Gazpacho is perfect for hot summer days.

It happened in a little café in Toledo, Spain, and I can still picture it – the café itself, the handsome young man, and the Gazpacho that made such an impression on me.

My own gazpacho recipe grew from one in Craig Claiborne’s New York Times International Cookbook, my favorite cookbook. And here’s a fun bit of trivia: Craig Claiborne, longtime food editor of the New York Times, was born in Sunflower, Mississippi.

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Gazpacho

Gazpacho - Chilled Tomato Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Spanish

Keyword gazpacho, tomato gazpacho, tomato gazpacho recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 151kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 4 cups tomatoes with cores removed 2 1/2 to 3 pounds* or 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
• 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 bread or 2 slices French bread

Instructions

• 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.

Notes

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

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 31.1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Fresh tomatoes grown on the Farm

The basket in the photo is a treasure. It was a gift from Miss Sadie, who owned the original Big Mill grist mill. Long ago, she carried this very basket up town every week with three dozen eggs to trade for coffee, sugar, and anything she couldn’t grow herself. The cotton seeds are still tucked inside — her clever way of keeping the eggs from breaking.

I grew the tomatoes in my Big Mill Cook’s garden, tucked into the orchard where our livestock once grazed beneath the apple trees. It’s a place full of stories, and this basket is one of my favorites.

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay 252-799-8787

Chloe’s Sweet Cucumber Pickles are worth the trouble.

Not just any pickles either – they must be homemade and preferably homegrown. It is alright if someone gives you the cucumbers, or you pick them up fresh from your local Farmers Market.

We all have a sweet pickle family recipe that has been passed down and it usually involves days of work for our pickles to have just the right crunch. This recipe involved three days. Some of the older recipes take an entire week. It involves soaking in lime and rinsing and soaking and rinsing again.

This year I had to add some extra help so I coerced Cynthia, a B&B guest to help with the washing and slicing. She is a natural.

My mother, Chloe, had several pickle recipes, but this one is my favorite.

FYI – I also have a pickle fork in several different sterling patterns. It’s a southern thing. And we all have to have a deviled egg plate, that too is a Southern thing.

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Sweet Cucumber Pickles

My mom had several pickle recipes, but this one is my favorite!

Course Condiments

Cuisine American

Keyword sweet cucumber pickle recipe, sweet cucumber pickles

Prep Time 1 day day 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Resting 12 hours hours

Total Time 1 day day 17 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings 40 servings

Calories 237kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Ingredients

• 7 lbs cucumbers
• 2 cups pickling lime
• Numerous buckets of water
• 1/2 gallon 5% white distilled vinegar most vinegar is 5%
• 5 pounds sugar - see note
• 3 Tablespoons pickling spice

Instructions

• Use small or long pickling cucumbers. Burpless work too. Just don't use large cucumbers with many seeds. Wash the cucumbers. Slice crosswise into 1/8"-1/4" slices.
• Mix 2 cups of lime with several cups of water in a large ceramic, enamel or stainless steel vessel. Stir to blend.
• Add the cut cucumbers and enough water to cover them. Gently stir the mixture. Be very careful -- they will break so easily.
• Soak for 24 hours.
• I remember my mother making these pickles. Sometimes she had a plate on top to hold down the cucumbers. As you pass by, gently stir under the cukes, just to loosen the settled lime. Note: you can soak them for 48 hours and they are still wonderful.
• After soaking for 24 hours, rinse the cucumbers in clear water. Then change the water every hour on the hour, 4 times.
• Tie pickling spices in a double thickness of cheesecloth. Put 1/2 gallon distilled vinegar, 5 pounds sugar and the pickling spices into a large stainless steel or enamel cooking pot. Stir to melt the sugar. Add the cucumbers and bring to a boil. Let stand overnight.
• Next day bring the cucumbers and vinegar to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Pack pickles and vinegar mixture into sterilized jars according to canning instructions.

Notes

Yield 9-10 pints

These days sugar often comes in a bag that is 4 pounds instead of 5. If you are measuring, 5 pounds is about 11 1/4 cups of sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 2.6mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.2mg

CLICK SAVE on photo to PIN FOR LATER

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast 252-799-8787

Tomato Jam – So Good You Won’t Believe It

If you have never tried Tomato Jam, you are in for a treat.

I have been reading about this jam and when I saw the recipe in the New York Times, I knew I had to make it. I didn’t like their recipe – too many conflicting spices. I tried several iterations and now I think I have the perfect recipe based on the Times recipe. 

If you make this, it is mandatory that you use ripe, fresh, preferably home-grown tomatoes. I used several kinds of tomatoes; I even added a few golden cherry tomatoes to my jam. It does have a bite – if you don’t like spicy things reduce the amount of ginger and cracked red pepper. I like the bite!

It is so tasty on crusty bread or crackers with goat cheese, cream cheese, brie, or any mild cheese. Spread it on sandwiches or burgers for an extra layer of flavor. Tomato Jam gives a zesty bite to scrambled eggs.

There is a very nice restaurant in “Little” Washington called the Mulberry Brewery. They serve tomato jam on their burgers. Try it!

If you decide to make this recipe when tomatoes are not in season, I think the Flavor Bombs or Sweet Pops grape tomatoes will work fine.

(Adapted from a recipe from the New York Times & Lucy Baker of Serious Eats)

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Tomato Jam - The Best Ever

The Ultimate Tomato Jam: Sweet, Savory, and Everything In Between

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword Tomato Jam

Prep Time 1 day day

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Servings 16

Calories 119kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Equipment

• 4 half pint canning jars, lids, and rings optional
• 1 Large stainless steel cooking pot
• 1 Hot water bath Canner
• canning tongs for removing hot jars Optional

Ingredients

• 3 -3½ pounds tomatoes* chopped and preferably home-grown - you will need 4 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 cups sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ¾ Tablespoon ginger grated
• 1½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
• ¼ teaspoon cumin ground

Instructions

• This jam condenses a lot as it is cooks and it isn't necessary to add pectin. You can store this jam in the refrigerator for several weeks without having to run through the hot water process. If you plan to keep for some time, then you should run through the hot water process.
• If you have access, meaty tomatoes like Roma are best for this recipe. I used 4 kinds of tomatoes, even using grape tomatoes. You will need 4 cups total of chopped tomatoes. If your tomatoes do not have a large core, especially if you use Roma tomatoes, you will not use all of the 3 pounds of tomatoes.
• Wash tomatoes and remove the stems, cores and blemishes. It is up to you whether you blanch the tomatoes. I have made both ways. If you plan to blanche the tomatoes, now is the time.
• Chop the tomatoes - you will need 4 cups chopped tomatoes. Combine the chopped tomatoes, 2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 T grated ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon cumin in a large, heavy pot.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat, while stirring.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring often and cook until mixture has a jam-like consistency. Cooking time is affected by the type of tomatoes used. If you have juicy tomatoes, this will take longer.
• Ladle into jars and process in a hot water bath if you plan to keep for an extended time. Otherwise, ladle into jars and store in the refrigerator.
• Hot water bath canning instructions are in the last part of post about Sweet Pickle Relish that explains Hot Water Bath: How to Do Hot Water Bath: https://chloesblog.bigmill.com/sweet-pickle-relish-recipe-southern-style
• * Note: If you make this jam when you cannot find home-grown tomatoes, I suggest making it with grape tomatoes. The brand Sweet Pops is really good and you can buy them in a 1 1/2-pound package. You will only need a total of 3 pounds, maybe fewer, because there is no waste. Do cut the tomatoes in half. I might even try this recipe with canned tomatoes.

Notes

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 281mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast Extended Stay 

Quiet rentals for traveling nurses & professionals in eastern North Carolina 252-792-8787

Looking for extended stay lodging in Eastern North Carolina? Big Mill Extended Stay offers quiet, fully furnished rentals ideal for traveling nurses, medical professionals, contractors, and guests relocating to the area. Our accommodations provide comfort, privacy, and Southern hospitality, perfect for short-term and long-term stays. We also have three RV rental spaces.

Chloe’s Plum Jelly is the Best

Growing up, we had a beautiful red plum tree.  And Plum Jelly is my absolute favorite jelly. Experience the essence of juicy, tangy plums captured in every jar of this  pretty plum jelly.

This Plum Jelly is absolutely the best of ALL the jellies. It has a sweet-tart taste that can’t be faked. Try to get ripe plums – there are many varieties. I like the red plums because that is what we had. This jelly recipe is a keeper.

Chloe’s Luscious Plum Jelly is the BEST

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Plum Jelly

Sweet, tart jelly from red plums is the best ever.

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Condiments

Cuisine American

Keyword Red Plum Jelly

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 half-pints

Calories 529kcal

Author Chloe Tuttle

Equipment

• 1 Canner pot

Ingredients

• 8 lbs ripe plums (you will need 4 Cups of plum juice)
• 5 ½ cups sugar
• 3 ounces liquid Certo (1 pouch)
• 8-10 half-pint canning jars
• cheesecloth

Instructions

• Wash plums and put whole plums in a large stainless steel cooking pot. Mash the plums with a spatula or potato masher to extract some of the juice. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

  Line a large colander with cheesecloth and set over a large bowl. Pour plum mixture into the colander and set aside to cool. After it has cooled, put in refrigerator overnight. DO NOT squeeze or mash the plums, just allow to drip. Hopefully, you will have 4 cups of plum juice.

  Add 5 ½ cups sugar and the 4 cups plum juice to a pot and cook over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

  After mixture is boiling, raise heat and bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

  Add Certo and bring heat back up to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.  Stir and cook the jelly for 1 minute…. or a bit longer if you want.

  Put into sterilized jars and put on lids and rings. Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 137g | Fat: 0.4g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 137g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg

A fun thing to do with edible flowers is to freeze them in ice cube trays for drinks and punch. You can use these in any season. Here is how to do it – it’s easy as 1-2-3!

HOW TO MAKE EDIBLE FLOWER ICE CUBES:

• Pesticide-free edible flowers like pansies, violas, begonias, nasturtiums
• Large silicone ice cube tray with sections that are 2″ in size
• Distilled water — enough to fill an ice tray

Boil the distilled water and chill it. This removes impurities that might cloud the ice water. Using clean and pesticide-free flowers, place one in each cube slot, pretty flower side down.

Fill tray about 1/4″ full of water and freeze. Add another flower, pretty side up, and and fill each slot with water until full. Freeze.

You can, of course, add more than two flowers if they are small.

Keep frozen until you are ready to use them. The flowers might impart a faint flavor to the beverage. There are many fun things to do with Edible Flowers.

You can purchase these edible flowers from upscale grocery stores or order them online.

Chrysanthemum, pansy, viola, Johnny Jump-Ups are the easiest fall edible flowers to find and to grow. The Violas actually taste good – not so with the pansies. Chrysanthemum petals are good, but not the base of the petal. Chrysanthemums are best to line or accent food. We grow many edible flowers here on the farm at Big Mill.

…or you can just use these pretty flowers to garnish that plain almond vanilla ice cream.

I try to serve an edible flower to all my guests here at Big Mill B&B. My philosophy is simple — Dining should be fun!

Be creative – your guests will love it!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast  Williamston, NC. 252-792-8787

Chloe’s Rain Gutter Garden in July

Basically the Rain Gutter Grow System is a self-watering container gardening system “on steroids.”  Plants grow in pots or bags in either a gutter or pipe or even a kiddie pool. 

My garden this year is phenomenal – there were ripe tomatoes in EARLY June, a full month ahead of time. I used Miracle Grow potting soil for my tomatoes; for the other plants I mixed my own potting soil. The fun part is that I do not have to water the plants…it is automatic. There are no weeds to pull. Oh, my goodness, this is wonderful.

This growing system was started by an old Hippie, well, maybe not, but I assume he is. He makes you listen to a song about the northern lights before  the “how-to” video starts. My mind went to Crosby, Stills and Nash and their “Southern Cross” and my sailing days.

Larry Hall is his name and he has started a gardening revolution. Larry has a huge following on Facebook and folks all over the world are doing the “RGGS,” as they call it. He was tired of coming home from work to a bunch of weeds in his garden. I agree.

Larry usually uses an open gutter for his watering system. A friend, Don, helped me install my system and he suggested I use a new 5-inch sewer pipe (made in USA) instead of the open gutter. It works great. I chose to plant in 5-gallon buckets, but you can use grow bags to hold the growing mix.

The idea is that there is a hole in the bottom of the bucket with a net cup (strainer) that fits through the hole and sticks into the “gutter” to wick up the water from the gutter or pipe. You drill a 3-inch hole in the pipe where the bucket sits. If you use the gutter instead of the the pipe, this step isn’t necessary. Don did the engineering part — I did the gardening part.

Don Drilling the 3-inch Hole in the Buckets

A water pipe is inserted into the end of the sewer pipe and there is a float (rather like in a toilet) that will turn on and off the water supply as needed. See my video below.

This is the first video of Larry’s that I watched and it is my favorite. Get comfortable and listen. After you watch this, tell me that you don’t think he is one of “us.” He gives a link in the description where you can find more information and tips.

By the way – I think I have the most photographed garden in eastern North Carolina. My guests love it, but none of them have seen it before.

This gardening system is a science and Larry has it figured out. Thanks, Larry!

Big Mill Bed & Breakfast, Williamston, NC 252-792-8787