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Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

Broccoli Cheese Soup

My wife went out to the garden and picked broccoli from the garden. She did an internet search and came up with a recipe for broccoli cheese soup. She did some tweaking and ended up with what I consider an A+ soup recipe.broccoli cheese soup made with a good sharp cheddar cheese. A meatless dish for everyone

Ingredients

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium chopped onion
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup flour
1 quart of half-and-half cream
1 quart chicken stock
1 lb. fresh broccoli (about 2 cups)
2 cups carrot, grated
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 lb. grated sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large skillet, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter until the onion is translucent then set aside.

In a large pot make a rue by whisking together the ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter and flour over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly stir in the half and half and chicken stock. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots, and onions. Let them simmer on medium low for about 25 minutes until the broccoli and carrots are tender. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper and sharp cheddar cheese. Let the cheese melt and then serve.

You can jazz up this broccoli cheese soup by first roasting the broccoli in the oven to given a slightly hearty taste. However you make it, you will end up with a really hearty soup. This can be served as a main entrée for dinner or as a “warmer-upper” on a cold winter day.

A nice hot thermos of broccoli cheese soup while ice fishing or lunch when out and about in the woods will provide a full stomach and energy.

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Squash Apple Soup Recipe

Squash and Apple Soup

I do not grow butternut squash in my garden since it takes up a lot of space. However, there is a farmer about four miles away that sells butternut squash for $1.00 each. Every year I buy 10 or 20 for storage, roasting and freezing. This squash apple soup recipe happens to be one of my favorites. This recipe makes enough for several days of soup or enough to package and freeze. Unless you happen to have a pressure cooker, you should not try canning.

Ingredients

16 cups cubed seeded peeled butternut squash
2 large apples, peeled, chopped
2 large onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pepper
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 oz fat free vanilla yogurt
4 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

To make squash apple soup start with: In a large pot, mix squash, apple, onion, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and pepper. Add the chicken stock. Cover and heat over medium-high heat (so you don’t burn the squash) until the soup starts boiling. Reduce heat; simmer covered about 20 minutes or until squash is tender.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend until smooth (I like to have some chunks in my soup so I usually remove about 1/4 to 1/3 before blending. I add back after blending). Stir in heavy cream and yogurt. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, just until heated through. Ladle the squash apple soup into bowls; sprinkle with fresh chives.

As a substitute for butternut squash you can use yellow summer squash in the squash apple soup. The yellow squash meat is as tender and the skin of yellow summer squash is edible which makes baking and scrapping out the meat (as you do for butternut squash) not necessary.

Look at other squash recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/

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Freezer Slaw Recipe

Freezer Slaw Recipe

A simple easy to follow freezer slaw recipe. A great way to preserve cabbages from the garden. If you don’t have a garden, go to a local farmers market and buy some nice organic, non-GMO produce and make this recipe. As long as you have extra freezer space, freezer slaw is great. Cabbage is a great vegetable with plenty of vitamins.

Ingredientsfreezer slaw recipe is easy and is a great way to preserve cabbage from the garden

4 pounds cabbage
2 large green peppers
5 large carrots
2 onions – sliced
4 teaspoons salt

Dressing:

3 cups sugar – see directions
2 tsps. dry mustard or mustard seed
2 tsps. celery seed
2 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water

Cooking Directions

Simply shred cabbage, green peppers and carrots. Add sliced onions. Add 1 tsp. of salt per salt per pound of cabbage and mix well and let sit for 1 hour. After one hour, rinse and dry the cabbage.

In a pot add sugar, water, vinegar. mustard and celery seed and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool!!

Pour over drained cabbage and let set for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir well.

Package in freezer containers leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Will last for 8 – 10 months. When ready just remove from freezer and allow to thaw and serve.

When you have excess cabbage, make some freezer slaw. It is a simple vinegar based slaw recipe. I find it delicious and a great way to store the summers harvest. It freezes great and when thawed you would never think it was ever frozen. This is great when making fish tacos. I have made freezer slaw for several years now and consider freezer slaw a must do. I grow enough cabbage making sure to set aside five to six pounds for this great dish.

Look at other cabbage recipes https://traderscreek.com/recipes/recipe-index/

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Mediterranean Green Beans

Mediterranean Green Beans

To make good Mediterranean green beans pick your beans early when they are young, thin and have not yet started forming seeds. When made correctly and served chilled, this is a great fresh salad for a summer meal. The Kalamata olives add a twist to the taste. Even if you do not like these types of olives, given them a try. The salty “different” flavor really plays well with the rest of the dish.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of chopped pitted Kalamata olives
1 large shallot – sliced. Use a shallots here and not onions. If need be green onions or scallions can be used.
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. whole grain mustard
3 tbsp. of chopped walnuts – sliced almonds also work well
½ tsp. of sugar
3 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil.
1 lb. of fresh young green beans
¼ cup of feta cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients other than the green beans and feta cheese. Stir together. Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the green beans. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Use a ladle or spider and take out the beans and place immediately in ice water to stop any cooking. Once cool add the beans to the other ingredients and top with the feta cheese. Enjoy!!

When the summer garden is in full swing and the green beans are coming in fast, try making Mediterranean green beans for a change. Whether with a burger, sandwiches or a steak Mediterranean green beans add that extra touch and interesting taste.

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Mammals, Wildlife

Fisher – Martes Pennanti

Fisher

Martes Pennanti

General

The fisher (Martes pennanti,) is a medium sized member of the weasel family (Mustelidae,) native only to North America.  They are striking with their slender bodies and soft dark coats but are increasingly becoming a problem in certain geographic zones where populations are expanding into suburban areas.

Description

Male fishers tend to be larger than females, reaching a mature length of 50” to 63” and mature weight of 7.5 lbs. to 11 lbs. by one year old.  Females measure 41” to 51” and weigh between 4.5 lbs. and 5.5 lbs. by 5.5 months old.  Their long, thick, bushy tails account for approximately 1/3 their total length.  Fishers have long bodies, broad heads with short pointed muzzles, and short legs.  Round ears are located on the sides on the head.  They have five long, retractable claws on both their front and hind feet.

Fishers have soft coats that are medium to dark brown and frosted on the head, neck, and shoulders.  Their coats are accented by black on the legs and tail and white patches (that may occur on the chest, genital area, and underarms.)  Their coloration may vary due to sex and season (they tend to be darker in the winter.)

Fishers are solitary animals that are active during the day and night.  Although they spend much of their time alone, they may be found together during the mating season.  Male fishers are known to show aggression towards each other.  Fishers are shy around humans but are beginning to show more and more comfort near human populations as their ranges expand in certain geographic areas.

Fishers create dens and “resting sites”1 for year-round use in hollow logs, trees, brush, ground burrows, or crevices.  They show preference for tree nests in the spring and fall, while in the winter they tend to use ground burrows or snow dens (burrows in the snow accessed by long, narrow tunnels.)

Fishers establish home ranges that are 5.8 to 13.5 square miles in size.  Males’ ranges are typically larger than females’ ranges and tend to overlap with them; however, a male’s range will never overlap with that of another male.2  Fishers mark their territory using scent and travel within it using established trails on the ground and in the trees.3  They navigate their environments using keen senses of smell, sight, and hearing.  Although they are agile climbers and swimmers, fishers are usually found on the ground.

In the wild, fishers can live up to 10 years.

Habitat

Fishers may be found in mixed, coniferous, and deciduous forests.  They prefer habitats that offer den sites (including hollow trees,) access to prey, and high canopy enclosures.  They tend to avoid deep snow in the winter.

Within their habitats, juvenile fishers are at risk of predation by hawks and other birds of prey, bobcats, lynx, and red foxes.

Location

Fisher populations can be found across Canada and the United States (from the Sierra Nevada in California to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.)  They no not live in prairie habitats or the southern United States.  North America is the only continent on which fisher populations occur.

Diet

Fishers are solitary hunters whose diets consist mainly of small herbivores (such as rodents, birds, and shrews.)  Their diets may also include fruit, berries, and carrion.  Although they usually prey on animals smaller than themselves, fishers have been known to take on larger prey.  They are also one of the only predators that can effectively attack a porcupine (this is done by repeatedly attacking from the front until the porcupine tires, then flipping it on its back and attacking its unprotected stomach.)

Fishers are agile hunters in trees and are capable of elongating their bodies to hunt their prey in ground burrows and narrow spaces.

Reproduction

Fishers breed once a year between March and May.  Copulation lasts for several hours.  Once the embryos have been fertilized, they remain in a suspended state of development for the first 10 to 11 months of an 11 to 12 month gestation period.  Embryos only develop during the last 1 to 2 months of gestation.

Females choose den sites that are high off the ground in hollow trees.  The site of the den may be moved several times if the nest is disturbed.

Litters contain 1 to 6 young (on average 3,) that are born blind and naked, each weighing less than one-tenth of a pound.  The young, known as kits, are completely dependent on their mothers after birth (males provide no parental support.)  Their eyes open around 7 weeks old, and they are weaned by 8 to 10 weeks old (although, some kits continue to nurse occasionally until they are 4 months old.)  By four months old, young fishers can hunt for themselves and start to disperse by 5 months old.  Fishers establish home ranges by the time they are a year old.

Females experience a postpartum estrus and mate again shortly after giving birth.

Females reach sexual maturity by one year old and breed once a year after that.  Males reach sexual maturity by 2 years old.4

Notes of Interest

Fishers are also referred to as: 
Pekans, Fisher Cats, Black Cats, Wejacks, and American Sables.5

There has been limited success trying to breed fishers in captivity.

In the past, fisher populations were severely impacted by the fur trade.  However, the demand for their pelts has decreased and populations have been recovering (particularly in New York and southern Ontario, where populations are expanding into suburban areas.)  Due to range expansion, there have been reports of fisher attacks on domestic animals and children, attracted to human-inhabited areas by food and garbage.  Fishers are known to react aggressively toward threats or when startled and caution should be exercised in the presence of this species.

Certain fisher populations have been considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act, such as those living in southern zones of the Sierra Nevada.6

1. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Martes_pennanti/
2. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Martes_pennanti/
3. http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=152
4. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Martes_pennanti/
5. http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=152
6. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Martes_pennanti/

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Martes_pennanti/
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/fisher.htm  
http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=152
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/species/mammals/fisher/  

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Sauteed Green Beans Recipe

Sauteed Green Beans Recipe

Sauteed Green Beans are easy to make and add a great side dish that will make everyone happy. Try this Sauteed Green Bean recipe and you will make it again and again.

Ingredients

2 cups green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup almonds, slivered or sliced
1 tbsp chopped chives – dried (I have used both dried and fresh from the garden and frankly I like to used dried chives here)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a skillet, saute the green beans in butter until tender-crisp. Make sure to turn the green beans or they will burn. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Be careful not to go too heavy on the salt. Once the green beans are tender, add the almonds to the skillet and heat through until the almonds are toasted. At the last minute or two add the dried chives. Serve with any meat (pork tenderloin or a good sirloin is my favorite here) and a red wine or beer.

 

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