Early spring harvest

I was cleaning up the back parking area/alley.  (Canadian thistles to dig up, trash and dead vegetation etc.)

The Jerusalem artichokes I had planted last spring failed to bloom and the stalks I had left standing for winter interest (read: garden clean up laziness) now looked sad and forlorn.  So I started pulling them up, hoping new ones will grow, but feeling pessimistic about their chances.

But attached to nearly every fibrous stem were little tubers!  I shall roast them this weekend with sage and bay leaves.

recipe verdict

YUCK!

Green Pumpkin Pie would do very well when eating quality apples were a rare - like in the 1880's.  The texture was fine, but it tasted like zucchini dipped in cinnamon sugar.

We fed it to the hens, who happily gobbled it up.

The long winter recipe

I started reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder to Rhiannon last month.  As soon as we read the chapter about Ma baking a green pumpkin pie she begged to make one. 

I had expected this reaction, having made more than a few recipes from the Laura Ingalls Wilder cookbook myself over the years. 

So back in September, when harvesting our pumpkins I peeled and sliced a small green pumpkin, seasoned out like an apple pie & froze it.

Tonight we finally made it. 

 I told her she could eat it for breakfast. (After all, Almanzo ate pie for breakfast in Farmer Boy)

Window starts

Using a SAD lamp for happy plants.

Grocery store surprise

While waiting to pick up organic greens at our local Natural Market I spotted this beauty.

I nearly squealed. (Out loud anyway, I totally squealed in my head.)  I have been wanting to try an Arkansas Black apple for years, but never expected to find out outside of an apple orchard.

I first read about them in the late 90's and had thought they were primarily a cider apple, but I read now that they are good storage and eating apples.  (I must have mixed them up with Kingston Black.)

Although after years of build up, I found them disappointing.  The taste was mild and the texture soft and grainy.  They would be fine for cooking.  Apparently freshly picked they are crisper, so the search will continue.

I sliced the remaining apple and added it to the fruit already in the dehydrator.  I am sure this will make them fine eating.

My new favorite backyard meal

Complete with a homebrew.

lack of follow thru

It is not like there is nothing going on around here.

Indica's white pumpkin is trying to invade the rest of the garden

But sitting at the desk on the laptop is the last place I want to be these days.  The early morning is spent at the Ppatch, battling (in vain, it seems most days) the bind weed and other irritating plants
that seem to be growing faster than any of our vegetables.    I walk, as Chris is at work and Riley needs a walk anyway, and the six blocks or so takes some of the time.  And then I can only stay an hour or so, as the coffee I poured myself before venturing out has me wishing the city put in an outhouse.  In any case, I usually have to work and need to get home to shower before biking in.

They no longer look like naked mole rats

Once home the livestock must be fed and well watered before the heat of the day sets in.  The weeds I did pull are spread between the poultry and rabbits - with the best and tastiest going to Luna.  Her 4 kits (short for kittens - who knew?  Baby rabbits are not bunnies) are starting to open their eyes and are moving around instead of sleeping all day in a tiny white pile of ears and noses.  Their fur is white so far.  Mostly they are left alone by their mother which did send me to Google in a panic.  Only to find out that mother rabbits avoid their young except during the nightly feeding or 2.  Apparently this is so predators are less likely to find the nest of defenseless snacks.

If I have time then the sprinkler is put over various areas, but usually I don't and waterings are sporatic.  By the time Chris gets home the heat of the day has set in and he and the girls prefer inside in front of the fans.  

The quail are laying eggs in a clutch that I suspect will not hatch.  At the end of the month I will toss all of them into the bottom of a new garden bed to be covered with ALOT of compost.

The pullets have started laying, all except the silkie - who turned out to be a cockrel.  He awoke me before dawn yesterday.  The consequence of which that I stomped out to the chicken yard in my bathrobe, sans shoes or glasses and stuck him in a cat carrier.  He may be dinner tonight.  My only thought before going back to bed (after a foot wash) was that I hope the silkie I sold at the poultry swap in June was a pullet - I had completely forgotten that they were sold as a straight run.

There has been some egregious failings on my part.  I have killed most of my potatoes.  One just never quite got watered well enough at the Ppatch.  At home, desperate to hill them up, but having no soil, I used chicken bedding that I convinced myself had been composted well enough.  It hadn't and with in 24 hours all of them were cooked.  One of the apple trees never got planted, and many of the flowers my darling brought home are still sitting forlornly in their pots.  I forget to water the Jerusalem artichokes and raspberries regularly.  I never planted kohlrabi or sweet potato.  Argh.

But I have had a lovely Mr. Stripey tomato and fresh basil (the few that got planted are HUGE) pizza on homemade wheat crust.  We continue to harvest the swiss chard and kale, who have just enough shade to keep them from bolting.  Most of the celery is thriving.  I will have yellow bush beans with dinner tonight.  I even (miracle of miracles) have picked more zucchini than ever in my history of gardening (less than a dozen - but my previous record was 5).  The morning glories at the Ppatch are going up their trellis instead of attacking all plants around them - Chris and I have kept up with pulling the starts that are not where we want them.  The cabbage and cauliflower look good, and I continue to be hopeful about the brussels sprouts.

So all in all things are well. 

It's what's for dinner

Green onions (regrowing in the kitchen window), Swiss Chard, Garlic Scapes & Eggs from the backyard.

Well, it's not pickles!

It's milk.

Local milk.

Pasteurized yet non-homogenized milk from 1 mile away.  (see the cream line?!)

I'm so excited.

I think Mesha and I will make butter today.

That is if the whole jar does not taste of bread and butter pickles.

Fingers Crossed.

New Year gifts

A friend of ours dropped off a goodie bag for us today.  This is the same friend who has delivered "steaming poo" to us more than once, so she knows us well.  In the Pottery Barn bag (irony?) were 3 kinds of homemade jam, some apple butter, rendered duck fat and best of all a bear of honey from their own hives.  It was all I could do not to run to my room doing my best Gollum impression ("my precious!").

Bob's Beans Coffee Milk Stout

Tastes good with both beef and cinnamon rolls.

Muffins

Up until now I have avoided recipes showing up here.  There are many great sources for recipes on the web (America's Test Kitchen anyone?)  Any entry here would be redundant with all the good food blogs out there.

So last week I was feeling the need to bake, to fill the house with sweet warm smells.  I was planning on chocolate chip cookies but looking in the fridge I found cooked butternut squash and bourbon whipped cream leftover from Thanksgiving.

Our quick bread recipe started out as a typical banana bread recipe from a basic cookbook, but we have found it to be endlessly adaptable to whatever we have on hand.  I hope you find it as useful as we do.

Urban Chicks "Insert Flavor here" Bread

1 - 1 1/2 cups mashed banana/pumpkin/winter squash or applesauce or grated apple/zucchini/carrot - any canned fruit can also be used for part (pineapple, peaches, etc.)
1/2 cup melted butter (shortening/lard/margarine)
2 large eggs (3 small/1 jumbo & 1 med/2 duck eggs)
1/2 cup buttermilk (yogurt/sour cream thinned with milk/half&half/whipped cream or milk w/ tsp lemon/lime/orange juice
 1 - 1/2 cups sugar (white/brown/maple/combo - agave, honey or maple syrup can be used in part)
1 tsp vanilla (or whatever)
2 1/2 cups flour (again blend of choice, whole grain flours will need more liquid)
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt

Mix melted butter vigorously with eggs and buttermilk.  Add to banana and mix well.  Add sugar and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients however you prefer.

Bake in greased pans.  1 loaf pan 350 for about 1 hour 15 minutes OR 18 regular sized muffins 350 for about 20 minutes.  I will prep the muffins and refrigerate them in the pan to bake in the morning on school mornings.  I always loved it when my Mom did that and my girls appreciate it also.

Some combos we really like
*grated zucchini, chopped candied ginger,  1/2 the sugar is honey, zest and juice of one orange (or lemon) mixed in with yogurt and sliced almonds
*winter squash, raisins, bourbon whipped cream mixed with sour cream and cinnamon
*grated zucchini, zest and juice of 2 oranges mixed with milk, fresh cranberries mixed with the sugar and finely chopped walnuts
*grated zucchini, carrots, & apple, crushed pineapple mixed with sour cream, chopped pecans, coconut & raisins 1/2 the sugar is brown