Opossum, Squirrels and Woodchucks - They Can Be Eaten

Old cookbooks have a wealth of interesting recipes that have long been forgotten. During the wars, the depression, and other times of rationing, people often had to use what they could find. There always seemed to be lots of squirrels. Woodchucks always seemed to eat everything you planted, and then some. Oppossums were not as much of a problem, but they could be mean. So having found some of those old cookbooks, I thought I would share some of the interesting recipes I found.

Mind you, I have not tried any of these. I don't have any photographs of the finished dishes, but if you are adventurous and want to try some of these, share your photos and your opinions.

PREPARATION OF WILD GAME

If you are a hunter, it is very easy to know how to safely kill these somewhat nuisance animals. If you  are not one to like guns, you can catch them with various traps available at places like Cabela's or other sport shops. Once they are trapped and killed, you need to skin them and you need to remove the scent glands and the organs.

OPOSSUM - Place a stick through him and hang him to let him bleed out, about 12 hours. Place him in a half filled tub of scalding water, holding by the tail, until the fur begins to strip. Take him out of the water and pluck off the fur. Draw, clean and hang him up to freeze for two or three nights. You might have to use a freezer for this if you are not in a place with freezing nights. (From the book Camping and Woodcraft, Horace Kephart. One source to buy is Amazon.)

SQUIRREL - To skin, hang up by the hind legs. Slit skin around first joint of hind legs. Insert knife in slit and loosen skin around the legs and rump. With fingers, pull tail and skin down over body until free. Cut off head and feet. Slit down front and remove entrails, reserving the heart and liver. When ready to cook wash thoroughly and dry. (From New American Cookbook, published by Books Inc in 1941. Edited by Lily Haxworth Wallace.)

WOODCHUCK - An old timer named Bob Flowers from the Smokies recommends only eating the gray ones. He says to remove the scent glands from under their front legs. Skin them and remove the entrails. I have no idea how to skin a woodchuck. Boil them fast to get all the strong into the water. According to J. Alden Loring, the only way to cook a woodchuck is by roasting him whole on a stick over a hot fire. (From the book Camping and Woodcraft, Horace Kephart.)

Recipes for cooking these three game animals.

OPOSSUM 

Recipe 1582 in New American Cookbook, 1941.
Plunge animal into very hot but not boiling water for 2 minutes. Pull out or scrape off hair without damaging the skin. Slit belly from throat to hind legs. Remove entrails, feet, eyes and brains. Do not remove head or tail. Wash thoroughly. If possible freeze for 3 or 4 days. When ready to cook, wipe with a cold, damp cloth. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in roasting pan. Add 1 cup water and the juice of 1 lemon. Bake in hot oven (400 F) for 15 minutes, turning once. Cover. Reduce heat and bake in moderate oven (350 F) 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

From Camping and Woodcraft, page. 311

After freezing for a few days, place opossum in a 5 gallon kettle of cold water that you have thrown two pods of red pepper. (Perhaps cayenne.) Parboil for one hour in the pepper water. Throw out the water and refill the kettle with fresh water. Boil for an additional hour.

In the meantime, slice and steam some sweet potatoes. Take the opossum out, place him in a large Dutch oven, sprinkle him with salt, black pepper, and a touch of sage. Lemon juice can also be added. Pack the sweet potatoes around him. Pour a pint of water into the oven, put the lid on. Bake slowly around 325 until brown and crisp. Serve hot with no gravy.

WOODCHUCK        

I had no recipes for cooking a woodchuck. I decided to do a Google search. I found a site called Wild Game Recipes. So I will only list two recipes.

Woodchuck Stew

1 woodchuck
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
Flour
Vinegar and water
Salt and pepper
Cloves

Clean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour. 

Woodchuck Pie    

1 woodchuck, skinned and cleaned

1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup green pepper
1/2 tbsp minced parsley
1 tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 tbsp. flour
3 cups broth

Biscuits:
1 cup flour
2 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fat
1/4 cup milk

Cut woodchuck into 2 or 3 pieces. Parboil for 1 hour. Remove meat from bones in large pieces. Add onion, green pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and flour to the broth and srit until it thickens. If the broth does not measure 3 cups, add water. Add the meat to the broth mixture and stir thoroughly. Pour into baking dish.

For biscuits: sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in the fat and add the liquid. Stir until the dry ingredients are moist. Roll only enough to make it fit the dish. Place dough on top of meat, put in a hot oven (400 degrees F.) and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until dough is browned. Serves 6-8. 

SQUIRREL          

All recipes were taken from New American Cookbook, 1941

Recipe 1579 Roast Squirrel

Boil heart and liver until tender. Chop fine and mix with poultry stuffing dampened with water in which giblets were cooked. Stuff squirrel. Sew the opening in the belly. Tie or fasten legs close to body with skewers. Rub squirrel with butter, oil or fat before cooking. Place on side in roaster. Roast in hot oven (450 F) for 15 minutes, turning once and basting frequently with melted butter or drippings. Reduce heat and continue cooking in moderate oven (350 F) 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, basting every 15 minutes. Make gravy by adding a little flour, mixed to a smooth past with cold water, to drippings, blending well. One squirrel should be two servings. 

Recipe 1580 Brunswick Stew

2 gray squirrels                                                                   2 cups canned or strained

1 tablespoon salt                                                                           stewed tomatoes

4 potatoes, pared and cubed                                               1/4 pound diced salt pork

1 cup canned corn                                                               1 tablespoon butter

2 diced onions                                                                     1 tablespoon flour

1 cup lima beans                                                                 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Skin, dress, draw and clean squirrels. Disjoint. Put 8 cups water and salt in kettle. Bring to boil. Add squirrels, potatoes, corn, onions, beans, tomatoes and salt pork. Cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Add flour, mixed to a smooth paste with butter. Mix well. Cover and cook 15 minutes more. Season with pepper and stir until slightly thickened. Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe 1581 Squirrel Pot Pie

3 gray or fox squirrels                                                          1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour                                                                         1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons butter                                                              Rounds of biscuit crust (not sure if biscuit is baked)

1 chopped onion.

Skin, dress, draw and clean squirrels. Disjoint. Roll in flour. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan. Saute squirrel until brown. Add 1 quart boiling water, onions, salt and pepper. Cover closely and simmer 1 hour. Lay rounds of crust on squirrel. Cover. Boil 15 minutes. Remove crusts and squirrel to hot platter. Blend 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon melted butter and add to liquid in pan, mixing well. Pour over squirrel and crusts. If desired lemon juice, sherry or Worcestershire sauce may be added to gravy before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

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Well, I hope some will try to refine these recipes. Many of the old cookbooks did not put complete directions, so some of these recipes may take a little trial and error to see what works best. These game animals are quite plentiful and there should be no issue with overhunting them, especially the squirrels. Happy hunting and happy cooking.                          

 

From Soup to Dessert

My itching eczema seems to be responding to the dietary changes I am instituting into my daily routine.  It seems that the biggest culprit affecting my condition has been sugar.  I am day 3 without refined sugar, and the itchiness is much reduced, as well as the redness.  The size of the patch also seems to be shrinking.  It may be a combination of the lotions and creams and the diet, but whatever it is it seems to be working. 

Here is my regime for creams.  First thing in the morning I put on Aveeno Eczema Therapy on the patch.  Within about 6 hours, I put my first application of oil and vaseline.  First the baby oil, then about 5 minutes later I put on the vaseline.  At supper I put on more of the Aveeno, and during the night, if I find myself itching the area, I put on another application of oil and vaseline.  The burning I used to get from my prescriptions no longer occurs. 

Now for my diet.  I did not totally go macrobiotic, but I had a leftover soup from Thanksgiving so I used it.  It is called Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque, and I pulled off the recipe from the Two Rivers Country Club.  Here is the recipe, with a few changes that I added.

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ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE From Two Rivers Country Club Ingredients: 2 butternut squash (approximately 4 pounds total) - halved and seeded 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper Fresh ground nutmeg (about ¼ teaspoon) 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup finely diced onion 1 cup finely diced leek 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or ¼ teaspoon dry ginger 5 cups vegetable or chicken stock ½ cup of heavy cream or ½ cup crème fraiche Instructions: Preheat oven to 375°. Cut each squash in half and discard seeds. Brush the cut sides with 6 tablespoons of the butter. Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Place the squash cut side down in a baking dish and bake until tender, approximately 1 ½ hours. Cool, scoop out the pulp from the skin. Puree the squash in a food processor. Reserve. In a large saucepot, heat the olive oil and add the onions and leeks. Sweat over low heat. Do not brown! Add the puree of the butternut squash, cinnamon,  ginger and stock. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, if desired or ladle in serving bowl and add small dollop of crème fraiche.

  
                                     








































             The two changse I made was adding a 3 oz jar of pimento to the soup, and using sea salt.  To keep a primarily macrobiotic recipe, use a homemade vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, as I did.

Link to the recipe


Since this was a leftover, I had some of my Savory Brown Rice left from the previous night.  So I added it to the squash soup, and it was postively magnificent. 

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Main Course - Spinach And Goat Cheese
                        Mini Quiche

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1/3 cup chopped leeks
1 10 oz package fresh spinach
1/2 cup non fat organic plain yogurt
3/4 cup skim milk
3 large eggs
1/4 tblsp ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp Dulse granules (available at natural food stores)
1/2 pound raw goat cheese
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning
large cupcake pan
olive oil

Wash spinach.  Do not drain.  In a large sauce pan on high heat, place raw spinach and stir until spinach starts to wilt.  You may need to do this in steps because you don't want to have too much spinach in the pan at once.  After spinach has wilted, transfer to a colander and let spinach cool.  After the spinach is cooled, squeeze dry and chop coarsely. 

Combine mushrooms, garlic and leeks in the same saute pan with 1 tblsp olive oil.  Add Dulse granules and saute for about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add spinach.  Divide the mixture evenly in your six holes in the large cupcake pan.

Take your goat cheese and divide it into six, and place a dolop on each spinach cup in your pan.

In a medium bowl whisk the yogurt, milk, eggs, pepper, and garlic and herb seasoning.  Combine well, then pour in equal amounts over the spinach/cheese mixture in your cupcake cups. 

Bake for about 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees until eggs are set and tart is browned.

These are so good that you will probably want to eat two, so this recipe makes 3 servings.

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Flourless And Sugarless Oat and
Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
A handful of  raisins (maybe 2 or 3 tblsp)
A handful of walnuts
3 tblsps raw honey
1/4 cup Polenta Cornmeal
1/4 cup unsweetened, unsalted natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 tblsp organic butter substitute (available at health food stores)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well until batter is blended evenly.
Portion cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  I actually picked up about a tablespoon, and with my hands tried to compress the batter as much as I could, then when it was on the cookie sheet I pressed down to flatten.
Bake cookies for approximatey 12-15 minutes.
Makes about 12 cookies.

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My journey into healthier eating continues, though I am currently looking at Entenmann's chocolate covered doughnuts.  It is taking everything in my power to remember what sugar apparently does to my eczema, but so far I have been okay.  The cookies are actually very tasty, and hopefully they will satisfy my sweet craving.  Tonight, though it isn't macrobiotic, I will be making beef stew for the family.  My recipe for stew includes an onion broth that I cook the meat in, then I add carrots and potatoes in the last 20 minutes or so of cooking.  It is simple, hearty, and the family loves it. 

Bisquick Spinach Bread - With A Few Changes

We all had a hankering for a nice bread recipe.  Cooler temperatures yesterday, and the stores bringing out their fall merchandise must have set us in a warm, fuzzy mood.  The kitchen is usually scented with baking vegetable, fruit and bread machine bread beginning in mid August, when the apples begin to ripen.  Some of my favorites include zucchini bread, cottage cheese dill bread, apple bread, and tomato-basil bread. 

Since it is still considered mid-summer despite the temperatures barely making 75 yesterday, I didn't want to worry too much about lots of work.  I looked through my bread books, went online, and couldn't find anything that seemed to be relatively quick.  Then I remembered a small pamplet style cookbook put out by Bisquick many years ago.  I went rifling through all my cookbooks and on the third look I finally found it. 

As I scanned the pages, it dropped open to a page with a recipe called Spinach-Cheese Bread.  I have made this many times before, and always thought it a bit salty, but my family always loved this bread.  So I knew the one thing I would be changing right off is instead of spinach I would be using swiss chard.  The chard has slowed down a lot in its growth compared to a few weeks ago, but there was definitely enough to get the amount I needed for the recipe. 

Some of the equipment I would recommend to make it easier to make the bread is a food processor.  It isn't necessary because the chard can be first cut into ribbons, then hand chopped, but the food processor does make the task a bit quicker. 

This particular bread is a wonderful summer bread if you follow the directions as Bisquick wrote them.  The bread doesn't take much to make and it doesn't keep the kitchen super hot for long periods of time.  First I will provide the Bisquick recipe for the cowards out there (only kidding.)  No processor required, and because you are playing with frozen vegetables, it is great to work with on a hot summer day. 

My one problem with the Bisquick recipe is that it does seem too salty.  I am salt sensitive and find the use of processed or canned products make the flavor too drying for my tastes.  However, when I bake this for the men in my life and the children, they all think it is awesome, and it gets eaten quite quickly, so it definitely will be a winner with any family. 

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Spinach-Cheese Bread by Bisquick

3 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon caraway seed
3 eggs
1 can (11 ounces) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches

Mix all ingredients except spinach until well blended.  Beat 1 minute; stir in spinach until well blended.  Pour into pan.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.  Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan.

High altitude directions (3500 to 6500 feet)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir 1/4 cup all purpose flour into baking mix.  Increase eggs to 4.  Decrease oil to 2 tblsp.  Bake 50 to 55 minutes.

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That is the quick and easy way to make this bread.  Since I had a problem with the flavor of the bread using the cheddar soup, I had to think of a way to get the soup without using the soup.  I decided on a nice cheddar white sauce mixed in instead of the soup.  Here is my more labor intensive bread, using fresh swiss chard instead of frozen spinach.  The time involved in making it my way is about 3 1/2 hours, which may be a bit much for one loaf of bread, but as I make it more often I will get quicker at it.  Of course, I also missed my original intention of finding a quick recipe that didn't take too much work.  But the work was well worth the result.

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Savory Swiss Chard-Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dill seed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 cup cheddar white sauce (recipe below)
10 ounces fresh chopped swiss chard, stems removed (about 2 cups)
1/4 to 1/3 cup feta cheese (your preference.  I did not measure, I just grabbed three handfuls and mixed in)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan. 

Swiss chard prep:  Cut away stems from chard.  I ususally cut about 1/2 inch above where stem attaches to leaf.  Stems can be kept for other recipes if you wish.  After removing leaf, using a scale measure about 10 ozs.    Once measured

wash leaves in a bowl of water.  Continue dumping and filling bowl with fresh water until you no longer see any grit in water.  Squeeze leaves to remove all excess water, then place in small batches in food processor and chop the leaves.  If you don't have a processor, then cut leaves into ribbons, then chop them.  This is probably the most lengthy part of the whole recipe.                                                                   

Once again measure the chopped leaves on a scale to get about 10 ozs.  Set aside. 

To make the cheese white sauce, grate 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Set aside. 

Scald one cup of milk (heat just to before boil.  I use a microwave, and heat about 2 minutes.)  Set aside.

Place two tablespoons butter or margerine in stainless saucepan and melt on medium low.  Add two tablespoons unbleached flour, stirring to blend.  Always use a wooden spoon when making white sauce.  Do not cook too long or flour will burn.  The milk and flour will create a paste.  Slowly add scalded milk, stirring constantly.  Add some salt and pepper..

Continue stirring on medium low for about 10 or 15 minutes as sauce begins to thicken. You will feel the milk mixture get thicker as you stir. Once mixture is thickened to about the consistancy of a medium gravy, remove from heat. Stir in cheese. Continue stirring until smooth. If you have to place back on burner to melt, make sure burner is off. Set aside off of stove to cool.

As your cheese sauce cools, mix all other ingredients except the chard.  Beat for about a minute.  Add cheese sauce when it is just lukewarm.  Mix.  Add chard.  This is where your preference comes in.  When I measured the 10 ozs, as I was putting it into the bread mix, it seemed to be too much so I did not use all the chard.  I also did not measure how much I used, so I would say anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 cups. 

Place bread dough into bread pan, level it, and then bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, until long toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

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The bread was incredibly well textured, though it did come out a little high.  Perhaps reducing the eggs to 2 might decrease the height of the bread, but I did not mind that it was so high.  The first taste of this bread, and I knew I had finally done something right.  It is delicious, and the time spent making it just disappears as you take a second piece and then a third.  Love this bread.  It is definitely a keeper.

Leftover Steak - What can be done?

It was a busy day today.  The weeds have reached over the vegetables in some parts of the gardens, so they had to be tamed down.  We have gotten some showers in the past few days, which put everything into overdrive for growth.  Despite the drizzle today, I still had to go out to see what I could do for my poor veggies.  The weeding took perhaps 2 hours, and now the gardens actually look like a garden, rather than a scruffy patch of tall grass in the middle of the yard. 

Once the weeds were gone, I realized I had a huge area in my spring garden with absolutely nothing growing in it.  The peas are gone, the cauliflower is gone, much of the dill is gone, and my lettuce and french greens are gone.  I hate seeing garden space not being used, so after turning up the dirt and dressing it with Moo Doo, which is a composted manure for organic gardening,  I took a huge chance by planting Danvers Half Long Carrot seed and spinach seed.  Tomorrow I will take another chance and plant beets.  I am taking a chance because it is already July 24,  and it is a little late to try planting anything from seed in an area of Connecticut that has similar conditions as southern Maine.  Though we supposedly fall into zone 6 for hardiness, everything I plant is hardy to zone 5. 

It is cold around the marsh in the winter.  We have a constant breeze all summer long, and the winds in the winter howl like a train.  We do see temperatures at times to as low as  22 below zero.  So we may very well see a good frost in mid September, though carrots and beets should be able to weather at least a minor freeze.

So what does this all have to do with leftover steak?  In all honesty, the work today used every ounce of energy I had.  I did not think I could even cook, let alone be creative.  However, a hungry family must be fed no matter how one feels.  I wanted something easy, quick, and still with a little creative flow. 

Last night we had a marvelous dinner of N.Y strip steaks, and we had barbequed them over charcoal, brushing them with bourbon barbecue sauce (less the bourbon.)  We ended up with 4 strip steaks leftover.  I wondered what I could do with them.

After perusing my pantry, I spotted a box way in the back that may have been there for awhile, but I took it out anyway.  It was a box of Near East vermicelli with roasted garlic, parmesan, and olive oil.  It sounded like it might work with the steak.  We also had fresh yellow squash from the garden.  So I had the beginnings of a dish.  Putting it together was relatively easy, since I wasn't overly worried about herbs and spices for this night.

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Leftover Grilled Strip Steak with Vermicelli

Ingredients:
4 leftover grilled strip steaks, cut into bite size pieces
1 box Near East Vermicelli with roasted garlic and olive oil
red wine vinegar
chopped jalapeno pepper
yellow summer squash
butter or margerine
olive oil
chives
salt and pepper

Cook vermicelli according to directions.  (I am currently looking to create my own recipe for this vermicelli) 

Cut yellow squash into 1/4 inch circles.  Place in medium saucepan and cover with water, then cook on medium heat until tender.  Drain and add butter, salt and pepper.

Take your cut up steak, place on microwave safe dish, and shake on about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.  Cook in microwave on power level 7 or 8 (roast) for about 4 minutes or until hot. 

I did not do it this time, but if I make this again I will be sure to keep some of the bourbon barbeque sauce to be used as a glaze on the plate before creating the finished dish.  Place vermicelli on dish, mix in cut steak, top with yellow squash, place about 1/2 tsp of chopped jalapeno pepper on squash, and garnish with a couple of pieces of thin chives. 

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The various flavors do not overwhelm each other.  I was a bit concerned since yellow squash tends to be very lightly flavored, but even with the jalapeno pepper, the delicate flavor of the squash is still detectable.  This dish will work as well without the pepper, but I always like a little spice with everything I eat, so chile peppers and their many varieties become my spice in most cases. 

The Pasta Wins Today - Quick and tasty penne pasta for a summer night

Well, it was a refreshing day today on the marsh.  While many in the state were experiencing oppressive air, we had a delightful breeze all day.  The day began with a watering of my summer garden.  I know the heat is moving in, and wanted to give the tomatoes and squash a little relief.  Fun, fun, fun as I played with the sprinkle system for about 1/2 hour to figure  out which direction it wanted to go in.

Next I decided it was time to pull up all my pea plants.  There have been fewer and fewer peas, and they were looking a bit yellow, so I thought it was time.  Of course, I scrutinized every plant before tossing it in the compost, and got quite a full basket of pea pods.  That left me with a decision of what to make for supper.  Most of the pods have gotten too starchy, and very chewy, but there were fully formed peas inside, so I split the pods and kept the peas.  That was my first ingredient for my decision on supper.

My cauliflower is now forming large heads, and one was totally ready to pick.  I could not come to a conclusion as to what I could do for a dish using cauliflower and peas, so I wrapped the cauliflower up after picking and decided it could wait for another day.

The basil has recuperated from its clipping last week.  The two jars of pesto from that trim are now gone, between my sisters family and me.  The pesto is on tap to be made tomorrow, but I haven't used the herb much in dishes yet, so I wondered how basil would taste with peas.  My mind started calculating ingredients once again.

My sister dropped a bunch of pickling cucumbers off from her garden, and mine are still very behind in growth, so they had to be done up in something today as well.  My day was filling up with tasks, but being a workaholic, I thrilled at the prospect. 

When things begin to pile up, you just have to get them done one thing at a time.  First order of business was the cucumbers.  My family are real dill pickle lovers, so we never can have enough to eat.  There is a recipe that all of us have been using for 25 years.  These pickles are the best tasting I have ever had.  Even people who hate dill pickles like this recipe.  It is easy, quick, and the flavor is amazing.  The only drawback is that the pickles lack that crispness that is enjoyed when biting into a brined and crocked pickle.  However, the ease of it makes up for that one shortcoming.

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Never Fail Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
20 pickling cucumbers ( I have discovered that cucumbers vary so much in size
                                       that sometimes you only need 4 or 5)
2 dill heads ( or a tblsp of dill seed)
2 medium cloves garlic (this is preference.  We love garlic so I use
                                        4 cloves of garlic)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (the best is Heinz in glass bottles.  Plastic bottles
                                                  tend to have lots of floaters in the vinegar)
1 tblsp pickling or kosher salt (kosher salt is saltier tasting.  I get my pickling
                                                  salt at Agway)

Thoroughly scrub the cucumbers.  Even if it seems that a light brown spot may be just part of the color of the cucumber skin, I get rid of it.  I use a scrub brush and my fingernail to get rid of any brown discoloration.  Very important, because bacteria houses in dirt and crevices. 

Slice the unpeeled cucumbers lengthwise into halves.  Occasionally if the cucumber is really large, you might have to slice the halves into quarters. 

Fill 2 clean, dry, hot pint canning jars with cucumbers.  I don't use pints, I use wide mouth quart canning jars.  Tuck dill heads and a clove of garlic, split in half, into each jar.

Mix the water, vinegar, and salt and bring to a rapid boil.  Pour into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rims.  Seal with canning lids.  For pints, process in boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes.  For quarts process for 15 minutes. 

 A word about hot water boiling bath.  Start timing after the water is back to boiling after putting jars in.  If you are using a glass or ceramic top stove, make sure your canner is flat bottomed.  I use a large stock pot, not a canner, and my rack is actually a circular metal  cooling cake rack.

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The cucumbers are now done, and I decide the day is too beautiful to be stuck inside an air conditioned kitchen, so I take a walk.  My eyes always scan the roadsides for berries, but today there are none to be found.  The seckle pear tree along my route is producing a lot of pears, but today is not the day to pick them.  I walk the trail to the marsh, walk around it, then head back home. 

 Refreshed, I am ready to set my sites on supper.  I have one very small zucchini squash that is beginning to turn yellow on the blossom end, so I pick it.  It is barely the size of a pickling cucumber but if I don't pick it the entire squash will turn yellow.  So what can I do with peas, a small zucchini squash and basil?  Well, there is always pasta.  So after scanning to see what kind I had, I settled on a box of penne pasta.  Here is the recipe I came up with for a side dish for supper.

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Waste Not Want Not Penne Pasta
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1/2 Box of penne pasta
1/3 cup fresh peas
1 mini zucchini squash
1/2 medium onion
your favorite ready made alfredo sauce (I used Classico Four cheese)
several basil leaves
Smart Balance original spread
garlic
Fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped pimento











Slice zucchini into circles, then cut circles into quarters.  Chop onion, but not too small.  Place peas, zuccini, and onion in microwave safe dish and add just enough water to fill bottom of dish.  Cook on high for about 6 minutes.  Set aside. 

Cook pasta accoring to directions.  Drain.  Toss garlic butter into pasta.  Heat up the alfredo sauce.  Want to make your own?  Make this simple 5 minute microwave alfredo sauce.

You know that vegetable dish you microwaved?  Well, add about 2 tblsp Smart Balance, and reheat in microwave for about a minute, just until butter is melted.

Chop basil leaves into small pieces, and chop pimento.  Keep an unchopped basil sprig for each dish.  To serve your pasta, first layer pasta in dish.  Top with 1/3 of the vegetables.  Spoon alfredo sauce on top of pasta/vegetables.  Grate parmesan cheese on top of sauce, then sprinkle some of the chopped basil on the sauce.  Take pimento and add on top of everything.  Place a sprig of basil off to side.  You have a tasty and beautiful pasta dish.

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Our meat choice was boneless, skinless chicken tenders.  Now we have a very simple way to cook the chicken.  You need Kraft grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, and minced garlic.  Place oil in frypan, add garlic, start to heat to release garlic smell, then add tenders.  Shake on cheese, and cook at medium heat.  Keep turning over chicken and shake more cheese on when you turn.  When chicken is nicely browned, it is ready to eat.  Just make sure there is no pink in chicken, but it is usually not a problem when cooking tenders. 

Well that is it for now.  Have a great day.

Swiss Chard - The Other "Spinach"

,We had wonderfully refreshing thunderstorms last night.  The rain pounded loudly, and one crack of thunder was so close it shook the house.  The results of that thunderstorm was the amount of growth in my garden.  It sounds weird, but it looks to me as if my swiss chard doubled in size.  I weeded it a few days ago, and I wasn't compelled to pick any.  However, this morning, I had to.  The chard was very tall.  Of course, it doesn't look like I weeded either. 

Swiss chard is a nice green that tastes a little like beet greens, a little like spinach.  I have planted spinach in the past and never got a lot of growth on it, and it always seems to succumb to leaf miner damage.  Not so with chard.  The stuff is easy to grow, tastes good, and is quite versatile.  Any recipe that you find that asks for spinach or beet greens can have chard as a substitute.  The benefit to chard is that once you cut the stems for harvest, they grow back.  Chard will grow all summer and can be used instead of lettuce in salads. 

Bright Lights Swiss Chard from Coventry Regional Farmers Market last year.

Though the bright lights chard is very pretty, I have gone back to planting the old fashioned variety with plain white stems.  That variety produces a lot more chard, though the flavor is not all that different. 

As a child growing up in Ellington, CT, my dad was the gardener. We had a garden way back on our 4 acres, beyond the chicken coops and the horse paddock. It was basically a cleared area in the middle of the woods. He was the one that introduced me to swiss chard. We always had deer problems in our garden, but the chard was rarely touched by them. Needless to say, we always had plenty of swiss chard for the summer.

I have two 6 foot rows of chard growing, and from today's harvest I have enough to make several chard dishes.   I am a recipe collector, and as creative as I can be in the kitchen, I often like to start with a real recipe from a website or cookbook, then I will make my own variations after cooking it according to the original directions.  One very simple recipe I got from Epicurious. 

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Sauteed Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
• 2 large bunches Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips

Preparation:

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chard; stir to coat. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Transfer to bowl and serve.

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The reviews on this recipe are glowing.  Many who tried the recipe said they aren't big fans of swiss chard, but this recipe was really good and they would make it again.  As I read the ingredients, I believe this one will freeze well. 

When swiss chard leaves get very large, you can stuff them just like cabbage.  I have created stuffed chard in the past, but I can't for the life of me remember what I did.  Do you think I wrote down what I did?  Of course not.  I know I used zucchini squash, mushrooms, feta cheese, pine nuts, onions and garlic.  It must have been an experiment since zucchini squash comes in abundance, and I also make many different things with pine nuts and feta cheeses.  I most likely had them all on hand and just combined them.  However, in my search for recipes, I did find one for stuffed chard.  It is on EatingWell, and it sounds quite good. 

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                 Stuffed Chard With Marinara

            Ingredients:
• 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 medium shallots, minced, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 8 large Swiss chard leaves, stems removed (see Tip)
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (optional

 Preparation:

1. Gently mix beef, breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon shallot, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until just combined. Divide the mixture into 8 oblong 3-inch portions.
2. Overlap the two sides of a chard leaf where the stem was removed and place a portion of beef there. Tightly roll the chard around the beef. Place each roll, seam-side down, in a large nonstick skillet. Pour in broth, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a roll reads 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any remaining broth.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining shallot, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the shallot is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes. Serve the chard rolls topped with sauce and Parmesan cheese, if desired.
4. Tip: Remove chard stems, including the widest section of the rib at the base of the leaf, by making narrow triangular cuts.

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If you just want to cook chard as a side dish, the simplest way is to place the leaves, cut into strips, in a microwave safe dish.  Add about a 1/2 inch of water, and cook on high for about 4 minutes.  Drain, then add butter and salt and pepper.  That is how my husband likes it.  However, I am different.  For some reason, when I was growing up, we always spread on mayonnaise, not butter.  So of course, when I eat chard or spinach or beet greens, I never use butter on mine, I always use mayonnaise.  Sometimes I will get adventurous and add italian dressing instead.  I believe that the reason why we always used mayonnaise is because we couldn't always afford butter.  Much of my childhood now makes sense since I too have to economize and make do. 

My chard series begins here.  I will be using a lot of chard in recipes until I start getting in squashes and beans.  So goes the gardening.  To make the best of what you have, use what is growing, and create many different dishes with it.  Okay, you want more.  Here is one more recipe that I plan on trying with chard. 

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Chard Wrapped Chicken

       

ingredients

• Roasted Carrots and Onions (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, oregano, or sage
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 6 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 6 Swiss chard leaves, stems trimmed

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Prepare Roasted Carrots and Onions and place in oven. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the snipped herbs, the garlic, and pepper. In another small bowl combine feta cheese and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil mixture. Mash mixture together with the back of a spoon to form a paste.
2. Top each chicken breast with some of the feta mixture, pressing firmly. Wrap center portion of each chicken breast with a Swiss chard leaf, leaving ends exposed. Place wrapped chicken breasts in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish.
3. After carrots have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add chicken to oven. Bake, uncovered, in preheated oven 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degree F). If desired, sprinkle chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon snipped fresh herb. Makes 6 servings.
4. Roasted Carrots and Onions: In a 2-quart rectangular baking dish combine one 1-pound package peeled fresh baby carrots; 1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges; 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or salt, and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss to coat. Bake as directed above.

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Peas Coming Out of My Ears

This year I started two 12 foot rows of sugar snap peas.  I planted them at the end of March.  The peas are now coming hard and fast, and I don't know what to do with all of them.  I have put them in salads, whole with the pod, and have mixed them with everything under the sun.  Peas are very versatile little critters and go with many different foods.  Sugar snap peas have edible pods, and if you leave them to mature, you can get very full pods.  The pods are still edible, but the older they get the tougher they may be on digestive systems, so I wouldn't recommend eating the pods when you have left them to fill with peas.  Today's experiment was with fully developed pea pods. 

I started my morning by picking the biggest, fullest pods I had.  It was a delightful morning, feeling more like late August then on the threshold of July.  The cool temperatures are extending the season for spring crops, including peas.  So after picking the peapods, I brought them in and split the pods to get out the tender sweet peas inside.  The pods then went into the compost heap, since I have one of those delicate digestive systems that don't take kindly to mature pea pods.  Here is what I did with my peas.

Tri-Color Rotini Salad with Peas:

Ingredients:
3 cups Tri-Color rotini
1 cup fresh peas (don't have fresh, then use frozen)
one third of a red onion
one half of a red pepper
1/3 to 1/2 cup Hellmann's light mayonnaise
2 -3 tsp dried dill weed, or 2 - 3 Tblsp fresh dill weed
1 six oz can tuna
romano or parmesan cheese

Cook pasta for 8 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water. 
Cook peas in a small container with a little water in the microwave, on high, for about 3 minutes.  Drain and cover with cold water to make peas cold.
Chop onions and pepper, add to pasta.  Add peas, tuna, dill and shake on your cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix in your mayonnaise and enjoy.

 We are big fans of cold pasta salads in the summer, so tonights menu will be the rotini salad, a caesar salad, and steak strips on the grill. 

More pea recipes to come, as well as how to freeze fresh peas and pods for the future. 

Time For Harvesting Mint

The mints have been growing steadily since the snow melted.  It is time to get my first batch of mints, before they begin to bloom.  If they are cut now, I should get at least one more good crop of mint, but I can usually get at least three in a season.   I have mints growing in different parts of the yard so they don't cross, though the combination makes a nice all purpose garden mint if you aren't prone to keeping them separate.  I have spearmint, lemon mint and peppermint, and each has its own unique properties. 

What do you do with mint?  One of my favorite things to do is make mint apple jelly when the apples are ready.  Perhaps this year I will make some.  I dry my mint as well.  Once I gather it up, I tie about 6 or 8 stalks together around the stem,
 then hang them upside down and put in my drying shed, which is adjacent to my summer garden.  It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to dry, depending on humidity and temperature.  Cut your mints after the dew has dried, but before it gets to the heat of the day.  That is a general rule of thumb for just about any herb. 

My drying shed is a very small 6 ft x 14 ft building that I use as a potting shed, a drying shed, and general all purpose storage shed for tools.

                                  Spearmint hangs in a dark corner.  I also
                                  dry marjoram, oregano, sage, basil, just
                                  to name a few of the herbs I grow.
                                         




.


Once dried, I ordinarily put the mint into canning jars and then place them in a dark area of my basement.  Any light will degrade the quality of  your herbs, so that is why it is best to keep them in a dark area.  The dried mint offers a nice soothing cup of tea in the                                                 
fall and winter, and can be used to make mint sauces in the cold time of the year.  Just keep them in a loosely woven bag while making the sauce so that when the herbs are stewing with your sauce they won't leave behind any leaves.

Fresh mint offers a very refreshing respite on hot days in the summer.  Here are a few nice recipes for light, cool accompaniments to your summer fare.

Sweet-Tart Fresh Mint Sauce

Yield: Makes about two-thirds cup and doubles easily.
This sauce, without the mint, holds for 2 days in the fridge, but should be used at room temperature. The mint goes in at the last moment to keep its bright green color and fresh taste.
Use sauce hot or cold for seafood and chicken, and vegetable

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium red onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional) (I dried cayenne pepper a few years ago and I use that)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh spearmint leaves, thin sliced

Instructions

• 1.In a medium bowl stir together the minced onion, garlic, sugar, pepper flakes if using, and vinegar with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 20 minutes, then whisk in the oil.
• 2.Just before serving, stir in the chopped mint

This sauce is great for mint coleslaw, and also is terrific tossed into cauliflower. Try grilling some chicken and drizzling the sauce on the chicken. I am not much for seafood, but from what I know about seafood, it would most likely be an excellent addition to shrimp and scallops.
 Mint Sun Tea
Another great way to use your mint is to make mint sun tea. If you haven't ever made sun tea, you basically put in about 1 or 2 cups of fresh mint leaves into a gallon of water. I use the large canning jars. Set in the sun for about 3 hours, check to see if it seems strong enough, then remove the mint leaves and chill. You can add sugar if you like, or lemon for a different taste. This is wonderful on a hot, humid day when you are looking for something really refreshing.

Another recipe for mint is creating a nice sweet mint sauce to be used in fruit salad, or as a topping to honeydew melon or cantaloupe.

Fresh Fruit With Lemon-Mint Sauce

Prep: 20 min., Chill: 2 hrs. Oranges, grapefruits, and lemons are packed with vitamin C, the antioxidant that helps boost the immune system, fight infection, and protect the body against influenza. Serve this refreshing dish after a meal for a light dessert, enjoy it as a snack, or try it for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 3 large oranges, peeled and sectioned
• 2 large red grapefruits, peeled and sectioned
• 2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 (6-ounce) container low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation

• Place first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, gently tossing to combine. Cover and chill 2 hours.
• Stir together yogurt and next 3 ingredients just before serving, and serve with fruit mixture. Garnish, if desired