Sneaking in under the wire for 2008 is my holiday gift activity: Sugared Cranberries - three cups Carol's Sweet 'n Hot Confetti Jelly - two one-cup jars and eight half-cup jars Madras Pickled Eggplant Indian Cucumber Relish Thai Chili Sauce - four one-cup jars of each of the above, for putting into gift baskets for four couples I usually exchange gifts with at New Year's Indonesian Satay Sauce - eight one-cup jars (also for the gift baskets-- I was bummed not to have leftovers of the last three recipes for myself, so I made this one a triple batch, and it came out even more than expected) Carol, the Hab jelly went over particularly well. I canned one of the cups in one of those low, sturdy wide-mouth jars called a "salmon jar," and gave it with a matching jar of Roasted Red Pepper Spread to my 22-year-old nephew and his girlfriend, who is in pastry chef school. I packaged them with a box of nice crackers, some cream cheese, and a couple of little dip bowls and spreading knives. This went over VERY well; these guys are in their first-ever apartment together, and I think liked getting the same kind of homemade food package I gave my middle-aged siblings, as they are feeling very grown up in their own household these days. My nephew is in one of those stages young men seem to go through of exploring Hot Sauces (loves to boast about how many scoville units he withstood yesterday, etc.), so he was thrilled with the hab jelly, especially since I told him it was made a little extra hot with him in mind, and he should be careful what guests he served it to. (Nothing like a hint of danger to perk up a Christmas gift when you are 22!) ;-) Zabby, wondering if she can squeeze in one more little batch of cranberry sauce before the new year.....

Hi-- I'm not into gardening, but I AM from Maine, and came across this thread while doing a search on another topic! I'm usually found over in "That Home Site" helping people in the kitches, bathrooms, and flooring forums (I'm a ceramic tile contractor). I came across this thread, though, and thought I'd check it out, and there are so many places mentioned here that I've done work-- from MDI to Vinalhaven and Rockland, To Ogonquit and Wells-- I feel like my "cyber life" and real life just clashed head on!! :-) I used to live up about 1/2 way between Ellsworth and Deer Isle in a little town called Brooklin, but for the last 8 years, I've lived in the Lakes region, presently in Bridgton.

That is a really nice recipe. Very simply written and gives the right amount of marching orders. "while the vegetables are simmering, sort your leaves...." Yet encourages an exploration of new flavors. Using such a simple base, just about any fresh green or vegetable can be used to finish the soup. Baby beet greens, baby chard and basil. Last night i used the same base and added an ear of corn off the cob with fennel fronds. And a chopped tomato to the broth. That is a lot of soup though. Finishes at almost two quarts. For two people as a main course or mid-week quick meal, 2 cups of stock instead of 4 w/ shallot or onion, celery, potato... To lower the calories, a chopped tomato and a heaping spoonful of greek plain non-fat yogurt and/or a 1/4 cup coconut milk... What i made last night would serve easily 6-8 as a first course. Tougher baby greens like the kales i like to put in early with the broth. My garden is producing as if it is early July with the calm weather without a frost yet. A new bounty of baby chard and mixed greens but not enough for a side dish. A good recipe to use the babies. I even have a dozen 4inch zucchini. Another bag of string beans, oy. Horseradish leaves give me a stomach ache if larger than a hand and very bitter. Young and smaller than an average hand have a nice tang earthy flavor. Like arugula and kale. I have a few friends that really want to cook and learn, but they insist on tight-fisting a printed recipe and following to a 't', getting frustrated and hysterical shopping for the exact ingredients, often giving up. Spend a fortune on morning latte', 20 dollar lunches, (and shoes, lol) Then cocktails and take-out. (!) This would be the perfect recipe for a girls get together cooking class.

Mmmm...when it comes to veggies, I often think Indian: Rasedar (vegetables in cumin scented tomato gravy) 2 T ghee or vegetable oil 1 t cumin seeds 1 T peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger 1 T ground coriander 1 1/2 t ground cumin 3/4 t ground tumeric 1/2 t cayenne pepper 1 c (5 oz) peeled, chopped boiling potatoes 2 tomatoes, pureed 2 c chopped mixed veggies 2 c water or chicken stock 1 1/2 t salt, or to taste 1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro Over a medium high heat, saute the cumin seeds until they turn dark brown (about 15 seconds). Stir in the ginger, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and cayenne. Stir for a few seconds and then add potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables, water or stock and salt. Bring to a boil over a high heat, reduce to low, cover and cook until the vegetables are quite soft, about 15 minutes. With the back of a spoon, crush some of the vegetables to thicken the sauce. Correct for seasonings, and serve sprinkled with cilantro...if you loathe cilantro, some parsley or mint would be nice...maybe fresh dill) (For your purposes, I would use a mixture of cauliflower, broccoli, yams and peppers for this dish) Punjabi Cabbage 1/2 onion, roughly chopped 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1 or 2 green chili (such as serrano), seeded chopped (optional) 4 T ghee or veg oil 1 t cumin seeds 1 t ground tumeric 1 lb green cabbage, finely shredded 1 t salt 1/2 t black pepper 2 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/4 t chili powder 1 T butter Put the onion, garlic, ginger and chilies in a food processor and chop until finely chopped but not a paste. Heat the ghee or oil over low heat and fry the onion mixture until it softens. Add the cumin seeds and turmeric to the pan and stir for one minute. Mix in the cabbage, and mix well. Add salt, pepper, ground cumin, coriander and chili powder. Stir to coat the cabbage, then cook for 10 minutes, partially covered, stirring occasionally until the cabbage is soft. If the cabbage starts sticking to the pan you can add a tablespoon or so of water. Stir in the butter and add salt to taste. Radish Salad 1 1/2 c small radishes, quartered 1 T oil 1/4 t cumin seeds 1/4 t mustard seeds (preferably brown, but yellow is fine) pinch of asafoetida (you can sub a pinch of garlic powder) 1/4 t ground turmeric 1/4 t salt 1 T lemon juice 2/3 c roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped Heat oil over medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds, cover and shake the saucepan until the seeds start to pop. Add the asafoetida, turmeric and salt to the pan and remove from heat. Add lemon juice and allow to cool. Just before serving, arrange the radishes and peanuts in a bowl, pour the dressing over and mix thoroughly. Radish Leaf Soup If your radish leaves are fresh, I would start with a cream of radish leaf soup. I don't really have a recipe as I just make it, but... Chop a smallish onion, a stick of celery and a large peeled potato, diced small in butter over a medium heat until the veggies soften and are just starting to turn golden. Add 4 c of chicken or vegetable stock, bring to a boil and reduce to a fast simmer. While the vegetables are simmering, sort your leaves, discarding any that are yellowed. Wash them very well and chop coarsely. If you don't have at least 2 cups of packed leaves, augment them with some frozen spinach or other green. You didn't say whether your carrots had greens, those would be ideal. When the veggies are soft, add the greens and cook until softened, but still bright green. Puree the mixture in a blender or with a stick blender and add a cup or two (to taste) of half and half or if you're feeling really decadent, heavy cream. Season with white pepper and salt to taste. This will not make a really thick soup, relying as it does on the potato and pureed veggies for thickening so if you really prefer cream soups to be thick, you can thicken it with roux at the stage just before you add the greens...you don't want to cook the greens too long and lose that fresh flavor. Pomegranate Raita 2 c good quality, plain yogurt (preferably NOT low fat) 1 or 2 pomegranates...depending on size. (You should have about 3/4 c seeds to mix in, a couple of tablespoons for garnish, and a couple more tablespoons to make a bit of juice.) 1/2 c thinly sliced green onions (or more or less, depending on your taste for onions) 1 t salt 1 t sugar Mix the pomegranate seeds, onions, salt and sugar with the yogurt, reserving the ones for garnish and juice. Squeeze the ones you reserved for juice carefully and add the juice to the raita (mostly to give it a nice, pink color). Sprinkle the reserved seeds on top. I often add julienne mint or cilantro to this raita, occasionally toasted cumin/mustard seeds. Some people add chilis to their raita, but I generally want it as a cooling agent when I serve spicy hot curries or dals so I leave that out. This raita will go well served on the side of your vegetables in the tomato gravy, especially if you make it spicy. By the way, in case you don't already know this...the easy way to take apart your pomegranates is in a large bowl of water. Under water, cut out the blossom end. Then using your thumbs in the hole, pull the fruit apart and start to break up the sections and push the seeds out. The good seeds will sink, and the membrane and pith float. Easier to separate them that way, and not as messy! How about some Carrot Halva for dessert? 2 lbs carrots, coarsely grated 4 c milk 1/3 c ghee or veg oil 1 c sugar 2/3 c raisins (I like dried cranberries for this) 1 t cardamom seeds, finely ground 1/2 c slivered almonds ground cardamom Simmer the carrots in the milk until the carrots are tender and the milk evaporates. This must be done slowly or the mixture will burn. Add the ghee or oil and cook until the carrots start to brown. Add sugar and cook until the mixture is thick and dry. Add raisins, cardamom and almonds. Serve hot in small bowls, with whipped cream or ice cream and sprinkle with ground cardamom. There, all you need is basmati rice on the side. I would probably add a simple dish of dal as well, since I have a hard time eating Indian food without it. Did I miss anything?