First Solo Canning

A box of pears for $3 finally gave me the final push to try canning. I bought two. There's still one left, and I have 8 beautiful jars of canned pears. All have sealed, the dishes are done, and it took just under two hours start to finish. What fun!


Now I'm the type of person who is happy to do things like this for the pure joy of it, and for the satisfaction of learning a new skill (and perhaps a little for the knowledge that if the world as we know it collapses, I have one more skill under my belt to feed myself). I'm the type of person who will knit a pair of socks that, if I were to take into account the hours of work and the cost of the yarn, would be worth $100. And I won't mind. I will enjoy it, and I will do it again.

However, I am curious about the economics of these pears. Lets do some calculations:

Jars: $0.75 at GIRO
Lids: $3.50
Pears: $3.00
Labour: $20.00 (2 hours at $10/hour)

Total: $27.25
Divide by 8 = $3.40 per jar

Not bad! Aside from the joy of it, I think it's economically worth it too. Perhaps not a savings, but definitely less ridiculous than the socks.

Experiments with Granola Bars

I've been easing into a wheat-free and refined sugar-free diet over the last several weeks. So far it seems to have eased my chronic and mysterious joint problems and I think it's worth sticking with.

I've adapted a granola bar recipe with some great success and I thought I would share it with you. As long as you keep the gooey/sticky proportions roughly the same you can experiment with substitutions, which is how I came up with this:

1/2 c. pumpkin puree (best homemade so there aren't any weird things added)
2/3 c. peanut butter
1/3 c. molasses
1/3 c. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. oats
1/2 c. unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c. unsalted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
1/3 c. raisins, chopped dried apricots, or dried cranberries
1/3 c. wheat germ (optional, if you aren't worried about eating wheat)
1 TBSP sesame seeds
1 TBSP flax seeds
1/2 c. carob chips.

Mix in order given. Press into 9x13 baking pan (you can use a cookie sheet but I think they bake more evenly in a pan that you'd make brownies in). Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until it starts to brown around the edges. Cut into squares while still warm.

Does anyone else have delicious wheat-free and refined sugar-free recipes to share with me?

A post for cute things

I present to you my latest find at the G.I.R.O. : One-cup coffee percolator. Cost 25 cents and makes fantastic coffee. And have you ever seen such a tiny, cute little percolater? For those who are already percolator users, you may have a knowing smile on your face now, remembering when you switched to the percolator and how good the coffee tasted. I have joined the ranks of percolatarians. And to think of the fantastic camping coffee this will make!

Speaking of cute, here are some little spider plan babies I have repotted. There were seven in the litter to start, and I've given away three, and taken one to my office at work. Now I'm propogating some little rosemarys from the huge bush in the yard, and have a wee mint on the go that nearly succumbed to mealy bugs but I think it will pull through.

To top off the cuteness, I found this tiny little feather in the driveway. My camera refused to focus on it, but I think this fuzzy picture is still rather cute.

Since my project isn't cute at all, I'm not allowed to talk about it in this post.

Curried lentils recipe

Due to popular demand (okay, one person asked), here is the recipe for the curried lentils I was raving about a while ago:

Step 1.
Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes:
1 c. lentils
1 1/2 c. water
2 beef boullion cubues
1 bay leaf
1 t. salt

Step 2.
Saute together:
1/4 c. margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Add:
1 t. salt
1-2 T. curry powder

Fry briefly. Add to step 1 with:
2 T. lemon juice
chopped parsley

Lentils are my new found love

The latest low-cost and nutritious food to float my boat is lentils. In a perusal of "More With Less" this morning as I avoided doing work, I became inspired to purchase some lentils and begin experimenting.

Experiment #1: Curried lentils.

Prep time = 30 minutes

Cost = <$1 for 3 servings

Nutrition = combine with a grain (like bread) for a decent dose of protein

This was seriously so delicious I keep sneaking into the fridge for more. And it was so incredibly easy I can't believe I haven't discovered lentils until now!

By the way, I took the chocolate beet cake to share with one of my classes last night and it got rave reviews. I'll definitely make that one again too.

In other food news, I attended a fantastic event at UBC today with several speakers on food policy and how it should taken seriously by planners. Things like community gardens, farmers markets, and encouraging the sale of locally produced food were all on the agenda. Check out Vancouver's food policy if you're particularly interested.

This fantastic event (which was probably made more fantastic by the fact that it was a distraction from the papers I have to write) was followed by a swanky reception with local food including salmon, cheeses, veggies, and lots and lots of wine. I ran into Jen, who some of you know, which was quite funny because I sat beside her and it was a good two minutes before either of us had a good look at the person we were sitting beside and realized that we knew each other. Jen is new homeowner and has her own garden. I'm jealous.

My beet dreams come true

There is a fantastic ode to beets in the Food section of the Vancouver Sun today along with several recipes. There are two that I can't wait to make: Beet Cranberry Soup and Chocolate Beet Cake. That's right, no type-o, beets in a chocolate cake. The subtitle says "If you can have carrot cake why not beet cake?" Good question!

Stay tuned for a progress report.

Everyone loves a good slaw

I think that a picture always improves a post, so here is one from the archives. This is Marla at Wickanninish Beach last summer.

I have been storing up several things to say for days now, and I am finally ready to blog them. Let me start with cabbage. Thanks to Sheena's postcard recipe, I made a delicious and simple cabbage and noodle dish last night. (My roommate says it's Hungarian, and that her grandma makes it all the time.) I learned, however, that cabbage shrinks down a lot when you cook it. So it turned out to be more of an appetizer than a full meal. (Sheena, I didn't follow your measurements for amounts, just followed the basic idea to make it for one person...and made it for half a person.)

By the way, receiving a recipe on a postcard was super cool. I support Canada Post!

Also on the topic of cabbage (there's so much you can do with one head), I made a slaw from the Rebar Cookbook that is absolutely delicious. I discovered that the food processor part of my hand blender does a fine job of shredding the veggies, so that makes it extremely quick to prepare. However, I have to admit my biggest flaw as a cook: I have a terrible tendency to put too much onion and/or garlic in things. And I did put too much onion in this slaw, and have had onion breath for two days. (Sorry Mike and Bri for the salad on Friday. I realized afterwards that there was way too much garlic in the dressing!)

I just read Jessica's recommendation of the More with Less cookbook and I want it. Can you say used book store scrounging? I wonder if it's at the UBC library. Somehow I don't think they have cookbooks. (Just checked, no dice.)

In other news, the second sock has taken backstage to a visit from Mom, homework, and watching Battlestar Galactica (thanks Bri and Mike). I haven't even finished the ribbing at the top yet. That's the problem with socks. You finish one, and it's great and wonderful and you're so happy, but then you have to make another one exactly the same. What's the fun in that? I'd be happier to knit socks for amputees.

Good for a girl who doesn't like beets

I just finished the last of the gallo pinto from last week, and my freezer is stocked with pre-cooked kidney beans. Today I decided to do something with the beets in the crisper. I bought them about a month ago with good intentions. They are cheap, local, and in season. They score a 3 out of 4, losing one point because I don't actually like beets. Or, I didn't used to. My parents tried to tell me they tasted like candy when I was a kid, and plop a bit of sour cream onto the pink hunks of boiled root vegetable. They were worse than broccoli. Far worse.

I boiled them up with onion, garlic, cumin, and tomatoes. First I sauteed the onion and garlic in oil, then added cumin (whole seed would have been better but I only had ground), and a bit of flour to thicken. Then I tossed in 3 chopped beets, and two chopped tomatoes (the recipe said to peel the tomatoes, but that just seemed like a waste of time). I added enough water to barely cover everything, and simmered for 45 minutes.

I recommend it. Tastier than just plain boiled beets, and pretty easy. It's also a good use of the squishy tomatoes that you forgot to eat last week.

Just so you don't think I'm freakishly strict about food, I'll let you in on a little secret. Last week, in Shoppers Drug Mart, I bought a few things that aren't healthy, cheap, local, or in season. I was driven by some serious cravings. Totally chemical and beyond the reach of the rational mind... I went home with a bag of all dressed chips (a big bag) and two (big) chocolate bars.

Hm, I think I'll have some of that chocolate bar right now...

Increase your molybdenum consumption

Kidney beans have become a large part of my diet since I returned from Nicaragua and began an "eating cheap and simple" kick.

I am currently boiling some beans, having decided to graduate from canned beans to dried. I dutifully soaked them overnight, removed the damaged beans, and rinsed. Somehow I thought it would take half an hour of boiling until they were tender. After an hour I decided to google my problem. It turns out an hour and a half is what you need.

I also learned that kidney beans are an excellent source of molybdenum. One cup of kidney beans contains 177% of your daily intake! Molybdenum is an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites.

Kidney beans also contain lots of fibre, iron, and protein. There are a few other benefits, but I don't want to bore my faithful readers so you can check out this website if you're interested.

I received some great tips on cooking with cabbage, including a postcard from Sheena. Thanks to you all. Now, anyone have tips on cooking with kidney beans? My repertoire is limited to "gallo pinto".

What to do with cabbage?

During my travels in Nicaragua I was struck by the difference in eating habits between here and there. I realized how obsessed we seem to be with variety in our diet. I suppose it's a privilege of our wealth, and has become part of our culture. Those strict meat and potato eaters would argue with me probably, but relative to Nicaraguans, they eat quite a lot of variety as well.

A typical meal in Nicaragua is Gallo Pinto (rice and beans mixed together), fried plantains, a bit of cabbage-based salad, and fried chicken if you can afford it. You probably can't get much cheaper than that.

Upon returning to privileged Canada, I have decided to experiment with some basic, cheap foods in an effort to eat even more cheaply than I already do. The current experiment is with cabbage, which is filled with vitamins and will apparently ward off all kinds of cancers. I made a huge cole slaw with a vinaigrette dressing, and it's quite good. I initially put in way too much onion, and had to dilute that taste with more cabbage, so I've been eating it for quite a number of days now.

Any other ideas for cabbage?