Princess We-No-Nah

["We-No-Nah" means oldest daughter in the Dakota language. The City of Winona, MN is named after Princess We-No-Nah. Picture taken September 11, 2010.]

Pickled Peppers

I started pickling jalapeno peppers last summer, which was also my first time pickling peppers. Since I didn't blog about it last year, I might as well blog about it this summer, especially since it's so yummy.

I don't exactly know how or what got me into pickling. I do know that on a whim I decided to follow a recipe posted by David Lebovitz, hoping for decent results. I purchased jalapeno peppers from the farmer's market and the requisite ingredients. So what was the pickled result? Crispy, tangy, sour, slightly sweet, and HOT peppers. I've also used this recipe to pickle onions and has also turned out yummy too.

This summer, in addition to just pickled jalapenos, I've also decided to try a mix of hot peppers. I mixed together jalapenos, cayenne peppers, and some smaller Thai peppers (I think). I can't wait to see if this trio turns out yummy too. By the way, these are known as "refrigerator" pickled peppers because the peppers are not canned, but left in the refrigerator to pickle.

Pickled Hot PeppersRecipe
Source: David Lebovitz
Amount: Makes three quarts of brine

1 pound (450g) fresh jalapeno peppers, washed (see Note)
2 1/2 cups (625ml) water
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar)
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons coarse salt, such as kosher or pickling salt (do not use regular table salt)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1. Stab each pepper three times or make slits in the pepper with a sharp paring knife and place them in a large glass preserving jar.

2. In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the other ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.

3. Remove from heat and pour the brine over the peppers. Place the lid on the jar and let cool. Once cool, refrigerate for at least a week before using, if possible. (You can use them sooner, but Michael says they're worth the wait.)

Serve whole, with Mexican dishes, or remove the seeds then chop and use to season any recipe that is improved by a little bit of sweet heat.

Storage: I've kept pickles like this for up to a few weeks, under refrigeration, without any problems. But like anything preserved, you should take precautions. If you wish to preserve them longer, you can use these canning instructions and guidelines.

Note: You can use another chile pepper in place of the japeños.

Seed Saving

Like many frugal gardeners in the blogsphere, I collect seeds from spent flowers to further expand my flower garden for less, especially if I do not have the flowers in my garden. Of course, for the flowers in my garden, I could let nature do its work and have the flowers reseed itself, but sometimes mother nature can be quite harsh during the winter time and the seeds may not survive the winter.

This spring I didn't get much chance to enjoy my annual pink poppies. Unfortunately, I've been quite busy with work and my home, and only got a passing glance at my pink poppies. Yet, last week I noticed that all of the poppy stalks had dried out. At that moment I made a mental note that I had to collect the seeds. So today, I took an empty envelope and shook all of the pods into the envelope, carefully collecting as many of the seeds as possible. After I emptied all of the poppy seed heads, I sealed the envelope and labeled it with the month and year. I'm already dreaming of next year's pink poppies.

I Spy With My Little Eye . . .

Several nights ago my beau was giving me flak for the lack of watermelons in my garden. His criticism was aimed at the fact that it's already the middle of July and there are no watermelons in my garden; therefore, I only have half of a summer left and no time left for fruit to develop and ripen. I unwillingly conceded with him, agreeing that I have lots of watermelon plants, but no fruit, and will probably not have any watermelon this summer.

Well, guess what I discovered today while weeding my garden. Underneath all the weeds (seriously, it has been about a month or two since I last weeded) I saw two small round fruits and a baby fruit beginning to sprout. Can you find these three fruits in the picture.? With these finds, especially the two round fruits, my faith has been renewed, and I believe that I will harvest at least two watermelons this summer from my garden.

Blueberry Picking

I didn't want to pick more blueberries, really. I was content with all the berries I got from my own three bushes. I snacked on much of it as breakfast and I even froze some to make smoothies. But, this morning, I it struck me that blueberry season was coming to an end in my backyard; therefore, blueberry season was going to come to an end for the season. Thoughts of no more fresh blueberries to be made into jam, to be made into a buckle (a semi-fancy name for a blueberry coffee cake), and just to eat fresh made me very sad. I was really motivated to make blueberry jam (I have yet to make blueberry jam) and a blueberry buckle.

So I called around and ended up at a you-pick-farm near the Twin Cities. The harsh weather storm yesterday didn't harm the berries but it left lots of water on the berries. I picked as best as I could, considering that the farm didn't have a lot of blueberry bushes and there were actually a lot of early morning risers, up to pick berries on a Sunday. Also, many of the bushes were already picked over. I only picked about four-pounds worth of fruit, but it was sufficient to make a small batch of jam, a blueberry buckle, and enough to eat fresh.

Drenched, But Blessed

It's about 9:15 p.m. and I just got home. I was at work today (yes, it's a Saturday, and yes, I stayed late). I left earlier in the afternoon to finish up some necessary closing of cases at work. I took the bus and didn't drive, thinking I was going to leave early. As always, once I'm on a roll, I couldn't get myself to leave. It was HOT and HUMID this morning, so I presumed that it would continue into the evening. Was I ever wrong.

By 6 p.m. dark clouds rolled in and I saw lightning. I think it may have rained, but the clouds cleared for a bit and the sun came through. Believing that the worst was over, I decided to stay until 8:15 p.m. When I got out of the building I knew that I should have left early. Due to the Twins game, I had to walk about a quarter of a mile to get to my bus stop. Several large gusts of wind blew at my back, telling me to hurry up. I got to my bus stop just in time to take refuge under the eave of a building when the rain came down.

And the rain REALLY came down. It came down fast and furious. Then it came down in sheets. It came down so hard that it hurt my eyes. Despite the building eave protecting me (and several other people waiting for the bus), the wind blew a lot of the rain toward my way. I was drenched. I looked up at the sky and stated that it looked like "tornado" conditions.

Eventually, my bus came and I hurried out into the bus. When I got off at my stop, I had to walk home. Even though it was about a quarter of a mile walk home, I jogged most of the way home. On my way home I noticed the large fallen branch blocking the sidewalk and that a large tree (yes, a tree) fell on an empty lot (probably due to the strong winds). Of course I was soaked when I reached my front door. I entered my home, happy and blessed. I'm thankful that I have shelter (with a solid roof) and that I wasn't hit by lightning.

Now, a warning just flashed across the television screen stating that a tornado may be heading towards parts of southern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Outside, the rain continues to pound, along with huge gusts of wind, thunder and lightning. I'm trying to warm myself up right now, but I'm just so glad for everyone and everything I have in my life. Hope everything is well with you.

Raspberry Patch

[Taken July 12, 2010.]

Locks of Love

For those who have seen me for the last two-plus years, you will know that I've been saving my hair to donate to Locks of Love. In case if you're not familiar with Locks of Love, it's a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to disadvantaged youths that have long term hair loss. You can find out more about Locks of Love at the following website: http://www.locksoflove.org/index.html

I've saved my hair for quite some time and I admit that at certain times it was unpleasant to have long hair. I've always favored short hair over long hair, probably because I love "wash and go" hair, but since I knew that I would donate my hair, I decided that the longer the better. While saving my hair, I also roped my beau into saving his hair too. We promised that we would cut or hair together once it got long enough.

Well . . . today was the day for our haircuts. We headed over to Great Clips and got free haircuts. The cool thing, other than getting free hair cuts, was that Great Clips will send the hair to Locks of Love for us. I donated approximately eighteen-inches of hair, while my beau donated about ten-inches. Woo-hoo. I hope our hair gets turned into hairpieces for someone special.

More Rain

This summer has been unusual, to say the least. Hot, muggy days have been interspersed with rainy days. Sometimes, the rain comes down in torrents, like right now (with thunder and lightening), and other days, it comes down quietly.

I love the rain and I'm always glad to get rain, especially when summers' past have been quite dry. However, I am also pleading for some sunny days. My hot peppers, tomatoes, and watermelons need some sun.

Cats and Dogs Cupcakes

[I made these on June 19, 2010.]