Newspaper Seed Starters

Hey Hubsters, it’s the post you’ve all be waiting for from MHC’s celebrity volunteer, Holiday Mike.  Read on for laughs and to learn to make your own seed recycled seed starters.

Well golly be darned, you guys, it’s time to start your sweet little seeds! Smile, whisper something sweet to someone, and go here to find out what to start based on your geographic location: http://sproutrobot.com/.

Okay, so now that you know which seeds to start, go to your local Wal­Mart and senselessly spend money on seed starters you can easily make for free at home. May as well pick up some seeds for those super firm, brilliantly red, uniformly shaped, blemish­free, polygalacturonase lacking “Flavr Savr” tomatoes you will almost certainly over­fertilize this summer!

Well I’ll be golly gosh­darned if a wonderful person like you is going to do a silly little thing like that! So read this post instead: Seed Exchange, Farmers’ Market, and Other Cute Stuff (http://www.raginggardeners.com/seed­exchange­farmers­market/), then follow the below directions, which walk your cute little mind through the entire process of making your own sweet little newspaper seed starters.

Why to make your own Seed Starters out of newspaper:

1. Because you’re cute and wonderful, of course!

2. It’s free. Wonderful!

3. It’s easy, you little cutie!

4. You don’t need tape. Newspaper sticks together when it’s wet, and stays that way even when it dries.

5. Once your plants are established, you can plant them directly into the ground. The newspaper will encourage downward root growth in the initial stage of growing, then decompose, thereby providing your soil with much needed brown material.

Brown material is important for a spring garden. Here’s why: you’ve been composting all winter. When you add your compost to your spring garden, it’s wet, hot, full of nitrogen, and probably not completely done decomposing, since it was frozen for so long. Spring “compost” that isn’t quite yet compost and is actually still in the form of what’s left of that sensible whole wheat turkey wrap you had that night you drank a cup of tea and hit the hay early can burn the tender roots and stems of young plants, making them more susceptible to disease months later. The newspaper will protect them from those silly little cookies, while preventing nutrient loss during its slow decomposition phase. Those little net things you get from the local Wal­Mart don’t do any of that, so let’s just turn our backs on them like we do all of those rays of negativity we have stored deep down within ourselves that are just waiting for the day we unleash them on the world!!! Not today, you guys! Not today!

What you need:

Here’s my advice, and believe me when I tell you that you are just gorgeous: Get the stuff you need, then put on an awesome documentary. I recommend Food, Inc., but you’ve probably seen that one. Perhaps put on Fresh, or The Science of Sex Appeal,because they’re pretty great. Also, all three are evidence based, and not filled with a bunch of unverifiable, unfalsifiable silliness, silly!

This is all you need.

 1.     Newspaper

 2.     Scissors

 3.     A bowl of water

 4.     Some kind of tray that won’t leak. I’m using the plastic tray I bought from the local Wal­Mart a couple of years ago. If you don’t have one, you may have to buy this item, but at least you can use it for several years. I don’t know how to mold plastic, and I’m not creative enough right now to think about leak­proof alternatives to this plastic tray, because my simple brain is too busy thinking about ways to improve your day, my sweet garden friend!

 5.     Some kind of cylindrical object. This is your mold. I used a spice container. Use something without a lip at the bottom so it won’t destroy your fragile seed starters when you start sliding them off. Or use one with a lip at the bottom. I’ll think you’re wonderful either way!

How to make them:

1. Cut the newspaper into horizontal strips. Make a pile of 3­inch wide strips, and a pile of 1.5­inch wide strips. The 1.5­inch strips should be the width of the bottom of your cylindrical object. Mine was roughly 1.5 inches, yours might be different. It really doesn’t matter that much, but YOU certainly do!!!

2. Cut the 1.5­inch stips into lengths of about 4 inches. I pretty much cut the 1.5­inch strips vertically into thirds.

 

3. Put the newspaper strips in the bowl of water, but separate them first, because newspaper is hard to pull apart once it gets wet, and it’s pretty delicate. Sort of like a sweet little puppy, who just longs for your caressing touch to make it feel secure in your loving arms.

 

4. Start wrapping the cylindrical object with one 3­inch strip. Do it while thinking about clowns.

5. Drape one 1.5­inch strip over the bottom, and make it stick to the sides. Fold the corners down or whatever.

6. Put another 1.5­inch strip over the bottom again, but the other way to maximize coverage.

7. Wrap another 3­inch strip around the cylindrical object.

 

8. This is the only hard, and sometimes frustrating part, but remember to keep that hidden rage buried deep down in there! Grab the top of the cylindrical object with one hand (in my case it is the cap of the spice container) and the newspaper with the other hand. Start twisting and pulling the two in opposite directions. The newspaper will start sliding off of the cylindrical object. Sometimes you have an issue with the vacuum that is created between the bottom of the cylindrical object and the inside of the newspaper when you start pulling it apart. It’s so silly when that happens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes, it ruins your seed starter. Other times, you can sort of gently put your fingers into the seed starter and mold it back into shape, cutie!

9. Make more, buds!

 

Tray of Seed Starters

www.raginggardeners.com

Spicy Mustard Pork Chops

(based on a recipe at mrfood.com)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 c spicy brown mustard

4 boneless pork chops (from 2 lbs of bone-in chops – see Note above)

1 c flour

1/2 c vegetable or canola oil

Combine first three ingredients. Spread mustard evenly on both sides of pork chops and sprinkle with the salt mixture. Place the flour in a shallow dish and dredge the chops in the flour. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork chops 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden and done through. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Parmesan and Sage Crusted Pork Chops

I don’t cook with flour or breadcrumbs, so when I want to bread something I usually use either fine pork rind crumbs (I give them a whirl in my food processor until they’re very fine, though you could probably just put them in a plastic bag and roll them with a rolling pin. If you don’t have a rolling pin, a large round bottle works well. A wine bottle is just about the right size. It’s best if it’s full. If not, fill it with water so it has the extra weight. Just make sure it’s tightly corked! This works for making pie crust, too. Use ice water in the bottle, or chilled wine, when making pie crust. The chill of the bottle will help make your pie crust flaky.) or almond flour or coconut flour or just use all cheese. PARMESAN AND SAGE CRUSTED PORK CHOPS uses the traditional/normal way of breading pork chops with flour and bread crumbs, and adds some parmesan cheese to the mixture. The original recipe makes a point of using the real imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and fresh sage, but regular parmesan and dried sage will work, too, and cost a lot less.

(based on a recipe from cookinglight.com)

1 slice white bread, made into crumbs (about 1 cup)

            (or use Panko or other commercially prepared crumbs)

1/4c (1 oz) grated parmesan cheese

1 T chopped fresh sage (or 1 t dried rubbed sage)

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/4 c flour

1 T prepared mustard

1 large egg

4 boneless pork chops (from 2 lbs of bone-in chops) (see note below)

1-1/2 T oil

Place bread in a food processor; pulse bread ten times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. (Or use panko or other prepared crumbs.) Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, sage, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish. Combine mustard and egg in another shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Working with one pork chop at a time, dredge pork in flour, shaking off excess. Dip pork into egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat pork completely with breadcrumb mixture. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining pork, flour, egg mixture, and breadcrumb mixture. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done. (It may take longer, depending on how thick your chops are.)

If your pork chops are not boneless, you can make your own boneless chops. Just cut out the big piece of meat on each chop. Save the rest and cook them up as usual. Or just use the bone-in chops instead of boneless ones.

Copycat Montreal Steak Seasoning

(chow.com)

2 T paprika

2 T crushed black pepper (or coarsely ground)

1 T kosher salt

1 T garlic powder (not garlic salt)

1 T onion powder (not onion salt)

1 T crushed coriander

1 T dill

1T crushed red pepper flakes

Mix it all up and store it in a glass container in a cool, dry, dark place. 

Creamy Herbed Pork Chops

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

4 pork chops (about 2 lbs total)

1 t Montreal steak seasoning, or to taste (see copycat recipe below)

1/2 c butter (1 stick), divided

2 T flour, or as needed

1 T dried basil

1 t pepper, or to taste

2 c milk

Season pork chops on all sides with Montreal steak seasoning. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chops until browned and slightly pink in the center, about 5 minutes per side. Add remaining butter to the pan as needed so that about 3 tablespoons of pan drippings remain when the chops are finished cooking. Transfer pork chops to a plate and return skillet to medium-high heat. Mix flour and basil together in a bowl. Stir pepper into skillet with the pan drippings and cook for 1 minute. Add flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until browned, about 2 minutes. Pour milk into flour mixture; cook and stir constantly until mixture is thick and bubbly, about 4 to 6 minutes. Pour gravy over pork chops and serve. (If your gravy turns out lumpy, try putting it in your blender and giving it a whirl. That should take care of the lumps, unless your gravy is too thick.)

Peanut Sauce

(from A Cookbook for the Financially Challenged, by Alexandra Pauley)

½ c smooth peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

2 t minced garlic (or 1 T garlic powder)

1 t chili powder

1 t minced fresh ginger (or 1 t powdered ginger)

Combine everything and pour it over the cooked meat and vegetables. Toss well to coat. You may need to add a bit of water to thin it, but wait and see how it works once it’s on the meat and vegetables. There may be enough moisture in them to thin it enough.

Pork and Peanut Stir-Fry

You can use whatever meat you want with this – IGA’s turkey breast or chicken leg quarters, or Marsh’s pork. Let’s go with the pork, shall we? Pork is so good in a stir-fry and goes well with peanuts, too. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand. I just chose these because they’re on sale and the colors look nice together. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are good in a stir-fry, too, as are fresh green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. Pretty much anything goes.

2 lbs pork spareribs

3 T oil

2 peppers

3 carrots

8 oz mushrooms

2 onions

PEANUT SAUCE (recipe follows)

Start by preparing the meat and vegetables. It goes together quickly once you start cooking, so you want to have everything ready before you start.

To Prepare Ingredients:

Remove the meat from the bones and cut it into thin slices, about 1/2”x1/2”x2.” Basically, you want matchstick shaped pieces, as tall as they are wide. The length of the pieces will depend on the size and shape of the pork chops. Set the pork aside. Save the bones to make bone broth.

Remove the seeds and stem from the peppers and slice them about the same size as the pork strips. Peel the carrots and cut them on the diagonal into 1/2” slices. Peel the onions, halve them through the stem and root ends, and cut them into 1/2” slices. Clean the mushrooms (the experts say to wipe them with a damp cloth, but I rub them gently under running water) and slice them into 1/2” thick slices. If the mushrooms are big, halve them before slicing.

Make the PEANUT SAUCE (recipe below)

To Cook the Stir-Fry:

Heat the oil in a big skillet or wok. When it’s hot, add the meat and keep it moving around in the pan until it’s done. Not necessarily browned, just done. Remove the meat. Add the carrots and onions to the oil and drippings in the skillet and toss them around for a couple of minutes, then add the mushrooms and peppers. Remember you want the meat in a stir-fry to be crisp-tender, and they’ll cook a little bit more after you add the meat and sauce. (If you like your veggies soft, go for it! Just cook them a few minutes longer. I won’t tell.) Add the meat and sauce and toss it over the heat just until the meat is heated through and the sauce is evenly distributed. Add water a tablespoon at a time if you need to thin the sauce.

PEANUT SAUCE

(A Cookbook for the Financially Challenged, by Alexandra Pauley)

½ c smooth peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

2 t minced garlic (or 1 T garlic powder)

1 t chili powder

1 t minced fresh ginger (or 1 t powdered ginger)

Combine everything and pour it over the cooked meat and vegetables. Toss well to coat. You may need to add a bit of water to thin it, but wait and see how it works once it’s on the meat and vegetables. There may be enough moisture in them to thin it enough.

Mushrooms and Onions

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

2 onions, thinly sliced (about 1 lb)

2 T oil or drippings

Parsley or thyme (optional)

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms and onions. Sauté them until all the liquid is cooked out of the mushrooms, and the mushrooms and onions are cooked way down and are soft. Add the parsley or thyme, if using, about 5 minutes before the vegetables are done if using dried herbs and at the end if the herbs are fresh. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You’ll think this makes a huge amount, but because the mushrooms and onions cook down so much you’ll end up with a lot less than you expect. It makes four servings as a side dish.

Smoked Sausage and Peppers

2 lbs Polish sausage, sliced ½” on the diagonal

2 onions, sliced (about 1 lb)

3 peppers, sliced

1 T oil

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the veggies with the oil and add them and the sausage to the skillet. Toss the veggies and meat in the skillet done to your liking. In traditional Italian Sausage and Peppers, the veggies are cooked until they are very soft. On the other hand, in a Chinese stir-fry the veggies would be cooked only until they are tender-crisp. Take your pick.

Chicken and Cabbage Lo Mein

Technically, lo mein is a dish containing wheat noodles, so this isn't really lo mein at all. It uses shredded cabbage instead of noodles. But it's good anyway, even if it isn't at all authentic.

3 c cooked chicken

1 T oil or chicken fat

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 head cabbage, shredded (about 2 lbs)

3 T soy sauce

1 T fresh ginger, grated

Briefly sauté the garlic and ginger in the oil, then add the onion and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry until not quite tender-crisp. Add the chicken and soy sauce and cook until the chicken is hot.

Domada (West African Stew)

(A Cookbook for the Financially Challenged, by Alexandra Pauley)

1 T oil or chicken fat
1 onion, coarsely chopped 
2 cloves garlic, sliced 
1 c celery, sliced 
2 carrots, sliced 
6 tomatoes, diced (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
5 c chicken stock
3 c cooked chicken, in bite-sized pieces
1 c peanut butter 
2 c shredded cabbage 
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste 

Sauté the onion, garlic and celery in the oil or chicken fat until soft. Add the carrots, tomatoes, chicken stock, and chicken. Simmer 20 minutes. Add the peanut butter and mix well. (It will try to settle in clump on the bottom of the pan, so be sure to stir it well.)

Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir it in well to be sure that it dissolves. Add the cabbage and simmer for another 15 or 20 minutes. 

Chicken Stock

Save up all of your bones in the freezer, and when you get a bunch of them (say, three pounds or more), make a big batch of stock and use it to make soup. Freeze the rest of the stock to use in soup later. The vinegar is to leach out the calcium and other minerals from the bones. You shouldn’t taste the vinegar in the stock or in the soups you make with it.

By the way, I include bones that I’ve chewed on. I make my stock in the slow cooker and cook it at least 24 hours. I figure that if there are any germs strong enough to survive that, they’re going to get me anyway! Out of consideration for the squeamishness of others, I wouldn’t use my chicken stock in a recipe that I’m serving to guests, and I wouldn’t use the bones that other people have chewed on. I’m sure they’d be safe and all, but I’m a bit squeamish, too.

CHICKEN STOCK III

3 lbs or more chicken bones, either raw or previously cooked

            (or use backs and necks and wingtips)

1/2 onion

1 stalk celery

1 T white or apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 quarts water

1 T poultry seasoning (optional)

Parsley, pepper, thyme, or other herbs (optional)

On top of the stove: Put everything in a big pot. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 4 hours. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

In the slow cooker: Put everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 12 or even 24 or more. The longer the better. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

In the pressure cooker: I've not made it in the pressure cooker, but I'm told you can. Process it for at least an hour, and 4 to 6 hours is even better. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

You may think that the stock is blah if you taste it by itself. That’s because there’s no salt in it. You’ll need to add salt when you make the soup, probably more than the recipe calls for. Most recipes assume that you’ll use canned chicken broth or stock, and they tend to be pretty salty.

Chicken Stock or Bone Broth

When you’re trying to save on the food budget, it’s important not to waste anything. This goes for the bones, too. The bones from the chicken legs can be used to make chicken stock, or broth. Save up all of your bones in the freezer, and when you get a bunch of them (say, three pounds or more), make a big batch of stock and use it to make soup. Freeze the rest of the stock to use in soup later. The vinegar is to leach out the calcium and other minerals from the bones. You shouldn’t taste the vinegar in the stock or in the soups you make with it.

3 lbs or more chicken bones, either raw or previously cooked

            (or use backs and necks and wingtips)

½ onion

1 stalk celery

1 T white or apple cider vinegar

2 to 3 quarts water

1 T poultry seasoning (optional)

Parsley, pepper, thyme, or other herbs (optional)

On top of the stove: Put everything in a big pot. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 4 hours. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

In the slow cooker: Put everything in the slow cooker. Cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 12 or even 24. The longer the better. Strain. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

You may think that the stock is blah if you taste it by itself. That’s because there’s no salt in it. You’ll need to add salt when you make the soup, probably more than the recipe calls for. Most recipes assume that you’ll use canned chicken broth or stock, and they tend to be pretty salty.

By the way, I include bones that I’ve chewed on. I make my stock in the slow cooker and cook it at least 24 hours. I figure that if there are any germs strong enough to survive that, they’re going to get me anyway! Out of consideration for the squeamishness of others, I wouldn’t use my chicken stock in a recipe that I’m serving to guests, and, unless they’re family, I wouldn’t use the bones that other people have chewed on. I’m sure they’d be safe and all, but I’m a bit squeamish, too.

I figure that the broth is free. Yes, there’s the cost of the onion, celery and herbs, but they don’t come to much. I make my broth in a 6-quart slow cooker and I usually get about eight pints of broth. That’s less than five cents a pint.