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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 4, 2010 5:10:27 GMT -5
I'm up for cooking demos, particularly for grits! I do em plain, with cheese, and with ketchup. I'll bring my homemade ketchup. HEY! That reminds me! My tomatoes are all done for the season and I really don't have enough ketchup. How about we make and can some ketchup together? It would be pretty awesome to send jars of ketchup to some of the members who are not able to make it to the gather. I have a good recipe and a giant pot (5 gallon size) that can be used for cooking and for canning. I can bring a bunch of my garlic as well. We would need tomatoes, onions, and molasses or honey. I've got honey from our hives, but not a whole lot. It would be best if we had as much home grown produce as possible.
While the pot simmers, we could have the coffee demo, wine and bread tasting, and music? We can make BBQ sauce out of some as well and have a BBQ. Didn't someone mention a piggie? Maybe a whole beef brisket? I make some killer sandwich rolls. We usually use them with brats, but they go GREAT with Q...
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Post by bunkie on Sept 5, 2010 7:49:59 GMT -5
hey jo, i made homemade ketchup for the first time last year. i'd like to have a looksie at your recipe if possible. i remember using some spices, too.
hey all, be sure to take your cameras...i want to see pics! ;D
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 5, 2010 8:02:49 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Ketchup
Use a large (6 to 8 quart capacity) enameled cast iron, soap stone, clay or steel pot for this sauce. Any other material will leave a flavor behind and the acids from the tomatoes and vinegar may damage the pot.
8 to 10 lbs. fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped 2 large onions, chopped 2 bulbs garlic, peeled and rough chopped Olive oil to coat bottom of pot 2 T. dry mustard 1 ½ T. salt 1 T. ground allspice 1 T. ground black pepper 1 t. ground cloves 2/3 c. molasses 2 c. cider vinegar
Pour olive oil into the pot and bring it to temperature over a very low heat. Add onions and garlic and sweat them gently, stirring occasionally, until they are just starting to turn light brown.
Add the spices, mustard, salt, allspice, black pepper, and cloves. Stir in well and allow to cook gently with the onions for 1 minute.
Add liquids, molasses and vinegar. Stir well and allow to come to a gentle simmer. About 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and stir in well. Allow to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 hours. After 3 hours, the tomatoes, onions and garlic should be completely softened. Run the sauce through a sieve or mill to remove all the skins and seeds. Return the sauce to the pot and the slow heat and continue to reduce liquid for an additional 2 to 3 hours.
If you would like your sauce to be even thicker, mix 2 heaping tablespoons of tapioca powder with 4 tablespoons of cold water. Stir into sauce. Continue to simmer for additional 30 minutes.
You may now can the sauce using prepared glass jars or allow to cool completely and put into jars for immediate use.[/glow]
I'll tell you right now Bunkie, I did NOT make nearly enough of this stuff! Next year, especially with the help of more mulch and soil from our terra preta pit, the tomatoes will be WAY better than this year. I'll be making and canning a TON of this stuff! I think I'll also be heavier handed with the garlic.
You also need to know that recipes I use sorta "migrate" with slight changes depending on what is in the house. This particular version is also great sauce for BBQ chicken. I am toying with the idea of using fruit nectar or pureed fruit like peaches or apricots or plums instead of the molasses. What do you think of that?
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Post by bunkie on Sept 5, 2010 8:46:05 GMT -5
i like that idea jo, fruit pureed instead of the molasses. maybe if the fruit was roasted or grilled first it might give it a little extra of the deep rich carmelized flavor the molasses offers.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 5, 2010 15:31:27 GMT -5
i like that idea jo, fruit pureed instead of the molasses. maybe if the fruit was roasted or grilled first it might give it a little extra of the deep rich carmelized flavor the molasses offers. OooOooo YES! hmmm... what about this, slowly carmelize the onions and garlic with an equal quantity of pears and/or apples? What about using dried fruit? Cantaloupe or maybe even pineapple? Karen? Are you paying attention here? Is your kitchen really ready to be invaded? You must know that I'm bringing a dozen jars along with my canner. Or are you ready to throw me out of your house before I even leave my house? ;D
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 5, 2010 17:26:33 GMT -5
Jo, as long as you are doing the cooking, knock yourself out ;D I have jars, so no need to bring any. I also have a canner. Most of the tomatoes are done here though, unless Alan has some. I also have apples and pears, if they last for another 2 weeks. I have an early pear, my daughter has a late pear and I am afraid the timing won't be right for either one! I was thinking that it would be a good idea for me to take you to Bloomington shopping when you get here, so that you can have the ingrediants you need. My bread has a bunny on it, and my favorite cheese is Velveeta, so I doubt there is anything in my kitchen that you would even recognize as food. Another thing that has my worried is that our water is very hard. I'm afraid that it will affect your coffee. Do you do lamb? There is a place near here that has lamb for sale and was wondering if that might be something anyone would like.
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Post by johno on Sept 6, 2010 9:01:04 GMT -5
I can bring a box or two of apples if anyone wants, but it sounds like maybe there are plenty there already?
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 6, 2010 13:47:20 GMT -5
Jo, as long as you are doing the cooking, knock yourself out ;D I have jars, so no need to bring any. I also have a canner. Most of the tomatoes are done here though, unless Alan has some. I also have apples and pears, if they last for another 2 weeks. I have an early pear, my daughter has a late pear and I am afraid the timing won't be right for either one! I was thinking that it would be a good idea for me to take you to Bloomington shopping when you get here, so that you can have the ingrediants you need. My bread has a bunny on it, and my favorite cheese is Velveeta, so I doubt there is anything in my kitchen that you would even recognize as food. Another thing that has my worried is that our water is very hard. I'm afraid that it will affect your coffee. Do you do lamb? There is a place near here that has lamb for sale and was wondering if that might be something anyone would like. HA! I will make your kitchen think you sent it to Parris Island! I shall banish the bunny! The Velveeta, on the other hand, makes a heck of a party dip with a can of Rotel tomatoes (mild please!) and a pound of browned hamburger. It's great with pita chips and corn chips. Occasionally I make my own corn chips... yea yea, I'm fussy but you won't be tempted to eat out while I'm there! I would LOVE to go shopping! When still in California my girlfriend and I frequently left the boys (kids AND dads) to go on a grocery store crawl. Mind, we would hit up Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, Persian, Mexican, Thai, and occasionally Japanese grocery stores. But there were occasionally American shops popped in for good measure as well. Yea, don't be shocked, but grocery stores can be as much fun as Disneyland if you ask me. In fact, if you follow this link you can read a post I made about it 5 years ago! trulythankful.typepad.com/truly_thankful/2005/08/when_bloggers_g.html There is a second post on the topic several days later as well. Don't sweat the coffee! We have atrociously hard water ourselves. We had to invest in a softner in fact. Anyway, not to worry, we will survive with what we have! I don't do lamb because of availability but it's interesting that you bring that up. I wasn't raised with lamb and truth be told, it intimidates me a bit. HOWever, I've been wanting to "get familiar" with it because we've made a personal vow to lay off pork. (We eat it when served, but we don't buy it and serve it at home anymore. I'm looking forward to the piggy that's planned!!!!) ANYhow, I made a lamb roast once long ago. I've had lamb in Moussaka and gyro (LOVE it!!) I've also used ground lamb in meatloaf. It's been said that I make some of the best meatloaf ever, by the by. So, I would LOVE to get hold of some and do some experiments. Lamb is NOT available around here at all! It's nearly all pork and chicken with a little beef thrown in by accident. Do you have a particular cut or cooking method in mind? I can look up some stuff ahead of time and be prepared. Oh, in case it's important, Mike adores lamb!
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Post by garnetmoth on Sept 7, 2010 9:53:28 GMT -5
just to check in, is it OK that I bring pork chops? they are raised outdoors and the family only uses medicine if necessary, not certified organic but well treated-
oh its getting soon!
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Post by plantsnobin on Sept 7, 2010 10:11:16 GMT -5
Sure, bring whatever you like. We just had our pig butchered, and they sliced the chops thinner than I like. I'm going to get a couple of pork loins, and we have the ribs from our pork that we never eat so we can throw them on the grill too if anyone would like ribs.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 7, 2010 15:09:26 GMT -5
Thin pork chops?!?! If anyone has chard, spinach, kale, or other dark leafy greens, I'll make you something REALLY special. It's a "dry" soup that comes from Mallorca. A saute of the greens in the brown rendered bits of the meat. Thin slices of dry bread line the bottom of the plate to soak up all the juices. Pretty awesome dish and one that I don't often make because we haven't gotten to growing winter greens just yet. It's nice to have a little bit of pork sausage to go with the chops as well.
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Post by johno on Sept 10, 2010 13:52:49 GMT -5
First leg of my trip: maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Mountain+Home,+AR&daddr=Lebanon,+MO&hl=en&geocode=FfFuKgIdeVB--iml_PUIW9nRhzEl_ORhLG6Qhg%3BFdX1PgIdFhB6-imZMv2vAjjFhzFduW-IzGdy3Q&mra=ls&sll=38.14373,-89.34035&sspn=3.628741,9.700928&ie=UTF8&z=8 Second leg: maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Lebanon,+MO&daddr=Pekin,+IN&hl=en&geocode=FdX1PgIdFhB6-imZMv2vAjjFhzFduW-IzGdy3Q%3BFWSKSwIdaXzf-inDPxA3VllpiDFtelcrby8cKg&mra=ls&sll=37.679473,-92.680664&sspn=1.825929,4.850464&num=10&ie=UTF8&z=7 I'm driving alone to Lebanon, where I'll pick up Randel. He'll help with driving the second leg. We're not sure how long we'll stay. 2 or 3 days, most likely.
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Post by blackthumbmary on Sept 10, 2010 18:01:56 GMT -5
Jo - If by some miracle you do bring shrimp and scallops they would be greatly appreciated! I understand if you don't though...I had a heck of a time driving my wine collection cross country from CA the summer we moved here. We had several coolers full of ice and even so it was rather hairy at times. Thanks for posting the ketchup recipe, I will have to try it. I love your idea of making ketchup for those folks who could not make it. I also love the idea of substituting puréed fruit - yum! As far as tomatoes go I mainly have little orange sweet cherry tomatoes and a few Romas. I have some still on the vine and some frozen as a purée...but no where near 8-10 lbs worth (I only have about 6 plants). The cherry tomatoes are pretty sweet so they would probably be closer to a fruit version of your ketchup recipe. I would be happy to bring down some fresh and frozen tomatoe purée if you think they might work... I can bring some good water...our well has excellent water....tastes like Volvic bottled water. Having said that, I can deal with just about any water for coffee. Our well down by the barn has 'fart water' (high sulfur content) and we used that well the first year our house was being built. Karen I doubt your water is anywhere as stinky as that from our barn well! Karen your velveeta and 'bunny' brand bread would be haute cusine to my husband. He eats canned beef hash cold out of a can. Spam is one of his favorite meats. He will feel right at home. I, on the other hand, will be delighted to have Jo's wonderful kitchen invasion My sister and I both love Lamb....we will buy some if you end up buying it. I am bringing one extra item...an Earthway Seeder with 6 different seed plates (corn, tomatos, beans, beets, peas, and radish). It has only been used twice literally...I just did not like using it to plant my corn. It is only missing one thing-two little side bars whose use I never did figure out (so I dis attached them). It is free to a good home A safe trip to everyone traveling (Jo, John, Randel...). Thanks for making the trip Look forward to seeing everyone.
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 11, 2010 8:30:39 GMT -5
I'm hoping to source some dry ice for the trip, but that might not be possible. We are planning to leave on the 16th. Maybe late at night to arrive early to mid day on the 17th? OR early the 16th to arrive morning of 17th. Have not decided yet. The rack (as in rack and pinion) of our car is getting replaced this weekend. I'll have to call my buddy at Everett's and make sure we are meeting a boat for the shrimp and that he saves a few pounds of scallops for me. The scallops are from Virginia and wet packed. The shrimp are from right here and they are large this time of year. With luck, we can get the soft shell. Ugly at that stage, but WAY easier to clean and the meat is firmer and sweeter in my opinion. My pleasure on the recipe. If this turns out to be an annual event, I think it would be cool to make something for those of us who are prevented from attending due to distance. Like a commemorative? Attendees could also bring the trades that have to go far away and they could be packaged with other trades thus saving a bit of postage and maybe ending the procrastination that some of us are prone to. Gee, I NEVER procrastinate... With folks on the board from the UK, South Africa, Northern Europe, France... wow... I think it would be awesome to put something we make collectively in their hands. Not to mention those who are closer to home but unable to make the even. hmm... I think we might need to make a list. Speaking of which, the sweet cherry tomatoes are fab for ketchup. I used a lot of CTs in mine. If we can't make enough to send to everyone... We could make as much as we can then draw names out of a hat? Sumthin' to think about twixt here and there. I love SPAM but never get to eat it cause my hubbsters hates it! Ditto on the hash. Though I prefer Mary Kitchen's Roast Beef hash... I'm making bread and putting it in the freezer so we can have a supply for the arrival. I'll be feeding up the starter right away cause NOTHING beats the texture of the fresh out of the oven stuff. I might have to make some of my famous milk and egg sandwich bread while we are there. Karen, how many loaf pans do you have? Cookie sheets and cooling racks? If you have less than 5 loaf pans, less than 3 cookie sheets, and less than 3 cooling racks, I need to bring some of mine. Let me know. I'll also bring my big steamer. If we come up with enough tomatoes to do the ketchup, think we would need an extra canner? I can bring mine if you think we would. I also think we should put it in pint jars so we have more to share around. What about fire wood? Mike is DYING to show off his 24" chain saw. Also, he and the boys are good with small engines. Mowers, saws, etc. If you need some fixing, bring it. The guys can work with all that stuff while we are in the kitchen working up the feast. Oh yea, I'm making a pound cake with our birdie eggs and MAYBE a red velvet cake as well. If the RV cake comes through, I'll be frosting it there. Karen, you have a mixer? I'll need a stand mixer for the bread. Mine is also portable if needed. I sure wish we knew about the seeder. We JUST bought one. Course we've already used it with great success. So, we can tout the virtues! If there are no other takers, we would love to have it! One for each kid! ;D So, what day is we considering consumption of vast quantities of seafood and wee lambkins? Are you getting a feel for the schedule Karen? When I start baking the bread, I'll need about 6 to 8 hours, start to finish, to do both breads. If I get the sandwich bread done here, then I need only 4 hours for the plain bread. I think I'll try to get the sandwich bread done here... It's just that the aroma in the oven is SO awesome...
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Post by mnjrutherford on Sept 11, 2010 8:32:18 GMT -5
OH yea, nearly forgot, we have a couple of medicine aloes. They are delicate so I don't want to bring them unless someone wants one. Anyone? And who wants muscadine or concord grape cuttings? How many of each?
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