America Revealed

Did you watch this yet?  We did last night.



America Revealed by PBS offers up a commentry on the food industry in America.  Fascinating, disturbing...it's worth the 53 minutes of your time.

After you watch it, tell me that you don't feel differently about what you put in your mouth.

The Nose Knows

We've been pretty balmy here lately, as in down right "Florida" warm.  Yesterday late, we had a pretty strong storm front move through.  As I pulled into the driveway my headlights showed lots of birch branches decorating the big green truck for Christmas.

The wind has calmed down this morning and as I was out walking the dogs, I wondered how the apple tree leaves have fared.  You see all our leaves are down, all except the apple trees.  Believe it or not they're still green and hanging on.  When I got back to the house I went out back expecting them to be down or at least diminished.

Nope.  Still there.  I keep waiting on these to fall so I can prune the trees.  I have a general rule about new trees.  I pretty much pamper them the year I plant them.  The second year I leave them alone for the most part but I watch and intervene only if things are particularly dry.  This year I tossed a few buckets of water on them during a long stretch of no rain and high heat.  I want those roots to get established first.  I never prune a tree until the 3rd year.  By that time I feel the tree is pretty strong and I can start shaping the tree up.  I've never pruned a fruit tree before.  I expect I can find advice on "how to" on YouTube, but if there's any apple tree growing advice out there, toss it my way. 

So since the apples STILL have their leaves I'll be putting this task off a bit longer.

I went back into the house, still thinking of apples and thought I'd better check the boxes of fresh apples that are stored in the garage.  I'd been out there the other day and thought I was catching a whiff of apple.  Since we've been so warm lately, I knew there was a pretty good chance of rot.

I poked around a bit.  The Pink Lady's are firm and holding up very well.  So are the Granny Smiths.

The Honey Crisps are getting soft though and as I was making a mental note to make applesauce this weekend with them, I found it.

The one rotten apple in the box.  Several getting soft.  But overall I'm very happy with how these "fresh" apples are holding up.  They've been stored for 2 months now.  So I'll be curious to see how they last heading into next year.

I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend.   Mmm...Applesauce and apple pie.  Yum

Saucy Girl

If someone had asked me last year what was the reason why I wanted to learn to can, I'd have told them "Applesauce."  I've frozen it, but I've never canned it and it's IMHO that canned applesauce rocks.

 

Since starting out this year as a novice to the canning world, I've canned peaches, jams, pickles, salsas and tomatoes.  Pretty basic stuff.  Cutting my teeth on all of that has been, not only fun, but also pretty demanding.  A new learning curve. Canning is to freezing, like cooking is to baking.  You can be a great cook but a lousy baker.  Since freezing is about protection, it's simple enough.  Canning...as you all have pointed out...has rules.  Do NOT break the rules.

But applesauce is why I'm here.  The gold star.  The crowning jewel.  

So imagine my surprise that the Ball Blue Book's recipe for applesauce is as simple as can be.  It's almost as though they're shrugging their shoulders.  "Do what you want."  All you need are apples, sweeten it to taste (or not) and add seasoning if you want it.  It seems that the only "rule" out there is to have the applesauce boiling when you ladle it into the hot jars.

Whoo Hoo!  (*You see I was nervous thinking that in order to get my applesauce the way I like it, I'd have to freeze it.  If I wanted it canned, I'd have to follow their recipe.)

So that's what I've spent this morning doing.  Two batches of chunky cinnamon applesauce under my belt.  13 jars total.  And I still have a case of apples left to do.


I started out mixing Cortland's with my beloved Mac's.  Mac's are so soft, I like to toss in a firmer, tarter apple so I can get a chunkier sauce.

I like to use lemon juice (with water), brown sugar and Saigon Cinnamon.  I buy this cinnamon at Sam's Club.  Boy, is this good stuff!  Taste testing as I went along, my morning zipped by quick!


So I've got a head start on the "saucing season" this weekend with 2 months to go.  Last year I ran out in January :( so I plan on putting up lots of jars of applesauce.  

I'd also like to put up some applesauce using Splenda brown sugar for SM (diabetic).  Has anyone canned applesauce with Splenda before?  I'm concerned about the taste.  I'd rather freeze the Splenda applesauce (like I did last year) than ruin it by canning.


The house smells SO good right now that SM asked for some pancakes (with fresh cinnamon applesauce on top!)

  


Better than IHOP, I can tell you that!

Why Mac's?

I love most apples.  My current favorite is Pink Lady.  This is a great tart-sweet CRISP eating apple.  But they don't come in until October.  And they don't sauce well at all.  Strictly an eating apple, IMHO.


And I LOVE applesauce.

So whats an apple lover to do?  Buy MacIntosh.  Why Mac's?  It's a childhood thing I guess.  I grew up in Ohio and my Dad and I would drive over to a local orchard and buy cider and apple butter and fresh apples of course.  My favorites were the Mac's.  Hands down.



It wasn't until I became an adult "cook" that I learned the best way to eat a Mac.  You sauce it.  There is something about the flavor of MacIntosh Applesauce.  I'll often add Granny Smith's to the mix as I like a chunky applesause and the Granny's hold up a bit better.

So the past few weeks I've been watching the websites of a few orchards up and around Hendersonville.  (*We went to the Hendersonville Apple festival last year.  What a dud.  Not what I was hoping for at all...but I digress.)  The websites have a listing of what they're picking now and what's coming up soon, so I knew that the Macs were in.  The question was did I want to drive 3 hours and use up all that gas just to pick apples?

"Lets try the Farmers Market first."  I suggested.  So when we went the other day, I had my eyes peeled for apples.  Only 4 vendor's had any.  Just a few varities available.  And the prices!?!  Early bird gets screwed!  Last year I paid $15 for a case of apples.  This year?  $22 dollars.

"Why so much?"  I asked.  

"It's early in the season and there's just not a lot out right now." was the reply.


So I took what I could get and paid $12 for the only Mac's in town.  (Mine.  Go away, you can't have my Mac's.)  When I got home I weighed them on the scale.  $18 pounds for $12 dollars equals $0.66 cents a pound.  Again, buying in bulk saves.  (All the apples we saw were priced at 0.99 cents a pound.)  So I saved $6 dollars.  (It's the little things that make me happy..&;)

Do you have a favorite saucing apple?  Eating apple?  Last year was my introduction to Pink Ladies, so I just know there has to be more tasty apples out there that I've not discovered.

A Plethora of Peppers

A few days ago I bought a case of Green Peppers at the Farmers Market.  "What's up with that?" you might ask.  Well, just about everything I cook that has the "Holy Trinity" of carrots, onions and celery always gets a bit of green pepper tossed in too.  

Some people love garlic, I love Green Peppers.  Not raw though...only in a cooked dish.


Now, I planted 20 some-odd bell pepper plants this year.  I did harvest some, but not nearly enough that I'd hoped for.  If there's secret to growing bell peppers, I'm bound and determined to figure it out.  Next year we'll find a shadier spot, in the ground (not a raised bed), plant them tight and deep and keep some shade cloth handy to combat our extreme heat.

Last winter, bell peppers were selling for up to $2 each and I remember saying to SM that I planned on going into THIS winter with a good supply of frozen peppers.

The price has come down with availability during the summer but I hadn't seen the price of peppers below a dollar, (either at the FM or at the grocery) until the other day.

On Saturday, SM and I saw signs for 50 cents each at the FM and these peppers were HUGE.  And they smelled wonderful.  "You're going to get some right?"  SM asked.  "You bet I am!"

As SM wandered off in search of other good things, his wife was working the deal.  "How much for a case?"  I asked the vendor.  A thoughtful look on her face she said "$22 dollars".  So I went ahead and jumped.

I hauled my booty out to the main aisleway and patiently waited for SM to return.  He comes wandering up and his eyes pop open.  "A whole case?"  

"Yep!  I'm freezing them."  I replied.


"Well, that's a year worth of peppers for sure..."

So that's what I did.  And guess what?  There were 63 HUGE peppers in that case.  Do the math and that's .35 cents a pepper.


When was the last time your bought a fresh green pepper for .35 cents?

I cut 2 gallon bags of strips.  

2 gallon bags of "rough chop" and I also used the food processor to "fine chop" 6 - 1 cup bags for soups.  (When I make soups I make a HUGE pot.)

 I also roasted some and stuck those in the freezer too.

SM wants some stuffed green peppers BIG TIME so I kept back about 6 peppers for that and for fresh roasting and eating over the next few weeks.

This is one of those times that buying in bulk really pays off!  As long as you can store it safely (and use it) than it's a great deal.
 

Charlotte Regional Farmers Market

We hadn't been to the Farmers Market in about a month.  I was going through withdrawals...:)  So I thought ya'll might like to tag along with us and see whats happening at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market.

We got there about 8:30 am.  On my radar?  Apples!!!!  I know it's early but I'm dying for a fresh crisp apple!

The CRFM has 4 "barns", covered areas that vendors can stay dry in.  

In Winter they only open the 1 barn that is completely enclosed.  

(*SM and I went once during the winter just to see what was being offered.  Not much and since things were out of season the prices were higher than at the grocery store.)  

There are the food and produce vendors in 2 barns.  You can find local honey, pasture raised meats, eggs, butter, soaps, cut flowers and even canned items like jellies, chow chows, relishes and pickles.  

Some of the distributors are large groups, hiring employees who are efficient in the replenishing and offering of a variety of produce both locally grown and out of state.  They pull the produce out of huge refrigerated trucks.

A local bakery has a stall here.  This little guy has the best seat in the house looking at all the goodies in the display case.  (*SM points out that he's actually a "ladies man" checking out the "cutie" working the register.)

There are also the smaller vendors, the local farmers where the family itself is working the tables offering up what they have raised, cleaned and bagged themselves.  They have their coolers out and "sold out" signs handy.  The food might be in the back of a  U-Haul type trailer or out of the bed of a pick-up truck.  

It's truly amazing that food is as cheap as it is when you think about all the effort that's been put into it.  That sentiment aside, if I'm buying bulk (which I try to do on some items), I'm still going to try and "deal" with the vendors to get the best price I can get.  I had one vendor tell me that he won't sell by the case.  Smart man.  As you're about to see in my future posts, buying by the case saves you even more.  Vendors make more money with a "by the pound" purchase than with a bulk purchase.

(I like this sign and it's message.  I still can't afford to buy meat from them though.)

They have one barn set aside for crafts with all manner of handcrafted items from yarns and knit wear to hand made furniture.  Another barn is the "Green Shed" where you can find all manner of plants for your edible and decorative gardens.

 

Anyhow, we did the lap around the produce barns to see what's what and made our purchases.

We ended up spending about $50 dollars.  Here's the loot.

A case of Green Peppers (post to come), along with some Red Peppers that SM had to have, the only Macintosh Apples left in the entire Market (still too early for apples), some Asian Pears, a few baking potatoes for a recipe that's in the crock post as I'm writing this (post to come), and cookies.  

Yes...cookies.  Why did I buy cookies?  

Because this vendor and her daughter put some effort into their venture that's why.  (Love the aprons.)

  

Mom was very busy packaging up cookies for some buyers.  Her daughter stood waiting expectantly.  She wasn't texting!  She wasn't gabbing on the phone!  Good for you Mom!  Teaching your daughter right!

While I was eyeballing some homemade granola she had out on her beautifully displayed table, I hear SM breathe "Oooo...Snicker-Doodles."  

I whispered to SM "Why don't you go ahead and buy some cookies?  They look good!"

"Yours are better.  (Grin..Have I got this man trained or what!)

"Yeah, but these look great and you know that I'm not baking cookies or anything else for that matter until the weather breaks."

So SM purchased 6 cookies from this aspiring young lady for $12.  (Twelve DOLLARS)  Ouch!  But the cookies are HUGE and it IS a freakin Snicker-Doodle for heavens sake.  (I applaud and encourage entrepreneurialism in our young people where ever I can find it.)

So that's our Farmers Market.  Thanks for tagging along and expect a few more posts this week about all the goodies I bought there.  

PS...SM had some of the cookies last night with a glass of milk.  "So how where they?"


"Gourmet."  He replied.  "Excellent cookies."


"Worth the $2 dollars?"  I asked.


"Yep.  Worth every penny."  


Uh Oh...I have competition.  (smile)

Reduced For Quick Sale

I like to go shopping first thing in the morning.  Not only to avoid the crowds but also because that's when the stores mark down any meat that's about to hit it's expiration date.  It's a nice way to save a few extra bucks.

SM eats more meat than I do but we've both noticed that (as we've gotten older) our tummies seem to like a lower fat meat like chicken and turkey.  We do still eat pork, ham and beef...just not as much.

I'm always on the look out for "reduced" meats but haven't had much luck over the past few months.  Either the stores haven't had them up or (most likely) someone's beat me to the punch.  Last week and today, I've managed to hit some good deals.  Last week I got some pork chops and sausages for a few bucks off.  This week, at Sam's, I found 2 packages of hamburger discounted by about $2.50 each.

Believe it or not, this much hamburger (about 10 lbs) will probably last us 6 months.  I see Meatloaf, Chili and Spaghetti with meatballs in these packages.

I never used freezer paper before this year.  If I bought meat, we'd usually just cook it and eat it the day it was purchased.  If I did freeze meat I usually just wrapped it up in a Ziploc freezer bag.  Since we've purchased the upright freezer, I can now buy meat in bulk and so I need to store it properly.


*Slight side note here...As I was driving to and from the store I saw many homes that are up for sale that have a "Reduced" or "New Lower Price" on the signage.  

Boy, do I feel their pain.  I hope never to be in their shoes, but I have to acknowledge that the possibility exists.  

I saw that for a 15 year fixed rate loan... fixed!!!!... is now being offered at 3.50%.  Wow!  SM and I re-fi'd over a year ago at 4.25% and we thought it couldn't go much lower then. 


Amazing times we're living in isn't it?

The "Pits"

Last week SM had a gout flare.  He manages avoiding gout through exercise and diet but usually will have a flare or two a year when the seasons change.  SM drinks a cocktail of apple cider vinegar, honey and water.  He also finds that eating cherries helps.  I noticed Bing cherries last week at the store and picked some up "on sale" for 3.99 a pound.

The circulars this week were advertising Bing cherries and I noticed one store (that I never shop) had them for $2.77 a pound.  I told SM today that I wanted to buy some up for fresh eating and also to freeze.

We stopped by the store and walked in to find those advertised cherries offered at $1.99 a pound.

SCORE!

So I bought 12 pounds.  Now that's a lot of cherries.

I sat down and started pitting by hand with a knife.  After 3 pounds, my hands were purple and cramping up.  I mentioned to SM that today just might be the day to buy a cherry pitter.

SM looked them up on the Internet...none made me happy.  And then SM found this video on You Tube on how to make a homemade cherry pitter

So I grabbed an old fork and SM bent it down for me.

Here he is trying it out.  

The video suggests to go in from the bottom, but SM found (after a learning curve) that it's way easier to pull the stem off and go in from the top.  He's SO enthused by his new creation that he's been standing there pitting cherries the whole time I've been typing up this post.  (And I'm not a fast typer.)

Ssh.  I might sneak off and go take a nap now.  All this food preservation is hard work.   (BIG grin  @:)

My House Stinks

I woke up this morning trying to identify the smell in the air. 

"What the...?"
"Oh yeah, that's right...it's New Years Day."

Eating the right food on New Years Day brings luck.  Unfortunately for MY household, both SM and I were raised with the thought that eating Sauerkraut and Pork will give us luck in the New Year.  (SM asked that I slow cook it in the crock pot overnight for "brunch-time" today.)

Now I love me some pig.  I haven't met a pig part that I didn't like.  Except pork rinds...those fried up nasty things you get at the 7 Eleven during a road trip.  (yick)  I'm not even sure pig parts are even in pork rinds. (double yick)  SM likes BBQ pork rinds.  I'm not kissing him after those, I can tell you that.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure SM has met a food he didn't like.  "Hey Baby!?!  What food don't you like?"

"Blink, Blink..."
(Coffee cup in hand...deer in the headlights look for sure.)

"Oh that's right...it's only 7 am...Soorrrry."

I don't think he likes brussel sprouts....or Okra.  But who does? (grin)

Now I don't grow cabbage...it seems silly to grow it when the only kind of cabbage I like is in coleslaw.  It's sweet, crispy and crunchy.  Yum.  Perfect summer side.  But I can buy a head of cabbage here and there for those times that I want to top a Brat with some yummy coleslaw.

But sauerkraut is just wrong...stinky stuff.  Now I've read most of your blogs and understand that I am alone in thinking that Sauerkraut is unappealing.  Sorry.  But let me offer up another acquired taste.  One that will make alot of you turn your noses up.

Yep...I love me some split pea soup.  Double YUM.

Looks nasty, doesn't it?  But sooo good.  I trimmed off some of the smaller ham bits off the bone (bone went into the freezer for now) and made up this soup yesterday.

SM declared it "better than Progresso." 

Say what?  (Please understand that until a couple of years ago any soup in this household (except Chili) came out of a can.  And SM's favorite brand was Progresso.) 

The only Progresso in the house now is his Tomato Basil.  (You just wait until I have a successful tomato crop.  I plan on canning some good tomato soups and sauces this year.)

But anyway...Last night SM came home to find, homemade Split Pea Soup, a homemade pizza I whipped up (sorry no picture but "Hey" it's a pizza...) and some Strawberry Sorbet I made from some of the berries I picked and froze this year. 

(He ate some before it had solidified.)

And today?  Sauerkraut and Pork. 

Man...my house is gonna be stinky (evil grin)

What stinky stuff have YOU got cooking today?

Thoughts on food...

I married Mr Variety.

Or should I say Mr Buffet?

SM is a foodie.  He's not alone...they're everywhere.

(Wikipedia defines "foodie.")

** Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news.**

Foodies think about food all the time.  In my experience, they demand a variety of taste sensations, different textures, smells and visual appeal. 

In a perfect world, SM would eat at a buffet line every day.

SM does not cook.  (He doesn't have the "cooking gene".)

I have the "cooking gene".  I enjoy cooking, but alas...I am not a foodie.  I can eat the same food day in and day out.  "Boring".  Oh, I get the random craving from time to time but I usually ask SM to make the call on what he wants to eat when it's time for dinner.

Fortunately, SM likes my cooking.  Actually, he says I'm a pretty good cook (as evidenced by our expanding waist lines.) 

Like alot of you, we carefully consider our food purchases.  A few years ago, I created a purchasing list of all the common foodstuffs that I buy and spent several hours comparison shopping 4 different grocery stores that I frequent.

No big shocker here.  Walmart and Sams Club have the best prices.  I still eyeball the "loss-leaders" at the other stores and sometimes buy from them, but the majority of our purchases come from WM & SC and Trader Joes.

For those of you who don't know Trader Joe's, they are a very reasonably priced, (mostly organic) alternative to the traditional grocery store. We had a Trader Joes open in our area a few years ago and feel very fortunate to have them as an option.

(I'm also interested in Whole Foods but they're not in our area yet.)

The idea of stockpiling is not new to me.  Everyone recalls Y2K, and yes, I stockpiled more than a little bit of food in preparation of potential insanity on the streets. 

(I endured a bit of teasing from SM during that time.  He's actually coming around to my way of thinking.)

We've lived in NC for 12 yrs and know how the locals can create a "run" at the stores for "bread and milk".  That's the big joke around here in the winter.  "Snow is forecast!!!  Run, get your bread and milk!" 

We laughed the first time we experienced this phenomenon.  But really...there's a pretty good reason behind it.  Hugo.  Ask anyone who lived here during that time and they'll tell you how Hugo decimated the area and impacted daily life.  No electricity, food rotted.  Trees were down so travel was limited.  People relied on each other.  Meat stored in freezers became huge neighborhood barbecues. 

When we moved into this house, the previous owner left his fridge.  We moved it into the garage and used it mostly for cold drinks (yes, beer).  I then started using the freezer as a back-up storage unit for my main refrigerator.  Buying in bulk or when items are on sale is great for the budget but storage is a pain.

This past winter I noticed that the freezer section wasn't keeping things as cold as it should.  I ended up tossing some things as I was concerned about food safety.

I've spent some time considering food storage as I do feel inflation (even hyperinflation) is around the corner.  I plan on more aggressive bulk purchases.  Dollar cost averaging.

We're considering buying bulk beef and chicken from a local farmer (organic...  SM doing his research again.)  I'd also like to think I might have excess vegetables from the garden this year, but I really have no idea of my potential yield.  I feel this years garden is more for fresh eating and we discussed expanding it based on what we achieve this year.

We've discussed canning vs freezing.  Both our families canned food but eventually moved to chest freezers with ziplock bags or vacuum packed storage bags.  For now, we'll be freezing.  (I may get back into canning next year.)

So we will be buying another refrigerator. 

Since SM is a "foodie" alot of his taste variety comes from condiments.  4 different salsas, 3 different barbecue sauces, 5 different salad dressings...the list goes on and on.  I need the extra storage space.  So another expense, but a necessary one if we plan on saving money in the long run.

Spend money to save money.  Ain't it the truth.

My World...

"I'm out of my egg mix"  SM announces.  It's about 7:45am.  He's had his morning wake up coffee so stimulating conversation is about to begin.

"Oh,yeah?"  I respond.  On the floor, doing my morning stretchy thing...(it ain't yoga.)  "How about some oatmeal?  Or I could run to the store.  I think the store has eggs for a dollar."

"That's a pretty good price.  No don't bother.  I'll stop by Bojangles and get some breakfast biscuits."  He offers.

I secretly think  he wants to get the Bojangles biscuits, but I'm having none of that. 

"Nope.  Let me run over there and I'll get a couple dozen.  It'll just take a few minutes.

I've been up since 5.  I'm a morning person.  In bed by 9 / 9:30 up around 5 am.  2 miles with the dogs. A couple of glasses of diet Mt Dew and I'm ready to go.

I'm off this week.  My birthday week.  For the past 10 yrs or so I've always taken the last week of April off.  It's a perfect time of the year as spring in NC is usually over by May 15th with temps climbing in the 90's and me hiding in air conditioned splendor all summer, only emerging in the early mornings and hanging out under shade trees in the afternoon.  It's hard.  I love being outside.

So off to the store I go, forgetting about the school traffic.  But it's OK.  I admire the old houses along the way that have been there for years with huge lots dedicated to huge gardens.  Comparison shopping.  SM and I have talked about chucking it all and living in the "untry".  Problem is we like where we are right now.  45min drive to work but enough in the "burbs' for all of life's conveniences.  Like a grocery store 2 miles down the road.  With eggs on sale for a dollar.

Ha.

It's 1/2 a dozen eggs for a dollar.  16.6666 cents each. Ahhhh! What a rip off!

I buy a dozen of the "other" eggs at a 1.39 and head back home.  It's still better that Bojangles.  Even when I drop the eggs.  I don't think I've ever done that.  Add some JD hot sausage and some frozen pepper mix and my Baby has his egg mix for 4-5 more days. 

Mission accomplished!


My World

We bought our house 12 years ago.  Good bones, only one owner and built by the crabby old bastard (2 doors down and hates Yankees) who knew what he was about when it came to building a house. 

Does the house need updating?  You bet.  But, other than a new roof last year (insurance paid for... can everybody say $Ka Ching$ ?) and carpeting here, tile there, we haven't really put the big bucks in the house.  Yet.  But it's coming.

What offended me more than anything was that there was NO landscaping.  Or at least not the kind of landscaping that a house like this deserves. So for the last 12 years my need to make it pretty cost a penny or two.  But we did it all ourselves.  I'm way too cheap to pay someone for something I can do myself. Or make SM do for me.  (evil grin)

We built the deck, put in mulched beds with shrubs and trees that are native to the area.  We did have an awning put in over the deck and I surprised SM by having a shed built while he was out of town one week.  But all & all we made it ours.  Our home.  Take a peek.

So why didn't we have a vegetable garden?  I think we truly felt it was a waste of money.  Trying to set tender roots into the compacted clay we call soil around here seemed ridiculous.

But how many years have we complained of lousy tasting fruit and vegetables?  And the prices!  No wonder we're all fat!  "I can't afford $3.00 cauliflower! So lets make pasta instead."

Well, since my conversation with Dr T this past winter, I've been doing a bit of google-ing.  Call it whatever you want.  Square foot, intensive, raised bed...

What it's really about is finding solutions to the problems you have to achieve the goal that you want.

A challenge!

Ha!  I accept!