Does washing strawberries in a vinegar wash keep them fresh longer? 

Everyone has an opinion.  I think you should at least give it a try, then decide. I know the vinegar wash works for me, but then I think white vinegar is “gold.” We use it here at Big Mill B&B for an eco-friendly cleaning product. I also use it as a fabric softner.

So if you want to try the much-lauded and oft denied vinegar wash, here is the recipe:

Vinegar & Water Berry Wash Recipe:

•    10 parts water to 1 part white vinegar

In a large pan mix the water and vinegar. Gently add the berries and gently remove them to a colander to drain. Repeat this washing and draining.

After they have drained, remove the berries and place them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels. I place this in front of a fan or under a ceiling fan until all the berries are very dry. Sometimes I have to replace the paper towels. Some folks use a salad spinner to remove the water. If you use the salad spinner, line it with paper towels. It certainly is faster than air drying on the cookie sheet.

To store: I use the plastic containers that the berries are in at the grocery stores. Wash these containers and dry them. Put a layer of berries, a small piece of the paper towel and then another layer of berries until the container is full.

Store berries in the refrigerator, not in the crisper. My berries will keep a week; they don’t keep a week if I just put them in the refrigerator without the vinegar wash.  

So why don’t you try it and see if it works for you. I also have found this does not affect the taste. You can, if you want, wash a third time with plain water. An added feature is that the vinegar kills any mold spores and bacteria. I wash all my vegetables in a vinegar wash, so all this is nothing new.

I’m curious to hear from those of you who try the vinegar wash, so let me know.

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Innkeeper’s Suet Recipe
Our special Earth Day gift to birds here at Big Mill Bird & Breakfast

Earth Day 2013 is just around the corner, so it seemed like a perfect time to celebrate the birds we love with a suet recipe they delight in eating.

When I am cooking for the bed and breakfast guests, I also make suet for our lovely feathered travelers. And this suet recipe is made from things that we all have in our larders, especially innkeepers.

Well, those of you who live north of Virginia might not have the lard, but you could render your own “Suet fat” out of bacon fat and other fats. Southerners know and understand lard and we have a deep respect for this delicacy.

Innkeeper’s Suet for the Birds

•    6 eggshells (about ¼ cup crushed) *
•    1 cup lard – no substitutions unless you use rendered fat. NO CRISCO
•    1 cup crunchy peanut butter
•    1 cup leftover granola
•    1 cup uncooked oats
•    ½ cup seeds like sunflower, pumpkin seeds or bird seed
•    ½ cup dried fruit like raisins, cranberries, blueberries, dates, etc.
•    ½ cup chopped nuts
•    1 cup corn meal
•    1 cup flour
•    Optional: ½ cup fresh, chopped fruit like pears, apple, orange, strawberries or blueberries if you are using Suet right away
•    large pine cone & about 6 feet of strong string

Wash eggshells and microwave wet shells for 4 minutes. Cool and crush.

Put lard and peanut butter into large cooking pan and heat on low heat till soft. Remove from heat and add eggshells, granola, oats, bird seed, dried fruit, nuts, corn meal and fresh fruit if you are using it.

Allow to cool until it is no longer “runny.”  You can refrigerate if you need it to cool quicker but it might get too stiff.

Stuff the suet into the pine cone. Tie a long string about 1/4 way down pine cone and leave about 4 feet tail on the string. Hang from a tree limb.

* (you can omit eggsshells)

Yield: 4 ½ cups

Remember that all the birds can’t eat from your suet feeder. Cardinals are ground feeders, so throw some out for them on the ground. This Innkeeper’s Suet Recipe is a great way to recycle too. We have other suet recipes here.

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The mighty Roanoke River is heaven for the Rock Fish Fisherman

(Rock fish – Striper in the Roanoke River – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

Beginning in March, 2013, the entire Roanoke River basin is open for Rock Fish fishing or Stripers with some rules, of course. The minimum limit is 18 inches and only one river bass above 27 inches can be kept, in the creel, as they say.

After April 1, there are certain other rules concerning what hooks you can use for the Upper Roanoke. This is serious fishing, no doubt – a guide is a good idea. And the fishing will be great through June.

Captain Mitch Blake (below) at FishIBX is one of the best. IBX is the Inner Banks. Many of his fishing folks stay at Big Mill Bed and Breakfast, so I hear all the good fish stories and see the photos. The access areas are really close to the inn.

(Captain Mitch & Dalton with their Rockfish catch – photo courtesy Mitchell Blake)

My favorite story is from a fellow who stayed here and wrote a great review for Big Mill B&B. He called and told me he was so sorry but he misspelled Striper and confessed that in his review he said he had ridden up and down the Roanoke River looking for strippers. He certainly didn’t find any strippers that day.

Rock Fish Stew Recipe – Gardner’s Creek Version

Years ago, Carolyn Roberson at Roberson’s Marina on Gardner’s Creek gave me this recipe. She told me that you can make it with most any fish you have, even shrimp or crabmeat. In eastern North Carolina, we eat what we catch. Carolyn also added a layer of corn meal dumplings to her stew.

•     1 quart water, approximately
•     3 bunches green onions tops and bottoms, chopped (reserve 1 cup tops)
•     2 large sweet onions, peeled and sliced
•     4 hot red peppers about an inch in length, crushed (like Thai hot)
•     1 pound bacon, fried & crumbled, reserve drippings; set bacon aside
•     ½ pound skinned fat back, cut into cubes and fried, reserve drippings
•     5 baking potatoes, peeled and diced
•     5 cups rock fish, cut into bite-size pieces (approximately 3 pounds)
•     10 boiled eggs, peeled and diced
•     Salt and Pepper to taste

Put water, chopped green onions, sliced onions, red peppers, bacon drippings, fatback and drippings in a large stew pot. Cook uncovered over medium heat until onions dissolve, about 30 minutes.

Add potatoes to the pot. Layer the fish on top of potatoes. Do not stir. Carolyn put a layer of corn meal dumplings on top of the potatoes. For Dumpling recipe, click here.

Cook until potatoes are tender and fish is flaky, about 20-30 minutes. You might want to shake the pot, but do not stir.

When pot contents are done, remove from heat. Combine boiled eggs, bacon, reserved green onion tops, salt and pepper. Pour evenly over contents of pot. Let stand, covered, for 30 minutes. When serving, gently spoon out in sections because the stew will be in layers.

The amount of water to add to the pot is a matter of judgment. Make sure the water does not boil out because the stew will burn. Also, gently shake the pot from time to time to make sure it is not sticking. But do not stir!

If you have a hankering to catch a striper or river bass — rock fish, as we locals call them — give Captain Mitch a call: 252-495-1803. If you have a hankering to eat some Fish Stew made from the Rock Fish of the Roanoke River, then check out the Cypess Grill in Jamesville, NC.

Roanoke River Access Areas

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When I was growing up we always had a winter garden of all kinds of greens and root vegetables, including turnips and rutabagas.

In cold weather my mother would make rutabaga rice soup that I now associate with life on the farm, warm fires and being happy. Other than my family members, no one I know has ever heard of this soup. If you like rutabagas, give it a try. Even if you aren’t sure if you like rutabagas, give it a try. You might surprise yourself.

This is one of the recipes that you will love or hate, no middle ground. It is delicate and simple – a great dish for winter days.

Interesting tidbit: In my Rutabaga research, I found a B&B in Wisconsin named Rembrandt & Rutabagas – and it is on her family farm. She calls her interesting women friends rutabagas.

Melissa, great chef from the UP sent me some Rutabega Pasty recipes - rhymes with nasty.  Folks in the UP (Upper Peninsula) like rutabagas.

Chloe’s Rutabaga Rice Soup

•    2 ½ -3 pounds rutabagas
•    1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
•    1 T sugar (optional depending on sweetness of the rutabaga)
•    1 cup uncooked rice, not instant

Peel rutabagas and cut into chunks. Wash and put into large cooking pot. Cover with water plus two inches. Cook, covered, about 20-30 minutes or until rutabagas are not yet soft.

Add rice to the pot and cool, covered for 15 minutes or until rice is not quite cooked. Remove pot from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes or until rice is tender. This is to keep rice from overcooking. Add water or vegetable broth if needed. Serve hot.

Note: if you have never cooked rutabagas, be aware that they are kin to cabbage and can be high smelling.

Yield: 10 cups

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I love the pecan trees that my parents planted in 1922 -
and honey roasted pecans are just the best.

This year I picked up 6 bushels of pecans. Hurricane Sandy knocked them off the trees for me. I had the pecans cracked at Martin Supply and then I picked them out.  I usually sell some of my pecans, but this year I decided to keep them all for the Bed and Breakfast and friends.

These honey roasted nuts are crispy, sweet and a bit salty  – perfect for snacking and parties. And this recipe is so easy!

Honey Roasted Pecan Recipe

• 3 cups shelled pecans
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus extra for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray a heavy, rimmed cookie sheet with cooking oil spray. Place pecans on cookie sheet in a single layer.

Bake pecans for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and put nuts in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add 3 Tablespoons honey and stir to coat pecans. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir again.

Spray cookie sheet again and put nuts on the sheet in single layer. Bake at 220-250 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring one time.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with a wee bit of salt. Separate any nuts that have clumped. Cool and store in air tight container. Nuts will keep fresh for at least a week.

Yield: 3 cups

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This Pumpkin Bread is quick, EASY and, oh, so tasty.

I really like this recipe for pumpkin bread, given to me by our innsitter Jeannie Simmons. I made just a few changes.

When we all ate from the land and did not import exotic foods, we ate what was fresh. So in the fall of the year and for Thanksgiving and Christmas we had lots of pumpkin dishes. My folks let me grow pumpkins in the corn patch.

I hope you’ll give this easy holiday recipe a try. I bet it becomes a new holiday baking tradition!

Pumpkin Coconut Bread from Big Mill B&B

2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cooked, unsweetened canned pumpkin (good brand)
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (see note for all-purpose flour) *
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut (reserve 1/4 cup for topping)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease four mini bread pans (5 3/4″ x 3″) using cooking spray with flour like Baker’s Secret.

Whisk eggs in large mixing bowl. Add oil, sugar and pumpkin. In another mixing bowl stir together the flour, cloves, cinnamon, salt and 1/2 cup of the coconut. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Pour batter into greased loaf pans, filling about 3/4 full. Sprinkle with the reserved coconut. Bake for 25-35 minutes until lightly browned or until a straw inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for five minutes. Remove bread from pans and continue to cool on wire rack.

* Note: If using all-purpose flour, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.

Bread will keep fresh for several days if stored in plastic wrap.

I use canned pumpkin for my pumpkin bread. Pumpkins in our stores are bred to be round, pretty and orange. The old pale, apricot-colored pumpkins still grown in the North Carolina mountains are much better for cooking than the picture-perfect orange pumpkins.

There are many heirloom pumpkins that really taste great – and they come in many colors, so don’t think all pumpkins are created equal.

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I first tasted Gazpacho in the sixties when I was a young student in Spain.

Photo by Chloe Tuttle

It was in a little cafe in Toledo and I still remember the cafe, the handsome young man and the Gazpacho.

It seems there are as many Gazpacho recipes as there are barbecue recipes. I finally found one that reminds me of that night in Toledo.  I have adapted my recipe from one in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook – my favorite cookbook. Did you know that Craig Claiborne – food editor for the New York Times  – was born in Sunflower, Mississippi?

Gazpacho – Chilled Tomato Soup

• 4 cups tomatoes with cores removed (2 1/2 to 3 pounds) *
• 1 1/2 cups peeled cucumber, cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced into small pieces for garnish (reserved)
• 1 green pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 5 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar (wine vinegar is more distinctive)
• 1 1/2 slices of bread or 2 slices French bread

(You will need a kitchen sieve for this recipe).

Place tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups cucumber, green pepper, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and bread into a blender. Blend until pureed.

Pour through a kitchen sieve and press with the pestle to extract the liquid. Discard the seed and skins – they make great compost.

Chill and serve in flat bowls with the reserved, diced cucumber as garnish.

*You can also make this gazpacho with one 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes

Yield: 6-7 one-cup servings

Photo by Chloe Tuttle

The basket in the photo (above) is very special – it was a gift from Miss Sadie, owner of the original Big Mill grist mill.  Years ago she used it to take three dozen eggs up town every week to trade for coffee and sugar and things she couldn’t grow. It still has the cotton seeds in it,  They were used to keep the eggs from breaking.

I grew these tomatoes in my Big Mill Cook’s garden. The garden is in my orchard where our livestock used to graze under the apple trees.

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This original salsa recipe is a crowd-pleaser and a cook-pleaser -
It only takes 5 minutes to make.  My nephew Barney created it
after several years of tasting and testing.

His salsa recipe is certainly one of his claims to fame. Barney’s best claim to fame is that he is my nephew, and he was born in the house that is now Big Mill B&B – two days after I was born here. He is also a gifted musician and still plays in his band Barney Conway and the Shadows.

Need a gluten-free, vegetarian appetizer to take to the party? This is perfect – tasty, easy to make and inexpensive.

This salsa is quite piquant, so if you want a milder taste, hold off on some of the jalapeno.

Barney’s Tomato Salsa

• 1 28-ounce can diced (not petite diced) tomatoes
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons jalapeno slices (in a jar)
• 1 Tablespoon juice from the jalapeno jar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup fresh, loosely packed cilantro
• 1/4 medium sized onion
• Few drops lemon juice

Put half the tomatoes and their juice, jalapeno slices plus the Tablespoon of the liquid, sugar, cilantro, onion and lemon juice into a blender or food processor. Blend well.

Add remaining tomatoes and pulse several times.

Chill before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. Recipe will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Barney and I spent an idyllic childhood growing up together here on the farm. We rode mules, fished and wandered all over picking blackberries.

Barney and Chloe in the yard of Big Mill in the late forties. (Note the Pack House in the background). Barney is back in North Carolina now and on the farm almost every day – he is a great asset to Big Mill Bed & Breakfast. Heritage is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

• Yield: 1 quart
• Time required: Fewer than 5 minutes

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