| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 02 2008 : 8:19:03 PM
gurlz .. afore i hit the bed .. i jus' gotta' tell ya'll about a VERY cool autumn garland luna and i saw today (she bought one!) it was about a yard long .. strung on wire .. it was leather britches and beets right outta' the garden! the beets felt a little mushy to me .. but luna thinks they will dry jus' fine. it was VERY different .. very PRIM .. and who'da THUNK to put 'beets' on a decorative garland. the 'britches' were a wonderful dark hue too!
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| 14 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 7:56:07 PM
well gurlz .. i joined a gurlfren tonight for dinner and a movie .. THEN .. i went to the wally-world that was open late and got me a buncha' green beans .. dang! they didn't have those 'purty' purple ones ... but i WILL find me some of those soon too! and i got three red beets (with the green tops still on them).
they are bigger and 'purpler' (i think i jus' made that word up!) than the ones in luna's garland .. hers were dirty brown beets right outta' the ground .. i LOVED those! but .. i'll try it with my pretty ones and green beans. i'll put mine on wire to make it a little sturdier.
i thought about turnips too .. i'm thinking any funky little shaped veggie would do .. as long as it will dry pretty ... (without rotting on the wire!) but even if they jus' last one season .. it is a pretty home-did, nature decoration! if ya'll try these .. let me know.
i'll post pics of mine after i string 'em! xo
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 12:36:55 PM
Thanks Frannie. We will all be anxiously awaiting your picture. Can't wait!
"Love one another." |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 11:12:47 AM
hey sweetie .. when i next go to luna's .. i'll take a pic of hers (with the beets) .. i'll stop at the grocery today on my way to the moview .. and pick up some green beans .. i reeeeeeeeeeely want the PURPLE ones .. and some beets (ohhh .. i hope they still have the dirt on them like luna's!) i'll string some up and take pic.
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| Back Home Again |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 10:53:27 AM
Frannie.....Would Love to see a photo of what leather britches looks like all strung up! this is not something we see (I don't think!) in the South West!!!.... maybe if I saw a photo I would know if I have ever seen a garland with leather britches Cause I Can't visualize what it might look like! Ohhh I would love to see the one with Beets in it too!!!
Until Later,
Audrey
~ Side by side or miles apart....dear friends are always close to the heart ~ |
| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 10:47:45 AM
Well Frannie, I do declare!!! I believe you have just turned on a light bulb in my lil 'ol pea pickin brain!! LOL!!!! I may just try making a pretty garland made of leather britches. I love stuff like that. And beets too huh? I wonder what they would look like if I used turnips instead? Oh thank you, thank you for the education. My wheels are a turning now!!!!
"Love one another." |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 09:47:58 AM
it was actually the BEETS plucked right outta' the ground that made them so great looking!
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 09:42:28 AM
jessie .. i learned this term (and what they were) when i was young CITY child . from my country aunts and uncles.
that would be quite a site! HOWEVER .. i DO hang antique red 'long-johns' across the clothesline in the wintertime!
xo
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 09:40:40 AM
karin .. i bought the most wonderful garlic string from a friend of kathy sugarbucket .. and i am now in the process of 'harvesting' most of my HERBS and hanging them to dry! i love the smell of them in the kitchen! xo
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| Mumof3 |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 08:42:26 AM
Miss Wilma had leather britches hanging outside her kitchen wondow if I recall. They are so cool. I love the look. I bet that garland was adorable.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
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| JessieMae |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 07:31:55 AM
I had a good laugh when I read this post! Frannie, I had never heard of "leather britches" in terms of beans before either, and I had this weird visual picture of a garland made out of buckskin pants and beets! |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 07:27:29 AM
here they are referred to as FODDER BEANS too!
Leather Britches Beans (Fodder Beans)
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
Green Beans
Salt And Pepper
Lard Or Bacon Grease
Water
String very full beans as you would for cooking, but do not break them.
Thread beans on twine, using just enough beans on each string for one or
two meals. Then drop them into a brine of ˝ cup coarse salt and one gallon
of water for 15 minutes. Drain on newspaper. The brine will keep bugs
away from your beans. Hang the strings of beans on wire or rope in a dry
place for at least three weeks. Make sure they are completely dry or they
will mold.
Prior to cooking the dried beans, pour lots of boiling water over the beans
and soak overnight. In the morning, wash the beans well and cover with
water in a pan. Cook for 2 hours; then add salt, lard or bacon grease, and
pepper. Finish cooking about 2 hours more, adding water as needed.
+++++++
i've heard of them being dried in lotsa' different ways .. ha! one woman even dries them 'under her bed' .. now that would be a FEAST for the 'mices' at my cabins! xo
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 07:25:01 AM
they are also known as SHUCKY BEANS:
Shucky Beans aka Leather Britches
Wash about 1 cups of dried green beans.
Place them in a pan with 4 cups of water.
Let stand overnight.
Next day, pour off the water in which the beans were soaked and rinse them well.
Put the beans into a large pot with a close fitting lid.
Add 3/4 teaspoon salt. 3 cups of water, and a 2 inch square of salt pork. (can use bacon grease)
Cook over medium heat for about 3 hours, adding more water if need.
Dried beans swell as they soak, what you think is just a little turns out to be a lot when cooked.
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 07:23:53 AM
they're jus' 'dried beans' gurlfren .. here's a little info offa' the internet:
If you'd like to try preserving beans in an old-time, way-down-south way, here's how to do it:
Pick your green or wax beans when they're tender and "snappy." Wash them and snip off the stem end. The other little sharp pointed tip won't matter, so leave it on. Let the beans drain until fairly dry, or at least till the water has dripped off.
Take a large darning needle and thread it with white store string. Kite string will do fine. Then thread your beans on the cord, sticking the needle through the middle of each bean. I don't mean down the center of the bean, just through the center, so both ends of the bean are loose.
Fasten the first bean by wrapping the string around it and making a knot so it won't pull through. Then go on stringing till your string's full. Fasten the last bean the same as the first one.
Dry the beans by hanging on a wire in a clean, dry place. An attic or unused room would be okay. Or hang them in your kitchen. They'll be gab grabbers, for sure! In the most high fallutin' magazines you'll see how decorators festoon rooms with the most unusual items. All right—go ahead with your leather britches!
The beans will become dry and wrinkled and you'll wonder what in the world you'll ever do with them, besides just letting them swing there.
In winter, take your dried beans down—several strings for a large kettle—and remove the strings. Rinse well, then put on to cook. When they boil up once, pour off the first water so you know they're clean and to remove any bitter taste. Then pour in fresh water, toss in a ham bone and an onion to keep the beans company and salt and pepper to taste. Cook till tender.
You'll come up with a mighty fine cold weather dish that'll stick to your ribs. These beans will remind you of long-ago years when folks had to preserve much of their food by drying.
Happy eating!
=======
and some more:
LEATHER BRITCHES BEANS
To dry green beans:
Wash 3 pounds young green beans well, snap off the tips, then string up loosely (the beans should barely touch one another on heavy white thread, using a heavy-gauge needle. Hang the strong of beans clothesline fashion indoors in a sunny spot and let dry for about 2 months. Check the beans occasionally for signs of mold and discard them should they begin to soften or mold. If the spot is sufficiently dry and sunny (an east or south exposure is best), the beans will wither gradually, turn a sort of khaki color, then as they give up more and more of their moisture, become lightweight and leathery. They are now ready to cook.
Bean soup made with Leather Britches Beans (the old Southern way to cook dried beans):
1 pound dried green beans
2 quarts cold water
1 large meaty ham bone
1 teaspoon salt (or more if needed)
pinch of black pepper
Place the beans in a heavy, medium-size kettle, pour in the water, cover and let the beans soak for about 2 hours. Add the ham bone, set the kettle over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so that water barely ripples, then simmer slowly, uncovered, about 3 hours or until beans have plumped and softened and meat falls away from the bone. Watch the pot closely toward the end of cooking and add more water if beans threaten to boil dry. There should be quite a bit of liquid in the kettle at serving time (about 2 cups). Taste for salt and add more if needed. Also add pepper to taste. Spoon into soup bowls and serve, making sure that each person gets a nice chunk of ham and plenty of “pot likker.”
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i really loved the PURPLE dried BEANS (leather britches) along with the dried BEETS in the garland luna got!
True Friends * KENTUCKY FRANNIE
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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| Homespun Livin |
Posted - Sep 03 2008 : 06:38:09 AM
Ummm, Frannie? I have heard the term "leather britches" before. I am not quite sure what it is though. Would you please educate me? LOL!!! I would love to know what it is and how it is made. :)
"Love one another." |
