PITS NEWSLETTER 
Volume 22 #1
Winter 2003

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place raw peanuts in a single layer in a shallow baking pan.

3. For unshelled peanuts: Bake 20 to 25 mins.

4. For shelled peanuts: Bake 15 to 20 mins.

5. Stir once or twice during cooking time.

6. Cook until slightly underdone, peanuts continue to cook when removed from the oven.

7. Store unshelled roasted peanuts in an airtight container up to one month in the fridge or 12 months in the freezer.

Peanut Butter: In a food processor.

2 cups roasted shelled peanuts

1 tbl peanut oil

½ tsp salt

Using the metal blade, process ingredients continuously for 2-3 minutes. The ground peanuts will form a ball that will slowly disappear. Continue to process until the desired consistency is obtained. If necessary, stop machine and scrape the sides of the container with a rubber spatula.

For crunchy peanut butter, stir in ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts after the processing is completed.

Rice

Oryza sativa

This will be our third year growing rice and what a pleasure.! Rice is an annual grass-like plant. The 18" slender leaves are a deep burgundy and the inflorescence is a day-glo chartreuse-a stunning combination. It is becoming an "in" plant now and we can only thank Doug Litchfield for introducing it to us 3 years ago. Try it, you’ll love it!

How to grow.

To prepare the seed, put the seeds in a small paper bag and gently roll them with your hand. You must remove some of the outer husk without cracking the seed. The seeds can be stored in an air-tight jar until you are ready to plant. We suggest starting them in February for a September crop. 1. You will need a water tight container that is at least 6" wide and 6" deep. A mixing bowl is adequate.

2. Enough soil to fill the container to within 2 ½ " of the rim. IMPORTANT do not use commercial potting mixes that contain perlite and peat, they are too light..

3. Mix the soil until it has the consistency of mud. Sow the seeds 2 ½ x the width of the seed (horizontally). Slowly fill the container with water until you have about 1/2" above the soil level. If possible, give the plants some gentle bottom heat (ca 80⁰). Germination is slow and may take a month. At first, the seedlings look like wisps of grass. As the days lengthen, the plants will grow rapidly. Keep the water level at the same depth.

The leaves will be a lovely shade of maroon. Ours that we grew inside, had green leaves, the plants grown outside had red leaves. This is a reflection of the intensity of the sun, both pots of rice have produced seed. Rice makes a very handsome ornamental plant and is a breeze to grow. Just keep it wet.

Tamarind

Tamarindus indica

Tamarind is one of the easiest and lovely pits to grow. The lime-green leaves are feathery and resemble a mimosa tree. At night, the leaves close up and open again in the light. The fruit of the Tamarind looks like a plump brown lima bean. The outer shell is brittle and easily cracked, revealing a sticky brown pulp. Within the pulp there are 5 or 6 shiny, black seeds.

Tamarinds make wonderful houseplants. The little trees have nine pairs of leaflets and resemble a mimosa tree. Several of our members have created bonsai trees and they are elegant.

Nick the seed and soak until the seed swells, usually in a couple of hours. Plant up according to the instructions in growing tips. The seeds will germinate in a couple of weeks. Tamarinds are water loving plants and should never dry out.

As they grow, pinch them back. When you have six pairs of leaves, pinch out the top growth. Continue to do this with the side branches.

The Essential Reference Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini Schneider, Elizabeth. Photographs by Amos Chan. New York: Harper Collins. 2001. 777 pp. $ 60.00 USA, $ 89.95 Canada.

This was a hard book to review because I was continually distracted from a critical look by the sheer pleasure of reading this large volume. The title states that there are 500 recipes and 275 photographs. The introduction begins with a list of the main vegetable entries, numbering about 80. Ms. Schneider’s definition of vegetables is somewhat idiosyncratic, more like a grocers than a botanists. I could understand why she didn’t list melons, clearly fruits. And so I understood why she didn’t list tomatoes which are also fruits .when she then included eggplant and cucumber and bread fruit I threw up my hands. This book is mostly about what we call vegetables in the kitchen.

A sample chapter is on Tomatillo. This "tart queen of salsa and mole" is a native of central America and sometimes known as the Mexican Husk Tomato. Indeed it is like the Tomato and Potato and Eggplant a member of the Solanaceae. It grows with a husk similar to the American Ground Cherry and Cape Gooseberry and is commonly green. They are not ordinarily eaten raw but added to sauces and broths. She comments (in each case) on selection, storage, preparation and cooking. Recipes include: Herbed Tomatillo and Grape Salsa, Tomatillo Gazpacho and Salmon Poached on a Bed of Tomatillos, Onion and Chili. The later offering a tart green sauce to contrast the richness of the salmon. We plan to try this soon. A special feature of these chapters is a section called "Pros Propose" in which prominent chefs offer 5 or 6 alternative ways of using the vegetable. This section offers culinary ideas rather than detailed recipes.

As noted she writes about what interests her. Eight pages on specialty potatoes lists numerous varieties but only two recipes. However Pros Proposes includes 8 suggestions including baked eggs with white truffles and potatoes and warm potatoes salad with creme fraiche.

Not every entree is common. The section on potatoes is followed by 4 pages on Puff Balls and 4 pages on Purslane.

Color photographs by Amos Chan are clear and among the best I have ever seen in a food or plant text. The more exotic entrees are well enough done that the reader will have no trouble identifying them. In the front of the book recipes are listed by category: appetizers, salads, main dishes, pasta and eggs and vegetable sides and condiments.

This is a wonderful book fun to read and to use. Of all the books under our Christmas tree this was the one that everyone picked up.

Dr. John

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