Rhubarb Special Sauce

submitted by Linda Muth

When you think of "special sauce" in Wisconsin, you think about that tasty stuff at the condiment station at Miller Park - you know - the stuff you squeeze onto your brat or Italian sausage.

The suggestion that you might want to replace THAT special sauce with a rhubarb-based product might seem way out in left field, but seriously, once you make this stuff, you will not only squeeze it out over your sausages, but will find yourself licking it up by the spoonful.

This recipe is based off of a similar recipe featured in the summer 2016 issue of "Graze" - the magazine put out by Outpost Foods.  My version is a result of not having the exact ingredients suggested in the Outpost recipe, and because I always like to mix things up a bit.

Ingredients
4 1/2 cups of sliced rhubarb (1/4 to 1/2 inch slices)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or whatever kind you have)
5 cardamom pods*
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger**
1/2 cup lavender vinegar (or any fragrant floral or fruity vinegar)
1/8 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or toss in part of a chopped up pepper or roasted pepper - not too spicy)
1/2 tsp paprika
3 Tbsp honey

*You could try substituting 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp of ground cardamom
**I keep a chunk of ginger in the freezer, but you could substitute 1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Dump everything into a pot.  Simmer and stir frequently for about 40 minutes until the rhubarb is soft.  Find the cardamom pod shells and remove them.  Use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Place into prepared canning jars and process the jars using a hot water bath, boiling for 8 minutes.  Carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel and listen for the lids to pop.  Do not disturb them for 12-24 hours.

No Plagues

In the church when we think about the word "plague" we might have visions of hordes of locusts descending into the fields or clouds of gnats surrounding the fruit trees.  Gardeners often use the word "plague" to describe insect, fungus, disease or animals which destroy or cause damage to their crops.

I recently attended a food security forum during which an agronomist said:  "We never use the word "plague" to describe an invasion of insects.  Each creature was created by God to fulfill its purpose.  We want healthy crops, so we use preventive medicine."  In other words, when growing food products we want to protect them from damage by insects and little critters, and we can do so without killing the insects or harming any animals.  We can discourage them from coming to our gardens in the first place, so that they can go do what they were created to do somewhere else.

At All Peoples Church we use natural gardening techniques to prevent and to control damage which might be caused by insects or animals.

1)  One technique is to plant "smelly" plants near the edges of garden beds.  By choosing plants that bunnies, squirrels, possums and other animals do not like, and planting them as "protection" around plants that they do like, we can often discourage these animals from munching on our food.  "Smelly" plants include marigold, mint, basil, dill, chives, and onions.

2)  Sprinkle cayenne pepper on corn silk.  Grow pumpkins and squash below the corn to help fend off raccoons. Plant radishes and lettuce together.  Plant potatoes and beans together - each fends off the insects that like to eat the other.

3)  Preventive Medicine Pest Formula:  Chop one onion and several cloves of garlic, add a small hot pepper cut in half.  Put it all into a recycled milk jug and add about 2/3 gallon of water.  Let it sit in the sun for an hour or more.  Pour the liquid (not the chunks) into a spray bottle.  You can add a little bit of natural dish soap to help get rid of aphids.  Spray about once a week or after it rains hard.

4)  Got weeds?  Vinegar water (the tougher the weeds, the more vinegar in the water), salt water, or salty vinegar water in a spray bottle are great for killing weeds - spray on a hot sunny day.

What are your favorite tips for keeping your garden naturally healthy and productive?  Please share in the comment section!

Submitted by Linda Muth

Got Cilantro?

Reposted from Linda's El Salvador Blog

For anyone who grows cilantro or buys cilantro, you know that it is a short-lived crop and does not keep very well in the fridge or on the counter.  So, when you have a batch, it's important to find good ways to use it. It's also important to wash it well by grabbing the bundle by the stems and swirling the leaves in a bowl full of water.  Repeat this step if your bundle is pretty dirty.  Then remove any slimy stems or leaves.


One of my favorite things to make with cilantro, whether in El Salvador or the US, is chirmol.  It's easy, it's tasty, it's healthy and it goes with everything.

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes, chopped small
1/2 medium onion, chopped small
Juice of 1 large lime
Chopped cilantro to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Mix up all the ingredients and let it sit for a bit, then enjoy!  You can keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for a week.



No matter how big a batch of chirmol you make, you will no doubt have leftover cilantro.  A good way to keep it is to let it dry.  You can dry it with the stems on or off.  I do it on the kitchen counter on a clean cloth and cover it with a second clean cloth.  In El Salvador during the rainy season, it takes a while to dry.  Once the leaves are crispy, remove them from the stems and put them into a recycled spice jar. I prefer to crush mine right before use.

Dried cilantro is great in chicken soup, beans, rice, salad dressings ... any number of things.

Submitted by Linda Muth


Flor de jamaica - Rosa de jamaica - Te de jamaica - Frozen de jamaica...

Jamaica (pronounced huh-my-kuh) means "hibiscus,"


However it is written on the menu, I order it.  Hot. Cold. Frozen.  You can order it by the pitcher at Pizza Hut and Pollo Campero.  At fancy restaurants it is served in big goblets, and with its deep red color you might mistake it for a glass of robust burgundy. 


You can buy jamaica at the Super - crushed in tea bags or as whole dried flowers in big plastic bags.  You can often find the dried flowers in small markets and artisan shops.  I almost always have a pitcher of it in my fridge. 


Nutritionally speaking, hibiscus tea contains important vitamins and minerals (A, B1, C, E and iron).  Salvadoran grandmothers will tell you it is good for your kidneys, digestion, your liver and helps to lower your blood pressure.  These are important health benefits, but I drink it because I like it.  I recently added a new twist to my hibiscus tea after I made boiled plantains.  I think my grandma would be very proud of me for this excellent use of resources. In the US, Rosa or Flor de Jamaica is available at markets that feature foods from Latina cultures.  Many supermarkets also carry the flowers or tea bags.


Boiled Plantains with CinnamonFill a pot with water, enough so your plantains, once cut, can swim around freely. Add one large or two small sticks of cinnamon.Bring water to a boil.Peel and cut 1-3 large plantains cross-ways into chunks about 1 1/2" long.Drop the plantain chunks into the water.  Boil until very tender, but not so long that they lose their shape.Scoop the plantains out of the water, and enjoy eating them!  Sprinkle a touch of brown sugar or raw sugar over them if they are not sweet enough for your taste.Save the water, and let it cool.

Hibiscus TeaPlace about 1 cup (2 handfuls) rosas de jamaica (hibiscus roses/hibiscus flowers) in a glass jar that has a tight-fitting lid (1.5 liters)  Add a few extra if your jar is bigger.(To make this with tea bags, toss about 8-10 tea bags into the jar, depending on the size.)Pour the cooled plantain liquid with cinnamon into the jar.Add water until the jar is full.  Put on the lid.


Set the jar out in a sunny spot.  (I put mine out in the morning before I head out for the day, and take it in at night when I get back.  A couple of hours in the sun should be sufficient - in El Salvador, anyway.)

I usually enjoy my first cup warm.  If the tea seems too tart for your taste, add sugar to the whole batch while it is warm.  I do not add any extra sugar to mine.




You can strain the tea, but I find it easier just to dump the tea, flowers and cinnamon all into a plastic pitcher that has a lid with a little strainer, and just pop the whole thing into the fridge.

Chill.  The tea keeps fine for a week, probably longer, but I always drink it up in a few days.

Enjoy!