Gathering
With mortar & pestle we grind resin
with lavender
rosemary
& the peel of oranges
a thoughtful steady motion
channels open as aroma sifts through fingers
We burn candles dipped by hand
witness clarity in the dancing flame
& close our eyes to find stars on our belt
incense smoke to purify
we meditate & meet
we are the circle that surrounds us
Inside, She greets us
with open hands
scented loaves
& runes
She teaches us with what we seek
and touches us with knowing
© 2018 Doreen Shababy
Not trying to make anyone jealous, but this is the first time we have successfully grown a cauliflower. There are three of them in there, and I am going to harvest later today before the 100-degree temps that are predicted for the weekend make it bolt.
Yes, the photo below is of an artichoke, a thistle with a pedigree. There are two more buds hidden beneath this one. She’s a sexy beast!
The cauliflowers are nestled in between the broccoli’s in the corners, below, once we harvest there will be more room for the broc to spread… as if. The tall one in the corner is a purple sprouting broccoli, we have never grown one of these either. Tastes great.
You might be wondering about the opaque greenhouse covering. It’s called Solexx and everything they say about it is true. It tempers “hot spots” and distributes the light more evenly so it gets into low spots, corners, everywhere. It lasts much longer than even greenhouse polyethylene, and it doesn’t break like glass. The photo below shows the building not quite finished, Dave installed automatic openers on the other side of the ridge, and they work perfectly.
What is “blanching”? When referring to cooking, this is a technique where you plunge cut-up vegetables in rapidly boiling water for a specific amount of time; they are then removed and placed in cold water (some say ice water) to quickly chill. What you do next depends on what you’re going to do with the veggies.
I like to blanch some vegetables before stir-frying, but here we are going to freeze a small harvest of broccoli from our greenhouse.
Why do we blanch vegetables before freezing? The most important reason is to stop enzymatic activity in the plant material which would eventually lead to decay. Freezing only slows down the enzymes, but blanching destroys the enzymes and also prevents changes in color, flavor and nutritive value. Fresh is best of course, but putting up food for the winter is a good thing too, and canned broccoli is not a quality product in any way, shape or form!
Fruit also contains enzymes (which is why some turn dark after cutting open) but the acid in the fruit helps preserve it without blanching.
Another reason for blanching is to clean the food surface of microorganisms and also to purge air from the plant tissue which could lead to oxidation.
One gallon of water will generally be enough to blanch 1lb. of veggies. Cut them uniformly so they all heat at the same rate. Do not add salt to the water. Find a basic good book such as So Easy to Preserve or go to your county extension website for more info on how long to blanch specific veggies
. 
This broccoli was blanched for 3 minutes. I like to freeze on a lined baking sheet so the pieces don’t stick together and I can remove only what I want. Let freeze for about an hour or until firm, then place in freezer bags to store. Remember to label and date.
My Master Food Preserver literature says you can freeze small whole peppers such as jalapenos without blanching, and I have done this with success. I also like to char the skin off of poblanos and anaheims, cut them open and lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze, then put them in freezer bags. I don’t think I need to tell you how to use those, do I?
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| Let’s plate this dish! |
I’m here to tell you, the effort is well worth it, because the results taste sort of like raspberry
whipped cream.
You can put the butter into a decorative crock for serving, or make it into a log as is shown in the above photo. Simply take a length of waxed paper, carefully place the butter along the length to form into a roll, and use the paper to help form the log. Roll it fairly tight, tape it closed, then place on a rimmed baking sheet and into the chill-box to firm up for slicing later.
Raspberry butter tastes good on warm rolls, on crisp almond crackers, in your oatmeal, on your pinky finger.
I would wear this butter as a dress if i thought I could get away with it.
