10 Sep
The first ever Taste of Hudson - in New York, not Hudson Ohio – happens this Saturday September 12th. A part of lower Warren Street will be closed to traffic and tastes from various restaurants and vendors start at $1. That’s my kind of pricing.
Bon Appetit!
7 Sep
The Diamond Street Diner is closed. Seizure by the state, foreclosure in process by the city and, um, something about embezzlement…
4 Sep
I managed to make dill pickles a couple weeks ago - because when it’s 85+ and humid you should really be boiling vinegar & water on the stove, baking cookies and running the dryer. I will never learn.
Take advantage of the Kirby cucumbers at the farmers markets if you don’t grow them yourself. This is not true canning, so they’ll need to live in the refrigerator.
Dill Pickles – adapted - Sharon Spain’s pickles from Design*sponge
These are easy, delicious and make terrific gifts. Be sure to buy cucumber pickles—not regular cucumbers. A small pickle of about four inches fits perfectly in a pint-sized mason jar. If you are not familiar with a mandolin, buy one for this project, and you won’t regret it. They are fabulous for slicing anything (just watch your fingers). Slice the pickles thinly, but not so thin that they become hard to work with. 1/8” is about right.
2 quarts water (1.9 liters)
1 quart cider vinegar (.95 liters)
3/4 cup canning salt (220g)
10 wide-mouth, pint mason jars
Approximately 25 pickles (I usually use less)
2 bunches dill
tools: mandoline
1.Thoroughly wash jars and lids in hot water to sterilize.
2. Combine water, cider vinegar and salt in stockpot and bring to boil, stirring well.
3. Wash and trim ends from pickles.
4. Using a mandolin, carefully slice each pickle lengthwise. Stack pieces neatly in order, removing the two ends and place pickle in jar. Trim height of pickle as needed to fit (before you place in jar). You should be able to get about 2 1/2 pickles in each pint jar. Place several pieces of dill in jar with pickles.
5. Pour hot vinegar/water solution over pickles filling jar to top. Screw lid down tightly.
The pickles can be eaten as soon as the next day, or can be stored in the refrigerator for months. Great with cheese on crusty bread!
4 Sep
are waiting to move upstate. The pots of fresh herbs that are sitting on my back porch are looking pretty ragged from not being watered the month of June (and being under cover) and then the crazy rain since then - the rain that blighted my tomatoes, the tree in the back, and even the hydrangea that isn’t looking so hot. I will keep these little guys in pots to move indoors for the winter - to make sure I have fresh lavender and rosemary for my homemade gin.
I can’t believe I’m thinking about winter. There’s even been a frost advisory recently somewhere in the area served by NPR/WAMC.
