bussete1's Blog
bussete1's Blog
Last Post 8 days, 12 hours Ago
Aug 27, 2008 | 3:52 PM PST
I planted some seeds that I got from a Japanese lady. She brought them over when she immigrated, but never knew what they were called. Hers were four feet tall, mine ended up only being a foot tall. Only one survived my black thumb. It's starting to bloom. I'm so proud of myself for not killing it!
Aug 25, 2008 | 12:40 PM PST
I was wondering what varieties of tomatoes other people like to grow, especially if you live in zone 5? The reason I'm wondering is because I had two plants this year, a yellow plum and a beefsteak. Both are indeterminate and taste great, but I'm not getting nearly enough of either one.
This was my first year growing tomatoes. I bought the two that were on sale for $1.50 a couple of days before Memorial Day. I saw that there were a whole bunch of different varieties that day, on sale for $2. Maybe it would be worth spending an extra 50 cents per plant next year if I get a larger yield. I put this question in several places in the forums and only got one answer. Maybe I'll get more suggestions this way. What varieties would you pick and how many plants of each?
Aug 11, 2008 | 7:11 PM PST
Tag: old recipes
This is a huge recipe for baked beans. I'm guessing back in the 30's a family probably ate this for a few days. This should be a great recipe, considering the economy right now.
Baked Beans
2 lbs dry beans
1 tbsp vinnegar
2 cups Brown Sugar
3/4 cups Molasses
1 onion
1 tbsp salt
Bacon or ham
Bring beans to a boil. After done slowly add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 3 hrs.
The way I would personally do this recipe is to cook the beans overnight (without soaking them, just rinsing them) then add the other things in the morning. After I mixed everything, I would put it into a few slow cookers and let them simmer while I'm at work. This would be a great recipe for a large party or a school. I wonder how it would work to can this recipe.
Aug 4, 2008 | 6:58 AM PST
Tag: ripe tomatoes
I went out of town this weekend and before I left, I told my tomato plants that I expected at least one ripe tomato when I get back. They've been green on the vine, fully grown, forever. I got back into town last night and it was dark, but I noticed one of my yellow plums was yellow! I didn't want to pick it last night just in case it was a trick of the eye, but I'm so excited! This is the first time I have grown a successful plant in my life! Usually they die within three weeks. Maybe it's because my 2-yr-old, Tatyana is helping me, lol.
Jul 20, 2008 | 1:35 PM PST
My daughter, Tatyana, is turning two next week. She absolutely loves to garden. She can't talk very well yet, so today she sat by the door and fussed, trying to turn the handle, until I came and asked if she wants to go outside. She said, "Yeah!" I went out with her and she worked on weeding the garden, stopping every few seconds to grab a mint or parsely leaf and stick it in her mouth.
I watched her, dumbfounded. I never once had to tell her what was a weed and what wasn't. This was her first time working in the garden alone. She can't even talk yet, but she can tell a weed from a plant.
Jul 19, 2008 | 11:21 AM PST
Tags: old recipes , torte
This sounds like a great summer recipe. What with the fruit being in season right now, this would be a great time to try it.
Schaum Torte (double recipe)
6 egg whites beaten stiff.
Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat at least 20 minutes.
Add 1 Tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp vanilla.
Let dry in oven. Do not have very much fire so that it can bake about 1/2 hour. Serve with fruit and whipped cream.
My interpretation of the baking part is to transfer it into a large, flat pan and bake 1/2 hour at around 200, just enough to dry it out. This is my thinking because my favorite aunt, her oldest child, keeps everything the oven at 200 to keep it all warm just before supper. There's no real way to know unless we have a seance, lol.
May 10, 2008 | 4:48 PM PST
Tags: Jelly roll , old recipes
It's funny when a book this old calls something "old-fashioned." It was hand-written in 1938.
Old-Fashioned Jelly Roll
5 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons KC (not sure what that is, I'm guessing it's Baking Powder.)
Beat eggs to a lemon color. Gradually add sugar, vanilla, flour, and baking powder. Roll out and bake in hot oven. Have a warm damp towel ready. When roll is done, roll up in towel and let stand awhile; then unroll and spread with jelly then roll up again. This will prevent the roll from cracking.
I'm guessing the modern baking directions are at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, like most pastries.
Apr 15, 2008 | 3:45 PM PST
Tags: old recipes , Date Cake
I've never heard of a date cake before. Grandma never made this for me. I wonder how it tastes? I guess there's one way to find out.
Date Cake
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped figs
3/4 cup walnuts
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 cup brown Sugar
1 cup quartered Dates
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup pecans
2 teaspoons Baking Soda (if sour milk is used, use soda and baking powder both)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon each cinnamon and allspice
1/4 teaspoon each Ginger and cloves
Cream shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add fruits, nuts, milk, flour, spices, and extract. Combine Baking Bowder with flour; Soda with milk (sour or buttermilk). Bake 30 minutes.
Is good to serve as a pudding with whipped cream or some sauce.
Apr 13, 2008 | 3:03 PM PST
Tags: spice cake , old recipes
In my Grandma's homemade cookbook, above this recipe is written, "Variety is the very spice of life, and gives it all its flavor."
Spice Cake
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon of each -- cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon
2 cups cake flour
Mix sugar and shortening until it is foamy, then yolks. Beat whites to a froth then beat them in. Add sour milk, soda, flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder sifted with the flour.
There are no baking instructions, so I'm guessing it's 350 for 25 minutes or done, like most cakes. Enjoy!
Apr 12, 2008 | 2:10 PM PST
Tags: Beet relish , old recipes
I was given all my grandmother's recipes when she passed because I'm the only one in the family who's into cooking. In those recipes, I found a little notebook with all the family recipes that she had written down when she first got married. There's also a gift list in the back of all her wedding gifts. It's so cool, I wanted to share some of the recipes with others. I'll just do one for today.
Beet Relish
1qt. Ground Beets
1qt ground cabbage
1 cup horse radish
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp pepper
Enough cold vinegar to cover the mixture. This is good to eat with meat.
Apr 12, 2008 | 11:54 AM PST
Tags: mint , purple coneflower
It's been a tough winter. My bulbs are up in the front garden, and I'm thinking ahead to when the bulbs die down for the summer and I have a weed-infested mess. I found someone in the area who has 5 kinds of mint, ready and willing to give me a few swatches of each. Since mint is so invasive, I'm contemplating puting it down as a ground cover in my bulb garden. It's completely hemmed in by cement, so I shouldn't have to worry too much about it taking over the lawn.
We get a packet of seeds every year from the water company. This year it's Purple Coneflower. Maybe I could plant those in the front bulb garden, too. I'm going to go into the community section and see if it would be wise to have mint and coneflowers in the same garden. Coneflowers are much taller, so they should be able to still get the sunlight they need. The question is, would the mint choke out the coneflowers through the root system?
Aug 21, 2007 | 8:34 PM PST
My husband is making me an herb garden, so I'm interested if anyone has any sprigs or seeds of herbs in the Omaha area. I'm pretty stupid when it comes to plants, so we'll see how this goes.
