Frugal Christmas Gifts 2023 #3

 Due to a stomach bug I have fallen behind on the Christmas posts.  Since there are only four days left until Christmas it’s time to talk about gift cards.

True Leaf Market 

One of my favorite gardening supply stores True Leaf Market carries a variety of seeds, including seeds from Kitazawa seed company.  If you like Asian vegetables and herbs they have the best.  Use coupon code TLMGIFTS15 to receive 15% off.

Cato Corner Farm

I love cheese and come from a family obsessed with great cheese.  Cato Corner Farm is owned by relatives of my sister in law and I have been fortunate to have been gifted their cheese regularly.  They have the best blue cheese I have ever had.  Blue cheese on crackers, drizzled with a sweet tamarind sauce is amazing.

Burlap and Barrel 

Burlap and Barrel carries ethically sourced, small batch and very fresh spices.  I’ve been using their products for a long time and they truly uplift recipes to a new level.  I asked for their monthly spice club as my gift this year.

Northspore Mushrooms 

Northspore carries everything needed for home mushroom growing.  I have been fortunate to have a partnership with the company and I think any gardener who wants to take their food production to the next level will enjoy receiving a gift certificate from them.   Use the coupon code FRUGALMENNONITE for 10% off your purchase.

God bless and Happy Holidays,

Pam

Frugal Christmas Gifts 2023 #2

 If you have someone in your life that loves salad greens, misses their garden in the winter, or a child that wants to try gardening, the True Leaf Market mini micro green growing kits will make a thoughtful gift.  Plus they are so reasonably priced that you can gift several varieties at a time.

In fact, this is my go to gift this Holiday season.  

One of my favorite meals is a seafood salad sprinkled with spicy radish sprouts.  Just the right amount of spice and crunch.

Use the coupon code TLMGIFTS15 for 15% off your purchase.

God bless,

Pam

Frugal Christmas Gifts 2023 #1

 If you have a forager on your list or someone that wants to know more about wild plants, I highly recommend Eat The Weeds by  Deane Jordan.  

One of the things that I really love is that nutritional information is included, plus excellent photos and descriptions.

God bless,

Pam

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Wishing you a peaceful and happy day.

The Frugal Kitchen: Ginger and Turmeric Chicken and Rice

 I woke up this morning feeling puny and decided to cook a dish that I find both healing and comforting.  It’s a version of chicken and yellow rice that’s heavy on two health giving spices, turmeric and ginger.

Ingredients 

4 chicken thighs 

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

1 small onion, roughly chopped 

4 or 5 minced garlic cloves 

1 teaspoon powdered turmeric 

4 teaspoons powdered coriander 

2 tablespoons finely minced ginger 

1 teaspoon finely minced jalapeño 

5 cups chicken broth 

1 bunch Tatsoi or Pak Choi, leaves separated from the stems 

1 1/2 cups rice 

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro 

1 teaspoon salt 

Black pepper to taste 

Heat the oil in a heavy pot, add onion, garlic, coriander, turmeric, ginger and jalapeño, lightly sauté.  Add chicken broth, chicken thighs, black pepper and tatsoi stems.  Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook covered for an hour.  Remove chicken thighs from the pot and allow to cool.  Remove the meat from the bones, return to pot.  Add salt, tatsoi leaves, cilantro and rice to the pot and simmer covered for 30 minutes.  Most, but not all of the liquid should have been absorbed by the rice.  If you prefer to serve this as a soup add more chicken broth.

This dish was a hit with my family and definitely one of my favorite comfort foods.

Enjoy and God Bless,

Pam

Mango Lassi Recipe

 I’ve been recovering from a gastrointestinal virus and my go to recovery food is a lassi in place of a meal.  There are sweet lassi, spicy lassi, and salty lassi.  I like a sweet lassi with a touch of salt.

The yogurt in the lassi is perfect for getting the digestive system back in shape.

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup plain yogurt 

1/4 cup milk if using regular yogurt or 1/2 cup milk for Greek yogurt 

1/2 of a mango or fruit of your choice (frozen fruit works well)

2 Tablespoons honey 

Pinch of salt or 1/8 teaspoon of homemade electrolyte mix 

Blend everything in the blender with a small amount of ice if you’re not using frozen fruit.

I enjoy drinking a lassi as a meal replacement or a snack.  Enjoy!

God bless,

Pam

Homemade Sports Drink Substitute

 It’s been hot, so very hot that, even when I drink a lot of water, I end up feeling awful after a couple of hours working outside.  My garden is suffering from lack of attention and I am suffering from hyperthermia.

It’s become obvious that water isn’t going to work for me and I don’t like the flavor and high sugar content of commercial sports drinks.  So I’ve decided to start drinking a homemade substitute electrolyte powder.  The ingredients are easily available at stores and online.

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup pure salt (without additives)

1 3/4 tablespoons potassium chloride powder 

1/2 teaspoon magnesium glycinate powder 

Mix the ingredients in a small jar and shake to mix well.  To use, mix 1/8 teaspoon to 8 ounces liquid of your choice.  In plain water it just tastes like slightly salty water.  I sometimes add some flavored drops or if you fell you need the sugar add the electrolyte powder to juice.

For just a few cents you can drink the same type of electrolyte drink that costs dollars in the store.  My grandpa used to work for the railroad and he used to tell me that on hot days he would pack lemons and salt to mix with water.  I like to think that this is just a new timey version of my grandpa’s recipe.

God bless,

Pam

Growing Chestnut Mushrooms in a Monotub

 We’ve covered growing mushrooms several different ways and now I want to discuss one of the more common methods for growing mushrooms at home: growing mushrooms in a monotub.

You will need:

A purchased or homemade monotub

Rubber gloves 

Sterilizing liquid (I use alcohol in a spray bottle)

Face mask 

Substrate 

Mushroom spawn

Water for moistening substrate 

I use a monotub, substrate and spawn purchased from Northspore.  The purchased monotub comes with the plastic tub, clear top with ventilation ports, filters to cover ports and a black tape for covering other holes in the tub.

It’s important to keep the entire process as sanitary as possible.  Wash your hands, put on your gloves and mask and spray your hands with the alcohol.  Now spray the inside of the monotub and lid.  Remove the substrate and spawn from the boxes they come in and spray the outside of the plastic bags.

Sanitize a pair of scissors or knife, resanitize your hands, and cut open the substrate and spawn. Pour the substrate into the bottom of the monotub.  Now add a small amount (about one cup) of water and mix it with the substrate.  Keep adding water until the substrate is uniformly moist.  You should be able to just squeeze out a few drops of water from a fistful of substrate.

Now add the spawn and gently mix it with the substrate until you have a uniform mixture.

Put on the monotub lid and seal.  I keep my monotub in indirect light near my Aerogarden grow light.  You will see condensation form on the top which is exactly what you want.  Don’t do anything more, but do look through the lid to watch for pinning.  Pinning is when baby mushrooms start to form.

I removed the lid for photos, but I usually just leave the lid on.  The mushrooms I chose to grow are chestnut mushrooms.  They were a new variety for me, but I loved their flavor and texture.  Definitely a variety that I will grow again.

When the mushrooms are fully grown, but young, they are ready to harvest.  I just put on a pair of sanitized gloves and pull off a clump.

I had several flushes of mushrooms and had enough to share with my neighbors.  My favorite recipe was a a cream of potato soup with chestnut mushrooms.  Follow your favorite potato soup recipe, but add the mushrooms when you’re sautéing the aromatics.  Add some cream to finish the soup.  It was delicious.

I have a coupon code with Northspore that will give you a 10% discount.  Use the code:  FRUGALMENNONITE at checkout.

God bless,

Pam

Good Reads: Transforming Florida Yards

 Transforming Florida Yards: A Regional Food Forest Guide by Dr. Amanda Pike is the best book I’ve found covering the idea of turning your yard into a bountiful food forest and doing so in a hot, humid climate.

I learned about Amanda Pike and creating a food forest by following her on Facebook group Transforming  Florida Yards.  She shares her amazing original recipes and gardening tips in a personable manner.  Did you know that green papaya is a great substitute for zucchini?

The book not only describes the process for planning a food forest, but is filled with information sheets on unusual heat loving, edible plants.

I highly recommend this book for anyone living in a place where it’s hard to garden because of the heat and humidity.

God bless,

Pam

Canning Blueberries

 As I stated earlier I went blueberry picking with my husband and friends.  I picked fifteen pounds of blueberries.  We ate as many as we could fresh, but I wanted to put some by to use in muffins and pie.  Fortunately the upick site has a whole section on canning blueberries.

I gathered my equipment, steam sterilized the jars and started lightly packing the jars with blueberries.  The option I chose was to can them in a light syrup.  I used my steam canner for both sterilizing the jars and processing them.

I ended up with a good supply of canned berries and I decided to use the rest for jam, but that’s another post.

Please note that I haven’t given explicit instructions on canning.  It’s much safer for you to learn from an experienced canner, your local extension office, or a reliable book (such as the Ball Blue books).

God bless,

Pam

Spring Mulberries

 If you want quick fruiting, fast growing trees, I highly recommend planting mulberries.  I started mine from seed and after one year I had a small harvest.  It has now been three years and I have more mulberries than I, and my neighbors can handle.

Spring is such a fun time with the mulberries fruiting.  I love to go out in the evening to pick berries for the next day’s breakfast and other recipes.  Plus the trees are so attractive year round.

One caution is that mulberry trees can be messy, so plant them where there’s little to no foot traffic.  Pick them wearing clothes that can get stained.

So far I’ve frozen berries for future use and made jam for the family and neighbors.  I’ve invited friends and neighbors to come over and pick berries whenever they want.  The benefits from two mulberry trees are beyond eating berries and move into the realm of creating community.

God bless,

Pam

My link for seeds:  https://www.trueleafmarket.com/?rstr=TheFrugalMennonite

Upick Blueberries in Florida

 It’s blueberry season in Florida and today we went blueberry picking with friends.  It was so much fun and now I have fifteen pounds of blueberries to process.

We went to Starkey Blueberry Farm which also has strawberry upick from December to March.  It’s very well run and an attractive piece of acreage.  I really enjoyed seeing families with small children and their excitement.  Plus there was the zen of picking down a row and being outside on a beautiful day.

Remember to take the time to relax with friends and family while enjoying the Spring weather.

God bless,

Pam

Growing Mushrooms in Straw Bales

 Several months ago my neighbors threw out a straw bale that they had used as a Fall decoration.  Hating to see anything go to waste, I asked my husband to lug it home.  At first I was just going to use it for mulch, but I had been reading about growing mushrooms in straw, so I decided to experiment.

The most heat tolerant mushroom (Florida here) that is readily available is pink oyster mushrooms.  I hauled the straw bale to a partially shaded area under a tree and gathered my tools:  pink oyster spawn from Northspore , and a hori hori knife (crowbar would also work).

I broke up the spawn within the bag, used the knife to pry open holes, and stuffed the holes full of spawn.  Since then I’ve watered the straw bale every day.  Within a week or two I began to see fruiting mushrooms.

Once the weather started warming up, occasionally in the 80’s F, the pink color began to fade.  In speaking with other mushroom growers in Florida they confirmed that the pink fades in warm weather, but doesn’t affect the quality of the mushrooms.

Many people sterilize the straw substrate before inoculating with spawn.  I would have, but the straw bale was so big I didn’t think it would be effective.  Some ink cap mushrooms also started growing, but I have been hand picking and discarding them before they can mature and release spores.

I’ve enjoyed this experiment and I’m looking forward to seeing how long the bale keeps producing oyster mushrooms.  Growing mushrooms has been a great addition to my frugal garden and adding variety to our diet.

God bless,

Pam

Northspore mushrooms

My coupon code is:   FRUGALMENNONITE

I’ve Been In California

 Sorry folks for the lack of posts, but I’ve been visiting my brother in California.

God bless,

Pam

The Frugal Kitchen: Steam Canning

 Up until recently the USDA did not recommend steam canners for preserving food, mainly due to a lack of research on the subject.  The Amish have been using steam canners for decades with good results and, just recently, the USDA has enough research to state that steam canning is a safe way to preserve high sugar and high acid foods.

What does that mean to me:  I no longer have to carry a large canner filled with water from the sink to the stove top.  A steam canner has about two inches of water in the bottom and is easy to handle.

 

Considering my arthritis and general aging this steam canner has made food preservation much easier.  The handle on top contains a gauge, so you can tell when the steam has reached the level where you can start your timer.  The times for processing are the same as a water bath canner.

If you are in the market for a canner or are finding canning to be too strenuous, I highly recommend this type of steam canner.

God bless,

Pam

Growing and Preserving Ginger

 I recently harvested some ginger that I had started from a hand of ginger from the produce stand.  I prefer to use organic ginger as it hasn’t been treated with growth retardant.  Break the ginger into pieces, making sure that each piece has “eyes”, much like potatoes.  Plant at twice its depth, either in loose garden soil or a large pot.

Remember that ginger root grows laterally, so give it plenty of room.  Ginger takes eight to ten months from planting to maturity, but I suggest harvesting at around six months.  I waited the full amount of time and my ginger was tough.

Since the ginger was so mature I decided to cook it and can it.  I cleaned it well, cut into pieces, and boiled it for thirty minutes.  I measured the water, added twice as much sugar, and boiled it until the syrup became thick.  I then water bath canned it for 45 minutes, once again because it was so mature.

The syrup became caramelized due to the long cooking time, which is fine with me.  This canned ginger can be used just like you would use fresh ginger and the syrup can be used in baked goods as a flavor enhancer.

God bless,

Pam