Seedless Raspberry Jam

I was given some raspberries from  friend's garden and we made a deal - I make jam with it and she gets half.  That was a great deal for me.  One of the things I do not like about raspberries are the seeds so I decided to use 2 methods to remove the seeds in this jam: the food mill and a fine mesh sieve.  It was a bit of time to make it but not difficult.  I used all organic berries and organic sugar.  I have never seen organic pectin in the store, so I did not use that.

Yield: 8 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

10 cups fresh raspberries, organic preferred, cleaned
6 1/2 cups organic sugar
1 TBS lemon juice
1 pouch liquid pectin

Here's how:

Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water and bringing it to a boil.  Sterilize the jars, lids and rings.

In batches, put the berries through the food mill.

Food mill

Berries into the mill

Almost all the way through

Berries after going through the mill

 Discard the things that did not go through the mill.

This is what it left

Take the berries and juice that have come out of the food mill and push it through a fine mesh sieve that is placed over the pot you will be using for make the jam.  This may need to be done in batches.  Be sure to scrape the bottom of the sieve to get all the raspberries.

Sieve over the pot

Berries into the sieve

Pushing the berries through

 Discard the seeds from the sieve.

Seeds to be discarded

There should be about 4 cups remaining.

Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  This should take about 10 minutes.

Berries, sugar and lemon juice in

Stirred up and heating to a boil

At a boil

 Add the pectin and bring back to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute.

This is the pectin that I use

Pectin into the pot

Pectin stirred in

Skim the foam from the top of the pot and discard it.

Prepare to can the jam.

Funnel the jam into the sterilized jars leaving 1/2 inch of head space.  Be sure to wipe the edge of the jars to ensure a good seal.

Funneling in the jam

Put on lids and rings.

Jars ready for the canner

Place the jars into the boiling water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes.

Jars into the water bath canner

Remove the jars and set aside for 24 hours.

Jars all done and sealed

Ensure the lids have sealed.  If not, refrigerate that jar.  If sealed, store for up to 1 year.

Green Living Tip #13 - Be a Greener Gift Giver

 

Everyone loves to receive gifts. But what about gift giving?  I like to give gifts that are given in a Green way.

If you like to use wrapping paper, look for wrapping paper that is made from recycled products.  Better yet, use newspaper! 

If you like to use gift bags, look for gift bags and tissue paper made from recycled products.

My favorite way is to give a gift is inside a reusable shopping bag instead of a gift bag.  These bags come in all shapes, sizes and designs today.  Find a bag that fits your gift and place the gift inside. Now, you are giving two gifts in one: the gift and the bag. Not only will you be giving a gift to your friends, you are also encouraging them to get into the reusable gift habit.  That is the best Green gift you can give.

Green Living Tip #12 - Be Aware of What You Can Recycle

 

You can recycle more things than you realize.  We all know that milk containers and mayo jars can be recycled but did you know that aluminum foil, aluminum pans, and aluminum containers can be too?  What about your shampoos bottles, saline solution bottles, laundry soap bottles, plastic take out containers, or even the plastic cup from the fast food place?

The point is to check to see what you can recycle before you put items in the trash.  When you have something to throw out, turn it upside down and look to see if there is a triangle with a number inside it.  This is what they look like:
 
Depending on your municipal recycling program, you can usually recycle anything with a 1or 2 inside it. Other numbers are less likely, but more and more areas are recycling up to 7.  If your locality does not recycle these other numbers, Whole Foods will take the ones with 5 inside. 

If you cannot recycle everything in your area then try to be aware of what you purchase in the first place.  In my area, I cannot recycle 5 containers, so I try to avoid buying those items.  If you don't buy it, then you don't have to throw it away!  Smart shopping is the best way to start smart recycling.

Whole Chicken on the Grill

This is probably my favorite method for making a whole chicken on the grill.  This is the way my mom made it and it is so easy.  The chicken cooks evenly and ends up juicy, but not burned.  The basic method is to cut it open and cook it flat.  If you like to eat a whole chicken and want to make it on the grill, make this recipe.  The trick here is to use the indirect cooking method where the chicken is on the grill where the heat is not underneath it.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken 3-5 lbs, organic preferred
2 TBS of your favorite seasoning mix or 1 TBS salt and 1 tsp pepper


Tools:

1 pair kitchen shears

Here's how:

Turn on your grill and crank all the burners to high.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken to cut out the back of the chicken.

This is the chicken I used.  It is available at Costco.

Remove the giblet back if there is one in the cavity.

Place the chicken on a plate.

Turn the chicken so the breast is facing down and the back is facing up.

Breast side up

Back facing up

 Take the shears and cut up the right side of the back bone.

Cut up the left side of the back bone and remove it completely.

Save the back for chicken stock.  I put it in a Ziploc bag into the freezer for later.

Rinse the chicken under water to clean it and remove all organ and blood left inside the cavity.

Dry the chicken with paper towel.

Place the chicken back on the plate with the breast side down and open up the chicken like a book.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the seasoning on the cavity area of the chicken.

Turn the chicken and push down on the breast until the chicken is flat on the plate.

Sprinkle the remaining seasoning on the chicken.

Go to the grill and it is time to turn of one of the burners on the grill.  If you have two burners turn off one side.  If you have three or more burners, turn off the middle burner(s).

Place the chicken on the grill on the area where the heat has been turned off. Reduce the heat on the other burners to medium high.

Cook the chicken for about 45 minutes, breast side up.  The chicken is done when the juices run clear (check this is the area where the leg meets the breast) and the leg is loose.  Also, a meat thermometer will read 150-155 degrees.

It is done.  This has black on it because I put some oil on it...don't do that.  It was a mistake.

This is what the underside looks like. 

Let the chicken sit for 10-15 minutes.  The meat thermometer should now read 160 degrees and the juices will redistribute.

Green Living Tip #11- Don't Throw Away That Dehumidifier Water

The warm days of summer on Long Island also bring humidity. I use two dehumidifiers in my basement to keep it free of dampness and protect the items stored down there.  The dehumidifiers need to be emptied twice a day. Instead of dumping the water down the drain, I use the water and put it to good use. I pour the water into my hanging baskets, pots and houseplants. The water can also be used to water plants in the ground as well.  There is no need to turn on the house and waste more the water, just let the dehumidifier create it to water your plants!  You are using electricity to take the water out of the air, put your money to good use.

Are there any other ways you can think of to use the water from your dehumidifier?

Weekend in the Veggie Garden 2013

This was the weekend of the vegetable garden.  I have been so busy at work and the spring was so cold and rainy I have been unable to get into the vegetable garden.  I was actually disappointed that this far into the season all I was growing was weeds.  I took a half a day off from work in Friday and spent the afternoon in the garden.  My dad even came over to give me a hand.  We spent three hours getting my vegetable beds into shape. Saturday afternoon was spent putting together my containers with annuals and planting basil plants in the vegetable beds.  Sunday morning I found myself planting beans.

We weeded my strawberry patch and found it full of ripe strawberries ready to be picked.  Unfortunately, my herbs did not fair too well over the winter. My Bay Laurel bush, Oregano, thyme and Rosemary did not make it through.  On the bright side, the chives, mint and sage are all flourishing. 

The remaining area of the garden was just full of weeds.  We weeded the entire thing and found a nice surprise - three tomato plants growing which were seeded from last years fallen tomatoes.  I have no idea what kind of tomatoes they are and look forward to finding out.  We put the three volunteers in cages.  I now have to go purchase some more tomato plants, pepper, and eggplant to help fill in the bed.

We put compost out from one of my bins.  The Envirocycler bin was finally all broken down and ready to go into the garden.  Unfortunately, water got in and the bin was very heavy.  We spread out the compost along the trellis are where I planted three kinds of organic beans.  I found Burpee Organic seeds at Home Depot and was happy to plant them on the trellis where they will take up little room:  Provider Green Beans, Garden Wax Beans (these are yellow) and Royalty Purple Pod Beans. The Wax and Purple are bush beans but the trellis can help give them support and keep them upright. I think the three colors of beans will be provide me with a nice variety for dinners. 

I also planted Early Russian Cucumbers along the trellis.  They are an early variety which is good considering I am getting started so late in the season. The seeds are organic from Seeds of Change.  I planted two rows each of Cozelle Bush Zucchini, Wildcat F-1 Zucchini, Golden Bush Zucchini and Butternut Squash.  I planted so many because every year I get squash vine borers and I am hoping to get as many as I can until they invade.  I also planted one row of Scotland leeks.  I would like to see if I can get some more seeds and plant carrots and rutabaga,, but the summer is getting away from me in terms of growing time.

It felt really good to be back in the garden.  My veggie bed may be a bit behind but the warmth of the days and nights ahead will bring me rewards before I know it.
 

Beef and Mushroom Barley Soup

I am kind of obsessed lately with coming up with soup recipes.  Barley has been my ingredient of choice.  I have made a Beef Barley Soup and a Mushroom Barley Soup, so this one combines both!  Easy to make and using inexpensive ingredients, this soup is easy, delicious and affordable. The recipe can be made in the slow cooker by adding it all to the cooker and cooking for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

2 cups water, boiling
1 cup pearl barley
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1.25 lbs. stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups beef stock, homemade preferred
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme


Here's how:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add the barley and let it sit while you prepare the rest.

Pearl Barley

Soaking barley

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add olive oil and heat until hot.

Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Meat Browning

 Add the mushrooms and saute another 5 minutes.

Mushrooms added to the meat

Add the onion and saute for 1 minute.

Onions added

Add the carrots and celery and saute for 3 minutes.

Veggies in

Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Add 1 cup of broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to get up all the brown bits off.

Add the remaining broth in and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for 25 minutes.

Pot is ready to go

Strain the barley and add it to the soup.

Barley added

Simmer 30-40 minutes until the barley is soft and plump.

Looks good enough to eat

Remove the bay leaf.


Serve and enjoy.

Spicy Sausage and Lentil Soup

I found smoked Italian Sausage at my local BJs.  They are spicy and delicious.  You can use any of your favorite smoked sausage, chorizo, kielbasa etc. in this recipe.  The spicy sausage adds great flavor to the broth of this soup.  Just another simple and easy recipe from me.  I use organic ingredients from my CSA and pantry to make this recipe.  All of the ingredients (except the sausage) are things that I always have in my house. 

Ingredients:

1 lb smoked sausage, such as Italian, cut into cubes
1.5 large onions or 2 medium, diced
2 large onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 parsnip, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups green lentils
2 32 oz boxes chicken stock, or 8 cups homemade
2 bay leaves
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Parmesan Cheese rind

Here's how:

Saute the sausage for 5 minutes in a large dutch oven or soup pot.

This is the size you want the pieces

Sauteing the meat

Remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and set the meat aside.

Meat set aside

Using the fat from the meat, add the veggies, salt and pepper and saute or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fat left over after sauteing the meat.

Veggies into the pot

Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.

Garlic added

Add the lentils, stock, bay leaf, tomatoes, Italian seasining and cheese rind.

Organic tomatoes and stock

Everything into the pot.

Put the lid on and bring to a simmer.

Remove the lid and let it simmer for 35-45 minutes until the veggies and lentils are soft.

After 40 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and rind.  Serve.