The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
As I survey the shelves in my basement cold storage room, I start to notice more empty jars. Just as it should be, but I also notice shelves still stocked with an abundant supply of pickles. I keep restocking and not eating enough. I make great sweet dill pickles but can not copy my Mom’s sour dill. You know the ones…they make you pucker but you can’t wait for the next bite. When she put the cucumbers in the jar, we would start the count-down to when they would be ready to eat. They had to sit for 6 weeks before we could open the jar. When the time arrived we would clean out a quart jar in a single sitting! I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve asked my mom but she’s not for sure what is making the difference either. I would gladly take any tips or advice. Is there a certain variety or type of cucumber I should be planting this spring? Should I use well water or softened water in my brine? I really would like some help in replacing the jars of soft pickles sitting on my shelves.
Last year I didn’t plant very many bell pepper plants because I had a big carry over from the previous year. Now I’m going to have to start rationing my remaining stock to make it through the summer before I can restock. It is my version of stretching out the last of the haylage until the first cutting of hay. Jonathon and Libby used a new variety of pepper in their relish last year and I think I’m going to have to plant some Poblano Peppers this year. It added a smoky flavor to their pepper relish.
How do you know what varieties of plants to plant in your garden? I didn’t realize the MN Master Gardeners program does their own seed trials on different varieties of garden produce to see which plants do well in our MN gardens. I discovered which yellow bean and carrot varieties should work well in my garden. I’m excited to try them out. They also recommended a cucumber called Chicago Pickling. Check out their website to see what may work in your garden…extension.umn.edu. Search for Master Gardeners Seed Trials.
I can’t wait to start eating out of the garden again. Once Mark takes his big toys through my garden, I’ll follow behind with my tiller to get the seed beds ready. The first things I plant are spinach and Garden Salad Bowl. I looking forward to a good salad and homemade dressing. I should have rhubarb ready in a week or two. Its growth is like a perfect thermometer. It gets bigger as the temperatures get warmer! I will also have our first full harvest of asparagus this year. Creamed asparagus on toast is a meal in itself. The only thing I’ll be missing from my garden this year is strawberries. My patch was well over 8 years old and the quack grass finally took over. I can’t wait to look through the Master Gardener website for which strawberry varieties bring spring to my garden.
I found this first recipe in a cookbook called “Simply in Season, A World Community Cookbook”. It is organized seasons and highlighted by ingredients. It is truly country cooking, using what is available outside your door. I haven’t tried these salad recipes but I can’t wait to taste the dressing recipes on the salad bowl lettuce from my garden.
Serve 4 – 6 Simply in Season Cookbook
¼ c lemon juice or vinegar
¼ c honey or sugar, more or less to taste
Dash of salt
Blend in a small bowl.
Stir in:
½ c. evaporated milk
Fry 4 slices of bacon in a Dutch oven or very large fry pan and drain on paper towel. Remove all but 1 TBSP bacon fat from pan. Crumble bacon and set aside.
1 TBSP flour
Add to reserved bacon fat in fry pan, heat and stir until smooth. Slowly stir in the lemon mixture. Heat and stir until thickened. Turn off heat but leave pan on the burner.
9 c dandelion greens, chopped. Use only greens that haven’t been sprayed!
Add to warm dressing and stir gently to coat. Garnish with bacon and chopped hard cooked egg. Can also garnish with sliced red onion rings, mushrooms or dried cherries.
4 c. spinach or other mixed greens, torn
1 c fresh strawberries, peaches, blueberries, kiwi fruit or combination, sliced.
Combine with selected toppings. Pour half of dressing over salad just before serving, then more as needed. Refrigerate leftover dressing.
Topping options:
2 green onions, chopped
1 small red onion cut into thin rings
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c asparagus, cut into 1 inche pieces, blancehed and chilled
2 TBSP sunflower seeds, toasted
½ bacon pieces, cooked and crumbled
½ c walnuts or slivered almonds, toasted
½ c shredded cheese
1 c cooked turkey, chopped
Two Seed Dressing:
¼ c sugar or honey
2 TBSP seseme seeds
1 TBSP poppy seeds
¼ c cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ c olive oil
1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine in jar with tight fitting lid. Shake well. Refrigerate left-over dressing.
Rhubarb Dressing:
2 c. rhubarb, chopped
½ c sugar
¼ c vinegar
¾ c. oil
2-3 TBSP onion, grated
1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp salt
Cook rhubarb, sugar, and vinegar over medium heat until soft. Drain in sieve. Discard pulp. To 6 TBSP of this juice, add remaining ingredients. Shake in jar or whisk together. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.
Cut asparagus spears from the garden at the base of the plant.
Wash and trim away woody part. Cut where your knife has the least resistance. Discard “woody” part and cut remaining stalk into serving pieces. I separate the tips from the stalks for cooking purposes.
Blanche cut asparagus stalks over boiling water until slightly tender. Add tips and finish blanching until all pieces are tender. Put asparagus in a bowl.
While asparagus is blanching, start making the creamed sauce. In a separate cooking pan, melt 2 TBSP butter. Add 2 TBSP flour and stir until bubbly over medium heat. Add 2 cups milk and whisk together. Stir until thickened, about 5 – 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg for seasoning. Pour over asparagus in bowl. Serve over buttered toast.
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As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark are starting a new adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.
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