In preparing to write this article – and at the same time, preparing to teach a workshop in our community garden – on Homemade Borscht, I asked a lotta friends to tell me about their Borsch. Every lover of borsch has “their” variation. There are so many different variations that its hard to know what someone else is talking about when they use the word, and how they can all be called the same name! Some people insist on a brothy soup, some people prefer a thicker version. Some use meat broth, some feel that an authentic borsch must be meatless. Some use a cream at the end to cut the acid. Some do not.
Food is part of culture and identity – whether it be in a family, a community, a region, a religious group, or an entire country. Food can be shared and can unite people in the sharing. While there may be regional differences, people from all over eastern Europe are familiar with “Borsch” or “Borscht”. Ukrainian, Polish, German, Romanian, Croatian, Georgian, Russian and others all have their ‘authentic’ versions, but the general consensus is that the dish originated in Ukraine.
People move, and food travels with them. Food moves more easily as long as it moves horizontally (east-west) where climates remain similar. Food is an important part of tradition and memories, and being able to keep favourite dishes a part of one’s life is valuable in adjusting to the many changes that come with a new life in a new country. One cannot over estimate the importance of the food people have been raised with, and families can be quite rigid about not messing with ‘gramma’s recipe’.
In the last part of the 19th century a general exodus from Eastern Europe into western Europe, Australia and North American began in earnest for those seeking a better life. Dan’s family came from Germany, some spending a generation in Poland before coming to Canada. My ancestors came from Denmark, Sweden, England, Wales, Scotland and France. It is always difficult to move to another part of the world, but the travails of immigrants in those days were intense, including breaking land and homesteading. There was much hardship. Both Dan and I feel a deep debt of gratitude for their sacrifices – which made it possible for us to be born here, in this land of plenty and relative safety. And yes, there are still a residue of favourite family dishes among them which have lasted long enough to be part of our family’s heritage.
Let’s get the spelling out of the way first. Borsch or Borscht? The ‘T’ comes from the Yiddish transliteration into English since it seems that the dish was introduced to the west by Jewish refugees fleeing Eastern Europe. So both spellings are equally correct, and no wonder there are so many recipe versions of it. Jewish refugees to the US. Ukrainian refugees to western Canada. Polish, German and Russian refugees throughout the western world. They had one thing in common – the food they all grew in their home countries: root crops, cabbage and dill. These vegetables grew equally well in North American soil and climate (especially in the northern parts) so it was natural that the dish would be reproduced here. Every part of it was something the average farm in the northern hemisphere could produce at home. The ingredients were cheap, plentiful and dependable. The soup was hearty, nutritious and satisfying. How could it lose?
Does Borsch had to be red? In a word – ‘no’. I’ve seen ‘green borsch’, but that’s blasphemous so I’m not gonna talk about that other than to say it is generally a spinach soup – so where it gets off referring to itself as ‘borsch’ is a mystery. Borst IS red. In my mind, beets make borsch RED. If you don’t like beets, don’t make borsch. If you make borsch without beets, you made soup. Might be a good soup, but find a new name, because “borsch” is red. There. Glad we got that settled.
So what is IN borsch? Keep in mind that traditionally borsch is a peasant soup. A good ol’ downhome, country folk hearty beet soup. So that means it had the foods that were easy to come by. Potatoes. Onions and garlic. Carrots. Cabbage. Maybe celery for some. Maybe kale for some. In later years, as it traveled west – peppers and tomatoes; a hundred years ago, tomatoes were not so plentiful in north eastern Europe among farm folk. BEETS. Vinegar. Dill. Sometimes meat, sometimes not – depending on availability. Sometimes sour cream.
So how do you find out which type of borsch you prefer? Well, there are no shortcuts. You have to try a few to narrow it down. Personally, I like a borsch with lots in it. I’m okay with a more brothy base, but I rarely make it that way, because Dan prefers a thicker soup. So I make my brothy soup, then when its nearly ready, I take about 1/4 of it and puree it in the blender. Adding the pureed portion back to the pot makes it thicker and more substantial, and my family prefers it that way. You do you. Make it a few different ways – but keep the basics in place.
What are the basics? BEETS. Added near the end to keep the colour beautiful. Onions and garlic. Other root vegetables like potatoes and carrots. Don’t hesitate to add parsnips if you have them. Cabbage. Of course. Some sort of acid – lemon juice of vinegar. In the spirit of authenticity I do not use lemon juice because I am pretty sure no Ukrainian Baba had lemons in her kitchen. The acid is said to keep the red vibrant, and who am I to question wisdom of the ages? Maybe it does, but I like the flavour enhancement anyway. Its not the same without it. Broth. The kind is completely up to you. Beef broth, chicken broth, vegetable broth, water. Whatever you have on hand. I generally use chicken broth or chicken bouillon – simply because it’s light and flavourful. Tomatoes or tomato paste. A relatively ‘new’ (but welcome) addition as Ukrainians wouldn’t have had access to tomatoes on the prairies a hundred years ago. Dill. Other than the onions and garlic, dill is the primary seasoning. Don’t add it too soon though because its a delicate flavour and you might lose some of it’s beauty.
How to make it
1. precook your beets There are many ways to precook your beets, but the easiest is to clean them then place in a covered roasting pan or wrap them in tin foil, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour. Test for tenderness every 15 minutes after 45 minutes. The timing is going to completely depend on how big your beets are – could be an hour, could be more. When you can insert a fork easily, they’re done. Remove from heat and when slightly cooled, peel.
2. Chop your onions and garlic and sauté in oil of your choice over medium heat till translucent. Stir frequently to prevent scorching, while dicing fresh potatoes. *hint: yes, you can add your onions and garlic to the broth mix at the same time as everything else. I prefer to saute mine first as I think it adds to the flavour and I like a more caramelized texture, also it glazes the pot – adding a roasted taste.
IF, you’re going to add meat, either precook it or add it to your onions at this point to brown.
3. Add potatoes to pot and sauté with the onions for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper at this point. Add broth or water, stir well and bring to a boil while you’re chopping cabbage and carrots.
4. Add chopped or sliced cabbage – it seems people have strong opinions on which is best. You do you. (Personally I prefer chunks to slices in a soup.) Stir and add carrots. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer till all is tender. At this point, add additional Iate-summer vegetables as desired: parsnips or kale perhaps.
5. Add vinegar. Start with 1/2 cup, then add more later if you want. Easier to put more in than it is to remove so start with less and adjust as desired. You can use plain white vinegar. I like to use a flavoured vinegar, perhaps a basil or chive blossom vinegar.
6. Continue to add broth as needed to keep the soup gently simmering. Add tomatoes if desired. Adding tomatoes, tomato paste or tomato powder adds that familiar light acidy taste of tomatoes while improving the texture and colour. I never buy tomato paste – preferring tomato powder so that I have more control on how much I want to use with no waste. In this case however, I generally have a lot of fresh tomatoes in the late summer early fall – so I’ll choose my ripest tomatoes. Continue to cook until tomatoes are fully incorporated and lost their shapes.
7. When your vegetables are tender, add your peeled and chopped cooked beets. Stir well to incorporate colour and let sit for a few minutes. You could be done at this point, ready to add your dill and serve up a nice brothy soup. Or you could take one more step to thicken your soup as I do.
8. Ladle out two cups of soup into a blender, and puree. Pour back into your pot and stir well. If desired, ladle out two more cups and do the same thing, stirring back into the soup. This step is completely subjective. You’re looking for a texture, colour and consistency that you prefer. Remove from heat.
9. Add fresh, chopped dill weed (the green part) and stir well to incorporate. Lots of dill. What does that mean? How do I know? How much do you like dill? Maybe a cup? Maybe more or less. I add at least a cup, but easier to add more later than remove, so start slowly and taste along the way. . Adjust salt and pepper as desired and remove from heat. At this point you can add some sour cream to the pot, or save that for individuals to add to their own bowls.
10. I always save the sour cream to be added to individual bowls at the table with additional fresh dill, because I like sour cream and Dan prefers without.
So much of what your borsch is going to look like will depend on individual tastes. There’s no point in making it a specific way if your family prefers something different. For instance, I know people who add caraway seed to their soup at the simmering stage. Caraway is the one spice that I do not like, so that’s never been a consideration of mine. But its worth trying different things from time to time – you never know how it might add to your over all dish.
Serve with fresh bread or buns. Some nice fresh sourdough served alongside is amazing. Or some nice dark rye bread.
I’ll provide a sample recipe with suggested amounts below for beginners to have some ideas of where to start.
Borsch is a meal in itself, especially served with bread. But serving it alongside a plate of perogies, cabbage rolls and kubasa would be the perfect winter meal.
recipe for 6-8 servings 1 medium onion chopped 2-3 cloves garlic minced 1 large potato diced 3-4 cups chopped fresh cabbage 6 cups broth or water salt and pepper to taste 4 carrots peeled and chopped into nice big pieces nice big handful of fresh kale chopped 1/2 cup – 1 cup chopped fresh dill (reserve some to use at the table) fresh sour cream for directions, refer to numbered instructions above
Pour remaining soup into jars to refrigerate or to give away. That’s a wonderful thing about soup, its a great gift for someone who could use a meal tonight, or its easy for them to pull out of the fridge tomorrow.
Loaded with bright, fresher-than-fresh ingredients, a burrito bowl is a fresh, healthy, customizable meal that the whole family can enjoy. It contains a few basics pantry staples like rice, beans, chicken (or beef), salsa, and shredded cheese . . . and then you add the extras: peppers of your choice, tomatoes, corn (not to be missed in my opinion) and dressing (either lime or salsa). Burrito Bowls are essentially a wrap without the tortilla, but you do you. Wrap the fixings in a tortilla, or serve them on top of cooked white rice or your choice, brown rice or quinoa. Use chicken, pork or beef, or skip the meat all together if that’s you – your choice again. Switch it up next time – to give you a completely new dish.
True confession: I have a hard time writing down a recipe because it varies so much almost every single time I make it. So much depends on what I happen to have on hand at any given time. I love having freeze dried food because I can count on it to ALWAYS be there. I do often jot down the ingredients for a recipe so that I don’t have to rely on memory every time, but the amounts I rarely write down. This recipe is my best attempt to include the necessities while encouraging you to use what you have on hand. I will highlight the freeze dried ingredients in RED for your convenience.
I used instant black beans, freeze dried ground beef, cheddar, onions, corn and peppers in this picture. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes on hand, so I used tomato powder instead. In the summer I for sure would have used a fresh tomato.
It is helpful to me to prepare everything ahead of time – I use mostly freeze dried, so they’re already prepped. Usually it simply a matter of assembling them to make it easier. I used black beans in this picture, but don’t go out and buy black beans if you don’t have them today. Use what you have: red, kidney, pinto, pink . . . .
The amounts in this recipe will serve 4 adults. ingredients: 2 T oil of choice garlic minced beans meat of choice (or no meat) vegetables: peppers, onions, corn, tomato seasonings Taco seasoning 1 water served over rice 2 dressing 3
Prepare ahead and assemble ready to go: 1 cup raw black beans – bring to a boil in 4 cups water the night before. Boil for 5 minutes, then cover and set aside over night. Drain in the morning, top off again with 4 cups of clear water then bring them back to a boil with 1 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 3 hours till beans are tender. Old beans will take a little longer to cook. OR use canned black beans. OR refresh 1 cup INSTANT BLACK BEANS*. If you use hot water, you can expect them to refresh in about 20 minutes. If you use cold water it will take 30+ minutes.
Shred or chop cooked chicken to yield approximately 1 +1/2 cups. OR use the same amount of cooked ground beef OR refresh 1 cup FREEZE DRIED DICED CHICKEN OR refresh 1 cups FREEZE DRIED GROUND BEEF*
Cook your favourite rice. Set aside. OR cook rice, then use it to make Cilantro Lime Rice (see recipe below) OR cook quinoa
slice 1/2 fresh green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 onion (red or white) OR use 1/2 cup FREEZE DRIED Red and 1/2 cup FREEZE DRIED Green Peppers, 1/3 cup FREEZE DRIED SLICED ONIONS (don’t refresh any vegetables first)
dice 1 large fresh tomatoes OR use 1 cup FREEZE DRIED Chopped Tomatoes OR use 2 Tablespoons Tomato Powder (dehydrated tomatoes powdered) added with the seasoning.
chop up a handful of fresh chili peppers or jalapenos OR use 1/3 cup FREEZE DRIED CHILI PEPPERS
measure out 1 cup grilled whole kernel corn (fresh from the cob) set aside (use more if you love grilled corn) OR use 1 cup frozen corn OR use1 cup FREEZE DRIED SWEET CORN(use more if you love corn) optional but nice: toast your dry corn in medium hot skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil till it has a beautiful grilled look and smell
Shred 1+1/2 cup cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese OR refresh 1 cup FREEZE DRIED SHREDDED CHEDDAR or PEPPER JACK CHEESE
Seasoning: 1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning OR your own Taco Seasoning (see below)
Directions: 1. Heat oil in medium hot skillet, and lightly toast minced garlic and corn for one or two minutes or till it gives off a nice aroma, stirring constantly to prevent burning. 2. Add freeze dried onions, peppers and tomato. Continue to toast for another minute. If you are using fresh vegetables, then take the time to saute over high heat while stirring constantly. 3. Add 2 cups water and continue to stir. 4. Add prepared meat and prepared beans. Continue to stir. 5. Add seasoning with tomato powder if you’ll be using it. 6. Turn heat off, add most water if needed. Add chopped tomato and stir in. 7. Add shredded cheese and stir to thoroughly combine.
Serve approx. 1 cup fajita mixture over top 1 cup rice, and top with dressing of your choice.
optional but nice: 2 cups freshly guacamole optional but nice: 3 cups chopped fresh lettuce – make it a salad optional but nice: a bunch of fresh cilantro lightly chopped and added on top at serving optional but nice: sour cream to serve on the side optional but nice: lime wedges for serving to squeeze additional lime flavour
Pico de Gallo OR Salsa OR Lime Dressing (recipe below)
This is such a quick and easy dinner to make, especially when using freeze dried ingredients. Who says dinner needs to take an hour to prepare? Please try it – I’d love to hear your comments.
Enjoy! warmly, Cindy Suelzle
Footnotes:
Homemade Taco Seasoning 4 T Chili Powder 3 T Cumin Powder 1 T Smoked Paprika 2 teaspoons EACH salt, garlic powder, onion powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – this combination will give you approx. 3/4 cup seasoning. I usually use it 1 T at a time. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations of your own. ↩︎
Cilantro Lime Rice 3 cups cooked rice of your choice 1 T olive oil, 1 clove garlic minced, 5 green onions chopped, juice of 2 limes, zest of 2 limes, 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped pinch of red pepper flakes if desired. Salt and pepper to taste if desired. Toss everything together and serve. ↩︎
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING 1 cup fresh cilantro lightly chopped 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream 1 clove garlic minced 1 T apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup mayo 1/4 t salt 1 T Thrive freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 teaspoon onion powder juice of 1 lime Puree in blender. Chill till ready to serve. can Store in fridge for a week ↩︎
Using mostly freeze dried ingredients, this is an easy dish to prepare for the pantry, ready when you need to pull a great meal together in less than half an hour. Meal in a Jar! Imagine that. LOL *when my kids were little, one of our favourite story books to read was STONE SOUP. A hungry traveler convinced uncharitable villagers that he could make Soup from a Stone. Curious villagers contributed assorted ingredients, shaking their heads and musing “Soup from a Stone! Imagine that.” Well it wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a shelf stable Meal in a Jar was just as novel and just as curious to me. Now its a way of life, and I always have several on hand in the pantry – for times that a quick hearty meal will make the day go better, or when I want to send a meal out to someone who could use a lift.
Servings: 6 Time: 15 mins Layer ingredients into quart sealer in this order:
1 quart of home canned tomatoes or 1 796 ml can of tomatoes (your choice of type) 4 cups water
Directions:
if preparing a Meal in a Jar (MIJ), layer all ingredients in the jar. I like to arrange very neatly so that it looks nice. End with the corn – and put as much corn as you can to fill the jar.
Put the lid on and label with name, date and brief instructions.
Store in pantry for up to a year. It’s okay if you pass a year, but shoot to use it within a year. This is no longer long term ‘food storage’, it is intended for the convenience of a kitchen pantry. For up to 5 year storage, insert an oxygen absorber and vacuum seal.
Dump contents of jar into a pot and refill the quart jar with water to add. Stir to combine thoroughly and dissolve spices. Add quart of tomatoes.
Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to gently simmer approximately 20-25 minutes until beans are tender. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
if you prefer to have chili soup, just add another 2 cups of water.
If preparing meal straight in the pot (without a jar), just put all dry ingredients in the pot, add water and canned tomatoes and follow directions above.
Serve with dollop of sour cream on top and corn chips. Or cornbread (see recipe for cornbread mix).
When I try a new recipe, I make the recipe once into the pot, and again into the jar. That way I can check the measurements that fit into the jar, and sample the soup to know how much I’d like to store. After we finish dinner, I know if I’d like to make a few more. I’ll make up to four jars to store of a recipe that we enjoy, to keep on hand in my pantry or to share.
using mostly dried ingredients, this is an easy dish to prepare straight from the pantry
Servings: 6 Time: 20 mins Ingredients:
1 + 1/2 cups freeze dried chopped or diced Chicken hydrated in water to cover (I use the bouillon here) 1-2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1-2 cloves minced or 1 Tbsp freeze dried garlic 1/4 cup freeze dried Sliced Onions 1/4 cup freeze dried Diced Green Chilies 1/2 cup freeze dried Green Peas 1/2 cup freeze dried Green Bell Peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried Red Bell Peppers 1 tsp Garam Masala 1Tbsp Yellow Curry Powder 1 Tbsp Chicken Bouillon 1 tsp Black Pepper 1 Tbsp Turmeric 1 Tbsp Cumin 1 Tbsp Paprika pinch of Cayenne 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar 3 Tbsp Tomato Powder 2 cans Coconut Milk 1/2 – 1 cup freeze dried Zucchini, Green Beans, or your choice of other vegetable
Directions
Pre-cook your favourite type of rice.
While your rice is cooking, place freeze dried chicken in a bowl covered with water and 1 Tbsp bouillon. Set aside to refresh 10-20 minutes.
Heat a large skillet with sides, to medium-high heat. Add the olive oil heat. Saute garlic, onions and chili peppers in the oil. Add the chicken (with water used to refresh), and saute until the chicken is tender and warm.
Add all of the seasonings and stir to mix well, continuing to simmer.
Add the coconut milk, tomato powder and brown sugar and stir well to completely dissolve tomato powder and brown sugar.
Add the peas and zucchini and any other freeze vegetable you want to use. Don’t be afraid to add a little more water if needed.
Simmer till warmed through, then remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes Serve over hot rice.
for Meal in a Jar: 1. layer in dry seasoning – one at a time; I like to put the smaller amounts against the glass so that they show better. Top seasoning with the tomato powder, unless you’re using tomato paste later. 2. 1/4 cup each of freeze dried Sliced Onions, and freeze dried Diced Green Chilies, 1/2 cup each of freeze dried Green Peas, freeze dried Green Bell Peppers, freeze dried Red Bell Peppers 3. 1+1/2 cup freeze dried chopped or diced chicken 4. Top the jar up with 1/2 cup of your choice of Zucchini or Green Beans, or your choice of another vegetable. Add as much as you can till jar is full. 5. Put the lid on, label and date, put it away in your pantry to use within a year. Store away from light. For best results, don’t push the shelf life passed a year. 6. To prepare – cook your rice ahead; pour jar ingredients into a fairly large skillet and add 2 cups water. Stir to combine well, while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, add coconut milk, stir well to combine. Lightly simmer till chicken is tender, then remove from heat. Let sit covered for 5 minutes and serve over top rice.
Pro Tips: – if you don’t have tomato powder, use tomato paste (not in the jar – at the time of cooking) – if you don’t have all those spices (other than curry), not to worry; just use what you’ve got. CURRY however is important. If you don’t have curry – don’t make the dish. – to simplify the preparation I spoon the spices into a small (1/4 pint) jar, arranged beautifully. I save this seasoning mixture in my spice cupboard to add all together when preparing similar dishes later.
First of all, let me state for the record that I am a die-hard, back-to-basics kind of a cook in my own kitchen. I prefer everything homemade, and I’m not opposed to spending a lot of time on the creation of certain meals. I am not a fan of prepared meals or processed food, and normally I avoid ‘mixes’, at least commercial mixes. But I am also not willing to spend inordinate amounts of time or inconvenience if there is a homemade alternative that promises to shorten my kitchen time without compromising nutrition. Enter in all sorts of mixes, dressings and sauces to make my life easier.
Let me share some of my favourites that I think you’ll enjoy. Each recipe closes with my suggestions on: how to use it in a dish, how to store it, and how to use it up (when you have leftovers that you’re trying to use up). I hate wasting things.
I’m all about using FRESH foods in season, but will use preserved foods as long as nutritional value isn’t compromised. For this reason, I often use FREEZE DRIED options when I can. This serves three purposes: a) I ALWAYS have it on hand as it is very shelf stable having a shelf life of 25 years. With proper rotation, I can always count on it. b) Freeze dried produce is highly nutritious and I have found a company who’s standards are so close to my own, it was a natural fit. Thrive Life has a 40+ step process of ensuring the highest quality, and only after completing those 40 steps, do they put their iconic NUTRILOCK symbol on that item. They call that the NUTRILOCK guarantee. You’ll do well to remember this term. c) Freeze Dried food is exceptionally easy to handle, easy to refresh and delicious. I often refer to it as FRESHER than FRESH because it is picked ripe and flash frozen within 2-4 hours of harvest.
DRY MIXES
PANCAKE MIX a basic pancake mix generally contains flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, egg and oil. The types of flour, sugar, milk, eggs and oil are up to you, but for the purpose of a shelf stable mix in my pantry I use certain ones. Flour – if making from scratch, I always prefer freshly ground whole wheat flour, but whole wheat flour has wheat germ oil in it and is best if used fresh. So for a pancake mix I use UNBLEACHED flour. Actually I only ever buy unbleached flour – as opposed to all purpose flour which is ‘bleached’. All purpose flour goes through a chemical process to make it white, and that alone is enough for me to not use it. Yes I know it’s cheaper, and more common, in fact sometimes I can’t find unbleached flour, but the few dollars more and the inconvenience of looking for it is worth it to me. Baking powder – is a leavening agent, and it’s the secret to fluffy pancakes. Sugar – just a tablespoon of sugar is all you’ll need for subtly sweet pancakes. Salt – a pinch will always enhance the flavour Milk – as opposed to water or juice, adds moisture and richness to pancakes. Eggs – add more moisture, richness and helps bind the batter together. Butter or Oil – adds richness, moisture and produces a lighter, more flavourful result
Mix: 15 cups unbleached flour 1/2 cup + 2 T baking powder 2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 T salt 1 1/2 cup Thrive Life Scrambled Egg Mix 3 cups Thrive Life Instant Milk powder
Store mix in a large container with a tight fitting lid. Should be shelf stable for up to a year.
to prepare pancakes: 2 cups mix 1 + 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup oil mix oil and water, pour into dry mix and stir only till moistened. Makes 10 – 4 inch pancakes
Annie and me in the kitchen in the morning
BISCUIT MIX
6 cups flour (you do you, but I always use unbleached flour for mixes) 1 cup shortening powder or butter powder 2 Tablespoons baking powder 1 T salt 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 cup sour cream powder Whisk all together till thoroughly combined.
Store mix in a large air tight container in a cool dry place for up to 4 months. This is because of the shortening powder. If you use the butter powder, you can extend that up to 6 months.
to prepare biscuits: 3 cups mix 1 cup milk Stir only till moistened. Roll lightly on floured board till 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter or knife. Bake 425 F oven 8-10 minutes
CORNBREAD MIX recipe makes 2 gallon sized cans (#10 cans) 6 cups cornmeal 3 cups Thrive Instant Milk (yes, it really IS better than any other milk powder you can buy) 8 cups flour (I always used unbleached) 1/2 cup baking powder 1 Tablespoon salt 3 cups sugar * 1 cup sour cream powder(not necessary, but adding it makes it nicer and more cake like) 1 cup Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (freeze dried eggs, and yes, this brand is the BEST tasting eggs out there. I am inserting a video below of my brother and sister who could not tell the difference between it and FRESH eggs gathered the morning of) Whisk all these powders together completely and store in a marked jar in your pantry.
To use for a batch . . . . preheat oven to 350 degrees F 4 cups mix 1 + 2/3 cup water 1/3 cup vegetable oil Add oil to water and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir to moisten all. Set aside for 3-5 minutes to moisten cornmeal. If you need to add a little more water, do so to get the consistency you prefer. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for approximately 40 or until center bounces back when touched. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes before cutting into it. * We really like cornbread waffles. Pour 1 cup batter into HOT and slightly oiled waffle iron. Cook for 4-5 minutes before removing. Perfect to serve alongside a bowl of chili or taco soup, or homemade tomato soup.
HOMEMADE INSTANT OATMEAL PACKS This almost seems blasphemous to me, because nothing is as wholesome as a bowl of old fashioned oatmeal, but there are times (like when you’re camping) that the kids would like instant oatmeal. I confess that I buy instant oats for lots of other things, and there IS a convenience that I appreciate. I just don’t like all the sugar in the commercially boughten packs, so when I make them up for the kids, (another confession), I add 1/4 cup regular quick oats to their bowl. They don’t seem to notice and it makes me happier. Instant oatmeal is also a great after school snack – nutritious and satisfying. So buy yourself a bunch of small 1/2 pint jars and make some up. in each jar layer: 1/2 cup quick oats 2-3 T Instant Milk powder (Thrive Life is the BEST) 1 T brown sugar or honey granules or your choice of whatever you use *optional: your favourite ‘additive’ – raisins, freeze dried peaches, apples, mangoes, apricots, or blueberries, crumbled cranberries raspberries, blackberries, or whatever you like. Or nothing at all.
Store them in little baggies, or jars. That’s it! To make your oatmeal, pour each package into a bowl, add 1 cup boiling water and stir. Give it a couple of minutes to thicken up and ENJOY. * Consider: mixing up a whole quart of instant oatmeal with quick oats, powdered milk and brown sugar. When you want to make a bowl, shake up the jar (as the milk and sweetener may have settled), and scoop out 3/4 cup. Add your own fruit if you want, then boiling water. How does it get any easier? STORE in your pantry for 6 months to a year – depending on whatever fruit you may have added.
BASIC WHITE SAUCE or CREAM SOUP BASE
2 cups Thrive Life Instant Milk powder (you’ll be disappointed if you use any other brand of powdered milk because not a one tastes as good as Thrive Life’s – just sayin’) 1 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream Powder 1 heaping Tablespoon of Thrive Life’s Chef Choice Seasoning or your favourite seasoning 2 cups Cornstarch 1/3 cup Thrive Chicken Bouillon (or your favourite powdered Chicken bouillon) 1/2 cup Thrive Life freeze dried Chopped Onions. You cannot substitute dehydrated onions, unless you powdered them first in a blender 1 teaspoon black pepper
Sift together all dry ingredients till completely mixed and store in a air tight container. I double the recipe and Store in 3 glass quart sealing jars for about a year.
To use for white sauce: Whisk 1/2 cup into 2 cups water. Bring to a boil whisking all the time to prevent lumping. Reduce heat and simmer gently 3-5 minutes till nicely thickened. To use for base of cream soup: I prepare the same way, and just slowly whisk into your soup.
I love to make cream soups by preparing the white sauce, adding milk or broth and then adding freeze dried vegetable crumbles or powder. Lightly simmer for a few minutes to soften the vegetables and till you’ve reached the desired consistency. Cream of Tomato Soup – whisk in a Thrive Life Tomato Powder (approx 1 T per cup of soup) Cream of Mushroom Soup – saute some fresh mushrooms in butter (mmm), then add to the prepared sauce. OR add some Thrive Life freeze dried Mushroom pieces and some mushroom powder from the bottom of the can. Cream of Celery Soup – add some finely diced fresh celery and simmer long enough for them to become tender to the fork and share their flavour. OR add some Thrive Life freeze dried chopped celery. I crush these pieces up in my hand because I like smaller pieces. If there is any powder at the bottom of the can, throw that in too – its loaded with flavour. Cream of Chicken Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Chopped Chicken and some powder from the bottom of the can. Cream of Asparagus Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Asparagus and some powdered asparagus from the bottom of the can. Cream of Broccoli Soup – add Thrive Life freeze dried Broccoli and some broccoli powder from the bottom of the can. Maybe add some shredded cheddar if you want. The list goes on – you can make whatever cream soup you want. recipe link
SEASONING MIXES
Homemade Taco Seasoning 4 T Chili Powder 3 T Cumin Powder 1 T Smoked Paprika 2 teaspoons EACH salt, garlic powder, onion powder 1 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – this combination will give you approx. 3/4 cup seasoning. I usually use 1 T at a time, in most recipes. Don’t be afraid to try new combinations of your own.
Curry Seasoning Combination(I try to have 2 small jars of this combination in my cupboard at any given time so I don’t have to dig every ingredient out to make it up for a recipe) 1 t garam masala 2 t chicken bouillon powder 1 t black pepper 1 t cumin 1 t ginger powder 1 t paprika 1 T curry powder 1 T turmeric * 1 t cayenne powder IF you like it a little spicy 3 T tomato powder (OR substitute in 1/4 cup tomato paste when making up the recipe) 1 T brown sugar layer seasoning in small (1 cup size) jar. Put the lid on tight, label with recipe name, and set aside to have ready.
CURRY COCONUT CHICKEN This recipe is very similar to traditional “Butter Chicken”, a chicken curry dish that is so popular outside of India, it is sometimes mistakenly believed to be a western invention. It was however, originally created by the chef at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi in 1947. Although it’s name Murgh Makhani translates to “chicken butter”, its name has less to do with butter and more to do with how much yogurt and butter are used in its original recipe. There are probably as many variations as there are Indian moms or restaurants, but this one uses coconut milk and is a favourite in our house. When you use freeze dried produce, it takes less than 10 minutes to put together.
Recipe for Curry Chicken (using freeze dried vegetables OR substitute fresh): 1 1/2 cup freeze dried chicken pieces OR equal amount cooked chopped chicken 2 cups water (OR if using regular chicken, only 1 cup water) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup freeze dried sliced onions 2 T freeze dried garlic OR 2 cloves garlic minced 1/2 cup freeze dried peas 1/4 cup freeze dried diced green chilis 1/2 cup freeze dried green peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried red peppers 1/2 cup freeze dried zucchini spice mixture above 2 cans coconut milk – cooked rice to serve it over –
Directions: Cover freeze dried chicken in 2 cups warm water and set aside to refresh for about 15 minutes. Cook rice, set aside. In the meantime, prepare everything else – having it ready to add one right after the other. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic till aromatic, stirring all the time to prevent scorching. Add chicken and remaining water, continuing to stir. Add vegetables one at a time, stirring all the while. Add seasoning mix and stir to completely blend in. Add coconut milk and stir to completely till all is blended perfectly. Let simmer till all is heated through. Serve over rice.
FRESH MAYO and Salad Dressings
FRESH MAYO Not only is fresh mayo a great alternative if you run out of the more ‘shelf stable’ mayonnaise from the store, but it can be a game changer in terms of flavour and texture. And its so easy to whip up (in 5 minutes) you may wonder why were so dependent on the store bought version all your life. You can expect it to last about two weeks in the fridge.
In its basic form, mayonnaise is an “emulsification” oil into other ingredients, but it helps to understand the process. Emulsification happens when two substances that don’t want to mix are forced to mix. In the case of mayo, oil is emulsified into a mixture of lemon juice or vinegar, mustard, egg, and salt by whisking it in drop-by-drop at the very beginning—and vigorously. The droplets of oil become tiny enough, and evenly suspended in the liquid creating a creamy, almost fluffy texture.
There is much opportunity for slight flavour variations in mayonnaise. 1) ACID – You choose the type of acid you want: lemon/lime juice or whatever vinegar you prefer (white, apple cider, herb infused vinegars . . . ). You will get different flavoured mayo in the end. It doesn’t take much acid, so you can be brave and experiment with different kinds to find different flavours. Perhaps in the beginning while you’re still getting the ‘hang of it’, stick to a plain white vinegar or lemon juice, and then go from there.
2) OIL is what make mayonnaise – MAYONNAISE, but you get to choose what kind. For a neutral flavoured mayo use neutral flavoured oils like canola or vegetable. For a richer, more flavoured mayo, use olive oil. Or use another oil if you have a favourite, or use a combination.
3) SEASONING is not necessary but nice. Use it or not. I like pepper, but if you want a pure white mayo then use white pepper. You can also use dried chiles, ginger, paprika, garlic, chives, a dash of sesame oil, . . . no end to the possibilities. For a standard all purpose mayonnaise, I just use pepper, but a little more than you might. If you use a lot of mashed garlic, your mayo becomes something wonderful called AIOLI.
recipe: 1 large egg 1 T lemon juice or vinegar (your choice – remember) 1/2 t dry mustard 1/4 t salt 1/8 t pepper 1 cups oil Combine the first five ingredients in a blender, turn on high and begin adding oil SLOWLY in a steady steam, turning off blender to scrape down sides once or twice if necessary during the process. Stop blending as soon as mixture is fully emulsified and thick. Makes just over 1 cup mayonnaise. Store in refrigerator. Personally, if I’m going to go to the trouble, of washing my blender, I’m going to double this recipe and end up with about 2 1/2 cups mayo, especially if I know I see dishes like potato salad, tuna sandwiches, or toasted pesto mayo tomato sandwiches in my immediate future. Store – You can expect it to last about 2 weeks in the fridge so plan accordingly. link to recipe
HOMEMADE SALAD DRESSINGS
Yes there’s something to be said about the convenience of store bought salad dressings, but really – try buying a few different vinegars instead and make your own. It is SO easy to make your own salad dressings at home – you’ll wonder why you ever thought you needed to buy them. The benefits are taste, and control over all the ingredients – simple, whole food. That’s what its about. Nothing you can’t pronounce. Make them as you go and then they’re always fresh. 🙂
ASIAN SALAD DRESSING 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 T sesame oil 2 T honey 3 T rice vinegar 2 t freshly grated ginger root 2 cloves garlic minced 1-2 T lime juice sprinkle sesame seeds over top the salad can Store in fridge for a week
SESAME GINGER SALAD DRESSING 3 cloves garlic minced 1 3inch piece of fresh ginger root (peeled and grated) 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup rice vinegar 1/4 cup sesame oil salt and pepper Toss dressing into salad. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. can Store in fridge for a week Salad: 1/2 small cabbage finely sliced or chopped about half as much fresh kale finely chopped 4-6 small Persian cucumbers coarsely chopped or 1 large English cucumber 1 or 2 peppers (your choice of colour) coarsely chopped
TACO SALAD DRESSING 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup mayo 1 cup tomato salsa 1/2 t chili powder Stir with a spoon and chill till ready to serve on top of Taco Salad. can Store in fridge for a week Salad: romaine lettuce – large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers – black beans – taco flavoured ground beef – shredded cheddar – tortilla chips
variation to use in a fajita rice bowl: I use the sour cream and mayo to make a nice light white dressing that cools the hot chili spice. I add the salsa on top of it for extra flavour, colour and zip. In this picture, I have drizzled a little candied jalapenos (Cowboy Candy) over top.
RED RASPBERRY POPPYSEED DRESSING 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar 2 T sugar 1 t salt 1 t dry mustard 1/4 cup water 1/2 onion finely chopped (I use 1/4 cup Thrive freeze dried chopped onions) 2 T honey Blend all ingredients EXCEPT RASPBERRIES AND POPPY SEEDS in blender. Pour into serving container. Add 1 cup fresh raspberries (I used 1 cup Thrive freeze dried raspberries) 1 t poppy seeds. Gently stir to blend berries and seeds throughout and serve. can Store in fridge for a week.
Homemade BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE (I love the powerful taste of dark balsamic vinegar – it stands alone) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar juice of one lemon (2-3 Tablespoons) 2 cloves of garlic minced 1 T honey salt and pepper Put all ingredients except salt and pepper into a pint mason jar with a lid. Shake well till honey dissolves. Taste, then decide if you want to put in about 1/4 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Shake again. Taste again. This makes about a cup, but will Store in the fridge for a week or two so make a bigger batch if you want. Just shake it up when you want to use it again.
Substitute the olive oil for TAHINI to make it creamy and rich. Add 2-3 Tablespoons of water if it’s too thick.
Tahini is ground toasted sesame seeds similar in texture to peanut butter, in fact, it is sometimes used as a substitute for peanut butter. Rich is protein and trace minerals it is a healthy addition to add to your salad dressings.
CURRY TAHINI DRESSING 1/2 cup tahini 1/4 cup olive oil Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup) 1/4 cup water 1 T honey 2 cloves garlic minced 1-2 teaspoons curry powder (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more) 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ginger (start with lesser amount then taste test before adding more)
Whisk in pint bottle till honey is dissolved.
RHUBARB SALAD DRESSING 1 cup apple cider vinegar 1/3 cup honey 1 cup vegetable oil – your favourite 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh garlic chives – or regular fresh chives if you don’t have them 1 cup finely chopped rhubarb Whisk the vinegar, honey and oil together to totally dissolve the honey. Add chives and garlic and mix well. Set aside for at least an hour to combine flavours. Stir as you serve to keep garlic and chives incorporated throughout. can Store in fridge for a week
BUTTERMILK RANCH DRESSING 1 cup buttermilk* 2/3 cup mayo 2/3 cup sour cream 1 clove garlic minced 1 T minced onion or Thrive freeze dried chopped onion 1 T chopped fresh chives 1 T fresh or frozen dill greens 1 T chopped fresh parsley or half that dried parsley crumbled 1/2 t each: salt and pepper Mix all ingredients and let sit 30 minutes before serving. Reduce buttermilk to 2/3 cup to make ranch dip. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
*making buttermilk from Thrive Instant milk powder is easy. 1/4 cup Thrive Instant milk powder 3 Tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice 1 cup water Mix well and let stand for 5 minutes. Use in a recipe as you would buttermilk.
AVOCADO LIME DRESSING 1 avocado 1/2 cup sour cream (I use Thrive sour cream powder) 2 T mayo 2 T lime juice or 1 T limeade powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 cup water Add everything to the blender Dressing perfect for salad or for Chili Lime Chicken Tacos can Store in fridge for a week
CILANTRO LIME DRESSING 1 cup cilantro 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 clove garlic minced 1 T apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup olive oil 1/3 cup mayo 1/4 t salt 1 T Thrive freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 teaspoon onion powder juice of 1 lime Puree in blender. Chill till ready to serve. can Store in fridge for a week
LIME VINAIGRETTE 1/2 cup cilantro 3 T olive oil 2 T apple cider vinegar juice of 1 large lime 1/2 t each: salt, cumin, chili powder, black pepper 1 lg clove garlic 1 T tomato powder Puree in blender till smooth. Chill till ready to serve. can Store in fridge for a week
Savoury Sauces, Salsas, Dips and Spreads
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.
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.
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.
TZATZIKI Tzatziki is a creamy cucumber yogurt dip made from simple ingredients including thick yogurt, cucumbers, garlic and fresh herbs. It is primarily used as a dip or a topping. Traditionally of course, fresh cucumbers are used, but I most often use freeze dried cucumber dices. Makes it so much easier! If you’re using fresh cucumber it needs to be grated and strained so get to that right away. * 1 medium cucumber finely shredded, tossed in 1/2 t salt. Set in colander to drain about 30 minutes. Squeeze excess moisture out as much as you can. Set aside. I skip this step entirely because I use Thrive Life freeze dried diced Cucumbers. Start with 1/2 cup and add more as desired one T at a time so you don’t add too much.
1 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (or another nice thick plain yogurt) 1 T lemon juice or 1/2 t Thrive lemonade powder 2-4 T fresh dill chopped (I freeze fresh chopped dill in the summer and use all winter long) 1-2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 teaspoon black pepper * if you’re not using the fresh salted, strained cucumbers, add 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 T olive oil Mix everything except cucumbers. Add at the end and gently toss cucumbers in. Set in the fridge for an hour or so to blend flavours. Can Store in the fridge for several days; if you’re using freeze dried cucumbers, it will keep up to a week.
HOMEMADE KETCHUP 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 it that we now try to make the homemade version taste like commercial. 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.
1 c. *Tomato Powder 3 1/2 c. water 1/3 c. honey or sugar – your choice 1/2 c. Cider Vinegar 2 tbsp. THRIVE 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 1 1/2 pounds fresh plums, pitted and chopped 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) Put all together in medium sauce pan, bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes till sauce is thickened slightly. Puree if desired (I don’t. I prefer the chunky texture but I know some like it smooth) Store: without canning, it will be good in your fridge for about a week. I highly recommend multiplying the amount if you have a good source of plums, and canning in pint jars. Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath for pints. Once canned, label and date the jars; Store for about a year.
CHEESY BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP I could never figure out what made hot chicken wings “buffalo chicken wings”. Didn’t make any sense. I kept thinking there’s gotta be a good reason, but in the end, it’s stupidly simple. The hot sauce gets its name from it’s origin: the Anchor Bar in, you guessed it – Buffalo, New York. So why don’t they call it Anchor Sauce? Who knows? 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use Freeze Dried chopped chicken refreshed) 3/4 cup of your favourite hot sauce 2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese, cubed 1 cup ranch dressing (I use 1 cup Thrive Life Sour Cream powder with 1/2 cup water) 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (I use the same amount of Freeze Dried Cheddar refreshed)
Skillet method: In large skillet over medium heat, pour hot sauce and add chicken. Stir to coat evenly and heat through. Add cream cheese cubes and ranch dressing. Cook to melt cheese, stirring occasionally. Lower heat and cook till hot and bubbly. Slow cooker method: Add all the ingredients into slow cooker set on medium. Stir occasionally to keep from scorching until all is blended, cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly – aprox 45 minutes. Serve with a loaf of crusty sour dough bread or fresh vegetable wedges. Can Store in fridge for a week.
SPINACH DIP Personally, I choose NOT to add any seasoning to this dip because I don’t want it to over power the subtle taste of spinach (which I love). But you do you. If you have a favourite seasoning, then go ahead and use it. 2 – 8 oz packages of cream cheese 1 cup sour cream (I use 1 cup Thrive Life sour cream powder + 1/3 cup water) 1 cup mayonnaise optional – 1/2 cup freeze dried chopped onions (you won’t see the onions but you’ll get their wonderful taste) OR 2-4 chopped green onions lots of Spinach slight steamed and wilted, then chopped and strained (make sure you get all the liquid out of it). I used Freeze Dried Spinach straight from the can. A LOT easier and more nutritious than store bought spinach.
Blend the cream cheese with hand mixer till smooth and creamy. Add sour cream continuing to blend till completely mixed. Add mayonnaise, mixing the whole time till completely combined and smooth. I add spinach a cup at a time, mixing with a spoon. The steamed chopped spinach will be wet of course, the freeze dried spinach (my preference by far) will be dry. I add as much spinach as I can, judging by texture, colour and personal preference. I don’t want it to get too dry, but if I’ve added too much FD spinach, I simply add a little water to moisten. Can Store in fridge for a week.
PEANUT SAUCE (for Spring Rolls) 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.
*I use this sauce to pour over or as a dip for Spring Rolls, but the truth is – I could eat it by the spoon its so good. I may have done that from time to time. 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. *BONUS – Spring Roll recipe 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. Cook noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Test. DON’T over-cook. Drain and rinse immediately in cold water. Drain again. OR soak them in warm water (not cold, not hot) for 10-15 minutes till softened. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. Toss 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.
Salsas and PESTOS
MANGO CUCUMBER SALSA with LIME 2 cups Thrive Life freeze dried mangoes OR fresh mango diced 2 cups Thrive Life freeze dried cucumbers OR fresh cucumber diced 1 cup Thrive Life freeze dried red bell peppers OR fresh pepper diced 1/4 cup Thrive Life freeze dried chopped onions OR 1/2 medium red onion diced finely 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup water if using freeze dried OR 1/4 cup water if using fresh 1 T Thrive Life Limeade powder OR juice of one lime (don’t be afraid to add more LIME) 1 1/2 T Thrive Life honey crystals OR 2 T honey 1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
Combine all produce. Prepare dressing on the side and drizzle over top. 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. recipe link Mix can Store in a sealed jar for 6 months to a year. Prepared, it can Store in fridge for 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.
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.
SOMETHING SWEET
CONDENSED MILK or EVAPORATED MILK This is the milk my mother’s generation prepared baby formula out of. My mom and all my aunts diluted it with boiled water and put it into baby bottles. It was the opinion of the time that enlightened western women did not need to breast feed anymore, as it was “quite inconvenient” and cows milk was just as good, in fact some considered it better. Evaporated milk was the first food of every child I knew – certainly myself, my siblings, and my cousins. That generation of western women was fully indoctrinated that bottle feeding and cow’s milk was better, and it took a lot of convincing to turn the tide back around. Not an easy sell. I was one of the few young moms of my peers who chose breastfeeding against the better judgement and advice of most older women I knew – including nurses on the maternity floor. My in-laws considered it quite a radical move, but they were becoming accustomed to my ‘radical’ ways and just rolled their eyes.
Nevertheless, there is a place for condensed/evaporated milk, and from a food storage perspective it can be a good resource – ie: a substitution for half and half cream in recipes. Yes, you can use ‘fresh’ milk and reduce it over heat – but you don’t need me for that. You can find a recipe for that online. However, making it from your shelf stable INSTANT Milk powder is super convenient since you already have everything on hand. 1 cup Thrive Instant Milk 1 1/4 cup water. Blend thoroughly in blender or with whisk. Makes 12 ounces Evaporated milk. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK (not to be confused with ‘Condensed’ milk or ‘Evaporated milk’) An alternative to spending $4.99 – $5.99 for a 10 oz (300 ml) can of sweetened condensed milk, this takes less than 5 minutes and costs pennies. You can even make *Dulce de Leche from it, the same way you would regular canned Sweetened Condensed Milk.
2 Tablespoons butter 1/2 cup HOT water 1 cup Thrive Instant Milk powder 1 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Put your butter in the blender and add your HOT water. Blend on low, gradually adding 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Continuing beating till completely incorporated, scraping down sides as necessary. Makes 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk. Pour into a glass jar with a lid and refrigerate till needed. Mixture will thicken a little as it cools. May be Stored for up to two weeks in the fridge.
Personally, I don’t use sweetened condensed milk a whole lot. Maybe once a year if that. But when I do, I don’t want to have to run out to buy some, and I don’t use it enough to justify having it in my food storage. But since I have the milk and sugar on hand all the time, this is my best option.
*what is Dulce de Leche? Also called: caramelized milk or milk candy, it is a popular confection in Latin America, France, Poland and the Philippines – prepared by slow boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours. The resulting substance is a sweet, gooey caramel coloured, spreadable, thick sauce (hence the name caramelized milk). Use as a spread in layered cake or buttery sandwich cookies, a filling for dessert crepes (topped with whipped cream to add to the calories lol), in homemade cheese cake filling, or as a topping for classic cheese cake, to sweetened home made eggnog, or in any number of sweet and delicious ways.
STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE DIP for fruit, graham crackers, sugar cookies, bagel wedges or apple wedges
8 oz package cream cheese softened 2 T honey 2 T milk 2 cups freeze dried strawberries In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, honey and milk until smooth. Add strawberries and continue to beat another minute or two – until strawberries are broken up and dip is a beautiful strawberry colour and taste. If it appears dip is getting a little dry, add another tablespoon or two of milk (one at a time to test texture). Let sit for ten minutes to completely refresh the strawberries. Can Store in the fridge for up to a week.
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN?
The biggest advantage of making your own mixes is that you know exactly what’s in them. It allows you to control salt, eliminate MSG and every other artificial or harmful ingredient. Consequently the storage time will be shorter, but in most cases, they’re so quick to make up – using ingredients that are common in most kitchens, that you can whip them up in minutes.
The other advantage is that I don’t have to run to the grocery store for common things we’ve become accustomed to using. Once we get over the fact that we’re also “accustomed” to store bought taste, we can replace that – and get used to – the natural homemade goodness of FRESH.
The video I promised to include about Thrive Scrambled Egg Mix (freeze dried eggs). And yes, they really are better than other ‘powdered eggs’. Much better!
Really? No, I mean REALLY? How is this possible? You can take my word for it. They taste THAT good.
*What is Tomato Powder? Made from dehydrated tomatoes, ground into powder, tomato is exactly what it purports to be. It adds the gentle acid of tomatoes to the full bodied, concentrated flavour of a tomatoes in all your favourite dishes. You can make your own – you go girl! – or buy it from a good natural source. My favourite is from THRIVE LIFE.
– plant every fall for mid summer harvest. Garlic is a staple in the kitchen of course but there many other benefits that earn it an honoured place in every herb garden. The bulbs grown in your backyard garden may be smaller, but stronger, hotter and in every way more potent than the ones you buy in the grocery store. Use them in homemade salad dressings, pasta sauces, soups and in every other dish you might normally add onions to. Garlic and onions are best friends in any dish.
But medicinally, the key phytochemical in garlic is allicin which has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic and antioxidant properties. It can also be anti-social. LOL I know, it seems too good to be true, but after a lifetime of using it, I am convinced it really is the super food it boasts about being with all of these properties. The thing to remember is that allicin is most potent when the garlic is consumed raw, and while some people swallow the clove whole, there is evidence to indicate that the allicin is best released when the fresh clove is chewed or crushed. But who wants to chew a clove of garlic right? (see below) Mincing the garlic and putting it into a salad dressing is a great way to eat it. The longer you wait the stronger it gets so you might want to eat it right away before it over powers the dressing.
Heart health: garlic reduces the risk of heart attack or stroke because it improves blood circulation and lowers harmful cholesterol. Studies have shown that garlic helps reduce blood pressure allowing blood to flow more freely,
Arthritis: Studies have shown that because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, garlic reduces the pain and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Boost to Immunity: Garlic’s biggest benefit in my opinion is its ability to enhance natural immunity through its antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties. It is a surprisingly good source of Vitamins C and B, as well as the minerals selenium and manganese – all of which strengthen the body’s defense mechanism in fighting infections.
Garlic is an excellent treatment – reducing the severity and shortening the duration of common colds, flues and other viruses, as well as chronic respiratory conditions. Again it is the compound allicin that is responsible for this antiviral action.
Fungal infections: Garlic’s powerful antifungal properties make is an effective agent against fungal infections such as ringworm and athlete’s foot, and yeast infections such as thrush.
The answer of course is to include raw garlic in your diet. But we all know that garlic has a powerful taste and cannot always be eaten fresh, no matter how much I desire these health benefits. Especially when it should be eaten raw and ‘chewed’ or crushed to best release the allicin.
When my kids were young and more trusting, I could entice them to chew a clove of garlic when they were suffering with a cold. I would crush it and put it on a small piece of bread with peanut butter and honey, and sit beside them with a glass of apple juice to help wash it down. But when they got bigger, it was not so easy to talk them into this course of action. I couldn’t blame them. We use it as much as we can in our diets, but it is not that easy. In the case of garlic, I recommend using garlic oil (made from crushed cloves in olive oil), oil of garlic (essential oil), and high quality garlic supplements that you can buy in the health food store. Normally, I’m all about using what I grow in the garden exclusively, but sometimes garlic needs a helping hand, simply because it is so anti-social.
growing
Growing your own garlic is well worth the effort. A good time to plant in the Edmonton area is late September or early October. For mid season harvesting, you want them to have time to establish the beginning of a root system before winter, but not enough to sprout. I’ve also planted garlic in the early spring for harvest at the end of the season.
After your first year you can plant next year’s garlic with this year’s bulbs, but to start with, buy from a local garden centre instead of planting the garlic you buy in grocery stores. Select the largest bulbs with the plumpest cloves you can find. Make sure they are firm and clean looking, without any signs of mould or fungus. Break the garlic bulb into cloves. Do not peel them. Each clove will grow into a bulb by the next year but it needs that protective papery covering.
Choose a sunny part of your garden with well-drained soil. Mark the area so you remember where the cloves are next spring. Don’t crowd them. Plant the cloves about 6 inches apart and about 2 inches deep, sprinkling a little bone-meal into each hole as you go. Because you’re going to leave them for the winter, spread about 3 inches of nice clean, organic mulch over the area, chopped up leaves, wood shavings, straw, – to help insulate.
First thing in the spring, gently move the mulch over. You’ll soon see the tender green sprouts. Let nature take care of them, watering when necessary. Remember they don’t like a soggy spot, they need the soil to be well drained. Mid growing season the plant will develop curly tendrils of greenery that come up from the stalk. This is the plant wanting to flower and go to seed. Snip it.
harvesting
When the stalks start to die back, about the beginning of August, you know its almost time to harvest. Give it a week or so, then gently remove one plant to test. Its tempting to pull, but dig so you don’t risk breaking the stalk off. Garlic is ready when it looks like you think it should. Too early and the protective papery wrapping will be thin or non existent. In that case give it another week. When ready, gently dig them all with a fork and lay in a box out of the sun and rain for a couple of weeks to dry out. I like to braid them into a hanging, but you can also cut the stalks off at this point and store for winter.
* GARLIC CHIVES – wonderful flat chives with more than a hint of garlic in the flavour. Like chives, its root base is a clump of ‘bulbs’. You can cut a handfull just like regular chives to use in the kitchen, and just like chives its root base is a clump of ‘bulbs’. This is super convenient when you want a stronger garlic taste for your dish. Pull up a few stocks from the base to gently separate some bulbs from the rest of the plant. Presto! Garlic bulbs. I have no idea if any of the medicinal properties of garlic are replicated, but the taste sure is. It is the perfect answer for midseason garlic while I’m waiting for my other garlic to ripen.
GINGER
fresh ginger root
Ginger – nearly everyone can identify its flavour in baking, which is where it is most often used in North American and European kitchens. But the last few years have opened up a whole lotta versatility as we adopt it as a savoury seasoning, not just for desserts. This is very good news. Ginger can be used fresh, dried, powdered, candied, juiced or even as an oil. Fresh Ginger root is readily available in the produce department of most grocery stores and is so easy to use. It deserves a place in your kitchen. You jut need to discover why, and then make friends with it.
Ginger ale, Gingerbread, Ginger Molasses Cookies, Pumpkin Pies, pretty much any pumpkin dessert . . . Those are the ways we’re most familiar with, but open your mind, and make room for ginger. You’re about to fall in love.
Did you know it also has great health benefits? Ginger is often used to calm an upset stomach, indigestion, motion sickness and other forms of nausea including morning sickness! It stimulates digestive enzymes which is helpful in enhancing digestion, and relieving heartburn and indigestion. It’s an absolute must-have in the kitchen for those times that nothing else is working.
Make yourself a soothing cup of fresh ginger tea by simply steeping a few slices in boiling water. How many slices? Well, that depends on how strong you like it. Start with one or two, and go from there. Chill it as a refreshing cold drink on a warm summer day. Drink it hot in your favourite mug on those cold winter days.
Grate it up to add to a salad dressing, a homemade teriyaki sauce, a curry recipe, or your favourite stir fried vegetables.
Yes, you can buy a bottle of ginger powder from the grocery store, but when you find out how easy it is to dry and powder your own, you’ll never go back to store bought powder again.
growing:
Not so easy to grow ginger in Alberta, but in the spring of 2020, I planted three pots of ginger root just for fun. I chose ginger roots with visible nodules and cut the root to ensure each piece had a few on it. I planted shallowly in a soil, just enough to cover, and kept them in sunny locations on my patio. I nurtured them along, and brought them into the house for the winter. The next spring I brought it back outside, but half way through the season, I kinda got tired of the plant which was interesting enough looking (a couple of tall spears), but not very spectacular. I decided to dig them up, but when I did, I saw that the root was significantly bigger than when I first planted it, so I put it back into the soil and took care of it. Eventually, I dug it up and used it. I was pretty happy to do so, but as fun as the experiment was, we are still dependent on store purchased ginger root in this country.
using:
Ginger honey: I recently discovered something lovely. Ginger honey. It seemed like such a natural combination – good tasting, as well as a good way of benefitting from the wonderfulness of ginger. I made my very first batch this week and am anxious to taste it in the coming weeks as the ginger has a chance to infuse throughout the honey.
ginger honey
I began with one pint of honey and one tablespoon of home ground ginger powder. It seemed like a lot of ginger, but when I mixed it all in, the taste was surprisingly mild. I think to get the maximum benefit, I’ll probably add more ginger later (stay tuned for update if I do), but I’m gonna give it two weeks before I decide to do that. The reason I chose ginger powder as opposed to fresh ginger root, is shelf life. It stands to reason to me that fresh ginger being moist, it might eventually go bad, and I should probably refrigerate it. I might surprise myself to find out that the honey actually preserves the ginger . . . but then for how long? I just decided to be safe and go with powder for now.
I have creamy honey. I also have fairly solid honey. And I have liquid honey which is very old, given to me from my dad who has long since passed away. I chose to use the liquid because its easier to mix up. If you used a more solid form, I think you’d want to slowly heat it over boiling water to get it to the point that you could actually stir the ginger into it. Personally, I wouldn’t melt it in the microwave. Yes, its quicker and easier, but I think I’d choose a more gentle way of melting it – to keep ‘goodness’ the prime focus. I also chose to use a wide mouth jar, just to make stirring it up easier.
directions: Pour honey into a clean dry glass pint jar – half full. Add 2 teaspoons ginger powder and stir with the blade of a table knife or a chop stick. When fully infused, pour a little more honey into the jar and add another teaspoon of ginger. Stir again to fully emulsify. Top up with honey and stir once more to blend completely. Put the lid on, label with date and set aside for two weeks. Enjoy in every way you would use honey: on toast in the morning, in a cup of herbal tea, whatever.
Ginger Tea: 1. Pour hot water over a small slice of fresh ginger in a cup and let it steep 5 minutes. Add a little lemon juice just before drinking if you like. 2. In the absence of fresh ginger, add a small amount of powdered ginger to hot water with lemon juice.
Ginger water: Add a few slices fresh ginger to a jug of water and leave to steep in the fridge. Sip throughout the day.
Ginger Lemonade: Prepare your favourite lemonade recipe (using fresh lemons of course), and add grated fresh ginger. Let steep at least ten minutes before serving.
. . . . . more to come on ginger
. . . . .
Tell me about your experiences with these herbs. I’d love to learn from you too.
Rhubarb gets it’s own post because there’s just so much to say about it.
Rhubarb as a plant has been used for centuries as a medicinal herb for digestive complaints such as constipation, diarrhea, heartburn and stomach pain. Even for cold sores. Whether it was ever effective for any of those concerns, I don’t even have an opinion. My only interest in rhubarb is as a food.
Though perfectly suited to our climate, it is not a native of North America. Originally from central Asia, it was introduced to Europe in the 1600’s, and within a hundred years, made it here where its been at home ever since. Botanically it is a VEGETABLE, but its so often use as a dessert that we commonly think of it as a FRUIT. But we need to get over that type-casting, and let it be what it wants to be. I’ve always thought of it as the vegetable-who-wants-to-be-a-fruit, but in actual fact, it is probably the most versatile food in your garden, lending itself as easily to savory dishes as to sweet dishes. And contrary to what I believed most of my life, it doesn’t need a whole lotta sugar to make it palatable.
The leaves are poisonous so lets get that out of the way right off the bat. They contain a lot of oxalic acid which in the amount present is toxic to both humans and animals. Oxalic acid is in a lot of things we eat including the rhubarb stalks, many fruits, and leafy green vegetables, nuts and whole grains. We need some of it so its good, but not to the degree that rhubarb leaves contain.
You won’t die from eating some rhubarb leaves, so don’t fret about that. And neither will your kids, so don’t avoid growing rhubarb because of some perceived danger. It would take a LOT of rhubarb leaves to kill someone and they’d have to be pretty dedicated to eating them. Poison doesn’t always mean ‘kill you’. In this case the oxalic acid will upset your stomach, make you sick, and probably cause vomiting and diarrhea if you ate enough. I doubt you’d eat too much to begin with, especially if it made you sick. I don’t know why someone would, but you’d have to eat a LOT of rhubarb leaves to be poisoned, and the symptoms are stomach, vomiting and diarrhea, (with your body trying to get rid of it).
Sadly, I had a chicken named Lacey who had a thing for rhubarb leaves. No matter how much I tried to make it INconvenient for her, it was impossible to keep her out of them since she was free range in the yard. Seemed like she was addicted. I rarely caught her in the act, but she could polish off a leaf in record time. For a long time, she seemed healthy enough but since the most common symptoms of oxalic acid poisoning are stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and difficulty breathing – its kind of hard to pin those down in a chicken. The other hens didn’t seem interested in the leaves at all, but Lacey couldn’t stay out of them. Poor Lacey; she slowed down over a few days until one morning she just didn’t wake up. I don’t pretend to know for sure what killed her. She was older than the other hens, and she could have been nearing her end anyway. Or it could have been the stupid rhubarb leaves. The other ones didn’t seem to care, and no previous hen ever seemed to care. You’d think that an animal would have an inner instinct not to eat things like rhubarb leaves, but I guess Lacey missed that memo.
I use the leaves to compost, and sometimes chop them up with the lawn mower first to use as mulch. The oxalic acid breaks down fairly quickly during the decomposition process. Some I know make a ‘tea’ from the chopped leaves to use as a natural pesticide in the garden, but I have never tried it. It seems like too much work to me.
The stalk is the edible part, and many people find it delicious. I can’t say I’ve always found the taste of rhubarb to be my favourite, and I never craved it, but I certainly would have missed it if I didn’t have it. Rhubarb always tasted like ‘spring’ to me. However, in the last few years, as I’ve learned to take better advantage of this wonderful garden offering, I can say that I have come to very much like the taste. I love the freshness it adds to a morning smoothie. Like a true friend it’s stayed with me all these years, selflessly giving to me, always under appreciated, and under used, until I saw it for its true value to me. And now you could say that our friendship has developed into a true love affair.
Rhubarb is always there for you – a true friend
Many of my friends and cousins as children, used to eat rhubarb raw in the summer, dipping the stalk in sugar or even salt. I could never do that – I’ve actually never even tried it, waaay too sour for me to even wrap my mind around it. Although I consider myself an excellent “tryer”, I just can’t bring myself to take a bite of raw rhubarb, and I cannot even think about eating straight sugar. Combining rhubarb with sugar and cooking it however, changes the natural tartness into something quite delightful. Whether in a jam, jelly, syrup, cake, pie or punch, rhubarb’s bitterness fades when combined with a sweetener, and it becomes uniquely refreshing.
I decided many years ago, that since rhubarb grows so readily in cool climates (my part of the world), I should learn to take best possible advantage of it and make it very familiar to my family. Loving the taste of something that we can grow and use freely, seems like a happier place to be than loving something exotic that might be difficult to get one day. For instance, while I love pineapple, it can be quite expensive in my world and it is impossible to get field-ripened-pineapple (which we know is the most nutritious) when you live in Edmonton. Rhubarb however, is in my garden and always at it’s plant-ripened-best when I pick it. I am all about IN SEASON, field-to-fork eating, and though my grow months in Edmonton Alberta are limited, I want to take full advantage of everything they have to offer. Though rhubarb is at its best in May, June and July, you can also pick from a well established plant as early as April and right through to the end of the growing season. How accommodating is that right? Rhubarb really WANTS to be your friend! Just don’t pick too much in the earliest part of spring, or the end of summer. Give it a chance to re-establish its strength.
why rhubarb?
Because rhubarb is good for you, that’s why. It lowers cholesterol, aids digestion and gut health, is rich in natural fiber and Vitamin K which improves bone density. It is an antioxidant powerhouse, containing as much or more as an EQUAL AMOUNT OF KALE. Since antioxidants support collagen production, that means healthier, younger looking skin, as well as protection from harmful free radicals that can lead to chronic disease. The antioxidant ‘anthocyanins’ (which gives rhubarb stalks their deep red colour), have been found to reduce inflammation, and improves heart health by reducing the narrowing and hardening of blood vessels. And rhubarb WANTS to be your friend. It’s easy to grow, is hardy in Alberta, is forgiving when you move it, separate it, or forget to water it for awhile, and doesn’t hold a grudge when you ignore it. And it’s versatile as heck, lending itself superbly from desserts to drinks, from salsas and chutneys to beautiful refreshing summer smoothies (all year long if you freeze some), from breakfast muffins and scones to deep fried fritters – and everything in between.
* I’ve had rhubarb doubters (and even those who considered themselves haters of rhubarb) tell me they converted to rhubarb after partaking of it at my table. It wasn’t something magic about my table, and it wasn’t that I am some amazing cook (heaven knows I’m not). It was simply because they had never really given rhubarb a second chance after tasting something they didn’t like. One man who attended a Food Drive meeting at my house in the late spring told me “I used to make fun of rhubarb, and believed no one really liked it. They just pretended.” If he reads this, I have no doubt he’ll recognize himself. He came for information about the upcoming Food Drive, and left – a convert to rhubarb LOL. You can never go wrong trusting rhubarb.
growing
Rhubarb is a perennial plant that will be at its best for close to ten years. Though it will grow and produce, much longer than that, its helpful if you dig it up and separate it once in a while. When selecting a plant, always go with a type of rhubarb with the reddest stalks. They’re sweeter and richer in anthocyanins and other valuable antioxidants. Rhubarb needs a dormant season – winter, and grows best in cool weather, so it’s one of the first garden fruits in the springtime. It wants sun, the more the better, so give it a nice sunny spot. It prefers slightly acidic soil, well drained and rich. Good to prepare your spot with well rotted compost.
If planting in your vegetable garden, plant along the edge so they can remain undisturbed each spring. They’d do well against the house or garage, or in the back of a flower garden. Allow about a square yard of space to grow outward. In the Edmonton area, you’ll be picking rhubarb by May, and certainly May, June and July are when it’s at its best. It will however, do well enough throughout the summer, unless it is an especially hot one, but even then – just make sure it has plenty of water. It really wants you to be happy and will seldom let you down.
If you don’t have a yard to grow your own rhubarb plants …. then ask around, often times people have more on hand than they can use. Next best place is a Farmer’s Market. Next best place is a grocery store. It is so plentiful however, that I cannot even imagine having to resort to buying it from a store. Just find more friends.
harvesting
Pulling vs cutting. Don’t cut the rhubarb stalks out. This leaves residue that will decay and invite disease. Pulling triggers the plant to replace what was taken. When harvesting rhubarb, select stalks that are firm and upright, and pull up gently from the base of the stem, twisting just a little. The stalk should pop out cleanly, but if it breaks off, pull out the remaining piece out. Don’t leave it there. See above about inviting disease. Remove all dead, or limp stalks and leaves to throw into the compost. Cut the nice big red stalks from the leaves, and throw the leaves into the compost. Trim any blemishes from the stalks and rinse to clean. From here you can chop into one inch pieces to freeze (in freezer bags) or to use right away. They can be kept a few days in the fridge if needed.
Officially rhubarb is actually a vegetable, but it is most often used as a fruit. Don’t be too quick to typecast it though, just because it’s most commonly used alone or in combination with other fruits to make desserts, doesn’t mean it can’t pull off a respectable part of the main event as a savory dish. Add it to a salsa, use it to make chutney or even as a marinade for meat.
Never harvest a plant completely, leave about 1/3 – the smaller less mature stalks to regenerate new growth. Pick the bigger stalks. At the end of the season, sometime in late August (in central Alberta) or early September, do your last picking, and then remove any plant debris. If you cover the base with a nice thick layer of compost before winter, your plant will be advantaged in the spring. It is not necessary to cover the plant in mulch or hay, but make sure it has a good covering of snow for the winter.
using
when dicing small amounts of rhubarb, you cannot beat an ulu knife and board
Don’t get stuck in the trap of always thinking rhubarb must paired with sugar, and don’t get stuck into thinking it always has to be eaten with a spoon. For years, I had the mistaken idea that because it was ‘sour’, rhubarb NEEDED sugar so I didn’t use it as much as I would have otherwise. It’s nutrition was compelling, but the sugar seemed to neutralize it’s goodness. Until one day, I was brave enough to use it without sugar, in a summer smoothie with other fruits. My eyes were opened! It was delicious, refreshing, and NOT sour, the companion fruits compensated beautifully. Fully converted, I chopped a stalk of rhubarb into every smoothie for the rest of the summer, and froze some to use for that purpose later in the year. Now I anxiously look forward to the fresh, crisp red stalks to get big enough for that picking. I have three rhubarb plants in my fruit garden, and two planted outside my fence for alley gleaners. Yes, I still use rhubarb as a dessert, but I am not bound by that rule.
rhubarb lemonade
Drinking your Rhubarb
*Rhubarb Lemonade Can anything be more refreshing than rhubarb and lemon in a chilled glass? Or more simple? for 8 servings: prep time 10 minutes, cook time 10 minutes. Ingredients: 2 c. chopped rhubarb; the redder, the sweeter 1 c. white Sugar 1 tbsp. Thrive Life Classic Lemonade powder or juice of two lemons 8 c. Water Directions: In large saucepan, stir together rhubarb and sugar into 2 cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 10 minutes, or till rhubarb is tender, stirring from time to time to prevent scorching. You want the rhubarb to be soft. Remove from heat and strain thru sieve to get a reasonably clear juice. Save the pulp for lots of other uses or to just eat. 🙂 Stir in the unsweetened lemonade powder or lemon juice. Let syrup cool. You can store this ‘syrup’ in the fridge for a few days. When ready to serve, pour cold syrup into a pitcher with 6 cups COLD water. Stir completely to blend. Serve over ice.
Rhubarb Slush I grew up on Rhubarb Slush. It was at every party, or gathering. Every mom had a pail or two in the freezer that they pulled out for special occasions. For all my early ‘mom’ years, I did too. If it was a big gathering, it was served in a punch bowl, if you only had a few guests, then you would scoop into a glass and top up with gingerale.
Basic Slush Recipe with suggested variations: 8 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb equal amount of water 2 cups sugar in a fairly large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer rhubarb till tender. This will only take 5-10 minutes so don’t go too far while its cooking. You can puree in the blender at this point, or pour it through a sieve to remove the pulp. I mash the rhubarb with a potato masher and leave the pulp in it. I like the texture, it adds to the ‘slushiness’ of it in my opinion. Add 1/2 cup lemon juice. Stir well and freeze in an ice-cream pail. For lg jug or punch bowl, dump in the entire pail of frozen slush and top off with 2-4 litres of gingerale, or 7 Up or your fave pop. For individual glasses, thaw enough to scoop slush into glasses. Top up with pop.
variations: Add any one of the following, or a combination of your choice. You’re the boss of YOUR Rhubarb Slush. Create your own signature recipe. Add strawberries to the simmering rhubarb for the last 5 minutes. Cooking the strawberries too long will damage the colour. Add a pkg of strawberry jello to the hot cooked rhubarb, stir to dissolve well. This will add a lot of strawberry flavour, colour and slushiness. Add a can of orange juice concentrate after the liquid has cooled down a bit. Add a litre of pineapple juice after the liquid has cooled down a bit.
*Rhubarb Pie, Crisp or Cobbler There are many recipes to be found, but essentially the basics are to thicken with flour or cornstarch and sweeten with sugar. In a crust for a pie, in a dutch oven with a crumble topping for crisp, or a batter topping for cobbler.
Great combinations are: Rhubarb/Strawberry, Rhubarb/Raspberry, Rhubarb/ Saskatoon
*Rhubarb Coffee Cake or Muffins Such an easy variation to make to your favourite recipes. Just use your favourite recipe and add chopped rhubarb instead of whatever else it calls for. I like to add a little lemon powder to the dry ingredients, it just seems to perk everything up.
Soft Rhubarb Cookies Nice, soft cookies with just the perfect combination of tart and sweet. Makes 4+ dozen.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dice fresh rhubarb (about pea size), enough to make heaping 2 cups, and set aside.
In large bowl, cream 1 cup butter or margarine with 2 cup brown sugar together. Beat in 2 large eggs and 1 tsp vanilla. In separate bowl, sift 3+1/2 cups flour 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp each of salt, baking soda and baking powder together. Add to to sugar mixture 1 cup at a time, stirring to mix thoroughly between each addition. If it gets a little too dry add a couple tablespoons of milk. Add rhubarb pieces and fold in. Spoon onto prepared baking pan (I use parchment paper) and bake 12-14 minutes or until cooked through. Test by tapping gently with your finger. Cool for 2 minutes then remove cookies onto baking rack. Enjoy!
optional: We’re oatmeal fans in our house. Substitute 1 cup flour for rolled oats. optional: I like to add even more rhubarb. Another cup.
*Simple Rhubarb Sauce 3 cups chopped rhubarb 1/2 cup sugar Stir together and let sit (macerate) for an hour or more to draw out some natural juice. Bring to a slow simmer in a medium saucepan, 10-15 minutes or until rhubarb starts to soften and break down. Add more sugar if desired in small amounts taste testing as you go, and add a small amount of water if it gets dry. Serve stewed rhubarb over pancakes or waffles, ice-cream or in a bowl with cream. * Special treat, add a cup to homemade ice-cream during the mixing process. * Add fresh strawberries right at the end of the cooking process so as not to lose their brilliant red colour. * You will need a lot less sugar than you’re accustomed to expecting, so be cautious as you’re adding it, and taste as you go to prevent adding too much. * I love the added tart taste of lemon – I add a whole lemon worth of juice, 1/4 cup. Enjoy.
*Easy Pickled Rhubarb Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t think I’d like this, but I determined to give it a try. After all, I like fresh rhubarb salsa . . . . Cut the stalks into 2-inch pieces. Then, julienne the pieces into matchsticks and toss them with red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar. Set it on the countertop or in the fridge for at least two hours, and you’re good to go! Add the pickled rhubarb to fresh salads, slaws, use as a pickle for sandwiches, or just eat it fresh. Just TRY it.
*hint: last time I made it I only had half the amount I needed of red vinegar so I topped it up with Raspberry Vinegar I made last summer. Oh.My.Goodness! It was amazing. I’m gonna do that from now on. So full of flavour. if you’d like to know more about flavouring vinegars and recipes, click on this link Vinegars from the Garden
rhubarb ketchup
*Rhubarb Ketchup 8 cups diced rhubarb 1 lg onion diced – enough to be about 3 cups 1 quart of home bottled tomatoes, or a 28 oz can diced tomatoes – undrained 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 T pickling salt *optional: 1/4 cup Tomato powder (or tomato paste) *optional: 1 teaspoon cinnamon *optional: 1 cup white vinegar
directions: In a large saucepan, sprinkle the sugar over top the rhubarb and let it macerate for about half an hour. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent scorching. Turn heat down, but keep it at a slow boil till thickened. Cooked rhubarb doesn’t have a beautiful colour, and I thought anything less than red, would be too difficult for my family to accept since I was passing this off as ‘ketchup’. I added 1/4 cup of tomato powder to intensify the tomato taste, and add to the colour. It was perfect! I’ll use it every time. If you want to know more about Tomato Powder click here.
Expect the process of reducing to take at least an hour, but probably not quite 2 hours. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. I set the stove timer for every 20 minutes so I don’t forget. When you’re happy with a nice thick consistency, turn the heat off and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in small jars in the fridge. This amount makes about 3 pints depending on the consistency you like.
The first time I made it I didn’t add the cinnamon or vinegar, but fully expected to do so at some point. It tasted amazing without either of them, and I didn’t want to spoil a good thing, so I didn’t. I will at some point try them both, just out of curiosity. In the meantime I love this recipe the way it is. Adds a lotta class to things you might typically use ketchup for: hamburgers, meatloaf etc.
* If I was going to can it, I’d be adding the vinegar just to be on the acid safe side. I would can it in pint jars and process it for 10 minutes just like for jam.
Fresh Rhubarb Salsa – use both recipes so that you get a feel for how easy and ‘varied’ it can be. Don’t ‘not’ make salsa because you don’t have some of these ingredients on hand. Be flexible, and use what you have.
Rhubarb in the early spring is almost alone in the garden. That’s when freeze dried veggies in the pantry come to the rescue.
Fresh SPRING Rhubarb Salsa this is what you make in the earliest part of spring, when the most courageous plant in your garden is your ever faithful friend – Rhubarb, and maybe your chives too. This is what you make before anything else in the garden is ready. Its my spring tribute to RHUBARB.
1 cup packed of finely chopped (by hand, NOT a food processor) rhubarb 2 T your favourite vinegar (I use a rhubarb vinegar I made the season before) 2 T olive oil (or your fave kitchen oil) 1 T freeze dried chopped onion – or 2 T finely chopped fresh chives 2 T freeze dried diced cucumbers 1 t sugar optional – juice of a small lime, or 1 teaspoon lime powder Put everything together, toss to dissolve sugar and mix everything well. Serve immediately, or make ahead a couple of hours. Remember YOU’RE the boss, recipes are only guidelines to get you going. I use these amounts only to give you an idea of measurement estimates. Its not very likely I’d ever make a single cup of this salsa. This is a great start, but if you like it a little sweeter, make it sweeter. If you like garlic, add a little garlic. I love the freeze dried cucumber in this version. If you’d like to learn more about freeze dried cucumbers, click here.
*Fresh Rhubarb SUMMER Salsa 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 summer salsa
4 cups+ diced rhubarb 1 small red onion chopped finely (same size as rhubarb pieces) 1 lg green pepper chopped (*try to keep dice sizes uniform) 1 lg red pepper chopped * 1 lg yellow pepper chopped * 3 fresh meaty tomatoes (like roma) finely diced 1 T brown sugar 1/3 cup lime juice or 1 T Thrive Life powdered lime crystals 2 t coarse salt I added a few stocks garlic chives including the bulb – chopped slightly smaller than the other vegetables * optional: if you like a little heat, add 1 seeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper; if you love the taste of cilantro, add 1/2 – 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro. I didn’t have either of these on hand the first time I made it. It’s all about making what you have – work for you. I added about 1/4 cup of chive vinegar – home flavoured. It was a nice touch. * optional: I added a beautiful fresh nectarine – because I had one. It was perfect! * optional: I added two very small garden onions sliced and diced thinly
Directions: Chop the rhubarb quite finely, and measure packed. Stir all vegetables together in large bowl. Sprinkle sugar, lime powder and salt over top and stir to completely distribute. Use immediately, or let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. The first time I made this, I used it as a topping for a barbequed hamburger. Some used it as a relish. I put on about 1/2 cup – it was fabulous. It’s excellent as a side dish to serve with plain taco chips, or with anything else.
*Fresh Rhubarb Chutney 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.
rhubarb chutney
ingredients: 5-6 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 cloves garlic minced 1 t ginger powder or inch fresh ginger grated 2 t cumin 1 t cinnamon 1/2 t cloves 1 small onion diced (or use freeze dried onion slices) 1/2 cup raisins directions: Combine all in a saucepan. Bring to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and very aromatic. Cook only over medium low until rhubarb is tender and mixture has thickened slightly, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. (maybe 15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool completely. Serve fresh, or make ahead and refrigerate a few days, like a fresh cranberry sauce.
preserving
Freezing, canning or making jam are the three best ways to preserve rhubarb. I’ve tried dehydrating it – bleh. But adding it to fruit leather is terrific. The nice tart taste is the perfect match for fruit leather – on its own or mixed with any number of other fruits: apples, raspberries, plums . . . . just a reminder: always pull the rhubarb off the plant rather than cutting it. See above if you forget why.
FREEZING Wash and pat to dry freshly picked rhubarb. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Most of the time I just throw the chopped rhubarb into a labelled (name and date) bag to freeze. If I’m planning to use most of it in smoothies – where I want it to come out loosely, then I spread the chopped rhubarb in a cookie sheet, then I freeze in the chest freezer. The next day, scoop the frozen rhubarb into a labelled plastic bag and seal. Frozen fruit is best eaten within the first year of freezing. I know plenty of people who keep their’s in the freezer for much longer than that, and while its safe to do that, the food value diminishes considerably. Not worth it to me. Just USE it.
CANNING Canning is still the most convenient way of preserving high acid fruit. It is easy to do at home with limited equipment: just good quality, CLEAN jars with proper canning lids and rings, and a pot deep enough for at least two inches of water to cover.
Prepare rhubarb by trimming off the leaves and cleaning the stems. Then chop into 1/2-1 inch pieces. Dump into a large sauce pan. Add a little sugar and stir to cook raw chopped rhubarb in a light dusting of sugar. A good guide is approximately 1/2 cup of sugar to each quart of chopped rhubarb. Let the rhubarb sit for a few hours to draw out the juice.
You can cold pack it or hot pack. Rhubarb is a high acid food so it can safely be canned in a hot water bath canner. Or if desired you can can under pressure.
Cold pack: spoon the fruit into a freshly cleaned pint or quart jar. Top up with juice to about 1/2 inch from the top, leaving this as a ‘headspace’. Add clean lids and rings and gently lower the can into hot water bath in large deep pot – ensuring you have 2 inches or more of water on top of jar. Bring the water to a boil and set timer for 15 minutes, keeping the water at a continued soft rolling boil the whole time. Gently remove the jars and place on insulated surface about an inch apart. Allow to cool without disturbing. Can lids should ‘pop’ when they seal, ensuring a good vacuum seal. You can also pressure can under 10 pounds pressure for 8 minutes. I always prefer hot water bath canning for high acid fruits.
Hot pack: Same preparation, but once rhubarb has sat long enough to draw juice out, slowly heat the pot up to a slow boil. Immediately fill HOT jars with HOT sauce and lower into HOT water. Return the water bath to a full rolling boil and set time for 15 minutes as for above. When the timer goes off, gently remove the jars and proceed as instructed above.
This may or may not be sweet enough for you. If desired, add a little more sugar when serving.
Use your canned rhubarb sauce all winter long as you would apple sauce.
I’d love to hear your rhubarb recipes. Please tell me in the comments below how you use your rhubarb.
Simple things that can make a difference when its all about what YOU can do at home. An onion chest poultice is an old folk remedy that is often still used, because it is surprisingly effective. Among other good things, onion contain sulfur compounds that help fight mucus and promote the expulsion of mucus from your airways. Onion and its even stronger cousin garlic, are powerful natural antibiotics as well as being antiviral and antimicrobial. This makes them valuable for viral and bacterial infections. So yes make a poultice which will soothe from the outside, and that you’ll be able to inhale, but don’t forget to EAT them as well. Let them work from the inside too.
I love how Wendi talks about using fresh onions, but in the absence of them she shows us how to use dehydrated onions. This is so important and like her, I rarely have fresh onions in my house anymore unless they’re in my garden for the few months I can grow them, and maybe a few months after harvesting. I do keep dehydrated onions, but for the most part – I choose to use THRIVE LIFE freeze dried onions for most of the year. They come diced or sliced, and are always ready to use in all my favourite dishes. As with all Thrive Life fruits and vegetables, they’re flash frozen within only a few hours of harvest, sealing in all their natural nutritional goodness. This is very important to me. All the benefits of ‘fresh’, but easier and much more convenient to use, and with a shelf life of 25 years. That’s very important to me, because I’m all about long term food storage. Even after opening, we have at least a year to use them, depending on humidity in your area.
Wendi Bergin, the Joyful Prepper
These two pungent herbs (onions and garlic) are probably best known for their immune enhancing properties, but that’s another topic for another day. Many folk remedies suggest sleeping with onions wrapped onto the bottom of your feet! Don’t laugh. And don’t be too quick to discount things that seem too simple or even silly at first glance. In fact, garlic and onions contain anti-inflammatory chemicals that have been shown to relieve some forms of arthritic pain. Onions are a rich source of flavonoids, one of which – the antioxidant ‘quercetin’, has been shown to inhibit inflammation-causing leukotrienes, prostaglandins and histamines in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Yeah, I had to look them up too – lol.
Q: What are leukotrienes? A: chemicals your body produces, especially when you come into contact with something you’re allergic to. As a form of protection, they can cause coughing. build up of extra mucus and fluid in your chest and throat, as well as inflammation or swelling in your airway.
Q: what are prostaglandins? A: fatty acids made at sites of tissue damage or infection caused by injury or illness. They control processes such as inflammation, blood flow, the formation of blood clots and the induction of labour.
Q: what are histamines? A: chemicals your body makes to help expel allergens from your body through symptoms such as a runny nose or sneezing.
While we shouldn’t want to get rid of these natural protective functions completely, they can cause a lot of discomfort. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was something natural and ‘normal’ you could eat, that could assist in alleviating the worst of those symptoms though?
Let Food Be Your Medicine
Onions are members of the allium family, which includes hundreds of species, and they are one of the most widely used vegetables/herbs in the world, with some types growing in every climate except the arctic. Ones we’re more familiar with are the ‘onion’ of course, garlic, scallion, shallot, leek, green onions and chives. And even among these, there are many, many different types, each with its own special personality and qualities. In North America, the most popular onion to purchase is the yellow onion, for its long lasting quality. Named for its outside colour, not inside, it is cured (dried outside after harvest). If kept in a dry dark, semi cool place, it will last for months.
there are so many different types of onions, that could almost be a food group unto themselves.
They are a good source of nutrients and are known to offer a plethora of health benefits – many more than what we’ve reviewed here. Onions are a tremendously rich food source of flavonoids, in particular, the antioxidant quercetin (see above), which is known to prohibit the activity or creation of cancer-causing elements. A quercetin-rich diet is a recognized good defense against developing cancer.
Make onions more a part of your life.
– If you’re one of those people who don’t like the texture of onions, use freeze dried – they’re better than any alternative we can buy at the grocery store anyway.
– If you’re one of those people who don’t like the taste of onions, get over it and find a way eat them anyway. They’re really good for you. They’ve proven themselves enough times to be taken seriously, figure out a way to incorporate them into your daily diet. Hide them, disguise them if you must, but definitely EAT onions. Thrive Life’s freeze dried onions will help immensely with that.
– If you’re one of those people who have kids who think they don’t like onions, be the parent and find a way to use them anyway. If you need to hide them, then hide them! But use them! Thrive Life’s freeze dried chopped onions will become your new best friend.
Okay, its not possible for any food to have only good things said about it. I think we all know the one downside, and it has something to do with ‘the smell’. Not just the smell of onions, but the smell of ‘us’ after we eat them. Onions contain organic sulfur compounds, which are the reason onions have such a sharp, strong taste and smell. Yes, those sulfur compounds help reduce the level of cholesterol in our bodies, breaking down blood clots and lowering our risk of heart disease and stroke. BUT, those same sulfur compounds cause the only negative effects from eating onions – irritation to eyes when cutting, and body odor.
When our bodies break them down, those sulfur compounds react to sweat on our skin, creating what is generally considered to be an unpleasant odor. In our society, that’s a considerable downside. And in some individuals with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), they may increase gas and bloating. Small price to pay in my opinion, but I have found that freeze dried onions do not seem to create the same problems. As far as the tearing up aspect, try rinsing a peeled onion under water or chill it for 30 minutes before cutting. Or of course, you can skip the whole chopping step, and go straight for the freeze dried option.
As far as the onion poultice – this is new to me. I’m happy to know about it and appreciate Wendi’s thorough instructions. I have everything I need on hand and will take her advice to set aside some more clean, white cotton for that purpose.
Have you ever tried an onion poultice? Or any other type of poultice? I’d love to hear your opinion and your experience.
Tomatoes are nature’s most potent source of lycopene. What IS lycopene and why do we care? Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, including sun protection, improved heart health as in lower risk of stroke and heart disease, as well as a lower risk of certain types of cancer. It is most effective when consumed in the form of lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes and other red or pink fruits. Studies indicate that lycopene reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) while increasing good cholesterol (HDL) levels. This balance is important because high cholesterol develops fatty deposits in our blood vessels, which can clot and lead to a heart attack or stroke. Remember, RED foods are good for the heart.
it is difficult to think anything but positive thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato
And now, you’ve got all that natural tomato goodness in a concentrated form right in your pantry! I know right? Who could have imagined that now you can: STOP buying those little 6 oz cans of tomato paste that you never use all of anyway STOP buying canned tomato sauce (in all their varieties) STOP buying tomato juice Because you’ve got all three of these wonderful foods right here in powdered form (just add water). And its a lot more nutritious because it hasn’t gone through the high temperatures of canning (which only retains 40% at best of the nutritional value). Tomato Powder is a super useful food to have on hand in the kitchen at all times. I can’t speak to all tomato powders, but Thrive Life Tomato Powder has a strong, clear tomato taste, like you just picked a ripe tomato out of your garden! It’s got all that wonderful natural tomato acid, because . . . . . . guess what? The ingredient (yes, that’s singular) is: TOMATOES. That’s it. The only thing in the can – is tomatoes. No salt, sugar, colours, flavour enhancers, or other additives of any kind. You can add your own salt to taste. Or not. You do you.
Making your own TOMATO POWDER
drying your own tomatoes for tomato powder
Making your own tomato powder is pretty straight forward. A little investment in the time department, but easy, and if you’ve got an excess of garden tomatoes, its a great use for them. Best practice is in a dehydrator, but you can dry in a slow oven, and if you live in a hot dry climate, you can dry them in the sun. I don’t – so that’s all I’ve got to say about THAT.
The meatier type of tomatoes is preferable, as they have less water and less seeds – like Romas. Simply slice and lay evenly in your dehydrator. All dehydrators might be different, but select a low setting and expect it to take a full day and night. How long exactly, depends on too many factors to estimate with any precision. Factors like: type of tomatoes you are using, and how much water they contain, how thick you sliced them, even the weather – is it cold and rainy, or hot and dry?
You’ll want to continue to dry them until they are brittle. Ensuring that you have removed all the moisture is critical to give you a good product in the end. Use a food processor or blender to grind the tomatoes into a fine powder. It may be helpful to break the tomato slices into smaller pieces as you add to the blender. You can sift the powder through a sieve to separate the larger pieces, which you can put back into the blender.
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. Nothing lasts forever, so plan to use it up in a year (or two at the most). Nutrition will diminish over time of course. Having it be VERY dry in the beginning is key to it staying dry, and it STAYING dry is key to longer shelf life. Keep it well sealed, as it will want to absorb the moisture from the air.
Thrive Life Tomato Powder is just that – tomatoes powdered. You would use it the same way and store it the same way as homemade tomato powder. Its just a LOT easier.
1. Tomato paste ratio 1:1-2 1/4 cup tomato powder + 1/4 cup water = tomato paste start with the lesser amount of water, and then add a tablespoon more at a time to reach the consistency you prefer
2. Tomato sauce ratio 1:4 1/4 c. tomato powder + 1 cup of water = 1 cup tomato sauce
3. Tomato juice ratio 1:8-10 1 T. tomato powder+ 1/2 cup (8-10 T.) water optional: add your choice of seasoning ie: onion powder, sugar, salt, pepper, to taste
4. Spaghetti sauce ratio 1:4
or use your own Mediterranean seasoning mix: any combination of oregano, thyme basil, rosemary, garlic, onion,
5. Pizza sauce ratio 1:3
or use your own Mediterranean seasoning mix: any combination of oregano, thyme basil, rosemary, garlic, onion,
6. Cream of Tomato Soup ration 1:16 Prepare a roux from 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup flour over low to med. heat Add 1/4 cup tomato powder – whisk in Add 1 T. chicken bouillon – whisk in Slowly stir in 4 cups of milk, whisking all along to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer over low heat, whisking to combine well, heat thoroughly and thicken slightly. Add more liquid if needed. *optional: I like to rub some Freeze dried chopped onions through a sieve to create onion powder. Nice addition to the soup. *optional: add 1 tablespoon of Italian or Greek blend of herbs, or your own combination of oregano, thyme and basil. *optional: add another tablespoon or two of tomato powder if you want it richer
Thrive Life Tomato Powder label
7. Ketchup 1 cup tomato powder and 3 +1/2 cups water 1/3 cup honey or brown sugar 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 t. onion powder or 2 T Freeze Dried chopped onion crushed to make onion powder 1/2 t garlic powder or 1 T Freeze Dried garlic crushed to make garlic powder 1 t salt + 1/2 t pepper 1/2 t dry mustard pinch of allspice and a pinch of cloves Combine all, and simmer over low heat stirring frequently to prevent scorching – till reduced to desired consistency. Expect it to take 30-45 minutes depending on your preference of thickness. Pour into jar and refrigerate. Expect 2 pint jars. Best to let it sit a day to allow flavours to fully blend.
8. Barbecue sauce 1/2 cup tomato powder 1 cup water 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 T. apple cider vinegar 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 T soy sauce 1 T mustard 1 clove garlic, minced 2 T FD chopped onion 1/4 t Cayenne pepper (or your favourite dash of hot) or NOT Salt & pepper to taste Mix all ingredients in large saucepan, heat over low and stir 15 or so minutes till slightly thickened. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
9. to add that beautiful rich ‘tomato’ zest concentrated To any tomato based soup, stew, chili or pot roast – add a tablespoon or two of tomato powder just because YOU CAN! You’ll be surprised at how it richens things up.
10. As a garnish Sprinkle tomato powder over top potato salad, deviled eggs, hummus, even a lettuce and tomato salad. Be creative.
I’d love to hear your experiences with Tomato Powder, and your suggestions for recipes, please comment below.
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Two of the most important things to remember about gardening is that 1) there are a lot of ‘rules’ 2) some of those rules should be obeyed, but some of them – you must be willing to break to move ahead
There are many things about gardening that one has to experience to understand what the rules are there for. These are the things that one must learn through experiences. But they don’t always have to be your own, we can learn from each others’ experiences too. One of these age old rules in my part of the world, says that we should plant our gardens on the May long weekend (3rd weekend in May). But statistics say that the expected last frost is anywhere from May 1-10. Obeying that rule straight across the board, amounts to a week or more of lost growing time – when there are only an average of 120 (give or take) frost free days in Edmonton.
I don’t pretend to be an astronomer or any other kind of expert, but there are some things that simply make sense to me. Consider this: The summer solstice in 2022 is June 21. It is longest day of the year – more daylight than any other. The center of “BEST SUN” days. Count back 7 weeks to May 1, and forward 7 weeks to August 9. Those days are going to be the BEST Sun days of the summer right? A reasonable assumption to make. In fact, in Edmonton, on May 1 – 2022 the sun will rise at 5:57 AM and set at 9:05 PM = 15 hr 8 min of sunshine. On August 9 – 2022, sunrise will be 6:03 AM, sunset at 9:14 PM = 15 hr 11 min of sunshine.
My point? My point is that after August 9, the sun is not as high, and not as present. In fact only one month later, September 9, the sun rises at 6:57 AM (54 minutes later than Aug 9), and sets at 8:04 PM (70 minutes sooner than Aug 9). That is 2 hours and 4 minutes LESS sun-time. In ONE MONTH! So yes, those may be frost free days, time for things to ripen, but the ideal growing time has passed. If we’re planting on May 24, that gives us only two and a half months of best sun days to grow. When we could easily have another month or more.
So, how does one make the best of those high sun, but possibly NOT frost free days of early spring? Answer: Plant earlier. The next obvious question then is this – what can we plant earlier that will not be killed or stunted by those chilly mornings of early spring? Answer: There are many hardy and semi hardy cool weather vegetables that thrive in our growing season. We just need to get to know them and learn to appreciate them. Here are some ‘hardy’ and ‘semi-hardy’ vegetables (and some notable fruits) that you can be growing in the average backyard garden in and around the Edmonton region.
HARDY VEGETABLES can tolerate a hard frost and temperatures between -5 and -10 Celsius
If you haven’t made friends with some of these yet, then open your mind and introduce yourself. They’re not only anxious to make friends, but are extremely forgiving and loyal. Hardy Vegetables include: Brassicas like Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Collard Greens, Kale, and Kohlrabi, as well as Leeks, Mustard Greens, Parsley, Radishes, Spinach and Turnips. THAT is a lot to choose from, and ALL of them can be planted as soon as the ground is dry enough to work in. If it snows again after planting – no worries, they laugh at snow. I planted my Spinach seeds on April 2 this year, but I could easily have planted them a week or two early. Its not simply a matter of them TOLERATING the cooler weather, they THRIVE in it. I’m sure you’ve noticed that as soon as the weather warms up in June, your spinach bolts (goes to seed). These cooler crops don’t like the heat, and they don’t do well in it at all. They are best grown in the earliest parts of spring. In some climates they are winter crops, but not for us in Edmonton LOL. See below for some advice on ‘some’ of these hardy vegetables. I don’t have experience with all of them, but maybe you do. I’d love to hear your opinions and suggestions from your own experience. Please share by commenting below.
KALE: Personally, I am not a fan of growing most brassicas because I’ve lost too many battles with the caterpillars that like them so much, but I make an exception for KALE. Knock on wood, I’ve never had a problem with kale (so far). It’s easy to grow, doesn’t attract pests, and it toughs out the cold weather in both spring and fall. It was a no brainer that we should become fast friends, I just needed to get to know how to use it more in the kitchen. That was the easiest part of all. I pick kale from May through September – a whole season of wholesome green goodness in salads, green smoothies, and everything in between. And it dehydrates beautifully for winter use. What else could I ask for? Depending on the weather, and the the type of spring we’re having, they can be planted outside by seed, as soon as the ground is dry and warm to the touch (anytime from April 1-30). And don’t worry if it snows – they won’t care. You can get a jump on the season by planting young seedlings outside around the 1st of May.
MUSTARD GREENS: are new to me this year, but I am excited to try them. A quick phone call secured me a pack at a local seed store. So it will be one of my 2022 experiments. I don’t have a whole lot to say about them at the moment, but stay tuned. I’m sure I will in a future post.
PARSLEY: has been a favourite herb in my garden for years, and occasionally even comes back in the spring – though at best it is still only a biennial, so its best to count of replanting seedlings every spring. But no need to wait till late May, parsley plants can be planted by May 1st for sure. Don’t bother planting seeds outside. They take too long to germinate for that. Either start them indoors in February or early March, or buy your plants from a greenhouse.
SPINACH: is wonderful, and one of the healthiest plants when eaten FRESH (within a couple hours of harvest). It’s leaves are tender and perfect for salads. I used to buy a lot of ‘fresh’ spinach from the grocery store, all year long, but I very rarely do anymore. We know that all produce begins deteriorating nutritionally within the first hour of harvest, and the sad new about spinach is that within four days – it has lost 100% of its vitamin C. I don’t know about where you buy yours, but I can pretty much guarantee that the spinach available in my local grocery store was NOT picked within the last 96 hours! So the very best source of spinach is the one that can it get to your table within only a few hours of harvest. That means its either grown in my garden, or its THRIVE LIFE Freeze Dried Spinach.
The tricky part about growing spinach is that it LIKES COOL WEATHER. That is its great strength as a garden vegetable in Alberta, since we specialize in ‘cooler’ weather. But wait. The convers of that fact implies that it hates hot weather. And it does. When the sun gets real hot, spinach goes to seed (it ‘bolts’ – see below). If you plant spinach around May 24, it will bolt in the heat of late June, and you are very likely to be disappointed. What to do? Plant it earlier.
Its good to know bytheway, that there are several other greens that grow well all summer long without bolting, so it doesn’t have to be “spinach or nothing”. But, back to spinach. Because it’s a cool weather crop, we can plant spinach in the early spring (early to late April depending on the year), when we can take advantage of the long ‘sun’ days that come with the cooler weather of April and May. Ironically spinach wants a nice sunny location, but doesn’t want the heat that comes with the sun, so its the perfect plant to extend your growing season. By the time your spinach has given up in the heat of summer, your swiss chard and other greens are ready to eat!
Is it worth it? Absolutely. If you can get your spinach planted early enough in the spring, you’ll get a beautiful crop that will flourish. Its the perfect opening act to your summer garden. And its a great source of iron, calcium and vitamins A, B, C, and K.
what is “bolting” and what causes it? Bolting is a common response of cool weather vegetables to stresses of summer – temperature stress, day length stress, or water stress. When the plant is in distress, it hastens it’s purpose in life – which is to go to seed. Long spells of hot dry weather may be good for peppers and tomatoes, but NOT good for spinach. Many other leafy vegetables do the same thing. Not much you can do about the weather in summer, so just work with it. Spinach doesn’t want what tomatoes want. So planting it when the days are cooler, and giving it as much cool time to grow as possible will make it happier.
In some zones, spinach might be a good fall crop, but I’ve found that the end of our growing season is too fickle. In Edmonton, the sun is less by the end of August, but the days are still very warm and dry. We could just as easily have snow in October as not, and if we do, temperatures could drop quickly. I’ve tried extending my growing season by planting spinach at the end of August, but experience has shown me I’m gonna have more success in the early spring.
Plant your spinach in rich soil – amended with old manure and/or compost. Keep it consistently moist, but not soggy. Water deeply and regularly. Spinach is a heavy feeder, so sprinkling blood meal around the plant mid growing season will encourage rapid growth of continuous new, tender leaves. Once you see five or six nice healthy leaves on a plant, go ahead and start snipping the larger ones off for spinach salad.
RADISHES and TURNIPS: I am not a fan of either of these vegetables for their roots, but I absolutely AM a fan of their greens! I grow both, only for their tops. They have a little zip that is great in a fresh garden salad or any other combination of greens, and are super nutritious – SO worth it. They’re best when they’re young, so start picking early while you’re thinning them out. Once the roots get big, the leaves are not as tender and suitable for salads, but they make a great Pesto. (click here Radish Green Pesto for the recipe)
SEMI HARDY VEGETABLES will tolerate light frosts and temperatures around freezing (0°C)
Semi-hardy vegetables can be planted quite a bit earlier than the May long weekend, but maybe don’t push it too far into April, unless its an especially warm spring. Some great Semi-hardy Vegetables include: Beets, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chinese Cabbage, Endive, most kinds of Potatoes, all kinds of Lettuces, Radicchio, Rutabaga, and Swiss Chard.
BEETS: good for the tops as well as the roots. Plant at the beginning of May.
young carrot tops are delicious as well as nutritious
CARROTS: for example, take up to 3 weeks to germinate, so getting a heads start on them is important, but planting them too early, when the soil is still cold won’t help. The first days of May should be early enough for carrots. If you haven’t discovered making your own SEED TAPE, then you are in for a treat. Super easy to make yourself, and prevent wasting a ton of carrot seeds.
Did you know that carrot greens are not only good to eat, but super nutritious? More vitamin C than the actual ‘carrot’. I use them lightly chopped when they’re young and tender (the thinnings) in garden salads and in smoothies. If I have more than I can use, then I lightly chop and freeze for later. They make a fantastic Pesto!
LETTUCE: of all kinds is fine with cooler temperatures and even the odd light frost in the beginning. They’ll germinate in a few days and will thrive in the bright light.
POTATOES: could have an entire blog post devoted to growing them, but don’t wait till the long weekend in May to plant them. Shoot for the end of April / beginning of May, depending on the spring, when your soil is nice and warm. You don’t want them to pop up before the last frost, so don’t push your luck toooo far, but two or three weeks before last expected frost should be fine. You can expect them to be ready to harvest in 120 days, but you can begin ‘stealing’ young potatoes in early to mid August (depending when you planted them of course). The best potatoes I ever grew were hilled completely in hay. An experiment that I am trying to recreate this year. Stay tuned.
RUTABAGAS: not to be confused with turnips. They are both root vegetables and have similar shape and appearance, but they are not the same. Turnips are usually harvested young – only 2 or 3 inches in diameter, and are a summer vegetable. Rutabagas are harvested closer to the end of the growing season, and are usually bigger. Turnips are white with a purplish top, rutabagas have a yellowish flesh, also a purplish top. Turnips taste a little like radishes to me, while rutabagas are a little milder and maybe even sweeter. Both can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, roasted or stir fried. Its all about personal preference when judging between the two, and tastes change over time, so I think its a good idea to come back to certain foods that we may not have liked in younger years. Turnips and rutabagas are the perfect example of that.
This year is a FIRST for me to grow rutabagas. I confirmed last year that I am not a fan of turnips, but I do like to oven roast the rutabagas that I buy in the winter, so I’m gonna give them a good try in my garden this season. Stay tuned for more information.
swiss chard early afternoon, destined to become spanakopita for dinner
SWISS CHARD: is one of my best friends in the garden. Fast Growing, Forgiving and Fabulous it is delicious, nutritious and very flexible in the kitchen. It is a staple in my summer kitchen, and the most important ingredient in my SPANAKOPITA. In fact I grow swiss chard especially for this summer delicacy.
Chard will tolerate the heat of summer much better than spinach, but hot dry days will still cause it to bolt. Watering well when its dry will help cool it down, but its important to pick continuously throughout the season.
Planting Non Hardy Vegetables must wait
Rushing the season with tender plants like tomatoes and peppers, is asking for trouble, so yes, for them – stick to the age old rule of May long weekend. For the others mentioned above, a little frost, a little snow – pshaw, we’re talking about SUPER HEROES here! They’re not afraid of cold. A late, cold spring, doesn’t have to shorten our season, or decrease our harvest, in fact, cooler temperatures are best for these cool weather vegetables. Be brave, and Be positive. You’re the boss of your garden. Begin looking at cold rainy spring days as SPINACH DAYS. And there’s other good news – in the early spring, there are fewer pests around to damage plants. It’s a total WIN!
Whether you’ve been around the block a time or two, or you’re just getting your feet underneath you in the garden, cool crops are a bountiful way to extend our season. And because they’re so forgivingly easy to grow, they are encouraging plants to start off with. Success means starting with winners. And the key is to EAT them. Broaden your horizons. Commit to experiment every year, with something new to you. Learn about one more vegetable that you never knew before. Plant it. Make friends with it, and learn ways to enjoy it.
SPANAKOPITA is why everyone should always plant Swiss Chard! There is no question that the world would be a happier place if we all did.
Hardy fruits:
There are many fruits we can grow in and around Edmonton, most notably – BERRIES. I hope you love berries because we grow awesome raspberries around here. And great red and black currents. And terrific honey berries (haskaps). And saskatoons. And plums and sour cherries. And rhubarb and apples. And all of these come back every year! We also grow excellent strawberries and even some types of grapes. So don’t limit your gardens to annual vegetables, open your mind and your arms to perennial fruits. But that’s another blog post for another time.
The one cardinal garden rule that everyone should obey is to: GROW WHAT YOU EAT, AND EAT WHAT YOU GROW. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and space.
Have fun in your garden this year, and have fun planning and planting it. Don’t wait till all the stars align, the sun is warm and everything else is perfect. You’ll have wasted valuable growing time. Embrace the hardy vegetables of cool weather. Put your jacket and garden gloves on and get out there!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on extending your gardening season. Please comment below.
At the time of this writing it is mid April 2022. We’ve had an unseasonably cold early spring. Snow has not completely melted. The world is in turmoil. War is raging in the Ukraine as they fight to remain autonomous from Russia. This is affecting food supplies all over Europe, and the fallout will be felt worldwide. We in the west, are still recovering from droughts, floods, fires, storms, and labour shortages. Food prices have skyrocketed along with fuel and energy prices, and everything related to them (which is pretty much everything). If ever there was a good time to plant a garden to supplement our grocery dollar, this year would be it!
