By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Another approach to herbal preservation is through the creation of condiments.

This type of preservation creates jellies, sauces, oils, vinegars, and butters that enhance dishes when added after cooking.

Making a Jelly

Mint jelly is a traditional way of preserving mint. This process may seem to be more trouble then it is worth but I promise nothing makes a lamb dish stand out like mint jelly.

Mint Jelly

Ingredients

• 3 lbs cooking apples
• 2-½ pints water
• Small bunch of fresh mint
• Sugar Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

This time of the gardening year is full of chores that need to be done before the winter wind blows.

But as autumn’s crisp breath seems to be earlier this year I am being very diligent with my herb preservation.

In the past I have let Mother Nature take her course as far as my Kitchen Herb Garden but not this year.

I plan to give herb baskets as gifts this year so every herb counts.

My first task is to survey my Kitchen Herb Garden. What will I keep for winter and what will I just let be. Next I need to decide which method of preservation will work for the herbs I want to preserve. The choices I have available are as follows: growing them indoors, freezing, drying naturally, drying in the microwave, making a jelly, making a sauce, making a flavorful oil, vinegar, or butter.

Part 1 covers preservation that does not require cooking and creates herbs that traditional used during cooking while part 2 covers forms of preservation that creates additions to meals to enhance the cooked product such as jellies, sauces, oils, vinegars, or butters.

Grow Herbs Indoors

Bringing herbs indoors can Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Being an agriculturist and urban gardener I have always gardened for 2 reasons.

One, reason is for food and two, for my own personal beauty.

As a human being I have enjoyed manipulating the environment to create what I want regardless of the monetary and environmental cost until now.

I have always used somewhat regional plants for my landscape and my garden has always been full of whatever my family and I like to eat, forget nature in my vegetable garden. We all feel that less nature in the vegetable garden would be very helpful but… But without nature we have no food and as Albert Einstein believed if bees died out the human race would only last 4 years, so to all gardeners we need to take a stand and save the pollinators of the world.

As I sit in my backyard with squash, tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc. blooming in my garden I see or hear a total of zero bees. A few flies visit me, a hummingbird, and morning doves but no bees. It almost feels like a remake of Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring being played out in my backyard. As a responsible human being and gardener I do not want a future without pollinators so what can I do.

First Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

If your garden is like mine some of the produce is just growing and producing out of control it seems.

I know this winter I will relish in my abundance but right now I am swimming in peppers.

Hot, mild, green, banana, cayenne, and habanero all are producing wonderfully.

Some of my pepper plants are as tall as some of my tomatoes and the compost, mulch, horse feed, Epson salt, and hot weather has added up to this plentiful and never ending harvest.

But this year for my non-gardener friends and those whose garden is not producing due to heat and drought are to receive a gift that keeps on giving. I am taking baskets of peppers with recipes to these friends’ doorsteps, and this winter they will again be visited by one of my favorites, that is Hot Pepper Vinegar.

This vinegar goes perfect with homemade bean soup flavored with chopped ham and onion. The secret to making this Hot Pepper Vinegar is adding more and more peppers and letting it rest like a good wine. The longer it sets the more intense and delicious the flavors will be with being so hot that only the pepper connoisseur can stand.

This vinegar can be prepared using any combination of peppers and does not require heating the vinegar like some flavored vinegars require so give this simple vinegar a try.

Hot Pepper Vinegar

Ingredients

• Washed peppers such as hot banana, jalapeno, habanero, cayenne
• White vinegar Read the rest of this entry »

By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Summer is here and fall will be knocking on the screen door before we know it.

Planting fall crops has always been a favorite of mine since many of the fall crops can also be planted in early spring.

So these cold crops or cool season vegetables sort of sandwich the summer crops between them like a great sandwich.

But depending on what planting zone you live in will depend on what you can plant. So explore the cold crops or cool season vegetables that grow in your area.

Below are some of my favorites cold crops or cool season vegetables and tricks on growing them.

Peas

Sugar Snap or hulling peas are great in early spring and fall. Just remember these plants will need a trellis to grow upon. Also make sure you mark which is which because nothing ruins a stir-fry like using hulling peas instead of edible pea pods.

Brussel Sprouts

These little cabbages are a Read the rest of this entry »