They was a lot of attention given to that idea Tammy...back in the 1970s. There were quite a few articles written about that very subject in the old Organic Gardening magazine, the ones that were printed on recycled newspapers - no color glossies, very few ads and lots of great articles about things that showed you how to grow food and flowers and be more self-sufficient. How you could produce-more-with less, and make-it-yourself-with-what-you've-got-on-hand. At that time, Grow Lights also came into being and greenhouses really popped up everywhere. Cold Frames and Compost piles and building Burmed Houses out of recycled materials with Skylights and ceiling fans and Solar Panels. And a whole lot more. Save energy - Save the Earth - Grow your own, feed the world and Live in PEACE! ~Annie

Newer version of Annie's Salsa - BWB only Annie's Salsa 8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained 2 1/2 cups chopped onion 1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper 3 to 5 chopped jalapenos (for milder leave out seeds and ribs) 6 cloves minced garlic 2 tsp cumin (optional) 2 tsp pepper 1/8 cup canning salt 1/4 c fresh cilantro (optional) 1/3 c sugar (optional) 1 cup cider vinegar (see note on subbing lemon or lime juice option) 16 oz canned tomato sauce (to adjust density) 8-16 oz canned tomato paste (to adjust density) Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Pour into hot jars, process pints for 15 minutes in BWB. Makes 6 pints. _________ A lot of changes have been made to this recipe over the years. Some people like lemon or lime juice in place of some or all of the vinegar, that's fine. (Note from Sheila - I like half lemon half lime.) Some people leave out the cilantro, that's fine too. Do not increase! Some people add more hot peppers or fewer onions, fine as long as you keep the same total measurements. (Note this is what NCHFP does in their new Choice Salsa recipe.) Some people leave out the sugar, that's fine. You can scoop out the goo in the middle of the tomatoes with your thumbs when I'm peeling and chopping for a less seedy version, so it's 8 cups of chopped tomatoes without the seeds and goo. Most who make it regularly as well as Annie recommend using a variety of different slicing tomatoes, not paste types, for best flavor and consistency. (Note: use the tomato sauce and paste to adjust the consistency of the final product to a "sloshy" consistency.) According to Annie "My salsa is not as thick as Heinz catsup but it's thicker than taco sauce. If you don't like it quite as thick or sweet, cut down the amount of paste. I would add some, then taste. Reducing that ingredient shouldn't affect the safety of the recipe. I use equal amounts of sauce and paste. You can pull it off the heat at any point and adjust for flavor. Before I cook it I check for salt, sugar, check the consistency. Add more pepper or cumin if I want. When I first started making this salsa, tomato sauce and paste came in 8 and 16 ounce cans. Like everything else, they've now been downsized, so now I have to use partial cans." Does anybody have good versions of the other recipes that have weird symbols in them for measurements?

Here's the tagine recipe (which I will probably make either in my crockpot of roast in the oven) Pearl Couscous Tagine (from Mark Bittman's "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook) 2 TBLSP extra virgin olive oil 1 onion chopped (I'll probably use red for color) 2 cloves garlic minced One 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 2 tsp. ground tumeric Two three inch cinnamon sticks 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, dates or raisins 1 1/2 cups chopped ripe tomato (about 1 pound whole, preferably peeled and seeded, or drained canned ones) 2 cups vegetable stock 1 cup cooked canned chickpeas 2 med. carrots, peeled and cut into bit sized chunks 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized chunks 2 zuchinni, cut into bite sized chunks (I'll probably use yellow summer squash, for the color) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 cup pearl couscous Note: I'm also probably going to add peeled and diced butternut squash. Put oil in a deep skillet with a lid over med. high heat. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 min. Add the garlic, ginger, and other spices; cook, stirring often until fragrant, about 2 min. Add the dried fruit, tomato, stock, chickpeas, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, etc., and a large pinch of salt and a good amount of pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the vegetables are just tender. (The dish can be made ahead to this point, cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bring it to a simmer before proceeding.) Add the couscous and cook until al dente about 10 min. It should have a stewy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or store, covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and then reheat. Notes: sounds like this is like most pasta dishes--tastes best the next day. Since I'm serving this with pasta, I am not going to add the couscous and all that broth--I'll do mine in the crockpot or roast in the oven. Ginger Vinagrette (from the same cookbook) 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped in a blender 1 TBLSP sherry vinegar (I will use rice wine vinegar) 1 TBLSP freshly squeezed lime juice 1 TBLSP water (I might use more sherry vinegar, as it is mild) Salt and freshly ground black pepper (Optional) 1 large shallot, minced (I might use some scallions I have languishing in the fridge) Note: with this vinagrette, I might add just a drop of honey for my taste.

I absolutely love ginger, but I wasn't able to post to this before. I also love ginger flowers and have several types of ginger in my yard now. The blue ginger is blooming right now (see link below), but I also have red and white gingers, none of which are edible, but some of the flowers have very nice fragrances that are quite unique. As for edible ginger, I keep a jar of ginger paste (from an Indian market) that I use in soups, marinades, and stir fries, but not desserts. For desserts, I use ginger that I keep in the freezer. I should probably grow edible ginger. I bought ginger snaps at TJ's last week-end (along with some other more decadent cookies), but I think I should have made them myself. They were good but not quite gingery enough. I don't have any dried ginger. Lars Here is a link that might be useful: