Sausage/Keilbasa seasoning ... help

[flipper]

Here are the pictures. The seeds measure between 1/32 and 1/64 in diameter.

http://mysite.verizon.net/flper/seeds.jpg

http://mysite.verizon.net/flper/seeds1.jpg

Thanks,

John

[saucisson]

Thanks John.

Dave

[lemonD]

John,
Your seeds look like these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thlaspi_arvense
It says it has a bitter taste maybe the seeds are as well?

LD

[flipper]

LemonD,

Thank for the research, they look the same.. I know to collect the seed, you need a small fan on low speed and you crumble the pod in front of the fan, the debris blows away and the seeds fall seperate.

Thanks,

john

[IngredientSeller]

I guess you don't need any help from ingredientSeller. In Lithuania this plant is called Dirvinė čiu�utė.

Where are you from flipper?

[flipper]

I am from PA. Coal region.. Now to confirm that this is indeed the plant, I need to see if it grows in PA. This spice is hard to come by, as you can see from my research. I bought a pint last year for $18.00. There are only a few sources locally and most of the Lithuanian butcher shops buy them up, this is where I bought mine. The plants originally grew in the wild and still do, but the few people that sell the seeds have them in their yards. Of course they will not tell anyone what it is for fear they will grow and sell them also.. I want to grow for my own personal use. The local butcher shops are now taking orders for "lithuanuian sausage and keilbasa made with Collethies" That is how they advertise in the local papers. The locals go nuts over it. If anyone wants to try the spice, please let me know and I will mail you out a tablespoon of it. Enough for a 10lb batch. The least I can do for helping me out.

Thanks a million.

John

[saucisson]

Good work, everyone:

Dirvinė Čiu�utės: Common seed fairly widely used as a condiment in smoked meat, especially suitable place in the Lithuanian Skilandis.

Dave

[IngredientSeller]

I live in Lithuania. Working with meat processing about 4 years, but I didn't hear anything about this plant. I wouldn't say that Lithuanian sausage producers use any specific spices comperably with other Europe countries.
Saying smoked, you mean cold or hot smoked?

[flipper]

The one local shop that makes their keilbasa with the collethies sells it fresh and hot smoked. I always thought it was coarse black pepper. And they use it in the Krakowska (ham bologna)

[saucisson]

Skilandis seems to be a cured sausage stuffed into a pigs stomach and cold smoked.

Dave

[IngredientSeller]

Could you flipper write concretely the adress of that shop? I would search for that product. I'm working in all teritory of Lithuania.

[IngredientSeller]

Skilandis seems to be a cured sausage stuffed into a pigs stomach and cold smoked.

Dave

Yes, you are write, it i stuffed in pigs stomach. The main thing what is necesarry to know making "Skilandis" is big meat particles incide, about 5-7 mm diameter.

[saucisson]

Flipper is in Pennsylvania in the USA, the Lithuanian shops he refers to are presumably run by Lithuanian emigrees who have settled there. It would be interesting to know if they are using seeds brought with them from Lithuania or a native North American close relative they discovered when they arrived there.

Dave

[flipper]

You are correct. They are family owned small business's that have been in business for many years. Not sure where they but their seeds, I will ask next time I am up there.
I did veryify that it is indeed the field cress seed. I was talking to a local who grows them and was asking him if the seeds were from the field cress, he said yes and told be that I did my homework. Some people refer to them as just "cress"

Thanks again,

John