Camping, Princess Style

[Smithy]

In other news: I decided, somewhat belatedly, to establish a sourdough starter from Tucson and see whether it differs significantly from my North Woods starter. I haven't been baking much for the last year, and I've neglected my 5-year-old starter until it was a flaccid layer with black hooch on top. (I almost dumped it before we left home.) Yesterday I began feeding it and began a Tucson starter at the same time. Two feedings later, the North Woods starter is alive and well. The Tucson starter doesn't look like much yet, but it seems to be bubbling. This was taken about 8 hours after this morning's feeding.

 

[ElsieD]

4 minutes ago, Smithy said:

In other news: I decided, somewhat belatedly, to establish a sourdough starter from Tucson and see whether it differs significantly from my North Woods starter. I haven't been baking much for the last year, and I've neglected my 5-year-old starter until it was a flaccid layer with black hooch on top. (I almost dumped it before we left home.) Yesterday I began feeding it and began a Tucson starter at the same time. Two feedings later, the North Woods starter is alive and well. The Tucson starter doesn't look like much yet, but it seems to be bubbling. This was taken about 8 hours after this morning's feeding.

 

How do you make your starter?  I have had mixed success.

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, ElsieD said:

How do you make your starter?  I have had mixed success.

 

The North Woods starter was begun per instructions in the conversation that began in Baking Bread from Scratch in France and continued into Establishing and Working with Homegrown Sourdough Starter. This Tucson strain I simply began from 50g all-purpose flour and 50g tap water; I refresh it by discarding half and refreshing with equal quantities of water and flour. As I look back on the original topic I see that the instructions for getting it going began with a thick paste, not specific quantities. I'd forgotten that. We'll see what happens!

Edited November 20, 2018 by Smithy
fiddling with words (log)

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

I looked at "Eat Mesquite and More" today and thought about buying it, but decided I was kidding myself that I'd get much use from it given our normal locations. I'm glad to know you find it useful.

 

 

I don't find it useful as much as I find it informative and entertaining. 😉

 

I'm up there with @Anna N - sometimes a cookbook is just a good read! 

 

I'm not a forager and not sure how many of the recipes I would ever use (maybe none) and as you know, this is not our full-time location. But it's an interesting read and I feel good about contributing to their cause. 

 

Someone like @gfron1 might use it to expand his knowledge/connections, I know he was an early purchaser of the book. Pretty sure he could have contributed to the book, with his NM and AZ knowledge. 

 

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, FauxPas said:

 

I don't find it useful as much as I find it informative and entertaining. 😉

 

I'm up there with @Anna N - sometimes a cookbook is just a good read! 

<snip the rest>

 

 

Oh, I'm demonstrably of the "if it's a good read, it's worthwhile" school of cookbooks. I'm just feeling a bit sheepish at the cookbooks I bought this summer and packed along for the winter that haven't been touched yet.

 

Ya know, I wonder whether those ciolim/cholla buds would be good pickled? They suddenly remind me of oversized capers. If I discover that I've packed them along, I'll try it. (That may be a while. I still haven't unpacked the fresh spices I bought just before we left.)

[FauxPas]

4 minutes ago, Smithy said:

Ya know, I wonder whether those ciolim/cholla buds would be good pickled?

 

The answer from Desert Harvesters is "yes!" I'll paraphrase and abbreviate. 

 

If starting from dried buds, refresh by soaking for 3 hrs and then boil for 30 mins. Drain. Pack in sterilized jars with 1 clove of peeled fresh garlic and 1 small red chile. Heat 1/2 cup vinegar with 1 tbsp sugar or honey plus a few cloves. Fill jar with liquid. Cool and store in fridge or I guess you could process in a water bath. 

 

Desert Rain Café used the cholla buds in their Pico de Gallo - cooked and cooled re-hydrated or fresh buds with red onion, red bell pepper, diced tomato, cilantro, lime juice, jalapenos, sea salt.  

[Smithy]

Good morning! I'm feeling encouraged about the new starter. I fed both starters last night after posting. This is how they look this morning:

 

 

 

[ElsieD]

11 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

The North Woods starter was begun per instructions in the conversation that began in Baking Bread from Scratch in France and continued into Establishing and Working with Homegrown Sourdough Starter. This Tucson strain I simply began from 50g all-purpose flour and 50g tap water; I refresh it by discarding half and refreshing with equal quantities of water and flour. As I look back on the original topic I see that the instructions for getting it going began with a thick paste, not specific quantities. I'd forgotten that. We'll see what happens!

 

I was one who participated in this as well.  After the first go-round, when I did manage to make some good bread and pancakes, I did not have  any luck making a new batch.  I'll have to try it again.

[Smithy]

I didn't think much of the Sonoran Desert when we first began visiting here. It's so densely vegetated with spiny plants as to seem impenetrable.

 

 

Over the years of visiting, I've come to appreciate this desert. I respect the plants and wildlife. I appreciate the foodways of the indigenous Tohono O'odham, and - at this time of year, at least - the weather. I like the mix of old and new cuisines that mingle here, and I appreciate the local food culture that's booming here. I think it's ironic that Barbara Kingsolver used Tucson as the ultimate in nonsustainable, arificial food culture in her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I wonder whether the town has changed so significantly since then, or we look at it from very different perspectives.

 

I learn more every time I visit. Here's a flyer from one of the ASDM Food Partners that I visited during the Sonoran Harvest "Taste the Desert" festival. I'm glad to see that urban foraging and prevention of food waste are catching on in this country.

 

 

Even though I like it here - a little more each time - it's time to move on. We'll be boondocking for the next few weeks: running a generator a couple of times a day, but otherwise cooking with gas. Pressure cooker or microwave, maybe. Slow cooker or sous vide, not a chance.

 

I was very pleased with last week's sous vide chicken, though: the chicken legs and wings came out confit-tender. I got two small cups of excellent chicken jello, and we had a large salad with the meat.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kim Shook]

Better toss that lettuce, sweetie!  

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, Kim Shook said:

Better toss that lettuce, sweetie!  

 

Yeah, I just read (and posted) about that recall. No problems so far, but I know the CDC is saying to toss it anyway. 

[Okanagancook]

I vote for tossing it.  Not worth the risk.

[FauxPas]

7 hours ago, Smithy said:

I'm glad to see that urban foraging and prevention of food waste are catching on in this country.

 

Yes! I hate seeing good produce go to waste. Food banks often have volunteers who will pick edibles that would otherwise go to waste. I hate seeing all the citrus trees in AZ with unpicked fruit. 

[lemniscate]

32 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

Yes! I hate seeing good produce go to waste. Food banks often have volunteers who will pick edibles that would otherwise go to waste. I hate seeing all the citrus trees in AZ with unpicked fruit. 

 

Word.  I have a neighbor with what I think is an Oro Blanco grapefruit tree.  It is a beautiful tree and I suspect it is at least 30 years old.  It is consistently loaded with fruit.  He hates it and has threatened to chop it down several times because he doesn't use the fruit and doesn't like picking up the fallen fruit.  For the past few years, I've pulled hundreds of pounds of fruit off that tree for my use, for food banks and senior centers and general distribution.  I hated grapefruit juice until I tasted the fruit off this tree.  I did my first canning project ever and canned a few dozen quarts of the juice so I could have my Greyhounds and Salty Dogs during the long hot summer.  A citrus tree like that used to be a point of pride, now people just see them as work since citrus is available all year round in some form.  I have my own lemon tree that I try to use every last lemon off it in someway.  I wish people would appreciate what's in front of them.  Gifts abound.

 

I negotiate with my neighbor every year to give the grapefruit tree "one more season".   

[heidih]

Yes I work wiith folks who network bountiful trees for volunteers to pick for food banks. Win - win situation.

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, lemniscate said:

 

Word.  I have a neighbor with what I think is an Oro Blanco grapefruit tree.  It is a beautiful tree and I suspect it is at least 30 years old.  It is consistently loaded with fruit.  He hates it and has threatened to chop it down several times because he doesn't use the fruit and doesn't like picking up the fallen fruit.  For the past few years, I've pulled hundreds of pounds of fruit off that tree for my use, for food banks and senior centers and general distribution.  I hated grapefruit juice until I tasted the fruit off this tree.  I did my first canning project ever and canned a few dozen quarts of the juice so I could have my Greyhounds and Salty Dogs during the long hot summer.  A citrus tree like that used to be a point of pride, now people just see them as work since citrus is available all year round in some form.  I have my own lemon tree that I try to use every last lemon off it in someway.  I wish people would appreciate what's in front of them.  Gifts abound.

 

I negotiate with my neighbor every year to give the grapefruit tree "one more season".   

 

I'm very glad you're working to save that tree and use its abundance. Some of the older varieties of fruit - not just citrus - have fallen out of favor because they lack some commercial convenience or appeal - but they're much better than the stuff that's commercially available. OTOH some people are far more about convenience. My mother was staggered when one of her good friends, also a commercial orange-grower, admitted that she preferred buying orange juice (Minute Maid, at that!) because it was more convenient than walking out the door, picking the fruit and juicing it. 

 

My father solved the problem of "too much fruit from one tree" for my grandparents in an ingenious way when they moved to a smallish place in Fresno. He grafted several varieties of citrus onto a single tree: lemon, navel orange, valencia orange, satsuma mandarin orange, and I think grapefruit. They called it their "fruit salad" tree.

 

 

[Smithy]

12 hours ago, lemniscate said:

 

<snip for focus>  I did my first canning project ever and canned a few dozen quarts of the juice so I could have my Greyhounds and Salty Dogs during the long hot summer.  <snip>

 

Please tell more about that canning project. I have generally frozen lemon, lime and occasionally minneola juice with mixed success. Never thought about canning any of it.

[Smithy]

(Cue Ella Fitzgerald, singing Cole Porter:) "Oh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above...Don't fence me in..."

 

It's much more open and much less thorny here. I confess it's taking a while for my eyes to adjust to the relatively spare vegetation. We see evidence that there's been some rain since we were last here, but most of the trees and bushes are looking all too dry. No matter, our nearest neighbors are far away.

 

 

I won't bore folks with repeated pictures of my sourdough starters. The North Woods starter is alive and well. The Tucson starter is still struggling. It has a more complex and tangy odor, so I hope it survives, but it didn't seem to like all the jostling that went with yesterday's drive.

 

I have a batch of bread dough doing its first ferment, using bethesdabakers' test batch recipe. I used the Sonoran flour blend. It's clearly a mix of white and whole wheat flours, as seen in the left frame below.

 

 

It pulled together quickly from a shaggy dough to a smooth, silky dough that passed the windowpane test easily.

 

 

I may put it in the refrigerator to retard it until tomorrow; I haven't decided yet. It's intended for tomorrow's dinner, but with a small single-rack oven I've hit problems before with trying to time everything.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Smithy
"easily" for "quickly" because I can't stand using the same adverb twice in the same sentence (log)

[lemniscate]

23 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

Please tell more about that canning project. I have generally frozen lemon, lime and occasionally minneola juice with mixed success. Never thought about canning any of it.

 

Gladly.  this technique was saved on my computer, so I believe this is the one I followed.  Ball also has a process.  I do not add sugar to my juice.  I also use this juicer since it is big enough for the grapefruit and the pomegranates I normally juice.  It's a great arm workout though for tens of dozens of fruit.  I think the canning does dull the grapefruit juice flavor just a bit, maybe that is why some techniques say to add sugar and/or citric acid.  I use the juice for cocktails mostly, but I've sipped it ice cold and been very happy with it.  Also, any solids settle to the bottom of the jar and if it's not disturbed, you get a nice, clear juice for presentation.

 

I also canned lemon syrup in pints, some sweetened with sugar and some with honey, for easy lemonade all year.  I've used the syrup to make my lemon shortbread and it works great too.  

 

Early 2018 was my first time ever canning anything, so I am a novice.  I figured the high acid of the citrus can cover any sins I committed in the eyes of more experienced canners.  

 

I used to freeze the juices in blocks and cubes, but it just got out of control with space.  I don't have ample freezer space.  So canning was an experiment that seems to have worked so far.

[FauxPas]

15 hours ago, lemniscate said:

I also use this juicer since it is big enough for the grapefruit and the pomegranates I normally juice.  It's a great arm workout though for tens of dozens of fruit.

 

Curious about the pom juicing. Would love to hear more about it. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Can-can looks like a knock off of the Hamilton Beach 932.

 

[lemniscate]

Re: Pom juicing.  Just cut them in half and squish them.  Most videos on YT are of Istanbul Grand Bazaar fresh pom juice stalls, like this.

I only do this once a year at pom harvest, so I don't have the effortless technique.  Poms are pretty strong fruit.

[heidih]

14 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Re: Pom juicing.  Just cut them in half and squish them.  Most videos on YT are of Istanbul Grand Bazaar fresh pom juice stalls, like this.

I only do this once a year at pom harvest, so I don't have the effortless technique.  Poms are pretty strong fruit.

 

Before the racoons and possums took the harvest at night we had several trees that we enjoyed. I was aware of the float in water thing but I think White on Rice do a good recent video  

https://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/how-to-seed-pomegranates/

[chromedome]

15 hours ago, Smithy said:

(Cue Ella Fitzgerald, singing Cole Porter:) "Oh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above...Don't fence me in..."

 

 

 

In my head, that one's always Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters.

 

My parents ordered a box set of Crosby's music from Reader's Digest after he passed away ("Four double-length 8-track tapes!"), so as a sprout I developed an anachronistic appreciation of his music.

[Smithy]

9 hours ago, heidih said:

 

Before the racoons and possums took the harvest at night we had several trees that we enjoyed. I was aware of the float in water thing but I think White on Rice do a good recent video  

https://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/how-to-seed-pomegranates/

 

I prefer the method @Chufi showed us in Pomegranates, the easy Nigella way. I haven't had much luck with the pith and seeds separating under water. I know it works for a lot of people, but I inevitably end up with bits of wet pith still stuck to those seeds. The Nigella / Chufi method is this: cut the pomegranate in half across its equator. Turn one half upside down over a bowl. Use a heavy spoon or other implement (I generally use the flat of my large chef's knife) and tap the sides of the fruit. Taptaptap. Turn the fruit and tap again. Keep at it, rotating the fruit. The tapping loosens the seeds from the pith, and the seeds will fall into the bowl. (This has an added benefit of letting you eventually see the interior structure of the fruit, since the pith stays more or less intact. Geeky, I know. ) Chufi's pictures are excellent, so I won't bother posting photos here about it. Besides, I don't have any pomegranates at the moment. I'll have to rectify that soon, I think.

 

As for juicing them, I'm happy with my venerable Alcoa citrus squeezer for that. I suspect the juice isn't as clear as it would be from one of the commercial stand-type mashers, but it's worked for decades and two generations.