An Honor to Sustenance

This morning I made my way to the Norfolk, CT Farmers' Market to pick up a few things to supplement my own garden harvests. I didn't grow any yellow wax beans so I picked up some of those and canned them. I figure at least a couple of those jars will go to my mother-in-law, since she always seemed to like the yellow beans and was an avid canner in her younger days. I'm confident she'll appreciate and enjoy them. I also made time in the kitchen to cook beet roots, beet greens, as well as get the apples, fennel, cucs, eggplant and melon all washed and ready for whatever inspires me. Some will likely hit the grill this evening along with the happy spare ribs that are marinating in a kick-ass marinade I whipped together with my spicy tomato jam, garlic scape brine, onion, garlic, bread-n-butter pickle juice, a little smoked paprika, chipotle and a touch of garam masala.

I made time to play in my art journal, adding a bit of "today" to the yet-to-be-completed entries from yesterday and the day before.

Yeah. I honored some of the things that nourish and sustain me in ways most meaningful. That's what I made today.

Peace.

Time to Witness

The day flew by like lightening.

Before I knew it evening was creeping in on my little acre.

So I paused and poured myself a chocolate-vanilla cordial and meandered to the shade of my fire pit.

There I sat and witnessed the garden growing and ripening in the verve of late August.

I looked down and around …

I looked looked up and within.

I witnessed the hens doing their chicken antics. Free entertainment, that.

I tidied around the fire pit, creating order to which the hens promptly manifested chaos.

I smiled at their fluffy butts. I just love their fluffy butts.

I sipped my cordial and considered making it less sweet with the next batch.

I laughed as I heard one chook say to the other, "I think you have a little something on your beak there."

Yeah. Being. Witnessing. That's what I made today.

Peace.

Sour Dough Bread

… and so much more.

That's what I made today.

Peace.

A True Reserve

Today I harvested pak choy, lettuce greens, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes (they're finally coming ripe), so dinner will be good tonight. And then some.

I harvested calendula flowers, goldenrod blossoms and violet leaves and started some more infused oils.

I made some art and finally bottled some mead that's been sitting in its carboy for all too long. I had labeled this "emergency mead" and recalled having to scramble to make it with what I had on hand for reasons akin to poor planning in the moment. I had to pull out my brewing notes to see what was in it … and it looks to be rose petal mead, but I left the name as is … because, hey … you never know. Right?

That's what I made today.

Peace.

A Farm and Garden Collaboration

The Boy and I had a number of errands, one of which included stopping by Dineberg's Friday Farm Stand in Canton, Connecticut today where we picked up these lovelies.

I made an italian green bean salad with the farm's beans and my garlic and parsley.  This is a favored summer treat and so simple. Just steam the beans for 4-5 minutes, until al dente, strain, toss with fresh garlic, parsley (and/or sweet basil), drizzle generously with a good virgin olive oil and sea salt. Done. This is one of those great make-ahead dishes to serve at room temp (or chilled). The longer it sits, the better it gets. And it's fab with other herby additions too, like cilantro.

I made another summer favorite ~ an italian style tomato salad with gorgeous heirlooms from the farm and my garden parsley, basil and (yep ~ more) garlic.

That's what I made today.

Peace.

Me Medicine

Today I made time for Me. Not you. Not your stuff. Not my stuff. Me.

Peace.

Up for Yesterday and Potato Leek Soup

Remember those peppers I mentioned yesterday? Well, here they are, all jarred up. They're sitting pretty in the refrigerator where they'll keep for several weeks. Yeah. Right. I already enjoyed some with last night's supper and even though all the flavors haven't yet emerged and melded, they're still so freakin' good. But it's nice to know they'll just keep getting better as the days pass.

These are so simple to make and this is the season (in my realm) to enjoy them! I only mentioned them yesterday so I'll make up for that now and share how I make them:

Hot Peppers in Olive Oil

Hot peppers (whatever you like or have on hand)
Sea or kosher salt
Garlic, sliced
Dried oregano, freshly crumbled
Olive oil

Clean and slice your peppers and layer them with salt in a colander. I don't measure the salt, so trust yourself to add just enough to get the peppers to sweat and release their water. Place a plate on top of the colander and weight it down with something (I use a quart canning jar filled with liquid). Make sense? Walk away … to the gardens … to the studio … to wherever delights you. Just a couple-few hours should do it.

Discard the liquid ~ or better yet ~ add it to some tomato puree for a kick-ass Bloody Mary, or soup or stew, or marinade, or whatever, you get the idea.

In a jar of your choosing begin layering the dried oregano, garlic slices and peppers, as much or as little as you like, along with a pinch of added salt with each layer. Continue layering until the jar is full, and gently pour the olive oil over the top until the peppers are covered. I use a chop stick at this point, to prod any air bubbles up and out of the jar. Once you're satisfied that the air is removed, top off with more olive oil to cover, if necessary. Store in the refrigerator for a few days before using so the flavors can release, mesh and meld. Yeah. Right.

My Nono made these and served them with pasta. Morning eggs would be fried in the oil with a few peppers added for interest. I always added more. These are great served alongside pizza, frittata, on bread, with meat, vegetables, pretty much anything. And the oil can be used in salads for a nice kick or in any way you can imagine.

As for today, I thinned my leek bed so that I'll have some nice monsters later in the season. I had exactly six organic potatoes and two quarts of chicken stock in the freezer, so I made this Potato Leek Soup (more or less) for the winter pantry.

And I caught the ladies practicing some formation work. Or so it might appear.

That's what I made today.

Peace.

Merry

Today I went to the Watertown, CT Farmers' Market after tending to a merry morning of herbs and art. I came home with a perfectly ripe-off-the-vine cantaloupe which is chilling nicely in the refrigerator. I came home with gorgeous blackberries which I promptly rinsed, added to a quart jar and opened up a bottle of Melissa Mead (Lemon Balm Honey Wine, to the uninitiated) and covered the berries with this merry elixir. These are chilling nicely near to the cantaloupe.

I came home with beautiful hot peppers from Dineberg's Farm that were washed, sliced, salted and weighted down in a colander to allow the excess water to release for several hours. They've now been packed in jars with garlic, oregano, olive oil and added salt. These will join our other friends in the refrigerator to be enjoyed over the coming weeks with pasta, pizza, bread, with meats or vegetables, or just by the merry spoonful right out of the jar.

And cherry tomatoes … blessed fruits of summer … also from Dineberg's. I cut these merry gems in half and tossed them with items from my own garden ~ two types of cucumber, sliced thin and minced garlic, a sprinkle of sea salt, a drizzled with an extra virgin olive oil and now they sit at room temp awaiting the garnish of sweet basil before serving.

Now I'm just waiting for the birthday boy to get home from work so we can eat, drink and be merry. Not necessarily in that order.

That's what I made today.

Peace.