Grilling vegetables.
Posted on 03/01/2025 7:23:36 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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I’ve been eating dried goji berries. Heard about them and found two bags on the clearance rack at the grocery. I don’t think may folks around here know what they are.
Almost time-——5 Tips for Grilling Over Charcoal Like a Pro
techniques for the next time you host a barbecue or cookout.
Food grilled over charcoal tastes better. Yes, gas grilling is quicker and more convenient, but when it’s the weekend, charcoal is the way to go. With that said, grilling over charcoal can take some getting used to and a little trial and error. Here are five tips for grilling over charcoal like a pro.
Use a “chimney starter” to light the coals; lighter fluid will end up flavoring food. Just pack the bottom of the starter with newspaper; fill the rest with charcoal. Then light the newspaper at the bottom and let science do the rest. Depending on how much charcoal you’re using, make sure to allow 15 to 20 minutes to let your charcoal properly heat up before pouring it into the base of your grill. Pour the coals into your grill only when they’re ready Resist the urge to rush this step. It’s important to wait until the coals are fully gray before pouring them out of the chimney and into the grill base.
Create temperature zones in your grill. With gas grills, you have the option to customize the temperature on each side with the simple twist of a dial. The way with charcoal is by distributing 75 percent of the coals to one side, creating two different temperature zones. This allows you to cook different foods at different speeds and gives you more options for letting your food rest over little to no heat while you get everything else set up prior to eating.
Preheat the grill before you start cooking. Just like your oven, you should preheat your grill before throwing any food onto the grates (also, make sure those racks are clean before you place anything on them). Once your coals are distributed in your grill, throw the lid on and let it sit for five to 10 minutes before placing food over coals. You want to hear a light sizzle when the protein, fruit, or vegetables hit the grates.
Use grill vents to adjust the temperature. You can manipulate your grill’s temperature by using the top and bottom grill vents. Located on the lid itself and on the very bottom of the base, the vents control the airflow through the grill, and the wider open they are, the hotter it’s going to get.
foodandwine.com
Got my cabbage seeds started and about a quarter of the bell pepper seeds started. All indoors so far. Let’s gooooooo!
BBQ Grilled Vegetables / The best dressed vegetables in town,
Some vegetables, potatoes and carrots, take longer to cook, so give them a head start by boiling a few minutes before grilling.
Once veggies are prepped and ready to go, aim for a nice, even char
to get a delicious smoky flavor that pairs perfectly with natural sweetness of the veggies.
Drizzling cooked veggies w/ dressing takes them to a new level. A little
bit of ol/oil and balsamic, or get creative w/ homemade pesto or aioli.
Ing Asparagus waxy Potatoes Red bell peppers Zucchini
Carrots Red onions Mushrooms Egg plant Bunch of fresh thyme
Dressing for Eggplant
2 x garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp Olive oil
pepper
salt
Dressings for all other veges
1 tsp Dijon mustard
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
Steps
Step 1
Simmer tender whole peeled potatoes, remove when just tender; cooked, not firm.
Repeat with cut carrots. Refresh with cold water, drain and set aside.
Step 2
Dressing whisk til it thickens a bit mustard, salt and pepper,
⅓ cup balsamic, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 grated garlic cloves.
Step 3
Eggplant dressing, blender 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, smoked paprika, s/p very smooth.
Step 4
For the BBQ, set the temperature quite high so you get the charred marks.
For potatoes, coat in olive oil and s/p before cooking.
Step 5
Cook eggplant dry then coat each side w/ dressing, then back on grill.
Step 6
For the other veges, coat w/ dressing; baste using thyme as
a brush. Or use kitchen brush; add dried thyme to dressing.
Step 7
Once cooked put them on the top level to stay warm, brush w/ dressing and a bit s/p,
Grilling vegetables.
We’ve have a bunch more snow in the last week. We must have about 1 1/2 - 2 feet on the ground right now.
However, the temperatures have been getting into the 40’s some days and my seedings are enjoying their time outside on days like that.
I like flowers, hate soil. Soil is always clayey, hard, rocky. What to do?
I’ve been reading up on old time staple food and am thinking of trying Jerusalem artichokes this year.
My Scottish friend told me to plant potatoes in clay soil...breaks it up.
If you compare nutrient values to them, blueberries are a perfect match
And thankfully, it looks like a good sugaring season for the maple syrup producers. The temperature will be pretty consistently dropping below freezing at night with highs in the 30’s - 40’s.
Thank you!
Just planted my peas and potatoes last week (Alabama). Hoping to see some shoots real soon!
OK, I’ll try it.
Are those Stocks in with the Pansies? Those are my absolute favorite, as far as scent goes. :)
Sounds like a great plan and you’re off to a good start. :)
Healthy body and spirit information. Thanks to all gardeners. BUMP.
I’m in South Alabama so just a bit colder but more similar to you than up North.
I’ve had problems with some heirlooms in the heat and humidity.
Here’s a list I plant that really do well, even in the 90s (many tomatoes drop flowers after 92 or so degrees—and that the temperature IN your garden, not from weather station):
Cherry: Sungold, Juliet, Black Cherry
Paste: San Marzeno
Regular from small to large: Creole, Australian, Aunt Ruby’s Green, Cherrokee Purple, Jeff Davis, Arkansas Traveler, Sioux (NOT Super Sioux), Floradel.
I’ve been planting these for many years (almost 30!) and every year when it gets too hot these keep going.
That sure ‘nough is purty!
Lovely winter garden, I may send link to my son in Puerto Rico. I have 3 fig trees in two states separated by over 100 miles. One planted about 10 years ago the other 2 about five years old. I had never visited the property with the oldest fig in the spring until 2 years ago when I couldn’t hire someone to cut my lawn there. I was surprised to see NO fig flowers. On a visit a month later I discovered the little fig buds starting to sprout out of last year’s new growth, so no flowers for rain to destroy. However, last year when I went to mow in April there were tiny fig buds, but on my May visit they were gone, and in June they were growing again. The only thing I can figure is that a severe cold snap had stopped/killed? the baby buds in early April. The same thing had happened to buds in my home town tree.
Does anyone have experience with figs to confirm my thoughts or provide others? Unfortunately, a small flock of birds had discovered my oldest tree and I gathered very few figs. They were almost all damaged or fully eaten by the birds before they were as ripe as I had wanted. I had planned to try to dry figs for long term eating. Also something I have never done. Any info out there on drying figs? Thanks in advance. This year I hope to have a enough figs on my new trees to also enjoy. One is a low, more bushy type. The others are upright with large leaves. A Peruvian friend says you can use those big leaves like grape leaves to wrap food for cooking like the Greeks do. Has anyone ever done that?
Also time for me to start lettuces, kale and spinach. Maybe some Sweet Peas (flower) and it's not quite 30 degrees yet, but it's in the 70's in the (unheated) greenhouse. Have to check on starting some lettuces under cover in there, too. ;)
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