What are you doing?

[Addie]

LOL Dawg

Beth, you'll have chiles for quite some time now! Those look delicious.

I just finished my second cuppa and am fixin' to go to the local farmstand. I just can't get enough of the fresh plums and peaches. They are SOOO sweet and juicy - nothing like the tasteless dry fruit from the grocery store. Cheaper than the grocery store's, too.

Cheryl, I was working at the Western Washington Fair and the truck farmer had just pulled up to unload his peaches. He hand me two of them. One for each hand. The first bite and I had juice running down my arm and all over my shoes. After I ate both of them I returned with the pits in hand. I offered him the two pits for a third peach. He laughed and gave me a small bag of them. They were so good. I have never had a peach that fresh since that day. They were still warm from the sun. They had been picked and loaded on the truck right out in the field of the orchard. I would love to go back to that day.

 

[Cheryl J]

Our farm stand is about a mile and a half or so from my house, so it's easy peasy. It's rather small, but I rely on them so much for great produce. This morning I got red and green bell peppers (.50 ea) tomatoes, carrots, jalapenos, cantaloupe, peaches, and plums. Scott has been providing our small community with great produce for 25 years now and never disappoints. We're fortunate to have him, and he is so passionate about his home grown goods.

His vine ripened tomatoes are $1.50/lb, and the stone fruit is $2/lb. The grocery stores have a couple of different stone fruits on sale now for .99/lb, but it's no where near the quality so I don't bother with them. They usually want $3/lb for their cardboard fruit.

CG, I'd love it we had a cheese merchant here, but alas, I don't see that happening. Although if it were offered, I'd probably pay $3 for a scone to nibble on while I'm looking around, to help support the local vendors. We used to have a baked goods and jams/jellies/sauces section, but haven't seen them for a few years. I need to remember to ask what happened to them next time I'm there.


Yes, Addie....nothing like a fresh, juicy, tree ripened peach.

 

[rodentraiser]

Our Farmer's Market here is really expensive too. And worse than that, they don't start till 4 in the afternoon, so when it was hot (as it was every single Thursday they were at the park), I just couldn't bring myself to go.

I'll third that with the peaches. Same with strawberries. They're so good when they're eaten warm right after being picked.



Well, I think I found a project to do.

On our miniature forum, we have a thread so people can post dollhouses they find on eBay or Craig's List. Not too long ago, someone posted a link to a Craig's List ad selling a gorgeous huge dollhouse. I saved a picture of it because I liked it so much.

Today I was finally going through some old miniature magazines I'd bought at a show back in March and in the Spring 1980 issue, there was an ad for a miniatures store in Ohio, showing a woman standing next to the exact same dollhouse.

I'm hoping whoever posted the ad on our thread will contact me because when I find out where she got the Craig's List ad from, I'm hoping to track down the dollhouse.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

...Yes, Addie....nothing like a fresh, juicy, tree ripened peach.

Nothing better than a peach picked fresh from the tree. Not many things worse than all the peach fuzz that gets down your shirt when you're the one in the tree picking them. It must have taken me three showers to get that fuzz off of me when we visited Aunt Polly at the farm.

Somehow, though, since they've bred so many peaches to be less fuzzy, it seems like they also took some of the great flavor in the process.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I am yawning my head off. I'm waiting for the baseball game to end so I can get back to reading my book. Hoping to make it to bed before xx:00 AM. Trust me, you don't want to know what time the "xx"s are hiding.

 

[bethzaring]

I grew the majority of my onions from plants this year, and they are huge. As I was reviewing the characteristics of these monsters, I realized they are not good storage onions. So, what to do with the 100 beasts I have grown? Then I remembered making caramelized onions in the crock pot. I am on my second batch and will probably do many more batches.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I grew the majority of my onions from plants this year, and they are huge. As I was reviewing the characteristics of these monsters, I realized they are not good storage onions. So, what to do with the 100 beasts I have grown? Then I remembered making caramelized onions in the crock pot. I am on my second batch and will probably do many more batches.

They also dice and freeze well. Freeze in 1 cup packs.

 

[Cheryl J]

They also dice and freeze well. Freeze in 1 cup packs.

That's pretty much what I do - I couldn't resist the great deal on onions at the farm stand recently. I dice and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then store them in quart sized freezer ziplocks. Since they freeze separately and don't stick together, I can just grab a handful or two and throw the bag back in the freezer.

I do the same thing with jalapenos and bell peppers.

 

[taxlady]

Do you have a dehydrator? I have heard that you can make your own onion powder and dry onion bits.

 

[Dawgluver]

Bolas' onion goop, basically sliced onions and butter cooked to death on low in the CP, is also freezable and makes good onion soup and such. It was a lifesaver (well, onion saver) when I overbought at Costco.

 

[GotGarlic]

Do you have a dehydrator? I have heard that you can make your own onion powder and dry onion bits.

She lives in New Mexico. She can probably spread them out on a sheet pan outside and dehydrate them

 

[bethzaring]

Bolas' onion goop, basically sliced onions and butter cooked to death on low in the CP, is also freezable and makes good onion soup and such. It was a lifesaver (well, onion saver) when I overbought at Costco.

That's the recipe I am using.

I hadn't thought of dicing and freezing them, but freezer space is an issue. The chiles have taken over! Cooking them in the crock pot really reduces them. And I have some local frozen beef coming soon. But dehydrating them is a possibility and I do have and use a dehydrator. I would much prefer to dry them in a controlled environment.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[CWS4322]

Scheduling caregivers during my absence from MN while I go back home to ON to take care of my brother's estate, get propane delivered so my house is heated while I'm back in MN, and writing instructions for the caregivers while I am away. Looking forward to 3 weeks of respite, but nervous as heck about being away from the Elders for 3 weeks. I am traveling light--just my emotional support dog, laptop, and just the clothes on my back.

 

[taxlady]

(((Hugs CWS)))

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Safe travels, CWS.

 

[CakePoet]

It humid in Sweden and warm, I have been to the stores doesnt sound so bad unless you realise it includes a train ride on 9 min, a bus ride of 10, do this twice and yes you have to wait for the train and bus too and off course today the tickets machines wasnt working, but no one checked.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

We were at a farmers' market yesterday - different location, but some of the same vendors. This one was set up in the parking lot of a local discount chain, so I think the prices were a little lower than when they are at the nice, covered, dedicated area we've been to before. I don't know if that's the case ALL the time though. Yesterday we were out in a veritable monsoon. Monsoon, I say! I got a couple good deals, including really small pickling cukes for $2 a pound. Farmers' market price-wise, that was a deal. No extra charge for the soaking wet clothes. By the time I got back to the car, my jeans were so wet from mid-thigh down they were sagging like I was channeling a fashion statement from "da hood".

Anyway...I put up another batch of dill pickles today. Since my one-and-only one quart crock isn't quite finished with the last batch, and I won't be putting them into a jar and refrigerating them for another day or two, I used my pottery batter bowl for curing this batch. I sure hope my next batch of pancakes isn't a blueberry-pickle version, though...

 

[Rocklobster]

Scheduling caregivers during my absence from MN while I go back home to ON to take care of my brother's estate, get propane delivered so my house is heated while I'm back in MN, and writing instructions for the caregivers while I am away. Looking forward to 3 weeks of respite, but nervous as heck about being away from the Elders for 3 weeks. I am traveling light--just my emotional support dog, laptop, and just the clothes on my back.

Hope all goes well CWS. My sister had that responsibility when my mother past last year. There was only so much we could do to help her. I'll be traveling back and forth to Ottawa from Renfrew quite a bit, seeing that my three kids live there now. If there is anything I can do to help, just ask...Roch

 

[dragnlaw]

I can just grab a handful or two and throw the bag back in the freezer.
I do the same thing with jalapenos and bell peppers.

So glad someone else does that. People have a fit when I say I freeze diced peppers!

 

[Rocklobster]

So glad someone else does that. People have a fit when I say I freeze diced peppers!

Many years ago I had a little restaurant in a small village of 300. Some nights I would sell 2 or 3 pizzas. I used to use diced and frozen peppers for a few years during the winters when business was slow. Nobody ever complained or noticed...