Recently Written
Categories
- BOOKS
- BREADS
- CLICK - the photo event
- DEFEAT CANCER
- FITNESS
- GARDENING
- MUSINGS
- NUTRITION
- PANTRY AUDIT
- PHOTO ESSAYS
- PHOTOGRAPHY
- POLITICS
- POSTCARDS
- PRODUCT REVIEWS
- TRAVEL
- VEGAN RECIPES
- VEGETARIAN ATHLETE
- VEGETARIAN RECIPES
- Almond
- Amaranth Leaves
- Anise / Aniseeds
- Apple
- Apricot
- Artichoke
- Arugula
- Ash Gourd/Winter Melon
- Asparagus
- Avocado
- Bamboo Shoot
- Banana
- Barley
- Basil/Thai basil
- Beans (Dried)
- Beet Greens
- Beetroot
- Bell Peppers/Capsicum
- Bitter Gourd/Karela
- Blueberry
- Bottle Gourd
- Broccoli
- Brussels Sprout
- Brussels Sprout Leaf
- Buckwheat
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Carrot Greens
- Cashew
- Cassava/Yuca/Manioc
- Cauliflower
- Cauliflower Leaf
- Celery
- Chard (Swiss, Red, Rainbow)
- Cherry
- Chestnut
- Chillies/Peppers
- Chives
- Chocolate
- Cilantro/Coriander Leaves
- Coconut
- Coffee
- Collard Greens
- Corn
- Cornmeal
- Cranberry
- Cucumber
- Curry leaves
- Dairy/Cheese
- Date
- Dill
- Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine
- Eggs
- Fennel
- Fenugreek (Methi)
- Fig
- Flax seeds
- Flours
- Galangal
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Grapes
- Green/French Beans
- Honey
- Ivy Gourd
- Jackfruit
- Jaggery
- Jicama
- Kaffir lime leaf
- Kale
- Kiwi fruit
- Lavender
- Leek
- Lemon/Lime
- Lemongrass
- Lentils
- Lettuces
- Lima Bean
- Lotus Root
- Lotus seeds
- Mango
- Marjoram
- Mint
- Mushroom
- Mustard Greens
- Nutritional Yeast
- Oats
- Okra/Ladyfinger
- Olive
- Onion/Shallot
- Orange
- Oregano
- Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese)
- Papaya
- Parsley
- Parsnip
- Pasta/Noodles
- Peach
- Peanut/Groundnut
- Pear
- Peas
- Pecan
- Persimmon
- Pineapple
- Pistachio
- Plantain
- Plum
- Pomegranate
- Poppy seeds
- Potato
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Pumpkin/Squash
- Radish
- Radish Greens
- Raisin
- Raspberry
- Rice
- Ridge Gourd
- Rose
- Rosemary
- Rye
- Saffron
- Sage
- Sesame Seeds
- Soy/Tofu
- Spices
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Sprouts
- Strawberry
- Sugar
- Sumac
- Sunflower Seeds
- Sweet Potato
- Tamarind
- Taro / Arvi / Colocasia
- Taro / Arvi / Colocasia Leaf
- Tarragon
- Tea
- Thyme
- Tomatillo
- Tomato
- Turnip
- Tuvar Lilva
- Valor Papdi (Hyacinth Bean)
- Veg Medley
- Walnut
- Water Chestnut
- Watercress
- Watermelon
- Wheat
- Yam/Elephant Yam
- Zucchini/Courgette
-
Admin
Oct
28
The big purge … and Plum-Ginger Chutney
October 28, 2008 |
Over the past few days, I’ve been putting stuff away to donate. The first line of attack is my wardrobe.
It’s funny how the dent is not visible even though I’ve set aside about 30% of my clothes to give away. My wardrobe looks as full as it was when I began last week.
That begs the question: What does one do with a dozen heavy embroidered silk sarees? They’re gorgeous and each of them has been worn once, maybe twice. My aunts in India prefer simple cottons in muted colours. My cousins, like moi, live in casual clothes and have their own stash of silks that rarely get used. How does one donate silk sarees? Who accepts them? Any ideas?
Next in line are the CDs. Then the books, of which we have too many to count. Last will be the kitchenware - the miles of ceramics I’ve collected over the years. Talking of purges, I have about 50 food posts lined up in my drafts, many from 2 years ago. It’s a good thing, ‘cos I haven’t felt like cooking anything interesting or taking pictures for a while now. Plum-Ginger Chutney is one of them.
Did you know, plums are now the second most cultivated fruit in the world, second only to apples ??
Did you also know that the expiry date on the pickled ginger you get in the grocery store is meant to be ignored ?? We have a box of pickled ginger in the fridge that “expired” two years ago. Looks and tastes just fine.
The pickled ginger (gari in Japanese) is used in sushi, and has a fantastic sour-sweet-pungent flavour. It is much milder than plain ginger because of the pickling. You can find it in the Asian section of a regular grocery store. If using plain ginger reduce the quantity to 1 tbsp. We bought it because a certain someone promised to make sushi. Two years ago. **cough cough** Still waiting.
He has two weeks to use up the dried seaweed in the pantry before it spirals into oblivion.
The Spanish paprika gives a smoky flavour and deep red colour.
PLUM-GINGER CHUTNEY
Makes about 3 cups
Cook on medium flame
5 cups chopped plums
1 cup chopped oranges
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey/sugar)
1/4 cup chopped pickled ginger (or 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger)
1 cup apple juice (or dessert wine)
a pinch of salt
3/4 tsp Spanish paprika (or Kashmiri chilli powder/deghi mirch)
**or 1/3 tsp cayenne powder
Cook down to about 3 cups.
Powder
2 cloves,
2 green cardamoms,
a pinch each of of nutmeg and cinnamon
add it with
1 tsp lemon/lime juice.
Cool and store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.
- Bee
Related posts
, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, Ginger, maple-syrup, NaBloWriMo, nutmeg, Orange, paprika, pickled ginger, Plum, vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes
Oh, wow– that’s quite a lot to purge, both in the physical and blog-worlds! If you have a gorgeous set of barely-used sarees, might I suggest eBay? Much more appealing as a package deal. You might also consider a garage sale.
Sell your saris on eBay. Or you could put them up on Craigslist - people make curtains out of them. Or give them to a local seamstress who might be able to make cushion covers out of them. I don’t have too many clothes personally but I have tons of Medha’s clothes. I separate them into two piles: one goes to ARC or other thrift stores, the other goes to kids in the ‘hood. The latter are usually more expensive, hardly used and in excellent shape.
How abt taking to some charity institutions in India who will use them for ladies there, or make silk skirts out of them, so that the kids can get a taste of them….
If you have any trips planned within immediate vicinity or send it thro some friend.. Just my 2 cents here
I have a few posts in my draft too but always end up posting the new ones first.
about the saris, i think this is the case with most of us who get married and then go off abroad where the use of saris is probably once or max twice a year. since i knew this would happen, i bought very few for my wedding but still there are about 6-7 just lying there, unused. i am thinking of giving it to our maid’s daughter, or maybe one of your relatives’ maids who have young daughters. my mom once did this and the girl wore it for her wedding! cuz they just can’t afford anything similar.
if you are going to india anytime soon (or even if you are not), that’s what i strongly suggest.
Auction the sarees for charity. Contact a charity and they can do it for you. Donate it to any person in India that needs it - my friend donated it to a domestic violence non-profit in India.
Hope this helps.
Silk sarees - what to do?
* Donate to a womens institution in India
* Make curtains - partner with a local seamstress and sell ethnic, original… curtains - donate profits to charity
* Use as bed covers
* Get them turned into salwar-kurtas if you wear those
* Cut out the pallus and collage them into a wall hanging(s)
* Wear them? I do that even to work sometimes in California
When I was in college, I used to have a quilt made of my mother’s and grandmother’s old pattu sarees (my mother essentially layered and sewed the sarees together, and finished with some decorative stitching) - it was one of the warmest, cosiest things I ever had!
My husband adores pickled ginger and he usually gets full from it when we dine at Japanese restaurants. Imagine how much of it you need to eat to get full! He loves loves loves it!
Make bags out of them! (The Indian designs are “in”) How? I don’t know… *giggle*
The chutney sounds great…
sorry to hear about bri
why not auction on your site for the highest bidder and send the $$ to a charity?
If not your site, do the same on ebay..
Hi, lot of purge…love the ginger pickle recipe, and ginger too is priced by the age. The older the ginger the higher the price, so those pickles are antique gems:-) Regarding the silk sarees, they are used as decorative silk cushion covers, upholstery, wall hangings (with the zari forming the borders when folded in the desired rectangle, square, circle shapes). In Mumbai, I have seen a lot of people who use their expensive wedding sarees as art pieces, framed on their walls above diwans, and the master bed or living rooms. A single sari can give you 2 or 3 framed works, depending on the work on the pallu, and the design on the sari giving long lasting great interiors:-)I just noticed Vishakha has already explained the options above…
please donate them to the less fortunate in India who would love to have heavy silk sarees.
If that isn’t an option (I understand carting it back in a suitcase is tiring), then make bedspreads or blankets, esp if they don’t have zari work on them (else its too scratchy). i made one into a blanket years ago, because it was a lovely color but was tearing due to age, and its one of the warmest, softest blankets I own.
Hi Bee
Plum chutney looks so vibrant.. and Silk Sarees, I usually take them back to India Bee, My mom checks them and gives to the maids and people who can’t afford….
I know when u think about India, then you have to think about baggage allowance. But now in UK, we recently discovered few agencies who charge by a kilo and deliver them in India….
Cushion covers are what came to my mind first but I see others have already suggested that. You can covert the drapey ones to dresses, stiff silks to skirts. You can donate a saree or two to schools if they want to showcase clothes from different parts of the world.
Coming to the recipe, for once I think I have all the ingredients listed, would love to try it. I got a jar of pickled ginger a while ago and used a tsp or two of it for the one time that I made sushi at home. This would be a good way to use it up.
Bee - How interesting - I just took three big bags stuffed full of clothes from my closet to Goodwill on Sunday. I had to stop myself from going inside to shop afterwards though. Finding bargain kitchenware (especially cast iron skillets) there is a weakness of mine.
Before you send off your silk saris/sarees, please take some lovely photographs of them. That way you can keep them and share them both.
Or - would it be disrespectful of them some way to reconfigure them as table coverings? They would still be a part of your daily life here that way and you could take pleasure in them as you take pleasure in preparing and eating your many wonderful dishes.
Hope you are feeling better by now!
I was also going to suggest ebay for the saris or one of the swap sites.
I never would have thought plums were second to apples. I would have thought bananas or mangoes for sure. I love your recipe, Bee. In fact, when Jeff orders sushi, I usually end up eating most of his pickled ginger.
Some of the options:
Make quilt cover.
Make pillow/cushion covers.
Make curtains.
Make table cloth.
Just some of my thoughts.
I loved all those ideas about the saris. I have a couple of suitcases full of sarees and mekhela sadors(our traditinal dress, which are really gorgeous) and which have been gathering dust…seems such a shame.Must do something about them soon.
And the chutney looks yummy too
i agree with you, I have saris that I haven’t worn yet. It may be worthwhile looking at Indian NGOs which may accept the saris. Or you could find different uses… would that be a possibility?
The chutney looks yum.
Also happy diwali!
Lovely chutney, for some reason I feel like having this on a bagel.
All the ideas I had to do with the saris (& With mine own too), have been already listed above. drapes, pillow overs, bedspreads, room dividers etc etc.. also the heavy thick borders could be used to make wall art if u could frame them. we did one with the pillow covers put toghether we were not using. but ur decor needs to match this style.
cut them out & seam to make shawls & wraps which u could use on ur regular wear?
I used a sari as a background for a wall hanging and placed a brass ganesha on it , some I just used them as wall hangings. yes manisha’s idea is a good one to sell them on ebay or craigslist, donate them in India or use some interesting ones as a background for ur photos… coming to the chutney I have a thing for sweet chutneys… looks gorgeous as usual bee , would taste fantastic with hot buttered toast.
OMG - sarees to donate? I’ll take ‘em
Crafters would love love love to get their hands on Indian silks to turn them into gorgeous bags, notebook covers and a hundred other things.
If you offer them on your blog to crafty readers (they can pay for shipping costs), I am sure you will find many takers. Of course, it might be time-consuming for you (packing and shipping the stuff).
I would LOVE one! But I think the idea to donate would be better…
I don’t necessarily have the beautiful brown skin to ‘carry’ a sari (or saree), but I would LOVE to wear one. I think they always look so beautiful and exotic.
I think the idea of donating in India is better. I know it is such hassle to carry in our luggage. Try to take the most expensive first and donate …
The chutney looks awesome!
Hi bee, hope you are feeling better now. I know you want to purge now, but I loved touching my mothers silk sarees and holding her history in my hands - her poochutal saree and wedding sarees. Perhaps someone else in your family after many years, may appreciate them for that reason? Especially embroidery is a dying art - quality seems to degrade every year.
I’d make (or have someone make) a quilt from the saris — that way you get to keep them and use them. And a quilt can be handed down through the family, too.
Good luck with the purge.
I’ll make you sushi if you send me some of that plum chutney.
I love Lydia’s idea the best. Especially the handed down through the family part. We will need seven quilts in all. Make that eight, so that Medha does not feel left out.
I can say that about salwars, jewellery & books…. too many of them!
The pickled ginger looks great! love the colors… interesting comination off ingredients! Love the pics too…
hey bee,
I left all my sarees in India. My mom can use it when she wants to, so can my cousins. There are more weddings and parties happening there then here. I have only a couple of sarees here that stare at me.
Wait till you have kids bee, the purging will be an everyday activity. he he he!
Posting photos in the blog will be nice, interested readers can pay for shipping and a decent price for the saree, which you can use for a good cause
Hi Bee: If you have a Hare Krishna temple nearby you could try donate it to them. The loical one in Toronto usually has a floating poluation of locals who live on site and are always glad to accept Indian clothes.
All of the above ideas are good.
I have given away quite a few of mine, converted some into skirts and ethnic looking “kurti”s for my daughter, and all the rest.
There are some, however, that have some sentimental significance and I just can’t bring myself to give away. So I now make it a point to wear them occasionally. They really are perfect formal evening wear.
They do make the perfect backdrop of photographing festive food too!
Save them nicely to hand it over to someone in family,unless ofcourse u guys have a baby girl ,who i am sure would adore it,and alos i have heard that non-Indian females out there simply feast their eyes on saris,bangles and bindis,no such luck for u???I am sure if you discuss this with Non Indian friends of urs they will jump with joy,but yeah u will have to take the trouble to teach them how to drape…he he he!
Kurtis and tops will be best idea to utilize them,i on other hand went bersek and got a Ghaagra choli stitched from my mothers lovely wedding saree….i still loathe myself for doing so,coz i hardly got to wear that(Size problems :-()
Pickled ginger looks lovely so is chutney!We too pickle ginger in lemon juice along with chunks of thick- green chillies and garlic….oh now i m craving so much for those…
I work for an arts-integrated city high school and gave my old saris to them for students to use in their art. I would suggest you split them up–the nicer half to women in India who would wear them and the less nice half to an arts high school. (I am sure you have a few need arts programs there.)
Or auction them off to food bloggers to use as backgrounds in their photographs and then donate the money to something–like cancer. I would guess each Sari could be split into a couple backgrounds–that could be a tidy sum as a donation. (3 backgrounds per sari…)
Thats a gorgeous chutney. I had a half-dozen of saris too. When I decided I won’t be wearing them in the near furture I converted them into salwars. If it having thread embroidery they make gorgeous bed spreads. As Manisha says we can convert them into cushion covers. The best way to get rid of them is donate to charity institutes. Silk material can be stitched into winter clothing as it will keep us warm.
Silk sarees? Would you please throw them my way?
The older, the better. No, i’m not kidding. Really.
That rich red of the chutney is to die for.
On the subject of purging, if you have any blankets or towels to give away, do take them to your local animal shelter. They can really use them, especially during winter.