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ElainaA

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Everything posted by ElainaA

  1. Exactly - I could not have put this so eloquently. I would add that for me it is not only immensely satisfying put such fun. Not everything I put up comes from my garden - I do not grow fruit except for apple trees, gone native from a long gone orchard, and raspberries so the fruit for my jams and chutney come from the farmer's market or a pick-it-yourself farm nearby. Last year, after a horrible experience with septoria in my tomatoes I had to buy 2 bushels from a farm to can ketchup, chutney, salsa and whole tomatoes. I refer to my summer preserving as a case of seasonal obsessive disorder - subtype preserving. (Around November, the subtype candy making strikes.) I am very careful - I make faux-V8 juice and a lovely tomato-roasted garlic sauce but I freeze them rather than can since they are low acid due to all the vegetables and I do not have a pressure canner. I'm not sure they would be safe even then. I give a lot of stuff away and I do not want to make anyone sick. I'm not sure what will be next this year - possible more strawberries or soon cherries. And I am watching for the rose hips to turn red. Elaina
  2. Thanks Deryn - I am going to try this. Do you pick the rose hips when they are green or wait until they turn red? I usually follow Christine Ferber's (Mes Confitures) method of using green apple jelly instead of commercial pectin - sort of like your mother's use of apple skins and cores - my mother did that too. I still have a couple of jars left from last years batch.Since there is sugar in the apple jelly you need to reduce the sugar in the recipe if you do this. Sadly, due to some very powerful storms here, the ground under the apple trees is covered with tiny green apples so I'm not sure if I'll have enough for a batch this year. Elaina
  3. Deryn - I find rose hips very interesting. One of my wild rose bushes in full of them right now. How do you process the hips? Everything i have read sounds intimidating but I would love to try. Elaina
  4. Darn! I wish I had heard this before I planted it. I have long thought that a book listing invasive plants would be very useful. I'm still trying to get rid of the spiderwort that my daughter's kindergarten teacher gave me 25 years ago. Elaina
  5. In spite of some yo-yo weather my garden is settling in. The garlic I planted last fall is doing great. In fact we'll have garlic scapes for dinner this week. This may be my favorite part of the garden - the salad section. Here are 2 views of the whole thing: This is not (yet) part of the garden (and will never be if I can stop it) but it is the bane of my existence - oregano that escaped from the herb garden, went native and is now invading everywhere. I will never again plant oregano. When my husband uses the weed eater our yard smells like his grand mother's kitchen. Elaina
  6. I think what it may come down to is that Ithaca, NY sees itself as performance art and it shows in the farmer's market. One of the popular bumper stickers says " Ithaca: 10 square miles surrounded by reality" Elaina
  7. I live more or less between two large farmer's markets: Ithaca and Syracuse (NY). The Ithaca market is lots of fun but strikes me as more of a performance art event than a true market. There are some wonderful stands of vegetables and two good bakeries but they are outnumbered by the pottery, jewelry, the lady with the hand painted shoes and all the food - Cambodian! Thai! Pizza from a wood fired oven (on a truck bed that he brings with him)! Macro Mama! Souvlaki! Burritos! Crepes! Curry in a Hurry (my favorite actually)! (I know I've left a lot out), wineries - and lots of competing musicians. I spent this morning at the Syracuse farmer's market. No musicians, only a few crafts but lots of veggies and fruit, cheese makers, locally raised meat,bakers, local honey and 2 pickle makers. I got 3 quarts of strawberries so this week will see strawberry jam with pinot noir and also baked custard- something I make twice a year - strawberry season and blueberry season - and will enjoy for breakfast all week. I also got some lovely tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, some really good sweet gherkins, and 2 sfogliatelle, which, using great restraint, I brought home to share with my husband. It's too early for lots of veggies here (the tomatoes were green house) and a lot of what was there I have in my garden (garlic scapes, lettuce and other salad greens) but it sure was fun. Even without musicians. I bought a lot of strawberries - maybe I'll make some other jam too - maybe Ferber's Strawberry with Raspberry Juice and Balsamic Vinegar - I have some of my own raspberries in the freezer from last year. I'm wondering about farmer's markets in other areas - which model do they follow? Performance art or a simpler model based more on food? Elaina
  8. My favorite easy way of cooking bone-in chicken is the Dinosaur Bar B Que's mojito chicken. I do it with chicken thighs but bone-in breast would work. Just marinate the chicken pieces over night in the mojito marinade, put a lot of thick sliced onions in a baking dish, add the chicken and marinade and bake at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes (or so). Serve chicken and onions with pan sauce, a sprinkle of parsley if you like, over rice. Little mess to clean up and no fuss. The Dinosaur Mojito marinade is available in stores here but they helpfully give the recipe in their cookbook: (this makes a lot - I halve it usually) Mix 1/4 cup chopped garlic, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 cups orange juice, 1/2 cup lime juice. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large saucepan until just smoking. Here I will quote the cookbook "Now cover up your arms and put some potholders on your hands because you are about to do something that is contrary to good cooking practice but produces great flavor release." (Dinosaur Bar B Que has little respect for good cooking practice but their food is great both in the restaurant and from their cookbook.) Slide the mixture into the hot oil. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with 4 t. kosher salt, 1 T black pepper, 2 t ground cumin, 2 t dried oregano and 1T chopped fresh cilantro. I often leave out the cilantro because i don't have any and I am not about to buy an entire bunch for 1 T. More complicated (and not necessarily better) is a Basque recipe. The chicken pieces are rubbed with salt, pepper and sweet paprika and baked at 375 for about 35 minutes. Use a dish that you can also put on a burner. Meanwhile you make a sauce by sautéing chopped onions, prosciutto, chopped red and green peppers- cook about 10 minutes, add lots of crushed garlic and 2 chopped tomatoes, some white wine and a little chicken stock. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste. Take the chicken out of the oven, (optionally: put on a burner over medium heat, add some brandy and flambé), pour the sauce over the chicken, reduce oven temperature to 325 and bake for 15 minutes. Really wonderful. Elaina
  9. As stated before, I'm in the ketchup and relish camp. But I should add that unless I can get Hoffman's Snappy Grillers I avoid hot dogs. I thought they were purely local to upstate NY until my daughter found them in a Wegmans in NJ. Of course Wegmans, like Hoffman, is based in upstate NY. Elaina
  10. I buy from Gygi. Their selection is limited but for Callebaut they usually have the best prices. They also offer warm weather shipping. Elaina
  11. Wow - what I learn here! I never knew that ketchup is considered "gross" on hot dogs. In rural upstate NY it's the norm - sometimes with mustard but more usually with sweet pickle relish. That's my preference although I prefer my home made ketchup rather than store bought. Interestingly, just yesterday I saw a TV ad for a new type of Heinz (I think) mustard the whole point of which was that this mustard goes best with ketchup for things such as hot dogs. Elaina
  12. I think there are two issues here - adults that are extremely restrictive and adamant about what they will eat (in my opinion often following whatever fad is current) and the issue of dealing with children who are 'picky'. In the first case, unless there is a real medical ( I have a friend with a violent allergy to all alliums - cooking for her is difficult but worth it for her company) or ethical issue, I find it annoying at best. Re: the second issue, I am very influenced by my experience teaching both Child Psychology and Adolescent Psychology for many years to conventionally aged college students. When we discussed child-parent conflict, food, and especially dinner, was always one of the first topics raised. And more than once a student commented, "I got tired of fighting so I ate what she (Mom) wanted me to. Then I went to the bathroom and made myself throw up." And often again, someone else said, "Why didn't I think of that." The issue here, of course, was always power not nutrition. And the kids knew it even if the parents didn't. Elaina
  13. Deryn - Is it possible that your first husband was my father? Of course, he would be 107 if he was still alive. Add green beans and white bread to your list and that is the diet I grew up on. I believe my mother would have been more adventurous (After Dad died she started cooking eggplant, cauliflower and lots more things I never tasted growing up.) Food in friends houses wasn't really very different - in the 1950's many people ate that way. My daughter was a picky eater throughout her childhood. I had no problem accommodating her. She refused anything containing tomatoes but if we had a tomato based pasta sauce it was no trouble to thaw some pesto, which she loved. (I freeze it in ice cube trays for that very reason.) She refused cooked vegetables - but would eat salad, carrot sticks and raw broccoli - again no problem. The one given was that she have some protein and either veggies or fruit for every meal. Starches were never a problem. (Which makes me wonder: Is there a picky eater who refused potatoes?) There were multiple other foods she refused - including most candy and desserts but nothing that was really hard to work around. And our family dinners were relaxed and full of conversation, not arguments over food. I took great amounts of grief from my sister-i-law for 'allowing' her eating habits. Today my daughter eats (and cooks) everything. The change happened gradually through her adolescence. And her cousin, said sister-in-law's daughter, who was brought up having to eat everything, is an extremely picky eater as an adult.
  14. Hummingbirdkiss - You describe the garden imperative perfectly - alternating triumph and despair. Or both at once. That's a lot of garden. What is your climate zone? I assume it is warmer than mine - I'm in 4B. Do you blanch the cardoon? This is my first year growing it - I understand it needs to be blanched by tying up the leaves around the stalks some time before harvest. I have just put mine out - the plants are only about 4" tall so far. I have grown artichokes - from purchased plants - but only got good yield about 1 year in 3. Darienne: I agree - climate zone makes such a difference. What works in zone 7 or 8 will never work for me. (Zone 4B). I get most of my seed from Johnny's Selected Seeds and Pinetree Seeds - both in northern Maine. I figure if the catalog says it will grow there, it will grow for me. I've got to go water the garlic. Elaina
  15. OK - down to 30 last night. I can't believe that I was so seduced by an early warm streak, a never ending winter and the first spring of retirement (no papers to grade! no final exams!) to ignore the time honored rule of "don't put the tomatoes or peppers in until Memorial Day". In spite of lots of cover, I lost almost half of my tomatoes and most of the peppers. Luckily I have back up - so today (high 60's) I replanted. The basil (36 plants) is still inside. If I fail to grow enough basil for a year's supply of frozen pesto my marriage will be endangered. Soil temperature today was 57 degrees - so I still haven't planted beans, cukes or squash. Soon, I hope. Lettuce, greens ( endive, arugula, green and purple mizuna, 2 types of cress, bianca riccia, italico rossa, spinach), beets, carrots, fennel, cardoons, broccolini, stem celery, cabbage, onions, leeks, scallions and shallots all came through ok. I totally blame myself for the carnage. Elaina
  16. After an unusual spell of warmer-than-usual weather, I put my tomatoes (28 of them) out last week. I really should have known better at my age - the rule here is never plant tomatoes or other tender crops until after Memorial Day. Now we have a frost warning for tonight and tomorrow night. So I just got back from covering them. The package of agribon row cover that I thought was huge only covered one and a half sets. (I plant around ovals of concrete reinforcing mesh about 4' long. Each set is 8 plants.) So then it was old sheets and various plastic plant pots weighted down with rocks. It's still in the high 40's but the wind feels like winter and the plants were NOT happy. Luckily I haven't planted basil yet so I can bring that inside. Everything else should be ok. I haven't planted beans, cukes or squash yet - they will go in from seed when the soil temp. hits 70. The extra tomatoes that will go into 5 gallon pails can come inside too. Sometimes gardening feels more like being at war with nature rather than being at one with nature. Elaina
  17. Sadly our in-wall vac system was installed before the ports in the kitchen toe-kick were available (at least in the brand we have). They work great. When we replace our cabinets I'm hoping to get one installed. Deryn - I think the central vac could handle your Siberian - I feel I could make at least 2 Labs and several cats from what I vacuum up in a week. And we only have one of each. Re: germs: Quite a few years back there was ongoing (often barely civil) discussion at the community college where I taught between the biology faculty and the nursing faculty over this issue. The nurses handed out anti-bacterial washes, wipes and sprays widely and pushed their use in all-college emails. The biologists were staunchly opposed. As I recall only the biologists cited research to support their views, not that I could locate their citations at this point. We're all retired now. My mother used the same quote as Anna's grandmother. Elaina
  18. Franci _ What variety of cucumbers? Were they also from Renee's Garden Seeds? I am not sure where you are now. If you are in the NYC area you should explore the Arthur Ave. area of the Bronx - there are several stores that stock imported seeds from Italy with varieties hard to find in the US. Elaina
  19. Jaymes - This reminds me of one of my favorite children's books, Miss Rumphius (my screen name on the gardening forums, GardenWeb). Tasked, as a child by her grand-father to do "something to make the world more beautiful", as an adult she filled her pockets with lupin seeds and cycled the back roads, scattering them everywhere. It is a lovely idea. Your mother must have been an amazing woman. How lucky for you. Elaina
  20. Oh Shelby, I am so jealous. Snowing here both yesterday and today. The garlic looks fine but my spring flowers (daffodils, miniature iris, scales and hyacinths) look so sad! I was hoping to till this weekend and plant peas and lettuce but no such luck. Maybe next week...... Elaina
  21. @keychris - Yes, this is the same technique used in his French bread. I have not tried that recipe yet. I think your advice to increase hydration is an excellent idea - I'll try that with my next foray into pate fermentee. @bethesdabakers - Thanks for the advice. I have been baking bread for over 45 years and I'm not at all wedded to French technique. I hope I'm never too old to try new methods and recipes or to ask for advice when I am less than successful. I have heard a lot of bakers I respect (those I know personally and many on this forum) express great respect for Reinhart's recipes and techniques and trying them out is great fun. Elaina
  22. I've been working my way through Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Some of the recipes have turned out wonderfully. However the recipes that I have tried using his pate fermentee have all turned out too heavy with way too dense a crumb. They taste really good but are just not what I was aiming for. My kitchen is relatively cool - usually about 66 degrees so i expect a long time for rising. Other than that I am following his instructions carefully. Any advice? Elaina
  23. My garden is finally clear of snow - and turned to mud. But inside my tomato seedlings have been moved into beer cups (the ones going into my garden. I have about 50-70 more to give away. Some very interesting varieties, If anyone is in the Finger Lakes area and wants seedlings let me know.) , radicchio and cardoon into 4" peat pots. The basil, broccolini, Chinese cabbage and mini cabbage should be ready to move out of seed trays next week. And the spring bulbs that the critters didn't eat are blossoming! I'm never sure whether I am a cook who gardens or a gardener who cooks. And does it matter? Elainaq
  24. I made the pastiera - there are pictures on the thread "Special foods for today's holidays". It was a success - lovely both to look at and to taste. The casatiello will have to wait for next year. Elaina
  25. I just caught a typo in my earlier post: The title of the Londons' book is The Versitle Grain and the Elegant Bean. I'm not sure how Eleanor BeanS got in there or who she may be. I like the name though.... Elaina
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