Interesting source of info about cooking on an open fire.

Submitted by Kay Robison on Fri, 07/15/2022 - 09:13
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The Second Circle: Food and Water

Ok, I think this is going to be come a very addictive and guilty pleasure for me. I found this YT channel that is filmed in a mountainous region of Azerbaijan showing country life. There is no dialog but occasional sub-titles that explain ingredients used in the cooking demonstrations. I suspect that some of the background is staged, but it looks like all the procedures are real and the Grandmother really knows her stuff when it comes to cooking regional dishes and canning various fruit. I was originally trapped by her production of strawberry preserves, or maybe strawberries in syrup. The scenes of she and Grandfather picking strawberries from their patch made me really jealous. Wish I could grow them like that. Oh well, certain things don't grow as well in the high desert. The link below shows the procedure for making lasagna on an open fire in an unusual "dutch" oven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqmYzyoKiGY

Everything I have watched so far is beautiful, totally charming and makes we want to nest in Azerbaijan.

ClareBroommaker's picture

ClareBroommaker

Fri, 07/15/2022 - 14:29

I had to interrupt my watching of the video to exclaim about that primrose and basil tea. Beautiful!

Oh, and I think I spy a cornel cherry (Cornus mas) dogwood blooming in the background-- the yellow blooming shrub. It blooms very early, about the same time as witch hazel.

I think some new items were acquired for making the video. The baskets look new. The terracotta pot looks new. The table looks like it was newly sanded down to expose a fresh clean surface. The skill in how to do it all was not new at all!

Did I see preserved apricots on the table? And the red fruit with juice--could have been those cornel cherries, preserved in syrup, or fermented.

Do you understand why they were turning soil at the base of the tree near the beginning of the video? Turning up grubs for the chickens and turkeys? That might decrease the rise of fruit and tree injuring insects in a few weeks. Could help keep root sprouts at bay.

So much in this video. I will definitely watch more. Thank you.

Kay Robison

Fri, 07/15/2022 - 14:16

In every episode I have watched, the Grandfather goes out and picks something, herb, berry, to make tea with that they drink after all the work is done. Sometimes they drink it through a sugar cube and sometimes they have a small helping of some preserve or other. Seems a fine tradition.

David Trammel's picture

David Trammel

Tue, 07/19/2022 - 06:31

My Youtube feed gets a huge variety of types, some of them, this very thing. I love watching sort of retro-tech videos where people in rural locations in other countries showcase their skills and culture.

As for teas, yeah I need to start growing some stuff I can brew on my own, instead of feeding my coffee addiction. Coffee is just going to get more and more expensive.

lathechuck's picture

lathechuck

Sun, 07/31/2022 - 13:24

Sweet bay, from which we get culinary bay leaf, grows nicely as a potted perennial on my patio. (I bring it indoors for the freezing months.) I find that it makes a tasty tea, with just one large leaf, crumbled to enhance water absorption, steeped in boiling water until the water cools enough to drink. Sometimes I combine a bay leaf with a packet of (decaff) green tea. (Caffeine withdrawal is so painful to me that I cannot consume it to begin with.)

Kay Robison

Sun, 07/31/2022 - 20:02

I have made a liqueur with bay leaf. Not bad.