kappydell

I just found this recipe, looks easy yet exotic... pumpkin leaves in a peanut butter sauce: 1/2 pound of young, soft pumpkin leaves 2 Tablespoons of smooth peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder or other seasoning 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 cup of Water 1 medium-sized tomato, sliced 1 small onion, finely chopped Preparation Wash the pumpkin leaves under cold water and let them drip dry. Remove the leaves' threads by breaking off a piece of the stem and pulling the strips down the leaf. Slice the leaves thinly. Place pumpkin leaves and onion into a seasoned cast iron saucepan on medium heat. Cover the pan and do not open it until the leaves begin to steam, or about five minutes. Add a little bit of water, if necessary. Simmer the leaves and onion for about ten minutes, or until the leaves are tender. Add the tomato, and leave it for another five minutes. Add the peanut butter and stir it all together until the peanut butter is dissolved and mixed with the vegetables. Add seasonings and simmer for another five minutes. Ensure that the product does not burn. Serve this dish hot on freshly boiled pasta. ====================================================================================================================================================================================== As to what should NOT be eaten, Im sure there is more than just rhubarb with poisonous leaves. I generally stick to this chart, but I am always looking for new threads to run down regarding this. I may or may not try the watermelon rind, if I buy a small melon I may try the soup recipe I found for it. It is supposed to taste like Chinese Bitter Melon. ====================================================================================================================================================================================== Vegetable Common Edible Parts Other Edible Parts ====================================================================================================================================================================================== Beans, snap pod with seeds leaves Beans, lima seeds pods, leaves Beets root leaves Broccoli flower leaves, flower stem Carrot root leaves Cauliflower immature flower flower stem, leaves Celery leaf stems leaves, seeds Corn, sweet seeds young ears, unfurled tassel, young leaves Cucumber fruit with seeds stem tips and young leaves Eggplant fruit with seeds leaves edible but not flavorful Kohlrabi swollen stem leaves Okra pods with seeds leaves Onions root young leaves Parsley tops roots Peas, English seeds pods, leaves Peas, Southern seeds, pods young leaves Pepper pods leaves after cooking, immature seeds Potatoes, Sweet roots leaves and stem shoots Radish roots leaves Squash fruit with seeds seeds, flowers, young leaves Tomato fruits with seeds leaves contain alkaloids Turnip roots, leaves ---------- Watermelon interior pulp and seeds rind of fruit April 2002 issue of Vegetable Production & Marketing News, edited by Frank J. Dainello, Ph.D., and produced by Extension Horticulture, Texas Cooperative Extension, The Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas ====================================================================================================================================================================================== The pumpkin leaves came from the multitude of accounts of Africans, Indians and Asians eating pumpkin leaves as a cooked vegetable. Frankly, I was not impressed by their taste. I also stay away from tomato leaves. They are muy bitter!!!

The leaves and the stems of sweet potatoes are good raw...kinda like a cross between snap peas and asparagus eaten raw. The vine tips have a 'silk thread' (such a beautiful euphamism) that needs to be pulled off like stringing beans. Then cut to about 1 inch lengths and steam, saute, or cook like tender green beans. Leaves can be cut up and added a little after cause they cook faster. My favorite is stir-fried with garlic and/or onion depending on my mood. MMMMMM. Also excellent raw with a hot bacon dressing....used as a spinach substitute with anything 'florentine'.....many filipino cooks saute them with a minced red pepper for bite....if you like leafy greens, this one is very tasty. I ALMOST like them better than the tubers, so I was interested to read that adding nitrogen fertilyzer would increase leaf output. Pea leaves and shoots are cooked similarly, and taste like peas (no surprise there!). Im talking about the curly tendril tips, with leaves the size of a quarter or so, not pea-sprouts. Pumpkin and squash leaves must be very young, and smooth (before they get their prickles) and are eaten only cooked. They are generally boiled or sauteed in a mixture with other foods (stir fry, stews, etc). I was not impressed, but they are not unpalatable, either. I'd eat them for the vitamins. The outer leaves of brassica were a pleasant food, but then again I like all that cabbagy stuff. Cauliflower leaves, de-veined like collards and cooked similarly, were milder in flavor than the white heads (!); broccoli leaves tasted like broccoli but easier to fix than peeling the stems was, brussels sprouts leaves I remove anyway to make the sprouts get bigger, and they taste like brussels sprouts (I steam and cream those), and Kohlrabi leaves taste milder than the kohlrabi did this year (maybe because our drought made the root part a little strong). Some of the cabbagy relatives leaf stems are tough and stringy so you just cut those out then roll and shred the leaves (like collards). I especially like the idea of 'extra veggies' for free, and they don't taste too bad, either! Radish leaves are spicy-hot, so I used them sparingly, cooking them in a stir fry to add a little heat (similar to horseradisy flavor but mild). They can be eaten raw if you pick them prior to the radishes forming, but I cooked mine since I pulled the radishes and there was no bulb (doggone drought) and I was hungry for radishes. (Did I mention I like greens of all kinds?)

Im studying up on 'alternative veggies' like sweet potato leaves, pumpkin leaves, pea shoots & leaves, brassica leaves, and such that are not generally recognized as food in this country, as well as expanding my usage on peels, cores, and trimmings for everything from veggies to fruits to meats. Learning some cool stuff, and BTW sweet potato leaves are deeeelicious.

Good Job! You know when you go to sleep at night and when you look yourself in the eye in the mirror just why you took the higher ground.

my mom also told me a chest freezer lasts longer. maybe - I have one over 30 yrs old, still going strong, though I did recently buy a new one. discovered the 'new' ones cant go in garage, so im glad the old one still works. new one downstairs, old one into garage at new house. i like to buy turkeys on sale in Nov, have them cut in halves or quarters and freeze them, but they still take up lots of space. I love my big ole freezers, call them my 'food banks'. My parents had 2 uprights, both died on them when the chest kept a-going.

from corn---tacos, tortillas, hominy, mush, fried mush, hoecakes, corn dodgers, corn gravy, cornmeal soup, parched corn, and all manner of cornbreads. from beans: refried beans (fill burritos, spread on tostadas, etc); boiled beans, bean 'nuts' (You can make same as soy-nuts, bean+cornmeal patties, bean & cornmeal 'pie'; bean sprouts steamed, fried, and chopped for 'slaw'; boiled beans in salads (marinate plain, or add cheese, dill pickles, pasta, etc); bean soups, baked beans

Heck, I grew up without air conditioning....the TV had only ONE station, and that one went off at 2:00 AM after playing the Star Spangled Banner and displaying scenes of the Blue Angels. It was black and white, of course. And when it broke down, we went SIX MONTHS without a TV while my folks saved for a new one. I am soooo lucky. My parents taught us many self reliant things instead of buying us things to shut us up. Yes, to this day I have several MANUAL typewriters. So many teens don't even know what one is, let alone that they were manual...and I found directions for making a hectographic duplicator (remember those purple-printed handouts from school?). Yup, no such thing as xerox, either! I could go on and on, but I get to laughing too hard....

LOL!!!!!! That reminds me of the story of the Boy Scout who was hiking and met a bear, and quickly prayed "Please, Lord, convert this bear!!!!" Suddenly he looked back, and the bear was kneeling down with his paws folded in prayer. The Scout was relieved, but could not resist going back to hear what the bear was saying. As soon as he got about 10 feet away, he overheard: "Thank you Lord for sending me this delicious meal!" Oy, vey!!!

photos of kitties - soon be going to new homes.... #1 - 4 weeks - asleep in first nest #2 - 2nd momma, feeding time #3- two mommas sharing chores #4 & 5 - same photo-sorry-birth mom tending kids #6 - back to sleep - 6 weeks

HMMMM! Not only is the sister-cat caring for the young, she actually is lactating and feeding them, and she has never had a litter of kittens. Ive read about 'wet nurse' animals being able to do it, but have never seen it before. Im taking lots of photos, since we have plans to fix all the males and sister-cat will probably never have the chance to have her own. It is a delight to see her so tenderly caring for the little ones.

Surprise! The other female cat started helping out the mom-cat, cuddling the babies and cleaning them. (Good thing, mom was getting a bit frazzled.) I've read of cats sharing mothering duties, but have not seen it until today. Those are going to be some spoiled kitties, but in a good way.

eyes are opening now on the kitties. Lost one, unknown problem. personalities are also emerging, especially the one that constantly gets out of the kitty nest and goes a-wandering. Mama cat keeps an eye on him, but he is going to be quite the explorer. The chihuaha also guards him protectively (he loves babies). But we have to watch where we step first thing in the morning! Man they grow fast!!

as soon as tax return gets in we will be having a mass neutering amd spaying of all pets. these were not planned, but they sure are cute, and we already have folks asking about them for homes. Mama was a little confused with the first two, I had to help her tear open cauls and wipe kittens to get mucous out of lungs and start them breathing, I helped with #3 and #4, but by the time we got to #5 thru 7 she was doing it all. She already knew how to sever the cord and what to do with the afterbirth (my friend was totally grossed!) I was amazed, she learned fast and looks to be a great mama. I was also amazed she trusted me to help. It was a real bonding experience. (I came close to delivering humans a couple times in my pre-retirement job as LEO...technically I am trained to do uncomplicated deliveries already. Didn't know I was going to do it inter-species though...) no calicos, unfortunately, 3 black & white spotted, two gray & white spotted, two all gray. they are a little small for sexing, but after a month or so we will start looking for dots and dashes....

Today my buddy called me and said come quick the cat is having kittens in the middle of the floor. Cat is first time mother, and friend had other first time mother lose first litter so she was a little panicked. All 7 born just fine, thank you. Now we have to start lining up homes. Momma cat was a little tenative the first 2 babies but by the time #7 appeared she was handling things just fine. Also a good thing momma cat knew and trusted us to help. Belly rubs all round!!

i just heard on the news last night that for 'health reasons' the king size snickers bars will be eliminated, and a smaller bar, not to go over 150 calories will be sold instead. I laughed myself silly....for HEALTH REASONS? My foot. It is for sneaking in those price raises easier! The guy who dreamed up that press release is one heck of a spin doctor and needs to go to washington dc for a job! Maybe he can think up some more 'health reasons' for the soon to be proposed 'sugar tax' in regular sodas! Hoooo-boy! The health police are here! Im stockpiling caffeine!

solar cookers international, http://www.solarcookers.org/index.html sells a booklet (How to Make, Use and Enjoy Solar Cookers - $7) with 2 do-it-yourself solar cookers that are very easy to make. They also have developted and sold a Water Pasteurizatioin Indicator for $7 that lets you know when your solar-cooked water is safe to drink. A good source for novices at solar cooking, and lots of fun for family projects. They also sell ready made solar cookers, starting at $25 for a basic one-pot cooker. A fun site. {edit to make website 'clickable'...hopefully}

Chicken & dumplings (Paula Deen's recipe, slightly modified) with hot poppy-seed rolls. Made it worth the snow shoveling!

I am planning a memory quilt from my deceased husbands favorite clothes. As I sort and donate or sell them, I will be saving his favorite flannel shirts, etc and making a quilt of them to keep me warm in a special way. Some might think it morbid, but I think of it as hugs from heaven.

I use a modified technique based on Jeavon's raised beds, but I do not make beds. I plant wide rows, plants in the rows are spaced as per Jeavons' recommendations. Bush beans, peas, leafy greens, carrots, beets and onions seem to like the wide beds. For tall crops (pole beans, indeterminate tomatoes, peppers) I stake or cage them and plant in rows. Wide beds again for vine crops, with the edges planted with quickie catch crops like leaf lettuce, radishes, green onions or greens that will be out by the time the vines need the space. Potatoes do better for me in single rows, it is hard to hill them up in a close planting. I have also had good luck planting a ring of 4 bush bean seeds and 3 pole bean seeds around each pole bean pole. The bush beans bear earlier, and the pole beans still climb up for the season-long bearing. The wide rows are tilled up in the spring, with walkways between remaining untilled. I find the alternating of loose fluffy rows with harder walkways acts like mini-terraces to catch the rain better in my sloping garden, and avoids the erosion that occurs when the whole area is tilled. I only need to weed the first 2 months in the wide rows, after that the plants do indeed crowd out the unofficial competition. Wide rows are easier to cover with plastic to warm them up for earlier plantings, easier to cover with floating row covers if I want, easier to treat for pests if needed, and cover with sheets for those early frosts in the fall. I sheet compost in the walkways (be sure to have the top layer be a 'brown' layer, a it is easier to walk on!) then the next year the walkways are tilled as rows, as I shift the rows down the hill to rotate the crops. I only water once a week if there has not been a good rain. The wide beds produce enough for me without daily watering, even during the usual august drought. I water with barrels of rain water that are uphill from the garden. Gravity fed, leaky hoses are laid out on the uphill sides of the rows for a soaking. The rows help hold rain. Vine crops are planted in very wide rows (6 feet) so they can spread, with early fast-harvested crops around the edges of the rows, picked before they need the space. I also mulch the vine crops with newspapers or wide leaves of mullein or butter-burr, or even dock. If the vines do not touch the dirt, I get no vine borers. I read that the eggs are laid in the soil and the larvae crawl up into the vines to eat and mature. That would explain its success,so if you have borers, mulch. You don't need more than a sheet or two of paper or a couple leaves in a layer. I also plant vines on the edges of corn and tomato areas. They can sprawl around the upright crops, shade out weeds, and (again, I read it somewhere) raccoons do not like to walk on those prickly vines. It bothers their tender tootsies, supposedly. You might try it if you have raccoons. Group your corn rows together for pollination, as it is wind pollinated. 4 to 6 rows planted 1 foot apart makes a wide bed, but helps pollination. I divide my admittedly long (40 feet) wide rows into smaller sections for early and late corn, early and late cabbages, etc. so when the early crops are done, I can remove them and put in autumn crops. Leafy greens, brassica, bush beans and brassica will all grow in the cooler autumn months. Bok Choy is a cool weather crop only. Kale will grow nicely until it is very cold and will hold in the garden even in snow! I have picked fresh kale in Wisconsin in mid December and it was delicious. Brussels sprouts kept in the garden through Thanksgiving! Hopefully this will help, sorry for the long post.

I always praised my mouse-catcher heartily, and put the mouse aside to 'eat later' (until he wasn't looking, that is....) He would be SOOO proud he would go and get me another!

Thank you for a pumpkin recipe I don't have yet! This looks tasty, maybe I'll see if I can convert a non-pumpkin eater. Oh by the way, at my local Piggly Wiggly store (don't know where they are common other than the midwest...) canned pumpkin in 15 oz cans was 78 cents. I bought 12.

Ive tried peppermint, moth balls and dryer sheets, all of which are supposed to repel mice. Didn't work. Only trapping did. That and an aggressive cat.

Nice Bump! anx just in time to print out for my friends who are just getting started in this food storage 'thing'

Mt_Rider told me: I use bubble wrap on windows that can remain closed up for the winter. Add some thick curtains and it makes up for the single glazing in this rented house. I'm thinking of trying double sided sticky tape for applying it this year. Pull back the curtains and it does admit opaque light. Thank you!!!! Today I 'bubble wrapped' basement windows because I wanted daylight available down there,so I did not want to use foam or other insulation. It worked like a charm! Not only do they admit light, they look like they had some of that fancy privacy stuff stuck on them. And the doubled sided tape was much easier to use than anything else I have ever done! I can't thank you enough. It worked so well the garage is next - I have large windows that I woul just as soon not have folks looking into, and they could use some insulation. In short, perfect candidates for bubbles. Thank you Mt_Rider!

Simple Stir Fry: 1 lb beef stew meat, cut to 1/2 inch size; 1 lb pkg mixed carrots, broccoli & cauliflower that were aging in the refrigerator; a few extra carrots, sliced; sauce of 1/4 c soy sauce, 1 1/2 c beef broth from bouillon, and 4 TB cornstarch to thicken. Made enough for 3 hearty eaters, served over rice. Extra rice made on purpose to freeze for a quick fried rice in a couple days time.