Andrea

I'm still on the tentative list. I have to wait and make sure that DH doesn't have an out of town job that weekend before I book my flight. I can't leave the 87 mil and 16 dd alone without a driver for that many days. The good news is that there are several very affordable flights into Atlanta so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I'll let you know as soon as I book my ticket!

Welcome Back!

I didn't put in much of a garden this past Spring, too busy. But I'm getting more figs than I have ever had in the past, my blueberries are still producing (wierd), and my New Zealand spinach has taken over several of the garden boxes so I'm trying to reclaim them! My freezer should be full of spinach in another week or so! Oh, my onions did fine too. Beets are going in tomorrow! I hope I get a bumper crop next Spring - we're out of home canned beets!

http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398 Enjoy! :rofl:

Interesting - I always thought potatoes and tomatoes were incompatible and shouldn't be planted next to one another? http://gardening.about.com/od/totallytomatoes/qt/Tomato-Companions.htm Bad Companions for Tomatoes Cabbage (Brassica) Family - All relatives of cabbage stunt the growth of tomato plants, (incl: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, Kale, kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnip). Corn - The corn earworm is the same as the tomato fruitworm. (Also known as the cotton bollworm.) Dill - Mature dill plants, as mentioned above, will start to inhibit tomato plant growth. Plant the dill you want to go to seed away from your tomatoes. Eggplant, Peppers and Potatoes - These plants are in the same family as tomatoes and are all susceptible to early and late blight, which will build up in the soil and get worse each year. Avoid planting them near each other or in place of each other for at least 3 years. Also planting tomatoes near potatoes can make the potatoes more susceptible to potato blight. Fennel - Inhibits tomato plant growth. Walnuts - Don't plant tomatoes under walnut or butternut trees, which produce an allelopathic chemical called juglone that inhibits the growth of tomatoes (and all the members of the nightshade family). Tomatoes are also susceptible to the disease walnut wilt.

http://www.missourinet.com/2012/08/14/fapri-director-crop-production-report-portents-higher-meat-prices/ Director of the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, Pat Westhoff, says that will translate to higher meat prices. “We won’t see too much in the near term. We could even have the opposite effect where … especially in the case of beef we’re going to have a little bit more beef hitting the market here in the near term as farmers liquidate animals they might otherwise have held onto. That’s going to actually push beef prices down a bit in the very near term, but by 2013 I’d expect to see higher prices for meat across-the-board.”

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-13/news/sns-rt-us-usa-obama-meatbre87c0yq-20120813_1_hog-farmers-corn-crop-slaughter-rate President Barack Obama made few new fans among ailing hog farmers and cattle ranchers in the United States on Monday with his plan to boost their incomes by buying $170 million worth of meat -- equivalent to about 10 hours' worth of the nation's output last week. *************************************** This isn't even a drop in the bucket. He's going to bail out hog farmers by purchasing 10 hours worth of their output? This isn't going to affect anything.

CanadaSue over at This Blue Marble had this to say about meat prices: shouldn't have stayed up until almost five this morning - I was tired but not sleepy & I'm paying for it now! Nap in a bit. SO & I looked around again after I staggered out of bed & decided a few more shopping runs wouldn't go amiss. Sales here run Friday through Thursday & some items were starting to get low. Ohers weren't yet but no guarantee they'll still be on for good prices next week or later. I picked up enough laundry detergent to get us through early next summer. The last cleaner concentrate I needed, Bounce sheets for the few times we 'cheat' & use the dryer. Flats of the only store bought soups we use - chicken noodle & vegetable. I like pea soup but I'm the only one & it's not on sale yet. Flats of again, the few canned veggies we use. Vinegar, cooking oils, a few powdered spices. We were tired coming home but decided to go back & pick up some cases of soda for fall. We ran into one of our neighbours who told us if we finished about when he did, he'd give us a lift home. He was doing what we were - stocking up. He's a well trained butcher & as such is in contact with meat suppliers, packers, etc. - as senior butcher where he works, he orders the meat for the store. We were chatting about taking advantage of sales & I piped up that I could hardly wait for the beef sales sure to result from the forced selloff about to start. He promptly dashed my hopes. The wholesalers & packing plants are eagerly buying up stock - it just hasn't hit the slaughterhouses yet. They're buying at rock bottom prices & we will NOT see that refleted in retail prices - certainly not nearly to the extent one would hope. Much of the beef is being sold to Japan. They get it at what to them is sale prices & what to the wholesalers is one hell of a markup. There will be token sales at most stores in September but starting towards the end of September, beef prices will start incrementally rising weekly or biweekly until they meet solid market pressure. With a lock on the market, that pressure will be a long time coming. His advice? Take advantage of ANY decent prices between now & the end of September on beef. They're only going to get worse - much worse over the latter part of fall & until next slaughter season. Pork may move downwards a bit; not by much. Chicken won't - too short a market cycle & producers faced with feed bills they don't like will simply dial back production to force poultry prices up to where they cover costs & give a profit. A lot of fish & seafood might offer surprisingly good values - certainly in comparison to meat this year. I hope he's wrong but he hasn't been in past seasons about meat pricces. Oh - so far we've spent $253 on stockpiling. I added up the regular pricing & subtracted what we paid. We've already saved $68 which more than offsets theoretical interest costs on borrowing up to $1,000 for stockpiling. And that's before price increases. I feel increasingly reassured. http://thisbluemarble.com/showthread.php?p=368663#post368663

Congrats! Whew, what a relief to have that behind you - weddings are lovely but they are so much work!

LOL - I have far more than 3 "gadgets" that I use every day! In fact, the three gadgets I listed I don't use daily at all, but I put them down because I was absolutely astonished that I would find them so useful! Microwaves, dishwashers, knives, canners, dehydrators, etc - these DON'T count! List absolutely bizarre kitchen tools that you use that you never ever in a million years thought you would find a use for! (I'm making my Christmas list! )

Oh, one more thing - check your vinegar! I was looking a gallon size jugs of vinegar and the cheaper store brand was only at 4% acidity! I'm so glad I looked at the fine print. Make sure that you only use vinegar that is at 5% acidity. Up until I saw that in the store, I had assumed that all vinegar was 5%!

Home canned pickles are generally mushier than commercially canned ones but if this is a recipe that you've used for years and the pickes didn't turn out like they normally do, please toss them immediately. Maybe your headspace wasn't just right? Maybe you didn't get enough of the air bubbles out? Maybe you forgot to clean the rim of the jar with vinegar before you put the lid and ring on? Maybe you did everything right and it was just one of those things! Sometimes things happen. Violet will be able to give you more answers. As for using the jar and lid again, of course you can! Just sterilize them and start over. Welcome to the forum! We're glad you've joined us!

LOL - brought in a huge armful of New Zealand spinach from the garden, picked through it, soaked it, rinsed it, soaked it, rinsed it again, blanched it, drained it, and just put TWO 10 oz packages in the freezer! Sigh, I didn't even put a dent in the patch.

What an exciting time! Congrats!

Thanks for the review! I just ordered fruit leather trays for my dehydrator so as soon as they arrive, I'm on this!

sprouted wheat berries - going to grind them up and make sprouted wheat flour. Supposedly, sprouting the wheat first greatly increases the nutritional content and makes the wheat easier to digest. I'll be making bread tomorrow - 2 loaves - one with regular whole wheat, one with sprouted whole wheat. I'm going to see if there is much of a difference.

(((Cat))) Have a cup of chamomile!

Interesting, Thanks!

Thank you SO MUCH for that website link! Wow - what a wealth of information! I have all the ingredients for the sweet potato bark on hand. I think I'm going to have a go at it. It is so nutritious and I bet it would be delicious to throw a few pieces into my morning oatmeal!

Looks great! How did it turn out? Sweet potatoes are an awesome food, especially for those with inflammation issues. I try to eat several each week, usually for breakfast. It would be great to have a portable snack option! Let us know how they tasted!

Sorry, just seeing this post! It's probably too late but Winco Foods has an incredible array of whole grains in their bulk foods department and decent prices to boot. Don't know if you'll be in one place long enough but they will special order for you and it usually takes 1-2 days for items to get in. If you buy in the large bags, you also get a 10% discount on the price.

So, I have a kitchen full of gadgets. Everyone knows I like to cook so I get lots of interesting gifts. Some, that I thought I'd never use, I use all the time! So, what are your three favorite cooking gadgets? Mine: 1) meat thermometer - why did I cook for 30 years without one?!? This thing is great and there is no guesswork involved. 2) Stir-Crazy - http://www.asseenontvguys.com/stir-crazy-as-seen-on-tv.aspx Making jam is such a snap now! I let that thing stir away while I prepare my next batch of fruit! 3) Food Processor - I just have a cheapo Hamilton Beach from Wal-Mart. It makes food prep so much faster and when I'm done, it goes through the dishwasher!

I just have the simple two tray one that they sell at Emergency Essentials. Although, right now I'm just using quart size canning jars with cheesecloth to sprout my wheat berries. It's simpler.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/98promotions/april/recipes.html Recipes VERDOLAGO CON QUESO 1 quart purslane including stems Approximately one-half cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Collect tender purslane, including the stems, and carefully rinse to remove any sand or soil. Gently boil for about two minutes or until tender. Drain the water and chop the purslane into smaller pieces. Return the purslane to the frying pan and shred the jack cheese over it. Keep the purslane in the pan just until the cheese melts. Be careful not to over-melt the cheese. Serve warm. Serves 2. PICKLED PURSLANE 1 quart purslane stems and leaves 3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 quart apple cider vinegar (or old pickle, jalapeno juice,etc.) 10 peppercorns Clean the purslane stems and leaves by rinsing with fresh water. Cut into 1" pieces and place in clean jars with lids. Add the spices and pour the vinegar over the purslane. Keep this in the refrigerator and wait at least two weeks before using. Serve as a side dish with omelets and sandwiches. TRAVELER'S JOY 3 cups purslane, chopped 1/2 onion (wild, if avail.) 1 hard-boiled egg, sliced 1 cup chickweed 1/2 cup amaranth leaves 1 ripe avocado Approximately 1/4 cup cheddar cheese 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or other cheese), diced into small bits Juice of 1/2 lemon Much of this salad can be gathered on the trail (or in your backyard, for that matter). Chop the purslane, chickweed, amaranth, and onion into bite sized bits. Add the avocado, peeled and diced. Add one hard-boiled egg, sliced. Mix in approximately 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese which has been cut into small bits. Squeeze the lemon over the salad, add the garlic salt, and mix well. If you have them, you can add chia seeds and one tablespoon of mayonnaise to this lip-smacking salad. VERDOLAGO CON HUEVOS 2 cups purslane, with stems, diced 6 eggs 1 cup wild or domestic onion Butter1 cup nasturtium leaves and stems, diced Carefully clean and rinse the purslane. The entire above-ground plant can be used as long as it is still tender. Add the diced onion and purslane to a heated and buttered cast-iron skillet. Cook for about five minutes. Add the eggs and cook omelet-style. Serve with a tomato slice. Serves three. FRIED PURSLANE Approximately 1 cup of purslane growing tips FlourGround bread crumbs Beaten eggs Collect the tender new tips of purslane--about the last two or three inches from the stems. Rinse these in water to remove any sand. Roll them (or shake them) in flour until thoroughly floured, and then dip in the beaten eggs. Cover each purslane stalk with bread crumbs. This process is easiest to do if you simply line up the three dishes of flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, and do the breading production line style. When the breading is done, fry or saute each purslane stalk for about five minutes or until golden brown. Serve with catsup, mustard, or sour cream. This is a unique hors d'oeuvre for even your finest, fanciest parties. HAM AND PURSLANE ON RYE Delectable Sandwich 2 slices rye bread toasted or plain (or you can use whole wheat, pumpernickel, or sour dough) A few slices good quality hamA handful of fresh purslane, stems included Mustard/horseradish mix (no yellow dye, please) Instead of lettuce or pickles on this ham sandwich, you're using fresh purslane. It's quite flavorful. The slightly crunchy flavor of the crisp, succulent purslane stems helps to make this a satisfying sandwich. MEXICAN PURSLANE STUFFING This is a home-type dish that is as simple to prepare as "scrambled eggs with..." but much more nutritious. Serve as a side dish, a brunch main dish or as a filling in tortillas and pitas. 1 to 11 tablespoon vegetable oil1 small onion, finely chopped1 medium-size ripe tomato, chopped (not skinned)1 SERRANO or jalapeno chile, finely chopped, or freshly cracked black pepper, according to taste2 to 3 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 egg beaten Set aside a few raw springs of purslane for garnish. Steam or blanch the rest until tender-crisp (three to five minutes). Drain thoroughly, transfer to a plate covered with several layers of paper towels and blot dry. In a large pan, saute garlic and onion in vegetable oil until soft. Add tomato and chile, and saute until the mixture becomes sauce-like. Season with soy sauce. (If you aren't using the chile, add freshly ground black pepper.) Saute until mixture is warm and the flavors marry. When ready to serve, add the beaten egg to the warm mixture in the pan and mix gently. The egg will bind the mixture loosely but should not harden into scrambled eggs. Garnish plate servings with reserved sprigs. YIELD: 4 servings PER SERVING (estimated): 91 calories, 4 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 200 mg sodium, 68 percent U.S. RDA Vitamin A, 77 percent U.S. RDA Vitamin C. NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF WILD FOODS (per 100 grams) Dashes denote lack of data for a constituent believed to be present in measurable amounts. Source: Composition of Foods, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture

http://www.starchefs.com/SJohnson/recipe05.html Cucumber-purslane-yogurt salad 5 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices 1/4 pound Purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well 2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil 4 cups Whole milk yogurt 1/4 cup Virgin olive oil 3 cloves Garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife 2 teaspoon ground Coriander kosher Salt and ground Black Pepper Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.