Rhubarb relish, more on fats
A favorite at our house, especially with roast beef, is rhubarb relish. Rhubarb is growing quickly in our gardens and is at its best. The rhubarb can be frozen and the relish made when the garden onions are ready. Remember to mark the quantity on the bags before freezing as this process breaks down the cell walls and the quantity won’t be the same after thawing.
This recipe was handed down to me by my mother-in-law, Kay Copeland. She used an equal amount of rhubarb and onion, four cups (1 L) of each. Because I usually have more rhubarb than onions, I changed the recipe to use a larger proportion of rhubarb. Either way, it is tasty.
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Rhubarb relish
6 cups cut-up fresh 1.5 L
rhubarb
2 cups chopped 500 mL
onion
2 cups vinegar 500 mL
3 cups brown sugar 750 mL
1 tablespoon salt 15 mL
1 teaspoon cinnamon 5 mL
1 teaspoon allspice 5 mL
1 teaspoon ginger 5 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon pepper 2 mL
Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Simmer for three or four hours or until thick. Seal in sterilized jars.
Correction
The chart from the May 30, 1996 issue of How Do You Manage? was printed with incorrect headings. The middle column indicates the amount of cholesterol in different types of fat. The last column lists the percentage of saturated fats in oils and fats. Saturated fat increases the “bad” cholesterol manufactured by our bodies.
Hydrogenation clarified
A correction also needs to be made to the statement, “soft margarine being a good choice for spreading, instead of a hard margarine, because it has not been hydrogenated.”
Most brands of soft margarine have been partially hydrogenated. An exception is Becel, which has not been hydrogenated but has palm oil added.
You will remember from the last article that hydrogenation is a manufacturing process which changes liquid fats into hardened fats. The process involves adding hydrogen to a liquid oil to make it spreadable at room temperature.
For example, liquid oil is used to make margarines and shortenings. The harder the vegetable product, the more hydrated it is. Hydrogenated fats can raise blood cholesterol levels by producing a type of fat called trans fatty acid.
Research suggests trans fatty acids may have similar effects as saturated fatty acids on raising “bad” cholesterol levels and may also lower “good” cholesterol. When choosing a margarine, look for a soft tub variety with liquid vegetable oil as the first ingredient listed. This variety will have the least amount of trans fatty acids.
Baking with oils
By substituting oil for melted hard fat such as butter, shortening, lard or brick margarine, you will have chosen a healthier alternative. As the conversion chart shows, you will also reduce the total fat in your baked goods.
Substituting oil does modify the texture, usually making the baked good softer and more moist. For a flaky pie pastry, a hard fat will be needed. For most other baked goods, including cookies, cakes, muffins and pastry for quiches, meat pies, chiffon/cream pies and toppings for savory dishes, an oil can be used.
Canola oil pastry
Makes two 9-inch (15 cm) shells
2 cups all-purpose 500 mL
flour
1 teaspoon salt 5 mL
1Ú2 cup canola oil 125 mL
1Ú4 cup cold milk 50 mL
Thoroughly mix flour and salt. Combine liquids, do not stir, add to flour all at once. Stir with fork until flour is dampened. Form dough into ball and cut in half. Roll out between sheets of wax paper. Fit pastry into pie plates without stretching. Prick well with fork. Bake at 425 F (240 C) eight to 10 minutes.
Source: Canola Information Service.
Calories
The calories for all types of fats, liquid or solid are the same: Four grams (one teaspoon) = 36 calories.
Calorie-reduced, lite and diet margarines have water added to them which means they have fewer calories per teaspoon than regular margarine. Diet margarines are great on buns and vegetables but tend to make toast soggy and do not work well in baked products.
Weeds in the raspberries
Dear TEAM: I’ve a small garden patch of raspberries that is infested with grass and dandelions. Is there an organic way of killing these weeds besides pulling them by hand? Is there a chemical to control them? If so when and how do you recommend applying it? – M.B., Grenfell, Sask.
Dear M.B.: The Garden Line at the University of Saskatchewan provided the following answer to your question:
- The only organic method is by a very thorough hoeing that leaves no green material for one year. For most people this is very hard to do. The better option may be the chemical control.
- A chemical control is to apply Roundup. Mix the Roundup in a pail. Using a sponge apply to the grass and dandelions but do not touch the raspberries. The results may seem slow as it will take 10 to 14 days for the weeds touched by the Roundup to go brown.
The Garden Line can be reached at 306-966-5865 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Due to funding cuts it is staffed by only one person, so the hours are limited and this person is very busy. Be patient if your call does not go through on the first try.
