Tasty!

Trying out a new indoor grill today, and made grilled sweet corn. Yummy! About as good as actually grilling on the outdoor gas grill (but it still can't compare to corn grilled in hot charcoal coals).  

Brush on some vegetable or canola oil, a little salt and pepper and 12 minutes on the indoor grill. Then a little butter......YUM!!!! (Still tender and juicy.........)

Pickled Cauliflower

So, yesterday was "single jar" pickling day. What is "single jar" pickling day, you may ask? It is the day that I decide to take odds and ends that I don't have enough of to really do much with, that are "pickleable" and pickle them, before they go bad. I call it "single jar" because it is usually enough stuff for one large jar of a pickle mix of some sort. This batch contains cauliflower, black olives, sweet onion and a few baby carrots.

So I began by toasting my pickling spices until I could smell them....but not burn them. I then added 4+ cups of white vinegar, about 4 cups of sugar and a cup of water. Of course, you can do this to taste OR use your favorite pickle brine...sweet or savory. 

While the sugar was melting, I broke apart the florets into bite sized pieces, cut the sweet onion into bite sized pieces, and put in a layer of cauliflower then a layer of onion and olive. I continue the pattern till all was gone. I then poked in 3 leaves from my allspice trees (optional) and also poked in a few baby carrots I had found in the fridge. 

Next, pour the pickling mixture over the veggies. And that was it. I wanted to make sure everything was covered, but because the veggies kept floating up, I took a heavy plastic ramekin, set it on top of the veg, put some brine in it to give it some weight, and that kept everything from floating to the top. Place the cover on the jar and let sit in the fridge for at least 1-2 weeks. When ready to eat, the ramekin can be removed (you won't need it at that point.)

 Because these are one offs, and I put the jar directly in the fridge when it cooled, I did not need to go through the canning process, except for the clean jar. If you plan on just putting your jar on the shelf, then you will need to go through the full canning process, for safety.

                                                  

 

Check Out My Saving the History Blog!

Hey All......Please take a gander at my new blog "Saving the History"

Sometimes things may cross between NCH and Saving the History, just as we sometimes cross with "Throwback Kitchen"  Even when we don't, I'm sure that you'll be finding interesting pieces for your reading pleasure, as well as links to the STH podcast!

Little Sprout

Earlier in the year, I potted a golden coconut, in hopes that at some point it would sprout. Sometime within the last 2 days, it did just that! If this one does well, it will be the second coconut palm that I started from "seed".

Coconuts can take a while to sprout, and this one took over 8 months. 

I will leave it in the pot until it gets to a decent size, then transplant it into the ground. Probably sometime next year. So, watch for updates on the little sprout!

They Provide Us With Our Food....

Don't they deserve our respect ?

Egg Storage

So you have your own chickens and are totally over run with eggs, or the grocery store had a sale that you just couldn't pass, and you stocked up! Now the question is.....what to do with them all????

If you eat alot of eggs or bake a lot, this won't really be an issue. If not, then you want to make sure that these eggs will keep. And it isn't as difficult as you may think! And at the 1840's Farm, the mud room acts as my storage area in the winter for eggs, vegetables and anything else that needs to stay cold. But the temperatures are rising and there are still many eggs, so what to do?

If you have your own chickens, as long as you haven't scrubbed the shell and removed the bloom (eggs natural protective coating), they should keep well, as is. However, store bought eggs will have the bloom scrubbed off, so you need to preserve them for the long storage.

To do this, simply use a little warm mineral oil and using your fingers (many people like to wear gloves), cover the entire egg with a layer of oil. Then, place point down back into the carton. Make sure that the entire egg is covered and sealed with the oil. The eggs may now be stored in the fridge, root cellar (and some even leave on the shelf), for up to a year! Note that the eggs should be turned at least once a month. This is done by simply turning the entire carton over.

When ready to use your eggs, if you want to make sure that they are good, simply place the egg in a glass of water. If it sinks, it's good. If it floats....out to the compost it goes.

Preserved eggs can be used in the same manner that fresh are, however be aware that the older the egg, the less  likely it is that you will be able to use the whites for meringue, as older whites won't whip up well. A small price to pay, however, for the ability to save your eggs long term.

So next sale, go ahead and stock up! You can store the extra eggs now.

It's Here!!!!

The sister blog of NCH, Throwback Kitchen is now online. It is just in the beginning stages, so please be patient as it grows. I hope that you have fun with it and will find both The New Century Homesteader and Throwback Kitchen both useful and enjoyable.

New Blog

Watch for my new blog, "Throwback Kitchen", begining soon. From the title, you probably have at least an idea as to what this blog will feature, so stay tuned. I think you will find it both unusual and enjoyable, as well as surprisingly useful!

Watch for New Link

I will soon be posting a new link for an agricultural and culinary history website that I am developing. Here's a little hint.....
This area is rapidly losing this part of it's history. It is my goal to see that this doesn't happen!

Stay Tuned!

Honey

I received a great packet from the Honey Board. Honey related beverages/cocktails/drinks.

The Honey Board is a great place to go for honey related information, recipes and questions that you may have about honey.
www.honey.com

Drying Sourdough Starter

I have so much extra starter, like 3 quart jars full. When I have to remove some starter from my crock at "feeding time", I hate to throw it away, so I would just put it in jars and stick it in the fridge. I would then use it as back up in case something went wrong with my crock, use for giveaways, etc. However, not many people that I know bake bread, so it builds quickly. And the jars are taking up space.

As a result, I have begun to dry the starter, a jar at a time. It is easy to do. (Pictures below, in order of steps.)

I place parchment paper on a platter or cookie sheet. I then spread a thin layer of starter on it, set in an out of the way place (where no dust is flying and little kitty paws can't disturb), and just let it air dry. (Oven or dehydration heat can affect the yeast.) When THROUGHLY dry,  I then peel off the paper (which you can reuse) and  break into small pieces. You can store in pieces or grind into a powder, which will be what I will do next. Store in dry, airtight jar.

Note that I always make sure that the starter is active before I dry it. So the jar that I am drying the contents of, is kept out of the fridge, and fed once a day (sometimes every other day) until I have dried it all. 

It's Alive! (Yay....)

In cleaning out the fridge, I found my sourdough starter. It has been in there for almost a year, but except for a bit of gray on the top (perfectly normal with all that sitting and no feeding), once that was removed all of the dormant starter was perfectly colored. So, I decided to see if it could be resurrected.

I took a few dollops out of the jar with a clean spoon, returned the rest to the fridge and placed the dollops in the crock that I had normally kept going starter in. I fed it twice a day for the last few days (1/2 c flour then 5/8 c water). As you can see , it is coming along beautifully.  I'm planning on some good sourdough rolls soon!

On Lilacs

It is too bad that lilac season is so early and so short. Not even around for the summer. I have a few lilac trees at 1840's Farm, but perhaps my favorite is the French. I love the color and the scent.

But, did you know that lilacs are edible? I had heard about a few things you could do with them, but hadn't looked too much into it until recently. The one thing that I have not tried as of yet, is a lilac sorbet. I have found that there are also lilac wines, honey, syrup and other things to make with the flower. So, next spring may be a bit busy. However, it will be difficult to cut those flowers off, as I do enjoy seeing them in the yard.

Pineapple Update

Well, we have the final piece for the pineapple that we have been watching.

It was harvested (and I forgot to take a picture....) and was so sweet. Now, the pineapple has finished one chapter and started a new one. The top is now going on to become a plant on it's own.

Berry Time!

The wild berries ripening are all over 1840's Farm. I'm getting these ready for the freezer. I like to spread them out on a cookie sheet first and let them freeze a bit, just so they don't freeze into a giant berry block. Then I'll bag them for pie making later on when I have the time.

Lunch

Yeow.....was doing some research in St Augustine for a book and stopped for lunch at Meehan's Backyard Island Cafe. Ordered the Monster Burger. HUGE....but so delish!  Slaw, goat cheese, bacon.....not something you'd have daily (or weekly) but what a treat!

Pineapple Update

Checking in on the little pineapple that we have been following on Facebook, it is now actually looking like a pineapple, albeit a "mini me" version. Still a long way to go.

The plant itself is also beginning to sprout "pups" (second pic). These are new little plants forming that will eventually produce a fruit themselves. This plant has 2 "pups starting so far.

A pineapple plant fruits only once.

Plumeria Blossoming

The Plumeria,  or "sticks" as we affectionately call them, are blooming. At least one is.

I just found out that, although the rest of the plant is toxic, the blossom is supposed to be edible. Anyone with experience in this?

1 Tbsp. Of Egg....

Click on to my Facebook page (see the button on the top left of the page), for a neat little FYI on eggs.

Tomato Time

Just processed 22 lbs of fresh picked tomatoes into sauce. So good!

Did you know that an easy way to peel tomatoes is to drop them in boiling water for a few minutes? The skins will crack. Then drop into a bowl of ice water for a minute or so. When you pull them out of the ice water, the skins will peel right off with your fingers, many times in a single piece. (Caution....tomatoes may still be hot even after ice water dip.)