Tag Archives: it’s not easy being green

>Autumn. Fall. Apples.

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There’s no Downtown Market this weekend due to the frivolous fall festival that my town insists on naming Octoberfest, even though it always falls on the last Saturday of September. I have plenty of good fresh food at home, though. In fact, I spent some time recently with these:


Apples! Apples! I made three kinds of applesauce. Plain, cinnamon, and red hot (with the candies, not with peppers). It’s going to be a good year for eating locally; all of the apples were from a nearby orchard.

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Reasons to Walk to Work

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10. The streets in the neighborhood are beautiful, especially in autumn.

9. I spend most of my day in a cubicle in a chair; walking lets me stretch.
8. Driving less often reduces my family’s dependence on gas and saves money.
7. Walking home provides thoughtful “decompression” time after a busy day.
6. I enjoy the fresh air.
5. Walking is good exercise.
4. I lower my carbon footprint by leaving the minivan in the garage.
3. Driving less often saves wear and tear on my aging minivan.
2. Parking at my workplace is limited, to say the least.
1. This is the view of my favorite, easy-out, shady parking spot after the recent storm went through downtown.

Yeah, the aging minivan would have been toast. Thank goodness I wasn’t working that day – and thank goodness I don’t drive to work very often.

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>Prepping the Corn for Winter

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Instead of a recipe, here’s a seasonal how-to post. This is exactly how I prepped the corn to freeze for winter. We’ll keep buying sweet corn at the market as long as it’s in season and it’ll be the theme ingredient for meals. Meanwhile, I approached the guys in the worn-out brown van and asked for five dozen ears of corn. Here’s the bag, sitting outside on the deck making friends with the potted herbs.

Then we went to Milwaukee to visit La Petite on Sunday. On Monday, Amigo and I got up early for an appointment and the day just flew by. Tuesday, I had training all morning and an appointment in the afternoon. Wednesday, I had another appointment, one that dilated my pupils for the remainder of the morning. All this time, the big burlap bag sat on the deck. I really should have prepped it immediately, but it just didn’t happen. Thursday it rained. Friday afternoon I finally got the corn out of the bag, let it dry in the sun, and then husked the entire batch.


Below you’ll see about half of the result.


Then I used my nifty gadget to cut the corn kernels off the cob. This is potentially a messy job, but I learned a trick from Kristin at Blackrock. Standing up the corncob in the center of a Bundt pan keeps the corn steady and directs the kernels to an awaiting bowl.

Next step: blanch. A few minutes in hot water followed by a few minutes in cold water stops the ripening process so the corn will taste fresh when I pull it from the freezer in January. I spread the kernels as evenly as possible on a wax-paper lined pan and insert the pans in the freezer. What you see beside the sink is about one third of the entire batch.

I was too worn out to take pictures of the final bags. Rest assured, there are plenty of freezer bags full of corn (the vacuum kind with the air pumped out) in the freezer along with the beans, peas, and asparagus.

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>The Daisy Reality Show Returns!

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Director: What’s on the agenda today?
Daisy: Farmers’ Market. That’s always on the schedule for Saturdays. grabs the big bag on wheels, full of other smaller cloth bags
Assistant: You have a garden. Why do you need the Market?
Daisy: Quantity. I have quality, but I need more to fill the freezer and feed my family. Wow, and I’m alliterative, too.
Director: laughs
Assistant: huh? looks confused
At downtown market
Daisy: Sweet corn. I’ll take a dozen.
Director: Do you always buy a lot of whatever is in season?
Daisy: Absolutely. Part of the locavore philosophy is eating what’s in season so it doesn’t have to travel a long way to reach the table. The theme ingredient on my table right now is (drumroll) tomatoes.
They continue down the street, taking in the booths, while Daisy picks out fresh peaches, zucchini, green peppers, sweet corn, butternut squash, blueberries, fresh honey oat bread, and a luxury, kettle corn. Oh, heck, just see the picture below.
Assistant: (sniffing the air near kettle corn booth.) Wow, that smells good.
Daisy: Try some.
Assistant: Oh, oh, this is good. Oh, oh!
Director sotto voce: Let’s leave him here to enjoy his kettle corn.
Assistant: OH, THIS IS WONDERFUL!!
Woman at kettle corn booth: I’ll have what he’s having.
Back at Daisy’s house unpacking the goods.
Assistant: I know I asked you this. Why did you buy zucchini and butternut squash? You planted both.
Daisy: Look at what I bought. Then go out to the garden and look at the squash plants.
Director: Let’s get a good shot of the produce we just bought.

Assistant, back from garden: Daisy, what do you call that kind of squash? Butter-chini? Zuchnut?





Daisy: Hybrid. Turns to director. Let’s take a break and watch a movie while the soaker hose does its work on the tomatoes. How about When Harry Met Sally?

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>Farmers’ Market Days

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Saturdays are Market Days – Farmers’ Market, that is. I reserve Saturday mornings for going to the market and buying whatever is in season. I reserve the afternoons for prepping and freezing or even canning. Here’s a taste.
Berries! From left to right: sweet Bing cherries, blueberries & raspberries. The blue and red mixed when I dropped the bag as I tried to fit one more purchase in my big blue bag on wheels.

The first chore of Market Day this week: sort the mixed up berries. I nibbled quite a few. After this, I rinsed all three kinds of fruit and pitted the cherries. The blueberries are now in the freezer; the cherries and raspberries will be eaten by Tuesday.
Here’s the rest! From left to right, again: sweet corn, asparagus (the last of the season!), garlic, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and lots of pickling cucumbers. You can tell I had a goal – pickles. The batch of fresh dill was on the deck; I bought it at the mid-week market on Wednesday.
I offered before and after for the berries: here’s the After shot of the dill pickle spears. It was a busy night, but totally worthwhile. Some time in the winter, we’ll appreciate the spoils of the summer. We won’t have to buy store pickles, a money savings. These will taste so much richer, too — being made from locally grown ingredients and made in my own kitchen.

Now that’s a Market Day I can enjoy from start to finish.

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Notes to self

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Note to Self;
Never leave gardening gloves on top of the rain barrel. You’re just asking for them to get soaked. Then again, maybe it’s like a rain dance; put the gloves on the rain barrel, and the rain will come. Try it during the next dry spell.

Note to Self;
Don’t get too excited about the fact that Amigo likes asparagus. Remember when Chuck complained we had it too often? Amigo responded, “I like asparagus; it makes my pee smell funny.” Gah.
Note to Self;
The weekly visit to the Farmers’ Market is uplifting. Make the effort to go no matter what the weather or mood.
Note to Self;
One discouraging experience does not have to make a serious setback. One meltdown is okay; then move on. Remember, depression recovery is more like the tortoise than the hare.
Note to Self;
Now that La Petite is moving out, start planning the conversion of her bedroom to office & guest room. Yes, Amigo’s bean bag chairs may live there for now.
Note to Self;
Now that Chuck has a new car, find a reusable shopping bag and “hide” it in his glove box. Then train him to use it. Snicker. Tee-hee.
Note to Self;
With three word games on the Kindle, hide Kindle from Chuck if you ever want to read on it again!

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>Canning Rhubarb

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>It was time. Despite the heat of the day, I donned my Pike Place Market apron and headed to the kitchen. I opened the book to the rhubarb page and got started.

Earlier this spring, I made stewed rhubarb. It was a hit with three out of four family members. I had in mind using City Slipper’s advice for canning rhubarb, a high-acid fruit, with my own stewed rhubarb recipe, and canning the results. His recipe suggests 11 lb. of rhubarb, 1 1/2 pounds for each quart jar, for a full batch. I made half that.
4 quarts diced rhubarb
2-3 cups sugar
Combine rhubarb and sugar in large saucepan. When juice accumulates in the bottom of the pan, cover it, turn the heat on low, and let the rhubarb and sugar mixture come to a boil, then simmer until mixture resembles chunky applesauce. Mash with a potato masher if the pieces are too big.
Can: Fill canning jars with the boiling rhubarb sauce, leaving the standard 1/2 inch of headspace. Slide a chopstick down the insides of the jars to release the air bubbles if necessary. Add lids and bands, and process the jars in a hot water bath canner for 15 minutes.
The shelves are starting to get stocked! Three kinds of jam, stewed rhubarb, and we’re off and rolling. It will be so much fun to take a jar off the shelf instead of writing these items on the grocery list; and it’ll taste so much better, too!
I used instructions from Daniel Gasteiger’s Yes, You Can! and freeze and dry it, too to create this recipe. Any errors, however, are mine. I recommend his book to anyone interested in preserving food. You can follow Daniel on Twitter at @CitySlipper or read his blogs.
http://www.smallkitchengarden.net
http://www.homekitchengarden.com
http://www.fooddryer.net

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>Signs of a True Gardener

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>You may be a gardener at heart if:

  • There’s dirt under your nails.
Dirt? Is that all? I either have dirt under my nails or fingers stained with cherries, strawberries, or thumbs that are green from shelling peas or – you get the picture.
  • You think of soil as a foundation, the stable ingredient in creating a garden space.
After ten years of composting – okay, twelve – the soil in my first garden bed is rich and dark and drains well. The new garden needs a little more compost. It’s still heavy with clay, but improving a little every year.
  • You have a specific pair of shoes for the garden.
I have a pair of crocs. I can get them wet or muddy and I don’t care.
  • Watering is relaxing, not stressful.
Filling a watering can from a rain barrel or setting up a soaker hose takes time. It’s a good use of time. My mind wanders, my shoulders relax, and any stress headache goes away.
  • You welcome rain or sunshine.
Rain provides a good soaking to the plants and fills the rain barrels for later. Sunshine invites stems and branches to reach for the sky and grow to their full potential.
  • You talk to the plants.
“Geez, beans, I gave you a nice set of climbing equipment. Why do you insist on attaching to the fencing? It’ll just put you within range of the bunnies and other furry critters who might nibble, and then… here. I’ll show you.” Meanwhile, I’m wrapping the bean vines around the supports I just put in and hoping they get the idea. And maybe hoping the neighbors didn’t hear me.
  • You talk to critters who might turn up near your precious plants.
Hey, rabbit, how did you get in there? What do you think you’re doing, relaxing in my lettuce?

I only came up with seven. Can you make this a top ten list, readers? Add your signs of a true gardener by commenting.

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>Aprons galore

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They hang in a corner of the kitchen, ready for service whenever I need one. They may be stained from their many hours in the kitchen, but that’s what they’re for. They’re my kitchen aprons, and they’re getting a lot of use now that the jam-making season is going full speed.

I pulled them out for a little better view. This coffeehouse apron is quite faded. It goes through the wash a lot. I bought this one – treated myself to a good apron to protect my clothes in the kitchen.

The pink apron (it’s pink, even though it looks quite pale in the sunlight) was a Mother’s Day gift. It’s in the best shape of the aprons because it’s the newest.
It’s not just pink; it’s a special pink. Part of the proceeds from the purchase went to breast cancer research. The straps sport little ribbon designs in white.
And last – but never the least – is the apron Chuck bought me in Seattle. I enjoyed the city and fell head over heels in love with Pike Place Market. While I was browsing, Chuck bought the Pike Place Market apron without my noticing a thing.
And now, enough of the apron trunk show. It’s time to put one of these in the wash, one of these on, and get to making blueberry jam. Yum.

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