What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)

[lemniscate]

Prickly pear juicing also resembles a slasher movie set.   Best done outside and without witnesses.

[heidih]

15 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Prickly pear juicing also resembles a slasher movie set.   Best done outside and without witnesses.

 

 

As does honey extraction - though in garage to hopefully eliminate bee entry. Though punch drunk bees can be amusing

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

39 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Prickly pear juicing also resembles a slasher movie set.   Best done outside and without witnesses.

Gosh--that looks like an abstract painting! I especially like the little yellow-ish leaf in the middle.

 

Reminds me of the day I went to visit an Italian family to buy a dozen eggs and came upon them in their kitchen juicing chokecherries for jelly. Amazing amount of red everywhere. I was glad I didn't have to clean it up!

Edited August 2, 2020 by Nancy in Pátzcuaro (log)

[Shelby]

Not enough cucumbers for a batch of canned pickles, but enough to make some Quickles.

 

[MokaPot]

Made radish emergency kimchi (quick pickle, I guess). Decided that, for this particular kimchi, I prefer non-fermented style. Refrigerated right away after making.

 

[kayb]

Today's adventure in tomatoes: tomato paste. Five four-ounce containers, from about a gallon of quartered tomatoes. Cooked down in olive oil, put through the food mill (used the wrong plate, used medium and it let some seeds through, wont do that with the next batch), then poured into a baking dish and stuck in a 250F oven for about 4 1/2 hours. 

 

 

When it cools, it'll get a dollop of olive oil on top and go in the freezer. I didnt want to fool with canning it.

 

[Okanagancook]

That will be delicious.  I like to make tomato paste also.

[Shelby]

20 minutes ago, kayb said:

Today's adventure in tomatoes: tomato paste. Five four-ounce containers, from about a gallon of quartered tomatoes. Cooked down in olive oil, put through the food mill (used the wrong plate, used medium and it let some seeds through, wont do that with the next batch), then poured into a baking dish and stuck in a 250F oven for about 4 1/2 hours. 

 

 

When it cools, it'll get a dollop of olive oil on top and go in the freezer. I didnt want to fool with canning it.

 

OMG amazing!!!  Super timely.  My mom just called me and said there was no tomato paste to be found where she shops.  Finally found a tube..but no cans like always.

[kayb]

8 minutes ago, Shelby said:

OMG amazing!!!  Super timely.  My mom just called me and said there was no tomato paste to be found where she shops.  Finally found a tube..but no cans like always.

 

This has a marvelous taste. Makes me want to make some bolognese.

 

[Shelby]

10 more pints of green beans.  I can't take credit for growing them.  One of Ronnie's buddies has them coming out of their ears.  Ours were doing great until about a week ago.  Has beans about half way done, tons of flowers, but the plants just up and died.

 

[kayb]

My beans didn't do well, either. Luxuriant vines. Lots of flowers. Maybe a dozen beans, all told.

 

[Shelby]

2 minutes ago, kayb said:

My beans didn't do well, either. Luxuriant vines. Lots of flowers. Maybe a dozen beans, all told.

 

So weird!  Last year ours did great.  I don't have a clue what went wrong, but at least I'm not the only one lol.

[kayb]

The vines finally decided to yield enough cucumbers at a time to do something with. Therefore, a half gallon of what will be, by the middle of next week, half sours. As I will be on the road, I will leave instructions for Child A to transfer them to the fridge.

 

Four leftover pickles are chopped and draining for a salad for tonight. There is no reason one cannot have cucumber salad with paella, is there?

[heidih]

6 minutes ago, kayb said:

The vines finally decided to yield enough cucumbers at a time to do something with. Therefore, a half gallon of what will be, by the middle of next week, half sours. As I will be on the road, I will leave instructions for Child A to transfer them to the fridge.

Four leftover pickles are chopped and draining for a salad for tonight. There is no reason one cannot have cucumber salad with paella, is there?

 

I always like a piquant contrast with something savory like paella

[RWood]

Our yearly marinara sauce making has started. We get these San Marzanos from a tomato farm nearby. They always have a distressed rack that is $1/lb. We picked up 14lbs this go round. Since they just started coming in, we'll probably go back for one more box. 

Edited August 8, 2020 by RWood (log)

[RWood]

So, 14 lbs of tomatoes made 4 1-quart bags. Not real impressed 😑.

Oh well, be buying another box.

[chromedome]

16 hours ago, RWood said:

So, 14 lbs of tomatoes made 4 1-quart bags. Not real impressed 😑.

Oh well, be buying another box.

 

Yeah, I had much the same feeling after turning my day's apple-picking into applesauce last autumn.

Of course, right now my main thing is blanching and freezing greens from my garden, and you know how that goes...

Edited August 10, 2020 by chromedome (log)

[heidih]

On 8/10/2020 at 3:37 AM, chromedome said:

Of course, right now my main thing is blanching and freezing greens from my garden, and you know how that goes...

 

 

Amazing volume reduction huh!  

All I have growing is an insane amount of oranges.  I've dried some rind. I don't do sweets much so candied peel does not appeal. I'd squeeze and freeze in ice cube trays - excellent as ice cubes in cold tea in the heat but the elders have the freezer stuffed to the brim and they are not leaving until early October. They find an excuse to go shopping almost daily! 

My dad brought me a bunch of tasteless grape tomatoes so I slow roasted them yesterday with a light drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt. I usually put a slit in each to avoid explosion and to concentrate flavor.  I let them go long so are more like a sun dried tomato. Quite irresistible with hummus slathered toasted whole grain no-knead.  Has anyone done oven dried tomatoes like these? https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/oven-sun-dried-tomatoes/

[chromedome]

34 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Amazing volume reduction huh!  

 

I bring home one of those large reusable Walmart shopping bags filled with greens every few days. I alternate: one day it'll be the chard and beet tops (I grow Early Wonder Tall Top specifically for the greens); the next day it'll be the kale. I have late plantings of spinach, chard, collards, turnips and more kale in their early stages, so we'll see how those play out.

Typically that big bag of greens will cook down to 5-8 portions (roughly 1 cup) once blanched, drained, and "squeezed and freezed." The sturdier kale doesn't cook down as much as the chard and beets. I have 35-40 portions in the freezer now, and hope to keep harvesting (albeit probably on a diminished basis) into October.

[RWood]

2 hours ago, heidih said:

 

Amazing volume reduction huh!  

All I have growing is an insane amount of oranges.  I've dried some rind. I don't do sweets much so candied peel does not appeal. I'd squeeze and freeze in ice cube trays - excellent as ice cubes in cold tea in the heat but the elders have the freezer stuffed to the brim and they are not leaving until early October. They find an excuse to go shopping almost daily! 

My dad brought me a bunch of tasteless grape tomatoes so I slow roasted them yesterday with a light drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt. I usually put a slit in each to avoid explosion and to concentrate flavor.  I let them go long so are more like a sun dried tomato. Quite irresistible with hummus slathered toasted whole grain no-knead.  Has anyone done oven dried tomatoes like these? https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/oven-sun-dried-tomatoes/

 

I have not tried those tomatoes, but I think I'll have too :).  I'm not a fan of most sun dried tomatoes in stores.  We are going to the tomato farm today, so I'll see what they have to try this.

[heidih]

26 minutes ago, RWood said:

 

I have not tried those tomatoes, but I think I'll have too :).  I'm not a fan of most sun dried tomatoes in stores.  We are going to the tomato farm today, so I'll see what they have to try this.

 

If purchasing I usually go Trader Joes - not oil packed. Some brands use crummy oil which dilutes the tomato punch. Good oil can be an added bonus ingredient though. I'll end up eating the ones just made by tonight so not doing the pack in oil thing. Do report back. Thanks!

[haresfur]

Drying bay leaves 😁

 

Donned my mask and took branches around to the neighbours. It was a good  excuse to check in on them. It looks like some of the bushy suckers survived the wattle attack and will survive.

 

[heidih]

24 minutes ago, haresfur said:

Drying bay leaves 😁

 

Donned my mask and took branches around to the neighbours. It was a good  excuse to check in on them. It looks like some of the bushy suckers survived the wattle attack and will survive.

 

Nice- fresh bay can be a revelation to folks used to dusty old dry ones.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

19 minutes ago, heidih said:

 

Nice- fresh bay can be a revelation to folks used to dusty old dry ones.

 

A while back I obtained fresh bay leaves and I thought they were vile compared to dried.

 

[haresfur]

2 hours ago, heidih said:

 

Nice- fresh bay can be a revelation to folks used to dusty old dry ones.

 

I think it is almost a different spice from dry. Less pungent, maybe. I feel the same way about fresh vs. dried basil. Dry is nothing like fresh but has its place.