Saturday, June 20, 2015

This and That

Made my second batch of pickled onions.

Start with a mess of boiling onions,
 Peel and put them in mason jars with red wine vinegar and green peppercorns.
Let them sit for three to four weeks. Slice and enjoy in salads, on you sandwich or as trimmings for other dishes. Nice combination of sweet and sour. Goes especially good with avocados.
Peppers and tomatoes are doing better than any I have ever grown. Only thing I did different this time around was to add lots of egg shells, bone meal and a sprinkle of Epsom salts to the soil before I planted them. Must be two foot tall by now.
 One pepper about an inch long.
One long and skinny about an inch and a half long
First tomato about the size of a dime.
Finches have been chomping though the bird seed
I added a dish to the bottom of the feeder as they spill so much of it on the ground
Dug out the old skin-on-frame kayak I built 14 years ago. I have not paddled at all for the last couple of years due to a persistent shoulder injury. But I might give it a  try again so I figured I might as well mend some of the splits in the fabric.
Glued-on a large patch on the aft deck behind the cockpit where is sees a lot of stress getting in and out of the thing and there were a couple of large splits.
A couple smaller splits on the front got patches too.
 The paddle needs a sanding and some oil.
Couple of coats of battleship grey floor enamel makes the patches blend in. Might just have to go for a paddle now.

8 comments:

  1. Que tipo habilidoso y laborioso! Por suerte mi medio limón no ve este blog. Al kayak mejor lo vendes, cuida tu hombro...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. no, el kayak no lo vendo, demasiado valor sentimental y poco monetario.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Hi Jaz, not exactly sure but the wine vinegar soak seems to cut a bit of the sharpness of onion and draw out a sweetness. Give them a try, you won't regret it. Had them on some burgers last night and they were delicious. We also mix them in salads along with dried cranberries and they make for a nice contrast against the dressing.

      Delete
  3. Hey Mike, I like the onion recipe, will have to give it a try. Nice kayak, you built it? Kool. can hardly wait to hear how your trip in it turns out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi John, yes I that's the last of six of those kayaks that I built. Sold all but two of them. Usually don't go too far in them, just go 100 feet form shore and flop around like I am doing here.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT8OwFWeOUk

      Delete
  4. Those onions look savory. I love pickled onions, but they are hard to find here. Sometimes I can get them at the scratch and dint grocery store in North Carolina.

    Nice looking mower you have in your garage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Harry, making the pickled onions is quite easy. Give it a try, you won't regret it. The keep quite well also. As for the mower its a Crapsman. But it has the V-Twin Honda engine so it has been OK in the 10 years I had it. The engine has been trouble free except I had to change the coils on it this year as they would not spark unless I pre-heated them before starting. I guess they were worn out after 2000 hrs of use. The tractor itself has held up well but I have had to replace one of the hangers on the mower deck. Belt is still original and never even needed adjusting.

      Delete