Try to find cucumbers that are uniform in size and firm — you don’t want to make pickles with old, floppy cucumbers.  Clean cucumbers and cut 1/4″ off the blossom end . . . → Read More: Sour Dill Pickles]]>

• Pickling cucumbers to fill suitable ceramic, glass or plastic crock (5#)
• Grape leaves
• Fresh or Dry Dill, Garlic, Chilies, Black Pepper, Mustard Seed, etc.
• 6T Kosher Salt
• 2 Quarts Water

Try to find cucumbers that are uniform in size and firm — you don’t want to make pickles with old, floppy cucumbers.  Clean cucumbers and cut 1/4″ off the blossom end and fill crock along with the fresh grape leaves.  I put the crock on it’s side and layer the cucumbers and leaves until full.  Add salt to a small sauce pan with half of the water and spices – use as much as you like.  We like really dilly-spicy-garlicy pickles here.  Bring to a boil and then turn off and let cool – add second quart of water to help cool it down.  Once it has reached room temperature poor brine over pickles.  If there isn’t enough brine to cover the pickles, make more with 1T salt per cup of water.

Put a plate or other weight over the top of the pickles to hold them down and cover the crock with a clean dishcloth and put it in the corner.  In a couple of days, skim any mold or scum from the surface of the crock.  If there is mold forming, do your best to clean it out.  Continue to skim the pickles every day.  Depending on the temperature and the amount of salt used in the brine and how sour you want your pickles it make take anywhere from one to four weeks for the pickles to be ready.  Just pull one out with a fork and test it.  Once they taste good, transfer to quart mason jars, cover with brine and move to the fridge.

Here’s what a NORMAL batch looks like, the white bloom is a good sign!

Here’s my current batch after a week – the brine hasn’t reached all the way in yet, they taste good but aren’t sour enough.

If the pickles taste bad, don’t eat them.  If they are mushy or rotten, don’t eat them.  It is normal for the brine to be a little viscous but it shouldn’t be thick or snotty (although some of this is pretty normal – it has to do with other bacterias that may be present in the ferment, it doesn’t mean it is bad, but in my experience lacto-fermented foods that end up snotty don’t have the bright and sharp flavor that makes them so good in the first place.)

Technique and instructions taken liberally from Wild Fermentation.

Mill everything tomatoes and peppers and combine in non-reactive pot with sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a slow boil . . . → Read More: Jigsaw (Enigma, #3)]]>

Tomato Hot Pepper Jam

• 2.5# Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes
• Mixed chilies to taste (2 Orange Habenero, 2 ripe red Jalapenos, 2 Fish, 2 Thai dragon)
• 2 cups sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• big pinch of sel gris

Mill everything tomatoes and peppers and combine in non-reactive pot with sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a slow boil and cook for 30 minutes skimming the foam.  Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, overnight.  Taste for seasoning and add more chillies or acid needed. Bring back to a boil and reduce to a medium heat, skimming and stirring frequently, cooking until it passes the plate test.  Ladle into prepared jars and process for 6 minutes.

Next year, I hope the tomato harvest aligns with the Rocoto Peppers.

What to do when you’re finally tired of using overgrown zucchinis as baseball bats

see also:

Applesauce -OR- What to do when you’re finally tired of using mushy Gravensteins as baseballs.

We planted several zucchini plants this year knowing full well that we’d have too many by half, but I was inspired by a friend to put up a . . . → Read More: Zucchini Bread]]> -OR-

What to do when you’re finally tired of using overgrown zucchinis as baseball bats

see also:

Applesauce -OR- What to do when you’re finally tired of using mushy Gravensteins as baseballs.

We planted several zucchini plants this year knowing full well that we’d have too many by half, but I was inspired by a friend to put up a freezer-full of zucchini bread.  We trudged through a few recipes that were alright-to-fine but I finally found one I really enjoyed, and what’s more, Kelsey enjoyed as well.  I know I’ve struck gold when Kelsey makes a favorable comment on something I’ve made instead of telling me what to do differently next time.

The golden recipe comes from SmittenKitchen but with the substitution of applesauce for the oil.  I have not actually tried her recipe as it’s written, but I’ve got to say, the applesauce really is nice.  Plus, I can throw some chocolate chips in it and not feel like a complete glutton.  I mean, there is virtually no fat in the damn thing.  Slather with butter.  Go ahead.  It’s ok.  It’s moist and sweet but not too sweet and by god everybody in the house likes it.  That’s good enough for me.

Almost SmittenKitchen’s Zucchini Bread

for 2 loaves:

3 eggs

1 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups AP flour

3 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup walnuts

some amount of chocolate chips perhaps, if one is feeling feisty.

Preheat oven to 350

Grate zucchini and let it drain in a colander in the sink as you bring the other ingredients together.

In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda, powder, salt and walnuts.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add applesauce and sugar and then the vanilla and zucchini.  Beat to combine and then add in the dry ingredients.  When just combined stir in chocolate chips, if using.

Butter and flour two loaf pans and fill ‘em up.  They’ll need to bake for about an hour but make sure to check and rotate half way through.

ALSO:  Once released from the pans, let them sit until they’ve cooled.  Cutting into hot bread makes the loaves gummy and disappointing.  I have learned this far too many times the hard way.

Puree half of the tomatoes and dice the rest.  Combine everything in non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 30 minutes skimming the foam as it comes up.  Turn off the heat and let . . . → Read More: Enigma]]> Tomato Serrano Jam

• 2# San Marzano Tomatoes, peeled
• 3 Serrano Chillies, sliced
• 3 cups sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• a couple of pinches of salt

Puree half of the tomatoes and dice the rest.  Combine everything in non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 30 minutes skimming the foam as it comes up.  Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, overnight.  It’s a good time to taste it and add more chillies if needed – three is a little short of where I’d like it but isn’t too spicy for my children to enjoy it.  Bring back to a boil and reduce to a medium heat, skimming and stirring frequently, cooking until it passes the plate test.  Ladle into prepared jars and process for 6 minutes.

Great with cheese, even better with peanut butter, bacon and bannanas.