Home Made Vegan Pudding July 7, 2009

A friend and I were talking recently and the subject of pudding came up. She mentioned how much she liked it, and so I asked her if she ever made it. “It’s too hard, isn’t it?” she asked me. So, I invited her over and we had a pudding making party. She was impressed with how easy-and how good it was.

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup raw sugar

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon vanilla.

Mix the cornstarch with a small amount of the milk in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously until cornstarch is dissolved.   This is a very important step. If you do not, the corn starch will clump up, ruining all of your eating enjoyment.  Add sugar and stir. Pour into pan and heat on medium high stirring  often. Cook until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Here are  some photos of the steps involved. It really is amazingly simple.

The Ingredients.

Mixing the cornstarch with a bit of milk.

Pouring in the mixed cornstarch

Stirring the pudding on the stove as it thickens.

The finished pudding. Yum.

My friend thought of making green tea pudding, so I tried that. I mixed half of the milk with half cold green tea. That was very yummy, too.
For adults, I like to pour about a tablespoon of Kahlua or other flavored liquor on top of the pudding. It runs down into the pudding as you eat, flavoring it all through. It makes a sophisticated desert for a dinner party.

Let me know if you have any questions about the recipe, or what you think if you do try it.

Ripe Cherries June 15, 2009

It’s Cherry Day!

This morning I decided it was time for Cherry Day; an annual event around here.  The vacant lot behind my house has some old and productive Queen Ann’s cherry trees  planted on the edge of my place. They hang over my yard.  So I consider the cherries in my yard mine.  I like cherries, and I like to put up the food that grows on and around my place.

My son and I picked about 3 1/4 pounds of  the small tasty cherries.  We would have had  more, except I ate a lot of them.  I had to keep my strength up. It took us about an hour. Picking cherries on a warm and sunny June  summer Sunday morning is  pretty great.

I’m not, however the only one around that likes cherries. So do the squirrels and the birds, particularly the ravens. They both chew me out when I go into the back yard for any reason during cherry season, even for completely innocent errands like hanging out the laundry. I’m sure I can understand both the squirrels and the ravens. They both tell me the same thing. “Stay away Human! Those are for me!”

These trees are old and probably 30 ft tall. Most of the cherries grow towards the top, tantalizingly out of reach-at least of me, being without feathers or claws. So, I gather what I can from the ground with my ladder. The tops of the trees were filled with a squirrel family feasting and above them was a large raven eating his fill. There is enough for all.

Making jam, especially from free fruit around your place is one of the ways to live easier on the planet. No trucking involved! I find the jars at garage sales, and reuse them over and over.

I was recently given a cherry pitter which I now consider one of the top inventions of all times. Okay maybe not that great, but it saves hours of tedious work, so I love it. If you are going to use fresh cherries, it’s worth finding one.

Once I pitted them, I had the jam made in less than an hour. I just follow the directions on the pectin box.

I got 2 and 1/2 pints of cherry jam for about 2 hours work. That jam will be a special treat next winter, and in the meantime I’ll admire the jars on my pantry shelf.

Here are some photos:

The full Cherry tree.

The fruits of our labor.

A much smaller bowl after pitting them.

The finished jam.

The Planting of the Greenhouse May 29, 2009

Finally, it’s time to plant. I had already added some organic compost and worm castings to the soil. I cheated this year and bought starts-but I won’t have to next year!  I have 3 varieties of  tomatoes with 10 in all, 2 bell peppers (1 is setting flowers already!) and a acorn squash. One end is under the willow tree and is shaded all summer, so I planted some mesclun and arugula that I did start from seed. Soon I’ll be eating from it!!
A friend told me her about her organic pest control. She uses a mix of ammonia and lemon scented dish soap. I’m sure bugs will find my delicious baby veggies soon, so I think I will try that. Anyone ever try that, or have other good tried and true methods?

My greenhouse is up! May 22, 2009

May 13, 2009

It’s almost complete. I should be able to start planting in it this weekend.

May 11, 2009

May 11, 2009

Candle Making March 9, 2009

I burn a lot of candles during the winter months. They help me on those dark gloomy days when the sun seems to set almost as soon as it rises. I keep one or two in each room. They bring light and  joy into my life, and  help me make it till spring.

They do get expensive though. I finally followed up on an idea I had years ago.  I had burned a large scented candle, and when it was burned out, there was a lot of was left. There was more wax left than had burned. I put it in a bag, and added more wax from burned out candles till the bag was full. I had been saving the little jars some candles come in, and had cleaned them out.

All I needed was some wicks. I had bought some and also some soy wax last month, so I was all set. First I turned the oven on to 200 degrees, and set the empty glass jars on a cookie tray in the oven. This was to warm up the jars, so they don’t shatter when I pour in the hot wax. I cleaned out a tin can and bent a pour sprout into it with my hands. I then heated a couple of inches of water in a pan, filled the tin can with the chucks of leftover wax and set the can in the boiling water. When the wax melted I removed the heated jars from the oven, set a wick in the middle and very carefully poured the hot wax in. I set them back in the oven for about a half an hour, and wha-laa- I have candles. They cost me .10 cents each for the wicks.

I then made some soy candles in the same manner. While they look very pretty, disappointingly they do not burn at all well.

Does anyone know a way to make soy candles that will burn well?

In the meantime, I will keep collecting the candle scraps and making  more of my ten cent canldes.

February 10, 2009

Feels like spring is in the air. I can’t see if it’s starting to look like spring outside, because my windows are so dirty. Time for one of my least favorite chores-window washing. Darn.
I use a mix of vinegar and water-about 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. I bought a squeegee a few years ago. After I wipe down the window panes with that, I dry them with some wadded up newspaper. They shine after that.
I would rather have someone else to this job, but since no one has shown up at my door volunteering to do it, I guess I better go get my ladder.
Humm, maybe I should re-read Tom Sawyer.

Earthworms and Compost January 24, 2009

My neighbor gave me a composting suggestion I’m wondering if anyone has tried, or heard of. Her idea is to keep a small lidded container under your kitchen sink. Put in a bit of soil and some earthworms.  Make sure some air can get in. Add your compost as you go. She thinks that the worms would eat all the compost right away, and you would be left with some wonderful fertilizer ready to go. My neighbor and her husband are full time truckers, so are not home long enough to try it.

This sounds like it might work. Has anyone ever tried it, or know of anyone who has? I’d like to hear about it.