Lettuce Turnip the Beets! Get the Beets out!

Every year we try something new with our garden. Last year we even acquired a new garden. Even though the satellite garden didn't work so well (See post about grumpy land), this year it was moderately pleasing. We were able to plant some things, but we kept the treasures at home. Such as the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs.

Back to the Grumpy Garden, that is it's official name now. I was wandering through the store and running down the list of seeds they had. I like to look at the beautiful pictures on those hopeful little envelopes always searching for one that I can duplicate--which is like asking McDonalds to make the Big Mac look exactly like the picture. I always start at the beginning of the alphabet and right there, in the beginning, are beets. Yuck! I remember eating beets as a kid and not liking them one bit. They went in the same category as bars of soap as punishment, liver masqueraded as a steak, and wearing a uniform to school as a kid.

In the last decade, or so, there has been a resurgence of eating healthier. By eating locally grown and pesticide free veggies and fruits, also a whole host of buzz-worded terms to make you feel good while eating certain foods/preparations. One such hidden treasure is the beet.

Punny, yet sophiticated

On to the show:

Searching around for ideas on how to handle these little earthy balls of blood stained EVERYTHING, I came across a recipe that didn't use pickling as it's source of preservation-yay! Nope- it's just a plain old beet in water recipe. This got me thinking about how we preserve tomatoes. You can can them by themselves or you can spice them up or add new ingredients. The method of preserving is based on the Ph scale and if a food is less acidic, acid needs to be added to make it suitable for water bath canning, otherwise you MUST use a pressure cooker for low acid foods. I was using both today and knew by adding lemon I was boosting that Ph up with no problems. 

Back to the beets. I am excited and kind of squirrelly as you can read, but I promise to get on with it. I planted beets at the Grumpy Garden with low hopes of it surviving, plus it was an easy shrug away from this vegetable in which I was unsure of eating anyways. They grew! I watched their green and maroon leaves sprout up and saw the little ball reaching both in and out of the dirt. Cool, now what?

Well, I just harvested them and brought them into the kitchen to slice, dice, and hopefully come up with something nice. Another pun.

Here lies Beetster, may he always stay cool

First off, you need to cut off the ends of the plant and peel them. I've heard you can roast them and the skins come off easier, I did not do this. Next, pull out your food processor and toss those little guys in there. Chop until coarsely ground. Put the beets in a saucepan and add the sugar. It may seem like a crumbly mess, but as soon as the heat hits them it turns into a purple sauce of stickiness. Turn the stove down to low and keep stirring.

Don't splash, otherwise, it will look like a scene in Psycho in your kitchen

Next come the part that makes this a safe water bath recipe. Add chopped fresh ginger and lemon. Now I'm talking the whole lemon-Peel and all. Grind those suckers up in that nifty food processor you haven't put away yet on your table or counter. Add these beauties to your warmed beet mixture on the stove. Tun up the heat and get that pot boiling. Let it bubble for about 2 mins, it will get thicker as it cools off. Gather up your hot clean jars (I used 3 1/2pint jelly jars for this) and fill them with the sweet earthy tart madness you just whipped up. Fill to a 1/4 inch headspace and adjust two-piece lids. Put in boiling water canner for 15 minutes and carefully take out and set them up on a counter undisturbed for 12 hours. While they may look black they are really, really, rea-- you get the point.

Aren't they just the perfect substitute for Halloween make up? 

I'm guessing this chutney/relish would taste good with a cream cheese cracker, maybe even goat cheese if you are fancy and want to enhance the sour from the lemon, or some weird new ice cream flavor. I will say this though; even though I hated beets as a child I find them interesting and tasty now. But only the fresh kind. The pickled beets are still on my No-Go list.

Beet Marmalade Recipe

2 1/2 C of coarsely chopped beets, peeled

1 1/2 C of white sugar

1 lemon

2 TB of fresh chopped ginger

Wash and peel the beets. Chop them and put them in a food processor and grind them down to bits, but do not liquefy them. add beets to a saucepan and turn the stove on low heat. Add the sugar and stir until the mixture melts the sugar. Cut lemon into chunks, leaving skins on. Try to take out as many seeds as you can find, some of these may be a bit tricky. Take the fresh ginger and chop it up very thin. Place lemon and ginger in the food processor and repeat the same as the beets, chunky not liquifiedRemeber to check the seals before setting away.

Rhubarb Lemonade Sweet Tart Cocktail

Hi there, Hope the weather is treating you well in your areas. It's Spring-y Summer-ish is here in Wisconsin! I say this because we had snow in May and now it's 85 F. As we say here, "Wait 10 minutes, it'll change". Alas, the sun is shining, it's warm, and I want a drink!

Rhubarb Lemonade

I had an excellent crop of rhubarb last year and I decided to make it into a syrup. This year it looks as though I might have a nice crop again. I also have Lemon balm that has exponentially bloomed since last year prompting new ideas, but let's carry on.

Lemon Balm Plant

Today I pulled out my jar I canned from last year and had a little fun. I posted that recipe Rhubarb Syrup in an earlier blog. This cocktail can be boozy or kid-friendly it's up to you. I am currently having the non-alcoholic version, wouldn't want to be stumbling around my kitchen with implements of torture so easily obtained. Seriously, kitchens are a dangerous place with gadgets, knives, guillotines, and sausage stuffers--Shhh--Don't get any ideas.

Ingredients

Here we go!

Remember, you can alter measurements to suit your tastes.

30 ml of simple syrup

40 ml rhubarb syrup

20 ml lemon juice

30 ml vodka

Soda water or a club soda to top it off

Pint-sized glass filled with ice

Lemon balm garnish

Get a tall glass and fill it with ice. Measure out the ingredients and add to glass. Adding alcohol for the boozy part, or club soda for the kiddie cocktail version. When finished adorn with a few leaves of lemon balm or mint. That's it! It's a fun and refreshing way to welcome in a new season of growing. And it looks pretty fancy too. 

Happy Spring

Drying Leeks

Hi there fellow readers. Today I had to pick up some foods I don't normally cook with for Korean Bibimbop. Bibimbop is Korean for "rice and mixed vegetables". It's a hodgepodge of rice, spinach, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, mushrooms, kimchi, lots of sesame oil and topped with an egg.

This is not what I am posting about today, though. Along with all these wonderful vegetables, I picked up some leeks. Leeks are part of the garlic and onion family, but they are much milder in taste. I have usually had them in potato soups or other potato dishes.

My dilemma came when I picked one out in the produce section. As I chose the one that I liked, two more came down attached. I looked at the price and they were set as "each" not "per pound". My recipe only calls for a half of a leek--what was I going to do with 3!

Thinking back to when I ate potato soup with leeks I recall the package to be dehydrated and you were supposed to add liquid and boil before eating. Aha! Dried leeks! Instead of letting these veggies go to waste I brought down my trusty dehydrator and got to work.

Wash and cut the root ends of the leek. Next, chop them into 1/4" slices and arrange on dehydrator trays. Try to spread them out so they aren't piling up on each other separating them up it helps to dry them more evenly and to let the hot air flow through and do its job.

I put the dehydrator on 135 degrees F for about 4 hours. They are done when they are crunchy and no longer rubbery or moist. Afterwards, I let them dry in open air to ensure there were no more pockets of moisture hiding out. Lastly, I tossed them in a clean, dry jar with a lid to store. Now I have dried leeks to add to sauces, soups, and a multitude of other dishes.

Oh Deer! Venison Stew

     Ah, Christmas is over and everyone is heading back to work and school again. I hope you have had a nice holiday too. Wisconsin had some unusually beautiful weather in the 60's and not below 30's. It was nice being able to stand outside and not have snotsicles. Winter did catch up to us, but not too badly.

Evil Impalers From Winter

     Each year we pick names from a hat to reduce the amount everyone has to pay for gifts, there are 20 of us! This way we can  just concentrate on the "Person" and the little ones.We all fill out little lists beginning on Thanksgiving stating our sizes and ideas. This master list sits on Grandma's fridge so if anyone needs to refresh their memory they can take a look at the lists again. Trust me, it's the only way we can all have Christmas and not go broke. 
     
     This year my Santa was my niece, Karen. I was so excited when I pulled out my gift I nearly dropped it from the weight. Inside she gave me a huge cast iron skillet and 3 packages of venison. A roast, steaks, and chops! My niece is a vegetarian so I had to ask how she found venison since it has to be hunted or traded; you cannot buy it in stores. She fessed up to raiding her stepdad's freezer, but he was okay with it.

Bambi In The Backyard

     So now what? I have the venison and cookware that could cause brain damage to any burglar in the town. (Everything can be used as a weapon). I begin looking up recipe sites, hunter sites, and my own cookbooks. Out of all of these sources -and my experiences- I created a roast that is to die for. I was even asked for the recipe the next day by one of my husband's coworkers who only heard how good it was. <Smiles>. Without further ado, here is my recipe. 

Venison Roast (Crock Pot Edition)
Serves 4
Print Recipe

3-5 Pound Venison Roast (I added some chops to stretch it to 5 pounds for 4 people)

½ Stick of Butter

Enough Beef Broth of Water to cover the roast in the crock pot (Mine was about 3 cups)

½ Pound of Baby Carrots

1 Stalk of Celery

1 Potato per person, quartered if large

For The Marinade

1 Cup of Red Wine

1 Cup Olive Oil

1 Small Onion Chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Thyme

2 tsp. of Salt and Pepper

2 Tbs. of Dijon Mustard

2 Tbs. Soy Sauce

2 Tbs. of Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp. Allspice

Place all of the ingredients for the marinade in a zip lock bag along with the roast and let it sit overnight in the fridge. If you do not want to use plastic bags there is always the option of using a big bowl. Do not use reactive bowls such as aluminum, cast iron, and copper. The acidity of the marinade will leech into the food and could also make you ill. Instead, use glass, ceramic, or other non-reactive containers. 
After an overnight stay in the fridge, take the roast out and place roast in slow cooker. Pour in about half of the marinade along with the beef broth/water.Cut up chunks of butter and place them on the meat. Venison has little to no fat and requires the addition of a fat. (I’ve also been told that wrapping the roast in bacon is an acceptable way of adding the fat.) Cover the slow cooker and set on low for 8-10 hours. Occasionally baste the roast so the meat stays juicy and does not end up tough. Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and any other vegetable you would normally use in a pot roast during the last 2 hours of cooking. When the carrots, celery, and potatoes are soft take them out with a slotted spoon. Then take the roast out and slice it against the grain. Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any left.

This was what was leftover from a 5-pound roast

     I hope you enjoy this recipe and feel free to mix it up a bit. Trade in some celery for a turnip, use a high octane wine instead of cooking wine. Add some mushrooms at then end, or just keep it as is. Just remember if the little ones are around you might not want to tell them you are cooking up Bambi.  

Sunshine in a Jar

     Hi there you beautiful readers. The last days of summer vacation are upon us and I'm milking for all its worth. I have been canning for the whole month of August. Although it may seem like a lot of work, it will be totally worth it in the winter months. Speaking of winter, think about those dreary days where the sun hides behind the grey clouds, the snow is no longer white and beautiful but greyish black with frozen road sludge embedded in its crevices of ice and slush, the trees are bare and their boughs are heavy encased in ice. Sounds great, right?

Lonely car trapped on the lake

Well, I whipped up a piece of sunshine that can be a relief in those dismal days. I'm calling it Sunshine in a Jar. It is a combination of peach, mango, vanilla, and ginger. I made it into a butter instead of a jam. It tends to be a bit easier to make and it will spread on anything you want.

     I was given some really ripe mangoes and they had to be used immediately. I also had around 6 pounds of peaches sitting on my table waiting for human consumption. I thought, why not combine them. Peaches and mangoes work wonderfully together and they make for an excellent mix for jams and jellies.

     First off I cut the mangoes in quarters and removed the pit. I did not peel them because I found a cool trick that makes this a breeze. Take a tall cup, like a pint glass, and place the mango lengthwise along the trim. Place the mango peel side to you, and flesh side on the cup and push down all the way and now you have an empty peel and all of the mango fruit in the cup. Super cool huh! You can check out this technique on Lifehacker It totally saves on the frustration of peeling, coring, and getting that sticky juice all over yourself and the counters. Throw these delicious nibbles in a crock pot set on low.

     Next up, I took the peaches and sliced the bottoms with a quick X with a knife and blanched them in boiling water for one minute. Then immediately threw them into ice cold water and waited a few minutes. When cooled you can take the peaches and go back to your X mark and the skins peel right off.

X marks the spot!

Toss the peaches in, but only for a minute!

Next remove the pits and quarter the peaches and toss them into a crock pot. Add 4 cups of sugar and stir together. Now you can add any spices you want to the mix, or you can just leave it. I added 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. I stirred it together and let it sit on low in the crockpot for a few hours. Cock the lid on the crock pot so it is able to let steam out. We want to reduce the liquids and thicken up the mix. Therefore, we need the steam to have a place to get out.

     After the fruits have been cooking in the crock pot for a while, you will see the fruits will be breaking down and are soft. This is where you bring your trusty hand blender in. Take a hand blender through the mix a few times and get rid of all the chunks. You want to blend it to the consistency of applesauce. Taste check the mix and add additional seasonings if you want to right now. Let the mix cook down to at least half its volume. You can also test it with a spoon. Dip a cold metal spoon in the mix and let it drip back in. If it is runny you need to cook down some more, if it falls in a sheet you are ready to can it. Look here for more info on the spoon test.

Blended, not stirred

My mix was ready after about six hours on low in the crockpot. Now it's time to bottle them up. Get the water bath ready, wash some jars and place them in the water bath to get hot before filling the jars. When you are ready, take the jars and pour in the fruity goodness up to 1/4" head space, assemble lids and bands and place in the water bath. process for 10 mins (check for changes in processing with altitudes) Here is a handy pdf of how to can at higher altitudes.

After processing, set the jars down in a place they won't be disturbed for 12-24 hours. After that, you can check the seals and store in your pantry. If a jar didn't seal you can set it in your fridge and eat right away. (you can store this safely in a fridge for about a month).Trust me, it probably won't
last long. Finally, you have officially canned a bit of sunshine! You will appreciate the golden flavor and hints of warmth when the temperatures drop and you'd rather crawl back into bed.

Mmmmm!

Recipe for Sunshine aka Peach-mango butter (makes 6 half pints)

3 mangoes, pitted and sliced
8 large peaches, pitted and skins removed
4 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger

Wash, peel, and pit fruit. Put all ingredients in slow cooker for 5-7 hours, stirring occasionally. When thick enough, fill prepared jars up to 1/4" head space. Adjust 2 piece lids and water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water bath and set on counter for 12-24 hours. Check seals, and refrigerate unsealed jars.

Refrigerator Pickles, No Canning Necessary!

      I have cucumbers coming out of my ears and I am running out of ideas for their total consumption. This month I have made bread and butter sweet pickles, hamburger dills, sweet relish, dill relish, and creamed cucumber salad.

     My family really likes Claussen's crunchy dill pickles and last year I had to make 2 batches so we wouldn't run out in a week. Now we are overwhelmed with cucumbers and I grabbed my apron and got to work.

     First off, gather all your cucumbers together and wash off the bits of dirt and inspect for bruises and bugs. You can cut the cucumbers into quarters, halves, or just leave them whole. I cut off the ends and cut them to the size of the jars (pints or quarts).

Chopping away!

     For my own sanity and the ability to make a good guess as to how much I have I grab a clean jar of whatever size you will be using and stuff the slices in. You need to do this nice and tight so you can make the right amount of brine. I throw the measured cucumbers into a bowl and repeat as many times as it takes to use them all up. I ended up with 5 quarts which I split into 1-quart jar and 8-pint jars. As usual, clean the jars in soapy water and dry. Now I filled up the sink with hot water and let the jars sit in the water to keep them warm.

Stuff it--Stuff it real good!

     Fun part ahead - Making the brine. It takes 1 part vinegar, 2 parts water, dill seed/weed, garlic, pickling spices for kosher pickles, and salt. Combine all of these in a large pot and bring to a boil.

Grab one of the jars from the hot water and begin cramming that bugger as full as you did when you were measuring them. Don't be afraid to bend, squish, wiggle and shout just so long as they get into the jar. Now if you have any cucumbers that were too tall for the jar now would be the time to chop them down to fit. I had to do it a few times--no body's perfect. 

Awesome!

     Last year I found the coolest thing. Ball makes plastic covers for freezing or refrigerator use--not for processing! Since we will not be cooking these pickles, there is no need to worry. After pushing all you can into their new tiny little living space, you have to cover them with the hot brine. Use a canning funnel to help decrease splashes and spills. Fill the jars to about 1-inch head space and cap them.

     After topping off all of the jars and twisting a lid let them sit on the counter for a bit to bring down the temperature. This helps keep the integrity of the glass by not shocking them from hot to cold fast.

Then put them in the fridge, easy peasy.

Aren't They Pretty

     These pickles will taste better if you let them sit for about 2 weeks, but this doesn't happen in our house. They will keep for about 6 months in the fridge and you can enjoy them all the way through the season and well afterwards. So without further ado, here are the specs...

Makes 2 Quarts or 4 Pints

3 1/2 pounds of pickling cucumbers, cut in quarters halves or whole.

2 cups of water

1 cup of vinegar (5% acidity)

2 tablespoons of canning salt (salt without iodine or caking ingredients)

2 larger cloves of garlic chopped finely

1 teaspoon of dill seed/weed, whichever you prefer or have available

2  teaspoons of black peppercorns

Cut pickles and measure for height and fill capacity. Combine vinegar, water, garlic, and spices in a large pot and bring to a boil. After the mixture has reached a boil you can turn the heat off. Take pre-warmed jars and stuff the cut pickles into the jar as full as you can. Ladle hot brine over the pickles to 1-inch head space. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. Store in a refrigerator for at least 2 weeks to meld the flavors. You can store up to 9 months.

A Very Busy Summer

The weather has been very agreeable here in Wisconsin. We are entering the real summer with temperatures in the 80's and 90's during the day, 60's at night. My husband and I have taken on a huge project. We created a 35' x 15' garden on my father's land. He hasn't had a garden in many years and we thought it would be a nice addition to our smaller home garden and we could come by and visit every day.

So far it has been, how do I put it, challenging. We spent a few days planting and organizing our layout. In previous years, we only had our small home garden and it was easy to maintain. On the other hand, I need to drive about 10 minutes away and devote more energy to the larger garden. Cleaning up the land, adding both soil and manure, and picking all the weeds has led to sore and tired muscles. I try my best to put on my "Girl Power" face and remind myself that this work will be all worth it in the end. This is a lot easier said than done.

The long and the short of it.

                                              

                                                          

My husband, being the techie he is, installed a water system that measured the moisture of the ground and would send a signal to the timer that hooked up to the house spigot. This sounded pretty cool, but in application it fell short. We couldn't find the "sweet spot" we needed for adequate water distribution. 

After a week of fiddling around we saw our tomatoes shrivel and almost die. I was mostly concerned with the blight that attacked us in the Midwest last year. It took out huge amounts of crops and left gardens impotent and dead. The yellowing and eventual browning of leaves were present on these plants. Talking with some of the master gardeners of the UW-Extention they advised an application of a copper supplement. This is easy to find at many garden shops and hardware stores. To find out more about blight, check out UW-Extention's page here 

I proceeded to apply the copper solution to all of the tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and peppers. Additionally we created a ground irrigation watering system (fancy speak for getting a bunch of hoses and lining them up so the holes in the hoses sat at the base of the plants). I was actually worried that my father's land was cursed.

Grumpy man=Grumpy land

                                                    

Now after a week's worth of work, including hours of weed pulling, I think we have made some progress. The tomatoes are perking back up. The peppers are starting to produce better. The zucchini and cucumbers are crawling out and seem to be well. Whew! So, needless to say, it has been a busy month.

My son finished up his classes in June and brought home one of his projects from his Plant and Soil Science class. A cute pumpkin plant in which he needs to take care of in the summer and report back in the fall. When the pumpkin plant arrived at the house it only had 3 leaves and fit into a large hanging pot. Now it is approximately 15 feet and has 4 separate runner sections. It was migrated from our little backyard garden to the neighbors land, and now has double-backed and it is climbing the protective fencing I had in place to deter the deer. I believe we might have our first pumpkin this fall. If not, we will have a mess of vegetation to clean out later.

Ooooh, it's having a baby!

Since this post has gotten a bit long I will try to wrap it up in a condensed TL;DR version.

1. Expanding a garden can be quite exhausting

2. Creating a new garden is like warfare against pests, infection, and hamstrings.

3. If your kid comes home with a pumpkin plant, you might want to find a whole field just for one plant.

4. I should blog things more often so the posts don't become little novellas. 

Talk to ya soon!

~Selina