Simple food preservation techniques—freezing and drying—have taken care of much of my local food bounty. If you still have fresh fruit or herbs available, you can do it, too. Here’s an update on food previously mentioned. Apples Remember those ugly apples? They were so delicious that I’d still be eating them, but I got down […]
Entries Tagged as 'Food preparation'
Jack-o-lanterns provide seeds for snacking
October 31st, 2008 · 1 Comment · Food preparation
This year’s jack-o-lanterns are scared and scary, but both were filled with many, many pumpkin seeds. If you haven’t carved yours yet, there’s still time to do so and to roast the seeds for snacking. Another kind of free food (if you’re making a jack-o-landtern, anyway)! The way we do it around here is to […]
Apples, pears join quinces for fall preserves
October 28th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Food preparation, local food, recipes
Remember the ornamental quinces? Well, they’re all cooked up and ready to eat, with a little help from apples (local), pears (local and free) and sugar. I got some ideas from Joy of Cooking and adopted the name of one recipe there to produce these sweet-tart and pretty preserves. Or maybe it’s jam. Or conserve. […]
Braising makes for succulent grass-fed beef
October 22nd, 2008 · 3 Comments · Food preparation, local food, recipes
If you’ve hesitated to try grass-fed beef because you’ve heard it’s tough, you might reconsider. Just be sure to braise it. “Low and slow” are the watchwords for grass-fed beef, such as the roast I got from my friends’ cattle. And braising is a nice way to cook on a chilly, rainy day. Can you […]
Tags:beef·main dishes·meat·turnips
Great green tomatoes! Bring out the canner and cake pan! (And the relish tips…)
October 15th, 2008 · 12 Comments · Food preparation, Food selection, local food, recipes
When life gives you green tomatoes, you might as well make Green Tomato Cake and Green Tomato Chutney. Some people would also make Green Tomato Pickles. I probably should have. Here, in any case, is the story. The setup Sure, I told my sister. I’ll take some of your green tomatoes. Don’t just throw them […]
Sign of the season: first soup and a quiz!
October 11th, 2008 · 5 Comments · recipes, Tools
I broke out the soup pot the other day about the time I turned on the furnace for a little while. By the end of the day, the house was still fragrant from the chicken soup, my belly was warm with it, and I had excellent leftovers in the refrigerator, too. This is a wonderful […]
Tags:chicken·chicken soup·soup