Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/edible3lablover.htm
Edible Landscaping Plants-Section 2-Veggies
By LabLover
21 May 2004
Veggies. Why add more to your landscape? Because you can! Edible Landscaping puts valuable growing space now used on posies to work for you. In tough times, every little bit more may make a difference. Stealth veggies may be the ones that other hungry folk pass by.
All the varieties below are available at many different on-line sites and local seed racks. One of my favorite and IMHO most reliable seed and garden suppliers is Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/welcome.html (usual disclaimers apply- I’m just a very satisfied customer).
Johnny’s carries all the varieties below except the bamboo. Don’t just limit yourself to these varieties-consider other plants currently in your garden. How would that eggplant look in a clump of rose bushes? Try tucking a patio tomato into a container of flowers, add a cucumber vine to a hanging planter of petunias. Bush squash can often appear like tropical succulents when surrounded by flowers. Experimentation is fun, play around with the idea and you may be surprised just how many visually pleasing combinations you can come up with. Thinned vegetable seedlings taken from your garden rows are free testers. Tuck them into different spots and see how they look.
Beans- hyacinth Bean Dolichos Lablab scarlet Runner Bean Phaseolus cossineus
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
Some varieties perennial in frost free areas
Vines 6-8’
Bush 2’
Moderate
1-2” week
Sun,
Some will tolerate light shade
Moderate, but often produce even with moderate insect pressure
Almost all grown as annuals. Die and stop producing if not picked and seed matures.
Hyacinth bean produces a beautiful vine as tall as 20 ft in excellent conditions, young pods cooked as green beans, half mature eaten as shellies. Scarlet Runner comes in vine and bush varieties, and produces beautiful red flowers and “normal” green beans. Keep picked often to maintain production. Cascade over walls, hanging containers, and on fences and trellises for the vines, bush Scarlet runner tucked among flowers or bulbs can produce months of flowers and beans if kept picked. Tolerates dappled shade and has produced moderately well for me in the past with @ 4 hrs sun a day. A couple of beans can sneakily hide among other vining trellis plants and different colored flowers accent established vines beautifully. Try Hyacinth Bean on an arbor with grapes or ornamentals for attractive and productive shade.
Bamboo various species, Phyllostachys aureosulcata “Yellow Groove” most hardy
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
Most species 7-10
Yellow Groove- zone 5-Others hardier, many specialty sites sell bamboo, check descriptions for edibility
12-25’
Drought tolerant once established, keep well watered the first year
Shade in hot areas, sun in cool coastal areas
Few pests or diseases
Perennial
All prefer well drained loam with high organic content. Bamboo is a very multipurpose plant, considered “invasive” some species propagate by underground runners. (including Yellow Groove) A concrete header 2 ft deep will contain them. In cold climates not as invasive. Clumping types stay confined. Young shoots are cooked, and reputedly taste like sweet corn (unlike the flavorless canned product) Can be served as a boiled vegetable and are well known stir fry ingredients. The added utility of bamboo is the many things that can be made from it- in addition to the “cane pole” it has many uses on the homestead. Produces a stand of cool shade, screens areas fairly quickly, and creates a privacy screen quicker than trees. Running bamboo shoots in spring, and mounding soil up similar to asparagus produces shoots with larger blanched, edible areas. Bamboo may have a bitter taste; parboil 15-20 minutes to remove bitterness, changing water after the first 10 minutes. Can be preserved by parboiling then freezing; or parboiled, salted and dried.
Swiss Chard- Beta vulgaris var. cicla
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
Tender, biennial in mild areas (@50% overwinters here in SC with mulch)
12-24”
Moderate
Sun, will tolerate very light shade but may be smaller
Relatively untroubled
Biennial
Tastier than many other greens, chard is mild without the metallic tang of spinach or the bitterness of the mustards, beets or kale. Can be cut off to harvest or “cut and come again” by leaving the small leaves in the center intact will keep producing. Rhubarb Chard has brilliant red stems and green leaves, most varieties light green or silver stems, but the most beautiful is Rainbow Chard, with bright yellow, red, fluorescent pink and orange stems (one color per plant, this one looks great scattered or clumped in bunches). Color fades in cooking, but when washed and lightly blanched is still pretty. Can replace all other greens in recipes. Produces tender leaves in hot summer conditions. One of my favorite vegetables for beauty and taste. Try sautéing a few slices of bacon, chopped onion and a little minced garlic till tender in a large Dutch oven, wash chard and toss into pot when still wet, reduce heat and stir with the bacon and onions, cover and let steam for a few minutes until ribs are fork tender.
Kale- Red Russian Brassica oleracea
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
Annual, may overwinter in southern areas
@ 12-24 inches before flowering- when it bolts to seed can go 5-6’
moderate
sun
tolerant
Biennial
One of the sweetest kales. Tender when boiled or steamed, young leaves good in salads. Frilly purplish and magenta plant that tucks in among other flowers and ornamental bushes beautifully. Especially pretty with yellow flowers such as daylilies. If it overwinters, it will surprise you by turning into a 5-6 ft monster the following spring and produce huge amounts of seed (ask me how I know!). If you plan to save seed, put the ones you want to harvest in an area where they will have 4 ft from the nearest plant and can grow that high safely. Heavy mulching protects them. Kale is very cold tolerant, and may stop growing but tolerates frost and is still tasty and can be harvested in even moderate winter conditions if kept in a protected cold frame.
Jerusalem artichoke-Helianthus tuberous
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
2-9 Mulch in colder zones
6-10’
Not picky, almost drought tolerant
Sun, often grow wild near the edge of forest, probably escaped from old homestead plantings as was grown extensively in colonial times
Very tolerant few problems
Perennial
Another invasive, rangy plant. Few uses in the garden since its as hard to get rid of as mint, but in the right place, is a great plant to have. Small yellow flowers. Frequent mowing of runners will keep it enclosed in an area, or plant in buried containers. Harvest after first frost. Can be left in ground and dug as needed. Ugly white knobby tubers are sweet and crunchy, used with dips salad or sliced thin like chips. Can be boiled and is close to white potatoes. The starch in ‘chokes is inulin, which is better for diabetics as is has a beneficial effect on blood sugar due to a low glycemic index. Thin sliced tubers can be dried and ground into a sweet flour used in breads.
Peppers- Capsicum species
Hardiness Zone
Mature Height
Water Requirements
Light Requirements
Disease Susceptibility
Annual, Perennial, Biennial
Annual
Perennial in 10-11
1 ½-3’
moderate
sun
moderate
Grown as annual
Many very beautiful species are used as landscaping accents. Some have variegated foliage, some purple leaves. Peppers can be small cherry types or little flame like hot peppers. Some ornamental” species are not edible, most are, purchase seed from plants also used for food. Besides the obvious use in cuisine, how pepper varieties have medicinal uses (ie, powdered to control bleeding or used in liniments for topical pain relief) and are actually good for the digestion. Dry, or can to preserve. Easy seed saving, avoid hybrids to be sure your seed will grow to type.
LabLover
www.alpharubicon.com
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright (c) 1996-2004 Trip Williams. All rights reserved.
http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/civilwarhomesteader.htm
A Civil War Survival Story
By Homesteader
20 May 2004
The following is an extract from a Diary of one of my relatives; it tells a story of survival in the South during the period of the War between the States. How prepared will you be if hard times happen to come again???
. . . Meanwhile back home in the Mount Bethel Community, families were struggling just as they were all across the South.
Most families had farms to maintain and with no men folk around to help.
The women and small children had to take on the responsibilities of running the farm, tending to the farm animals and equipment, working the fields to prepare for crops, and preserving food.
As you can see feeding the family became a daily struggle.
Also, soon after the war had began all the seaports of the Southern States were blockaded.
Everything went up enormously in price and what little dry goods and groceries that were available soon sold.
There was a great scarcity in cloth and sewing notions, like needles and buttons, grain, sugar, coffee, tea, salt, soda, castor oil, paper and envelopes.
Then commenced the lesson of thrift, make shift and invention that developed so wonderfully during the struggle.
Most families wore the same cloths for four years, thread bare and patched many times also they used thorns from the wild lemon bush for pins and buttons had to be made out of persimmon seeds.
Grain had to be raised and ground into flour.
People substituted parched wheat and rye for coffee.
Sweet potatoes, cut into tiny squares and dried in the sun were used for sugar.
Dried leaves of blackberry, sassafras roots, spice wood, and other herbs were used for tea.
To have salt, Lucinda like all of her neighbors would dig up the ground in the smokehouse, where the salt had dripped from the meat, which hung above.
The dirt was put into a hopper and dipped down into a vessel then boiled, getting the sediment, which was a brown salt.
Soda, too, was scarce.
It had to be made by burning cloth using one-half pint of castor oil.
Castor Oil also was scarce and was kept in a secret hiding place.
Letters were written on any kind of paper they were able to get and envelopes were made out of wall paper or any paper blank on one side.
Ink was made of oak balls or walnut juice.
..Then came a time when few things could be bought with Confederate money and every one bartered with everyone else.
It is said that one woman swapped 30 yards of home spun cloth for one-half-pint of castor oil.
..News from the army was precious and when anyone in the community received a letter from a soldier it would be sent around to all the neighbors and read so that every one might keep up with the operation of the army.
...Mount Bethel Baptist Church was a source of hope and faith for the small community during the struggles, the adversity, and the sorrow that invaded the life of it members during these difficult times that were consequences brought about from this war.
...Lucinda, like all the other wives, lit their homes with tallow, wax candles and even pine knots during the late evening, as the family read from their Bible and prayed to God to bring their loved ones home safely.
...Lucinda’s children were just babies and she had to depend on her sisters, Millie Ashley Murdock, Lize Ashley, and Sarah Jane Ashley Mitchell to help out and occasionally they would give her food.
William’s family lived nearby also, and they helped as they could.
Just providing for the needs of your own family was almost all anyone could do during these difficult times.
...The War ended on April 9, 1865.
William was released from prison about two months later and he walked home with two of his friends.
William also had a Springfield rifle he was bringing home.
When the three were a little way north of Anderson, William announced he would have to sit down and rest a while.
The other two men were younger and eager to get home being so close and they left William sitting.
In a little while William caught up with them, before they got home.
William’s family was worried that he might have been killed, since there was little word about the people who had been captured and the people from Lee’s and Johnston’s Armies had already surrendered and most were home.
The family saw William coming down the road and ran to welcome him home.
But he stopped them and yelled that he had lice.
He told them to put out a wash pot and some clean clothes by the barn for him to use.
After he washed and dressed, they burned his uniform that Lucinda had made before the war, because it was infested with lice.
...While William was in the war he developed a childhood disease called the Mumps.
For children the disease is uncomplicated with about a week of recovery.
However, for an adult male the Mumps can be a serious illness, leaving the adult male sterile, unable to father children.
William and Lucinda only had the three children even though they tried to have more children after he returned from the war.
Homesteader
www.alpharubicon.com
All materials at this site not otherwise credited are Copyright © 1996-2004 Trip Williams. All rights reserved.
Check out the articles found here, simple and will make you think, on survival and all that means:
http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/primitive.htm
*New HEPA Filter*
Part One of Two
By: Spitfire
16 March 2005
With all the recent scare over Bird Flu, I decided it was time to improve the shelters positive air filtration system. When I built the first filter box in early 2003, I was concerned about Anthrax, which is a relatively large contagion and pretty easily filtered out with multiple layers of commonly available high MERV rated furnace filters. Viruses are a whole lot smaller than Anthrax and I had no confidence that the old filter would be effective. The next 2 pictures are the OLD filter box, just for some background. DON’T build one like this and expect to filter out viruses! In fact, don’t build one like this at all. The new design further down the page is a true HEPA filter, easier to build and service and it costs about the same. I’m only including these 2 pictures so you can learn from my earlier experience and save yourself a lot of unnecessary trouble.
continued with plans.
http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/newhepafiltersf.htm
*Safe Room Squirrel Cage Fan*
Or The “Fan In A Can”
By: Warlord
25 February 2004
Updated 06 September 2004
I just finished building and testing a new saferoom fan. These are the fans many of us bought from surplussales.com, he’s sold completely out now.
(Updated 06 September 2004: Kwll found a good fan at Http://www.grainger.com.. Item Number “4C447”. He’s built a “Fan in a can” also, so we know it fits into an ammo can, and it’s rated for a load as high as 0.500 inches of static presure! The fan is rated at 265CFM at 0.0 inches of pressure, and will still put out 135CFM even at 0.500 inches of pressure! Price is around 65 bux. See Kwll’s Article HERE).
About the Fan
The fan used in this article is a Kooltronic 200CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) fan. It is rated at 1.4 amps at 115VAC (About 161 Watts). It’s a pretty small fan, but it moves a LOT of air. Plenty for two or three normal sized rooms when used as Saferooms.
continued.
http://www.alpharubicon.com/basicnbc/safefanwar.htm
http://www.alpharubicon.com/index2.html
[I read in an article about a Tamale filled with sweet potatoes and wanted to see the recipe, haven’t found it, but this one sounds good too: granny]
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recipes/list/anspintameng.html
Spinach and Cheese Tamales
(Tamales de Espinaca con Queso)
(Makes 30 medium sized tamales)
Ingredients:
* 3 Tbsp. oil
* 1 kg. corn masa
* 1 bunch fresh spinach, finely chopped or 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach
* 400 grs. (4 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
* 2 C. shredded mild white cheese such as Adobera, Asadero o Monterrey Jack
* 1 Tbsp. baking powder
* 2 finely chopped tomatoes
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 1 1/2 C. whipping cream
* 30 corn husks (soaked in hot water until cooled and drained), or aluminun foil for wrapping the tamales
* Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a skillet and saté the onion until translucent, add the tomatoes and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to cool.
Knead the masa by hand or in a mixer. Mix in the butter or margarine, salt to taste, baking powder, cheese and spinach mixing well after each addition. Check and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Place about 3 tablespoons of the masa on each corn husk or piece of aluminum foil. Fold the sides over the mixture and then fold up the bottom. (If using the corn husks there will be an opening at the top when you finish). Place them in a steamer open end up and steam for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until the masa is cooked and fluffy.
Serve hot and cover with Tomato, Poblano Salsa and cream. Serve with beans.
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recipes/puebla/kgtamales3.html
Tamales Dulces: Sweet Tamales
Sweet tamales, wrapped in corn husks and piled on platters, are a traditional treat at children’s birthday parties, baptisms and First Communions, as well as at the Christmas posadas.
On Candelaria, February 2, they are served along with a variety of other tamales. Mexican tradition holds that the person who gets the piece of Rosca de Reyes - Three Kings Bread - containing the baby Jesus doll on January 6 must pay for the tamales at Candelaria.
Ingredients:
* 2 bunches dried corn husks
* 1 1/2 cups butter
* 1 1/2 cups rice flour
* 2 1/4 pounds fresh masa or masa prepared with masa harina
* 1 cup rice flour
* 1 1/2 cups water
* red food coloring
* 1 teasoon cinnamon
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup raisins
* 1 cup finely chopped almonds
* 1/2 cup sweet cream
Preparation:
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix the rice flour with the masa, adding water until the dough is well mixed.
Add the beaten butter-sugar mixture to the dough, beating after each addition until the dough is light and fluffy. Add red food coloring if desired.
For the filling, mix the cinnamon, sugar, raisins, almonds and sweet cream.
Fill, wrap and steam following the directions for Basic Tamales.
Makes 24.
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recipes/list/antortacalaeng.html
Zucchini or Corn Casserole
(Torta de Calabacitas o Elote)
Serves 6
Ingredients:
* 3/4 C. plus 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. butter
* 3 eggs
* 2 tsps. sugar
* 1 1/2 tsps. salt
* 3/4 C. plus 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. rice flour
* 2 tsps. baking powder
* 3 oz. farmer’s cheese
* 1 lb. grated zucchini or, the kernels from 7 ears of corn ground in a blender with a little milk
* 1 poblano pepper cut in strips
* 1 C. cream or sour cream
Preparation:
Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well then add the grated zucchini or ground corn.
Grease and flour a bundt pan.
Pour a generous cup of the zucchini or corn mixture into the pan, then sprinkle some farmer’s cheese on top of this, then some of the chili poblano. Repeat the layers ending with the cheese and chili.
Bake in a preheated 175°C oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm with cream or sour cream on top.
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/recipes/puebla/kgamarpapa.html
Croquetas de Papa con Amaranto:
Amaranth-Potato Croquettes
This is an adaptation of a recipe provided by Gladys Zavaleta Ruiz in her collection, Cocina con Amaranto. Served with a salad, it makes a fine light supper, and is a good example of the many vegetarian main dishes that can be prepared with amaranth.
Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. potaoes, boiled
* 1/4 lb. manchego, chihuahua or monterrey jack cheese, shredded
* 4 tablespoons amaranth or wheat flour
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten separately
* 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup popped amaranth (amaranth cereal)
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
* corn oil, as necessary for frying
Preparation:
Peel and mash the potatoes.
Add the cheese, flour, 1 egg, parsley, amaranth, salt and pepper and mix well.
If the mixture seems too loose to form croquettes, add additional flour as necessary.
Allow the mixture to cool.
Form into round or cylindrical croquettes, dip each in the other beaten egg, roll in breadcrumbs and allow to dry thoroughly on a rack at room temperature.
In a large skillet, heat the oil until hot but not smoking, and add the croquettes, a few at a time, turning carefully to brown them on both sides.
This can be done ahead of time and the croquettes re-heated in a 400º F oven.
Serve with red or green salsa if desired.
Serves 6.
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/oct/papr/oct_lil.html
Pumpkins, Gourds & Squashes
Desert Lil’s Delicacies
A Monthly Food Feature
The world’s largest and most unusual fruits come from members of the Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae), which includes over 700 species of squashes, gourds and pumpkins.
The terms “squash” and “pumpkin” apparently have no precise botanical meaning but can refer to any species New World gourds. “Pumpkin” generally is used for any orange, round squash containing orange flesh. More accurately called “cucurbits” by afficiandos, the fruits of this diverse family grow in numerous shapes and sizes, from marble-sized “pumpkins” to giant “squashes” over seven feet long.
Entries in the World Pumpkin Confederation Annual Weigh-Off are considered pumpkins if creamy-yellow to orange. If green to gray or mottled in color, they are considered squashes.
In 1996, a 900-pound squash lost its title as the world’s largest fruit to a 1,061-pound pumpkin. Growers Paula and Nathan Zehr say they used 150 gallons of water a day and a custom fertilizer mix containing 60 ingredients to achieve their prize-winning pumpkin.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the many varieties of squash and pumpkins grown today throughout the world originated from wild Cucurbita gourds cultivated for thousands of years by Native Americans.
Soft-rind Summer Squash (summer crookneck, straightneck, acorn, zucchini and white bush scallop) are all varieties of Cucurbita pepo, according to botanist Wayne Armstrong. Hard-rind Winter Squash (hubbard, banana, delicious, buttercup and turban) are varieties of Cucurbita maxima, he notes, while butternut squash and winter crookneck come from Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins can be varieties of either C. pepo or C. maxima.
Halloween’s association with pumpkins undoubtedly comes form the fact that gourds and squashes are ready for harvest in October, which means its time, once again, to break out some great seasonal recipes. For ordinary pumpkin pie, I simply use the recipe printed on the can of pumpkin from the market. But try these unique pumpkin recipes, and if you’re feeling adventurous, substitute other winter squashes at will.
Pumpkin Vegetable Soup
Serves 8
* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 2 medium leeks, thinly sliced
* 2 cups cooked pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
* 1 large potato, diced
* 4 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
* 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
* 2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
* 1/4 tsp white pepper
* 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
* 1/2 tsp cumin
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1 cup whole milk
* 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Sauté chopped onion and leeks with oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, until onion is transparent. Stir in remaining vegetables (minus parsley), stock, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool, add yogurt then purée in a blender or food processor until slightly chunky. Return to the saucepan, add milk and parsley then simmer for 10 minutes without boiling. Serve with crackers or croutons.
Pumpkin-Avocado-Walnut Salad
Serves 4
* 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 1 small red jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
* 1 cup finely chopped shallots
* 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
* 2 small avocados, diced in 1/2-inch chunks
* 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
* 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
* 4 Tbsp olive oil
* 1 tsp salt
Toss pumpkin with 2 Tbsp oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then place on an oven tray and roast in a, 400 F. oven for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Gently combine roasted pumpkin with other ingredients, adding remainder of salt and oil, as well as vinegar last. Serve.
Curcurbit-Pumpkin-Zucchini Bread
Makes 2 loaves
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp baking soda
* 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 2 tsp salt
* 2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tsp nutmeg
* 1 tsp ground cloves
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 cups light brown sugar
* 4 eggs, beaten
* 1 cup pumpkin puree
* 1 cup shredded zucchini
* 2/3 cup milk
* 1 cup vegetable oil or butter
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup wheat germ
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, soda, powder, salt, spices and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil pumpkin and zucchini. Stir until well mixed. Fold in nuts, wheat germ and raisins. Pour into two 9x5” loaf pans and bake appx. 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and serve, with cream cheese, if you like.
Sour Pumpkin Creme Pie
Serves 8
* 1 1/3 cups 1/2 & 1/2
* 2 eggs, slightly beaten
* 1 can 16 oz pumpkin
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp ginger
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 9-inch pie shell
* 2 Tbsp brown sugar
* 1 Tbsp lemon juice
* 1 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
* 1 lemon peel, grated
* 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
Mix first seven ingredients together thoroughly, then pour into pie shell. Bake at 425 F. for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake another 45 minutes, or until pick comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes; blend together sour cream, brown sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel. (If using plain yogurt, do not add lemon juice.) Spread mixture evenly over the pie and bake 10 minutes. Cool, then sprinkle with chopped pecans and serve.
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/lil/mar_lil.html
Chiles of the Southwest
Desert Lil’s Delicacies
A Food Feature
Last month we discussed “Des-Mex Cuisine” — Mexican food as served in the deserts of the American Southwest. The two most characteristic components of Des Mex food are corn and chiles. Corn deserves a column unto its own, so for now, let’s explore the bewildering variety of chile peppers and how to tell them apart.
The chile pepper has been called the world’s most popular flavoring. Chile peppers are the fruit of the genus Capiscum, most of which are of the same species, annum. More than 200 known varieties of this species are grown in Mexico, but only a dozen or so are available in U.S. food markets.
We usually think of chile peppers as an ingredient included to add hot seasoning. But Mexican and Des-Mex cooks also use chiles to impart subtle flavors, rather than tongue-searing heat. Understanding the different chiles used in this cuisine helps us produce more tolerable heat levels and more complex flavors.
An oil called capsaicin is responsible for the hotness of chiles. Capsaicin is found in the interior ribs of the fruit where the seeds are attached. Remove the ribs and seeds, and you remove the hottest part of the pepper.
Although the heat in different chile varieties can be vastly different, it is usually true that smaller peppers are hotter than large ones. But heat levels can also vary greatly between peppers of the same variety, depending on climate and soil conditions where grown, as well as the palate of the taster.
In the list below, chile potency is rated on a scale from 1 to 10. The Jalapeño (which many would consider quite hot) rates only 4-5 on this scale, while the volcanic Habanero rates 10!
When handling chiles, it is important to avoid touching your face and eyes. Many people wear rubber gloves or at least, wash their hands thoroughly after handling chiles.
Chiles are used either fresh, canned, dried or ground. Many dried chiles are ground into a powder, but this should not be confused with “chili powder” sold in the spice rack of your local market, which is a combination of ground peppers and other spices like cumin and oregano.
Most dried chiles will keep indefinitely when stored in a dry cool place. They are available in the Hispanic section of well-stocked markets. Canned chiles are available in the international food section and the Hispanic section. Check fresh produce for fresh chiles.
Fresh chiles are often roasted before serving or preparing in foods. This is accomplished by placing on a grill, or by roasting on a cookie sheet in a 450° oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
Once blackened and blistered, place peppers in a closed plastic bag to sweat until cool. Then remove skin, stem and seeds under cold water. Tasty roasted chiles can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Below are some of the varieties of chiles called for in Mexican and Des-Mex recipes. Some names of chiles may apply to several varieties, and the same chile may be called different names, especially in its fresh and dried form. Hopefully, this list will make identifying the varieties of chiles less confusing. The number following each variety indicates its relative hotness on a scale of 1 to 10.
Anaheim (2-3): Fresh - bright green, pointed, 6-inch long pepper. Processed and sold in cans as whole or diced “green chiles.” When dried, they are red and often called California or New Mexico chiles. Mild to medium heat.
Ancho (3-5): Dried - red, broad, triangular chile is the dried form of the Poblano chile and is used in mole sauces. Mild to medium heat.
California (3-4): Dried - Anaheim chile by a different name. Also sometimes called the New Mexico chile.
Cascabel (4): Dried - small, red, round chile is very hot.
Cayenne (7-8): Dried - small, narrow red pepper is most often ground into “red pepper” or “cayenne pepper.” Also used in Szechwan foods. Hot in flavor.
Chile de Arbol (7-8): Dried - similar to the cayenne in color, use and hotness.
Chipotle (5-6): Dried - the name of the smoked and dried red Jalapeño; it is often canned with tomato sauce and called en adobo.
Fresno (6.5): Fresh - small, bright green or red chiles originated in California and are used in place of the hotter and similar looking Jalapeño.
Guajillo (2-4): Dried - brown-orange in color and fruity hot in flavor. Called Mirabel when fresh.
Güero (6.5): Fresh - sometimes called the “blond chile” because of its yellow-pale green color. Is very hot and used in place of Jalapeños when more heat is desired.
Habanero (10): Fresh/dried - lantern-shaped chile hails from Yucatan and is the hottest chile on the scale. Sometimes called “Scotch Bonnet,” use with caution if you can find it.
Jalapeño (4-5): Fresh/canned - small, medium-hot chile comes from Jalapa in Mexico. Fresh red and green are common, as are canned ones which are often served atop cheese and tortilla chips.
Mirasol (2-4): Fresh - red roundish medium-hot pepper is called Guajillo when dried.
Mulato (2-4): Similar to the Ancho, it is the dried form of a fresh green pepper scarce in the U.S.
Negro (4-6): dried - slender, black chile is 6 inches long and relatively hot. When fresh it is called the Pasilla.
New Mexico (3-5): Dried/fresh - same as Anaheim or California pepper in color and shape, although sometimes slightly hotter. Dried, it is often found in dark red wreaths or ropes called ristras.
Pasilla (4-6): fresh - thin, dark brown chile is about 6 inches long and used instead of Poblano in some recipes. When dried, it is black in color and called Chile Negro.
Pequin (8-9): Dried - small, round, red chiles are often used in place of Cayenne.
Poblano (3-5): Fresh - green, broad, triangular chile is often used in chile rellenos. When dried, it is called Ancho. Mild to medium heat.
Serrano (5-6): Fresh - dark green, slender and smaller than Jalapeños which they sometimes substitute for because they are hotter.
Tepin (8): Dried - tiny, round, very hot chiles are used in place of Cayenne and Pequin.
Yellow (1-4): Fresh/pickled - small, waxy, bright yellow chiles similar in shape and heat to Jalapeños, but sometimes larger. This group includes: Santa Fe Grande, Caribe and Banana peppers.
In the next couple of months, we’ll be using these various chiles in Des-Mex recipes, including home-made salsas. Check your local market(s) for availability ahead of time.
Hi Granny,
The squash isn't "bolting" like it should due to the unusual cold weather.
All the other vegetables are also holding back, due to the cold weather.
My seeds are sprouting from the ground, but they can only do so much in cold weather.
The ground needs to be 64-degrees before anything major grows in the garden.
Accept for Radishes.
I've lost 11 of the 12 Okra I planted, due to the cold weather.
But that's ok. I can replant. My Corn is doing very well though, and holding up.
I'll post pics as they grow.
/HUG
Overview of Footwear;
Moccasin Patterns and history
http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/moccasin/moctext.html
Adapted from
The North American Indian Portfolios, 1993
Library of Congress
Index to Articles
in 19th Century
Seminole Men`s Clothing
http://www.nativetech.org/seminole/index.php
Leather and Clothes
Regional Overview of Clothing Styles with annotated sketches
Overview of Native American Footwear ~ Moccasins
Mittens and Gloves
Leather Bags and Pouches
Puzzle Pouches
Tanning and the Preservation of Other Animal Parts
http://www.nativetech.org/clothing/index.html
That is the way of farming, one year every seed grows and the next almost none do.
Here they say to start the hot weather crops at 53 degrees at night temperature.
Yes, I will enjoy watching your garden grow.
What always threw me, was starting a winter garden in July and August.
The weather also breaks here on the first of September weekend.
Okra may well be the crop that wants the most heat to grow and will freeze or rather rot , because it can.
BTTT!
Hi Granny! Somehow or another I have fallen off your pingy thingy and have not recieved them at all since the latest crash at FReerepublic... Could you PLEASE put me back on it???
BTW, I’m still price comparing the Breadmakers! I checked with the local commisary/exchange and they quit carrying them...going to Walmart tommorow to price theirs. No Waltons/Sams Club near me, so off to the big city for me (shudder!)
BTTT!
Hi Granny! Somehow or another I have fallen off your pingy thingy and have not recieved them at all since the latest crash at FReerepublic... Could you PLEASE put me back on it???
BTW, I’m still price comparing the Breadmakers! I checked with the local commisary/exchange and they quit carrying them...going to Walmart tommorow to price theirs. No Waltons/Sams Club near me, so off to the big city for me (shudder!)
Looks like FReerepublic is still on the blitz! That double post proves it!
By the way... You are doing a bang up job on this!
LOL, No you haven’t fallen off the pingy thing, unless I missed your name, you are #2 on my list....LOL, someone had to be #1.
I had not pinged to the single posts and will only ping a couple times a week, or you would have way too many pings in your inbox.
It is good that you and others think this is a worth while project, as I am attempting to find the ‘odd’ info, that we never knew or forgot we knew.
Join in and ask more questions, Judith Anne did a top of the line article on breadmaking today, it will be about 980 post.
There so many subjects that I have lost track.
Thank you for hanging in there.
Yes, F.R. is still coughing up double posts, LOL, I just ignore them and when it does it to me, it will be a very long post, so you got off easy.
Keep us posted on the bread machine.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1996484/posts
The farmer’s new cash crop: manure
National Post ^ | 2008-04-03 | Kevin Libin
Posted on 04/03/2008 7:57:41 PM PDT by Clive
CALGARY — It may come out the wrong end of a farm animal, but you won’t catch Scott Dick calling it waste. “It’s nutrients,” corrects Mr. Dick, an agronomist with Agra-Gold Consulting Ltd., based outside Winnipeg. “To me, it’s a valuable resource.”
****trail of breadcrumbs****
;~)
MMMMMMMMMM!
Fresh Bread!
Thank you Judith Anne!
You are very welcome. One of the best meals I’ve ever eaten is
Bean and Rice Soup
Wilted Spinach w/Bacon
Homemade Bread
Wilted Spinach w/ Bacon recipe:
Fry two strips of bacon till crispy, crumble, set aside.
To bacon grease in fry pan, add 1/2 finely chopped onion and stir-fry until browned. To hot onions in pan, add 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, and quickly bring to simmer. Pour over very fresh spinach leaves, top with crumbled bacon and serve.
You can substitute field greens (nasturtium leaves and flowers, dandelion leaves, turnip greens, plantain leaves, very young poke leaves), alternately red lettuce, bibb, or other salad greens. Looks especially beautiful with thinly sliced radishes on top of the whole thing.
For the soup, I use 15 bean soup (recipe on the package, under $2), but instead of adding a can of stewed tomatoes to the recipe, I use salsa. Spicy! :D Then, I add rice at the end to cook with the onion, this makes a complete protein (beans and rice).
The best thing about this menu is that field greens can be found almost anywhere, and are very nutritious. Nasturtium leaves and flowers are slightly peppery and delicious, and nasturtiums will grow on muddy gravel, I swear. Wash everything you pick very well, of course.
It’s really cheap, nourishing, easily available food, if you are willing to cook a bit. Leftovers save well, too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.