Comments on: The Benefits of a Berkshire Summer, Preserved in Vinegar http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: EphBlog http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2270 EphBlog Sat, 03 Sep 2005 11:00:47 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2270 <strong>Backyard</strong> Ethan Zuckerman '93 describes his backyard. But the grand upside of summer is the annual miracle of food growing out of the ground. I still find this hard to believe. For eight months out of the year, my backyard consists... Backyard

Ethan Zuckerman ’93 describes his backyard. But the grand upside of summer is the annual miracle of food growing out of the ground. I still find this hard to believe. For eight months out of the year, my backyard consists…

]]> By: Kwas Appiah http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2198 Kwas Appiah Tue, 30 Aug 2005 20:03:38 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2198 Ethan, I think this time someone beat you to the punch. A woman here on the South side of Chicago does just that and sells them to the shops patronized by Ghanaians and other Africans. Let me know though if you come up with a more novel idea. Heck, we could make .... ok. But as least we could save ourselves many a trip to the supermarket just as you do now in winter with your assorted 'hibernation' pickles. Ethan, I think this time someone beat you to the punch. A woman here on the South side of Chicago does just that and sells them to the shops patronized by Ghanaians and other Africans. Let me know though if you come up with a more novel idea. Heck, we could make …. ok. But as least we could save ourselves many a trip to the supermarket just as you do now in winter with your assorted ‘hibernation’ pickles.

]]> By: Doug H http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2181 Doug H Tue, 30 Aug 2005 19:05:57 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2181 Too much work? What else is there to do between 11PM and 1AM on a weekday? Elizabeth put me up to it in one of her "oh, this is so easy" moments. I'll take your advice on the oil - by the way, the flavor is quite intense on the cherries. Too much work? What else is there to do between 11PM and 1AM on a weekday? Elizabeth put me up to it in one of her “oh, this is so easy” moments. I’ll take your advice on the oil – by the way, the flavor is quite intense on the cherries.

]]> By: Emily http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2179 Emily Tue, 30 Aug 2005 19:03:13 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2179 Beans, beans! I do feel quite proud and parental towards them. Rupa, Ethan DID send me off with two big jars worth, but I'm afraid I can't promise that they'll make it all the way back to California without... um... incident. They look mighty tasty. But I'll try my best to save one jar to share. Hard to tell how fetching any of us looked squeezing out of a little hole in the rock; it was pretty dark. But I do know that I, at least, kept my pants on. Beans, beans! I do feel quite proud and parental towards them. Rupa, Ethan DID send me off with two big jars worth, but I’m afraid I can’t promise that they’ll make it all the way back to California without… um… incident. They look mighty tasty. But I’ll try my best to save one jar to share.

Hard to tell how fetching any of us looked squeezing out of a little hole in the rock; it was pretty dark. But I do know that I, at least, kept my pants on.

]]> By: Ethan http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2172 Ethan Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:32:39 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2172 Saheli - the fact that I'm miserable in temperatures over 20C just makes my love of Africa that much more unlikely... :-) Then again, Rachel is obsessed with the Antarctic and is unhappy in any temperatures under 20C... Kwasi - is there a Ghanaian pickling tradition that I don't know about? I wonder whether we could start preserving garden eggs by packing them in shito, for instance? Saheli – the fact that I’m miserable in temperatures over 20C just makes my love of Africa that much more unlikely… :-) Then again, Rachel is obsessed with the Antarctic and is unhappy in any temperatures under 20C…

Kwasi – is there a Ghanaian pickling tradition that I don’t know about? I wonder whether we could start preserving garden eggs by packing them in shito, for instance?

]]> By: Saheli http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2171 Saheli Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:23:06 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2171 <i>but any temperature over 20C makes me unhappy,</i> This is the guy who is famous for his love of Africa?! Lovely picture of Lady Emily. I'm jealous you get to keep her wares. Give her some to bring back to Cali in the fall, please! :-D but any temperature over 20C makes me unhappy,

This is the guy who is famous for his love of Africa?!

Lovely picture of Lady Emily. I’m jealous you get to keep her wares. Give her some to bring back to Cali in the fall, please! :-D

]]> By: Ethan http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2170 Ethan Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:19:55 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2170 Oven-dried cherry tomatoes, Doug? You're a better man than I. That's too much work for me. I'm going to oven dry the italian tomatoes this weekend, but the cherries are just too much slicing and scraping for my tastes. I'd suggest taking half-pint jelly jars, adding a splash of olive oil to the bottom, then packing in several layers, adding more oil, and repeating until the jar is near full. I pack, oil and seal these jars, but don't sterilize them - so far, nothing horrible has grown on them and they've been good up to a year afterwards. Of course, if you do this and you and your family end up with botulism, I disclaim all responsibility (though I offer my sincere apologies...) Colin - bizarrely, the blueberries may be drowning, given how much water we've gotten this winter. I suspect it's diluted the ph of the ground and that I need to pour sulfur on it again, perhaps before I mulch this winter. But still, 20 of 24 plants look healthy and I suspect the four sickly looking ones will improve if the rains ever stop... And yes, Emily does look cuter than you do, even coated head to toe with mud. Oven-dried cherry tomatoes, Doug? You’re a better man than I. That’s too much work for me. I’m going to oven dry the italian tomatoes this weekend, but the cherries are just too much slicing and scraping for my tastes.

I’d suggest taking half-pint jelly jars, adding a splash of olive oil to the bottom, then packing in several layers, adding more oil, and repeating until the jar is near full. I pack, oil and seal these jars, but don’t sterilize them – so far, nothing horrible has grown on them and they’ve been good up to a year afterwards.

Of course, if you do this and you and your family end up with botulism, I disclaim all responsibility (though I offer my sincere apologies…)

Colin – bizarrely, the blueberries may be drowning, given how much water we’ve gotten this winter. I suspect it’s diluted the ph of the ground and that I need to pour sulfur on it again, perhaps before I mulch this winter. But still, 20 of 24 plants look healthy and I suspect the four sickly looking ones will improve if the rains ever stop…

And yes, Emily does look cuter than you do, even coated head to toe with mud.

]]> By: Kwas Appiah http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2169 Kwas Appiah Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:18:19 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2169 Any chance of getting any of your special "pickables" out here in Chicago? I would have helped if the commute was feasible. I will pay for the postage. Honest! On a side note, your words recall to my mind my own sweltering week-end jaunts on the farm in Ghana. With this exception, I had to walk four miles on winding footpaths to get to the farm. No Sir, I hated every minute of it at the time. But boy how that hatred have suddenly become a lovefest when I regale Chicagoans with tales of my adventures on the farm in Ghana - you, clearing dense forests with a machete on the right hand whilst fending off tigers and assorted carniverous with the other. So about the pickles.....just kidding! Any chance of getting any of your special “pickables” out here in Chicago? I would have helped if the commute was feasible. I will pay for the postage. Honest! On a side note, your words recall to my mind my own sweltering week-end jaunts on the farm in Ghana. With this exception, I had to walk four miles on winding footpaths to get to the farm. No Sir, I hated every minute of it at the time. But boy how that hatred have suddenly become a lovefest when I regale Chicagoans with tales of my adventures on the farm in Ghana – you, clearing dense forests with a machete on the right hand whilst fending off tigers and assorted carniverous with the other.
So about the pickles…..just kidding!

]]> By: Colin http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2168 Colin Tue, 30 Aug 2005 17:57:01 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2168 Ah, a pre-caving Emily. She didn't look so pretty crawling back out of the ground the following weekend. (Well, actually, she did look a hell of a lot better than the rest of us.) I still fondly remember making what seemed like an oil tanker worth of pesto one summer with you, all the basil for which came from Caretaker and was delicious. I sure hope those blueberries make it. Ah, a pre-caving Emily. She didn’t look so pretty crawling back out of the ground the following weekend. (Well, actually, she did look a hell of a lot better than the rest of us.) I still fondly remember making what seemed like an oil tanker worth of pesto one summer with you, all the basil for which came from Caretaker and was delicious.

I sure hope those blueberries make it.

]]> By: Doug H http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2005/08/29/the-benefits-of-a-berkshire-summer-preserved-in-vinegar/comment-page-1/#comment-2166 Doug H Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:58:26 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=156#comment-2166 So I'll ask for a tip then (since we both get our veggies from the same place). I picked an enormous amount of cherry tomatos and oven dried them yesterday. I ended up with 2 quarts of fine specimens. Do I now pack them in oil? freeze them? or what? Tonight, tomato sauce! So I’ll ask for a tip then (since we both get our veggies from the same place). I picked an enormous amount of cherry tomatos and oven dried them yesterday. I ended up with 2 quarts of fine specimens. Do I now pack them in oil? freeze them? or what?

Tonight, tomato sauce!

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