Culinary Adventure: Bountiful Baskets

What do these two lines have in common?

All photos by Madeline L.

Answer: They are both waiting for produce!

That's right. Saltbox House would like to recognize a wonderful organization known as Bountiful Baskets. This food co-op has been in the works since 2006. What started between two friends in an effort to find affordable healthy food, has now reach numerous families across 16 states.

How does it work?

Basically, the food co-op gathers a weekly contribution from those who sign in to the website and purchase a "basket" that will contain 50% fruit and 50% vegetables. Those contributions are gathered together to purchase the produce at a whole sale price and then they are divided ans delivered to designated sites that same week.

Volunteers are the biggest contributors of all. There are no employees for Bountiful Baskets. Everything is done through generosity! Because of this, families can get their produce at the same price that is was purchased.

Overall, even when the price of produce will go up in the grocery stores, the price of bountiful baskets always remains the same.

Bountiful Baskets 101:

Some sites may only offer bountiful baskets every other week instead of weekly.

Make sure to check if the site is on an A or B week.

Days to purchase your basket "Contribute"-

Monday through Tuesday (Time of day vary depending on your state)

Day to Pick up basket-

Saturday (Times during Saturday vary depending on site)

There is a 20 minute window to pick up your basket when your pick up time starts

How much to contribute-

$15.00 for a regular basket and $25.00 for an Organic Basket. You can order up to 3 baskets. Sometimes this is great for those that order together in the case that a site fills up too fast.

Additional Prices include-

One time charge of $3.00 for your first basket (To purchase a white holding basket). After the first time paying this, you don't ever have to pay this again, even if you move to another state.

A $1.50 service fee charge (Different sources tell us this is either to help pay for the trucking company's gas -because they offer delivery as a free service- and/or to pay for the credit card companies charges that allow people to make online transactions).  

Any Extras you Purchase. After purchasing a basket, each contributor has the option to purchase additional items that range from baked goods to additional produce.

What Extras can you Purchase-

Here are some of them:

Themed Veggie Packs- Italian, Mexican, Asian, and Tropical that can add variety. Some of our authors swear by these packs because they include so many fresh herbs!

Baked goods- Sourdough bread, 9 grain wheat, and holiday cookies, to name a few. 

Granola

Bulk Produce- These are seasonal fruits and veggies that can be used or preserved for later. Another popular add on by some of our authors. They can preserve anytime during the year this way.

Volunteering:

Volunteers make it happen! This is the perfect opportunity to get some hands on experience in bountiful baskets. Whether your wash baskets, break down boxes, or fill in for a site coordinator, you are all working for the same cause.

How to volunteer

Just show up at your nearest site an hour early to help. As a thank you for all your help, your basket and any extras you purchased will be set aside before the pick up time begins and you will also receive either one large produce item or two small.   

Don't have a site near you? That doesn't mean that it is not possible. You can inquire about opening a site near you and become the site's coordinator. The website has more information about opportunities to start your own site or to petition to open a site in your area. The benefits of being a site coordinator include your basket at no charge.

To learn more about Bountiful Baskets, find a site near you, or to order a basket click below

http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

gluten free all purpose flour.

I derived this recipe mostly from Silvana's all-purpose flour blend and partly from Carol Fenster's sorghum flour blend.  For the rice flour I throw in equal amounts of white, brown and sweet rice into my grain mill and mill it.  I use this for so many things.  I use it as flour for non gluten free recipes. Like my moms cookie recipes, or the pumpkin cookies recipe that I got from a friend...  You can also use it as your four in GF recipes, just omit the xanthan that the recipe calls for ( and the starches unless it calls for extra starch)

6 cups rice flour.
6 cups sorghum flour
6 cups tapioca flour
3 cups potato starch
2 T salt
4 T xanthan gum

DIY Laundry and Dish Detergent

I know this isn't a yummy food recipe, but it is one of my favorite recipes....

Have you ever wanted to make your own laundry soap and dish detergent? There are several benefits of DIY. First, homemade detergent is inexpensive... I mean REALLY inexpensive. Pennies a load. Second, when you make it yourself, you know every ingredient that goes into the detergent. Just Borax, washing powder, and soap. No strange chemicals that are unpronounceable. Third, it is great to have knowledge of how things are made and feel confident in your ability to do it yourself.... even if you have no intention of doing it yourself right now. Knowledge is power.
Of course, I take no credit for this recipe. There are so many wonderful money saving sites that share homemade recipes such as this.

Laundry Soap (Duggars Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 five gallon bucket with lid
1/2 cup Borax
1 cup Washing soda (not baking soda)
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap. Other natural soaps can be used too such as Ivory.

I picked these ingredients up at Wal-mart for a grand total of $7.19. The Fels-Naptha (97 cents) was all used up but the Borax and soda will do MANY more batches.First heat 4 cups of water in a pot on the stove and grate the soap. It looks like yummy cheese, so watch your kids. Seriously, I had little hands trying to snitch it, LOL. Put the grated soap in the pot and heat until melted. When the water and soap is melted, fill a 5 gallon bucket halfway with warm water. Pour the melted soap in and add the Borax and Washing soda. Stir.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way with warm water. At this point, I do add some lavender essential oil (about 20 drops), but that is totally optional. Let stand overnight. When you are ready to use, fill an old laundry soap bottle halfway with the detergent. Fill the rest of the way with water. Use about 5/8 cup per load (top loading) or 1/4 cup (front loading).

I have used the laundry soap and it works great.
Dishwasher detergent:

Ingredients:
1 cup Borax,
1 cup Washing soda
1/4 cup LemiShine (on the dish soap aisle) Can also use citric acid which is supposed to be better but harder to find.
1/2 cup Kosher salt

Mix in container. Use 1 TBSP per load. Using too much will leave residue. Also, for a more natural alternative, use white vinegar in the dishwasher's rinse agent spot.

I just mixed this up and have not personally tried it. I'm crossing my fingers that it works. I'll edit the post later (after a week or two) and update on the effectiveness. We have really hard water here and white streaks are a problem.

Please share your experiences (and recipe tweaks) in the comments.

April's Giveaway- How To Books

Starting this spring, we at Saltbox House Cooking Exchange would like to start a new theme for the rest of the year. This year, we want to start focusing on self sufficiency. There are so many things to learn about self sufficiency when it comes to the food. Whether it is growing a garden, canning some vegetables or even butchering your own cow. We know, that sounds a bit unorthodox, but it is a living for many who have already become used to living off the land and taking advantage of Earth's natural creations. With all there is to learn about self sufficiency and living off the land, we decided to get people more excited about it with our giveaways. Each month until harvest time sets in, we are giving away something that has to do with self sufficiency. These things will range from books, Kitchen and garden supplies, gift cards, and more. All we ask in return is for you to share some of your personal wisdom and what you'd like to learn more about.

We are starting off the give away with the How To Books brought to you by Stackpolebooks.com. You may have recognized their books from the local book store or even Costco and noticed that they are these books are almost as thick as they are tall ;). They have everything you ever wanted to know about the subject titled. In my copy of Country Wisdom for example, I have read almost everything you'd want to know about living off the land; from making your own soap to raising your own chickens. In fact, they have a whole section on canning and preserving along with some great recipes that I have come to love! I would recommend these books to anyone interested in knowing more about starting from scratch or making use of the things around them.

If you are interested in these books, enter our giveaway (details at the bottom of this post)

TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY:

You could win your choice of one of these great books!

3 Easy Steps

Step # 1- Go to the top of this blog that says "Search by Label" and choose a topic that interests you. Pick a post that teaches you something about self sufficiency. Leave a comment on that post itself about what you learned. If the post doesn't really have anything to do with self sufficiency choose another or go to the next step.

Step # 2- Leave a comment on this post telling us what post you found and what you learned. If it didn't have anything to do with self sufficiency, then tell us what you'd like to learn more about that pertains to self sufficiency.

Step # 3- List the books on that same comment. Starting with the one you'd like the most as #1 to the one you'd like the least as # 5.

You should have 1-2 comments

(one on the searched post -if you found one- and one on this post to enter the drawing)

This Drawing ends April 30!

You must be a follower via Blogger or Facebook to enter.

The Dubliner'

THE 'DUBLINER'. Put an Irish spin on the regular old grilled cheese! I came up with this last year and now it is a frequent request at our house. Variations can be made depending on your available ingredients and what your family likes.

Ingredients:

-Virgin (white, no dried fruit, but you can use teh dried fruit type as well- I think it would taste very good) Irish soda bread, sliced into sandwich servings. If no soda bread, just use regular.

-Kerrygold Irish butter (you can substitute regular, but Kerrygold is creamier.)

-Dubliner Sharp vintage cheddar (it is available at nearly every grocery store in specialty cheeses).

-one leek, sliced.

-olive oil (if not using bacon)

-salt and pepper

-2 slabs Irish bacon (Optional. Regular bacon can also be used, but Irish bacon has a thicker cut and usually less sodium is used.)

Directions: Heat a grill. If using bacon, cook in a medium skillet until crisp (or tender depending on your taste). Take sliced leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute them in olive oil if not using bacon, or use remaining bacon fat if you used the bacon, until tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Butter your bread slices on one side. Slice cheese and place on bread, then, top with leeks and bacon. Cook/Grill as any grilled cheese and serve. This dish goes well with potato and leek soup.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware

Caring for cast iron cookware might seem like a chore, but it’s a chore that doesn’t take as much time as you’d think and is honestly completely worth the time. The first step in caring for a new cast iron pan is seasoning.

How To Season Cast Iron

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.

• Position a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Place a foil lined baking sheet on the rack beneath the middle rack.

2. Wash your new pan in warm, soapy water. Dry well.

3. Warm the clean, dry pan over medium-low heat on your stove top.

4. Brush 1-2 tablespoons of oil, such as corn, vegetable or grape seed oil over the bottom inside and sides of the pan.

• There should be just enough oil to evenly cover the surfaces without any excess.

5. Place the pan upside down in the oven on the middle rack. Bake for an hour.

• Some people choose not to invert the pan, however. This difference is probably just a matter of personal choice and not right or wrong.
• After the hour of cooking, turn the heat off and allow the pan to cool inside the oven for an hour.

Seasoning your new pan can be helped along if the first few recipes you cook after the initial seasoning process include the use of oil, such as sauteing an onion or deep frying. Over time the pan will become dark and smooth with a beautiful, natural non-stick finish. Additionally, you can repeat this oven seasoning process.

seasoned, nonstick pan

Besides being beautiful, cast iron pans that have been properly seasoned and cared for can offer you a chemical-free non-stick surface to cook on.

good investment piece

Because they don’t contain a chemical non-stick coating there’s no need to toss out a pan the way you’d toss a Teflon coated pan after a few years. They’re incredibly sturdy, too.

A well-maintained cast iron pan will likely outlive you. For a relatively small price you’ve purchased a pan that you can one day hand down as a family heirloom.

even cooking

Sure a cast iron skillet takes longer to heat, it is a wonderful heat conductor – the heat is even and well maintained. Additionally, cast iron is one of my favorites to cook with because it is safely used stove top or in the oven, unlike traditional coated non-stick pans.

increase your iron consumption

If you suffer from anemia, you may want to consider cooking in cast iron. Evidence suggests that eating food cooked in cast iron will increase the amount of iron in your diet.

Nourished Kitchen Online Cooking Class

Saltbox House Cooking Exchange is pleased to introduce you to Nourished Kitchen's Online Cooking Course. See this short clip for the details.

Classes fill up fast. Click Here to Sign Up Now

* Advertisement- SBHCE may be compensated for purchases made

Grilling Basket

Ok, I can't share this tool without saying who recommended it to me. A year ago, I shared a recipe for veggie skewers on this blog and Alison commented about using a grilling basket and how it worked for her. This summer I decided to buy one to try it out. I was amazed! I put all of my veggies in the basket and they were all evenly grilled together (No more sticks for me). Now Alison, I want you to tell me any other suggestions you have as I might be doing this wrong.

The Cooking Tool highlight allows you to rave about a specific cooking tool or set of tools. This can be an appliance, gadget, or cookware. These cooking tools are there to make it a little easier in the kitchen. It is hard for me to see an infomercial and not say "I think I could use one of those" and at the same time also think "Who would use that?". However the case my be, I think I have to go by someone I know who has used one and not the "non-paid actor" on TV. So, if you love it, share it! It also helps to share what you like to do it with.

First, I prep my veggies by cleaning, cutting and blanching (some do not require blanching). My grilling veggies of choice are: Red onions, peppers, red potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, asparagus (now that Nichole recommended it), eggplant, and corn. I blanched the potatoes, squash and zucchini because they have thicker skins.

Next, I marinade the veggies in a gallon size plastic bag with some olive oil and herbs. I have also used ready made marinade or teriyaki sauce and they turned out great. I marinade them for 15-30 minutes.

Last, I dumped them into the grilling basket over a hot grill and continued to turn the basket over every 5 or so minutes until they are done.

The results are delicious!

Get Lemons, Make Raspberry Lemonade

August celebrates National Lemonade Day and what better way than to make it yourself.

Recipe for great homemade Lemonade:

(I try to remember in a rule of 6's)

6 large Lemons

6 cups of cold water

6 quarter cups of sugar

and Raspberries or Strawberries (crushed and whole)

Cooking Tool of the Week:

Citrus Press

All you need is 6 large lemons to juice.

and a couple of handfuls of some fresh raspberries (crushed and whole)

Add 6 cups of cold water and 6 quarter cups of sugar (more or less), mix and done!
Refreshing to the taste!
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Has anyone tried to make homemade lemonade with lemon concentrate?

Culinary Adventure to Bolivia for Pique a lo Macho

Pique a lo Macho or Pique Macho is a traditional Bolivian dish that consists of meats and peppers over papas fritas (fried potatoes). The meaning of this dish is to imply "Heat (spicy) for the tough man" referring to the hot peppers. When visiting some of my husband's friends in Bolivia a few years ago, I had the opportunity to try the interesting yet, delicious dish. There is no crazy ingredients in it but, the order in which it is served, makes you wonder. I obtained this recipe in Bolivia and have made just a few changes to it. I hope you enjoy.

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Ingredients:............................................................................Changes We Made

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French Fries (homemade, or from frozen).........................We baked our fries

Boiled Eggs (one for each serving to go on top)

Hot Peppers (Green or red).....................................We used mild peppers instead of hot

Red onion
Chopped Beef...............................................................We used Stew meat

Hot dogs or sausage.....................................................We used smoked turkey sausage (precooked)

Cumin to taste.............................................We also added beef bullion, paprika, and chili powder

Garlic to taste.................................We used 1-2 gloves of minced garlic in olive oil to brown meat

Mayonnaise and ketchup (traditional but, optional)...................We also added hotsauce

Cooking Tool of the Week: Egg Slicer- This week, we would like to show you our cooking tool which helped make this meal a little faster. The egg slicer cuts perfect slices of eggs without the mess and keep them together until you spread them out.

Perfect Slices and you can let you kids do the cutting!


You might think, I don't eat enough boiled eggs to make it worth while. Well most egg slicers are pretty heavy duty and can slice strawberries, bananas, olives, mushrooms, pear, peach, or apple halves (usually without the skin), and many other soft foods.

Brown Stew meat and add cut up sausage or hot dogs and cook until semi-done. (It will finish it's cooking process when the vegetables are added. You don't want your meat to be too tough so, if there is a little red showing in your beef, when you add the vegetables, that is fine.

(Our change was to brown the meat in a little olive oil and minced garlic and then add beef bullion in a little water after meat is semi-cooked)

After meat is cooked, put all peppers, onions, and seasonings in with the meat and cook until desired tenderness.

In Bolivia, the traditional way to to serve Pique Macho is over french fries, a cut up boiled egg on top, and smothered in mayonnaise and ketchup (I didn't smoother anything on this one). You usually get a side of rice as well. We will eat ours over french fries or over rice.

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Has Anyone Tried Bolivian Food or Do You Own an Egg Slicer?

Cooking Tool: Camping Pie Iron

I love the outdoors! We went camping this weekend for the 4th of July and one of our favorite things to do when camping at night is to sit by the open fire, eat, sing, and just tell stories. One thing that makes the campfire experience even more fun is when we roast hot dogs, marshmallows and make pies or grilled cheese sandwiches. These pies don't really compare to that of dutch oven cobbler but, it is fast and easier. We made apple pies and grilled cheese sandwiches this weekend and thought it was the perfect way to introduce our cooking tool of the week, the Pie Iron.

I have used the pie iron for camping since I can remember. My uncle and aunt would bring theirs on our family camp outs growing up and we couldn't get enough cherry or berry pies. It was fun to make your own and see what other neat things you could make over the fire. They are very easy to use and are long enough for kids to use them safely. They are not that expensive and if you like to camp a lot, it might be something to think about getting. You can buy them at almost any camping or online store.

How to use them:
Butter or spray inside both cooking plates. Add your bread. For this one, I used Potato bread. It is ok if the bread is a little bigger, you can trim the crust or push it into the plate and clamp it.

Put a big scoop of pie filling in the center. I also spread some cream cheese inside both slices to make it even better.

Place into fire or grill.
If cooking in the fire, try to wedge it into hot coals or two hot logs to help it cook evenly. Don't forget to turn it either.

When it is golden brown on both sides, it is done.

Having just a grilled cheese, also works out. They are delicious!

Other suggestions:

Stuffed french toast

(with already cooked bread)

Toad in a hole

(cut hole into two slices of bread, can also use two eggs)

Any grilled sandwich like a tuna melt

Cheeseburger (with already cooked hamburger)

Quesadilla (with small flour or corn tortillas)

Grilled Burritos (they would be small unless you have a double iron)

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Have You Tried These or Think You Would Like One?

How To: Pressure Cook Beans and Loni's Brazilian Black Beans.

These beans are the best I have ever tried. As you have been introduced to Loni Platt before (with the best Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies), she has gone way and beyond to help us celebrate Cinco de Mayo by adding these to our Pork Barbacoa Salads. Loni served a mission in Brazil for the LDS church and has since cooked up many dishes that she had become accustomed to eating from the locals there. She makes these beans from dry and un-soaked in her pressure cooker. They are fast, easy and a perfect addition to any meal.

For 1-2 cups of Black Beans:

Sort Beans. Looks for unattractive beans and even rocks. :)

Clean beans in a strainer and cool water.

Put in Pressure Cooker.

Cover with 2 knuckles above of water. Yes, your knuckles. When in doubt, it is better to have more water than less (they will burn).

Put the lid on, lock, turn heat on high until weighted top starts to "spin and dance", then turn down to med-high. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat.

Don't forget to let the pressure release by itself. When the pressure lock drops, take off the lid and check the beans. If they are still hard, put them in for an additional 10-15 min. You also may need to add more water.

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Loni's Brazilian Beans Recipe:

1/2 beef bouillon cube (Loni uses the Knorr Brand)

1-2 cloves of chopped garlic (optional but, very good)

1 bunch of chopped green onions

1 bunch of chopped cilantro

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Directions:

Pour a little vegetable oil (Not Olive) in a skillet over med-high heat. Saute ingredients until they smell good (1-2 min). Ladle 2 or so cups of broth from the beans into the skillet. Let them simmer together for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add salt.

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Return broth to the beans that are on med heat. Taste and add salt as needed. For thicker beans, crush beans against side of pan and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes.

The "Magic" Mousse

My friend Loni actually gave me the idea to talk about this chocolate mousse when we were talking about it the other day. She mentioned that she sees the infomercials about the Magic Bullet all the time and she has to laugh a little when she sees the perfectly made dishes that come out of this great blender. She was especially wonders about the Alfredo sauce and the chocolate mousse. This picture is of the chocolate mousse that is made in the magic bullet with nothing but chocolate syrup and heavy cream. I wonder if it really works. I'm sure it does. But, how does it compare?
I do admit that I own a Magic Bullet and use it all of the time. Much like a mini chopper, I use it for those little things (or for single servings) that I don't want to take out my regular mixture or food processor for. I also like that it doesn't turn on until you place the cup upside down with the lid screwed shut. I can't tell you how many times I have been surprised by my daughter turning on the blender before the lid was on. With this, she can just push on the bottom of the cup and pulse blend all by herself. She loves it. As far as buying them on TV, that is something that you might want to think about. I don't know what specials go on or if they are always the same but, you usually get to sets of magic bullets with a juicer and a blender attachment for about $100.00 and I think you have to pay for shipping and handling. However, my husband got this set for me from Shopko for around $35.00 (5 years ago). Of course, I did not get the juicer and blender attachment or a whole other set. But, it was cheaper and great for us. If you want to go in on it with someone, it might be worth it to get it on TV if you really want the free attachments.

If you have a Magic Bullet, what do you use it for the most?