Breakfast on the Go

Now that the chickens are in full production mode again, I like to find ways to use up large numbers of eggs at a single time. Hard boiled is definitely a mainstay, but switching it up from time to time is definitely appreciated. Enter the "mini-quiche"- it's a quick way to use up nearly a dozen eggs in one shot, and line up breakfasts ahead of time.

(Now that I think about it, it's probably more accurate to call them mini-frittatas, as there's no cream or milk in the eggs. Call them whatever you want- but definitely give them a shot!)

Here's what you need:

Muffin Pan
10 eggs
3T water
Ricotta cheese
One bag of baby spinach, lightly chopped
8 medium-sized mushrooms, diced
1 large shallot (or small onion), diced
Olive oil or Butter
Salt and Pepper

First, in a large skillet or frying pan, saute your shallot and mushrooms in the fat of your choice.

Once the shallot is translucent, go ahead and add your spinach. Put the lid on the pan for a couple of minutes, to wilt the spinach faster, and then finish the saute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Get your muffin pan ready. Be sure to grease the cups well, or the eggs will stick. Divide the sauteed veg evenly between the 12 cups. Add a teaspoon-ish sized dollop of ricotta to the center of each cup.

In a large bowl, scramble your 10 eggs along with the 3T of water with a whisk, until the egg mixture is nice and smooth. Pour gently over the veg and cheese, dividing evenly.

Bake in the center of a 300F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are set and very lightly browned at the edges.

Let the pan cool completely, and then move them from the muffin tin to a freezer safe dish before storing in the freezer. To serve, I just warm them up in the microwave for about 1 minute or so. You could also reheat them in the oven, if you're not a microwave fan- just thaw them overnight in the fridge, first.

Besides being portable and fast, these little egg cups are easily customized. Bacon and Cheddar? Ham and Swiss? What about some taco meat and beans, for a spicy start to your day? The possibilities are endless! Just remember to cook your "filling" thoroughly first, or you'll need to adjust the baking time/temp.

What's your favorite make-ahead breakfast?

Venison Stew

A friend gifted us with a lovely venison roast from a recent hunting trip- seriously, if you aren't a hunter, make sure you're at least friends with one. I happen to love venison; it is a stronger flavored meat than beef, but I don't think it's as "gamey" as some of the others out there. Alex, on the other hand, seems to pick up on that flavor and isn't as big a fan of it as I am. (Which is pretty much the only reason we haven't gone deer hunting yet...)

Anyway- back to the roast. Alex saw a recipe on Facebook that looked pretty good at first glance, but when I dug into it a little further- and by that I mean I actually read the recipe, and didn't just drool over the photo- it seemed like it needed some work, for my tastes. The one thing that really stuck out at me was the mention that tomato sauce or vinegar can be used to tame some of the gaminess of the meat, if you're so inclined. So, with that in mind, I grabbed my slow cooker and started thinking.

First, I trimmed off some bits of silver skin that were there, just because I have a "thing" about weird chewy bits of meat. Then, I seasoned the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and the let that rest while I heated a frying pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil was nice and hot, I placed the roast in the pan and seared the meat for a few minutes on each side, in order to get some really nice carmelization going.

While the meat was searing, I chopped up some veggies: onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. As I've mentioned before- I hardly ever measure when I'm making things like this, so... maybe a cup to 2 cups of each, except the celery, which was probably a little bit less by proportion. These were all cut into relatively similar-sized pieces, so that they'd all cook at the same rate.

For the stew base, I used a package of Lipton's (kosher) Onion Soup mix. I know that might sound weird, seeing as how I'm a huge proponent of making things yourself, but I'll tell you what- there are just some things I won't make without it. So, into the crock went the soup mix and the veggies, and the nicely seared roast went in on top of that. I de-glazed my searing pan with some hot water; once the little stuck bits were dissolved I put that liquid into the crock as well. Then, I topped it all off with some boiling water, just up to the level of the veggies. The last ingredient was a pint of plain tomato sauce, from the pantry. I gave the top a little stir, just to incorporate the tomato sauce, then on went the lid and away I went.

Some hours later, everything was finished cooking and the house smelled amazing. I fished out the roast and set it aside to carve up into bite sized chunks. Once that was out f, I added some corn starch in water (maybe 2T in a 1/4 cup of cold water) to thicken the sauce a little bit more. I also threw on a pot of egg noodles to boil, but you could use rice or another grain if you prefer. I finished cubing up the meat, and put that back into the pot while we waited on the noodles. once they were done, I dished everything up and we dug in.

The verdict? Alex was positively over the moon about it! The addition of the tomato sauce really surprised me; it added a nice depth of flavor to the stew and while the venison still tasted like venison (thank goodness!) he said it wasn't gamey at all. I couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out.

What's your favorite way to cook venison?

Web Surfing

One of the Inky Cap mushrooms.

Here's a snippet of what I've been checking out online this week. You know, in between running around snapping photos of mushrooms, knitting, spinning, working on the sock machine and putting up the last odds and ends from the garden. I don't know what I'd do with all the free time, if I didn't have so many interests!

• This post regarding Vitamin D deficiencies is pretty interesting. Decreased D levels are linked to many things, and particularly here in the PNW, our levels can drop dramatically as daylight decreases. 
• Potted Cheese with Bacon and Shallots, what? This would be perfect to have on hand through the holidays for the impromptu cocktail hour. (I'm going to make two batches, one with Port added- Port and Cheddar are one of my favorite combos. I'll keep you posted!)
• As always, some great insight from the Head Farm Steward- this time regarding raising pigs. We're hoping one of the neighbors (from the beef project) will raise pigs next year. If so, that means broiler chickens are on us. Well, we're probably doing that anyway, but I need to sort out the logistics over the winter. But pigs! I'd love to run a few pigs myself, someday. 
• Thai Stir Fried Chicken with Chile Jam, courtesy of David Lebovitz; already on the list for dinner next week.
• Local Fibery folks- don't forget Fiber Fusion this weekend! I'm looking forward to spending the day there on Saturday, to meet up with the ladies from the local spinning guild (I'm thinking about joining!) and to take a class in the afternoon. 
• Jane Goodall... such an amazing woman, and definitely on my Hero list. (If you like her too, check out her talk on TED.)

Alrighty, then... time for me to get moving today! I need to hurry and get the yarn I'm working on wrapped up, so my wheel is free for class on Saturday. What have you been up to, lately?

Links: Craft Daily Free Trial, TBT Video and More!

How's the knitting coming along? I'm loving how my cowl is turning out, and my mind is blown by how the moebius is actually coming together. I understand the concept, but it's another thing entirely to see it in action on the needles. Crazy! Post photos of your work in progress (WIP) over on the Facebook page!

Also, while I'm thinking about FB- please feel free to post harvest photos while you're there too! It's a community page, after all, and I'd love to hear from you. 

Ready for some links? Here we go:

• This one is HUGE so I'm putting at the top. Craft Daily is offering another completely free 4 day trial, and sign-ups start today.  I signed up for the last one, and I can't tell you how great the site is- there are over 500 videos on pretty much every craft imaginable- fiber arts, jewelry, papercraft, and more. Anyway- CLICK HERE NOW and use the code CDFT500 to sign up. (Registration for the free trial closes on Monday, so don't miss out!) 
• Did you see my post over on GRIT this week? If not, click here. 
• It's not too late to think about cold frames.
• A new to me blog, all about cooking on a wood cookstove.  Now, I don't have a wood cookstove, but I do have a wood burning stove that we use just about daily, in the winter. It'd be nice to learn how to cook on it better- other than just for emergencies and random baked potatoes.
• I really like recipes that can be adapted to use what you have on hand... and take the thinking out of what to make for dinner. This "Easy No-Recipe Frittata" definitely fits the bill tonight!
• Swimming in basil, still? I wish I was! Here's a great pesto recipe from The Elliot Homestead that will use up the last of your basil before the frost hits.
• An oldie but a goodie on introverts, from The Atlantic.  Fall, by its very nature, seems to really have an effect on us. 
• TBT: The Carol Burnett Show... bloopers. Because sometimes you just need to see Tim Conway and Harvey Korman together. 

Have a great day, everyone! 

Around The Web

Recently, on the interwebs...

• Green Tomato Chutney, from Food in Jars. 
• Wafflized (yes, that's officially a word now) Hash Browns? Oh MY!
• This one's a two-fer. The enchilada sauce recipe looks great, but the photos of fall in the Colorado mountains take the cake!
• Insect repelling plants to add to your garden next season. 
• Tips for fall lawn maintenance that will give you a head start next year.
• ...and other tips for your garden, to put it to bed for the winter.
• Have you seen this time lapse of the Aral Sea going dry? Scary stuff, that... and it was intentional.  
• Ebola in the US... wonderful. 
• And on a lighter note, How to Use an Apostrophe, courtesy of The Oatmeal. 

Happy Thursday, Everyone!

Around the Web

Happy Thursday, everyone! If you're with me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have already seen the photo of my "new" Circular Sock Machine. I will freely admit that I'm a bit smitten, and a lot of my online activities this week have been fiber-related. Blame the weather change... I can't help it.

Speaking of weather changes- ours has shifted dramatically in the last 48 hours or so- to the point where my tomatoes are exhibiting blight-like symptoms, and nearly everything else is being taken over with powdery mildew. Warm + Humid this time of year is not a good thing for the garden. Everything is on its last legs, anyway, so resistance to any pathogen is decreased. I'll be ripping out plants in between rainstorms, to salvage what fruits and veg that I can, and destroying the infected plant material so that the pathogens can't overwinter in my garden or compost.

• Tomato blight is destructive and FAST- here are some precautions you can take. 
• Powdery Mildew... nearly every gardener's nemesis. 
• Fall is a good time to pick up new chickens if you need to add to your flock. Here is an article on quarantining, and why you should do it. 
• I love, love, love rooftop gardens like this one. Not to get too soapbox-y about it, but I think they should be a requirement in most cities. 
• I don't know which I like more- the foliage photos or the chowder recipe. Jen's blog, Use Real Butter, never disappoints!
• Smoked Salmon. Need I say more?

Don't forget to stop by Facebook and vote on the project you'd like to do for the Knit Along next month. Remember, these are both great projects for beginners, so it's a great opportunity to learn!

What have you been checking out online this week? 

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?

Making Stock

I use a lot of stock in the kitchen, for everything from the base of a soup to cooking rice or other grains. Does a recipe call for adding water? I'll often sub in stock instead, as it adds nutrients and depth of flavor that water alone can't bring.

Canned or boxed stock from the grocery store can get pretty spendy, though. Even if you skip the organic, and wait until the cans are on sale, you're still (at best) paying dollar for 12 ounces of stock- along with the extras like preservatives and too much salt. Sure, the cans are handy to have in a pinch, but I'd much rather make my own. Not only does that let me control the salt level, but making my own stock lets me use up scraps from the kitchen that would otherwise go to waste.

I keep a designated container in the freezer for veggie scraps. It's nothing fancy, just a one gallon zip-top bag. Every time I cook, I put whatever vegetable trimmings from cooking that meal into the bag, until it's filled. I mostly just keep onion ends and skins, garlic bits, carrot peels and ends, celery leaves, tomato cores and the occasional parsnip for my stock because those are the veggies I prefer. I leave out all brassicas- things like cabbage and broccoli are a little too funky in stock, and potatoes because they'd break down and make everything cloudy. Nothing moldy or slimy- it has to be good enough to eat, after all.

Next comes the chicken... I love making a roasted chicken for dinner. When I don't have time to do it myself, I don't mind picking up a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. For $7 we can get at least two meals out of one chicken; even more once you factor in the stock. The bones are really what we're after; once we have our main meal, I'll take whatever meat is left and set that aside for leftovers. If my veggie scrap bag is full, then we move straight on to stock. If not, the bones go in their own container in the freezer, until all of the ingredients are ready.

Once I have everything I need, I break out my roasting pan. The bones and veggies all go in the oven, for at least an hour, at 300F. Roasting them together brings out a whole lot of flavor, and while it's not technically necessary, I think it's worth taking the extra time and wouldn't skip the step. Next, I take everything out of the oven, and the contents of the roasting pan goes into my slow-cooker. I add water to the roasting pan, to loosen up any of the pan drippings- exactly like I would to make gravy. The pan drippings go in the slow-cooker as well, and then I top it off the rest of the way with more water, making sure everything is covered with liquid. On goes the lid, the temperature gets set to low, and I walk away. Well, mostly away. I'll walk back occasionally to stir and check the seasonings- stock definitely needs a little salt, once in a while. I find though, that if my chicken was seasoned well enough to begin with, adjustments are slight.

The longer I can let this cook, the better. This is where my stock crosses over into bone broth territory; I don't consider my stock done until the large bones (like from a drumstick) have softened and start to crumble. What's happened by this time is that the water has begun demineralizing the bone, pulling out calcium and bringing a ton of minerals and amino acids into play. Bone broths are nutritional powerhouses, and are a cornerstone of many traditional diets.

Once I see the bones start to soften, I separate the liquid from the solids by using a colander lined with cheesecloth. The bones and veggies have given up all that they have by this point, so once everything is strained, the cheesecloth bundle goes straight out to the trash. The stock then goes into the fridge, covered, for an overnight chill to make defatting the stock easier. The fat will solidify on top of the stock, making it easy to lift or skim off.

After it's been defatted, I'll either can or freeze my stock, depending on how much time I have. Either way works just fine. Since stock is considered a low-acid food, it needs to be canned in a pressure canner, for about 20 minutes- which ends up being around an hour total with the warm up and cool down factored in. (So yeah, I freeze a lot of stock, except after Thanksgiving, when I have turkey stock to contend with. Bigger carcass means LOTS more stock.)

If you wanted to make some vegetable-only stock, you wouldn't need to cook it for nearly as long- just simmer a couple of hours on the stove, after roasting the veggies at say, 250F or so. Besides that, the possibilities are endless... Beef, Pork, Rabbit, Chicken- those stocks are all made the same way, either with or without veggies added. I think fish stock is done differently, but I don't know for sure. (If I need a fish-based broth, I just use bonito flakes. It's way easier to store.)

Do you make your own stock?

Around the Web

Port Gardner Bay, 2011

Sunsets are coming earlier and earlier- we're losing between 3 and 5 minutes of daylight, daily- and I can definitely feel it. I love our extra-long summer days, and I know this is the trade off... but still! And the mornings definitely have that fall chill... the thermometer read 40F when I let the dogs out this morning. All told, it makes this a busy time for folks like me who have lots to do outside, still.

I have taken a little time off from the outside chores, though, to peruse the interwebs-  and here's what I found:

• This Fig Jam from WellPreserved looks fabulous.
• An interesting read on another aspect of the local food movement. (Thanks, Val!)
• Cheers to San Francisco, where leaders are looking to boost the urban farming movement.
• So long, iPod- it's been fun. 
• These potato skins look perfect for foodball football season!
• A rabbit ravioli recipe! Whole Larder Love, indeed. 
• Brilliant! A fermenting glossary from Phickle. 
• Beautiful harvest pics from my favorite Matron. I can only hope to have as productive a plot, one day. 

What have you been checking out online this week? 

Making Yogurt

I'm kind of fussy when it comes to yogurt. I like a few of the brands out there, but more often than not I find most commercial yogurts to be thin and overly sugared. Perhaps worst of all, I'm seeing more and more brands of yogurt with so-called "added fiber" in the form of inulin (a.k.a chicory root extract, or fructoogliosaccharides) on their ingredients list, which I'm totally intolerant of. Between that, and all of the preservatives... well, I'll just pass, thanks.

Besides, it's really easy to make yogurt at home. I have this little 1 quart yogurt maker that I bought a few years back, and I love it. I think calling them "yogurt makers" is sort of a misnomer, but yogurt incubator just sounds weird, I guess. That's all it does, though: keeps the temperature at a cozy 110F or so, which is perfect for the bacteria to work their magic.

The recipe I use is equally simple:

• 1 Quart Whole Milk (1/4 cup set aside to thin starter yogurt)
• 1/2 cup yogurt. I use a Greek-style yogurt with as many different kinds of live cultures as I can find. (Zoi, Oikos and Fage are all ones I've tried, with success.)
• 2 Tablespoons powdered milk. This is not necessary, but I use it to boost the protein and make a thicker yogurt. Feel free to use or omit, as you choose.

First, I take the milk and powdered milk, and stir them together in a saucepan over medium heat. My goal is to bring the milk up to a low boil, without scorching it. Once it starts boiling, I take it off the heat and set the pot aside, so it cools back down to somewhere between room temperature and 110F.

While that's heating up, I like to pour the reserved 1/4 cup of milk into a small measuring cup, and add the 1/2 cup of yogurt, stirring gently until well blended. I try to get rid of as many yogurt lumps as possible, so that it's evenly distributed throughout the batch when all is said and done. I also prefer to get this done as early in the process as I can, so that the yogurt starts coming up to room temperature. In my mind, the bacteria needs to wake up from their refrigerator-induced slumber and could use the head start. I may just be projecting, though... not being a morning person, and all.  

Once the milk has cooled, I add in the thinned yogurt. If the milk is still on the warm side, I'll temper it by adding some of the warm milk to the thinned yogurt first, much like you'd do making an egg custard. It brings them closer to temperature, without shocking the thinned yogurt with an abrupt change in temp. Once everything is combined and smooth, I fill the jars per the manufacturer's instructions and put them in the maker. I leave the jar lids off but put the machine lid on, and set the timer for 12 hours. Once the 12 hours is up, the jars come out, lids go on, and into the fridge they go for about 3- 4 hours to stop the culturing process. 

Once chilled, they're ready to eat. I like mine over some granola with honey or maple syrup for a little sweetness. If you prefer fruit yogurts, just add a dollop of your favorite jam right before eating. No preservatives, nothing you can't pronounce... just happy, yogurt-y goodness!

(Want more info on making yogurt at home? Check out this page over at Cultures For Health! They have a TON of information on all sorts of cultured foods.)

What's your favorite way to eat yogurt?


PS: This post has been shared on the Homestead Blog Hop. Click  the link to see more like-minded posts from around the web!

It's Link Time!

The more I put these link lists together, the more I realize that I gravitate towards food blogs. Not like that's a bad thing, really, but still... I need to search out some other things to share, besides just recipes. How about you leave a comment, here or on Facebook, and tell me about a favorite website you visit regularly? I'm always looking for new stuff to read. 

• C is for cookie... and these Peanut Butter Cup Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches are for me!
• MMMM! Porcini Mushroom Lasagna. I will have to stalk my farmer's market for fresh mushrooms. 
• Kohlrabi is one of my favorite veggies, so I tend to forget that it's kind of uncommon. If you see some at your market- buy it, and make this salad. Can't find mustard greens? Sub in a spicy microgreen mix, instead. 
• I have Potato Envy. There, I said it. After digging a couple of my bins up last week, I'm sad to say I'm  probably going to be disappointed again with our yield. I'm working on troubleshooting and coming up with a plan for next year- more on that to come. Until then, check out Susy's garden to see what potatoes are supposed to do. 
• It's no secret that I love pickles. Did you know, though, that I love both kinds? Here's a great explanation by Amanda over at Phickle, about the difference between fermented and canned pickles. 
• I really want to get into mushroom hunting. What's not to love about going for a hike and coming back with food?
• Are you guys watching the Outlander series on Starz? I've been a huge fan of the books since the first one came out, so I was a little leery about TV adaptation. What do you think, so far? If you haven't read them yet, and are looking for something to keep you busy through the winter- I highly recommend checking them out!
• Genius smartphone photo tips... it's well worth the three minutes to watch the video.

That about wraps it up for today! Have you had a chance to think about what you want to see more of here on Acorn and Thistle? Do let me know- I want to hear from you! 

Link Love

Now that I've had some time to settle in and get caught up on the latest happenings online, I've found a handful of links for you to peruse this weekend. Enjoy!

• First up: Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam from Food52. I've never had tomato jam, but this one makes me want to try it!
• Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Pardon me, I may just faint. 
• Wait, what? Ricotta Ice Cream!
• I would love to make one of these quilts, with patches from all of the National Parks. 
• We don't have a glut of eggs yet, but we did get 7 from the ladies yesterday. So, this article on preserving eggs just might come in handy soon.  
• Forager|Chef: a new-to-me blog that makes me hungry. Really Hungry. 
• Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Honey! Oh hell yes.

Finally- a question for you, dear reader: What do you want to see more of? The gardening season is definitely starting to wind down; preserving will take over for a while, but even that is short-lived. Before we know it, Autumn and Winter will be here and with them comes "inside time". I want to make sure that this place stays relevant for you, so please, take a moment to leave me a comment here or on Facebook- I want to know how you pass the time during the winter! 

Around the Web

It's Thursday already? Must be time to surf the internet, then!

• Little known tidbit about me: I collect old science-related books- particularly botany and medicine... so this digitization project looks super cool to me! 
• Alex has surprised me with a quick trip to my favorite place, for our anniversary: Glacier National Park, MT- how cool is that? Second best thing to actually going there is looking at this blog and his videos of the trails. 
• Summer Squash and Corn Pancakes Oooh!
• Who knew calves playing together in a field could be so cute? 
• I've had this song stuck in my head for days, now... their harmonies are wonderful. If you like their sound, here's another one from them, too. (The second is a little more upbeat...)

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!

Around the Web

Peeping Chicken. One of the lesser-known
perils of having a home office. 

One of the (many) nice things about making apple butter is that it takes a long time to do it right. Cooking it slow and low, until all of the sugars and flavors condense down...not only does it make for good food, but having a pot on the stove means I can justify staying inside and surfing the internet for interesting stuff.
Plus, the house smells heavenly...

• Some of the new girls should start laying eggs for us any day, now. Read this piece from The Chicken Chick to see how I can tell. 

• While we're talking about roasted tomatoes- I totally want to make up a batch of this salsa.

• I have big plans for the spring. (Seriously, I try to live in the moment, but... there's always a list!) This post from Chism Heritage Farm is going in my prep file for raising meat birds next year. 

• Do you make your own yogurt? I do, and I've often wondered if heating the milk first was really necessary... check out NW Edible Life for the answer.  

• I'm always on the lookout for new blogs to read... CraftyPod is my current rabbit hole. Check out her tutorial videos on English Paper Piecing!

• It's peak blackberry time here. This scone recipe from Fat of the Land looks wonderful!

• Here's another new-to-me blog, called Twill Power. Lots of great weaving info and inspiration! Speaking of weaving... I'm going to be warping my loom today, for a new project. You know, since I'm tethered to the stove and all. ;-)

Time to process some more apples. Oh! Speaking of apples... the cider is starting to ferment- there's foam building and I even saw my first bubble from the airlock today. The test batch is totally old school- wild yeast only. Cross your fingers!

Have you come across anything interesting this week? Share it with me over on Facebook!

Friday Photos

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend planned.

It's been another busy one here, so I'm just going to get right to the week in photos:

Echinacea

Fig!!

Psst... Maggie- it's finished!

Fledgling Robin. Saw it yesterday as Mom walked it farther away from the chickens.
 Looks to be doing well!

GIANT SLUG

'Cause I'm Happy...

Potato farm up the road.

Tomato Jungle!

Volunteer potatoes. One plant... 12 tubers. Woo Hoo!

And since I wasn't able to post yesterday's usual collection of links (hello, migraine), here are a couple of links that I had set aside as interesting:

• We don't have tomato hornworms here, but I understand they're quite the problem in some places. If you happen to be in one of those areas (Hi Karen!), you may find this article from Hobby Farms helpful.
• Speaking of tomatoes... here's a handful of recipes from Gardener's Supply. That Bloody Mary mix sure looks good!

Is your garden starting to wind down or are you still running to keep up with harvesting your goodies? Pop on over to Facebook and let me know!

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!

Around the Web

Here's what I've been checking out online this week:

• Garden Zones get adjusted ever so slightly from time to time, so I thought I'd double check mine (7b). This handy link to the National Gardening Association's zone finder will take you to a page where you can just enter your zip code, instead of trying to sort it out on a map. Handy!

• Grow Your Own Food Summit- a free, online event being held in July. Check out this intro video to get a feel for the event, and then sign up through the link on the right to reserve your spot today. 

• Make some fruit leather. Also, pay attention to the part where they say to not use waxed paper. Seriously... I missed that bit, and tried a couple of trays of blueberry on paper. It's stuck like glue!

• This is an interesting story about Burt's Bees co-founder. I'm looking forward to watching the documentary.

• Another great post from the Head Farm Steward. I have a tendency to jump into things with both feet, so I really appreciate the perspective/warning. 

• I've sent off an email to these folks about becoming a volunteer at their goat rescue. Cross your fingers!

• Keeping a watchful eye on the drought in California. 

• You had me at Nutella. Adding raspberries, though? Brilliant.

• Must. Make. These!

Don't forget to check in on Facebook before Monday to help me pick a Craftsy class to take and review. I always appreciate your input!

What's grabbed your attention this week?

Thursday Links

Hello again!

Two things before we start: 

• I checked in with the folks at GRIT and my post from Tuesday should be up later today. They're a little behind due to vacation coverage ('tis the season!) but expect to be caught up shortly. I'll post the link over on FB when it's live, for convenience. 
• I'll be putting the produce bag giveaway up on FB later today as well! We hit over 100 likes this week, so it's a great way for me to say Thanks to you and to celebrate. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled Link Love: 

• THIS concept is fantastic. It's the second time I've seen it mentioned in the last couple of weeks, so I'm hopeful that it will gain some traction. Maybe, just maybe, some forward thinking developers would try this in our area, instead of just cramming hundreds of homes on only a few acres. 
• Interesting. I'll keep it in mind now that fresh produce will start accumulating in my kitchen. 
• YUM. We use our grill year round, but nothing says summer like grilling up some ribs. 
• And more yum! I must be hungry. Now that the days are longer, we're starting to build a backlog of eggs, and this  frittata looks like a good way to make a dent in the pile.
• It's not my imagination...we really are having an awful caterpillar year.  
• Hey look, more food. I have a sorrel plant that's been in my garden for a few years and is woefully underused. I love the tartness of the leaves, but wasn't sure what to do with it. This recipe looks like a great place to start. 
• Plant more heirloom seeds. This article about the number of seeds that are patented by companies is disturbing. 

Ok, that's enough for now. Time to get outside and get some work done...

Has anything caught your eye online this week? Drop me a line and let me know!