Susan Mené

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since Sep 16, 2018
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Biography
I'm a 60 year old adventurous, endlessly curious, retired nurse who lives on Long Island, NY. I live my permaculture dream on shy acre, half wooded and the other half for the house, garden and dog. I have wild wineberries and blackberries, make my own jam and eat the weeds, especially lamb's quarters and wild onions. My vegetables grow in garden beds, pots, nooks and corners, and vertical planters. Learning about soil, hiking, and gardening are my current passions.
I have a grown daughter and son whom I love instinctively and fiercely. There is no bitch on earth like a pragmatic woman who fears for her child.
A Susan snapshot:
I don't use alcohol or drugs because I can't handle them. Cheers to you if you can! I love to cook and hike. My marriage is a type A (husband) and type B (me) combination. It works shockingly well.
I've hiked glaciers, tons of trails, and on Mt. Etna. I've zip-lined and rock-climbed in Alaska, jumped off the 108th floor of a building in Las Vegas (I'm terrified of heights), in middle age I trained in Hakkoryu Jiu-Jitsu (completely different from Brazilian jiu-jitsu) for 15 years until I fell on my head (earned my brown belt, though!), Now I need a new knee. Totally worth it.
I have been to about 12 countries and traveled extensively (but not enough yet) within the USA. Everything considered, being at home with family, friends, dog and garden is the best.
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Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)
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Recent posts by Susan Mené

Kelly Ventana wrote:Howdy Y'all, I've been dehydrating fruits and vegs and making jerky in my car for years.  Lay a towel under the back window, cover with parchment paper and lay out your food.  Point the back of the car east in the morning, then at noon turn it around so the food faces west.  When it is super hot I crack a downwind window, otherwise the moisture gets out when you open the car door to turn it around.

Juicy stuff like pineapples, tomatoes and peaches take sometimes three days to dry, so i lay parchment paper and another towel over the food when I have to use the car (and drive very carefully lol).  Surprisingly, jerky has always been dry by the end of the first day!  A few weeks ago I ate some 3 year old jerky and it tasted fine.

Last year I bought a dehydrator because I thought the car might be too hot and damaging nutrients.  The dehydrator takes a lot longer than the car.



Really?!!!
It gets so humid here it would never work...
6 hours ago
Thanks.  This is what I'm going to do.  I kept seeing recipes with "cook 10 hours at 170°F".


Anne Miller wrote:This is something I grew up with living in the south.

First cut the skin into bite size pieces.

Place on parchment paper on baking sheet.

Then bake the pork rinds in the oven at 325 degrees until crispy, about 1 1/2 hr to 2 hr..

Sprinkle with salt.

I have never dehydrated them at this stage though I see no reason not to.

If you want to skip the oven bake, boil the skin until tender then scrape off excess fat and dry them.  Then place in dehydrator.

3 days ago

G Freden wrote:Dry rendering should dehydrate the skin enough to store, if that's your goal.  I wouldn't think a dehydrator would be necessary.  Pork rinds/crackling doesn't last more than 24 hours in my house:  too yummy.



That's good to hear.  I was dreading hauling out the dehydrator!
3 days ago
Has anyone done it?  I've only dehydrated herbs.
Right now I plan to cut small, render the fat out in a pan and then dehydrate.
Somebody stop me, lol!
4 days ago

Anne Miller wrote:I have not tried this dough because these are products I don't buy:

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/we-tried-two-ingredient-dough-three-ways/

And these I have not tried either but want to:

https://www.food.com/recipe/egg-roll-wrappers-93990

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/22532/egg-roll-wrappers/

Reviews look good to me ...



For pete's sake, I wrote a whole reply to you a couple days ago and forgot to post it!
I am going to take on one of these batters today and let you know what works out.  I'll also post my egg roll filling "recipe", although I'm not sure it's an actual recipe,
4 days ago

Anne Miller wrote:

Susan Mené wrote:Just finished making my air fryer egg rolls.  They're really good; my son has some issue with textures buts wants to eat more vegetables for health reasons.  He loves them.  I can post the recipe and tips if anyone is interested.



I love egg rolls.  Do you make your own dough?

If so I would love to see the recipe.



I have not tried to make my own yet because I haven't found a recipe yet that has good reviews.  
1 week ago
Don't panic, Vera!
No worry, no pressure.
No foul/no harm/ no hurt feelings if you are not quite ready or don't pick any particular person.
Make this a no pressure, happy thing!
1 week ago
Thanks all!  I love horseradish, so I think I will have loads of fun using using your suggestions.  I have never made blini before, so that's high on the list!
1 week ago

Anne Miller wrote:Mix it into a mayonnaise/salad dressing and have a lovely pink tarter sauce.



Oh, yum!  
I think the redness of the beets surprised into forgetting it was just "dressed up"  horseradish.
1 week ago

John F Dean wrote:I would dump the entire bottle into a pot of Borscht.



I had the opportunity to go to St. Petersburg, Russia in 2014; I'd never had borscht before and I loved it.
It looked totally different from the jars I used to see in the local grocery store when I stayed with my grandmother in Queens, NY.
I haven't had it since, but I can learn to make it!
1 week ago