Katherine Burelle

Have you considered making pesto from it? I've made garlic scape pesto with soaked almonds or soaked cashews (I can never seem to find quality pine nuts in my area), I would clean and add the entire young garlic, salt/ pepper to taste, and olive oil to reach the desired consistency. I recommend a food processor... also FYI you might need a lot of olive oil. I normally freeze my creative pestos in a small mason or an ice cube tray. Tastes great on pasta with parmesan, and a variety of BBQ-roasted veggies.

Bonjour mon ami! We have very similar growing seasons: my postal code is K0J2B0

I do not use the fabric, but if I could recommend perhaps a greenhouse would do the trick and this could not only thaw the ground in spring but extend your season in the fall. We are currently experimenting with this. We purchased a greenhouse from Planta Greenhouses and we dug out a 4 ft foundation in which we plan to install a rocket mass heater only the pipes will run underground and heat the surrounding soil. All of this likely sounds crazy, but I promise to update you when it is complete and wether or not is it worth the time and effort in our climate / growing zone.

Please update me on your success with the black fabric cover. If this is successful I would like to adopt this strategy for thawing my outdoor garden beds

Welcome, Dr. Colby! I sure hope I win this is definitely a course I would love to take

Thank you so much, John Silver Fox, I never thought of Jerusalem artichokes, what a fantastic idea! And you are right they keep coming back so that is a nice sustainable option!

Stacy Witscher wrote:My favorite pickled red beet recipe is 2 cups red wine vinegar, 1 cup water or red wine if I have it, 1 cup sugar or to taste, 1 Tbsp. salt and per jar - one bay leaf and two sprigs of thyme. Usually I do these in pint jars. Scale up or down as needed.

This is brilliant thank you!

Heather Staas wrote:I'm new to canning and about to embark on my first "pickling" season.  I'll be watching for answers here as I learn!

I'm looking for a few things to really understand this all,  like water: vinegar ratio as a general rule of thumb.  Recipes are all over the place.   But I don't want to follow an "exact" or specific recipe every time I make something.   I want a "basic" formula that I can then play with as far as flavor and spice.

I'm thinking I'll have at least a "regular",   a "sweet" with splenda or something, and a "spicy" with dried red pepper.    Then I can play with vinegar types and substituting or including a new herb flavor.  

I grow a variety of my own herbs;   dill,  coriander/cilantro, mustard seed,  thyme, orgeno,  basil,  savory, rosemary, chives, garlic chives,  chervil,  parsley, loveage...  

I have found it to be a good rule of thumb to try two versions. personally anything too vinegary gives me heart burn. I go with a 1 part water 1 part vinegar. but I have also tried 3 parts vinegar 2 parts water and although the veg is great thanks to all the spices it is very strong on the vinegar side. Depends greatly on the food being pickled too. I did quail eggs recently and boy was it good on a 1:1 water/vinegar. I love pickled eggs but the vinegar is so overpowering sometimes. This 1:1 was just right.

Joshua LeDuc wrote:By far, the tastiest pickles are the lacto-fermented kind.  The bonus is that they are pro-biotic and will help improve one's gut biome!  Sauerkraut is made by lacto-fermenting cabbage as well.  A book by Shockey named Fermented Vegetables is a very good hands on guide that teaches the reader how to start lacto-fermenting, with lots of recipes for almost every vegetable.  I also found this blog which explains it well.  

https://www.makesauerkraut.com/fermented-pickles/

I totally agree! I love lacto-fermented pickles/veggies but I quickly run out of fridge space. they are more a small batch type for me. I wish I had two fridges so one could be filled to the brim with fermented goodies but alas I am not so fortunate.

D. Logan wrote:First, let me say those baskets have me thinking of all sorts of delicious things I could make!

Second is more on topic. I would think one way to battle this might be including a piece of paper. Something that listed every item (and possibly a short description) in the current basket along with cooking suggestions (links to the recipes instead of having them on the paper to save space and paper) specific to that basket. The list would make it easier for people to recognize what they have and the suggestions would perhaps inspire them to use things they are less familiar with.

This is a great recommendation D. Logan! When I worked at a CSA, the farmers would send a weekly news letter ahead of the delivery date with a list of what to expect in the box. They would include descriptions and recipes as well. Also on their ordering system you could specify vegetable and fruit items you like and dislike. They gave the option to their buyers. For example if you don't eat potatoes or cabbage you wouldn't receive any, rather, you would get more of the veggies you do enjoy for example extra lettuce or beans. The online portal also allowed you to change your selections 1 week prior, so if you were expecting family or friends you could edit your selections to accommodate your guests.

I would like to add variety to my pickling recipes and rather than purchase a magazine or spend hours looking online I thought I would ask all of you!! Normally I do white vinegar, water, garlic cloves, peppercorns, mustard seeds, sliced onions, and a cinnamon stick. Would like to have a few variations so that not all my pickled veg taste the same. My main veggies are beets, cucumbers, green tomatoes, beans, and if I'm lucky asparagus. Any thoughts??

Erika Bailey wrote:"My go to quick meal is Shakushaka"  --Katherine Burelle
Goodness!  That is usually a meal I do in the fall when I have too many peppers and tomatoes to count and they are taking over my counter!  I always think of it as a couple of hours of cutting veggies...I am sure there's a simpler way.
   I tend to freeze ahead single serving meals of whatever for my spouse to take to work, and those do the trick when no brains are left.  Alas, bread and eggs, my go-to of younger days is less effective now as my spouse is intolerant of gluten and allergic to eggs!
       

Hahaha yes certainly not a couple of hours, I wouldn't recommend it if that were the case. It takes maybe 30 minutes prep included. Has your husband tried turkey or duck eggs? I know a few people with chicken egg allergies who are fine with duck and turkey eggs.