Catch of the Day

If I weren't releasing these guys at the Chalet, I'd swear I was catching the same one over and over. Siblings?

Mushroom Trio

Last year at this time it was so dry the grass was dead. This year the ground is so moist the yard is full of mushrooms.

Putting Food By

“You are what you eat.” Whether or not you agree with this statement, you should realize that we know less and less about the food we are putting into our bodies. This morning’s news carries several stories about recalls and contamination warnings. We can now get vegetables and fruits from all over the world year round. This is a great convenience, but the goods come from varieties that are bred for appearance and shipping qualities, not nutrition.

Who’d think that fresh spinach might contain a fatal dose of salmonella, to say nothing of the pathogens in meat and fresh eggs.

Increasingly nutritionists, dieticians, and food safety experts are urging consumers to eat fresh, eat locally, and eat seasonally. This means knowing your source, whether you grow it yourself, get it from a neighbor, farmers’ market or natural food store.

The problem with fresh is that there is an overabundance of produce in the growing season, and very little in the winter. One solution is to put food by. Our ancestors had to do this to survive Today we have lots of alternatives.

Drying works particularly well with apples, tomatoes, and herbs. No chemicals are used; very little equipment is required for processing or storage. Herbs keep their color and shape when dried in a microwave.

Freezing is a wonderful way to store food. Whenever I make soup, tomato sauce, stew, chicken broth, etc., I make a big batch, put the leftovers in wide-mouth mason jars that will accommodate the expansion without breaking, and stack in the freezer. One thing I’ve learned is to label each jar with contents and date. I use the oldest jars first, and sometimes it is hard to tell what’s in the jar through the frost. I’ve had a few surprises.

Canning food, once an almost lost art, is making a comeback. We probably remember our grandmothers and mothers spending weekends in the kitchen, working in sweatshop conditions, washing, peeling, dicing, sterilizing jars, kettles of boiling tomatoes and peaches and okra adding smells and heat. They didn’t have any choice. Now that’s too much work when you can buy a bag of frozen peas at Wal*Mart.

The answer is to can when this method makes a difference. Corn, beans, fruit, etc. are better frozen. Tomatoes and pickles, though, are ruined by freezing, but can be stored long term by canning.

Canning is a misnomer, as you actually use mason jars. After being filled and sealed, the jars are immersed in water and boiled. This kills the dangerous organisms and drives out the air, leaving a sterile, germ free vacuum.

Why not can everything? Well, it can be a lot of work. I can the things that give me a creative outlet and that I can’t do any other way. My best example is making mixed pickles.

Cut up a variety of vegetables into bite-sized pieces. I like cucumbers, cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions, and red peppers for contrast. Make a brine of water and salt in an 8 to 1 ratio, pour over four quarts of vegetables and leave overnight. In a big saucepan mix 2 cups sugar, ¼ cup mustard seed, 2 tablespoons celery seed, 1 hot red pepper, and 6 cups vinegar. Heat to a boil and add the vegetables until heated through. Pack into quart jars, leaving ¼ inch space at the top. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes, that is, put the jars into a kettle and cover with water over the lids, and bring to a boil.

That’s it. Simple, tasty, and fun to do. I can make a batch of dill pickles in the time it takes to slice the spears, heat the brine, and boil the water bath. The food tastes great and it is satisfying to do. The bonuses are that you know what went into your jars and that it is something you did for yourself. The final reward is looking at the rows of beautiful canned vegetables on the pantry shelf and knowing that you’ll still be eating well when the garden is bare.

The Great Escape

After eighteen years in the bottle, Phil O'Dendron decided to go for it!