July 30, 2021 by stevesacooking

Rosemary Blossoms

I could go on a long babble about rosemary blossoms but the thing I like most is my wife’s face when she see them.

Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean. It is used as a culinary condiment, to make bodily perfumes, and for its potential health benefits.

Rosemary is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, along with many other herbs, such as oregano, thyme, basil, and lavender.

The herb not only tastes good in culinary dishes, such as rosemary chicken and lamb, but it is also a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6.

It is typically prepared as a whole dried herb or a dried powdered extract, while teas and liquid extracts are made from fresh or dried leaves.

The herb has been hailed since ancient times for its medicinal properties. Rosemary was traditionally used to help alleviate muscle pain, improve memory, boost the immune and circulatory system, and promote hair growth.

Fast facts on rosemary

Rosemary is a perennial plant (it lives more than 2 years).
The leaves are often used in cooking.
Possible health benefits include improved concentration, digestion, and brain aging.
Very high doses may cause vomiting, coma, and pulmonary edema.

October 30, 2016 by stevesacooking

What to do with 5 lbs. of Green Unripen Tomato – Salsa!

OK The frost was coming, the frost was coming, and I am plighted with having my garden in the only space available which does not getting full sun in late summer and early fall. even with the warm fall I had over 5 lbs. of green unripen tomatoes. They are fine to eat fired, in stew whatever I chose Sala, spicy salsa.

INGREDIENTS

YIELD 8 pints

5 lbs. green tomatoes, chopped small (as you prefer for salsa)
6 yellow onions, chopped (4 cups)
3 jalapenos, chopped with seeds (1/2 cup)
4 large red bell peppers, chopped (2 cups)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup lime juice
1⁄2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1⁄2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons pepper
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne (optional, to taste)
1 -2 teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS

Combine everything in a large pot, mixing well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To continue canning, bring salsa to a boil.

Ladle salsa into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe lids and jar edges clean before finger tightening lids and placing them back in the boiling canning pot.

Process (boil) jars for 15 minutes. Make sure the cans are covered by water.

Remove carefully and let sit for 24 hours. Check lids for seal, and refrigerate any unsealed jars.

February 2, 2014 by stevesacooking

Got a AeroGrow for Christmas from Mike

Every year we plant our herbs in the garden and on the deck some from seeds, some from seedlings bought and others like the Thyme, oregano, chives etc. just keep coming back . The start of February always bring thoughts of better start so if I want to have plants ready transplant.

It’s not just herbs for me no there was the one year that Lyn lost her dinette area I decided to start Lillies from seed all summer and fall where ever I went I inspected pods to see if they were ready to gift their gift of seeds. I walk a lot – 2 miles every work day at lunch- and on my journey whether from neighbor’s house, CVS or the local mall I inspected and collected many seeds. I had some great success and now the plants are here and there in the yard across the street…. It was a one year thing but a lot of fun for me. I even tied cross pollination to create my own breed but I think the bees did a better job than I did. Anyway………

Growing fresh food and flowers lifts the spirit and nurtures the soul. But for most people, the nurturing ends when winter begins. AeroGrow founder Michael Bissonnette said, “Wouldn’t it be great to have fresh herbs, flowers and veggies growing in your home, any time of year?”. So he and a group of like-minded innovators married that notion to aeroponics, a highly efficient gardening technology in which plants grow in water, nutrients and air.

Here is our progress so far in about a month – thanks Mikie already and basil on pizza and chives on the baked potato and parsley on the frittata!