Radish Pickles Sweet & Hot

Radish Pickles 

Every week I go to the local Auction to buy produce from the local farmers this last week  I impulse bought (2) 40 pound bags of radishes! Not sure why I had to have them it was a steal but it was also 80 pounds of RADISHES! Plus I have to admit I've never been a radish fan. I did some research on recipes, and asked around the farmers said they make radish relish which I'm sure is good but not what I felt like making.  So I deiced I'd make pickles.  Did you know that radish pickles go way back in our history of food in America? The original colonies use to make variations of these pickles which I find very interesting. Plus it is a classic dish in Korea! So here is one of 3 recipes I’ve created and tried I now love radishes! 

Ingredients

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3 Bunches of radishes, washed and trimmed.
1 Cup of white vinegar
1 Cup of water

1/2 Cup of sugar ( If you want sweeter you can make it 1 cup sugar)
1 Teaspoon salt

1 Hot pepper of choice

2 Cloves chopped or dried garlic

1 Bay leaf

2 Tablespoons dill (or herb of choice)

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•  Mix the vinegar, water, sugar, pepper, garlic, bay, dill, and salt and stir until sugar is complete dissolved in a glass container where you will store the radishes.
• Score the radishes, about 1/4 inch mini cuts. Do not cut the radish complete; just cut them 3/4 of the way down.
•  Add to the vinegar mixture. Store for 4 days until the red from the outside of the radishes has completely bled out and dyed everything a beautiful pink.
• Fill pint jars with radishes and mixture leaving 1/2" head space.
•  Remove trapped air bubbles.
•  Wipe jar then adjust two piece caps.
•  Process jars in boiling water canner for 20 minutes. 

 

 

Roasted Peppers & Onions

Roasted Peppers & Onions

Ingredients

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7  Pounds mixed color bell peppers halved and seeded

7  Pounds mixed color onions peeled and quartered

2  Tablespoons basil

2  Tablespoons rosemary

2  Tablespoons lemon zest

1/8  Cup fresh lemon juice

4  Bay leaves

4  Tablespoons minced garlic

1/4  Cup balsamic vinegar

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons salt

1 Tablespoon black pepper

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•  Preheat oven to 425
•  Place bell peppers cut side down in baking pan with at least 1 inch walls to pan (I took me a couple batches of peppers to process all of them)
•  Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes
•  Flip sides and return to oven for another 25 minutes
•  Depending on color and desired charring it can go for one more 25 min flip and cycle (Your choice)
• Places roasted halves in clean pot to stand in own juices
•  Place onion quarters in baking pan with at least 1 inch walls to pan
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes
•  Flip sides and return to oven for another 25 minutes
•  Depending on color and desired charring it can go for one more 25 min flip and cycle (Your choice)
• Combine roasted peppers to onions and make sure to scrape all drippings together with veggies.
• Add all other ingredients mixing carefully
•  Immediately fill hot pint jars with mixture leaving 1/2" head space.
•  Remove trapped air bubbles.
•  Wipe jar then adjust two piece caps.
•  Process jars in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 1 hour and 50 minutes.

•  

Mango Mojito

Mango Mojito

Ingredients

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7  Pounds ripe and green mangos, seeded, peeled, and cut into strips

6  Cups white sugar

6  Cups fresh brewed mint leaf tea

4  Tablespoons lemon zest

1  Cup Fresh lemon juice

1  Cup fresh lime juice

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•  Combine fruit, sugar, tea, lemon, lime, and zest in large pot.
•  Bring to boil at medium heat stirring frequently.
•  Cook at medium boil until at gel point and fruit is candy looking. (Took me about 2 hours)
•  Immediately fill hot pint jars with mixture leaving 1/2" head space.
•  Remove trapped air bubbles.
•  Wipe jar then adjust two piece caps.
•  Process jars in boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

Foraging

    Since I can remember I have been an outdoor person. Growing up on the ranch as soon as I got off the bus from school I was playing with bugs, and turning over rocks. When I was in 2^nd grade I was in a montessori private school which I absolutely adored. We would have a field trip almost every month followed by the end of year camping trip. This was the first time I got to go camping and one of the best trips I ever had. It was so long ago I can’t remember where in Texas we went since I was not at driving age, but it was about 2 hours out of Denton Texas. We went for 3 days cabin style camping. We had guest teach/speakers come and teach us about hiking, FORAGING, and cooking on a fire. Most of the kids had never really been exposed to hiking in Texas raw land like I had they had never seen a snake in the wild or swam in a river all things we got to do on this trip. At one point we were in a large wooded area with huge tall oaks, wild grape vines over head, and bluegrass patches everywhere having a lecture on what early settlers could forage and eat from this environment.  I will never forget that moment or lecture! 

There are two reasons why first as we stood in a line formation listening to the instructor and lead hiker I looked over at a patch of bluegrass next to the kid in front of me and noticed a medium size copperhead curled up in the grass sleeping through the hikers going by. I had to get the attention of the teacher in front without causing a rush or panic. Luckily from the ranch I was pretty use to seeing and pointing out copperheads. For some reason spotting snakes has always been a gift of mine I’m sure this has saved me from lots of bites hiking.  

Second this was the first time foraging had been really explained to me I was about 8 and it seemed to make so much sense. I took everything the speaker had to say to heart and this started a passion for me. From then on when I’d come home and go hike I had open eyes I am always scanning my surrounding looking for what is edible teaching myself the botany of my current surroundings. It’s amazing that so few take the time to learn what naturally grows at there feet and is very delicious! I’ve now exposed myself to the wondrous wild in Texas, Maryland, and some on a trip to Florida in 2009.  I highly recommend everyone getting a basic idea of the plants around you. They can tell you so much from what the soil condition is of a place, the Ph balance, if there is water, and so on.  Plus you might not have to pack a lunch on a hike if you know what fresh things you can eat.  If this is new to you a great person to look up is Green Dean or Eat the Weeds on youtube his channel is show cased on my page to the left. He walks you through the basics of foraging to the complicated. I know where I live where all the free fruit is and abandon trees as well once you start noticing them they are everywhere! Good luck and let me know what you discover! 

Some of the things i've found are cherries, wild plums, apples, crab apples, wineberries, black raspberries, raspberries, persimmons, peaches, and of course wild onions everywhere!