andiesenji

If they aren't bruised at all, you can wrap each individually in newspaper - cut them from the stem and leave it attached to avoid any breaks. Put them in a single layer where it is cool and there is some air circulation and check them every couple of weeks. They will very slowly ripen and if you want some to ripen quickly, put them on the window sill where they can get light but not direct sunlight and they will ripen within a few days. If you have small tomatoes still on the vine and have a shed that is somewhat protected, pull up the entire plant and hang it upside down. Cherry tomatoes will hang on and ripen very slowly as long as they aren't bruised or touched by frost.

Andie - is that with the lid on the crockpot or slow cooker or without. I assumed without to get the evaporation, but then the heat is hard to hold. Thanks! Your final product looks luscious. The lid is off. Total time elapsed 20 hours but this is a "slow" slow cooker. When I use the Cuisinart, on which "High" is much hotter, it takes less time - this one is the West Bend - supposed to be a 6 quart but the capacity is safely 5 quarts, otherwise the stuff touches the lid when it is in place. Gooey bubbles around the lid. It's much faster on the stove but then I have to pay attention to it. With this method I just pour in the cider and leave it alone 95% of the time, I check every four or five hours. Not much skimming needed on this batch and when I got up this morning it was perfect. I have been promised some pear cider from a person who lives over in Littlerock - I'm going to see how that will cook down into syrup - I think it will be delicious!

If you wanted to clarify it, how would you do so? Filtering through a coffee filter? (That strikes me as potentially painfully slow.) Or maybe a gelatin clarification? MelissaH If I wanted it clear, I would filter it prior to cooking or somewhere in the process before it begins to thicken. As I think a lot of the flavor is in the tiny bits of pulp that remain, I don't filter them out. I just skim off the foam that appears during the first phase of boiling because the stuff is tough and stringy. Once most of this is gone, I just leave it on a low simmer for several hours - in the slow cooker I don't have to watch it. It was finished early this morning. It is very flavorful. I used 3/4 cup in some quick bread and this is what is left. Just a bit over a pint.

Thanks so much for the window into a week in your culinary life, Alcuin. I have truly enjoyed it. I lived in Wisconsin for three years in the mid '50s and was actually in the Rathskeller once, when contemplating attending UW. Your rendition of cardoons looks lovely, as do all your other foods.

I don't think that's the upshot at all. I think the upshot is not that Steven's water actually is inferior the second time around. I think what he's saying is that he doesn't actually reboil water because he has the idea that it would be inferior the second time around. New York City tap water is better quality than most bottled water, especially if you have removed the small amount of chlorine used (either by filtration or by degassing through boiling). More to the point, it is naturally very soft water. So it's pretty much impossible that his kettle would concentrate enough dissolved solids to produce a negative taste effect unless he never ever emptied the kettle and rinsed it out. Even if he always only used half of the water and always replenished the kettle without ever pouring out all the water, it would take many, many kettles of half-reboiled water before the nonvolatile substances approached the concentrations that many parts of the country consider normal. Well said! - or written!

You can take classes - such as this one. There are several in the Bay area. Berkeley I have friends who live in Carmel and forage the coast. Check here for fees and what you will need. (fishing license).

Don't eat those for sure. Even experts have been fooled by lookalike mushrooms. The results are extremely bad.

You don't need a dehydrator to dry mushrooms. They will dry nicely at room temp, just put them in wire colanders and place them on a newspaper (to catch the spores that will drop out) or if you don't have wire colanders, you can dry them in a mesh bag - like the ones made to launder lingerie. Just hang them where they will get plenty of air and put something under them because the dark spores will stain whatever they land on. (I have a small stain on a granite counter where I left a crimini mushroom for several days - something was hiding it and when I found it the mushroom was dry but it had left a "spore print" behind.) P.S. This happened to me with jumbo shrimp (which I don't eat but friends do) I saw these huge tiger shrimp in the case priced at 3.99/lb and bought five pounds from the friendly clerk. Somebody obviously left off a digit and the skew number wouldn't scan so the guy just weighed them and printed out the unit price and total price with a number that did scan and when I checked out no one asked any questions. I gave them to my neighbors.

One gallon of cider - murky because it's unfiltered - in a slow cooker set on high. After simmering for 3 hours, unattended. Liquid level reduced by nearly an inch. Some particulates beginning to bob to the surface - will begin skimming when they thicken and foam appears on the surface. I use this method because there will be no "scorching" and it will not foam up and boil over as it invariably does on the stovetop. No constant stirring required until nearly the end of the process.

I don't think Steven's water is at all inferior and that's not what I intended to say. I have a deep well that produces excellent water with a lot of mineral content but there is an inline filter right off the wellhead that removes a lot of it. I have friends who recover rain water which is held in closed cisterns (and filtered before it goes into the house. I have other friends who are on municipal water lines and we all brew tea from water kept at brewing temp in a water boiler. I happen to have a Zojirushi as does the friend with the cistern and the other friend has a different brand but it works the same way. Almost everyone I know who drinks tea daily has one of these or an instant water heater. A few have kettles, either electric or stovetop. Only the ones with very small kettles fill with fresh water each time. My point is that somewhere in the more recent history of tea, someone who impressed other people with his expertise made much of the "necessity" of using fresh water, newly boiled, to brew tea. For people with running water in the house this was not a hardship, but consider folks that had to haul water from a well or other sources. It was not feasible to throw out perfectly good water and start over with a fresh batch, so usually it was just add more water to the kettle if needed or reboil what was in it. And I am quite sure than anyone insisting on absolutely fresh water would not have been looked on with kindness. At one time I did believe that fresh water, freshly boils was best but that was many years ago. I met someone who had had a lifetime of experience with tea and he told me that laying down strict rules for brewing tea was "loblolly thinking!" - I tried to look it up but was unsuccessful then eventually learned it meant "porridge for brains." (long before the internet). Each individual can choose how they like to brew their tea. There are no hard and fast rules. If one enjoys tea brewed a certain way they should stick to it or try other methods to see if that suits them better. In my posts I am referring to the most commonly available teas, black, oolong, green, flavored etc., but I would hazard a guess that the more delicate white teas and rare greens would benefit from filtered, freshly heated but not boiled water.

For most people this is not much of a factor in brewing tea or coffee. I'm considered a "supertaster" as I had (as part of a test group at a university) my tongue treated with a dye and several impressions were taken of it. I have brewed the exact same tea, carefully weighing it exactly, in water from a water boiler (Zojirushi) from my In-Sink-Eeator hot water dispenser, and from a teakettle with freshly drawn well water brought to a rolling boil and dispensed immediately. each batch of tea was brewed exactly the same amount of time and immediately decanted into a separate pot to avoid any chance of overbrewing. My friends who helped with this totally unscientific "test" could not discern any difference in the taste of the tea (an Assam single estate Hazelbank FTGFOPT) with or without milk and/or sugar, and neither could I. In my opinion it is possible that people who have heavily treated water may notice a difference but in some cases it might be advantageous to prolong or repeat the boil because some particulate matter that could possibly affect the tea would precipitate out. Some friends who only "discovered" tea a few years ago have done extensive traveling and tasting in many tea-growing areas (currently in Africa) and have stories about drinking tea at almost ever altitude available to the casual traveler, including an underwater restaurant in Dubai. They said that even though some people complained about the tea made with water boiled at a lower temperature when they were in the highlands in Sri Lanka, they did not note any difference in the taste of the tea and thought it just as good as that brewed at the place they stayed in Amanwella. They have come in contact with more than a few people that they consider tea snobs and who offered them advice that they thought was ridiculous. They don't advertise that they are both doctors and know a great deal more than most strangers credit them with.

Cardoons have to be sliced very thin - I steam them over acidulated water for at least 30 minutes prior to cutting them otherwise they are tough. They are very popular in the south of Italy and there are some wonderful recipes. Fried cardoons with anchovies are often incorporated into stratas. Here is some helpful information. And a recipe you might find helpful. For the cardoons I had (home grown) the 30 minute simmering time was not nearly enough and I had to cook them an additional 20 minutes. The next time I prepared this dish I steamed the cardoons cut into 6-inch segments until tender and then sliced them and continued on with the dish as directed.

I've purchased from both the ones I mentioned in my post. I've also purchased from a family of Native American pickers in Bishop, CA, who sell to the company in Missouri and they gave me the name and phone number a couple of years ago when I called them after they had already sold theirs. I buy the shelled nuts and split the order with friends. The cost is more than other suppliers but they are American grown, nothing from china and they are fresh! The flavor is exceptional, especially for baking. They sell out rapidly, which is a good indication of their quality.

Mumbai City Hall? Someone sent me a postcard a few years ago that looked similar.

I'm bringing this topic into the here and now because it is cider time! I just bought four gallons of fresh, unpasteurized cider and am going to make boiled cider syrup. Will also try making some cider jelly. On purpose! I have made the jelly in the past but quite by accident. I have read notes on several blogs that others have had this same experience. Unintended Jelly, a pleasant thought. A smallish batch was made last year for one particular recipe but this year I have promised to make enough so some friends can try out some interesting recipes. Apparently they didn't like the commercial stuff. It is possible that others might also like to try making a small batch of this stuff. The "perfect" reduction is said to be 7:1 but I never worked it out quite that precise. When I start with a gallon I usually end up with slightly less than a quart of syrup that is about the thickness of commercial syrup - not quite as thick as Karo or sorghum. I sometimes add a small amount of liquid in which I have cooked spices, cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, cardamom, allspice or pepper - either singly or in combination. I have a little 2-cup percolator (stovetop) which works nicely for this without requiring much attention and I strain the liquid so the cider syrup will not be murky. I used to add the spices directly to the cider and got a murky result. I learned by experience... There are some lovely recipes that use cider syrup, all available online. This one from James Beard's "Classic Home Desserts" - And these from Earth First Farms. And some very easy bar cookies from Chapin Orchard. Just to give you some ideas. In the past I have baked a ham glazed with the cider syrup, made a pecan pie using the cider syrup (apples and pecans have such wonderful affinity. And, with a little additional cooking one can make it thick enough to coat apples, especially nice with the addition of cinnamon.

I probably do more "overcrowding" than most because in my many years of experience I have found that for my purposes a little crowding is not all that bad and for some meats is to be encouraged. As long as I can see the bottom of the pan here and there, I don't consider it overcrowding. One particular meat that benefits IMO from a little overcrowding is the pork chop. I think that they dry out too much when isolated in a pan. But that's just me. One of my favorite (and most often requested) dishes is "smothered" pork chops and they certainly benefit from being crowded together in the pan. Another is turkey medallions. I don't want the edges dry and curled up and this is what happens if they aren't crowded in the pan. However, this is all an individual preference subject and I think everyone has to determine what works and doesn't work for them. If you like your meats or whatever cooked widely separated in a pan, like little islands here and there, by all means do so. There are no cooking police to cite you for doing it "wrong."

You can order them NOW but they won't ship till next month. This is the only reliable supplier if you want shelled nuts. They have great flavor but you have to keep them in the fridge, freeze if not using them within a few weeks. There is also this company that gets wild harvested pine nuts from pickers in the southwest states. You have to shell them yourself.

Starbucks has acknowledged your concerns (and obviously that of many others) with this announcement.

At one time I had a distinct preference for tea, mainly because for me coffee had to be freshly brewed and the process of brewing for each cup was more time consuming than brewing a cup of tea. I also have a large collection of teas. Since getting a single-serve brewer (and a capsule espresso machine) I drink either tea or coffee, depending on my mood, the food I am eating, the weather, visitors or whatever other factor might come into play.

Read the law. The law bans the practice, not the foie gras itself. If you want to "discuss the BAN," none exists to discuss. Wait, I'm confused...I thought that after the law goes into effect foie gras cannot be produced, sold, or served in California. You're saying it just can't be produced? There was talk of a ban on importing it but some big money corporations threatened "restraint of trade" suits and they make big donations to legislators. That hot potato was dropped in a hurry.

My representative did not listen to her constituents, a majority of whom were opposed to the bill. In fact, when I tried to bring this up at one of her "town hall" meetings, she was downright insulting, insinuating that at my age I probably didn't understand the implications of the bill. It was like a child being patted on the head and told to go and play and not bother the grown-ups. At that time both she and her husband (who was and is our state senator) would hold these public meetings but blew off anyone who didn't march to their drum. I agree that it is a "Ban" and it affects the producers most of all. Like any luxury product, the people who can afford it will not be affected. People who make their living from producing it are impacted. I didn't mention in my earlier post about one confrontation I had with three PETA members about this. When one of them said that "wild" birds should be released, I informed him that these birds have been domesticated for centuries and no longer could cope in the "wild" and would quickly become victims of predators. Time and again I have tried to make the point to these PETA fanatics that if any animal, bird or mammal, can't be used for food, or other useful products, the domesticated breeds will become extinct. No one can afford to keep them just to maintain a breeding population. Their attitude has been, better dead than possibly being mistreated. I wonder how far they would take this idea?

At certain seasons we get "Golden" pineapples from Maui that are much sweeter than the common variety - and also more expensive. Starting next month, we should begin seeing Mexican pineapples in the local Mexican supermarkets and I like these because they have thinner and flatter skins so less loss of flesh when cutting away the skins and "eyes" of the fruit. While most of these are medium sized, some are quite large, more round than the longer ones most commonly seen. Last year I got a whole box of the Mexican pineapples, cut most into rings and dried them. They produced more surface sugar than I had seen in the regular varieties.

I wrote the governor prior to his signing the bill, pointing out that he had recently enjoyed a meal that included foie gras and it was hypocritical of him to sign it and cause hardship to the producers in California when there was no ban on the importation of this product. The ban, like many other ideal-driven campaigns by people who want to tell others how to live, is not going to stop people from buying and consuming foie gras. It is just going to impact the producers. I've had several face-to-face confrontations with PETA members and have most often found them to be somewhat hysterical and never willing to listen to a coherent, reasonable counter to their claims. They shout down anyone who attempts to voice a dissenting opinion. It's virtually impossible to deal with unreasonable people who refuse to listen to other opinions.

I've been preparing home fries or "cottage" fries for sixty years and have tried various techniques over the decades but always return to the method learned in my grandma's kitchen. There were always potatoes for breakfast and they were started the evening before - scrubbed potatoes went into the hot oven after the dinner was being taken to the table to bake in the residual heat and removed when the cleanup was finished and placed in the cool pantry (or the fridge in summer). In the morning the skins were removed - usually just slipped off - and the potatoes were sliced about 1/4 inch thick, or less. They went into a very hot iron skillet in which the fat (bacon drippings or lard) was about 1/4 inch deep and left undisturbed until the edges on the bottom layer were light brown and then they were turned with a big spatula and the top layer was exposed to the fat and heat. Nowadays I microwave russets or Yukon Gold potatoes for about 2/3 of the time I would use to "bake" them completely - time will vary with the power of the microwave - and I don't remove the skin because I like it and it has some vitamins. Otherwise the process is much the same. I often use a combination of butter and oil (grapeseed is a favorite) as this combines the flavor of the butter with the higher smoke point of the oil. Sometimes I cut the potatoes into wedges (usually when cooking them for dinner) but most often into slices but sometimes into cubes. I don't season the potatoes until after they have browned a bit - this is a personal quirk but I do taste as I go. To me onions and peppers don't belong in home or cottage fries - adding those makes it Potatoes O'Brien and I like my potatoes "pure" but fried onions on the side are okay, depending on the other breakfast items. With steak and eggs or pork chops, okay, with bacon or ham, not so much.

Wow, Percyn! That looks like 800 calories and a cholesterol bomb. I bet it was tasty and wish I could have one, or even half.