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 ...
Granny, you may find this of interest. These folks show up at our farmer’s market every Saturday to promote (almost typed two “o”s there, Freudian slip!) organic, unpasteurized milk. They have fought the good fight with the California legislature, which is schizophrenic about cows (one minute they are driving the cattle ranchers and dairies out of state, the next they are bowing to the milk lobby and trying to force consumers to buy pasteurized milk).
Here’s their website:
http://www.horizonorganic.com/
See post #7171 for update on melamine in U.S. baby formula.
Thanks for the links to Vickie, I am getting behind on the melamine news.
Post 7194, wow, what a great ref. Thanks.
Thanks for all of your wonderful posts, granny. Happy Thanksgiving.
Love,
Joya
Orchids were my love for about 10 years of my life and a major part of my education.
Being me, I had to know every single thing ever written about them, which also led to many other topics and learning experiences.
One of the Miltonia’s is marked in such a manner that it looks like the markings on a Big female Bumble Bee in the jungle, it is pollinated, when the male bee rapes it and the pollen sticks to his back, to be deposited on the next flower.
Darwin did a lot of study on the pollinating of orchids in the jungle, one orchid has a tube under the lip, and the nectar is at the end of the tube.
Darwin predicted that a moth would be found with a tongue long enough to reach the nectar, and it was, the tongue was 14 inches long.
While the moth drank, the pollen attached itself to his body and he took it to the next orchid.
Orchids were my first writing experience, both on the shows that i worked on and then my own scripts for tv and radio on the history of orchids, to promote our shows, that were known world wide.
San Diego in the 1950/60’s had shows, that were a jungle theme, with floating gondolas and 2 story water falls and the creme of the orchid world, with exhibitors from all over the world.
The last that I went to about 20 years ago, were a few tired orchids, on table tops.
Yep, I am a snob, worked hard and earned the right to be one.
When I started in orchids, it was with a 9th grade education, so you know how much I have needed to learn.
I quit school 3 weeks into the 10th grade, went to work in a cafe and got married.
My sister insists that my Indian name is “Seeker of Knowledge”.
She is younger and I helped her get through school, only one brother has the burning desire to learn, LOL, the other is a teacher.
I was hoping the pictures were not taking too long to download. But it does help to have a little thumbnail picture of each chile, herb, cheese or fruit. The cheese descriptions were really helpful for me, my husband likes to cook with cheese, and seeing that it’s so expensive, it’s good to know you can substitute one for another. It was interesting that the Mexican cheeses don’t melt very much.
Have fun!
You are welcome, but Tenth Amendment Champion did all the work tonight.
Sending love to you and your family for a Happy Thanksgiving.
So are there still orchid growers trying to improve the flowers, or has it faded from interest? It seems such a shame, all that knowledge and effort disappearing.
I see movies or pictures from the 1950s and early 60s, and how elegantly people dressed - then came the “anything goes” era of the hippies and all formality was frowned upon. It is more comfortable to wear jeans all the time, and I realize people can’t afford fancy clothes, but people dress so slovenly these days.
No one wants to dress up any more - except at our church, the older ladies do dress up. I enjoy seeing them and try to dress respectfully. It would seem wrong to wear pants to church - I never have (well maybe at Sunday evening or other church shindigs, but not to worship service).
I guess I’m a snob too. Smile back at you.
Slow but so far not impossible to download, LOL, but the internet did it’s normal and disconnected, as it does when asked to put out extra effort.
So goes the dial up connections.
Thank you, I can’t tell you how much your posts have meant to me.
A Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones.
It is past midnight, so it is official to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Let this be one for your memories bank, a special one.
May God grant all of you extra blessings and peace.
We had a potluck in our department today (tech heads, one and all), and our database administrator brought traditional Indian pilaf served with a sweetish yogurt sauce. It was just delicious and I think it had cardamom in it. She wants us to come over for dinner and I want to go. Hubby will just have to learn to grin and bear it, I guess. She is a really good cook.
And extra blessings and peace to you, Granny. Thank you for letting me join the thread and help out a little. I have had so much fun the last few days. I hope folks can get some good information from what we find, whether it’s serious and can save your life, or good to know like how to cook garlic muffins, or fun stuff like whether camembert is the same as brie.
It would seem wrong to wear pants to church - I never have (well maybe at Sunday evening or other church shindigs, but not to worship service).<<<
My feelings exactly.
On Orchid breeding, from what I can tell, once they started developing the cloning of orchids in the 1970’s, that is where they are stuck.
I ordered catalogs a few years ago and they were selling the same varieties, as we had in the 50’s and 60’s.
Then we were taught to look at a new seedling and see its line of breeding, LOL, some I still can remember.
You ordered a seedling list, to see who had bred what to what and what they expected.
Orchid seed is like face powder, a million seeds can be in a pod, and they are grown on agar in a flask.
Maybe one seedling in a thousand grown to flowering, some 5 years later, or even longer, would be worthy of being shown and granted its own plant name, which was used only for pieces of that plant.
like so many things, progress killed its continued growth.
There are over 25,000 different orchid genera, or basic types, as in Vanilla or Cymbidium, etc.
Dressing was another little project that I had to learn for Orchid Society, as I did have church clothes, a few and cocktail dresses, then I was married to a musician and went to the gigs with him. And LOL, I still think cocktail dresses are prettier than the work day clothes.
Yes, all outfits were better designed in the old days, and I have boxes of dress patterns from then that will prove it.
How lucky you are, to have a chance to eat the real Indian food, be sure to ask for recipes.
Bill would not have wanted to go either, he would not have liked the rice, that is what I served the first time I cooked for him and his brother and sister, that was the deer leg with hair on it still...
As his brother left, he thanked me for dinner and then said,
“But I never did find the potatoes”.
LOL, and that after his having been served on my finest china.
1963 it was.
I am sure many are interested in your posts, I am.
Yes. One day I was working from home and turned on the Documentary Channel, and they were talking about a dress manufacturer named Nell Donnelly, and the outstanding clothing she made in her plant in Kansas City. Her dresses were exceedingly well made. Wouldn’t you know it, she sold the company to Sears in the 1970s and they promptly ran it into the ground.
I realize how different our grandparents were from us. I would hate to have them exposed to the insanity of our world today. Imagine trying to explain justifying gay marriage to my devout grandmother who never missed church unless she was at death’s door.
I am thankful for my family and friends and fellow FReepers who appreciate this country, our history and our freedom. Pray that we survive all the attacks coming at us from all directions. Amen!
Cheese and Turkey
What a tasty combination turkey and cheese is! Those who enjoy a variety of cheeses in one dish will find these casseroles some of the best for using up the Thanksgiving bird. Try them all to see which one is your favorite.
[edit]
Cheese and Turkey Casserole
* 2 tablespoons of olive oil
* 1 1/2 cup of celery, chopped
* 2/3 cup of green bell pepper, chopped
* 1/3 cup of onion, chopped
* 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) of cream of chicken soup
* 2/3 cup of milk
* 1/2 cup of sour cream
* 2/3 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
* 2/3 cup of mozzarella, grated
* 2/3 cup of Gouda, grated
* 1 package (8 ounces) of elbow noodles, cooked
* 1 package (4 ounces) of frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
* 2 1/2 cups of cooked turkey, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
* 1 cup cheese of (cheddar, mozzarella, or gouda) for topping
[edit]
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
2. Saute peppers, celery, and onion until tender.
3. Add the next 6 ingredients.
4. Heat the mixture on low, stirring until cheeses have melted.
5. Mix together cheese sauce, cooked noodles, broccoli, turkey, and seasonings.
6. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
7. Pour mixture into dish.
8. Top with a cup of cheese of your choice.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until golden brown.
10. Serves six.
Cheese and turkey make a wonderful and tasty meal.
Cheese and turkey make a wonderful and tasty meal.
[edit]
Almond Turkey Recipe
* 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon of flour
* 1 cup of blanched slivered almonds, toasted
* 3 cups of cooked, chopped turkey
* 1 1/2 cup of sliced celery
* 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon of poultry seasoning
* 1 cup of mayonnaise
* 1/2 teaspoon of salt
* 1 teaspoon of pepper
* 1 double pastry for one 9-inch pie
[edit]
Directions
1. Toss cheese in flour.
2. Combine 3/4 cup cheese, 1/2 cup almonds, and remaining ingredients (except for the pastry).
3. Mix well.
4. Roll pastry into a 15 inch square.
5. Fit pastry into a 10 by 13-inch baking dish; trim to 1-inch beyond edge, flute.
6. Fill with turkey mixture.
7. Top with remaining cheese and almonds.
8. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes.
9. Garnish with fresh parsley.
10. Serves six.
[edit]
Creamy Turkey Dish
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of onion soup
* 5 ounces of process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
* 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
* 4 cups of cubed cooked turkey
* 1 package (16 ounces) of frozen broccoli cuts, thawed
* 1 1/2 cups of cooked white rice
* 1 1/2 cups of cooked wild rice
* 1 can (8 ounces) of sliced water chestnuts, drained
* 1 jar (4 ounces) of sliced mushrooms, drained
* 1 1/2 cups of salad croutons
[edit]
Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine the undiluted soups, cheese, and mayonnaise.
2. Stir in the turkey, broccoli, rice, water chestnuts, and mushrooms.
3. Place the mixture into a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and stir.
6. Sprinkle the top with croutons.
7. Bake 8-12 minutes longer or until bubbly.
8. Serves six to eight.
9. Serve with apple and cheese salad.
[edit]
Enjoy Turkey Casserole Recipes
If you want even more turkey casserole recipes, be sure to check out our article about how to make turkey and stuffing. This is a good choice for when you have both leftover turkey and stuffing.
. http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Turkey_Casserole_Recipes
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Turkey_and_Stuffing_Casserole_Recipe
Dinner is over but the Cooking has just Begun
There always seems to be more turkey than people at Thanksgiving dinner and that’s just the way it is supposed to be. No one wants to run out of bird on the one day of the year when it gets to be center stage and the highlight of the table. If things go right, you will want to have more turkey than you have people and the leftovers are just begging to be used. You can take the turkey carcass, the giblets, and what have you and make a fine soup. Turkey salad sandwiches and fresh turkey endive salad with homemade dressing are always winners. But what if you live where the weather gets colder around Thanksgiving? Then a warming and welcoming turkey and stuffing casserole recipe is the way to go.
[edit]
Cool it before Things Heat up
After you have served the turkey, you should get the bird into refrigeration. This does several things. First, it keeps the carcass away from guests and their picking fingers. I don’t mind feeding my guests, in fact, it’s what I do best. But, I prefer if they don’t pick at the carcass. I am a bit of a stickler for sanitation. You want to get the bird into the chiller quickly to keep the bacteria from having too much fun. A cooked bird hanging around at room temperature is a great place to grow very bad bacteria.
Once the turkey is properly cooled, the meat will be easier to remove from the bones. If you are pulling out your turkey and stuffing casserole recipe, you will want to be able to cut the turkey into bite sized cubes with ease.
If you can save some gravy, all the better. The problem with most casseroles made with leftovers is that no matter how fresh and juicy the meat was when it was first served, it can dry out after a second cooking. Considering that this casserole also has stuffing that will also absorb a lot of liquid, we want to add as much liquid into the dish as possible. Whenever you are adding liquid to a recipe, be sure to consider if the liquid will add flavor or diminish it. Water has a tendency to make things, well, watery. So want we want is anything with flavor to add to the casserole. Gravy from the dinner is a great start. Other good ideas are any cooking liquid from the turkey and turkey stock if you happen to make some with the carcass.
[edit]
Turkey and Stuffing Casserole
We will be putting this into a 2-quart casserole or oven safe dish. If you happen to have fresh home made cranberry sauce, the kind where the berries are still mostly whole, then adding a bit of that to this recipe would be delightful.
[edit]
Ingredients
* 1 3/4 cups of stuffing
* 1 2/3 cups of turkey diced
* 1 cup of gravy
* 3 ounces Crème Fraiche
* 1/2 cup fresh home made cranberry sauce (optional)
* Salt and pepper
[edit]
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Spray the casserole dish with non-stick spray.
3. Mix the gravy and the Crème Fraiche thoroughly in a bowl.
4. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
5. Add the stuffing to the bottom of the casserole. Press it down gently to set it, but not so hard as to pack it too tightly.
6. If you are using the cranberries, add them now.
7. Add the diced turkey to the dish.
8. Pour the gravy/Crème Fraiche over the casserole.
9. Bake for 30–35 minutes.
10. Let cool before serving.
11. You can also add any other leftover vegetables you happen to have around, for example peas, if you like.
.
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Turkey_Gumbo_Recipe
Ingredients for Turkey Gumbo Recipe
* 1/2 cup chopped onions
* 1 tablespoon
butter
* 2 quarts hot water
* 1 cup chopped celery
* Leftover turkey, broken in pieces
* 1 cup canned okra, cut in small pieces
* 1 pint oysters with their liquor
* 3 level teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
[edit]
Instructions
1. Brown chopped onions in butter.
2. Add hot water, chopped celery, and the turkey.
3. Bring to the boiling point, cover, and simmer gently for two hours.
4. Strain the soup through a colander and add okra, oysters, salt, and pepper.
5. Replace on the heat and cook until the gills of the oysters curl, then serve at once.
.
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