Suus' Dutch American Apple Pie

for the dough:
320 g white four (.7 lbs)
200 g butter (2 sticks)
120 g cane sugar (.26 lbs)
3 g salt
little bit of orange juice

Add dry ingredients to KitchenAid. Soften butter in microwave for one minute. Mix in with dry ingredients. Use a little orange juice if needed so it will form a ball.

Use a greased 10" spring vorm. Sprinkle flour on counter and roll out dough to about 1/4"- 1/8" thick. Assemble pieces into vorm, cover bottom and sides completely, pinch edges. Save about 1/3 of dough for top lattice.

for the filling:
6-8 large apples, peeled, cored and cubed
6 tbs (vegetable) butter
3 tbs cane sugar
1 cup raisins (golden & black)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup liqour (bourbon, rum)
lemon

Melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar, salt & spices and stir till blended. Add apples & raisins and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add liqour and cook for another 10 minutes or more until liquid is reduced and thickenend (or pour off excess liquid). Squeeze lemon juice into mixture, it helps prevent browning of apples.

Add filling to pie shell. If desired, thicken excess liquid (extra cooking, or corn starch) and add to filling. Cut excess dough into strips and assemble criss-cross for lattice top. Brush lattice top with egg white.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Dough recipe from Het Nieuwe Kookboek by H.H.F. Henderson.
Filling recipe adapted from Bourbon Apple Pie by Smith & Thruslow

Top Bar Beekeeping

Since we have about 2 acres of meadow we let go to 'the weeds' every year and only bushwhack it once late fall we get tons of flowers. Mostly golden rods and other more weed designated, but also black eyed susans, daisies, milkweed, wild strawberries and whatnot's. With all those flowers we get tons of insects (and birds, including nest hummingbirds!) and the buzzing of all those busy bees made me wonder about bee keeping.

I've asked around town for bee keepers to set up hives on the back lot without much success, apparently west hill is too far for most Ithacans. Then I found the article "Keeping Bees using the Top Bar Method" in Mother Earth Magazine (see picture). To me, it reads like building a bird house, but for bees, and only taking surplus honey when available, without interfering with hive life. No expensive setup to buy and maintain, with just enough honey for a family to cope with!

The Barefoot Beekeeper book and website has lots more information, including a free eBook on How to Build a Top Bar Hive. I'm collecting materials to do so before spring arrives, and look forward to start utilizing our weeds in a new, but very old, and yummy, way!

self closing fence gate

In the Netherlands, petting zoo's, or better translated, children's farms, have angled self closing gates to help the kids keep the animals in their pens. In these "kinder boerderijen" the parents and kids are allowed to wander in and out of the animal pens, and the kids and animals are encouraged to interact with each other. To keep the animals, especially the goats, from wandering out with the kids some bright mind came up with a self closing gate.

The gate in this picture is paired with a shuttle entry and another gate at the end entering the main pen - double the security, and especially useful at petting zoo's where there is a lot of traffic in and out (or which house escape artists).

All in all, it's just a standard gate but with the hinge post at an 15 -20 degree angle. The weight of the (wooden) gate will help it swing back shut, and also help with animals trying to shove it back open. We use a gate latch to keep it shut when were not around since we do keep goats :-)

What I use for canning

canners:
• waterbath canner, includes rack for 7 quart jars
• pressure canner, mine has weights, not a gauge

canning hand tools:
• wide mouth canning funnel
• canning jar lifter
• kitchen tongs
• canning lid lifter (magnetic tip)

jars
• quart, pint, 1/2 pint jars
• new lids
• (recycled) metal bands
• plastic mason lids for fridge storage

extra's
• cheese cloth or jelly strainer bag
• stainless steel (tomato) strainer
• stainless steel colander
• large stainless steel pot(s) with lid
• stainless steel whisk, stirring spoon(s)
• rubber pot cleaner/scraper

There are steam canners available which use steam instead of boiling water to can the jars. This significantly reduces the amount of water used (the jars do not have to be submerged) and thus the amount of energy used to bring the water to a boil. Instead of buying another piece of equipment, I have been using my pressure canner (sans weight) as a steam canner with good success. The ease of steam canning makes it preferable over waterbath canning, plus steam canning does not leave hard water marks on the glass jars either.

Once a year the Cornell Cooperative Extension hosts pressure canner checks. They recommend to have your pressure canner checked before use each season to prevent accidents. Please email them for more info at tompkins@cornell.edu.

Canning Equipment & Resources

The two places to get canning equipment locally are:

locally owned Ithaca Agway & True Value
213 South Fulton Street
Ithaca NY 14850
607.272.1848

They have a nice selection of canning gear, tools, and books all year but an especially large selection at the end of summer. They also sell pressure canners and waterbath canners.

Wegmans
500 South Meadow Street
Ithaca NY 14850
607.277.5800

In the paper product section (paper towels, tissues etc.) Wegmans Ithaca has nice selection of canning jars, lids, some tools, pectins etc. Seasonally they will expand the selection and also include waterbath canners and other less usual products.

If these two stores do not carry what you are looking for there are numerous internet stores that specialize in canning & baking equipment.

Bulk ingredients for baking and canning can be found at:

Green Star
701 W Buffalo Street
Ithaca NY 14850
607.273.9392

Bulk organic nuts, flours, molassis, sugars. They also have yogurt starters and vegetable rennet available.

Regional access
1609 Trumansburg Road
Ithaca NY 14850
607.319.5150
food@regionalaccess.net

New York State’s leading purveyor of natural and specialty foods, Regional Access sells bulk products to both businesses and the general public.

Need more professional kitchen equipment?

B & W Supply Co.
510 3rd Street
Ithaca, NY 14850-3209
(607) 273-5300

A restaurant supplier whom also sells to the general public. If you need specific baking equipment, or higher end kitchen equipment than available at Target, B&W is definitely worth checking out.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle • Used Clothing

Second Hand and Vintage Clothing stores in Ithaca:

Trader K's
119 East State Street
Ithaca, NY 14850-5543
607.272.4011

Service League Shop
104 W Seneca St
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.272.2120

the Salvation Army
381 Elmira Road, Ithaca
607.273.3872

Petrune
126 E State St
on the Commons
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.277.1930

Dinosaur Dry Goods
Rt 90
King Ferry, NY 13081
315.364-5591

Especially for Children:

Mama Goose
430 West State Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
607.269.0600

Gorges Kids
19 East Main Street
Trumansburg, NY 14886
(607) 387-4994

Poached Pears for canning

2.5 pounds of cooking pears
2 cups of red wine
1 cup of organic cane sugar
cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg to taste

Peel, quarter and remove the seeds.
Place fruit directly into sterilized canning jars.
Combine wine and sugar, heat slowly and simmer until all sugar is dissolved.
Pour the hot liquid over the pears, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.

Process in a boiling water bath, pints 25 minutes and quarts 30 minutes.

After processing, remove from boiling water and place on towels with at least 1 inch space around to cool naturally as quickly as possible.

Excerpt from CanningUSA.com

Traditional Dutch Poached Pears

2.5 pounds of cooking pears
ca. 2 cups of water
one large cinnamon stick
lemon peel (optional)
lemon juice
1.5 to 2 oz organic cane sugar
tablespoon of corn flour

Peel pears; for display leave whole with stem attached. Arrange side to side at the bottom of a thick bottom pan. Add water, cinnamon stick (lemon peel) and a squeeze or two of lemon juice to prevent browning and slowly cook the pears until either tender ( ca. 45 minutes) or red (ca. 4 hours).

Carefully remove the soft pears (scooping them out with two spoons helps) and arrange side to side in a nice dish. Remove the cinnamon stick (and lemon peel) and bind the cooking fluid with a little cornstarch to create a syrup.

A very good variation is to exchange the cooking water with either red wine or port.

To can these delicious pears, pack hot pears in sterile pint jars.
Pour the hot liquid over the pears, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.
Process in a boiling water bath, pints 25 minutes.

The cooking times, amount of sugar needed and the redness of the finished pears are all variables depending on the variety of pear used. The Netherlands offers specific cooking pear varieties which are not available in the States. But, the States does have old fashioned cooking pear varieties that can be used just as well.

A good rule of thumb is: if the pear is good eating when picked, it is a hand pear and too soft for cooking. If the pear is too hard and bitter straight of the tree, it will need to be stored to ripen (for hand eating), and can be used for cooking.

Translated from "Het Nieuwe Kookboek", page 292.

Fruiting Plants that like 14850!

By far the best place to get (bare rooted) fruit trees in Ithaca is Cummins Nursery, owned by Steve Cummins, part of Indian Creek Farm on 1408 Trumansburg Road / rt 96N. You can call 607.227.6147 or email indiancreekfarm@yahoo.com for more information. They sell dwarf and full size apples, pears, stone fruits but also several raspberry & blackberry & blueberry varieties and great strawberries. We have planted fruit trees from several nurseries around town and only the Cummins Nursery plants thrived!

If you are looking for cheap bulk trees try the National Arbor Day Foundation. When you become a member they will gift you 10 trees, and they also have a Tree Store with very reasonable prices. Don't be surprised when you get the shipment, though, the little trees are like bare(ly) rooted sticks! But with a little TLC and fast planting they will grow fine.

If you are looking for specialty small fruiting plants, like elderberries, gooseberries and currants, Nourse Farms is a good option. Ask for their catalog and see what you like.

Turnbull Nursery Offer large quantities but don't give guaranties. Their stock is excellent quality and they are the cheapest suppliers on Currants and goosberries.

Oikos Tree Crops Offer a lot of varieties which are hard to get otherwise. Their potted seedlings are fine quality.

Of course, by far the best way to get plants you know will love this area is by dividing or rooting cutings from established plants. Ask around, place a craigslist ad, you'll never know what might come up. I bought rhubarb plants twice and could not get them through the winter; gave up on catalogs and placed a local ad, was offered to divide from a 50 year old patch of farm rhubarb and have not had any trouble since!

(Thank you, Angelika!)

a homemade Rotating Composter

I made a well working Rotating Composter out of left over rough cut hemlock and a recycled black plastic 55 gallon tank I got thru craigslist for $15!

Please look at the pics for the design, when I have time I'll try to draw it out and post it. It's a pretty straight forward design, with the tank on chest level to have enough space below to dump compost in a tub. I used four small caster wheels to be able to rotate. At some point I will attach a couple of small handles on the side of the tank to help rotating (the thing gets pretty heavy at the end of summer). Do not use a metal tank, they DO rust through!

Gun Black on Main Street in Interlaken sells black plastic 55 gallon tanks on a regular base. Do rinse them out well, since they did contain dye chemicals. Agway Ithaca also sells plastic 55 gallon tanks, but they rarely have black. Most of their tanks contained food products.





I like to dump my worm bin in the composter during summer and only have them live in the basement when the weather is too cold. Since we have chickens and worms, we do not have that much leftover organic matter to compost. I feed the composter extra's (clumps of grass from the mower, fallen leaves in spring, rotten eggs) so we do get about one load of great compost each spring I love to use for new plantings (always need more fruit trees...).

FREE scrap wood and pallets

There are a few places in town that are still willing to give away pallets and scrap wood.

Pallets are wood platforms used to ship stuff on. Most pallets have a refund, so do not take those nice ones stacked behind stores - they are worth money. Pallets with a 2x4" size frame tend to be all pine, pallets with a narrower frame tend to be hardwood (these are also heavier).

Scrapwood are cut offs and pieces of lumber used for packaging large bundles for shipping. Depending on where the shipment came from the lumber could be hardwood, but most are low grade pines. Packing lumber tends to be pretty beaten up, and most often has routed channels to keep the metal packing straps from slipping.

Agway Ithaca on route 13 gives away used pallets. If you do not need real nice ones, and not that many, they're happy to help you out. If you need real nice ones (hardwood etc) they might ask for a few bucks.

A business on the corner of route 13 and Green Street leaves pallets out on the grass between the sidewalk and the street on a fairly regular base. It's the business with the chain link fence, before Pegasus. First come first serve, obviously.

Cayuga True Value Lumber on 801 West State Street (rt 79 west) has lengths of scrap wood and sometimes pallets for free. The scrap wood is piled up in a small wooden shed off the parking lot on the side of the store - but ask for permission first, sometimes the employees store stuff there for other projects.

Lowe's Ithaca at 130 Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway has a scrap wood bin in the back of the building, behind the saw apparatus in the wood department. They also have pallets on and off. It is a good idea to verify with an employee you have the right bin, the cash register people know about scrap wood being free. I heard about a storage trailer for free pallets parked back there but have not located it yet - ask and maybe you will!

It has become difficult to find decent pallets, especially in winter (wood stoves) and spring (maple syrup). It pays to keep your eyes open! If you find a new location let me know and I'll be happy to add it to the list.

An easy Solar Dehydrator project

Based on the design of the solar dehydrator mentioned in the "A Solar Food Dryer from Cardboard Boxes" article by Dale J. Jennings (Mother Earth Magazine) I built a rather successful wood version. I prefer the wood version over the cardboard as I can leave it out all summer and not worry about rain fall. With a little scrounging I was able to use salvaged wood, an old storm window, a rectangular framed window, a heavy duty black garbage bag, some metal sheeting and some old plastic bug screen.

I did not have metal screen window screens I made those from new materials, but I would strongly suggest looking around to find three identical size that are professionally fabricated, or bring three plastic screen windows to your local home improvement store and have them professionally stretch the metal screen. Even though I have screen print and painting canvas stretch experience I was not able to stretch the wire screen without tension, which resulted in uneven screens. They work fine, but it is annoying to handle them as they want to pop back up instead of laying down flat...

Have the dimensions of your box be determined by the dimensions of your three or four screen frames, then find a top window to fit that and then put together the box body. Look for a rectangular wood framed window for the heater tunnel that is similar in width as the drying screens.

I used the illustrations in the article to base my design on and as long as you have the intake on the bottom, flue on the top, with a metal sheet to guide the airflow within the drying box it should not really matter how big or small it ends up to be. Use bug screen on air openings to prevent drying bugs with your produce!

Below images of my finished project, including some of the delicious dried apple slices we made!


Front view of the dehydrator. The heat tunnel is slid into the opening on the drying box, not permanently attached. We only have to lift up and slide the heat tunnel out, to be able to carry the apparatus to the shed in two manageable parts.

The back side of the dehydrator. I attached a horizontal bar on each side of the box to create carrying handles. Since I used scrap wood for the legs I did not have anything longer than 48" but combined with the length of the window heat tunnel, the angle of the tunnel toward the sun is not ideal for optimal heat. It does not seem to hinder the drying process, though it might make it a little slower. When I find a shorter window of the same width I can make a shorter tunnel, and compare the two - it will be neat to see if a more efficient angle will make a difference.


And bon appetit! Delicious homemade dried apple slices, without any preservatives.

Baby chicks without mail order...

I get my color ranger meat chickens from Susan Hannah out of Pennsylvania, who treks up to the Fingerlakes in spring to deliver baby chicks and keets. I much prefer color rangers over the traditional Cornish or Cornish X Rock. They look nicer, develop better (slightly slower) and have less health problems. If you would like to try her out as well you can reach her at 973.827.1665 or email her at hannan_susan@yahoo.com

Of course both locally owned Agway and chain store Tractor Supply Inc sell chicks & ducks as well. Personally I prefer the chicks from Agway (it's the one on the other side of route 13). They tend to have a nice variety of breeds each year, and also offer some turkey and duck breeds. My problem is that they offer the most common breeds which are of course not the ones I want!

You can also use Craigslist.com and place a wanted ad to share a mail order. Mention the company you'd like to order from, the type of poultry (ducks and geese ship together, but not with chicks for instance) and your preferred time frame. I've have real good experiences buying rare breed turkey like this, but I have also heard the opposite - it does not hurt to be clear in your intentions and ask for a down payment :-)

Pickled Bell Peppers

7 pounds of firm bell peppers
3 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
9 garlic cloves
4 1/2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt

Yields about 9 pint jars.

Wash peppers, remove seeds, remove any blemishes and slice into strips.

Boil sugar, vinegar and water for 1 minute. Add peppers and bring back to a boil.

Place 1 clove of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in each sterile pint jar. Add pepper strips and cover with hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Adjust sterile lids.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Very good pizza topping!

Concord Grape Jam, made easy

2 qts. stemmed Concord grapes
6 c. sugar

Separate pulp from skins of grapes. If desired, chop skins in a food blender or chopper. Cook skins gently 15 to 20 minutes, adding only enough water to prevent sticking (about 1/2 cup). Cook pulp without water until soft; press through a sieve or food mill to remove seeds.

Combine pulp, skins and sugar. Bring slowly to boiling, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to jellying point, about 10 minutes.

As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Pour, boiling hot, into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps.

Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield about 3 pints.

From Cooks.com

Lava - chicken breast in tomato sauce

large chicken breast, cut
1 quart thick red tomato sauce
peaches on heavy syrup (keep syrup)
1 tbs sweet / hungarian paprika
1 tbs crushed garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sambal oelek
salt to taste

Fry the chicken breast pieces with the paprika and sambal oelek. When the meat is seared, add tomato sauce, garlic, pepper, salt and peach syrup. Keep at a slow boil until sauce bubbles like lava from a vulcano and the chicken is done, about 30-45 minutes. Add cut peaches last, they get real hot real fast and like to burn your lips!

Good with brown rice, serves 3-4 people.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

little over 1 pound of pumpkin cut in cubes
1 quart of chicken bouillon
3 onions
1 tablespoon mild yellow curry powder
3 laurel leaves
some vegetable butter
finely chopped parsley
sweet soysauce to taste
black pepper to taste
chevre (or creme fraiche if available)

Peel onions and chop finely and brown in butter for a couple of minutes. Add curry powder and pumpkin cubes and blanch for another 5 minutes. Add chicken bouillon and laurel leaves and cook the pumkin (with lid) about 25 minutes, or until tender.

Remove laurel leaves and blend thoroughly with a stick blender. Bring back to a boil and add pepper and sweet soy sauce to taste. Just before serving spoon in chopped parsley and garnish with a big dollop of chevre in the middle of the bowl. Bon Appetit!

Translated from a much used recipe from Bor & Els Spoon, thank you!

Local Building Resources

Holistic Homebuilders
owner Sarah Highland
607.272.3475
sarahkh@lightlink.com

Sarah and her crew build our 2 car garage, with photography equipment storage unit and loft, in the beautiful traditional timberframe style. She also constructs pole buildings, and refrains from using man made materials like plywood and chipboard.

Shady Creek Construction
owner Chris Yoder
5907 State Route 414
Romulus NY 14541
888.778.8120

Chris Yoder and his crew specialize in metal roofing but also construct pole buildings using locally milled lumber. They built a beautiful horse barn on Iradel Road (between 96 and Sheffield) from hemlock in the board and batten style - I would love having a barn like that on my property!
testimony from Rochester Green Living

Green Building Directory from Cornell Cooperative Extension, listing local green buiding businesses, professionals and tradespeople.

Collins Lumber & Sawmill
Conkrite Road in Alpine, NY
607.594.3490

While they are not contractors, they do mill local wood for both contractors like Sarah Highland and hobbyists like me. We get all our wood from Collins, even though it's a 20 minute drive. Rough sawn hemlock is great to work with and lasts as well as pressure treated lumber.

Significant Elements
212 Center Street, Ithaca NY 14850
607 277 3450

Charity salvage yard, good place to pick up doors, windows, old fashion hardware, kitchen & bathroom ceramics; also runs lead paint awareness workshops (website under construction). Keep an eye out for their monthly FREE FRIDAY event.

Shaver Brothers
32 Perrine Street, Auburn NY 13021
800-564-7206

Lots of architectural salvage. Just neat to walk around, even if you are not looking for anything in particular! Seems to have a larger selection than Significant Elements, but is a bit of a drive.

Green Eco Services
"your one click source for all things green"
Their website has an extensive list of salvage yards in New York State if you can not find what you are looking for locally.

Sustainably harvested local Black Locust fence posts

A good local company we used for our locust fence posts is Top Notch Tree Service. They also do tree work - he's an arborist - and they harvest the locust from their own locust grove. He has very decent prices, $4 per split eight foot post and $20 delivery.

You can contact Rob Neff at phone 607.898.9898 cell 607.423.9400 or email at TopNotchTrees84@yahoo.com

two recommended livestock butchers

Grap's Slaughterhouse
36 Langford Creek Road
Van Etten NY
607.589.6844

Shirk Meats
4342 John Green Road
Dundee NY 14837
607.243.5581

Good cheese making resources

The two companies I was referred most, which specialize in cheese making supplies are:

New England Cheese Making Supply Company
with tons of equipment, workshops, books, gift ideas and beginner kits. I like their equipment prices and got my thermometer, ladle and cheese cloth here.

The Dairy Connection
more focused on the advanced hobbyist and (small scale) professionals. I like their bulk cultures, and got my MM100 mesophillic and rennet here.

I am planning on building a Dutch Cheese Press myself, and when I locate suitable building plans I will add them here. New England Cheesemaking sells plans, if you are interested right now ;-)

For the sake of our local merchants, I got my cheese knife, stainless steel colander and stainless steel small measuring cups at B&W Restaurant Supply Company located at 510 Third Street which is off of Route 13 and opposite Aldi. They also carry a large selection of stainless steel pots (do not use aluminum pots & pans) though I was able to get mine at the New Jersey Ikea for a much better price (long drive, though).

A very good website, with lots of goat husbandry tips and cheese recipes, is found at Fias Co Farm. I like this site because the design is low key and the focus is on dairy goats, not cows.

A blog I just discovered: Hein en Nellie; cheese making adventures in Brooklyn, lists lots of resources, anecdotes and experience (but is cow dairy oriented).

Some good books on the subject:
"Goats Produce Too! The Udder Real Thing Volume II Cheesemaking and more" by Mary Jane Toth

"Making cheese, butter and yogurt" by Ricki Carroll (a Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin)

"Making Artisan Cheese: Fifty Fine Cheese That You Can Make in Your Own Kitchen" by Tim Smith

Some local resources to buy goat milk:
Side Hill Acres sells raw goat milk and wonderful goat cheeses made from raw goat milk. They are located in Candor, NY 13743

West Creek Family Farm sells raw goat milk and homemade goat milk soap, you can contact them by email at westcreekfamilyfarm@hotmail.com

Greenstar Ithaca carries pasturized goat milk as part of their regular inventory in the refrigerated section.

Keep in mind that goat milk stores well frozen. Most two goat families have a milk freezer to store their gallons from the productive season for the off season (winter) when the goats are dried up in preparation for the next breeding.

Pickled Eggs & Beets

2 dozen hard boiled chicken eggs
or 18 hard boiled duck eggs
2 jars pickled beets
(or 2 cans of beets)
2 cups organic cane sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup pickling spices

In a saucepan, combine sugar, vinegar, beet juice and pickling spices; bring to a boil. Add (whole or chopped) beets to this mixture and simmer for 2 minutes.

In a sterile gallon jar, add 1 dozen shelled eggs and half the beet mixture, then the other dozen eggs and the remaining beet mixture.

Seal and set in refrigerator for 3 days - should keep for a month refrigerated.

Adapted from Cooks.com

Pickled Beets

makes about 6 pints

30-40 small beets, unpeeled
(or 15-18 large beets)
2 cups organic cane sugar
2 cups water
2 cups white vinegar
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tsp all spice
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp whole cloves

In a large pot cook the unpeeled beets until fork tender (do not overcook), cool and then remove the skins. Slice the beets about 1/4 inch thick or cut into cubes.

In a large saucepan, combine other ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until all sugar has disolved. Let cool for a bit since the beets are packed cold.

Pack sterile jars with beets.
Quickly pour over beets in the jars, leaving 3/4 inch headspace. Secure sterile lids.
Process in a boiling water bath for 12 minutes and cool on a rack.

From Recipezaar.com

Apple or Pear Sauce

as many apples or pears as fit your pan
a thick bottomed pan with lid
a blender (preferably a stick blender)
a large container with cold water
1 tsp of ascorbic acid crystals or two crushed vit C pills - optional
a tomato strainer

Cut in quarters and remove core with knife (no need to remove skin due to blender).

Cut quarters in half and dunk in cold water with some ascorbic acid while working (to prevent browning - optional).

Add to pan with a little water to prevent sticking and cook on medium, stir occasionally, until pieces are soft.

Either use a stick blender in the pan, or blend mush in parts in a 'margarita' blender until all is smooth.

If you have a tomato strainer, you do not even need to core - just run the mush through the strainer after blending.

If the mush is really sweet, you can add brown sugar to taste (especially tart apples or under ripe pears can taste a bit too sour).

Laddle sauce hot in hot sterile quart jars, secure sterile lids and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Hutspot (traditional Dutch recipe)

2 pounds potatoes
2 pounds carrots
1 pound onions
about 1 cup of water
pepper and salt to taste
butter (optional)
bacon
2 smoked sausages (polish or kielbasa)

serves 4-6 people

Clean potatoes and carrots, chop in 1 inch pieces.
Peel and chop the onions and cut the bacon in small slices.
Place the bacon in a skillet and fry until crispy.
Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
Put the potatoes in a large saucepan. Add carrots on top of potatoes and add water.
Place the sausages on top of the carrots.
Cover, bring to a boil and simmer until soft, about 15 minutes.
When the potatoes and carrots are done, remove sausages (wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm).
Drain bacon fat from the skillet, add the browned onions and bacon to the potatoes and mash! Add seasonings to taste.

To make the hutspot more creamy you can add some butter while mashing.

To make gravy, return the bacon fat to the skillet, add some water and bind with a little cornstarch.

Traditionally, hutspot is served as a heap on your plate, with a small gravy spoon impression in the middle to hold the gravy and a sausage on the side. The challenge for kids is to eat as much hutspot without breaking the dike and draining the gravy...

Also very good with stew meat instead of smoked sausage.

FREE plant containers and transplant trays...

The Cornell Cooperative Extension has a plant pot recycling program where you can donate and pick up used plastic plant containers. They have all kinds of sizes, shapes and uses - including seedling starter trays, hanging baskets, round 1/2 and 1 gallon planters, square planters and even sometimes ceramic / clay containers. It all depends on the donations what is available, of course!

I have also found plant containers by the side of the road, to take or for regular recycling, especially at the end of planting season - it pays to keep your eyes open while driving :-)

Craigslist.com is another good place to get (large) amounts of planters, though most times you are expected to take all, not pick and choose.

Use a white vinegar solution to clean the containers, especially ones used for seed starting and young transplants.

Pumpkin Maple Pie

2 frozen whole wheat crusts
4 cups / 1 quart jar pureed pumpkin
5 (duck) eggs
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup (vanilla) soy or goat yogurt
1 teaspoon seasalt
2 (heaping) teaspoons cinnamon
1 (heaping) teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg


I buy the crust (natural food section), but you're welcome to make your own.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour into the crusts and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 65 minutes. The filling will balloon up, but with cooling settle down again. Cool on a rack, then cover and refrigerate until serving time.

The pureed pumpkin can easily be substituted by pureed Butternut Squash and/or Spaghetti Squash, depending on what you have left in cold storage.

I won 2nd place with this recipe at the annual Halloween Pumpkin Pie Competition at the Ithaca Farmers Market! Later, I found out that I swapped teaspoon with tablespoon measures - which explained why the judges thought my filling so nicely spicy :-)

Adapted (dairy freed) from the famous Moosewood Restaurant cookbook "Moosewood Celebrates", pages 174-175.

American Pancakes - that rise!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons nonaluminum baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 cups (rice, soy, goat) milk
you could substitute one cup of milk with water
1 egg (optional)

Sift all dry ingredients together and mix well.

In the kitchenaid, combine oil and maple syrup. Mix in milk and slowly add the dry ingredients on the low setting. Last, I like to add raisins, or whatever fruit is in season (chopped apple, pear, raspberries, blueberries) to the batter.

Use a (dedicated) non-stick skillet and vegetable butter (oil gets too hot and burns) to quiclky, but not to fast, cook the pancakes. Use about 1/4 cup for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on the upper surface, then flip.

Great served hot with maple syrup, or apple or pear butters!

adapted from the Natural Health Cookbook by Dana Jacobi, pages 180-181.

homemade Pizza dough - always a hit!

6 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose white flour

(I use 3 cups whole wheat and 3 1/2 cups white, the more white the fluffier the bread, the more wheat the heavier)

1 1/2 tbsp coarse sea salt

1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast

3 cups lukewarm water

These are the same ingredients as for the French Boule crusty bread recipe, the dough works just as well flat as a pizza bottom as in a ball for european style bread.

Add dry ingredients in kitchenaid, add water last, kneed well on low setting until dough rolls up in ball. Transfer ball of dough to plastic gallon container with lid, but keep lid crooked so air can escape. Leave on kitchen counter for at least 2 hours to rise and then put in fridge until you need it

Take out container at least 2 hours before you need it, if used cold the dough does not rise correctly - this amount of dough makes two large pizza bottoms.

The dough seems to store a long time in the fridge.

After a while it discolors a bit purple but it still works fine (it sourdoughs, which is why it is advised to scrape out but not rinse the container between batches to transfer correct sourdough mother - I rinse it though, I don't like it too sour).

Recipe adapted from the Mother Earth Magazine article "Easy, No-Knead Crusty Bread" by Roger Doiron, found here

Apple Compote - Dutch style

Clean apples, core, peel skin (this is the most work by far, I do this while watching tv at night).

when you are doing this dunk the ones you finished in a big bucket with cold water and a little asorbic acid to keep the apples from turning brown (not nessecary though, purely cosmetic)

cut apples in quarters, then half those, then half again for big apples

put in stainless steel thick bottom pot with a little water (or apple cider), just enough so it does not stick / burn

let simmer until apples are mushy

mash by hand with a potato masher (do not use a stick blender, that makes apple sauce)

put hot in hot, sterilized quart jars, cap with sterilized seals

process in hot water / steam bath for 20 minutes

no sugar, no spices, just apple

you can add a little cinnamon, or a bit of allspice if you want

to make the apple compote special you can add one or two cans of crushed pineapple (rinsed and drained) depending on the amount you are making.

use CRAIGSLIST for free stuff!

A very good way to ask around for local FREE gardening goodies is to use craigslist.com

I have been lucky to get old metal roofing panels (future goat house), perennial plants (tons of hosta), galvanized piping (was greenhouse, will house electric in goat house), goat milking stand, chicken waterers and feeders, Musckovy ducks, and lots of mulch hay & straw. Just ask, you never know what might pop up :-)

FREE seeds at the Seed Exchange

The Cornell Cooperative Extension has a Free Seed Exchange program where you can pick out 10 packets of seed for FREE! They receive surplus seed packets from local companies and internet companies, even certified organic. Of course, the selection varies each year and each week. I have been told that if you donate seeds you saved yourself - labeled and dated - you can trade for more seed packets.

The Cooperative Extension is located at 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca NY 14850 and can be reached by phone at 272-2292 and by email at tompkins@cornell.edu

FREE wood chips

The city has a gigantic mount of free wood chips for pick up by the general public. It is behind the bus parking - take rt 13 north, Willow Ave left (pass the HiFi place), follow Willow until the golf course and at the T crossing take a right hand turn, around the TCat bus depot.

The mount should be visible shortly after that on the right hand side. It is in between the road and the railroad tracks / route 13. As far as I know you can pull up and shovel to take as much as you like - which I have done several times already! Be aware, not only the city uses this dump so if you see weeds mixed in with the wood chips get chips from a different spot - the heap is more than large enough. If you dig in deep enough, you'll find composted mulch (dark brown). I've even found wood shavings for my chicken coop!

Green and Gold Refrigerator Pickles

Yields 2 quart jars (sixteen 4 ounce servings)

2 cups organic cane sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
3 1/2 cups yellow summer squash (sliced in quarter pieces, about 1/8-1/4" thick)
3 1/2 cups zucchini (sliced in quarter pieces, about 1/8-1/4" thick)
1 cup green bellpeppers, finely chopped
1 cup red bellpeppers (banana peppers), finely chopped
1 cup red onions , thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dill seeds
1 tablespoon salt

1. heat sugar and vinegar in a non reactive 4 quart saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and chill overnight. Ik leg een bord op de kop op de veggies met iets zwaars erop zodat alles mooi onder water blijft.

3. Transfer the vegetables to sterile quart canning jars. Cover with the vinegar mixture, cap, and seal. These will keep in the fridge for 2 months.

Adapted from the Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader, page 262

Monica's Zucchini Relish

6 cups cubed zucchini
4 cups cubed yellow squash (crookneck)
4 large red onions, finely sliced
4 green bellpeppers, seeded
4 red (or banana) bellpeppers, seeded
1/2 cup iodine seasalt
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
4 cups organic cane sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Slice zucchini and squash in dime to penny size cubes (remove mature seeds). Cut red onions in 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut seeded peppers (all colors are fine, as long as they are sweet peppers) in dime size cubes. Add all vegetables to stainless steel bowl, stir in salt; keep the veggies in the resulting brine by holding them down with a weighted plate. Let veggies stand overnight. The next day, drain off brine and rinse with cold water; drain again, and squeeze well by hand.

Mix cornstarch with the sugar and seasonings, add all to the cold vinegar, blending well. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring well to prevent lumping. When sugar is melted and syrup is clear, add vegetables; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Pour into sterilized very hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace; adjust sterilized lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath - yields 5 to 6 pints.

adapted from Margaret Hawes's Zucchini Relish recipe.

Dutch Apple Pie? Not to a Dutchman...

What exactly is Dutch Apple Pie? For one, it is not from the Netherlands, whatever the name might indicate! It's an old fashioned apple pie recipe originating from the Pennsylvania Dutch, whom are also not from the Netherlands but originally came from Germany. A German, when asked, would call him or herself Deutch, which sounds a lot like Dutch, hence the mistake!

To see the difference between the two recipes, go ahead and make them both. Which one will you like the best... let me know!

Dutch Apple Pie

Place sliced apples in a 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Mix and sprinkle over apples:
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/8 tsp of cloves

The crumb crust consists of:
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of flour
1 stick of butter

Cut ingredients into one stick of butter. Sprinkle over top of pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes. If it gets too brown, cover lightly with foil.
This Dutch Apple Pie recipe is served at Goodwill Pennsylvania Dutch dinner every fall.

recipe from www.Cooks.com

Dutch Apple Pie - Appeltaart

225 grams (little over a cup) of cold butter or margarine (a little extra to grease the mold)
300 grams (10 oz) of flour (a little extra to dust the work surface)
150 grams (5 oz) of white cane sugar
5 apples (Golden Delicious)
2 tbs of currants
2 tbs of raisins
2 tbs of very fine white sugar (powdered sugar)
2 egg yolks
1 tbs of milk
1 tbs of lemon juice
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven at 175 C / 345 F. Peel the apples and cut into thin slices. In a bowl; mix the lemon juice, currants, raisins, powdered sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, cut up the butter. Sift the flour in a large mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt, the cut butter, the cane sugar and 1 1/2 egg yolks. Knead the mixture with cold hands. The butter in the dough should not melt, or the dough get sticky; refrigerate if needed.

Sprinkle flour on a cleaned countertop and roll out the dough lightly until about 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thickness is reached. With 2/3rds of the dough pancake layer the bottom and sides of the hoop pie dish (the side / hoop comes off of the bottom plate). Knead and roll the other 1/3rd again and cut 10 long strips. Scoop the apple filling into the pie dish and spread out evenly. Braid the dough strips on top of the apple filling and brush a 1/2 egg yolk and milk mixture on the dough braids for a shiny crust.

Bake the pie for about 45 minutes in the middle of the oven at 175 C / 345 F.

recipe from www.gironet.nl/home/bbaelde/taartap2.html

Got Cabbage? Make Sauerkraut!

Simple Sauerkraut recipe
2 large heads of cabbage (about 5 pounds)
2 to 3 tbsp noniodized salt

Grate 1 cabbage and place in a crock or plastic bucket. Sprinkle half the salt over the cabbage.

Grate the second cabbage, then add it to the crock along with the rest of the salt. Crush the mixture with your hands until liquid comes out of the cabbage freely. Place a plate on top of the cabbage, then a weight on top of the plate. Cover the container and check after 2 days. Scoop the scum off the top, repack and check every 3 days. After two weeks, sample the kraut to see if it tastes ready to eat. The flavor will continue to mature for the next several weeks. Canning or refrigerating the sauerkraut will extend its shelf life. Yields about 2 quarts.

Varying the Ingredients
The proportions in these recipes can be adjusted to taste, including the salt. Salt is a preservative, so using more of it creates a crunchier, longer lasting sauerkraut.

Garlic Sauerkraut: Add 5 cloves of chopped garlic and 2 sliced onions when you add the salt.

Spicy Sauerkraut: Add 3 sliced poblano peppers when you add the salt. Leave the seeds in the peppers for added heat!

Sauersprouts: also chop 5 to 10 Brussels sprouts and thoroughly mix into the cabbage when you add the salt.

Mother Earth News Aug/Sep 2006 issue, page 122-124

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 heaping cups grated zucchini
4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cup oil
3 (duck) eggs
1 1/2 cup goat milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease 2 (8 x 4) loaf pans.

Grate zucchini.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

Stir zucchini mixture into the flour mixture, just until blended. Mix in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cool on rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely.

From Cooks.com

Panir / Paneer / Queso Blanco

Panir is an ideal beginner cheese using vinegar to separate the curds.

You can use either goat or cow milk for this cheese. You can use as much milk as you'd like. You can use 1 gallon, or two gallons, or three gallons. It just depends on how much milk you have, and how big your pot is. Don't use an aluminum pot.

Over direct heat, warm the milk to 183°- 185° (not any higher), and maintain that temperature for 10 minutes. Stir it often to keep it from scorching. If it does scorch, use a stainless steel scrubby to clean your pot later.

With the milk still on the heat, while stirring, add about 1/4 Cup of white vinegar per gallon of milk. I find the taste is better with white vinegar than cider vinegar. To be honest, I don't even measure the vinegar, I just pour in a glug, stir, look, pour in a glug, stir, etc. until the curd separates. The separation should happen right away. When the curd separates cleanly from the whey (it will look like very fine, white particles floating in the greenish whey & stuck to your whisk tines), pour it into a cheesecloth lined colander. I put the colander over another pot, to save the whey for later use. Use real cheesemaking cheesecloth here, not the stuff you can buy at the grocery store.

Tie the corners of the cloth together and hang the bag to drain for a few hours. The longer it drains the dryer the panir will be. Refrigerate your cheese after it has drained. It will keep for a couple of weeks.

Now that you have this rubbery ball of cheese, what do you do with it? Panir is like tofu: it will take on the flavor of the food it is cooked with. Just cut it into bite-sized cubes and throw it into chili or spaghetti. You can cook the noodles in the leftover whey. You can marinade the Panir and throw it on top of salads or use it in stir-fry. Panir is really in its element when used in curry. Serve the curry over rice cooked with whey instead of water and add a handful of raisins and a clove to the rice as well, to make it really authentic.

Excerpt from the Fias Co Farm website

Chevre - soft goat cheese recipe

Chevre / Fromage Blanc is an ideal beginner recipe that uses starter bacteria instead of vinegar to seperate the curds. You can buy mesophilic culture and liquid rennet at the Dairy Connection

Ingredients:
• 1/2 gallon of fresh (raw, unpasteurized if available) goat milk
• 1/8 tsp. mesophilic DVI Culture "MM"* or 1 oz. mesophilic culture
• 1/5 of a drop of liquid rennet

In a stainless steel pot, warm the milk to 72°.
Add the culture and stir well. Now you need to add 1/5 of a drop of rennet. Measure out 5 tablespoons of water into a small cup. Add to the water 1 drop of liquid rennet and stir well. Now measure out 1 tablespoon of the rennet dilution (this one Tablespoon contains 1/5 of a drop of rennet) and add it to the milk. Stir well.

Cover the milk and place the pot somewhere that it can sit undisturbed and will stay about 72° for about 18 hours (sometimes I let it go 24 hours). What I do is place the pot in the cold oven until the next day. Try to remember that the milk is in the oven and don't plan on doing any baking that day.

When the milk has coagulated (it will look like thick yogurt, or a floating thick pancake) you are ready to drain the curds. Pour the curds into a cheesecloth lined colander. Tie up the ends and hang the bag and let drain 6-8 hours or longer, depending on how dry you'd like the cheese to be. It is amazing how much chevre you'll get from one $6 gallon of goat milk, compared to the tiny, expensive logs for sale at your local cheese department. Salt to taste and enjoy!

Excerpt from the Fias Co Farm website

Bake great tasting European crusty bread on your Wood Stove!

The recipe is rather simple and with the help of a kitchenaid or similar mixer a 'piece of cake'. Use 3 cups of luke warm water and add 1 1/2 tablespoon of yeast and 1 1/2 tablespoon of (non-ionized) seasalt. If you'd like herb bread add herbs to water mixture, like Herbs Provenciale. Start the mixer with the dough hook and add 4 1/2 cups of unbleached white flour and 2 cups of whole wheat flour (or 6 1/2 cups of white flour for traditional french boule). Mix well until uniformly moist but you do not knead the dough. Transfer to 1.5-2 gallon plastic storage container and let sit in room temperature for two hours. With the lid loose transfer container to refridgerator and let rise for at least a day.

To bake a freeform loaf with help from the wood stove you'll need a cast iron Dutch oven with a cast iron lid. Wrap the lid with aluminum foil on the inside to prevent condensating water from dripping back on the bread and to aid browning of the crust. Use a metal rack to lift the backing dish (I use two stacked recycled aluminum pie dishes) and place the oven, with rack and lid, on the top of the stove when (re)heating your fire. I tend to use the afternoon load to preheat the oven and bake the bread, so it's nice and warm and ready for dinner that evening! Slightly grease the top of the stacked pie dishes (the air between helps the bottom of the bread from burning).

With flour'd hands lift about a third to a half of the dough and make a flattened ball shape. Gently lay down the dough, sprinkle with corn meal and cut a couple of slits in the top of the ball. You can let is sit at room temperature for a while to warm up gradually. When the thermometer on my smokestack reads about 700F and the thermometer on the stovetop about 900F I pretty much close off the oxygen flow and quickly place the baking dish with dough inside the dutch oven. Close lid and do not reopen until the room smells of freshly baked bread (rising dough can fall if the temperature in the oven falls too soon too suddenly). On my stove this takes about an hour or so. When is smells delicious I put two skewers in between the lid and oven and have it vent for half an hour or so.

And that's it! When your bread looks nicely browned and smells great it's probably done. You can fine tune the process the first couple times by timing and temperature readings but after a couple of tries you'll know your stove and oven and will know how the dough will bake. Have fun baking!

Recipe adapted from the Mother Earth Magazine article "Easy, No-Knead Crusty Bread" by Roger Doiron, found here