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Homemade Mixes: Sauces and Salsas

chutney, enchilada sauce, hoisin sauce, ketchup (x2), peanut sauce, pesto, plum sauce, sweet & salsa, sour sauce, teriyaki sauce – and a few bonus recipes

This post came from a bigger one called HOMEMADE MIXES that just kept growing and growing.
At length I finally had to divide it into sections to keep it manageable. Hence – the separation – sorry about any inconvenience it may have caused in your searching.

HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE

Stir to combine these dry ingredients:
3 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t crushed dried oregano leaves
1/4 t salt
pinch cinnamon
3 T oil – your choice
2 T tomato powder
2 cups vegetable broth
1 T vinegar – your choice
Directions:
1. Heat 3 Tablespoons of oil to sizzling temperature, add spice mix and stir to toast.
2. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons tomato powder, then slowly add 2 cup vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer till thickened a bit.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in 1 Tablespoon vinegar.
Let sit till ready to use, or cover and refrigerate.

HOISIN SAUCE

Hoisin sauce is a thick, dark, fragrant sauce commonly used in Chinese cooking, in a stir fry, or as dipping sauce for Asian dumplings. Lots of different recipes – give this one a try.
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 T dark molasses
2 T honey
1 T toasted sesame oil (darker and more flavourful than regular sesame oil)
2 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cloves garlic finely minced
2 T sriracha sauce or your favourite hot chili sauce
1/2 t black pepper
1 T miso paste
1/4 cup water with 1 T cornstarch made into a slurry

Directions: In a small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together everything except cornstarch slurry. When sauce is bubbling, whisk in cornstarch slurry continuing to stir and simmer till it begins to thicken. When it is the desired consistency, remove from heat. Makes almost 2 cups. Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool.
STORE in fridge for 4-6 weeks.
Use it to glaze salmon, ribs, chicken, shrimp – a little goes a long way as it is highly concentrated.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP – 2 variations

It’s ironic that in most cases, condiments were homemade at first, and then commercially reproduced to taste as close to homemade as possible. Not really possible – but we become so accustomed to the commercial variation that we now try to make the homemade version taste like IT. How backwards is that? The homemade version is all about natural flavours and ingredients. Super easy, and tastes so much better than commercial if FRESH tasting is important to you.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP #1
For when you have lots of FRESH Garden tomatoes that need to be used up.

– Fresh Tomatoes
– salt and pepper
– optional: fresh garden hot pepper
– a little of your favourite vinegar: apple cider, red wine, even balsamic? Your choice.
– Tomato Powder1
* some people might add a little sugar. I never have – it doesn’t appeal to me at all, but you do you.

  1. Chop fresh garden tomatoes into a saucepan. Small, medium or large? Depends how many tomatoes you’re trying to use up. No need to peel tomatoes.
  2. Put on medium low heat and bring to a boil. Be attentive at the beginning to prevent scorching; a lot of tomato juice will be created, but be sure your heat at the beginning isn’t too high. Stir frequently as it comes to a slow rolling boil.
  3. At this point, you can cover the pot and let it gently simmer (just below the boiling point), for about an hour. Set the timer every 10 minutes to remind you to check on it, and give it a stir to prevent scorching.
  4. To clarify: simmering is just below the boiling point. It uses moderate heat to soften foods slowly over time, before gradually adding seasonings and other ingredients.
  5. After about an hour, you should notice that a lot of the tomato ‘water’ is evaporating and the sauce is thickening. Add a little salt. Since you’re working with an indefinite amount of tomatoes, I can’t tell you how much salt. Taste test. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and taste. Add 1/4 teaspoon at a time, taste testing as you go.
  6. I really like what black pepper does to a savoury dish, so I add the same amount of pepper as I do salt. Once you’ve salted to your taste, add the pepper. Try adding equal amounts – you might be surprised at how much you’ll like it. I think black pepper is very under used in our culture.
  7. If I have a nice garden pepper on the counter, I’ll chop it finely and add it. It adds some zing.
  8. Add a little vinegar if you want. I generally choose a basil vinegar that I’ve made previously, but use what you have.
  9. * Tomato Powder will thicken your ketchup adding beautiful colour, texture and that familiar tomato acid. Again, since you’re working with an indefinite amount of tomatoes to start with, it’s hard to say how much TOMATO POWDER you’ll want to use, but don’t over do it. Start with a tablespoon at a time, and stir to completely incorporate. Add another tablespoon and incorporate till you’re happy with the texture and taste.

That’s IT! You’re done. The way Tomato Ketchup was supposed to be.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP #2
For when you do not have fresh garden tomatoes – no worries, you’ve always got tomato powder.

1 c. *Tomato Powder2
3 1/2 c. water
1/3 c. honey or sugar – your choice
1/2 c. Cider Vinegar
2 tbsp. freeze dried chopped onions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. black Pepper
1/2 tsp. dry Mustard
1/8 tsp. ground Allspice

directions:
In a medium sized pot combine all the ingredients. Stir to mix and bring to a boil, continuing to stir frequently.
Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. , continuing to stir frequently.
Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently till ketchup reaches the perfect consistency for you. Expect that to be about 45 minutes – depending on thickness desired. Pour into glass jar and refrigerate. Mine yielded 2 pint jars. Best to let it sit for a day to allow flavours to fully blend.

STORE 2 – 3 weeks in the fridge.
Use as you would normally use regular ketchup.

PLUM SAUCE – 2 variations

A sweet, tangy, and utterly delicious savoury sauce – bursting with flavour. It doesn’t matter what kind of plum you use. They’re all going to make it a little bit different, but that makes it unique to the year. Blue plums, black plums, red plums or even green plums – or a combination of some. Whatever you have on hand. *Try adding some rhubarb if you have some left at the end of the season.

How to use plum sauce in? and in what dishes?
As a dip: Typically plum sauce is used as a dipping sauce for Asian egg rolls or spring rolls or Asian dumplings. A sweet and tangy contrast to the crispness of an egg roll. But don’t stop there!
Meat: Use as a glaze when grilling chicken or pork; or on the table as a sauce to serve along side of pork roast.
Crackers: spoon a dollop on to of cream cheese and crackers. Or on a charcutere’ platter.
Vegetables: Drizzle over your roasted vegetables, or make a quick homemade salad dressing: start with your favourite oil and vinegar (try balsamic), with a little dijon mustard. Stir in a tablespoon or two plum sauce.
Stir Fried Meal: Add a few spoons full to your stir-fries right at the very end.
Cranberry sauce substitute: Use as you would a cranberry sauce with chicken or turkey. Use as a spread the next time you make turkey sandwiches.

Plum Sauce #1 – Simple

5 cups pitted and chopped fresh plums – or 4 cups if you’re chopping them in smaller pieces (dicing) – about 1.5 – 2 pounds
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 T grated fresh ginger or 1-2 teaspoons ginger powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
* try switching out 1/4 – 1/3 of the plums for an equal amount of rhubarb – for a tangy twist

directions:
1. Put all together in medium sauce pan, bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer till sauce is thickened slightly – could be up to an hour.
3. Mash with a potato masher, or if you want a smooth consistency, puree with a blender. Personally I prefer more texture so I don’t puree, but go ahead and do you.

Remember this is a ‘sauce’, not a jam. The thickness you’re looking for is a little runnier than jam; something that can be spooned or even poured.
That’s it! It’s so easy its almost embarrassing. But its SO good. The vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar are such a sweet and yet tangy combination. The perfect compliment to a tangy plum flavour.
This will be good in your fridge for a week or so.
But if you’ve got a lotta plums, double or triple it and process in pint (500 ml) or 1/2 pint (250 ml) jars in a hot water bath.
Process for 15 minutes once the hot water bath returns to a rolling boil.
Label with date and description and store up to two years.

*tip – this amount will yield about 3 250 ml jars / 1 cup / half pint.
10 cups chopped plums yielded 3 500 ml jars / 3 pints OR 6 250 ml / 1 cup / 1/2 pint
for more direction on home canning click HERE

Plum Sauce #2 – more robust

16-18 cups (about 4 pounds plums pitted and chopped)
1 medium onion, diced
3 large garlic cloves minced
1.5 cups brown sugar
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup shredded fresh ginger OR 1 Tablespoon powdered ginger
1 Tablespoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1+ Tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cloves

directions:
1. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
2. Reduce heat to medium low and gently simmer 60-90 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

Makes 9 half pint (250 ml) jars.
Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes. for more direction on home canning click HERE

I am usually making preserves according to the produce I have on hand that I want to find good use for. It’s a rare time I buy an ingredient for a recipe. I choose recipes to match what I HAVE on hand. That’s the whole point – to use what I have.
Q: So what if you don’t have enough plums to make this recipe?
A: be flexible. What do you have that will compliment the flavour and profile?
In the season of plums, I generally also have apples, and the last of the rhubarb left. Perfect! Both are excellent companions for the taste of a plum sauce. So here’s a suggestion variation:
Substitute half of the plums for apples and/or rhubarb. Will it taste exactly the same as plum sauce? Of course not. But will it be good and will you like it? Why wouldn’t you? Open your mind – be flexible and be creative. And yes, it taste’s great.

PEANUT SAUCE (for Spring Rolls)

*I use this sauce to pour over or as a dip for Spring Rolls, but the truth is – it’s so yummy I may or may not eat it by the spoonful.
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup T rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup liquid honey
2 T sesame oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 – 1/3 cup water (start with 1/4 cup and add a little more if needed
Whisk together to make creamy but dip-able sauce.
Can store in fridge for a week or two.

*BONUS – Spring Roll recipe
Spring rolls can seem intimidating, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly and be a pro in no time. It’s kinda like folding a burrito but tighter. The first few won’t be perfect, but don’t stress out – you’re just gonna eat ’em anyway.

filling: thin rice noodles, finely shredded: lettuce, cabbage, carrot; long thin cucumber wedges; chopped green onions, fresh cilantro and fresh mint. Small amount of sesame oil and little bit of salt.
1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Test. DON’T over-cook.
2. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Drain again.
OR
1. Soak them in warm water (not cold, not hot) for 10-15 minutes till softened.
2. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. T
3. Drizzle 2 T sesame oil over top and 1 t. salt to keep from sticking together. Set aside.
*hint: have everything ready to go so that you can focus on the rice paper and folding.

wrapper: Rice Paper Sheets
building the rolls
1. lay a round rice paper sheet one at a time in a pie plate of cool water – 10-20 seconds till pliable. Lay on a clean tea towel and place a few pieces of lettuce about one-third from the bottom of the wrapper. You want to leave a couple inches open on the two sides for wrapping.
2. Add remaining ingredients in whatever order you prefer, but I like to do – lettuce, cabbage, carrots, green onions, topped with a couple wedges of cucumber and then sprinkled with the chopped herbs . Leave the top third of the wrapper open for wrapping.
3. Gently pull the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling. Try to keep the filling as tight as you can as you roll upwards, until the filling is enveloped. Pull the sides over to enclose the filling completely. Continue rolling till fully wrapped.

The more you do, the tighter they’ll get. You may have to eat the first one to get rid of the evidence of it.

PESTO

I am a huge fan of PESTO – in fact, many PESTOS. I grow a lotta Basil for the sake of Pesto, but don’t limit yourself to just basil. You can use many different green herbs, or a combination of some of them. A whole new world of pesto awaits. I have a few different Pesto recipes elsewhere on this site, so instead of pasting them all here – I’m including the links.
basil pesto
oregano pesto
nasturtium pesto
radish green pesto
I hope you’ll go check them out, and even make up a batch or two in the summer when all is fresh and green.

SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Sweet and sour sauce is a exactly what its name suggests: sweet AND sour. Many people use a splash of red food colouring to give it it’s signature red colour. Don’t do that! Use my secret ingredient to get a full bodied flavour, and an all natural, gorgeous red colour.

I grew up on sweet and sour meatballs or short ribs – complete with food colouring. It was the way of things in those day. You could go out and buy a bottle if you crave that food colouring, but it’s SO easy to whip up your own. It tastes better. is free of all those nasty “unpronounce-ables”, and it’s cheap.
Great to use as a Dipping sauce for ribs, egg rolls, and dumplings.
Great to serve your meatballs in, or to even add to your pulled pork dish.
Great to use in your stir fried vegetables and chicken over rice.
Great to use as a glaze when grilling chicken pieces, hamburgers or porkchops.
Great to even use as a pizza sauce for an Asian twist. Be creative.

In small saucepan, dissolve 1/2 cup brown sugar
in 1 cup pineapple juice
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.
Create a cornstarch slurry with
1 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water.
Pour into the pineapple juice and stir while it simmers and begins to thicken.
Add 3 Tablespoons of *TOMATO POWDER* and continue stirring to completely dissolve.
Add 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
and 1/2 cup rice vinegar, continuing to stir.
When its the perfect consistency, turn the heat off and serve!

Pour into a pint jar and allow to cool. Makes almost 2 cups.
STORE in fridge for 2-4 weeks.

TERIYAKI SAUCE

1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 T honey
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 garlic clove minced OR 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 T cornstarch mixed into a slurry with 1/4 cup cold water and set aside

Combine everything except cornstarch slurry into a small sauce pan. Bring to medium heat and whisk ingredients till thoroughly combined. Slowly add cornstarch slurry whisking constantly till its thickened to desired consistency. Use as you would any other teriyaki sauce. Make ahead and Store in a glass jar in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

SALSAS

a Salsa is any of a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Mexican origin dishes. They can be raw or cooked, used as sauces or dips, and are generally served at room temperature. A similar condiment with an Indian flare is chutney.

MANGO CUCUMBER SALSA with LIME
2 cups freeze dried mangoes OR fresh mango diced
2 cups freeze dried cucumbers OR fresh cucumber diced
1 cup freeze dried red bell peppers OR fresh pepper diced
1/4 cup freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 medium red onion diced finely
1/4 cup vegetable oil – your choice
1/2 cup water if using freeze dried OR 1/4 cup water if using fresh
1 T Lime powder OR juice of one lime (don’t be afraid to add more LIME)
up to 2 T honey
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

  1. Combine all produce in a bowl.
  2. Prepare dressing on the side and drizzle over top.
  3. Let sit for a few minute before serving.

    * When you’re using freeze dried ingredients you can prepare this ahead in a jar, all except for the liquids. When you’re ready, just pour into a bowl, add water and oil, stir to combine and presto! You’re done. You’ll have to forego the fresh cilantro, or add it later.
    This is wonderful for me because I can have ‘fresher-than-fresh’ mango salsa any time it appeals to me.
    You can store this freeze dried ‘mix’ in a sealed jar for 6 months to a year. Once it is prepared, you can keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

FRESH RHUBARB SUMMER SALSA
click link for recipe
I call this ‘summer salsa’ because of the many other ingredients that are plentiful in a summer garden, but not so plentiful in the spring as early as rhubarb is ready. This combination is terrific, delicious all by itself. Who said rhubarb has to be sweet? When you use it as a vegetable, you’re a little more willing to use less sugar. Only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with over 8 cups vegetables.

FRESH RHUBARB CHUTNEY
click link for recipe
I love the sweet spicy smell that fills the house with this gorgeous spiced rhubarb chutney. So delicious, you can eat it straight. Personally I wouldn’t can it, simply because I’d prefer not to cook it that long, but you can always freeze the fresh rhubarb so that you can make this a few times in the off season. So quick and easy, and the bonus is that your house will smell GREAT! Lovely served over pork roast, beef or chicken – or wherever you use chutney.
Enjoy!

Have fun with all these different sauces. Be flexible and be creative.
I hope you’ll share your successes with me below.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle


footnotes:

  1. Tomato powder – see below ↩︎
  2. Tomato Powder is an important part of my kitchen staples. I use it often. You can buy it, or make it by dehydrating your garden tomatoes, then powdering them in the blender. When I make my own, I try to be careful not to powder too finely, as I prefer a more ‘flakey’ texture. *Tomato powder WILL absorb moisture from the air and compress in time. No worries, just use a fork to loosen it and use it anyway. It’s still excellent quality, just responding to the moisture. Keep a tight lid on it to prevent that as much as possible. ↩︎

Learn how to make and use TOMATO POWDER. Recipes and suggestions. Click HERE

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Collecting Seeds from Your Garden for Next Season

Every plant wants to go to seed; that’s what their designed to do. Plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and squash have their seeds inside. Plants like greens will bolt, forming seed heads toward the end of the season. Peas and beans (legumes) produce pods with seeds inside. Annual flowers form seed heads that are easy to gather.
Every plant has its unique way to reproduce. They are gifts from nature, and we can afford to be choosy about picking only the best.

Saving seeds is not difficult and there really is no mystery involved. There are a few basic rules to follow, but they all make perfect sense, so once you understand them – you’re off to the races. But first . . . . WHY would you want to? Well, I don’t know why you’d want to, but I know there are some reasons that compel me to want to save seeds.

7 reasons I save my own garden seeds

  1. SELF RELIANCE
    I love that I’m not dependent on stores providing for all my needs. If COVID taught us anything it was that supply chains are fragile. I still buy seeds – don’t get me wrong, but there is something about being independent in as many areas as possible that speaks to me. Self reliance is a major factor in most decisions I make. I was raised by a dad who always had a ‘backup’, and often times he had a backup for his backup – so it’s kinda ingrained in me. I know now that I have enough seeds to plant my garden next year. That’s not to say I might choose to buy something specific next spring, but I don’t need to.
  2. COST SAVINGS
    It saves me a lotta money. It’s hard to beat ‘FREE’.
  3. PRESERVING HEIRLOOM VARIETIES
    Some plants I grow, I couldn’t buy the seed if I wanted. The only way for me to grow my Romanian Giant tomatoes for example, is if I save my own seed. And I love these particular type of tomatoes. I’ve grown them for over a decade – they’re my tomato of choice. I got my first plants from my sister Pearl-Ann, which I loved and saved the seed from. Since then I’ve shared them with countless other gardeners. (see more about HEIRLOOM SEEDS below)
  4. GREATER CONTROL OVER CHARACTERISTICS YOU LIKE
    By saving seeds, I can select good strong plants with features and traits I prefer in appearance and size, as well as colour, flavour, even resistance to disease. Over time these characteristics can become stronger, allowing me to fine tune exact traits I prefer.
  5. ADAPTATION
    Similar to control over the characteristics, seeds saved from my own garden are better adapted to the conditions of my location: the climate, the soil, even the pests. Over time, these seeds will produce plants that are more resilient to the negatives and more responsive to the positives features of my area. That means increased yield.

6. COMMUNITY
We’re not alone. Sowing Seeds that Others May Reap, and Reaping What Others Have Sown – is part of the cooperative effort that ‘community’ is all about. There are other gardeners like us collecting their own seeds, and like us, they’re likely be happy to share. You’ve probably already benefitted from someone sharing seed and you’ve probably also shared your own. A GARDEN COMMUNITY! That’s what I’m talking about, doesn’t matter whether you live near or far. I’ve shared with my next door neighbour, friends in our community garden, and cousins who live a thousand miles away.

Our local community garden recently hosted our 4th SEEDY SATURDAY. We outgrew our first year’s event in the community hall. Among other things we’ve since added, it’s still essentially a time where people bring seed to share, and hope to come home with shared seed. We look forward to it every year.

7. Personal SATISFACTION
Saving my own seed is rewarding and it helps to establish a closer connection to the food I grow and that I feed my family.

If any of my reasons for saving, sound compelling to you, then read on –

HOW TO

  1. STRONG AND HEALTHY
    Choose only healthy plants that have all the desirable attributes you want to perpetuate. Save seeds from the strongest, best looking, and most disease resistant plants and fruit.
  2. RIPE
    Allow plants to FULLY mature. Wait for them to complete their life cycle and for the seeds to be dry. For seeds from fleshy fruits like cucumbers and tomatoes, see below.
  3. HYBRID
    Be careful that the seeds you’re collecting are NOT from hybrid plants. Hybrid plants are created by deliberately cross pollinating two different varieties of a plant aiming to produce an offspring that contains the best features of both parents. These seeds are not likely to produce exactly true to form. If they’re in a package, they’ll be labelled as ‘hybrids’ so don’t forget what you planted. I keep a record of the type of seeds I planted in gardening journal. I suggest you do the same.
  4. LABEL
    You think you’re gonna remember, but you. will. NOT! Don’t trust yourself. Label with the type of seed, the date gathered or stored, and any other pertinent notes you’ll be glad to know when you plant it. DON’T count on remembering those details, you’re just setting yourself up for failure.
  5. DRY
    Lay them out: After collecting, spread seeds in a single layer on paper towels or a tray to continue drying.  Don’t rush them. Being properly dried will make the difference between whether they last or not.
    Use a bag for drying: For tiny seeds, place the dried seed heads in a paper bag for a week to allow them to finish drying and release the seeds. 
    Ensure thorough drying: Seeds must be completely dry to prevent rotting. 
  6. USING A BROWN PAPER BAG
    For plants with seed heads (marigolds, poppy pods, lettuce that has bolted, sunflowers, herbs like dill), wait for seeds to dry completely on the plant, then cut them and place in a paper bag to prevent seeds from falling all over the place. Leave in the bag for a couple of weeks depending on how moist or big the seeds were at gathering.
    Shake the bag to dislodge all the seeds. Remove stems and foliage. Fold the bag and label to store, or pour into another container. Label!
  7. FLESHY FRUITS
    Cucumbers – allow to over ripen on the vine – yellow. Cut open and gently scoop the seeds out. Rinse in a fine colander and shake seeds on a paper towel to dry.
    Peppers, select a mature pepper and let it turn completely red, then remove seeds by hand or with a spoon. Spread onto paper towel and allow them to sit till fully dry. About a week if the weather isn’t too humid.
    Squash – Zucchini or any kind of winter squash – allow to fully ripen, then cut squash open and scoop out seeds to lay on paper towel. Leave for a week or two or even more if necessary. Ensure they are totally dry.
    Tomatoes – allow to over ripen on the vine (if possible). Cut open and gently scoop the seeds out. 1) Rinse well, freeing the seeds from the jelly like substance they’re suspended in, pour in a fine strainer and allow to drain. You can either spread out onto a paper towel to dry, or let them sit in the strainer till they’re completely dry. Scroll down for more details.
  8. CLEAN
    Remove chaff, husks, dry leaves or other debris.
  9. STORE
    Have your containers decided on, prepared and waiting. Prepared means cleaned well and dried. Remove all labels. Suitable containers are envelopes, paper bags for big seeds or seed heads, recycled pill bottles and/or cleaned glass jars.
  10. IT’S ALL ABOUT BEING DRY AND DARK.
    When completely dry, store seeds in a paper envelop or bag or if you’re absolutely sure they’re as dry as possible, you can store in a pill bottle (with the label removed), or a suitably sized jar. Keep in a cupboard or away from direct sunlight till next planting season.
    If you have an additional fridge, go ahead and store them in it.

Heirloom Seeds

What is an Heirloom Seed?
An heirloom seed is one that comes from an open pollinated (naturally pollinated) plant that has been passed down (sometimes for generations, and typically at least 50 years) without being crossbred or otherwise altered. My Romanian Giant Tomatoes are “Heirloom” to me, but by this definition – they are not a true “heirloom”. Though I have no doubt these seeds have been passed down for over 50 years, I can only attest to the years I personally have been growing them.
Heirloom varieties produce plants with the same desirable qualities – like unique appearance, colour, flavour, texture and growing habits. When you find a plant you love, you want to protect it by propagating your own seed. Always ensure you’re saving seed from the healthiest, strongest plants that have thrived in their space.

Recap: features of an heirloom variety are that they are open pollinated and that they “breed true”, meaning that they retain the original traits from one generation to generation. To ensure that they stay “true”, to be grown for seed, that particular variety must be grown in isolation from other varieties of the same plant species.

What is meant by “open pollination”, and why should we care?
Open pollinated plants – also called “natural pollination”, are pollinated without our intervention relying completely on insects, birds and wind, and occasionally by natural “self” pollination. Their seeds produce “true to type” new plants – genetically similar to the parent. For gardeners, this is the best way to continue growing plants with unique characteristics we’ve come to prefer. This doesn’t mean there cannot be a certain degree of ‘natural’ genetic variation among heirloom plants, quite the opposite – that’s part of adaptability to local conditions, and is desirable.

Heirloom vegetables are often considered to be more nutritious than hybrid versions of the same type.

SELF POLLINATING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Many fruits and vegetables are self pollinating, meaning they don’t require assistance from insects or birds – like beans, peas, lettuce, peppers and tomatoes. Generally these are the best ones for beginner seed collectors, as they have true to type descendants. Tomatoes are consider self-pollinating because they have both male and female parts within the same flower, but they do require a little wind or vibrations to spread the pollen around. Though they don’t require pollinators, they may still attract them, which enhances over all plant health.

What vegetables are the easiest for beginners to collect seed from?
Focus on open pollinated plants, preferably heirloom varieties – AVOID hybrid seeds and taking seeds from unknown origin produce.

We are more likely to have successful experiences with self-pollinating vegetables and fruits like the following –
Legumes: beans and peas
Leafy Greens: lettuce, spinach
Root Vegetables: carrots, radishes and onions
Brassicas: Cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower (which is why they can produce under a netting that prohibits flying insects)
Tomatoes and Peppers
Grapes, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, saskatoons, rhubarb

Why choosing self pollinating plants helps gardeners and over all harvest?
We only need one plant to have a successful harvest. While not requiring pollinating insects, bees and other pollinators are still attracted to the plants for nectar and pollen – increasing overall productivity. With less reliance on external pollinators, it is possible to grow many of these fruits and vegetables in enclosed or protected areas and in urban communities.

Annual plants (meaning they grow one season only) produce mature seeds in a single growing season, and are easy to collect. Examples are legumes and flowers like dill, poppies, marigolds and nasturtiums.

Peas and beans: wait until the pods are dry and crisp, then harvest the seeds within.

Poppies with mature poppy pods inset.
Wait till the pods are tan coloured and completely dry. You’ll be able to hear the tiny black seeds inside. I bring a bowl with me to shake them into.

Annual flowers: sweet peas, poppies, bachelor buttons, marigolds: wait till seeds are dry, gather in a bowl, clean and ensure they’re completely dry before storing in paper envelopes or bags. Label what, where from and when.

Nasturtiums: wait till seeds are dry to gather.

Seeds form at the base of the flowers and start out small and green. Over time, they’ll grow in size and eventually turn pale green, then light brown or beige, signaling that they’re nearing maturity. Gently pull them off the plant. If they resist, wait a few days. By the time the seeds are ready, many may have already fallen. Go ahead and collect them, ensuring they’re not damaged or starting to rot. Mature nasturtium seeds are the size of a pea, pale green to tan in colour with a wrinkled rough texture. I bring a large plastic bowl with me while collecting seed. It allows me to see what I’ve got and to sort through them, keeping only the best. If they aren’t completely dry when I pick them, then I dry them on a tea towel for a couple of days.
Store in a paper bag or envelope, clearly labeled with what they are, when and where collected.

Chives and onions: they will bolt, save the seed
Spinach and other greens: they will ‘bolt’ (meaning it puts out a strong, tall stem and flowers to produce seeds). Allow the seeds to dry and gather.

Cucumbers: Allow fruit to ripen fully – yellow and soft texture. Cut open and remove seeds into sieve. Agitate and rinse. Spread on paper towel to dry completely.

Tomatoes: Allow the fruit to ripen fully, then scoop the seeds out.
Option #1: fermenting – scoop the seeds and gel into a jar, add some water and let sit at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. A layer of mould will form, which tells you that fermentation has broken down the seed’s protective coating. Drain-rinse-swish, drain-rinse-swish again. then pour into a fine sieve and rinse till clean. Spread out on a paper towel to dry completely. Label and place in a sealed container.
Option #2: scoop seeds and gel out into a sieve. Agitate and rinse a few times. Spread on paper towel to dry completely. Label and place in sealed container.
Peppers: Collect seeds from fully mature, ripe peppers.

The crisp cheery white and yellow of the daisy-like FEVERFEW flowers in front of the purples of chives, cornflowers and Lupins.

Biennial plants (meaning they grow two seasons, flowering the second season), will produce mature seeds in the second growing season – also easy to collect from.  Examples like feverfew, parsley and root crops like beets and carrots.

I rarely if ever collect the seed from biennial plants in my yard like feverfew. I do however, allow some flowers to go to seed, then I pinch them off and sprinkle them over the areas I want them to grow, trusting in nature to do the rest. She never lets me down. Next spring I’ll have a thousand little feverfew plants, so I can decide where I want them to grow and pull up the rest. The only reason I’d save some seed is if someone else wants it.

Collecting seed from Tomatoes – easiest thing ever!

Select the BEST specimen of the variety you want to save for next year.
If its a small tomato, simply squish it and squeeze the seeds and pulp into a small glass jar or cup. If its a bigger tomato, cut it and scoop out the pulpy part containing all the seed – into a small glass jar.
3 methods:
1. If you have few – spread the seed onto a paper towel and let them dry.

2. If you have lots – put them in a fine strainer and rinse them well to remove the pulpy parts. You can let them dry in the strainer, or spread on a paper towel to dry.

3. Ferment. Squeeze the seed and pulp into a small jar. Add water and agitate by stirring vigorously. Let sit a couple of days – mould will form on top, simply scoop it off, then strain the seed and spread out onto paper towel to dry.

I’ve done all three, but could never see the value in taking the time to ferment, when it appeared to me that the end result was the same. I’ve read compelling evidence recently however, that claims the additional step of fermenting lowers the odds of the seed carrying disease forward. That extra precaution sounds worthwhile to me. I’m converted.

Regardless of the method you decide on, the seed must be DRIED. I often just leave it on the paper towel, write the name, date and any other details on it, then roll it up and store in a jar or a paper envelop.

an excellent self help video on collecting seed. Keep in mind that he’s on Vancouver Island in zone 8 when he talks about winter. Central Alberta is zone 3b to 4a. But seed collecting methods are pretty standard.
a good summary of saving and storing several different types of garden seed
Keep in mind that he is in zone 5b in Colorado, but collecting the seed is pretty standard.

If you’re new to saving seed, I really hope you’ll pick a few easy ones to save this year. It’s a rewarding task. If you’re already a serious seed collector, then try one fruit or vegetable you’ve never saved before. Share some of your favourites with a friend. I’d love to hear about your experiences. Please comment below.

Enjoy!

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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there’s a 1st time for everything

Hey, I had another first this week! I was invited to do a short interview about a workshop I taught last week. It was Clare Bonnyman who reached out to me – a producer for the afternoon “Radio Active” show with Jessica Ng, on CBC Radio Edmonton – 740 AM. She said she’d seen a post about a workshop I was teaching in a few days and wondered if I could speak about it on the show. The subject was relatable right about now she thought, because its the time of year many people have excess tomatoes and are often looking for ways to use them or preserve them. That was the subject of my class – taught through Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton – OFRE.

Yup, I could sure do that. We set up a time to chat, and in the chat she offered to do a recorded interview if it would make me more comfortable. It did, so we found a time for me to go down to the studio record a short segment.

So –

What DO you do with all those tomatoes that ripen at the same?

Check out this radio audio link to the interview, and you’ll learn a couple ideas . . . .
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/16167269-what-excess-tomatoes

I admit to being more nervous than the situation warranted, but you never know what you don’t know right? Now I know not to be so nervous.
It was a piece a cake thanks to a well prepared producer Clare Bonnyman and a good interviewer Jessica Ng.

You eat ’em fresh of course –
* in an open faced, toasted tomato sandwich with pesto mayo, OR
* an amazing tomato basil soup.
* You can dry roast some cherry tomatoes, then dry pack them into small jars to freeze for later use. How to use them: puree for a shot of strong roasted tomato flavour. Add the flavour punch to a homemade tomato soup),
* OR can them whole or halved (personal preference)
* OR make a sauce out of them. You can freeze them, dehydrate them, including make tomato powder – which you can use a hundred different ways. .

In fact – I just came home from doing another Preserving Tomatoes workshop this evening; down in the Rossdale Community this time. What can I say? It’s TOMATO season!
I met another great group of newbie canners this evening – anxious to learn ways to preserve their tomato harvest.

Earlier today Clare gave me the link to the recorded audio segment, but it wouldn’t work on facebook. Mysteriously it kept disappearing as soon as I finished it. Well, apparently, though not a restriction or setting on the radio station’s part, “there is a ban on news in Canada being shared on social media (who knew?) So Instagram and Facebook won’t let one share links from any Canadian news website (CBC, CTV, Global or anyone really).

If you do want to share it on Facebook,” she suggested, “you could always post it on your website first and then share the link to the website post.” What we have to do eh?

hmmmm – that certainly explains the case of the disappearing facebook posts.

Here goes. . . .
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-52-radio-active/clip/16167269-what-excess-tomatoes

I hope you’ll tun in!. Enjoy

just a fun little song about Homegrown Tomatoes. Written and performed by Guy Clark

What do you do with your excess Tomatoes this time of year?

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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Home Canning: let’s talk about jars

For home canning, please use jars specifically made for this purpose with two piece sealing lids and rings as opposed to single-use jars that you may be tempted to recycle. I am all about recycling and I use glass jars for most leftovers in the my fridge and dry storage, so I get it. BUT – the specific sealers recommended for home canning, are built with heavier glass and higher heat resistance to withstand the high temperatures and pressure of the canning process. 

assorted sizes of wide mouth jars, from left to right:
1/2 pint (approx 1 cup or 250 ml), pint (approx 2 cups or 500 ml), quart jar (approx 4 cups or 1000 ml or 1 litre), 2 quart jar (approx 8 cups or 2 litres)

A Mason jar is a type of glass jar, not a brand, and is named after its inventor John Landis Mason, who patented its design in 1858. The term became a genericized trademark for the home canning jar with a screw-top design.  With proper care, canning jars can be reused for many years.

Types of jars

Regular mouth jars – used to be called narrow mouth): ideal for pourable foods like jams, jellies, syrups, juices, sauces and salsas.

Wide mouth jars – larger openings make it easier to fill them, making them excellent choices for whole fruits and other foods that are chunky. I prefer to use them for tomatoes, peaches, pears, plums and other fruits. They’re easier to serve out of too.

. . . aaand then there’s the ‘in-between’ sized – GEM jars – which were only made in Canada, and came in Imperial sizing of quarts, two quart (1/2 gallon), and pint sizes.

Gem jars were made only in Canada, making their first appearance just before the turn of the century, 1900. The name became a generic term for canning jars in Canada much like “Mason” jars became the generic term for all canning jars in the United States. The new “Improved Gem” jars also made by Bernardin in Toronto, appeared in the 1930’s and gained popularity during the war years. They were originally sold with glass lids and rubber rings, and were very popular in western Canada especially. I grew up seeing my mom use GEM jars, and she grew up seeing her mom do the same. The transition to metal lids happened gradually as they became a more standard and available option. That is what my kids grew up seeing their mom use.

I preferred the in-between mouth size of Gem jars (wider than the narrow ‘standard’, and narrower than the standard wide mouth) because they easily loaned them to liquids and just as easily to big chunky food items like tomatoes – very practical, a one-size-fits-all. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, they became the #1 choice for Hutterite colonies.

After a century of making them, in 1994 the Toronto based producer of Gem jars – Bernardin, was purchased by the US company Alltrista Consumer Products, who a few years later, announced they were ceasing production of the jars, lids and rings. By 2001, the manufacturing plant stopped producing them entirely, citing slower sales due to the increasing popularity of the (American) regular and wide mouth sizes. Suddenly literally hundreds of thousands of glass canning jars across the country became useless without the metal snap lids. Canadian home canners took up the fight (by way of petition) to pressure Bernardin back into production of the lids, and they were heard. Bernadin (the new management who cancelled them initially) begrudgingly complied. At the beginning of 2003, they committed to do a large single run of the lids, which created the mentality of scarcity among consumers.

from left to right: standard, gem, wide
I’m sure you can see why the middle size would have been so popular in Canada.

In the meantime, Toronto-based Canadian Home Canning Inc. took up the gauntlet to fill the void, and began producing millions of lids for the home canners still in possession of thousands of jars. Since each inner lid can be used only once, canners’ supplies of gem jars would be rendered useless without them. The problem was that the lids were not sold everywhere and many home canners didn’t even know they were available again. Whenever I found them, I bought everything they had – because I didn’t know when I’d see them again. But I never found the rings for sale. While the rings are reusable, they do wear out, so they became a pretty hot commodity, getting rarer by the year.

A few years ago I learned from a friend – about a new up and coming online company – eager to ride the new interest in home canning. For Jars. Simple, straight forward name. I’ve made a few orders from them, and they’re my go-to.

The most popular North American brands of Mason jars right now are: Ball, Kerr and Bernardin.

Jar details:

Canning (Mason) jars: not to be confused with single use jars. These are jars intended to be used at extremely high temperatures. Use ONLY clean jars without cracks or nicks in them.

Lids and rings (screw bands): those that are made for the particular jars you’re using. Do NOT reuse the metal snap lids, they are single use only.

Water bath canner: for water-bath canning, it isn’t necessary to purchase a special canner as long as you have a pot that has a fitted lid and is large enough to fully immerse the jars in water by 2 inches—and that will allow the water to boil when covered. You’ll also need a rack that fits inside the pot or canner.

Pressure Canner: for everything that is low acid. Available in assorted sizes, and it IS necessary to purchase one specific to the task.

Jar lifter: very important, this tool is relatively inexpensive but indispensable. It is essentially large tongs to assist you in putting jars into HOT water, and in removing them again out of boiling water.

Wide mouth Funnel: sure makes it easier to fill your jars without spilling and making a mess. You can buy plastic or stainless steal. I have both, but I prefer my stainless steal one. I use it for much more than camping – almost daily, for lots of applications.

Utensils: large spoon or ladle to fill jars, and a simple table knife to remove air bubbles.

Clean dish cloth to wipe jar rims, and clean dish towels upon which to place you processed jars. I also like to use a long handled jar cleaner to help me get to the far corners when cleaning.

Jar Maintenance and other things

Your Mason jars are heavy duty and suitable for every day use. I can in them and use them in the fridge for liquids and leftovers, as well as for dry storage in the pantry. Clean in the dish washer, of in hot soapy water (rinsed thoroughly).
Check your jars frequently for cracks in the body, which could break in the hot water bath, or chips along the top which will prevent a proper seal. If you see either of these, retire the jars immediately. They’re no longer usable.

Often times if I am storing food in my jars, I’ll use a

Plastic Leakproof Storage Lids for Mason Jars, sold in 6-packs; wide or standard sizes. There are other brands sold on Amazon quite a bit cheaper, but I find that you get what you pay for with them.
Flip Top Lids with easy pour spout. Available in both sizes, and online in various colours.

“We’ve come a long way baby” when it comes to canning equipment, especially the most important pieces like jars and lids. Most of the changes have improved the safety of home canning so don’t dismiss them. In THIS case, the new way is much better than what your gramma was doing.

Have fun learning how to can, and enjoy the process.

Warmly,

Cindy

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Homemade Greek Spanakopita

Spanakopita is a delicious savoury Greek pie made of perfectly crispy layers of phyllo (fee’- low) dough and a soft filling of spinach and feta cheese. Spanaki = spinach, pita = pie, so quite literally it means “spinach pie”. I’ve learned that there are as many different recipes as there are Greek grammas. Kind of like cabbage rolls, and just like the BEST cabbage rolls are the ones your gramma used to make, so it is with spanakopita (spana-KO-pita). I’m sharing with you the way I was taught by a family friend Erie Kourounotis – with a few modifications I’ve made over the years. Yes, it takes a little time to assemble, but it is much easier to make than you might expect. *tip: I find that its better if it sits at least half an hour from the oven before served. That helps the filling to set, and makes the crust easier to cut.

Most of the time in my house Spanakopita is the main dish, with perhaps a Greek salad on the side, and probably some tzatziki or hummus to serve with it, but it also makes a great side dish for a big family dinner, or to bring with you as a potluck dish.

Spanakopita can be made in a large 9×15 baking dish (usually cut into 15 pieces) or individually in the form of rolls or triangular hand pies. I like them in the individual hand pies, but I’ve never made them like that. However you prefer them, that are always a soft delicious spinach-cheese filling wrapped with golden, crispy phyllo pastry.

Crust
Phyllo dough is layered sheets of tissue-thin pastry. You buy it in the freezer section of the grocery store, near other frozen pie crusts. It comes tightly folded in a long thin box, many extremely thin layers of crispy pastry. Keep frozen until you use it, but thaw it out several hours in advance.

Filling
The key ingredients in a classic spanakopita recipe are spinach (or other leafy greens) and feta cheese. Erie taught me to use fresh greens, but I discovered that I can fit a lot more greens in if I lightly steam them first, then roughly chop. You can also use frozen spinach – thawed first and completely strained. Squeeze ALL liquid out or you will have a soggy spanakopita (bleh). I generally prefer to use greens I’ve freshly picked from the garden, and lots of them. Swiss Chard, Amaranth, assorted other garden greens like tatsoi or bok choi – or whatever you have on hand.

I had some greens in the fridge from a day or two ago, and picked lots of fresh greens in the morning from the garden. Lightly steam just until they wilt and are a beautiful bright emerald colour. Then coarsely chop to make it easier to incorporate the remaining ingredients throughout.

To add flavour: dill, onions and garlic. I use a LOT of dill – at least a full cup, depending on how big the batch is. I also use garlic and onion. I know some people use parsley, I don’t. No particular reason except that Erie – didn’t.

I picked a bunch of dill in the morning, snipped the green ferny parts off the stems, swished in cool water to clean and then drained. Finely chopped.

To bind all ingredients together: eggs.
I never use salt because the feta cheese is quite salty already, but I do like pepper.

OLIVE OIL. Because you must. Spanakopita cannot be spanakopita without olive oil.
* I have seen people put olive oil in the filling – I don’t do that. I use it all on the pastry.

Assemble everything in place, beat the eggs separately, then mix into coarsely chopped greens.
In the picture in back: eggs. Left to right: olive oil, at least 1 cup, crumbled feta, freeze dried chopped onions* and minced garlic, loose Italian parsley (I don’t generally add parsley but I picked it for another dish and I had some left over so I added it), chopped fresh dill.

SPANAKOPITA

– Enough for a 9×15 glass baking dish
Ingredients:
– package of phyllo pastry, thawed at least 6 hours. I usually take it out of the freezer the night before and thaw in the fridge. Set it on the counter while you assemble your filling, BUT DON’T TAKE OUT OF ITS WRAPPING, otherwise it will dry out.

Doesn’t matter which brand. I’ve tried several and so far, they’re all pretty much the same in my opinion.

– green leafy vegetables: spinach, Swiss Chard, spinach, Asian greens of all sorts, lambs quarters, amaranth (pig weed), orach, . . . . usually I use an assortment of whatever I can find ready in my garden. You can even add a little bit of kale.  The more you use, the thicker your pie will be with beautiful, wholesome GREENS! I shoot for at least 10 cups of finished steamed greens. 
– 3 or 4 eggs (depending on how much green you’re using)
– 2 or 3 cups feta cheese, crumbled (depending on how much green you’re using)
– LOTS of fresh dill weed (1-2 cups finely chopped)
– 2 to 4 cloves garlic minced
– 1 large onion chopped (in this picture I used freeze dried onions because I didn’t have any fresh garden onions on hand)
– 1 Tablespoon pepper (you can use less if you’re not a huge pepper fan). NO salt.
– olive oil, probably about a cup(ish).

Thoroughly mix everything together. I find the easiest way to do this is with my hands.

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Wash greens and set aside to steam or blanch. Fill clean sink with COLD water to plunge your steam greens in to stop the cooking process.  Use ice if desired. 

2.    Heat a large skillet over high flame, to steam your greens in.  Add one cup water and bring it to a boil.

3.    Coarsely chop washed greens and add large handfuls to the HOT water in skillet.  Cover with lid to steam, and cook JUST TILL vegetables become a brilliant bright green. Don’t over cook, you’re just looking for it to be slightly wilted. Remove from heat and plunge into cold water to cool quickly. 

4.    Repeat till all the greens are steamed and cooled.  Strain well, and roughly chop again. Be sure to squeeze all remaining water out of them.

5.    Add strained greens to a large bowl for mixing, and set aside.   

6.    In the same skillet, wipe out the water and heat a 1/3 cup olive oil. Saute chopped onion and minced garlic till soft and translucent.  Add to bowl of cooled, strained greens.  

7.    In a small bowl beat the eggs and add to greens and toss to thoroughly combine by hand.     

8. Crumble feta cheese, and add to bowl of greens, add chopped dill and black pepper.  Toss by hand to thoroughly combine.

9.    Pour about a cup of olive oil in a shallow bowl that you can dip your hand into. Unroll your

Assembling your masterpiece:

10. Lightly brush oil over the inside of baking dish. Place two to three sheets of phyllo dough in the pan folded over in half to fit; use a pastry brush or your hand in oil to lightly brush the oil onto pastry.  Repeat this step with 5 or more phyllo sheets (use at least 6 layers, I usually use half the package of phyllo).   Plan to wipe oil over top every 2nd or 3rd layer of single ply door.

Dip your hand in the oil and drizzle it all over the surface, spreading it with your hand.

11. Spread the mixture of greens evenly over the phyllo sheets, gently patting down. I usually end up with about 2 inches deep of greens. The more the better, they’ll still cook down a bit.

12. Cover the vegetable-cheese layer with remaining phyllo sheets, brushing each one with olive oil. Tuck the excess phyllo dough into the edges.  Make sure the top is brushed completely with oil. 

*hint: purists oil between every layer, but that is a lotta oil. I’ve had spanakopita I’ve purchase from specialty bakeries that dripped oil when you eat them. That is too much oil for me. I know I’m killing tradition, but you can make these kinds of decisions when it’s your own kitchen.

13. * optional: you can use a knife to score the top of the phyllo (don’t cut all the way through, just through the top phyllo sheets) to create about 12 – 15 pieces.

14. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 45-60 minutes or until the phyllo turns golden brown. If its browning too quickly, cover loosely with tin foil for the last 15 or so minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to set 15-30 minutes to set up. Then, finish cutting into pieces.

15. You can enjoy this dish warm, or as leftovers at room temperature or even cold. 

    If you didn’t use all the pastry, wrap any remaining phyllo layers back up and put into original package to refrigerate.
    They don’t last very long in the fridge.  I usually simply divide the package in half for top and bottom, and use the whole package in one large recipe.  Or if you have enough, make a smaller dish in addition to the large one. 

    give it at least 15-20 out of the oven before you finish cutting the pieces

    I’ve been making this dish since about 1990, and at the beginning Dan wasn’t a big fan. That suited me just find; he’d have a piece at supper and that was that. I wrapped the remaining pieces individually in plastic to take for lunch the rest of the week. When Mom moved in, we did pretty much the same thing, with slightly less leftover.

    finished spanakopita – ready to eat.
    I recommend serving it NOT hot so the filling sticks together better.

    One day at dinner, Dan had a second piece – he claimed he was “starting to really like it“. But I had a system, and in my system there was no room for Dan to start “really liking it“. I told him so, but we had turned a corner – never to turn the clock back. Dan is usually a little more reluctant to try new foods than I am. Nevertheless, he had turned that corner and I needed to adjust to having less leftovers. I always tell people that “Dan is allergic to anything ‘green’. He thinks if green food touches his fork he’ll die.” This is only half joking. When I met him the only thing green he’d eat was iceberg lettuce (hardly green), and fresh peas (if he himself stood in his grampa’s pea patch). He’s come a lonnnnnng way baby!

    I make spanakopita as often as I can in the summer time, using whatever green leafy vegetables are ready in my garden. But I specifically grow swiss chard for that reason. I think of Erie K. every time I do, and I am grateful to her for teaching me how to make it. It truly has become a household favourite. I started making it because I loved it, and one by one over the years, each individual in our family went from thinking it was okay to acquiring a serious taste for spanakopita. Even Dan!

    I hope you’ll give this dish a try, Please let me know how it works out.

    Enjoy!

    Cindy Suelzle

    Posted on

    thank you Good Samaritan Guy

    memory from August 13, 2023

    Know what’s worse than highway 2 on a Sunday evening? THIS on highway 2 on a Sunday evening!

    On our way home from a great weekend visiting family. – that’s good
    Tire on the trailer blew just south of High River. – that’s bad
    Dan was able to stop fairly soon – that’s good
    Couldn’t get too far off the highway. – that’s bad.
    It’s summer. – that’s good
    But stinkin’ hot – that’s bad.
    But not as hot as it could be – that’s good.
    Daylight. That’s very good.
    A Good Samaritan driving behind us saw it blow. He pulled over as soon as he could. That’s VERY good.
    Dan had a spare tire of course, and a jack. That’s good.
    Jack broke. That’s not good.
    Our good Samaritan had one too. That’s good.
    He’s a good guy. And young and strong. Also good.
    And kind. And cheerful. That’s helpful. Because Dan wasn’t cheerful anymore.
    Traffic was heavy and steady. Not good. But to be expected.

    87 year old Gramma Great, in the shade while she waited

    “. . . for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” Moroni 7:46,47

    Thank you Good Samaritan Guy. Thanks for responding to your gut instinct to stop and help. You breathed life into our confidence in humanity today. You make us want to BE that person who helps.

    And thank you Heavenly Father for watching out for us and protecting us. And for sending our friend who’s name we never learned. I’m sure he’s happy. Because I know that doing that sorta thing makes one happy. Please bless and protect him.

    Warmly,

    Cindy

    Posted on

    Life with Grandkids: Big Cousins and Little Cousins

    This seemingly trivial photo from years ago makes my heart happy. 14 year old Jonas washing the glass bricks for me. 2 year old Jack hanging around him, watching and chatting it up, Jonas patiently including him and listening. This speaks sermons to me.

    A sermon about two cousins on either end of the age span (Jonas is the 4th oldest, Jack is the youngest of 19), and what they have to offer each other.

    A sermon about the value of sharing even the insignificant moments of everyday life.

    A sermon about the example of service. Jonas is doing a service for me and Jack is learning.

    A sermon about Jonas’ patience in his little cousin wanting to hang around him.

    A sermon about the ease of familial love, comfort and yea, even loyalty.

    A sermon about devotion. Not just Jack’s devotion to this big boy hero in his life, but of Jonas’ devotion to him as his little cousin, who some might say has nothing in common with him.

    It’s a sermon of what the world needs more of.

    One day Jonas will be all grown up and away, living his adult life, and Jack will be a bigger little boy who remembers him, and looks forward to the times he comes home. Perhaps they’ll play board games together like Jonas does with his uncle who is just a little more than 12 years older than him (who incidentally is Jack’s father).

    A sermon about Jack’s spot in the cousins lineup. #19. Our baby’s baby. The youngest cousin. How he is surrounded by people who love him, and adore him, and patiently include him in the little things they do.

    From the kitchen where I was working, I observed these two and grabbed my camera. This snapshot is a mere blink of what was going on and what I would like to have captured. It was precious and I wish I had chosen to video it.

    Warmly,

    Cindy Suelzle

    Posted on

    Dehydrating Your Home Garden Produce

    It is a surprisingly common myth that once you ‘preserve’ a food, it has an indefinite shelf life. Absolutely FALSE. Pay attention to shelf life and plan to USE the food you store as it will not be good forever. 1

    All storage methods have limits that are shorter than we are tempted to assume. Be reasonable. Nothing STOPS food spoilage, but certain methods of preserving slow it down considerably. It’s food! Its not indestructible. Nutrition is optimum the fresher it is of course, and at the beginning of storing, best used within a certain time frame.

    Generally this is what you can expect:

    Canned food – commercially canned or home bottled food has a recommended shelf life of 18 months to 2 years. Two years is the time frame I try to work within. Nutritional value is approximately 40% of whatever that food was the hour it went into the bottle. That nutritional value decreases as it ages, so yes, we may all know someone who has bottled peaches from 2018 on their shelf, but the nutritional value is so poor . . . . Just EAT the doggone thing or give it to the chickens! Get it over with! What are you waiting for?

    Frozen fruits and vegetables if prepared properly have a recommended shelf life of 4 months to a year. For me, I use a year as my benchmark. Nutritional value is approximately 60% of whatever the food was the hour it went into the freezer. The key is to have it in the freezer as close to harvest time as possible. Don’t forget about it in there.

    Dehydrated foods have a Potential Shelf Life of – 1 year for fruits, 6 months for vegetables, 1-2 months for meat (6 months if vacuum sealed. I say potential because there are so many factors to consider when dehydrating at home. Like for instance:
    Did you use a dehydrator? an oven? or did you air dry?
    How long between picking time and the dehydrator?
    Did you remove all the moisture? Are you certain?
    What temperature did you dry it at?
    How are you storing it?
    Best practise is to store in coolish room temperatures (no less than 40 F / 5 C and no higher than 70 F / 20 C), out of direct light. Nutritional value can be up to 80% with a key factor being prompt processing (from field to dehydrator).

    Freeze dried food has an extraordinary shelf life of up to 25 years if done properly. Freeze drying is a gentler process preserving and protecting the food value. Nutritional value could be over 90%.

    I strongly emphasize HOME GROWN when selecting what food to preserve for a few very good reasons.

    * When I say ‘home grown’, of course I mean locally grown by either me or someone I know, or perhaps a farmer’s market vendor – so that we can know HOW it was grown and WHEN it was picked. Produce begins to deteriorate in-the-hour it is harvested. Most produce: all stone fruit like peaches, plums, apricots, mangoes, and all seed fruits like apples and pears, we buy from the grocery store are picked before it is fully ripe, and at least a week before we buy it. This is done to assist in the transportation of the produce to distant locations, but it inhibits full nutritional content right outta the gate. Some of the phytonutrients in those plants will never fully develop if they are harvested too early.

    Since nutritional value begins to deteriorate immediately, keeping produce for a week or more before we eat it, ensures significant loss of nutrients. So for example, when we buy a case of “fresh” peaches from the grocery store to bottle or freeze or even freeze dry (don’t dehydrate them), and we wait a few more days after we get them home to ripen, we are guaranteed to loose much in the way of nutrition. In many cases – more than HALF before you even cut into your first ripe peach.

    DEHYDRATORS:

    There are many different types of Food Dehydrators. It doesn’t have to be expensive, but to make it worthwhile – pay attention to a few details.

    Purchased or homemade? New or used?
    When we started dehydrating in the late 1970’s there really weren’t a whole lotta options available for purchase. It was pretty much ‘homemade’ or nothing.

    Oven
    My first experience dehydrating was in our kitchen oven. I set it to as low a temperature as I could, and used a serving utensil to keep it slightly ajar, allowing the air to circulate. I made fruit leather, using a recipe from an old book I borrowed from the library. This was a good introduction, but awkward and impossible to know exactly what temperature I was dealing with. It took a long time and was easy to lose track of time and over do it.

    Homemade Conversion
    My next experience was to borrow a home made dehydrator from our good friends Daryl and Carol Currie from church. They had converted a small fridge, adding multiple shelves. It was heated with an in-car heater and fan. and worked very well. We loved it.

    When I was in my first year of marriage, I came across this adage that spoke to me and shaped my thinking. The saying which gained popularity during the depression and wartime years, encourages resourcefulness.
    To me it is the motto of a self reliant lifestyle.

    Screen to sun dry
    We experimented with an open screen system to dry in the sun. Dan built me a bottom screen and a top screen to protect the fruit from insects. Epic fail. First of all, the screens didn’t prevent the flies from landing close enough to the fruit to contaminate it, and second of all, the weather was not always helpful. We do not have the hot dry summers up here to make that idea practical. Back to borrowing Currie’s fridge dehydrator again.

    Homemade from scratch
    Dan built me a very big dehydrator out of plywood – the size of a small freezer. I was dehydrating for a family of growing kids, and to be able to do a fairly large amount of fruit at a time was important, so I needed something that would suit our purposes. Dan and our friend Kevin Lamont worked together and made one for us and one for Lamonts. Following the example of our friends the Curries, Dan and Kevin used in-car heaters as a heat source. They worked Great and we used ours for years! I could dry about 40 pounds of apples at a time, and as I recall – it would take approximately 24 hours (rotating shelves during that time).

    At length, when my need for quantity reduced, we passed it on to someone else and looked for a counter top one to replace it.

    I was given an older “Nesco GARDEN MASTER” by a friend who was moving away and downsizing. I loved it, and used it for years, but eventually it started to wear out. It sounded like it was having motor problems, and I couldn’t risk having it quit mid season, so we purchased a new model. Interestingly, the newer one was exactly the same – I guess when it already checks all the boxes, there’s not much to improve on. A nice perk was that all the older racks still fit so we gained quite a big capacity.

    * Our son adopted our older one and refurbished it to run smoothly again, so now we both have one. The added bonus of that is that we can each borrow extra trays if we are dehydrating a bigger batch.

    Purchased
    There are many types of dehydrators for sale these days: big and small, reasonably priced for the most part – so do a little research and read the reviews.

    It is easy to find used (I call them ‘experienced’) dehydrators for good prices – from people who just didn’t end up using them as much as they thought they would. You can pick one up for a real good price on the secondhand market.

    Unless you’re a single person and expect to use your dehydrator mostly for fun – avoid a real small size. Some dehydrators are so small they’re almost a waste of time in my opinion.

    The shape of your dehydrator (round, square or rectangle) is completely a matter of personal choice, but there are a few features I recommend looking for:
    * being easy to clean is critical
    * a fairly large capacity, and the ability to do a little or a lot at a time
    * a thermostat to allow temperature control – a very important feature in my opinion
    * being able to add more shelves (racks) to increase your capacity from time to time
    * being able to purchase replacement pieces if needed
    * easy to clean plastic removable screens for fruit pieces, and easy clean plastic sheets suitable for fruit leather.
    tip: If your dehydrator doesn’t have screens or sheets, parchment paper is a good alternative.

    Can you use your air fryer to dehydrate?
    Apparently you can, but your capacity is very small. You’ll be drying one sliced apple at a time, so what’s the point? And you’re still looking at several hours.
    When I dehydrate, I’m not doing it for fun – I’m looking for practicality and a quality product.
    Be cautious about keeping your heat down. I’ve had people tell me they dehydrate at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.     That’s cooking, not dehydrating – and heat sensitive vitamins will be destroyed.

    In the end – my recommendation is to buy a good dehydrator. Whether it is new or experienced doesn’t matter, but investing in one will give you a lot of continual flexibility to be able to take advantage of freshly harvested produce that comes your way.

    DEHYDRATING: Why and How

    Dehydrated foods can be a nutritious option, but the extent of the nutrient retention varies. While some nutrients are well-preserved, others like water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and some B vitamins, will be lost during the drying process.  The extent of loss will depend on a few factors – see below.

    If you’re going to be serious about dehydrating, get yourself a dehydrator. It doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact I recommend buying an ‘experienced’ one from market place or a thrift store. You can get some pretty nice dehydrators for decent prices when you buy them second hand. I highly recommend getting one that has temperature control and that fits on your counter.

    Nutrient Retention in Dehydrated Foods:

    Vitamins:  Vitamins C and some of the B complex (B1 & B9) are heat-sensitive and can be degraded with heat. To preserve these nutrients, use as little heat as you reasonably can. If you have a food dehydrator with a thermometer on it (my high recommendation), you can deliberately keep your temperature lower: 115 F to 125 F (46-52 C).

    Temperature: For delicate citrus fruits and strawberries, keep the temperature range on the lower end / 115F – 125 F.
    For more hardy fruits like apples, some recommend doing the first hour at about 140 F to remove initial surface moisture, then reducing it to the lower range for the remainder of the drying time.

    Minerals:  Minerals are generally well-preserved during dehydration. 

    Fiber: Dietary fiber content remains largely unaffected by the drying process. 

    Calories:  The calorie content of dehydrated food is going to stay the same, but on a weight-for-weight basis may seem higher because the water is removed. 

    Macronutrients:  Macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are largely retained during dehydration. 

    Factors Affecting Nutrient Loss:

    Drying Method: Dehydrating in a dehydrator at a low-temperature, retains more nutrients than air drying or oven drying.
    Temperature: Lower drying temperatures help preserve nutrients. 
    Storage: Proper storage (like cool temperature and in the dark) helps maintain the quality and nutritional value of dehydrated foods. 

    Benefits of Dehydrated Foods:

    Longer Shelf Life:  Dehydration extends the shelf life of foods, reducing spoilage and waste. 

    Concentrated Nutrition:  Dehydrated foods are more nutrient-dense by weight, making them a good option for backpacking or situations where weight is a concern. 

    Variety:  Dehydration allows for year-round access to a wider variety of fruits and vegetables. 

    Mixing batches?
    Sometimes you may have two or more types of food that need the dehydrator at the same time. Can you mix them? ie: a few shelves of kale and a few shelves of fruit leather?
    Be careful. Consider the flavour and aroma of the foods your thinking of putting together.

    Apples for instance have a pretty delicate flavour profile, tarragon is pretty strong. Keep those things in mind as you make the decision to combine in the dehydrator – albeit on different shelves. I have mixed in the past but usually with similar things: apples and fruit leather, cherries and fruit leather, cherries and apples, tomatoes and basil or oregano, kale and most herbs.
    Garlic or onion with anything else? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Don’t even do those in the house. And make sure you wash your shelves afterward. With garlic you might even want to use parchment paper which you can discard afterward.

    What types of herbs, fruits and vegetables grown in the prairie provinces of Alberta are best candidates for dehydrating?

    HERBS

    All garden culinary herbs except dill weed (the green ferny parts), chives and cilantro are suitable for drying. With these herbs, the flavour is lost and the texture is not very good. I opt to freeze them as the flavour, colour and texture remain beautiful. I use them FROZEN, scraping out of a container with a fork and returning the container to the freezer immediately.

    Basil – Oregano – Rosemary – Sage – Savory – Tarragon – Thyme (and any other leafy herb):
    wash, shake off water and drain well. Bigger leaves like basil I’ll remover from stem, smaller leaves like thyme and rosemary I’ll leave on the stem. Arrange in single layer on dehydrator rack. Once they’re dry, its a lot easier to strip off the stems.
    Do NOT leave any herbs unattended, as some will dry surprisingly quick.
    Oregano, tarragon and thyme for instance could be dry in a couple of hours, while basil may take double that time or even more.
    You know they’re dry enough when they’re crispy. Some leaves like basil will change colour – get a lot darker. Other leaves like oregano will stay the same colour. Be prepared for variety, they’re all gonna do what they do, and its all okay in the end.

    Garlic: is different entirely, as it is not leafy, but succulent. Slice and arrange on rack in single layer, being prepared to redistribute by hand from time to time during the drying process. Best to find a protected outdoor area to set up your dehydrator as the smell will be very strong.
    When dry, store in slices, or grind into powder / granules.

    FRUITS

    * Experiment with length of time, always selecting a low temperature if you have a thermometer on your dehydrator.
    * Most of these ones listed you can expect to take over night at least – probably a good 12-18 hours. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re CRISP. Not a minute sooner.
    * Not all pieces will dry at the same rate. Rotate your racks throughout the process, and remove pieces that are dry sooner than the others. Place them in their storage jar, and continue to add others as they dry.     If you stop too soon and pack them away while there’s still some moisture in them, they’ll mould and you’ll lose them all.

    Should you peel your fruit?
    Depends on the fruit – and your preference, but I generally choose to peel apples. I find that the skin dries a little tough and the kids were eating around it.

    Apples: my kids were raised on dried apples, dehydrated in a large dehydrator that Dan built. I could fit 40+ pounds of apples into it at one time.
    – Peel them, core them and slice into rounds 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick. If you prefer wedged slices to rounds, go ahead, you be you.
    – Add to a water-lemon juice solution to prevent them from browning.
    – When you’re ready, spread evenly in a single layer on your dehydrator racks and stack them. Cover with the lid and turn it on.
    Suggestion: set your dehydrator to 145°F (63°C) for about an hour to dry surface moisture, then reduce it to 135°F (57°C) for the remaining drying time.  This two-step process helps prevent “case hardening,” where the outside dries too quickly and traps moisture inside.  Expect 6 to 12 hours for the apples to dry completely.  Don’t be surprised if it takes longer as there are other factors like humidity in the air that will affect the timing.

    Testing: its a good practice to test every few hours, occasionally turning slices over as you see the need. Rotate racks.

    Checking for dryness:
    Apples are dry when they are dry to touch, no moisture when pressed between your fingers. They can be crisp or pliable but ‘leathery’. Your choice.

    Cooling and Storage:
    Always allow to cool completely before storing; a few minutes will suffice. Don’t let it sit for too long though, as it will absorb moisture from the air and lose it’s crispness. Store in an airtight container, preferably in a cool, dark place. I prefer glass jars.

    Shelf life:
    You can be comfortable with storage of several months up to a year. After that, the quality will start to deteriorate.

    Blueberries: I rarely have enough blueberries to dehydrate, but if you live in the north and you’ve got a favourite wild blueberry patch, then go for it! Poke a hole in each berry to break the skin – other wise they’ll take forever. Personally I wouldn’t leave these overnight. I’d want to keep a closer eye on them to prevent over drying.
    Use the steps for apples as a general guideline.

    cherry raisins – I save the pits too to use in other projects.

    Sour cherries: One of my favourite ways to preserve cherries is to dehydrate them, and then use them like raisins. Pit them, cut in half and place on the dehydrator rack open side up in a single layer.

    Pitting cherries is a messy job, so its the perfect one to take outside. Having the dehydrator plugged in outside as well, keeps the whole mess outside where its easier to clean up.
    fruit leather

    Pears: Personally, I do not enjoy the texture of dried pears, so I don’t do them.

    Plums: I slice into quarters – Prunes! Beautiful.
    Refer to the instructions for apples as general guidelines. No need to soak in lemon water, and if the plums are especially big and plump, cut them into smaller pieces.

    I only use plums that are easy to pit. If I cannot remove the pit by simply slicing the fruit, then its not suitable to dry.
    Best to eat those plums fresh, or use for plum jam or plum sauce.

    Rhubarb: only in fruit leather, as by itself the texture leaves much to be desired. See footnote for more information on fruit leathers. 2 Rhubarb freezes well – I love to use it frozen in smoothies, and I even can it sometimes cold packed in pint jars to use later as a sauce or in oatmeal. 3

    Strawberries: slice and dry. No need to treat with lemon water, they’re beautiful.
    Like the blueberries, I wouldn’t leave these unattended over night. I’d want to keep an eye on them to prevent over drying. Strawberries will also make beautiful fruit leather alone or added to rhubarb. 4

    All of these fruits are perfect for eating right out of the jar, or rehydrating.
    Use in porridge, or to bake with: muffins, cakes, crumbles etc. Stewed prunes over top of oatmeal. Refreshed dried cherries in muffins. Stewed apples and blueberries. Rehydrated apples and cherries in a nice ‘crisp’ or cobbler. Strawberry sauce to go over top ice cream.

    Remember a dried plum is now a prune. It will never be a plum again – even if you rehydrate it. It is a PRUNE, just like a dried grape will always be a RAISIN. Rehydrating will never make them what they once were.

    VEGETABLES

    – carrots – corn – green beans – peas – onions – peppers – kale – spinach – tomatoes – zucchini –
    I store all these vegetables in labelled glass jars in a dark pantry cupboard.
    Most of them will only be useful in soups later.

    * Most of these ones listed you can expect to take over night at least – probably a good 12 hours. But as with fruits, experiment with length of time, always selecting a low temperature if you have a thermometer on your dehydrator.
    * Not all pieces will dry at the same rate. Rotate your racks throughout the process, and remove pieces that are dry sooner than the others. Place them in their storage jar, and continue to add others as they dry.

    Carrots: chop into small pieces and dehydrate to use in soups over the winter. Use in small amounts as they’ll be pretty strong flavoured, and expect them to take at least 20 minutes to rehydrate in brothy soup.
    I like to make carrot juice in the fall when I have lots of carrots, and when I do I often use the leftover pulp in carrot muffins or carrot cake. Sometimes however, I have an excess of carrot pulp that I cannot use right away. In that case, I’ll dehydrate it and store in a jar to use for carrot muffins over the winter.

    carrot juice and whole wheat carrot muffins – the perfect late summer breakfast

    Corn: shuck cooked corn as if you were going to freeze it. Break the pieces up quite small and dehydrate. Rehydrate in soups.

    Green peas and beans, sweet peppers: blanch as if you were going to freeze them. Dehydrate on racks and rehydrate in soups.

    Hot peppers: If they’re small I dehydrate them whole, and use them whole later without rehydrating them. I will throw them into the food processor whole, like for spinach dip, or to add to a sauce or soup.
    *tip: Peppers have a protective skin that should be punctured or split before dehydrating. You can still leave the peppers whole, but splitting the outer layer with a sharp knife before putting in the dehydrator will drastically reduce the time it takes.
    Sometimes if the peppers are small, I string them with thread and hang them in my kitchen to dry. It seems that simple puncturing of the needle helps.

    Kale:
    Remove the tough stem, wash and chop coarsely. Lay on racks – no need to worry about single layers, I stack it quite deep. It dehydrates surprisingly (don’t ask how many hours – I never pay attention to that enough to write it down) quickly.
    I never blanch (or steam) it first.

    Onions: chop into small pieces, or slice into 2-3 inch pieces and rinse in cold water. Rinsing removes some of the strong pungent sulfur flavour that is released when the onion is cut – I highly recommend it.
    Arrange on rack in single layer, being prepared to redistribute by hand from time to time during the drying process.
    Best to find a protected outdoor area to set up your dehydrator as the smell will be very strong.

    Spinach and other leafy greens that are more delicate than kale: I suggest lightly steaming first (then plunging into COLD water to stop the cooking process). Drain well then coarsely chop and lay loosely on the dehydrator rack. Personally, I prefer freezing delicate leafy greens.

    Tomatoes: choose meaty tomatoes like Roma. Tomatoes that are too juicy will take forever and stick like crazy to the rack. I slice them and lay in single layer on rack. As they dry and get leathery in texture, I’ll turn them over by hand and put them back on the rack to finish. Make sure you rotate your racks from time to time to help with even dehydrating.
    To use: add to soups or sauces as is, or powder them in a blender to use in the same way one would use tomato paste. 5

    Zucchini: choose zucchini before it gets huge – the perfect eating size. I never peel the the small ones (just as if you were serving them for dinner), slice in nice thick pieces, then quarter them.
    Sometimes if I have a bigger zucchini, I’ll grate it and dry that way to refresh later and use for zucchini cake. These ones I DO peel because the peel is tough.

    Other vegetables like: beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumbers – personally I don’t recommend dehydrating them, mostly because its a texture issue. Having said that, there are always exceptions: I have dehydrated beet slices for the purpose of powdering them (like tomato powder) for adding to smoothies. Beets are a nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are particularly rich in folate, manganese and potassium, also rich in fiber and iron and dietary nitrates which are beneficial for heart health. This makes them worth going the extra mile to find a way to benefit from them. Just because a fruit or vegetable is not suitable to use in the ‘traditional’ way, doesn’t mean its not useable in a non traditional way.

    It is always worth experimenting with how you can benefit from the good that your garden is gifting you. The very nature of experimenting means it might not work – but it might! Be creative, and open minded to try things you haven’t tried before. Be THAT person. Discover new things simply because you gave them a try.

    * I recently saw a post for dehydrated dill pickles. The individual who posted, had too many on hand and their family didn’t care for the brand, so they got ‘creative’ and discovered something wonderful. THAT is what we’re talking about. Not only did they have a good experience, but by sharing they helped others have a good experience too.

    a few rules to live by:

    Being self reliant is about not wasting goodness.

    “Store what you EAT. And then eat what you store.” It doesn’t do any good to dehydrate foods that you are never going to eat. But on the other hand, it IS good to experiment in small quantities at first, and then give it every chance. Not all fruits and vegetables are suited for all forms of preserving, 6 so its good to be flexible.

    I hope you’ll give some of these foods a try in the dehydrator, and I’d love to hear your experiences. You likely have some great ideas that I’ve not implemented yet. Or some ways of using the dehydrated foods you’ve dried. I’d love to hear those too.

    Enjoy the journey.

    Warmly,

    Cindy Suelzle

    1. to read more about what you can expect from different home storage methods click this link https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2024/09/16/preserving-and-storing-food-that-we-grow/#c7953b70-6d0e-4435-8d9f-7b67ffc1287f-link PRESERVING AND STORING FOOD THAT WE GROW ↩︎
    2. to read more about how to make Fruit Leather click this link https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2021/09/20/fruit-leather/ FRUIT LEATHER ↩︎
    3. to read more about ways to use and preserve RHUBARB, click this link https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2022/09/03/common-herbs-in-your-house-and-yard-part-6-rhubarb/
      ↩︎
    4. same Fruit Leather link as above ↩︎
    5. to read more about how to dehydrate and use tomato powder click this link: TOMATO POWDER https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2022/04/20/tomato-powder/ ↩︎
    6. read about other ways to preserve fruits and vegetables here: https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2024/09/16/preserving-and-storing-food-that-we-grow/#c7953b70-6d0e-4435-8d9f-7b67ffc1287f-link PRESERVING AND STORING FOOD THAT WE GROW ↩︎
    Posted on

    Life with Grandkids: Runaway

    Sometimes a kid’s just gotta to run away from home. And sometimes their parents wish there was a safe place they could run to.

    If only they all could just ‘run away’ down the street to their Aunt Cindy’s house where they knew they’d be welcome and where an old Gramma Great lives who would sit with them. …. If only…

    One memorable day, my great-nephew Elias had simply had enough — exasperated with life in general, but especially with his current ‘family’. Fed up, he declared that he was going to find a new family. His mom later told me that his older brother even helped him pack his bag—apparently, the feelings were mutual.

    With determination, Elias marched down the street and into a familiar crescent. As it happened, I was at the community garden for a couple of hours, but Gramma Great was home. Though she doesn’t always catch every word he says, she understood enough to get the gist. She made him a snack (some crackers with peanut butter), and they sat and visited for awhile, but she was quite concerned – worried that his parents were looking for him. He on the other hand, had no such concern LOL.

    There was a time Gramma Great would read stories to them. At the time of this particular visit, she is not able to see well enough anymore to read stories, and sometimes she can’t remember well enough to tell them either, but . . . sometimes she can. This is one of those times.

    When I returned, I texted his mom to get the full story. Turns out, they knew exactly where he was, and had even seen him walk in the front door. Elias had made up his mind to have a sleepover, and—fortunately for everyone—that worked out just fine. He spent the evening with some old folks who love him, got tucked into a warm bed, and woke up with a much sunnier view of the world.

    On this day 7 year old Elias had come over unannounced. 88 year old Gramma Great worried his parents were looking for him because the explanation she got out of him was pretty disjointed. But crackers and peanut butter and the Three Billy Goats Gruff can make everything better.

    The next morning, his dad came to pick him up, and Elias went home cheerful and content—offenses on both sides forgiven, and balance restored.

    One of the things I appreciated most about my mother in law Miriam Thomas, was that my kids (especially my troubled teens) always knew they were loved by her unconditionally. The fact that she lived within walking distance, made it possible for them to swing by on their way home from time to time – to get their bucket filled. She was pretty good at filling buckets.

    I was always grateful they had someone nearby who didn’t have to lay down the law or enforce any rules. They could just go there and be loved, a safe place to take a breather and maybe even have some hot chocolate. A place where no questions were asked, and their presence was always welcome.

    If only all kids had a safe place to go … and if only all parents knew they did.

    Warmly,

    Cindy Suelzle

    Posted on

    the cost of a good neighbour and rewriting our story

    an interesting memory popped up in my facebook profile today . . . and it caused me to reflect on how things could have been

    June 12, 2010 early in the morning, I was suddenly awakened by a crashing sound outside in our backyard, and then silence. I looked out the window and couldn’t see anything until it occurred to me that I should be seeing a fence where I wasn’t. I watched the car who had backed into a panel of our fence and knocked it down, pull forward, and pull into the garage. The door shut.

    With some incredulousness I told Dan “Someone just knocked our fence down.” He joined me at the window. I said “It was our neighbour. She just pulled into the garage.”
    We went outside and took a closer look. It was a Friday. We had a dog, so going the day without a fence wasn’t gonna work. Dan took the day off, went to Home Depot and spent the morning fixing it. He said it really wasn’t that bad.

    Before I left for the store, I posted the following in facebook ….

    “our neighbour across the alley just backed into our fence, knocked out several boards and knocked down the huge stack of firewood we had lined up against it onto several perineal plants in their path, and then quietly drove back into their garage and shut the door (while I watched from the window). … ”

    Several people responded to my post; my daughter’s response (she knows her mom) was:

    “firewood . . . fence . . . whatever. Plants! Boy are they in trouble!”

    Some time in the morning, after I had left for work, Dan went over to talk to the neighbour. His wife was just driving away as he got there. The neighbour apologized. His wife had had some distress and was on her way to a doctor’s appointment. I do not remember what the story was, not even sure we heard it, but I know there was one. And clearly it was an accident; the kind of accident that your newly driving teenager might have. As the parent of that newly driving teenager, there would be a list of things one might do, including having the kid own it, and share some responsibility for paying for and repairing the damage.

    That evening, after I was home from work, our lady neighbour came over to apologize. Dan had been able to stay home during the day to fix the fence. We introduced ourselves, had a good visit, no hard feelings. She offered to pay for the material, but Dan declined – saying it hadn’t been that expensive of a fix. Thank goodness the hit was between posts so they weren’t jeopardized. She promised him a jar of pickled beets for his trouble.

    Good way to meet your neighbours and to make a few new friends. Even if you don’t like pickled beets – which Dan doesn’t LOL.

    I recall being contemplative for many months when I looked back and considered the events of that day. Who knows what goes on in someone’s mind? What the backstory of any particular event might be? What they were dealing with? It wasn’t a tragedy. No one got hurt. There was no point in losing our minds over it. And within 24 hours, it was as if it hadn’t happened – except that we had a jar of pickled beets in the fridge. But today as that memory showed up on facebook, I reflected on it again. We have been here in this house for 26 years and have never really had too many interchanges with those neighbours across the alley. I cannot even tell you what they look like, not sure we’d recognize one another at the grocery store. Though I have spent more than a few hours working in the alley behind our fence over the years, we’ve seldom run into each other.

    What a tragedy it could have been if we had had a bad interchange that day. If we had allowed such a minor incident to be the excuse to not behave kindly, it could have initiated bad feelings between us for years – which is sad to contemplate. To be fair, we were busy and preoccupied raising our five kids during those years, managing our bookstore and Dan’s business, serving in church, and involved with our respective families and aging parents. We didn’t have a whole lotta time to reach out to neighbours we rarely saw anyway. But what if our only interaction with them had been unpleasant? What if it had involved harsh words of judgement and anger? Those things are difficult to come back from.

    What if she couldn’t muster up the courage to come over and apologize? Would that have made a difference? Sometimes people justify not being able to let things go because they didn’t receive an appropriate apology – effectively shifting control of their own life choices to someone else. Would we have had a harder time letting it go?
    What if the damage had been greater? More expensive? What if Dan wasn’t able to fix it and we had to hire someone? What if? What if?

    Hard to say what would have transpired if some of those ‘what ifs’ had taken place instead of what actually did. But I truly believe – from our part, it wouldn’t have amounted to a hill of beans. It may have taken a little more time to repair, perhaps even a little more money, but it too would have faded into the past.

    But what IF when Dan went over that morning, he had been angry? What if he had been confrontational? What if our neighbour had felt challenged by his actions or words? What if he had responded poorly? Could anyone blame our lady neighbour then, if she couldn’t bring herself to knock on our door later that day? And then what? Would we have resented her lack of follow up? How differently our actions that day could have made the outcome. What if we had insisted they pay for it? Insisted that they fix it? I’m sure they would have – it would have been the right thing for them to do – BUT . . . .

    But we would have missed the opportunity to have had good feelings between us.
    . . . . we would have allowed a little incident to become bigger than it deserved to be.
    . . . . we would have disliked them and given them reason to dislike us.
    All these years later when we didn’t have reason or opportunity to interact, we could have blamed on that day.

    I do regret not having or taking the time to be a better neighbour to them. We went to a garage sale there a couple years ago, where Dan bought the wagon he fixed up for me, and that I use all summer long to walk to and from the community garden with my plants and tools. We learned that her husband had passed away during Covid. A missed opportunity to bring over a meal and some flowers, and expressed caring – had we known.

    I’ve had times in my life when I’ve been harsh, when I’ve said things I felt justified in, but that I later regretted. Those times are heavy to me. They undoubtedly affected someone else’s day, and have influenced their feelings toward me and perhaps even about themselves. Some of them I can perhaps still alter, but most are lost opportunities.

    I feel impressed today to pay more attention to interactions I have with others – no matter how brief. To make sure that when I come to those forks, I take the kinder, gentler road; that I don’t leave this earth with any more regrets than I currently carry. If I may, I suggest we all pay more attention to our interactions with others. In the end, the person they will benefit the most will likely be ourselves.

    Its time to change my story – before it’s too late. We all can be better neighbours. We can make better stories than a fence, a wood pile and a jar of pickled beets.

    I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments, and maybe even your experiences and suggestions.

    Warmly,

    Cindy Suelzle