Deadly Row to Hoe (18 page)

Ruth’s
Pickled Dilly Beans

Makes 7 pint jars.

4 pounds perfect, whole green, or wax beans

7 small dried or fresh cayenne peppers OR 1¾ teaspoons hot
pepper flakes

7 whole cloves of peeled garlic

7 fresh dill heads OR 3½ teaspoons dried dill seeds

5 cups water

5 cups vinegar

7 Tablespoons pickling salt

7 wide-mouth pint jars with lids and sealers

Wash beans thoroughly. Snap ends and cut to uniform lengths to fit upright in the pint jars, allowing one inch of headroom.

Sterilize jars and lids, leaving lids and sealers in scalding water until ready to use.

Into each jar place a pepper (or ¼ teaspoon hot pepper flakes), a clove of garlic, and a head of dill (or ½ teaspoon of dill seed). Pack the beans into the jars, leaving an inch of headroom.

Heat the water, vinegar, and salt together. After it reaches a boil and the salt is dissolved, pour it over the beans. Be sure to leave ½ inch of headroom. Run a knife or sterilized skewer around the edge to remove air bubbles and secure the lids.

Process in a 185° F water bath for 10 minutes after the water in the canner returns to a simmer. Add one minute of processing time for every 1,000 feet in altitude. Remove the jars and complete the seals if necessary.

Wait a couple of weeks before trying these out. The flavors will intensify with time. These are a perfect addition to a Bloody Mary!

Sophie Mae’s
CSA Kale Chips

1 bunch of any kind of kale (6–8 ounces)

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Wash the kale and dry
thoroughly
. Using a salad spinner is ideal. Remove the stems and tough ribs from the kale and tear into three-to-four-inch pieces. Toss with the olive oil. Continue until the kale is lightly coated all over. Add salt to taste and toss some more to evenly distribute.

Lay the seasoned kale out in a single layer on a cookie sheet covered with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper. Bake for 8–10 minutes in preheated oven. Start checking at 8 minutes—some chips will crisp faster than others. You don’t want to burn them.

You can use more than one cookie sheet or work in batches. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container for a week or more (if they last that long). Kale chips can also be frozen in zippered plastic bags or lidded containers.

For more variations, try hazelnut or walnut oil instead of olive oil, and use smoked or otherwise flavored salt—or even a little lemon zest—to add some extra zing. There are lots of different kinds of kale, and all make good chips. However, cooking times may differ a little between varieties.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cricket McRae’s interest in traditional colonial skills is reflected
in
her contemporary Home Crafting Mysteries. Set in the Pacific Northwest, they feature everything from soap making to food
preservation, spinning to cheese making. For more information about Cricket, go to her website, www.cricketmcrae.com, or her blog, www.hearthcricket.com.

Photograph by Kevin Brookfield.