To Every Thing There is a Season... Abundance - Part 2

We are just having the first rains of the fall season. Days in the garden are now limited and the plants know it - things are ripening at an alarming rate. Getting things harvested and in the house before they are overripe is a job that leaves no slack. Do it now or lose your food. The same goes for getting the food processed before it rots or the fruit flies get to it. It is harvest season and that's all there is to it - no matter what else is on the schedule. It makes for late nights and/or early mornings.

While we preserve a lot of food every year, we wanted to really fill the pantry in this year of economic uncertanties. On top of that, to compensate for a possible early hard freeze, we planted three small greenhouses with extra vegetables... just in case. The surprise dip in temperature we had last year in September killed all our basil, squash (summer, winter, melons, cucumbers - all of it), and most of the tomatoes. Well, the early freeze did not happen this time and we are swimming in vegetables. Currently it is tomatoes.

Thankfully we love tomatoes, and they are possibly the most versatile vegetable for storage. They can be made into a vast variety of sauces and condiments, can be dried, frozen, or canned and, picked end of season green, will ripen slowly in a cool dark, place giving you fresh eating tomatoes into the winter months. We prefer drying and canning over freezing as neither requires energy for storage.

We do not dry many tomatoes, usually only cherry tomatoes and, this year, a variety called Principe Borghese. I learned about these reading Barbara Kingsolver's fine book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle". These tiny, paste-type tomatoes dry readily when sliced. I look forward to trying them out this winter. The cherry tomatoes we halve and dry, cut side up. We call them "tomato raisins" as they are sweet eaten out of hand. A treat in salads, especially grain based salads, we like to toss them in casseroles and cooked vegetable dishes. No pre-soaking required.

But the bulk of the crop goes into jars. I originally canned only plain peeled tomatoes and plain tomato sauce that could be seasoned any way I liked and otherwise added tomatoes into the vegetable medleys we use for soup. Over time it dawned on me it was actually easier to have my own "fast food" by seasoning the sauce when I made it. This was even more versatile as I could add other ingredients which may not be available to me mid-winter. So we make onion-herb tomato sauce that is good for spaghetti or other Italian-style dishes. To this we occasionally add the end of a bottle of red wine for a ragu-style. I make a smooth enchilada sauce with Mexican seasonings and a chunky style Mexican sauce to add to chili. The main difference is whether I run it through a food mill or blender or a plain old meat grinder. We add peppers. onions, garlic to all of these. Herbs and spices as desired. The Italian style sauce may get the addition of everything from eggplant to zuchinni, the Mexican variation - chili peppers to tomatillos. Anything available seems to find its way into a jar. Then there is thicker sauce for pizza, catsup (when we really have more tomatoes than we know what to do with!), tomato juice and soup.

Then we do the condiments. There are many salsa variations we play with, but we always make a basic red hot sauce and a green hot sauce (which uses green tomatoes and tomatillos). Temperatures vary depending on which chili peppers did well that year. We also make sure to have a chunky style salsa to be used to dip chips or added to layered dip. A large part of our pantry is devoted to tomatoes - that's for sure!

As I write this there is a stock pot of red hot sauce simmering in the kitchen. Not just for Mexican style food, this is a favorite on rice dishes, casseroles and eggs around our house.
Here is the recipe for those of you who may enjoy this savory to spicy condiment. This is a sweet/hot sauce, almost chutney-like in flavor.

Red Hot Sauce
8 cups chopped, cored, tomatoes
1 - 1/2 cups seeded chopped red peppers, varying degrees of hotness!
(Use hot peppers as desired for your preferred degree of heat in the finished sauce.)
1 quart cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
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Combine tomatoes, peppers and 2 cups vinegar in a large saucepan until soft. Let cool, then blend in blender until pureed and return to pot (I generally use a second pot).
Add sugar and salt. Tie spices in cheesecloth or place in clean, small, muslin bag and secure top and add to sauce. Simmer until thick. Stir as needed to prevent sticking or scorching on bottom of pot. Add remaining 2 cups of vinegar. Simmer to desired thickness.
Ladle hot sauce into hot, clean jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust lids and process 15 minutes in boiling water bath.

Note: Remember that rubber/latex gloves are good when cutting and seeding hot peppers. At the very least, wash hands immediately afterwards with (Simmons) soap and water.
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I end now to go put my red hot sauce into the bail clamp beer bottles that we use to keep it. It will process, as any normal jar, in the canning kettle. Here's to a future spicy winter meal!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Here in the United States, Election Day, November 4, is coming up soon. Very soon. Less than a month and a half... Everyone, possibly the entire world, knows this. However, for those who are not registered to vote, the action of getting registered can fall to the bottom of the "when I can get around to it" list.
If you are an U.S. citizen, the most important thing you can do is participate in the process that governs our country and vote. Here is a way to make it easy: just use this link to REGISTER TO VOTE !
Here, in California where I live, you can register until October 20. To find out the voter registration deadline in your state you can check here at Rock the Vote.

We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

I know I am repeating myself here, but it endlessly amazes me how many people do not take the time or have the interest or??? to get it together to participate in the only tool they really have to back up their interests in how their country, state, or city conducts business. It is not just about the presidential choice, although that is very, very, VERY important in my opinion, but this is your voice in the highways that get built, the money that goes to schools, what extra taxes are levied... the list goes on and on. In our family, we have the rule: "if you don't vote you cannot complain about the government and it's actions". If it is inconvenient for you to go to your local polling place, you can always vote by absentee ballot. We do. Our polling place is 1/2 hour away. On a work day it is not only inconvenient, but if we are very busy we may just forget until it is too late!

What does it say if you go out on the street and protest about things you don't like but are not willing to step up to the plate and cast a vote that would help nudge the direction of government and it's actions in the direction you believe is best? Voting, like so many things, may seem ineffective at the personal level - "it is only 1 vote, it won't make any difference" - but like drops of water in a bucket, each vote adds to the whole and creates change. Remember, non action is a vote as well, it is just as if you voted against yourself either by not neutralizing a vote against your beliefs or by not adding emphasis to the things you support.

So, and I cannot stress this enough, it is the ability to participate in government, to make our voices heard, that makes a great country. Be part of that. Get registered and VOTE in every election.

Late breaking news:
There is a new book out for first-time voters. The Rookie Voter Handbook by JamesTurner was inspired by his own coming-of-voting-age-son, and covers the essentials of voting and more, with topics such as: voter registration, absentee ballots/votes, lobbyists, national & local issues, pros & cons of hot current issues, earmarks, special interest groups, party-line voting, two-party system, the role of MONEY, voting for the person , attack ads, truth in advertising, single issue voting, going negative, Liberals, Conservatives, Moderates, & Independents, secrets and tricks used to persuade and manipulate voters, and much more...
Might not be bad information for some of us more seasoned voters as well!

Abundance... Putting Food By

Harvest season, that time of year when we are blessed with an abundance of vegetables. Sometimes it seems more like a curse as we try to stay ahead of it. If they were not so heavy I might just add a zucchini or cucumber to every soap order!
We hate to see anything go to waste so, what we cannot eat we try to get in jars to store for the winter season ahead. Only the occasional gargantuan summer squash that escaped our notice until it was over mature and such bypass us, our friends, or the canning kettle to become salad for the chickens.

It does become problematic as we try to keep the business going, do regular maintenance and preparation for winter, and keep on top of the bounty of the the garden before it turns to compost right in the garden. It is a busy time of year, running late nights just as the days are getting shorter trying to get everything done. But the garden and food are one of my passions. I am a dedicated plant-a-holic and determined to enter winter with a full pantry.

I must confess, with years of this sort of thing behind me it is not as much work as it might seem. Many things become an add on to making a regular meal, when we are in the kitchen anyway, and get processed while we eat. Some things, such as tomatoes, peaches, or making apple cider, are an all day affair and we generally have some friends or family over to share the bounty and the fun. We are truly fortunate.

But lately, watching the news, I am struck by comments on the economy and what it is doing to the price of food. Right now, worldwide, there is everything from protests about food prices to riots to rationing to famine. Some, as always, is caused by failed crops and weather related shortages. Some is caused by war and civil strife. But a lot is also caused by high energy prices. You know, energy like that spendy gallon of gasoline and the agriculture based biofuels they want to replace/ augment it with. Since 2001 overall food prices have increased by 75%!

Get used to it. Since the root cause appears to be higher energy and fertilizer prices (also often a petroleum byproduct - Buy Organic) the problem won't necessarily be solved by a better crop next year. And since 1/4 of the U.S. corn crop is now devoted to making ethanol (and more is mandated for the future) and so much food in this country is ultimately corn-based... well you see where this is going.

The good news is that, living in the U.S., chances are it will just be expense, rather than serious shortages, that plague us.

So we start vegetable seeds, garden, and fill the pantry against the year ahead. But what about the food we do not grow and people without gardens? Well, our family has been in a position both where every penny had to be accounted for and where we could not get to a store for weeks on end. As they say, necessity can be a great teacher. It taught us to buy in bulk. It taught us to learn about food preservation. It taught us to keep staples in the house at all times, especially those that do not require refrigeration. It taught us to eat in season, eat at home, and prepare our own food. The interesting aside to all that is we end up eating really, really well. For those who cook, having staples on hand can be a source of creativity and inspiration.

Everywhere I have lived I managed to make a food storage place. Sometimes we just commandeered a coat closet for food, adding shelves and bins, sometimes built bins that doubled as counters when the lids were closed. It is just a matter of creating a cool, dark, dry area. Our family long ago learned to only buy food we would actually eat. Rice, beans, cornmeal, oatmeal, flour, pasta, these long lasting staples are the backbone of our personal food economy. Airtight lidded buckets, gallon jars, small lidded trash cans are inexpensive or free containers that keep insects out and help preserve freshness. Just as important are the condiments and necessities that transform these staples into delectable meals, from dry milk and baking power, sugar and salt, to soy sauce and vinegar, herbs and spices. Keeping basics allows more flexibility when you buy the extras that make a meal.

Purchase one or two bulk items at a time, as works for you, and ultimately you find you always have the basics for what you need and your overall costs go way down. If roads close or commodities or money become scarce, you might like to know you have a culinary slush fund.

For us, the basics plus what we can and freeze, dry and store fresh in the cellar or in the garden itself, keeps us fed well, year round. Putting away food went from necessity to habit, and some might argue that, with me, it's a compulsion. But no one complains as they put in their order for their favorite jam, salsa, or pickles!

Over the years we have been doing this we've learned a lot of tricks and tips. If you have questions about anything from canning applesauce to zucchini bread, drying fruits, vegetables, or herbs, types of fresh storage, to types of equipment... post it, and I will answer all as best I can. I can always turn to my experienced neighbors for any information I may not have.

Happy Harvest!

Climate Change... seasons

The climate of our fair planet is going through some changes. Both natural cycles and mankind’s influence are affecting it on a broad scale, the combination of which could produce some pretty major transformation from what we are used to. How fast this will evolve is still unknown. But I can truthfully say that in my own lifetime basic weather patterns have changed a lot.

Here in California's far northwest, just inland from the coast, the general weather pattern was easy to predict. The sun was out full time by the end of May and you saw little or no precipitation of any sort until late July or August when there may be a thunderstorm or two. Come September there would be a rainstorm to remind you winter was coming and you better finish getting the firewood in for the winter. By November it would be raining full time. During winter it would snow one or more times at elevations over 2000 feet. In January and February you would probably get one full week of warm sunny weather to remind you not to despair, you can relax about building an Ark, and that the day will come when you are not wading through rain and mud everywhere you go. Periodic dry weather would increase through May and then the cycle would start over again. It had been like this as long as anyone could remember.

Back around 1970 this changed. That was the first year of a 7 year drought (meaning only 30 to 45 inches of rain, not 60 to 100). You would get up in the winter and the sun, low in the sky and too far away to be warm, would shine brightly blinding you with its low angle. Since then the weather has never resumed its old, predictable, pattern. There also seem to be more intense storms followed by long dry spells in the winter. This summer, as noted in our post "Fire on the Mountain" we had a wholly unusual thunderstorm in June! Our ability to adapt is already being put to the test - as well as that of all the local flora and fauna.

In some cultures bad weather and other natural catastrophes are attributed to displeasing the various Gods, or Spirits. In the cases where we have changed our own environment through pollution, from poisoned rivers to acid rain, the tons of plastic refuse in the oceans or greenhouse gases, I can only hope we have attained a point where we have displeased ourselves.

In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are
consequences. -Robert Green Ingersoll, lawyer and orator (1833-1899)

As a specie, our ability to change our habits to lessen our influence on the world's climate is one of the most important challenges facing us. Our ability to adapt to change, natural or man made, will determine our survival. These are interesting times.

Meanwhile, on the smaller scale, we undergo a climate change with each passing season and these fluctuations have an effect on our health, our skin, and even our temperament. Whether you go from hot and dry to cold and moist, warm and foggy to cool and soggy, or hot and humid to cold and dry, these changing conditions have their influence and the transitional season of fall gives us some time to prepare for the harsher (usually) environment of winter.

Not only is it time to boost your immune system, it is time to become aware of how the different conditions interact with your skin and complexion. Many people need to use more moisturizer in the winter months. Our lips may chap more readily in winter, but even more so in the transformational times of spring and fall. The dry, cracked, chapped heels and hands of those who garden or wear sandals in the summer months may fade, only to be replaced with dry skin elsewhere and hair that frizzes or otherwise reacts to the winter weather – both outdoors and in the now heated interior spaces of home and work.

While many notice the seasonal changes in their interior and exterior health, colds and flu have their “season” but changes in skin and hair fitness often are not related to the different climate conditions.

Time passes and things are always changing and, whatever the cause, it helps us maintain our health if we are aware of how these external differences act on our bodies and adapt our diet and personal care to flow with the seasons.

What can you find at Simmons Natural Bodycare to help you adapt to winter weather? Check out our moisturizing soaps, and our Apothecary section. You will find lotions, creams and balms to help keep your skin happy in every climate.

Belonging...

We are affiliated with a number of groups. It is human nature, I think, to belong to various groups, beginning with family and moving out. Belonging strengthens you and the other members of the group, as you enhance and enlarge the possibilities when you work together. It can be a support system for the benefit of all. Yet I don't feel it has to define who one is or make you beholden to mimic any group's belief's identically.

Take our immediate family. I love my family and feel very much a part of the group - yet we are all very different individuals, with different tastes, tempos, and basic beliefs in some cases. There is freedom to be oneself in this group without it jeopardizing one's membership even if it isn't always all smooth relationships. And we are there for each other in times of need.

Then there is the community. Our rural area is sparsely populated, but I suspect that makes the community stronger in some ways. Even if we do not know each other or participate in the same activities, I know the folks up here all feel they belong as a part of this region (or, perhaps, that it is part of who they are). We come together to support the events and organizations that define the locale, be it rodeo or festival, the school, or the rural clinic. We work together to help each other, improve things (school and clinic board, our volunteer fire dept. and emergency rescue team), and more. Within that are sub groups such as the back-to-the-land folks, the ranchers, the loggers, the old timers (you get to be one of those when there is no one else alive who can remember a time before your family was here. 30+ years and 3 generations counts for nothing!). These groups are separate generally, yet overlap comfortably when community events occur. Despite our differences there is common ground.

Beyond that many belong to groups that go well beyond community. Some are temporal, such as environmental organizations, political parties, volunteer care groups, or book clubs. Others are spiritual. Sometimes these overlap. And of course there is the group of citizens of a particular country.

Being an American, the same as being a citizen of another country, is usually a group, like family, that you are born into. And, like family, it should give you the freedom to be who you are with your own individual beliefs, that family does. Of course, I am speaking of freedom, not license to behave in a manner which results in excessive or unacceptable behavior.
Being a member of any group should in no way diminish your individuality. It should be a way for you to share it and to enhance and strengthen your relationship with the world around you.

And I feel is important not to forget we all belong to a bigger group, the family of Mankind and the family of Earth. We are all linked together as the inhabitants of this lovely habitable planet. In the big picture, we all look out for each other through our daily actions. With that knowledge subliminally in your mind, I believe you can live a conscious life.

Now...
That said, for citizens of the United States the time is coming up to assert your beliefs in an important way. VOTE!

We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.
-Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

As an U.S. citizen, the most important thing you can do is participate in the process that governs our country. If you haven't already, please use this link to REGISTER TO VOTE
While it may feel as though we are mere voices in the wilderness, and that our lone vote may not have any effect, these votes add up. For each issue, for every candidate, you belong to a group of like minded voters and by adding your vote to that group you help create the change you want to see for the future.