How to Make a Charcuterie Board

    The word “charcuterie” (shaar·koo·ter·ee) means cold cooked meat. That’s French, but of course here in the states we’ve taken the idea of “laying out food on a board to look pretty” and run with it. Technically, there must be meat on the board for it to be “charcuterie.”

    Everyone loves them. Charcuterie boards make you feel So Cultured and Fancy. But really they are just glorified Lunchables. They make stunning centerpieces, and are often the star of the show. Which cheeses should I pick? Should I only pick 4?? And there are rules about hard, soft, stinky, mellow? They're colorful, overflowing, and filled things people love to eat, namely cheese, meat, and bread.

Rules for an amazing charcuterie board

1. You need a variety of types of cheese: at least 1 soft, 1 hard, 1 tangy. (2 oz per person) “Something old, something new, something goat and something blue.” 
2. Decide whether the board is gonna be full(no board showing) or minimal.
3. Don't buy anything you think your guests will eat.
4. A choice of fun and interesting jams, sauces, and savory spreads absolutely MAKE a charcuterie board. Don’t skimp in this area.
5. Provide a few different types of crackers and bread. 
6. Choose a variety of ingredients based on texture: crispy, soft, chewy.
7. Have something spicy and something sweet
8. Serve cheese room temperature; it’s more flavorful than cold cheese.
9. Be strategic in your placement, and arrange the crackers or bread in neat piles or rows, making sure they are not touching anything that will make them soggy.
10. Make everything bite sized. Cut everything that is going on the board.

    Cheese, meets, fresh fruit, veggies, crackers, nuts, spreads, sauces!

Example

Everyone loves cheese 8 oz. block cheddar cheese, cubed

Hard cheese ("something old") 6 oz. aged Guyère

Soft cheese ("something new") 6 oz. mozzarella balls

Goat cheese 6 oz. chèvre

Blue cheese 6 oz. Cambazola

6 oz. 

thinly sliced s

oppressata

6 oz. 

summer sausage, sliced

6 oz. ham

1/4 cup 

honey

1/2 cup Roasted red pepper hummus

1/2 cup fig jam

1/4 cup dijon

1/2 cup 

smoked almonds

Fresh fruit such as strawberries, blackberries, grapes, and apple slices

1/4 cup 

dried fruit, such as apricots or Craisins

Bread and crackers, for serving 

Sweetie Pole Tomato

 Days to Maturity: 65 days from transplanting

Family: Solanaceae

Type: Indeterminate, Low Acid, Cherry Tomato

Native: Andes

Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual

Exposure: Full sun

Plant Dimensions: Vines up to 6' or longer

Variety Info: ¾"–1" round, red tomatoes in large grape-like clusters.

Attributes: Frost Sensitive

When to Sow Outside: For mild climates only: 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 60°F.

When to Start Inside: RECOMMENDED. 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting. Transplant when air temperature is 45°F or warmer, usually 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date. Ideal soil temperature for germination is 70°–90°F.

Days to Emerge: 5–10 days

Seed Depth: ⅛"

Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds every 24"–36"

Row Spacing: 36"

Thinning: When 2" tall, thin to 1 every 24"–36"

Harvesting: Sweetie' tomatoes are at the peak of sun-ripened deliciousness when red, and have a slight give when gently squeezed.

Green Smoothie

TOTAL TIME: 5 MIN      

BLENDING: 4-5 MIN      

SERVES: 1

 -Celery, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Cucumbers, 3 ounces (weight loss)

-Granny Smith Apples, 5 ounces (Regulates blood sugar levels)

Super Greens, 4-5 leaves (reduce risk of cancer and regulates blood sugar levels)

Lemon, 1/3 (Immune system)

Lemon Zest

Water, 1/3 cup

Ice, 2/3 cup 

1. Take out your blender and all of your ingredients.

2. Cut up each of your ingredients so they work well with the blender.

3. Does not matter whether you cut or dice because we are measuring by ounces to make this correct.

4. This should make a 16 ounce smoothie for one person.

5. I recommend putting the apples, celery, cucumbers, lemon, greens and water in the blender first. Blend for 4-5 min. If you blend for less than this you might get a chewy smoothie.

6. After all of it is blended add your ice to make it nice and cold.

Serve and enjoy!!

Roma Tomatoes 🍅

Maturity is about 80 days from transplanting. Since we have a long harvest in Vegas we can plant twice and get double the harvest. I bought these from Botanical Interest

I water with 360 water heads 3 times a day for 5 min.

Tomatoes are warm season annuals that grow best when the soil temp is at least 55 and the air is 65-90. 

First thing you need to know is the difference of determinate and indeterminate. 

Determinate

These plants reach a certain height and then stop growing. The majority of their fruit matures within a month or two and appears at the ends of the branches. These are best for those that cann and make sauce. Most of these need a cage. There is very little pruning needed on this type. Determinate are more disease resistant.

Indeterminate

These plants continue to grow and produce tomatoes all along the stems and throughout the growing season. They need extra tall supports. At least 5 feet tall. 

Semi-Determinate

There are a few semi-determinate or compact indeterminate because they are somewhat in between. Give these kind supports.

Roma tomatoes are best used for tomato paste and sauces. They are bright red egg shaped tomatoes. About 3 inches in length and very few seeds. These are a great choice to put into an omelet and spaghetti sauce since they are not a juicy tomato. This plant is resistant to verticillium wilt and  fusarium wilt.

Romas like full sun. At least 6-8 hrs of it. It matures in 73-80 days. They grow to be 4 to 6 feet tall. 

Make sure they get proper calcium. 2 egg shells per plant should be good. Sterilize the egg shells by putting into warm oven for 20 minutes and grind them up to make it work faster. 

Pick tomatoes in the afternoon to evening to have the best flavor.