Archive for the ‘Food Processing’ Category
Brining Grape Leaves
Brining grape leaves is best done in the spring or early summer when the grape leaves are more supple but I just couldn’t resist brining up a few jars now. Brined grape leaves are used to make a Greek dish called dolmades and can also be used as a decorative accent under cheeses. They have an earthy, salty taste that is complementary to savory foods.
Peach Jam with Pomona Pectin
Friends have been telling me about the virtues of Pomona Pectin for quite a while. I recently got some from PCC, and now I’m hooked. Because it doesn’t require sugar to jell, you can easily vary the amount of sugar you use or you can use a different sweetener all together.
Time to Dry Tomatoes
There’s no question that it’s been a cold summer this year, and not the best season for heat-loving crops like tomatoes.
This year I planted Japanese Black Trifele tomatoes, and this cold-tolerant plant is actually producing tomatoes that are beginning to ripen. We’re eating them fresh but there are enough that I have been drying them as well.
To dry tomatoes you either need an oven that goes as low as 100 degrees or you need a food dehydrator. By the time fruit begins to ripen around here, the days are cool enough that it doesn’t really work to do sun-dried fruit.
Here are directions on how to dry tomatoes in the Northwest: More…
Cultivation, Cuisine and Climate Change: Tips on Reducing Food Waste
As mentioned in an earlier post, when food is wasted, so is energy. By making the best use of your foodstuffs, you could be reducing the more than 90 billion pounds of food tossed in the trash every year, which uses up to 4 percent of all U.S. oil and more than 25 percent of our fresh water to produce and transport to consumers.
Sometimes it’s hard to eat a fresh, “mostly plant“-based diet without wasting food along the way because, unlike burgers from fast food joints, real food spoils. So here are some tips to help you prevent perfectly good food from going bad:
- Draft a menu – Plan what your family will eat for the week. Focus first on ingredients you already have in the house that are getting close to their expiration dates, and buy the ingredients you need to turn it into dinner.
- Make a grocery list – Making a list while you’re at home will help ensure you don’t buy what you already have lurking in the back of the pantry. And sticking to a list ensures you won’t spend extra on impulse purchases that may not be on the menu that week. More…
Jammin’ With Figs
Figs are now in season and each bite takes me back to desert days in Arizona. This season I got enough of the succulent fruit to make jam. Gail Savina from City Fruit suggested using a recipe from Alice Water’s Fruit cookbook. So here it is:
Canning Cucurbits!
Gloria over at Laundry,Etc chose July’s key canning ingredient! Not the whole family of cucurbits…but definitely cucumbers, melons & zucchini. Read all about the family Cucurbitaceae on her blog and check out her beautiful writing and photos while you are there!
None of July’s options were producing in the garden yet. Again. It seems Seattle is in a perpetual spot of being (at least) 1 month behind in all that is cannable for the Can Jam! A problem? No! This allows me to check out what people all over have done, sift out the recipes I like the best and save them for when something is in season! I’m starting to see this as a bonus! The Can Jam is doing the work for me! Kind of like having a whole bunch of recipe testers! Nice!
I did find some nice looking pickling cucumbers at a local fruit/veggie stand and chose a standard dill relish. Nothing fancy. Nothing unique. Just a nice, basic relish for my lovely Ladyfriend to add to tuna salad. Or for the occasional delicious hotdog that finds their way into our house and onto the grill. More…
Making an Onion Braid
Now is the time to harvest onions, and a great way to store them is by braiding the tops and hanging them in a cool, dark place.
The Nitty Gritty of Seattle’s Urban Ag Code Changes
Marra Farm Harvest, Photo by Steve Tracy
Seattle City Council unanimously voted to pass the urban agriculture land use code amendments yesterday (with the exception of Councilmember Jean Godden who was not present when the vote took place). These amendments were drafted in response to the Local Food Action Initiative’s call on the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to find ways to promote growing food in the city.
Throughout the process, the largest debate on these code amendments swirled around chickens. At first, it was proposed that roosters be banned in the city. But an appearance by a local urban farmer, her children and her rooster at a council meeting seemed to sway councilmembers to drop that part of the proposed legislation. (Council President Richard Conlin and Councilmember Mike O’Brien seemed to be convinced that the problems some roosters present were covered by the noise ordinance.) More…
Value-Added Producer Grants from USDA
Would you like to try making value-added products but lack the funds to do so? Then this USDA grant may be for you.
Grants may be used for planning activities and for working capital for marketing value-added agricultural products and for farm-based renewable energy. Eligible applicants are independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority-controlled producer-based business ventures.
Since the beginning of the program, 950 grants have been awarded with 2008 recipients ranging from Morning Star Organic Farm to Blue Sage Farm.
An interesting success story is Amazing Grains who used a grant to develop, then market gluten-free flour made from Indian rice grass.
For more information about how to apply, check out the guidelines here.
An Account of the Slaughter
Rabbits depicted before...and after, in a French supermarket
Annette, from Sustainable Eats blog, wasn’t sure how her first experience killing a cute, fuzzy bunny would go. But after considering the various other (less sustainable) meat options available, she decided knowing more about rabbits would be the responsible choice.
As she points out, rabbits are efficient meat producers as they require comparatively little input before reaching an edible size. They need much less space than most animals we eat (cows, pigs, lambs). Needless to say, rabbits also have a reputation for breeding efficiently. Taking this all into consideration, Annette concluded that rabbit is the “ultimate sustainable meat.” More…
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Categories
News Aggregator
- Why does a posh agricultural college open its doors in summer to urban teenagers? September 7, 2010 Michael Levenston
- The safe use of wastewater in agriculture – Reduced costs for farmers and cities and improved water quality September 7, 2010 Michael Levenston
- USDA Announces Next Steps on Sugar Beets September 7, 2010 Taylor
- Register now for ‘Sheep School’ in Massachusetts September 6, 2010 Taylor
- Urban food garden installations in Bangalore September 6, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Job: Sustainable Agriculture Educator, Garden Manager September 5, 2010 Taylor
- City offers soil-cleaning tips to promote urban gardening September 4, 2010 Michael Levenston
- Michelle Obama in the garden September 4, 2010 Michael Levenston
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