Thursday, September 30, 2021

What's cooking as the garden winds down?

 Before I get into what's cooking...
Today would have been my youngest brother's 56th birthday. Happy Birthday in the Heavenlies, Roger.


Our garden got off to a slow, cold start this year. It suffered neglect, and even abandonment at times, as we dealt with so much going on in tour family.
However, I did get a lot of tomatoes canned. We are still getting a few tomatoes, but for the most part, the tomatoes are finished. Today, I am squeezing one batch of the No Sugar Green Tomato relish out of the slim pickings the vines had left.
Our okra was slow in coming on, to the point we despaired of ever getting enough for a meal. In the past month, we haven't been able to keep up with the bounty! I have a number of jars of pickled okra in the pantry, plus several bags of cut okra to stretch through the long, okra-less winter and spring.
The peppers are what we are harvesting in force! I need another dehydrator to keep up... or perhaps just a bigger one. Currently on our second season with a $30 round one from Aldi Buys. (Pros: It DOES dehydrate! It has variable temperature settings and a built in, adjustable timer. Cons: there are only five racks, and the 'screen' spacing is so large that many things need a liner so they don't fall through.)

I have bone broth cooking. It has simmered for about 36 hours now. One of those 'stupid easy' things we like to keep on hand, as bone broth adds flavor and nutrition anywhere you add it. This batch has bones from an organic chicken we cooked on the grill a few days ago, plus the bones from one of the big rotisserie chickens the local grocery store had for half price. (You can't beat a half price rotisserie chicken for value. Not only does it have meat enough for two or three meals for our family, you also get the bones to make into broth!) ("Recipe": Pull the meat off the bones of a chicken. Place the bones in a crock-pot/ slow cooker. Cover the bones (and skin and such) in water, and as much more water as you can put into the crock-pot without an overflow as it boils. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Put the lid on the pot. Turn it on. (I use high in the day, turn to low overnight. but it's ok to cook it on either setting. Let simmer until the bones dissolve. Strain the broth, pour into jars and refrigerate or pressure can... or use right away.)

I have green tomato relish cooking. It's a beautiful way to use up green tomatoes if you already have plenty of chow-chow! I like to use the green tomato relish in my chicken enchiladas.

I am just about to start cutting my jalapenos to dehydrate. The cayennes, tabasco, and Thai peppers are already on their trays, ready to go.
We are praising the Lord that He has provided such a bounty for us again this year.

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