I do a lot of preserving onboard. A couple times a year I break out the big pots and the mason jars and water bath can a batch of Pawpaw Mustard Pickles, Mango Chutney, Kumquat Marmalade or Charred Tomato Salsa. If I am really lucky I can find “exotic fruits” and make something like Cardamom…
Tag: Galley Notes
Galley Notes; How to Dress a Squid
So, you’ve managed to convince some cephalopods that your lure looked tasty and now you’ve got a bucket full o’ squid. Visions of calamari are dancing in your head, but just how to you get from whole animal to delicious, deep fried morsels? “Dressing” a squid does not involve turtle necks or tutus, it is…
Galley Notes: Confessions of a Fungi-phobe
Shopping for fruit and veg in the Solomon Islands couldn’t be easier; most days I don’t even have to leave the cockpit. Outside urban centres like Honiara and Gizo (where there are stores and fresh markets and people have jobs that pay money) we almost never go ashore for fresh goods. Guaranteed sometime during the…
Galley Notes; Saffron Yogurt and Stove-Top Baked Yogurt Herb Bread
When Steve returns from a stint away working he always brings me a few special things. This time it was some fancy hand cream, a couple chocolate bars from duty-free (chocolate is expensive in this part of the world), a can of ready-to-eat hummus, a small bottle of perfume and a bottle of hazelnut butter. An…
Galley Notes: Fermenting on a Small Sailboat
Steve has been away for almost 7 weeks and, as per usual, while he’s been gone I have been experimenting in the galley. This time I have been making sauerkraut, and some variations, using the process of natural fermentation. I am a big fan of sauerkraut, always have been. Growing up in Nova Scotia it…
Galley Notes: Cardamom Scented Applesauce and the Good Life
We had a heck of a sail back to Noumea the other day, stronger than expected winds, low cloud, and constant rain cut visibility down to half a mile and made for a pretty bumpy ride. When we hit the grocery store late that afternoon there was a cart full of must-go’s in the produce…
Galley Notes: I really like your pawpaw, can I shake your tree?
Last month I finally received a new supply of mason jars. The dozen that I carefully carried back from Australia last year quickly got filled in the last round of preserving I did. My enthusiasm for canning was bolstered by my success so another yachtie and I decided to combine our order and split the…
Galley Notes: We be Jammin’
Well, pickling really. Everyone once in a while I need some serious galley time; Steve calls it my therapy. Something about the methodical actions of slicing and dicing, of stirring and waiting somehow calms me, brings me back to centre. I have to admit, a small boat in the tropics is really not the smartest…
Galley Notes: Let them eat Cake!
No matter which way you slice it, for me, birthdays are all about the cake. Cake did not make a regular appearance on the family menu when I was growing up. There were desserts, mostly seasonal, like strawberry rhubarb pie, blueberry grunt and apple crisp. There were raisin oatmeal cookies, to dunk in your tea…
Galley Notes: What’s for dinner, Dhal?
I have promised these two recipes to a couple people so thought that I would share with everyone what has quickly become a regular staple in our menu since learning the tricks from a lovely Indian lady up the road a few months ago. Dhal and roti are two very simple things to cook but…