tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75707422212552396062024-03-12T19:34:16.537-07:00Loca-facesReal People Living Locally.
Crazy? You decide.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-59901473809968134412013-01-01T05:07:00.001-08:002013-01-01T05:07:17.009-08:00Water Kefir Soda - How Cool is that?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ALUsw8rxwg/UOLdHlBZWBI/AAAAAAAADFw/jk3-LJ8zYEQ/s1600/IMG_8123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--ALUsw8rxwg/UOLdHlBZWBI/AAAAAAAADFw/jk3-LJ8zYEQ/s320/IMG_8123.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of sodas in second ferment</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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After a few days of playing with converting dairy kefir grains, designed to feed on milk and create a high probiotic beverage, kefir, into something that would feed on sugar, I decided to get the real thing: water kefir grains. Sadly, my converted dairy kefir grains did die, and I knew there was a high chance of that happening. On the flip side, the water kefir grains are another side of fascinating.<br />
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Water Kefir Grains are yet another symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) that ferment cane (or palm) sugar. They are a complex, not completely understood, SCOBY that appear to be translucent plastic shipping filler, or something like that. Their origins aren't as clear as that of dairy kefir, which are indisputably from the Caucus mountains. It does seem that they originated in Mexico, but have traveled the world afar, and that they are different from a similar looking and acting SCOBY called ginger beer plant.<br />
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More importantly, they are awesome to experiment with. You use the water kefir grains to create mildly fizzy, highly nutritious, beverages through a one or two stage fermenting process. They are one type of natural soda, or sweet fizzy beverage. And the options are absolutely endless for flavoring. If you follow some basic guidelines, they will grow rapidly... so rapidly that you'll be storing them long term within a week or two.<br />
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As with dairy kefir, I am not an expert, but i've been reading a ton. Here's the single best site I've found on the Internet in terms of information and presentation: <a href="http://www.yemoos.com/mainwaterkefir.html" target="_blank">Yemoos Water Kefir Site</a><br />
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Yemoos has an outstanding FAQ on the left navigation bar, and they also have a photo-full how to on their website. So, I'll just talk here about our experiences and lessons learnt. I have continued to add the details of our experiments to a Google doc, including the ingredients we used, the fermentation time, and the outcome. You can find that <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvyHggWCe9V9dExtVmlKWEtnaFZRWUpncG9pOFBUVEE" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1oQUA0s3Vcs/UOLdYLoColI/AAAAAAAADF4/cvIMyLg-O_A/s1600/IMG_8082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1oQUA0s3Vcs/UOLdYLoColI/AAAAAAAADF4/cvIMyLg-O_A/s320/IMG_8082.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water kefir grains</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Basi<span style="font-size: large;">c<span style="font-size: large;">s</span>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> <br />
There are a few ways to make natural soda from water kefir grains. We are using the two-step process.<br />
<ul>
<li>First, you ferment your grains in sugar water with some dried fruit. If your water is not hard and full of minerals, you also want to add some other growth supporting ingredients, like a slice of lemon and baking soda. You can also add ginger here. The key here is to ensure that you have no chlorine in your water. If you have city water, you must let the chlorine evaporate, and you should add the other ingredients. This is <i>about</i> 6 cup H2O, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2-1 cup grains, 1 tsp. molasses, 1 slice lemon, 1/8 tsp. baking soda. All put into a jar, sealed or not.</li>
<li>Second, we strain the grains after 48 hours and start them in sugar water. They will have grown. Even in our cold house (62-68degF), we are seeing growth of nearly 100% every 48hours. </li>
<li>Then, take the water kefir that you have created in the first step into your soda by mixing it with some new sugar source, or leaving it as it is, bottling it, and letting it sit out and ferment another 24-48 hours. Then refrigerate. In this second step all of your creativity comes in. You can mix 25-50% fruit juice into the kefir, add other fruits, add spices or herbs, extracts... </li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<b>A word of caution</b>: In the second ferment, you have a high risk of over-carbonation and your container exploding if you aren't careful. The kefir is full of yeasts that feed on the new sugar you've added, creating CO2 and alcohol. Bottling that to get the fizz of soda also pressurized the bottle. If you let it sit out too long, it will eventually explode. Figuring out how long is long enough is part of the experiment, it will depend on your kefir, how much new sugar you've added, the container, the temperature of the room, and probably other things. Experiment by using 24 hours as a baseline.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our experiments</span><br />
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We've only had our water kefir a few weeks -- and <b>we have plenty to share, so if you want to try some out, just let me know!</b> I have been measuring the growth of the grains. It varies, but we've easily seen it double in 48 hours. We are now preparing to start saving some off, both by drying them and sugar packing them into the freezer. <br />
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<b>First Ferments</b>. In our first ferments, we aren't veering too far from the basic recipe, since the SCOBY needs to be kept alive. We have tried various cane sugars: white, brown, turbinado, sucanat. We have added and not added molasses. For the dried fruit in the first ferment, we've added figs, raisins, cranberries, apricots, prunes. We have done a batch with about 0.5oz of ginger -- wow, that was gingery!<br />
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<i>Ingredients</i>... The ingredients molasses, egg shell, baking soda, and lemon are all used to support the growth of the kefir and increase mineral content. We have done batches with and without all of them. We haven't used lemon slices yet, as we don't have fresh lemons about, and instead used a bit of lemon juice. Some websites swear you must use some molasses or unrefined sugar, others say that in the winter, the grains do better with fully refined sugar. Mix it up.<br />
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Besides playing with the dried fruit, the traditional ingredients, and the addition of something like ginger, don't mess too much with the first ferment -- well, don't use your only grains to do that. Experiment in the first ferment with extra grains, which are easy to come by with water kefir! <br />
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<i>Growth and progress</i>... The first ferments definitely seem to vary in how quickly they ferment and how much they grow, but I can't say exactly why. We have had one mix seem to get "stuck" and after 48 hours it was still somewhat sweet. With this batch, I through the water away, washed the grains and started again. The grains perked right back up. I had used cranberries - and only cranberries - in that mix. Cranberries usually have some oil on them, so it could have been that, and it could also have been that I used only one dried fruit. Not sure.<br />
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In our first ferment we are using 1 cup of grains and, for the most part, the grains are doubling in quantity every 48 hours. We are putting the extra grains in a sugar solution in the fridge, putting them in compost, drying, freezing, or sharing them. <br />
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<i>Temperature and time lessons</i>.... Our house around this time of the year runs from 62 deg F to 68 deg F, with the kitchen reaching 70 deg F during a lot of cooking. The best way to check your first ferment progress is to watch for bubbles and taste it. You can remove the grains when the taste suits you. Just remember that if you let it ferment too long, you could allow vinegar to move in. Too little and it will be sweet and not too carbonated. As long as you "burp" the first ferment occasionally, you won't have problems with carbon dioxide build up and explosions. <br />
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<i>What else?</i> For our first ferment, we are using 2 qt Le Parfait flip top glass jars, the old fashioned canning jars. We bought 3 jars on Ebay from Overstock.com for a very reasonable price and free shipping. The 2 qt is the best size, I think. It makes 3-4 bottles of soda every few days and you don't have to adjust the recipe for the kefir. <br />
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<b>Flavourings in the Second Ferment</b>. We are transferring the water kefir from the first ferment into standard
flip top beer bottles and adding our flavorings. For each batch of
water kefir we make, we get 3-4 bottles of natural soda, depending on
what flavorings we choose. We are generally allowing the second ferment 24 hours, but we have tried a range of 20-36 hours. All of these choices effect the taste and texture of your final soda. <br />
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In the second ferment, we have combined a number of juices with the kefir, as well as jam and different kinds of sugars. We have done:<br />
<ul>
<li>apple, pomegranate, orange and cherry juice mixes from 25-50% of the solution. We have pineapple, grape, and a few others in waiting. </li>
<li>black raspberry and peach jam at 2Tbsp per 16oz kefir (in Grolsch 16.9oz bottles)</li>
<li>vanilla extract</li>
<li>Lemon juice (2Tbsp) with 1tsp - 1 Tbsp of sugar (we preferred 1tsp), </li>
<li>other sugars: honey and maple at 2Tbsp per 16oz kefir </li>
<li>cinnamon stick and cloves</li>
<li>fresh ginger </li>
</ul>
You can also add fresh or frozen fruit, but you also have to get it back out of your bottle. :) Puree works pretty well.<br />
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<i>How much sweetener?</i> How much juice or sweetener to add, combined with how long you ferment, will greatly effect your final drink. I like my drink not very sweet and having a lot of champagne like bubbles. For that, I've found a ratio of 4:1 kefir to juice to work well, with 24 hours of fermentation before refrigeration. If I'm adding sweeteners like sugar, honey, and maple, we first tried 2Tbsp per bottle, but that is too sweet and not bubbly enough for my taste -- instead about 1 tsp seems to do the trick. We've also fermented just the kefir alone. Leaving this closer to 36 hours gives a bubbly, somewhat sour beverage.<br />
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We have a running spreadsheet on Google docs that you can review, which lists all of the combinations we've made and what we thought of them. It is found here:<br />
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<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvyHggWCe9V9dExtVmlKWEtnaFZRWUpncG9pOFBUVEE" target="_blank">Water Kefir Experiments</a><br />
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<b>Carbonation</b>. I've done a lot of reading on carbonation, looking for the one true easy answer. It's not there. The process seems to have too many variables. It seems safe to do the second ferment in an air tight container for 24 hours. We've done 29 hours with a 50/50 juice solution, and this caused quite the "head" on the soda. I would recommend opening jars facing outward, and even outside, until you know how they'll react.<br />
<ul>
<li>20 hours in our cooler house, even with 50% juice, wasn't quite fizzy enough. The fizz is small concentrated bubbles like champagne, not big bubbles like common soda. </li>
<li>29 hours with 50% pomegranate juice in a soda bottle filled probably too full (leaving about 2" headspace) had a ton of carbonation and it didn't die over 24 hours after opening. </li>
<li>We started by filling the jars up past the narrowing of the neck of our Grolsch-style bottles and, mixed with juice, had lots of fizz. We backed down to the base of the neck, and at 24 hours, the fizz is quite mild. I think you have to play with how full they are and how long to leave them, as well as, of course, how much sugar you feed them. </li>
<li>All the mixes that we did with just kefir and sugar/spice, no juice, had only mild effervescence. </li>
</ul>
I feel like we haven't got this down well enough, so we'll keep playing with the main variables.<br />
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<b>Containers</b>. For our first ferment, we are using Le Parfait flip top jars, 2 Litres in size. You can use any 1-2 qt. jar. Whether you seal it or not, or burp it, during the first ferment will change things slightly, but I don't think significantly. For our second ferment, we are using Grolsch-style flip top bottles for our soda that we purchased at Maryland Homebrew in Columbia, MD. They are about $33 for 12 bottles. We also tried second ferments in plastic bottles. Milk comes in type 2 plastic, and it is safer than soda/juice bottles that are type 1. The plastic bottles will push out so you can feel the carbonation. having said that, so far, we haven't been impressed with the fizz of those made in plastic. We tried the second ferment in mason jars, again with mixed success. We had fizz, but not the full fizz we got from the flip top bottles.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-9056661805359669862012-12-12T07:00:00.002-08:002012-12-12T07:00:49.793-08:00Non-Dairy Kefir Experiments, Part 1 of N<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNsIbgNosk4/UMiYER0Xg6I/AAAAAAAADDQ/P41YbDJydz0/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pNsIbgNosk4/UMiYER0Xg6I/AAAAAAAADDQ/P41YbDJydz0/s1600/IMG_8065.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is dairy kefir grains with apricots</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj-OuYQyYOc/UMiYF7nynTI/AAAAAAAADDY/fr7JXfh5O6s/s1600/IMG_8066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>So, back in June, I visited a raw dairy farm in Pennsylvania and picked up some dairy kefir grains. I wrote about kefir back then as <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2012_07_01_archive.html">experiments into a super food</a>. Since then we grew and doubled are number of kefir grains, split them and gave half to a friend.<br />
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Dairy kefir, though, takes regular care and feeding to maintain, and you are constantly producing more kefir. Since we also make our own yogurt, I found myself just keeping the kefir alive by replacing it's milk once a week, rather than drinking most of the kefir product. The plan was to dry the kefir grains, and they can be stored dry for up to a few years.<br />
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But, then I decided to investigate whether we could use our dairy kefir grains to ferment other things. I'd heard that you could ferment coconut water, for example, and make a non-dairy kefir. <b>Could I use the grains I have to do that?</b><br />
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<b>The answer is: kinda</b>. You can usually convert the dairy grains to instead take their food from another source of carbohydrates, but there is a high chance they'll die off and they will inevitably stop growing in other mediums. It's recommended, then, that you only use spare grains for this kind of experimentation. <br />
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Once you convert your grains to feed off of sugar, though, you can then make kefir soda pop - a fizzy, fruit-drink high in probiotics. Many people reported success of keeping their converted grains producing soda for over a year, though they had no growth in grains. <br />
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Non-dairy kefir is generally called <b>water kefir</b>, and it is normally produced by an altogether different symbiotic community of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY) than the dairy kefir SCOBY that originates in the Caucus mountains. As best as I can tell, there are at least two distinct SCOBYs that produce water kefir, called by different names, but most commonly sweet water kefir (SKG) and ginger beer plant. The SKG are also called Tomi grains and seem to originate in Mexico. <br />
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To grow a SCOBY with a sugar-water solution, you need to use a real water kefir SCOBY. I have ordered some of that, so we can see what it is like.. but in the meantime, I went about and converted some dairy grains.<br />
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I won't try to pass on the science, as I don't fully understand it and it's documented on the internet. This site is the most authoritative, but also overwhelming, site on kefir on the Internet, by all accounts: <a href="http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html" target="_blank">Dom's Kefir Website</a>. Another website that has a very detailed FAQ and seems more accessible is <a href="http://www.yemoos.com/faqwamain.html" target="_blank">Yemoos Nourishing Cultures</a>. Searches on "water kefir", "converting dairy kefir to water kefir", "kefir soda pop", etc. will all yield lots of results. <br /><br />
Instead, here's the nutshell of what I've learnt, specifically about creating water kefir from dairy grains.<br />
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<ul>
<li>It generally takes several days to convert the grains to eat non-dairy sugars, many sites citing up to 5 days. Mine started fermenting in about 48 hours. </li>
<li>Once converted, it is difficult to convert them back to dairy products. They may die off, and they most certainly won't continue to grow. </li>
<li>The base solution for water kefir contains: non-chlorinated water (spring or hard well water is recommended), some dry fruit, some sugar (about 10-15% solution). Some recommend adding egg shells, baking soda, and if using refined sugar, a bit of molasses. </li>
<li>You need to use the most pure water you can, spring or well water. If you only have city water, you can let the chlorine evaporate by setting the water out overnight. At a minimum, you need to get rid of the cholorine or it will kill off your SCOBY. Since we aren't on city water, we haven't researched this fully. And hard water is recommended, which is why they add egg shells to the mix. </li>
<li>Varying the types of fruits and sugar you use will vary the taste of your water kefir. </li>
<li>After it has fermented, you strain out the grains and other ingredients and restart the grains in new sugar water. Put the water kefir in the fridge, or... </li>
<li>many people then take the fermented base and add in in a 50/50 solution with some sort of fruit juice for a second ferment. The second fermentation will feed the bacteria and yeast that are in the water kefir solution with a whole new set of sugars. This is generally what is called <b>soda pop kefir</b>. </li>
<li>Some people just use one fermentation and start their based with fruit juice, however, this can discolour the grains. SKG also doesn't seem to like to feed on fruit juice, and so the single fermentation is usually done only when using converted grains. </li>
<li>You can feed your converted grains any kind of carbohydrates - various dried fruits, different sugars, to include honey, coconut water, and others. You can't use Stevia, as it doesn't have carbohydrates to feed on. Most sites recommend unprocessed sugars like Turbinado, Rapadura, etc. </li>
<li>Converted grains produce a slightly more alcoholic drink than water kefir from SKG. Sites seem to provide numbers of 1-2% for converted grains and 0.5-1% for SKG. However, the alcohol content is highly dependent on the type of sugars and the length of fermentation. </li>
<li>You can ferment water kefir either air tight, loosely covered, or opened, and this also effects the end product. </li>
<li>Once the solution is put in the fridge, the fermentation slows way down and you can control the level of fizz that way. The Art of Fermentation recommends using some solution in type 2 (so it doesn't leach chemicals) old soda bottles so that you can feel the level of fermentation with your hands. Everything else says don't fill about the 3/4 mark in the tight jar, but I think this also assumes that you still monitor things and put in the fridge at exactly the right moment. </li>
<li>As far as timing goes, both for taste and for CO2 issues, they say to
ferment the grains for 24-28 hours, then do the second ferment at room
temperature for 12-48 hours. After this time, you need to put them in
the fridge because of the CO2 build up. Also, the ambient temperature of
the room really matters, so in Summer you need to exercise more
caution. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4smuvgfL6ME/UMiYHBh1ykI/AAAAAAAADDg/jKkfSHiMlaQ/s1600/IMG_8070.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4smuvgfL6ME/UMiYHBh1ykI/AAAAAAAADDg/jKkfSHiMlaQ/s1600/IMG_8070.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparing the kefir alone fermenting with a mix of juice and kefir</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Here's our first experiments:<br />
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<ul>
<li>I took our dairy grains and washed them several times. Then added them to water straight from our well, to get the most minerals possible, with sugar-in-the-raw, a little molasses, dried apricots, and an egg shell. I put this in a mason jar, filling only 3/4 full, and tightly sealed the jar. </li>
<li>It took about 48 hours to get distinct bubbles rising, and after 72 hours we divided the solution. We put some in the fridge. It was only mildly fizzy, but had a wonderful taste. We took some solution and left it to sit by itself, and we created a third solution of 50/50 with apple juice. </li>
<li>The base solution has continued to ferment but slowly. </li>
<li>The 50/50 solution is fermenting rapidly and has a strong show of bubbles after 24 hours. Tasting it after 24 hours, it still has strong apple juice flavour, but it is definitely not as sweet. </li>
<li>We have started a second base solution using sucanat (a dark unprocessed sugar), fig, and cranberries. This solution is really quite dark and when we started fermenting it, it was sickeningly sweet tasting. It began fermenting gently after about 24 hours. </li>
<li>My biggest concern right now is controlling the CO2. I don't have a strong understanding of that process or controls, and there a good risks associated with explosion of glass and sugar in the kitchen! And if you keep releasing the CO2, as I've done on some of these, then eventually your fermenting dies down and you loses the bubbles. One good, but kind of expensive, option seems to be flip-top soda/beer bottles for the second ferment and storage. Still, there doesn't seem to be really good information about how to calculate the liquid levels to avoid problems, and I now suspect that's because it's pretty complicated. </li>
<li>The consensus I found in the fermentation Real Food world was to fill the jar 3/4 full for the first ferment with the grains, then when you put them in a soda jar, to leave 1" of headspace. Their consensus seemed to be that less headspace was more dangerous, but I had home brewers tell me otherwise. Another thing they recommended it to put the fermenting bottles in a place that if they do explode, it's contained. :)</li>
<li>In my first batches, I kept burping them because I was worried about the CO2. They did have a nice flavour to them, fermented, sweet but not too sweet. But, with all my opening and closing, they definitely went flat. The other thing was that I took one jar that had the mason lid bulging and put it in the fridge, but 12 hours later it was flat. I am assuming that the jar wasn't quite airtight - not sure. </li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj-OuYQyYOc/UMiYF7nynTI/AAAAAAAADDY/fr7JXfh5O6s/s1600/IMG_8066.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mj-OuYQyYOc/UMiYF7nynTI/AAAAAAAADDY/fr7JXfh5O6s/s1600/IMG_8066.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our second batch used sucanat - an unprocessed sugar - that left the grains dark brown!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul> </ul>
I am tracking our experiments and their outcomes in a dynamic Google doc spreadsheet that can be found <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvyHggWCe9V9dExtVmlKWEtnaFZRWUpncG9pOFBUVEE" target="_blank">here</a>. This says what sugars, fruits, timing, etc. we used, as well as tasting outcomes. <br />
<ul>
</ul>
Our Sugary Kefir Grains (SKG) have just arrived. They were $6.50 on Ebay. They are totally bizarre looking. nothing like dairy kefir! so, we'll see how that goes....<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-56789524101144747152012-10-11T05:23:00.000-07:002012-10-11T05:23:12.026-07:00When Life Gives you Green Tomatoes.... <br />
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Ripen them. </div>
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Last year, a friend of mine gave me all her remaining green tomatoes as the warm Summer nights came to a close and the promise of vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes disappeared. Green tomatoes have the tartness of tomatillos, not to mention the colour, so I turned them into a verde sauce. Cutting them into huge chunks and stewing them with onions, garlic, and hot peppers. Then froze it. This makes for a wonderful cheese (or kale/greens) enchiladas verde later in the winter. <br />
<br />
But this year, I decided to experiment with ripening. I took each of her tomatoes, wrapped it in newsprint and put them all in a cardboard box. In addition to her array of huge heirlooms, I had many green paste tomatoes of my own from my ever failing veggie garden. Those i just tossed in a brown paper bag and rolled closed. Over the next two weeks, her tomatoes all softened and turned a lovely shade of red. In turn, I tossed them into the freezer just as they were.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7_GEA0u8UQ/UHa5Y1ODjbI/AAAAAAAADBA/p-ZSgqXjEvI/s1600/IMG_7977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d7_GEA0u8UQ/UHa5Y1ODjbI/AAAAAAAADBA/p-ZSgqXjEvI/s320/IMG_7977.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">turning unwanted unripened fruit into red gold</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This past few days, I grabbed all of the tomatoes from the freezer and tossed them into a pot with some oregano and basil from the garden. Let that stew for many hours so it would thicken (to about half of the original water content). Then run the whole thing through the foodmill real quick to weed out the seeds. Tada. Marina sauce that started with her unwanted green tomatoes. That got popped into jars and canned in the pressure canner. Now we have two quarts of sauce for the winter. Alas, only two quarts. It really takes a lot of tomatoes to make tomato sauce. :(<br />
<br />
With a bit of sauce left over, I made my first bloody mary. quite excellent. The tomatoes had gone from tart to purely tomato. Really pretty amazing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-caXZ_hHFOCE/UHa5an6K3RI/AAAAAAAADBI/hgbarr8UbYg/s1600/IMG_7978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-caXZ_hHFOCE/UHa5an6K3RI/AAAAAAAADBI/hgbarr8UbYg/s320/IMG_7978.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simply slice the paste tomatoes and add to the rack</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With my remaining paste (plum shaped) tomatoes, I sliced them and threw them in the dryer. Six hours later, I have some very potent dried tomatoes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpPKWxGjJK8/UHa5euNsb6I/AAAAAAAADBY/2YJh0b6ycjA/s1600/IMG_7981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XpPKWxGjJK8/UHa5euNsb6I/AAAAAAAADBY/2YJh0b6ycjA/s320/IMG_7981.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">several hours later... "sundried" tomatoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, don't toss your green tomatoes or let them rot on the vine. You can just toss them in the freezer (green or ripened) and sort it out later.<br />
<br />
Now as we move out of the easy gardening season, I am once again looking forward to the winter CSA with Everblossom Farms in Pa.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-53380894512494797402012-08-01T07:11:00.002-07:002012-08-01T07:11:35.877-07:00Cautious Optimism in the Garden<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u6Ya23ungqY/UBk4XlI1rSI/AAAAAAAACyY/LS0rAu0VIV4/s1600/IMG_7321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u6Ya23ungqY/UBk4XlI1rSI/AAAAAAAACyY/LS0rAu0VIV4/s320/IMG_7321.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The acorn squash starts white (rear)</td></tr>
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Last year I told the story of my endless struggle to grow vegetables in the midst of the woods. Others might think the wiser of it, but every year I give it a go. Last Spring, I bought and then shoveled nine yards (=a lot) of compost to create a raised bed which I enclosed in a 6' high, 10'x10' dog kennel to keep out deer. But, the compost was really not composted completely and was horrible. It killed all my plants.<br />
<br />
This year, the raised compost bed is better. It hasn't outright killed anything. The tomatoes were quite leggy though and don't have much fruit, and they don't look great. I did get a decent set of beans from it, chard continues to grow in it, and there is a single tiny watermelon in development.<br />
<br />
But the exciting news for me is in the newest bed. Having failed with the compost, I hauled the sandbox I'd made for my son when he was a toddler across the property and adjacent to the dog kennel. I filled it with commercial soil, compost, humus. I planted garlic in November and left it over winter. In the Spring, I put in some beans, peas, and various odd seeds. So, my garlic did great. At least by my standards, and I wrote about that in June.<br />
<br />
Now the exciting news is winter squash. Two winter squash plants -- an acorn squash and a buternut squash -- are taking over the property, running 10' each in any direction. I've never had success with any squash before and I've always been told winter squash is the hardest. But, low and behold, I have squash growing ! There are three butternuts on the vines, and acorns continue to pile up.. there must be ten or more of them now. I'd love to get more butternut, but they seem to have done their thing.<br />
<br />
Now, we wait. I can't harvest them for another 8 weeks or so. There is soooo much that can go wrong before then. Deer can come through and eat the entire thing overnight -- that has happened to me before. Bugs are another huge challenge, though I didn't see any squash bug eggs on the leaves. And then there is just rot and other enemies of success.<br />
<br />
Keep your fingers crossed !<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMmvbr4ujm4/UBk4XS_qbnI/AAAAAAAACyU/4sQALZqUQ1E/s1600/IMG_7318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AMmvbr4ujm4/UBk4XS_qbnI/AAAAAAAACyU/4sQALZqUQ1E/s320/IMG_7318.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The immature butternut starts out with green and white stripes - this is about 6" long</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeTdVaJEI4I/UBk44_MGuDI/AAAAAAAACyg/nXBZW8YcB7s/s1600/IMG_7319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aeTdVaJEI4I/UBk44_MGuDI/AAAAAAAACyg/nXBZW8YcB7s/s320/IMG_7319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here the white has turned yellow over about a week... it should then, I think, go dark green</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-33146330245045105422012-07-10T03:32:00.000-07:002012-07-10T03:32:00.652-07:00Science Adventures in a Super Food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bpKyYFrUKBw/T-eNKgDACuI/AAAAAAAACww/jnuHR5iyL4o/s1600/IMG_7266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bpKyYFrUKBw/T-eNKgDACuI/AAAAAAAACww/jnuHR5iyL4o/s320/IMG_7266.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 26 hours of fermenting at 78degF - curdy!</td></tr>
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Last month I took a trip to a raw dairy farm in Pennsylvania with a few friends and found myself on a whole new adventure. I'm not much of a raw milk advocate, largely because I don't really understand the whys and hows of pasteurization. But more importantly, because I live in Maryland. The sale of raw milk is illegal here. But the opportunity to buy raw milk from a highly reputable farm couldn't be passed up. I'm not quite sure what we expected a raw dairy farm to be like. It was a small store, probably 30'x8' in size, packed with, obviously, raw milk... cow milk, goat milk... butter... and other classically sustainability-oriented products like pastured meat and local honey. Manning the store was a young boy, probably not twelve years of age. We gathered the bounty of illicit goods and filled our cooler full. Raw dairy. Ooh.<br />
<br />
Then my friend said, "They sell kefir. I've always wanted to try that. Do you want to share some?" I'd heard of kefir, but really had no knowledge of what it really was. I thought it was Indian yogurt (wrong). What the heck, I thought, after all, I'm living out of the box here! Our hopes were dashed in seconds though, when the boy said they had no kefir available.<br />
<br />
"We do have kefir grains, though, and you can make your own", interjected the boy's much older brother who had joined the room. Make it? Yes, he told us, it's sort of like making yogurt or soft cheese. The idea of <i>trying</i> kefir, this unfamiliar super food, was mildly interesting, but the idea of <i>making</i> kefir, now that was down right intriguing! Right down my alley. A nod, a shrug, and a few minutes later we were proud owners of a bottle of kefir grains. Now we just had to figure out what they heck that meant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RisW07Ylfn8/T-eNKLr3fKI/AAAAAAAACwo/KUGGJXhEzXA/s1600/IMG_7259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RisW07Ylfn8/T-eNKLr3fKI/AAAAAAAACwo/KUGGJXhEzXA/s320/IMG_7259.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the grains look like... kefir in the pot below</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
We came home with a small milk bottle of milk with some thingies in it and a <u>set of instructions</u>. Pretty straightforward: put thingies (more formally, grains) in crock, cover with milk, let sit 24 hours, strain out thingies. The liquid left is kefir. Best served as a smoothie made with frozen berries.<br />
<br />
All well and good, then the instructions continue that the grains will grow over time. The grains need to be fed, essentially, and can be slowed down in the fridge, but they can be completely dried out and stored at room temperature for years.<br />
<br />
<b>So, what in the world were these grains?</b> Not clear. I did some research. I found kefir to be totally fascinating. Here's some cool things I learnt in the last few weeks:<br />
<ul>
<li>it is really funky stuff.. it looks weird... it acts weird.. tastes a
bit weird.. and is very cool... and, apparently, is a super food. </li>
<li>kefir grains have nothing to do with plant material. The grains are globules of bacteria. Healthy bacteria that has powerful properties (probiotics) to support healthy digestive systems. </li>
<li>These grains look like jelly globs. The globs range from pea size to walnut size. We're measuring their growth for a science project. </li>
<li>kefir is actually a fermented dairy product with less than 1% alcohol content ....</li>
<li>you can use any kind of dairy, and now that we quickly ran out of our raw whole cows milk, we're trying pastured pasteurized whole milk from South Mountain Creamery... </li>
<li>kefir tastes like a very yeasty plain yogurt, but it's more unattractive to look at...it is definitely a liquid, with curded flakes that separate out... and I should say, our kefir because... </li>
<li>kefir originates from the Caucuses and is passed along through the growth of grains...</li>
<li>attempts to reproduce kefir in a lab setting have failed, and it is unclear exactly what all the bacteria in the grains are.... </li>
<li>as I understand it, the grains will also change based on the bacteria in the environment they are in, so, it seems, your kefir is somehow uniquely your own... </li>
<li>kefir made commercially is not really kefir, but a dairy product made with major bacteria strains from kefir grains... </li>
<li>same is true of things called kefir culture... they are a few of the extracted bacteria and can't be used to grow kefir grains over time...</li>
<li>when your kefir grows enough, you can split it and share it, but you have to keep feeding it by replacing the milk it sits in weekly... like sourdough... </li>
<li>it takes a little bit of work, a few minutes a week, and some forethought, but is pretty easy to manage... </li>
<li>when you puree kefir with frozen blueberries and sugar it tastes just like a yogurt smoothie. </li>
</ul>
<br />
There was a great video on fermented food by Sandor Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation,... there is a section on kefir, but the whole thing is fascinating.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmDtbvRZnw4">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmDtbvRZnw4</a><br />
<br />
My son also found interesting YouTube videos on making kefir with coconut water, instead of dairy... to make fermented beverages.. called water kefir.... <br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-WGJG4A1mg<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-41418407032601903702012-06-09T04:42:00.001-07:002012-06-09T04:42:37.498-07:00Spring Sprang and Here We Go Again<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSPMTqhw4Xw/T9M2Glk_avI/AAAAAAAACqs/ma89iZ36Byk/s1600/IMG_7201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RSPMTqhw4Xw/T9M2Glk_avI/AAAAAAAACqs/ma89iZ36Byk/s320/IMG_7201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Softneck garlic - huge bulbs!</td></tr>
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So things were pretty quiet during the winter. It was mild, and we had a very successful second year with our Winter CSA subscription at Everblossom Farm. There is something extra special about being able to get fresh, locally grown produce through the winter. <br />
<br />
Now I am back, and google has a new look to their blogging interface. Not sure I like it, not sure I like any of the austerity measures they've put into their interfaces. Not sure I get it. But, in any case, so it is. Free is free.<br />
<br />
We've really just started the local produce season, but it is off to an auspicious start for me. Last Fall I dragged the 8'x8' raised sandbox I made for my son when he was little out into the front yard, next to the fenced in raised bed of last season, and filled it with various soils. I can't recall whether I posted anything about that. One would definitely wonder why. I haven't had a successful season of gardening just about any food of my own in some 10+ years of trying. I mean, I can grow oregano in the yard, and mint.. neither of which, in truth, can be killed by the strongest of wills... but actual Summer veggies have failed or done poorly. So, I tried again.<br />
<br />
This time I planted softneck garlic in the raised box. I planted them in early November, I think, or late October. I decided to try softneck because they will last longer than hardneck garlic. Indeed, based on what I've read, I don't understand why most people plant hardneck garlic. It starts sprouting or softening within a few months and even the most dedicated of garlic eaters would have trouble finishing 30-50 heads of garlic before it goes. In any case, I went with softneck. Last year I planted hardneck, and I did get garlic. I posted about that. I was thrilled. My largest bulb was the size of a large walnut! But hey, it was garlic. And, honestly, even though it was hardneck, stored in the dark basement it lasted me, without softening/sprouting issues, through to mid-winter.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, some of the garlic fell over. I thought it was the storms. Not quite sure what to do. I thought you harvested garlic here in late June. Thankfully, I decided a few days later to do some googling on the subject. With softneck, when the garlic falls over, you better pull it. So, we did. And we had a few bulbs that were large walnut size, but mostly we had big fat bulbs!! big! fat ! bulbs! i'm totally excited.<br />
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And, on top of that, I also through beet seeds in that bed early spring. I have never successfully grown any actual beet, though I have gotten some greens. When I pulled the garlic, I also pulled five large beets from the ground. Woo-hoo!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXRPOvrRfY8/T9M2GKdjlvI/AAAAAAAACqk/4zw6Ii5YKkU/s1600/IMG_7198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iXRPOvrRfY8/T9M2GKdjlvI/AAAAAAAACqk/4zw6Ii5YKkU/s320/IMG_7198.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">my beets.. not huge, but not bad!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
AND, there are peas.. which probably need to be harvested today...<br />
<br />
in the meantime, I put some tomato plants into the raised compost bed from last year. Last year the not-done compost that I paid a fortune for killed off all of my plants. like seriously sucked them of their life blood and killed them. I am hoping that a year on the compost is more giving. We'll see. I have been growing chard in it over the spring, and that has been producing, but I think chard is pretty easy to grow.<br />
<br />
So, I'm like a real farmer.<br />
<br />
And, on top of that, I joined the Love Dove Farms CSA. I profiled John Dove last spring and I am thrilled to support him as he tries to convert the family farm, or a part of it, into an organic produce farm. There was a great article about him and the farm in last month's Howard magazine. Take a Look. I'll let you know how the CSA goes.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-35940529171697267542012-02-03T12:15:00.000-08:002012-02-03T12:15:31.752-08:00Making your own vanilla extract -- how cool is that?!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11YQhYpUCvo/TwTedy_ipII/AAAAAAAACLg/7loAL2-xaa4/s1600/IMG_6751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-11YQhYpUCvo/TwTedy_ipII/AAAAAAAACLg/7loAL2-xaa4/s320/IMG_6751.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla extract to be</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A friend gave me homemade vanilla extract this Christmas. I thought that was just the coolest gift. I'd never really thought about how extract was made, much less realized that you could make it as a unique simple gift. Loved, loved, loved it. So of course, I had to set out to make some for others. I did a bit of research and it turns out my friend bought her supplies from a high quality vanilla bean supplier: <a href="http://beanilla.com./">Beanilla.com.</a><br />
<br />
Taking a look at their website, I found not only an array of different origins of vanilla beans, but also organic beans. There were certified organic beans from Mexico and beans grown organically, according to the site, but not certified from India. In addition, they had the beans that you've heard of before -- bourbon and madagascar vanilla -- as well as a handful of others. Reviewers cited their large plump beans, and I decided it was worth a shot. They also sell a variety of other vanilla products, as well as the jars you need for extract.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hMRBqjWvHGM/TwTedfHwYuI/AAAAAAAACLc/KcHSvo88WpY/s1600/IMG_6750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hMRBqjWvHGM/TwTedfHwYuI/AAAAAAAACLc/KcHSvo88WpY/s200/IMG_6750.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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There are a number of very informative posts on making vanilla extract on the Internet, and I'm certainly not an expert. One of the best I read is found <a href="http://www.vanillareview.com/make-vanilla-extract/">here</a>. The important thing is that vanilla can age over years, like wine, with a little bit of care. During the initial extract, you are shaking the bottle regularly. Once it's extracted enough to start using it --about 4-5 weeks -- then you just top off the vodka (or rum) each time you use it. About 6 months in, it is recommended that you remove the beans and strain the seeds. You re-bottle the extract and let it age, or use it. A totally wonderful "reuse" product, you can then take the beans, dry them, and store them with sugar to create vanilla sugar. How's that for fully using a product??<br />
<br />
Making the extract was pretty straight forward. We cut open the beans, used a knife to scrape out the seeds. Filled the bottles with vodka, and capped them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kLgHrYryRZg/TwTeeKEAvKI/AAAAAAAACLk/Cv-7AgxvnW8/s1600/IMG_6753.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kLgHrYryRZg/TwTeeKEAvKI/AAAAAAAACLk/Cv-7AgxvnW8/s320/IMG_6753.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's a pairing knife but these are big SOFT beans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtaxe1S1VpI/TwTeefTARaI/AAAAAAAACLo/6MbG_rIMhhs/s1600/IMG_6754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xtaxe1S1VpI/TwTeefTARaI/AAAAAAAACLo/6MbG_rIMhhs/s320/IMG_6754.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">you can barely see the hundreds of little seeds in there</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odwbEES_FZc/TwTeewZPAeI/AAAAAAAACLs/-VXeiYeYTX0/s1600/IMG_6755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-odwbEES_FZc/TwTeewZPAeI/AAAAAAAACLs/-VXeiYeYTX0/s320/IMG_6755.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add vodka</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
A few days later we used one of our remaining beans to make Jamie Olver's Proper English Custard. My first attempt at that, having made Bird's Eye custard quite a lot in my younger days. This was a lot more technically complicated, but O-M-G... unbelievably delicious. Definitely the best custard I've ever eaten... or so I recall. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-85089521490770668482011-11-27T04:29:00.000-08:002011-11-27T04:29:50.006-08:00The Real Winter Squash: Blue Hubbard<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ylDlCxLckqk/TtDj3Z7qdBI/AAAAAAAACKw/z7kwEgkyqwg/s1600/IMG_6610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ylDlCxLckqk/TtDj3Z7qdBI/AAAAAAAACKw/z7kwEgkyqwg/s320/IMG_6610.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue Hubbard Squash in pieces</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Our first Winter CSA pick up included potatoes, radishes, collards, carrots, fennel, bok choy, leeks, cilantro, and what I had been waiting nearly a year for... a Blue Hubbard squash. I forgot to photograph it whole, so here it is on the left, split in two and another slice taken from the top. These amazingly ugly squashes are unbelievably tasty. Last year I used them for pie and equally delicious soup. In Germany in the winter we would have lots of kerbis (meaning gourd) soups and other dishes through the Fall. Kerbis oil and seeds are used as condiments. The one thing you'll never see is kerbis pie. Funny. They just don't eat the same type of desserts as we do.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ia_amzMPqw/TtDj39XM37I/AAAAAAAACK0/8X9MtBIA9fA/s1600/IMG_6613.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ia_amzMPqw/TtDj39XM37I/AAAAAAAACK0/8X9MtBIA9fA/s320/IMG_6613.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast until soft in oven </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
What they are missing !<br />
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You cook Blue Hubbard like Butternut or other winter squashes. Cut them in chunks, scrape out the seeds, and roast the pieces in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes or so. They'll be totally soft and you scrape the skin off to mash the remains. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ag3XuFT6tg/TtDj4Se2xBI/AAAAAAAACK4/JnLvD1i0MHc/s1600/IMG_6615.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Ag3XuFT6tg/TtDj4Se2xBI/AAAAAAAACK4/JnLvD1i0MHc/s320/IMG_6615.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puree and add ingredients</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Once you have something like this, it can be pureed with spices, cream, and eggs for pie. Or changed into some other savory dish.<br />
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Did you know that most commercial pumpkin for pumpkin pie - the kind you buy in a can - is butternut squash? It's interesting to me that you'll find quite a lot of people who say they don't like squash, or particularly butternut squash, but will eat it as pie. Of course, the sugar and cream probably influences that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YpLVoDNf-rU/TtDj449pcmI/AAAAAAAACK8/c4Fx8H-hSvY/s1600/IMG_6617.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YpLVoDNf-rU/TtDj449pcmI/AAAAAAAACK8/c4Fx8H-hSvY/s320/IMG_6617.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wonderful Blue Hubbard Squash pie</td></tr>
</tbody></table> But Butternut squash soup tastes nothing quite like Blue Hubbard. I'm hoping for at least one more squash this season.<br />
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Which isn't to say that Butternut isn't great for soups. I have two wonderful recipes for it. One combines the squash with ginger for a smooth soup that balances those wonderful flavors. The other keeps chunks of squash in with pork, creating a chunky Fall stew for a tasty pairing.<br />
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One Blue Hubbard is enough for two deep dish pies and several small ramekins. Looks good, eh?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh0cdKrN2uM/TtDj5RJLQ1I/AAAAAAAACLA/gkyyThBqGxI/s1600/IMG_6618.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dh0cdKrN2uM/TtDj5RJLQ1I/AAAAAAAACLA/gkyyThBqGxI/s320/IMG_6618.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried squash seeds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My great find this year is dried seeds. Of course, I'm constantly looking for ways to use my new dehydrator. I dried apples and raw almonds in the last few weeks. The almonds are soaked overnight and then dried for 24 hours. This keeps them a bloated, crispy feel that's hard to describe and absolutely addictive.<br />
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I figured the seeds might well work the same. I soaked them for about 6 hours, dried for about 12 hours. I sprinkled on some cinnamon at the start, too. The result were puffy seeds with a paper-like outer coating that was similar to rice paper in consistency.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m9bBloEgRvM/TtDj59aG2zI/AAAAAAAACLE/EgBCf8dxYWA/s1600/IMG_6619.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m9bBloEgRvM/TtDj59aG2zI/AAAAAAAACLE/EgBCf8dxYWA/s320/IMG_6619.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kernel is a green yummy morsel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The outer white part is fibrous and a bit chewy, but the seed on the inside has a wonderful delicate taste of pumpkin.<br />
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In Germany I would buy raw kerbis seeds for my yogurt. These were dark green seeds, and I could never quite make out really where they came from. I've never seen a green squash seed. But taste testing our new dried seeds, my son and I realized there was a separate kernel inside the white coating which was giving the fabulous flavor. Sure enough, with some effort you can pull off the white coating to reveal a green seed. It's a bit difficult, and you can see my finger nail marks on the green seed here, but hey, you get the idea. I do wonder how they strip off the outer coating commercially now. Hmm.... <br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-73783292819495330282011-11-15T16:56:00.000-08:002011-11-15T16:56:15.656-08:00Better Life through Canning<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AbvKX6-MrYc/TsMJ8ahbtHI/AAAAAAAACJ8/xE_mlgHlStk/s1600/IMG_6573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AbvKX6-MrYc/TsMJ8ahbtHI/AAAAAAAACJ8/xE_mlgHlStk/s320/IMG_6573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>So, this past weekend I got invited to a local canning swap and trade party. I know it sounds a bit weird or, well, domestic maybe, boring to some, old to others,.... dated maybe... but, this is the kind of gathering I've been wanting to join for some years. The idea is that you can things during the harvest season, either by yourself or in canning parties, and then bring a bunch of canned goods for others to taste. At the end of the event, all the unopened cans are laid out and folks fill their baskets with roughly what the number they brought in. There were six of us on Sunday. I took ten jars and came back with ten jars, only two of which were mine. Not bad.<br />
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The reason these types of trades are so intriguing to me is, aside from the whole aspect of socializing with others who do arcane things, the sheer variety you get without being overwhelmed. If you are canning alone in your kitchen, just you and your pot of boiling water (I'm cheap and don't own a pressure canner), even with small batch canning, you'll end up with 4-8 jars of whatever you make. Let's say eight. So if you make six half pints Apple Ginger Chutney, that's actually a lot of chutney to consume over the year. Of course, you can gift these things, and sometimes I do. But, let's be honest, the vast majority of folks have no appreciation of the amount of work that went into making that unusual chutney. Some will avoid opening it, instead waiting for the right special occasion where chutney calls out to them and they have all the right guests and all the right china on the table. Or, in all likelihood, they have no idea how one would eat chutney; isn't that some weird foreign food? So I'm leery of gifting unusual recipes even though I might just love to try a jar myself.<br />
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I'm quite generous, I think, with my canned goods and other things I make, as long as folks will appreciate them. I can see my little Golum coming out, though, when I recognize that's not the case. This year life interrupted, and I was unable to get many sour cherries. The result: two pints of sour cherry jam. Nothing else. No frozen cherries. Nothing. My sour cherry jam rocks. And I know it's totally sad and selfish, but when folks who like Smuckers just as much are digging in, I have to hold down my inside voice... "it's mine, my precious".... and I might just be guilty of sliding that one to the back of the fridge and bringing my less-than-favorites to the front. The sins of a canner.<br />
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On the other hand, my hot pepper jellies are usually a big hit, particularly with folks who haven't paired them with cream cheese. I had so many request for jars last year that I made double this year to give to whomever wants them. Pepper jelly is so unique and one of the coolest ways to make a quick Real Food appetizer, I'm delighted that folks like it and glad to share.<br />
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In any case, when you make unusual recipes, you are often, well, I am often, stuck then with jars of unusual recipes. Luckily, last year my son absolutely loved the spiced blueberry cherry preserves in his yogurt. These were Fall spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg stewed into blueberries and sour cherries. It tasted good, I though, but four quarts good? Not for me. It took the year, but we did eat them all. Still, this year I went back to tried and true things. Which means, when I got invited to this party to share, since I wasn't quite expecting it, I wasn't quite prepared either. <br />
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I brought garlic dill pickles, apple sauce, and pepper jelly. The first two are things most everyone makes. Most everyone makes a lot of. Not too exciting to swap. I also had one jar of lemon basil jelly, which was interesting. The great thing is that these kind of parties usually involve generous people who are willing to try other folks stuff and appreciate the work involved, so I did pretty well.<br />
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For my part, I got to take a home a jar of Blackberry Lime jam, pumpkin butter, cranberry jam, pickled watermelon rind, a different pepper jelly, apple chutney, and bay leaf infused plum jam. Plus, I got a bit of pineapple sage butter. We tasted various breads that others made, and an apple cobbler. Not too shabby. And the group was all knitters, so we sat around, talked, and did that too...Bonus!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-52428624525425781172011-11-05T09:15:00.000-07:002011-11-05T09:15:57.872-07:00Crushing Grapes at Serpent Ridge Winery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cYOKjIUNALg/Tq6QaBd2C7I/AAAAAAAACHc/ANqKZTxUnl8/s1600/IMG_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cYOKjIUNALg/Tq6QaBd2C7I/AAAAAAAACHc/ANqKZTxUnl8/s320/IMG_6530.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> It's taken me a few more weeks than I had hoped to get these photos up from my recent volunteer day with Serpent Ridge Winery in Westminster, Md. Life intervenes.<br />
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For more than a year now, I've been watching the winery's calls for volunteers to help crush, press, pick, or bottle, hoping to match up a day when I was free and they needed help. Invariably things didn't work out. Turns out, a lot of people like to volunteer at the winery and you only need so much help at a time. But finally, in mid-November I got my chance.<br />
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My friend, Maureen, and I joined six other volunteers for a morning of crushing cabernet sauvignon grapes that the winery had just received from another farm in Maryland. After a morning of lifting, pouring, and cleaning, we were rewarded with a wonderful lunch and a discount on our wine purchase. It's a great experience to be involved in, and hopefully we'll get the chance to do other parts of the process next year. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-G6EOej3TE/Tq6QcsFtpTI/AAAAAAAACHo/-QqyUCZIxcA/s1600/IMG_6540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q-G6EOej3TE/Tq6QcsFtpTI/AAAAAAAACHo/-QqyUCZIxcA/s320/IMG_6540.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maureen weighs a box of grapes - they ranged from 14-30+ lbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--oJH4tMLimU/Tq6Qe4V2ffI/AAAAAAAACHw/nPIfONA_Wz4/s1600/IMG_6545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hu7mLYD5xMU/Tq6QfqpXQgI/AAAAAAAACH4/WKsIH2UDopU/s1600/IMG_6550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hu7mLYD5xMU/Tq6QfqpXQgI/AAAAAAAACH4/WKsIH2UDopU/s320/IMG_6550.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what the grapes look like before crushing...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r5w5skBEb1w/Tq6QahTgSLI/AAAAAAAACHg/ToB4mwGcw8o/s1600/IMG_6535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r5w5skBEb1w/Tq6QahTgSLI/AAAAAAAACHg/ToB4mwGcw8o/s320/IMG_6535.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crusher before it's in place... </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g8F-zY0_8is/Tq6Qgj3UIcI/AAAAAAAACIA/dbBLDePaSiQ/s1600/IMG_6553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNmIxGebXII/Tq6QgC7oXuI/AAAAAAAACH8/DgCHvDJYnbs/s1600/IMG_6551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yNmIxGebXII/Tq6QgC7oXuI/AAAAAAAACH8/DgCHvDJYnbs/s320/IMG_6551.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And after crushing.... </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V0TZbfUJGss/Tq6QdPAU3rI/AAAAAAAACHs/EyN1SBO6ksg/s1600/IMG_6542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V0TZbfUJGss/Tq6QdPAU3rI/AAAAAAAACHs/EyN1SBO6ksg/s320/IMG_6542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Create a work line to pass along the grapes</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3lKSKqeKio/Tq6Qcd7v2GI/AAAAAAAACHk/2QRT91_1hss/s1600/IMG_6538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They try to quickly pull junk out of the grapes before they get crushed</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8mh3-91OnU/Tq6QfVfrOXI/AAAAAAAACH0/jI0iYcHTqnQ/s1600/IMG_6547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8mh3-91OnU/Tq6QfVfrOXI/AAAAAAAACH0/jI0iYcHTqnQ/s320/IMG_6547.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, the bins get cleaned after their grapes are dumped... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3lKSKqeKio/Tq6Qcd7v2GI/AAAAAAAACHk/2QRT91_1hss/s1600/IMG_6538.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y3lKSKqeKio/Tq6Qcd7v2GI/AAAAAAAACHk/2QRT91_1hss/s320/IMG_6538.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the winery cat, Zork, named after the wine cap</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-62867227608265167062011-10-15T09:51:00.000-07:002011-10-15T09:51:47.828-07:00Organic Local Apples<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53aSW0bLCJU/Tpm4Lm6SJbI/AAAAAAAACEs/iRn5OXZ6WOA/s1600/IMG_6508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-53aSW0bLCJU/Tpm4Lm6SJbI/AAAAAAAACEs/iRn5OXZ6WOA/s320/IMG_6508.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new source for Organic Apples</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Farmer, farmer put away your DDT now, </i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>I'll take spots on my apples, </i></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Leave me the birds and the bees... </i></span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">Pleeeaaassseeee.. </span></b></i></span><br />
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I love that song. The original. The remakes. Of course, we're not using DDT anymore, but there are plenty of other "proven safe" but make you (or me) nervous chemicals being sprayed on our agriculture still. Living in the mid-Atlantic, the problem I've found is that if you want local, as I generally prefer, you're going to have a tough time finding organic fruits. Sure, plenty of people have an apple or pear tree, or two, growing in their backyard. They don't touch it and it produces fine, if not beautiful, organic fruit. There is an organic blueberry farm not too farm from here (in Olney, Md), but blueberries are among the easiest fruit to grow organically. Tree fruit is tough.<br />
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So, I was delighted when a friend mentioned a source for organic apples out of Pennsylvania: <a href="http://www.oylersorganicfarms.com/">Oyler's Organic Farms</a>. And I was thrilled when I saw the prices. Where the organic blueberry prices are several times those at the average pick-your-own farm (but chemical free), the organic apples were just plain normal grocery store prices. They sell #1 and #2 apples, by the 1/2 and full bushel. These aren't pick-your-own. You place and order, then drive to pick them up.<br />
<br />
Since I had no idea what to expect, I went with a full bushel of #1 Ida Reds in a box. I figured the extra costs for #1 apples and also for the box, over a bag, might be worth it. The apples were $42 for 42 lbs! That's unbeatable in my book. Friends told me that they still used the #2 apples as eating apples, but that you'd have to cut pieces out here and there. I am processing a lot of my apples into sauce or freezing them for winter desserts, so you'd think I wouldn't mind cutting. I probably don't, but not cutting is even easier. And it would tell me what to expect.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HPGOrH3DBiA/Tpm4MATW-_I/AAAAAAAACEw/rIxpxxYhebw/s1600/IMG_6509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HPGOrH3DBiA/Tpm4MATW-_I/AAAAAAAACEw/rIxpxxYhebw/s320/IMG_6509.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My box of #1 Ida Reds</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I was thrilled with these apples. They were indeed spots. All of them had some scab looking thing, but not a single one had an issue under the surface. Not one. I peeled and sliced about 30 apples (with the ever-helpful Pampered Chef tool) and found absolutely no problems. Another large bunch were sauced whole, but cored, and again, no issues. The last big bunch went to making Fresh Apple salsa that I mentioned in my last post, for freezing. And, a handful went to the fridge.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s7TkT3a98k8/Tpm4M7JfhSI/AAAAAAAACE0/31Z6ZiwpWhM/s1600/IMG_6510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s7TkT3a98k8/Tpm4M7JfhSI/AAAAAAAACE0/31Z6ZiwpWhM/s320/IMG_6510.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the apples had some blemishes like this</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o4uVjWlyD_E/Tpm4Nf2zhwI/AAAAAAAACE4/AY4-9PY6yYg/s1600/IMG_6511.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o4uVjWlyD_E/Tpm4Nf2zhwI/AAAAAAAACE4/AY4-9PY6yYg/s320/IMG_6511.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And all the apples looked great inside - like this !</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
There's still some time left for apple picking in the season. There's no doubt this is the best way for me to go. I'm looking forward to some York apples, which are supposedly much more sour, in the next few weeks. Yum yum.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-30797507746390489672011-10-07T14:09:00.000-07:002011-10-07T14:09:25.151-07:00A Variety of Thoughts for Fall<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fd9QtNgdWQA/To9qD3BpmGI/AAAAAAAACEA/QNRmbnRcTWw/s1600/IMG_6505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fd9QtNgdWQA/To9qD3BpmGI/AAAAAAAACEA/QNRmbnRcTWw/s320/IMG_6505.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot pepper and lemon basil jellies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Well, this Summer turned out to be quite a trip, and unfortunately, the first thing to go by the wayside was writing and food sourcing. I have no idea whether my posts were missed, but here I am again, and hopefully will get back to being a bit more regular. Sadly, we've passed the height of fresh food from local sources, so we'll see how it goes. Since so much time has passed, instead of a cohesive topic, I have a bunch of early Fall subjects to touch upon today. Hopefully some of it will be helpful.<br />
<br />
If you find yourself thinking about the long winter ahead without fresh local food, a winter CSA might be for you. My local buying group is going in together again with subscriptions at <a href="http://www.everblossomfarm.com/">Everblossom Farm</a>, outside of Gettysburg, PA. With pick ups only every other week and a group of families to share the driving, you can have a wide range of produce throughout the five months you would normally trek to the grocery store and get straight from Mexico or elsewhere. If you're in Southern Carroll County, you might even be able to join our group. Check out my earlier posts on Everblossom and our CSA experience last year.<br />
<br />
My only worry about the CSA this year is that the weather here in the mid-Atlantic has been beyond dreadful this year. Today is our second day of clear blue sky in literally many weeks. The rainfall for August and September was ridiculously high and washed out a lot of farmer's Fall plantings. Many farmers were left with poor growth and failed seedlings. Tom of Nev-R-Dun farm in Westminster even failed to show a few weeks at the farmer's market this last month, as his plants had been hit so hard.<br />
<br />
My own adventures didn't fair well either. I wrote earlier about my big project to create a fenced garden. It was a raised bed filled with about 7 yards of compost from D.R. Snell Nursery in Mt. Airy. Unfortunately, their compost, though extremely expensive ($27/yard+delivery), was really not good. It had not fully composted, had huge chunks of cloth, wood, and rocks in it. But most importantly, it's nutrient levels were way off. It is supposed to be manure and leaf litter, but it was very low in nitrogen, and it all but killed off my tomatoes. Everything except cucumbers were a complete failure this year. I can only hope that next year the ground will be fully composted and ready for seeds.<br />
<br />
The other thing we do about this year is plan for our winter meat orders. Chickens are a big one. You can't get pastured chickens locally from about November until around April. So, my group always puts in big orders to freeze through the winter. Unfortunately, this Summer was a kicker for local chicken farmers. Predation took hundreds of birds. Our usual sources, Sattva Place, Akeys Farm, and Jehovah Jirah can not fulfill our usual big order (~20 birds). So, that's incredibly disappointing. If you know another good source in the area, please add it to the comments section. We also buy our turkeys about this time of year, but Copper Penny Farm also suffered huge losses due to heat and predators this Summer. It's unclear whether they will be offering any birds for Thanksgiving. Bummer, man.<br />
<br />
My usual source for beef, Ruth Ann's Garden Style Beef, is doing their winter orders earlier this year. Her pick up will be in November this year, and orders are due very soon. Other farmers may have later order times, but I haven't seen any specifics.<br />
<br />
It's apple picking time ! I've been asked by a number of different people about preserving apples recently, specifically about freezing apples. Yes, apples freeze extremely well. I do a few things with them. I'll slice about 6 apples, toss them in sugar (for preservative), and freeze them in a ziploc, removing as much air as I can. This is exactly what you need for an apple pie. You can use the apples frozen, and some people even freeze the apple with the bag sitting in a pie tin so they have the exact shape they need. You can also just dice the apples, skin on or off and freeze them like that. That's great for apple toppings and crumbles. I also make a lot of sauce, but my absolute favorite these days is apple ginger salsa, which freezes fabulously.<br />
<br />
I think I got this recipe from allrecipes.com last year, but am not sure... in any case, they have one listed there... they call it <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/fresh-apple-salsa/detail.aspx">Fresh Apple Salsa Recipe</a>. Make a bunch. Freeze it in pint or half pint jars. It goes fast. I like it best with yellow corn tortillas. <br />
<div class="ingredients" style="margin-top: 10px;"> <h3> Ingredients</h3><ul><li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 2 tart apples, cored and cubed</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 4 tablespoons lime juice</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 1 fresh Anaheim chile, seeded and sliced</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced</li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap ingredient"> 1/4 teaspoon salt</li>
</ul></div><div style="border-top: 1px #ccc dotted; margin-top: 20px; width: 300px;"> </div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"> <h3> Directions</h3><ol><li><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> In a large bowl, stir together apples and lime juice. Stir in jalapeno and Anaheim chile slices. Stir in onion, cilantro, walnuts, ginger, and salt. Mix thoroughly.</span></li>
</ol><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">The other thing to do right now is deal with herbs you have in the deck or garden. Most of them can be cut and dried inside - hung in the basement is perfect. Oregano is a perennial. Just cut a bunch of it's stems off, dry them, and ta-da! you have oregano for the winter. Mint is the same. I also usually dig up a bit of mint, pot it, and bring it inside for the winter. If you have lemon verbena for it's fabulous herbal tea or otherwise, you can actually bring that plant in for the winter. It is a tender perennial, so if you don't, you'll have to buy another next year. Instead, dig it up, shake off all the outside soil. Cut off almost all of the growth - and dry that in your basement for winter tea ! -- so that it doesn't stress out. Re-pot and keep in a sunny location. It will completely regrow during the winter and you can use it fresh. </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">I also grew lemon basil this year and didn't use it. So, last week I was contemplating what to do.Turns out, it makes <a href="http://www.herbcompanion.com/herbs-in-the-kitchen/herbal-harvest-basil-jelly-recipe.aspx">awesome jelly</a>. With about 2-3 cups of lemon basil, you can create a lemon tea, add sugar and pectin. I doubt you need to use a hot bath canning process, but I did. The result is a lemon drop flavored jelly - delicious ! As is always the case with jams/jellies, getting it to set how you want can be tricky. The batch I made this past week set, but is a bit runny. It sorta has a honey texture. In any case, lemon basil jelly on cream cheese and crackers.... yum yum. I'm certain that lemon verbena would produce a similar tasting jelly.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BW0m6teblsM/To9qDTxyTAI/AAAAAAAACD8/Yi40Qdxo5Yo/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BW0m6teblsM/To9qDTxyTAI/AAAAAAAACD8/Yi40Qdxo5Yo/s320/IMG_6503.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">jellies with cream cheese on crackers - scrumptious! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> While you're in the mood of topping cream cheese and crackers, might as well make some hot pepper jelly. If you've never had it before and you like hot-sweet combos, you are seriously missing out. This super easy jelly is made with apple cider vinegar, chopped hot peppers, and sugar. A lot of recipes also add sweet red peppers. Last year I made bulgarian carrot pepper jelly -- at it set perfectly. This year it set a bit runny, so you never quite know. There are any number of recipes out there for hot pepper jelly. It's so easy and so acidic (so there's no real risk of getting sick later), I always recommend it for beginner canners. </span></div><div class="directions" style="margin-top: 10px;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break"> Well, I guess that's enough for now. </span> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-27574866767618238732011-07-31T08:19:00.000-07:002011-07-31T08:19:38.562-07:00Veggie Gardening - hey, it's progress<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teBrosE6hN4/TilkSOAzHZI/AAAAAAAABvo/Krgd2WqEhs8/s1600/IMG_6020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-teBrosE6hN4/TilkSOAzHZI/AAAAAAAABvo/Krgd2WqEhs8/s400/IMG_6020.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, a cucumber and some Thai basil !</td></tr>
</tbody></table>My latest, grandest attempt at veggie gardening on our mostly wooded lot hasn't completely failed. Earlier <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2011/05/dream-of-summer-veggie-garden.html">this summer I hauled nearly 9 yards of compost</a> into an old dog run to create a raised garden bed, resistant to deer and not mired in heavy clay. It didn't take long to realize that all of that work was certainly not going to pay off in spades. My plants were quickly yellowing and sad. The potatoes were particularly hard hit. The leaves yellowed and fell off continuously, leaving only a few small emergent leaves grasping at life, in a cycle that lasted for weeks. It became clear that something was afoot with my compost. My expensive compost. My expensive compost that took days to haul from pile to garden bed. This manure-leaf litter mix compost was $27/yard, so you'd expect great things. You certainly wouldn't expect it to stunt your plants. But the problem wasn't obvious. The plants weren't burning, like you always hear about with incomplete compost. They were just plain sad. A soil test eventually revealed that the compost was indeed nitrogen poor, a result, I think, of the incomplete breakdown of the elements.<br />
<br />
So, in theory, next year my bed will be fabulous. This year, I was quite hosed. I added nitrogen, but this is a losing battle. The tomato plants responded by shooting up in height - skinny as a rail, but tall - and producing very limited flowers. My tiny tomatoes have produced a handful each, but the heirloom varieties haven't bloomed. Several plants never grew past a foot in height. This leaves me to buy from the market. Tomatoes are an expensive fruit, maybe the most expensive at the rate we can eat them. We'll easily devour a huge Brandywine - sliced and drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IixzLZLlynE/TilkOfW3t-I/AAAAAAAABvU/-F43d70YvmQ/s1600/IMG_6015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IixzLZLlynE/TilkOfW3t-I/AAAAAAAABvU/-F43d70YvmQ/s320/IMG_6015.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this tomato plant is so sadly skinny you can't tell it's 4' tall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I've learnt though that cucumbers are less picky about their environment. In the past, I've successfully grown two cucumbers. Really. Two. But this year, the plants have done very well, or at least, in my perspective, very well. I have three varieties growing - two slicing and one pickling variety - and I've harvested over a dozen. Small cukes cover the vines and they seem to grow at a tremendous rate. The one thing I have found is that they can easily hide in the vegetation, so it's almost like a treasure hunt trying to find them. So, I'm looking at their success as a great step forward.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XpWWegNyhaM/TilkQSVafPI/AAAAAAAABvc/CWMYMjDrGOE/s1600/IMG_6017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XpWWegNyhaM/TilkQSVafPI/AAAAAAAABvc/CWMYMjDrGOE/s320/IMG_6017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the cucumbers have been romping</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
And, even though my veggies haven't been super successful, my flower beds this year are unbelievable. June was a particularly beautiful month, and the Fall bloomers are all setting themselves up for a great show. I have Japanese irises whose greens this year exceed 5', something I've never seen. And my English style, a.k.a. let the plants and the "weeds" fight it out themselves, has given off a crazy array of color. It's always hard to photo the garden, I think, because there always seems to be a lighting issue of some kind, but I've put a bunch of the plant photos on Picasa. The hydrangeas (I have more than 25 bushes) have almost all bloomed and are now changed to their deeper colors. I'm going to add some photos of them and the late bloomers as I can.<br />
<br />
If you want to check them out, here they are:<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/mum2kenai/Garden?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOKD35qIzo-0dA&feat=directlink"> My Garden Photos </a><br />
<br />
On an unrelated note, I have successfully convinced all of my neighbors to move their trash and recycling off of the storm drain. For fourteen years, our trash and recycling collection has been on this concrete pad at the bottom of the driveway. Inevitably every few weeks, trash would litter the entire area for one reason or another. That was bad enough, but one day a few years ago I actually looked at where we put things for collection. I mean, of course, I know where we put stuff, but I never saw that it was the storm drain leading directly into the Patapsco River. Of course, then I immediately noticed that the garbage didn't just litter the common property but tons of bottles and other trash would fall into the drain. There is no filter of any kind between the street and the river. I guess that's so it won't back up. This spring, I was able to organize our neighbors into a clean up, and they pulled some 13 garbage containers full of trash out of the stream. Perfect timing to propose we move the pick up. Only one neighbor resisted, but now several weeks later our road is no longer polluting that stream on mass. Yay!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-8509772632596754642011-07-22T05:42:00.000-07:002011-07-23T11:54:54.082-07:00SmallTown, Big Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j189v063_A8/TiluZewZPKI/AAAAAAAABv8/2NVOg0p7UBI/s1600/IMG_5909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j189v063_A8/TiluZewZPKI/AAAAAAAABv8/2NVOg0p7UBI/s320/IMG_5909.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>We were in Kankakee, Il. this past weekend for a wedding, a town I thought I'd never heard of until I was told it was called out in the lyrics of <i>The City of New Orleans</i>. I love that song. No recollection of Kankakee in it, though. In any case, as we hung about Saturday morning, I jumped on the opportunity to join in a trip to the local farmer's market.<br />
<br />
The market is actually quite large, particularly for the size of Kankakee - about 25,000 from what I can find. They had great live music and places to sit and eat. There were a variety of vendors from produce to canned goods, bread, and gifts. I am always curious what the most unusual items will be at the markets I visit. In this case, there was a man selling various types of pickled beets. Like all sorts of weird combinations. My husband's cousins (my cousins-in-law?) bought horseradish beets for their dad.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8DXQGAQZ00/TiluVelu3nI/AAAAAAAABvs/0umt8EZWzq0/s1600/IMG_5904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k8DXQGAQZ00/TiluVelu3nI/AAAAAAAABvs/0umt8EZWzq0/s320/IMG_5904.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The market at Kankakee</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
There was also a really nice cheese stand. All their cheese was from Wisconsin, which is local enough to Illinois in my book. The cool thing, which I guess probably isn't a surprise coming from Wisconsin, is that the cheeses were really artisan varieties. They had nettle cheddar and apricot brie, and a host of other varieties both simple and fancy. It was definitely reminiscent of a European market stand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-itEODVlJXWY/TiluX4CavgI/AAAAAAAABv4/1DKuLq43_D0/s1600/IMG_5908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-itEODVlJXWY/TiluX4CavgI/AAAAAAAABv4/1DKuLq43_D0/s320/IMG_5908.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">great music stand at the market</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfyffbkcalU/TiluWWEmQQI/AAAAAAAABvw/FLBkqJ1KwPY/s1600/IMG_5906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zfyffbkcalU/TiluWWEmQQI/AAAAAAAABvw/FLBkqJ1KwPY/s320/IMG_5906.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's Illinois, so of course there is corn !</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And for those twisting their brains to recall those lyrics that Arlo Guthrie (corrected!) made so famous.. they are due to Steve Goodman...<br />
<br />
<pre><i>Riding on the City of New Orleans,
Illinois Central Monday morning rail
Fifteen cars and fifteen restless riders,
Three conductors and twenty-five sacks of mail.
All along the southbound odyssey
The train pulls out at <b>Kankakee</b>
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields.
Passin' trains that have no names,
Freight yards full of old black men
And the graveyards of the rusted automobiles.
CHORUS:
Good morning America how are you?
Don't you know me I'm your native son,
I'm the train they call The City of New Orleans,
I'll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.</i></pre>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-55634098304327595932011-07-08T14:49:00.000-07:002011-07-08T14:49:58.613-07:00Foraging: It's Wineberry Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xBi__naGxDA/Thd10rl5fGI/AAAAAAAABuk/tKEXqSr8vUI/s1600/IMG_5895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCnWk5bg9As/Thd1wSIanjI/AAAAAAAABuE/bXkytmOln4g/s1600/IMG_5881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lCnWk5bg9As/Thd1wSIanjI/AAAAAAAABuE/bXkytmOln4g/s320/IMG_5881.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wineberries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This is the first week here of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_phoenicolasius">wineberry</a> season -- often referred to locally as wild raspberries. They are indeed a species of raspberry and they grow wild here, even rampant, but they are not native to North America. These berries litter the woods around our property and, if you can tolerate the thorns, reward the picker with a nice tart fresh flavor. In parts of the country they are considered invasive, though I'm not sure if that is true here in Maryland. Originally they were cultivated to use as a hybrid for raspberries, but they got loose. The great thing about them is that they grow in reasonably heavy shade, an attribute not found in many berries. We follow the edge of our yard or trails through the woods to grab whatever we can. Of course, the "best" berries taunt you from canes that are just out of reach. Despite better wisdom, my son and I are always drawn further and further into the brambles reaching for that cluster of perfect berries, inevitably caught by the many thorns and left scratched and battered.<br />
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This morning we took a friend out picking and, determined to overcome the thorny branches, we set an early morning meeting time and dressed in long sleeves and long pants. Naturally, we've hit a very humid spell and so we set off around 8am in already oppressive weather. The berries are close to their height now, and the picking is easy. The extra clothes were worth the heat, as we got caught many times, but our arms and legs returned unscathed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDmTQN1naNI/Thd1wxJlwaI/AAAAAAAABuI/EiqDq4puMgk/s1600/IMG_5883.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pDmTQN1naNI/Thd1wxJlwaI/AAAAAAAABuI/EiqDq4puMgk/s320/IMG_5883.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pick only dark red and plump berries - like the one far right bottom</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best berries are always just out of reach</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and between you and the berries are these thorns!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RRLNM-1pybQ/Thd1zNQHgBI/AAAAAAAABuY/mEGBIJ06jK8/s1600/IMG_5890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RRLNM-1pybQ/Thd1zNQHgBI/AAAAAAAABuY/mEGBIJ06jK8/s320/IMG_5890.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wild blackeberries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Where there are wineberries, there are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackberry">wild blackberries</a>. Their season is just starting and so you'll only find a few dark black juicy berries on each cane this week. And they'll undoubtedly be very sour. I'm not a big fan of these berries, and I'm particularly not fond of their thorns, which, though fewer in number than those on a wineberry cane, are longer and far more vicious. But they look tasty. So when they are there, we pick a few of them too. These are not <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubus_occidentalis">wild black raspberries</a>, which are, well, raspberries and quite delicious. They are also much rarer to find in my woods; I tend to find them each year more by random than planning. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nasty blackberry thorns !!</td></tr>
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So, how do you use wineberries? Quickly! Wineberries do not last very long at all, and you'll want to do something with them within 24 hours. You'll notice they have a stickiness to them and the flavor is more tart than the cultivated red raspberry. They are great fresh, on cereal for example. I made jam with an early batch this week, which came out ok, but not great. Mixed with the sugar necessary for jam, the wineberry seems to lose its distinct fresh flavor. Today's pick will be macerated (sprinkle with sugar and let sit until the juices are drawn out). Then we'll turn lady finger type cookies (quickly!) in the resulting juice and layer the cookies, crushed berries, and cream cheese into a fast tiramisu-like dessert. Yum, Yum!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's harvest - random blackberries included</td></tr>
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Traditional tiramisu uses marscapone cheese, which is rather expensive, and requires significantly more work to whip egg whites and fold in the rest of the ingredients. It's fabulous and we make it for special occasions, but for a quick "just us" dessert, we go with the faster, cheaper recipe. Well, it's not so much a recipe because it's modified heavily depending on what we have around. But it is faster and cheaper. The Germans, at least in the South, use whipped cream and something like cream cheese to create these big thick lighter versions of tiramisu. They are just absolutely fabulous. Ours is something in between. If we have whipping cream, we whip that and fold it into cream cheese with a bit of sugar. If we don't, we hand whip the cream cheese to make it a bit lighter, but still dense like the traditional dessert. The main lesson we learned from the Italians was to quickly toss the cookies in the coffee or juice that you are using. The cookie will seem dry, but as it sits in the fridge, it will absorb that liquid and have a lovely cake texture when it is eaten. That soggy gooky tiramisu you often find in restaurants is due to soaking the cookies in liquid, rather than tossing them quickly. Making the dessert with fruit allows you to eat the great berries that are available all Summer, and you can make this with just about any fruit that will macerate well. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toss your berries in sugar and let them sit to extract the juice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are the cookies we use</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macerated berries</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toss quickly in juice and layer with cheese....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">then more cheese and fruit</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BR9fKx-C_4A/Thd14ZRhHnI/AAAAAAAABu4/f0gqC4rBD8M/s1600/IMG_5903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BR9fKx-C_4A/Thd14ZRhHnI/AAAAAAAABu4/f0gqC4rBD8M/s320/IMG_5903.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Layer until you're out of ingredients - rest in fridge 30-60 min</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This entry is part of "Feed me tweet me follow me home" blog hop at <a href="http://www.amoderatelife.com/">A Moderate Life</a> !Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-63754584624613139022011-07-06T04:52:00.000-07:002011-07-06T04:52:16.658-07:00Furnace Hills Coffee Storefront and the Great Garlic Pull<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWnzD5_D7Zw/ThRKoC2rvGI/AAAAAAAABtg/oFhOefdZMzg/s1600/IMG_5877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WWnzD5_D7Zw/ThRKoC2rvGI/AAAAAAAABtg/oFhOefdZMzg/s320/IMG_5877.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>That sounds like a great title for a tweener novel. Well, maybe swap out the word "storefront" for something more compelling. And I'd love for it to portend riveting character development and plot twists in what follows, punctuated with juvenile humor, but really, I just have multiple small things to write about and figured I'd slam them all together. But maybe my epic battle with the garlic will hold your attention.<br />
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Remember around Christmas time I <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2011/01/tea-or-coffee-anyone.html">wrote about two of my favorite local businesses</a> for hot drinks - Sweet Simplici-tea for tea in Sykesville and Furnace Hills Coffee roasters in Westminster for, well, coffee. At the time, Dave Baldwin of Furnace Hills had acquired a storefront to roast and sell coffee from on Westminster's Main Street. For those familiar with the area, you can throw a rock from their place at 71 West Main Street and the Carroll Center for the Arts. It took a bit longer than they hoped, but they have opened for retail sale. Yesterday I had a chance to run by and pick up some freshly roasted Ethiopian Coffee. Dave was out, but I chatted a bit with Erin and took a few photos. The store hours are a bit irregular still, but you can always send them a note via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Furnace-Hills-Coffee/123818361003720">Facebook</a>. They also post there when the store is open later. As I understand, they are generally there on Monday and Wednesday 8-3:30, at a minimum, and they are still at the downtown Westminster Farmer's Market on Saturdays. Furnace Hills is still providing great locally roasted coffee, focused on providing a long-term income for Erin, who lives with Downs Syndrome, at very affordable prices. Here's a few pictures I snapped of the store.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin at the store</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new large roaster they have at the storefront</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Furnace Hills Coffee at 71 West Main Street, Westminster, MD</td></tr>
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After hemming and hawing a bit, or a lot, I finally pulled my garlic this past week. From everything I've read, which is not insignificant, deciding when to harvest garlic is quite an art. You are trying to balance leaving them in the ground to increase the size of the bulbs with pulling them before they've lost the protective outer coatings. There is lots of lore surrounding the perfect time to pull them, mostly having to do with how many leaves are brown, but in the end, nothing is really hard core science. If you yank them early, you get small cloves with too much outer coatings and it reduces the storage capacity of the bulb. If you yank to late, the coatings are gone, the cloves will start pulling away from the bulb, and, no surprise, it reduces the storage capacity of the bulb. So, what to do??! this is my first year with garlic, so what I did was read a lot. The Maryland Cooperative Extension says that most garlic in Maryland should be pulled around July 1st. Garlic is grown generally in more nothern climates, so as you read on the Internet, you'll see that most websites recommend pulling from early July through late August. The key is the browning foliage. Because I live in the woods, I'm usually about two weeks behind the neighborhood at the bottom of my hill. Of course, one might reasonably ask why you are growing garlic in the woods in the first place. Well, you certainly can't grow it if you don't try. So, I tried.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ihoK_n57AV0/ThRKktXeNGI/AAAAAAAABtQ/KyIYntTBomE/s1600/IMG_5855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ihoK_n57AV0/ThRKktXeNGI/AAAAAAAABtQ/KyIYntTBomE/s320/IMG_5855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made this!</td></tr>
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I tried hardneck garlic, Red Chesnuk variety. Hardneck garlic produces scapes that you can harvest and use in salads and stir frys while the garlic is maturing. But, it doesn't have anywhere near the storage life of the much smaller-cloved softneck varieties. In my case, the reason I tried this variety was because I ordered so late nothing else was available. Lesson learned. If you want to grow garlic, order early, like now. If you have sun and semi-decent soil, and you like garlic, I highly recommend it. It must have the largest payoff for effort reward of any annual I've grown, and it is quite cost effective.<br />
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Here's how it breaks down. A friend and I split a 1 lb order from <a href="http://www.bigjohnsgarden.com/">Big John's Garden</a> - an organic garlic and shallot farm - in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Why him? Well, I had just vacationed last year in that area and it's beautiful and he's organic. That's all. He's got a cool website, lots of variety (now, not in September), and was very responsive. He has these sampler packages, which naturally I missed out, ordering as late as I did. In any case, with shipping our 1 lb of Red Chesnuk was $27. I can't recall exactly if we split this evenly, but in any case, I ended up planting around 40 cloves myself. All you do is split the bulbs into individuals cloves, and put them in the ground a few inches under. Then mulch around them with straw or something. Garlic can not compete with other weeds, so if you don't want to be tied to weeding, you must mulch. One bale of straw will be plenty for Fall and then re-mulching in Spring. Then, no weeding. With the hardnecks, you remove the scapes as they come up in early June. Then you watch your foliage, and when it is 1/3 brown, or 1/2 brown, or when there are 5 brown left, or some other magical formula, you use a garden fork to go underneath the cloves and loosen them from their death grip on the earth. Having done that, you just pull gently, shake off the dirt, and let them dry in the house for about 3 weeks to cure the skins. If you try to pull them directly out of the ground, you'll be very sad. I am quite certain that my sneaky little garlic cloves tried to dig themselves in deeper during the winter... some of them were desperately difficult to get out of the ground.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Nvb806EA5o/ThRKjVff93I/AAAAAAAABtI/4Emcwp2E53w/s1600/IMG_5853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Nvb806EA5o/ThRKjVff93I/AAAAAAAABtI/4Emcwp2E53w/s320/IMG_5853.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Straight out of the ground - you can see the brown foliage</td></tr>
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Ok, so I shelled out about $13-15. If you buy organic garlic from the farmer's market, you are going to pay $1-3 per bulb based on size. based on the unrelenting reality that I have little sun exposure, most of my bulbs were pretty small. Still, when I added it up, I harvested about $50 worth of garlic this week. Not bad. We also harvested my friend's garlic... the same original bulbs... but with a lot more sun...hers were big and plump... and I'd say easily $80-100 worth of garlic. Not bad at all. So, I already have plans to make a raised bed on the property where I have a bit more sun. This year, I want to try a softneck variety and we'll see what happens. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y2wSqT_7lA/ThRKmE6r1RI/AAAAAAAABtU/aMVMLDQK9Ms/s1600/IMG_5862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y2wSqT_7lA/ThRKmE6r1RI/AAAAAAAABtU/aMVMLDQK9Ms/s320/IMG_5862.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mine are curing in the basement on paper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This post is part of <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/07/real-food-wednesday-762011.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kellythekitchenkop+%28Kelly+the+Kitchen+Kop%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher">Real Food Wednesday</a> at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-24395405505444245692011-06-23T14:10:00.000-07:002011-06-23T14:10:55.637-07:00It's Berry Pickin' Time Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w5Pgu4uI694/TgOpj7LnL0I/AAAAAAAABqw/9Ra6sb1P4nY/s1600/IMG_5835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w5Pgu4uI694/TgOpj7LnL0I/AAAAAAAABqw/9Ra6sb1P4nY/s320/IMG_5835.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>With our stores from last year nearly depleted, we headed to <a href="http://www.pickyourown.com/">Larriland Farm</a> in Woodbine this morning to do a little berry picking. Well, ideally, we would have done a <u>lot</u> of berry picking. The blueberry, raspberry, and sour cherries were all picking "good", according to the farm's website. The weather here for nearly two weeks has been a daily dose of grey punctuated by a little rain and a little thunder. This morning was no different, but we decided to head out anyway. Midweek mornings are certainly the best time to pick at a large pick-your-own place like Larriland.... last Summer we met a friend a few times around noon on a Saturday for picking. Wowza. The only thing you get is a little perspective of the life of an immigrant farm worker. My goal this year is to stick to mornings and whenever I can, midweek.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qza26ME3Es/TgOpjUjmxFI/AAAAAAAABqs/a4k0KjV9aCU/s1600/IMG_5834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Qza26ME3Es/TgOpjUjmxFI/AAAAAAAABqs/a4k0KjV9aCU/s320/IMG_5834.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blueberries look great</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>The blueberry bushes looked absolutely fabulous, spikes of grey-blue berries filled each bush. Unfortunately, it was deceiving. Many, if not most, of the berries were still a bit underripe. I'd guess in two or three days - like Saturday ! - they'll be fabulous and easy picking. There were lots of ripe berries but separating them from underripe ones by eye or feel is something I find difficult. Luckily, we don't mind a little tang. Still, I picked only 7lbs of blueberries, where I would have gone 15-20lbs if the picking were "excellent". Frustrated, we moved on after time to the black raspberries.<br />
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They were, on the other hand, picking "excellent". Black berries hung in huge bunches from every vine in row after row of berries. This leads to an almost impulsive picking frenzy, I think.... you say, I've got plenty, but then, making to leave, you see another beautiful bunch and, naturally, have to take that one too. So, we ended up with nearly 3.5lbs of raspberries, which have a much shorter lifespan than blueberries.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6S0JpTk4-ow/TgOpkEs8kXI/AAAAAAAABq0/qbM6z82k91s/s1600/IMG_5837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6S0JpTk4-ow/TgOpkEs8kXI/AAAAAAAABq0/qbM6z82k91s/s320/IMG_5837.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black raspberries were plentiful and easy to pick</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>We like picking at Larriland. They have a mob of very courteous high school students working at each station and it's clear that it's a family business. They use Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which for the fruit means, there is definitely spraying going on, but hopefully through the expensive consultants they use, the chemical usage is minimized. We'll head back in the next few weeks to get more blueberries and stock up on tart cherries, then we'll go back again at the end of July or early August for peaches. Now that I've kept track of how much we stored and what we consumed (everything), I have a pretty good sense of what we should buy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz3z3xZM3FI/TgOpkcj5DJI/AAAAAAAABq4/S0ZirFKd9ps/s1600/IMG_5839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oz3z3xZM3FI/TgOpkcj5DJI/AAAAAAAABq4/S0ZirFKd9ps/s320/IMG_5839.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Folks picking at Larriland Farms</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gaOcTTIK_fA/TgOpkxH9HAI/AAAAAAAABq8/73dcNACcgas/s1600/IMG_5840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gaOcTTIK_fA/TgOpkxH9HAI/AAAAAAAABq8/73dcNACcgas/s320/IMG_5840.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larriland Farms</td></tr>
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Given the pile of berries I had, I decided to try making some freezer jam this afternoon. Ok, in all honesty, I saw these cool looking freezer jam containers at the store and now I needed to use them. Besides, I was curious how we would like the taste of fresh jam, when we are so used to the cooked fruit jams. Hands down, the freezer jam wins on time. From start to finish, it took me 15 minutes (!!) to make and jar two half-pints of blueberry jam. Another 15 minutes for the black raspberry. And included in that time was running the fruit through the food mill to remove the seeds and skins. So, I actually made black raspberry <u>jelly</u>. I never make jelly; way too much work. <br />
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In this case, all you do is crush your fruit. I ran through mine a food mill... the blueberry with a large opening to remove the skins and the raspberries with a fine opening to remove seeds. A few minutes later I had the requisite 1-2/3 cups crushed fruit. In a bowl, mix 2/3 cups sugar with 2 Tbsp of instant pectin. Add the fruit and mix by hand for three minutes. Pour into containers. Let set. Ta-da! Jam. It took about 30 minutes for a light set of the jam, and a few hours later, they have a nice thick consistency, better than I tend to get with canning. You can probably do 4-6 jars at once, but I wanted to check this all out first, so I just did a few. Absolutely fabulous.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zl_4VIz2HwQ/TgOplH0ni6I/AAAAAAAABrA/99YO-kcz8pI/s1600/IMG_5842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zl_4VIz2HwQ/TgOplH0ni6I/AAAAAAAABrA/99YO-kcz8pI/s320/IMG_5842.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blueberries in the food mill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRyhhpmP9v8/TgOpliD94KI/AAAAAAAABrM/XBu4LilU8uo/s1600/IMG_5843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRyhhpmP9v8/TgOpliD94KI/AAAAAAAABrM/XBu4LilU8uo/s320/IMG_5843.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The food mill separates the pulp from the skins</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnbY_SfbmD8/TgOplwpRQRI/AAAAAAAABrI/MJJq0RtTGeo/s1600/IMG_5845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QnbY_SfbmD8/TgOplwpRQRI/AAAAAAAABrI/MJJq0RtTGeo/s320/IMG_5845.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Add the pulp to the sugar and pectin, mix, and you are done !</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>This post is part of<a href="http://www.sustainableeats.com/2011/06/23/simple-lives-thursday-june-23/"> Simple Lives Thursday</a> !Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-47375094176214378712011-06-16T03:59:00.000-07:002011-06-18T03:58:31.797-07:00A Trip to the Olney Farmers Market and the Season's First Canning<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfF3af5DfRQ/TfO_ptBJP4I/AAAAAAAABpg/ndFAP_pa1VU/s1600/IMG_5781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfF3af5DfRQ/TfO_ptBJP4I/AAAAAAAABpg/ndFAP_pa1VU/s320/IMG_5781.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Music at the Olney Farmers Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A few weeks ago, a friend of mine invited me to accompany her to the <a href="http://www.olneyfarmersmarket.org/">Olney Farmers Market</a>. This Sunday morning market boasts live music and cooking demonstrations, with a location not too far outside of Washington, D.C. I am hoping to visit a variety of markets in the area this Summer to see what is out there. The Olney market is larger than the Westminster market I'm used to, for sure. In addition to produce, there are vendors for a variety of ethnic foods, olive oil, bread, super-fancy baklava, and a handful of other handmade items. It has a nice vibe to it. The location is larger than Westminster, and on a nice green area. The music was good, and the Indian curry I had was outstanding. My friend's mother watched a bit of the cooking demonstration, and was impressed by the chef. All of those extras really provide a lot of life to the market and entice people to stay a bit longer. I even ran into friends I hadn't seen in a long time, who encouraged me to buy some of the bread. Zeke's Coffee vends there, as well, which was a yummy surprise. <br />
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I was less impressed by the produce vendors.There were only two local organic farms at the market that day and two or three large farms from Virginia, which were conventional. I was surprised to find this and disappointed, given the proximity to D.C. Doing more web investigating, it looks like the Olney market does indeed have a larger set of local farms, including Kayam, a Jewish organic farm near Finksburg. I think it was just too early in the season, and so they were not there. I'll have to check the market again at the height of the season and see what it is like. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zjrdrhUwVQ/TfO_pdPGBTI/AAAAAAAABpc/NP5dagPE9mM/s1600/IMG_5780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3zjrdrhUwVQ/TfO_pdPGBTI/AAAAAAAABpc/NP5dagPE9mM/s320/IMG_5780.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cooking demo at the Olney market - you can see the market in background</td></tr>
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I did buy spinach from the organic <a href="http://www.sligocreekfarm.com/">Sligo Creek Farm</a> and I really wanted to buy garlic from another small vendor, AvianMead Produce, but they were sold out. Both farms are in Brookeville, Md. Sligo Creek looks like a great place to try and visit -- 12 acres is farmed on the 140-acre property. I was very impressed with their salad greens. According to their information sheet, they also sell at the Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park on Wednesdays (3-7pm) and Silver Spring Market on Saturday mornings.<br />
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There was also nice cheese from Palmyra Farm near Hagerstown. Like Bowling Green Farm nearby in Howard County, <a href="http://www.palmyrafarm.net/cheese.php">Palmyra Farm</a> is a dairy farm that had decided to reinvent itself as a cheese company in order to sustain its business. Most cheese from Maryland is made in Pennsylvania, but Palmyra has hooked up with a cheesemaker in Hagerstown to produce their cheeses. Palmyra is also selling at several local restaurants and markets, including the Common Market in Frederick. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6XLfYWL4HQ/TfO_p84KR_I/AAAAAAAABpk/6h-tKqLTm9w/s1600/IMG_5783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6XLfYWL4HQ/TfO_p84KR_I/AAAAAAAABpk/6h-tKqLTm9w/s320/IMG_5783.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prepping the strawberry haul for freezing - sugar helps preserve taste and texture</td></tr>
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On the way home from that outing, we decided to stop by <a href="http://www.tlvtreefarm.com/">TLV Tree Farm</a>, in Glenelg, Md. on the chance that they still had some strawberries to be picked. I had picked there on Memorial Day weekend this year and found the picking slim, so our hopes weren't too high. Lucky for us, the picking was great and the strawberries sweet and juicy. TLV uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on their farm. We ended up picking probably six quarts or so, enough to make a strawberry tiramisu-like dessert - our standy favourite - and freeze some. This week, I converted about six cups of the frozen strawberry slices and some fresh rhubarb into jam. In a total of 45 minutes, I had 8 jars of strawberry-rhubarb jam. Every two weeks, in about 30 minutes, I make two quarts of whole milk plain yogurt for the family. Throughout the year, we mix in various jams and jellies, either made or acquired, to create our fruit flavored yogurts. This is actually the first year making strawberry jam for us, but it turned out most excellent.<br />
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This post is part of the <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2011/06/real-food-wednesday-61511.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+kellythekitchenkop+%28Kelly+the+Kitchen+Kop%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher">Real Food Wednesday</a> and <a href="http://www.sustainableeats.com/">Simple Lives Thursday</a> blogrolls. Please check them out and their host sites for what's going on across the country and internationally in the Real Food world.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-44893249516755775672011-06-11T13:26:00.000-07:002011-06-11T13:26:41.896-07:00Love Dove Farms<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h1fUGYB7a8k/TfO_o3U_wzI/AAAAAAAABpY/lyHMb7G56BI/s1600/IMG_5775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h1fUGYB7a8k/TfO_o3U_wzI/AAAAAAAABpY/lyHMb7G56BI/s320/IMG_5775.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Dove Farms, Woodbine, Md.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>John Dove's family is living the story you read about in books. Not the fairy tale kind of story, but the kind highlighted by Michael Pollan and so many others about the plight of the American farmer. A fourth generation farmer in northwestern Howard County, the family's dairy business fell by the wayside a few decades ago, and John's father turned to conventional grain and soy crops to make money. When he could no longer feed a family with four kids by toiling in the fields, he didn't sell their land to a big developer, he got a job. When he's not working the fields, John's dad is delivering fuel. But John's got big dreams for this beautiful farmland and they don't involve Monsanto. John hopes to figure out how to scale an organic sustainable farm to the point he can earn a decent living and be part of changing consumers' choices to a healthier way of life.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lovedovefarms.com/">Love Dove Farms</a> lies off Old Frederick Road nestled in an expanse of rolling hills of grain fields. Here, John, his father, and grandmother live on about 200 acres that the family has farmed since the early 20th century. That's a significant difference from the majority of organic farmers I know. While most are farming and living in 5-10 acre plots, Love Dove Farms really does have the capacity to scale, if he can work out a healthy ecosystem. So even though this is John's first year selling organically grown produce, he hasn't started small. We toured his three large plots together, and I was impressed by the quantity and variety of plants he's got in the ground. Several long rows of garlic, their scapes and browning foliage indicating he'll soon be pulling hundreds of bulbs from the ground. There are, of course, all of the usual suspects: heirloom tomatoes, radishes, various greens, potatoes, peas, peppers, and herbs. But there are also blueberry bushes, as well as several rows of asparagus, and he's trying his hand at organically grown chick peas. The magnitude is huge when you consider he's doing it almost entirely alone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0C9CRDmD4W8/TfO_nf3EWtI/AAAAAAAABpI/kOV5Goea-8Q/s1600/IMG_5771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0C9CRDmD4W8/TfO_nf3EWtI/AAAAAAAABpI/kOV5Goea-8Q/s320/IMG_5771.JPG" width="240" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looky at all that organic asparagus! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGSyrciVRuM/TfO_n3V15JI/AAAAAAAABpM/6TT_Lgw0gS4/s1600/IMG_5773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGSyrciVRuM/TfO_n3V15JI/AAAAAAAABpM/6TT_Lgw0gS4/s320/IMG_5773.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what 40lbs of garlic plants look like -wow</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Besides coming from a family of farmers, John earned a degree in environmental science, and he's interned as part of the Young Farmer's program. While still in college, he interned with Serpent Ridge winery, a fabulous Maryland winery out of Westminster. Last year, he worked for <a href="http://www.calvertsgiftfarm.com/">Calvert's Gift Farm</a>, a 5-acre organic farm in Sparks, Md. that has proven they can provide for a lot of families without a lot of land. Since 2009, they have sponsored a <a href="http://www.calvertsgiftfarm.com/new-farmer-training.html">New Farmer's Training Program</a> with the University of Maryland with the goal of increasing the number of young farmers, particularly in Baltimore County. There he learned a lot of tricks of the trade, including hand methods for working the soil and maintaining an organic farm.<br />
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One of the huge challenges he and other small organic farmers face is how to manage the heavy physical demands of many organic practices while producing and selling enough to keep afloat. The hourly wage of farmers using all manual practices is extremely low. John talked about an organic farm in Salsbury he visited recently, where they have incorporated some technologies that help reduce the manual labor. At that farm, they have also integrated produce and livestock into a holistic system. John finds that very appealing. We walk down one of the many long rows of tomatoes , and I ask whether he rips the buds of arterial shoots - side shoots that grow at the join with the main vine. Ideally you want to cut all these off so that your tomato plant puts its energy into producing fruit. The trouble with this is as summer begins, tomatoes grow like crazy, and if you don't grab these shoots quickly, they'll be thick stems in a few days. In other words, it's very man intensive. As we walk along pinching plants, we both agree it'll be nearly impossible for him to do this for his plot through the season. That's the difference, or a difference, in garden scale and farm scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzo9Sw89f7I/TfO_oUjYzfI/AAAAAAAABpU/VIKOV8O7yoY/s1600/IMG_5774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzo9Sw89f7I/TfO_oUjYzfI/AAAAAAAABpU/VIKOV8O7yoY/s320/IMG_5774.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Dove Farms - a look over the main field</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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In this first year of business, John is selling at a few farmers' markets and restaurants. On Friday, he is at the Howard County Hospital market in Columbia from 2-6 pm. This small market offers a nice variety of produce and baked goods, as well as local cheese and coffee. On Saturday, he is trekking south toward D.C. to sell at the Mt. Rainier market. He's also made deals to sell to <a href="http://www.aidabistro.com/">Aida Bistro</a>, a yummy Italian wine bar in Columbia, and to <a href="http://www.droversdining.com/">Drovers Wine and Grill</a> in Mount Airy. I've always found Aida excellent and love their dedication to locally sourcing their foods. Drovers is not a place I'm familiar with, but they sell only Maryland wine. I look forward to checking it out. Another dream of his is to sell at Centennial Lake in Columbia on the weekend. What a great idea! If you've ever been there, you know the throngs of health conscious folks who descend on the park to circumnavigate the lake on its paved 2 mile trail or to take a spin on a canoe or paddle boat. I imagine this would be a great setting for farm fresh local produce.<br />
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One of my particular soap boxes is that in Central Maryland there is this geographic separation between the bulk of organic consumers and producers. In Carroll County, the number of organic farmers is really quite remarkable. There is a strong enough community of farmers and like-minded individuals in the County to put on the Sustainable Living Maryland (or Go Local) Fair for several years now. This year, the fair had over 1500 visitors, indicating that there is a lot of interest from our residents. But, there is no doubt that Howard County has a much larger consumer base. There are several large organic markets in or adjacent to Howard County, where Carroll County has none. On the other hand, while western Howard County is every bit as agricultural as Carroll County, there really aren't many organic farmers in the area. Several farms are using IPM (integrated pest management), but not many are fully incorporating organic practices. That is why I was so glad to meet John at the market. His story is really quite different from all the other farmers I have interviewed, and I think he's in a great position to realize his dreams of keeping the family farm going organically. Give him a visit and wish him well. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-34252551584535166962011-06-01T04:19:00.000-07:002011-07-07T04:20:25.950-07:00Howard County Hospital Farmers Market and Food SourcesEvery Friday afternoon this Summer, under a small band of white tents, you'll find a local farmer's market in the parking lot at Howard County Hospital in Columbia. The market runs from 2-6pm and has a few produce vendors, cheese, baked goods, and coffee. I stumbled upon it last week when I was in the area and was delighted to find a few farmers that will be perfect to profile on this blog. I'm visiting the first of them tomorrow and hopefully will have something out next week on that trip. For those who can make a weekday afternoon market, maybe on the way home from work, I'd recommend a stop. Here's a few notes on those I met last week.<br />
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Bowling Green Farm was there selling a wide range of cheese from their northern Howard County dairy herd. Almost every day that we drive south on Rt. 32 toward Columbia, we pass a group of cows grazing in hilly pastures by the side of the highway. The land is a bit hilly with a small dirt road that runs to the back of it, an assortment of craggy trees and a small stream. It's a bit hard to describe, but this little snippet of land - a mere few seconds in view as you speed down the highway - is picturesque in the context of cows. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had over the years about these cows with folks, all wondering to whom they belonged. I thought I'd solved the mystery for a minute at the market. Mitzi of Bowling Green Farm told me that their dairy farm is off Underwood Road. Indeed, I am quite familiar with the entrance to their family farm, marked by a small sign that heralds its family tradition. But, I'd also been assuming that this must be the source of our famous (ok, stretch) cows. Alas, I was wrong. Mitzi said those can't be her cows and the mystery continues.<br />
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Having said that, we did talk briefly about her farm and cheese. When I can get her time, I'll do an in-depth interview and write a profile for the blog. I'm quite curious about the history of her farm and how she ended up in the cheese business last Fall. Like most Maryland farms, they are taking their milk up to Pennsylvania and having cheese made there. They have a wide range of cheese, including mozzarella and feta, in addition to the standard cheddars and herbed-cheeses. They've been busy marketing, and the cheeses are actually available at a few markets - including Roots and David's (I think) - as well as farms with stores, like Larriland Farms. We tried the feta, and it was great in a spinach strawberry salad.<br />
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I also met John Dove of Love Dove Farm in Woodbine. I'm heading to see him tomorrow afternoon for a discussion and tour of the farm, but a quick look through his website shows that he comes from a long line of farmers and had farmed conventionally for some time in other crops. This is his first year selling organic produce and I'm really looking forward to hearing about his change and what his future looks like. We bought some wonderful spinach from him to go with that feta cheese. Last week he also had a salad mix, radishes, garlic scapes (yum yum), and a handful of other produce items that are escaping my mind right now. More to come on the farm, the farmer, and how to connect to buy food!<br />
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A number of new readers have asked me specifically about sourcing organic or local foods, so they are much more interested in farmer profiles than my ramblings about my own journey... can't blaim them! but, over time it becomes a bit hard to track down the specific profiles. Here is a list of farms that I profiled last year -- the easiest way to find them is to click on their farm name in the word cloud to the right and then follow the link to the specific post about them, usually that's the earliest one. This will also take you to their own websites or blogs. Since the CSA season is now over for sign-up, I'm not going to note that here... just what you could actually obtain from the farm this summer. <br />
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Truffula Seed Produce -- produce<br />
Green Akeys Farm -- various meat <br />
Nev-R-Dun Farm -- produce<br />
Thorne Family Farm-- produce (I haven't done the full profile yet, but several mentions)<br />
White Rose Farm -- produce and meat<br />
Serpent Ridge Winery - wine<br />
Furnace Hill Roasters - coffee<br />
Sweet Simplici-tea -- tea house<br />
Sattva Place - chickens (not profiled, but mentioned)<br />
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Most of these folks are at the <a href="http://www.westgov.com/mainstreet/mainstreet_farmers.html">downtown Westminster Farmers Market</a>, which is 8-12 in downtown Westminster. I might have missed a few.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-23103582320651521402011-05-24T03:12:00.000-07:002011-05-24T03:12:09.336-07:00Change of Seasons<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvmW_5d-lk8/Tdj21lv2zWI/AAAAAAAABkk/0bJTsPWUj-s/s1600/IMG_5646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KvmW_5d-lk8/Tdj21lv2zWI/AAAAAAAABkk/0bJTsPWUj-s/s320/IMG_5646.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ed Bruske teaches at Go Local Fair</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the last few years, the seasons have almost blurred into two: when there is fresh local produce and when there is not. We are just coming out of one season and into another, and the last few weeks have held any number of markers for this change. This week, I baked our last apple pie until they return in the Fall. I'll say for myself that it was awesome. Given my well-publicized fight against pie pastry, I think this was my biggest success yet. Before someone asks, no, I didn't use the <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2011/05/rendering-lard-another-traditional.html">lard</a>. I'm going to make a quiche soon and try again with lard. But, the two of us are steadily making our way through a fabulous apple pie. It was also time to reconcile our food stores.<br />
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I talked last Summer and Fall about our storage of <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2010/08/its-raining-peaches.html">peaches</a>, some <u>60 lbs</u> of them, cherries and blueberries, <u>40 lbs of each</u>, and <u>70 lb</u>s of <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2010/10/squirrel-family.html">apples</a>. From the start, I was concerned about two things: first, being caught in the squirrel mentality - store, store, store and if you eat it, you don't have it -- and second, whether we'd be able to finish that ridiculous amount of fruit along with a more manageable amount of veggies we'd frozen. We weren't really dessert people, so we did have to change up our normal eating routines. My nine-year-old son was quite okay with that. I made a lot of pies and crisps, basically aiming for once a week. We had made a ton of preserves with the cherries and blueberries, and we used them almost daily for our plain (homemade) yogurt. Drum roll, please.... we're almost done. The pie was the last of the apples, the peaches are gone, the preserves, except one jar, are gone. We have a few large bags of cherries and blueberries, but we are quickly turning them into smoothies using the whey from our cheese. (adding that protein removes them from the dessert pile into the oh-so-good-for-you-pile, eat them when you want pile). and we have one pint of apple sauce left. So, wow, now I know how much fruit we can consume. Strawberries are already starting to come around.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAO7fgKgPTA/TGPX-EZ_B-I/AAAAAAAAA3c/UXuNeBX7Fu8/s1600/IMG_4801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FAO7fgKgPTA/TGPX-EZ_B-I/AAAAAAAAA3c/UXuNeBX7Fu8/s320/IMG_4801.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The peach freeze</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.sustainablelivingmd.org/fair">Go Local Fair</a> put on by <a href="http://www.sustainablelivingmd.org/">Sustainable Living Maryland</a> yesterday in Westminster was another turning point. We got to see all the farming faces that we missed over the Winter months and catch up on their plans. Ed Bruske, the Slow Cook, from Washington, D.C., did a cooking with kids talk, which was fabulous. He did a small version of what he teaches in an aftercare program in D.C., and the kids made zucchini carppaccio, asparagus salad with a mustard vinaigrette, and strawberry crepes. In this courses, he teaches the kids about international foods, sustainability, and how to really cook. His daughter accompanied him and was a great help to the class; at ten years old, you can see how confident she is in the kitchen. He also teaches the kids about consuming all parts of the animal and discussed recently bringing in chicken livers for them to cook. It was a small audience, but hopefully others enjoyed it as we did. I highly recommend his blog as an insight into the things he does with the kids and with school food reform.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmifkzas82Q/TGs9KfDQKhI/AAAAAAAAA4c/PKvw-yupPfI/s1600/IMG_4776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pmifkzas82Q/TGs9KfDQKhI/AAAAAAAAA4c/PKvw-yupPfI/s320/IMG_4776.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truffula Produce's Lettuce Dryer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We got to see a bunch of producer friends too. Next week, the downtown Westminster Farmer's market opens Saturday, 8-12. <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2010/08/listening-to-lorax.html">Truffula Seed Produce</a> will be there again. Shawn and Josie have rented another acre of land and the two of them are, still alone, busily trying to work all that property organically and sustainably, with traditional methods. They'll be serving up 20 CSA shares this year, their first time in that business, and hopefully it will go well. Like most of the farmers there yesterday, they had lettuce for sale. Lots and lots of lettuce, which all gets dried in their modified washer!<br />
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I also ran into Dave Baldwin of <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2011/01/tea-or-coffee-anyone.html">Furnace Hills Coffee</a>. The brick-n-mortar business is coming! He expects it to open this week or next. Once I get a chance to go visit it on Main Street, Westminster, I'll post some photos and details. His coffee is so reasonably priced and so developed with a heart, I highly recommend it.<br />
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Scott from Sattva Place Farm was there too. He will be processing 100 chickens soon, and his plan is to have fresh chicken available at the Westminster Market every weekend this season. Scott is certified organic and a one man farm. Our buying group has been nothing but happy.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vwKZlbCsNIs/TLNChqitLcI/AAAAAAAAA60/9SKkr4hiKQI/s1600/IMG_5160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vwKZlbCsNIs/TLNChqitLcI/AAAAAAAAA60/9SKkr4hiKQI/s320/IMG_5160.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akeys CSA pick up last year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I talked briefly with Micheal Akeys of <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2010/10/greener-grass.html">Green Akeys Farm</a>, too. His CSA has expanded from 14 to 18 shares, which I know will be huge shares based on past experience. He also picked up a milking cow this week. I think he moves intrepidly into everything. I don't think Micheal is doing any markets, but I might be wrong. To buy meat from him, you can call him and go to the farm. Micheal is getting some help this Summer, though, which seems wise given the breadth of farming going on! <br />
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I took a quick peek into De La Tierra's tent and didn't get time to chat with owner, Jackie, but I know she will be selling cut flowers at the market and she is selling her beautiful plants this Spring for the garden, both flowers and produce. I also ran into Greg Thorne, of Thorne Family farms, and he said that because of the constant rain we've had over many weeks now, their planting is way behind. He left the fair early to take advantage of the good weather and get some work done on the land. <br />
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This past Winter, we were able to make it through using our <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2010/11/winter-csa-experiment.html">winter CSA</a> from Everblossom Farm and our food storage, with almost zero produce bought at the grocery store. I never would have thought we could do that, and eat a ton of veggies. We did. What a great local challenge for ourselves. Now, we are looking forward to the season of plentiful.<br />
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This post is going to be part of the <a href="http://amoderatelife.com/2011/05/time-to-start-linking-and-hopping-at-the-hearth-and-soul-hop-49/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amoderatelife%2FLcBz+%28A+Moderate+Life%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher">Hearth and Soul blog hop</a> this week... make sure to check out all the other entries for some great and fascinating food-related articles! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1opRvN8cYqU/Tdj2w9q3WdI/AAAAAAAABkM/uAEdLiYLGO8/s1600/IMG_5640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1opRvN8cYqU/Tdj2w9q3WdI/AAAAAAAABkM/uAEdLiYLGO8/s320/IMG_5640.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emus at the Fair</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-36761067248609185802011-05-17T03:50:00.000-07:002011-05-17T03:50:53.104-07:00The Dream of the Summer Veggie Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YznRjFi7mrc/TdJP2h-sT8I/AAAAAAAABic/ktUNZgNFSgI/s1600/IMG_5605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YznRjFi7mrc/TdJP2h-sT8I/AAAAAAAABic/ktUNZgNFSgI/s320/IMG_5605.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly finished veggie garden</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>So, as I explained in my earlier post about my <a href="http://faces-of-local-living.blogspot.com/2011/01/dream-of-winter-greenhouse.html">dream for the winter greenhouse</a>, in which I don't dream of <u>having</u> said greenhouse, but dream of having something <u>happen</u> within it, I live in the woods. In fact, we are pretty darn ensconced in woods. Even with a deciduous forest, my greenhouse simply doesn't receive a ton of light, making growing all things a challenge. Having said that, I picked and ate my first onion from the greenhouse this week. Never mind that it was 2" in diameter and one of probably fifty that I actually planted - success ! It tasted wonderful. You really gotta have optimism to garden, particularly for food, in these circumstances.<br />
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Optimism I have. Indeed, maybe a bit too much. But maybe it isn't optimism, just tenacity. Or could be determined stupidity. I recently heard a great talk where the speaker said, "I am a great optimist, even in the face of all facts to the contrary." So the grammar isn't great in that sentence, but the sentiment describes me pretty accurately, I think. I would like to grow summer vegetables (and winter veggies), in spite of all the evidence that it won't be easy.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkJW0ve1cTM/TbVbhd-CG0I/AAAAAAAABeA/c4P1bFesgKo/s1600/IMG_5524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkJW0ve1cTM/TbVbhd-CG0I/AAAAAAAABeA/c4P1bFesgKo/s200/IMG_5524.JPG" width="200" /></a>Now, it's not that I'm an inexperienced gardener. I have very large showy flower gardens. Ok, so I insist on pushing the boundaries of "sun" plants on my "part-shade to shade" lot, but I have found that I can get a lot of things to bloom and reproduce in this environment, just not at the rate they would under ideal conditions. Neither my sun exposure or ridiculously heavy clay soil are ideal conditions. Still, the flower gardens do quite well given the circumstances.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WtM_rrOClHQ/TbVbgvH9FTI/AAAAAAAABd8/mdgQFX3AofE/s1600/IMG_5499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WtM_rrOClHQ/TbVbgvH9FTI/AAAAAAAABd8/mdgQFX3AofE/s200/IMG_5499.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
But on-and-off over our fourteen years here, I've tried to plant a range of veggies in the summer. I've carefully studied the sun patterns and then tried different locations around the property. I finally found an area where a few fallen trees gave it some degree of sunlight for at least eight hours a day. Whoo-hoo! So, as I said, we live in the woods. It turns out, other things live in the woods too. Like herds of deer. And deer are particularly fond of many of the same things people are, not only daylilies and irises, but summer squash and other produce plants. So, I had romping squash plants last summer covered by a mesh deer cover, but it was too tempting. They came in, ate a hole through the covering and took at the squash plants overnight. Boom, gone.<br />
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I still want a summer veggie garden. During the Winter last year, a friend pointed to the pieces of an unused dog run in our back yard (read: storage area) and asked whether that was my garden. Light bulb! Wow, what a great idea. I could have a garden in this 10'x10' run that has 6 feet solid steel mesh walls and a door! Talk about deer off! I was set onto a project idea during the winter olympics last year. Now, just where to put it?<br />
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The other thing about gardening, gardeners know, is that it is a very strategic activity. Well, unless you only plant annuals. But for the most part, gardeners are planning out 1-3 years in advance, at least. You really have to be okay with delayed satisfaction and having a big picture view that will likely take some time to complete. I began planning this new garden in February 2010. Last Spring, I had a friend come cut some fallen trees into chunks and moved it all out of the way of the chosen area. I studied the light very carefully, and used tires as containers for growing tomatoes and other plants right near the selected area last Summer. This way, I could see how the container plants did in that location. They did ok.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yTrtdV4-JI/Tb80sOfmgmI/AAAAAAAABfI/hM5yC4YhMZE/s1600/IMG_5587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yTrtdV4-JI/Tb80sOfmgmI/AAAAAAAABfI/hM5yC4YhMZE/s320/IMG_5587.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year, the area looked like this</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>The area I selected for the new veggie bed, besides having the fallen trees, was really an underbrush nightmare. It looks like the photo here of the area currently adjacent to it. Starting last spring, I began piling on plywood sheets and cardboard to kill off the zillions of vines growing there. The ground is an absolute massive tangle of vines and sticks and all kinds of crap. Cleaning that out and getting to dirt, which is undoubtedly clay, would be a nightmare. I decided to just go over it. Layers and layers of cardboard will create a sheet mulch, and I'd build a raised bed over the top of it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WChjBFXI8W8/TdJP2yXvuDI/AAAAAAAABig/RWBqW-vFq8g/s1600/IMG_5485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WChjBFXI8W8/TdJP2yXvuDI/AAAAAAAABig/RWBqW-vFq8g/s320/IMG_5485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the spring, it looked like this - trashy!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
This Spring I had nine yards of compost (manure and leaf) delivered and dumped on the side yard. Nine yards is a ridiculously large amount of compost. I had used a yard calculator to figure out how much I needed for the raised bed, plus adding three inches to the top of all the flower beds, and then rounded up. I think I rounded up at each step. Did I say nine yards is a whole heck of a lot of compost?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nT6pGQia2_s/TbVZZrBCDOI/AAAAAAAABdg/M0YlYn45W9g/s1600/IMG_5483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nT6pGQia2_s/TbVZZrBCDOI/AAAAAAAABdg/M0YlYn45W9g/s320/IMG_5483.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos don't do justice to 9 yards of compost!</td></tr>
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I began moving the compost first to the flower beds, since they were going to soon be covered in plants and difficult to spread compost over. This proved to be quite a challenge, particularly one flower garden that has a giant magnolia in the center. The bed is probably 20'x30'. Getting compost around the edges wasn't a problem, but I really wanted to cover the whole bed. My solution? I ended up on the other side of a fence from the bed, my back turned to the tree, and literally aiming and tossing shovels of compost over my back. My son provided feedback about my progress. Crazy, but it worked.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smtC7BU_cjQ/TbVZcf1EqfI/AAAAAAAABds/jcxuOU2-i1o/s1600/IMG_5489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-smtC7BU_cjQ/TbVZcf1EqfI/AAAAAAAABds/jcxuOU2-i1o/s320/IMG_5489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added to this bed, partly by flipping dirt backwards over that fence</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7j96fpRjS8Q/TbVZe6XSM2I/AAAAAAAABdw/fpKQiiY5f1M/s1600/IMG_5493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7j96fpRjS8Q/TbVZe6XSM2I/AAAAAAAABdw/fpKQiiY5f1M/s320/IMG_5493.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After hauling compost for hours, it looks like this. Big Diff, eh?</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>We finally got the dog kennel set up in on top of the cardboard and I've got 1"x12"x10' planks lining the sides to create the raised bed. I began carting wheelbarrows full of compost down to the bed in increments. A wheelbarrow of compost is heavy. It's been raining constantly this spring. A wheelbarrow of water-laden compost is ridiculously heavy. In the end, I've poured 35 wheelbarrows of compost into the kennel. A veggie garden is born.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1kDYeOE2yPE/Tb80rGEyTkI/AAAAAAAABe8/J6JemTWHu5w/s1600/IMG_5585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1kDYeOE2yPE/Tb80rGEyTkI/AAAAAAAABe8/J6JemTWHu5w/s320/IMG_5585.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This 10'x10' kennel has sat unused for years - perfect!</td></tr>
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Will anything grow? Who knows. I am definitely taking a risk by using all compost, but this seemed like the easiest route. The plants might burn from nitrogen or the water absorption might not be right. But I got the recommendation from farmers, so I thought it was worth a try. It's possible that eight hours of sun just won't do the trick, or the eight I get there won't. But, one things for sure, the deer aren't getting a single bite. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YznRjFi7mrc/TdJP2h-sT8I/AAAAAAAABic/ktUNZgNFSgI/s1600/IMG_5605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YznRjFi7mrc/TdJP2h-sT8I/AAAAAAAABic/ktUNZgNFSgI/s320/IMG_5605.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last thing to do is insert the final board and level the compost out</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This post will be part of Real Food Wednesday at <a href="http://www.kellythekitchenkop.com/">Kelly the Kitchen Kop</a> and Simple Lives Thursday at <a href="http://www.sustainableeats.com/">Sustainable Eats</a> this week. Stop by there are check out other sustainable living related posts.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-82091201245833018272011-05-06T03:10:00.000-07:002011-05-06T03:46:49.181-07:00Rendering Lard: Another Traditional Skill Learned<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHYiranxaSk/Tb34HlzvYJI/AAAAAAAABeg/OsB2qwd54VQ/s1600/IMG_5558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zHYiranxaSk/Tb34HlzvYJI/AAAAAAAABeg/OsB2qwd54VQ/s320/IMG_5558.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished rendered lard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yesterday I finished rendering the fatback from the half hog we purchased in the Fall. I am now the proud owner of 12 cups of creamy white lard. Maybe you're jealous, or maybe, perhaps more likely, you're thinking what one friend responded on learning this: "Ew.". Actually, she responded "Ew?" and that's the perfect response 'cause it is kinda ew and kinda cool at the same time. For me it's the coming together of several interests - my battle to conquer pastry, my fondness for all things self-sufficient, my interest in seeing just how far I can push living locally happily, and my love of learning weird things.<br />
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Every pastry chef I've ever heard or read discussing pastry says lard is hands-down the best fat ingredient for pastry. So, it's seems natural that I need a source of lard. There is also debate about the nutritional value or detriment of lard, with Real Food advocates arguing frequently that lard, butter, and other traditional foods aren't nearly the culprits they are made out to be in modern Western society. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lard">Wikipedia</a> has a decent collection of facts, though with the role of saturated fat, for instance, contested as the source of heart disease and other ailments, the facts are merely numbers. As a kid, my mother always saved the bacon grease in a cup to fry other foods later. So, I do the same. I use it particularly for frying eggs, but also other things.<br />
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For the last few years, we have been ordering a share of a hog from a local farm. In late Fall, we head to the butcher and pick up our frozen cuts and sausage. With all of our local consumption, I've also tried to be more open-minded and conscious about how the animal is used, as well as raised. This means I've had a go at the organs, cooking them as recommended by any number of traditional cookbooks. Mostly they were okay, though the cow heart was pretty much like rubber to me, and liver is just nasty.<br />
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In any case, this whole thought process led me to ask for the hog's fatback this year. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatback">fatback</a> is a cut that is primarily fat attached to skin from the back of the pig. It is one of the two primary sources for lard, the other being so-called leaf fat, that apparently produces a higher quality lard for pastry. Oh well, what I had was fatback. Mine came as pieces about eight inches square and two inches thick. I forgot to weigh it, but I suspect it was about ten pounds. The picture below shows one of the slices; I had about six of these.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9hb7kck3f9U/Tb34DUKnRjI/AAAAAAAABeM/JwofVWZmZ0Y/s1600/IMG_5542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9hb7kck3f9U/Tb34DUKnRjI/AAAAAAAABeM/JwofVWZmZ0Y/s320/IMG_5542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You need sheers or a massive knife to get through the skin</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Everything I had read said to render your fatback lard on a day that you can ventilate the house because the smell is very strong, so I waited until Spring. Friday was the perfect day with temperatures in the mid-60s. I decided to follow the instructions in The Grassfed Gourmet, though most Internet instructions were very similar. Or at least, that was my plan. I read them wrong, but I'll get to that. You start by cutting the fatback into long strips, which is no easy task. Bluntly, and this qualifies as "Ew", you have to get a knife to go through the tough skin of the pig. I ended up with a multi-tool approach, using a knife to cut the fat and poultry sheers to cut the skin. I have studly poultry sheers and they worked hard, but eventually we had lots of strips. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLAnp5UGL6c/Tb34DOVQkpI/AAAAAAAABeI/XcTgjYb2Oxc/s1600/IMG_5541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gLAnp5UGL6c/Tb34DOVQkpI/AAAAAAAABeI/XcTgjYb2Oxc/s320/IMG_5541.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This turkey pan was mostly filled with strips in the oven</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I put them into a big aluminum turkey roasting pan, sprinkled on baking soda and covered it. The book says to put your stove to the lowest temperature possible and render for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally. For whatever reason, I read stove as oven, and put the oven on to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. It turns out that your low setting on the stove must reach a much higher temperature, because by the next morning my fatback had barely produced any actual liquid fat. Ugh. I decided to up the oven to 225 degrees and that did the trick. I let the whole thing go for about twelve more hours, I think. I personally didn't really notice a smell. Yes, it smelled like something was in the oven, but nothing in particular. My husband, on the other hand, thought it was odor-ific. The also warned about popping fat, but I didn't have that experience, possibly because of using the oven, I'm not sure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uNiss0iDnrA/Tb34Dgk54rI/AAAAAAAABeQ/W3CJ8kq1TYg/s1600/IMG_5544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uNiss0iDnrA/Tb34Dgk54rI/AAAAAAAABeQ/W3CJ8kq1TYg/s320/IMG_5544.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fat and crackle coming out of the oven</td></tr>
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When it came out of the oven, you have tons of the crackle (read: cooked skin and whatever-else-is-left chunks) floating in this oil. It's not very appealing. Ew. But, I took all the big chunks out with a slotted spoon. When you strain the fat into a pan to cool, you need to use butter muslin or some other cloth lining a collander because otherwise you'll get little particle into the fat. Not good. The rendered fat is a deep yellow color and filled twelve cups of mason jars. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3C3nZRYOXw/Tb34ENf45zI/AAAAAAAABeU/BnJyfmvS7f0/s1600/IMG_5548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V3C3nZRYOXw/Tb34ENf45zI/AAAAAAAABeU/BnJyfmvS7f0/s320/IMG_5548.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">liquid lard strained through butter muslin</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2P17TnzPo8/Tb34EXCh-1I/AAAAAAAABeY/sk4bJuK8Wxs/s1600/IMG_5553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P2P17TnzPo8/Tb34EXCh-1I/AAAAAAAABeY/sk4bJuK8Wxs/s320/IMG_5553.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I stored my in mason jars</td></tr>
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They came out of the fridge the next morning solid, creamy, and white. And then went to the freezer for storage. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6mZgKzvQrQ/Tb34H87Aj5I/AAAAAAAABek/FSzbcnzgfRM/s1600/IMG_5559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6mZgKzvQrQ/Tb34H87Aj5I/AAAAAAAABek/FSzbcnzgfRM/s320/IMG_5559.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooled lard is creamy white</td></tr>
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The cracklings were a bit weird to me. You are supposed to strain them out, toss with salt, and use as snacks or over salad. I tasted a bit, but it wasn't particularly crunchy, which is what I expected, and it was very greasy and somewhat bland. Not my kind of snack. I've saved them for the dog. Or the neighbors dog. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLKa-kXnRcE/Tb34HmjAG2I/AAAAAAAABec/Fhb5ZG5trKw/s1600/IMG_5557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CLKa-kXnRcE/Tb34HmjAG2I/AAAAAAAABec/Fhb5ZG5trKw/s320/IMG_5557.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strained crackling pieces up close</td></tr>
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Will I do it again next year? Absolutely. I'm already paying for the hog, why toss out parts I can make good use of, particularly if I can use it to create amazing crusts. The only real work involved was cutting up the fatback into pieces and reading the directions correctly. After that, it was easy. A little bit ew, a little bit cool.<br />
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On a related note, I cooked the two smoked hams from this hog during the Easter weekend, using the maple raisin sauce recipe from the Grassfed Gourmet for one of them. A-maz-ing. I'm not a huge fan of maple, really, but the maple caramelized into the ham drippings creating a savory sauce that played off the sweet-tart of the raisins. Nothing like any ham I'd had before, and a wonderful surprise.<br />
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This post is part of <a href="http://www.sustainableeats.com/2011/05/05/simple-lives-thursday-may-5/">Simple Lives Thursday</a>, hosted at Sustainable Eats, where you can find an assortment of sustainability related blog posts every Thursday. And at <a href="http://amoderatelife.com/2011/05/different-thoughts-on-friday-and-feed-me-tweet-me-follow-me-home/">A Moderate Life</a>, one of my favorite reads.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-51892061543188087902011-05-02T15:55:00.000-07:002011-05-06T03:35:44.568-07:00Foraging with Kids: Time for Garlic Mustard and Honeysuckle!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TSVuuAZAjk/Tb80p9e6WUI/AAAAAAAABew/H25YT7xxeE4/s1600/IMG_5569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3TSVuuAZAjk/Tb80p9e6WUI/AAAAAAAABew/H25YT7xxeE4/s320/IMG_5569.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic Mustard at a glance (in bloom)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Kids really love to forage, and there are a number of things besides the traditional berry picking that they can harvest from the woods and pastures in the family yard, the local park, or out hiking. Right now is the prime time for two kid's favourites: garlic mustard and honeysuckle. And besides, both of these are invasive plants, so the kids can take their energy our protecting nature at the same time. Indeed, I wish I would have finished this post about a week ago to really hit the right timing. In any case, there are still plenty out there to feast upon.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div>Garlic mustard is an invasive culinary herb introduced by Italian immigrants in the last century. It's relatively easy to spot with its little white flowers, and a straight forward identification come from its distinct smell. If you rub the leaves, they give off a garlic odor and have a mild garlic flavor, as well. The problem with garlic mustard is that each plant produces hundreds of seeds and the plant has taken over in lots of areas in the U.S. Foraging for garlic mustard gives kids the chance to use up some energy ripping the plants out of the ground, roots and all. A few years ago, National Geographic Kids ran an article on invasive plants and recommended to children not only pulling up all the plants that they can see, but also making pesto from it. When you do pick garlic mustard, definitely try to grab the whole plant. They aren't deeply rooted, so they'll come up easily. Picking them before they seed is, of course, the best thing for the environment, even in the face of an endless battle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XbWBVt3CKrE/Tb80pTnFnoI/AAAAAAAABeo/LAFXofUmYZE/s1600/IMG_5566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XbWBVt3CKrE/Tb80pTnFnoI/AAAAAAAABeo/LAFXofUmYZE/s320/IMG_5566.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garlic mustard flower and leaf up close</td></tr>
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To make pesto from the garlic mustard, have the kids pluck the leaves off and mince them in a food processor. Like pesto made from basil, it will take a lot of garlic mustard leaves to make any significant amount of pesto base. But, hey, in this case, you'll find plants by the hundreds in a wide array of locations. To the minced herb, add olive oil, a little salt, and minced pine nuts or walnuts. I don't add Parmesan until I use the pesto, but some people add grated Parmesan. You can then freeze the pesto in ice cube trays for individual use later, or use it fresh. The flavor is definitely different from basil pesto, but it's pretty good.<br />
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This pdf I found online is so perfect for foraging with kids, I had to update this post to include it directly. It contains a range of activities about garlic mustard and some other invasive plants, as well as recipes for garlic mustard. I learned that it is used also for cleansing wounds, and can be used as a dye. It is a substitute for mustard greens. Because it is in flower now, the leaves are going to be bitter if you eat them raw, but planning for the next year... ! check this out:<br />
<span class="f"><cite> </cite></span><br />
<span class="f"><cite><a href="http://www.dnr.wi.gov/eek/teacher/invasivesguide/Inspired%20by%20Wrath.pdf">www.dnr.wi.gov/eek/teacher/invasivesguide/Inspired%20by%20Wrath.pdf</a> </cite></span> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7OmAlRJWmM/Tb80qb1LLiI/AAAAAAAABe0/Dk3L3tBeUho/s1600/IMG_5578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n7OmAlRJWmM/Tb80qb1LLiI/AAAAAAAABe0/Dk3L3tBeUho/s320/IMG_5578.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honeysuckle in bloom with dew</td></tr>
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Honeysuckle vines are also blooming right now and their scent fills the air around our woods. I think the honeydew vines we have might well be Japanese honeydew, another invasive plant, but I haven't tried hard to identify them. From the little I've read of non-native honeydew, they are sweet smelling and showy, which describes the plants that abound in my woods to a "T". Their flowers can be eaten straight from the vine for a sweet honey taste. But kids love learning the secret way to get a drop of nectar from the flower. You pluck the entire bloom from the plant, then carefully pinch down at the back end and pull the "string" out through the back of the flower. Unless wildlife has already snatched it, a drop of sweet nectar will be drawn out at the very end. It takes a little practice, but it's exciting to get it right and have this honey-tasting drop come out of the flower like magic. It you grow impatient, you can always just eat the whole thing, but the honey dew by itself is super special.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WTnOKcjcpUc/Tb80qgEn6II/AAAAAAAABe4/7r8Tt4eCzh0/s1600/IMG_5583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WTnOKcjcpUc/Tb80qgEn6II/AAAAAAAABe4/7r8Tt4eCzh0/s320/IMG_5583.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't see the nectar in this photo - but it is there near the green tip</td></tr>
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This entry is part of <a href="http://kellythekitchenkop.com/">Real Food Wednesday</a> where you can find a wide range of blog posts each week associated with Real Food. I am also participating this week for the first time with the<a href="http://amoderatelife.com/2011/05/please-join-us-for-another-hearth-and-soul-hop-46-at-a-moderate-life/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+amoderatelife%2FLcBz+%28A+Moderate+Life%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher"> Hearth and Soul </a>blog hop, one that I've been reading for months but haven't joined.... it's all about food that's good for the soul, and I find my connect into it off of another great blog, <a href="http://amoderatelife.com/">A Moderate Life</a> which is fun to read and includes great Mark Bittman challenges.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7570742221255239606.post-58189412556280495002011-04-25T04:36:00.000-07:002011-04-25T04:36:57.967-07:00Upcoming Local Living Events<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hb0MAnFaP1c/TbVZfMinS6I/AAAAAAAABd0/ZYWKl7UX_3Q/s1600/IMG_5536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hb0MAnFaP1c/TbVZfMinS6I/AAAAAAAABd0/ZYWKl7UX_3Q/s320/IMG_5536.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta Love Double Daffodils</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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Well, we've kicked Spring into high gear here in Central Maryland... flowers and allergies are in full bloom. I took a wander down to my next door neighbor's property a few days ago to find a massive display of tulips. They had hand planted 1000 tulips last Fall. Wow, now that's a lot of work in heavy clay forest soil. I planted a hundred daffodil bulbs and some much smaller number of tulips about twelve years ago now on the property. It was crazy tough getting a hole deep enough. I went from using the little bulb planter through a variety of shovels trying to excavate and eight inch hole. I recall the frustration enough that I haven't tried to plant spring bulbs again, in spite of the fact that most of the daffodils have survived and provide a gorgeous array of color in March.<br />
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Now, like many folks, I'm trying to get thing done in the garden before it gets too hot. I did not empty my rain barrels this past Winter, having thought about it and consulted a number of others on their opinions. Mistake. My two 60-gallon barrels split and are now big chunks of plastic. :( Since we are on a well, collecting the rain before last Summer's drought was critical. I was able to water the plants enough to keep them going, resorting to using our house water only at the end of the Summer. So, one major project is the rain barrels. Another is my veggie garden bed. That's a subject into itself, which I'll post pictures of later.<br />
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Along with all the yard work that comes with Spring, there are lots of fairs and festivals, many celebrating local and more conscious living. I've listed the three here that we will be attending in the next month. If you know of others in the region along this theme, please add them in the comments.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dicentra Cucullaria - Dutchman's Cap - love it ! </td></tr>
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Next weekend, <b>April 30th and May 1s</b>t, is the <b>South Mountain Creamery Spring Festival</b>. This Maryland creamery delivers dairy products across the region, along with an array of other groceries, many from local producers. Their family festival is designed to learn about the creamery, tour the farm, and for kids to get to do activities like making butter and feeding calves. The festival runs 10-5 on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday. The farm is located at 8305 Bolivar Road in Middletown, MD. www.southmountaincreamery.com.<br />
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Then, the following weekend, <b>May 7-8</b>, is the <a href="http://www.sheepandwool.org/">Maryland Sheep and Wool festival</a> at Howard County Fair Grounds. This will be our first year attending, but the number of people who have told me what a great time this is for the whole family is striking. It's all about regional sheep herders, complete with livestock demonstrations and workshops. And it's also about the wool, completely with spinning and yarn. There are crafts for the kids and lots of vendors. I've been warned that Saturday during the peak of the day can be insane because the road isn't designed for that heavy level of traffic. We're going Sunday. Check it out, meet your farmers. There are tons of activities and you can find a schedule online. http://www.sheepandwool.org/<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkJW0ve1cTM/TbVbhd-CG0I/AAAAAAAABeA/c4P1bFesgKo/s1600/IMG_5524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkJW0ve1cTM/TbVbhd-CG0I/AAAAAAAABeA/c4P1bFesgKo/s320/IMG_5524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Lastly, but far from least, is the <a href="http://www.sustainablelivingmd.org/fair.htm">Go Local Fair</a> coming <b>May 21st</b> at the Carroll County Ag Center in Westminster. This is a <b>free day long festival about local and sustainable living</b> put on by a wonderful set of people committed to educating the public and providing the resources necessary for them to make great decisions about their food, their home, and the environment. There are workshops and lectures through the day, as well as vendors. This year, Ed Bruske, the Slow Cook, will be doing a kids culinary workshop. Ed is a school food activist, former Washington Post journalist, and kid's culinary instructor from D.C. He writes a fabulous blog both about the school food movement and his own adventures in local living at www.theslowcook.com. Last year I took two great sessions, one on native Maryland plants and another on sustainable agriculture. The Master Gardener program, I believe, will be selling rain barrels and composters. Please do check it out, rain or shine. A tremendous amount of work goes into the planning of this event, it's free, and it's designed to connect people to information they need.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kwanzai Cherry in full bloom</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08642394891682074377noreply@blogger.com0