in that mix you describe, so I'm wondering how long it would keep without refrigeration or freezing. (Hoists a glass of Rioja) Here's to you all, with your fine ideas.

I'm afraid our power failures up here are almost always associated with freezing temperatures rather than your sweltering, so this may not be of much help. How much can you cook together, in a giant stew, including that lovely demi? Then, how warm can you keep it with a good insulating layer? Alternatively - can you cook up a mongo everything-type stew, then chill it well (perhaps freeze, if the juice hasn't failed yet) in smaller packages? As cooked foods start to thaw they can be rewarmed with a bit of fuel, and eaten. I'd expect cooked frozen foods to hold up better than raw frozen foods as they thaw. I dunno. I'm just gobsmacked at your weather down there, and hoping y'all make it through okay. Katrina was bad enough, without visiting more misery on the South. Please let us know how you do.

I just bought about 10 pounds of red bell peppers...this on top of the 20-30 lbs of ripe tomatoes that need canning that I haven't got to yet. (As usual, my ambition exceeds my time.) I can cheerfully make up a fair number of stuffed peppers and freeze them; I can also roast a bunch, peel them, stuff them in olive oil and freeze. Still...my freezer only has so much space, and I'm supposed to be making more space for this fall's lamb and hog, not taking up space before the meat arrives. So what do I do with the rest of the peppers? In case it's relevant, and at the risk of being a kill-joy, I should note that neither of us is big on chutneys or ketchup. We do love salsas. Maybe I can do something creative with the tomatoes and peppers together? My canning capability is limited to hot-water bath. Ideas, anyone?

I'm so pleased I checked back on this thread! I'd never heard about preserving sage leaves in salt before. I have a ton of sage, and I'm going to try this one. What about tarragon? There's only so much tarragon vinegar to be made in my world. Is it best to just dry the rest, or can I whiz it up in oil? Butter? Salt? Any ideas? Tarragon is new to my garden.

I've had great success making stuffing for cabbage rolls with venison and freezing them for later. Take 'em from the freezer, pop 'em in the oven, and sometime later, with sauce - there's dinner! I have a mess of red bell peppers, and I think some of them are going to be stuffed and frozen for later. Back on topic, just remember these immortal words:

I have two bowls for mine, of the same size, and I'm really glad. If I'd been picking a KA I might have gone for the next size up, but that would have been a major counter hog - and it wouldn't have fit in the cabinet where the present one lives when not in use. I want to second what others have said upthread about the pasta attachment. As it happens, I have a motor for my Atlas "hand-crank" machine, and I wouldn't be without it. If that motor dies, I'll either replace it or get the KA pasta attachment...anything to avoid trying to crank and feed and catch the pasta with only two hands.

It depends on how discriminating your audience is. I started right in with the stuffed pasta, and am glad I did. However - after 3 attempts to get it right, with disappointment over the pasta dough every time, I've decided to take a step back and just try the noodles. If I can get the noodles to be not "doughy/chewy" (my take) or "soggy" (Russ' take) then I'll move back to stuffed pasta. It isn't hard to stuff the pasta. I think it's hard to get the pasta right. Meanwhile, dh is showing signs of test fatigue. It's easier, in my book, to make a small batch of pasta (next time it's a quarter batch) and make noodles than to go through all the stuffing making, pasta rolling, pasta stuffing, etc.

I hate to burst your buying bubble, but if you don't bake much you may not need a stand mixer. You have a whisk, or a stick blender, or a hand mixer? I use the first two far more in cooking because I can take them to the sauce pan. My husband bought me a lovely Kitchenaid mixer, to replace the Hamilton Beach job I own that's older than I am (a real antique, that) and then it developed that he doesn't eat cookies or cake! I make them sometimes anyway, and the mixer's handy for that - and for the meringue when I have someone to help me eat the all-important lemon meringue pie. Lately I've gotten into bread making, and the mixer's finally coming into its own. But for a long time, he wondered just why I'd thought the mixer would be so neat.

Wendy, I want you to know you were the deciding factor in whether I'd keep that latest Mario book that had come to my house on spec. Take the credit or the blame, as you wish; my cookbook collection just got bigger. Susan, have any of those venison ideas sounded good or sparked further ideas? Talk to us, woman! Now I've got mushrooms worked into the dish!