Community Garden

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Shout Out for JIA and to Scott for herbs

Hello all,

First of all, Scott, we have a journal of yours with recordings about the herb garden in the Celeste's Dream office if you'd like to claim it. (It's a nice journal too!! I'd come to get it if I were you: 1884 Randolph Ave, the Administration Center for the CSJs.)

I'm in the Celeste's Dream office because my usual campus ministry job at Cretin-Derham Hall is null today with a day off for the students (5-day weekend for them, 4-day weekend for me ;)

If you didn't get a chance to look, check out our work at
http://csjstpaul.org/celeste_jiapics.aspx

We made a rain garden and labyrinth at WomanWell for beautification and a portion of spiritual and ecological restoration of a neighborhood in east St. Paul. It was a wonderfully sunny day in late October and an intergenerational gathering of over 30 people including 7 high school students and staff from Benilde-St. Margaret and Cretin-Derham Hall, 13 St. Joseph Workers and staff, WomanWell participants, CSJs, and Celeste's Dream staff, and led by Alley Katz-affiliated landscape artist Roxanne Stuhr. We're now hoping to create a piece of artwork for the labyrinth. If you're so inclined, input is welcomed and please contact Katie Pease at KMpease@stkate.edu.

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you all!
Stasia Verdoljak

Monday, November 02, 2009

Try Making Salsa at Home


After I finished the last post, Jill commented that I should have posted the different salsa recipes we used so that you could all refer to them in your personal cooking and canning adventures. In this blog update, I have included both of the recipes we used in addition to the recipe for the dilly beans which Liz shared with us during one of our gatherings.

Tomato Salsa

7 quarts paste tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cups long green chilies, peeled, seeded, and chopped (12 whole)
5 cups onion, chopped (5 medium)
½ cup jalapeno peppers, seeded, and finely chopped (2 whole)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice
2 tbsp. salt
½ tbsp. red pepper
2 tbsp. ground cumin (optional)
3 tbsp. oregano leaves (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro (optional)

Yield: 12 to 16 pints

Jalapeno peppers do not need to be peeled. Peel and prepare chili peppers if desired. To peel tomatoes, dip in boiling water for 20 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water and remove skins. Core and chop tomatoes. Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano, and cilantro in a large sauce pan and heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe jar rims and cap with properly pretreated lids. Process in a boiling water canner. Process time in a boiling water canner for hot pack pint jars at the following elevations:
0-1,000 feet 15 minutes
1,001-6,000 feet 20 minutes
Salsa Verde

7 cups chopped, cored, and peeled green tomatoes
5 to 10 cups jalapeno, habanero, or Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped red onions
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup lime juice
½ cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Yield: About six 8-ounce jars or three pint jars

Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process both 8-ounce and pint jars for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
Dilly Beans

Ingredients:
4 quarts whole green or wax beans (about 4 lbs.)
8 fresh dill heads, or 1½ tsp. dill seed or dill weed per jar
8 garlic cloves (optional)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 small dried hot pepper per jar (optional)

Pickling Solution:
4 cups white vinegar (5% acetic acid)
4 cups water
½ cup canning/pickling salt

Yield: 7-8 pints

Wash and sterilize pint canning jars. Keep hot until filled. Wash been thoroughly and drain. Cut into lengths to fit pint jars. In each hot pint jar, place dill, garlic, and pepper, if desired. Pack beans upright, leaving ½ inch headspace. Prepare pickling solution of vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Pour boiling hot pickling solution over beans, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove bubbles with a rubber spatula. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Cap jars with pretreated lids. Adjust lids. Process pints in boiling water canner for 5 minutes.

Take care!
Katie