Rosie's Chai Recipe

I am so lucky to work with Rosie. She is a human google. The other day I asked her if she knew who invented composting, and she replied "Pliney or his father Pliney the Elder!" She is so smart, loving, and giving, and she is as tiny as I am tall. If you knew her, you would want to stand in a kitchen with her canning things and listening to music all day.

ROSIE’S CHAI RECIPE

3 sticks cinnamon 4 star anise pods
30 cardamom pods 30 whole cloves
20 white peppercorns 40 small black peppercorns
10 slices of fresh ginger root 5 quarts water

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly crush dried spices (or run them through a coffee or spice mill, or just crush them with a large spoon, to release the flavor). Put the spices , and the fresh ginger root, in a large tea ball (or you can just boil them all loose in the pot). Add water; cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove tea ball and spices, strain liquid through a sieve.

Add one cup sugar or honey, stir well. Optional: 1 tsp vanilla stirred in.

Add milk to taste (I usually do about 4 parts chai to 1 part milk). If you don’t add milk until you serve the chai, you can store it in the fridge, it keeps at least 2 weeks.

Variations: Good served hot or cold. The amounts of spices don’t need to be counted out, I just “wing it” and it’s a little different each time (in fact, this is about the 5th incarnation). The spices are usually available in bulk at local health food stores (you can buy in small amounts so it’s less expensive).


Chai Packets

Contents of packet – lightly crush the spices.
10 slices fresh ginger
5 quarts water (20 cups)

Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes.
Remove spices, strain liquid through a sieve.

Add one cup sugar or honey,
Add milk to taste (I usually do about 4 parts chai to 1 part milk). If you don’t add milk until you serve the chai, you can store it in the fridge, it keeps at least 2 weeks. Good served hot or cold.

Hummus mmmmmm!

My mom used to make hummus when she was a crazy-ass vegetarian and didn't shave her armpits or legs. We actually liked it though. Now she drives a black Mercedez and lives in a gated community with her freshly shorn contemporaries.


Chick peas 3 organic cans...
3 cloves garlic
juice of 2 lemons
1/3 c sesame tahini
1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
olive oil

Directions: Drain peas, and reserve juice. Place in a food processor and whirl away. Add all ingredients. Continue to whirl. Add olive oil and small amount of pea juice. Whirl whirl whirl. Eat with french bread or pita! Yum! Go breathe garlic breath on your friends and loved ones.

Dill Pickles a la Jim Hoffer

Dill Pickles a la Jim Hoffer
(Husband of Virginia, friends of the Harlan’s and DeWitt’s)
Pickling is a easy as it looks!
Wash 20-25 dill-sized cucumbers or zucchini. Drop into pan of cold h2o and let stand overnight. Yes, tap h2o. of course you’ve selected the just picked perky fresh green cucs. From vine to brine in 24 hours is the best rule! Next AM pack into hot sterilized jars. Takes patience to juggle the dills. You’ll need clear high quality vinegar and be sure to use only sure salt—ask for course medium. Into each quart jar measure:
1/8 t powdered aluminum
1 clove garlic
2 heads of dill (fresh with seeds)
1 small hot pepper
Combine and heat to boiling:
1 c salt
3 quarts h2o
Fill the jars with this hot vinegar liquid. Garlic tilts the dills Kosher style. A washed grape leaf or two goes smack on top for green green color. Add a little more vinegar liquid. Cover the metal disk with boiling h2o and place on jars. The caps stay on permanently for dills. Expect 6-8 quarts. Allow to stand 6 weeks for curing. The best dills ever!

Grandma Harlan's Tomato Preserves

Grandma Harlan’s Tomato Preserves
(“Yuck” said Shannon. “More for us” said Aunt Teri!)
10 lb tomatoes skinned
10 lb sugar
¼ to 1/3 c cloves, whole
6 lemons thinly sliced
Cook in big pot over medium heat until sugar melts and starts to bubble. “It’s done when lemons tender and tastes right” said Ruth. May take a long time depending on the moisture in the tomatoes.

Bubbe's Apple Butter

Bubbe’s Apple Butter
4 lbs apples. Bubbe uses honey crisp apples. Quarter apples, don’t core them.
Roughly ½ gallon of apple cider
2 c sugar
1 ½ t cinnamon
½ t cloves
Juice of one lemon
Grate the rind
Prepare the jars: heat oven to 225 and place jars, but not lids, on the baking racks. Jars will need to stay in the oven for at least 20 min. wash the lids with hot water and let them fry completely on a clean towel.
Make the apple butter:
Combine ingredients and pour in crock pot on high, reduce heat to low and cook 4-5 hours. This one needs to be continued….

Aunt Teri's Uncooked Strawberry Jam

Aunt Teri’s Uncooked Strawberry Jam
1 c sugar
1 lb strawberries
Stand for 12 hours
Cook 4 c at a time, boil 2 min. Put into crock or enamel bowl 2 days. Jar and cover with paraffin.

Grandpa Harlan's Pomegranate Jelly

Grandpa Harlan’s Pomegranate Jelly
The Harlan’s had a pomegranate tree and were forced to can jelly late in their lives.
4 c pomegranate juice (9 or 10 pomegranates)
7 ½ c sugar
1 bottle of pectin
Blend seed and strain through cloth. Let settle. May refrigerate up to one week. Measure juice and bring to full rolling boil with sugar. add pectin. Boil 30 seconds more. Remove and pour into sterilized jars. “Doesn’t take too long” he said. Juice freezes well.