Stickman's 2014 Glog- That's all folks!

stickman · Sep 17, 2014

Canned up 5 pints of tomatillo salsa with 2 cups of roasted/peeled Anaheims and a couple seeded Jalapenos, onions, garlic, cumin and a little oregano.

I still have 5-6 quarts of tomatillos to can up after supper tonight. Hope y'all are having a great hump day!

Devv · Sep 17, 2014

Looking good Rick!

My seeds didn't germ this season, will try again next

stickman · Sep 17, 2014

Devv said:
Looking good Rick!

My seeds didn't germ this season, will try again next

What... no Tomatillos Scott? :eh:

Around here they volunteer readily, but I start mine in March to give them a head start. Better luck next year!

OCD Chilehead · Sep 17, 2014

WOW!! WOW!! and WOW!! Thanks for the curry recipes. They both sound fantastic. Shrimp paste is great. It's a acquired taste as most people say it tastes fishy. But I like fish and oyster sauce as well. The salsa looks great. I'll have to give that a try.

I should have known better to check your glog on a empty stomach.

Thanks for sharing.

Jeff H · Sep 18, 2014

Salsa looks real tasty Rick. What did you do with the tomatillo skins? Leave them on? When I made my tomatillo salsa, I cooked them separate then ran them through the food mill to get rid of the skins.

PIC 1 · Sep 18, 2014

wow.......another glogger with homemade canned verde. The Tomatillo's must be ripe !

Nice color Rick.....It has the roasted look.

stickman · Sep 18, 2014

OCD Chilehead said:
WOW!! WOW!! and WOW!! Thanks for the curry recipes. They both sound fantastic. Shrimp paste is great. It's a acquired taste as most people say it tastes fishy. But I like fish and oyster sauce as well. The salsa looks great. I'll have to give that a try.

I should have known better to check your glog on a empty stomach.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Chuck... those were recipes for curry paste... it's a base for a Thai curry, and it sure makes cooking up the curry much faster on a weeknight.

Jeff H said:
Salsa looks real tasty Rick. What did you do with the tomatillo skins? Leave them on? When I made my tomatillo salsa, I cooked them separate then ran them through the food mill to get rid of the skins.

I chopped the tomatillos before cooking them down Jeff, and I didn't bother removing the skins afterwards. They aren't as tough as tomato skins and seem to disappear into the salsa as far as I can tell. If they bother you though... using a food mill is a great solution. I have one to help smooth out my hot sauces.

PIC 1 said:
wow.......another glogger with homemade canned verde. The Tomatillo's must be ripe !

Nice color Rick.....It has the roasted look.

S'right brother! I hope it looks roasted... I put 2 cups of roasted/peeled Anaheims in it. Cheers!

Well, the Annuum harvest is definitely slowing down except for the Cascabels and Kapija peppers that are just starting to ripen now. Here's the first Kapija pepper picked this year... 258 grams is 9.1 ounces. Last year I didn't have many above 7 ounces.

I roasted/peeled the last of my Poblanos and Anaheims for the canned salsa verde but I've still got tomatillos coming! I canned up 7 quarts this afternoon, and will finish up when I make a batch of jelly with Chuck's De Arbol x Pequin chiles... I'm freezing the Sadabahar pods for when I make Indian curries.

Devv · Sep 18, 2014

Dang Rick you've been busy!

But a good time of the year!

stickman · Sep 18, 2014

Devv said:
Dang Rick you've been busy!

But a good time of the year!

Yup... time and tide wait for no man...

Made some sweet/sour "oily" pickles with the last of my Hungarian Hot Wax peppers. After boiling the brine, packing and filling the jars, I put a tablespoon of the best extra virgin olive oil we have in each jar.

My first attempt at pepper jelly didn't set properly, so this is my second stab at it. I used the last of my Hungarian Tomato Peppers, some green Bells I purchased and all of the de Arbol x Pequin peppers Chuck sent me last week. It's definitely got a bite, but will go extremely well with cream cheese on toast or crackers!

The weather's supposed to be clear all day tomorrow, so my Wife and I are going to Gloucester, MA to see Hammond Castle and walk the beach at Plum Island with binoculars to see what we can see of the Fall migration. Happy Friday Eve all!

tctenten · Sep 18, 2014

Rick it is great to see all the different ways you process your harvests. Is the olive oil used just to alter the flavor of those Hungarian wax pickles?

stickman · Sep 19, 2014

tctenten said:
Rick it is great to see all the different ways you process your harvests. Is the olive oil used just to alter the flavor of those Hungarian wax pickles?

I don't think so Terry... in addition to adding flavor, I think it also acts as a barrier that keeps oxygen away from the pickles. This method is an old one in the Mediterranean and eastern European regions. As posted in this website... the author doesn't process the jars in a hot water bath after filling them. I think the amount of salt and vinegar will keep them safe to eat, but if you want to make sure, you should follow USDA guidelines. http://www.withaglass.com/?p=6389
http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

TGIF all!

PaulG · Sep 19, 2014

Rick, your recipe demos are really great - superior tutorials, my friend!

Sorry I only had time for a quick visit to the last few pages of your glog;
you have had an outstanding season, for sure. Things are starting to slow
down here, as well. I have several plants that are done for the season, so
will cut them down today. Still quite a few pods on the plants, but I managed
to get about 25-30 pounds yesterday, by far the main pull of the season.

Devv · Sep 19, 2014

I can say this and add to Terry's comments; you sure do know how to process your harvests Rick!

OCD Chilehead · Sep 19, 2014

The jelly and peppers looks great. I've been experimenting. I too had some jelly that didn't set. I decided what the heck and popped it into the microwave jar and all. Got it to a boil and added more pectin. Nuked it for a little bit more. In all maybe a couple minutes depending on how powerful the microwave is. I let it cool and put it in the fridge. The next day it was set. I read somewhere you could re can jelly and add more pectin. Don't know if that's true, so don't quote me. Will look into it.

What's in the slow cooker? I'm sure it's something good.

Have a great weekend Rick

randyp · Sep 20, 2014

Looks great Rick,Hot jam and biscuits are the breakfast of champions. :party:

Sawyer · Sep 20, 2014

That Kapija pepper is an impressive beast. I had to look back through your thread to find the link to Doc's thread on ajvar. I may try growing some of these next year and mix up a batch of spread. I like growing eggplants, but never really know what to do with them.

stickman · Sep 20, 2014

PaulG said:
Rick, your recipe demos are really great - superior tutorials, my friend!

Sorry I only had time for a quick visit to the last few pages of your glog;
you have had an outstanding season, for sure. Things are starting to slow
down here, as well. I have several plants that are done for the season, so
will cut them down today. Still quite a few pods on the plants, but I managed
to get about 25-30 pounds yesterday, by far the main pull of the season.

Thanks for the good vibe Paul.

I hear ya 'bout the shortness of free time and diminishing harvest as the season winds down. Good on ya for such a nice pull... 25-30 pounds should keep you warm this winter for sure. :onfire:

Yesterday my Wife and I drove out to see Hammond Castle in Gloucester, MA, and we took along a bag of totopos and a jar of the green Tomatillo salsa. I'd give it 5 stars if made without the oregano. The recipe is here... http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_salsa/tomatillo_green_salsa.html

Devv said:
I can say this and add to Terry's comments; you sure do know how to process your harvests Rick!

Thanks Scott... I have eclectic tastes, and I don't like to waste anything from my little garden plot.

OCD Chilehead said:
The jelly and peppers looks great. I've been experimenting. I too had some jelly that didn't set. I decided what the heck and popped it into the microwave jar and all. Got it to a boil and added more pectin. Nuked it for a little bit more. In all maybe a couple minutes depending on how powerful the microwave is. I let it cool and put it in the fridge. The next day it was set. I read somewhere you could re can jelly and add more pectin. Don't know if that's true, so don't quote me. Will look into it.

What's in the slow cooker? I'm sure it's something good.

Have a great weekend Rick

Thanks for the tip Chuck! It may come to that in the end... I had about 8 chicken carcasses in the slow cooker with water, lemon juice, onion, carrot and celery stalks making chicken stock. I let it simmer all day, scoop out the solids with a slotted spoon and pour the rest through 3 layers of cheesecloth before putting it up in quart-sized yogurt tubs and freezing it for later. Home-made is better than anything you can buy.

randyp said:
Looks great Rick,Hot jam and biscuits are the breakfast of champions.

And maybe a schmear of cream cheese too, eh Randy?

Sawyer said:
That Kapija pepper is an impressive beast. I had to look back through your thread to find the link to Doc's thread on ajvar. I may try growing some of these next year and mix up a batch of spread. I like growing eggplants, but never really know what to do with them.

I predict you'll love the Ajvar John! I make it every year, and we use it as a sandwich spread, instead of tomato sauce on spaghetti and pizza or on crackers with a little smoked sausage as appetizers.

Eggplant is a little astringent if tasted raw (or undercooked), but properly prepared is really creamy and delicious. Raw eggplant being fried in hot vegetable oil soaks it up like a sponge, so if I'm making something fried like eggplant parmagiana or eggplant rollatini, I slice it first, and rub a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice onto both sides each slice, and let them sit in a colander in the sink for half an hour first. That changes the flesh so it doesn't absorb anywhere near as much oil when you fry it, and it comes out so it literally melts in your mouth.

You can also steam and marinate it like the Korean banchan called Gaji Namul... http://koreanfood.about.com/od/sidedishesbanchan/r/Seasoned-Eggplant-Side-Dish-Gaji-Namul-Recipe.htm

or you can smoke-roast it and mash the pulp with garlic, salt, lemon juice and tahini to make Baba Ganouj... http://mideastfood.about.com/od/dipsandsauces/r/babaghannouj.htm

Greeks and Turks both love Mussaka... a casserole of ground meat and eggplant... http://www.turkishfoodandrecipes.com/2008/12/eggplant-with-ground-beef-patlican.html and I think the Turks were also the source of Kapija peppers as well. Hope this gives you some ideas. :drooling:

Sawyer · Sep 20, 2014

Thanks for the tips and links, Rick. I made some baba ghannouj once many years ago it was delicious, but then I lost the recipe.

stickman · Sep 21, 2014

Sawyer said:
Thanks for the tips and links, Rick. I made some baba ghannouj once many years ago it was delicious, but then I lost the recipe.

Well... we're back on the roller-coaster again... warm and humid weather for the next few days. I hope lots of green pods take advantage and ripen up. Meanwhile, I finally filled a quart-sized ziplok bag with ripe Frutascens peppers... processed them into a mash with a quarter cup of lemon juice and 3% salt by weight. They'll sit and age down cellar for a few months before making sauce with them. I've nearly filled a quart jar with the smoked, dried and powdered Chinense pods too.

Have a great Sunday evening all!

PeriPeri · Sep 21, 2014

Nice one buddy! That cellar must be to the roof with chilli after your awesome season... loving what you are doing with them!