Beets

 

October was a beet - harvesting month for me.  Beets grow continuously through the year, but tend to be happiest in the cooler months.  Beets are one of those veggies that can get a bit "earthy" tasting (aka "tastes like dirt") and so folks either love'em or hate'em.  I do tend to love'em and here's how I love to eat'em:  Beets and Bacon, Boiled Beets, Simple Pickled Beets, (Beet Relish to come)


Beets and Bacon
by Gretchen Gingerich

Beets, peeled and chopped
Onion, chopped
salt
Garlic, minced
Beet greens, chopped (optional)
Bacon, cooked and crumbled.

Saute the beets and onion with a dash of salt (I prefer to use bacon fat to saute).  After the beets soften, add the garlic and cook until garlic browns.  Add the beet greens and cook until they wilt.  Finish with crumbled bacon. 



Boiled Beets
by Gretchen Gingerich

This is a classic way to enjoy beets.  Can be served plain or with butter.

Beets

Remove the top and bottom of the beets.  Boil in water until soft (about 20 minutes).  Remove from hot water, place into cold water, and peel.




Simple Pickled Beets
adapted from Pickled Pantry- Andrea Chesman- 2012
by Gretchen Gingerich
makes 8 pints

This is simply a beet-pickle.  A simple pickle for a simple vegetable.

18-20 Beets
4 Cups cider vinegar
1 Cup water
2/3 Cup sugar
2 Tbsp sea salt


Remove the top and bottom of the beets.  Boil in water until skin becomes soft (about 15 minutes).  Remove from hot water, place into cold water, and peel.  Leave the beets whole, cut into wedges, or chunk.  Pack the beets into canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch head-space.

Meanwhile, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once the sugar dissolves, pour the mixture over the canned beets, leaving 1/2 inch head-space.

Process in a hot-water bath for 30 minutes according to conventional USDA canning recommendations.

Let rest for 6 weeks before eating (for full flavor to develop).



There is also Beet Relish which is a sweet, aromatic, type relish.  I'm still developing my recipe for this one.  Haven't quite gotten it to where I like it yet.

CRANBERRY!

Mid-October is about the time that cranberries appear in the grocery stores.  Mid-October is about the time to make your cranberry sauce, so that it has plenty of time to cure/gel/marinate/season- whatever it does- before Thanksgiving.  So, apologies to all that it is now Mid-November when I am finally posting this.  Print it out and mark your calendar for Mid-October 2016.  You'll be ahead of the game. Or, if you're happy with the taste- serve straight from the pot on Thanksgiving Day 2015!

There are three types of cranberry sauce that I have come to appreciate:  Sweet Cranberry Relish, Savory Cranberry Relish, and Citrus Cranberry Relish (honorable mention to that "cranberry gel" that comes out of a can.  That stuff is pretty good too).  Here are the recipes for you to try.

Not ready for Winter

What happened to Fall?  It was here for about a month now it's cold and drizzly.  The squash that were hanging on have given up.  My table-tomatoes never really ripened but my cherry tomatoes are doing their best to stay on.  My husband is raking up leaves and asking where to put them.  Where?  Back on the trees!  I need another solid-week to clean-up the summer garden before I'm ready to plan the Winter garden.  And Fall is a lost cause.  At least I got my bees their Winter candy before now.  I'll have to peek at them the next sunny day. 

Frog in a Parsley, Shoo Fly Shoo...

Well, the blessed rains have returned!  My soul rejoiced to wake after a stormy night and see a bright-cloudy sky and breath the freshly washed air!  Hallelujah

The rains have also re-awakened the tree frogs.  Here's a Pacific Tree frog reclining on my parsley.  It's the fourth one I've seen in two days.  The kids are thrilled (and so am I).  They are such dear friends to find amongst the veg. 

Strangely, however, my grape hyacinths think it's time for them to return as well.  They are a couple-days into sprouting.  It will be interesting to see if they manage to bloom. 

Fall is in the Air - Applesauce

Nothing says, "Fall" quite like the smell of applesauce slowly simmering away in the house.  And, for us Pacific North-westerners, That wonderfully, fresh smell to the air when the rains finally return.  The Summer's dust has finally been washed away and we can breath again.

This year I made my applesauce in a crock-pot.  All the steps are the same:  peel, core, slice, reduce, season...  it just is a bit of a slower pace so that I can make it an all-day project and do it in chunks of time as they become available (those with little ones will understand this strategy).

Last year, I had an extra hand and was able to do my batches more efficiently.

This year, my son and I picked about 10 gallons of apples.  It took me two days to get them all put-up but it ended up being just over 6 quarts in the end.

One addition this year is an attempt to make Apple Cider Vinegar from the scraps.  I will let you know how that goes. 

These are the Hands 2

Now that's more like it! 
Back in January I was feeling remiss that my hands were getting soft and plump - the effects of indoor-rest season.  Now I rejoice at the dirt-caked fingernails, dark skin, cracks, calluses, hardened finger-tips...  the joy of a body well-used.  Now when I reflect on my manicure again in January, I will not feel ashamed.  I will be able to feel satisfied in a well-deserved rest for weary hands. 

Pickle Time!

It's pickle time again.  I really like my dill chip recipe from last year.  They were super-yum and pretty simple.  I used the large-batch measurements which made enough brine for 10 pints.  The first 5 pints I cut by hand to about 1/4 inch.  The second 5 pints I cut with a mandolin so they would be thinner, about 1/8 inch.  I'm curious to see how it affects the taste.  The thinner pickles were easier to stuff in the jars, but I'm not sure I got more stuffed over-all.  To find out, I'll have to first wait six weeks for the pickles to season.