sparrowgrass

Sounds like the frost got 'em to me, too. I have tons and tons of pattypans. I love them--first tasted them just a couple weeks ago, and I am definitely adding them to the roster. I had big tomatoes for dinner--cut in chunks, dressed with garlic, cider vinegar and plenty of salt. I know one variety was Ananas Noir, but I did my usual job of crappy marking, and I don't know what the other two were. Tasty, anyhow. I am in Missouri, and feel lucky to have anything growing. We are deadly dry--I have never seen weather like this. A forest fire about 40 miles west of me actually crowned--burned the tops of the trees. Summer fires are rare here, and I have never heard of a crown fire in this part of the country.

Looks delish!! I would definitely make stock from the leftovers--it would be incredible for cooking beans!!

I raise chickens, and after they are plucked, I use a torch to singe those hairs off. The BBQ will probably do it, but holding it over a gas flame or plucking will make sure they are gone.

My dishwasher, a Frigidaire Gallery, has a stemware rack in the top shelf. If you are washing tall glasses, it folds up out of the way, but folded down, it has slots for the stems.

I always use frozen, and can't tell any difference from fresh.

jrshall--depends on your recipe. If the acid is adequate, it can be water bath canned. Check this Ball Blue Book recipe for BBQ sauce--as long as your proportions are roughly similar, it should be safe. http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=138

When life gives you extra pork flavored liquid, use it to make green beans or pinto beans or . . . . I did spareribs the other night in a new electric skillet, on low. Lots of liquid when that was done, too. I was initially disappointed, but the ribs were pretty tasty. Just not what I had in mind for dinner that night. (I will stick to the oven method, or the grill, from now on.)

Back when I was married to a deer hunter, I did all the butchering. I did the individual muscle thing, removing all silverskin and tendons. It is interesting to feel the different muscles, and I learned that many 'tough' cuts actually have tender pieces that can be dissected out. This was before everything was available as a youtube video, so I didn't really have any guidance. I labeled the packages "roast", "stew" and "steak", so I knew how to cook them when I got ready. I learned on my own how to sort cuts into tender, not so tender, and grind this stuff into burger. I liked doing it, but the year I butchered 4 deer, I spent some time in PT for carpal tunnel, and learned that an old name for that problem is butcher's syndrome. Good knives probably would have helped that problem!

Andie, for as long as I can remember, my mom's laundry basket was (and still is) a wooden bushel basket, lined not with a sheet, but with the skirt of an old dress, red with black print. That dress must be from the fifties, and still on duty. A 'hand' of bananas--does that count?

Gorgeous!!

Cheesecake. Frozen.

I worked in a Tyson chicken plant for a mercifully brief time, and huge boxes of chicken feet were packed and shipped to China. They were labeled 'chicken paws'.

From the top--lovage, asparagus, strawberry plant (I have 74 more, of 3 varieties), poles for Kentucky Wonder beans (asparagus row behind, tomatoes will be to the right, garlic and broccoli/cabbage in front), thyme in the pot, and Herb in his garden--catmint behind him, monarda in front, some lavender in the lower right corner. I have planted 19 tomato plants so far--trying hybrids along with my heirlooms, because I had some blight last year. Goliath, Taste of Country, Romas, Big Boys (my mother insisted on those), Ananas Noir--all I can think of right now. I have half a dozen more plants to set out. Half a dozen Mucho Nacho jalapenos--they did so well last year, early to fruit, big thickwalled peppers with great taste, wonderful for Atomic Buffalo Turds! Purple and yellow bells, and some little bells that are multicolored. Burgundy bush beans, and burgundy okra. They both turn green when you cook them but they look so pretty in the basket. Butternut, hubbard, pattypan and zucchini squash, a 'Cinderella' type pumpkin (Rouge de something) and several varieties of gourds, just for fun--nest egg, snake and apple. Peas, lettuce, potatoes and kohlrabi are all up--we have eaten some lettuce and I snitched one peapod yesterday.

Glass cutting boards. Even the thought of using a knife on glass makes my teeth hurt.

I remember little glass things that you put in the pot, but I think they rattled as the pan came to a boil, alerting you to the possibility of boiling over. That would not work for me, since I would be out of the kitchen and out of earshot. I find a timer hung around my neck works best--it at least reminds me that things are going on that might need my attention.

I bought a set of the Kuhn Rikon knives on Woot. They were very inexpensive--$15 for a set of 4--in lovely red polka dots. They are very sharp, but I don't expect them to last forever. I have NOT noticed any advantage to the non-stick.

I volunteer at our local thrift store, and we love cookbooks! There are lots of cookbook collectors, and the books move quickly. (Except for microwave cookbooks--I think most folks have given up on cooking whole meals in the nuker.)

I have a big cast aluminum griddle--fits over 2 burners.

If you get the feet right off the chicken--you do have to prep them by blanching and pulling the yellow scales off. The nail covering will pop off, too. Here is more info from Nourished Kitchen blog. Your children (or you, if you have a childish mind, like me) can pull the ligaments sticking out of the top of the foot to make the claws contract.

Fresh ground nutmeg, too.

Why don't you want to freeze them? I haven't noticed any deterioration in quality. Yes, with 4 or 5 deer, I can see leaving some in the gutpile. I like it, but I don't want to eat it very often. I bought a side of beef last year, and got about 10 years worth of liver.

Everything goes in the dishwasher except wooden cutting boards and cast iron. I don't have expensive knives, but they are sharp (enough for me, anyhow). I am careful how I place them in the dishwasher--little ones go blade down in the cutlery basket, chef's knives go on the top rack. My mother, who is living with me now, hasn't learned the blade down rule.

Did ya know you can use a chain saw to split the spine? And I do hope you picked that liver up and washed it off.

If I only get one, it would be butter. If I get to make a list, it would include eggs from my own flock, hamburger only from my farmer friend, tomatoes and sweet corn from my own garden, fresh garlic and (hanging head in shame) Diet Coke. (Or Diet Pepsi--in my world, the term 'Coke' means a soft drink. As in: 'I am going to the QuikMart, want a Coke?' 'Yeah, get me a Mountain Dew.')

I have limited storage space and big glasses, so I alternate them, like mjx. Mugs are stackable. Might be time to wash the shelves. I will put that on my to-do list.