For the love of Produce...
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I don't normally cook sweet potato due to childhood trauma of my mother baking it in maple syrup for Thanksgiving, which I found sickly sweet. I tried roasting them tonight but they didn't go well with pan fried sea bass, being so sweet. What do you serve roast sweet potato with? The only thing that immediately comes to mind is gammon.2
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Glad to see I am not the only deviant to dislike sick sweetness. In my case, one of the things that completely revolted me was cooked chicken covered with cold syrup-canned apricots. Totally revolting.I don't normally cook sweet potato due to childhood trauma of my mother baking it in maple syrup for Thanksgiving, which I found sickly sweet. I tried roasting them tonight but they didn't go well with pan fried sea bass, being so sweet. What do you serve roast sweet potato with? The only thing that immediately comes to mind is gammon.
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I never knew I liked sweet potatoes until well into adulthood.
I grew up in the southeast USA. Sweet potato was usually Sweet Potato Casserole or "pie." Sweet potato is sweet on its own. Adding lots more sugar and baking with marshmallows on top... Ew. Yuck. Even as a kid, I thought it was awful.
Forty years later I realize there's more to sweet potatoes than that sickly sweet pan full of something that I couldn't stand to eat. There's so many different kinds, too. Back then it was usually the orange flesh variety. Baked with some butter and salt? Oh yeah. And all the other varieties? Sure.
Just please don't offer me that that sickly sweet nastiness. I will try to be polite when I decline.
Who the hell thought of that in the first place?3 -
Yay! More sickly sweet sweet potatoes for me! While I like them best chopped up, tossed with olive oil and savory seasonings, then baked until crispy, I have fond memories of syrupy sweet potato casseroles topped wall-to-wall with marshmallows.3
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I, too, didn't realize I liked sweet potatoes until I was an adult and cooked them myself. There's a bag of mixed frozen vegetables I like to buy and it contains chopped onion, red, green, and orange bell peppers, corn, and black beans. I cook that in a pan with a bit of oil and spices while my sweet potatoes are baking. When done, I scoop out the baked potato and mix it into the veggie mix and then re-fill the potato shells with the combined mixture and bake them again. Basically, twice baked potatoes. They are a meal themselves!4
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I've been making soup quite often. Good stuff. Split pea with potato. Barley and lentil vegetable with miso. A combination of both. Rinse and repeat.
I was getting tired of soup. But the ingredients were still tasty. I decided to do an experiment today, and it was pretty good. I'll do it again. Mostly "produce," although some was dried.
I cooked some brown basmati rice in a pot. Not much. Two servings.
I cooked some red lentils in another pot.
I sauteed onions, celery, some random chiles, and a lot of garlic in a pan, then dumped in the rice and then drained and dumped in the lentils. I splashed some Red Boat fish sauce, and it was really tasty.
But I was bummed because I forgot to get out the mushrooms I planned to add. So maybe I'll make a version of this again tomorrow with mushrooms. And maybe I'll use French green lentils instead since they stay together instead of turning to mush. But even with the red lentils - mmm. The garlic was just barely cooked at all, just the way I like it.
No pictures. Who wants to look at blobs of beige? Not me. But I'll eat it.4 -
Indeed. Soup is incredibly forgiving. You don't need "recipes". Just put a bunch of whatever together with water and good flavourings and you are good to go.I've been making soup quite often. Good stuff. Split pea with potato. Barley and lentil vegetable with miso. A combination of both. Rinse and repeat.
Indeed. If we are trying to lose weight, the last thing we need is slave for hours in the kitchen to make the most delectable things we are likely to overeat on. That is true for looks as well as tastes.No pictures. Who wants to look at blobs of beige? Not me. But I'll eat it.
My own position is that food does not have to taste good. It should just not taste bad, since we will not want to eat it then. That may well have been the reason most children were so skinny a few decades ago: the food we got was so disgusting only our hunger was able to overcome its bad taste and we ate as little as our survival instincts allowed.
As an adult, I find it hard to inflict that on myself (and I would never inflict it on children), but I approach a similar situation by eating lots of low-energy vegetables. While my hunger does not go away, it remains tolerable.
By the way, (possibly) depending on your rice-cooker, you can just put rice and lentils together when cooking the rice. That always worked for me.
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@BartBVanBockstaele
I like to eat. I like food to taste GOOD, not just taste not bad.
I like to cook. It's a form of creativity. I always have. I don't always use recipes, although I like to look at a few if I'm making something in particular I haven't made. I use them to inform what I end up doing.
Soup can be simple for sure, but for me it's more than just tossing *kitten* into water and boiling it. I use processes to maximize deliciousness. What I made tonight wasn't anything I've ever made before. I just decided to wing it, and it turned out really tasty.
Visually appealing? Well, no. I could have done a few things to improve that, but I didn't care. It was tasty and healthy and not too hard to make, but it left me three cooking pots to clean. That alone is enough to decide if I can make a change and use fewer pots. If not, it would be a smallish price to pay for a really tasty meal that's not too hard to make and has a complete protein and some produce. It would also be good with some chopped bitter greens added when I mixed the rice and lentils with the other vegetables, or probably better mixed with the vegetables a bit before I added garlic.
Did I mention I love to eat and cook? I like food that tastes good. I don't need it to have good taste.7 -
You'll get no counterarguments from me. I like food to taste good just as much as anyone.@BartBVanBockstaele
I like to eat. I like food to taste GOOD, not just taste not bad.
I like to cook. It's a form of creativity. I always have. I don't always use recipes, although I like to look at a few if I'm making something in particular I haven't made. I use them to inform what I end up doing.
Soup can be simple for sure, but for me it's more than just tossing *kitten* into water and boiling it. I use processes to maximize deliciousness. What I made tonight wasn't anything I've ever made before. I just decided to wing it, and it turned out really tasty.
Visually appealing? Well, no. I could have done a few things to improve that, but I didn't care. It was tasty and healthy and not too hard to make, but it left me three cooking pots to clean. That alone is enough to decide if I can make a change and use fewer pots. If not, it would be a smallish price to pay for a really tasty meal that's not too hard to make and has a complete protein and some produce. It would also be good with some chopped bitter greens added when I mixed the rice and lentils with the other vegetables, or probably better mixed with the vegetables a bit before I added garlic.
Did I mention I love to eat and cook? I like food that tastes good. I don't need it to have good taste.
What I do not like, is getting fat again. After losing 60 kg, I am closing in on the end, but I am not there yet. What I do know, is this: I am always hungry. I'll eat anything. As an example, I abhor vinegar. Despite that, I'll empty the jar of mustard if there is one.
The only times I have not been hungry were part of an experiment I did in the beginning of 2022. While that was arguably the most wonderful feeling I have experienced in my life, it also taught me that I have to remain extremely vigilant and cannot afford to make my life any more difficult than it needs to be.
Making food so tasty that I actually relish it, is simply something I cannot afford. That does not mean other people should not be allowed tasty foods. It *does* mean that not attempting to make foods as tasty as they could possibly be is a strategy that has some effectiveness in preventing overeating.
Don't forget this: people who are fat have an eating disorder: they eat too much, i.o.w. they ingest more energy than they need to stay alive. In order to lose weight, they need to reduce that and ingest less energy than they need to stay alive. Eating less delectable foods can/could/should/may/might be a doable strategy to accomplish that.
On a more abstract level, it makes no sense to encourage people who are known to be overeating to turn to delicious foods. That is like telling an alcoholic to dump Stella and turn to Pomerol instead. Very few drug addicts have been freed from their addictions by directing them to a product that has even more of the substance they are abusing.
That said, this is a vegetable thread. I love vegetables. While I am typing this, I am finishing off a tiny 300 g portion of spinach with psyllium, garlic, spices, lemon juice and lupin flakes, no salt, no butter/fat and no sugar added. 261 kcal, 112 of which are fibre that are often said not to count because of the idea that we cannot digest them. Unfortunately, that is an oversimplification. And indeed, it is very easy to overeat on this stuff so I have to maintain control by applying strict portion control.
The best I can hope for is to be a little bit less hungry for half an hour or so, in about half an hour from now. Everyone is different, but this is the effect it has on me.
I could make it more disgusting by adding some type of vinegar, especially balsamic because that contains not only vinegar but also sugar, but I would not want to eat it anymore and I would just eat something else. I could also make it more delectable by adding heavy cream and Pertsovka or Retsina, and that would make me want to eat more. So, I don't do those things.
That is what I mean by "Food doesn't have to taste good. It just should not taste bad" I am not saying food should not be allowed to taste good, only that this is not a nutritional requirement and that it may (help to) sabotage the goal of losing weight.
Of course, if someone is on a quest to gain weight, the situation changes. I have a professional (i.e. for restaurant use) Belgian waffle iron sitting in my storage with 20 kg of pearl sugar for making Liège waffles. I am just not entirely convinced this would help me to lose weight, since even merely developing my recipe contributed to 10 or so kg of weight gain. The one main thing that keeps me from ever taking it out is that I am not strong enough to carry it. The day I need to gain weight, I'll have to pay a few people to take it out. I hope that day will never come ^_^.1 -
@BartBVanBockstaele
We'll just have to disagree on this one.
I am so sorry that you have been unable to find a way to really enjoy food in moderation and in a way that you find satiety. I hope for your sake you find a solution.
Some people, or at least one (me) have found ways to eat things we truly enjoy while keeping an energy balance to lose weight and then maintain that loss. For me, I did have a little failure the last couple years when I gained some back, but I knew what needed to happen to fix it, and it seems I've finally done it.
I also disagree that an overweight person necessarily has an eating disorder. Eating over your energy expenditure is easy for most people. It's something that can be addressed, and I wouldn't call it an eating disorder. I also disagree that suggesting someone that loves pizza have a slice of pizza is like making a martini for a recovering alcoholic and suggesting they just have one taste.
There is a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome. I learned about it only recently. One of the manifestations is constant unending hunger. Your self-description makes me wonder if you might talk with your health care provider about it. I sincerely wish you can find a way to enjoy your food immensely and still not overeat.
I do agree that this discussion is about PRODUCE and the love for it. My friend gave me some fresh beets the other day. I was thinking I would make borscht, but I don't have enough potatoes and I don't have any cabbage. I might roast them and toss them in quinoa or rice. She also gave me a chunk of fennel, so maybe I'll find a way to include that. My vegetable lentil pilaf yesterday was good, and I am still sad I forgot to add the mushrooms. I'm really tempted to roast some of those today, and I still have two shiitake I harvested off my logs before the weather got far below freezing. Lunch will be an avocado sprinkled with balsamic. Mmmm.4 -
I have a bag full of delicata that was given to me by some friends before they moved overseas. I'm going to assume they're fully ripe.
My normal two boring ways to cook them is either cut in half lengthwise and put upside down on a baking sheet or cut rounds and roast similarly. My ex used to sometimes make a "filling" for the rounds, usually cooked rice with nuts, mushrooms, and cranberries. It was pretty tasty.
Does anybody have any other favorite ways to cook delicata? Or even other winter squash. I used to make a fantastic squash soup that I often dumped a can of mackerel in. I ate a lot of that in grad school because I could make a huge batch really cheaply.
Share your favorites!
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I have a bag full of delicata that was given to me by some friends before they moved overseas. I'm going to assume they're fully ripe.
My normal two boring ways to cook them is either cut in half lengthwise and put upside down on a baking sheet or cut rounds and roast similarly. My ex used to sometimes make a "filling" for the rounds, usually cooked rice with nuts, mushrooms, and cranberries. It was pretty tasty.
Does anybody have any other favorite ways to cook delicata? Or even other winter squash. I used to make a fantastic squash soup that I often dumped a can of mackerel in. I ate a lot of that in grad school because I could make a huge batch really cheaply.
Share your favorites!
Not a recipe, but an ingredient: My former massage therapist turned me on to the idea of using white miso with Winter squash. It's subtle, but there's a . . . je ne sai quoi. I wouldn't include much else, because it's subtle.
Sage, especially fresh sage, is heavenly with Winter squash, of course. I like squash soup with smoked hot peppers of some type blended in, too. I've used roasted, mashed squash in various pasta and cheese constructs, also, which is tasty. It gives some of that classic mac'n'cheese orange color, and a more nuanced flavor.
The "Mashed Potato" acorn, as I've mention, makes an appealing shepherd's pie topping (sub for the potatoes). It would work equally well with regular orange Winter squash, and maybe a more conscious choice of fillings for the pie (the Mashed Potato squash is quite mild-flavored, a bit less sweet than standard Winter squashes).
I also like to use squash to make something analogous to a potato puff, potato patty, or potato pancake. The puff is mashed squash, eggs, possibly some cheese, any other flavoring mix-ins you want, a little baking powder, mixed then baked. (No recipe, I wing it.) Patty is similar, but pan fried or baked (can do panko or panko/nut on the outside).
I've had them, but don't usually eat delicatas . . . since I don't grow them, I buy them, and a delicata is . . . not enough squash. I buy the bigger guys. You know my obsession with Georgia Candy Roaster (4-5 cups of roasted squash per each), and usually I'm drawing on my frozen supply of those. But if I buy others, it's usually one of the giants like Hubbard, unless I want spaghetti squash or something (like the Mashed Potato one) for a special purpose.
That's a lead up to saying I don't recall whether delicatas are one of the ones with more moisture, that give off lots of juices as they roast. If you pour off some of that juice, it makes quite a nice Fall cocktail ingredient. I use rye, but anything with a little smokiness/depth would work . . . maybe gold tequila?
There exist recipes for Winter squash caramels (i.e. candy), but I haven't much experimented in that direction.
I'm thinking I should try squash in a dish similar to moussaka, subbing squash chunks for the eggplant (or heck, maybe why not both?). Keep in mind that I'm a veg, so that would be veggie moussaka - not sure how the meat would fit in, or not. I usually put in white beans or chickpeas for some veg protein.
Jeez, I just finished my favorite oatmeal lunch . . . now I'm hungry for squash!
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@AnnPT77 and @acpgee
Thanks for the suggestions. I do think white miso might be a good addition, and I always have it (and red) in the fridge.
I'm probably not going to do the puff pastry, and I think I'd blow some kind of gasket if I made shepherd's pie without potatoes on top. But I might put some on the INSIDE with all the mushrooms and eggplants. I think I may take a break from making one this year; it's become a Thanksgiving tradition but I can forego every little once in a while.
Yes, delicata is very moist. It's almost not even a winter squash. The skin is edible. They really are good, and they cook pretty quickly. I usually only buy a few, but I have a whole sack full from my friends.
I had a giant Hubbard last year. It was just too much for l'il ol' me.
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Thank you so much (also for the suggestion). There is no disagreement here.@BartBVanBockstaele
We'll just have to disagree on this one.
I am so sorry that you have been unable to find a way to really enjoy food in moderation and in a way that you find satiety. I hope for your sake you find a solution.
Some people, or at least one (me) have found ways to eat things we truly enjoy while keeping an energy balance to lose weight and then maintain that loss. For me, I did have a little failure the last couple years when I gained some back, but I knew what needed to happen to fix it, and it seems I've finally done it.
I also disagree that an overweight person necessarily has an eating disorder. Eating over your energy expenditure is easy for most people. It's something that can be addressed, and I wouldn't call it an eating disorder. I also disagree that suggesting someone that loves pizza have a slice of pizza is like making a martini for a recovering alcoholic and suggesting they just have one taste.
There is a genetic disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome. I learned about it only recently. One of the manifestations is constant unending hunger. Your self-description makes me wonder if you might talk with your health care provider about it. I sincerely wish you can find a way to enjoy your food immensely and still not overeat.
I do agree that this discussion is about PRODUCE and the love for it. My friend gave me some fresh beets the other day. I was thinking I would make borscht, but I don't have enough potatoes and I don't have any cabbage. I might roast them and toss them in quinoa or rice. She also gave me a chunk of fennel, so maybe I'll find a way to include that. My vegetable lentil pilaf yesterday was good, and I am still sad I forgot to add the mushrooms. I'm really tempted to roast some of those today, and I still have two shiitake I harvested off my logs before the weather got far below freezing. Lunch will be an avocado sprinkled with balsamic. Mmmm.
The reality is that "tips" only help people who are helped by them. For me, that includes not tempting fate by making food excessively delicious. Just think of it: the "food industry" is often accused of causing the obesity crisis by making foods "hyperpalatable". People are then encouraged to eat more vegetables. While that is usually not made explicit, this means that vegetables are not considered hyperpalatable and that is exactly the same type of thinking as "food does not have to taste good".
Other people are helped by the suggestion to not go shopping when they are hungry. I am helped by doing the opposite: if I am not hungry, I become curious and start looking for "interesting" things, which often results in buying stuff that is against my best interest becayse they are trigger foods. Nuts and seeds, avocadoes and olives would be good examples of that. Kohlrabi would be another, but the kohlrabi at our local Loblaws usually looks so sorry and overpriced that it is not even tempting, so the low-quality of foods on offer actually helps me there ^_^.
And make no mistake, I do enjoy food immensily. What I eat seems to revolt many people, but I look forward to it all the time. I am actually using a second watch with a timer to remind me that "now is not the time" and I then try to arrange a walk or some errand during which eating is not an option, in order to stretch the time between meals.
As for borschtch, I love it, and I have very good memories of it. When I lived in Brussels, there was a Belarusian restaurant where they had the most delectable (potato-less ^_^) red-beet borschtch I have ever eaten. I banned red beets because their digestible carbohydrate content is problematic for me (it incresases hunger) but I love them, in soups, but also simply in the microwave with some lemon juice. They are a trigger food for me (but then, almost everything is, ouch). That restaurant also had truly delectable wine-marinated red cabbage.
And yes, cabbage is another favourite of mine. I love it in soups, microwaved, but also raw, especially chopped really finely in a food processor and mixed with lemon juice and herbs and spices, even more so in combination with carrots and beans, but those are off-limits for me.
Don't make the mistake of defining "normal" as "not-a-disorder". There are several examples of this, but this is not the appropriate forum for that. Nevertheless, we live in interesting times: being overweight is "normal" in our society, since about 2/3 of the population is suffering from it. Yet, it is still a disorder.I also disagree that an overweight person necessarily has an eating disorder. Eating over your energy expenditure is easy for most people. It's something that can be addressed, and I wouldn't call it an eating disorder. I also disagree that suggesting someone that loves pizza have a slice of pizza is like making a martini for a recovering alcoholic and suggesting they just have one taste.
That said, I just had one of my two favourite vegetable blends: No Name Oriental-style special blend of vegetables:
It is a mixture of broccoli, green beans, onions, red bell peppers and mushrooms. It is hard to find, I only know of one store that sells it within walking distance (a little over 2 km from where I am), and while there are competing products, this is the only one that does not have carrots in them.
In short, I am a big fan of vegetables. I subscribe to the German idea that "Gemüse ist das bessere Obst" (vegetables are the better fruit). In fact, even though I did not set out as such, sardines are currently the only non-vegetable thing I eat. It is not because I have anything against other foods, in fact, many of them contain little to no carbs and would be perfect for me, but vegetables are incredibly convenient in ways other food products are not.
I would love to find a "10 vegetable blend" or something like that in the freezer isle!1 -
I think all miso is great. I cannot have it, because of the salt, but I totally love it, in soups (obviously) but also as a condiment with vegetables, which is (probably?) what you are doing with the squash.Not a recipe, but an ingredient: My former massage therapist turned me on to the idea of using white miso with Winter squash. It's subtle, but there's a . . . je ne sai quoi. I wouldn't include much else, because it's subtle.
Have you tried natto? I love it because of the strong taste, and also because it contains no extra salt and is therefore perfectly compatible with my diet.1 -
@mtaratoot - if you have raw red lentils left from your lentil and rice dish a few days ago then I’ve got a delicious recipe for your beetroot.
https://www.rebelrecipes.com/beetroot-dal-with-roast-beetroot-and-gram-flour-flatbreads/
Personally, I don’t roast the beetroot that doesn’t get grated for the Dhal, I chop it into fairly small dice and just cook it in the Dhal itself. I prefer it that way and it’s easier to batch cook and freeze portions if it’s all-in-one. I don’t make the flatbread either but I will one day to see how they are, but I heartily recommend the Dhal, I’ve always got some in the freezer! It comes out at around 250 cals for a 280g portion, I think.3 -
Calling all pumpkin lovers
So I went overboard with gourds this season. - I have a little decor on my patio of fresh pumpkins, mini gourds.. you name it. Each year the squirrels in my neck of the woods end up feasting on them.. my lil thanksgiving for them if you will..
But this year, they are obviously dining at someone else’s place.
So.. rather than waste the pumpkins .. I thought about making all sorts of dishes.
How long do you keep your pumpkins?
I read online 1 month if indoors. 2-3 months if outdoors. Does that seem like an epic amount of time?
They are still firm… so .. maybe?
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BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »@mtaratoot - if you have raw red lentils left from your lentil and rice dish a few days ago then I’ve got a delicious recipe for your beetroot.
https://www.rebelrecipes.com/beetroot-dal-with-roast-beetroot-and-gram-flour-flatbreads/
Personally, I don’t roast the beetroot that doesn’t get grated for the Dhal, I chop it into fairly small dice and just cook it in the Dhal itself. I prefer it that way and it’s easier to batch cook and freeze portions if it’s all-in-one. I don’t make the flatbread either but I will one day to see how they are, but I heartily recommend the Dhal, I’ve always got some in the freezer! It comes out at around 250 cals for a 280g portion, I think.
I do have plenty more lentils. I was thinking I'd make the French green lentils next time, just for a change. I'll for sure consider a beet dal. I love beets and legumes. I love experimenting in the kitchen. It's fun. I don't like to foist new experiments on other people because what if it's awful. So I get to go play with vegetables and dig on in.
I'm about an eyelash away from making a beet, potato, and fennel soup though. Maybe with green lentils. Because why not?
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BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »(snip for length)
Just think of it: the "food industry" is often accused of causing the obesity crisis by making foods "hyperpalatable". People are then encouraged to eat more vegetables. While that is usually not made explicit, this means that vegetables are not considered hyperpalatable . . . ;\
(more snip)
Yet here we are on a thread that celebrates produce, including vegetables. Without doing a formal statistical analysis of posts, I feel like it's mostly been about vegetables. It's definitely been mostly about produce's deliciousness, because, well, that would be on topic to the thread, wouldn't it? 😋
Passive voice is interesting: It allows us to ignore the question of who considers vegetables not hyperpalatable. Pretty sure it's not the people who've generally been participating in this thread, who seem to like vegetables very much. I don't know who it is, and don't really care. I love vegetables, at least most of 'em.
I made a very simple dinner tonight, after having a busy day. Huge mixed-greens salad with cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, thin-sliced sweet onion, topped with long-aged balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of roasted, salted no-hull pumpkin seeds; red lentil spaghetti with a very garlic-y tomato-based pasta sauce, roasted broccoli (around a pound of it, before roasting), and some farmstead goat feta. Not remotely fancy - maybe some people would consider it boring or unpleasant, I dunno . . . . but it was very palatable to me, and that's the only person whose tastes I generally need to attend to.
Oh, and: Some roasted, smashed Georgia Candy Roaster squash, with white miso mixed in. I used 20g of white miso to 189g of squash, this time. You had written:BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »I think all miso is great. I cannot have it, because of the salt, but I totally love it, in soups (obviously) but also as a condiment with vegetables, which is (probably?) what you are doing with the squash.
Does mixing it constitute using it as a condiment? Usually I think of a condiment as something foods are dipped in, topped lightly with (spread on or whatever), or maybe eaten in tiny forkfuls alongside some larger dish (like some relishes are used). I'd think of the mixed-in miso more as a flavoring ingredient, with the happy plus of some probiotics. (I don't cook it with the squash, I mix it in at the end right before eating. Maybe the bugs still live.)
P.S. IMU, people in general on average eat too few vegetables (and fruits) for best odds of overall good health. There are many reasons for that, IMO, some of which have zero to do with palatability/taste preference . . . but going into detail about that, too, would be off topic to this thread.BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »Have you tried natto? I love it because of the strong taste, and also because it contains no extra salt and is therefore perfectly compatible with my diet.
I've only tried natto once: It's not a thing often seen here. I haven't even seen it in our Asian markets, though it's probably there somewhere and I just missed it in the overall overwhelmed-ness of figuring out Asian-language labels with tiny English sticker-label add-ons. I did like it when I tried it, but it was only a small central bit in vegetarian sushi maki. (The waitress told me I didn't want to order that, but I ordered it anyway. 🤣) I'd eat natto again, and would like to try it in a setting where the flavor was a bit more forward.
Fermented produce is still produce, so totally on topic. 2 -
SafariGalNYC wrote: »Calling all pumpkin lovers
So I went overboard with gourds this season. - I have a little decor on my patio of fresh pumpkins, mini gourds.. you name it. Each year the squirrels in my neck of the woods end up feasting on them.. my lil thanksgiving for them if you will..
But this year, they are obviously dining at someone else’s place.
So.. rather than waste the pumpkins .. I thought about making all sorts of dishes.
How long do you keep your pumpkins?
I read online 1 month if indoors. 2-3 months if outdoors. Does that seem like an epic amount of time?
They are still firm… so .. maybe?
(Snip pretty pumpkins image for reply length)
AFAIK, pumpkins should be like any other squash: As long as they don't have mushy spots, or get dried out and woody-ish inside, they should be fine to eat. (They will weigh noticeably less if drying out inside, and there'd probably be signs on the outside, too.)
Different squashes last shorter or longer times, and become less useable in possibly different ways (like the mushy vs. dry thing). I'm not sure what mini-pumpkins do, and I think there are multiple varieties even within those. It's always an option to trim, cook & freeze, if they're getting toward iffy.
I didn't eat it at the end - not the point - but when I was in college I'd bring a full-sized pumpkin from my dad's garden back to my dorm and keep it (whole, not carved) until it spoiled. They varied some; but most lasted from September/October arrival until at least Christmas, and I think the longest was until around Easter. That was in a normal warm-ish, lighted room. If you keep them somewhere cool and dry, out of direct light, they'll tend to keep better.
My dad would store the garden's Butternut squash (which are good keepers) in our well pit (kind of root-cellar-like). He would pick them, wipe any dirt or debris off, let them sit out in a warmer area with air separation to cure a bit, then dip them briefly in a dilute bleach solution to sanitize, and let them dry separately before storing. Then he just put them in a crate in the well pit - well, the ones without dings or blemishes, which will spoil faster. They'd keep for most of the Winter, but Butternut are good keepers. Wherever you store them, look them over periodically and isolate from the others any that are getting brown spots or other degradation signs.3 -
I made a very simple dinner tonight, after having a busy day. Huge mixed-greens salad with cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, thin-sliced sweet onion, topped with long-aged balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of roasted, salted no-hull pumpkin seeds; red lentil spaghetti with a very garlic-y tomato-based pasta sauce, roasted broccoli (around a pound of it, before roasting), and some farmstead goat feta. Not remotely fancy - maybe some people would consider it boring or unpleasant, I dunno . . . . but it was very palatable to me, and that's the only person whose tastes I generally need to attend to.
And I made a somewhat simple and maybe boring dinner tonight after a not at all busy day
It was similar to last night, but also quite different.- French green lentils instead of red lentils. Plants, but probably not considered produce since they're dried legumes not fresh vegetables.
- Cooked together with the rice instead of separate so I have less to wash when I do dishes probably tomorrow morning.
- I added some fresh ginger.
- I didn't forget the mushrooms!
- Still had onion, carrot, celery, random chilies, and garlic.
- Added a couple of the very last tomatoes from my garden that I really should eat even though they also are a reminder of the vegetable garden that won't wake up for many months to come.
- I probably won't be able to eat it all, but when I logged it, it all would fit into my calorie allowance for the day. For sure I won't be hungry until after lunch tomorrow.
So I didn't use the fennel. I didn't use the beets. No potatoes. No cabbage. But... mmmmm. Neat experiment, and it was fun to cook.
Funny because I was talking on the phone to family yesterday and was saying how I really just didn't want to cook. I found it odd because I usually love to. Once I started, I had fun. Same today, although I never felt like I didn't want to today.
What will tomorrow bring? Stay tuned to find out!
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SafariGalNYC wrote: »Calling all pumpkin lovers
So I went overboard with gourds this season. - I have a little decor on my patio of fresh pumpkins, mini gourds.. you name it. Each year the squirrels in my neck of the woods end up feasting on them.. my lil thanksgiving for them if you will..
But this year, they are obviously dining at someone else’s place.
So.. rather than waste the pumpkins .. I thought about making all sorts of dishes.
How long do you keep your pumpkins?
I read online 1 month if indoors. 2-3 months if outdoors. Does that seem like an epic amount of time?
They are still firm… so .. maybe?
Are those "eating" pumpkins or decorative pumpkins?
I haven't had the best luck trying to cook pumpkins that are bred for carving or for decoration. Like most winter squash, pumpkins can last a while in a cool, dark place.
Every year right after (or before) Halloween, I get an e-mail from Audubon about repurposing pumpkins, especially those little ones. They suggest making a bird feeder from them. You still get joy, and so do your feathered friends. They have a video with instructions if you think you can't just figure it out on your own.
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You will get no counterargument from me. I love vegetables as well. Except for sardines, they are my only source of food.Yet here we are on a thread that celebrates produce, including vegetables. Without doing a formal statistical analysis of posts, I feel like it's mostly been about vegetables. It's definitely been mostly about produce's deliciousness, because, well, that would be on topic to the thread, wouldn't it? 😋
That is actually something that fascinates me. What is it about vegetables that make them unloved by society? Since most people are said to undereat them, there must be something that holds them back. While finding the answer to that question, may not make the issue go away, it is not unreasonable to think it might point in a useful direction.Passive voice is interesting: It allows us to ignore the question of who considers vegetables not hyperpalatable. Pretty sure it's not the people who've generally been participating in this thread, who seem to like vegetables very much. I don't know who it is, and don't really care. I love vegetables, at least most of 'em.
Sounds delicious to me, except for one thing. To me, balasamic is a mixture of two evils: vinegar is the one substance that genuinely manages to keep me away from food (and then only up to a point, I have been known to empty a jar of mustard when I am too hungry and have nothing else left). Sugar does too, but not to the same degree. I (used to love Liège waffles, for example, and chocolate mousse and zabaglione and Bavarois... and yes, I most probably still do!). I am not sure these should be called "vegetables", but in my defense: they surely contain plants, including the sugar ^_^I made a very simple dinner tonight, after having a busy day. Huge mixed-greens salad with cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, thin-sliced sweet onion, topped with long-aged balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of roasted, salted no-hull pumpkin seeds; red lentil spaghetti with a very garlic-y tomato-based pasta sauce, roasted broccoli (around a pound of it, before roasting), and some farmstead goat feta. Not remotely fancy - maybe some people would consider it boring or unpleasant, I dunno . . . . but it was very palatable to me, and that's the only person whose tastes I generally need to attend to.
That is a valid argument to be had, but I was imagining you putting the miso on top (I used to use it as a spread on bread before I stopped using it.Does mixing it constitute using it as a condiment? Usually I think of a condiment as something foods are dipped in, topped lightly with (spread on or whatever), or maybe eaten in tiny forkfuls alongside some larger dish (like some relishes are used). I'd think of the mixed-in miso more as a flavoring ingredient, with the happy plus of some probiotics. (I don't cook it with the squash, I mix it in at the end right before eating. Maybe the bugs still live.)
Would it though? Does not love for something include finding out why other people don't share that love? They may have genuine objectively verifiable reasons for that dislike. Would it not be great to find out what they are?P.S. IMU, people in general on average eat too few vegetables (and fruits) for best odds of overall good health. There are many reasons for that, IMO, some of which have zero to do with palatability/taste preference . . . but going into detail about that, too, would be off topic to this thread.BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »Have you tried natto? I love it because of the strong taste, and also because it contains no extra salt and is therefore perfectly compatible with my diet.
It is a trigger food for me. The fact that it is usally frozen when I buy it, protects me bit from overeating on it, but not by much. I like it very much mixed with egg white, katsuobushi and green onions on top of short-grain white rice. I also used to put in broth-based vegetable soup together with slices of lamb.I've only tried natto once: It's not a thing often seen here. I haven't even seen it in our Asian markets, though it's probably there somewhere and I just missed it in the overall overwhelmed-ness of figuring out Asian-language labels with tiny English sticker-label add-ons. I did like it when I tried it, but it was only a small central bit in vegetarian sushi maki. (The waitress told me I didn't want to order that, but I ordered it anyway. 🤣) I'd eat natto again, and would like to try it in a setting where the flavor was a bit more forward.
Well then, let's add kimchi as well. I revile sauerkraut because most all of it money can buy in Toronto, is essentially vinegared cabbage, but the kimchi is genuinely fermented and a trigger food: a portion is as large as the container it comes in ^_^. One of my favourite restaurant foods was kimchi fried rice. Just thinking of it makes me hungry.Fermented produce is still produce, so totally on topic.
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The first time I tried to order natto at a Japanese restaurant the waitress managed to talk me out of it. She said "If you didn't grow up eating it, you won't like it." Some time afterwards, I bought a container in an asian grocers and after trying it, had to agree with the waitresses. It was the texture I found really off putting.1
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You are not alone. From what I know, even half of the Japanese population hates natto. They often describe it as "spoiled beans". It is often eaten mixed with whole eggs on top of rice for breakfast, but I prefer it with egg whites. It makes for a fluffier, foamier mixture. And, unfortunately, I had to let go of the rice.The first time I tried to order natto at a Japanese restaurant the waitress managed to talk me out of it. She said "If you didn't grow up eating it, you won't like it." Some time afterwards, I bought a container in an asian grocers and after trying it, had to agree with the waitresses. It was the texture I found really off putting.
People often tell me they dislike okra for the same reason. But I am just finishing off a portion of okra mixed with spices, lemon juice and lupini flakes. I love it. I do prefer the sliced ones to the whole ones, but I'll certainly settle for the whole ones when I cannot find the sliced ones. Since winter is upon us, that'll be quite likely for the next several months.1 -
I hate the slimey texture of boiled okra but quite like it roasted. I roast in the air fryer like courgette slices, shaking with some olive oil in a recycled plastic bag and seasoning beforehand.3
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It seems that many people hate it. In the past, I wasn't even aware of the perceived slimyness of okra because I used it in soup. Only after becoming more lazy and eating it microwaved, did I really start to see why it was called "slimy". I never had any problems with it. Possibly because I used to be a lover of oysters?I hate the slimey texture of boiled okra but quite like it roasted. I roast in the air fryer like courgette slices, shaking with some olive oil in a recycled plastic bag and seasoning beforehand.
Just about everything that is roasted tastes great, so I an guessing roast okra tastes great too. I used to have an Actifry years and years ago, but I dumped it because it took too much space and I was no longer using it as much. I do remember being very fond of the green lentils I roasted in it though.
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@BartBVanBockstaele
If you like okra, and if you like vinegar, look for pickled okra. It can be divine. Of course it's a MUST if you have a Bloody Mary, but it's also just a tasty treat.
We don't see fresh okra here so often. Our growing season isn't long enough, so when we do see it, it has been shipped from a LONG way away.0 -
I've been eating the pineapple neighbor Bob gave me. I've cut it in slices, leaving in the center core. (Am I the only one that really enjoys the slightly more fibrous center core?)
Does anyone have interesting uses for fresh pineapple that are more in a non-dessert kind of direction? I've thought about frying or broiling. But if anyone has ideas, bring 'em on.
Digressing from there:BartBVanBockstaele wrote: »
You will get no counterargument from me. I love vegetables as well. Except for sardines, they are my only source of food.Yet here we are on a thread that celebrates produce, including vegetables. Without doing a formal statistical analysis of posts, I feel like it's mostly been about vegetables. It's definitely been mostly about produce's deliciousness, because, well, that would be on topic to the thread, wouldn't it? 😋
That is actually something that fascinates me. What is it about vegetables that make them unloved by society? Since most people are said to undereat them, there must be something that holds them back. While finding the answer to that question, may not make the issue go away, it is not unreasonable to think it might point in a useful direction.Passive voice is interesting: It allows us to ignore the question of who considers vegetables not hyperpalatable. Pretty sure it's not the people who've generally been participating in this thread, who seem to like vegetables very much. I don't know who it is, and don't really care. I love vegetables, at least most of 'em.
(snip by reply-er to omit things that mostly seem waaaaay off topic for this thread)
Would it though? Does not love for something include finding out why other people don't share that love? They may have genuine objectively verifiable reasons for that dislike. Would it not be great to find out what they are?P.S. IMU, people in general on average eat too few vegetables (and fruits) for best odds of overall good health. There are many reasons for that, IMO, some of which have zero to do with palatability/taste preference . . . but going into detail about that, too, would be off topic to this thread.
(Snip)
I generally don't care much what other people think, especially not when it comes to taste-preference kinds of things, unless I need to or want to accommodate them in some way, such as when entertaining people in my home, or taking food to a potluck event, or something like that. Otherwise, people having different tastes is part of what makes life interesting, and I'm disinclined to cross-examine them.
Whether most people dislike veggies, and why many people eat too few of them for best health, would be a relevant topic to post in the Debate Club area. While it's a question about veggies, I still think it's a tangent to the point of this thread, i.e., takes it off topic . . . and taking threads off topic is against the MFP Community Guidelines.
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