Preserving Options for Garden Riches: Making Chutneys

Making Chutney: A Taste of the Exotic

If you have a surplus of peaches or other fruit, or of vegetables, and you are wanting to do something different with the extra produce, try making chutney, an Indian condiment that offers a sweet-sour-spicy touch to chicken, pork, venison, or vegetarian dishes.

The word chutney comes from Hindi caṭnī.  This versatile accompaniment will delight the senses and the imagination. In honor of August being Peach Month, I recommend this recipe for peach chutney; you might also try mango chutney, tomato chutney, coconut chutney, zucchini chutney (to help prepare for August 8, which is National Sneak Some Zucchini on Your Neighbor's Porch Day), and cilantro mint chutney, to name but a few possibilities. As an added bonus, chutneys make tantalizing, unique holiday gifts.

By Simon Law from Montréal, QC, Canada (Chutneys) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Quotations about Spices (not many quotations about chutney exist): Food for Thought

“Variety is the spice of life” – American proverb

“Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. – William Cowper

“Is not birth, beauty, good shape, discourse, Manhood, learning, gentleness, virtue, youth, liberality, and such like, the spice and salt that season a man” – William Shakespeare

“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” – Bible

“He who controls the spice controls the universe.” – Frank Herbert, in Dune

On that note, bon appetit! 

Peach-Strawberry Pie

Pie of the Month: Peach-Strawberry Pie

Happy Bastille Day! At first glance the anniversary of French independence may have nothing whatsoever to do with peach-strawberry pie. However, much like the events that led to the storming of the Bastille, this pie came about through a series of timely and haphazard events (okay, I know this is a stretch, but let's work with it).

This month's pie was born quite by accident. I was planning to make a peach pie for July but then found that I did not have enough frozen peaches; however, I did find that I had enough frozen strawberries to add to the peaches. I tweaked the spices a bit, and came up with this pie.

As always, I suggest serving this pie warm, with a scoop or so of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

Recipe for Peach-Strawberry Pie

Crust: You can either buy pre-made crust or make your own, depending on time and inclination. If you prefer to make your own, here is a good recipe.

Filling:

3 cups frozen sliced peaches
2 cups frozen sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
splash of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the frozen fruit in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice; stir. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flower, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients with the fruit until well blended, and then add the vanilla extract.

Line a pie pan with the bottom crust. Perforate the bottom of the crust with a fork. Add the fruit mixture and spread evenly throughout the pan. Roll out and place the top crust onto the pie; seal the edges and then flute them. Make decorative slash marks in the pie so that pressure does not build up inside the pie.

Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Bon appetit!

Peach-Strawberry Pie (own photo)

Holidays and Events for the Month of August

August Holidays--Some Tongue in Cheek

Who says that August is too hot to do anything? This month is filled with all sorts of notable days and occurrences. Take a look, and fill your calendar.

Events for the month of August

American Indian Heritage Month

Admit You're Happy Month

Happiness Happens Month

Family Fun Month

National Catfish Month

National Peach Month

Water Quality Month

National Picnic Month

National Sandwich Month

Celery, Fennel and Cactus Month

National Goat Cheese Month

National Panini Month 

Weekly Events for the Month of August

Simplify Your Life Week: August 1-7

World Breastfeeding Week: August 1-7

National Farmers' Market Week: August 4-10

National Resurrect Romance Week: August 4-10

National Bargain Hunting Week: August 5-11 

Elvis Week: August 10-16

Feeding Pets of the Homeless Week: August 11-17

Little League Baseball World Series: August 18-24

Be Kind To Humankind Week: August 25-31

National Safe at Home Week: August 26-30

August Holidays, some more official than others:

1 National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

1 Lughnasadh, or Lammas (literally “loaf mass”)

1 Spiderman Day

2 National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

2 International Beer Day

2 India Pale Ale Beer Day

3 National Mustard Day 

3 National Watermelon Day

4 Friendship Day 

4 International Forgiveness Day (notice how this holiday coincides with Friendship Day; it’s said that the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him or her your friend)

4 National Chocolate Chip Day (a pattern is definitely emerging for August 4)

4 Sisters Day

5 National Oyster Day

6 National Root Beer Float Day

6 National Night Out

8 Eid-Al Fitr

8 Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Day

8 Happiness Happens Day (with or without the zucchini)

9 Book Lover's Day

9 International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

9 Worldwide Art Day

10 Lazy Day

10 National S'mores Day

9-11 Kool-Aid Day

13 International Left Hander's Day

14 V-J Day

14 National Creamsicle Day

15 Relaxation Day

16 National Tell a Joke Day

17 National Thriftshop Day

17 International Geocaching Day

17 International Homeless Animals Day

18 Bad Poetry Day (here’s a link to the Vogon Poem Generator to kick off this holiday in style)

19 World Humanitarian Day (a day after Bad Poetry Day)

19 Cupcake Day

21 Senior Citizen's Day

22 Be an Angel Day

23 Ride the Wind Day

24 Pluto Demoted Day (a somber observance)

24 National Waffle Day (eat waffles and commiserate about Pluto’s demotion)

24-25 International Bat Night

25 Founder’s Day, National Park Service

25 Go Topless Day (not in a national park though: you might be arrested)

25 National Whisky Sour Day

26 Women's Equality Day

29 More Herbs, Less Salt Day

29 National Whisky Sour Day (you’re not seeing double: this holiday is observed twice this month)

30 Frankenstein Day

30 Toasted Marshmallow Day (because Frankenstein and marshmellows go together)

31 National Trail Mix Day

Celebrating National Picnic Month
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