Wow, can you believe it’s September already? Hope you’ve had a great summer (there’s actually still three weeks left, so there’s still time to do something fun).
We’ve had a great time this month giving out free samples of our spice concoctions at several events in the Albuquerque and Eat Mountains areas, and raising money for the awesome non-profit organization, Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico. Thanks to all of you who bought our spice blends, soup mixes, and dry rubs for making that possible!
So if you’re new to my newsletter, here’s the three versions you can choose from:
- The Impatient Reader’s Version
- The “I’ve got a couple of minutes, but I really need to [insert your favorite excuse] version:
- The “I’m really bored, Lawrence, and have all the time in the world to sit in my lounge chair and read your emails, especially since you are so clever and witty and charming” version:
1. The Impatient Reader’s Version
- Life is great.
- Thanks for your support.
- 10% of every purchase you make (in person at the Rail Yards or any other live event, or online at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/ ) in September will be donated by Mountain Man Gourmet to the American Red Cross to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
- Use code IGETFREESHIPPING for free shipping on orders over $30.
- On Shopify, you can pay with any credit card, PayPal, or even your Amazon Pay account.
- This is National Mushroom month, among other things.
- Today is National Gyro Day—go eat one and hug your favorite Greek friend right now.
- Come see us live and in person at:
- Rail Yards Market on Sundays from 10-2, September 3, 10, 17, and 24.
- Green Chile U-Pick Celebration, Los Ranchos, Sept. 2nd and 4th.
- Brick Light Nights (Harvard and Central) Wednesdays 6-10 pm, Sept. 6, 13, 20, and 27.
- Old Tyme Ice Cream Shop in Tijeras, Saturday, Sept. 9, 9-4.
- Albuquerque Home Remodeling & Lifestyle Show, September 23rd and 24th.
- Check our Facebook page as new events are being added all the time!
Did you win one of our gift pack drawings in August? Read below to find out.
- Thanks for your support.
- Life is great.
- Liv
- Live Well. Eat Well. Be Happy!
2. The “I’ve got a couple of minutes, but I really need to [fill in your reasonable or unreasonable excuse here] version
Thank you again for your support of our new business—it’s hard to believe, but we are now over 100 days old—well, some of us are a little older, but . . .
We appreciate each and every thing you have done and continue to do to spread the world about Mountain Man Gourmet and help your family and friends to Live Well, Eat Well, and Be Happy!
Now did you know that just a short while ago Kristen and I sold our Houston home in March of this year? Unfortunately for the new owners, that home is now probably a total loss.
In order to help at least a few of our friends and former neighbors who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey, 10% of every purchase you make (in person at the Rail Yards or any other live event, or online at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/ ) in September will be donated by Mountain Man Gourmet to the American Red Cross to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
As an added incentive for your donations, you can use this special code:
IGETFREESHIPPING
To receive free shipping on all orders over $30.
Sooooooo . . . if you want to stock up your pantry or would like to buy gifts for someone who would enjoy our line of gourmet spice blends (including red and green chile versions), dry rubs for your next BBQ (Cocoa, Chipotle, and Cumin-Red Chile), all natural and easy to prepare soup or dip mixes, organic herbs and spices, gift packs, or cookbooks, please purchase them from us. We do appreciate it.
And it’s never too early to shop for Christmas or Hanukkah, so this could be your chance to stock up. So choose from over 30 products at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com or come see us live and in person at:
- Rail Yards Market on Sundays from 10-2, September 3, 10, 17, and 24.
- Green Chile U-Pick Celebration, Los Ranchos, Sept. 2nd and 4th.
- Brick Light Nights (Harvard and Central) Wednesdays 6-10 pm, Sept. 6, 13, 20, and 27.
- Old Tyme Ice Cream Shop in Tijeras, Saturday, Sept. 9, 9-4.
- Albuquerque Home Remodeling & Lifestyle Show, September 23rd and 24th.
- Check our Facebook page as new events are being added all the time!
Did you win one of our gift pack drawings in August? Read below to find out.
Ok, so if you’re still reading, here are a few more fun items.
Congrats to our August Gift Basket Winners!
At every live event we give away free tastings, and also give away a beautiful Mountain Man Gourmet gift pack. Listed below are the winners from our August events. If you see your name listed, stop by our booth at the Rail Yards Market this Sunday, or reply to this email so we can arrange to deliver your gift basket to your home or office.
Scroll down to see the list of winners . . .
Did you know?
Food holidays for September include:
- National Chicken Month
- National Honey Month
- National Mushroom Month
. . . and here in New Mexico, we’re up to our ears in our official state vegetable, Green Chile. I just put 40 lbs. of freshly roasted green chile in the freezer. That ought to last a week or two. 🙂
Recipes and Meal Ideas
Wondering what to do with that leftover Rotisserie chicken? Debone it, simmer the bones for 20-30 minutes, then use the chicken stock to make some Hatch Green Chile Soup. You can find our all natural, easy to prepare Hatch Green Chile (and Red Chile) soup mixes at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/collections/soup-mixes
Here’s another cool idea from Nancy P. in South Windsor, Connecticut:
She cooked a pot roast with veggies in a slow cooker and used our Mountain Man Gourmet Rosemary-Basil Spaghetti Sauce Mix as the seasoning. Not quite what I had in mind when I created the recipe, but it sounds delicious!
And Thom R. from Edgewood, New Mexico says:
We bought some of your New Mexico hot chocolate and extra hot Go Go Green Chile spice blend and we haven’t eaten anything without one of them on our food since. I love to sprinkle the green chile on popcorn! And my wife likes to sprinkle the chocolate on French toast.
Cooking Tips
I love fresh herbs on my food, and I’m sure you do, too. Here are a few tips for growing your own herbs instead of paying a fortune for pre-cut herbs at the store.
Tips to Start Your Own Herb Garden
Having fresh herbs on hand is a great way to cook more at home and experiment with different flavors. You can start your own herb garden with these easy tips.
Choosing Your Herbs
While technically you can choose any herbs you want, there are a few things to consider. First, you want to think about the herbs that are easier to grow, such as basil, chives, dill, and oregano. These are good for beginners because they are simple to grow, even for black thumbs.
Preparing the Soil
If you are going to plant them in the ground, you should make sure your soil is ready for planting. You want it to be dug and tilled, so that the soil isn’t too compacted. You should have proper drainage in the soil as well.
Consider Using Jars or Containers
You can also plant your herbs in containers. You can do this from the seed or the young plants you got at the nursery, though of course the plants are much easier to work with.
As long as you know the amount of sun that is required, you can plant a lot of container herbs right in your home, close to a window sill.
Ok, there ya go.
See you soon, and in the meantime, Live Well, Eat Well, and Be Happy!
Lawrence
3. The “I’m really bored, Lawrence, and have all the time in the world to sit in my lounge chair and read your emails, especially since you are so clever and witty and charming” version
Ok, you asked for it. 🙂
Thank you again for your support of our new business—it’s hard to believe, but we’re now over 100 years (um, days . . .) old!
We appreciate each and every thing you have done and continue to do to spread the world about Mountain Man Gourmet and help your family and friends to Live Well, Eat Well, and Be Happy!
Now did you know that just a short while ago Kristen and I had three homes—one in Austin, one in Houston, and one here in the East Mountains, and I also rented a FOURTH home for a year while on a teaching assignment in East Texas? AND we had a motor home, which was destroyed several years ago during Hurricane Ike.
Anyway, we spent many years making the rounds between each location, then finally sold off the Austin home a couple of years ago. Last summer we made the decision to pare down once again by selling our Houston home and finally have all our “stuff” (and each other) in one place. That home took almost a year to sell, and we finally closed on it in March of this year. Unfortunately for the new owners, that home is now probably a total loss, judging from the news reports coming from our former neighborhood.
In order to help at least a few of our friends and former neighbors who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey, 10% of every purchase you make (in person at the Rail Yards or any other live event, or online at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/ ) in September will be donated by Mountain Man Gourmet to the American Red Cross to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.
As an added incentive for your donations, you can use this special code:
IGETFREESHIPPING
To receive free shipping on all orders over $30 through September 30.
Sooooooo . . . if you want to stock up your pantry or would like to buy gifts for someone who would enjoy our line of gourmet spice blends (including red and green chile versions), dry rubs for your next BBQ (Cocoa, Chipotle, and Cumin-Red Chile), all natural and easy to prepare soup or dip mixes, organic herbs and spices, gift packs, or cookbooks, please purchase them from us. We do appreciate it.
And it’s never too early to shop for Christmas or Hanukkah, so this could be your chance to stock up. So choose from over 30 products at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com or come see us live and in person at:
- Rail Yards Market on Sundays from 10-2, September 3, 10, 17, and 24.
- Green Chile U-Pick Celebration, Los Ranchos, Sept. 2nd and 4th.
- Brick Light Nights (Harvard and Central) Wednesdays 6-10 pm, Sept. 6, 13, 20, and 27.
- Old Tyme Ice Cream Shop in Tijeras, Saturday, Sept. 9, 9-4.
- Albuquerque Home Remodeling & Lifestyle Show, September 23rd and 24th.
- Check our Facebook page as new events are being added all the time!
Did you win one of our gift pack drawings in August? Read below to find out.
Congrats to our August Gift Basket Winners!
At every event we also give away a beautiful Mountain Man Gourmet gift basket. Listed below are the winners from August. If you see your name listed, stop by our booth at the Rail Yards Market this Sunday, or reply to this email so we can arrange to deliver your gift basket to your home or office.
Aug 6: Rail Yards Market
Phyl Kaye
Aug 12: Old Tyme Ice Cream, Tijeras
Elyse Yellen
Aug 13: Rail Yards Market
Maria Martinez
Aug 19: Bosque Chile Festival
Ian Taylor
Aug 20: Rail Yards Market
Sally Hengen
Aug 26: Rude Boys Cookies Block Party
Antonio Vigil
Aug 27: Rail Yards Market
Miryam Miller
Aug 30: Brick Lights Nights
Erin Kollank
Did You Know?
Food holidays for September include:
- National Chicken Month
- National Honey Month
- National Mushroom Month
- National Papaya Month
- National Potato Month
- National Rice Month
. . . and here in New Mexico, we’re up to our ears in our official state vegetable, Green Chile. I just put 40 lbs. of freshly roasted green chile in the freezer. That ought to last a week or two. 🙂
And here are a few upcoming National Food Holidays, according to our friends over at Foodimentary.com:
September 1
National Gyro Day
September 2
National “Grits for Breakfast” Day
AND
International Bacon Day
September 3
National Welsh Rarebit Day
AND
National Baby Back Ribs Day
September 4
National Macadamia Nut Day
September 5
National Cheese Pizza Day
September 6
National Coffee Ice Cream Day
September 7
National Beer Lover’s Day
Recipes and Meal Ideas
Wondering what to do with that leftover Rotisserie chicken? Debone it, simmer the bones for 20-30 minutes, then use the stock to make some Hatch Green Chile Soup. You can find our all natural, easy to prepare Hatch Green Chile (and Red Chile) soup mixes at https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/collections/soup-mixes
Here’s another cool idea from Nancy P. in South Windsor, Connecticut):
She cooked a pot roast with veggies in a slow cooker and used our Mountain Man Gourmet Rosemary-Basil Spaghetti Sauce Mix as the seasoning. Not quite what I had in mind when I created the recipe, but it sounds delicious!
And Thom R. from Edgewood, New Mexico says:
We bought some of your New Mexico hot chocolate and extra hot Go Go Green Chile spice blend and we haven’t eaten anything without one of them on our food since. I love to sprinkle the green chile on popcorn! And my wife likes to sprinkle the chocolate on french toast.
How to Start Your Own Herb Garden
As you embark on your journey to growing more food from home, you might also want to be able to season your food. This is where herbs come in. Having fresh herbs on hand is a great way to be encouraged to cook more at home and experiment with different flavors. You can start your own herb garden with these easy tips.
Choosing Your Herbs
When you want to start an herb garden, the first thing you will do is choose the types of herbs to grow. While technically you can choose any herbs you want, there are a few things to consider. First, you want to think about the herbs that are easier to grow, such as basil, chives, dill, and oregano. These are good for beginners because they are simple to grow, even for black thumbs. Then there are the herbs that are good to get as young plants. That way, you don’t have to start them from seeds. Herbs that are often available as young plants from nurseries are sage, thyme, rosemary, and basil. Of course you should also think about the herbs you will use most in your cooking.
Preparing the Soil
The next decision to make is whether you want to grow them in the ground or in containers. Both options work, so it really depends on the amount of space in your yard and your own personal preferences. If you are going to plant them in the ground, you should make sure your soil is ready for planting. You want it to be dug and tilled, so that the soil isn’t too compacted. You should have proper drainage in the soil as well. Compost is good to add to the soil to help your herbs grow.
Consider Using Jars or Containers
You can also plant your herbs in containers. You can do this from the seed or the young plants you got at the nursery, though of course the plants are much easier to work with. What you need is a good pot or container for keeping the herbs in, from a clay pot to a mason jar. If using a mason jar, make sure it has holes drilled in it for drainage. Then you need some potting soil to put in the container or pot, and some organic herb fertilizer.
As long as you know the amount of sun that is required, you can plant a lot of container herbs right in your home, close to a window sill.
Ok, so even if you have nothing else to do but read my newsletter, it’s time to do something else. Like go to https://mountain-man-gourmet.myshopify.com/ and order some Mountain Man Gourmet spice blends or soup mixes or something so you can do your part to help the good folks in Houston and Southeast Texas without even leaving the sofa. Pretty cool, eh?
See you soon. In the meantime, Live Well, Eat Well, and Be Happy!
Lawrence
