kayb

Very cool. I'm planning on pulling the trigger on a pressure canner during Prime Day. We're all a bunch of Amazon junkies, aren't we?

Love me some Joan Armatrading.

I do love Pancho's dressing. I can buy the 1-cup tubs of it locally, but I rarely use it all before it goes bad. I've seen this recipe but never tried it; how close does it get to the real thing? Some Pancho's, some pico de gallo, some shredded iceberg lettuce and a crispy corn tortilla covered in melted cheese -- Bliss! It's also a great taco sauce, at least in the Ark-Mex world.

A wonderful vacation. I hope to get out on the Cape when I'm back in Boston this fall.

When I was a kid and we "put up" almost all the veggies we ate all winter, there were certain things one froze and certain things one canned, because...there just were. One froze okra (cut up, breaded in cornmeal, frozen on a cookie sheet and then transferred to a big bag), purple hulled peas, lima beans, brown butterbeans, and peaches. One canned, in addition to pickles, jams and jellies, green beans and shelled pinto beans and butterpeas (something like a chickpea). They just tasted better that way.

You sent me to Google for that one. Interesting. I may have to try it.

First, the structure of a proper PB&J: Soft white sandwich bread. Peanut butter, about 4 tbsp worth, spread on one slice Fruit jam or preserves (jelly only if no jams or preserves are available) spread on the other, maybe 2.5 tbsp max. My personal favorite was always blackberry jam, though strawberry is good as well) on the other Put together, and always, always consumed with the jelly side on top. I do not know why this is so, but it has been so for 60-odd years. I commend to you Nut Butter Nation peanut butter. It's available on Amazon. It's also made by my kids. In the "About" section, they're the cute couple you see. (And can I just tell you the salted caramel, used as a dip for Granny Smith apple slices, is a food for the gods? I am not partial to the brown sugar cinnamon, though it's my daughter's favorite.)

I don't grow garlic ... need to start ... but I buy garlic scapes in the spring for the single purpose of making garlic aioli. I can eat the stuff with a spoon.

I am enjoying the new freezer; it's nice to have the luxury to put up all the produce and fruit I want and know I have room for it. Today, I've frozen four pints of blackberries, and I have peaches to peel, pit and slice when they soften just a bit. I've shucked 50 ears of corn and have them ready to cut off, and I have some purple-hulled peas in the fridge to shell tomorrow afternoon and freeze. Plus I have the bowl for my ice cream maker in the freezer, so I can make ice cream tomrrow for dessert.

My grandson would be thrilled.

I contemplated putting up some of the Rainiers I bought the other day. But I've eaten more than half of them out of hand. They sure are good with yogurt and granola. I need to pick cucumbers again tomorrow. I have done nothing with the last batch I picked. It may be sweet pickle relish time.

The things one learns.

That's what I was going to suggest.

I am most impressed at the bird rescue. Should the ER physician gig ever play out, Kerry has a wonderful future as a bird trainer for animal acts! I believe that calls for a cocktail.

Update: No discernable difference in flavor, but a discernable difference in creaminess. This is exceptionally creamy yogurt. Will do this from now on. I guess the yogurt strainer is relegated to ricotta.

I have Made A Discovery. I have been making yogurt using dry milk powder for a year. My standard ratio I s two cups milk powder to eight cups water. Today as I was making my weekly batch, I thought, why add eight cups water when you're going to strain it to thicken it when it's done, anyway? So I used only 4 cups water with two cups powder. Luscious, creamy yogurt. No need to strain, just poured off the little bit of separated whey. Anxious for breakfast.

Great news! What's for dinner???

I have 40 quail eggs in the fridge to boil for pickled eggs and knockwurst, but a few of them may have to get pulled out for Scotch eggs. I do love 'em.

Summer's second batch of it is cooling on the stove as I type. A week's worth of Romas and cherries nets me about two or three pints, which get frozen.

Just. Kill. Me. Now. I want to dive into each one of those photos.

Shirred (duck) egg in stewed tomatoes from Deep Run Roots. Instead of country ham chips, I crisped a few slices of serrano ham in the oven. Used remaining ham to saute with green beans for a side. Daughter requested, since I had the ham out, a "homemade Egg McMuffin." Mickey D's can't touch this:

Hey, fellow food preservers -- a question. Can one freeze watermelon puree? We have a BIG watermelon we did not so much as cut into over the holiday weekend. I don't want to waste it. I can use frozen puree in sorbet or ice cream or a sauce (as well as cutting up a bunch of chunks to eat) and any number of other things. I guess I could can it, but at first glance, it seems freezing will make more sense.

Welcome! You'll find a wealth of friendly people and answers to most any question you pose. What do you like to cook most, and in what part of the world are you located?

I want him! (Lucy is glaring at me as I type.)

@Thanks for the Crepes I'm grateful with you for the good parts of your holiday.