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HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME continued
Mary Beth Voelker is a writer, a mother,
a cook, a gardener, and a crafter. Though
originally from Pittsburgh, she and
her family kept coming back to North
Carolina until God let them stay. She likes
to say that while she has often been bored
at work she has never been bored at home.
HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME continued
Come satisfy your
Spring Fever
Feve
pring t Aberdeen Suppl
at Supply!
• Hay
• Feed
• Seed
• Vegetable flats
• The Garden Center
has all you need to
get your garden
growing.
Store (910)944-1422 • Garden Center (910)944-3955
M, T, Th, & F 7:30A-5:30P • W, Sat 7:30A-12 noon
201 N. Sycamore Street • Aberdeen
HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME con't. next column HOME SWEET SOUTHERN HOME con't. next column
For the BEST time a dog ever had in Mo. Co.
Protect Your Special
Clothing
by Mary Beth Voelker
I’m sewing my daughter’s wedding dress.
The first thing I made was a garment bag to
protect it from pollen season and from our cats.
It’s a simple thing that I’d thought I’d share the
directions for.
Traditionally, these bags are made from
unbleached muslin or the good parts of old
sheets. I got some 45" wide cotton fabric on
deep-discount, leftover Christmas fabric priced
to get it out of the store.
For a wedding dress with a floor-length skirt
I bought 4 yards. That leaves plenty of room for
a train. If you’re wanting to protect a tea-length
dress then 3 yards ought to be enough. For a
blouse or jacket two should be plenty.
Choose a fabric that is tight enough to keep
off the dust, loose enough to breathe, colorfast so
that it won’t rub or bleed dye onto your precious
garment, and smooth-finished so that it won’t
shed fuzz. 45" wide fabric should accommodate
even the most heavily ruffled and layered skirt.
36" wide would be adequate for most garments.
The first thing to do is to make a ½ inch,
double-fold hem on both cut ends. If you’re
using cut pieces from old sheets finish the long
edges too. Otherwise the selvage edge is finish
enough.
Next fold it crosswise, right sides together,
bringing the two hems up to meet each other.
Sew the two side seams along the selvage edges
at 5/8 inch.
Mark the center of the hemmed fabric on each
side. Mark about 2" on each side of the center.
Turn down about an inch of fabric towards the
inside of the bag and sew 1/8 inch from the
hemmed edge to make a casing that will pass a
ribbon. Sewing across the side seams but leave it
open between the marks on each side. Backtack
to secure the ends of each section.
Turn the bag right side out. Cut two pieces
of ribbon each just a bit longer than the
circumference of the bag. Thread these into the
casing so that the ends of one protrude from one
opening and the ends of the other protrude from
the other opening and knot the ends of each
loop together.
If making a long bag like mine for a dress
with a skirt with a train sew a long ribbon loop
on each of the lower corners.
To use, insert the dress on its hanger. Pull the
neck ribbons to secure the bag over the dress
and tie the ribbons. Fold up the extra length of
the bag and dress train and slip the loops over
the hanger.
Bread & Butter Pickled
Jalapeños
Here in the Sandhills Jalapeño peppers tend
to grow like weeds so that a few plants will
quickly outstrip the average family’s ability to
eat them fresh. Yes, you can freeze them, but it’s
even nicer to put up some jars of this delicious
recipe.
Ingredients:
• 4 lbs jalapeño peppers
• 2 lbs onions
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons celery seeds
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
Directions:
Prepare half a dozen pint jars or a dozen jelly
jars for canning as usual.
Slice jalapeños and onions thinly. I
recommend using double surgical gloves or
dishwashing gloves for handling this large
amount of peppers. I’ve had hot pepper juice
seep through thin, inexpensive gloves, and it’s
not a good experience.
Put the other ingredients into a large, nonreactive
pot. Bring to a boil, stirring so that all
the sugar has dissolved.
Add the jalapeños and onions, boil for one
minute, then taste. If too hot, then add additional
sugar as needed. One dry year when the peppers
were especially firey I had to double it.
Pack the peppers into the jars, leaving ¼”
headspace.
Cap then process in a boiling water bath 10
minutes.
Five Different Things to
Do With Zucchini
Of course you can deep fry it (beer batter
optional), grill it, steam it, or make zucchini
bread, but here are some more things to do with
the inevitable zucchini surplus.
Sauté bite-sized pieces in garlicky oil over
medium-high heat so that they brown quickly
without leaking a lot of juice. At the last minute
add split cherry tomatoes and toss together. Top
with Asiago cheese, turn off the heat, and let
stand covered for 5 minutes before serving.
Make zucchini fritters by grating a large
zucchini and mixing into a batter made from ½
cup self-rising flour, ½ cup milk, one beaten egg,
and garlic powder to taste. Drop by spoonfuls
into hot oil and fry until nicely browned, turning
once.
Cut raw zucchini onto bite-sized pieces and
toss with your favorite salad dressing.
Use it in pasta dishes. But first salt down
the slices or shreds, let them rest in a colander
for 20-30 minutes, then squeeze out the excess
moisture. You’ll end up with ½ or even or the
bulk and all the flavor in a form that doesn’t make
your sauce watery. It won’t be too salty because
the salt will drain away with the moisture when
you squeeze it.
Make zucchini pickles. I like these even
better than I like cucumber pickles.
Zucchini Pickles
• 2 lbs zucchini
• ½ lb onions
• ¼ cup pickling salt
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp prepared mustard
• 2 tsp mustard seed
Slice zucchini and onions thinly.
Combine in a non-metal bowl. Barely cover
with water. Add salt and let sit for 2 hours. Drain.
Bring vinegar, sugar, and spices to a boil.
Pour over zucchini/onions and let sit for 2 hours.
Prepare 4 pint jars for canning.
Transfer pickle mix to a pot. Boil 5 minutes.
Pack in pint jars with ¼” headspace.
Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes to
seal.
No. 130 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.11
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