Today's Thursday, Right?

Jeepers... I'm having a terrible time keeping the days straight this week. No idea why; it's not like I've been out of commission or anything- maybe it's because I have something scheduled for each day this week. I keep having little freak-out moments, like I've forgotten an appointment or something.

Besides that, yesterday was a BLAST at the fair. I got some great photos and we had a great time walking around and looking at the exhibits and animals. The only downside? We didn't check the schedule close enough, and all of the fiber animals (sheep, goats, alpacas, etc) weren't showing until today. Yep... so aside from the petting zoo, and a little bit in the artist's shop, there were no fleeces or fibers to be found. I did meet some really nice ladies though, in the fiber arts corner- there were a few spinners and weavers set up, so I chatted with them for a while. I think fiber people are some of the friendliest folks on the planet! (Oh, and in case you were wondering- yes, I bought a little bump of roving from the shop, as a consolation prize.)

• Speaking of consolation- Fiber Fusion is only one month away. Yahoo!
• Another update already? I just installed 7! Two iOS 8 update tips and tricks, courtesy of my dear friend Joe. 
• This recipe for pork chops with a chanterelle sauce sounds divine. I've never heard of skyr before, so I really appreciate 1) learning something new and 2) when acceptable substitutions for hard to find ingredients are provided in a recipe. 
• Ooh. Ginger Apple Cream Scones? Yes, please!
• My oven is about to get a workout... another version of a roasted tomato tart!
• Speaking of tomatoes: How to ripen the green ones. If you, like me, have a bunch of them on the vine as the weather starts to change, this could be invaluable. 
• Or, you could try pickling them. (And by pickling, I mean fermented, of course.)
• Looking for some sheepy goodness on Twitter? Check out @herdyshepherd1 for some fantastic pics. 

What have you been checking out online this week?

Pickle Verdict: WIN!

I'm really impressed with the Bread & Butter pickle recipe that I wrote about last week. Everyone who has tried them raves about how great they taste... and those zucchini pickles? Fabulous! The flavor of the zucchini still comes through, and they're a tiny bit milder since I skipped the onions & garlic. The only criticism I have of the zucchini test batch is that they're really squeaky when chewed! How funny is that? The cukes aren't noisy, so I'm not sure why these turned out that way.

Another thing I really like about this recipe is that my test batches were made as refrigerator pickles and not canned, but both the zucchini and cucumber batches picked up the flavor and were ready to eat in about a week. So, if you're not really into canning a whole batch (the recipe calls for 6 pounds of cucumbers!) it's worth making a little batch of brine and going the fridge route.

The original recipe is from The Big Book of Preserving The Harvest, by Carol Costenbader. The recipe I'm sharing today varies slightly from that, based on adjustments I made after trying the test batch.

6 pounds cucumbers, sliced 1/8th inch thick
1 large white onion, quartered and sliced 1/8th inch thick
4 cloves garlic, also sliced 1/8th inch thick
1/3 cup salt
Ice cubes

In a Very Large bowl (or two Large bowls), combine the sliced cukes, onion, garlic and salt. Mix well, and cover with ice cubes. Let stand for 3 hours. (In case you're wondering why: This step draws out some of the moisture from the cucumbers, as well as reducing any bitterness they may have. It also mellows the bite of the onion and garlic.)

For the brine:

4 cups white vinegar
3 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons brown mustard seeds

In an 8 quart saucepan, combine the brine ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. While this mixture is coming up to temperature, drain and rinse the cucumbers, onion and garlic. Let them drip dry for a little bit, to get out any extra water.

Once the brine comes to a boil, add the drained veggies and reduce the heat. Simmer this together for 5 minutes. After the time is up, pack your pickles into sterilized pint jars and top off with brine, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Put on the lids and bands per the manuafacturer's directions. Oh, and the original recipe says it yields 7 pints... I got 7 pints (which I canned) and a quart (fridge). Your mileage may vary...

If you want to can your pints, it's a 10 minute waterbath at sea-level; be sure to adjust for altitude if needed. Otherwise, let them cool on the counter for an hour and then put them in your refrigerator. I let mine rest in the chill box for a week, to let all of the flavors meld. Since this is a new recipe for me, I have no idea how long they will last as refrigerator pickles- but I can tell you we'll eat all of them long before they can spoil. They're *that* good.

For the zucchini- I just subbed that in for the cucumbers, and because I wasn't sure about how the texture was going to turn out, I skipped the onion and garlic. Now that I know they'll hold up, I'll try another batch according to my adjusted recipe.

What's your favorite pickle recipe? Come share it over on Facebook!

Gadzooks

I've kind of been chuckling at all of the photos of zucchini that people are posting on Facebook... it's that time of year when, if you turn your back for a moment, all of a sudden you're knee-deep in summer squash. I think there are worse problems to have, personally, but these plants can easily overwhelm you with food if you don't have a plan.

We eat as much of it as we can as it comes in. I think the easiest way to make them is to just cut them in half, brush them with some olive oil, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper, and then toss them on the grill. Cut side down first, and then flip them over... it takes maybe 5 minutes total to cook them, depending on how big they are. Take them off the grill when they're just tender, grate on a little parmesan (or hard cheese of your choice- I also like romano or asiago) and serve. Tasty!

It just keeps coming!

My go-to for dispatching large piles of zucchini is to break out the mandoline and the dehydrator. Slice the squash about 1/4 of an inch thick, and arrange them on they dehydrator tray so that they're just barely touching each other, but only one layer thick. Let them dry until they start to crisp up; it takes about 12 hours or so, depending on the humidity where you are. I usually dry mine unseasoned for cooking, but my mom likes to eat the chips as a snack, so this year I'm going to try a seasoned batch to see how they turn out. 

Today, I've decided to take a stab at pickling some. Last week, I made a test batch of bread and butter pickles with some cucumbers I'd picked, based on a recipe from The Big Book of Preserving The Harvest, by Carol Costenbader and they turned out to be fantastic. So good, in fact, that now I want to see what happens with zucchini. That's another great thing about summer squash- if you experiment and don't like it, it's no big loss. So, keep an eye out for the post on that, next week. (It'll go in a jar today, and I'll give it three or four days to rest in the fridge before I try it...)

What do you do with all of your incoming zucchini?

Thursday Links

It's raining today- has been for the past three days, actually- and it's getting under my skin a bit. First, because it's July and this is the one time of year where we're supposed to be able to count on sunshine. Second, this isn't our usual rain... it's been absolutely pouring. This is the kind of rain we usually only see in movies about Seattle, not the misty drizzle we're accustomed to.

On the plus side, my rainbarrels are full again. (One was completely empty on Monday.) Also a plus- I can sit here in the studio with my spinning wheel later on, and not feel guilty about "wasting" any nice weather.
I'm also thinking about baking cookies. In July.

Anyhoo...Here's what caught my eye online, this week:

• I love portable foods. These Spicy Tuna Cakes from Nom Nom Paleo look like they totally fit the bill.
• It's pickle time! This giardiniera from Smitten Kitchen is at the top of my to-pickle list. (Yes, I actually have one.)
• Alex loves using hot sauce. I think I'll make this one for him, from Nourished Kitchen.
• Have you ever tried saving your own seeds? This article from Hobby Farms has some really good info.
• A thunderstorm every night? I need to go visit Venezuela. 
• (Affiliate Link Alert) There's still time left for fall planting! Cooks Garden is offering free shipping on any order to Acorn and Thistle readers through the end of July. Use Code AFFC74DD when checking out at CooksGarden.com.

What's caught your eye this week? Any recipes, tips or tricks that you want to share with the group? Stop by Facebook and let us know!

Thursday Links

Hey everyone! Here's a collection of things that caught my eye this week:

• This new-to-me website for canning supplies! Pantry Paratus has a bunch of interesting and useful kitchen supplies. I like it so much, in fact, that I've signed up to be an affiliate. Check out their ad in the sidebar to the right- if you click through and buy something, I'll get a small commission from them. (It's just like that little Amazon box down below... if you buy anything from Amazon through that widget -whether it's something I've listed or not- then I get a little money as well. It all adds up, so keep an eye out for some new advertisers, coming soon!)

• I enjoyed reading this article in Mother Earth News about urban homesteading. It reminded me of when we lived in the city, and how it's possible to live simply and be sustainable, even if you don't have a lot of property to work with. 

• The drought in California is scary stuff, considering how much of our country's food is grown there. Just one more reason to plant your own!

• Another new-to-me blog that I'm loving is Edible Perspective. The author, Ashley McLaughlin, has a great writing style and I am really impressed with her photography. Check out her Photography 101 collection for some great tips on how to take better photos.

• Speaking of photography, here are some more fantastic photos. I love visiting National Parks!!

• I want to make these bread and butter pickles. I have a couple of months to wait, though, I think. Patience, grasshopper. 

• I'm really excited to go here this weekend. If you happen to be in the area, you should go too! If you're not, follow me on Twitter (@acornandthistle) and Instagram (acornandthistle) for updates as I wander around. 

• This article about rabbit recipes in my local newspaper has me thinking about dinner already. Hmm, which one to choose?!?! 

What have you been reading about this week? 

Food Preservation- An Overview

There's a lot of information out there about canning, which is a pretty great thing, in my opinion. Often times, though, it can be overwhelming to read a story about how the writer processed and canned a couple hundred pounds of, say, tomatoes- in just two days! I love the idea of doing that, don't get me wrong- but for most people, unless you're planning on taking a day off from work and/or inviting some friends over, it's just not practical. 

I don't know about you, but for me, if something is impractical or inconvenient I find it difficult to fit it into my day- let alone make it a routine. This is where knowing your options comes in handy, and a really great place to start is over at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. There are also a number of excellent bloggers out there who focus on food preservation, but I'm getting ahead of myself already. 

Freezing. Dehydrating. Canning. Fermenting/Pickling. Curing/Smoking. These are all ways to store different foods, and in many cases can be done in small batches so that it's not a huge time commitment. Freezing can be as simple as doubling a recipe, and packaging up the extra half for another time. I do that often when I make soups- I'll freeze up individual portions in jars, so we have them for later. (Yes, you can freeze in glass. You just have to allow space for expansion- I'll go over this in another post.)

Dehydrating is a great way to preserve things- and you can do it with more than just fruit. If you're a hiker or a camper, getting into dehydrating your trail/camp foods can save you a chunk of change. Vegetables (hello, zucchini), herbs, meats and even some soups can all be dried at home. I have a dehydrator that I use, but an oven works just fine, if you're just wanting to try it out. Remember, people have been dehydrating things since long before our modern appliances came around, so you don't need fancy gear to get started. 

Canning... oh, how I love canning! Taking fresh, in-season food and making it shelf stable is practically magic, in my book. Yes, there are safety issues that you need to be aware of - like botulism - but once you know the rules it's easy to play the game. There are TONS of great resources for canning; tried-and-true recipes, that will turn out safe to store as well as delicious, provided you follow the instructions.

Fermenting and Pickling are also great ways to preserve things, and they go way beyond the sandwich pickles that you find in the grocery store. Sauerkraut, kimchi, giardiniera- I think nearly every culture in the world has their own signature fermented/pickled dish. Fermenting takes a little more time, but that's how it was done, before you could go buy gallon jugs of vinegar. Not that there's anything wrong with a quick pickle... they certainly have their place too. 

I haven't done much curing and smoking, for no reason other than I just haven't gotten around to it. I do, however, have plans to build a smoker this year. I love smoked salmon, so when that season comes around, I want to take a stab at it. Of all the methods above, though, curing and smoking do take the most time but a good portion of that is hands-off. 

Of course, these are just broad categories to describe the processes you can use to preserve things. We'll go over each one in more detail over the next few weeks, complete with recipes and links to other great sites to get you started. Until then, check out the basics over at the National Center, and start thinking about your favorite preserved foods so we can talk about them over on Facebook!

What's your favorite method of preserving?