Spring – Time to Grow!

The weather has been unbelievable. I think we skipped the harsh winter months and got a head start on spring. And now it’s like early summer around here. I’ve found myself still too warm in a tank, shorts and flops more than once this week. The garden is growing and I’m adding more plants each week. The tomatoes I planted a week and a half ago - are already flowering.

I’m planting mostly food, but some flowers too. We have a small lot and last year I had decided there was only enough room for edibles. Unfortunately, it occured to me later in the summer that a few more flowers would’ve attracted more beneficial insects. (I had to hand pollinate my zuchininis and pumpkins.) And pretty flowers are nice to look at.

This year I have decided that I’ll have a few more flowers and I want a little more than food from my gardens. I want them to add a little natural beauty to my yard. I’ve found quite a bit of inspiration for neat ways to label plants using old stuff like wire hangers, wood scraps and small bamboo stakes. I’ve just been too busy planting the last couple of weeks. I just can’t seem to pry myself from tending to the gardens. My farmers’ market trips aren’t solely about buying food  ready to eat. I look forward to see what transplants are available each week. I’ve got a total of seven tomato plants so far. Fennel seeds are sown. There are carrots, countless herbs, garlic, spring onions, garlic chives, lettuces, beets, peas, kale, spinach, blueberries and raspberries and a few surprises (some kind of squash, pumpkins or maybe melons). Volunteer seedlings are popping up anywhere I mix in my compost. I’ll let a few of them go to see what grows. I hope we don’t have a late cold snap!

I do already feel the effects of the mild winter. Critters are everywhere. Literally. I come inside and have to inspect myself for hitch-hiking pests. I usually find at least one of these:

And my plants are all under attack. I found this huge snail in my garden. He looked like he could do some damage, so I had to relocate him – probably permanently. So sorry little guy. I have to admit that the small act of killing critters foraging for food sheerly for their own survival, does make me think twice before killing even the tiniest insects. Laugh if you must. I wish there was enough food in my garden to go around, but a seedling is no match for a slug or a snail or catepillar. My beet seedlings get devoured by something the day they emerge. If I could just get them to wait a little while… they’ll be enough for them too. Me and the snail hung out for a bit while I decided what to do. I couldn’t bring myself to kill it, so I put him in the trash bin. There is plenty of food in there. If he makes it out, well then kudos for him.

Last year I sowed only five pea plants. All but two of them were hacked by cutworms. We never had enough to make a side dish and usually opened the pods and ate them straight from the garden. This year I planted twelve. One of my food discoveries in this journey is that I don’t hate peas after all. I just don’t like the stinky ones you get in a can at the grocery store. Frozen or fresh peas are a staple now. I’m excited and hopeful about fresh peas! I may try and grow fava beans too, if cutworms thin out my peas again this year.

I’m looking forward to long, warm lazy days.  I’ve made a kind of bucket list for the spring and summer.

I hope I get to take a nap in a hammock (have to get one first).

I’m looking forward to outdoor dinners with amazing food, amazing people and laughter and smiles and candles and pretty table settings.

I hope I don’t get too caught up in the day to day details and I find time to do all the d-i-y art and garden projects I have planned.

I want to eat a meal made almost entirely with ingredients from my own back yard.

I want to swap and share homegrown and homemade food.

I want to can tomatoes, at least enough to last through the winter. I’ve planted seven tomato plants so far, and plan to get three more varieties.

I want to freeze some homegrown veggies, like peas and squash and peppers, so that I can have a taste of homegrown veggies in the dead of winter, when I’m craving springtime.

And those are just a few things I can think of at the moment.

Is It Spring?

Normally, I’m a red wine kind of gal, but National Margarita Day and unseasonably warm, spring-like weather has me craving cocktails and mixed drinks. I had set out to make a margarita one evening, but ended up making my favorite mojito instead. They are relatively low calorie and low carb. Not too much sugar and I use fresh ingredients. I have a weak spot for a well made mojito.

Muddle 1/4 lime wedges and 8 to 10 mint leaves in a glass.

Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of mint infused simple syrup,

1 to 1 and 1/2 shots of white rum and

a few dashes of Angostura Bitters (optional).

Fill glass 3/4 full with ice.

Top off with seltzer; then shake or stir well.

I’ve been experimenting with vanilla vodka. I bought some vanilla beans a few months ago to make my own vanilla extract and still have plenty leftover. I’ve been hearing a lot about vanilla vodka lately and thought I’d make my own. It’s the same method I use to make vanilla extract, only it takes a lot less vanilla and time. After a week to ten days it was ready for drinks, but two weeks later it was even better.

I have a long list of drinks I want to make with my vanilla vodka. I’m unsure about a few of them. I tried it with lightly sweetened tea. Not good. I rarely drink soda, but I have found a few small, local soda makers that use better ingredients. I mixed a shot of vanilla vodka with half a bottle of Uncle Scott’s Natural Root Beer (made in Mooresville, NC). Tasted like a root beer float and took me back to my first job at an ice cream shop in Eastland Mall. I also tried it with some old fashioned ginger ale (Blenheim, made in South Carolina, and Boylan made in NJ). Hello cream soda. Mmmmm… But because it’s so sugary, this drink is dessert. It’s a treat I won’t indulge in frequently.

Linsey had a request last week. She wanted barbecue and that was just fine with me. I couldn’t make it to the farmers market for our usual Grateful Growers pork shoulder, so I tried it with free range, organic chicken breasts from Trader Joe’s instead. I cooked it slow and low in lime juice, a little pomegranate juice, basil infused rum, garlic, salt and pepper. Then when it was fully cooked, I turned the heat up to let most of the liquid reduce down. The meat gets browned and caramelized and chewy on the outside. But after I used two forks to shred it, I knew it was too dry. Pork has lots more fat, and that’s why it makes such good barbecue. So I added several tablespoons of the pastured bacon lard, which I always have on hand and let it cook, low and covered for another fifteen minutes. The chicken was moist and tender, the way barbecue ought to be. It had a subtly different flavor which we all enjoyed. It was a nice change and a good experiment. I served it with roasted potatoes and cauliflower and my favorite sweet and sour slaw with fennel, onion, red peppers and cabbage.

Spring and warm weather makes me want to slow down. We’re not even into spring quite yet, and already I’m looking forward to long summer vacation days with no schedule to keep. The kids were out of school for two days a couple weeks ago. We spent one lazy evening making pasta, from scratch. Haleigh was bored and sulking because she’s grounded and couldn’t go with her sister and her father to run a few errands. Being a parent sucks sometimes. Even though the punishment was deserved, my heart hurt for her. So I let her roll out the pasta. I’ll admit that I didn’t think she’d have much success with this temperamental machine, but she cranked it out. She had fun. She got the hang of it quickly and had every right to be proud of that. And I was free to prepare the other ingredients. We enjoyed each others company. Cooking, talking and laughing with her in the kitchen like that was exactly how I envisioned it. There will be lots more meals prepared this way now that the girls are growing up.

This weekend time changes and the clocks spring forward. We’ll have another hour of sunlight in the evenings. It takes some getting used to. We’ll probably spend a lot of that time outdoors on sunny days, and we’ll inevitably lose track of time. I welcome those days.

Words, Food and DIY Mania

You know those moments in life when something in your mind just clicks into place. Unrelated ideas and memories and thoughts are scattered and out of focus, and then something happens. It all starts falling neatly in line. You figure something out about yourself, or rather you figure out how a bunch of random things in your life all fit together. That’s what’s happening to me. And now it all makes perfect sense.

I have never been a “put together” type of person. I mean I know when I like something, a piece or pieces, but I just could never seem to make them all fit together. But I’ve been reflecting a lot this week and I’ve discovered how different parts of my life from as far back as I can remember, fit neatly into certain words. Traditional and classic, natural, rustic yet elegant and fresh, but somehow still quirky and messy, simple yet inspiring and with lots of depth and meaning. Maybe that doesn’t seem so simple to you. But to me, those words sum up my entire life. It may not be the way others see me, but this is what my soul wants. Now that I see it, maybe you will too. The best part, the “click” if you will, came not just with these words, but with a realization. How when things are going right, these words are filling me up. The parts of my life that work, are all inscribed with these words. I’ve always loved these words. They are inscribed in my soul.

So what does this have to do with food? I’ll tell you what this has to do with food. I want my food to be those words. Simple and rustic and messy (aka easy and minimalist). I want it to be natural, fresh, traditional and classic (whole, farm to table and prepared using old techniques and recipes). And I like to use new and unexpected ingredients (quirky). I want the food to be inspiring (beautiful and yummy) and I want it to be full of depth and meaning (deeply nourishing for me, my family and every lovely person sharing our table).

So I’ve been a busy girl. Trying to make the outsides match the insides around our house. Especially in the food areas of the house. The dining room, the kitchen and the back yard (where a lot of our food comes from and where it is sometimes eaten). A friend introduced me to Pinterest a couple weeks ago and it has me believing I can do anything. That is one inspiring website. So I’ve been working on several d-i-y projects and have already made two trips to my new favorite store, Hobby Lobby, and a few trips to Home Depot. I started with a white wash on the picnic table. DIY semi-fail. Not enough water, so back to Home Depot for sand paper and a hand sander to strip some of the paint off. The good news is it has the look I wanted and the bonus of this “mistake” is a table that’s as smooth as a baby’s butt. (Which is great for our butts.)

Rustic

Then a classic, elegant chandelier makeover. Spray painted it “oiled bronze” and made a cover for the chain. That’s right, as in I bought fabric and used my sewing machine! (Who knew buying fabric could be so intimidating.) The best part is that this upcycle cost me less than $6. The paint was on sale and I only used half a yard of fabric.

Next I made these quirky little napkins. I already had the napkins, so all I had to buy was black fabric paint, some foam brushes and letter stencils.  This cost me about $15, but I have plenty of paint and brushes left and the stencil is reusable. I have a ton of stenciling ideas swimming around in my head already.

Did you notice the rest of the table? I bought some rustic burlap fabric, which I just folded, ironed and tied with some natural twine I had lying around to use as a table runner. The centerpiece, candles and candle holders were all a bargain from a thrift store. The flowers and ivy were in the garage. The table cloth was already on the table and the mason jars and plates came from my cabinet. This rustic, quirky, elegant table makeover cost me maybe $15 total!!

And the day I painted the chandelier, I also spray painted jar lids with chalk board paint for easy labeling. Seems like a good idea, but they scratch easily. Maybe they need more than one coat.

And here’s something quirky. I found this basket and vase at the thrift store. The fake flowers, the aloe plant and pot and the pine cone were already mine. Cute right?

The mirror pictured above and the “Kitchen” sign also came from a thrift store. Trash to treasure!! You know what else? I took all of these photos with my new camera. I’ve been practicing a lot. Inspiration is a wonderful motivator! Can’t wait to roast my rustic whole, pastured chicken and serve it with some rustic, chunky roasted beets and carrots and a salad – farm to table. All natural and whole from the farmers market. Then share it with my family in our newly redecorated rustic, elegant, natural and quirky dining room. My soul is happy!

Farm to Table Journey to Health (and Weight Loss)

The most remarkable thing about this journey is how it has affected my soul. When I first started my goal was to lose weight. But where I ended up instead, was so much better. And the weight fell off. This journey led me to unexpected places. Like farmers markets. And farm tours. And to cultivating a garden of my own. I have a deep appreciation for food now that I’ve seen the whole picture, from seed to plate. And when I say food, I don’t just mean ‘food’. I mean everything from seeds and plants and animals that “only have one bad day”; to climate and fertile soil and clean water and organic, sustainable  farming; to creating recipes with appreciation for the ingredients; and then cooking and sharing meals, relaxing and making memories with friends and family. Even after the food is gone from our plates, it’s sitting in our full bellies, nourishing us. I mean “FOOD!” I didn’t know it could be this good and, this nourishing. I’ve changed from the inside out. Deeply. This journey moves my soul and now I’m in tune with the natural world. It’s a part of me and I’m a part of it.

So if you want to lose weight AND be healthy and you’ve tried everything else… I have a little suggestion. Something you probably haven’t tried. Just learn to love nourishing food. Reconnect with it. Get to know it really well. Try a… I was going to call it a “farm-to-table diet,” but I hate diets. And I hate when people call eating well a “lifestyle”. I mean it is, but it sounds so cliché. How about… a farm-to-table journey to health. If you learn to eat well, the weight will fall off – and you won’t feel deprived or starved. Our entire family slimmed down in one summer. Except the picky one that needed to gain a little. She did.

Read some articles about all those foodie things I italicized above, and blogs like this one and dozens more like it. Subscribe to facebook pages and blogs like health.com, Slow Food USA, 100 Days of Real Food, Harvest Moon Grille/Grateful Growers and Mark Bittman. I suggest this book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and other books by Nina Planck, Michael Pollan, Alexandra Zissu. If TV’s your thing, try watching some food shows. Set your DVR to record “Dr. Oz” (he has Oprah’s old spot) and “The Chew” on ABC and Extra Virgin on the Cooking Channel. And watch Food, Inc. Don’t let the politics deter you. Understanding where food comes from and how it gets on your plate is the first step to eating well. Ignore the politics, unless of course you feel passionate about it.

Visit a farmers market or two. Try to find one that is a “producers only” market with food that comes from within a 50 or 100 mile radius. Start shopping there regularly. The best one in the Charlotte area is (Matthews Farmers’ Market.) In fact, some might say this is not a good time to start farmers’ market shopping, because we’re in the middle of winter and there’s hardly any food. First of all, that’s not true. There’s plenty of food. There’s just not a wide variety of food. But I think it’s the best time to get to know the farmers’ market – before it’s busy and crowded and there’s food everywhere. In the winter, farmers’ markets are quieter. The farmers, vendors and market goers will be more relaxed, less busy and open to conversation. And you can watch it grow into spring.

Locate some organic, sustainable farms in your area where food is grown without chemicals and animals are treated humanely. Most of them offer free scheduled tours. This is a great opportunity to find out why sustainable food costs more. It’s also a great way to spend a day with the family. Farms have a way of reminding you what life is all about. Kids of all ages will love it. It’s such a fun learning opportunity. (Also good for getting a reluctant spouse on board.)

Start small. Read one article a day. Subscribe to one blog. “Like” something food related on facebook. Cook one meal from fresh, whole ingredients. I’m telling you, this journey is nothing like a diet. There’s no calorie counting or eating low fat (fat is delicious and doesn’t make you fat – google it). This journey is eye opening and it’s fun. It changed my entire family. We’re all better because of it. I thought it would be nice to hear a kid’s point of view, so I’ve asked my daughter Haleigh (she’s 12) what she has enjoyed the most about this journey. So I’m stepping away from the keyboard now and letting her write it in her own words. This is what she has to to say:

“Eating healthier isn’t as bad as it seems – like eating vegetables all the time and not eating cookies – because there are also good things, like I get to go to the farmers’ market every Saturday. That’s fun for me and also the food from the farmers market tastes better than from a store. Healthier food makes me feel more focused and fit. Unlike junk food which makes me feel lazy. At lunch when I see people all around me eating cookies and chips and I’m eating carrots and a sandwich, it makes me think I’m much healthier than my friends and I’m going to be better off in life. Even though they sometimes make fun of me and stuff, because my mom’s such a “health freak” I’m thinking well at least my mom cares enough not to feed me junk food all my life.”

Warm and Cozy Hot Chocolate

We have an icky bug floating around the house. It’s just a cold, but there are five of us. And when we have an icky bug, it can take weeks to run it’s course through our family. We still have a few sniffles, but we’re almost in the clear. The little one started it all. She missed school last Friday because of it. And of course they had something special planned that day. It breaks my heart when they’re sick. It’s worse when they miss an event they’ve been looking forward to all week because of it. This called for a little extra mommy lovin’.

So I had to re-create “warm and cozy day” at home. Especially since she was fighting a cold. We made hot chocolate from scratch. I haven’t bought that stuff in the packets in over a year.  We used to always have it around. So now when I make hot chocolate, it’s extra special.

While I prepared the hot chocolate, she picked a spot and arranged our picnic blanket and her stuffed “aminals”. She came to the kitchen several times. She’d grab my hand and lead me into the living room and ask “Is this okay?” They are unbelievably cute when they’re three.

The cookies were Trader Joe’s Highbrow Chocolate Chips. We don’t normally have this kind of thing in the house, but they were leftover from an event over the holidays. I was saving them for an emergency, and this seemed like the right time. The warm, creamy hot chocolate and those crispy cookies were perfect together. She forgot all about school.

“Uh oh. I had a little accident Mommy.” No problem. I worried that the all that chocolate would keep her from napping, but she slept soundly. The fever never came back after that. I doubt it had much to do with our warm and cozy hot chocolate, but who knows. I let her believe it was the cure.

Warm and Cozy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic whole milk
• 1/4 cup organic sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• pinch of  sea salt
• 2 ounces good quality dark chocolate (or 1 square)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon organic virgin coconut oil
• splash of organic heavy cream or half and half (optional)
• marshmallows are optional

Method:

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
2. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, coconut oil and salt until dissolved.
3. Stir in the chocolate until melted.
4. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool slightly or add a splash of cold heavy cream or half and half, or a dollop of whipped cream. Throw in a few marshmallows if desired. Makes 2 servings.

I decided to add the coconut oil not just for a little more flavor, but to make it a little extra nourishing for my feverish lil’ pumpkin. And to strengthen my immune system, just in case I was next… I was.

Coconut oil has been used for centuries to treat illnesses.

The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. It helps in fighting harmful bacteria such as listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil, though its exact mechanism of action was unknown, it has been extensively used in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medicinal system. (from organicfacts.net)

I also had some homemade almond flavored whipped cream leftover from the a few nights before. Whipped cream is ridiculously easy to make from scratch. A cup of organic heavy cream, a few tablespoons of confectioners sugar and some almond extract, all whipped together with a stand or handheld mixer on high speed until thick and creamy. You can substitute with whatever extract you prefer. Store bought whipped cream isn’t anywhere near this good.

I doubled the recipe so I’d have enough leftover for the other two when they came from school. Friday treat!!

Things I Learned in 2011 and What I’m Looking Forward to Learning in 2012

Things I learned in 2011:

1. Scaling down and purging stuff is a life style, not a task to be completed in a weekend, a week, a month or even a year. It’s easier to get rid of things, than it is to stop accumulating more stuff. Still, we did a really good job.
2. Thrift stores are a great way to recycle, upcycle, save money and cut down on trash. If we could all buy more used stuff or just use and repair stuff we already have, demand for new things would fall, less of it would be produced and we could save some of our precious resources.
3. Gardening is rewarding, but less predictable than I imagined. Nature can be harsh. Bugs are an organic gardeners worst enemy. Everything you plant will not survive or be edible. Luckily, most of it will, even if you’re an amateur like me.
4. Having two compost piles is better than one. One to use now and one to build up for later.
5. Making mostly homemade bread from scratch, instead of buying it from the grocery store is doable… if you have a stand mixer with a dough hook (and maybe a bread machine, but I don’t use one of those). A stand mixer is worth it’s cost and it’s space on the counter. I still haven’t found a 100% whole wheat sandwich bread recipe that works without using vital wheat gluten (or other additive). But I’ve learned to accept a 50/50 or 40/60  loaf using good quality, organic all purpose and whole wheat flour. It’s way better tasting and better for our health than store bought bread.
6. Homemade tortillas are not worth the trouble unless you eat and make them often. A lot of work goes into it. I have an awesomely perfect recipe and a tortilla press, but we just don’t eat them often enough for me to really get the practice I need to make them quickly. So I buy the best quality I can, when we do need them. Homemade pita bread on the other hand, is totally worth it.
7. Kids (and spouses) will eat well if you feed them well… eventually.
8. My kids aren’t ADHD afterall. Our education system just stinks. I kinda knew this already, but it’s actually worse than I imagined. School’s just too damned boring for kids. Bad diet also plays a role.
9. Okra doesn’t have to be slimy. And I like it grilled. It’s not the only food I’ve learned to like this year. I like arugula. And salmon. But I still don’t like liver. Maybe I never will.
10. The world is not going to end in 2012. It’s a rumor. The Mayan calendar, actually the long-count period “ends” on winter solstice 2012, the same way our yearly calendar ends on December 31. Time will not stop. The world will not end. The calendar just starts over. So don’t put your pets to sleep or spend all of your money. (Here’s a little NASA FAQ, in case you’re still worried.)

Of course I’ve learned more than that, but those are my highlights. Here’s what I’m looking forward to learning in 2012:

1. Creating. This blog, my new camera, cooking and even gardening has all helped me get in touch with my inner artist. I’m looking forward to “up-cyling” projects this year. The ugly gold chandelier in our dining area has been a thorn in my side. I can’t wait to paint it, embellish it and add a lamp shade (or several). I’m sure there will be some DIY disasters in my very near future, but I’m looking forward to learning. I need to work on my sewing and painting skills. (Oh and have you heard of Pinterest? Whoa! So inspiring. And a great way to figure out what you like and organize your life.)
2. I want prettier gardens and I want more of them. Still mostly edible of course. And definitely still organic, just better laid out. I’ll be working on a garden design, before I start sowing seeds and planting this year.
3. You know I’m a bit of tree-hugger, but this year I want to do better. I have been replacing old store bought cleaners and some health and beauty products with safer, d-i-y alternatives. Beauty products have been the most intimidating, but I’ve stocked up on some good quality carrier oils, essential oils, bees wax, a few other ingredients and tons of small containers to store it all in. I’ve made all-over moisturizer using coconut oil and couple drops each of rosemary oil, tea tree oil and lemon oil. My hair serum is made with coconut oil, lavender and rosemary essential oils. They work great and smell better than anything I’ve bought in the store. I’m working on a post about these.
4. I’m a free spirit. This year I’m going to let it out more and stop worrying about other peoples’ opinions. Even if it ruffles a few feathers. (In fact I kinda hope it does!) I’ve found that by being honest and being myself, I attract the kind of people I want to be around and I fit better in situations and my surroundings. And if I’m more open, others are more open with me. This is my blog. I can write whatever I want.

Pomegranates and Smurphat Family Recipes

I bought two pomegranates a week ago. I looked at them nearly every day and asked myself, “When are you going to crack those things open? What exactly are you waiting for?” My kids asked the same sorts of questions. Truth is I haven’t bought one in years. When I was growing up, my mom would buy them. But she lovingly did all the hard work and all we had to do was pick off the arils. I’ve bought them a few times since then, but was always disappointed and never felt they were worth the trouble. The seeds inside were hard and difficult to chew, making the little burst of juice hardly worth the messy, cutting, peeling, prying, plucking and seed spitting. Now, why did I buy these again? Oh yeah. They are good for you and yummy (even if they are a lot of work). They are rich in vitamin C, B5, potassium and polyphenols (like tannins and flavonoids).

Finally, I decided to open this baby up. But first I had to consult YouTube. Not because it’s all that difficult, but because I figured there was a trick to it and YouTube is my favorite site for how-to demonstrations. I found two ways to do it. Since I had two of them, I tried both ways. Yeah. I’m a nerd like that. The first method involves cutting the thing into manageable pieces then working the arils out by hand in a bowl of water. The peel and membrane floated to the top and the kernels sank to the bottom. Of course when you cut the thing open, just know that it has the potential to look like a scene from some gory horror flick. The juices splatter. In fact, I didn’t even notice they had splattered all the way up the wall and under my cabinets. Also found some on the the paper towel roll the next day. And on the canisters. And toaster. Meh… I prefer the second way, which involves “scalping” the top to reveal the sections and then slicing through the skin and prying the sections apart. It was definitely less messy. And the spoon tapping to release the arils worked okay. Though it didn’t really knock them off, the arils were loosened and easy to pry off after the spoon smacking. (I know, I know. I’m a food nerd.)

As it turns out, the seeds aren’t as bad as I remember. I wasn’t going to mention the seed spitting option to the kids unless they had a problem with it. I didn’t have to. The seeds didn’t bother them. One of them even liked the crunch. Huh. Me too. Go figure. And eating the pomegranate with the seeds is better for you. They contain healthy oils, micronutrients and fiber. Pomegranates are high in sugar. In fact, most of it’s calories come from this sugar. But the fiber helps keep blood sugar levels from spiking by slowing the breakdown of sugar in the body.

They make a great healthy snack all by themselves (I ate quite a few while writing this post), but they were also great on our salads last night:

Speaking of salads, this Sweet and Sour Slaw is what led me to the collection of Smurphat family recipes. Of course the recipe is good as is, but you know me – I added fennel, apples and carrots to give it my seasonal, nutrient dense twist.

The slaw recipe is my mother’s. I had misplaced my handwritten recipe and after searching everywhere, I suddenly remembered that she had submitted the recipe for the Smurphat Family Recipes. No she is not technically a Smurphat (that would be my late grandmother on my Dad’s side), and this recipe actually comes from my childhood neighbor. The recipes were gathered at a family reunion and the “Sweet and Sour Slaw” recipe was my mother’s contribution.  So I dug around and found the family recipe book in a closet upstairs. (Upstairs!?)

Even before I’d found this cookbook, I had been thinking a lot about family recipes. Since I’m cooking more traditionally now, I am always in search of old recipes. I love how naturally good for you they are and I’m fascinated that science is now proving that these tried and true methods and ingredients (a.k.a. slow food) are more beneficial to our health than we realized. Good, simple, unprocessed ingredients, food preparations and cooking methods that have been fine-tuned over centuries and handed down for generations – the culture, the tradition. I’ve been wondering how and what recipes I want to pass on to my daughters. And as I was preparing the slaw, I began thinking about my grandmother. She passed away a few months ago. I wondered which recipes she had contributed. So after dinner I finished my glass of Syrah while perusing family recipes.

As it turns out, quite a few of these recipes called for processed food ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and rolls of refrigerated dough, marshmallow creme, shortening and margarine. I was a little disappointed that these recipes weren’t very traditional, and in fact seem to come from the 50′s era of condensed soup and prepackaged convenience foods.

There were a few gems though. Even some traditional Italian and German Recipes. My grandmother’s recipe for “Number 1 Perfect Apple Cobbler” was included and it just so happens that apples are in season. In fact, Saturday is the last day for apples at my favorite farmers market. Other than the “oleo” (margarine) that she calls for, the rest of the ingredients are pretty traditional. I’m excited to try it.

All this has me wanting to put together a collection of family recipes that use traditional ingredients and methods. You’ll probably be hearing more about this and more about traditional recipes and methods in future posts. I’d love to hear about your family food culture, traditions and recipes. Please feel free to comment below.

Things “Real Food” Ruined (for Me)

Knowing and giving a crap about where my food comes from and how it was made has ruined the instant gratification that comes from eating and drinking whatever I want, when I want it regardless of the quality. I can’t buy anything new without scanning the ingredient list (unless of course it’s a whole food that doesn’t have an ingredient list like cuts of meat and produce – good stuff). But that’s really a good thing, isn’t it? I mean I consume less food partly because of this. So here’s a list of some things I’ve had to “do without” this week.

1. Eggnog. I know it’s only October. But I spotted some Southern Comfort eggnog at Harris Teeter and now I have a craving that won’t go away. The old me would have put it right in the cart without thinking twice. But now, no ordinary eggnog will do. I want one made with pastured milk and eggs from pastured chickens… and no weird ingredients. The closest thing is Organic Valley’s eggnog, and I haven’t been able to find it yet. I could make some from scratch, but I don’t want to. Maybe later.

2. Cheap, junky candy, cookies and cakes and plastic trinkets. I don’t miss these things, but I do miss  how easy it was to find and gather treats for goodie bags and trick-or-treaters. I also miss not caring about what others are buying. It’s discouraging to see all the plastic that’s going to end up in landfills and all the junk that kids are going to eat. It’s also discouraging to know that companies will continue producing this junk as long as people are buying it.  I am not forbidding my kids from accepting them, though I will offer alternatives. I just refuse to buy them. And guess who Linsey’s class parent is… That’s right. This makes the task even more difficult. But at least I have some control over the junk this class and these children will consume. I mean I can’t not hand out the trinkets and candy donated by other parents, but I can minimize the total amount. And I’m not handing out any junk to trick-or-treaters either – except what I recycle from the junk the kids bring home. You may be thinking “My gosh! It’s Halloween!! Give me a break!” But the truth is Halloween is just one more in hundreds of other occasions in which people think kids should get junk and candy. There is always a holiday or special occasion. If it were just this one day, it would be easier tolerate. But Halloween celebrations and fall festivals go on all month. They’ve already had a couple. Two or three more celebrations to go. See what I mean? It never ends.

They will also be getting pencils. Which are at least useful. This Crabby Patty is gross. Wish these things would go away, but it appears they have become a Halloween staple. My kids get some every year. 

3. Cool Whip. It was so easy and used to be my favorite pie topping. It tastes good. There I said it. But that was all spoiled for me when I found out that this is mostly hydrogenated vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup. It used to be considered non-dairy until recently when Kraft changed their recipe. However, there’s still way more hydrogenated vegetable oil and high fructose corn syrup (and regular corn syrup)  in this stuff than milk or cream. And water is the first the ingredient. (See what I mean about ingredient lists…) The stuff in the can is made with real cream, but I question it’s quality. So now I make my own from Organic Valley* Heavy Cream, organic cane sugar, my homemade vanilla extract and a little bit of nutmeg. It takes maybe 5 minutes total and only two dirty dishes. A whisk and bowl. It’s easily worth the effort. The store bought brands don’t even compare. The taste and texture of homemade whipped cream is far and away more superior. But on Sunday we were having dinner with family and I baked a homemade pumpkin pie (from scratch). I didn’t have any heavy cream at home. It would have been easy to run in and grab some Cool Whip or Reddi Whip on our way over, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

*Organic Valley is not my first choice for dairy, but it’s the best, widely available grocery store brand. They source their milk from small, organic farms with pastured cattle that are not treated with antibiotics or synthetic hormones. Their pastures are not treated with pesticides and their products are regionally produced. My first choice for dairy would be direct from the source. Incidentally, we visited one of Organic Valley’s farms on our recent Know Your Farms Tour. It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Hoffner Organic Farms – This certified organic, third generation dairy farm raises 300 head of Holstein dairy cattle for milk and meat and sells milk to Organic Valley Co-op.  The farm now grows delicious, certified organic vegetables in their new 200 foot hoophouse.  Beef (including bratwursts), Organic Valley dairy products, and freshly ground barley and wheat flour available for purchase.

In fact, their freshly ground 100% whole wheat flour is also organic. Yes! Local, organic 100% whole wheat flour! It’s what I’ve been using to bake our fresh sandwich bread with, which brings me to:

4. Fluffy 100% whole wheat sandwich bread. I don’t eat a lot of bread, but when I do, I miss the light and airy texture of store bought bread. I’ve tried lots of things, and none of them seem to work that well. The fact of the matter is you have to add questionable ingredients to 100% whole wheat to get it that way. Usually vital wheat gluten does the trick. It’s not horribly terrible, but it is an additive and I guess you could say that I am kind of a purist when it comes to bread. In fact, I wish I had time to keep up my own sour dough starter so that I don’t even have to add instant yeast. But that’s like adding another pet to take care of (like kefir water, only it requires even more attention). Sometimes I use vital wheat gluten or substitute some all purpose flour. It’s still better for you than store bought bread and tastes a thousand times better. I also buy Natures’s Own 100% Whole Wheat bread when I don’t have time to make fresh bread. My kids must have the option to make a sandwich at all times – for my own sanity and theirs. It’s one of our “fast foods”.

I did cheat and use half King Arthur’s Organic All Purpose Flour in this loaf. That’s why it’s so light airy.

This is how much more rise you get with 100% whole wheat when you use vital wheat gluten.

See how airy it gets with the addition of vital wheat gluten?

5. The sense of security I felt in our American food system (trusted brands, industry practices, agriculture, among other things). In fact I never even considered it to be a food “system” at all. It was just food. It was all the same to me. But what I’ve learned is that it’s not just food and it’s DEFINITELY not all the same. It’s a house of cards (like our financial system). And I wish it wasn’t so taboo to talk about healthy, natural food. Eating a healthy, whole foods diet hundreds or thousands of years old and avoiding modern processed food shouldn’t seem eccentric. It should be the norm. The major food manufacturers have worked very hard to convince us that everything is fine. In fact, I would compare those big name brands like Kraft, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Con Agra to the big, greedy banks in our failing economical system. It’s not all bad, but there are many things that will have to change. Or else it will crash like the stock market. I’m aware that money generally makes life more comfortable, it’s food that makes life possible at all. You can survive with little or no money but you cannot live without food. A little perspective, you know? While I sometimes wish I could unlearn what I know about food,  I’m glad I decided to take a closer look. After all it was a false sense of security.

A Taste of Autumn

The tomatoes are almost done. Preseason football starts today. I’m already anticipating autumn. As far as seasonal eating goes, it’s as exciting as spring. Even if it’s the polar opposite. Rich, heavy, warm meals. Soups. Stews. Warm spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cumin… We’ll be watching the football game on Saturday with a big bowl of chilli. (What else?) It’s supposed to rain all day, which suits me just fine. But a couple of weeks ago (and again tonight) I got a little taste of autumn, in the form of butternut squash.

I was delighted to find it at the farmer two Saturdays ago. I had never tried it until last fall, when I first discovered it there. It’s kind of strange that I had never seen it in the grocery store. It was there of course. I just hadn’t noticed it. There are a lot of things I never noticed until I started shopping farmers markets. Anyway, it’s now one of my favorite fall foods.

It tastes similar to pumpkin, but the texture is more dense like a sweet potato. If you’ve never tried it before, you should. Especially now that it’s in season. Like most winter squash, it can be prepared savory or sweet. Either way I like to cube it and roast it. My favorite savory recipe is simply olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe some herbs or garlic to spice it up. Tonight I wanted something sweet. I squeezed some lime over it, then tossed it in butter and a little vanilla infused sugar and sprinkled a bit of salt and pepper over it. Then I roasted it in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. I served it with chicken legs, which I roasted simultaneously in the oven with the squash, steamed broccoli (a little bit of water, covered in the microwave for about 4 minutes) and leftover beans (soaked over night, then cooked for two hours in water, onions, garlic and thyme). Very economical and nutrient dense. Simple. Delicious.

Free Local, Organic Produce (Practically)

The best way to get free, local, organic produce is to grow your own. Okay it’s not exactly free, but it’s practically free. In fact, the “cost” of nurturing these plants from seeds (or seedlings) into something you can put on a plate, is actually beneficial to your health. The physical labor needed to keep a garden, which can range from minimal activity such as watering plants and sowing seeds, to labor intensive activities like tilling soil, clearing and hauling weeds and debris is good exercise. Your reward is delicious, clean, homegrown food that you can be proud of… and maybe even a nice figure.

The amount of time spent in the garden is completely up to the individual. Some avid gardeners have nearly perfect, bountiful, beautiful gardens which produce nearly perfect, bountiful, beautiful produce. They spend a lot of time getting it that way – making sure they have the best conditions for growing and maintaining their garden. I admire these gardeners. Then there are gardeners that just scratch the dirt a little and throw in some seeds, or dig holes just big enough for seedlings. They might water plants when there’s no rain and maybe go out and check on things every now and then to see if there’s any food yet. I also admire this laid back, minimalist approach. Either way, you’re bound to gain something worthwhile. If gardening is really not your thing, I suggest the minimalist approach. Gardening shouldn’t seem scary or too time consuming. And doing a little is better than nothing at all in this case. I fall somewhere in between.

I till as I go, meaning I’ll only till the area that I’m planting in. I do this with a shovel. Nothing fancy. Over tilling can ruin the structure of the soil and leave it vulnerable. Frequently tilled soil is easily carried away by wind and rain. Gardens only need to be tilled to turn in organic matter, kill weeds or break up crusty soil. This is my first year with an “in-ground” garden. I hope that I don’t have to till the same areas next year.

Adding fancy accessories is optional. I have a couple of poles, some garden string and tomato cages. My “fence” is nothing fancy. Some metal stakes and plastic garden fencing. (This was purchased before my disgust for all things plastic. When it needs to be replaced, I’ll use something a little more sustainable and environmentally friendly.)

The only tool you really need is a shovel. There are others that are useful – gardening shears (or scissors), a garden rake, a hand trowel, a hand rake, a hose or watering can (or something to irrigate your garden), a few popsicle sticks to label what you’ve planted, maybe one good gardening book (like this one) and the internet. There are lots of specialty gardening tools that might make things a little easier, but mostly they are just unnecessary. They are the “tools” gardening companies and gardening centers use to cultivate money – from you.

The costs of the seeds or seedlings are usually less than you would pay for one piece of fruit produced by the plant. A pack of seeds which could produce dozens of plants would probably be cheaper than one tomato, one carrot, etc. Transplants and seedlings cost more, but probably not much more than you would pay for a pound of the fruit at your local grocery store.

Most fertilizers and pesticides are not only unnecessary, but harmful. They leave their residues on the vegetables and fruits and even take them in internally. I would prefer not to feed these chemicals to my family. They also do nothing to improve soil (which is the only real key to a good garden). It’s better to use organic compost to enrich soil and organic methods to deter pests (attracting beneficial bugs that eat other bugs, using plants that repel bugs and removing insects by hand or with a hose, for example). There are also other products for organic gardens that are available if needed.

I’m working on improvising with natural materials rather than relying on garden centers. What I mean is I’m trying to be more resourceful. Instead of buying anymore tomato cages, I’ll try to stake plants with sticks and branches (of which I have plenty) and string, pipe cleaners or twisty ties that I have laying around the house. I would prefer a more natural look to my garden anyway. There is no beauty in gray, metal and rusting tomato cages.

Composting is easy. I have a covered bowl on my counter that I use to collect produce scraps, coffee grinds with the filter, tea bags, egg shells, etc. which I dump in the compost bin daily. Some “brown matter” is needed as well. I use dried leaves and yard waste plus those coffee filters, tea bags, napkins, etc. Shredded newspaper or card board boxes work well.  I’ve found starting a second pile, once the first has a good bit of material, is best. That way I have a good pile of compost that I can use this season, and another that will be ready next season. My compost bin is made of metal stakes and metal fencing. I turn it maybe once a week.

There is a learning curve for gardening newbies such as myself. Figuring out what grows well in your own back yard and learning the ropes takes time and patience. There is nothing fast about a garden (except maybe the rate at which weeds crop up and grow or maybe the speed at which mosquito bites accumulate).

I’ve wasted my time with beets that never got bigger than a marble, carrots no bigger than my pinky and seeds that never sprouted. Slugs ate my green bean seedlings when they were only inches high, my lettuce went bitter too soon and my Amish Paste Tomato plant is dying of unknown causes. My zucchini plant only produced one zucchini (which I had to hand pollinate myself) before squash vine borers did the plant in.  The patio portion of my garden didn’t attract enough bees (which is why I had to hand pollinate my zucchini) because I was determined to plant only food. Then there was the strawberry and TruGreen incident. Trial and error and determination are other useful gardening “tools”.

Even though those plants didn’t fare so well, I still have plenty of other produce to reward me – garlic, spring onions, herbs galore, several other tomato varieties, shelling peas and snow peas, kale, chard, and a few plants that show promise  (though they aren’t ready yet) – peppers, fennel, blueberries and Korean melons. I’ve learned some valuable lessons, burned some calories, breathed in fresh air, got my hands dirty, soaked up some sun and witnessed, first hand, the flavors,  the beauty,  the wonder and harmony in nature. Priceless.