Linda Ly's Blog, page 20
July 9, 2016
Balsamic Strawberry Jam on Freshly Preserved Ideas
The strawberries at my local farmers’ markets are going strong right now, and I can never resist picking up a few baskets after the vendors ply me with samples and smiles. My favorite way to eat them is right out of hand, or sometimes crushed with a little sugar and ice.
But seasonal strawberries are fleeting, so I try to save a bit of that fresh, fruity flavor for winter when I’m longing for summer berries. This balsamic strawberry jam adds a savory note to the traditional preserve, making...
June 23, 2016
Get Preserving Ideas From This Interactive Canning Map
Have you seen Freshly Preserved Ideas? It’s a new Tumblr page brought to you by the fine folks at Ball Canning, and it’s full of pretty inspiration for crafters, useful tips for first-time canners, and enticing recipes for all kinds of concoctions.
It’s not all jams and pickles, either (though you’ll find all that, and more). Scroll down the page for links to botanical cocktails, herbal salts, salad dressings, and overnight oats— all made in mason jars, of course.
Perhaps the neatest feature...
June 17, 2016
Five Things Friday
The five little things that made my week…
1. Getting older gets better and better every year. For my birthmonth, we spent the week camping, floating, and relaxing on Upper Kern River. We came home yesterday, only to unpack from the trip and repack for the second installment of birthmonth celebrations: road tripping through the Arizona desert, into New Mexico (where we’ve booked a stay in an Earthship — more to come on that!), across the Rockies to Colorado, and over the Colorado Plateau in U...
June 14, 2016
Adventures in Parenting: Camping With a Newborn
When I was pregnant, the notion of camping with a baby was appealing and a little intimidating. But no matter how many naysayers I came across, and in spite of how many parents laughed at me, insisting, “Oh, you’ll see,” I knew I wasn’t going to wait years for my child to be “ready.”
My thinking was, better to break the kid in sooner than later… get her used to long car rides, simple pleasures, and strange and exciting environments. I didn’t know if there was an “appropriate” age to take a b...
June 11, 2016
Quick Pickled Roasted Beets on Freshly Preserved Ideas
This summer, I’m happy to announce that I’ve teamed up with Ball Canning, maker of the beloved and ubiquitous mason jars, as an official ambassador! Being an avid user and longtime lover of their jars (who isn’t these days?) means I’m thrilled to be joining their campaign and helping to educate and encourage others on the joys of jamming, pickling, and other methods of food preserving.
We’re cooking up (er, canning) a series of bold, colorful recipes for their new Tumblr page, Freshly Preser...
June 9, 2016
The Superhydrophobic Surface of Nasturtium Leaves
Rain doesn’t happen too often in Southern California, but when it does, I always love the gleam it brings to the garden. And literally, too — the wide-spreading patches of volunteer nasturtium vines seem to sparkle with thousands of Swarovski crystals after a good storm.
Sometimes the raindrops roll off the leaves, or bounce as soon as they land, but many will pool on the lily pad-like surface and stand still until a breeze blows them away. They may even form patterns along the veins, as i...
June 6, 2016
The CSA Cookbook is an Amazon Kindle Monthly Deal in June!
Welcome to my favorite month. It’s my favorite for many reasons, the least of which, June just happens to be my birthday month!
But it’s also a month of misty mornings on the coast, sunsets happening late into the evenings, and camping bins beckoning for a summer full of road trips. It’s a month of the garden coming alive with sunshiney blooms and rosy tomatoes, and farmers’ markets bursting with bell peppers, snap beans, strawberries, squash blossoms, and other beauties of summer produce.
I...
May 10, 2016
I Planted My Placenta
Yes, you read that right.
Warning: Images of placenta ahead.
When I was pregnant, the placenta— or rather, what to do with it post-birth— was a popular topic among my friends who already had babies or were expecting babies. Some had their placentas encapsulated. Most left them at the hospital. I was on the fence about mine: to eat or not to eat?
(For a good laugh, Google placenta recipes. They do exist! … for everything from placenta smoothies to placenta stew. A writer from The Guardian eve...
May 6, 2016
Five Things Friday
The five little things that made my week…
1. The garden is a tangled mess of nasturtium vines right now, which are slowly dying back with our dry spell. But one bonus crop is a bright spot amidst all the brown: nasturtium seeds! I wait for them every year as the flowers start to shrivel but the seeds are still fresh and green. Harvest a handful of them to make your very own “capers”! While not true capers, they’re peppery and tangy and delicious in a number of dishes. I call them poor man’s...
May 3, 2016
Anthocyanin Powerhouse: Pusa Asita Carrots
Every year, there seems to be a new “superfood” on the scene. Blueberries. Pomegranates. Acai berries. Purple kale. What they all have in common, besides being the “it” ingredient in countless smoothie recipes, is the presence of anthocyanins.
Anthocyanins are naturally occurring compounds that give plants their vibrant purple, pink, red, and blue coloring and are found in the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. They also have antioxidant abilities and are believed to be anti-inflamma...
