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Food in the time of a pandemic


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One minor success for me is getting to the bottom of the half used jars of condiments and sauces and pickled stuff and jams/jellies that were languishing on the fridge door shelves.   I have been able to pick a target and think up ways to use it until gone.  I think I'm down by 5 jars, but more to go.   Some examples of the "gone" half used stuff; Ikea brand seaweed caviar; small jar of giardiniera, small jar nduja; pickled eggs, rose jam...........makes one think creatively to use.

Edited by lemniscate
ways not was (log)
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2 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

One minor success for me is getting to the bottom of the half used jars of condiments and sauces and pickled stuff and jams/jellies that were languishing on the fridge door shelves.   

That is a good project. I should follow your example. I am sure there are condiments in my fridge that pre-date the Flood! Some predate the catastrophe that struck my house and some the one in the Bible. 😂

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

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We were at the local market at 7 a.m. today.  Second customers in.  First time I have seen cartons and cartons of eggs but the produce, except for green onions and mini peppers, was skimpy.  I snagged the last cuke but it was no prize.  When we went through the check-out, i told the checker that she was the first person, other than my husband, I had spoken face to face within 10 days.  BTW, no t.p. to be had.  But my wine was there so it was a pretty good trip.  I did notice that prices of everything have been creeping upward the last couple of visits.  The store holds a pretty large captive group of shoppers  Myself included for now.  I think they will rue the day they did that once we can make choices again.  

I found a lone package of T.Js tamales in the freezer along with the dregs of a box of tacquitos.  Lunch will be built around that stuff and then I can justify my siesta.  

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11 hours ago, DiggingDogFarm said:

I'm set for months with necessities.

The only thing I'm unfortunately low on is tea.

I guess I can order that via Walmart.

 

 

I may be blowing smoke here, as the last time I ordered tea on line was about 3 or 4 weeks ago, but most on line spice and tea companies are functioning, are they not? I buy all my tea on line from several different vendors and have for years. Typically I get really attached to certain teas from certain purveyors, and then suddenly I find a new crush.

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So, every day I walk by that bunch of green "plantains" and think "Ok.  Tomorrow I will be creative and make something wonderful with these."  And then the next day comes and I think the same thing.    My brain just doesn't want to deal with something  new I guess.

 

Anyway.

 

Yesterday I was out in the garden and Ronnie scampered up to me (yep he scampered) and told me that I and all of EG owe him an apology.  I rolled my eyes and said "For What???"

 

Yes, friends.  He was right.

 

They are freaking bananas.

 🤣

IMG_7650.JPG.3288f08a5d0941b3f21d492c19363bbd.JPG

IMG_7651.jpg.2b3ea4bf861d64a4f945652e8544ab70.jpg

Took 7 years to turn yellow, but yes.  Bananas.

 

So, I apologized for all of us and made him a layered chocolate pudding/banana/Nilla Wafer/whipped cream thing

 

IMG_7652.JPG.b775ac33e25cb69900d28755d7627804.JPG

 

🤷‍♀️

Edited by Shelby (log)
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So...the doorbell rings yesterday...

 

7MAoGIU.jpg

 

Rosie and I are very happy to see this delivery.  Then I open the box, sterilize shit, and guess what...

 

i9cVtj8.jpg

 

It's huge - that's a whole brisket, what they call a packer brisket in the trade.  Around 10 - 12 lbs., I'd guess. Oy.

 

Pulled out the knives and went at it - I'm no butcher, and I'm out of practice at cutting up big hunks of meat (like I was ever in practice!)

 

11kQiNI.jpg

 

The flat piece laying down (around 3 lbs.) is what I'm cooking today - the flat. It was salted and rested overnight in the fridge. The other piece with it - frozen.

 

There's also this...

 

xuyYshx.jpg

 

Which is about 2.5 lbs.  And there's also  2 - 2.5 lbs. more of deckle-ish meat that will be best used slow cooked and shredded, or ground into delicious hamburger, since I made a mess of it.

 

Oh, at least I took care of this last night...

 

tfpJIbs.jpg

 

Talk about trying to make room for stuff. 

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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I just got an email confirming my grocery order is ready for pick-up later this morning.  I placed that order two days ago because the pick-up windows kept getting more and more limited.

Everything on the order was available except the lamb shanks (third week in a row out of stock) and white flour.

I did allow a couple of substitutions for a different brand of whole chicken and fresh thyme.  Overall, very satisfactory.

Sadly, the state does not allow online ordering of alcohol from grocery stores...it can be ordered online from other sources so that rule makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  Irksome.

 

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Yesterday San Bernardino County, the largest in the contiguous 48 states, made wearing masks that cover your nose and mouth mandatory. So when I venture out for groceries tomorrow during the seniors hour (my DW asked me to picked up some asparagus for our daughter who lives locally) I'll be wearing the latest fashion "craze." We have a few masks left, and a friend is sewing my DW and me fabric masks. My Sweetie has already looked up how to keep the fabric masks disinfected.

 

My first attempt at a quiche was overall successful. Needed a touch more salt.

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Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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Since long before COVID-19, every time I think about trying to order groceries I have the same negative reaction. I don't want selecting my produce.  For those of you who ordered food before this pandemic, has the quality of produce changed. Were you happy with the produce before this pandemic.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Porthos 

 

fabric masks can be disinfected in the CSO     look into that thread.

Thanks. Unfortunately there's no CSO in our home.

Porthos Potwatcher
The Once and Future Cook

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4D4428BC-48EB-4A61-A593-50C6FFFC4193.thumb.jpeg.79af0e52d9404a70af28576686ace753.jpeg


Have to see the beauty in the little things - was just getting some stuff ready for dinner, in this case large local organic spinach.  Soon to become some butter “creamed” concoction...

 

Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. 

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1 hour ago, TdeV said:

I buy flour from King Arthur Flour. From where do Canadians get their flour?

Mostly at the supermarket. :)

The big brand here is Robin Hood, which despite the shared associations isn't as "artisanal" as KAF. There are other brands with some market presence as well, like Dover and Five Roses and a couple of others that escape my recollection at the moment. Brody's for self-rising flour.

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Here is my second week of vegetable share.  A big bag of basil, three huge apples, a celery root, a big turnip. half head of cabbage, a huge sweet potato,  more potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of maple syrup.  

 

135027106_week2.thumb.jpg.125727f0bda4435cb8595d48d7956d4c.jpg

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19 minutes ago, liamsaunt said:

Here is my second week of vegetable share.  A big bag of basil, three huge apples, a celery root, a big turnip. half head of cabbage, a huge sweet potato,  more potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of maple syrup.  

 

135027106_week2.thumb.jpg.125727f0bda4435cb8595d48d7956d4c.jpg

 

As much as I love northern Minnesota, I do envy the earlier (and longer) growing seasons of more temperate areas. That looks lovely!

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6 hours ago, Shelby said:

So, every day I walk by that bunch of green "plantains" and think "Ok.  Tomorrow I will be creative and make something wonderful with these."  And then the next day comes and I think the same thing.    My brain just doesn't want to deal with something  new I guess.

 

Anyway.

 

Yesterday I was out in the garden and Ronnie scampered up to me (yep he scampered) and told me that I and all of EG owe him an apology.  I rolled my eyes and said "For What???"

 

Yes, friends.  He was right.

 

They are freaking bananas.

 🤣

IMG_7650.JPG.3288f08a5d0941b3f21d492c19363bbd.JPG

IMG_7651.jpg.2b3ea4bf861d64a4f945652e8544ab70.jpg

Took 7 years to turn yellow, but yes.  Bananas.

 

So, I apologized for all of us and made him a layered chocolate pudding/banana/Nilla Wafer/whipped cream thing

 

 

 

🤷‍♀️

 

 

Told you so!  

 

I have gotten three or four bunches of greenbananas during the past few months. I feel them at the lower end, squeeze gently, and when they give a little I will peel one. Whatever this variety is, they remain a bit firm but have a ripe flavor, which I like. They are similar to some of thebananas...
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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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I got 2 bunches of bananas in my last delivery.  One bunch was "normal" the other bunch remained green for over a week, just a tiny bit of yellow with some unusual reddish color around the stem. 

When I finished the first bunch, I tried one of the green ones and it was near ripe. during the next five days they slowly turned yellow but not all the way to the bottom.

They did not have the Dole stickers like the other bunch.

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"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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31 minutes ago, andiesenji said:

 

Told you so!  

 

I have gotten three or four bunches of greenbananas during the past few months. I feel them at the lower end, squeeze gently, and when they give a little I will peel one. Whatever this variety is, they remain a bit firm but have a ripe flavor, which I like. They are similar to some of thebananas...

You were right!

 

I humbly apologize :) 

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