Remember that thread about refried beans & herbs?

I just got my shipment of Epazote from Penzey's. The hold up was with
me deciding what else to order. The shipping cost for the 4x8oz jars
was four times the cost of the Epazote itself. Most of the weight was
in the jars.

One of their lovely customer service people helped me work out an
additional order that would allow me to get more Epazote for the same
shipping cost.

In the end I ordered a couple of big 8 oz bags to accompany the four
jars. I wasn't sure the bags would get through our customs, but they
did and the whole shebang arrived today (less than a week after I
confirmed my order).

Now all I have to do is figure out who I can share all this Epazote
with. Our daughter for sure ... but also a couple of ex-pat Yanks who
would like to fart less after a feed of refried beans.

So thanks for the heads-up about Epazote. You may have helped reverse
Global Warming (tongue firmly in cheek as we experience the coldest
Autumn in living memory).


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Jun 3, 11:39*pm, bob > wrote:
> Remember that thread about refried beans & herbs?
>
> I just got my shipment of Epazote from Penzey's. [snip]

Give this recipe along with the herb, just to encourage more beans.
-aem

Cuban-style Black Beans

the Beans
1 lb. black beans
1 smoked pork hock (or salt pork, or ham bone or something similar)
2 bay leaves
1 sprig epazote (1 tsp dried? or 1 TB? )

the Sofrito
1 onion
1 bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1/4 teaspoon oregano (optional)
1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup dry sherry

Soak beans overnight, drain, rinse.
Put beans, bay leaves and meat in large pot, cover with cold water
by
at least an inch, bring to bare simmer. As beans cook add hot water
from your electric kettle as necessary to maintain water level.
Chop onion, pepper, mince garlic. Saute in olive oil (optional:
with
comino or oregano or both) until soft. Stir in sherry and let it
reduce by at least half. Reserve.

After beans have nearly fully cooked -- 2 hours, give or take --
stir
in the sofrito plus 1.5 tablespoons cider vinegar. Cook another 20
-
30 minutes, during which period you can taste carefully for salt,
and
season as necessary. Remove bay leaves and epazote sprig. Serve
with white rice.

Note: some people like to thicken the beans. You can do that by
spooning some of the beans into the sofrito pan and mashing them up,
then add back to the beans.
Further note: cumin is not always used in Cuban dishes
but it is tasty here. Try it with and without and judge for
yourself.

bob wrote:
> Remember that thread about refried beans & herbs?
>
> I just got my shipment of Epazote from Penzey's. The hold up was with
> me deciding what else to order. The shipping cost for the 4x8oz jars
> was four times the cost of the Epazote itself. Most of the weight was
> in the jars.
>
> One of their lovely customer service people helped me work out an
> additional order that would allow me to get more Epazote for the same
> shipping cost.
>
>
> So thanks for the heads-up about Epazote. You may have helped reverse
> Global Warming (tongue firmly in cheek as we experience the coldest
> Autumn in living memory).
>
>

You could save a lot of the shipping weight by ordering bags
instead of bottles.
I am growing an epazote plant this year. So far, so good.
It's in a half whiskey barrell
along with a jungle of tarragon (two years old) and some
lovage and Italian parsley.

How cold is it there? It was very comfortable shirtsleeve
weather most of the time
we were there in April and early May.

We have had unusually wet weather for our usual desert
climate. It has rained
something like 8 of the past weekends and we are beyond
average rainfall for the
year after a very dry winter here on the prairie. It was
still snowing in the mts. above 8000
feet yesterday.

gloria p

bob wrote:
> Remember that thread about refried beans & herbs?
>
> I just got my shipment of Epazote from Penzey's. The hold up was with
> me deciding what else to order. The shipping cost for the 4x8oz jars
> was four times the cost of the Epazote itself. Most of the weight was
> in the jars.
>
> One of their lovely customer service people helped me work out an
> additional order that would allow me to get more Epazote for the same
> shipping cost.
>
> In the end I ordered a couple of big 8 oz bags to accompany the four
> jars. I wasn't sure the bags would get through our customs, but they
> did and the whole shebang arrived today (less than a week after I
> confirmed my order).
>
> Now all I have to do is figure out who I can share all this Epazote
> with. Our daughter for sure ... but also a couple of ex-pat Yanks who
> would like to fart less after a feed of refried beans.
>
> So thanks for the heads-up about Epazote. You may have helped reverse
> Global Warming (tongue firmly in cheek as we experience the coldest
> Autumn in living memory).


I followed the thread and got some in a cellophane package at one of the
local Mexican supermarkets. I was making some charro beans to go with
ribs I'd smoked.

I have been trying to duplicate the flavor of charro beans that I had
in a little restaurant in Central Texas (Columbus) and never could. Now
I know why. I was missing the epazote.

BTW, it did have the desired after-effect.<g>
--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

On Thu, 04 Jun 2009 11:05:26 -0600, Puester >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>bob wrote:

<snip>

>> So thanks for the heads-up about Epazote. You may have helped reverse
>> Global Warming (tongue firmly in cheek as we experience the coldest
>> Autumn in living memory).
>>
>
>You could save a lot of the shipping weight by ordering bags
>instead of bottles.

I wasn't sure that bags would get through our customs. But now that I
know they do, I'll order bags from now on.

>I am growing an epazote plant this year. So far, so good.
>It's in a half whiskey barrell
>along with a jungle of tarragon (two years old) and some
>lovage and Italian parsley.

We grow our own herbs and everything works out well except coriander
(which bolts, so I keep growing it from seeds in rotation). I'm going
to start looking around for Epazote seeds or seedlings.

>How cold is it there? It was very comfortable shirtsleeve
>weather most of the time
>we were there in April and early May.

Last night it was 1 degree Celsius. That's around 33.5 degrees
Fahrenheit. And we're living in a part of New Zealand known for its
warm winters - "The Winterless North." Despite the chamber of commerce
hype we're used to it getting down to 7c (44.5f) at night.

Daytime temps are far warmer, of course. Today's forecast is for 14c
(57f). Lovely in the sunshine.

>We have had unusually wet weather for our usual desert
>climate. It has rained
>something like 8 of the past weekends and we are beyond
>average rainfall for the
>year after a very dry winter here on the prairie. It was
>still snowing in the mts. above 8000
>feet yesterday.
>
>gloria p

Then we won't be exporting any of our rain or snow to your neck of the
woods. ;-)b


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~