Every day is a new day and with that, a new opportunity.
EVERYONE is welcome and please join us each morning at 7:30 AM PACIFIC
to tell us what you're working on, share your show & tell, vent, whatever you want...
...this is an open thread. Nothing is off topic.
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We gardeners end up with way too much stuff. It's always tricky deciding what to do with it all once you run out of neighbors. What do you do?
So our veggies are coming in fast and furious now. I'll show you a quick trick to save some of your bounty once you've run out of neighbors to give it to.
Right now our Eisley Peppers are ready. But like most things, it's all ready to pick at once. I want to share a very, very simple way to save them for future use. This is my quick, safe and fool proof canning method.
Normal canning takes planning and effort. You have to make sure the jars you use are sterile which requires placing them in boiling water for 20 minutes if you want to be 100% sure all bacteria and any bacterial cysts (some bacteria do that) are killed. Once your canning jars are sterilized you need to get to canning in a hurry. Seasoned canning pros usually have a whole strategy for a lengthy canning session lasting hours.
Well, there is a way to can veggies of all sorts without that hassle. How? You pickle them in vinegar. This doesn't require sterile jars...just clean ones are fine. No need to boil them prior to canning. Let me show you what I do.
Here are some Eisley Peppers growing. There are at least 10 or 11 peppers in just this one area! I picked all the ripe ones three days ago...and now I'm getting more ripe ones as you can see.
Here is what I did with the ripe peppers I picked three days ago. I had enough to fill two quart-sized canning jars. I washed the jars then dumped into each jar 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon minced garlic from a jar of the stuff I buy at the supermarket and always have on hand.
Then I pack the jars with the peppers and fill them up with vinegar. I use regular white vinegar for about 2/3rds of the volume and rice vinegar for the remaining 1/3rd. Another option is to just by 4 Monks brand vinegar. It's this simple. And you will not have to worry about it spoiling or becoming toxic. You can also keep adding more stuff into the jar as you eat your way through what's in it. The vinegar will keep pickling whatever you add.
Wait for three weeks...longer is just fine...and they are ready to eat. You need to shake the jars up every few days and turn them upside down to sit...then right side up the next time you shake them.
You can add any stiff kind of veggie you want...cauliflower, green beans, small onions, carrots, celery, etc. You can also add different fresh herbs and other spices to change the flavor of your pickled veggies and peppers.
Blending
Now another simple thing to do is blend up veggies or fruits to make amazingly nutritious smoothies. I am a big fan of blending ALL of the fruit or veggie to get all the fiber and all the vitamins in the skins and seeds.
Juicers are fine, but you then get all the pulp left over and usually cleaning the juicer itself is a hassle. Why not consume the pulp?
We don't juice...we super blend. We bought a super powerful blender that pulverizes everything you put into it into liquid...so you drink it all and just rinse the blender out...done! A regular blender won't do this however. There are two blenders on the market I know about that can do this. The Blend Tec brand blender and the Vitamix brand blender. We have a Blend Tec. It can blend anything we throw into it...including all skins and seeds. We put avocado pits in it for instance.
The micro-nutrients you get from drinking ALL of the fruit or veggie is vastly better than throwing out the pits and fibrous pulp. Using a super blender is a great way of making sure you can use your abundant summer harvest daily. We make breakfast smoothies that have several things blended together. You can get really creative and add some lemon juice, fresh ginger, cilantro or anything to your mixture.
Here's a picture of ours right after I used it before I rinsed it out. Below that is a video of the thing blending 50 marbles just to show you this sucker can blend any fruits or veggie to liquid smithereens.
Healthy snack food
A quick way to make nutritious snacks are bake 1) kale chips and 2) crunchy garbanzo beans.
For kale chips heat your oven to 275. Cut or rip kale leaves into 2 inch pieces...coat in olive oil or avocado oil...add salt and pepper to taste...cook until crispy on a baking sheet.
For crispy garbanzo beans (way better for you than cheetos) heat the oven to 400. Rinse the bean and rub off any loose skins...coat in olive or avocado oil...add salt and pepper to taste and bake on a baking sheet until golden brown...a little longer if you like them crispier.
What do you do to make full use of all the stuff you grow?
Latest Updates on Kossack Regional Meet-Up News Below the New Day sunrise cloud
:: COMMUNITY BUILDING UPDATES ::
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Let's build communities!
Every region needs a meatspace community like SFKossacks.
We take care of each other in real life.
I urge YOU to take the lead and organize one in your region.
Please tell us about it if you do and we're here for advice.
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THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY
>>>Instructions on HOW TO FORM A NEW DAILY KOS GROUP
NEW GROUPS IN THE PROCESS OF ORGANIZING:
Send a Kosmail to the organizers and ask for an invitation to the group.
• Northern Indiana Area: Kosmail Tim Delaney
• Long Island: Kosmail grannycarol
• Northern Michigan: Kosmail JillS
• Nebraska: Kosmail Nebraska68847Dem
• Westburbia Chicago Kossacks: Kosmail Majordomo
• New York Hudson Valley Kossacks: Kosmail boran2
• North Carolina Triangle Kossacks: Kosmail highacidity
• Caprock Kossacks (Panhandle/Caprock/Lubbock/Amarillo area) : Kosmail shesaid
• West Texas Kossacks (including Big Bend Region and El Paso) : Kosmail Yo Bubba
Note to the above new leaders: Feel free to leave a comment any day reminding readers about your new group. Also, tell us about your progress in gathering members. Kosmail me when you've chosen a good name for your group and have created a the group. Then I'll move you to the NEW GROUPS LIST. When you've planned a date for your first event I'll make a banner for you to highlight your event in our diaries and your diaries.
These are the groups that have started since * NEW DAY * began. Please Kosmail navajo if you have started a group before that.
NEW GROUPS LIST:
• California Central Valley Kossacks - Formed: Jul 29, 2012, Organizer: tgypsy
• New England Kossacks - Formed: Aug 6, 2012, Organizers:
Clytemnestra for Lower New England (Conneticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island)
nhox42 for Upper New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont)
• Houston Area Kossacks - Formed: Aug 7, 2012, Organizer: Chrislove
• Kossacks in India - Formed: Aug 14, 2012, Organizer: chandu
• CenTex Kossacks - Formed: Sep 9, 2012, Organizer: papa monzano
• Central Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Sep 26, 2012, Organizer: VetGrl
• Kansas City Kossacks - Formed Oct 15, 2012, Organizer: [Founder stepped down]
• Phoenix Kossacks - Formed Oct 16, 2012, Organizer: arizonablue
• Chicago Kossacks - Formed: Oct 31, 2012, Organizer: figbash
• Koscadia the Pacific Northwest coast from Northern California to Alaska
- Formed Oct 17, 2012, Oganizer: Horace Boothroyd III based in Portland, OR
• Boston Kossacks - Formed: Nov 7, 2012, Organizer: GreyHawk
• Motor City Kossacks South East Michigan (Detroit) Area - Formed: Nov 10, 2012, Organizer: peregrine kate
• Pittsburgh Area Kossacks - Formed: Nov 12, 2012, Organizer: dweb8231
• Salt Lake City Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: War on Error
• Twin Cities Kossacks - Formed: Nov 17, 2012, Organizer: imonlylurking
• Dallas Kossacks North Texas - Formed: Nov 21, 2012, Admins: Catte Nappe and dalfireplug. Please contact them to join the group. An Event Organizer needed.
• The Southern California Inland Empire Kossacks - Formed: Dec 3, 2012, Organizer: SoCaliana
• Los Angeles Kossacks - Formed: Dec 17, 2012, Organizer: Dave in Northridge
• Northeast Ohio Kossacks - Formed: Jan 16, 2013, Organizer: GenXangster
• Kansas & Missouri Kossacks - Formed: Jan 17, 2013, Organizer: tmservo433
• I-77 Carolina Kossacks who live from Columbia, SC to north of Winston-Salem, NC. - Formed: Jan 30, 2013, Organizers: gulfgal98 and eeff
• Indianapolis Kossacks - Formed: Feb 6, 2013, Organizer: CityLightsLover
• Southwest Ohio Kossacks - Formed: May 10, 2013, Organizer: Dr Erich Bloodaxe RN
• Northern Arizona Kossacks - Formed: Jul 5, 2013, Organizer: Sam Sara
ESTABLISHED GROUPS LIST: (List will grow as we discover them)
• SFKossacks Founded by navajo, Formed: May 2, 2005
• Maryland Kos Founded by timmyc, Formed: Feb 23, 2011. Contact: JamieG from Md for a group invite.
• New York City Founded by Eddie C - Contact the group organizer for meet-up events: sidnora
• Baja Arizona Kossacks, Event Organizer: Azazello
• Three Star Kossacks Tennessee, Founded by maryKK, Formed: Apr 8, 2011
• Nashville KosKats, Founded by ZenTrainer Formed: Jan 30, 2012
• Virginia Kos Founded by JamieG from Md, Formed: May 3, 2011
• Kos Georgia Founded by pat208, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• Colorado COmmunity Founded by Leftcandid, Formed: Feb 13, 2011
• New Mexico Kossaks Founded by claude
• Philly Kos Founded by mconvente Formed: Aug 29, 2011
• DKos Florida Founded by ThirstyGator, Formed: Feb 14, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail Vetwife to be included in next event.
• Oklahoma Roundup Founded by BigOkie, Formed: Feb 13, 2011, Currently organizing: Kosmail peacearena to be included.
• DKos Asheville Founded by davehouck, Formed: Feb 13, 2011 - Organizing Assist by: randallt
:: Events Currently on the Books for ALL Kossacks ::
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Sunday, August 4th
SFKossacks Meet BeadLady and the Okiciyap Quilt!
TIME: 1:00 PM
LOCATION: Saul's Restaurant & Delicatessen
1475 Shattuck Ave (at Vine) • Berkeley
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend.
RSVPs:
1. BeadLady
2. navajo
3. Catilinus
4. dharmasyd
5. norm
6. Lorikeet
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Maybees: |
Sunday, August 4th
NYC Kossacks Meet-up
TIME: Noon
LOCATION: Spitzer's Corner
101 Rivington Street (Ludlow) • NYC
ORGANIZER: Send Sidnora a kosmail to RSVP.
RSVPs:
1. joanbrooker
2. mconvente
3. belinda ridgewood
4. Yasuragi
5. sidnora
6. Its the Supreme Court Stupid
7. blue jersey mom
8. kathny
9. ask
10. rubyr
11. plf515
12. thankgodforairamerica
13. No Exit
14. gchaucer2
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15. MBNYC
16. andgarden
Maybees:
Ollie Garkey
Ian Reifowitz
wader
nyceve
aoeu
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Latest diary: NYC Meetup 8/4: Beat the Dog Days!
Saturday, November 2nd
SFKossacks BBQ in the Wine Country
TIME: TBD
LOCATION: Andrew McGuire's home in the Wine Country
Address to be given privately to RSVPs • Windsor
ORGANIZER: Send navajo a kosmail to attend.
Andrew McGuire is Executive Director of California One Care
RSVPs:
1. Andrew McGuire
2. navajo
3. Shockwave
4. Hunter
5. elfing
6. Hunter/elfling offspring
7. smileycreek
8. paradise50
9. dharmasyd
10. maggiejean
11. norm
12. Lusty
13. dksbook
14. Mr. dksbook
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15. kimoconnor
16. jpmassar
17. side pocket
18. Mrs. side pocket
Maybees:
Glen The Plumber
remembrance
TLO™
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Send navajo a kosmail if you post a diary about an event so we can update our round-up.
Okay. Floor's open.
Tell us what you are doing on this NEW DAY?