Safe and Sane in NEPA

A lot has happened in the past month...

Home Again - Did I mention we went on vacation last month?

We inherited some porches when the Susquehanna crested about 12 feet above flood stage (post-flood image)

Took a few naps



Felt my first earthquake (technically a month and a week ago)

Stocked up the canning cellar

....

Only one more day left of September! What to do...

Irene of '11

I've posted a few links on Facebook to photos of our recent flooding from Hurricane Irene already. For those of you that haven't seen those, here's a couple photos shot by a plane going overhead.

Nearby Tunkhannock

And our little village

As mandated essential personnel, I went to work and even put in voluntary overtime. This company loyalty required circumventing a Road Closed sign and blatantly ignoring a county driving ban, risking a hefty ticket.

Halfway through the morning, people were already noticing a strong smell of propane in the air. By noon, I had a meltdown in front of a supervisor and a UPS delivery man when my husband called to say the cat got out and the river was in the yard - this just after we had received word the bridge was being closed and I had no way home. About an hour later, during which time I repeatedly berated myself for leaving the house and envisioned Ming being pulled away by the river, he called back with news the cat was found and safe.

Around 6 PM, it was becoming increasingly evident my options were limited to bunking up at work; I called home begging for a miracle in the next couple hours. The river was still hours away from cresting and reports were coming in that it had already begun to trickle over part of the bridge. I tried to focus on other things, all the while holding onto a sliver of hope he was going to find a passable route. It was illogical really; our road in the opposite direction had become one with the river half a mile up and all the side roads in between were closed, as well.

The loving husband called back roughly an hour later and told me I had 15 minutes to get a ride to the bridge. Apparently, he had gone down to the bridge and waved a hundred dollar bill in the air, payable to whomever could get his wife home. He hashed out the [lack of] possibilities with emergency personnel. The river was already rushing over the road at the end of the bridge about a foot deep. Then, the fire truck appeared. The fire chief turned down his bribes, but agreed to get me over the bridge. There was the chance the fire truck would have to respond elsewhere at any moment, hence the 15 minute deadline. I dropped everything at work, forgot to even lock a door and left my glasses. A coworker drove me to the bridge; the side of the road leading up to the bridge was lined with cars left behind by others who had to find another way home (probably on foot or a friend's larger vehicle). A heavy fog was hanging in the air, which I learned was actually a propane "fog". The hose company was still waiting, thankfully, and they got me over the bridge and through the rushing water to my husband, who was waiting with open arms. As for the cat, he received a stern lecture and a long cuddle.

The next morning, we learned that a house next to the bridge had exploded overnight. Apparently, a propane tank had been carried over by the river and bashed into the house. People were trying to ascertain whether an elderly couple had evacuated or were still inside their home, which was surrounded by a fair amount of water. I went to work, again. [Insert stupidity award here] Surprisingly, the river had crested overnight and the level had reduced enough to re-open the bridge. Pretty much everything was still under water and the National Guard had posted themselves at the bridge, blocking off a low-lying road that had been replaced by the Susquehanna. I didn't put in a whole day at work, didn't want to tempt fate, but put in a fair amount of the day before returning home (with my car this time).

We suffered minor inconveniences - Don almost didn't have a way to get to work (the river receded enough in time), the smell of propane took several days to dissipate, and it took a couple hours to find a gallon of milk (several different routes due to road closures and sold out wherever we checked). There's a porch up a tree in our grove and another sitting behind the garden. We inherited lots of barrels and other assorted items. All we lost were the pumpkin patch and half of the garden. Several homes down our back road are either gone or incurred significant damage, while a portion of the road is impassable due to a structure blocking the way. A handful of families in our village are still looking for the other half of their house. That's just our neck of the woods; there's many more boroughs in the Valley and other villages all along the Susquehanna that experienced a similar situation.

Wyoming County Fair 2011

'One Too Many' Hybrid Pumpkin

Also known as Bloodshot Pumpkin ;) Pumpkin-tinis in moderation.

This year's big Winter Squash/Pumpkin winner - and I have no clue what it is! Love the grey and green/blue markings; they remind me of sea foam.

Bees-wax Candles

Donnie liked the Chicks

And I tried to make off with the cider press...

Sheepe! That's Fallsian plural for woolies.

I didn't pet any sheep (shocker for a Welshie, I know), but many a goat were granted a cuddle.

It's that time of year - sheep shearing. The sheep get adorable jackets to wear afterwards.

Seasonal display

A little twisted humour with a bad raven in the corn

Monto Man! Every garden needs one.

Green Tomato Pickles

Would you believe I have never eaten a green tomato? Well, at least not for another three weeks, that is!

Tomatoes haven't done so well in our garden this year, largely due to a lack of rain followed by an overload of the stuff. I used the best of the tomatoes for batches of tortilla soup and my smoky almond tomato soup, both of which were processed in pint jars for those ever-nearing harsh Winter months. Donnie snagged a few which he ate as meals with a liberal spread of mayonnaise. Many more were lost after blistering open from nature's inconsistent showers and heat spells, and I suspect the bite marks on some of the lower fruit came from our fox family (explaining some of the daily deposits of red seed scat on the front walk).

Sometime in the past few weeks, our eggplant and tomato plants experienced a mild trauma. In a last minute effort, I salvaged the remaining tomatoes, including the unripe green fruit. Little did I know, the river was also on its way up to our garden and would be within feet of the tomatoes in mere days. These lucky survivors have piqued a new-found fascination for green tomatoes. Next year, I'll be harvesting them early on purpose!

From Fluorescent and Fresh...

...To Spicy and Full of Depth!

Curried Tigerellas (slightly adapted from Tigress in a Pickle's Curried Green Zebras)

3lbs small, round green tomatoes, preferably striped (I used Tigerella tomatoes)
1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
sea salt
3 cups cider vinegar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 & 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I used )
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled & thinly sliced (brine-preserved ginger works well)
12 whole allspice berries
2 green chile peppers, quartered and seeds removed

Carefully slice tomatoes length-wise (vertically), about 1/4" thick. Arrange in a container with onion slices, salting each layer; cover and leave overnight. The next day, gently pour into a colander and rinse tomatoes with just enough water to remove excess salt. Tightly pack tomato and onion slices into sterile pint jars, wedging 1/2 of a chile pepper into each jar. Prepare brine by bringing cider vinegar, brown sugar, curry powder and 2 tsp sea salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add three allspice berries to each jar and pour brine to within 1/2" of top of jar. Process jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Allow three weeks before opening.


Martini Green Tomato Pickles/Tomolives (adapted from a member recipe for Martini Green Beans on Food.com)

I used a mix of green San Marzano and Roma tomatoes for my Tomolives. Use a paste or canning tomato with lots of flesh and not so much juice.
enough green plum tomatoes to fill two pint jars
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 tb granulated sugar
1/8 cup sea salt
2 dried arbol chiles
2 garlic cloves or 2 tsp minced garlic (I used minced for full dirty martini effect)
2 bay leaves
4 long strips of lemon peel
1/4 tsp mustard seed
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
24 juniper berries
2 green chiles, seeds removed
1/2 cup gin

Inspect tomatoes for any imperfections, especially bruising. Tightly pack whole tomatoes into two pint jars, wedging two chile halves into each jar to keep tomatoes in place. To each jar, add 1 arbol chile, 1 garlic clove/minced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 2 strips of lemon peel, half of the mustard seeds and peppercorns, 12 juniper berries and 1/4 cup good gin. Bring cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt to a boil, then pour over tomatoes into each jar, leaving 1/4" headspace. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Allow three weeks before opening.





Expect to see these gorgeous pickles soon for their "Unsealing"...

Stuffed Peppers, the Right Way

To most people, the mention of "stuffed peppers" evokes flashbacks of a Dutch oven or pressure cooker full of stewed tomatoes and greyish-green bell peppers. Usually, the peppers have been boiled down to a sulphuric vessel for rice mush, coated haphazardly with silky smear of tomato foam.

Umm...gross? Maybe this gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it causes involuntary shuddering whenever someone unveils a pot of this mystery stew to me. Stuffed peppers are one of those universal dishes like stuffed dough or mashed potatoes - every culture has their own version. India has Barvan Mirch, Mexico has the Chile Rellano, and Norway has their Fylt Paprika (mmm..Jarlsberg-filled peppers). My pepper rules? They should be roasted or grilled until just tender, not mushy; be infused with as much flavour as the stuffing; and, if a bell pepper, any shade but green!

I made these as my husband recently demanded stuffed peppers. I think they were a satisfactory replacement for the stewed pot of peppers he was expecting.

Stuffed Peppers with Risotto
Risotto:
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 small onion, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

Prepare the risotto:
Drizzle about 2 tb of olive oil into a tall saucepot and add basmati rice and diced onion. Bring rice and onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice turns opaque and onions become transluscent. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, giving the mixture a couple stirs a minute. Add another 1/2 cup of broth every time the rice appears to have absorbed most of the liquid, eventually stirring in 3 cups-worth. Season well with Parmesan, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.

To make chile oil:
Note: If you plan on keeping the oil for longer than a couple days, you must refrigerate it to protect from bacteria and fungus. Obviously, dried chiles will keep longer than fresh chiles when stored at room temperature.
Method 1 (cold infusion): In a small, sterile glass flask with a stopper, add 5-6 fresh chiles to pure olive oil or grapeseed oil. Keep chiles in oil until reaching desired intensity - 2-3 days is ample for this recipe, but 2-4 weeks is more preferable for using as a finishing oil. Strain oil and rebottle for a finer oil and longer shelf life.
Method 2 (hot infusion): In a saucepan, heat pure olive oil or grapeseed oil with 3-4 dried arbol chiles for about 5 minutes; remove from heat, remove chiles and allow to cool.

Prepare the peppers by cutting open the top and gently removing the seed cavity, taking care not to split the side walls of the pepper. Brush the inside and skin with the chile-infused olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes. The skin of the pepper will have blistered after this time, which may be removed or kept on for a smoky note. Brush the skin and cavity of the pepper again with the chile oil, then fill the cavity of each pepper with the risotto. Place the peppers back into the oven and continue roasting for 25 minutes. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil prior to serving.