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Post by heavyhitterokra on Nov 20, 2021 19:29:56 GMT -6
I enjoyed those videos Bon. Thanks, for posting those.
Do you know if the Hard Red Winter Wheat will die back in hot weather?
The reason I ask, is that I planted a lot of (supposedly Winter Rye) last Autumn, then, this Spring, I had a heck of a time killing it out of my garden. The tiller would knock it down alright, but in wet conditions, it would spring right back up through the soil it was buried under.
If Hard Red Winter Wheat dies back on its own, that might be a really good replacement crop for the Rye I purposely didn't plant this Autumn. I was really, really, happy with the way the Rye put on lots and lots of green manure in winter, but wasn't too thrilled by the extra labor it took to knock it in the head come warmer Springtime weather.
My wife has rabbits and the greenery in Winter is really a nice thing to have around, plus I need a good cover crop for my garden in Winter, so it's a two-fold blessing.
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 26, 2021 16:13:27 GMT -6
Bon, Bon, when I buy pintos, I normally buy the brand Casserole. I’ve bought other brands of pintos that were hard to cook, but casserole always cooks up nice and soft. When I was younger we didn’t have a problem even when buying cheap brands, but a few years back we noticed that some brands just seemed hard to cook. casserolebean.com/pinto-beans-2/
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Post by macmex on Nov 26, 2021 19:46:34 GMT -6
Where I grew up most folk ate very few beans other than green beans. Pintos and black beans were almost "exotic food." I remember my parents telling me that they couldn't figure out how to cook such beans so that they wouldn't be hard. It took me a while to figure out that because they didn't sell that well, they were almost always old. Old beans eventually get to the point that they will not properly soften, even if cooked for a long time.
I suspect the most fool proof way of getting new beans, beans which won't cook up hard, is to go to a Mexican grocery and buy beans there. The reason is, that they would sell a high volume of beans and therefore their stock would always be new and fresh.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Nov 28, 2021 20:10:24 GMT -6
Great information Bon, thanks, for passing that along. I love growing a cover crop like that in Winter. The green blades are a very welcome sight during the months of January and February. Plus, they are a real treat for the rabbits and I get a good feeling about bringing them something they enjoy so much.
I grew up on Pinto Beans, as that was a cheap way to feed a lot of kids. Then, after I was grown, it had become tradition. I enjoy a good pot of Pinto Beans on a cold Winter's day.
Back when I worked construction on the big powerhouses and refineries, I was the crew cook on Fridays. They'd give me the day off to cook for about a dozen men. I was tasked with getting a big pot of beans cooked tender by noon each time. To do that, I'd start a fresh pot of dried beans at 7:00 am, boiling the beans as hard as possible, adding water every 10 minutes or so. By about 11:30 am, they'd be getting soupy and thick, like second-day beans would if you had been slow-cooking them.
Have you ever tried cooking dried beans at a vigorous rolling boil that way? It takes a lot of attention to keep water added frequently, so that's not a nice, relaxing way to cook things, but in the end the beans turned out better (for me at least).
The men didn't like 'Clinkers' as they called the hard beans that were not tender by noon. Grandma and Mom always slow-cooked their beans, but in the situation where I was, I had no time for slow cooking, so it was a necessity to boil them hard that way to get them soupy by lunch time.
Here's a link to a good bean recipe by Kent Rollins. He uses 'Casserole' beans brand too. He mentions that in his writing.
kentrollins.com/cowboy-beans/
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 28, 2021 21:02:26 GMT -6
I grew up on pintos. We just referred to them as Red Beans. All family functions, Sunday dinners, holiday dinners centered around a pot of red beans. In fact, it was usually the first thing mentioned when we all started talking about what we were serving.
My Uncles referred to beans like this. 38’s = Navy Beans 44’s = Pinto 45’s = Butterbeans
You’ll just have to use your imagination as to what the numbers represent. LAUGHING!!!!!
Incidentally, those were the only three beans that were served except for “Snap” beans. We all loved snap beans, but generally we just planted pinto for snaps. I never knew about Appalachian beans till the turn of the century.
if someone had showed up with a pot of black beans to a Sunday dinner. You would have heard someone mumble “get a rope!” LAUGHING!!!!
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 28, 2021 22:54:30 GMT -6
Oh yeah, you ain’t supposed to serve beans without cornbread. I think there’s a law or something concerning that. Hahahaaa
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Post by macmex on Nov 29, 2021 10:55:15 GMT -6
There are a good many of varieties of beans which I would consider to be cranberry beans. I grew a cranberry pole bean back around 1983. Got the seed from Vermont Bean Seed Company, if I recall correctly. Also, a good many Appalachian fall beans have cranberry type seed. I have seen some in the grocery store from time to time.
Where we lived for 5 1/2 years, in the Mexican state of Puebla, black beans were the preferred bean. They had a great variety of beans, but the black beans sold best even when they cost 20% more than other kinds. I can't really say if there is that much difference in taste between different colored beans. I like them all.
Seems many Native American groups prefer brown beans (brown in whatever variant). In our area I notice that brown beans are very traditional. Though we don't eat in restaurants very often I have noticed that a side dish of brown beans is frequently on the menu.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Nov 29, 2021 18:47:16 GMT -6
We eat all sorts of beans in our family. Lots of pintos because we can buy them in 25 lb bags, but we can get black beans in 5 or 10 lb bags as well. We also enjoy the small red beans, and occasionally we’ll have a white bean stew or soup.
My mother always grew Horticultural Shell Beans when I was growing up. She canned many quarts and pints of them. We used to eat them on top of bread and butter with cream, and she used them in succotash and chili. I tend to use pintos in my chili, but I do miss her shell beans. They’re like comfort food to me.
The only time that I’ve ever had beans that absolutely refused to soften no matter the soaking or boiling, even pressure cooking, was a bunch of Lima beans that a friend gave me. Her mother had received them from a food bank. I never looked for a date on the package, but I’m sure they must have been very old. Thankfully I’ve never had that experience with beans that I’ve bought off the shelf.
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 29, 2021 18:58:01 GMT -6
I’ll tell you a bean that I’ve grown fond of. They are called Mayocoba. They are a nice change of pace from pintos.
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 30, 2021 4:01:35 GMT -6
I’ll tell you a bean that I’ve grown fond of. They are called Mayocoba. They are a nice change of pace from pintos. In looking up that bean, I was lead to garden web and a years old thread on this bean. And there's George! 😄 No joke? That George fellow sure gets around!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Nov 30, 2021 5:44:59 GMT -6
I've got a good, very easy recipe for getting rid of a couple of old cans of pinto or kidney beans, or you can use prepared refried beans, or garbonzo beans, or black beans, or black eyed peas, or just plain old leftover brown beans from your previous evening's dinner. I saw this stuff for sale at Reasor's once, for an astronomical price and thought, "I can build that at home a lot cheaper!"
I went right away and started working on a recipe. It's not a recipe per se, more of a concoction of all things good.
Open one can of pinto beans and one can of kidney beans, or just two cans of either. (I like them mixed). Season the canned beans as if you were going to cook them, minus the butter maybe, use plenty of garlic too.
Mash the beans, as if making refried beans. (A blender might work here, though I've never tried it). I just use a potato masher. Add a dribble of cooking oil if the beans are to dry to adhere to one another.
Smooth the finely mashed beans along the bottom of a deep 9"x 13" baking dish, using the bottom of a large baking spoon to spread them.
Smooth a 16-ounce dish of sour cream over the top of the beans, in an even layer, using the same spoon (rinsed off).
Smooth a 16-ounce jar of Pace picante, salsa, chunky salsa, homemade salsa, any kind of your favorite salsa, across the top of the sour cream. (These first three layers have to be done in order or else you'll have a mess). Beans first, sour cream second, salsa third.
Top with any kind of shredded cheese that you have on hand. (I use soon to be outdated cheddar that I find on sale). Mexican blend pre-shredded is best. It doesn't always save you money to shred your own. Sometimes the shredded cheese is on sale because it's getting close to its expiration date.
(Aren't we all?)
Top with a 4 ounce can of sliced or chopped black olives.
Sprinkle a few pieces of diced tomatoes, dried tomatoes, or cherry tomato slices, for color.
Sprinkle the top with a dash of black pepper, cracked pepper, or paprika, (any kind of pepper just to make it look nice and zing it up a little bit.
Serve with tortilla chips, Frito brand Scoops, or if you have growing boys, just slather it between two slices of wheat bread and call it "Dinner."
This stuff is super easy to prepare, it's cheap to make, it's fast, and it's surprisingly filling and very satisfying. It will last most of the week under refrigeration, though the salsa and tomato portion is kind of bad to get watery after the first evening, so if serving it for guests, be sure to prepare it within a few hours of serving time.This has become our 'go to' quick dinner, when it is hot outside and we are too tired to cook. It's good chilled, it's good at room temperature, it's even good, slightly warmed to just barely melt the cheese.
We've taken this dish to countless Church dinners, family reunions, and impromptu gatherings where we needed something quick and easy to take with us and something that doesn't require refrigeration for several hours unless it's August hot outside.
Note: If you have a fresh or slightly waining avocado, you can slice one to use as garnish on top for added color, or you can mash it or dice it to add to the layers. You can also sprinkle diced green onion tops for the same reason or use chives, or dried Italian seasoning. You can also use cumin to sprinkle on top, or within the layers. (Use your imagination). Go nuts with it. Add a thin layer of hamburger, add minced onions, grate lemon zest or sprinkle a few drops of lemon or lime over the cheese, add a few drops of Tobasco sauce, it's all good!
This costs about $6.00 to $8.00 to make and will feed 8 to 10 people. it will feed a family of four with plenty of leftovers. It can be reduced to half size by using one can of refried beans, 8 ounces of cream cheese, 8 ounces of salsa, etc,. to feed a couple of people a quick and hardy meal. It's good leftover too, just grab a totillia chip and snack on it while you're busy cooking something else.
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Post by macmex on Nov 30, 2021 7:39:17 GMT -6
Bon, tell us more about aqua fava. My wife is allergic to eggs yet her favorite birthday cake is angel food. Maybe this might work for her.
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Post by hmoosek on Nov 30, 2021 11:14:10 GMT -6
macmexSince your wife is allergic to eggs, this might work for you guys. I use this all the time. Have you heard of chia eggs? They are pretty healthy and make an excellent binder or egg replacer. If I’m using them in cakes, brownies and such I grind them up and add to water. If I’m making strawberry jelly, then I leave them whole. It makes my strawberry jelly more like raspberry jam. You can use chia eggs in meatloaf too. Basically a chia egg = 2 tsp ground chia added to 3 TBSP water and let set for a few minutes to jell. Some websites say to let the chia seeds set for 5 minutes, but I find if you let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes, it gives the seeds longer to absorb the water and seems to work better. We make a diabetic jelly pretty often with chia seeds. I’ve used all types of fruit and it’s really good. I’d be happy to share recipes if interested
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 3, 2021 19:49:19 GMT -6
(I'm a change the subject cuz I gotta write something lest my heart explode.
We had it so bad, y'all, for so long. I no longer recognize some things.) And the rest of Bon's last post from the bottom of page 20.
That was very much appreciated, Bon. Thanks, for sharing that. God is good!
I went shopping for a Christmas ham yesterday. There were only two in stock at Reasor's in Tahlequah, one was $67.00 the other was $72.00 Not the fancy hams either, no spiral cut or any crazy thing, just plain old, bone-in shank hams. No way I was going to spend $70.00 on a plain old ham!
Hams used to be a cheap cut of meat, especially with the bone still in, I'd find them on sale for about $1.29 per pound this time of year (Thanksgiving) and buy two of them; one for Christmas and another one for Easter. I'd cook them and use them for sandwich meat for my lunches at work. Ham was cheap.
When I got home, I thought, "Surely not every ham everywhere is priced above $4.00 per pound." I got online and found that Walmart has Springdale brand and Great Value hams for about $1.48 to $1.98 per pound. I drove back into town and bought one of those instead. While I was there, I saw chicken drumsticks for less than $1.00 per pound in 5-pound packages for $4.50 I got one of those and tonight, I baked a pan of homemade biscuits, then fried chicken on the campfire in the Dutch Oven, with side dishes of fried potatoes, onions, and some fried cabbage that Hank brought us from his garden. My youngest son who is now 23 helped me fry things because we had so many pots going. We ate like Kings tonight for about $5.00 plus had leftover drumsticks to put in the freezer. I only fried 8 of them, the other 6 drumsticks went into a freezer bag for later.
To me, some homemade biscuits, fried chicken, white gravy, and fried potatoes, with fried cabbage on the side is better than any steak anywhere. Dinner doesn't have to be expensive to be good.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 4, 2021 13:11:40 GMT -6
Speaking of making something out of nothing, I've got an old recipe for homemade tortilla soup that recycles an old baked chicken for a second meal that is not just chicken noodle soup. This is really good in cold weather. (I usually boil mine for about two hours to get a really good broth) Then pick out the bones and skin pieces. I end up with about a quart of broth (4 cups) after the boiling is done.
Next, add the picked meat back to the broth.
Then add, 1 cup of chopped onion 2 cloves of minced garlic 2 tsp ground cumin 1-15 oz. can of black beans, or kidney beans, or any kind of beans you have. 1-14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, or fresh chopped garden tomatoes blanched and peeled 1-4 oz. can of diced green chilies, or garden chilies blistered and peeled 1 can of sweet corn (drained) Or substitute the can of tomatoes and the can of chilies, for one can of Rotel. Salt and black pepper to taste.
(This is sort of like goulash, you can add other things as you like and as long as you follow the basic recipe it still turns out good.)
Simmer all this together for about 20 minutes, then serve hot. Once each serving is in a soup bowl, add a dollop of sour cream to each bowl, top with crumbled tortilla chips, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, and enjoy!
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