Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 >> Currently, I cook everything from fresh. Including making fresh juices, chopping tomatoes for making tomato sauce. This is very time consuming and it would be nice if those who have been on SCD for a while could share their " tips " . << , I'm currently starting over on my labor saving stuff thanks to Hurricane Katrina six months ago. Katrina destroyed my refrigerator, my freezer, and all my pre-prepared SCD foods. I've been working out of a 4.8 cu ft dorm fridge all this time, and doing exactly what you said, since I have no storage space. (I lost around $5000 worth of homemade organic foods, not to mention all my labor.) (Katrina is also the main reason I am mostly Missing in Action from Pecan Bread.) My new real refrigerator will be delivered next Friday as will my new freezer. One of the things you can do is take tips from Ray's 30 minute recipes. Most of those are not SCD legal, of course, but just by some of the things she does. Example: there's a tomato sauce and lentil dish which I tolerate well and which my husband likes. I use a very basic seasoning on it, and make a large batch. Then I pack " meal amounts " into freezer containers and freeze. This recipe can have burger meat, homemade chili powder, cumin, onion, and garlic added to make chili. I can use it as is with homemade green onion sausage to make an equivalent to New Orleans' " red beans and sausage " . I can sautee green pepper and onion and peeled shrimps and add that to make shrimp creole. So by making one base dish, I have in my freezer the ability to make any one of four dishes we like without having to chop all the tomatoes, etc. etc. Among the things I lost were most of a year's supply of tomato sauce, boiled down from peeled and seeded tomatoes which I got last year at the peak of their ripeness. The first time I did this was pretty tough -- I tried to do several hundred pounds of tomatoes at one swoop, and not only was I utterly exhausted and broke, I never wanted to see another tomato as long as I lived! What I did last year was bring home 15-20 pounds of tomatoes from the farmer's market each week, prepare them and put them up while cooking other stuff. It was a lot of work during tomato season, but the results, until Katrina destroyed everything, were great -- I reached in the freezer, pulled out a container of sauce equivalent to a jar of spaghetti sauce, and away we went! One thing I did NOT lose were my dried zucchini slices which I use in lieu of pasta. During squash season, I peel and slice (with a mandolin) dozens of zucchinis and then dry and store the slices. I can then use these in soups or stews or lasagne the same way, pre-SCD, I used pasta. During each fruit season, I prepared and froze the fruits my husband and I liked (and which I could tolerate, which aren't a lot), and then I only had to put up that season's fruit while finishing off the previous year's. If you're doing a recipe which calls for a quarter of an onion, chopped, and you know you like that recipe, chop the whole onion, use one quarter, and freeze the other three quarters in labeled ziplock bags. In fact, as you prepare and chop the veggies for this hypothetical dish which you and your family like, prepare the veggies and seasoning for 3-4 more batches as you go, bag and freeze them, and then the next 3-4 times you make that dish, you reach in the freezer, grab it, and go. Just like a store-bought mix, only much tastier and SCD legal! Same thing for shredded cheese if you aren't doing dairy-free SCD. Before Katrina, I would shred 5-10 pounds of cheese with my electric shredder, bag it by weight in the size bags I used most often, label it, and toss it in the freezer. Then I just grabbed the size bag I needed and went. SCD cooking IS much more time-consuming than using instant mixes. But it also gets easier as you go along, and don't have to stop and think whether something is legal. -- Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 >> Currently, I cook everything from fresh. Including making fresh juices, chopping tomatoes for making tomato sauce. This is very time consuming and it would be nice if those who have been on SCD for a while could share their " tips " . << , I'm currently starting over on my labor saving stuff thanks to Hurricane Katrina six months ago. Katrina destroyed my refrigerator, my freezer, and all my pre-prepared SCD foods. I've been working out of a 4.8 cu ft dorm fridge all this time, and doing exactly what you said, since I have no storage space. (I lost around $5000 worth of homemade organic foods, not to mention all my labor.) (Katrina is also the main reason I am mostly Missing in Action from Pecan Bread.) My new real refrigerator will be delivered next Friday as will my new freezer. One of the things you can do is take tips from Ray's 30 minute recipes. Most of those are not SCD legal, of course, but just by some of the things she does. Example: there's a tomato sauce and lentil dish which I tolerate well and which my husband likes. I use a very basic seasoning on it, and make a large batch. Then I pack " meal amounts " into freezer containers and freeze. This recipe can have burger meat, homemade chili powder, cumin, onion, and garlic added to make chili. I can use it as is with homemade green onion sausage to make an equivalent to New Orleans' " red beans and sausage " . I can sautee green pepper and onion and peeled shrimps and add that to make shrimp creole. So by making one base dish, I have in my freezer the ability to make any one of four dishes we like without having to chop all the tomatoes, etc. etc. Among the things I lost were most of a year's supply of tomato sauce, boiled down from peeled and seeded tomatoes which I got last year at the peak of their ripeness. The first time I did this was pretty tough -- I tried to do several hundred pounds of tomatoes at one swoop, and not only was I utterly exhausted and broke, I never wanted to see another tomato as long as I lived! What I did last year was bring home 15-20 pounds of tomatoes from the farmer's market each week, prepare them and put them up while cooking other stuff. It was a lot of work during tomato season, but the results, until Katrina destroyed everything, were great -- I reached in the freezer, pulled out a container of sauce equivalent to a jar of spaghetti sauce, and away we went! One thing I did NOT lose were my dried zucchini slices which I use in lieu of pasta. During squash season, I peel and slice (with a mandolin) dozens of zucchinis and then dry and store the slices. I can then use these in soups or stews or lasagne the same way, pre-SCD, I used pasta. During each fruit season, I prepared and froze the fruits my husband and I liked (and which I could tolerate, which aren't a lot), and then I only had to put up that season's fruit while finishing off the previous year's. If you're doing a recipe which calls for a quarter of an onion, chopped, and you know you like that recipe, chop the whole onion, use one quarter, and freeze the other three quarters in labeled ziplock bags. In fact, as you prepare and chop the veggies for this hypothetical dish which you and your family like, prepare the veggies and seasoning for 3-4 more batches as you go, bag and freeze them, and then the next 3-4 times you make that dish, you reach in the freezer, grab it, and go. Just like a store-bought mix, only much tastier and SCD legal! Same thing for shredded cheese if you aren't doing dairy-free SCD. Before Katrina, I would shred 5-10 pounds of cheese with my electric shredder, bag it by weight in the size bags I used most often, label it, and toss it in the freezer. Then I just grabbed the size bag I needed and went. SCD cooking IS much more time-consuming than using instant mixes. But it also gets easier as you go along, and don't have to stop and think whether something is legal. -- Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 26, 2006 Report Share Posted February 26, 2006 > > >> Currently, I cook everything from fresh. Including making fresh > juices, chopping > tomatoes for making tomato sauce. This is very time consuming and it would > be nice if those who have been on SCD for a while could share their " tips " . > << > > , > > > Among the things I lost were most of a year's supply of tomato sauce, boiled > down from peeled and seeded tomatoes which I got last year at the peak of > their ripeness. The first time I did this was pretty tough -- I tried to do > several hundred pounds of tomatoes at one swoop, and not only was I utterly > exhausted and broke, Marilyn Alm is one of the most talented SCD cooks and was compiling a long awaited cookbook when Katrina struck. Her recipes are detailed and inventive. I never tried seeding and peeling tomatoes . Doing that would make a superb sauce.( For the cooking classes, we have just been reducing tomato juice by simmering it to desired thickness and adding a bay leaf, sone oregano and basil and after it cools, a little honey.) This sauce is very good but I am definitely going to take a stab at Marilyn's method. Marilyn has also devised an SCD version of Worcestereshire sauce and countless other creations to make SCD competitive with the best conventional cooking. Carol F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hi Marilyn, It is so good to hear from you ) My new real refrigerator will be delivered next > Friday as will my new freezer. You must be so pleased about your new arrivals > > Among the things I lost were most of a year's supply of tomato sauce, boiled > down from peeled and seeded tomatoes which I got last year at the peak of > their ripeness. The first time I did this was pretty tough -- I tried to do > several hundred pounds of tomatoes at one swoop, and not only was I utterly > exhausted and broke, I never wanted to see another tomato as long as I > lived! What I did last year was bring home 15-20 pounds of tomatoes from the > farmer's market each week, prepare them and put them up while cooking other > stuff. It was a lot of work during tomato season, but the results, until > Katrina destroyed everything, were great -- I reached in the freezer, pulled > out a container of sauce equivalent to a jar of spaghetti sauce, and away we > went! As I read this I thought of all my tomatoes in the freezer and what would happen if it gave up. Have you considered processing your home prepared tomato sauce in a pressure cooker? I've thought of getting a pressure cooker to free up fridge and freezer space. While looking on the net I came across a site that gave instructions for pasteurizing in a water bath or sterilizing (to make shelf stable)in a pressure cooker. It says you can use vinegar (lemon juice or citric acid) to acidify the sauce to lower the pH sufficiently for a water bath. It goes on to say that if it makes it too acidic you can add sugar to correct the taste. SCDers would use honey or saccharine to correct the flavour (not sugar) but it brought home what Elaine said about canned tomatoes. Since commercial producers want all of their product to have the same taste (quality control) canned tomatoes sometimes have sugar added to correct the sweetness (BRIX) because different batches of tomatoes have varying acidity levels/sugar levels. Hence the reason for the illegal status of canned commercial tomatoes. Keep well Marilyn!! Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hi Marilyn, It is so good to hear from you ) My new real refrigerator will be delivered next > Friday as will my new freezer. You must be so pleased about your new arrivals > > Among the things I lost were most of a year's supply of tomato sauce, boiled > down from peeled and seeded tomatoes which I got last year at the peak of > their ripeness. The first time I did this was pretty tough -- I tried to do > several hundred pounds of tomatoes at one swoop, and not only was I utterly > exhausted and broke, I never wanted to see another tomato as long as I > lived! What I did last year was bring home 15-20 pounds of tomatoes from the > farmer's market each week, prepare them and put them up while cooking other > stuff. It was a lot of work during tomato season, but the results, until > Katrina destroyed everything, were great -- I reached in the freezer, pulled > out a container of sauce equivalent to a jar of spaghetti sauce, and away we > went! As I read this I thought of all my tomatoes in the freezer and what would happen if it gave up. Have you considered processing your home prepared tomato sauce in a pressure cooker? I've thought of getting a pressure cooker to free up fridge and freezer space. While looking on the net I came across a site that gave instructions for pasteurizing in a water bath or sterilizing (to make shelf stable)in a pressure cooker. It says you can use vinegar (lemon juice or citric acid) to acidify the sauce to lower the pH sufficiently for a water bath. It goes on to say that if it makes it too acidic you can add sugar to correct the taste. SCDers would use honey or saccharine to correct the flavour (not sugar) but it brought home what Elaine said about canned tomatoes. Since commercial producers want all of their product to have the same taste (quality control) canned tomatoes sometimes have sugar added to correct the sweetness (BRIX) because different batches of tomatoes have varying acidity levels/sugar levels. Hence the reason for the illegal status of canned commercial tomatoes. Keep well Marilyn!! Sheila Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.