basil update

Well, now I know why they say to use ice cube trays! The basil does not easily fall out of the mini muffin tins, even though they were sprayed. An ice cube tray can be twisted. Oh well. I went on to plan B.

Using a butter knife, I slipped it down between the basil and the tin. They popped right out.  Though a couple broke. But that's okay.

I had the Tupperware waiting to receive the basil blocks. Then returned them to the freezer as soon as possible. My house is still hot/humid and I didn't want them to melt and stick. If your house has A/C you might want to take the time to put wax paper or parchment between the layers.

Gayle's basil revisited

Hi this is Gayle and I've hijacked Angels blog again. It's been quite a while. (Maybe last year this time when we canned.) At one point I had hoped to do food tours and farm markets and we never quite got to doing that together. But we may, and if we do, be assured that I'll write about it. Food just doesn't work in my walking blog!

Last time I talked about preserving a motherload of basil was back in 2009. The scenario is about the same. This time I received an email from my neighbor that said, we have extra basil, do you want some?

He arrived late this afternoon carrying two basil trees. It was a lot of basil. Once you pick it the clock starts ticking. It turns black in a New York minute and my house, like Angel's, has no air conditioning. So the spoiling window is even smaller.

Last time I picked the leaves, put them on cookie sheets and put them in plastic zip bags. I really didn't like how it thawed. It was all limpy and broken. So this time I decided to do a twist on the "put pesto in an ice cube tray" idea.

I washed it, and dried it between two towels. I still have not bought a salad spinner. It's days like this I really want one. (The picture is about half the leaves.)

Then I put it in the food processor, a bit at a time and chopped it.

In the meantime, I took my mini cupcake tins (I don't have extra ice cube trays) and sprayed them with olive oil. You could use something like Pam. I just put oil in a small spray bottle. Then you can have lots of oils and no chemicals. Yes, sometimes it does get clogged.

I used a teaspoon, and picked up a lump of ground basil, and used the other hand to guide it into the cookie tin.

Finally, I put it in the freezer to harden. When they are hard, I'll pop them out, put them in an airtight container and use as I want. A brick or two to make pesto. A brick in my sauce or a stew.

Should work great and I won't have to try and cut slippery basil.

A new family heirloom

My friend Gayle is a graphic designer who loves type. She used "Shared Book" to make my blog into a three-volume cookbook!

Isn't that awesome!?!?!

Except for some reason, I'm missing volume 1 and have 2 of volume 2.

Speaking of Gayle, she accompanied us to Camp Moseywood where we left my daughter for a week of resident camp. Don't expect much cooking while she's gone. For one, with her not here I'm not motivated. Two, the reserves are low and I'm trying to make it until Friday to go shopping.

I might thanks to some canned goods passed along from Gayle and some groceries my friend Dan gave us in exchange for some errands since he just got out of the hospital.

The last few months have emptied the bank account. But, it's almost the end of the month and our totals aren't too bad.

$220 on groceries.
$140 on eating out.

Last month I spent
$150 on groceries
$368 on eating out (ouch!)

In May:
$288 on groceries
$230 on dining out

April:
$207 groceries
$234 dining out

So maybe I have been good with the budget this month...

Hurry Curry Cauliflower

Haven't tried this one yet either. Another recipe from Good Eats.

HURRY CURRY CAULIFLOWER

Ingredients
1   tablespoon canola oil1  teaspoon cumin seed
1   teaspoon coriander seed
2  teaspoons  curry powder
1  teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1  whole clove garlic, smashed
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1  cup  rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup  cider vinegar
3  tablespoons sugar
1  teaspoon pickling salt

Instructions
Heat the canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Crush the cumin seed with the coriander seed and add to the pan. Add the curry powder, ginger, and garlic to the pan. Cook these spices, stirring until the oil colors and the spices are fragrant. Add the cauliflower florets to the pan and toss to coat.
In a lidded plastic container, combine the water, rice wine vinegar, cider vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt.

Shake to combine.

Once the cauliflower is slightly tender, add it to a glass jar. Pour the pickling liquid over the cauliflower, filling to the top of the jar. Cool, chill, and store the pickles for 1 week to allow the flavors to develop thoroughly.

About the photo: It looks like Hurry Curry Cauliflower but it's actually Cauliflower with an adapted Savory Bread and Butter Pickle Brine that I added the curry cauliflower spices to.

We had lots of brine left so we used it. We packed the cauliflower in pint size jars, added the mystery brine, and processed in a hot water bath for 15-20 minutes.

Firecrackers

FIRECRACKERS
Gayle saw this made many years ago on Good Eats on the Food Network. She adores the host, Alton Brown and was quite sad when she gave up cable and no longer could watch the show.

Ingredients
1-1/4 pounds Baby Carrots
1 cup Water
1 cup Sugar
1-1/2 cups Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Mustard Seed
1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon Chili flakes
2  Dried chilies

Instructions
Place carrots in a spring-top glass jar. Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar, onion powder, mustard seeds, salt, and chili flakes to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Boil for 4 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots, filling the jar to the top. Place the chilies in the jar. Allow the carrots to cool before sealing. Refrigerate for 2 days up to 1 week.

We cut up the chilies and added them to the carrots, made the brine and packed them in pint size jars. We processed them in a hot water bath for 15-20 minutes.

Dilly Beans

Haven't tried this one yet, I made my own version.

The first one is from the Ball Blue Book, 1974

DILLY BEANS

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic
4 heads dill
2.5 cups water
2.5 cups vinegar
1/4 c salt

Pack beans into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. To each pint add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 clove garlic and 1 head dill. (Mom put this on the bottom!) Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Pour, boiling hot over beans, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Yields 4 pints

Note: let beans stand for two weeks before tasting to allow the flavor to develop.


Gayle is sure that this is the recipe her mom used (the page is awful stained in the book). Her sister disagrees and thinks it's this one from the Better Homes and Garden Home Canning Cookbook. (1973) The ingredients are similar. Again, a stained page.

2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling salt
2 teaspoons dillweed
1/4 teaspon cayenne
2 cloves garlic, crushed.

Yields 4 pints. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Pickling

Some of Gayle's mom's pickling recipes that we made on Monday.

Her mom's recipes were short on details. All should be processed in a boiling hot water bath leaving a 1/4-1/2 inch headspace when packing the jars.

Make sure you use new lids and be sure reused rings are clean and free of rust. Jars should be clean and hot when you fill them. (Straight from the dishwasher is great. If you do them by hand, fill them with hot water to reheat them.) Also put the lids and rings in a bowl of hot water to heat them.

Use a jar grabber to remove jars from pot. Place on the table or counter that has been prepared with a layer of newspaper, covered by a kitchen towel.

In a few minutes you should hear them start to "pop".

In 24 hours check your seals. If the lid moves up and down, it's not sealed. Put those in the fridge and eat them!

BASIC BRINE (many of Gayle's moms recipes start with or say to use "Basic Brine.")

3 cups vinegar
3 cups water
1/4 cup salt

Adjust volume depending on quantity that you are canning.


PICKLED BEANS, CARROTS and CAULIFLOWER

2 pounds cauliflower
1-1/2 pounds green beans
2 pounds carrots
1 tsp tumeric
1-1/2 tsp mustard seed
1-1/4 top celery seed

Cook each vegetable separately. Drain. In a pan combine the turmeric, mustard seed, celery seed and basic brine and brine to a boil. Pack veggies in jars and cover with liquid. Seal. Process 15 minutes.

YIELDS 8 pints


PICKLED MUSTARD WAX BEANS  

4 c. vinegar
1 c. water
3 c. sugar
1 c. prepared mustard
6 qts. blanched yellow beans

Cut beans in pieces or to the size of the jar. (Mom always did the size of the jar.) Blanch. Boil brine. Pack beans in hot jars and cover with boiling brine. Clean and seal. Process 10-15 minutes.


BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES (sweet and salty)   

6 large cucumbers, sliced
4 onions, sliced
1/4 cup salt
1 pint white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed

Use fresh cucumbers; wash and slice. Slice onions. Mix vegetables with salt and let stand 1 hour.

Drain and rinse with 2 cups cold water. Combine vinegar, sugar, celery and mustard seeds and heat to boiling. Cook 3 minutes.

Pack vegetables into jars, add hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/4" headspace. Seal at once and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Store pickles in a cool, dark place. Ready to eat in 3-4 weeks. Keeps for up to 1 year.

Makes about 6 pints.




BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES (savory)

12 medium cucumbers
6 onions (sliced)
2 cups vinegar
2 cups water
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric

Wash cucumbers and slice. Let stand 2 hours in salt solution (1/2 salt to 2 quarts water) Bring rest of ingredients to boil and boil 5 minutes. Add veggies and let heat thoroughly. Jar and seal. Makes 6 pints.

Canning peaches

My mother-in-law is now talking about picking peaches and bringing us some fruit to preserve. Gayle did some research and some family chatting and compiled her notes on peaches. But, the odd thing is, both my mother-in-law's family, my mother-in-law's mother-in-law's family and Gayle's family always included a peach pit in every quart. Why? Did it change the flavor or the acidity?  Or was it mere food superstition?

FROM GAYLE:

I don't remember peaches being this much work1 I guess it's because there was many people. Sharon said she had to dip and skin them.

Peaches
From my Ball Book c 1974

It starts with the whole check, wash and heat the jars routine.

Sort wash & drain enough firm ripe peaches for one canner load. Fill water bath canner half full with hot water. Put canner on to heat. Prepare sugar syrup. (i'm sure mom made the light.)

Place peaches in wire baket or cheesecloth. Dip peaches into boiling water 1/2 to 1 minute to loosen skins. Dip into cold water. Drain.

Cut peaches in half, pit and peel. (You can slice, that's what mom did.) Scrape cavities to remove pink and red fibers because they might turn ugly brown in processing. Pack peaches into hot jars, cavity side down, layers overlapping. Leave 1/2 inch head space

Cover peaches with boiling hot syrup leaving 1.2 in headspace. It will take 1-1.5 cups syrup for each quart jar.

Run table knife gently between fruit and jar to release air bubbles. Add more syrup if needed

Wipe top and threads. Put on lid and band...tighly

Place in canner with hot water (not boiling). Water should cover 1 to 2 inches.

Process pints 25 minutes or Quarts 30 minutes after boiling

Let cool 12 hours before removing bands, checking for seal, and storing.

SYRUP
Light syrup
2 cups of sugar to 1 qt of water, yield is 5 cups.

Medium syrup
3 cups of sugar to 1 qt of water, yield is 5 cups.

Heavy syrup
4.25 cups of sugar to 1 qt of water, yield is 5 cups.

Measure sugar and liquid (either water or fruit juice) into saucepan. Cook until sugar dissolves. Keep syrup hot until needed, but do not let it boil down. Usually 1-1.5 cups of syrup are needed for each quart of fruit.

Daughter feeds the babysitter

Guest blog entry from my friend Gayle who watched my daughter for a couple hours yesterday:

From the mouths of babes ....

Today I child sat while mommy went to work.

As we were driving to Target the Angel mentioned that my car, Aretha, was very, very dirty. During the discussion the child mentioned she would make lunch. I thought, sure, right. She's six.

Our first stop on the way home was the car wash. She had never been to the drive thru kind. [Mimi] uses the the one where you do-it-yourself. We came out and parked at the vacs. I gave her a hose assuming she'd know what to do. She did. The middle of every area. I went and followed her and did the sides and corners.

Our next stop was mommy's other favorite store, Aldi. Her first favorite is Wegman's. Talk about extremes. I needed paper towels to do the car windows. Angel had mentioned her father-in-law makes a mean window cleaner. I usually use vinegar and newspapers. I knew Angel wouldn't have the paper. The child reminded me numerous times "that mommy didn't use paper towels, and that they were wasteful". "Yes", I assured her. "I don't use them as a rule either, but for some things they are best for the job". "But mommy says they are wasteful". And so it goes.

We get into Aldi and she asks for cereal. "No, mommy has very specific things you are allowed to eat. I don't want to buy the wrong thing. We came for cheap paper towels." They had started stocking up on the Christmas toys and she spied a doctor Barbie. Again I said "no". We get the towels and she says "I bet you'll say yes" and headed down the aisle for the fruit and veggies. She was right, I did. We bought tangerines to eat with lunch.

So we got back to her house and she starts making lunch. Calling out the nutrition play by play.

Cheese: We cut this into three squares each, 2 colors. It's protein and milk. Cheese is good for you.
Crackers: Pick those because all the colored spots are nutrition. Three one for each piece of cheese.
All on one plate. I tried to put it on our plates and she said no, you have to take it from the common plate, at the table.

Tangerines

Trail Mix in little plastic cups: Raisins and red things (strawberries) because they are fruit and they are sweet. And these yellow things (ginger) because they are spicy and that's good with sweet. And nuts because they are good for you. And chocolate covered raisins because they are yummy.[Angel's note: They were chocolate covered dried plums]

Plus I heated the thyme bread that Angel left out for us.

So it works. If you start young, they understand what's important. I wanted to mention it was a bit of a carb overload, but she's six. It wasn't PBJ.

Saving the neighbor's basil

Guest column from my good friend Gayle:

Yesterday my friend and neighbor Bob called. I'm cleaning out the garden, would you like Basil? My mama taught me never to turn down free food, so of course I said yes. He brought up an enormous tree of basil. I was up to my eyeballs with work, so I set my sister to cleaning it.

The phone rings again. Hi, me again. How about some Tarragon? Sure. He bring this huge tangled ball of tarragon. I then put both my sisters to work.

Now I was faced with 2 large colanders of tarragon, and a giant bowl of basil. Not to mention the dishpan full of "waste" for the compost bin. How the heck do I was and dry ll this. Time was ticking on the basil. It turns black in a New York minute. Cold stops the blackening, so I knew it had to go in the fridge dirty until I decided.

Normally when I was herbs I just dry them between cotton towels. I am too cheap to use paper towels, and I'm not gadget oriented so I never bought a salad spinner. Heck, I never even used one until my fund raiser last June. It was cool.

A salad spinner would be perfect for the job. I knew my neice has one and we were going to see "Julia and Julie" (at the Boyd. Old, lots of character, and only $6!) maybe she could come early and we could take the herbs for a ride in her spinner. She did. We did.

The entire process, with two working took five, maybe six minutes. My way would have taken at east an hour, if not more. It turns out that a salad spinner is not a gadget. It is a great thing. The herbs were drier than I could ever get them with towels, in seconds.

Now I didn't want to just throw them in a bag into the freezer. They still would have been a lump in December when I needed them. I needed something closer to individual. So I pulled out my cookie sheets, covered them with wax paper, and spread the tarragon out on two, and then the basil on two more. I stuck them in the deep freeze and went to the movies.

This morning I had to decide on packaging. I usually chose "tupperware". It stacks, it's easy to label and keeps my freezer organized. But for herbs I found zipper bags work best.

Herbs go from frozen to thawed in a very few minutes. Make sure your hands are clean, and the bags are open, labeled and ready to go before you start. Pull out one tray at a time and fill the bags, close them and put them right back in the freezer.

Then this winter, when you need fresh basil and they are charging $3.99 for two sprigs in the store. You've got "fresh" in the freezer. It can't be used for a garnish, but really, is garnish worth $3.99?