Satellite went over May 19th. From left to right, the hoop house with it's sides rolled up is packed with veggies. There's salad under the row cover right next to it. The light strip down the middle of the field is straw covering the garlic which is just starting to pop up. There are a few empty beds, and then it's a 2 beds of snap peas. Then there is an empty bed, and then one of kale and broccoli under row cover. At the edge of the field are the sage, thyme and oregano under row cover. The chicken coops are arranged in a trio a the edge of the brushy area. Looks like they got done eating all the grass at this point and were ready to be moved.
Whatcha Eatin?
Taco truck carnitas
After living in California for several years, I got hooked on simple, easy taco truck style tacos. Carnitas! Usually around $1 each, and topped up with all manner of veggies. Preferably eaten on a dusty roadside in the blazing sun from a floppy paper plate. Mariachi music optional.
Pile of corn tortillas
~1lb meat (ground pork works especially well with this, but we also substitute fish, or a can of black beans)
Spices:
2 cloves garlic, minced
~1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
~1/2 teaspoon cumin
~1/4 teaspoon marjoram
~1/4 teaspoon coriander
~1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 dry chili pepper minced, or red pepper flakes
-Mix ground pork with all the spices. Heat up a sturdy frying pan to an irresponsibly hot level. Sear the ground pork until it gets just the slightest bit of char (go Malliard reactions!)
-Similar with fish, but be gentler, and ease up on the spices a bit.
-Can o' beans, heat in a pot with spices.
Top with:
White onion, minced
Cilantro, minced
Jalapeno, minced
Cabbage or lettuce, shredded
Fresh Lime juice squeezed over everything. (key ingredient! sorry, can't grow em here. yet)
Bottom shelf Herdez salsa verde.
Sauerkraut
What? Sauerkraut land is on the other side of the world from taco land? How do you think the accordian got into mariachi music?
Anyway, if you find yourself with an excess of cabbage or hot dogs without toppings, here's a summary of how to make kraut. Courtesty of Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz. http://www.wildfermentation.com/
If you've never fermented anything, kraut is the gateway ferment. Easy. Tasty. Experiment with this and when/if the pickling cucumbers arrive you'll be ready for your own authentic fermented garlic dill pickles.
5lbs fresh cabbage
~3 Tablespoons salt
A few caraway seeds celery seeds, optional
Chop or grate cabbage, finely or coarsely, with or without hearts, however you like it. Place cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it. Sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go. The salt pulls water out of the cabbage, and makes the brine which the cabbage will ferment in without rotting. The salt also keeps the cabbage crunchy by inhibiting organisms and enzymes that soften it. Mix ingredients together (like a few caraway/celery seeds) and pack into a crock. Pack just a bit into the crock and tamp it down hard using your fists or other sturdy kitchen implement. This helps force water out of the cabbage. Keep filling and tamping. Cover kraut with a plate or some other lid that fists snugly inside the crock. Place a clean weight (such as a glass jug filled with water) on the plate. This weight is to force water out of the cabbage then keep the cabbage submerged under the brine. Cover the whole thing with a cloth to keep dust and flies out. Press down on the weight to add pressure to the cabbage and help force water out of it. Press the weight down every few hours, or as often as you think of it until the brine rises above the plate. This can take up to 24 hours. If the brine does not raise above the plate in 24 hours, add salt water (1 Tablespoon to 1 Cup water) until the brine is above the plate.
Leave the crock to ferment on your counter at room temperature. Check the kraut every day or two and press down the weight to remove air bubble that form during fermentation. Make sure the kraut stays covered with brine. Taste it every few days. When you like the taste, put it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process. (generally about a week or two)
Apply generously to hot dog or sausage.
Fermentation has some really cool science. I heartily recommend getting Wild Fermentation if this sounds like a fun food project and you want to learn more.
No comments:
Post a Comment