pickled radish

we grow radishes for my hubby as it's a fav childhood memory of his picking a fresh radish straight from the garden to crunch on.

not one of my favourites however we've had super radishes growing so have needed to harvest them before he's gotten to eat them all so needed to find a pickling recipe.

 

ingredients

2 cups radishes, sliced, ends removed

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

1 tblsp salt

several dashes herbs of choice

2 cloves garlic

8 cloves

method
1. slice radishes; set aside
2. place one clove garlic and four cloves in each of two medium mason jars; slice open garlic a bit if it's a large clove
3. combine vinegar, salt and sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
4. add herbs to vinegar mixture
5. pour vinegar mixture over radishes in a large bowl; stir until all are covered
6. transfer radishes to jars, and then cover with vinegar mixture. top off each bottle with enough white vinegar to cover the radishes
7. put in fridge, let sit for a couple hours/days, and enjoy.


found this one online here which suited the ingredients in my cupboard however want to try another one with coriander, ginger and peppercorns next.

actually quite enjoying these now they're pickled! great in brown rice salads and on sandwiches. i'm a convert!

nanna's pickled beetroot

for tania... for your recent beetroot crop. :)

a nanna recipe i'll hold with me always.

ingredients
about 6 large beetroot
1 cup Vinegar Brown
2 cups water
3 cups sugar
pepper and salt
glass jars for storage (sterilise the jars in boiling water or in the oven)

method
1. remove leaves and cut off the stalks and the tails and scrub the beets clean.
2. boil the beets in a pan with enough water to cover them, until firm soft. remove beets from the water once soft and cool slightly.
3. set the now red water aside for later. remove the skin of beets, recommend the use of gloves.
4. put the red water that the beets were boiled in back on the heat, add brown vinegar, water, sugar, pepper and salt back on the heat and bring to the boil.
5. cut the beetroot into slices about 1/2cm to 1cm thick (or to your liking) into the mix of boiling liquid. bring back to the boil.
6. turn off the heat, and add the sliced beets to the glass jars, cover beets with liquid, pouring liquid to the top of the jar. HANDY HINT : before placing lid on, release air bubbles by running a knife down the side of the jar.
7. set aside to cool.
8. store along with all your other preserves. store in fridge once opened.

nothing like home preserved beetroot. if you've only ever had tinned beetroot - you need to try this!

chilli rhubarb chutney

on the chilli theme for today... found this in the rhubarb article. i'm so used to rhubarb as a dessert i loved the sound of this savoury chutney.

source - 'gardening australia' august 2004

ingredients
1 bunch chopped rhubarb
2 chopped red onions
3 large red chillies (seeded and chopped)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
10 cloves
salt for seasoning

method
in a large saucepan combine rhubarb, red onions, red chillies, sugar, cider vinegar and cloves.
bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes stirring occasionally until thick. season with salt.
pour into a jar and refrigerate when cool.
serve with roast meats, chicken or cheese and crackers.

i'm a vegetarian so meat eaters out there - you'll have to let me know if you try this... its a cheese and crackers option for me!

rhubarb and strawberry lemonade

checked out my dad's rhubarb plant on the weekend... it's massive!! not sure i can fit a rhubarb in my little garden!

i have such fond memories of stewed rhubarb from my nanna's garden when i was little. 

came across this recipe and thought it sounds like such a lovely fresh drink to try - something a little different to do with rhubarb!

source - 'gardening australia' august 2004

ingredients
1 bunch chopped rhubarb
3 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
2 strips lemon rind.
250g chopped strawberries
1/2 tspn vanilla extract
1 cup fresh lemon juice

method
in a large saucepan combine rhubarb, water, sugar and lemon rind.
bring to the boil and cook for 8 minutes.
add chopped strawberries and vanilla extract and cook for another 2 minutes.
press the mixture through a coarse sieve.
add lemon juice.
pour into bottles and refrigerate when cool.
serve over ice.

got my mum's old fashioned lemonade recipe to bring you soon. it still feels like summer here - very much the days for some yummy fresh drinks!

cucumber and carrot pickles

source 'better homes and garden magazine' august 2008.

ingredients
4 lebanese cucumbers
4 carrots peeled
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
8cm piece of ginger, shredded
4 star-anise

method
1. cut cucumbers and carrots into 1cm x 8cm strips and put in a sterilised jar.
2. put vinegar and sugar in a medium heavy based pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. add ginger and star-anise and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. pour vinegar mixture over prepared cucumber and carrot. seal the jar and stand for an hour before serving. store for up to two weeks in the fridge.

tips...
...serve with any chinese meal or plain boiled rice
...toss through salad leaves or put on side of curries and spicy foods.
...great with tasty cheddar cheese
...top pickles with a drizzle of sesame oil and sesame seeds just before serving

i have plans for this for our weekly stir-frys. :)

make your own pizza sauce

for all home made pizza base makers out there. had the most glorious homemade pizza experience with friends on saturday night.

here's the sauce recipe for you. the base was delightful also. a wholemeal/plain flour combination.  might have to bring you that one too!

ingredients
5 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tsp dried oregano
2x400g cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to season

method
heat oil on a medium heat.
gently fry the garlic and oregano for 5mins.
add the tomatoes, season and simmer for 40mins stiring occaisionly.
let cool.

how easy is that? can't believe i've been so lazy to use tomato paste all this time (hey, it is good tomato paste. aldi organic brand. i recommend it. they have a few good organic products at great prices if your organically inclined.)

happy baking and saucing!

lemon potato salad

for kel and mali after a glorious weekend at evans.

my favourite potato salad recipe... credit to my mum. :)

ingredients
1.2kg small, new season potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise (thorny brand if buying off the shelf)
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup spring onions

method
put potatoes (diced depending on size) in a large pan of cold, salted water. bring to the boil then simmer for about 15mins or until tender.
combine mayonnaise, lemon juice and mustard. season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
drain potates then put in a bowl. while potates are still warm, add the mayonnaise mix and srping onions. mix well.
leave to cool, then serve.
can be prepared up to 6hrs in advance. keep in the fridge but remove it about 30mins before serving to allow the potatoes to reach room temperature.

sweet potato burgers

for the evans kiosk. their sweet potato and chickpea burgers have inspired me.

ingredients
600g kumara, peeled, chopped
350g potatoes, peeled, chopped
1 small onion, grated
1 carrot, peeled, grated
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup packaged breadcrumbs
4 round crusty rolls, halved and toasted lightly
4 oak lettuce leaves
2/3 cup tabouleh

method
1. boil or steem kumara and potat until tender. drain, mash roughly. stir in onion, carrot, coriander and ginger. allow mixture to cool.
2. shape mixture into 6 even patties. coat in breadcrumbs. place on a plastic-wrap lined tray. cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
3. shallow-fry patties in hot oil until golden on both sides. drain well. cover base of rolls with lettuce, then tabouleh, hot patties and cumin yoghurt then replace top of roll.

cumin yoghurt
1/3 cup plain yoghurt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon juice
combine all ingredients in a bowl. season to taste with salt if desired.

patties and yoghurt can be prepared a day a head.

for all non-kiwi's out there kumera is otherwise known as sweet potato. :)

rhubarb and sour cream cake

for me. to try  on a lazy day next week. looks yum and different.

ingredients
300g rhubarb
60g unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
250g sour cream

method
preheat oven to 180degC. grease a 20cm cake tin, line with greaseproof paper on base and sides. grease again.
wash and dry rhubarb and cut into 2cm pieces.
cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla and continue beating for approximately 5 minutes or until pale in colour.
sift together flour and baking soda. stir in half of the flour and half of the sour cream. add remaining flour and sour cream.
fold in the rhubarb. pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 1-1.5 hours or until lightly browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.
stand in the tin for 15 minutes before turning cake onto a wire rack to cool.
serve warm with a dollop of fresh cream.

lismore farmers market

love this thursday evening market happening at lismore - i can't always make a weekend trip from our town so this suits to a tee! got to make the most of it as it ends in april. :(

bicarb spray

effective against powdery mildew.  make sure you cover every part of the plant - both sides of the leaves - and coat the stems.  acts as a preventative, not a cure.

from 'organic gardener - fruit essential guide'

ingredients
1tsp of bicarb
1/2 tsp sunflower oil
1 drop of diswashing detergent
to 1L of water.

directions
stir well and use immediately.

i've had success using this on mildew on my tomatoes this year. and due to having the detergent included it has kept caterpillers at bay as well. :)

for cucumbers, zucchinis and apparently grapevines, milk spray is more effective.

milk spray

a simple yet effect spray for mildew on broad leaffed vegies like cucumber and zucchini:

1 part milk to 10 parts water. mix. spray.
from 'organic gardener - fruit essential guide'

use immediately. if you store it in the fridge probably good for another day but would recommend a new mix after that. NOTE: too much milk in the solution can encourage sooty mould, so stick to the recipe.

i had heard adding calcium or milk to the soil around the cucmbers could help ward off mildew as well. i tried that this summer however with the huge amount of rain we had in northern nsw it had no effect. the direct spray worked within a few days.

for tomatos i recommend the bicarb spray. its stops the progression of mildew within a day of spraying. fantastic!

green tomato pickle

for the friendliest neighbour in the world - ken.

and for my tomoato plants that were damged by storms. and they are super tomatoes - home made compost is amazing stuff.

ingredients
750ml vinegar
3kg green tomatoes
1kg onions
small handful of salt
1/2 tspn pepper
1kg sugar
3tblspn curry powder
3tbspn mustard powder

method
1. chop onions and tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, mix well in a bowl, then leave to stand overnight.
2. next day, drain off the fluid. add 3/4 of vinegar, bring to the boil and boil for 10minutes. add the sugar, bring back to the boil, stirring. then boil for 1hour, stirring often.
3. mix remaining vinegar with the dry ingredients. add to the pot and stil until well combined. boil for 5minutes then bottle and seal.

trying this today. let you know the results. can't say i've ever eaten green tomato pickle before!