The Week That Was!

Newspaper
When did reality TV become ... nice?
I am not really fond of reality TV and some of the reasons are mentioned in this article. But if you want to see some nice reality TV shows and you are in for luck if you have Netflix. We don't have Netflix. Amazon may be on its way out as well. Maybe be I will try and read more!


Online
A high tunnel is a season extension structure that can extend the growing season by 2-3 months. A boon for a small farm like ours. So last week was spent on learning about what can be grown in high tunnels. We have been on this tunnel construction or planning phase for over 5 months and finally got it done. The plants which usually can go in the ground only after the possibility of frost is over can grow in the high tunnel without fear of getting killed.

The High Tunnel enables the farmer to get his produce to the market earlier. A farmers life is heavily dependent on the weather so some amount of control the farmer can get over it is surely a good thing.

FIRE
I took DD2 to a financial planning seminar offered by the Credit Union we are members of. She was probably only high schooler there while the rest were mostly adults. It should not be a surprise because most people in the US are not taught basic financial sense. With no culture of financial literacy most people are not sure how to deal with their finances.

Financial literacy should be taught from a young age. I am trying to do my part in teaching some of the basics and so when I saw this class being offered and she showed interest I took her.

Most of us learn to deal with finances as we start make money and become responsible for it from habits learned from our parents or what we think is correct. When we learn it the proper way and at school maybe we will all be more responsible.

Last week was National Savings Week to encourage automated savings. See this sobering article in the Washington Post by Michelle Singletary - Does America have a savings crisis?. While it is true that having $400 is a luxury for a lot of people. The poor don't have anybody to lobby for them while the rich getaway with paying as little tax as possible and the poor get dinged if they cannot pay fines. It is kind of a vicious cycle. So the FIRE crowd has it right when they want to gain control.

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Pumpkin Poriyal - Cubed Pumpkin Stir Fry

I never really thought about pumpkin poriyal that much really but it is one that is made in many a Kongu home during Pongal time. I remember eating them at my grandparent's place during ammavasai and they are tasty. Who does not enjoy a sweet vegetable made with coconut gratings?

When I came here to the US there were a lot of pumpkins alright during Halloween but none that tasted like the pumpkins back home. These were grown mostly for ornamental purpose and for carving. I still gave that a try but stringy and not so tasty to eat which is expected. They are for carving Jack O Lanterns!

I stopped buying pumpkins for cooking purposes instead used Butternut squash and Acorn squash as they taste very similar to the pumpkins that we have back in India.



This summer I grewpumpkins at the farm. Tasty and nostalgic at the same time. I was very proud. This year the plan is grow a few more and get better yield. These pumpkins taste great in whichever way you cook them as a a kootu, pulikulambu, sambhar or just a simple stir fry like this recipe which gives the unvarnished taste of the mildly sweet pumpkin and it is pure pleasure.

Cut the pumpkin, remove the inside seeds and stringy portion. Peel the skin if wanted.
In a wide mouthed pan heat oil, add the seasonings. Saute the onions and green chilies and add in the cubed pumpkin.
Add salt, cover and cook the pumpkins till they are soft.
Sprinkle grated coconut mix and turn off the heat.

This pumpkin stir fry, mildly sweet can be served as a side dish to any rice and curry combination. Some people I have heard sprinkle some sugar on the pumpkin but I don't since these are sweet by themselves.

Pumpkin Poriyal - Pumpkin Stir Fry
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1/4 of the pumpkin peeled* seeds and strings removed and cut into 1" cubes (or any size you want)
2. 1/4 cup red onions or shallots chopped fine
3. 6-8 green chilies (more or less depending on the heat of the chili)
4. 1/4 cup grated fresh or frozen coconut
5. seasonings - split urad dal, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves
6. 1 tsp of oil
7. Note:You can wash the skin well and leave it on and then chop. I like to slightly remove the skin and then chop.

Method

1. Heat oil in a wide mouthed pan or kadai, add the seasonings, urad dal first and when it starts to slightly brown, cumin seeds followed by the mustard seeds and when the mustard seeds pop add the curry leaves.
2. Add the onion and green chilies, saute the onions till they become translucent.
3. Add in the pumpkin, saute for 2 minutes, add salt, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Do not overcook, when the pumpkin is soft to the touch, open the lid give a good mix for another 2 minutes or so.
4. Add the coconut, mix gently and turn off the heat.

Serve as a side with rice and sambhar.

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