Too much of a good thing?

I love late summer. Fruits and vegetables are so plentiful it's easy to get carried away. Often I find that I've purchased or grown too much of something and don't know what to do with it. Good intentions lead me to believe I really will can all 10 pounds of beans and Pickle three bags of cucumbers in one day. Then I don't. Panic and guilt set in. What to do? Read on......

Triage your projects, so to speak. If you have raspberries, corn and peas to deal with all at once, chances are your in over your head. Sure you wanted to can them all, but that's not look like a reasonable goal right now. If you just can't live without raspberry jam, deal with that first. You'll be glad you did. If your crunched for time after that, try freezing your corn and putting your peas in to the dehydrator. Or the other way around. Whatever works. Below are some specific suggestions:

Peas: These are best frozen. Peas are the one vegetable that even professional chefs tend to use from the freezer. They don't keep long fresh and tend to get mushy when you can them. Alternatively , pop them into your dehydrator. They'll be great for soups later.

Green beans: Can them, freeze them, dehydrate them. Use small tender beans for making 'dilly beans'. Large thick green beans are better for canning as they don't turn to mush as easily.

Corn: Freezing is great, canning is fine, dehydrating is easy and convenient. For something special, try making corn relish.

Tomatoes: Canning or dehydrating is best. Dehydrated tomato slices are delicious snacks, are great in pastas, and go well in salad dressings as well as casseroles.

Zucchini and yellow squash: These are a toughie. They won't taste very good after being frozen and aren't very tempting canned either. But there are some tasty exceptions: try zucchini jam, zucchini pickles, or freeze grated zucchini for cake or breads. Also, dehydrate the slices for use in winter soups.

Carrots: Who doesn't love carrots? They are so versatile! Again, you can freeze them, can them, or dehydrate them for soups. They adapt well to all types of storage.

Blueberries: Freeze for use in pies or baked goods. Blueberries make excellent jam and if you want to try something different, they be dehydrated to use in granola, pancakes, muffins, or just snacking.

Blackberries: My husband's favorite jam is blackberry! Around here they grow wild everywhere. Free Food, yay!! Take advantage and freeze as many as you can to make pies.

Apples: In the fall, I can't seem to make applesauce fast enough to put some away for winter. The kids eat it as fast as I make it. Which is good because it's very healthy and easy to make. For a fantastic snack, dip apple slices in sugar before dehydrating. Or leave the sugar out for healthier eating. Try pureeing apples to make fruit leather in your dehydrator. And finally, make some apple pies ahead of time and freeze them to bake later on.

*When you open your cupboards/freezer and see all the good the good things you've stored for winter it's a very good feeling. Best of luck in your endeavors. If you have questions, email me at edibleoregon@rocketmail.com

-E

Reasons why......

....you might be hesitant to get started gardening and my personal solution/rebuttal:

1. " I live in an apartment", "I have only a small backyard"

solution(s)- Container gardening. I've seen people use everything from actual flower pots, to coffee cans, to buckets, and even cheap plastic storage tubs from Walmart.
You can grow an entire salad garden on your window sill or in a pot on your back porch. Dwarf varieties of carrots grow well this way. So do herbs.


2. " I don't have time for that kind of thing."

rebuttal- Yes you do. The first year I gardened, all I did was put some seeds in the ground and water occasionally. I purposely chose easy care plants and kept it all low key so I would not get overwhelmed. It is only as hard as you make it!


3. " Look at my thumb. It's black! I'll kill all the plants."

rebuttal- There is no such thing as having a green thumb or a black thumb. If you want something badly enough- YOU CAN DO IT!

4. " Isn't gardening an expensive hobby?"

rebuttal- Again, it's only as expensive as you make it. Buy seeds once. After that, let some of your plants go to seed, collect those and plant them next year. If you save your own, you won't have to continually buy them.

Also, get your hands on the current issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. They have the cheapest, most innovative garden ideas. It isn't necessary to buy a ton of gadgets to have a good garden.

5." Gardening is for women, or old people. "

rebuttal- Not anymore. Although many of us have nostalgic memories of Grandma's kitchen garden, today's gardeners are of every age, social/economic strata and walk of life. They have discovered what others already know: gardening is fun and rewarding.

6. "My neighbors will complain about my garden"

rebuttal- Because my backyard is all shade, my garden is in my front yard closest to the street. I live in a nice neighborhood and feared complaints. My neighbors LOVE looking at our veggies. They have had nothing but nice things to say about it. Just keep your space clean and attractive.


If you have any other concerns or questions, ask me. If I don't have the answer, I will go find it.

hugs,
-E

Your front yard "gourmet grocery store"

Listen, anyone can grow fresh gourmet veggies. And there is very good reason to do so. Have you looked at the price of snow peas and sugar peas in the grocery store? $4-$6 dollars a pound!!

Here is another compelling reason to 'grow your own': Convenience. It's no secret that I love to cook. And it's frustrating to continually run to the store for every little thing. Especially fresh herbs. You pay $2 for half wilted basil that you only use a portion of . The rest turns black before you find another recipe.

Meal planning also becomes easier. I can stroll out to garden and see what is currently ready to pick and plan accordingly. In early spring it is usually just a green salad with a few fresh herbs tossed in. As the season continues, I can add spinach, radishes, and peas. Soon I'm planning meals around broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, new potatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash.

The sad truth is our economy sucks right now. And our pantry is showing the sign-of-the-times. The end of each month is often quite lean for us.

Yesterday I opened our fridge to look for a veggie for dinner. There was only a sad, old bunch of celery in the crisper. "Not salad again", I thought to myself.

Out to garden I went. And guess what? After 10 minutes of careful fussing and picking, I was able to get enough sugar snap peas to saute' for dinner for a family of six. No driving, no shopping, no money spent.

Tomorrow I'm going to address stumbling blocks to starting your own garden. Most gardening challenges are easily overcome. So do not fear!

Then we'll talk about some simple easy preparations of garden veggies. As side-dishes, soups, and even main meals.

Many friends have commented that we eat well at my house. You can do the same at yours! Stay tuned..........

Mid-season garden update

I absolutely love this time of year. The garden really starts to pay off in June and July. We have more lovely salad greens than I know what to do with. The peas are getting quite prolific, lovely dark green heads of broccoli are appearing. Veggie Paradise!

Something new we tried this year was potatoes and boy was it worth it! 10 Yukon gold starts have yielded more gorgeous spuds than I ever thought possible. They are so large the ground above the plants is crumbling as they burst through. It is so much fun to dig into the ground and find large new-skinned potatoes just lying around like rich women on lawn chairs!

The spinach is all gone now. It got fairly large but bolted too quickly and began to gather powdery mold due to all the rain. I had to run outside and pull it up all at once to save it. In it's place I've planted a multi-colored carrot mix. The package promises purple, white and red carrots. If they really turn out, that is going to look so cool! We have a juicer and I want to drink some purple carrot juice.

Ahhh, soybeans. Such enigmatic little plants. I fear our climate gets too much rain and too little heat for them. But they shyly hold their own. I really have high hopes for them.

Also new this year: exotic radishes. Why radishes? I just don't know. Max likes them, they are easy to grow, and there are some wicked cool varieties available. We planted these monster sized red radishes that looked just like carrots. They were pretty nifty. But check this out, I just planted some variety of Black radishes. And since we are big lovers of Japanese food, Daikon radish has been planted as well. More on that later.

Also new, the herb garden. The unused space just outside the front door under the eaves is our new herb garden location. Up and running are Borage, Cilantro, Sage,Mint, Chamomile, Parsley,Rosemary and Marjoram. The Thyme is dead. What is it about Thyme? It always dies! Is there some Thyme god I need to sacrifice to , to get this stuff to grow?

Newly planted herbs include Lemon Balm, Coriander and, ummmmm..... shoot I forgot. Something else.

On the far end of the herb garden Is a new wooden trellis I added specifically for growing climbing beans. The particular variety we are growing this year are bright red. The pretty vines are winding themselves up the trellis and climbing higher each day. One of the vines has wound itself around a sunflower. Yes, that's right. Sunflower.

All those years I lived in Kansas and never grew the dang things. Now I have three of them in my front yard! It happened because we use our rabbit compost in the garden. The rabbits eat a mix of grain and seeds, i.e. sunflower seeds. A few of them sprouted and I am letting them do their thing out of sheer curiosity.

Also new this year strawberry plants in large flower garden and baby's breath growing around the mailbox. Whew! I'm almost as tired typing this as I was doing all that work. Thank goodness Dante' is such a good helper. :)

If you haven't already, go have some fun!!

It's tough to post this time of year with so much going on. The weather is beautiful, the gardens are going well, the baby goats want playing with..... Lots of wonderful distractions keep me from writing for the blog. :)

If your stuck in a rut, if your not having fun, be encouraged to try something new. I'll make a list to get you started with some ideas that are as frugal as possible.

1. Dig a pit in your back yard. Line it with bricks. Start a (safe) fire and roast marshmallows.

2. Dust off your tent and air it out. If you can't afford to go anywhere, just set it up in your front or back yard. Then camp out and do idea number 1.

3. If you don't have a yard, put a tent in your living room. We've done this and it's fabulous.

4. Lay blankets in the yard and watch the sun set.

5. Eat dinner outdoors. If you don't have a patio set (we don't) drag your dining set outdoors (don't laugh, we've done it) and enjoy a candle light dinner al fresco.

6. Roast corn on the cob for dinner. It is so delicious off the grill.

7. Go fishing and vow to eat your catch for dinner.

8. Make paper lanterns and hang them from your porch or balcony.

9. Borrow a telescope and stargaze.

10. Spend an entire day at the park, lake , or beach. No cheating and going home early.

11. "Summerize" your living space with wildflowers, throw pillows in summer-y fabrics, and don't forget to open the windows and let some light in.

12. Water balloon fight! You live near a dollar store, don't you?? Get 'em cheap.

Okay, that's plenty for now. Don't plan too much or think too hard, just go renew your spirit with some good old fashioned playtime.

love,
-E

planting asparagus, making soaps

A couple of weeks ago I did two things:

* Plant asparagus
*Make home made soap

Since my camera was non-compliant I couldn't share the pics, but they are here now.

The soaps:

The star shaped soaps were made by re- batching. We grated up bars of Ivory, added color, milk and wheat germ for softening properties and scent. They look pretty good.

The pink rectangular soaps were created from scratch. They need to cure for another week before we can use them. I will describe the process more in a future post.

















And now the Asparagus:



First off, let me say that baby asparagus are quite cute. They pop right out of the ground looking exactly as you see them in the store, but in miniature. Asparagus shoots are so difficult to see that at first you fear they didn't work out. But they do, and they are cool!

Check out this cutie: The really interesting part of planting asparagus is what they look like when you bring them home.

Asparagus grows from a mass of grey/brown roots. If you saw it in your garden, you'd likely pull it up and toss it out.

You take this mess of 'medusa hair' and plant it in the soil, taking care to keep it moist. And voila', little shoots emerge shyly from the earth.


After a bit more research, I'll print some tips for anyone who wants to grow their own.

with love,
-E

The Treasury of White Trash Cooking

It's been awhile since I posted about the culinary arts. Naturally this cookbook by Ernest Matthew Mickler and Tricia Mickler came to mind. With recipes for Roast Christmas Possum, Rump Dump Cake and Squirrels a La King , it's a cornucopia of gustatory heaven.

Okay, snarky non-p.c. remarks aside, this is a really fun little cookbook. Looking up recipes for animals most of us would consider road-kill is only half the fun. Between chapters are short stories from the folks who supplied the recipes. Reading them, I honestly laughed until my shoulders were shaking.

To quote the book cover, "Interspersed with fantastic photographs , town gossip, and true yarns detailing the everyday, life and times of the folks in Mickler country , this truly is a treasury of all things white trash."

The Treasury of White Trash cooking reads a bit like the Foxfire books which chronicle the life and wisdom of folks from Applachia and similar places.

Not surprisingly , there are some truly delicious edibles in this collection. Listen, country folks may eat some things that make us shudder, but they have cornered the market on pies, cakes, and other baked goods.

There is also a practical and frugal element to many of the main dish offerings. Foods like hotdogs, spam and Velveeta are cleverly fashioned into tasty entrees. If my family gets so poor we are forced into a regular diet of bologna and ballpark franks, I for one will be glad for this book.
-E

It's that time once again

The community garden is open, and our plot is planted. Oh yeah, I told myself to not be in a hurry. Be cool, take my time. Wait in case the weather changes. Let's face it, I'm not a waiting kind of girl.

So our little plot is full of seeds. Peas, onions, lima beans, pole beans, radishes, potatoes- as many as I could get in and not be too over-the-top. Waiting is no longer optional, but mandatory. How long 'til seedlings come up? Will it freeze again?

While waiting for those answers I will be content digging up and planting the garden in the front yard. Tiny packets of lettuces, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and spinach await their turn for planting. Herbs will occupy the space just outside the front door and make a lovely tea garden.

In mid-April Leona will open her raised garden beds for planting. Her generosity allows a space for squashes and root vegetables. Turnips , carrots, zucchini and more will be planted there.

Our goats grow fatter by the day. Their bellies are near to bursting. Will they make it until May or surprise us and kid in April? There will be sweet new babies and mommas full of milk.

I love spring and the promise of things to come.
-E

The coolest fire starter ever!

For all you closet pyros out there, I got this nifty trick from my sis who learned it in girl scouts. Or was it summer camp? Anyway, here it is :

CHEAP, EFFECTIVE FIRESTARTER

* dryer lint
* egg cartons
* paraffin wax

1. stuff the egg carton with lint.
2. melt paraffin and pour over the lint-filled carton.
3. Cut into individual squares.

directions-light one square to start your kindling. Each square burns about 10-15 minutes. By then, your fire will be going strong.


So how cool is that? Maybe I need a hobby but I seriously get stoked over ways to use things we normally throw away. So that's it. If I get any more gems like this one, I will pass them on to you.

Simple pleasure

1. Go to the store. From the freezer section, buy a package of roll dough. Take it home, and let it thaw.

2. Get a pan. A cake pan will do, or a casserole dish-whatever works. Melt a stick of butter and pour it into the pan. Toss in at least a cup of brown sugar. Add raisins and nuts if you wish, not if you don't.

3. Let rise. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown on top.

4. Invert onto a large plate or platter.


Call it what you want. I just call it cheap and really , really good.

-EJ

Make your own.............

Laundry soap, dish washer detergent, and all sorts of goodies. This is another easy way to become more self-sufficient, help the environment, and save money. Below is the recipe I first used to make my own laundry detergent:

1 bar of soap (ivory or Fels Naptha are best but I have used just about everything)
1 cup washing soda (I've used regular baking soda to no ill effect)
1 cup borax (found on any store's laundry isle. Look for the name "20 Mule team)

grate the soap, add the soda and borax. Super easy! It only takes 2-3 tablespoons of this to clean a load of laundry.
*Some folks, like my husband, get skin irritation from borax. If this occurs, stop using and try a different recipe without borax like this one from tipnut.com

Recipe #8

2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

How about dishwasher detergent that is safer and less "chemical-y" than what your using now?

Basic dishwasher detergent recipe:

What You Need:

• 1 Tablespoon Borax
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda

This is a 'per load' recipe so feel free to make more ahead of time and put it into a container.

*Note: Dishes get cleaner when citric acid is used. You can buy citric acid, or to save time and money , simply empty one packet of lemon kool-aid into the dishwasher with the other ingredients. Only lemon, and only the packet without sugar in them. (use vinegar in your rinse dispenser. It's effective , cheaper, and safer)

Another cool thing about making your own cleaners- you run out of stuff less often. Since I keep a lot of borax, baking soda , and soap around the house, running out doesn't always mean a trip to the store. Just make another batch!

So that is the basic make-your-own rundown. Again a web search will bring you so many options you'll be amazed. Liquid laundry detergent , home made stain remover, and more.

JUST DO IT!! And when you do, for Heaven's sakes would you please tell me about?

love and peace,
-EJ

"Free" coloring or note paper

This is another one of those tips for saving money and being 'green'. The idea came from my 91 year old grandfather. He eats a lot (and I mean a lot) of TV dinners. Then he takes the containers they come in and trims them into sheets of paper. They are beautiful white on one side. That's the side you write on.

True, the backside is read and says "Swanson" or some such thing, but if your writing grocery or to-do lists, its perfect. My three- year- old uses them to color on. My daughter uses them for scratch paper, and we keep score on them when playing cards.

If you, like us, don't eat many TV dinners, I am sure there are plenty of food boxes and containers that can be re-used in a similar manner. Cereal, mac-n-cheese, etc.

Yeah, it sounds like a weird idea. When my grandfather first gave me a couple pounds worth of this stuff I didn't think I would use it. WRONG! Give it a try. Then pat yourself on the back for sensible re-cycling and money saving.

-EJ

Ps- This tv dinner painting is a print by Jennifer Mazur available on www.imagekind.com

A great resource

A must-have for any family: Backwoods Home Magazine

Even if you live in the city, this is an amazing resource. Self- sufficiency, Emergency preparedness, gardening, gardening in the city,preserving, gun safety, recipes and lots more. They have a website as well.

Even better, the magazine is published just a couple of hours from where we live.

Check it out...
-E

Home Ec for tough times(heftt)

Not to come off all doomsday-ish, but the financial financial difficulties many are facing will not end anytime soon. (Yeah, I've said all this before.)
Rather than panic, I chose to get creative. Its been an incredible learning experience. I have totally redefined what I think of as 'want' and 'need'.

Wastefulness is rampant in our lives but we have been blissfully unaware of it. Re-thinking the art of 'home-making' is a good part of the solution. For years, magazines have been telling us to keep up with trends. Food trends keep us buying expensive ingredients and pricey meals. Decorating trends have us constantly dissatisfied with our homes. More money goes out for new curtains, rugs, paint, or furniture. Clothing trends mean a yearly dumping and re- buying of wardrobes for some people. We go through acres of toilet paper, tissues, napkins, paper towels and paper plates. Even though my family's finances minimize some of these issues, there is plenty of room for improvement.

First, I started buying in bulk. Lots of rice, beans, flour, and sugar. Also lentils, salt, brown sugar and honey. Next came the gardening. Lots of good, healthy food provided for my family. Then canning, dehydrating, and freezing. Also the making of our own cleaning products. Cheaper and healthier than store bought cleaners. And the foraging of local foodstuffs.

But it wasn't enough. For some reason, I just wasn't satisfied. It didn't feel like enough. Thoughts of self-sufficiency kept circling 'round my brain. Then came the goats. We purchased two Nubian does to provide milk for drinking and for making cheese. And possibly goat's milk soap as well. They are currently 'shacked up' with a male in hopes of breeding. Whether or not this will be a successful or worthy endeavor remains to be seen. More on that as it develops.

Fall came, the gardening ended, and things were quiet for awhile. Then something really cool happened. Friends taught me to crochet. My daughter learned as well and we are hooked.
(No pun intended) I didn't realize just how handy this was going to be until the holidays came and I found myself with no money for presents. No money? No problem!

William got a handmade scarf, as did Paxson. I also made and gave away hats and (my favorite) a crocheted coffee cup sleeve. It fits on those drive-thru coffees, protects your hands and is environmentally friendly.

Sewing was a blessing as well. I don't sew very well, but I do some basic things. So out came the bamboo pattern fabric and I made a lovely set of napkins and a tablerunner. Add $3.00 worth of pretty green chopsticks from the local Asian store to complete the set. A supercool easy-peasy gift.

Lest you start rolling your eyes, lets get something clear right off the bat. I am not, I repeat NOT, creative, artsy or handy. Although many of my friends are. (You know who you are: Kimmy, Dawn, Annie, Danielle, Shannalee, Jeri, etc.) All of this could not have been thought of or made to happen without the inspiration and help of God. So please don't be intimidated if you are thinking of trying something new. Especially if it benefits your home and family. God will bless a worthy endeavor.

Now then, I 've all of that just to say that this will be a recurring theme on the Eating Oregon blog. Many of the aformentioned tips will be discussed in greater detail with recipes or instructions if necessary. This category will crossover a lot with the whole Urban Homesteading theme as well as the Eating Oregon theme. And forgive me if I've mentioned most of this before. I'll turn 40 in May, blame it on age.

So, anyone out there want to write an article for the blog or send a recipe or tip? email it to :
ellenjeffery@verizon.net

-E

Anyone out there have great moneysaving