Day: September 20, 2017

I’ve never canned anything before but my parents’ garden is full of green tomatoes and I remember my Great-grandmother “Nana Roberts” used to make a piccalilli that my Dad always loved to put on his baked beans.   So I went “on the line” to find some piccalilli recipes that might look like what she used to make and decided to give it a try and see what happens!   I’m posting here in hopes that maybe someone might be able to give me some pointers on their own “family piccalilli” recipe that I could tweak this one with.   All I know is that my house definitely “smelled” like Nana’s so I know I’m heading in the right direction!    The true test will be when my Dad finally tastes it!

Here’s the recipe I followed:

GREEN TOMATO PICCALILLI

Makes about 4 pints.

This spicy condiment is a snap to make. Don’t bother peeling the tomatoes; simply throw them in the pot. Some piccalilli recipes call for cabbage, but we like it better without.

• 1/2 c. kosher salt
• 1 quart (4 c.) water
• 1 quart (4 c.) green tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 c. white wine vinegar
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 tsp. allspice berries
• 2 tsp. pepper berries
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• A few whole cloves

Directions

Heat together the salt and water to make a brine. Combine the tomatoes, peppers and onion in a large pot, cover with the brine and allow to sit overnight.

The next day, drain off the water. Heat the vinegar and sugar in an enameled or stainless steel pot until the sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, tie the spices into a cheesecloth bag or put into a tea ball. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables and bring to a boil. Add the spices and boil gently for 30 minutes.

Remove the spices and ladle the piccalilli into hot sterilized pint jars, allowing 1/2-inch headroom. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lids should not flex up and down.

Nutrition information per 2 tablespoons:

Calories 19 Fat 0 g Sodium 73 mg Saturated fat 0 g

Carbohydrates 4 g Calcium 4 mg

Protein 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Dietary fiber 0 g

Diabetic exchanges per serving: free food.

I was greeted at the back door by this fascinating critter the other day.  So cool to look at up close!  It stuck around for a couple of hours before disappearing somewhere in the yard….safely away from the footsteps of the two boys and dogs…I hope.

I want to share with you, an event that had a profound effect on me. And it wasn’t the Choas of the Giant ocean storm, looming off our coast.

Sitting at the bottom of my basement stairs, with my head in my hands, watching the water beginning to rise up thru the floor and ground.

Contemplating my next move. Thinking about how Hussey and I, just lost 800 traps and heavy damage to our vessel from this Historic Storm.

With waves being recorded offshore as high as 100 ft.      And winter approaching.

  The Real Event was about two little girls.

I hear the door open, and down the stairs comes Degelis ( 5 yrs. old ) and Elyse ( 3 yrs. old ).

They walk right by me. With their little rubber boots with flowers on them and their neon colored beach buckets.

Dega , already showing strong signs of being an organizer and orchestrater, put together a plan.

With her sidekick, trooper and confidant, little Elyse.

Elyse had her own language, only   understood. It was like living with miniature Penn and Tellers.

So they got busy. They were filling their buckets and dumping them in the cellar sink.

I asked ” What are you doing ” ?  Dega simply replied  ” we’re saving the house”.

Well, all of a sudden I was completely overwhelmed and overtaken with positive emotion and feelings. Looking at their little faces.

Their gesture of kindness, thoughtfulness and team work was so pure, I had no control of the tears running down my cheeks.

I instantly felt success. What was instilled in them would carry them thru a life time. They had iT.

Dega looked up at me and said   ” Dad, are you o.k. ?? “. I replied ” yes honey, tears of joy. Just tears of joy.”

We all have go- to thoughts. These are mine.

   I hope you enjoyed this true story.   Love.

ROCKPORT — John Kiriakou survived 23 months in prison by using what he learned as a government spy. On Saturday, October 7, at 3 p.m., at the Rockport Public Library, former CIA operative Kiriakou will speak about his life as a spy, the torture he witnessed at Guantanamo and his own life in prison following whistle-blowing charges. All are welcome, free of charge.

In what became a widely publicized international story, Kiriakou was accused of revealing top secret information when he confirmed the CIA’s use of torture on al Qaeda prisoners. He lost his job, his pension, his home and his savings during the court battles that followed.

Determined to get through the prison term unscathed, he vowed to survive intact. “The best way to do that would be to rely on what the CIA had taught me over the years,” he writes in his new book, “Doing Time Like A Spy.” Spies undergo rigorous training that, it turns out, serves them well in prison.

“It was my job to recruit spies to steal secrets and to run counterterrorist operations to break up and foil terrorist plots,” he writes in his new book. “Prison couldn’t be tougher than Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen…,” he writes. “The CIA taught me great survival skills” beyond breaking into houses, using weapons and surreptitiously gathering information. He learned how to survive, even thrive, amid the most dangerous people on earth. “I resolved to make the best of a bad situation.”

Kiriakou is smart, resourceful and a gifted storyteller with a sense of humor. He is open about what he’s seen and experienced, and he comes to the North Shore from Washington, D.C., prepared to share stories and insights about his experiences in the United States and abroad. He is author of two previous bestselling books, “The Reluctant Spy” and “The Convenient Terrorist.” He has been awarded the PEN First Amendment Award.

Caption:

Former CIA operations officer John Kiriakou speaks about his time as a CIA spy, and his conviction and subsequent imprisonment for whistle blowing at the Rockport Public Library on Saturday, October 7, at 3 p.m.

Good Work Team!

#lovemycrew

December 21, 2017 will be the ten year anniversary of the blog.

Eight more GloucesterCast podcasts will be number 250.