I said I could keep on going with this food thing - so guess I will.

Now, guys…on this Chili thing. I got my info from my pastor some 20 years ago. He had lived in Arizona and loved to travel into old Mexico - even had a place down in Mexico he rented repeatedly for a week or so at a time. He looked down his nose at Tex-Mex. So I asked him (because I’d heard all the arguments about beans - no beans, etc,) what actually was basic “Chili”. He is the one who told me that is basically a tomato soup seasoned with chili peppers.

However; everyone this side of the border has his own concept of what a good Chili is - and it is almost as varied as there are numbers of people making the claim. One old timer from Colorado (think I saw this on TV) claimed that REAL Chili has no tomatoes in but is made from stewing down Buffalo meat. He claimed Chili was invented by the Indians. That certainly was a different twist. Actually, Italians do stew down beef in that manner and call it “ragu” (meaning “rags” as I understand it).

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Chili Con Carne - I know exactly what you are talking about because there was a period back in the 1950s when Chili Con Carne of the sort you describe was the “in” food to be served at get-togethers for a time. (Yes, I know - hard to imagine.)

It came in a can and was not all that appealing to look at nor smell. Reminded me of something you might find in a can of Ken-L-Ration. I think it sill can be purchased in cans but they also sell it in what they are these days calling “chubs”. A “chub” is a thin plastic tube filled with what-ever and pinched together with a metal ring at both ends. They have been using this method for more years than I can remember but the first time I recall ever hearing them called “chubs” was when we moved to Las Vegas.

In Ohio they sold hamburg and sausage bulk in trays and the price varied depending on how much was in a tray. This was a nice convenience because you could select a size that suited your needs and budget - and you could SEE what you were getting and it was ground fresh right there that day. As for that stuff in “chubs” you didn’t know WHEN it had been ground or WHERE or WHO ground it or even for sure WHAT was inside. NOT very appetizing and probably NOT very healthy. Talk about “buying a pig in a poke”. E-Coli here we come.

O.K. Back to the Chili Com Carne. I was thinking on this and I suppose one could dissolve a can or “chub” of this stuff into one’s own chili and make it a little more Texican. Otherwise I’m not sure what it’s good for.

And that’s the art of cooking at the poverty level; figuring out how to utilize a thoroughly un-desirable product like canned Chili Con Carne and making something edible out of it. It’s not easy because what makes it a disagreeable product is the Chili Powder in it.

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I am going to offend a bunch of Texans here but the reason you put beans in Chili is because it otherwise has very little substance to it. The beans also moderate the war between the seasonings in it. So beans are am absolute must.

And why would you add something like Cheddar Cheese to “Mexican” dishes? I mean Cheddar Cheese is Britain’s most famous export. When you put Cheddar Cheese in anything it tends to make it “English”. Oh well, who said any of this has to make any sense?

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Being from Yankee land, our food is largely a blend of British, German, Dutch, and Italian cooking incorporating native American foodstuffs. Spaghetti is virtually a mainstay. We don’t use a lot of seasoning. When I was growing up in the Mid-West, absolutely no-one used garlic - everyone said they hated it - except in the Italian communities where they used it in abundance. One day I smelled some-one cooking hamburgers with garlic on them - the smell was irresistible and I became an instant convert.

Most things I cook have only salt added - and depending on what it is maybe a little garlic powder - although others use also pepper and onions and probably no garlic. My cooking is basic and simple - rarely do I make concoctions - but it is not bland. I was shocked to discover that the South-West has cornered the market on bland meals.

However; once in a while I find regional foods that lend themselves to making simple concoctions that work. One such is Wolf brand Chili (without beans). The flavors are well balanced but it has no substance to speak of. You can give it some substance by combining with it 2 or 3 cans of Ranch-Style Beans and then put the whole thing over a bed of rice. It then all comes together rather nicely.

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Back in Ohio, we occasionally bought canned Beef Stew. To be honest, this stuff sucks - especially Dinty Moore - however I will say that Dinty Moore Beef Stew is VERY much the same as Hungarian Goulash. I found some lesser known brand of canned Beef Stew at Save-A-Lot (Kelly’s - I believe it was) and it is not as intense as Dinty Moore. Eating the Beef Stew as it comes from the can is sorta like the Wolf Brand Chili - not much substance and so it is not very satisfying to just eat straight.

So we begin by chopping an onion coarsely which we boil until clear. Add enough water to make 2 cups total of liquid to which is added one cup of Quick Barley (also called Pressed Barley). You don’t need to remove the onions to do this - cook exactly as you would rice but leave it stand a little longer. Meanwhile you open a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew and one of Kelly’s Beef Stew. And stir and heat the two brands together. Combing them moderates their extremes. Make a bed of barley and sprinkle Black Pepper over the top, then top it off with the Beef Stew. Works pretty good.

I always have a pretty good supply of Barley on hand. Great for making soup. Make sure it is NOT “Pearled Barley” because that stiff takes about 50 minutes to cook.

Also at Save-A-Lot we were getting frozen Banquet (I believe it was) Veal Parmesan and it has something akin to Spaghetti Sauce on it. We would eat the stuff and it did not quite hit the spot so I got this idea of putting the whole thing over a bed of rice. DID NOT work. Also tried it over Spaghetti noodles. DID NOT work. Ah, but it DID work over a bed of Barley and so that’s how we stretched it from then on. For this we just make barley with a little salt - no onions.

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I like to keep things simple. Most things I cook are very easy and un-complicated. There’s very little that I fry. When I make eggs (which is rarely) I “fry” them in water - no salt - no nuthin’. Yes, effectively they are poached - no fried. Then I heavily butter a couple of slices of lightly tasted bread. The salt in the butter compensates for the absence of salt on the eggs.

I open a can of small whole beets and heat them up - no seasoning. That’s the neat thing about beets they don’t need any seasoning what-so-ever. - whether out of a can or fresh from the garden. Unlike a banana, you do have to cook a beet or they are hard and woody and not all that flavorful - but like a banana you don’t need to salt and pepper them.

My favorite beet is Snowhite (also called Albina Verunda). Even Sue will eat these and she don’t like beets. A good red beet is Ruby Queen and another is Cylindra. Neither is as bitter as Detroit Dark Red. The nice thing about the white beet is that you don’t have a beet stain mess. Burpee’s Golden is yellow - uh…I don’t know - not all that good in my opinion. An Italian beet called Chioggia us strange. If you cut it in two cross-wise you will see alternate rings of red and while - like a Bull’s-eye. Has a good flavor but cooks up mushy.

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Canned peas versus frozen peas: These are simply two different ball-games. A lot of people don’t like canned peas because they are mushy. Depends. First you need to shop around and find a good brand. Albertson has a good one but the best is Freshlike. The secret to them is that you put them in a pan, add NOTHING to them, and heat them only as much as it takes to get them hot. DON’T overheat them or let them boil - that ruins them.

If you are going to add peas to your vegetable soup it MUST be canned peas - frozen peas are completely out of place in vegetable soup. Problem is that you won’t need more than half a can so then you have to think about what you are going to do with the other half. By all means DRAIN them before adding to your soup or the pea flavor will overwhelm your soup.

Frozen peas are best for salads, in pot pies, and making creamed peas if you can’t get fresh peas. They also work as a side dish in place of canned peas when everyone is getting tired of canned peas as a side.

Sorta in the same ballpark are Green Limas. It used to be you could buy then in cans but the most common source is frozen. The frozen ones work just fine - just remember you have to add a little salt to the cooking water - and maybe a little butter if’n you have a mind to. They have already added salt in canned ones.

However; as it seems with everything else; you will find allegedly canned green limas at the grocers but read more carefully. You will find that they are reconstituted from having been first dried and then shipped to the cannery. The result is not a tender green thing but a pasty almost starchy bean. Nevertheless, they will work in your vegetable soup.

But the el supremo of all green limas is when you raise your own. Pick then before they fill out very much and are still extremely green in color. Put them in a plastic bag and freeze them. You don’t need to blanch them like you do some things before freezing. When you cook them add a little salt to the water and a dab of butter. Unbeatable.

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This brings me to the issue of “Baby Limas” and “Baby Carrots”. Millions of Americans think that “Baby Limas” are Lima beans that have been picked young. No - Baby Lima Beans are a Variety like any other. They may have named them that because they grow on small bush plants rather than larger plants such as the vining varieties. But at any rate they are picked at the same stage of maturity as any other green lima.

These things they sell in grocery stores are NOT “Baby Carrots”. Baby Carrots are a class of varieties that all produce miniature carrots. Those you buy in the store are carrot rejects broken in the course of handling - which are shaved to create the appearance of small carrots. They are then sprayed with something to keep them from discoloring. Look closer the next time you are in the store and you will see what I mean. They look like they have been shaped by some device like a pencil sharpener. What they really are; are the same California style long “Imperator” class carrots you have been buying for years.

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It’s all about money. What can they do to cut losses and make the most profit. So they come up with schemes like “Baby Carrots” rather than discard them. Consumers not knowing any better believe they really are baby carrots.

It’s not about quality, it’s about appearance. You see, consumers no longer compare quality, they compare prices. If a thing LOOKS good and it’s priced low, they THINK they are getting good quality for less. And that’s what the grocer wants you to think and that’s what the producer wants you to think.

So the seed developer works on what looks good and will hold that appearance in shipping and on the produce aisles. The grower is easily persuaded to plant that variety because he don’t have to be as careful harvesting, the truckers don’t have to be as careful handling them, and the grocer likes it because the stiff will stay looking good on his shelves longer less ends up in the dumpster.

Anything that stands up to rough handling has “superior quality” although the consumer gets inferior eating quality as a result. Commercial varieties are judged according to how well they hold up to machine harvesting, how well they hold up during shipping, and how long they will last in the produce section before rotting. If they can treat produce with anything that will inhibit aging and decay, that’s what they do. As long as they LOOK good after all that, they are considered to be “High Quality” even though these same “qualities” makes them poor quality for consumption.

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It used to be that commercially canned produce was of extremely good quality - all except peaches which were packed a little on the green side because ripe peaces would show bruising, So commercially canned peaches although some were quite good have never been like home-canned peaches.

With commercially available canned goods that good and reasonably priced, many wives started buying canned goods rather than canning their own because it saved time, mess, and trouble and it didn’t really cost much if any more to just buy stiff already canned.

Over time as Americans more and more relied on good quality commercial canning, we forgot how to raise and preserve our own food. And when we forgot, they began to reduce the quality of their products to keep costs low. Did we notice? Not at first because it changed gradually and if they advertised the dickens out of anything we bought it because they were the “experts” now - and besides; “they wouldn’t lie to us”.

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The all-time BEST commercially canned tomatoes were American Beauty - canned in West Virginia. They were indistinguishable from home-canned tomatoes.

It is the nature of canned tomatoes that they get a bit mushy in the can or jar, This can be limited somewhat by canning tomatoes as whole as possible. When I was a teenager, they made a new discovery. They found that if they added just a little Calcium Chloride to commercially canned tomatoes they would stay a bit firmer in the can.

Calcium Chloride is toxic. When we poured concrete in freezing weather, we used it in the mix to create heat and help the concrete set faster and not freeze and ruin the work. Farmers used it in their tractor tires, it being a solution of Calcium Chloride and water. The water gave the tractor more weight and thus more traction. By putting Calcium Chloride in the water, it prevented the tractor tires from freezing during the Winter. The State and County use Calcium Chloride on the roads during the Winter to melt off ice and snow. So what do you think? Is this a good thing to be putting in our canned tomatoes for us to eat?

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It was in 1965 that I first planted my own complete garden. I had helped with planting as a kid but this was the first one that was entirely mine. The following year I took stuff to the Country Fair and won all sorts of blue ribbons except for an “honorable mention” for my peppers. That irked me because my peppers were perfect in appearance and held up all during the fair while the competition’s all shriveled up. In fact, I brought them home, washed them, and ate them and they were still in great shape.

I also experimented. My Dad gave me a pack of Chinese Cabbage seeds. Well, I’d already planted the garden so there was no more space left. So I planted them between plants all over the garden. I had an outstanding crop of Chinese Cabbage which all came ready at the same time. What do you do with that much Chinese Cabbage? I tried to use some of it but Chinese Cabbage has limited uses. Finally it just about all went to waste.

I read in Organic Gardening and Farming about a technique for growing clean potatoes that you don‘t need to dig. You lay the potatoes on top of the ground and cover them with straw and soak the area with water. When the time comes, you pull back the straw and pick up your potatoes. Sounded good to me so the landlord had some oat straw and I tried it. The potatoes didn’t produce worth a crap but I did have a mighty fine stand of oats.

Each year I took summer squash, tomatoes, etc. into town and sold them to the grocer. It was then that I got the bug to do this on a larger scale much as my grandfather had done. And it was also then that I began the process of saving my own seeds. After 25 years of this I had developed 24 extremely excellent, reliable, high quality tomato varieties and had another dozen or so varieties that were very good. Then we got burned out and lost it all.

It happens I have some very old seeds of 4 of those varieties, one of which I renewed last year - the seeds being about 12 years old if I remember right. The seeds of one variety may be at least 15 years old and there are only 30 of them.

But up until the time of the fire I canned MANY quarts of tomatoes and froze some. The frozen ones work fine in cooking but if you simply want to eat them you open a jar.

So after all these years of having relied on out own tomatoes, we moved to Las Vegas and I went down the canned goods aisle at Smith’s and could NOT find any just plain old canned whole tomatoes. All they had were diced tomatoes. Until I moved to Las Vegas I had never even heard of any such thing as “diced tomatoes”. What in the world do you do with them I asked. Also puzzling was: How do you “dice” a tomato? They would turn to mush.

But they don’t. Neither do they cook up properly, the dices remain firm even after cooking so that your special dishes just don‘t turn out right. What is going on here? I confess, I am not sure just what is going on here. Here’s my theory: They use a very coarse fleshed tomato in this process - something akin to those horrid things in the produce section. They pick them green and gas them to turn them red, then dice them and cam them.

Here’s the kicker (this part I am pretty sure of). The tomato juice capital of the world is Ohio - not California. Heinz and Campbell’s have huge operations there and in Indiana, They turn tomato juice into concentrate, ship it to the tomato dicers and the tomato dicers add water and pour it around their diced tomatoes in the can - which helps give it a more tomato-y flavor.

Same way with their “whole” canned tomatoes. They do not use canning tomatoes, they use paste tomatoes - of the Roma class. Romas make lousy canning tomatoes because they have a weak tomato flavor and they have thin skins. Canning tomatoes have thick tough shins which make them easier to scald and peel and the skin comes off often in one piece. But Roma’s thin skins tear easily and comes off in pieces - so it is that you find sections of tomato skins in your canned tomatoes now.

Also since Romas have very small cores, they don’t bother to core them and thus they save a step in processing. However; this is VERY low class.

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Americans - now completely dumbed-down about all these things simply accept them as normal. Sheeple.

Shalom,

Searl Miller