Friday, September 3, 2010

(Like Some Other Things) We Want Our Chutney Sweet & Hot

General Lee Speaking: Jalapenos to taste (1-2 per pint). Sugar and cider vinegar 1:1 (1/2 cup each per pint). Fruit as desired, diced to cubes (3 cups per pint approx.). Raisins (1/4 cup per pint). 1 teaspoon pickling salt per pint. 1 scant tablespoon grated fresh ginger per pint. Garlic, onion, spices that sound good (to taste).

Simmer approx. 1 hour (to thickened glaze).
10 minutes hot water bath to seal.

SOME SPECIFICS WE LIKE:
Linda Z's Banana & Mango/Apple Chutneys (be aware they make half the amount that the author suggests)
WEBSITE

Saturday, June 19, 2010

High on the Weed on the Pacific Coast

No not that kind! We're talkin' free groceries here. Free weeds that you can eat means free eats.
Our favorites are catsears (some call them false dandelions). They are hairier and more rounded than dandelions. Good in salads and not too bitter. (Wild carrots) Queen Anne's lace are good too. They are kinda small, so get a bunch. Dandelion buds (when yellow inside) are good battered and fried. Believe it!
Others that are tolerable are fresh mustard flowers, dandelion leaves (these are good for the liver but bitter).
Bramble leaves here in Oregon can be used for tea, fresh or dry. I mean fresh or dry only, not in-between (shriveled) or they are toxic.
The wild Nodding Onion smells great and the whole plant is edible.
The plantain is o.k. raw. (It has vertical ribs.)
Dock is o.k.
The Cattail is good raw. Strip the fibrous inner stalk.
The fiddlehead fern is good in early spring cooked (rolled tip).
White or red clover (late spring through fall) make good teas.
Catkins (blossom bunches) from maple trees are good battered & fried.
RULE: Lighter color green=less bitter. (Means probably early spring best.)
RULE: Herbs are too late if flowered.
RULE: Boil water first, then add greens.
RULES: On roots, fall-early to early spring is best. SIMMER DON'T BOIL. If there is a flower stalk, the root is bitter.

WEBSITE