-=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 RH> We've stopped growing tomatoes and peppers now, did put in some sugar
 RH> snap peas last spring. We'd get enough for a few each, every so often
 RH> but never a great amount.

 DD> I like to grow tomatoes and the birds thank me for the tomato worms
 DD> they feast on.  Bv)= And I'm my own best customer for the chilies.

 RH> We stopped growing tomatoes when we realised we were gone most summers
 RH> when they came ripe. Could have done it this past summer, just never
 RH> got 'round tuit. We tried, at the rental house, but deer got to them
 RH> just as they came ripe.

As I don't travel much that's not a problem for me.  Bv)=  And we don't
have much of a deer population - Buick bumpers seem to keep their herd
size low. Main pains here are tree rats (squirrels) and raccoons. But
with the raised beds the 'coons cease to be a problem.

 DD>      88

 DD> A lot of my missing dishes went that way. Just ne
 RH> I'll go on a clean out spree every few months so the pile doesn't get
 RH> too bad.

 DD> I do that every couple of weeks with the refrigerator. If I
 DD> don't/can't recognise it and the mutts aren't interested - in the bin.
 DD> I found a one pound sealed package of Italian sausage that I know was
 DD> over a year old.

 DD> It didn't smell funky when I punctured the plastic. So, Jasper (the
 DD> pit bull mix) enjoyed it very much. With no side effects.

 RH> Good that the dog had no reaction. We've had older stuff in the freezer
 RH> but kept frozen, it hasn't gone bad so we've eaten it with no problem.

Had that sausage been in the freezer it would have become the basis for
a nice red gravy toput over pasta. I bought it on special offer intending
to do just that but got sidetracked then forgot about it. Senior moment.

     88

 DD> As I said - regular carbon steel knives are a piece of cake. But the
 DD> stainless steel chef's knives and santoku are beyond me. Never thought
 DD> of scissors. But, then I don't sew all that much.  Bv)=

 RH> Count up how many pairs of scissors/shears you have for normal
 RH> household/shop use; you might be surprised at the total. Some years ago
 RH> my younger brother cleaned out an aunt's apartment. He was surprised to
 RH> count 35 pairs of scissors/shears (35) but she also sewed. A while
 RH> later, I took some of her things and when we got back to NC, started to
 RH> go thru them. I found another pair of scissors but didn't tell him. (G)

One big "tin snip", one set of kitchen shears (big scissors), a beard trim
scissors in the bathroom and four scissors from 6" length to 10". Not to
mention an old (and unused big pinking shears that I inherited from my mum.

 DD> One reason to raise your own tomatoes:

 DD>       Title: Green Tomato Pie DD>  Categories: Pies, Pastry,
 RH>  Fruits, Citrus DD>       Yield: 6 Servings

 RH> Looks interesting, might try it next year.

In normal years my 'mters produce right up to frost time. But the last 
few years we've not had a killing frost until sometime in December.

errrrmmmm .... Ground Control to Donald Trump - That's climate change!

This year we've had one frost - just enough to tell the grass in the 
yard that it's time to stop growing and take a nap. Yesterday we had
rain all day. I had a customer (for wiper blades) at the Zone who was
crying about all the rain so I asked him what month we were in. Then
said "Think what that could be." Followed by "We've got a cart right
over there with ice scrapers, snow brushes, collapsible shovels and
ice melt for your sidewalks." I didn't tell him that AFAIK we've not
made a sale other than starting fluid from that display this year.

This was supper last night - promoting it from "archives" to "kitchen".
It's a keeper. And Jasper (the big dog) liked helping clean the baking
vessel.  Bv)=

MMMMM----   Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

      Title: 3-Ingredient Lemon Chicken
 Categories: Five, Poultry, Citrus, Vegetables
      Yield: 4 servings

      4    (6 oz ea) chicken thighs; 
           - bone-in, skin-on
  1 1/2 ts Kosher salt
      1 lg Lemon; sliced 1/8", seeded
      4 cl Garlic; peeled, crushed
      3 tb Olive oil; divided

  Season the chicken liberally with salt on both sides.
  Set aside at room temperature while you prep everything
  else (at least 15 minutes). Set the oven to 450oF/232oC
  and move a rack to the middle of the oven.

  Add the sliced lemon, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of olive
  oil to a 9" X 13" baking dish or rimmed baking sheet
  and toss to combine. Firmly press paper towels to the
  skin side of the salted thighs to remove any liquid on
  the surface, then transfer to the baking dish and pull
  any skin from underneath the chicken to the sides so
  that it can get crispy. Drizzle the chicken with the
  remaining olive oil and use your fingers to make sure
  the oil coats all the skin evenly.

  Bake until the chicken thighs are cooked through, the
  skin is golden brown and crispy and the lemons are
  softened, about 45 minutes. If the chicken is cooked but
  the skin isn't crispy yet, broil until the skin is your
  desired color.

  Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes
  before serving, spooning plenty of the softened lemons,
  garlic, and sauce onto the plate with each chicken
  thigh. 

  Yield: 4 servings

  Recipe by: Devan Grimsrud

  NOTES: (How to play around with this recipe)

  USE BONELESS CHICKEN: You can use boneless, skin-on
  chicken thighs for this recipe; the cooking time will be
  approximately the same. I would not recommend using
  skinless cuts here, as the crispy texture of the skin is
  a key component

  ADD HERBS TO THE MIX: A few sprigs of thyme or rosemary
  would be particularly well-suited here

  VARY THE CITRUS: Add in thin slices of a deseeded orange
  or Meyer lemon

  ADD ALLIUMS: Thinly sliced onion, scallions, or even
  leeks would play nicely with the flavors here

  SPICE IT UP: Add chile flakes to the lemon mixture or
  season the chicken thighs with a pinch of smoked
  paprika, cayenne, or your favorite seasoning

  SWEETEN IT: Mix a drizzle of honey or a pinch of sugar
  into the lemons before roasting to cut some of the
  bitter and sour notes of the lemon skin

  RECIPE FROM: http://www.simplyrecipes.com
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

MMMMM

... "You will remember well any time you forgive and forget" Franklin P. Jones
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