dalthauser

As always Swiss Chard grows like weeds here in New Braunfels.  Love to eat the greens in salads and sauteed; however, most of the ribs always seem to end up in the compost bin.  It's not that we don't like the ribs - there is just too much of them in comparison to the greens.  We hate to waste food.  This year I poked around to see what I could do with the ribs on their own.  My first instinct was to make pickled ribs.  While searching the internet for recipes I found a recipe for korean style fermented Swiss Chard.  The recipes I found fermented the ribs and greens together.  I followed the recipe fairly close - I did make small changes to the ingredients based on what I had on hand - and our personal preference.

I didn't think Marcel would like this because he doesn't like KimChi.  He did like this batch which I only fermented 24 hours. I'm hoping I can allow future batches to ferment longer on the counter and keep feeding it to him to encourage his taste buds to adjust.  I like well fermented "chi" - provided the pepper heat isn't through the roof.

Chard-Chi
makes approx 1 quart (after 24 hours initial fermentation)
2 lb   Swiss Chard Ribs (very coarsley chopped)
2 tsp  Salt

Mushroom & Farro PIe
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/recipes/main_mushroompie.shtml

I made Tempeh this weekend, and I always fry up one batch right away because I love it fresh more than anything.

Here is one way to prepare Tempeh - it's not the only way, but most people will try Tempeh if you prepare it this way for them.

This is not a low calorie or low fat recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1	Cake	Tempeh (7 or 8 ounces)
2	Each	Large Eggs
X	3/4"	Oil (whatever you usually use to Fry is fine)
1	Cup	Flour (Rice works good, but whatever you have is ok)
		Assorted Spices (I change mine up every time)
1	Tsp	Salt (more or less - whatever, you can salt the final product too)

Mix Flour, salt, spices and put in shallow container. Beat eggs (preferably with a cute whisk for best results)


Slice Tempeh as thin as possible. Previously frozen Tempeh can't be sliced as thin as fresh or chilled Tempeh.



Preheat oil in a frying pan at this point. 350F is a good temperature (or wait until it starts smoking - if it catches fire and burns your kitchen down, it's too hot)

Dip Slice of Tempeh into Egg and let excess drip off.


Gently drop egged (is that a word?) slice into flour mixture


Toss it around a little to coat well (dang, my hand looks swollen like it got stung by a swarm of bees.... scary)


Gently shake off excess or tap on the side of the container.


Repeat with all the slices

Get a plate ready lined with paper towels for when the slices will come out of the oil.

Now, drop the slices in the oil and brown on both sides (don't do too many at a time because you won't be able to keep up and some might burn)


Let drain on paper towels and serve right away if possible. They will keep in a warmer. You can also refrigerate and freeze them for eating later.


My daughter used to dip these in ranch dressing for added fat and cholesterol. I like them dipped in bbq sauce.
You can also chop them up and put them in a salad (hot or cold) or make a sandwich out of them.

I'm working on more Tempeh stuff as I find myself getting back to working with food.

Recipe, Garrett Juice
Recipe - Garrett Juice


This is the heart of the foliar feeding program. It's completely non-toxic, highly effective, and you can make it yourself at home.

Garrett Juice (ready to spray), per gallon of water:

1 cup manure based compost tea
1 ounce molasses
1 ounce natural apple cider vinegar
1 ounce liquid seaweed
* Note: The ready-to-use solution should not have more than 2 ounces of orange oil per gallon.

For more serious disease and insect control, add:

1/4 cup garlic tea or 1/4 cup garlic/pepper tea or 1 ounce of orange oil

For homemade fire ant killer add:

2 ounces of citrus oil per gallon of Garrett Juice
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Copyright © 1996 J. Howard Garrett