Vanilla Ice Milk

Vanilla Ice Milk is absolutely my favorite "ice cream".  I can not stand the gummy store bought ice cream.  Ice cream should be very cold and very refreshing.  And this Vanilla Ice Milk certainly is cold and refreshing.

Orange Sherbet

Orange Sherbet
makes 4 quarts

8 cups orange juice
3 cups milk
3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
pinch salt
few drops vanilla (optional)

Pour everything in ice cream maker.  Follow ice cream maker instructions.

To enjoy a variety of fruit sherbets, simply puree any fruit

Roasted Garlic

The flavor, the smell, the texture of Roasted Garlic is the most amazing thing to come out of a kitchen.

Raw garlic has a strong, sharp flavor.  Roasting the garlic mellows the flavor and slightly sweetens it.

Place whole garlic bulbs in baking dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes.

Once cool, individual cloves will slip easily from their papery skins.

Place yummy roasted garlic cloves in freezer bag. 

It is so convenient to have roasted garlic cloves right at my fingertips just a few steps away in my freezer.

You really must try this.

Freezing Broccoli

We enjoy garden fresh broccoli with dinner.  But still we want to preserve a little to enjoy with dinner this winter.  Freezing is the best way to preserve broccoli to keep a wonderful flavor, texture, and color.

Frozen Garden Fresh Broccoli

Freezing broccoli is super simple.  
1.  Wash broccoli.  Cut stems into 1/4"-1/2" slices.  Cut florets into 1" pieces.
2.  Blanch broccoli pieces in generously salted boiling water 3 minutes.
3.  Drain.  Rinse well in cold water.  Drain well.
4.  Pack firmly into freezer containers leaving no head space.

There it is.  It really is that simple.

Grandma's Pineapple Banana Bread

Pineapple Banana Muffins with Coconut and Walnuts

When there are lots of really ripe bananas that need to be used, what do you make?

Here at Saltbush Flats we make Grandma's Pineapple Banana Bread. YUM!

Grandma makes this most amazing bread every Christmas and shares it with others along with her homemade cookies and fudge.  

Grandmas Pineapple Banana Bread

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups oil

2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup crushed pineapple, drained (half 20 ounce can)

2 cups mashed banana, 4-5 bananas

Mix flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a very large bowl.

In another large bowl mix eggs, oil, and vanilla very well.  Add pineapple and banana.  Blend.

Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and mix until just blended.

Grease 13"x9" baking pan.  Pour batter into pan and bake at 350 degrees about 60 minutes.

Cool completely.

Slice into 5 "loaves" 2 1/2" x 9".  Wrap loaves very well with plastic wrap and freeze any loaves not planning to eat right away.

This bread freezes beautifully.  

This recipe also make 2 5"x9" loaves or 36 muffins.

Rancher Roy and Colt in the City love coconut.  Anytime I can add coconut to a recipe they are happy.  

Coconut Nut Variation

Add 2/3 cup coconut and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the wet ingredients before mixing into the dry ingredients.

This recipe makes a lot, much more than Rancher Roy and I can eat.  The solution?  Freeze the batter in muffin cups.  Now when Rancher Roy and I want Grandma's Pineapple Banana Muffins, all we have to do is take a few out of the freezer and bake them up warm and fresh.  

Flash Freeze batter in Lined Muffin Tins

Once Frozen, Place in Freezer Bags.

Bake frozen muffins about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy fresh baked muffins anytime.  

Grandma is actually my own mama.  But since Colt in the City was born, she has been called Grandma.  How many of you refer to your mother as "Grandma" after your children are born?

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Hatch Chile

The Incredible Hatch Chile

Just how many Hatch chiles does one family need?  Precisely 105 pounds.
Okay, maybe that is a little much, but maybe not.  As much green chile as Rancher Roy and Colt in the City eat, we will probably run out long before next year's Hatch harvest.

What makes a Hatch chile so incredible?
The environment and growing conditions in Hatch, New Mexico.
Just like the best onions come from Vidalia, Georgia, and the best potatoes come from Idaho, and the best apples come from Washington, the best chiles come from Hatch, New Mexico!!!

Roasting Under the Broiler

It is necessary to roast green chiles before you use them.  The skin is tough and must be removed.  The easiest way to separate the skin from the flesh is to roast them.  There are several ways to roast chiles.

1.  Have them roasted for you where you purchase them.

          - Poorest quality.  The chiles are tumbled in a big open drum over a propane flame.

          The chiles break, roast unevenly, and get very dirty from the charred chile remains.  

          Most chiles pop because they have not been pierced before roasting.

2.  Cook them in the microwave oven.

          - Poor results.  Who wants to eat anything microwaved anyway?

3.  Roast them under oven broiler.

          - Very Good quality.  Nice roasted flavor.

          Time consuming.  Can only do a few at a time.

4.  Roast them at home on gas grill.

          - Excellent quality.  Chiles are not tumbled, so they do not break. 

          Time consuming.  Quicker then oven broiling, but still must be done is small batches. 

          The chiles take on a wonderful fire-roasted aroma and flavor.  

To Roast Chiles

Wash chiles.  Pierce each chile with a small knife to allow steam to escape and prevent bursting.

Place in/on roasting vessel.  Turn frequently to roast evenly.

As chiles roast you will see skin bubble up away from flesh.  

Place roasted chiles in a covered bowl to steam for a few minutes.  

Remove to rack to cool.

Peel and use in your favorite recipe.

Or freeze for later use.  

To Freeze Chiles

Lay chiles out on a tray and flash freeze with or with the skins.  

After several hours or overnight, place whole chiles in a plastic freezer bag. 

This makes it easy to retrieve one or two chiles at a time.

If I am processing these all by myself, like I am today, I freeze the roasted chiles with their skins still on.  But if I am fortunate to have Rancher Roy helping me, the chiles get peeled before being frozen.  I roast and Rancher Roy peels.  It works out great.

I prefer to peel before freezing.  When I need a green chile for a meal or recipe.  I do not want to have to let it thaw a bit and then peel before using.  I simply want to reach into the freezer and pull out a chile ready to use.  I just chop the frozen chile and toss into the recipe.

I have big plans for all these green chiles.  Most will simply be chopped for green chile to be served in or on the side of just about everything.  A lot will go into salsa.  Some will be made into Hatch jelly.  Yum!

Wonderfully Roasted.  Ready to be Frozen.

But for right now.  It all goes into the freezer.  Sixty-five pounds have already made it to the freezer, some mild, some medium-hot.  Another 40 pounds will find their way there over the next couple days.

How many pounds of Hatch chiles does your family need?





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Way Too Many Lemons and Limes... Is There Such a Thing?

Bottomless Boxes

          I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase lemons and limes 10 for $1.00.  Do you think I bought just 10?  ha! not me.  I purchased 150 of those juicy little things. Estimated yield is about 18 gallons of sweet tangy lemon/limeade for my family, plus zest and citrus cleaner.

     

           I wish I knew of a great quick and easy way to juice these.  I used a reamer or that spoon in the picture below to extract the juice.  I have tried rolling them on the table.  I do not think that made much of a difference.  I also tried microwaving them for 20 seconds.  That did make the pulp softer and a bit easier to juice.  But do I really want to microwave all my citrus?  No.

Ready for the freezer.

          Each ice cube tray holds about two cups juice.  It took about ten limes to get two cups juice. 

A little bit of zest.

          The lemon and lime rinds will get bagged and put in the freezer until I am ready to make some citrus oil cleaners.

Lemon/Limeade

2/3 cup lemon and/or lime juice (about 5 juice cubes)

1 cup sugar

water to fill 2 quart pitcher

Stir all ingredients together in pitcher.  Enjoy!