The Pickle Project by A. Nonymus

Recently I was asked to check out a great home made Bread and Butter Pickle recipe video found right here at the Chef John blog. After watching, it looked so easy and fun, I decided to do some pickling..

To get a better feel for the whole business of pickling, I further researched online and discovered loads of other recipes, and it became apparent that you can pickle just about any food including fruits, not just vegetables, and well, it seems almost anything can be pickled!

I got enthused and decided to take the plunge and make several batches of pickled stuffs



Pickles

1st: The classic refrigerator Bread & Butter pickles (per the video), 2nd: Corn 'Wheels' ; I found some fresh Olathe corn on sale at the local grocery, and decided to see how it might do as a pickling item, 3rd: of course a classic fave: Carrots, Peppers, Garlic & Onions (a la your favorite Mexican restaurant). Next: Apples with Pears and Grapes – the next project

I went to the store and found most of the ingredients right away, although some took several stores to find. Pickling spices and the various other spices were readily available, although the 'star anise' has been a bit tricky, but it's for the apples and fruit, so not yet needed.

I'm still planning to make the pickled apples and pears with grapes. One recipe suggested using maple syrup instead of sugar. I think maple syrup along with some classic apple pie spices ought to be quite delicious and create a tasty flavor profile; nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, star anise, all along with pickling spices. I think this'n is going to be a winner!

But now for the gory details so far – batch by batch ...

I'll describe the first attempt at the Bread and Butter pickles.

Following instructions, I sliced 2 lbs of small pickling cucumbers, and then dusted them with kosher salt. I let them sit for several hours stirring every so often. This 'salting' removes excess water and makes the pickles 'crunchy'. The recipe said to rinse well after the salting. I thought I did! I rinsed the slices quite well under running water for about 3-4 minutes per the instructions. I will give you a hint here ... taste 'em before you go any further. I didn't. I proceeded to make the hot brine and stir in the slices and soak as instructed. The smell was sensational, so much so that I couldn't wait the suggested 48 hours to try them. I selected a delectable slice to test... and I'm sure glad I did.

OMG!! The pickles were inedible... gah .. salt, salt, salt!!! egad I thought, what to do now?? I asked some professional cooks and chef friends if they had any idea how to remove the excess saltiness? Nothing concrete was offered.

Eventually I found one person – who had actually taught Betty Crocker how to cook – who suggested soaking and rinsing heavily and thoroughly over and over, and see if that would help – it certainly couldn't hurt!? HOORAY for Betty Crocker's teacher !!!

Quite to my surprise after 24 hours of soaking and rinsing MANY more times, and then putting them into a new salt free brine and refrigerating for another 24 hours, THEY WERE PERFECT!! What a journey those cukes took. Now they only have one short trip left to take – directly to the dining table !! yum yum!

Now that the first batch was 'saved', it was safe to proceed with batch #2. I followed all the steps exactly the same, except These were rinsed, rinsed, rinsed ,and rinsed some more. Then rinsed again just to be sure! This batch came out PERFECT! No doctoring needed. Dee-lish !!!

Buoyed by initial success', I turned to the corn. There was a sale on the seasons first Olathe corn at the local grocery (6 ears for $1), so I grabbed 6 really nice ears for this project.

First though, I had to prepare them and was delighted to use a wonderful trick I found on Chef Johns food blog. This is a really easy way to remove the husk and all the silk in one swoop!

Here's the trick - Put the whole un-shucked ear in the microwave for 3 minutes, then carefully take it out and cut off the butt end - through the husk and all. Then by grasping the tip end with a towel the husk and silk just slide right off the cooked corn and voila ... perfect hot corn on the cob!! - I did 3 ears at a time and it worked great !!! I ate one to 'test' it just as it came out of the microwave, and it was perfect. I don't think I'll ever boil corn again.

For the corn, I made a lighter brine – combining several recipes I liked online, and as it brewed the smell was wonderful! However, I quickly realized it would be hard to put 6 whole ears into the 2 qt. brine pot, and also getting them into a jar was problematic too. What to do? Well I cut the corn - still on the cob - into slices I call 'wheels'! Necessity is the mother of invention. This was a brilliant Inspiration!!

The corn 'wheels' now went into the brine, (These little wheels make great little finger holds to nibble the nibblets!!) I added some celery (cut into 2" pieces) to give some variety, color and a different flavor. The celery has been a pleasant surprise, and very tasty too! The corn brine was a bit different from the B&B pickle recipe, milder and less strident, less 'pickle-y', and it perfectly enhanced the lovely corn flavor. I am totally delighted at how tasty the corn and celery are!

Next batch: Carrots and Peppers, which were quite easy to make. I gave these more of a full flavored brine with about10 bay leaves added. The big job was peeling and slicing the carrots. The brine was just coming to a boil as I was done slicing. In they went, fire went off. After soaking in the brine for several hours – I popped 'em into the fridge! Wow! They turned out as good (better?) than the restaurant kind. Now I have a big jar of those which I've been enjoying with all my meals and especially good with Mexican dishes.

Pickling – what a great, fun way to do veggies and fruits. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it all was. I just suggest making one kind at a time for less confusion though. It was a bit of craziness whilst doing 3 different kinds at once.

Now I'm enjoying B&B pickles with everything. The corn wheels are great adds to salads or crudité, and the carrots work anyplace ... I've enjoyed those with my eggs in the morning or rice at dinner, and they make a nice crunchy substitute for chips whilst watching TV. A pickle for all seasons!

Well, they're not just your grandma's pickles anymore .. although maybe the flavors will awaken some old memories of 'back in the day' – try making some yourself. I only suggest you RINSE RINSE RINSE if you do the salting!!

Manga Manga – Abondanza!!

Pickles and Corn Wheels

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

Salad Bar?

Recently when I was 2nd hand shopping, I saw a wonderful old hanging sign that read “Salad Bar Open”. I have taken to calling the garden the 'salad bar' ever since.

All the neighbors have been enjoying the garden too – some are foodies and chefs, so we are all following and enjoying the developments in the farm / salad bar... and especially the herbs.

I'm sure glad I enjoy the gardening – I call it my 'therapy'. One certainly doesn’t do it for saving money, but for the love of it... otherwise who would create potatoes and tomato's that cost $25 each!!

Home grown veggies do taste better, and of course you know exactly what is in them. I really enjoy the process. There is just something deeply satisfying about playing in the dirt, and creating life. The harvest is the ultimate 'pay off', but I enjoy gardening so much I'd do it for free.... oh wait... I AM doing it for free!! OMG – sometimes we actually get what we wish for!

“Manga Manga – Abondanza!!”

It's a scary world by A. Nonymus

It's a scary world out there. For ordinary folks to criminals wanting to create mischief, the revelations that everything we do is being reported, tracked, scanned, digitally tracked via CCTV, and stored, is eye opening, but do we really have to be careful of the microwave, the dishwasher, refrigerator, and coffee maker?

An article in Yahoo Finance on 9 Household Items That Can Track You by Adam Levin details how ordinary items in your home can be used to track and record data about you. Not only can they track you but "bad guys" can even affect medical implants like pace makers and insulin pumps which are all run by micro chips and can be hi-jacked using the same techniques used by the NSA.

If you want to take control of an area, country, state, city, town, street or home, all you need to do is to cut off the electricity, which cuts off the electronic toys and everyone is helpless. This information is used more by criminals or corporations with less than pure intent, but it can be used to apply pressure or threat of serious disruption to services from nearly any corner of the world.

What's happened to us?

And what is happening to all this data that is being gathered by governments and corporations?

Yottabyte: a descriptor of electronic storage capability.

I recently heard this word "yottabyte" and I looked it up. A yottabyte is a really big number equal to a bunch of "zettabytes" - basically it's a trillion terabytes!

The NSA super computer farms described by Robert Gelber in 2012 and more prominently in recent news, can hold multiple yottabytes of data. There are about a half dozen or more of these computer farms - all just happily mining everything! They also pick up all the information from your in-home devices since everything that travels electronically is swept up too. What time you make your coffee, times you use the microwave, when you wash the dishes, how often you do laundry - and what exact settings you use or prefer ... I mean ... where does it end?

One yottabyte can hold ALL the knowledge, books, communications, and all information and data ever created since the dawn of man.

'They' are serious about storing this information and I do mean ALL information.

Who thinks this stuff up?

I used to joke that we 'paranoids' can 'never be too sure', but I never conceived, even in my worst moments of paranoia, of anything on this scale! Even now I can barely grasp the concept, and it literally is breathtaking.

So, just give the microwave a knowing sly grin next time you nuke the java, or run the delicate cycle on your washing machine!


From Wikipedia Yottabyte:

"1 YB = 1000000000000000000000000bytes = 10008bytes = 1024bytes = 1000zettabytes = 1 trillion terabytes.;

"To store a yottabyte on terabyte sized hard drives would require a million city block size data-centers, as big as the states of Delaware and Rhode Island.[1] If 64 GB microSDXC cards (the most compact data storage medium available to public as of early 2013) were used instead, the total volume would be approximately 2500000 cubic meters, or the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza."

[Editor's note: This story written by by A. Nonymus]

Learning how to grow potatoes Part 3 by A. Nonymus

Planting Idaho Russets

The volunteer russets got re-planted in large tree tubs and in about a week they are already full up with soil mix to the top, and the plant stems still rising about 18-20” above the lip!?. I can see now that much deeper containers would be better, but so far they seem to be thriving quite nicely, although the tops are so 'leggy' now that some are starting to lean and fall over with apparently with no damage.

Yield should be, according to the information, about 5 good potatoes from each stalk. I have about 10 stalks in each burlap bag with fingerling potatoes. I'm hoping for a yield of about 50-ish fingerlings from each bag. The tubs of Idaho's only have about 5 large plants each, so I'm hoping for about 20+ per tub, although some sources suggest that grocery store potatoes, if they grow at all, never 'grow right'.!?

Everything I read reminds also to keep some as starters for next year. We shall see. Harvest time is best in September and October, so plenty of time to grow. I'm reminding myself however not to 'count chicks before they hatch”.

Next year I will likely try the 'garbage can' techniques for the large Idaho Russets, but continue to use potato bags for the smaller fingerling and gourmet 'taters'. Online I found a specially made bag just for potato gardening. It's designed to provide air and drainage, and is reusable. It's apparent even now that the burlap bags will probably be a one time use, as the burlap is clearly wearing from water, sun, and weather, although – so far - they are keeping the dirt and potatoes enveloped, and appear strong enough to make the whole season.

The potato harvest endgame is, theoretically designed, to just dump the bag or container out and voilà ... ya just collect the potatoes!

[Editor's note: This story is Part 3 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]

In an old country song, "The Arkansas Traveler", there is a talking narrative between musical verses, where the city slicker is dialoging and questioning the farmer on the porch, and trying to be friendly he asks the farmer...

“How did your 'taters turn out?”... and the old curmudgeon farmer replies... 'They didn't turn out... I had to dig 'em out!!”

Learning how to grow potatoes Part 2 by A. Nonymus

Planting Fingerlings

I pre-sprouted the fingerlings in an old egg carton in a process know as 'chitting' – a way of creating green sprouts prior to planting - it was recommended to separate by colors and not let them touch each other. They had been mixed when I got them, but I separated by colors. It only took about a week for the fingerlings to begin sprouting in the egg carton. The yellow and red sprouted quickly. The blues didn't sprout but they got planted anyway.

Once they started showing shoots in the egg carton, I planted them in the 3 bags, one bag with the yellow, one bag with the red, and one with the blue. I rolled the bag sides down, like old socks, and filled each with about 6” of garden soil and straw mixture.

From the very start, the yellow fingerlings seem the more robust, with the reds not far behind. The blues are much slower and may not do so well.

After about 6 weeks, it's time to add more soil to the bags to keep the stems covered. And this is the brilliant part: roll up the bags as the dirt is added to keep the stems covered constantly as they grow. When the bag is completely unrolled and filled to the top with soil/straw mix, the stems will have been kept covered to the 'max', which in theory, provides maximum yield. So far everything is going to plan.

I'm not really sure yet when to harvest potatoes, but one source suggested waiting until the top growth is dead, and another source suggests harvest as they grow to induce more tubers. I'm leaning toward the view that its best to just wait until the plants and leaves die completely, which provides maximum energy and growth time to the tubers... and lets face it, it's a lot easier on the harvester too.

[Editor's note: This story is Part 2 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]



Fingerlings

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

We have a robust and vigorous garden this year – with some special projects and new frontiers to conquer. Everything is in containers and the garden is thriving.

In spite of crazy Gulf Coast storms, unseasonable cold and early heat, bad techniques by the farmer, false starts, sundry bugs, birds, over watering, and haphazard fertilizing, the container garden is just thriving beyond any reasonable expectations, reminding me of the line in Jurassic Park... “life will find a way”!. Ain't it the truth!?

Our containers use commercial garden soil, some also mixed with water retaining soil mix. Most veggies are in good ol' garden soil. All the potatoes are layered in a mix of garden soil and straw. I'm using a granulated (dissolve in water to apply) fertilizer about every 2 weeks (when I remember).

As a first, we have been having fun with potatoes this season. Our first ever effort with potatoes on any 'serious' level. Many years ago I had tossed some seed eyes in the ground, and got a few puny potatoes. The results were so disappointing I never tried again. However, this year – on a whim - I decided to try again with a bit more serious effort.

I'm growing the potatoes in containers; some in large tubs, and others in bags. I'm really focusing on the “bag” system, which so far has exceeded any expectations by a mile. All the fingerlings are in burlap bags, and the Idaho's are in the big 5 gallon containers. I'm really pleased that all of the 'taters' seem to be thriving, much to my astonishment. I have been learning more than I ever expected about growing potatoes.

Happy gardening!



Cucumbers



Learning how to grow potatoes Part 1 by A. Nonymus

In researching how to grow potatoes in a container, I found a lot of great information online, and discovered that one person had great success with fingerlings in bags. I scrounged up 3 old burlap bags and followed the instructions on a YouTube video, filling the bags with a mixture of straw and garden soil to about 6” deep to start. The plan is to add soil and roll up the sides of the bag as the stalks grow. Then we planted each whole fingerling about 10 per bag, and covered by several inches of soil mix.

I learned that it's important to keep piling soil up around the stem of the potato plant – which induces more potatoes, as the tubers grow from the covered stalk. The bag system is perfect, since you roll down the sides of the bag to start, but then add dirt as the stems grow unrolling the bag upward. In theory, when the bag is fully unrolled and full, you will have a nice yield from each plant.

This concept of mounding dirt around the plant stem is also applied to the 'garbage can' system. Start with a little dirt in the bottom, and keep filling as plants grow. Tip the can over to harvest. Of course the can needs good drainage. Some special tubs are available online, but I think I'll get a 40 gal. plastic trash can and drill good drain holes at the bottom along the sides for next year.)

But just try to find burlap bags!

After asking all around and calling various vendors with no luck or leads, I finally got lucky at a local feed store, and they gave me 3 old burlap feed bags. I was surprised that I couldn't find burlap bags anyplace. Problem solved this year, by a stroke of luck.

I recently found a source online for reusable 'potato' bags made exactly for container potatoes. I'm sure that next year I will give those a try, as it's already apparent that burlap, at best, is a one season use item.

After 2 months, the bags are holding – but just. So next year garbage cans for the big potatoes, and the commercial bag system for the delicates varieties and fingerlings.

[Editor's note: This story is Part 1 of 3 and was written by A. Nonymus.]



Fingerlings in Burlap Bags

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

Our new garden venture this season: The Magnificent Potato

I planted two kinds of potatoes: large Russet “bakers” from Idaho and multi colored “fingerling” gourmet potatoes which were kindly provided by my Chef friend. The potatoes started on a whim, when I found some sprouted baking potatoes in the bottom of the bag, and seemed to have started growing strong and thriving shoots.

These volunteers were some especially beautiful large and tasty bakers, Idaho Russets from Sam's Club. Sis suggested that I just cut out the eyes 'n shoots and stick 'em in dirt and see what happens. I found some old pots, filled 'em with garden soil and plunked in the sprouted eyes, and much to my genuine surprise, they sent shoots up quickly and soon became quite bushy.

In short order, due to this sudden success, I had to transplant them from their starter pots to large tree sized pots. I was pleased to find they transplanted quite well, and the bushy leaves and stalks are now quite tall and robust. I have reasonable hope for a few nice Idaho Russets at the end of the growing cycle.

Nothing beats a great baked potato. I'm already planning to make the garlic, basil, and chive butters in anticipation … Yum Yum.


Transplant Potato

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

Houston Garden Report - #1
The First Day of Spring – March 21, 2013

How-dee from H- Town! Well it's that time again!!

I've been putting in this years attempt at a garden – again... I'm reminded of the classic definition or 'insanity' … repeating the same actions... but expecting different results.. [lol].

I had been planning to give another try at a garden this season – and in recent days, whilst pondering 'n cogitatin' on it as the weather got nice, I got a bit of a shove when I found 44 miniature roses in 4” pots on clearance .. and after a bit o hagglin' got 'em all for $25!! … the basic garden I had seen in my near future, had jumped out and grabbed me, moving near future to right NOW!! Hopefully, this future, doesn’t put me in the 'past-ure' [wink]...

I gathered the roses up, and got'em home. This greatly accelerated and necessitated the need to rapidly dust off the sundry accoutrement and remnants of our previous years container gardens, and I quickly lined out a revised battle plan of attack. The small container garden of veggies would now encompass color and flowers !!

This was quite a push, as my gardens have a mixed history - with some having been very nice and productive – and others … well, not so much.. see previous comment on 'insanity' [wink].

Now the flowers are an exciting new feature this season … and hopefully will add a nice bit of color and character to our usual cast of veggie suspects – tomatoes, peppers, squashes, cukes, herbs etc.

This year we are also toying with onions, garlic, and I'm quite excited about experimenting with fingerling potatoes. I received a wonderful selection of fantastic fingerlings donated by my Chef friend; lovely yellows, red, orange, black & blue skins – and about the size of extra large eggs. I found some great videos on YouTube on ways to grow fingerlings in burlap bags – perfect for small / container gardens.. I'll add the links below. I've also put in some Idaho baking russets from the store that had sprouted – separated in an old bin. It will be interesting to see what turns out.

I'm going with a nice simple and basic herb bed – the traditional basics – Cilantro, Basil, Mint, and Spearmint – with onions, and garlic in the separate potato bin.

We're trying out a “Topsy-Turvey “ tomato kit - you know the one on late nite infomercials. It's a hanging upside down earth filled bag, planted with a nice hardy cherry tomato, which is already thriving and has many tiny flowers. This bit of fun seems quite promising. My gardening friend had one last year, and marveled & bragged at the results. So we're enjoying the promise of a long season of cherry tomatoes.. and hopefully won't have to fend off the birds, possums, and various critters that may be laying in wait for those most delicious morsels of goodness.

Another first: We are trying to grow some items from seed. I've never done well at germinating / sprouting, but the feed n supply guy said they are almost foolproof ...usually [wink]. From seed we are going for – cukes, Asian small eggplant, and 2 exotic bushing squash.

There is a nice variety of peppers from starter plants; Mammoth jalapeno, Bell – red n yellow, banana, gypsy, jalapeno, salad cherry peppers, and one volunteer hot jalapeno that survived from last year.

Keeping the lineup simple in the tomato department – cherry [hanging basket], grape, Big Boy, Lemon Boy [yellow]...

Gardening tips
New information to me, and worthy of experimentation...

Just learned about growing potatoes in a burlap bag … wonderful stuff, and excited to give it a go... see the links.

Another green thumbed friend suggested I add Epsom Salts and a multivitamin tab in each pot as cheap fertilizer. She swears this is like magic! Apparently, the Epsom Salts are especially good for roses, tomatoes, and peppers, but makes all plants lusher and greener. My friend insists that the yield and quality was amazing and I was highly encouraged to pursue this. After Googling this, it seems to have merit and the folk lore has been around for years with good scientific and anecdotal results. Use the cheapest products, which is usually available at the 99 cent store.

So now we're off to the races... the garden is pretty much in place – Here are some photos, and a few links that I found with great information on growing potatoes , the basic 411 on Epsom salts, and using human multivitamins for the plants.

That’s about it for now... I'm reminded that a battle plan is only effective until the first shot is fired, then gets tossed immediately out the window [wink] ... hopefully we will not have too many curves in the road. The regular problems are planned for – as best as possible – the heat, drought, mosquitoes, bugz n critters... oh and laziness – rofl!

Ciao for niao – H-Town signing off until next time.

Links:

[Editor's note: Some of these sites have mandatory preview ads or other merchandising on their sites. Please exercise good computing practices when visiting any of these links.]

Videos:
Potatoes in a bag.
Fingerling Potatoes
Epsom Salt as enhancer for color and yield

Blog:
Multi-Vitamins as enhancement

[Editor's note: This story was written by A. Nonymus.]



Container Row



Tomatoes Roses Peppers Cucumbers

Herb Box

The Recipe Box: Mock Apple Pie

Mock Apple Pie

From the recipe box of A.Nonymous

One of my favorite pie recipes is the infamous 'Mock Apple Pie'.

No apples are in this dish, but because of the spices that are used, it seems similar to an apple pie. Historians date this pie to the early days of the American pioneers, when apples were in short supply. Crafty settler women stumbled into a recipe that embodied the spirit of an apple pie when the red, green and yellow orbs weren't available. Today, clever cooks follow their lead when their own pantries come up short.

It is made with saltine crackers, and the several times I've tried it, it is so amazing that you almost never 'get' that it does not have apples!!

Its a fun, budget desert, that will fool your friends. It's easy to make and surprisingly good. Here is this vintage pie recipe made with saltine crackers and apple pie spice seasonings.

Ingredients:

pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie
1 sleeve saltine crackers
2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar (or use your favorite sugar substitute equivalent)
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon butter
cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with rolled-out pastry. Break saltines coarsely into the pie shell.
2. Combine water, sugar, and cream of tartar in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and peel; cool.
5. Pour the syrup over crackers.
6. Dot with butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon.
7. Cover with top crust and flute edge.
8. Cut slits into top to allow steam to escape.
9. Bake in a 425° oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crisp.
10. Serve warm, with ice cream, if desired.

Mock Apple Pie

The Recipe Box: Poached Pears à la Chef P

Poached Pears à la Chef P

from the recipe box of A. Nonymous

As I have mentioned previously, my good friend and Executive Chef - 'Chef P' - often brings me wonderful goodies and so called 'leftovers' from his fancy gala events - and thus I get to delight in marvelous 5 star cooking that I would usually never experience!

One of my all time favorites is a side dish - almost a dessert - that he makes frequently for these events. I swear they are just about the tastiest food experience you can have. I am smitten with these morsels of culinary delight... so how ever did I discover these gems of flavor you ask?

Some time ago, Chef P brought me a huge pan of 'leftover' roasted duck, with special exotic veggies, and really the most sensational garlic-turnip mashed potatoes ever. Also in the pan however - were several small- almost tiny and purplish items - that I initially mistook for small beets. They were about the size of small limes, but I wasn't sure what they were.

I am terribly allergic to beets, so I called Chef to asked about them, and to my pleasant surprise he laughed and told me they were 'Poached Pears'. I had never heard of Poached Pears before. This was new culinary territory, but since they were safe to try, I dug right in. WOW !!

They were really flavorful, rich with that classic 'pear' flavor naturally, but infused with complex 'other' flavors. I was smitten with the delightful yet mysterious flavors, and even the lovely color. I puzzled over what the ingredients might be, but finally I called him, and just had to learn how he prepared and cooked them because they were over the moon DELICIOUS. Chef P has always been very generous with cooking info, so of course he gladly shared the following recipe, which is exactly as I it got from him.

If you make these Poached Pears exactly like this, I promise you are definitely in for a real taste treat!!!

Poached Pears à la Chef P

1. " In a sauce pan, fill approximately 1/3 of the way with red wine. Add sugar until the tartness of the wine is almost gone, then add water to achieve 1/2 on the pan.

2. Then add: Star Anise, Cinnamon Stick, Whole Clove, and a Bay leaf.

3. Brew for 20 min.

4. While brewing, peel and seed the small pears from the flower end - using a melon baller.

5. Be sure the pears will submerge fully, and poach until tender, using the tip of a paring knife.

6. Chill pan over ice - while pears are still in the cooking liquid."

7. Serve chilled.

Warning! -- Be prepared for a flavor explosion, and many compliments from your guests!

On another occasion, Chef brought some that had been cooked in Champagne... which were especially delicate in flavor and had a lovely hint of the sweet Champagne flavor throughout - Really really tasty!

The recipe is really simple, so I decided to try and make some myself for the holidays, with great success . To keep alcohol to a minimum, I substituted a bottle of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider for Champagne, and used a lesser amount of the red wine [which gives the lovely color]. This was a very very nice version also. I don't think you can go wrong making these any way you go. A wonderful treat for a fancy dinner, or just delicious snack-dessert for anytime.

For a wonderful change of pace, try making or experimenting with Poached Pears yourself, and tell us what you think. You only risk having a new favorite !? Enjoy!!

Poached Pears à la Chef P

The Recipe Box: Mangosteen

Mangosteen

From the recipe box of A. Nonymus

I have always had a fascination with food. I used to be adventurous in trying exotic or unusual food items in my youthful and carefree days, but I find as I get older I prefer the old 'tried and true' foods that are less likely to tax the body or have unpleasant reactions – still, as I reflect on the past, I find that I have had quite a few adventures of the palette...

I have a good friend who is an Executive Chef of the highest order... and he often brings me wonderful leftovers from galas and events that he caters...

About 2 years ago, 'Chef' brought by an interesting fruit called a 'Mangosteen' which had been ordered for a very high class event... no expense spared for some rich 'foodies' ... There were a few 'leftovers' so he shared with me.

I'd never heard of a 'Mangosteen', so I was quite fascinated. Apparently these have been super rare and were even prohibited from being imported for many years -- only recently being allowed to enter the US food chain. Chef told me how to eat it, and WOW... no wonder it's known as the 'Queen of Fruits'! As a side note, the history of the Mangosteen is itself as fascinating as the fruit, and it tastes as beautiful as it looks!

I can tell you it was a remarkable experience! Try one if you ever get the chance. Truly a wonderful, and very special flavor.

How to eat:

Open the fruits' pod-like hull, and inside there are nice white segments - much like an orange. You eat those fleshy segments.

The harder outer hull is usually discarded, but is also super high in anti-oxidants. Because of this 'medicinal' property, there is a long folk medicine tradition associated with the Mangosteen fruit, with no part going to waste.

Mangosteen

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

We are lucky and thankful to have our wonderful Flea Market, as well as several terrific Farmers Markets... which provide some consolation and alternative to 'Our [non existent] Garden'.

Having the bragging rights on a bumper crop of homegrown cukes or t'maters is definitely a fun goal, and a great reward for a home gardener, but since we are lacking the means this year to grow a garden, at least we can enjoy the largesse of inexpensive fresh produce and fruits trucked in from farms not as affected by the deplorable weather conditions.

At this point in the growing season, it's obvious that there is little point to putting in the blood, sweat, toil, and tears in pursuit of our own garden of Eden. This post is our 'official white flag of surrender' to the garden muses this year.

I believe in self-sufficiency, but thank heaven for the urban farming movement, 'cause truck farms rule! Enjoy the bounty from those who have been able to struggle and grow good stuff. I saw a TV promo to 'shop local', and supporting your local farmers is a great win-win for growers and consumers.

But the Texas drought will harm wildlife habitat for years to come.

KimB

Well.... I broke down and did it.... I had the gardener install a watering timer for the veggies.

The poor little things were just too pooped to pop and the bucket system wasn't cutting the mustard as it were. I had the drip system already in but it was connected to the same watering valve as the trees (there was only one valve). When Allen watered the trees I didn't have to bucket the water but that was just two times a week. The rest of the time it was the bucket brigade method. So I had the gardener install another valve for the veggies.

Now they get a little aqua every day and I don't have to worry about them drying out if I miss a day.

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Nonymus

The searing sun burns down on our tortured Gulf Coast soil, as we bake in this seemingly endless, and rampant heatwave... 45 straight days over 100! Gardens are far from our reality, but certainly not far from our thoughts.

In contrast to our baked ground and severe gardening conditions, our local flea market is overflowing with stalls stocked full of marvelous fruits and vegetables. This shopping adventure is virtually a bonafide 'farmers market'.

We are fortunate to have an alternative to our expensive grocery chain stores and their expensive fresh produce at our local flea market. We are able to have really nice fresh fruit and vegetables, remarkably cheap. Today; 4 cantaloupes for $2, delicious and juicy fresh peaches, 4 the size of baseballs for $1. I don't think we could possibly grow them so cheaply in our 'planned'/ imagined garden.

Whilst I was selecting some lovely cantaloupes and peaches today, I couldn't overlook the abundant cornucopia of mangoes, papayas, tomatoes, avocados, exotic melons and fruits, on display at my favorite stand, which belies our frightful and terrible drought and water shortage.

These products have to come here to be for sale after journeys from far and wide... some local truck farms, but some of the products come from Mexico or Central America, and lots of special items come from Chile or even other exotic places like California or Georgia.

This wonderfully abundant display , offered a moments welcome contrast to the oppressive drought, and gives us to ponder what our garden 'might have become'... Sigh, oh well ...we are in good company - think Chicago Cubs, yep, we'll get'em next year!

More to follow .... Happy Gardening.... or shopping at your Flea or Farmers Market!


KimB

On the above Hot Note – it's been so hot here that the tomatoes have stopped producing tomatoes.

Temperatures at night are cool if 101 or so. During the day it can hit 109+. And we live on the cool side of town. A trip to the big mall to our west and 113 or so is normal. Getting into the car after a shopping trip: the temperature inside registers 126 and drops as we head homeward.

I am bucket watering every day just in hopes of keep everything from flopping over completely.

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Non

A Garden is simply a wonderful thing. Abounding with lush vegetables and fruits, we nourish our hearts, souls, and tummy's with delicious fresh goodies – just picked at peak ripeness and flavor. Sadly, that’s not our update.

Just picture a cornucopia of fresh garden veggies and herbs – all so fantastic for a quick snack or salad. Using just the perfect touch of fresh herbs in those special meals. Nothing is better than eating a juicy ripe tomato or cucumber right off the vine. Imagine lovely and succulent strawberries - so tasty they can hardly get inside the house without being devoured. Sorry, that’s not our update either

The dream lives on however. Our garden still remains a dream. I dream about it constantly, but so far we haven't planted anything in the rock hard soil.... but, I insist that we are actually still only in the 'planning stage', in spite of being gently reminded that perhaps these plans might be better reserved for next year!?. That’s closer to our update.

The lack of a garden reminds me of an old blues song which goes … “ain't no reason to work so hard … when I can live off the chickens in my neighbors' yard” …. perhaps we could reach across the fence to the neighbors lush and juicy tomatoes....IF only they had any too!? Nobody here has a garden, because of the drought and the high fines for watering gardens..

Well actually – at this point I've calculated that we only really need to grow ONE really grand tomato... you know a super monster one ton tomato … kinda like that old folk song … 'Guantanamara' …. which I believe goes loosely like … “one-ton-tomato .. I-ate-a-one-ton-tomato … “ Yum yum. Alas … that’s all the updatin' we can offer for now....

Happy gardening – where ever you are!

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Anon

UPDATE on Garden

CORRECTION

Please change the phrase - on page 327, paragraph 4, line 6 of the update log – which reads "he pea'd all over the fence", but should read " he had peas all over the fence "

End of correction


KimB

Wasps. We have wasps in the garden. Yellowjackets to be more accurate.

I have never had to deal with wasps much before. We had some yellowjackets in our previous home but they never really bothered anyone and built their nests high up under the eaves of the house. From time to time our gardener would knock down the old nests which were small.

Not long after I started the garden, a few yellowjackets started to build nests nearby. The nests were tiny and I dealt with them by driving off the 2 or 3 adults with jets of water and using a flat shovel to smash the tiny 3 or 4 cell nest. They moved on.

Now I notice that they moved on to a spot above a window on the front of the house that has a small overhang. I've been watching them and the nest is getting quite large. I don't think I've seen a nest that big before and they are busy expanding their condominiums. Allen noticed that there is another nest on a neighbor's house that is much much bigger than the one on ours.

The nest is not one of the super-sized ones that have been found and they are not really bothering anyone. According to Wikipedia yellowjackets eat other insects so they are not really all that bad providing one doesn't get stung of course. However, I will be monitoring their construction and expansion plans in case they exceed their building permit.

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Non

We actually got one and a half inches of rain about 20 days ago... so that leaves us only 26 inches below normal rain fall to date this year – and with the irony of so much water and flooding in the mid-west. Alas, the drought continues here in the far too sunny south.

Garden Claw

I accidentally found a solution to preparing our over rock hard and baked plot of soil. I was at the swap meet when I espied and bought a used, but 'as new', Garden Claw.

This is the spiffy tool you see on the late night info-mercials, where you stab the claw in into the cement like ground, twist the waist high handles, and – voila – it 'easily' breaks up the soil into perfect garden loam ... like vertical roto-tilling. This looks so easy on the TV.

Boy, they sure saw seen me coming', 'cause the price was so cheap I couldn't refuse to buy it. In spite of that however, I find – too late - this alleged tool is an implement of torture... probably left from the inquisition – it's a back breaker! I can see why it was in virtually 'new' condition!

So, I write this whilst nursing a busted back, having 'tilled' a total of about 8.4 square inches of caliche strength hard-pan drought baked soil. The results?

There is nothing new to report or update – except the medical plan!

Do not despair, as we retain our hopes and aspirations to grow something yet! We have not abandoned the 'concept' of a garden, it's just that it's so much better to write about, than to actually do. Sometimes a garden is better than it sounds, but sometimes not!

Oh, it's the 4th of July, and the corn is knee high – not here, but someplace I'm sure!

Happy Independence Day y'all!

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

MrsB

• Two of the 6 avocado seeds rooting in water have started roots.
• Christmas cactus growing.
• The two spider plants flourishing.
• The two Aechmea Blanchetiana bromeliads still have bright yellow tops.

Aechmea Blanchetiana

A. Non

Update to Garden in H-Town

IMPORTANT UPDATE on previous UPDATE

The company left early and we almost HAD to go to the nursery... but we were ultimately saved by the evening news just coming on, and we all decided to wait for a more propitious time!

End of Update

KimB

It's harvest time: 2 strawberries and 1 tomato. Allen and I are so excited we are actually starting to get some production from our potted veggies.

We collected another 2 strawberries and we did a coin toss to see who got which one: Allen got first choice and his was "tart", I got the other one and it was "sweet as sugar". There are lots more on the plants so I think we will be having enough for cereal or ice cream topping soon.

Our first tomato

We also got our first tomato and it was DELISH! We have a lot more but on one of the plants some have "blossom rot", which can be caused by inconsistent watering. I wasn't really paying attention and that plant got less water than the other because the drip line had a clog in it. It's now been cleared and I hope the rest of the fruit will be fine.

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Non

FLASH FLASH FLASH

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT GARDEN UPDTATE

We almost went to the nursery to get some plants, soil and gardening implements! Thank heaven some unexpected company showed up and kept us from having to go! Whew! Close call!

END of Update

KimB


We have a HARVEST! We have a HARVEST! WOOTS! WOOTS!

Well, actually it was 1 (one) strawberry. But still.... The flash tape must have worked because it was bright red and had no peck marks on it! I had thought to take a picture of it but it “got eaten” so you will just have to imagine a smallish, bright red strawberry.

Tater after being knocked over

We also had some high winds and one of the tater plants got pushed over. The others were fine. By the time I got out the next day, the plant had already switched it's growth orientation to the new position. I was amazed that the plant could shift 8 inches of its top most growth to be 90 degrees from the base which is laying against the side of the pot.

Upcoming concern: We are having very hot weather: 106 degrees (41.1 Celsius) yesterday and today. I will be watching how the plants do in this heat. Gee... I sound like a farmer!

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

A. Non

Garden Update

FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!

The following is a vital "Our Garden" update

This important update should be inserted in the Garden Guide between pages 27 ... superseding previous update AN 101a. Of a previous date.

The update is as follows : NO NEW UPDATES – SO FAR - TO DATE!

Please destroy all previous outdated updates, and refer to the manual for further instructions.

END OF VITAL GARDEN UPDATE!

KimB

The strawberries are looking very good and some serious thought had to be put into “What to do – about the birds?” At first, I had planned an elaborate netting structure. Bird-netting would be draped over several PVC pipes cut and connected to form a “house” over the strawberries.

Flash Tape and Strawberries

This looked quite feasible during the initial growth of the garden but the tomato plants had other ideas about space usage: they want it all to themselves! There is no space for such a structure.

After a bit of thinking and reviewing what I had seen the farmers using in their fields around Hollister (our previous home), I remembered Flash Tape. This is a shiny tinsel type ribbon that twists in the wind and in theory, discourages birds and other critters.

So, I have put up some flash tape and we shall see what happens.