unusual foods that you have come up with

I read on another thread about Kale chips..I'm
so amped to try them this year. But there must be other unusual foods that I've never tried and "enquiring minds want to know".

So would we all please list some of those really odd things that normal people out there in the world know nothing about that you fix either from your garden or from your pantry to eat, esp to not go buy the storebought goodies..

Right now I need to make things mostly from pantry staples..or from things that I have put up or grow in my garden, as my financial situation makes buying anything extra pretty much nil.

So lets get this thread going and bring it on..

Please include instructions or a link to instructions as well..here is a link to those kale chips mentioned above

http://glutenfreegirl.com/baked-kale-chips/

Onion Jam.

It started last fall when I needed to use 20lb of onions I could not store. I've since made a second batch and work and it turned out far better than the first. I'm sorry I don't have exact measurements yet but if you know how to can you should be able to dial it in.

Onions: Minced or Julienned, 10 cups
Sugar: White regular sugar 6+2-3 cups
Apple juice: or cider, whatever 6 cups
Apple cider Vinegar: 2-3 cups

You need 2 pans for this. I use stainless steel for jamming to prevent flavor transfer. You start by cooking the onions in a dry pan over medium heat to caramelize them. This can take 15 min or more and you have to stir frequently to prevent scorching. You know you are done when the onions are translucent and there is a thick layer of caramelized onion stuck to the bottom of the pan.
In the second pan start making your caramel. A good video of the process is here just use a regular pan instead of a pan for flan. deglaze the caramel with the apple juice. It will instantly crystallize, this is ok, just keep stirring. When all the sugar is dissolved pour the caramel sauce over the onions and return them to the heat. Bring to a boil and cook as you would to make a regular jam. When it is close to being done add the vinegar and enough additional sugar to give it the jam like consistency you want. When you reach 220 jar it up and water bath can for storage.

It should be noted this recipe uses NO oil. This is done intentionally to make it safe to can. It should also be noted that it's not going to be as thick as regular jam due to not having allot of pectin.
My idea for making this was to have caramelized onions available to use whenever I wanted. Just spread it on a burger/whatever. I have found it to be phenomenal on pork.

that sounds really really good, being low acid is there any problem canning it..I suppose you could put it in the freezer too..but to have it ready instantly a jar would be best i guess.

I LOVE onions..thanks.

were your onions sweet onions or can you use the hotter ones in this recipe..i generally have a lot of the hotter ones on hand each year..as they are perennial here...carmalizing might make them sweeter

Brenda Groth wrote:that sounds really really good, being low acid is there any problem canning it..I suppose you could put it in the freezer too..but to have it ready instantly a jar would be best i guess.

I LOVE onions..thanks.

were your onions sweet onions or can you use the hotter ones in this recipe..i generally have a lot of the hotter ones on hand each year..as they are perennial here...carmalizing might make them sweeter

They were sweet onions. And no there is no problem canning it. I bought a pH test kit to make sure that the pH was below 4.6 before canning. That's why I used the vinegar it dropped the pH as if you are making pickles. With the batch I made the pH dropped to 4.3 with 2 cups of vinegar so it was all good when I canned it.

Not all onions keep well. That sounds like an excellent way to keep those that won't make it until next year's crop.

Lacto-fermented garlic. Only if you're a garlic fan!
I had waaay too much garlic last year, including many quite small cloves.
Pour boiling water over unpeeled cloves, leave for a minute, drain and cover with cold water. Skin should come off easily.
Pack into small jars, sprinkle with uniodised salt and top up with whey or good water. Cover loosely with non-reactive lids, Lactobacillus is alive and heat kills it...
Stash for a couple of months. The fermentation process creates lactic acid which kills pathogens.
Mine was really tasty. Not raw garlic hot, but crunchy. I added whole star anise and chilli to some. Great on rice with soy and veges.

thanks, great idea.

I don't know how many of you collect wild berries for jellies but they really are fantastic. They make some very strong jellies with good flavor. My favorite is Elderberry as they are rampant in our area but last year I tried chokecherry and it was absolutely delicious, made a lot of gifts from them. I have plans this year to try barberry, buffalo berry, goumi or autumn olive, mountain ash and some others.

I make the usual black raspberry, red raspberry, blackberry, plum, peach, cherry, etc. Also I had been given some concentrated cranberry juice and some fresh pressed pear/apple juice last year that I made jellies out of, spectacular.

I know most people compost their pulp from after juicing, but if I juice a bunch of carrots (often with apple, fennel, ginger, greens), I will mix it into a batter (that is hydrated) and bake it for a yummy sort of fry-bread. I butter a cookie sheet, and spread the mixture thin - it will crisp on the edges and be moist on the inside.
I usually mix the pulp with lots of egg, butter, some sweetener (I like coconut nectar), a bit of flour (I use tapioca starch), a bit of salt and cinnamon, some cut up prunes if I have them, some pumpkin seeds if I have them - whatever I feel like! My housemates and I always enjoy the results.

Brenda Groth wrote:I read on another thread about Kale chips..I'm
so amped to try them this year. But there must be other unusual foods that I've never tried and "enquiring minds want to know".

So would we all please list some of those really odd things that normal people out there in the world know nothing about that you fix either from your garden or from your pantry to eat, esp to not go buy the storebought goodies..

Right now I need to make things mostly from pantry staples..or from things that I have put up or grow in my garden, as my financial situation makes buying anything extra pretty much nil.

So lets get this thread going and bring it on..

Please include instructions or a link to instructions as well..here is a link to those kale chips mentioned above

http://glutenfreegirl.com/baked-kale-chips/

This is such a great thread idea! I wish I had some recipes to share, but until I do I will enjoy the ones being posted here.

Suzy Bean,

Wow, now that sounds awesome! Composting is great, but why pass up on all that fiber? Great suggestion, I cannot wait to try it.

In the spirit of posting recipes for otherwise overlooked and surplus items, here are two that Chaya and I like:

Zucchini Chips: When the zucchini comes in bumper crop fashion, we slice them to about 1/4" thick, lay them on the dehydrator tray and sprinkle them with garlic salt. The result will blow your mind it is so good. If you want to take it up a notch, make a pesto with tomatoes and fresh garden herbs (whatever is on hand: basil, rosemary, etc.) and dip the zucchini slices in the pesto then dehydrate them. The result may change your snacking habits forever.

Potato water bread: Chaya is a great bread baker, so any questions about baking specifics should be directed to her. I however am the self-appointed bread eater in the family and I love it when she saves the water that she used from boiling the potatoes for the measured bread liquid. Here is her recipe (just substitute the warm water for warm potato water): http://pantryparatus.com/blog/bread_recipe/ The yeast loves the potato water, and the bread takes on a whole other flavor dimension. Pouring the water onto the compost bin would not be a waste either, but using it in bread helps to glean those otherwise lost nutrients.

Great thread Brenda!

Cassoulet, AKA "How French folks cleaned out their fridge deliciously"

Prep your white beans, doesn't matter what kind.
Lay out whatever meats you have on hand; it's good to start with salt pork or bacon or something like that. Whack 'em up small.
Start browning your meats. Remove each batch. "Tsss! Tss!"
Sautee onions and garlic. Way more garlic than you think you'll need. Yeah, a little more. One more spoonful. Okay that might be enough.
Lob in some tomato paste at the end.
Glug in at least 2 cups of white wine. "Pshhhhhh!" Follow up with enough water or broth to cook the beans, bring to simmer.
Hoist in whatever herb you like, thyme works very well.
Fire up the slow cooker and add each ingrediant (Liquid and onion/garlic/mater+ long-cooking stew meats, then beans, then short-cooking meats like sausage + whatever veg you have on hand) in order so they'll come up done at the same time.
Adjust seasonings. I usually slap in some Worcester sauce.
Let it sit for 20 minutes to cool before serving. Even better (much better) the second day!

Dilly Beans - pickled green beans. Same process as pickles but with green beans. I have tried throwing a pepper or two in a few jars and it added a nice spice to them.

This was uncommon to me up untill a few years ago. A friend offered me some that his mother had made and I was hooked. Very good as is, also great mixed in tuna or salads.

lovin these...anyone have any recipes for using non free stone plums..we have access to tons of them but they are so hard to work with with those pits sticking hard to the fruit.

Brenda Groth wrote:lovin these...anyone have any recipes for using non free stone plums..we have access to tons of them but they are so hard to work with with those pits sticking hard to the fruit.

Boil them down, let it all fall through a wide seive except the pits and skins, can up the jelly/preserve/chutney.

It's not really unusual, but a great way of getting through lots of Jerusalem artichokes.
Roasted Jerusalem artichoke soup
If the JAs are quite dirty, soak them for a while first, then scrub. Don't peel (actually, I would never. peel something so nobbly)
Cut massive tubers lengthwise.
Oil and salt well, I use olive. Roast until beginning to caramelise. About half way through add lots of chopped brown onion and whole garlic cloves. I want that caramelised too. It's important to develop the 'roasty' flavour.
BUT keep an eye the roasting veg, I don't want the garlic to burn!
When it's done to my satisfaction, I scrape it all into a pot, add water (chicken stock would be great) and have at it with the stick-blender. I like it very smooth, but that's just me
When it's pureed to my taste, I add a bay leaf or two and thyme and simmer for half an hour or so: I'm not into cooking soups for ages.
At the end, check salt, add pepper, grate in a little lemon zest and maybe a tiny bit of garlic since I like the fresh garlic hit.
JAs go really well with chicken. JA/chicken soup and good bread is fantastic!

That last post has got me salivating right now....

me too Amed...

the stick blender is on my "hope to buy soon" shopping list..any suggestions on the best brands (probably another post here)..I've never owned one but see em on the cooking shows all the time..do have 2 regular blenders though.

Stick blenders are cheap, but the main thing is they're really easy to use. Just poke it in the pot and whizz away. If I use a traditional blender I always make an enormous mess, but stick blender heads generally come off to wash.

Pear salsa.

Onions, garlic, cumin, whatever hot peppers are around, salt, black pepper, sugar, red peppers, vinegar and lots and lots of pears.

The flavor is amazing... and every batch is a little different.

This was an answer to overloaded pear trees one year. What do you do with 200lbs of pears? Pear butter... pears in syrup... dried pears... pear cider... pear brandy... pear salsa...

last year I had bushels of pears, will have to try that one. I've never really done much "fruit" salsa. In reading the book the Coundry Living Encyclopedia I'm getting all kinds of ideas for things like fruit ketcups..they sound so good

Morning Porridge
Beans
Grains
Meat
Veg

Slap whatever beans you have on hand in the Slow Cooker. (I do this in great whopping batches ahead of time.)
Lay out your chosen grains in order. I always use brown rice and quinoa. Then I add whatever else there is that's not enough for another recipe, but enough for this! When you lay them out in order, go from TAKES THE MOST TIME to TAKES THE LEAST. For me, thats Brown Rice (30 mins), then add Quinoa (7 mins) till the end of the cooking time.
Brown your raw meat, if using. Add onion and garlic and celery if you'd like.
Start your water/broth boiling in the pot you browned your meat. Add longest-cooking grains, count down (I use a timer) to the least-longest cooking grains. When 10 minutes from end or so, throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand and any cured meats like sausage. Carrots will take longer to cook, peas take less; you know what I'm talking about.
When 5 minutes from end or so, pull the pot off the heat and let sit, lidded, for the grains to soak up any liquid.
Add beans. Delish!

With 1 C Brown Rice, 1 C quinoa, and 1 C beans (dry measure), I add 3 C chopped veg and 1 C meat. That makes enough for 12 servings of very hearty, stick-to-ribs breakfasts!

I lacto-ferment many, many vegetables... from carrots to garlicky cauliflower. For one thing, it only takes non-iodized salt (no vinegar in these "pickles") and non-chlorinated water. But what is more important to me is that the lacto fermentation process actually increases the nutritive values. After they have fermented on the counter a few days, I tighten the lids and move them to my root cellar. They will keep a year or more at cool temps, but above freezing. You can also lacto-ferment fruits but they need to be eaten within a short time, before they spoil. I don't know why they don't keep as well as veggies.

I just made some refrigerator pickles from the stalks of fennel bulbs, which usually go on the compost pile. I used orange juice + white wine vinegar, and orange zest.
Recipe.: http://frombellytobacon.com/2012/03/12/orange-pickled-fennel-stalks/
If my bulbing fennel crop does okay this year, I am going to try lacto-fermenting some stalks.

I probably eat quite a few foods that many would consider "unusual" but I'll have to think on it!

Wow! You all are creative! Here's all I have to offer up: grilled pbj's. Me and the kids love 'em.

Banana Peel "Coffee"

I have come up with a coffee substitute which smells, tastes and looks more like coffee than any other that I've tried. It came about by accident. I had some organic bananna peels in the oven in order to finish the drying process so that I could crush them up as a granular fertilizer for indoor plants. They work great for that.

I left them in too long and they got slightly scorched. Everyone agreed that it smelled like coffee, so I ground it up and made some. Smooth flavour with a coffee smell. Nice drinking.

One problem --- A banana peel after taste. Fix that problem and you've got a million dollar idea.

Kefir grains - available online and if you know a lucky person with some , they do reproduce slowly. Best way to deal with raw dairy and taste is stronger but more complex than yogurt. I obtained some and kept them in use for 3 years without fail. I even left them once and forgot about them in the back of the fridge for about a year and they kicked right back into gear. A variation is available that cultures water and fruit - a drink called Lassi. Add sliced fruit , berries , spices to sugar or honey sweetened water and Voila , tangy sparkly superculture drink. I think it would be great for anyone with gastroenteritis , I have heard that not many intestinal pathogens can compete with this stuff. Also do not forget about kimchee.

"If you can't laugh its not funny anymore"-Wavy Gravy

Not sure if you will get the chance, but there are some of the banana family which if picked a bit green, are great boiled, like potatoes. Very tasty.

Green plantains can be eaten the same way.

John Crawford wrote:Onion Jam.

It should also be noted that it's not going to be as thick as regular jam due to not having allot of pectin.

You could try Pomona's Universal Pectin. (www.pomonapectin.com) I love this stuff for two reasons. 1. I can make my own recipes using any type and amount of sweetener I want. 2. It never expires.

wonder if the onion jam would thicken up more if it had some apple or crabapple thrown in, apples and onions are so good together and apples, esp crab apples are loaded with natural pectin

I came across this recipe for hop shoots that I intend to try as soon as the hops starts coming up:

Boil in salted water for three minutes with a few drops of lemon juice. Toss with a little butter and serve.

Unusual use for a cup and a half of chickpeas( 1 can)
Cookie Dough Dip
In a food processor put:
1 can of chickpeas ( rinsed and drained)
2/3 cup of sweetener of choice( I use about half the amount or less)
1/8 tsp of baking soda
2 tsp vanilla ( or other extract)
1/4 cup of nut butter of choice( I've used peanut butter)
a few tbsp of a milk choice and equal amounts of regular oats
I put on a few tbsp of large flake coconut
Then process everything until smooth
Mix in a few tbsp of caccao nibs/choc chips or nuts or dried fruit bits or whatever..
Enjoy with graham crackers,fruit slices or ??cookies?

There are numerous variations of this recipe on the internet. I learned of it a vegan potluck
It keeps for a week in the refrigerator.
Enjoy
Share your experiments with this recipe,please.
I imagine using pureed pumpkin with cloves,cinnamon,nutmeg,ginger with almong butter
or rum extract with raisins added or??
Who knew a yummy dip could be so healthy!!

I ate these at a Palestinian deli in Arizona. Green Almonds . Picked before the nut kernel forms , green all the way through. May be a way people have thiined a crop. But these are tangy and almost lemony . Some dip them in salt , I eat them straight. I live outside of almond country now , but I still think about those. Also at the same deli I've had feta cheese made from sheep , goat , cow , water buffalo , camel , and mares milk . All excellent.

Pickled garlic scapes
http://2footalligator.blogspot.com/2010/06/pickled-garlic-scapes.html


Orange Pickled Fennel Stalks
http://2footalligator.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-to-do-with-fennel-stalks.html

Papaya jerky. Thick slices of fresh papaya. Light sprinkling of sea salt on one side, light sprinkling of course sugar on the other, overnight in the oven @ 200 degrees (a dehydrator would be better). Not THE best thing I ever ate, but good sweet/salty snack that utilizes my free supply of papayas!

Lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles and thick roasted veg sauce

I know this sounds obvious but.....

chop some veggies up and brush them w/oil and tomato paste (or reduce stewing tomatoes) roast them save 1/2 and then pure the other half

cut zucchini length wise salt it, let it stand to draw out moisture ( dab it w/ a cloth) bread the zucchini and fry lightly
layer pureed veggie, zuchini, and roasted veggies together like a traditional lasagna
if you have nutritional yeast sprinkle some on top.

also some 'wild' alternatives


Fiddleheads: Named for their shape, these are found on bracken or ostrich ferns. They may be eaten raw or boiled. Don't confuse these with hemlock, which is poisonous.

Read more at Trails.com: Michigan Edible Wild Plants |
Trails.com http://www.trails.com/list_2478_michigan-edible-wild-plants.html#ixzz1vwNBIp1L

I've had burdock root used in place of a carrot and diffrent edible flowers in salad
dandelions are very tasty (roots use like carrots, leaves and heads in salads!)
cat tails: use the root

lambs quarters seem to grow everywhere, use much like spinach

try making seed/nut butters (soak in water to soften. I find over night if fine. Blend seed/nuts with oil/water)

If you have an herb garden flavour vinegar's to help you not hate salads

*darius Van d'Rhys-AMAZING site. Thank you for the link.


try and sprouting some of those lentils you must have! toss in some dandelion heads, pansy/marigold blooms toasted seed( I've toasted cucumber seeds) with oil and home made tarragon(or what ever herb) vinegar.
http://www.sprouting.com/Seeds.html#lentils

caramelize onions and use as condiments on sandwiches
http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/caramelizing_onions.htm

Atypical American uses for Peanut Butter. Last night I had a pnut butter and avocado sandwich. No mayo. pnut butter on both pieces of bread , avo, onion, tomato, lettuce. Any combo of pnut butter and vegie sandwich is delicious. Also the African Pnut soups and Asian Pnut sauce GadoGado { great on grilled meat}

Fiddleheads!!!
Just cook them for 10 minutes and 'sauce' with garlicy butter. Mmmmm!
How to find and identify them.


Morel mushrooms.
How to 'hunt' for them.

I came up with this one because I'm allergic to potatoes and I missed eating potato salad. Also have trouble with eggs and dairy. If eggs or dairy don't bother you, mayo or sourcream can be used instead of coconut milk and cumin.

Rice "Potato" Salad
Rice-about the amount you want to eat
coconut milk-enough to act as mayo
cumin-just a little, to turn the flavor of the coconut milk from sweet to savory
garlic powder-to taste
onion powder-to taste
salt-to taste
other seasonings-entirely optional
pickles-to taste; optional
olives-optional