Food in the time of a pandemic

[Smithy]

18 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Yesterday's preserving project. On a small scale, about 1/2 lb. ramp butter + 30 - 40 ramps pickled. Will be good for Gibsons I think.

 

Beautiful, and absolutely the kick I need to do the same thing before my ramps all go off.  How did you go about them, please? Was it just finely chopped or blitzed ramps in that butter, or did you add other seasonings? What pickling mixture did you use? Will that jar live in the refrigerator, or is it shelf-stable?

[Smithy]

14 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Mr. Kim tried ordering pick up from Amazon Whole Foods Market for the first time yesterday.  Not an unmitigated success:

 ... He ordered and we did NOT get KA Bread flour.... 

 

 

I have been trying in vain to find KA Bread Flour in Duluth. I couldn't even find a slot for it in one of the grocery stores we frequent. Finally, after I struck out at our most upscale grocery store - the one that has reliably carried it for years - I called that store's representative. "Are you planning to stock King Arthur flour again?" I asked. He replied, "Yes ma'am, as soon as THEY have a supply again." 

[rotuts]

The Rule of the New supermarket Road

 

today I went to Tj's , for replenishment of my

 

Wine Stock.    Very important.

 

they had arrows  etc , and the usual pattern up the first isle , down the second etc.

 

most of the seniors there seems to try to do the proper distancing.

 

I just went for the wine, and was told i could cut over in the front and then down to the wine area

 

my question is not facetious  :  if I wanted an item from isle 2 , 4 and 5  only ?

 

it makes sense I should not go down a one way street the wrong way.

 

but do I have to stay in the Cola that formed at the door ? and work my way at a glacial pace

 

to get to those Isles ?

 

is there an  arena where passing is allowed , if possible at 6 feet ?

 

Im not joking   commons sense says make sure you are going down the isle in the proper direction

 

maybe passing is only OK at the end caps ?

 

I dont want to be too gauche about it.

 

but I dont want to speed 30 minutes waiting to get to Isle # 3

Edited May 27, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

@rotuts, my perspective may be different due to living in a less crowded area, but it's common here to skip aisles. Our markets are also marked with directional signs (although not everyone is paying attention yet) but the broadest and most open sections (produce area) are two-way and provide easy opportunities to pass at a safe distance. So, for instance, I might go up the outer area, through produce and dairy, then go down aisle 8 for the bread, and up 9 for the coffee.

 

I also think that a brief noncontact passing within 6 feet, if nobody is sneezing and both are masked, is very non-risky. 

[rotuts]

Ive though a bit more about this.

 

id like to do the right  thing.

 

Tj's isles are on the narrow side.

 

I think its important to follow the directional arrows, of course.

 

then on an end-cap one can skip an isle or two , still following the directional arrows.

 

im thinking , is there is someone taking a bit of time to sort thought the FxFish they want ?

 

maybe I might say , " May I Pass ? "  than then that person might look away. etc

 

and no speeding .  no Beep Beep , nor Meep Meep.

 

remember Im in this w my Fellow Seniors !

 

still , TJ's needs an Expressway to the Wine!

 

My Tjs does not sell booze.  the one in Brookline does

 

but Ive never been there.  the Booze issues are town to town related in the State.

 

and Im not that much of a Booze person.

 

just a common Whine-Oh

Edited May 27, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

I really don't see a problem with skipping aisles at the end-caps. Passing in the aisles may be more problematic, in narrow aisles, but the local procedure (the local culture is very polite) is to say "excuse me, sorry!" or something similar, and then other person says "no problem, sorry!" or some such, and everyone holds their breath and the passing happens. Or it doesn't, because aisle-blocker moves on. So far it's working here although I still see some folks not bothering with masks. Boggles the mind....

[rotuts]

I will say , I was a bit surprised Tj's shelves  were very very full.

 

fresh(-sh) salmon  , beef vac'd , lamb, fresh and Fz  Kosher whole chickens 

 

the same fresh wraps I ued to get .  shrubbery in plastic bags.

 

onions , squash , potatoes loose 

 

cheese counter full.  yikes !

Edited May 26, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

7 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

Beautiful, and absolutely the kick I need to do the same thing before my ramps all go off.  How did you go about them, please? Was it just finely chopped or blitzed ramps in that butter, or did you add other seasonings? What pickling mixture did you use? Will that jar live in the refrigerator, or is it shelf-stable?

The green tops separated and washed well, as are the bottom halves. Both are blanched; this time I blanched the bottom half for pickling for about a minute, and the greens 30 seconds...I don't know if you need to blanch for pickling, but whatever; for the butter, I think it's a good idea.

I wrung the greens out really well, and chopped coarsely and into the food processor with 1/2 lb. of softened, unsalted butter, the grated peel of a lemon and some coarse salt.  Whizzed it up - for longer storage, some like to roll into logs and freeze - they slices can be taken off as needed. 

 

The bottom halves went into jar and covered with a pretty classic pickling recipe like this one: 

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickled-ramps 

or Changs:

https://steamykitchen.com/4241-asian-pickled-wild-leek-ramp-bulbs.html

They're going in the fridge and will be used over the next couple of, well, however long they last. They're good in Gibsons.

Edited May 26, 2020 by weinoo (log)

[weinoo]

 

I should add I really like  these Rubbermaid Storage things; they seal very well and clean up easily. Perfect for food in the time of pandemic.

[robirdstx]

1 minute ago, weinoo said:

I should add I really like  these Rubbermaid Storage things; they seal very well and clean up easily. Perfect for food in the time of pandemic.

I find them perfect at all times. I have a dozen in the size you show, plus another half dozen in the next size up.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

The green tops separated and washed well, as are the bottom halves. Both are blanched; this time I blanched the bottom half for pickling for about a minute, and the greens 30 seconds...I don't know if you need to blanch for pickling, but whatever; for the butter, I think it's a good idea.

I wrung out the greens really well, and chopped coarsely and into the food processor with 1/2 lb. of softened, unsalted butter, the grated peel of a lemon and some coarse salt.  Whizzed it up - for longer storage, some like to roll into logs and freeze - they slices can be taken off as needed.

 

The bottom half went into jar and is covered with a pretty classic pickling recipe like this one: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickled-ramps

They're going in the fridge and will be used over the next couple of, well, however long they last. They're good in Gibsons.

 

Thanks, @weinoo. Interesting about the blanching step. I considered it, but didn't do it. As it happens, I had spare time for projects before I saw your response, so my methodology was a little different. I'm still looking forward to the results! From left to right: Ramp / chive oil, buzzed up with a bit of salt; ramp butter (wish I'd thought of lemon!); pickled ramps using methodology from last week's episode of The Splendid Table; and then what was left of my usual lemon vinaigrette, with the ramp/chive oil that wouldn't fit into the jar at the left. I just had a salad using the dressing. Yum.

 

 

Until May 1 I was away from home and using a small kitchen in our trailer. It is a lovely, delightful luxury to be able to spread projects out and really play in the kitchen! And then...throw most of the dishes into a dishwasher!

Edited May 26, 2020 by Smithy
Added quote at the beginning, and dishwasher comment at the end (log)

[TicTac]

A few thoughts on Ramps which I thought I might share...

 

- Be cautious with ramp butter stored in the fridge, ramps tend to have a fair amount of water content and they will bleed their water into the butter dish and it will go off pretty fast if not watched/dealt with.

 

- Stay away from your blender or any electric blades when it comes to ramps.  The flavour profile you are able to achieve when using a mortar and pestle vs. a cutting edge (blade) is vastly superior.  Try the leaves with some coarse sea salt, smashed up, with some either very good EVOO or butter added after said smashing.  Big difference!

 

- Ramp leaves change their flavour profile when cooked, ramp and new potato soup is fantastic stuff.

 

Most of all, enjoy mother nature's spring treat!

[Smithy]

Speaking of playing in the kitchen and making messes: I also made sourdough crumpets. More here.  Maybe I'll try some of that ramp butter on one. Hmm, maybe not.

 

 

[robirdstx]

Could the ramp butter be portioned and then frozen?

[Shelby]

Sigh.  I'd just absolutely love to taste a fresh ramp.  I have a jar of pickled ones in the cabinet to make that dressing that Jo and others rave about.

[weinoo]

51 minutes ago, robirdstx said:

Could the ramp butter be portioned and then frozen?

Yes.

[rotuts]

Im not going to suggest This nor That

 

the food ,  home made i the dinner and lunch and breakfast 

 

thread , has overwhelmed  me

 

w what's usual here

 

on eG :  

 

intelligent people  well versed in understanding

 

what they work with , in their kitchens 

 

works for them and those they serve

 

I chose a different path 

 

several months ago

 

target.com  and now Walmart.com

 

I have Progresso soup , and I can annotate each bowl

 

etc 

 

etc

 

but now I have these :

 

 

some time ago  

 

and Im sorry I can't ref it :

 

there was a casserole of 

 

canned tamales 

 

@Kim Shook 

 

I did not order a similar number o

 

canned tamales 

 

as I dont have the cheese on top 

 

that makes the difference 

 

wo we will see ...

 

 

 

 

[heidih]

Instacart shopper today is having a not so great time. Poor guy. The old people are at Costco. Why!?!

[Smithy]

19 hours ago, robirdstx said:

Could the ramp butter be portioned and then frozen?

 

This particular ramp butter is so hard in the refrigerator that I doubt it will soften or go off any time soon. It's about half "European Style" (very high butterfat) and maybe that matters for pulling water out of the ramps.

 

That said, maybe I'll set some aside for the freezer to see if it makes a difference in longevity. TicTac's cautionary notes are appreciated.

[Smithy]

1 minute ago, heidih said:

Instacart shopper today is having a not so great time. Poor guy. The old people are at Costco. Why!?!

 

Does this mean you have 2-way communication with your shopper?

[gfweb]

@rotuts Hormel no beans chili with a strained can of diced tomatoes added and maybe some leftover beef or pork simmered for 15 minutes... served over rice. A great pantry meal.

[heidih]

35 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

Does this mean you have 2-way communication with your shopper?

 

Yes text and chat. He even took a picture of the possible subs when the app was not  prompting sensibly. 

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

This particular ramp butter is so hard in the refrigerator that I doubt it will soften or go off any time soon. It's about half "European Style" (very high butterfat) and maybe that matters for pulling water out of the ramps.

 

That said, maybe I'll set some aside for the freezer to see if it makes a difference in longevity. TicTac's cautionary notes are appreciated.

I've got no liquid leaching into my butter...I believe that's what blanching and squeezing really dry help avoid. 

[Katie Meadow]

26 minutes ago, weinoo said:

I've got no liquid leaching into my butter...I believe that's what blanching and squeezing really dry help avoid. 

I'm sure that ramp butter would be delicious on toast under a layer of ricotta, salt, maybe a thin tomato slice. No ramps on the Pacific side here. Once I saw some for sale, wilted and pathetic looking, and marked with a price that no sane person would pay for something about to go in the compost bin. And when I grew up on the east coast I don't remember ramps meaning anything but getting on or off the highway. Someone must have been picking and eating them way back when, right? The pickled ones look great, right in my wheelhouse.

[TicTac]

I am curious whether the blanching / drying would help the butter issue I encountered.

 

Though I would hazard a guess that if you did not salt the butter (and used unsalted) it would not be as much of an issue.  Certainly if you froze it into portions, you are good to go.

 

@Shelby - if we can figure out a way to get it cross border, I would happily send you a jar of crushed ramp oil (which is essentially fresh ramps bottle up in a jar of goodness!!!)