food grade | The Paranormal Quill

Merry meet all,

The raccoons- those daring masked thieves invaded my garden. I thought they wanted the apples but they were on another prize. I had a compost bucket, a bird feeder, and – potatoes! Yes I grew potatoes this summer. I cleaned up the apples to toss in the compost bin and found small brown things on the ground. The raccoons were more interested in the taters that grew in pots on the back step. I have since tossed the contents of the compost bucket into the green bin ( a feat in itself), emptied the bird feeder and relegated the plant pots to my Mom’s place. The pots are up high on her deck. Let em try. They can sniff all they want. The prized food is gone.

Potatoes grew in my compost bucket! I. harvested 3 pounds of potatoes- so far! I was growing the spuds in a big wooden box. I shoveled all the soil out and searched for potatoes. Nothing. There were a few tiny potatoes, that was all. The healthiest strongest best ever stalks grew in the box but no taters. I was so disheartened. That was weird. The taters in the compost bucket grew much better. There were more nutrients in the compost perhaps which may explain why they grew like taters should. I’m planting garlic in the woodn box. I will wait a few weeks till it’s cold to grow them though until the raccoons to move on.

Penny hissed at them from her high point on her scratching post. They hissed at each other. But now that there is no food – or, should I say, no five finger discount, they will likely move on. I will harvest the tomatoes and remaining pickling cucumbers in a few weeks. Then the frost hits. Pickling brine can be bought at your local grocery but I made my own mixture. It makes me feel more like a real kitchen witch that way.

Here is a recipe for to make your own brine. It is affordable and simple to do. The taste of the pickled cucumbers is amazing. You may never go back to eating the store bought kind.

Master Pickle Brine Recipe

You only need four ingredients and 20 minutes of hands-on time to turn yourself into a master pickler. Vinegar combines with sugar and salt to create this basic pickling brine that can be used for any of your seasonal fruits and vegetables. With pickling, you can transform fresh summer produce, such as small cherry tomatoes, cucumber and zucchini spears, okra, and red onions, into lip-smacking sides. Or use them as garnishes to top pulled pork sliders or hotdogs. Prepare your canning containers by sterilizing the jars and lids. Since you will be storing these pickles in the refrigerator, you won’t need to bother with a water bath. Wash and cut (if needed) your produce, then pack into your pickling jar. In a medium saucepan, stir together water and the four ingredients, boiling and stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool, then pour over the produce into the pickling jar. Seal tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 months. Pickling and freezing are popular methods of preserving seasonal produce so that you can enjoy the tastes of summer all year long. Some vegetables, including corn on the cob and sugar snap peas, can be blanched and frozen whole. Tomatoes can be stewed, then frozen or canned, to be used later in meat sauces, soups and stews, or even Bloody Mary drinks. If you want to freeze blueberries, don’t wash them. Instead, lay them out on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer; once berries are frozen, you can then store them in freezer-safe baggies.

Active:

10 mins

Cook:

48 hrs

Total:

20 mins

Yield:

4 cups (1 [32-oz.] mason jar)

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup water

Directions

Stir together 1 cup water and all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; cool 10 minutes. Pour over vegetables or fruits. Cover with a tight-fitting lid; chill 2 days. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 2 months.

That’s all for today. I shall post more soon. Stay safe and be well

Blessings, Spiderwitch