How’s this for a decluttering exercise?

24 May 2022, 09:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Steve Miller:

My point is that my house is still filled with things I can’t use. More work needs to be done.

Amen, Brother Steve.

We've gotten a huge reminder about decluttering while watching the neighbors' family throw most of their possessions into the dumpster. I'm guess that like most homes, 90+ percent of the stuff that was in that house hasn't seen use in decades.

It's amazing how little we really need to live contentedly and comfortably.

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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training

24 May 2022, 10:55 AM

big al

That food chopper brought back some memories for me. My mother owned one like it and I think my sister now has it.

The thing that I most remember using it for was making a green tomato relish each fall (my mother called it Heinz relish).

We'd make it when there were green tomatoes still on the vines that likely would be struck by frost before too long. The green tomatoes would be ground up along with some red and green bell peppers and onions and the mixture would be cooked with some spices. I have the recipe at home and I've made it sometimes myself, but using the grinder on the Kitchenaid mixer.

After cooking, the relish is packed in jars (we used pints) and canned for preservation. One batch would last all year and an open jar would keep well in the refrigerator until it was all used up. I really liked it with a chunk of pot roast, which was a frequent Sunday dinner for us. My mother would put it into a slow oven before we left for church and it would be ready to eat when we got home.

Big Al

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Money seems to buy the most happiness when you give it away.

Why does everything have to be so complicated, all in the name of convenience. -ShiroKuro

A lifetime of experience will change a person. If it doesn't, then you're already dead inside. -MarkJ

24 May 2022, 12:30 PM

AdagioM

quote:
Originally posted by big al:
That food chopper brought back some memories for me. My mother owned one like it and I think my sister now has it.

The thing that I most remember using it for was making a green tomato relish each fall (my mother called it Heinz relish).

We'd make it when there were green tomatoes still on the vines that likely would be struck by frost before too long. The green tomatoes would be ground up along with some red and green bell peppers and onions and the mixture would be cooked with some spices. I have the recipe at home and I've made it sometimes myself, but using the grinder on the Kitchenaid mixer.

After cooking, the relish is packed in jars (we used pints) and canned for preservation. One batch would last all year and an open jar would keep well in the refrigerator until it was all used up. I really liked it with a chunk of pot roast, which was a frequent Sunday dinner for us. My mother would put it into a slow oven before we left for church and it would be ready to eat when we got home.

Big Al

This sounds delicious; I’d love the recipe. Last year I made a green salsa with my green tomatoes, but it didn’t have peppers in it and it was pretty one-note. I’d love to jazz it up. (Was it last year? Maybe the year before? Definitely during the pandemic!)

24 May 2022, 02:41 PM

wtg

That sounds a bit like what Mr wtg's grandmother used to make, but their family called it chow chow.

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/what-is-chow-chow/

24 May 2022, 04:08 PM

big al

quote:
Originally posted by AdagioM:
This sounds delicious; I’d love the recipe.

Per your request:
Heinz Relish (copied from the recipe card written by my mother, Anna Huffman)

1/2 peck green tomatoes
12 sweet peppers
12 large onions

Cut and grind all vegetables .
Cook 15 minutes.
Drain well.

Take 2 pints vinegar (dilute 1/4 with water)
2 sticks cinnamon
2 Tablespoons whole allspice
2 Tablespoons whole cloves
Put spices in vinegar & bring to good boil (I boil mine several minutes). Drain out spices & add:
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons mustard seed
2 pints sugar
Bring all to boil & seal hot in canning jars.

wtg, the product in the canning jars in the article you linked looks a lot like my mother's relish. However, my mother's recipe only has green tomatoes, peppers (usually mostly green bell peppers with a few red peppers added for color), and onions.

Big Al

24 May 2022, 07:37 PM

AdagioM

quote:
Originally posted by big al:
quote:
Originally posted by AdagioM:
This sounds delicious; I’d love the recipe.

Per your request:
Heinz Relish (copied from the recipe card written by my mother, Anna Huffman)

1/2 peck green tomatoes
12 sweet peppers
12 large onions

Cut and grind all vegetables .
Cook 15 minutes.
Drain well.

Take 2 pints vinegar (dilute 1/4 with water)
2 sticks cinnamon
2 Tablespoons whole allspice
2 Tablespoons whole cloves
Put spices in vinegar & bring to good boil (I boil mine several minutes). Drain out spices & add:
2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons mustard seed
2 pints sugar
Bring all to boil & seal hot in canning jars.

wtg, the product in the canning jars in the article you linked looks a lot like my mother's relish. However, my mother's recipe only has green tomatoes, peppers (usually mostly green bell peppers with a few red peppers added for color), and onions.

Big Al

Thanks, Al! Looking forward to it. But first I have to figure out how much a half peck of tomatoes is…

24 May 2022, 07:57 PM

Nina

I think a peck is a bushel, which isn't massively huge for something like big tomatoes. It's 8 quarts, or 24 cups, so I figure if a tomato = 1 cup (the whole thing, not sliced, pureed, yada yada) then it's going to be < 24 tomatoes.

By my cracker jack logic, then a half peck is about a dozen tomatoes.

24 May 2022, 08:06 PM

wtg

Weights and measures:

https://extension.uga.edu/publ...ail.html?number=C780

24 May 2022, 09:17 PM

wtg

quote:
Originally posted by jon-nyc:
We should come up with a week of exercises, like:

Monday - unsubscribe to a mailing list
Tuesday - ~~organize one drawer~~ send some stuff to a fellow WTFer
Wednesday - find an article of clothing to donate
Thursday - digitize (part of) a file folder.
Friday - throw away one item

FIFY

I'm not sure this thread went the way jon intended it to....

24 May 2022, 09:36 PM

jon-nyc

Ha. Maybe we need declutter tips for this thread. lol

24 May 2022, 10:39 PM

ShiroKuro

25 May 2022, 01:01 AM

Steve Miller

Well it’s a way to get rid of tomatoes, so…

25 May 2022, 01:04 AM

Steve Miller

quote:
Originally posted by jon-nyc:
Ha. Maybe we need declutter tips for this thread. lol

I have one.

Find a charity you really like and look forward to donating to. I have found a local small charity store run by the local UU church and I really feel good about giving things to them. Everyone is super nice, they have a list of charities where they donate the money they make and I feel very good about donating things to them.

The only problem is that every time I go to their store I buy more stuff. It’s for a good cause, right?

25 May 2022, 05:24 PM

Steve Miller

There is a decluttering show on ABC tonight that might be kind of fun. It turns out Martha Stewart is something of a hoarder and decided to do a gigantic tag sale at her spread in New England. I think it may be a series.

8 PM ET on ABC.