Posts tagged ‘vinegar’

July 30, 2011

Goat Ranch Summer Carrots in Garlic Vinegar Marinade

 

OK- Fancy name for pickled carrots, but this version is fresh and soooo good they won’t last long in your fridge at all!

We grow our own carrots, garlic, italian seasonings and bay leaves here on the ranch and don’t use any chemicals or other nasty stuff, only healthy food!

Be sure to make these at least the day before so they have plenty of time to develop flavor.

Recipe:

•1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into sticks about 3-4 inches long
•1 1/4 cups water
•1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
•1 cup cider vinegar
•1/4 cup sugar
•2 garlic cloves, cut into quarters
•1/2 teaspoon cumin seed
•1 teaspoon italian seasoning
•2 bay leaves

Bring a medium-sized pot of lightly-salted water to a boil.

When the water boils, drop the carrots in and simmer for one minute. Strain the mixture into a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining ingredients in the pot. Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for two minutes.

Remove the liquids from the heat, add the carrot sticks.

Cool the carrots until room temperature, then put them into canning jars and secure the lids tightly.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

June 10, 2011

Tangy Fresh Tomato Salad Dressing Recipe

We are being optimistic here- hopefully we will have early tomatoes. All these unseasonable storms keep knocking the fruit off our plants, but things are changing weather wise around here anyways- fresh tomatoes arriving soon!

We keep little baggies of poached chicken in the freezer for quick meals. During hot weather we love garden fresh salads, and a vegetable salad topped with tender moist chicken is a favorite.

Making your own salad dressings can be quick, economical and very healthy as well. This one takes a few more minutes to pan roast some garlic cloves but is so worth it in terms of fresh flavor.

You can zip this dressing up with some horseradish or even dijon mustard for a delightful seafood salad if you like:

  • 6 cloves garlic, roasted then peeled ( I throw them in a frying pan with a cover on low heat while I prepare the other ingredients)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 medium Clerici Ranch tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons Clerici Ranch Lemon Vinegar
  • 1/3 cup Clerici Ranch basil, finely chopped

Throw all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Keep refrigerated if not using right away.

Enjoy!

August 25, 2010

Another great use for lemons- make lemon vinegar!

I hate having chemicals anywhere near my house.

OK- I realize that in 2010 that is not a very practical statement, but I do want to avoid artificial anything as much as I can. I love making my own cleaning supplies because they smell so great and are so inexpensive (there goes that cheap thing again….). My house gets cleaned using simple household staples like vinegar, baking soda, etc.

I also put apple cider vinegar into the chickens water containers. It helps keep the water from growing any undesirable stuff that I don’t even want to think about. Also, according to the old folks it helps keep the chickens healthier.

In addition, I have discovered anew that you can infuse vinegar with many wonderful things. My favorite is lemon peels.

So simple to do as well! Get a really sharp peeler and fresh, firm lemons- 3 or 4 lemons will do. Peel a thin layer off the lemon and put into a clean quart sized jar (My mother in law gives me old mayonnaise jars and these come with wonderful lids).

Fill the jar with white vinegar and store in a dark place for at least a week.
Now you can open the jar and smell the lemon!

Put about one cup of the lemon vinegar into a spray bottle and fill the bottle with water. Spray on surfaces like counter tops to clean them. I use this solution to clean my kitchen floor and everything else imaginable.  I even spray it into the air to freshen the room up.

You will at first smell a lot of vinegar, something I don’t mind at all but you might. The vinegar smell quickly evaporates leaving only the lingering but subtle scent of lemons!

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