New Year's omen

On New Year’s Day I was delighted (and slightly bewildered) to see a ladybug crawling across the kitchen window - on the outside! Given that it’s now January. And there have been numerous killing frosts and weeks below freezing, even though the 1st was hovering somewhere in the low 40s. Still ladybugs are near and dear to my heart and I look forward to what this portends for the coming year.

Meanwhile the rustback chickadees are hanging out in a flock of about 40 letting me know when the feeder is empty, I’m late to fill it and otherwise falling behind on my responsibilities. The pine tree where the feeder hangs is alive with life from dawn to dusk. From the branches to the ground birds, squirrels and chipmunks below. Every now and then there’s an exotic visitor like a wood pigeon or blue jay that can’t fit on the feeder and doesn’t want to be on the ground but just wants to be part of the social scene.

Experimental archeology in the kitchen

If you’ve never heard of it, experimental archaeology is when a bunch of academics roll up their sleeves and try to reproduce something in order to understand how it was built or what it meant to build it. For example, trying to build a pyramid in order to see what makes sense or what theories are an epic fail. The practice can extend to matters of everyday life as well. And it’s my excuse for my now dwindling gallon jug of hard apple cider.

Making cider from my own apples has been on my list for awhile now but I still don’t have an official grinder or press. Luckily I didn’t have that many leftover apples either! What I did have I quartered, ground up in the Cuisinart and then pressed through a small hand cranked juice press. I ended up with a little under 1 gallon of dark brown cloudy juice - like what gets sold in the refrigerator section of the grocery store as unfiltered ( I did strain it!) It didn’t look anything like hard cider I’d ever seen at that stage but I stuck it in a gallon fermenter with an airlock on top and put it in the mudroom - no additives, no yeast, no sugar - just juice and waited to see what would happen.

At first it made foam, that looked like a good sign but not particularly alcoholic, not like the first stages of wine making. Then gradually it started to burp bubbles up through the air lock and as it did so, the sediment started settling to the bottom. The liquid got clearer and clearer until it looked like tea. I confess to a few small samples along the way but not too much as I didn’t want to lower the volume and allow too much air in.

When it was completely clear I put the whole thing in the refrigerator, minus the airlock which wouldn’t fit (don’t worry I used a loose bottle stopper to prevent any explosions) and began to consume. It’s very interesting and very light. I can see why medieval peasants would drink it like water. You could definitely go about a full day’s work without impairment but a nice buzz, which lets face it wouldn’t be such a bad thing in medieval Europe. (I’m by no means implying anyone should drive, use heavy machinery or make financial decisions in this state, just that it’s a very different feeling than consuming comparable amounts of beer or wine.)

The flavor isn’t very apply nor is it very carbonated, just a mild sizzle and rather on the dry side. I was mostly just glad it didn’t turn to vinegar but I am relieved that the natural yeasts of Short Meadow are prepared to make a decent brew. I’m already looking forward to next Autumn!

Almond Cake

(Serves however many you are willing to share with.)

 This is one of those divinely inspired recipes that just worked out of the experimental gate. It all started with happy chickens in Spring. That means lots of eggs, which are notorious for not freezing well. But you know what does freeze well? Cake. I confess that more of this has gone in my mouth than the freezer but it’s so high protein I excuse myself 😊

You will need a stand mixer.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

• 6 large eggs

• ¾ c granulated sugar

• 1 ts almond flavoring

• ½ ts salt

• 2 c almond flour

Crack the eggs into the bowl of the mixer with the whisk attached. Gradually increase the speed until it is one or two notches below full speed. Leave it here for ten full minutes. The eggs should be frothy and about triple in bulk but go with the timer.

Reduce the speed to a low-medium and gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Once that’s incorporated add the almond flavoring and salt. Then sprinkle in the almond flour and mix until most of the lumps have gone but don’t over mix as this will make the batter deflate.

Pour the batter into an angel food cake pan (or a large spring-form pan) and bake for one hour. An inserted knife should come out clean. Invert the angel food pan to cool and then slide a knife around all edges until the bottom can be removed (with cake). Do the same here and transfer the cake to your favorite plate or stand. Frost as desired – my favorite being a simple almond flavored icing with unsweetened chocolate drizzled over.

End of October

There are a handful of golden beets waiting in the refrigerator. In a few days they’ll be slow roasted with potatoes, slathered in olive oil and then mixed with Gorgonzola and fresh spinach for a deliciously earthy salad. The beet greens will probably go to the chickens as they’ve gotten both tough and slug-nibbled. Sharing the bounty around the farm always pays it forward!

The autumn leaves continue to turn and fall. Some trees are already empty, some distributing slowly and others yet to turn. There is magic in there somewhere though because after raking and removing twenty gallons of leaves, the driveway looked just the same! How is that possible?

Everything is settling in for winter but still clinging to the last breath of summer. There are still a few dahlias brightening up beds and the random rose blooming with fierce determination. Time to put the vases away until Spring and start thinking about wreaths.

The Equinox is here again

I’m not sure where Summer went, or if it was even here - I never even got out the fan, let alone tried to use the sad excuse for air conditioning. But Autumn isn’t going to skip! Right now the back room window’s are full of aromatic condensation from the dehydrator working on a full load of apple slices. There is still one tree to be picked but that's destined for cider and sauce. And last night I made a Thai curry with everything available to harvest: tomatoes, purple string beans, Thai basil, green pepper, and cucumber. There was some purchased additions like pork and coconut milk, but it was exciting that the majority had come from the garden on the same day.

I’m going to let the birds have the crabapple harvest this year, I have yet to use what I put in the freezer last year. It’s so full of tanins that the juice makes me sick on its own (fine when paired with other food). So that pretty much leaves the squashes left for storable harvests. With any luck things won’t freeze for awhile and the beans and leafy veg will continue for a few months. The rain has already returned so probably not too many more ripe tomatoes!

Next spring will be here before you know it though, so don’t forget to save seeds from favorites for next year. Now’s the time before they drop to the ground!

Sun-dried tomato and olive pasta

(serves 2)

I make variations of this often – it’s a fast, easy pasta recipe that takes substitutions well.  Don’t have pine nuts? Try some crumbled bacon. Only have fresh tomatoes? Cut and saute for 30 seconds before proceeding…

•  4  to 6 oz of penne pasta

• Sun-dried tomatoes (about 4 full-size slices, ¼ c of canned, or a generous handful of home made)

• 12 Greek olives

• 2 oz Feta or goat cheese

• 1 c Bitter greens (arugula, radiccio, or similar)

• 2 tbls pine nuts

• 1 ts olive oil

1. Cook the pasta per package directions and while that’s going:

2. Soak the tomatoes in shallow boiling water, unless they’re in oil in which case skip this (you can use some of the pasta water if that’s handy.) Don’t drown them, just enough to rehydrate them a little.

3. In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and toast the pine nuts until golden. Remove from the heat.

4. In a small bowl, slice the olives, crumble the cheese, and add the greens (in bite size pieces) take the tomatoes out of the soaking water and cut into small strips, add to the olive and cheese bowl.

5. Strain the pasta and toss with the vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.

(goes great with the Italian bread!)

Kitchen Creativity

If you want to get truly creative in the kitchen trying growing your own food!

It’s been an odd summer. There are four plum trees on the property and only one had fruit. It wasn’t shy about it either, I think I picked about 45 lbs. They’re some kind of juice plum, impossible to eat without liquid running down your face. I knew this from last year so I was ready. But after a gallon of juice in the freezer and another gallon of syrup (OMG, try it on the Baby Dutchem!) But there were still more plums…

For the cost of a bag of sugar, I’ve got a couple of gallons of plum summer wine (see the picture above). The color alone is tasty to the eyes!

But…. the deer ate the beans. The cucumbers and tomatoes are only just getting started, just as the weather has turned chilly. The lettuce and bok choi bolted. But the cabbages are magnificent. The apple trees are loaded and the kale is hanging in there.

All in all it’s a typical year of personal farming - its just that what succeeds and what fails changes every year! I have no idea what I’ll do with these things to make a meal but I’ll figure something out - and I’ll enjoy it if for no other reason that I grew it from the earth where I live. I learned somewhere that the key to great creativity is constraints. So here I go with cabbage, plum wine, and some kale! What would you do with that mystery box?

Easy Italian Bread

(serves 8)

•  2 c hot water (tap hot, not boiling)

• 2 ts bread yeast

• 2 ts salt

• 4 cups flour

• 1 tbls olive oil

• French baguette pan

 This is the easiest, most delicious bread recipe I have ever made and I rarely make anything else – it’s just that good.

 Pour the hot water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir in gently and then add the salt. Stir in 2 cups of the flour into well blended and then the final 2 cups. The mixture should be wet with no flour remaining and no dry patches. If you make bread often you won’t recognize this at all. You’re aiming for something about the consistency of guacamole.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until double in size (or more, it’s a very forgiving recipe!)

 Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and have your pan handy.  Pour the olive oil over the dough (I never measure but it’s about a tablespoon)  dip your hands in it so that your fingers and palms are oily and then scoop your fingers down the side of the bowl, all around to separate it from the edge. Then scoop down and lift up with half of the dough. Gently pull it into a sausage about a foot long and place it in the pan (you don’t need to grease the pan). Repeat with the second half. The idea here is to handle the dough as little as possible so don’t worry about perfection.   Set aside until the oven is hot. When the oven hits 500 reduce it to 400 and put the bread pan in.   Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the crust is crunchy brown. Leave in the pan until cool enough to handle and then rock it gently to one side until it comes out.  Slice or tear the bread, serve with oil and balsamic or goat cheese or however you like it. It’s an incredibly versatile bread that is a favorite for potlucks as well.

 A note on the baguette pan. It’s critical to success here – these are the pans that are W in profile and have hundreds of tiny holes everywhere. This is what gives the even, crunchy crust all around. The more you use it the easier the bread will come out so don’t give up too quickly.