Sally's GF3 thread

[cavemanrich]

Lentil Soup

Sally,,, every time I see or hear Lentil soup,, a story from long in the past always pops up. So Ill share it here.

I was in a Truck stop diner, and waitress asked,,,, Soup, or Salad?
So I asked, ,, What is the soup. ???
What I heard was LENTEN. Being that is was Lent in the Christian calendar, I chose soup.
As I am eating the soup,,, I was wondering to myself. These split peas are somewhat slightly undercooked, or they are a variety of split peas different from what I usually eat??
I never knew of a grain Lentil, at that time.
Just as I always learn new things. Quinoa is my latest thing that I learned,, and I'm already ancient. BTW,, I do like to make rice dishes. I often mix in some Quinoa into the pot,, as well as Vermicelli. I know you could not have vermicelli.

 

[Sally PB]

Sometimes I add some already cooked rice to soup, to make it a little heartier. I doubt I need to do that this time, unless I also thin it out. This is more like a stew than a soup.

I'm having some for dinner before I go to the bee club meeting.

 

[Sally PB]

That soup was even better as dinner last night. The flavors melded a bit more.

I used to make it with a quart of bone broth, plus water to make 6 cups of liquid. I don't recall when I thought of using canned tomatoes instead. The taste is a lot... brighter... is the word that comes to mind. Tangier, maybe. I think I like it better this way.

 

[fuzzi]

Blackstrap molasses has a very strong flavor. To me, it's a combination of molasses and anise. So if you don't like black licorice, you probably won't like this stuff.

I don't know if the Grandma's brand tastes like this, as I've never bought it. I discovered blackstrap molasses 10? 15? years ago, back when Meijer carried House of Herbs. I don't recall how much iron HoH brand has, but this brand, Brer Rabbit, has 4.8 mg per tablespoon.

I put it in my coffee. I really like the mix of flavors.

Like all thick syrups, you can never spoon the last bit out of the jar. But being the frugal weirdo person I am, when it's down to the last part in the bottom, I just pour my coffee into the jar and stir it well. Then pour it into my mug.

If you do this... do NOT handle the jar with bare hands while it's full of hot coffee. There's a reason coffee mugs have handles.

And, yes, the proper term is coffee "mug." Not "cup," it should be a mug.

My mom bought Grandma's molasses. When it only had a little left in the bottom of the jar I would pour in milk, about halfway full, screw on the lid and shake vigorously. The result was a delicious milk drink, a West Indies milkshake.

 

[Sally PB]

I got a call from the doctor's office. They have the results of my blood work. I asked for a hard copy to be mailed to me. But I couldn't resist asking for my total cholesterol and LDL numbers.

Both have gone down 20+ points from last year.

Oatmeal for the win! I'm inspired to keep having oatmeal/steel cut oats for breakfast 5x a week. And working out on the elliptical 20 minutes a day.

 

[NanaK]

Congratulations!

 

[Sally PB]

Thank you! I'm looking forward to getting the printout in the mail and going over everything. I want to know if my vitamin D levels are better too. They were ok last year, but I'd like them to be a little higher. I've been taking a vit D supplement for several months.

 

[fuzzi]

Thank you! I'm looking forward to getting the printout in the mail and going over everything. I want to know if my vitamin D levels are better too. They were ok last year, but I'd like them to be a little higher. I've been taking a vit D supplement for several months.

Take K with the D, it boosts the absorption.

 

[Sally PB]

I dug my garlic on June 30. Usually I let it dry for two weeks, laid out on the front porch on my "special drying tables."

So it's been 2 weeks plus. I cleaned about 30 bulbs yesterday and the rest today. Some of the ones I did today are starting to rot; at least the wrapper leaves are. The internal hard stem (these are hardneck varieties) was ok, except for a couple of really gross ones. A few had onion mite grubs (?) or some other pest. I will definitely plant them in a different location come fall!

I did something different this year, and I will be doing it from now on. When the plants are about 6" tall in the spring, I'll be sprinkling some blood meal around the bed. Blood meal is all nitrogen (I think this bag says 14-0-0). Since garlic and onion bulbs are modified leaves, they can use the extra nitrogen.

My Music garlic usually has 4 big/huge cloves per head. Occasionally 5 cloves per head. This year, most have 5, and several heads have 6 and 7 cloves! Not all are the huge ones, but still! The early start to the year may have also had something to do with it, but I also dug them about 2 weeks earlier than usual.

 

[cavemanrich]

What is your guess on partial rot??
I assumed drying would stop any such activity???
Do you suppose high ambient humidity is a factor?