Whatcha Cooking today?

[Danny]

karstopography, please let me know how the daikon/carrot ferment comes out, I'll be growing both next year.

Pepperhead, any recommendations on a bitter melon variety to try? I recall you had trialed several before.

Thanks to both of you.

[pepperhead212]

@Danny last year I tried Number One, which did OK, but, like all I have grown, they only produce up to some time late in July, or just into August, then start ripening when only 4 or 5 inches long - maybe a length of day issue? I got Big Top, from BC as a freebie last year, but it started turning red even sooner, and I got fewer, small fruits. Sayonara was probably the most productive, but same thing still happened, the year I grew that. Comet seeds never germinated. This year, I got a new White hybrid variety - I'll see if it does better.
http://www.babybows.com/seeds/asian-gourds.htm

I also plan on planting some a month later, to see if the later ones continue to produce later, or if they start turning about the same time.

Here's the source I found had the most varieties, though I haven't gotten any yet.
https://asiangarden2table.com/product-c ... ter-melon/

[Danny]

Bittermelon Cool Key
Bittermelon Green Fairy
Bittermelon Green Jade
Bittermelon Green Winner
Bittermelon Pearl

and Long White are ordered, so if you want some of the seed, I'll happily share. There are 15 seeds for each and I expect that may be plenty, LOL. Guessing saving seed of bitter melon would be as with cucumbers and such?

[pepperhead212]

You will be growing a lot of bitter melons!

I grew Green Jade years ago, and it was the only one that ever died from disease - sort of like a blight of some sort, right between two others that didn't have any sign of it! Also had that happen with the only "fuzzy melon" I ever grew.

I'm not sure if you'd have to bag the blossoms, to prevent crossing. The only time I saved seeds for that white variety, from BC, I pulled the greens I had, and let the new white ones ripen.

The Cool Key, Pearl, and Long White were the ones I was thinking of trying.

I got 7 of those white hybrid seeds this year, and I still have 7 Sayonara seeds (looks like that green winner), and a bunch of those saved "pure white", if any sound interesting. Here's the Sayonara, from that online Indian catalog:
https://www.seedsofindia.com/item/Bitte ... yonara-189

[Danny]

If you would any of the seeds to try, pm me with your addy and when they come in I'll send some to you.

I was thinking of growing them widely separated, like more than 50 feet apart and in 2 locations, do you think that would do?

[rxkeith]

today was cooking day for me. tomorrow, and friday is work.
chicken soup from one of the fat boys.
home grown baked potatoes
english muffin bread made with a mix of whole wheat white, rye, and barley flour.
i got the end piece of bread that my wife and son always argue over.


keith

[worth1]

I've got part of Christmas dinner starting already.
It's an 8 plus pound pork butt in the curing brine solution.
1 gallon of water.
3.2 ounces of insta cure.
3.2 ounces of canning salt.
3.6 ounces of dark brown sugar.
2 tablespoons of liquid hickory smoke.
It's in the laboratory refrigerator for 11 days.
Because Christmas is in 11 days.
Better holiday living through chemistry.

[Danny]

today was cooking day for me. tomorrow, and friday is work.
chicken soup from one of the fat boys.
home grown baked potatoes
english muffin bread made with a mix of whole wheat white, rye, and barley flour.
i got the end piece of bread that my wife and son always argue over.


keith

You made me crave homemade chicken soup and fresh bread and butter !! Sounds good, and you can get warmed up with a good soup, even in cold country.

[karstopography]

Kim-Chi Braised chicken. Smells great.

[worth1]

Beef stroganoff from days gone by.
Clearing out the freezer one meal at a time.

[pepperhead212]

I made a batch of Navy bean soup today, using up some bacon and a piece of Polish sausage in the freezer, plus almost 2 c of that brown rice/barley, left in the fridge, from another dish. I started with the diced bacon, then added the onions after it was almost browned, and cooked about 5 minutes. Then added a tb each of minced garlic and rosemary, and 2 tb of gochujang, and cooked about a minute, before deglazing with 5 c chicken broth. Then I added a cup of Navy beans, and a generous half cup of those dried long beans, from the garden, then I added 2 fresh bay leaves. I pressure cooked them 25 minutes, then let pressure release 18 minutes, before opening. Then I added the polish sausage, quartered, and cut into half inch pieces, and the rice and barley mix. I then cooked it on slow cooker/high for about an hour.
Bean soup, with some Navy beans and dried long beans, plus some cooked rice and barley mixed in. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Sue_CT]

That looks so good!

[GoDawgs]

We're back to chili weather. Pickles has made a batch that will last for several days. Good stuff!

[worth1]

Big giant 16 quart kettle of 50/50 mustard greens and collards.
Both types were huge and very clean and packed down tight in some water with Knorr chicken bullion black pepper and bacon.
Also Herbs de Provence.
Gonna be cold tonight so they'll go in the garage to cool down over night.

20221216_184728.jpg

[karstopography]

Hot dogs with homemade sauerkraut. Pulled out some of the sauerkraut from the gallon fermentation jar, 16 days old, turned out great. The rest is still in the fermenter. Adding whole caraway seeds at the start of fermentation definitely elevated the taste.

[Sue_CT]

I love hot dogs with sauerkraut. Miss that I can't get that at Costco any more. They did away with the kraut. If it was to keep the price at 1.50 I wish they would have just charged for it. I would pay .50 more for that.

[worth1]

Got a pot of Lima beans on to go with the greens.

[karstopography]

I love hot dogs with sauerkraut. Miss that I can't get that at Costco any more. They did away with the kraut. If it was to keep the price at 1.50 I wish they would have just charged for it. I would pay .50 more for that.

I read that some heat up their sauerkraut for hotdogs and others put the sauerkraut on cold. We boiled the hotdogs, Aldi’s brand All beef uncured ones which were quite good, and warmed up the Aldi Brioche hotdog buns in the oven, then put the hotdog in, dressed with some coarse brown mustard and then put the cold sauerkraut over all that. This sauerkraut has a good texture, not mushy at all, and the right amount of crunch, sour and salt. Caraway seeds definitely add another great flavor note, I’ll certainly try to include caraway seeds in any future effort.

14 or 15 days is pretty young for a sauerkraut, but the house was a little warmer than usual for December so the fermentation proceeded fairly quickly. Most of it is still fermenting in a now slightly cooler house, some I set aside in the fridge, I’ll see if the flavors diverge from the two. I originally wanted the fermentation to go three weeks, but the two week version tasted so good.

[worth1]

After transferring the cooked greens to a smaller kettle and washing the big one.
I poured the remaining juices I couldn't use into the pot of lima beans.
The rest which wasn't much at all got tossed.
Probably a half cup along with any grit that might have settled to the bottom.
Now I need to make some cornbread and maybe some fried chicken or something.

[karstopography]

We have a gathering today. I heard chili con carne is the main event. Someone is making a big pot of rice to serve with the chili. Rice, IDK, cornbread, corn chips are more my thing with chili. That’s the trouble with kids marrying, their spouses come into it with different ideas of what goes with what.

There will also be cheeses, nuts and cured meats. Cookies, dips. Tis’ the season for weight gain.