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Garden Notes #1 May 2018

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. - Margaret Atwood 

I was out in the garden today for the first time in bare arms. I am Ginger so I got a mild sunburn in about 20 minutes. I pruned the fig trees. We had a very cold Winter and I thought they were frozen. Figs are sprouting at their base. I removed the branches that were frozen.

I surveyed the damage to order. Order? Hah! The Birds eat Poison Ivy berries and defecate on my garden in flight. I have lots of new little Poison Ivy vines everywhere. The same for baby Mulberry trees.

The Squirrels who live in the Chinese Nut Trees ate a baby Hosta I planted. We have lots of wildlife In Philadelphia. Perhaps some marauding child hosta-napped because it was in a pot out front. God bless their evil little hearts. I love them.

Posters brought to you years ago by the United States Government, the Works Progress Administration, and American Graphic Artists. We need a Civilian Service Corps again in my humble opinion. When I come back from having some more coffee I will post a link to their source. And then I will write about some flowers that reseed themselves and take over like weeds. Especially if you mulch garden.

Fun with Food

It is almost Spring and Easter is coming soon. Now is the time for Peeps Jousting. To arms!

Christmas Cherry Cake

This cake dates from 1709 according to Sadie Dell the Brit. Those who posted on the old AOL Comfort Food Board remember her well.  In pace requiescat et in amore.

Sadie was a WWII war bride and a famous baker. Sadie translated this British recipe into American measurements. This is a terrific alternative to Fruit Cake.

Christmas Cherry Cake

1 cup Sugar
4 Eggs
1 cup all purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 pound Cherries, candied
1 pound Dates, pitted
1 pound Pecans, chopped
2 slices candied Pineapple
1/2 pound Coconut

Mix Sugar, Eggs, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Vanilla. Put Cherries, Dates, and Pineapple through a food grinder on coarse. Add ground fruit to the sugar mixture; then add Pecans and Coconut. You will have to use your hands to mix it. Grease and flour an angel food cake tin. Place mixture evenly in the bottom and cover with waxed paper, then brown paper. Tie with string. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. When cake is cool, pour Sherry over it and let it sit until Christmas.

October's Bright Blue Weather

Helen Hunt Jackson

Fall is my favorite season. Time to make Pumpkin Pie and enjoy good Soup. Halloween will soon be here..

The colors of Fall are so rich - eggplant purple, bright blue sky, bright orange squashes. Time for children to dive into piles of golden leaves with abandon. Life is good.

October’s Bright Blue Weather
O SUNS and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather;

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And Golden-Rod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When Gentians roll their fringes tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October’s bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October’s bright blue weather.

by Helen Hunt Jackson

Simple as Pie - Cranberry Walnut Thanksgiving Pie

Every year this recipe saves this cook's time and sanity. So I republish it every year at Holiday time so someone new can find it. Enjoy.

When I first encountered this recipe, I scoffed. Nothing this easy could be all that good, I thought. The easy in this pie is no pastry to make. I was so wrong. Make this once and it will become a holiday favorite.

This recipe meets my standards (simple to make, no exotic ingredients, dynamite result). The sweet tart taste is divine. The pie has a texture like a soft shortbread cookie with fruit. It may more properly be called a Cobbler, but I digress.

For cooks who have to turn out good food for their family on short notice in a regular kind of way, this recipe is a godsend. I found this recipe in a regional cookbook. It came from Mary Yeaple of York Friends Meeting. Mary Yeaple says of this recipe "I always make two pies at a time because they don't last long."

Cranberry Walnut Pie

1 1/4 cups fresh or frozen Cranberries
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup chopped Walnuts
1 Egg
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup all purpose Flour
1/3 cup Butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter a 9 inch pie plate and layer cranberries on the bottom. Sprinkle with brown sugar and nuts. In a bowl, beat egg until thick; gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour and melted butter; blend well. Pour or spoon over the cranberries. Do not stir. Do not worry if the batter does not cover each berry and nut. The high butter content and lack of leavening make the batter relax and become more liquid when heated. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or whipped topping. English custard sauce would be good too. Note: Be sure to use a 9 inch pie pan. Do not take the pie out too soon or it will be too soft. Let it cool completely before slicing. A pie server is useful.

Eddie Hertzberg Noodle Pudding

Click Me!

I found this recipe in Nika Hazelton's cookbook American Home Cooking. Ms. Hazelton was an expatriate from England who married an American. She was a prolific cookbook author who traveled over the world. She died in 1992. This cookbook of hers is not just an exercise in ego. Ms. Hazelton selected the quintessential American family dishes from every region in the United States. Every recipe works perfectly

As cooking became trendy and precious in the United States, she seemed to raise a speculative eyebrow. Facing a group of wine writers in New York several years ago, Mrs. Hazelton waved aside questions about white truffles and little-known family vineyards. "I'm here to show you a meal from Tuscany that has the virtue of not being too expensive and not taking much genius or fuss to prepare," she informed her audience and proceeded to demonstrate the proper way to make escarole and rice soup. - Molly O'Neill, New York Times 

Eddie Hertzberg's Noodle Pudding - from New York

1/2 pound medium Noodles, homemade or store bought
6 tablespoons Butter
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
2 cups creamed Cottage Cheese
2 cups Sour Cream,

Cook the Noodles in plenty of rapidly boiling salted water until almost but not quite tender. Drain. Turn Noodles into generously buttered 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Toss with 4 tablespoons of Butter, Salt, and plenty of Pepper. Stir in the Cottage Cheese and Sour Cream and mix well. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Butter. Cook in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. 4-6 servings.

Mr. Hertzberg must have been a great cook. Although made of simple ingredients, this noodle pudding or kugel is elegant enough to serve to company. In order to get the fabulous texture and taste, you must follow directions precisely. If you do so, this recipe is simple, inexpensive and sublime. I made one alteration. I top the pudding with panko bread crumbs. If you also do that, you must watch carefully as a bread crumb topping burns easily. And this dish is easy even if you "can't cook."

Three Sisters in the Garden

I have been a lazy but thinking gardener ever since I first read Ruth Stout's How to Have a Green Thumb without an Aching Back. Say the words "natural weed control" and I become interested. Add some Native American history to the mix and you have more of my attention and interest.

The Three Sisters planting method is featured on the reverse of the US Sacajawea Native American dollar coin. The Three Sisters are Corn, Squash and Beans.

I went hunting in Google Land. It is amazing where a good graphic can lead you. I like things simple. Keep it simple, Sweetie is my motto.

I learned that this garden is simple to do. Except for the getting dirty and doing the digging part. I cannot think of an activity that would be more fun for parents and children. My children loved digging in dirt and picking flowers and vegetables.

Making a Three Sisters Garden is an excellent teaching tool for science classes. There is an entire class lesson plan at the link.

Cultivating these companions in your school garden, a small patch near the building, a barrel, or even indoors, can inspire studies of Native American customs, nutrition, and folklore. As students dig in, investigations of plant growth and relationships will also flourish. - Creating a Three Sisters Garden

I learned a Three Sisters Garden is beautiful and became determined to put this planting into my own small backyard.

Egg Cream Cake

I am making this cake for Easter. I just the love the name. I love the New York Egg Cream which is a fountain soda that contains no cream and no egg. I remember real Soda Fountains.

The recipe comes from Jewish American Cookbook written by Regina Frishwasser copyright in 1946. Mrs. Frishwasser was the Food Editor of The Jewish Daily Forward. I produce it verbatim below. I believe fair use for the purposes of review is kosher (yes, I know I made a pun.) My copy is a bit beat up. I got it at a flea market. I think I will research the cookbook and get back to you, Friendly Reader. Back: I can find only one copy for sale in the UK after a quick Google. Back when I learn more.

Egg Cream Cake

Cream 1/2 cup butter with two cups brown sugar and four egg yolks. Add 2 cups flour sifted with two teaspoons baking powder, alternating with one cup sour cream. Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla, stiffly beaten egg whites, mixing thoroughly. Pour dough into a pan that has been lined with wax paper. Bake in a moderate oven 45 minutes.

This recipe is terse. I am going to assume a "moderate oven" means 350 degrees. I will report back with my experience after the holiday. Mrs. Frishwasser, you are on.

A day later: This cake really does take like a New York Egg Cream.

Mrs. Ian Erskine's Deviled Eggs

This is not your standard Deviled Egg. The recipe comes from The Royal Blue and Gold Cookbook produced as a fundraiser by the Marchioness of Cambridge in 1974. The cookbook is long out of print. This is another glorious library book sale find.

Before World War II, Dorothy Hastings Cambridge had an idea of making a cook book using recipes from dinner parties she and George had given for their friends and guests. The Marchioness had interesting friends like Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. Dorothy was supported in this effort by Queen Mary, who donated many recipes. The book did not get published until 1974. Proceeds were donated to the Royal British Legion Women's Section. 

This recipe is verbatim. I will provide one or two of the Marchioness's creative recipes also in another section. Enough typing for this morning.

Devilled Eggs

Ingredients to serve 4

1 tablespoon Butter or Margarine

1 ounce Butter (editor's note - you may use Margarine here as well)

4 Eggs

2 tablespoons Milk 

Salt

Cayenne Pepper

1 and 1/2 teaspoons prepared Mustard

1 tablespoon Chutney

2 tablespoons Capers

2 Eggs

Preparation

Melt the butter or margarine in a frying pan and fry the eggs carefully until the whites are set, but not hard. Meanwhile, melt the 1 ounce butter in a saucepan. Add the milk, the salt, and the cayenne and bring to a boil. Add the mustard, chutney, and the two eggs, well beaten. Stir the mixture over a low fire, until the sauce is like thick cream, never allowing it to come to a boil. Add the chopped capers and pour the sauce over the fried eggs. The dish may be warmed slightly under the grill or in a very hot oven for a few minutes, as it must be served very hot.

Christmas Eve Salad

This is the time of year when Folks throw office, church, garage, AA, bowling team, study group, etc. POTLUCK parties. That can be a problem if you cannot cook, or if you are too lazy to cook much, and some other fortunate Soul snags the Chips & Dip or Beer & Soda contributions.

This Salad can be your saving grace. You do not have to cook but only prepare the fruit with care and combine carefully. Everyone will think you are a whizbang gourmand. And if you are Vegan, you will have something you can eat. There is more than one way to skin a Potluck.

Happy Holidays! This was the salad served at Christmas Eve Dinner to Stanford-in-Mexico students in 1972. Recipe from Steve and Pilar Stein of Latin Studies.

Ensalada de Noche Buena

4 small Apples, cored and sliced
4 medium Oranges, peeled and separated in sections
3 cups of canned Pineapple, drained
4 small Bananans, sliced
3 tablespoons Sugar
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Romaine Lettuce leaves
2 cups canned Betts, drained
1/4 cup Peanuts

Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until they are cold. At the moment of serving cover a salad bowl with the Lettuce leaves, mix carefully the Fruits and the Beets, and place the mixture over the Letttuce. Sprinkle Peanuts on top and serve immediately. Serves 12.
Note: Some folks are allergic to peanuts. Serve them salted and roasted as a garnish on the side.

Simpson-Fletcher's Soul Food Stuffings

I love Philadelphia. If you poke around in corners of the city, you can find unexpected treasures. I found Simpson-Fletcher's Soul Food Recipes at the Tacony Library Book Sale. 

Find out about the Church that created the cookbook HERE if you want to know more about the particulars. Just scroll on down past the chickens.

Simpson-Fletcher's Soul Food Recipes devotes a whole chapter to Stuffings. I produce two of the recipes verbatim. I am making the Fish or the Capon. Or maybe Roast Duck. I hate Turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato Stuffing the Jamaican Way
from Ms. Thelma Graham

1 and 1/4 cups mashed Sweet Potatoes
7 slices toasted Bread cubes
6 links Pork Sausage
2 tablespoons Water
1/4 teaspoon crushed Marjoram leaves
1/2 cup finely chopped Celery
1 finely chopped Onion
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Sage
1/2 teaspoon ground Thyme
2 tablespoons Butter
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Salt

Combine toasted Bread cubes and Celery with mashed Sweet Potatoes. Mix and set aside. In a frying pan, put Sausage links and cold Water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes then pour off any fat and break links into small parts. Add chopped Onion to the pan and cook until Sausage is browned and onions are clear. Remove from heat and add all the seasoning. Mix well. Now add Sausage mix to the Sweet Potato mixture. Blend well and stuffing is ready for stuffing a large Capon.

Sweet Pickle Stuffing for Baked Fish
from Albert the Chef

2 cups Rye or Whole Wheat Bread crumbs
1 cup Sweet Pickles, minced
2 Celery Stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons Onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Sage (optional )
2 tablespoons melted Butter

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Toss the crumbs so they are well coated with melted butter. Stuff the Fish cavity. This is enough for a 3 pound Bass or Trout.

Halloween Gets Devil Sauce and a Soul Fondue

I have a charming small cookbook entitled The Gourmet Fondue Cookbook by B. Arthur Paull. This cookbook was written in the 70s during the Fondue craze. It was sold at Fante's here in Philly.

I am bringing Fondue back for my private little Halloween Party.  Mr. Paull's recipes are not long on quantities and procedure. They are terse. I produce them verbatim. The intrepid Foody will not be deterred. These two are adventurous and very good.

This is a savory Fondue in which the bits of food (chunks of bread, shrimp, cheese, tofu, veggies etc.) are individually cooked by the diner.

Soul Fondue

1/2 cup pureed Chicken Liver
1 minced Onion
1 teaspoon Cayenne
1/4 cup Brandy
1/2 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt to taste.

Pan fry onion in butter. Add flour and stir fry 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, salt, cayenne, Worcestershire, chicken liver and cream. Stir constantly for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until cheese melts. Add brandy.

Devil Sauce

Combine tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, horseradish and garlic. Pour into a serving dish, cover and chill.

Roasted Pumpkin Guts

CLICK ME!

I am seeing beautiful pumpkins in the market so I am doing this again. Note: you can roast the seeds of any hard Winter squash.

When I was a child, you could buy a box of roasted Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds at the corner candy store. The box the seeds came in had a beautiful illustration of an American Indian in full Chief's headdress.

When you get done carving that pumpkin for Halloween or just to make a pie, you can roast your own pumpkin seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are so good.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 and 1/2 cups raw whole Pumpkin Seeds
2 teaspoons Butter, melted
Pinch Salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Toss seeds in a bowl with the melted butter and salt. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown; stir occasionally.

This recipe comes from allrecipes.com - for my money the best recipe site on the net. Cooks share their variations on the recipe and their opinions of the recipe's quality.

Cooks also share practical tips for recipe execution like this tip below. There are a lot of creative cooks in the world. This tip is from Valerie's Kitchen.

If you've never roasted pumpkin seeds before here are my tips. When you carve your pumpkins scoop the seeds into a colander and the guts onto newspaper. Inevitably some of the guts will be mixed in with the seeds but when you run water over them it's separated out pretty easily. After you drain the rinsed seeds, pour them onto a large, dry cookie sheet and let them sit for 24 hours or so to dry out. Now you can pick out the remaining pieces of pumpkin stuff that didn't get pulled out earlier and they will roast better if they are not wet when they go in the oven. My family prefers them seasoned with garlic salt in place of regular salt but you can use whatever suits your taste. So good!

White Hominy Casserole

It is getting colder today in Philadelphia. I will use my oven a lot in the coming Winter. This bit of Southern goodness comes from A Taste of Georgia cookbook.

White Hominy Casserole
Excellent with Baked Ham and Curried Fruit

One 1-pound can of Hominy, drained
1 cup sharp Cheese, grated
2 Pimentos, chopped or 1 small jar Pimentos
12-15 Black Olives, sliced or chopped
1 can Mushroom Soup, diluted with 1/3 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon prepared Mustard
Bread Crumbs

Butter an ovenproof pie dish or a 1 1/2 quart casserole. In this, place a layer of Hominy, then a layer of Cheese, and over this sprinkle some Pimentos and Olives. Cover with a layer of Soup which has been mixed with the Worcestershire Sauce and Mustard. Repeat until all ingredients have been used, ending with a layer of Soup on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and hot, then sprinkle with Bread Crumbs and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until brown on top.  Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Willis Edwards (Catharine).

Mrs. Swiacki's Kielbasa Bites

I am not a sports fan. I am often surrounded by sports fans who are ravenous - watching football is calorie intensive activity evidently - and require snacks and copious amounts of beer. These Kielbasa Bites are delicious. Just delicious.

KIELBASA APPETIZERS

1 – pound kielbasa
1 cup dry white wine
1 heaping tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of brandy
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cut kielbasa into one-inch slices. Cut each slice into quarters. Put kielbasa in heavy skillet large enough to hold all the pieces in a single layer. Cover with wine.

Bring the wine to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until wine almost has evaporated and looks syrupy, about 12 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, mustard and brandy. Cook one minute more.

Toss kielbasa with parsley and pepper to taste. Serve with toothpicks for spearing and thin rounds of crusty bread for dipping in the juices.

Bug Off Container Garden

Water is the universal solvent. Chemical pest control eventually ends up in our water supply. I try never to use manmade pesticides. Those Frankenstein concoctions are killing our bees. I am always looking for natural solutions to environmental problems.

Rob Sproule of Salisbury Greenhouse writes excellent garden articles. He is doing interesting work in the community with school gardens. Teaching children gardening is one of the better things one can do with one's time. I bet you can find a place for this container on your balcony or the patio. 

“Mosquitos are a fact of life in Canada, but dousing our skin in DEET doesn’t have to be. This container, though non-edible, is perfect to grow on your patio, in your gazebo or anywhere you like to sit and unwind in the evenings. You could also break it up into smaller pots to create a scented perimeter.” – Rob Sproule

Fifties Football Food

I love my library book sale. I found a copy of Pillsbury's 10th Grand National Bake-Off Cookbook. The cookbook cost 25 cents in 1958. A recipe for this decadent bread was in it. Nobody worried about cholesterol in the Fifties.

The whole cookbook was chock full of yeast dough recipes I will never make. The Bubble Loaf was hidden at the end under "Busy Day" Short-cut Recipes. Meets my requirements: easy to make and tastes good. And you get to pull the loaf apart with your fingers.

Upon reading the recipe, I imagined eating this Bread with cold Beer, a Cheese Board and Apples while watching football in front of the TV. I can imagine this with Soup too. And I think this loaf might be excellent done with Salami. Then you would not have to cook all that Bacon. I have one of these yummies in the oven right now.

Bacon Cheese Bubble Loaf

2 cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Biscuits
1/2 pound cooked Bacon, chopped
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Green Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 cup melted Butter or Margarine

Combine Bacon, Cheese, Onion, Green Pepper in a large bowl. Cut the Biscuits into quarters. Dip Biscuit pieces into melted Butter and drop into the Bacon mixture. Mix until well blended. Turn into a greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a moderately hot oven (400 degree) oven for 30-35 minutes. Loosen edges. Cool 3 minutes before removing from the pan.

Note: I did this recipe in a loaf pan, and found the middle does not bake well. I liked the way it tasted (yummy) but it did not turn out well. Then the light dawned. The refrigerated biscuits of the 50s and 60s were about half the size of current refrigerated biscuits. You only need ONE PACKAGE of biscuits. Duh.

Dog Days Yummy

I posted a Dog Treats recipe my dog likes.

I found this Dog treat on the internet and just had to share. The dog days of Summer are here. I am making this. Picture is kind of fuzzy but the recipe is great. If my Baby Dog will not eat this, I will.

Ms. Susan Dunn's Sweet & Sour Sauce

This is another recipe from Simpson-Fletcher's Soul Food Recipes.  I am making homemade Egg Rolls today. I buy the Egg Roll Skins at local Asian Market. I am going to make this Sauce. So good for anything one would find on a PuPu Platter extravaganza. I like it on Crackers with Cheese. 

I produce this recipe verbatim. I use a small can of Crushed Pineapple. 

SWEET & SOUR SAUCE.

1 (1 lb.) can of Apricots
1/2 (1 lb.) can of Pineapple
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 cup Honey
4 tablespoons Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Force Apricots through a sieve. Put into a saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients except the Vinegar. Cook the mixture over high heat until the Sugar is dissolved and the mixture boils. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly and then stir in the Vinegar.