Propagating (Stealing) Plants

    This post is for those of you  who are too cheap or poor to buy your own plants. Or maybe you just want the thrill of stealing from others and profiting from your ventures. Or maybe you just have fun trying new things and propagating plants is something you have never done. Whatever the case, it is still obvious that many nurseries and other stores that sell plants can label them with exorbitant prices when the amount of effort it takes to propagate your own is relatively low!
 
       To get started propagating: You need a clipping large enough to have a few leaf junctions (where the leaves meet the stem). These junctions are usually where the roots will sprout from. About 2-3 inches of a plant is typically enough. To develop the roots just place the part of the plant you want to grow roots in a glass of water. Leave the clipping in a sunny window for about 2-3 weeks. You should be able to plant your clipping successfully once the roots are about an inch or two long. Some plants take longer than others to sprout roots, but if there is no growth after 2-3 weeks, odds are that the plant can not be propagated in this manner. Technically speaking, all plants can be propagated, it's just that some are more fragile than others and require more care and encouragement (hormone exposure). This hack-n-slash method is best for robust and hardy plants.

Here is my own propagation creation:

A sweet potato vine and a coleus

Here you can see the roots sprouting from where the leaves meet the stem. 

My creation:

 I saw this container at Krogers the other day for $20. All of these plants (except the grasses) can be propagated and are fast growers. It contains coleus, verbena and black sweet potato vine.

Here is a list of common plants that can be propagated this way:

• Chlorophytum comosum, often called the spider plant (the hanging baby plants can be propagated) 
• marigolds 
• verbena 
• all types of mint 
• wandering jew 
• purple velvet plant 
• sweet potato vines (all types) 
• creeping thyme 
• most types of ground cover/vines (if you can see little roots growing budding from leaf junctions it can be propagated)

I am sure there are many more plants that can be cultivated in this manner! I have just included a short list to get you started. I will do my best to update as I find more propagatable varieties. Do you know of any plants that can be propagated this way? Please Comment!

Butternut Squash and Sunflower Sprout Salad

~30 min

Ingredients:

• lettuce
• sunflower sprouts
• okra and or other vegetables
• butternut squash
• honey
• mustard
• garlic salt
• pepper
• chilli powder 
• ginger powder
• honey
• lemon juice

I bought some butternut squash and sunflower sprouts at the farmers market today and was trying to find some ways to use them. Most recipes call for the seeds and pulp of the squash to be removed before cooking. So I decided to re-purpose them to make a tasty salad.

First remove this stuff and save it for later because it is gooood. And cook the squash with your favorite recipe.

     The best way to separate the pulp from the seeds is to put them in water and rub them with your hands until they disentangle. Now add a 1/4 tsp of chilli powder and garlic salt per small hand full of seeds. Turn a skillet on medium and add a tsp of  tallow or lard. Let the fat warm up and begin to bubble then add the seasoned seeds and spread them out in a single layer. It is important to not stir the seeds around too much because you want them to toast not cook. So give them about two or three minutes before messing with them unless it looks like they are burning.

Now these little guys are delicious. Try not to eat all of them before you finish making the salad :)

For the squash: use the pulp that was separated from the seeds and throw it in a skillet on medium heat with a little olive oil, a 1/8 tsp of ginger powder and lemon juice, and a 1/2 tsp of honey. Cook the water out of the pulp and then crank up the heat on the skillet to medium high. Brown the pulp a bit ~5-10 min and remove.

 To assemble: mix your lettuce, sunflower sprouts, browned squash pulp, okra and etc.

For the dressing: 2 parts brown mustard to 1 part honey and season with some garlic salt and pepper

Toss, top with the chili seeds and serve. Yum

Next time I plan on adding some chicken for a more filling meal.

Korean Tacos/Lettuce Wraps

~30 min, feeds two

A very simple but flavorful meal.
Ingredients:

• 1lb beef
• rice
• several large intact lettuce leaves
• diced onions and mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce

Cook the rice first.
Secondly cook the ground beef, mushrooms, and onions in a skillet over medium heat.

Mix the spices, sesame oil, and diced garlic together in a separate bowl.

Add the soy sauce in small amounts until the spices are all evenly mixed in the liquid.

  Then pour the mixture over the cooked beef. And cook for about 5 more minutes to soak the spices into the meat.

 Pull a couple of large lettuce leaves out for use. Serve the rice and beef in a lettuce leaf or two and eat like a taco.

Adapted from: http://www.hoteatsandcoolreads.com/2013/01/korean-ground-beef-lettuce-wraps-recipe.html - I found the recipe to have too much oil and soy sauce.

Spicy Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers: gluten free

~30 min + 30 oven time
Going on a low carb/sugar kick for two weeks to help my digestive system and possibly reduce my acne. Because of my breakouts I take a lot of antibacterials, so even though I eat healthy I still think I need a bit of an extra push to try to isolate its cause. Day one.

Ingredients:

• Two bell peppers
• 1lb ground beef
• half of a tomato diced
• six button mushrooms diced or whatever other kind you want to use
• half of a large onion
• two cloves of garlic
• 3Tbsp Sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Italian spice
• salt
• pepper
• spicy pepper paste to taste

-Preheat oven to 350.
-Cut off the top of the bell peppers. Remove the cores and stems then throw away. Set aside the good part of the leftover vegetables.

-Cook the beef over medium high heat in a LARGE skillet with a diced clove of garlic. While the beef is cooking dice all of your vegetables and the remaining bell pepper. Once completely cooked, drain the beef, remove it from the pan and reserve a little of the beef grease to cook the vegetables in.

-Turn the skillet back to medium high heat and let the grease start bubbling again. Add the vegetables, sesame seeds, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, Italian spice, and spicy pepper paste. Stir well to combine. Cook for about ten minutes until the vegetables are nearly done.

-Remove from heat and combine the vegetables and beef well.

-Sprinkle the interior of the bell peppers with some salt, pepper, and Italian spice. Now stuff each with the mixture. Top everything with some more Italian spice.

-Put peppers in a bread pan or etc. and cover with aluminum foil.

-Cook in the oven for half an hour and it will be ready to eat. Feel free to melt some cheese on top right as it comes out of the oven.

I used poblanos as well for some extra spice and less bitterness.

Crispy Fish Skins

~5 min
Next time you have fish for dinner and have leftover fish skins, don't just feed them to your cat. Save them and cook them to make crispy fish skins for later use. These are great on rice with seaweed and sesame seeds or on eggs in the morning.

Ingredients:

• fish skin
• sesame oil 

Pour a dab of sesame oil into a cast iron or frying pan. Turn on medium heat. Once the pan has pre-heated throw in the fish skins.

Cook for approximately 2 min on each side. For safety, DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM THE STOVE TOP. These burn ridiculously easy. I've seen many recipes call for placing these in ovens to bake but I always burn mine! And when fish skins burn your house will smell like them for several days. And your pans will be stained. And you will miss out on some tasty crispy snacks. So don't be negligent here and have some patience. 

When the skins look like the one on the right in this photo they are done. They may not seem crispy in the hot pan, but when they cool they will be plenty crunchy.

The crunchy bacon like resulting fish.

 

Also don't forget to use that leftover fish oil now in the frying pan to cook some vegetables or etc.

Bean Tostadas

Ingredients:
Filling:

• 8 oz Pinto Beans
• 2 Tbsp lard (I used beef fat)
• Garlic salt to taste
• tsp cumin
• tsp chili powder
• 4 sweet or spicy banana peppers
• half an onion
• one minced clove of garlic
• salsa
• cheese of your choice
• lettuce and cilantro for garnish

Corn Tortillas:

• 1/3 cup Masa Harina per tortilla
• 6 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp of garlic salt

To make the beans:
Soak them in 3 parts water for at least 12 hours. Discard any floating ones. Add the soaked beans into a pot and cover with new water. Bring it to a boil and then cover and reduce to a simmer for about one hour until the beans are soft. In a separate frying pan add a few tablespoons of lard. Finely chop the garlic clove and half of the onions and banana peppers. Cut the other half of the vegetables into strips. Turn the eye on medium and fry them until golden. Drain the beans and using a potato masher roughly make a paste. Add the chopped vegetables to the beans and season with cumin, chili powder, and garlic salt to taste.

To make the corn tortillas:
Mix the corn flour, garlic salt, and water to make a ball.

 Flatten the ball into the size of a tortilla. Or use a tortilla press.

Use a big flat knife to pick up the tortilla.

Add some lard to preferably a cast iron skillet or frying pan. Over medium high heat fry the tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side until slightly browned.
Top with beans, cheese, salsa, lettuce and cilantro.

Egg Drop Soup

~5-15 min

Ingredients:

• one can  low sodium chicken broth
• one egg
• approx 1 cubic inch of grated ginger
• one clove of minced garlic
• Tablespoon of soy sauce
• tsp of sesame oil if you don't stir fry any veggies
• optional: stir fried vegetables in sesame oil

To begin heat the chicken broth on low-med heat. Stir fry your veggies in some sesame oil if you choose.

 Add in soy sauce, grated ginger, and garlic. If you didn't cook any veggies, add about a tsp of sesame oil to your broth for some flavor.

 In a separate bowl whisk an egg.

 Now comes the fun part. Take a spoon and stir the broth around in a circle until you get a pretty good whirlpool going. Quickly drizzle in the egg.

 Add your vegetables and any other seasonings you want. I put in pepper and chili paste for a bit of a kick. Toasted sesame seeds would also taste great here.

 Makes two small bowls of soup. Great for a super quick appetizer or side dish. Sometimes I like to eat this soup as a meal. When doing this, I usually add in some meat and rice to make it more filling.