>Kitchen Before and After

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Daisy

I do enjoy my summer and fall Saturdays. The Farmers’ Market downtown, my own garden yield, pulling it all together in the kitchen to feed my family nutritious and delicious and locally-grown foods… Saturdays are inspiring and motivating and very satisfying days.

Then come Sunday mornings. Last weekend I was preparing and canning dill pickles until just after ten at night. I cleaned up what had to be done immediately, and I left the rest for morning.

If you doubt me, let me assure you: my kitchen really is that small. Most of the time it’s a great kitchen for cooking and baking. Once in a while, like weekends in August and September, I find it feels a little bit cramped. I’m not sure the pictures really show how much of a chore I faced when I got up Sunday morning. My three goals for the day: clean the kitchen, clean the kitchen, and then watch the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Houston Astros (I’m a positive thinker that way).

Well, I did it. I not only cleaned the kitchen, washed the large pots and pans and mixing bowls, I also reused the water from the hot water bath canner, moved the canner to the deck to dry, put away all the now-clean dishes, labeled all the pickles jars, and more.

I took inspiration from the now-visible refrigerator magnet of the racing sausages, pushed the on button for the dishwasher, and relaxed in the den with Amigo to watch some baseball.

Final scores: Daisy 1, Kitchen 0. Brewers 7, Astros 3. All in all, a good weekend.

>Bread and Butter Pickles

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Daisy

>Pickles! Pickles are my new project. I don’t grow cucumbers of any kind, so I bought the cukes at a bargain price from the Farmers’ Market. I bought fresh dill, too, for later. Sweet bread & butter pickles were first on my list.

The recipe comes from one of my go-to books for canning: Yes, you Can! And freeze and dry it, too by Daniel Gasteiger (a.k.a. City Slipper).

Bread and Butter Pickles

4 quarts cucumbers (about 20 four to five inch cucumbers)

4 medium sized onions (or 1-2 large onions)

5 Tablespoons pickling or sea salt (I used sea salt)

5 or more pounds of ice

5 cups white or cider vinegar (I used cider vinegar, and I think it made a difference)

5 cups sugar

for prepping jars:

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons mustard seed

2 teaspoons celery seed

1. Rinse cucumbers. Clean with vegetable brush if needed. Cut into the appropriate shapes for pickles. Bread and butter pickles are usually 1/8 to 1/4 inch disks. I used the food processor, and I felt it cut the pieces slightly smaller than I wanted. I’m not sure if I’ll really want to take the time to slice them by hand next time; maybe. Discard the end pieces.

2. Peel the onions and cut them into 1/2 inch wedges. Separate the layers and put the onions with the cucumbers into a large container. I do mean large. Daniel suggests finding a container that will hold twice the volume of pickles & onions. I used a large stock pot.

3. Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables. Mix with your hands until the salt is well distributed. Cover the vegetables with water and dump the ice on top. If the cukes and onions float, set a weight on top such as an inverted plate with something heavy on top. Mine didn’t float; this wasn’t a problem. Let vegetables steep for three (yes, 3) hours.

4. Some time during that three hours, make coffee. I mean, some time during those three hours, prepare jars: eight pints or four quarts.

5. In a large stainless steel cooking pot, combine vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir to help the sugar dissolve.

6. While the vinegar and sugar boil, pour the ice and water off the cucumbers and onions. Drain well.

7. When the vinegar and sugar mixture boils, add the cucumbers and onions all at once. Take care not to splash; this will burn! Stir the cucumbers into the vinegar/sugar brine and keep heating & stirring until the brine just starts to boil. Immediately remove brine from heat.

8. It’s time to fill the jars! First, place spices in each jar. For pints: 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, mustard seed, and celery seed. For quart jars, double the amounts. Then pack the cucumbers and onions tightly inside and ladle brine to cover them. Leave the customary 1/2 inch head space at the top of the jar.

9. Put the lids and bands on the jars. Process in a hot water bath canner for 10 minutes (pints) to 15 minutes (quarts). Remove jars from hot water bath and let cool.

These pickles are ready to eat immediately and will improve with age. I’ve already served them to my family and given a jar to my brother’s household. The verdict: delicious!

Next project: dill pickles!! I must use up the bunch of dill sitting on the deck.

>Farmers’ Market Days

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Daisy

Saturdays are Market Days – Farmers’ Market, that is. I reserve Saturday mornings for going to the market and buying whatever is in season. I reserve the afternoons for prepping and freezing or even canning. Here’s a taste.

Berries! From left to right: sweet Bing cherries, blueberries & raspberries. The blue and red mixed when I dropped the bag as I tried to fit one more purchase in my big blue bag on wheels.

The first chore of Market Day this week: sort the mixed up berries. I nibbled quite a few. After this, I rinsed all three kinds of fruit and pitted the cherries. The blueberries are now in the freezer; the cherries and raspberries will be eaten by Tuesday.

Here’s the rest! From left to right, again: sweet corn, asparagus (the last of the season!), garlic, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and lots of pickling cucumbers. You can tell I had a goal – pickles. The batch of fresh dill was on the deck; I bought it at the mid-week market on Wednesday.

I offered before and after for the berries: here’s the After shot of the dill pickle spears. It was a busy night, but totally worthwhile. Some time in the winter, we’ll appreciate the spoils of the summer. We won’t have to buy store pickles, a money savings. These will taste so much richer, too — being made from locally grown ingredients and made in my own kitchen.

Now that’s a Market Day I can enjoy from start to finish.

Notes to self

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Daisy

Note to Self;
Never leave gardening gloves on top of the rain barrel. You’re just asking for them to get soaked. Then again, maybe it’s like a rain dance; put the gloves on the rain barrel, and the rain will come. Try it during the next dry spell.

Note to Self;

Don’t get too excited about the fact that Amigo likes asparagus. Remember when Chuck complained we had it too often? Amigo responded, “I like asparagus; it makes my pee smell funny.” Gah.

Note to Self;

The weekly visit to the Farmers’ Market is uplifting. Make the effort to go no matter what the weather or mood.

Note to Self;

One discouraging experience does not have to make a serious setback. One meltdown is okay; then move on. Remember, depression recovery is more like the tortoise than the hare.

Note to Self;

Now that La Petite is moving out, start planning the conversion of her bedroom to office & guest room. Yes, Amigo’s bean bag chairs may live there for now.

Note to Self;

Now that Chuck has a new car, find a reusable shopping bag and “hide” it in his glove box. Then train him to use it. Snicker. Tee-hee.

Note to Self;

With three word games on the Kindle, hide Kindle from Chuck if you ever want to read on it again!

>Canning Rhubarb

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Daisy

>It was time. Despite the heat of the day, I donned my Pike Place Market apron and headed to the kitchen. I opened the book to the rhubarb page and got started.

Earlier this spring, I made stewed rhubarb. It was a hit with three out of four family members. I had in mind using City Slipper’s advice for canning rhubarb, a high-acid fruit, with my own stewed rhubarb recipe, and canning the results. His recipe suggests 11 lb. of rhubarb, 1 1/2 pounds for each quart jar, for a full batch. I made half that.

4 quarts diced rhubarb

2-3 cups sugar

Combine rhubarb and sugar in large saucepan. When juice accumulates in the bottom of the pan, cover it, turn the heat on low, and let the rhubarb and sugar mixture come to a boil, then simmer until mixture resembles chunky applesauce. Mash with a potato masher if the pieces are too big.

Can: Fill canning jars with the boiling rhubarb sauce, leaving the standard 1/2 inch of headspace. Slide a chopstick down the insides of the jars to release the air bubbles if necessary. Add lids and bands, and process the jars in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes.

The shelves are starting to get stocked! Three kinds of jam, stewed rhubarb, and we’re off and rolling. It will be so much fun to take a jar off the shelf instead of writing these items on the grocery list; and it’ll taste so much better, too!

I used instructions from Daniel Gasteiger’s Yes, You Can! and freeze and dry it, too to create this recipe. Any errors, however, are mine. I recommend his book to anyone interested in preserving food. You can follow Daniel on Twitter at @CitySlipper or read his blogs.

http://www.smallkitchengarden.net

http://www.homekitchengarden.com

http://www.fooddryer.net

>Signs of a True Gardener

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Daisy

>You may be a gardener at heart if:

There’s dirt under your nails.

Dirt? Is that all? I either have dirt under my nails or fingers stained with cherries, strawberries, or thumbs that are green from shelling peas or – you get the picture.

You think of soil as a foundation, the stable ingredient in creating a garden space.

After ten years of composting – okay, twelve – the soil in my first garden bed is rich and dark and drains well. The new garden needs a little more compost. It’s still heavy with clay, but improving a little every year.

You have a specific pair of shoes for the garden.

I have a pair of crocs. I can get them wet or muddy and I don’t care.

Watering is relaxing, not stressful.

Filling a watering can from a rain barrel or setting up a soaker hose takes time. It’s a good use of time. My mind wanders, my shoulders relax, and any stress headache goes away.

You welcome rain or sunshine.

Rain provides a good soaking to the plants and fills the rain barrels for later. Sunshine invites stems and branches to reach for the sky and grow to their full potential.

You talk to the plants.

“Geez, beans, I gave you a nice set of climbing equipment. Why do you insist on attaching to the fencing? It’ll just put you within range of the bunnies and other furry critters who might nibble, and then… here. I’ll show you.” Meanwhile, I’m wrapping the bean vines around the supports I just put in and hoping they get the idea. And maybe hoping the neighbors didn’t hear me.

You talk to critters who might turn up near your precious plants.

Hey, rabbit, how did you get in there? What do you think you’re doing, relaxing in my lettuce?

You, raccoon. Get out of my compost, punk!

I only came up with seven. Can you make this a top ten list, readers? Add your signs of a true gardener by commenting.

>Finally – or at least a probable maybe

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Daisy

>La Petite and roommate have found an apartment in their new home city. It will be finalized by the weekend, I believe. I hope. She is hopeful, and it sounds like a good choice for them. After much searching and visiting and calling and emailing, this appears to be their destination. Finally.

Amigo has asked to be more involved with the household cooking. Today he helped prepare the sauce for the pork in the crock pot. The house smells delicious, and he assisted. Later we hope to make ice cream. Vanilla this time: I’m planning on topping it with fresh berries from the farmers’ market. Whipped cream, probably, too. Maybe nuts on top. Why am I writing in fragments? No clue.

The ice cream is very rich and high fat because it’s made with whole milk and heavy cream. This might not be good for Chuck’s cholesterol. Don’t tell his doctor, please.

Speaking of doctors, I am finally off the waiting list for a psychiatrist. I’ve been in limbo since April, wondering if my depression is improving slightly or if I’m just getting used to it. Starting Monday, I’ll be working with an expert. Finally. There’s a shortage of mental health professionals in our fair city, so months-long waits are typical. Thank goodness my illness wasn’t life threatening!

A close friend and coworker found out the source of her own health problems. Her condition can be life threatening, but the medical professionals found it in time to keep her alive. She is finally working with a doctor who understands her rare condition and knows how to treat it. She’s a determined woman, and will do what she needs to do to fight this disease and stay as healthy as she can.

I remain active in Organizing for America (OFA) and the recall efforts in our State Senate. I’ll be happy when the recall elections are over – at least I hope I’ll be happy with the results. Maybe, just maybe, a change in the balance of power will encourage our state legislators to cooperate instead of fighting. Finally.

>Aprons galore

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Daisy

They hang in a corner of the kitchen, ready for service whenever I need one. They may be stained from their many hours in the kitchen, but that’s what they’re for. They’re my kitchen aprons, and they’re getting a lot of use now that the jam-making season is going full speed.

I pulled them out for a little better view. This coffeehouse apron is quite faded. It goes through the wash a lot. I bought this one – treated myself to a good apron to protect my clothes in the kitchen.

The pink apron (it’s pink, even though it looks quite pale in the sunlight) was a Mother’s Day gift. It’s in the best shape of the aprons because it’s the newest.

It’s not just pink; it’s a special pink. Part of the proceeds from the purchase went to breast cancer research. The straps sport little ribbon designs in white.

And last – but never the least – is the apron Chuck bought me in Seattle. I enjoyed the city and fell head over heels in love with Pike Place Market. While I was browsing, Chuck bought the Pike Place Market apron without my noticing a thing.

And now, enough of the apron trunk show. It’s time to put one of these in the wash, one of these on, and get to making blueberry jam. Yum.

>Raspberry Corn Muffins

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Daisy

>’Tis the season for fresh raspberries, and here’s a great way to use them.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 large eggs

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 half-pint (about 1 1/4 cups) fresh raspberries or frozen (unthawed) unsweetened raspberries

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Preheat to 400. Prepare 12 standard muffin tins.

2. Place the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk to combine well.

3. Place the eggs, honey, sugar, buttermilk, and melted butter in a small bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Gently fold in raspberries. do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the brim.

4. Bake the muffins until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.

5. Place the muffin pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool for a bout 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and serve warm.

The muffins taste best the day they’re made, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 10 seconds each.

This comes from one of my favorite cookbooks: Food to Live By: the Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook. In the midst of summer’s fresh bounty, it’s my go-to source for using fresh fruits and vegetables from the Farmers’ Market.

>From the Market

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Daisy

If you tried to follow me at the Farmers’ Market, my dear readers, you’d quickly figure out my routine. When Chuck is with me we might stop at a few different booths, but in general, here’s the plan.

1. Park the car. Or minivan, as the case may be. Yesterday I parked my minivan in a row with six other minivans and a motorcycle. It felt right. So right, in fact, that I almost forgot to fill the meter. Parking is cheap in my small city; two quarters and a dime will reserve an hour.

2. Gather the bags (including the one with wheels) and head into the Marketplace, otherwise known as the Main Drag of my fair city. The Saturday Market takes over five blocks in the center of town.

3. Walk quickly to the opposite end of the Market to begin. I do this with my bags empty; they’ll be full when I reach the area closest to parking again.

4. Buy bunny food. I mean, of course, buy lettuce. There’s a particular booth that has good lettuce mixes and good peas & beans, too. I start there. I have 3 quart bags of their peas in my freezer already. Mmmm.

5. Buy corn (the only non-local produce I’ll buy today), green pepper, and asparagus. The family is getting tired of asparagus, so this batch will get blanched and frozen.

6. Find a good deal on berries. Today, it’s blueberries and a quart of bing cherries. Oh, my, those cherries are good! I didn’t see raspberries at my favorite booths; maybe (sniff, sob) that season’s over. Already?

7. Bread! The Amish baker makes such good bread. I normally buy two loaves; this week I only needed one. But it’s been too hot to bake cookies, so I bought some of her oatmeal raisin. Yum. Great with coffee.

At this booth, a young couple tapped me on the shoulder and asked where I’d gotten my bag on wheels. It’s a Transit Company approved contraption (meaning I could take it on the city buses), and all three Goodwill Stores in town stock them. Inexpensive, too; I think I paid $12 or $15 dollars for it three summers ago. It’s strong and holding up well.

8. Coffee!! There’s a great deli- small grocer inside the big office building at the center of the city. I pass through this former mall on my way to the car. This time, since Chuck wasn’t busy looking over the barbecue sauces and salads, I picked up two pounds of coffee beans. The deli owner told me they’re both local brands (I recognized this), and I know they’re delicious. Win-win, folks.

9. Back to van, pack the foodstuffs inside, and open the windows. It’s hot! I’m sweaty! But it was worth the trip.

5. Home to unpack! No, dear readers, I didn’t take a picture of the counter full of produce this time. I only photographed one item – the one with meaning. In the hopes that the NFL lock-out will end sooner rather than later, I bought – you guessed it, Packer beans. Sing it – Green and yellow, green and yellow, green and yellow…

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Compost Happens

Taking care of family, garden, and coffee and sharing it with the online world

>Kitchen Before and After

>Bread and Butter Pickles

>Farmers’ Market Days

Notes to self

>Canning Rhubarb

>Signs of a True Gardener

>Finally – or at least a probable maybe

>Aprons galore

>Raspberry Corn Muffins

>From the Market

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