JTree Halloween 2011

We went out to the desert to avoid Halloween in IV. An excellent idea in theory, but people came there to party. Doh! Images are from my two olympus cameras. Full albums here, here.

White Tanks Campground

looks like a turtle poking out of its shell or something

sunset, 1st night

Queen Valley Mine area

sunset 2nd night

Sara carving a pumpkin

JTrees and boulder field

sausages and 'taters, pumpkin, cukes pickled in escabeche liquid

Hall of Horrors area

Key's View, wind farms in distance

Barker Dam area

White Tanks, last morning

Caviar Limes

Caviar limes are 25 cents a pop at the co-op. Looks nice on orange crème fraîche sherbet, no?

Bittman, the Santa Barbara Syndrome

"This kind of approach — grow what you can close to where you live and eat what you can grow — is obviously nothing new. (Even in my lifetime, I can remember seeing asparagus only in late spring, Macintosh apples in the fall and Empire apples — long keepers — through the winter.) What’s new is the lack of farmland, because much has been lost to sprawl or commodity crops, and farmers who can make it happen, farmers working on a scale between sustenance and industrial."

the whole article

One NUGGET in his article was a link to this article about the Santa Barbara syndrome. In our country we export 99% of what is grown here. AND IMPORT 95% OF FRUIT & VEGGIES THAT ARE EATEN!!! Holy Cow! David Cleveland, UCSB professor and garden friend is quoted thusly: "Picture two produce-laden tractor-trailers passing on the highway, one bringing food into the county; the other hauling it out."

Here's the UCSB press release on the Cleveland study

Santa Ynez Valley

Sara wanted to go wine tasting, I biked around the town of Santa Ynez. The bicycling backroads of central California book I had (from 1982) highlighted some roads that have a little more traffic on them now than they did back then, but it was fun none-the-less.

Mis-labeled Seafood

There's the normal BS of giving a nice name to an ugly fish -- the chilean sea bass / patagonian toothfish chintz, for example. The captain posted a link to this article on facebook, about fish being intentionally mislabeled as a more expensive fish in restaurants around Boston. I'm sure it happens everywhere. Interesting. Update: NPR interviewed the reporters.

Bittman on Friendly's

Apparently Friendly's is going out of business. I have fond memories of going to Friendly's to get sherbet, usually lime, after soccer games on Long Island. Good times. Mark Bittman at NYT has some memories, too. He also threw in some thoughts on fast food in America that were nice:

I remember the food as being real. And it probably was, because 50 (! I’m writing that?) years ago the industrialization of food had not been perfected. Now, “good” fast food is best defined by places like In-and-Out Burger, which is undeniably a teeny tiny level better than utter junk. But that doesn’t make it good.

Bombay Chile Pickle

so good. The recipe is apparently from My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King... the book is in the mail. Tigress put the recipe on her blog. I did a 2/3 version of the recipe (had 2lbs of peppers, and 1/2c ginger) and it filled 2 pint jars and most of a 1 c jar. Used a mix of sweet and not very hot chiles, and thus added chile powder. Used palm sugar.

3 pounds chiles – any kind, stemmed & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 & 1/3 cups light sesame oil (not toasted, or another vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup garlic, chopped fine*
3/4 cup ginger, chopped fine*
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
2 & 1/4 tablespoons sea salt - See more at: http://hungrytigress.com/2011/09/hot-damn-chile-pickle/#sthash.uNN37mJK.dpuf

 3 lbs chilies, stemmed, chopped
1 1/3 c olive oil
1T brown mustard seeds
1/2T fenugreek
1/2T cumin
1/2T fennel

3 pounds chiles – any kind, stemmed & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 & 1/3 cups light sesame oil (not toasted, or another vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup garlic, chopped fine*
3/4 cup ginger, chopped fine*
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
2 & 1/4 tablespoons sea salt - See more at: http://hungrytigress.com/2011/09/hot-damn-chile-pickle/#sthash.uNN37mJK.dpuf

3 pounds chiles – any kind, stemmed & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 & 1/3 cups light sesame oil (not toasted, or another vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup garlic, chopped fine*
3/4 cup ginger, chopped fine*
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
2 & 1/4 tablespoons sea salt - See more at: http://hungrytigress.com/2011/09/hot-damn-chile-pickle/#sthash.3sZ61NoK.dpuf

3/4c garlic
3/4c ginger

3 pounds chiles – any kind, stemmed & chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 & 1/3 cups light sesame oil (not toasted, or another vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon whole brown mustard seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons fenugreek seed
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1 & 1/2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
3/4 cup garlic, chopped fine*
3/4 cup ginger, chopped fine*
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (optional)
1 & 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 & 3/4 cups white wine vinegar
1/4 cup light brown sugar (i use turbinado)
2 & 1/4 tablespoons sea salt - See more at: http://hungrytigress.com/2011/09/hot-damn-chile-pickle/#sthash.3sZ61NoK.dpuf

1/2T turmeric
1 3/4 c white wine vinegar
1/4c palm sugar
2 1/4T sea salt

hot oil, mustard 20 sec; then rest of the spices, 20 sec; then garlic ginger turmeric few secs; then chilies and vinegar, salt, sugar, simmer 1 hour.


update:
the 2012 version, more pics

random Tomato Sauce making pics

tomatoes, 5 gallon pot, smaller pot for reduction (though usually I go wider/shorter than this one)

10 lbs tomatoes --> 1Q sauce....

what I've been calling tomato molasses, the juice reduced down all the way till it's sticky

more fun with Tomatoes, Ricotta

cute

with envy

cilantro pesto, fried ricotta

basil, fried ricotta

different cilantro pesto

Chiles en Escabeche

I made up an alternate escabeche recipe from the first one I tried. From that first batch I really really liked the carrots, and this one upped the carrot ratio quite a bit. The recipe looks pretty different from that first one, but the ratio of veggies by weight to vinegar is the same, so you can tell they are based in food safety.

Chiles en Escabeche
from the Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy

1lb chilies (I used a mix of alot of types)
1.5 lbs carrots
1 lb onion
3T salt
1/3 c water
5 cloves garlic
10 peppercorns
1t cumin seed
4 cloves
16 bay leaves
thyme
1.5 t oregano
1/2 c oil
4c white wine vinegar
10 cloves garlic
1/2 t sugar

I didn't follow this exactly right. I was supposed to make a paste from the 5 garlic cloves and some of the bay leaves and spices. Didn't.

Slice peppers lengthwise, lose seeds if you want. Slice carrots. Toss with salt, let sit for a few hours.
Heat oil, add spices, bay leaves, onion, fry for 10 min
Add strained peppers, carrots, cook 10 more min
Add salty liquid, vinegar, rest of ingredients, bring to boil, cook 8 min
cool before putting in jars

I am loving the first batch, haven't tapped this one yet.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Fig-Lemon Jam/Marmalade

On the heels of fig-orange a week or so ago. I actually think I like this one more. Made in the same way, kind of marmalade with figs rather than fig jam that happens to have lemons. I don't remember where I got the proportions from.

Fig Lemon Marmalade

28 oz figs
16 oz sugar
juice, rind from 2 lemons
water

cut up figs, soak with a little water, lemon juice, cut up lemon peels overnight
add sugar, stir, overnight again
cook up. I didn't can any, we are eating it right away...

On yogurt. The other marmalades I eat with oatmeal, this one I can use on yogurt in place of my beloved apricot preserves which I don't have this year cause it was an off year for apricots...

Tipsy Tangerines

Bizarre. The recipe really stood out for me last winter/spring. Used the peels in marmalade, fruit here. I don't understand the logic of it now, though. Putting up fruit so you can eat it later, i.e. the summer/fall, when everything else is in season?? Whatever. If you have a ton of fruit maybe it's worth a try.

Tipsy Tangerines
from Clearly Delicious by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz

1.5 lbs peeled satsumas
1 2/3 c sugar
1c booze
1c rum

pack fruit in jar, layering with sugar
pour over boozes
shake often to dissolve sugar.
keep in a cool dark place for 2 months before you eat it.

On orange creme fraiche sherbet

Brinjal Kasaundi - Eggplant Pickle

Another great one from Claudia Roden. Though this borders on too sweet. Heck, it probably crosses the border. But you just have a little bit to accent an indian meal.

Brinjal Kasaundi
from the Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

2lbs eggplant cut into 1/2" slices
salt
2" ginger
8 cloves garlic
1T ground cumin
1c white wine vinegar
1c sesame oil (though I used extra virgin olive oil)
1T mustard seeds
1T fenugreek seeds
6 curry leaves
1t turmeric
1/2 c sugar

soak eggplant in salted water for an hour. i'd probably just do the standard salt in a bowl (no water) next time.
chili/garlic/ginger/cumin in food processor. moisten with vinegar if need be
heat oil, add seeds, cover till they are done popping
add curry and chili paste
fry "till oil separates out" -- till it looks happy
add turmeric, vinegar, sugar, eggplant
bring to boil, simmer 30 min
cool before putting in jar, top with oil

Cilantro Chutney

Yum. Smells so good, too. AND the recipe is delightfully imprecise...

Green Corriander Chutney
from the Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

1 bunch cilantro ~4oz
3-4 sprigs mint (I didn't do)
1-5 fresh hot green chilies, to taste
1" of fresh ginger
2-6 cloves garlic
3T unsweetened dried coconut
4-6T white wine vinegar (the larger amount if the blender won't spin)
1/2 t salt
1t sugar

chilies/ginger/garlic/coconut in food processor
add greens, vinegar, salt, sugar
keeps 1 month fridge, months in freezer

Marinated Raw Eggplant, Da Gemma Style

Made this a while ago, but it slipped through the cracks. The recipe is from Verdura by Viana La Place. It's a nice book, and has a couple of other antipasti recipes. There's a charming story about the origin of the recipe in the book, something about 'Gemma' being an old italian grandma. The whole bottom shelf of the fridge is pretty much given over to various pickled veggies by now. It's pretty fun.

Marinated Raw Eggplant
from Verdura by Viana La Place

6-8 Japanese eggplants (30 - 40 oz) (I used 2 globe eggplants)
salt
4T red wine vinegar
8 leaves basil
3 cloves garlic
1t crushed red pepper
extra virgin olive oil

cut eggplant into 1/4" slices. you are supposed to peel but I didn't. cut slices into 1" strips.
toss with salt in a bowl and let drain for 24 hours. press out moisture.
add vinegar, toss, let rest 1 hour
layer in a Mason jar with basil, garlic, pepper
press down as you go
pour in olive oil to cover generously, check in a few hours, it may need more
refrigerate
let rest for a couple of days before eating. "keeps for months"

the raw ingredients, so to speak

Joel Salatin / On Point

Really good listen. Salatin figures prominently in Omnivore's Dilemma; it's pretty clear that he both is the real deal, and old-fashioned traditional animal rearing practices make so much more sense than feedlots. Hearing him speak in his own voice was wonderful.

Susanna Hoffs / Bangles / OnionAV

Seriously, this is an awesome interview. For some reason I associate their song 'Eternal Flame' with surfing Outer Kom in Kommetjie, South Africa. I listened to top-40 radio when we lived there, but I don't know why Outer Kom is the mental image....

Baker Creek Seeds / NPR

good story, might have to get the book

Feist streaming

it's so good.

Feist / NPR

love

Organic Food jpeg

Plastic, via the Surfrider Foundation

Peck of Pickled Peppers

I straight up used this recipe. I used yellow bell peppers, serranos, gypsy, poblano, although this awful picture is of a jar with just yellow bell and serrano.

Melon Jam

This one I don't remember where I got the recipe from. The ratio is 4:3 trimmed melon:sugar, by weight. As per usual, I made it over quite a few days, which does positive things to the flavor, but makes the sugar more caramelized so it is more brown than orange -- kind of a boring color. I used a cantaloupe from Sara's garden, half of a leftover green honeydew from the co-op, and half of a cantaloupe from Givens.

Melon Jam
65 oz melon flesh (trimmed of outside skin and inside seeds)
36 oz sugar
a vanilla bean
1t citric acid

cook, cool, repeat

Spiced Fig Orange Jam

Love this. Going to make more for sure. Kind of combined 2 recipes I, II. Threw in a vanilla bean. Honestly the directions are pretty imprecise/inaccurate. I actually took about a week to make this, kept cooking it up a little bit each day. You shouldn't do that. But the fruit/sugar ratio is right.

Fig Orange Jam:

17 oz figs
1/2 t citric acid
10 oz sugar
a vanilla bean
water from rinsing out a jar of orange marmalade
juice/pulp from 2 oranges
diced rind from oranges
ground cinnamon
ground cloves

combine everything but sugar and spice and let sit overnight
add sugar and spices, cook it up, and let sit overnight again
cook it up and put in jars

Homemade Hot Sauce

#2, #3, #1

I've made some before, with a different Emeril recipe, this Emeril one is magic. I've made it 3 times, once straight up following the recipe, the other 2 times I used more chilies by weight, but they were fleshier peppers so I think I'm good. So, first batch was with 10 oz of green serranos, 2nd was 22oz of a green bell pepper looking chile that was surprisingly hot, grown by Sara's friend Erin, 3rd was 28 oz of yellow bell peppers, 2 red serranos, and 1 cherry bomb for heat.

Homemade Red Hot Sauce via Emeril

20 tabasco or serrano chiles (about 10 oz), stemmed and sliced
1.5 T minced garlic
3/4 c sliced onions (6 oz)
3/4 t salt
extra virgin olive oil
2 c water
1 cup white wine vinegar

saute the veggies for a couple of minutes
add salt and water, simmer till it is almost gone
cool, add vinegar, let steep overnight
stickblender
heat to a simmer again, put in jars, let cool before putting on the lid
let it rest for a couple of days in the fridge, there's an initial vinegar harshness that goes away
will last in the fridge for 6 -12+ months

update:
this version with pimientos and canned chipotles is gooood

2020 update!:
Patagonia has a recipe, a little bit more salt, less acid, but it's still supposed to keep ok

Jalapeños en Escabeche

Made this in August, had some last night. Really good, though I really like the carrots and wish I had distributed them equally in the jars. Amy gave us a jar of it that Jacob from Roots made that was amazing, this is in the ballpark, but I might have to contact him.

Jalapeños en Escabeche:
from Recipe of Memory by Victor and Marry Valle

3 lbs jalapeños
1 head garlic
1.5 c extra virgin olive oil
2c sliced carrots (2/3 lb)
1 onion
2c cauliflower (skipped, used more carrots)
4.5 T salt
3T oregano
1T black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
6c white wine vinegar

sterilize jars
wash chilies and cut slits in them
heat oil in a stainless steel pot, add garlic and chilies, cook 3-5 min
take off heat, add veggies and spices, add vinegar when it has cooled a little
heat another 2 min
put in jars, allow to cool before putting on lids

supposedly this will keep 2 months not refrigerated, longer if refrigerated. I go fridge all the way.

Cool Iceland Video

Where I Was on 9/11 Map: NYT

this is a pretty cool project

Mel Brooks / Onion AV

nice interview

Coulda Soulda Woulda

Last year I made a little bit of loquat jelly, and then a ton of apricot preserves (20 quarts). The trees were nuts. This year I got lazy and skipped the loquats, and then the apricot trees only yielded up a little over 1Q. I'm bumming. Plus I'm finally eating last year's loquat jelly and the stuff is great. Kinda like pomegranate molasses.

Something Missing Curry

There's a great recipe in the Tassajara Bread Book for Something Missing Muffins. Basically Ed Brown breaks down a muffin recipe, taking one ingredient out at a time, to make recipes that aren't quite right, but do work. This one is me messing around with a thai curry. The "curry paste" was turmeric and a chili powder. Eggplant, red okra, garlic and some peppers from the garden. Coconut Milk. With sacred basil. Tasty.

Vietnamese Sockeye

Nice wild sockeye, fried skin side down in a little safflower oil to crisp the skin, then flipped for a minute or so. With nuoc cham and a salad platter. We overcooked the rice noodles, but still a good meal.

Bon Iver / NPR World Cafe

Pretty sweet, 30 min interview + songs. Holocene is with the full band, maybe only soso, I love the album version. Beach Baby sounded amazing. The live version of Beth/Rest he does is cool, solo piano, and he starts it out not singing in falsetto.

Fresh Air Food Week

A couple of re-run/compilation episodes of Fresh Air, the links are to the original full length interviews. The Harold McGee one is interesting. I actually thought I'd linked to it when it was on, as it occurred during the early days of the blog, but no dice. He's a food scientist. Well, he explores the science of cooking, he isn't a fuddy-duddy in some USDA lab... I listened to a Michael Pollan one today that wasn't in the re-runs, but it's great. It was from the Omnivore's Dilemma press tour. I knew 'free range' was sketchy, but his explanation of it made that clear: Free range means after 5 weeks of life in a factory farm hen house, a door is opened at each end of the house and the chickens could go outside. But they don't. They are then killed at 7 weeks. He signed off with this nugget: I don't think you can call yourself an environmentalist if you're thoughtless about what you are eating.

An old interview with Julia Child was great. The Bittman one is good but short. I quite liked the other food science-y one -- the bit on onions/sweet onions was interesting. The banana one is super interesting. They played segments from a couple of Ruth Reichel interviews, only 1 of which is available in entirety online, I did mention it on the blog way back in 2009.