Silicone Ties Use and Care

Using the Silicone Cooking Ties

• These silicone ties are reuseable, unlike ordinary cotton or linen string. The bright colored nonstick silicone tie makes it easy to see the twine and remove it quickly, unlike traditional butcher’s twine that can get baked in, ripping the skin of a chicken or turkey when removed.
• This food grade silicone is stable at temperatures from -40 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, allowing you to use them in the freezer for long term food storage, as well as in a rotisserie oven, smoker, slow cooker, and traditional oven at a high temperature. They can be used for roasting, boiling, and frying.
• 100% food grade silicone that meets European standards, exceeding the purity required by the FDA. BPA free.
• The ties are dishwasher safe, so they are easy to clean and reuse.
  

How to Make a Bouquet Garni  

 

Bouquet Garni is a small bundle of herbs classically used to season French Provençal dishes. Traditionally it will include a sprig each of thyme, parsley, and marjoram plus a couple bay leaves tied together in a bunch that is put into a soup or stew. As it cooks the herbs infuse the dish and the leaves soften and fall off leaving the stems and large leaves to be removed when cooking is complete.

You can easily make your own Bouquet Garni, varying the herbs depending on the flavors you are looking for.

A common variation that we use is to include a celery stock and a green onion in the bundle for extra flavor.  Sage works well if you are preparing stock for poultry, and rosemary is a great addition for beef, although both of these would be too overpowering for general use.

Let your creativity loose as you look at what you have in your kitchen – just lay them out in a bundle, and tie them up with your Silicone ties.

 

How to Tie Up Tomato Plants

Tying up tomato plants prevents branches from breaking, allows you easier access to the fruit, and helps prevent disease by enabling airflow around the leaves and stems.  

You should plan to tie up your plants soon after your tomato stakes or tomato cages are in the ground.  Watch carefully for growth spurts, especially after rain or a period of warm sunny days.

As soon as the first blossoms appear, you’ll want to place the first tie.  Don’t wait until the fruit gets heavy, causing the stems to bend and break.

How to tie up a tomato branch in 6 steps

1. Locate the lower, thick part of the stem right below below a fork in the stem where new branches emerge..  This is the strongest part of the stem.
2. Wrap one end of the silicone tie around the thick part of the branch, leaving about 6 inches near the loop end dangling free.  Wrap the entire diameter of the branch with the tie, but do not pull too tightly to avoid choking the plant.  
3. Gently stretch the tie to the cage or stake, supporting the branch while you do so.
4. Wrap the tie around the stake or cage wire. 
5. Pull the tie through the loop end, adjusting the tension to bring the branch to a supported position along the stake or cage.
6. Wrap any excess tie around the stake or cage, tucking the ends under the wrapped portion, or tying it off in a knot – depending on how much tie you have left.

As your plant grows, you’ll want to continue to tie it up to prevent breakage.  If you have a lot of fruit. You may need to place additional ties every 6 to 9 inches – if your plant is not putting out as many blossoms, you may be able to space them further apart.  

Indeterminate tomatoes will continue to put out stems and leaves until frost. Determinates produce their fruit in a short time period and then stop, so you won’t need to tie them up beyond their main harvest period.