tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60534313680162304762024-02-06T19:03:23.923-08:00Modern SufficiencyWhat do you get when the son of immigrant parents meets the granddaughter of Prairie depression survivors? A lifestyle committed to sufficiency: a focus on how to get the most out of food and drink.
By remembering the lost arts of cooking from scratch, canning, curing, pickling, and storing food we increase our sufficiency and find ourselves prepared for just about anything.
It's time we walked away from packaged food and remembered some lessons of our grandparents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-90291174031605604112014-10-12T11:51:00.002-07:002014-10-12T11:51:47.607-07:00Thanks to the Locals! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIw4L0hKwfuvFhxaeuHsDEKESdkf64FOiHIHpRaD69KQjxQjrjby5TVjn8mm8KlL95fRIP73Iq68ihTe8kuqLS3cUcWe-uh6BVpNT7ZifzBzhyphenhyphentp1W7ug6K1WG7lbToxo6ijhtGRYW5IY/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuIw4L0hKwfuvFhxaeuHsDEKESdkf64FOiHIHpRaD69KQjxQjrjby5TVjn8mm8KlL95fRIP73Iq68ihTe8kuqLS3cUcWe-uh6BVpNT7ZifzBzhyphenhyphentp1W7ug6K1WG7lbToxo6ijhtGRYW5IY/s1600/IMG_0468.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Well it has been a very long time since I wrote on the blog. Moving, new job, new property all conspired to keep me away from writing. But as this is Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada, I felt I needed to connect, to put down some of my thoughts about sufficiency especially in light of the California drought.<br />
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http://www.vancouversun.com/health/California+drought+pushes+local+food+prices+higher+with+video/10278895/story.html<br />
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We are lucky enough to live in a time where food is plentiful. Not all of that food is good food - much is highly processed, travels vast distances, and is grown in unsustainable ways. But the realization that these types of food impact our health, our communities and our planet means there is a growing movement to local food production. <br />
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My Thanksgiving dinner consists of a free-range chicken we raised, the stuffing is from sourdough bread that I make added to onions from my garden, celery seed from my own celery, and amazing carrots from a co-workers property up the road. Our mashed potatoes are Vancouver Island. The pumpkin pie cooling on the counter is made with last year's cooked pumpkin frozen in containers, eggs from my hens and the crust has lard that I rendered from fat acquired for free off craigslist. The spices, the milk, the butter, are not terribly local (well the milk is Island grown) but I feel that at least I am as local as I can be and am working towards growing more of our own. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGVrzCGTuapOkElD5NoD9yc0RJL_xfIwgOnq9kTH-VExiOvgX7nJPiXAHWtDq-BM6_y7ct6vJx3WiJefwgxg7T7a51vsxythD2ep8_Jh8cZNpV_toeg-uSb2k14wZ9zbyCd1x4mpd-4mo/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGVrzCGTuapOkElD5NoD9yc0RJL_xfIwgOnq9kTH-VExiOvgX7nJPiXAHWtDq-BM6_y7ct6vJx3WiJefwgxg7T7a51vsxythD2ep8_Jh8cZNpV_toeg-uSb2k14wZ9zbyCd1x4mpd-4mo/s1600/IMG_0626.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>I admit though that we are privileged. Not everyone has the desire, land, financial or physical ability or knowledge to try to grow their own. But there are stores that focus on local. Campbell River has the Willow Point Market and Discovery Foods -- both commercial store fronts that highlight local, regional and provincial produce. Small local shops that live where they work, where the profits are not funneled off to Toronto, Arkansas or other remote corporate centre. <br />
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The thing I hear the most is that local is so much more expensive. And in some ways that is true. But with the ever increasing California drought the days of cheap produce from that state are limited. Water is being diverted from farms to cities, small towns are drying up to the point where there isn't even water to flush toilets and drinking water is trucked in by the bottleful. Change to our food system is coming whether we acknowledge it or not and things are going to get more expensive. <br />
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One way I have noticed that big box stores are trying to lull us into a false sense of security is by changing their pricing system -- instead of prices per pound or kilo, we are now seeing price per each. Why look - that steak is only $5 - what a deal. When in reality if we did the math we could see that the price has gone up per pound or kilo. Most people just don't do the conversion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRBeetUlPi8Lt9vqa-ENeOrfoWL8bKQmJbpkhr6l0gnnN3dycOYvoDFmo7r3jdwE1V38YtpHRnLDNChaCZyvRc-UQM9ym_YLsDCwyRFZZjodbYwKImN3Lt2jBLq8o2oppKKXlMgwQUmlj/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoRBeetUlPi8Lt9vqa-ENeOrfoWL8bKQmJbpkhr6l0gnnN3dycOYvoDFmo7r3jdwE1V38YtpHRnLDNChaCZyvRc-UQM9ym_YLsDCwyRFZZjodbYwKImN3Lt2jBLq8o2oppKKXlMgwQUmlj/s1600/IMG_0685.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>So today, I am giving thanks to my local food producers. To Tom up the street for this multi-coloured, juicy carrots, to the Eiglers who grew our last year's turkey, to the Nagels who sent me the hatching eggs for this year's chicken and the seed for next year's garlic. To the farmers who weekend after weekend spend their time at farmer's markets. To people like the Jagers who operate Discovery Foods, a grocery store that seeks out the most local food it can, and to Willow Point Market for bringing in orchard crate after orchard crate of Okanagan apples. To the pumpkin growers, the onion growers, the potato growers that make today's dinner possible.<br />
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And to the people who wonder where on earth they will get the time to figure this out.....just breathe. Make one small change. Buy BC potatoes instead of US. Look on Craig's list, Used wherever, or Kijiji to see who is selling/giving away local food. Go to a farmer's market. Learn to grow, bake, cook, can, ferment, salt, pickle, or smoke foods. Scope out wild fruit trees, mushrooms, weeds that can be eaten. Most of all - THINK about your food. Be conscious and thoughtful about what you buy and where it comes from. There is always a way. <br />
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Most of off, be grateful. We have not had mass food security since the Great Depression and have gotten used to freely available, cheap food. This has not been the experience for many populations in the world. We are very blessed.<br />
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Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-32656874056264251882013-03-02T15:09:00.003-08:002013-03-02T16:36:53.701-08:00Prepping for Spring<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0iguHSNK-jkJSX7rp6vnLuPansv8hClu5FVSJjilBSurUC_M_f7Is1VsuopoFJcZ8NioQPCPJYYXmtcFCn6xdF4y8MLuujhpRwjwEKQhhY2Xh1Wtch1vuWQHq0cxKUBrugp5dVxguGv4/s1600/seed+shelf+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0iguHSNK-jkJSX7rp6vnLuPansv8hClu5FVSJjilBSurUC_M_f7Is1VsuopoFJcZ8NioQPCPJYYXmtcFCn6xdF4y8MLuujhpRwjwEKQhhY2Xh1Wtch1vuWQHq0cxKUBrugp5dVxguGv4/s320/seed+shelf+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Even though the latest weather system moved across our area just yesterday dumping a ton more rain, at least the temperature shot up. This is what is known (affectionately or not) as a "pineapple express" here. Warm air from Hawaii surges across the Pacific soaking up gallons of moisture only to dump it on fretful and already soggy Northwesterners. Happy side effect is the air is warm. So out we trundle, dressed in rubbers and hats to muck about. The warm air stimulates gardeners as much as it stimulates bulbs, trees, and yes, even bees!<br />
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This stimulation results in a flurry of seed orders, trips to Seedy Saturdays or Sundays, and general drooling over catalogues rich in the romance of this summer's garden potential. It helps to be an optimist when you are a gardener. <br />
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In order to be ready for the sudden onslaught of gardening weather, I have started a bunch of seeds in order to have transplants ready for plant-out season. Here on Vancouver Island, I still use May long weekend (typically around the 24th) as sure-fire date that seedlings can be transplanted. It is a good date for most of Canadian gardeners, with some farther north and east of us a bit more wary of sudden, devastating frosts. By May here the fruit trees have pretty much finished blooming and we are getting into serious outside weather. <br />
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There are a lot of options for people wanting to start seedlings inside. There is the tried and true windowsill method. I used this for years when money was tightest, but it does tend to provide long, leggy and ultimately not very healthy seedlings as they reach for the light. Replanting is common to try to catch up when some of the seedlings wilt over. <br />
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I have noticed recently at gardening and feed shops a variety of ready built, shelf size grow set-ups. These little wonders come with the plastic trays and peat cups, a clear greenhouse lid, and a grow light that fits right into the lid. Great option for people with small spaces or less ambitious goals for starting seeds. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMOwPuTYOLFMAsZguSgrfiY39bb9qG7fq7TjsqRPPGr3Pqr7iLTVAr3vHeyDOXdoPdgFD5MJDyxhjUy69UupcjAo7JTba_I4yRVLL9kOoRc-DmIALO3pN4xuD-7MTlMuSmWoTsQreZ9Zc/s1600/seed+shelf+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMOwPuTYOLFMAsZguSgrfiY39bb9qG7fq7TjsqRPPGr3Pqr7iLTVAr3vHeyDOXdoPdgFD5MJDyxhjUy69UupcjAo7JTba_I4yRVLL9kOoRc-DmIALO3pN4xuD-7MTlMuSmWoTsQreZ9Zc/s320/seed+shelf+1.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
A couple years ago I wanted a bigger set up. My daughter had left a shelving unit in the garage and I reclaimed it with the idea of creating a purpose-built and productive seed starting system. The shelving unit is black plastic and comes apart into many pieces, shelving, upright poles etc. which makes it super convenient if I want to take it down late season and use the room as a bedroom again.<br />
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Each shelf of this unit is full of holes through which I threaded some thin gardening wire to attach the grow light to. These lights, tied firmly to the underside of each shelf, mean that the seedlings don't reach so far becoming leggy but instead develop sturdy, thick stems. Not bad for under $100 for the whole unit (the cost of which was entirely the three grow light bars purchased at the local hydroponics store).<br />
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All the lights are connected to a power bar that has a built-in timer so each day it switches on and off at the same time giving the seedlings consistent and reliable light.<br />
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Last weekend, I planted tomatoes, Amish paste for sauce, Ernie's Plump and Bison for canning and storage, and Early Large Red for eating. Two types of onions are sprouting in a recycled plastic croissant box- one for eating early and one for storage. I also planted a bunch of herbs, horehound, rosemary, anise and regular hyssops, valerian, woad and indigo (for a fabric dye project I am wanting to try). They are all in stages of sprouting. If I had more garden space safe from deer, I would definitely be sowing more types of tomatoes. I seem to have quite a collection forming and love the rich, acidic taste of summer to be found in a jar of tomato sauce eaten in February.<br />
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This weekend poblano, banana, two types of paprika, and some chichuale negro (nice dark brown) peppers have been sowed. As the grow lights click on and off, life surges out of small peat cups and hints at the warm days to come. <br />
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Now, since it looks like it may be stopping the downpour, its time to head outside and turn over the garden so we can plant peas!<br />
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Happy gardening!<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-88677345370557902002012-12-09T14:48:00.002-08:002012-12-09T14:53:01.068-08:00Pop goes the soda<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv_RbTbdAK9BkwpeSWgqb1xZe7rK0JvbTz2_z7ryIbLt1Kg88MwYYQzu26HzAnnF2sYrajUenvnEJae2OHMHnT4G7frbNme_11v3dupbc3xxgpuNbY3qvK6eOUx-k1aKfHE2ZxZwAc174/s1600/DSC_4897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJv_RbTbdAK9BkwpeSWgqb1xZe7rK0JvbTz2_z7ryIbLt1Kg88MwYYQzu26HzAnnF2sYrajUenvnEJae2OHMHnT4G7frbNme_11v3dupbc3xxgpuNbY3qvK6eOUx-k1aKfHE2ZxZwAc174/s320/DSC_4897.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have to confess. I like pop (or soda for our friends south of the
border). I grew up with Coke as my Uncle Al was a GM at Coke in
Saskatchewan. To this day an ice cold Coke in a glass bottle reminds me of that sweet giant of a man who left us far too early.<br />
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One of the things I love about the way we live is the inventiveness of it. When looking at what we eat and drink to figure out if we can be more DIY with it, we often find people who have boldly gone there before.<br />
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Commercial soda pop is made with sugar, water, flavouring and carbon dioxide gas in water (carbonated water) . Once thought to be a healthy practice, the drinking of carbonated water now mainly occurs through commercial soda pops -- highly laced with sugar and other sweeteners and mostly artificial flavours.<br />
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So when reading through Rachel Kaplan and Ruby Blume's book "Urban Homesteading" (highly recommended!!) I was thrilled to find a way to make our own soda. This lacto-fermented treat is right up my alley (and literally the pop started is sitting on my counter next to the milk Kefir and the Kimchi -- both lacto-fermentations of different food types.) So I thought -- why not!?!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dpO9fXEd5FeftjkPEi8i52icjUcTn4zgpnZSMPqufG1ouNB2PToiAaONPGdDwgyxn1j00c24mK6OvD39M9jG52WHZVkLaGwuBolvfr4uBq8oysyua8cpx1SJFVVwrok13seklc9EYY-t/s1600/DSC_4889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dpO9fXEd5FeftjkPEi8i52icjUcTn4zgpnZSMPqufG1ouNB2PToiAaONPGdDwgyxn1j00c24mK6OvD39M9jG52WHZVkLaGwuBolvfr4uBq8oysyua8cpx1SJFVVwrok13seklc9EYY-t/s320/DSC_4889.JPG" width="320" /></a>The recipe begins, as all fermentations do, with a starter culture. This starter consists fermenting ginger root and sugar in water. Starting with a tablespoon of finely grated ginger and two teaspoons of water, you then 3/4 fill a mason jar (1 gallon) with un-chlorinated water (actually I used a two-gallon mason jar and doubled the recipe). Put a lid on it, but not too tight. Over the course of the next seven days, continue to add two teaspoons of grated ginger and two teaspoons of sugar to the liquid. You will notice it will get quite active.<br />
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Once you have a nice lively starter, you simply mix 2 c of the starter (saving two cups to begin a new starter) with fruit juice, water, a1/2 tsp of salt, and 1 c of sweetener (honey, agave, or maple syrup). I put this into a 2 gallon jug with a fermentation lock. You want enough liquid in the jug to fill it to the neck. Once everything is mixed and you put the fermentation lock on, sit the jug in a warm spot for 3-4 days to get bubbly. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdCPya6AbzamoW0f_tc6HmZRFrJPFI0z5Dtq_C0dzSOmgO75OapAMOykzNV8Tj5NwjI9m40hjlYZGq_6ibfOO9WsLcxPDLieoxgIElKbsh4xs0U2k2jhhydbRpxuQmQmsg9VmJz2dMxVr/s1600/DSC_4902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtdCPya6AbzamoW0f_tc6HmZRFrJPFI0z5Dtq_C0dzSOmgO75OapAMOykzNV8Tj5NwjI9m40hjlYZGq_6ibfOO9WsLcxPDLieoxgIElKbsh4xs0U2k2jhhydbRpxuQmQmsg9VmJz2dMxVr/s320/DSC_4902.JPG" width="212" /></a>Once it is bubbly, you put the liquid into pressure bottles. I got some at the supermarket with some other drink inside and we used a few that were beer bottles. Once bottled, store it in the fridge (or outside if it is winter) but make sure you relieve some of the pressure on the bottles every couple days. Lacto-fermented foods can pack quite a punch if allowed to build up too much. <br />
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The first batch I made I used the recipe in "Urban Homesteading" for Lemon-Grapefruit soda. I also put a bit more grated ginger into the jug for the final fermentation. It made it a bit too strong in the ginger department for me so I have omitted it in my next batch of apple, orange and mango soda.<br />
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Really the options are endless for experimentation with fruit juices. This method might also be nice using some vegetable juices that need a bit of a "lift' out of their often thick stodginess.<br />
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The result isn't even close to the cloyingly sweet concoctions you buy called soda and the ginger base may take a little getting used to, but this is a very refreshing and light drink. I am going to try it with the juice of some frozen blackberries that I have and maybe even some of the blueberries will find their way into a fruit syrup for this drink. <br />
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If you give this a try, let me know how it goes for you. Would love to hear about your combinations.<br />
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Chris<br />
<span id="goog_661295833"></span><span id="goog_661295834"></span><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-83044608071474459322012-10-21T16:19:00.002-07:002012-10-21T16:26:17.676-07:00Ruminations on a Fall Day<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT6lIwCLZroGYrwiPKbqNpeML18LSXr6y1WA33rS3lmokJV8f4lRXrNb1X3dlyRthEnPITih8aiixbYvFO3ozHlvIS_a8NgK6Irvmg10_KyEGiYLPSgot06_3CrqUgn5zq-5e_3832guA/s1600/DSC_4237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZT6lIwCLZroGYrwiPKbqNpeML18LSXr6y1WA33rS3lmokJV8f4lRXrNb1X3dlyRthEnPITih8aiixbYvFO3ozHlvIS_a8NgK6Irvmg10_KyEGiYLPSgot06_3CrqUgn5zq-5e_3832guA/s320/DSC_4237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I took advantage of a beautiful break in the weather to put the bees to bed. As it was such a long dry fall with little nectar available, we decided in September to give them some feed so they had enough stores to last through winter.<br />
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Our feed consists of 2:1 sugar water that is poured into top feeders where the bees can access it as they desire.Three hives took everything we gave them and two left quite a bit. <br />
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Today putting them to bed meant I removed the last of the top feeders and took a quick look at the girls. I didn't open the hive as it was a cool day and I didn't want to let too much heat out.We shall see in the spring if they all had enough to survive the cold. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3-xPx6ThrhebE8nYoQCyFtzSNykd1rvM-rxZAF9h99A7BdDmqDK5P0g2SiEMuiHyyiH9mgz39r-2BJpvVewydf8boiLXrTW0lht7M890IOYyzMvGyinWOikV1H9DnSoYkqQU1L12S4Yv/s1600/DSC_4153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB3-xPx6ThrhebE8nYoQCyFtzSNykd1rvM-rxZAF9h99A7BdDmqDK5P0g2SiEMuiHyyiH9mgz39r-2BJpvVewydf8boiLXrTW0lht7M890IOYyzMvGyinWOikV1H9DnSoYkqQU1L12S4Yv/s320/DSC_4153.jpg" width="320" /></a><i><b>Neat Fact:</b> Bees will maintain an internal hive temperature of 34 degrees Celsius (that's 94 degrees Farenheit!) no matter if it is 40 above or 40 below). Needless to say, keeping the hive that warm in winter requires a lot of caloric burn. </i><br />
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It was a truly glorious fall day and while I was removing the feeders a few bees flew around me checking me out. They quickly circled my head then went back inside. Too cold out to stay long. Bees really only like coming out of the hive if it is above about 12-15 degrees <i>C</i>elsius so at 11 degrees they were pushing it. The picture above is from earlier in the year and the dark orange "leg warmers" the bees seem to be wearing is plant pollen that has stuck to the bees while they were gorging on nectar. <br />
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Getting back home, I was also cooled by the northern push of the air. Perfect kind of day for a long slow roasting meal so I decided on braised lamb shanks<br />
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Improvising with what I had, here is the recipe I used (the amounts are guesstimates so use your good judgement):<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2UZvqO6VoSgOeTpeOGgjmwMN9ZAl84Bxz1Gbw3-Zl4FySslpbkReUi6ClRyQ5Q8np8RVGnRzmUQCuub-MUL0K21wfFRY4FvYmPaM-ceZV-8b3auOfZQYhtV8d2MnL8c4FDci6CfKgEBh/s1600/DSC_4885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2UZvqO6VoSgOeTpeOGgjmwMN9ZAl84Bxz1Gbw3-Zl4FySslpbkReUi6ClRyQ5Q8np8RVGnRzmUQCuub-MUL0K21wfFRY4FvYmPaM-ceZV-8b3auOfZQYhtV8d2MnL8c4FDci6CfKgEBh/s320/DSC_4885.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
2 Lamb shanks<br />
1/4c flour<br />
2 tsp paprika powder (grown and dried by my good friend Marilyn -- from whom I also got the lamb!!) <br />
freshly ground pepper<br />
1 onion sliced<br />
2tbsp minced garlic (about 2-3 toes -- I like garlic!) <br />
1tsp salt <br />
2 tbsp olive oil<br />
1 tbsp butter<br />
tbsp italian seasoning<br />
marjoram<br />
splash or two of Maggi <br />
1/2c good red wine (I used a 2006 Manoustakis Nostos from Greece that my son, who works for a wine merchant, gave us-- I figured the Greeks have masterful lamb cuisine so greek wine should help me )<br />
1c dried mushrooms (mine were a combination of white button and chanterelle that I had previously dried -- but you can also use fresh)<br />
1c boiling water (poured over the mushrooms and saved)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8J2pBJPXz81-8R_PhyphenhyphenwmEwh6BBFjuvcJOei4UgamqxJpykuQl-7i0ZTO4ltDD2G_-dGTMb185_n9iwu1m4o8XVm14C-MDJWr7pWTlJhQiGNDn8JtSDWM6v8wKbL9nll4G5o_lgbI-Tg3/s1600/DSC_4886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih8J2pBJPXz81-8R_PhyphenhyphenwmEwh6BBFjuvcJOei4UgamqxJpykuQl-7i0ZTO4ltDD2G_-dGTMb185_n9iwu1m4o8XVm14C-MDJWr7pWTlJhQiGNDn8JtSDWM6v8wKbL9nll4G5o_lgbI-Tg3/s320/DSC_4886.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Mix the flour, pepper, paprika in a dish. Coat the lamb shank with the flour mix. Using a heavy enamel-coated dutch oven, heat the olive oil and then brown the shanks in it. I did mine one at a time to make sure I got them each nice and brown. Remove the shanks and add the butter to the dutch oven. Add onions and stir til translucent then add garlic. This mixture should pick up all the brown bits created by lamb shanks.<br />
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Put lamb shanks back into pot. Pour in red wine, mushrooms and the water used to soak them, spice, Maggi and the salt. Another nice addition to this dish would have been tomato sauce -- which I had fully intended on putting in but forgot. <br />
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With the heavy lid on, put the dutch oven into a 300degree oven and leave for 2.5-3 hours. Serve with barley risotto, or rice, or boiled potatoes -- whatever strikes your fancy and some roasted root vegetables. Will warm you up on any Fall day.<br />
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Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-34035759552334515372012-10-06T10:57:00.001-07:002012-10-06T10:57:35.099-07:00The crust's the thing.....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-XZb4joJoV7GjSoNIHProhPLr30XwMyC9cWw47qo2EBIwoBK7Rkr1xJDNASegG6cPCTRQTb8QFHvoMYX58o41ZCIu6Rhkyco9JyIIdjF5LuVvcWYR06R4lg1itwcoccUaDESVO8a05mL/s1600/DSC_4235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-XZb4joJoV7GjSoNIHProhPLr30XwMyC9cWw47qo2EBIwoBK7Rkr1xJDNASegG6cPCTRQTb8QFHvoMYX58o41ZCIu6Rhkyco9JyIIdjF5LuVvcWYR06R4lg1itwcoccUaDESVO8a05mL/s320/DSC_4235.JPG" width="320" /></a>It is a Thanksgiving tradition in my family as in many many others.....the homemade pumpkin pie. And as much as the rich, pudding quality of the spicy pumpkin mash is the star, the best supporting actor is the crust.<br />
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But it seems that crust can be an intimidating creation. It is crust that sends new cooks scurrying for the supermarket freezer aisle. It is crust that debates shortening or lard. And the camps don't seem in a hurry to declare a truce. <br />
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Shortening gained favour during the "all fat is bad for you" era and lard, being the rendered fat of pigs, was so declasse. However, shortening has its shortcomings. It melts quickly. And it is fussy. Work it too much and you get a tough, nearly inedible sheet of cardboard. Growing up, this trouble with shortening even made the small screen. I remember a commercial with a woman with a strong accent (French, I believe) saying when you use shortening, you get a "short" crust, which I believe means a crust that is finicky, demands as little working as necessary to get it combined. Crust made with shortening is a diva.<br />
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Now my Auntie Doreen could not abide a diva crust. She was more of a wham, bam cook and if the ingredients couldn't take it, she fired them to bring in the understudy. So in our family, we used lard. Lard is generous, forgiving even. This pie crust recipe, handed down to me from Doreen through my mom, can stand a good mixing, either in the KitchenAid or by hand. It is a true supporting cast member, always letting the star shine while quietly holding up the scene. It sits happily in the refrigerator (sometimes as long as a couple months) just waiting to fill in in a moment of need. <br />
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It is neither sweet nor savory in itself so dessert or dinner pies are equally embraced. Once warmed a bit from its stasis in the fridge, it rolls out easily and allows even the thinnest of sheets to be used.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWELEWPnncCDKrrAeR521sXj84WUutF9Bdn_jixsKOfm0lVhHy3HPFJzpQndSQyhQCJVvndGVKN5SMDB6SkFMhpN4CjRiiVbWtR-uUUxtNThPqPuYlTN1Gqtq-hfZcqD_cURppTQkUz53/s1600/DSC_4236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWELEWPnncCDKrrAeR521sXj84WUutF9Bdn_jixsKOfm0lVhHy3HPFJzpQndSQyhQCJVvndGVKN5SMDB6SkFMhpN4CjRiiVbWtR-uUUxtNThPqPuYlTN1Gqtq-hfZcqD_cURppTQkUz53/s320/DSC_4236.JPG" width="320" /></a>So to thank my Aunt, who was a force of nature in herself, I am sharing her crust recipe. Don't fret about the lard. It is a natural, earthy ingredient that requires very little in the way of processing to get it to a useable state. You can do it at home -- and if you look through my blogs, you will see how easy and cheap it is. I doubt that shortening can say any of that. <br />
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Pastry<br />
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5 c flour 2 tbsp white vinegar<br />
1tsp salt 2/3 c water<br />
3 tbsp br. sugar 1 egg<br />
1 lb. lard<br />
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Mix flour, salt, brown sugar and lard. Add vinegar to the water then beat in the egg. Add liquid mix to the dry mix and combine until it forms a ball. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap (cling film) and refrigerate at least overnight before use. Should last 2 weeks in fridge but I have had it there over a month.<br />
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Makes six double crust pies or countless tarts.<br />
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Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.<br />
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Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-66997328790638218722012-09-22T16:06:00.000-07:002012-09-22T16:06:10.972-07:00Of Bees and Beekeepers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtdVdDPuzVFsE9fy5BF5KZyQrzf9Lcn2QbOyeipi6XsLGn5rYlDScfzE2p4f-dp8tcu11VOXZmhNYQ_s097EkSHhwkl9bYJpqWb40azIseiFoltX1GtqI_RbdKuJirgBjsGrs4m5NaCQw/s1600/DSC_4153+-+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtdVdDPuzVFsE9fy5BF5KZyQrzf9Lcn2QbOyeipi6XsLGn5rYlDScfzE2p4f-dp8tcu11VOXZmhNYQ_s097EkSHhwkl9bYJpqWb40azIseiFoltX1GtqI_RbdKuJirgBjsGrs4m5NaCQw/s320/DSC_4153+-+Version+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>This being our second year of beekeeping, we approached managing the bees with firm conviction in our philosophy of "Healthy Bees". Deciding over the course of the long months of last winter that what we really wanted to manage for was healthy bees (honey and other bee "crops" being a happy side effect of our mantra). Our approach to the ominous and ever-present varroa mite was of the mildest and closest to natural product we could find -- thymol (oil of thyme) and a firm conviction that we would not take off every last tablespoon of honey but instead leave much behind for the bees.<br />
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We embraced the spring with all four hives surviving and an optimism that, like all farming optimism, would be challenged during the year.<br />
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We lost one hive to a drone-laying queen. This is when, basically, a queen runs out of sperm with which to fertilize eggs leaving only her DNA to create drones. This condition means that there are no worker bees to create honeycomb, tend brood, bring in nectar, pollen and propolis. Drones' only function in life is to mate and thus they are a terrible drain on the colony. We fumbeled our way through dealing with this finally dumping all the bees out quite a distance away from the hive and requeening it with a strong queen and some bees from another. It survived quite nicely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGRg94xHEEGVX7B4YIv00B7OzYRQKUPw16C0A8w7bMRTViLguZ7nl2bj_Rip2nw0v1Oz_9jMGiset9LcOWP7APsOHccl-dX44yzh0685uyPtbKs7MN1MMWaAO9uA_trCw6nMWvgYgzmic/s1600/DSC_4422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGRg94xHEEGVX7B4YIv00B7OzYRQKUPw16C0A8w7bMRTViLguZ7nl2bj_Rip2nw0v1Oz_9jMGiset9LcOWP7APsOHccl-dX44yzh0685uyPtbKs7MN1MMWaAO9uA_trCw6nMWvgYgzmic/s320/DSC_4422.JPG" width="212" /></a>One of the hardest things we have to do as beekeepers is not OVER-manage our hives. Especially as new beeks, we definitely were too invasive last year. Even so, watching for signs that the bees may swarm does require some in-the-hive interventions. But we still had two swarm--one almost to the point of the death of the hive. Again learning another valuable lesson about bees -- they have an agenda.<br />
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So even with one drone-layer colony and two swarmed colonies, we had one hive that just blossomed (love the pun). The queen was strong, the colony expanded and, wow, could the workers ever bring in nectar. From this hive alone we got 97 pounds (approx. 44kg) of honey.<br />
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So we got busy extracting. Now this is really STICKY work! Supers of honey (the wooden boxes that are put on top of the hives) are filled with frames and on these frames, worker bees build comb. Now in the bottom boxes a lot of this comb is used to raise brood -- thus it is called brood comb -- and is very dark compared to honey comb.<br />
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In the upper most boxes the workers build honeycomb (although the blighters can get filled with brood if you have an agile queen). This comb tends to be white or light yellow wax, which is also highly prized for candle making.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytr2x-zq8Fj1mzUXZ3V-AlW_Tg7FIy7aoq6V7Rw-YJYtUCPw6tLHc65tOaSbSj_6C5NQBFHEcDyAB870EXezWUYHluo2Y83z8al2paUni54Oz7_aMcixY0frEGXnLkogqlMgvtHKoXVwO/s1600/DSC_4595.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytr2x-zq8Fj1mzUXZ3V-AlW_Tg7FIy7aoq6V7Rw-YJYtUCPw6tLHc65tOaSbSj_6C5NQBFHEcDyAB870EXezWUYHluo2Y83z8al2paUni54Oz7_aMcixY0frEGXnLkogqlMgvtHKoXVwO/s320/DSC_4595.NEF" width="320" /></a>Worker bees out foraging collect nectar in their honey stomachs and pollen on their legs and backs. All this comes back to the hive for storage in comb. While in the honey stomach, an enzyme called invertase is added to the nectar and converts the the sucrose (type of sugar in nectar) to fructose and glucose. Basically, the bee pre-digests the nectar.<br />
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Once back at the hive the nectar is regurgitated (yep honey starts out as bee vomit!) and packed into the comb. Then the process of reducing the moisture content through fanning begins. Once the moisture content is decreased to 17% the bees cap the comb with wax and--VOILA--honey storage!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RtnWhGHR_cXZuuT4m2TYPK3MH2MqI20FOinlRRI9qBB-mziuGavjxzEkIh4Ae2Cheh0cTQtlU2HeNIyW0BCh6DLSllAklYv1fDaWW-YQv2g3vl28z-HFd67rObqkyQZuBdVcYrHvinJY/s1600/DSC_4592.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7RtnWhGHR_cXZuuT4m2TYPK3MH2MqI20FOinlRRI9qBB-mziuGavjxzEkIh4Ae2Cheh0cTQtlU2HeNIyW0BCh6DLSllAklYv1fDaWW-YQv2g3vl28z-HFd67rObqkyQZuBdVcYrHvinJY/s320/DSC_4592.NEF" width="320" /></a>This capped comb is how a beekeeper knows the honey is ready. If taken before that at a higher moisture content the nectar will attract yeast and ferment -- but not in a good way like when making mead. The result is a bitter and will rapidly spoil. <br />
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On the other hand, honey at the right moisture level is nearly impermeable to yeast and bacteria so last nearly forever -- as made apparent by findings of edible honey in Egyptian tombs.<br />
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With capped honey comes the Beekeeper's greatest day -- extracting day.<br />
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More about this in the next blog.......<br />
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Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-74802098208716509882012-09-16T17:16:00.000-07:002012-09-16T17:16:14.375-07:00A Mighty Pickle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUZDKwT6M9li7iiFEdXJU1q0gRJcygIwzAvM3nl0vwNKEVUNzE0IIDXxfZj7x3kf_NmCzkdn8XeLGPAH38WkCxqBYvgr7-EtXesvDpObEyofDOzXttiMy-yd979zIqM6ZOoknpDOqi0UD/s1600/DSC_4832.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUZDKwT6M9li7iiFEdXJU1q0gRJcygIwzAvM3nl0vwNKEVUNzE0IIDXxfZj7x3kf_NmCzkdn8XeLGPAH38WkCxqBYvgr7-EtXesvDpObEyofDOzXttiMy-yd979zIqM6ZOoknpDOqi0UD/s320/DSC_4832.JPG" width="320" /></a>This year I found myself inundated with ripe cucumbers. Too energetic a gardening plan and a suddenly overburdened schedule meant that the garden was more neglected that tended this year. So according to my philosophy of life....make lemonade. Or in this case ripe cucumber pickles. <br />
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Now there isn't much difference between the green cucs you tend to find in stores and the ripe ones except their peel colour and potentially a bit of softening. There are three types of cucumber: picking, slicing and burpless (English). My ripe crop is of the slicing cuc variety ripened to a colour that just screams summer.<br />
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Thanks to my pickling guru, Leonard Levinson (I have spoken before about his fantastic book, <i>The Complete Book of Pickles and Relishes</i>) I found a lovely recipe called "Sun Glow Spears" to take up what would otherwise be a lost crop.<br />
<i> </i><br />
While this is a recipe that takes place over two days, it definitely ISN'T two days work so don't let that keep you from trying this!<br />
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12 large ripe cucumbers 2c sugar<br />
6 large onions 2 tbsp white mustard seed<br />
1 cup salt (I use pickling) 2 tsps celery seed<br />
4 quarts water 2 tsps turmeric<br />
3 cups vingear<br />
1 cup water<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMy8RoiS3E23bghQ1lOYAZAnl-BcW4Vzsx3fHXyCXpECAaY7gspQpZlQyeByb2zIJ1vaoNMMD9t3ESG094_w97Q6dNcQ3V7YHNDg7PLwipCOg2Mlk8ndQ0yI6_tMW7qVz7WhcpJfyloH7/s1600/DSC_4834.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMy8RoiS3E23bghQ1lOYAZAnl-BcW4Vzsx3fHXyCXpECAaY7gspQpZlQyeByb2zIJ1vaoNMMD9t3ESG094_w97Q6dNcQ3V7YHNDg7PLwipCOg2Mlk8ndQ0yI6_tMW7qVz7WhcpJfyloH7/s320/DSC_4834.JPG" width="320" /></a>Day 1: Pare (and I peeled) cucumbers, slice in quarters lengthwise, cut off seeds. Soak cucumbers and sliced onions overnight in brine made of the 4 quarts water and 1 cup salt. I weigh mine down with the lid of one of my crocks for a while until the liquid comes easily up over everything. (HINT: Make sure you put the bowl of soaking pickle somewhere where a little spillage isn't going to ruin your day. Mine sat out on our back deck overnight as the nights are cool enough here and there was a small stream evident in the morning.) The salt's job is to bring out a lot of the liquid of the cucumber and onion so an already full bowl overflows quite quickly and this salting is what makes a pickle a pickle. <br />
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Day 2: Drain the cucumbers and onions well. Combine remaining ingredients in large pot and cook for 5 minutes. Add cucumbers and onions; heat to boiling. Place into hot, sterilized quart jars and fill with liquid. Seal.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm1gdRXvUHO0dyqGDP9MF_5xTe5JqdiRYK0BQKMW45aqQ9RZieo34LVhxzMyggDCuJI1hiL-g_JGK3m6-7uemGq3TO_ItnHWfAuxh37II-smjfJoSsFkWOjVtEv0zL8ktxQl9Zvhdb4ny/s1600/DSC_4841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm1gdRXvUHO0dyqGDP9MF_5xTe5JqdiRYK0BQKMW45aqQ9RZieo34LVhxzMyggDCuJI1hiL-g_JGK3m6-7uemGq3TO_ItnHWfAuxh37II-smjfJoSsFkWOjVtEv0zL8ktxQl9Zvhdb4ny/s320/DSC_4841.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Makes 6 quarts.<br />
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These are incredibly tasty and of such a bright yellow that they pay homage to the hot dry summers that cucumbers love so well. In the middle of a dreary winter night they are bright and pungent.<br />
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Serve cold with ANYTHING!<br />
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I am especially proud of these little babies as they also include the first crop of celery seed from my garden. I can't believe I have never grown celery before...there are SO many uses for the plant and seed....But more about that in a later blog. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOFq_WLcAbjY1a07sQtPwHrbN5FlR1RmkbIxgXQiOdz__AVvrsoR-V2qt7vGtug2v-Yjas6w-v9ZQzCiCjsihGRqA_BIXNDK6vjfAMXaovESFOmstE88Ig6tEwFmapZsJGcm9J67RH8il/s1600/DSC_4843.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOFq_WLcAbjY1a07sQtPwHrbN5FlR1RmkbIxgXQiOdz__AVvrsoR-V2qt7vGtug2v-Yjas6w-v9ZQzCiCjsihGRqA_BIXNDK6vjfAMXaovESFOmstE88Ig6tEwFmapZsJGcm9J67RH8il/s320/DSC_4843.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-36895068910145285632012-09-12T16:53:00.000-07:002012-09-12T16:58:57.487-07:00The Melancholy of Fall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zA1OXvRGKVzT-yssW5xnqWVAYXjMKcGQ-J-Fd5YdDMYO11UNIAYJni5yPajuTG773ORHaKF9PdVv1Ox6xGPQfeNqgswmdzl_6Yez2Vw_sSAoEhbbCL9OYSa0dJ6ENzQJKdaK9fbe36ct/s1600/DSC_4243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zA1OXvRGKVzT-yssW5xnqWVAYXjMKcGQ-J-Fd5YdDMYO11UNIAYJni5yPajuTG773ORHaKF9PdVv1Ox6xGPQfeNqgswmdzl_6Yez2Vw_sSAoEhbbCL9OYSa0dJ6ENzQJKdaK9fbe36ct/s320/DSC_4243.JPG" width="320" /></a>Always, even as a kid, I loved the Fall. The back to school shopping, the hectic warm days and cool nights, helping my mom can whatever bounty came from the garden and going out fishing with my dad.<br />
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As a young mom I canned most everything I could find and specialized in "free fruit" -- that fruit that grows abandoned beside the road, in vacant lots, or drops to the ground unused in your neighbours yard. When the kids were small, it was what sustained us through lean winters while I was a student and early on in my career. I still love that about Fall -- all its promise of comforting nights to come, its self-satisfaction from hard work done and shining on the kitchen counter, its promise that your own efforts will sustain you. <br />
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But as I get older, as the kids have moved on to start their own lives, I find that my Fall work leads me more and more to a melancholy place. My mother died in the Fall. Good friends seem to have passed away in remarkable numbers in the Fall. The smells of Fall so evocative of the final ripening of the earth now more than hint at the slowing down and ceasing of life. In a poem I wrote about my mom's end of life journey I called it a "slow-down winding" and that term seems as apt now as it was two years ago.....but now I see it in relation to everything. <br />
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Maudlin maybe, but Fall now, for me, is as much about remembering that life is short as it is a time to prepare for long, cold nights. It is a time of great gratitude and moments of intense sadness. Life is so good right now that it seems strange that it is tinged with this melancholy but maybe that is what sharpens my focus, my determination, my (hopefully) humble joy at the way things turned out.<br />
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Our bees have taught me a lot about the melancholy of Fall. A typical hive expands to 60,000+ members during the hectic and frenetic flows of summer only to begin dropping in number with the cooling of the nights and the shortening of the daylight. They overwinter with significantly less population and the die off is noticeable. Any remaining drones are kicked out of the hive and die due to cold or wasps or starvation. It is something to watch the younger workers carry off the bodies of those who died in the hive, to be deposited safely away from the entrance to discourage the ever-hungry meat-eating wasps. Bees know it is about preparing to survive the changing conditions and instinctively do what is necessary to prepare the colony. They are thinking about Spring. <br />
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New beginnings always come from endings. And it is in the ending of things that we learn our best and most precious lessons. I hope I have learned them well.<br />
<br />
Chris<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-62904105353999278802012-02-20T20:02:00.000-08:002012-02-20T20:02:04.894-08:00Smoking the Ham: Pig-a-poolooza continues....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfFEh6XLaVcHL5aeyP1COZJNkLXKq1FFm4YXYewZgX3I-ntf3IVJM7nLkst4tcoLwDjqblzUduN1CDCgNwq28OeNWed77gxfqLGXGfveT_ft_gcAqG1V9dTMoUX1ASx1_ftvROYEhTClx/s1600/DSC_4351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfFEh6XLaVcHL5aeyP1COZJNkLXKq1FFm4YXYewZgX3I-ntf3IVJM7nLkst4tcoLwDjqblzUduN1CDCgNwq28OeNWed77gxfqLGXGfveT_ft_gcAqG1V9dTMoUX1ASx1_ftvROYEhTClx/s320/DSC_4351.JPG" width="320" /></a> Pig-a-poolooza 2012 started a month ago when we took possession of half a farm-raised pig from Betsy and Peter. Determined to try to do everything possible ourselves, we took charge of the majority of the porker in a freshly butchered state. I had really wanted to try making our own ham, after the success we had with bacon. On doing some research, we determined that we weren't sure if we had the right conditions to do a dry cure (although Gerry has since bought a temperature and humidity probe and is now charting our cellar conditions) and opted instead for a wet cure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9k3KA7fDlpptgV4jdvF_wuPBLW_IQjYu2W-AahSD7neXiPK3pukWs1X_hbsqXN184OdGUQCwJDTo9ID1LydTVSdZdFd7T2us-VSJAd_pMNl6FoEIYWADPXRh7dNAYF6SHgLdxkJtozhU/s1600/DSC_4368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9k3KA7fDlpptgV4jdvF_wuPBLW_IQjYu2W-AahSD7neXiPK3pukWs1X_hbsqXN184OdGUQCwJDTo9ID1LydTVSdZdFd7T2us-VSJAd_pMNl6FoEIYWADPXRh7dNAYF6SHgLdxkJtozhU/s320/DSC_4368.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2Nk9cF2KN1VIIgExVW6FnCZ-zokPuh8121VZyhwvZZ9K8su7GzxpmpAP5rICoK4IbJCTpJaYLDj1wTDWzKK2gJ9xBkdREdNjz7lruG2JZ2cxkSjaKeW5jt8xa4upbKQIcL1TDz28vkve/s1600/DSC_4369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2Nk9cF2KN1VIIgExVW6FnCZ-zokPuh8121VZyhwvZZ9K8su7GzxpmpAP5rICoK4IbJCTpJaYLDj1wTDWzKK2gJ9xBkdREdNjz7lruG2JZ2cxkSjaKeW5jt8xa4upbKQIcL1TDz28vkve/s320/DSC_4369.JPG" width="320" /></a>Now a leg of pork is a fairly hefty item to immerse in brine.....so we improvised and sacrificed our wine fermenting bucket to the cause. Creating enough brine of salt, pink salt, and water we weighted down the leg of pork, along with a hock and part of a loin, with the lid of one of my pickling crocks then stowed the entire porky-soup out in the garage (sometimes it is good to live in a cold winter climate....as this would NOT have fit in the fridge). Three weeks in, we retrieved the hock and the loin and smoked it with the pork belly that had been curing in the downstairs fridge. Bacon heaven!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtc-mtvnD6GX2rEGQt6s2RpxNxCh35bwai9gSuGKgAvTNPwS2mWKsnFg_U9MufGUd2nRLAylJXOxBxeQaGiWFEK5CaQufNUtigqKrk6o5LXz9rO8lcTUT5fWlbFZ8MOESAeMOvlq7bXRB/s1600/DSC_4388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwtc-mtvnD6GX2rEGQt6s2RpxNxCh35bwai9gSuGKgAvTNPwS2mWKsnFg_U9MufGUd2nRLAylJXOxBxeQaGiWFEK5CaQufNUtigqKrk6o5LXz9rO8lcTUT5fWlbFZ8MOESAeMOvlq7bXRB/s320/DSC_4388.JPG" width="320" /></a>Yesterday, we retrieved the leg, hoping that the huge joint of meat would fit into our Big Chief Smoker. Miracle of miracles, it fit perfectly.<br />
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Now, never having attempted smoking something so dense, we started up the smoker at 1pm in the afternoon with chips that had soaked overnight in water. We filled once during the day and then again before we went to bed, hopeful that the aroma of smoking meat would entice any neighbourhood borrowers. In the morning we refilled the chips and went about our day. Two more fillings and by 7 pm the ham seemed done enough.<br />
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It now sits, resting comfortably on the counter while we talk about the size of dinner party we are going to have to really show the appreciation necessary to the fantastic cut of meat. I am thinking of taking it back to the butcher who did the pig for us and having him shrink wrap the entire joint so that it doesn't lose any of its presentation splendour. That way we can freeze it to last longer. Before that, however, we are going to research dry storage to see if we can avoid freezing and how long the leg may last. <br />
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With the delicious smokiness of this ham, I think a strong glaze of shallots, homemade apricot jam, garlic, and honey should just send it out of this world...hmmmm maybe the annual beekeepers picnic would be the just the place to highlight this gorgeous porker!<br />
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Next stop, sausages. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYwIdsIXIw9QWiXb28y2KlRyCFbrCOfW2pPBoYzk2CWWI6VGSfHPynrDiQ4fhgb4ErieiqHls0LX4P4NO3EwJaXcB7EKlI-iyjXfCy1PjLsJsVHI-IprHSo9njlB4f9eV6cCt94FzfhRt/s1600/DSC_4389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYwIdsIXIw9QWiXb28y2KlRyCFbrCOfW2pPBoYzk2CWWI6VGSfHPynrDiQ4fhgb4ErieiqHls0LX4P4NO3EwJaXcB7EKlI-iyjXfCy1PjLsJsVHI-IprHSo9njlB4f9eV6cCt94FzfhRt/s320/DSC_4389.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-91004455811860087062012-02-04T11:37:00.000-08:002012-02-04T11:37:27.656-08:00Knowing the fat -- Rendering Lard<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORRtTN-LEnvVKTWujCaIRHC6or3hj4PYGKeJY3oWJ9t20FpbtoX3nQUNeZ_y6diNuEdaIJPiZqoFAqOGWI6Q0pKQ0UqQxWGWZWoO-3QD8zzZGltz6UKoljJuKms7m_-K9XsHWBGQWSr2o/s1600/DSC_4378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORRtTN-LEnvVKTWujCaIRHC6or3hj4PYGKeJY3oWJ9t20FpbtoX3nQUNeZ_y6diNuEdaIJPiZqoFAqOGWI6Q0pKQ0UqQxWGWZWoO-3QD8zzZGltz6UKoljJuKms7m_-K9XsHWBGQWSr2o/s320/DSC_4378.JPG" width="212" /></a>I know that mainstream nutritional media has us thinking that saturated fats are bad for you. Saturated fats are those fats that at room temperature are solids. We should all, apparently, be eating a balance of mono and unsaturated fats: fats which at room temperature remain liquid.<br />
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In the rush to provide this to a hungry (sorry) market, Big Food convinced us of the nutritional blessedness of margarine. I can remember buying 5lb plastic tubs of the stuff and recently had one woman tell me a story from her childhood about squishing bags of white margarine between her little hands to burst the packet of yellow food colouring within it.<br />
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Then came the transfatty acid scandal. It seems that in order to take canola oil (or other naturally liquid oils) and make them solid (like butter)-- hydrogenezation-- a chemical process occurred that created a new form of fat that our bodies have no idea what to do with.<br />
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The question then is, what about the traditional fats. My grandparents (none of which were farmers by the way -- all townies with townie type non-exercise jobs) ate butter and lard. My grandmothers lived into their 90s. It was only in their later years that my grandmothers really experienced deterioration -- and these were age not nutrition related. My two grandfathers can't really be used as a case in point as one died of emphysema from his coal mining days and one died of an allergic reaction to medication while in hospital. So apparently a life of natural fats wasn't the death trap they are made out to be.<br />
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If you really want to understand how we got where we are check out the recent NPR story on Lard at www.npr.org. Fascinating look at how politics creates what our food understandings are. For a really good understanding of the place that fats (of all natural kinds) play in our own cellular biology read a book called Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon -- I really had no idea about the interaction of it all and the necessity of fat in the strong functioning of our brains. <br />
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So here we are -- we had half a pig that needed to be taken care of. Pigs are wonderful sources of clear white fat that, once rendered down, becomes the best lard you can imagine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenmW6BwR8TbinxkK5xtGjGIndpBm6v2YCUta8QqYazSEZVdPbIH_36TuBw5ipbiWD-FKo3nZDAPgX2mi9Mo7S8UEc4o0PXkm9_YjwLoz2MW3lnvbRxywK_yusqWRajJT7yzEH0Ft7gpUb/s1600/DSC_4371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenmW6BwR8TbinxkK5xtGjGIndpBm6v2YCUta8QqYazSEZVdPbIH_36TuBw5ipbiWD-FKo3nZDAPgX2mi9Mo7S8UEc4o0PXkm9_YjwLoz2MW3lnvbRxywK_yusqWRajJT7yzEH0Ft7gpUb/s320/DSC_4371.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The kidney fat of a pig is where the whitest of lard comes from but I rendered all the fat (had to ask the butcher to bag it and not throw it away) by cutting it up in strips (cubes would have been quicker) and putting on a cookie sheet. Heating the oven to 300 degrees to start I watched as the fat slowly melted and left the "cracklins" behind. As the melting progressed I slowly turned up the heat in the oven to 375. After a couple of hours, all the fat was liquid and I poured the contents of the sheet through a triple layer of cheescloth into a large measuring cup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrfCCojanMVUBPch-G2ElDD76qpvwe8O4uQJzw4gUPENahk4dxuA5PsJGrUnsdJhFPVfnybiIwGikvNlkNtFJdmceEq43hMUPiKmpfco8e-r7l0884S5DBPZxZV0jgKhq2tta9fqJUhuU/s1600/DSC_4373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrfCCojanMVUBPch-G2ElDD76qpvwe8O4uQJzw4gUPENahk4dxuA5PsJGrUnsdJhFPVfnybiIwGikvNlkNtFJdmceEq43hMUPiKmpfco8e-r7l0884S5DBPZxZV0jgKhq2tta9fqJUhuU/s320/DSC_4373.JPG" width="320" /></a>The cracklins are left in the cheesecloth and get transferred back to the cookie sheet for final crisping (if you have ever eaten pork cracklins in the states, this is where they come from). They need to be fully cooked (not soft AT ALL) otherwise they just taste like soggy pig fat. Crispy they are a delicacy -- my mother-in-law Renny said as kids she and her siblings used to fight over cracklins and ate them on pumpernickel bread.<br />
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The lard, thus strained and beautifully clear, then gets poured into glass sealer jars. One goes to the refrigerator for immediate use in our cooking and baking while the rest are put into the freezer. Once frozen this lard should last for over a year.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyAr7-cEw6TPCLkOzVmaoaPd_dunkygz37Pll0PH0HslgxxIqm_4AukLGcNV-ruxzP7U3eaxMCmD2nO8x_R9-CjqgqndsEvh55ifoszPP8CHsenJ3PqzjAjzV6Ii8VKg0itpgKbBs7cgU/s1600/DSC_4374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqyAr7-cEw6TPCLkOzVmaoaPd_dunkygz37Pll0PH0HslgxxIqm_4AukLGcNV-ruxzP7U3eaxMCmD2nO8x_R9-CjqgqndsEvh55ifoszPP8CHsenJ3PqzjAjzV6Ii8VKg0itpgKbBs7cgU/s320/DSC_4374.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
The taste of homemade lard is much superior to the commercially produced lard you get in a supermarket and comes with the added pleasure of knowing that the life the pig gave up was respected by complete and thoughtful use of all its parts.<br />
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Try it....you may never go back to store bought again!<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-40380910877969410502012-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:002012-01-21T16:44:59.217-08:00Dealing with a PIG!Well you may ask, <i>who</i> am <b>I</b> calling a "pig".....and no, the honeymoon isn't over. The pig in question is a lovely little porker (well half of a lovely little porker) that we picked up from butcher Mark Cardin this morning. Raised by Betsey and Pete on a farm near here, this half a little piggie is destined to become several prize dishes that I will write about in the next couple of blogs.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsXsScFf4bSsO-DkuyQEt7EJKt_0XKLH9bEt4RF7sMylsu1txhYBMOJak7EV2Jgey4dd1vHloJP4_JgIU9kI925Ppai1wClXcR7J4LHSVfHQYibUtQJ3cZ6F5VIhjCicLZrqy_IsHQfnW/s1600/DSC_4370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGsXsScFf4bSsO-DkuyQEt7EJKt_0XKLH9bEt4RF7sMylsu1txhYBMOJak7EV2Jgey4dd1vHloJP4_JgIU9kI925Ppai1wClXcR7J4LHSVfHQYibUtQJ3cZ6F5VIhjCicLZrqy_IsHQfnW/s320/DSC_4370.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
First off, we asked Mark to do as little butchering as possible....pork belly whole and unsmoked, ham left intact with a very long leg bone, our half of the head, organ meat, fat, several roasts, the ribs, boned loin, a big bag of stew chunks, hocks and feet...quite a nice haul. The roasts, ribs, and hocks went into the freezer for fresh cooking later.<br />
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Our plan consists of bacon from the pork belly, a wet cured ham from the...um....ham (which is really the leg), liverwurst from the liver and some pork shoulder, Canadian bacon from one of the boneless loins, sausages from the miscellaneous chunks and some of the fat (maybe with a little venison thrown in for good measure) and headcheese (fromage a tete or suezle if you prefer the more romantic languages) from the head and one of the trotters. <br />
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Getting things prepared doesn't take long. We have brining containers, crocks, stock pots, etc. from other things we do so that is a big CHECK. We make sure to sterilize things meticulously as we have battled with bacteria in the past and, just let me say, it isn't winnable. So everything cleaned,....CHECK.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1_4TIFX2JhAp5fJKFeuV9TKgcEdjNC6UVhLTBVNuCa-452GbdnEsrEzwwQvJOYaIwOmnQcgTUlqOeDbvry5EhzBhv0oIG0vPKIDkU8ot39D1M5IS5Ldyx7baV-1SSSryCumhvxfNKa0L/s1600/DSC_4350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1_4TIFX2JhAp5fJKFeuV9TKgcEdjNC6UVhLTBVNuCa-452GbdnEsrEzwwQvJOYaIwOmnQcgTUlqOeDbvry5EhzBhv0oIG0vPKIDkU8ot39D1M5IS5Ldyx7baV-1SSSryCumhvxfNKa0L/s320/DSC_4350.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now for the first of the dishes. BACON. So yea, who doesn't like bacon. I have blogged on our bacon-making before and we haven't bought bacon since our first attempt. It just isn't the same. <br />
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Our smoker just finished three pieces of store-bought belly on Friday so today our farm-raised piggy belly got its harsh rubbing with salt, pink salt, and then, when lodged into a ziploc bag, a good dousing with maple syrup. 11 1/2 lbs of pork belly now cures in the downstairs fridge for two weeks. We flip every few days to make sure the cure gets to all sides of the meat (the rind is still on so that side is harder to penetrate).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDgLMLFG3Iq8IaHGwUZIKGbYUc9B811kYpDph9hyphenhyphenZ276LcXocBTet08fI_sr56lkfLUF7mKryYeagN79Uwheg62c1ufZ3fIS2aCsVBI7XQzoWkijF9wFPpgZKEjj_SIRU3RKIKuAnHMw2/s1600/DSC_4363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDgLMLFG3Iq8IaHGwUZIKGbYUc9B811kYpDph9hyphenhyphenZ276LcXocBTet08fI_sr56lkfLUF7mKryYeagN79Uwheg62c1ufZ3fIS2aCsVBI7XQzoWkijF9wFPpgZKEjj_SIRU3RKIKuAnHMw2/s320/DSC_4363.jpg" width="320" /></a>Then we will cold smoke for 8-10 hours. Slicing it is the only hard labour left, and as you can see, we have that figured out. This pic is of the bacon that just came from the smoker yesterday. After chilling for 24 hours in the fridge it is firm enough to slice...and of course to fry!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha12W_0zrmMxLE1JshvXz0NINgbqan78ZrP3FSTv0FECqWLg8S1D2Vw1q93hAWdPdrcUtqgFsO3glPNrGsQma587Lg-pSq-JFiN_JqHR4yzamBfhxGKVoJHzGMIXkRdsN1oQrxJOMoLzez/s1600/DSC_4366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha12W_0zrmMxLE1JshvXz0NINgbqan78ZrP3FSTv0FECqWLg8S1D2Vw1q93hAWdPdrcUtqgFsO3glPNrGsQma587Lg-pSq-JFiN_JqHR4yzamBfhxGKVoJHzGMIXkRdsN1oQrxJOMoLzez/s320/DSC_4366.jpg" width="320" /></a>All this effort really is worth it....for what turns into an hour's worth of labour and two weeks of tending, we have enough bacon to last til mid summer or early fall. Not bad at all in my books.<br />
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Next blog -- Rendering Lard, Or "How to make good fat in your oven"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-86863683018621751412011-12-24T10:17:00.002-08:002011-12-24T10:17:52.569-08:00The day before.....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpel34I2QNkSi1X8irMVPS-xHQfa1LAISyH9rQM-6HAFRbOi9niPmW_4JusnK5hUy4anzhzFO1FasLVj2ZSEJxlj67MUV-At-nCQdLMzcMUAF63RsoFZWD7m1AKObMhtTG0jW8oDyNBtT3/s1600/DSC_3447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpel34I2QNkSi1X8irMVPS-xHQfa1LAISyH9rQM-6HAFRbOi9niPmW_4JusnK5hUy4anzhzFO1FasLVj2ZSEJxlj67MUV-At-nCQdLMzcMUAF63RsoFZWD7m1AKObMhtTG0jW8oDyNBtT3/s320/DSC_3447.JPG" width="320" /></a>This year we are having three separate celebrations for Christmas. Tonight, Christmas Eve, we have our daughter Jessica and her fiance Darcy for dinner. They are spending Christmas Day with his family so we are reviving a tradition that my paternal Aunt enjoyed: the Christmas Eve feast.<br />
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Our celebration tonight will include a beautiful prime rib roast with roasted potatoes and root vegetables, but mostly it will be a celebration of a new commitment that was made right before my birthday. Not that this was a surprise, but it made me stop and think about life when Jess told me that they were engaged. I really don't think I am old enough to have a daughter her age, but DNA doesn't lie.<br />
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James is home from the big city and off visiting his old friends in the neighbourhood. He is spending the Eve and the Day in Victoria with family there so will be with us again on Boxing Day. I think the tradition of gorgeous leftovers will rule the day so not much planning to be done and lots of time for visiting.<br />
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So Christmas Day will be Gerry and I. First time ever we have been alone. But really, we won't be alone. We share that day with so many memories and so many loved ones that are no longer here that the house will be full.<br />
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The hustle of Christmas's past where little children waited breathlessly to see what Santa would bring are gone now until a crop of grandchildren arrive (and it should be a while really!) But in the meantime, I try to continue the traditions I grew up with. The turkey was taken out of the freezer yesterday to thaw slowly in the very cold garage. Turnips, carrots, and parsnips all wait their turn in the roaster. The dressing was long ago learned and will accompany the turkey. Cranberry sauce was made at Thanksgiving so it had time to age gracefully in its glass jars.<br />
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We will take some time to talk together, to plan our upcoming year. We are goal setters, so those will be mulled along with cider, both making the house an optimistic and comforting place. All in all, it will be the kind of celebration that seems so rooted in the short days and long evenings of our Canadian winter. <br />
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But mostly we will be grateful. Grateful for wonderful children, for great family, and lots and lots of amazing friends. We wish you all the very best of the Holiday and for 2012. Take time to reflect and to ponder and to just be glad that you are where you are.<br />
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Best wishes<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-76674293185463714202011-12-10T14:52:00.000-08:002011-12-10T15:01:18.782-08:00My husband loves a Tart!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXweB96aAhVsuYLT33278X3mzqteSQVf5Fx1HNpkOj8UtegPnpBGSp87Ft0y0Ii1vFLzrQ1PLey3dd2H4oAA6ocrdJ6J7MkT028mf_vs1M6XtSsEhXlif_IRSTRDe7r-GV7P9bHB4tKk7/s1600/butter+tarts+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXweB96aAhVsuYLT33278X3mzqteSQVf5Fx1HNpkOj8UtegPnpBGSp87Ft0y0Ii1vFLzrQ1PLey3dd2H4oAA6ocrdJ6J7MkT028mf_vs1M6XtSsEhXlif_IRSTRDe7r-GV7P9bHB4tKk7/s320/butter+tarts+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Well our dirty little secret is out. My husband loves a tart. Butter tart that is. Today signals the first day in several that I will devote to carrying on the baking traditions that my mother taught me. Starting with butter tarts, I will also do her shortbread cookies, her carmels, and retrieve from the freezer the light fruit cake that she taught me. It will get a luxurious bath in some amaretto before being served. My personal favourite, it pairs with a cup of tea better than just about anything out there. <br />
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But it is butter tarts that really figure prominently in my memories of important women in my life. My grandmother and mother passed down their butter tart recipe to me and now to my daughter (and hopefully my son!). Even my Auntie Doreen, who wasn't really noted for her baking, made my mom's tarts for her Christmas celebrations. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05hz1N_8XplefdXKDnc1VB1I_O4RYL10Oyv2l8Ldo_GqDDX7GFMqtnA7O-m6qegj1YZtvbl1A4NXdxMtxp1oS7FdDbcuH_mCVjkPsN1Ea6GjKjX4WIxy8m_bGNr3ytW-fPcycSy7riouv/s1600/butter+tarts+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg05hz1N_8XplefdXKDnc1VB1I_O4RYL10Oyv2l8Ldo_GqDDX7GFMqtnA7O-m6qegj1YZtvbl1A4NXdxMtxp1oS7FdDbcuH_mCVjkPsN1Ea6GjKjX4WIxy8m_bGNr3ytW-fPcycSy7riouv/s320/butter+tarts+2.jpg" width="240" /></a>Our very, very good family friend, Joyce Roggema, had a secret butter tart recipe that was coveted by all who tasted it. Her passing this November left a void in our lives that is only made a little less bittersweet by the tasting of the tarts that were her special gift.Shortly after my mom died, Joyce sat me down and said "You have a mom sized hole in your heart right now, and I have a daughter sized one....maybe we could help each other out." It brought so strongly home to me that it is the people in our lives that make it worthwhile. I miss her and her daughter Janet hugely...and now that they are both gone, butter tarts are what we celebrate their memory with. (Although I can never eat Mac n Cheese without thinking about dear Jannie).<br />
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It is that tradition, the raisins floating in their pool of butter, sugar and syrup, that connects us still. So today I made the first batch of our tarts. Gerry could hardly wait til they were cool to test and both Darcy and Jess have been eating them as well. I am off to the store to get more pastry and corn syrup. I think there is at least one more batch of tarts in our future. Will have to be if I am to keep some ready for James when he comes home from school.<br />
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And just because I don't want to keep the secret all to myself...here is the recipe:<br />
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1c raisins (soaked 5 minutes in boiling water then drained)<br />
1/2 c butter<br />
1 c brown sugar<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
1 cup corn syrup<br />
2 eggs (whisked in a bowl)<br />
2 tsp vanilla<br />
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Mix butter, sugar, syrup, eggs, salt and vanilla in a pot. Heat enough to melt the butter and to incorporate all the ingredients. Distribute the drained raisins into 24 tart shells then pour syrup mix over top. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Often I cook them for 5 extra minutes just cause they seem to need it. <br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-28994598816103226012011-11-26T11:00:00.000-08:002011-11-26T11:01:32.567-08:00Decking the Halls.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZS149e-T3HZtERuchFiXbv7vJ2qpdVFm91crQffb03ZEs_ugwcisRuxNjp_kfkEtN8O1Fk-OThl6AEQjASNm2uEIhxu6JVcGnM41RvLSzqyWcUH624KnZMtBiCQ5UsmiwTf1ZIP8IOSi/s1600/holly2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZS149e-T3HZtERuchFiXbv7vJ2qpdVFm91crQffb03ZEs_ugwcisRuxNjp_kfkEtN8O1Fk-OThl6AEQjASNm2uEIhxu6JVcGnM41RvLSzqyWcUH624KnZMtBiCQ5UsmiwTf1ZIP8IOSi/s320/holly2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Contemplation of our lives comes easily at this dark and insular time of year. Warm lights, candles and fires comfort us when darkness comes in the afternoon. I am looking around the house and wondering about decorating for the holidays.<br />
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I have always loved the lights of the Christmas tree and can remember as a small child falling asleep under the spreading branches of a heavily scented pine or fir. Now considering that we lived in Saskatchewan at the time, I am sure the tree wasn't quite as majestic as my child-mind remembers it, but for me it was magical. The twittering lights blinking, the angel winking at the top. We even had a stuffed Santa doll (which I found about a week ago sorting through my Mom's decoration boxes) to cuddle and dream with.<br />
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This year will be quite different. Mom is gone. That is a big enough hole but one that isn't as raw as it was last year. Both of the kids will be spending the 25th with different families as they grow up and away. So it will be Gerry and me on the day, and to be honest, I am looking forward to it. I don't mind the peace of an empty house and we have both been so busy for so long that it will be lovely just to spend some time with him.<br />
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In the meantime, I have been tasked with managing the holly sales for the farm where we keep some of our beehives. It has been fascinating work! Long a closet farmer, I am getting a real (albeit safe) taste of what the farming life is like with its uncertain weather, uncertain markets, uncertain schedules, and uncertain crops. How amazingly determined true farmers are to carry on in the wake of all that.<br />
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</a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bJD4mFIGElsgPaQymsHfPCOCkIQFdG88FaLMc_7bXwwdtRDwk4YoTRJCrc1VTug7WvgKeYT59awWWYyIJWNM_sMCM1nOeOLxBf0FNlTfrOY3Zao2aaxNKIxh5xrJubXljdEdnfxiGkQ3/s1600/holly+picker+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9bJD4mFIGElsgPaQymsHfPCOCkIQFdG88FaLMc_7bXwwdtRDwk4YoTRJCrc1VTug7WvgKeYT59awWWYyIJWNM_sMCM1nOeOLxBf0FNlTfrOY3Zao2aaxNKIxh5xrJubXljdEdnfxiGkQ3/s320/holly+picker+1a.jpg" width="240" /></a> My work began late....beginning of November, and I have been scrambling to organize pickers, set up shipping schedules, learn all about the flower auction system in Burnaby, market the product to various local and wholesale distributors, and ultimately learn about the harvesting from the amazing woman who has been doing it for 19 years! Watching her and the other pickers work has been the greatest of educations.But doing all this amongst 14 acres of holly got me wondering about its history as a symbol of many midwinter holidays and festivals, so a trip down google-lane confirmed what I thought--holly is midwinter's sacred plant. <br />
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Long associated with rituals and celebrations, holly has an ancient history. Druids wore holly around their heads when heading into the forests at winter solstice as it symbolized death and rebirth. Ancient Romans used it to celebrate Saturn during Saturnalia, and for early Christians, holly was thought to have the power to drive away evil spirits. The Green Knight of Arthurian legend was described as not having a sword but carrying a solitary branch of holly as his weapon.<br />
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In flower essence literature, holly is said to be one of two most primary of essences. good to "heal the inner being and stimulate the basic loving nature of the human soul" (http://us.flowersociety.org/heart_healer.htm). Holly has also been used as a Celtic sleep spell and a bag of holly leaves and berries were thought to increase the ability of men to attract women.<br />
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So if you are in the stores, gathering up treasures to pass on to loved ones over the holidays, take a close look at the holly and wonder. Wonder about its history and stories, wonder where it comes from, wonder who it was who picked it. Then buy some and pass it along. Read or re-read the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- make it one more tradition for a child to remember while falling asleep under the tree. Then tuck up close and enjoy the love of family and friends. The holly will be there to remind us that out of darkness comes life. <br />
<br />
Chris<br />
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</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-85447365941627830322011-09-11T10:42:00.000-07:002011-09-11T10:42:12.639-07:00Summer wrap up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFtKGkXR4A_I1DPz9EJgW6LX5RFtAFQt7ceCvsZEtAUT7Gsd1RFlT5pbS3kK80wIJHeVWBETxSVN-ieCNL_PWr0mDW3TC2qh1avHU79lb4H3Ipu4vdstnMRCMynwhRpESthmHZyPVpVRf/s1600/DSC_4201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFtKGkXR4A_I1DPz9EJgW6LX5RFtAFQt7ceCvsZEtAUT7Gsd1RFlT5pbS3kK80wIJHeVWBETxSVN-ieCNL_PWr0mDW3TC2qh1avHU79lb4H3Ipu4vdstnMRCMynwhRpESthmHZyPVpVRf/s320/DSC_4201.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Well, it's been a while since I blogged. Summer evaporated in a flurry of gardening, work and ultimately a wedding! Many nights I'd slump exhausted onto the couch after gardening or canning or just a hectic day at work and think "I really should blog that!" But it didn't happen. Oh well. <br />
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Our bees have buzzed along all summer, swarming a couple of times due to our over management. We captured all the swarms (beginners luck!) and went quickly from two strong and one weak hive, to five moderately strong hives. The weather this year meant poor nectar output from flowers so none off the beeks we know will have extra honey for sale. For our bees it means that we will feed them sugar water for the next four or so weeks to build up their stores in the hive in hopes they can survive the winter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqysvkLBkNemN7b8Xne5ACej2uUMyEQRv27TgkJfWX9Ds3ixc4n8fk65xfOLVSXoeDVMaciVV6N02FUG9bi4-M-JmXPGxMbKcDqv_-goBlv025PnLXK7CU0oUchPg8Rga0JArddIEJxG3/s1600/chris+beeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqysvkLBkNemN7b8Xne5ACej2uUMyEQRv27TgkJfWX9Ds3ixc4n8fk65xfOLVSXoeDVMaciVV6N02FUG9bi4-M-JmXPGxMbKcDqv_-goBlv025PnLXK7CU0oUchPg8Rga0JArddIEJxG3/s320/chris+beeks.jpg" width="212" /></a>We have learned a lot from the bees this year. First of all, read everything you can about beekeeping but be aware that bees will do their own thing -- apparently they haven't read any of the books on how they <i>should </i>behave. Second, there are a lot of opinions out there about how to keep bees. Figure out which one works for you and your goals then stick to it if it seems to be working for the bees.Third, and most importantly, bees are an amazing way to unplug oneself from the hectic computer world and just get grounded again. Gerry has taken to coffee breaks amongst the bees and I try to sit watching them when I get home from work for at least a while. I can feel my pulse slowing as the bees come and go from the hive, some with huge pollen nuggets in neon yellow and green, sometimes grey depending on the source. Some standing guard against the ever pesky wasps and ants, others just out for their evening ablutions flight. Every one of them has a purpose. Every one of them is secure in their place in the hive and that the tasks they perform are vital for the survival of their hive. I can almost feel myself rooting to the spot as one or two investigate me to see if I am a threat and that sense of connection brings me a calm joy.<br />
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We have learned a lot from the garden as well this year. As all years, it started out with tremendous hope and excitement. Which seeds do we choose? How do we best fill the small raised beds we had constructed early in the season? Which foods do we most want stored in our cellar for the long winter ahead? <br />
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I spent a few days and many evenings tending the small seedlings then bigger plants. Interplanting heritage tomatoes with beans, carrots, beets, a tomatillo and multiple varieties of greens. Weeding was a breeze with the raised beds and healthy soil with which we filled them. Seeing it fenced and fed, I was happy with my garden's progress. We had many early summer meals full of collard greens, bok choi and swiss chard. The Kale grew steadily awaiting the first frost for its true elegance to emerge. The tomatoes were almost as tall as I, with small but plumping paste, red pear, yellow pear and german tomatoes growing. We ate beets, sweet and oozing and had just started collecting the pole beans that had been so promising all season. But there were dangers lurking.<br />
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We went away for the long September weekend, happy to visit Gerry's parents in the north of BC. A long lovely drive through the Cariboo and Chilcotin country sides, a couple days of family vists, left us feeling quite refreshed and happy. This week of wedding visiting ended late Sunday evening before Labour Day when we arrived home tired but rejuvenated. The morning broke with Gerry meeting me in the hall...breaking some bad news. The deer in our neighbourhood, always a pest but mostly controlled during the summer, had taken our absence as opportunity. Breaking down the chicken wire fence that surrounded the garden, they proceeded to use all my labour and love as a salad bar. The results were devastating. Everything destroyed. Well the Tomatillo remained untouched (I guess deer don't fancy salsa verde) but otherwise a complete write-off. I felt like crying and to be honest I have only been out there once since it happened.<br />
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The garden taught me not to take anything for granted. That life is tenuous even in a subdivision but it is also strong. I am reminded of a quote from Jeff Goldblum's character in <i>Jurassic Park:</i> "Life will find a way". And all life finds a way, any way, to survive. <br />
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The summer is quickly coming to an end. You can feel it in the coolness of the night air, in the dewy mornings that quickly evaporate into warm languid afternoons. Next week we will mark one year without my mom. We will mark a year of sadness, a year of construction, a year of hope, of change, of destruction, of love and of family. As I write, our cellar is full of last years pickles, this years jams, jellies and preserves. We are now empty nesters with kids in college. We are now newlyweds with all the hope and joy that brings. We are now a larger family after our wedding, strong in its commitment to each other. All in all, for our family, Life <i>did</i> find a way. And for that I am eternally grateful. Now if someone could just do something about those deer!<br />
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Chris<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1553658035&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-6987466141372706932011-05-15T11:33:00.000-07:002011-05-15T11:33:10.229-07:00Rhubarb to the Rescue -- Blog from a Dreary Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YyZdaiV_dKPMdfDo8PgiGcm4Rilf3OCxeVVrBHhzh9_JqqKKQ4NhJo3rd5ppsJVCHTKdkdWa_67syl1aYUDApKZLyvmO8SVLC-BzttgLtFSHADvWzva5eI5GgYFOXziAf9xHlDDg0CZp/s1600/Rhubarb+1+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3YyZdaiV_dKPMdfDo8PgiGcm4Rilf3OCxeVVrBHhzh9_JqqKKQ4NhJo3rd5ppsJVCHTKdkdWa_67syl1aYUDApKZLyvmO8SVLC-BzttgLtFSHADvWzva5eI5GgYFOXziAf9xHlDDg0CZp/s320/Rhubarb+1+2011.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
Well, it goes without saying that I should be outside doing one of the many projects that I have set for myself this Spring. But, let's face it, Spring just isn't cooperating. We have had one of the wettest, dreariest, and coldest Springs in a very long time. Considering the tremendous flooding and tornadoes being experiences in other parts of Canada and North America, it just doesn't seem right for me to complain.<br />
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This particular Sunday, we woke to a heavy rainfall and I had to act fast to rescue my bedraggled seedlings left out overnight to start to acclimatise to their new reality. Some, I'm afraid, may not make it through their soaking. Sigh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCsYXF17hkwB_6EJ1R9GASIgXre3N_ozWZImKfjUAiZj8eXySJ_8dERYxP_cYLVG-oL9OX28LY3IzUsMi9yJxfI8T7GUBcj-18PFCPmskwj1LTk0hZMWrgDEtJU7rJvGLyNOyfqpfD9XS/s1600/rhubarb+3+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCsYXF17hkwB_6EJ1R9GASIgXre3N_ozWZImKfjUAiZj8eXySJ_8dERYxP_cYLVG-oL9OX28LY3IzUsMi9yJxfI8T7GUBcj-18PFCPmskwj1LTk0hZMWrgDEtJU7rJvGLyNOyfqpfD9XS/s320/rhubarb+3+2011.jpg" width="212" /></a>With Gerry buried in a new firmware project and me up having tea and a bagel by 7am, I decided to boost my spirits. As the grey set in closer and closer, I began chopping rhubarb for chutney. I had a few early stalks from my own garden and had also purchased some at a local produce market. Rhubarb is the early riser in the spring garden and first sight of what Jessica calls its brain (its clump of new leaves forcing themselves to the surface) really signals Spring for me.<br />
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Of the things I preserve during the year, I particularly love rhubarb chutney. It's peculiar and beloved balance of sweet and sour, savoury and candy wins over most people. But mostly its the bronze peculiarity amongst the jewel tones of the jams, jellies and canned fruits that convinced me that it is my favourite canned item of the year. Rhubarb chutney has no pretense. It's the vegetable among fruits and it declares it proudly. It survives quite nicely thank you in recycled Cheez Whiz jars, not needing the special handling of a lot of preserves (as long as those jars have their snap lids still usable). <br />
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The recipe comes from a distant family member, no longer with us, so concocting this preserve every year reminds me of all those dear to us who no longer share this reality and is a way to honour all that they left us. I have written it into my copy of "The Complete Book of Pickles and Relishes: by Marvin Levinson, one of my favourite preserving cookbook and left to me by my Dad because he loved the book and would have loved the preserve. <br />
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Within the half hour, the whole house smells like vinegar, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. The pot of potent liquid happily gurgling on the stove, transforming from a brash liquid to a gelatinous condiment that we feast on all year. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQwxMSCOcYyl6aVI3hBGS_qxYbowX0eU12AVCk9w90jK41HTTjo9wO46jNXaBxScw_f3hEjjGPIbVhiuSwyXZEJAYJqDhu8U9rX1j8X-UZ8DtoGD44Ga_mslRWb5RtgU3syVJpf8r3Vvo/s1600/rhubarb+chutney+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQwxMSCOcYyl6aVI3hBGS_qxYbowX0eU12AVCk9w90jK41HTTjo9wO46jNXaBxScw_f3hEjjGPIbVhiuSwyXZEJAYJqDhu8U9rX1j8X-UZ8DtoGD44Ga_mslRWb5RtgU3syVJpf8r3Vvo/s320/rhubarb+chutney+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Rhubard Chutney:<br />
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4c chopped rhubarb<br />
2 c chopped onions<br />
4 c white vinegar<br />
4 c sugar<br />
2 tsp ginger<br />
4 tsp cinnamon<br />
1 tsp cloves<br />
4 tsp salt<br />
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Cook onion and vinegar for 15 mins. Add remaining ingredients and boil until thick. Bottle.<br />
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It does seem very liquidy when you first combine everything in the pot but patience, as in most things, pays off in chutney making. Allow the pot to simmer slowly on the stove for as long as it takes to thicken. I tend to make a triple batch at a time so this simmering can go for a couple of hours on low-med heat. Trust me. It is worth the wait. Opening a bottle of homemade chutney to accompany a roast pork, bbq steak or piece of chicken is a truly pleasant feeling. <br />
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That glugging contentedly on the stove, I chopped the rest of the rhubarb and built a crisp for dessert tonight. Combining with the vinegar-ry shock of the chutney cooking, the sweet bready smell of the crisp tried its best to attack us. Luckily, no one seems hungry at the moment and the cooling crisp is safely cooling on the counter. So I guess that a rainy Sunday isn't the end of the world. Life siddles by and we hug as much of it as we can. <br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-45961620212289159692011-04-17T11:02:00.000-07:002011-04-17T11:14:55.127-07:00Snowbirds and Lemons....a sure sign of Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IRpDjvRcloZDrcmdHx9ejrRCL1T7T-MoIuq29JdwXrU6zk5EYwtWBWHQO_4T6erIr1bnxuYIPzpUMQtEfAcHt4m0uObDxm_AOTqXg3KUYQG88bAuS7_q_Msgz6ckpwawEacGIZkkvbQp/s1600/lemon+tarts+and+curd+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAicR0Qp1-sfMpf2bwuzcdvcaUwDDcr5RrzKiWsq_-czptOLmQew-eBCo31aT-b-pYMdRm40n5aMfn3Hod-k0SwFr_ea0OyB2tFUOhgb7ZJM7dDmsenEoCdcpimqew-gmxE2F9Fczaft8v/s1600/whole+lemons+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAicR0Qp1-sfMpf2bwuzcdvcaUwDDcr5RrzKiWsq_-czptOLmQew-eBCo31aT-b-pYMdRm40n5aMfn3Hod-k0SwFr_ea0OyB2tFUOhgb7ZJM7dDmsenEoCdcpimqew-gmxE2F9Fczaft8v/s320/whole+lemons+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Every year, Spring heralds the return of many species that migrated south to flee the cold, damp and dreary Canadian winters. The re-appearance of song birds and sparrows, bats, and insects confirm that those of us who stayed have survived another season. Here at the homestead we are especially blessed to welcome the return of that most gregarious of seasonal returnees, the Canadian Snowbird. These inveterate travelers, lured by the strong scent of lush Canadian flora bursting out of hibernation, flock in droves across the Canada/US border late March or Early April. Our particular mated pair of Snowbirds arrived first week of April, bringing with all kinds of glorious citrus from California.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBReFgRcbv3o7D1hPkkySxlmpB3tpsMgK7MoQyLwi44dUF6_7QP4cRnBS35AME4eN5tJJ-u-2JfWybYCXshnMjXSzl5bH02tHctd3H8yQIttNhOVauCgG3jRk0aE839GxfLT6mPiLAj_8/s1600/used+lemons+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBReFgRcbv3o7D1hPkkySxlmpB3tpsMgK7MoQyLwi44dUF6_7QP4cRnBS35AME4eN5tJJ-u-2JfWybYCXshnMjXSzl5bH02tHctd3H8yQIttNhOVauCgG3jRk0aE839GxfLT6mPiLAj_8/s320/used+lemons+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>So lemons and oranges are currently in abundance here and it only seemed fitting that I celebrate these fruits. One summer, a neighbour and I, who shared a love of all things lemon, spent the season ferreting out the "best" lemon dessert we could find. Pies, tarts, hard candies, preserves all were sampled, collectively scored on their lemony-ness and that peculiar combination, most important in a lemon dessert, their balance between sweet and sour. I decided then and there that lemon curd, properly made, was likely the most heavenly thing I had ever stumbled on. I've loved it ever since.<br />
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So this morning, armed with a bumper crop of gorgeous California lemons (picked from a neighbour's tree by Gerry's Mom and Dad) I made my first ever batch of this yellow miracle. I used a recipe from the Lifestyle section of the UK's Guardian newspaper. I love the way their food writers write....very enticing. Here is the link for the particular recipe I used.<br />
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/07/nigel-slater-lemon-curd-recipes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IRpDjvRcloZDrcmdHx9ejrRCL1T7T-MoIuq29JdwXrU6zk5EYwtWBWHQO_4T6erIr1bnxuYIPzpUMQtEfAcHt4m0uObDxm_AOTqXg3KUYQG88bAuS7_q_Msgz6ckpwawEacGIZkkvbQp/s1600/lemon+tarts+and+curd+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IRpDjvRcloZDrcmdHx9ejrRCL1T7T-MoIuq29JdwXrU6zk5EYwtWBWHQO_4T6erIr1bnxuYIPzpUMQtEfAcHt4m0uObDxm_AOTqXg3KUYQG88bAuS7_q_Msgz6ckpwawEacGIZkkvbQp/s320/lemon+tarts+and+curd+1.jpg" width="212" /></a>While this delightfully perky conserve was cooking, I quickly popped 12 tart cups into the oven. I know, I know. I didn't make them. But they were leftovers from Christmas when the tart count rises higher than any human can deliver so I buy the shells.<br />
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After the tart shells cooled a little, and the curd was well cooked, I ladled a small globule of golden curd into each shell and then poured the remaining curd into a well sterilized glass jar. Nigel says it should last two weeks in the refrigerator. Judging by the reaction of the quality control crew (Gerry, James and Jessica) I doubt that it will last that long.<br />
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For me, it heralds the new season and celebrates the return of our own two Snowbirds. After their visit, they headed farther up north where they will open their nest, build a summer garden and prepare to enjoy the glorious Canadian summer...not too hot, not too cold, but as Goldilocks says....just right. At least for us.<br />
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Chris<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B004CFAWQQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-30939880490930691142011-04-01T11:35:00.000-07:002011-04-01T11:35:42.552-07:00Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAawHao6Nz5yRD3kH8MgfHmex0lsbbXNvOyD0Py2SGHcvI3aZ2DtGe-sGlloQs-QE7gS24fj6Yzgj0Obyq957oXpsCb3eixAhsiw789zePdHpcroBFm8dYRsU-w45VqqCt7At-YVyLpDAZ/s1600/new+growth+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAawHao6Nz5yRD3kH8MgfHmex0lsbbXNvOyD0Py2SGHcvI3aZ2DtGe-sGlloQs-QE7gS24fj6Yzgj0Obyq957oXpsCb3eixAhsiw789zePdHpcroBFm8dYRsU-w45VqqCt7At-YVyLpDAZ/s320/new+growth+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Well, not much has been happening around the homestead lately. Between work travel and crappy spring weather, being outside hasn't happened much. I did however attend the final Seedy Saturday of the year last weekend and really stocked up on beans, squash, beets, hot peppers and leafy greens such as kale, swiss chard, and collard greens. Now to just get some decent weather to plant things.<br />
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Leeks have gone in to some window boxes and my new fruit trees seem happy in their locations. The peach tree is well ahead of the apples in bud and the tea bushes remain unmolested by the deer. Luckily our ad-hoc fencing seems to be working.<br />
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The tomato seedlings have all been transplanted into pots and the dining room now has no room for dining as they all crowd around the two aerogarden hydroponic set ups we have. The grow lights from these units helps to keep the seedlings from getting weak and leggy. There is one heirloom tomato growing in the aerogarden and its strong summer tomato scent drifts through the house anytime it is given a little shake to help pollinate the masses of blooms it currently has. There are at least five tomatoes edging towards ripeness on it and the first taste of spring will come from inside the house for us. <br />
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I also have a bunch of herb seedlings just started as well as hot peppers, Hungarian Hot Wax, Piri Piri, and a brown mexican pepper. Can hardly wait to experiment with them in cooking. <br />
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Outside, I have noticed on azalea in bloom but the rhodos planted last year have been assaulted by some bug or other. Will have to feed them well to increase their strength against whatever critter is snacking on them. The garden make-over is on hold temporarily due to weather, illness, and some past uncertainty with my job but we should be able to get going in the next couple of weeks.<br />
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It poured here all day today but the weekend is looking a bit more favourable. Am hoping to at least get a half a day out in the yard. Gerry's parents arrive next week on their journey home from a winter in the South. I hope it is at least nice enough for them to enjoy their visit. <br />
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And we still await our bees. Hopefully they should be ready within the next couple of weeks. In anticipation, Gerry and I opened a bottle of mead on the weekend and dreamt of a new batch coming from our own yard,<br />
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Cheers to Spring.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-33072032184651492372011-03-20T15:23:00.000-07:002011-03-20T15:23:39.944-07:00Duck, Duck, Gooseberry<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEWmN5reDf6Sj8u_Waqb19eaa23IjEFaI-rWOVJuGV4sQyNHAyjBuNF1_lXnzFbFGrj5ZY-2V-YJEAhyphenhyphen4wwRhlRKFXosLszHF9Bmkdn8tqX_DcuIS-HiVzqtlQz4ZSEDYgjL_Z96OZKBf/s1600/peach+and+tea+uphill+shot+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrEWmN5reDf6Sj8u_Waqb19eaa23IjEFaI-rWOVJuGV4sQyNHAyjBuNF1_lXnzFbFGrj5ZY-2V-YJEAhyphenhyphen4wwRhlRKFXosLszHF9Bmkdn8tqX_DcuIS-HiVzqtlQz4ZSEDYgjL_Z96OZKBf/s320/peach+and+tea+uphill+shot+day+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>This being the first weekend of Spring, it was certainly nice that it didn't pour with rain. Both Saturday and Sunday were mixed sun and cloud with quite a nice 10 degree C temperature. I had a huge to-do list waiting for this weekend: prepare the area along the south side of the house for apple and peach tree planting; get the front beds dug under and begin to plan what will be planted in there; and finally, plant the two gooseberry bushes I purchased one day when I was at the nursery for mushroom manure.<br />
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Saturday dawned sunny (at least as sunny as it has been in quite a long while) and dry. I quickly ate my traditional breakfast of toast with liverwurst and a couple cups of tea. Pulling my hair back into a pony tail and donning my most expendable clothes, I ventured out to greet Spring. I have to say, it was glorious. Birds were trilling in the trees and watching greedily as I upended the earth revealing all manner of woodbug, earthworm, and even the occasional snail. I started with the peach tree. I have purchased a varient new to me "Frost" which claims to be leaf curl resistant and a heavy producer....GREAT. Exactly what I was looking for. With my tools and bone meal/lime mix at the ready I dug into the ground.<br />
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To my surprise, the soil along side of the house is significantly deeper than the 1/4 inch I find in other parts of the yard. The ever present black plastic still needs to be wrangled however, and I quickly find myself cursing whatever landscaper thought it was a good idea to lay it down, seemingly over the entire yard.<br />
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The weather cooperates with periods of sun and periods of cloud, so I don't get too overheated doing the really heavy work and in short time, I have a peach tree ensconced in a new home. As I have done my job very well the soil is begging for more, so I add three of my six Blushing Maiden tea bushes around the outside of the area of the peach. I am hopeful they will make good companions.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VE7d5XSfWx2rchq5_HAZlW1sVnBKOutjq9u8GH_a8UPelZV5M8liUgSFBuZajVZiCOknvfyIlkIL1EhoispXeeZ9bPvsPAbeBLUoSJKq7fUNOHJ0DsrBJ4UIvEe9WqAdRXO0wXf8w_gX/s1600/courtland+apple+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VE7d5XSfWx2rchq5_HAZlW1sVnBKOutjq9u8GH_a8UPelZV5M8liUgSFBuZajVZiCOknvfyIlkIL1EhoispXeeZ9bPvsPAbeBLUoSJKq7fUNOHJ0DsrBJ4UIvEe9WqAdRXO0wXf8w_gX/s200/courtland+apple+day+1.jpg" width="132" /></a>Two similar efforts and two hours later, I have planted both the Cox Orange Pippin and the Courtland apples down slope from the peach. My heavy lifting gardener is bringing me a load of stone and soil when he gets back from holiday so that I can build small terraces around each of the trees thus saving the water and soil from running away down hill, and potentially giving me space to do more plantings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWlXzN3X26RxC-tioe9bY2hoxu5nMIRs06pAioSqVA43L-s5bkk2S3_WHJIj0nYmp-Daamplm1wLMcr-ABilHNJLTB3njgAkgcYe9wsAs8aJGMgkPlwcvAI9j1MOGAiLcbeXnr6dgoU26/s1600/cox+orange+pippin+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWlXzN3X26RxC-tioe9bY2hoxu5nMIRs06pAioSqVA43L-s5bkk2S3_WHJIj0nYmp-Daamplm1wLMcr-ABilHNJLTB3njgAkgcYe9wsAs8aJGMgkPlwcvAI9j1MOGAiLcbeXnr6dgoU26/s200/cox+orange+pippin+day+1.jpg" width="183" /></a>I have to say, sitting on the chair observing my work definitely gave me much pleasure but I knew that my back and my butt would be singing a different song by morning!! The last thing we had to do before nightfall was put up some deer detering fencing, otherwise the trees would be stripped bare of bark by morning. <br />
All in all, I was very very pleased with my day. <br />
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Sunday dawned, first day of Spring, and I wasn't nearly as stiff as I thought I might be....but I was definitely more tired starting out. I didn't have much left on the list so I focused on the Gooseberries. Well on one Gooseberry.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B-K13whYC1nDstc2EqsAlN75_UaaR690UeS-kayJ7ZGJnrhWcpvOl0Nyb7JG6qwbN7hyphenhyphenLdE7-GSuUiLPDlSF01eMWeVBUZEpQq0nwKgNPMKnyzHijTOuDlwWj9QOsyYrtN9-k7wOEgmN/s1600/gooseberry+day+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B-K13whYC1nDstc2EqsAlN75_UaaR690UeS-kayJ7ZGJnrhWcpvOl0Nyb7JG6qwbN7hyphenhyphenLdE7-GSuUiLPDlSF01eMWeVBUZEpQq0nwKgNPMKnyzHijTOuDlwWj9QOsyYrtN9-k7wOEgmN/s200/gooseberry+day+1.jpg" width="132" /></a>I walked around the yard looking for a spot with a good amount of sunshine and at least a six foot space for the berry to fill in. We had taken an old deck down in the very back a few years ago and had just left the site bare except for some grass and the intrepid St. John's Wort to fill in. It would be perfect. So I dug a hole 3x the diameter of the pot of the Gooseberry, added half a bag of well rotted mushroom manure, a small scoop of the lime/bone meal mix and popped the little bush right in. Watering it in well, I was done! <br />
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Now I don't know how many of you know anything about Gooseberries. I have never eaten one, nor even see a bush in full production. But I do know they are prolific, they are extremely winter hardy (my Finish variant pictured here claims it is hardy to minus 45 degrees Celsius!) and are soooo thorny event the deer won't touch them. Gooseberries are a good source of Vitamin A, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron and Ascorbic acid, so they will be a good addition to our diet both fresh and prepared. <br />
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That bush (and the one still sitting in a pot awaiting its final home) will provide <i>a lot </i>of fruit in a good year. So, a quick internet search revealed several appealing recipes for gooseberry chutney that I want to try. Gerry has also said that he ate some amazing gooseberry pie at the home of childhood friend Richard, so we will definitely put that on the menu. And of course there is always gooseberry wine! <br />
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Overall, I think it was a good welcome to Spring....and the yard definitely looks good compared to its previous winter dowdiness. There are Thrushes and Robins picking through the upturned soil. I saw two large ladybugs crawling soo very slowly along the branches of an azalea, and soon we will add bees to the mix. Winter was long and dreary but this weekend made up for it all in one go. It is good to be alive, to be fit enough to enjoy the work, and to live in a place where we don't have to worry so much about war, famine, violence, or disaster. Mingled with they pleasure with my work, I also grieve for the people of Japan, of Christchurch, of Libya and of Yemen. There welcome to Spring is not nearly as joyful as mine. This most of all is what I wish for them.<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-56102073727575960802011-03-13T13:26:00.000-07:002011-03-13T13:26:56.182-07:00The humble Blushing Maiden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rGH-59uuM408cgGquyMoi9XNRvZjbuCKuM5HZOSeuLRlWWmeYNUPdcn2DR2Tf1-oYDjSxhpA8G-VHVHzpc_IpZNL1siVlx4VPAaBe_-kh7zLdmC8q4FF2X05awaY2z6fHRaC7kdZI4xz/s1600/new+tea+leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rGH-59uuM408cgGquyMoi9XNRvZjbuCKuM5HZOSeuLRlWWmeYNUPdcn2DR2Tf1-oYDjSxhpA8G-VHVHzpc_IpZNL1siVlx4VPAaBe_-kh7zLdmC8q4FF2X05awaY2z6fHRaC7kdZI4xz/s320/new+tea+leaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In our quest to try to provide more foodstuff ourselves from our medium sized suburban lot, we have had to learn a lot about exactly where the things we love come from. Tea and coffee are often the furthest travelers to our table and so I took it upon myself to find out more about growing tea.<br />
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Now, there is a new tea farm here in our Cowichan Valley (http://www.teafarm.ca) but his bushes are too small yet to produce marketable tea so I figured if he could grow tea, so could I. The first hurdle was finding a supplier. Called the local nurseries first and had no luck at all. Even left a standing order at one in case they found any and never even got a call back. Then, when I got an email from Bob and Verna Duncan about my bare root apple trees, I thought, heck why not ask. Surprise, surprise, not only did their supplier have some but they had an inventory that was just being prepared for sale. Yesterday Gerry and I drove to their 1 acre citrus-growing mecca and picked up six little Blushing Maiden<i> (camellia sinensis)</i> tea bushes.<br />
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Being a variant of this area's ever-present camellia bush, these little beauties are hardy to Zone 7 (we are a Zone 7/8 border I think) so planting outside against the house should provide a great growing area. They also like acidic soil which we have and sun or partial shade. Sounds perfect so far! But the greatest bonus I have found to my Blushing Maidens is that they flower in the fall, when all the other blooms have gone. Apparently bees love their small pink blooms. So here we are satisfying my need for a closer to home tea supply and the need for lengthening the nectar season for my soon-to-arrive bee colonies -- all with something that doesn't require too much effort to make successful.<br />
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These bushes grow to about 4 ft. and for green tea all you do is pick the young three end leaves off each branch (early spring and late summer) and steep some in boiling water. Of course, if you have other herbs in your yard, they also can be steeped to give a combination green/herbed tea.The variations for this type of tea are potentially endless as I am converting a formerly ornamenetal flower bed into a herb bed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynk1DMR_HMrOAEIH7oZZji6hjpMOO7cpZ7G-CgOIyKHvy9jXfkOxRze3i5i7dF16lynx0RQ619mSUK8dD2G-PNjXkGfalUCS_JEFwkhyKdZbZ7nLkkX3OgS_CipZkMMYoWaWGtn7hYbd3/s1600/blushing+maiden+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynk1DMR_HMrOAEIH7oZZji6hjpMOO7cpZ7G-CgOIyKHvy9jXfkOxRze3i5i7dF16lynx0RQ619mSUK8dD2G-PNjXkGfalUCS_JEFwkhyKdZbZ7nLkkX3OgS_CipZkMMYoWaWGtn7hYbd3/s320/blushing+maiden+3.jpg" width="212" /></a>In order to get a black tea (the kind I prefer most of all), the leaves have to be allowed to oxidize and dehydrate (thanks to Wikipedia for such a complete and procedural description of the variations in tea leaf processing). There are a variety of teas that result from different curing or "fermenting" options including white, yellow, red, black, and oolong. Amazing really when I thought these were all different types of tea plant and not just the way in which they are processed after picking. Sounds like there will be a lot of experimenting to find the method that we like best.<br />
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On a day when the news is devastatingly awful and we lament for the lives lost in Japan and Christchurch and Libya, six little Blushing Maidens give me hope that life is full of good surprises and optimism. <br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1580087450&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0500251460&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-15983204645880671992011-03-10T17:12:00.000-08:002011-03-10T17:12:43.809-08:00In the beginning.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1wjiiX8bDhRwaMuU7LWfh_j3dLor6vfLq0NLxJIcb63SyQZJJXNujSkkyzv-7uAp5sPHNEJ0-SWvUpzNT4CepAmcnqg9cSBOnkEJPA7jbTF05jNhbOv01AalmI5wWekl-wIkTBm3etJQ/s1600/tomato+flower+in+aerogarden+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1wjiiX8bDhRwaMuU7LWfh_j3dLor6vfLq0NLxJIcb63SyQZJJXNujSkkyzv-7uAp5sPHNEJ0-SWvUpzNT4CepAmcnqg9cSBOnkEJPA7jbTF05jNhbOv01AalmI5wWekl-wIkTBm3etJQ/s320/tomato+flower+in+aerogarden+2011.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>...there were seeds. This year, I am growing more heirloom and saved seeds instead purchasing started plants at a nursery. Nursery stock is just too expensive and I can't get the wide variety available in seed form. Gerry and I have already been to one Seedy Saturday and have two more to go before the end of the month. These great events provide a wide variety of seeds, plants, and learning as well as connecting you with the amazing people growing things in your community. Here in the Cowichan Valley we are especially blessed by the numbers of people who are passionate about small scale food production and their efforts pay us all big dividends.<br />
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So far I have planted Amish Paste, Purple Calabash, Red Pear and Yellow Pear tomatoes and a green Tomatillo. The Purple Calabash apparently can thrive in shade so I will give a couple to my daughter downstairs to put out on her deck. I love tomatoes for their variety and their versatility, even though I am not terribly fond of eating them raw. Put them in a sauce or salsa however, and I'm in!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mvnsBnD5_h-x1AO16e8ArzEaaMITRGS1pPbmgSgvUF-xbGXy8uJxx6LzW-qZ0557dUNqIXKr8mujBJAKd615aIl6jrlYw6BaXtwbsIeMg2KU7Nv5zu5mXPKQRjb8apsLDHcyNc1HMvyt/s1600/windowsill+seedlings+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5mvnsBnD5_h-x1AO16e8ArzEaaMITRGS1pPbmgSgvUF-xbGXy8uJxx6LzW-qZ0557dUNqIXKr8mujBJAKd615aIl6jrlYw6BaXtwbsIeMg2KU7Nv5zu5mXPKQRjb8apsLDHcyNc1HMvyt/s200/windowsill+seedlings+2011.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp-5aZa9w8A5X5HzAMSTaJ63B40yp-tIHidVD6lzlVRc2Qk7hfBYqh-7CAvEBa_p3qXfm4KouFalBVjsY3X4BMiTu_yiOWL2DC8uP6CVDE7gGtxrCre16TlTL8QMziPcKtytlUeVPvizT/s1600/starting+seeds+1+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbp-5aZa9w8A5X5HzAMSTaJ63B40yp-tIHidVD6lzlVRc2Qk7hfBYqh-7CAvEBa_p3qXfm4KouFalBVjsY3X4BMiTu_yiOWL2DC8uP6CVDE7gGtxrCre16TlTL8QMziPcKtytlUeVPvizT/s200/starting+seeds+1+2011.jpg" width="200" /></a>The seeds have gone into little window sill starter greenhouses that I found a Buckerfields and I am going to experiment. Two of them are placed in close proximity to the <i>Aerogardens </i>that provide our winter fresh tomatoes and herbs (and the great picture of a tomato blossom in March that leads this blog posting) while one will be put in an actual windowsill. I want to see if there light from the Aerogardens really gives plants a boost.<br />
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My heavy lifter (gardener) was here today scoping out the cedars that I want removed and this weekend I will gather a couple bare root apple trees for planting. Bob and Verna Duncan at Fruit Trees n' More are the growers from whom we purchased our Meyer Lemon, Desert King Fig and Bearss Lime trees last year. This year, they are providing a Cox Orange Pippin, a Courtland apple and six Tea bushes. I have been looking for these Tea bushes for a while so that we can replace store bought tea with home grown. I am just ecstatic about finally finding a supplier -- Yea Bob and Verna! Tea bushes are actually the <i>camellia sinensis </i>bush and I know of another grower in our area who has planted them. I am going to put them along the house so that they have some protection from weather. I will have to bring in soil to boost the pathetic skimming of it that is on our property otherwise the trees will stress out and likely die. Sometimes living on rock just isn't easy.<br />
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If you are ever in the Deep Cove area of Sidney BC, check out their place. They have a citrus orchard that will amaze you and even sell marmalade made from oranges, lemons and limes grown on their propety! All this from a moderate zone climate that has lots of winter! Amazing.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1882424581&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>After the difficult spring and summer we all had last year, I am looking forward to a season of life, growing, warmth, and joy.<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-27771602879135867772011-03-04T11:24:00.000-08:002011-03-04T11:24:37.902-08:00Fermentation -- Alive and Bubbling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E4Iy5mEJUcrcZrvG05SQ8RY8dnocAtGRkAfqeC_S7Iw3ylIeuA5xi30_D73fykCk3JeE93dGaXK_gplaKXBqdXZelhasQyXsxQBD1XkbrAoPCrAvGcxEAbtK2FaqRo5_c-PeyW2nhOMJ/s1600/sauerkraut+and+kimchi+together+at+last.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5E4Iy5mEJUcrcZrvG05SQ8RY8dnocAtGRkAfqeC_S7Iw3ylIeuA5xi30_D73fykCk3JeE93dGaXK_gplaKXBqdXZelhasQyXsxQBD1XkbrAoPCrAvGcxEAbtK2FaqRo5_c-PeyW2nhOMJ/s320/sauerkraut+and+kimchi+together+at+last.jpg" width="320" /></a>A friend of mine recently turned up her nose at my endeavor to make kimchi -- that bastion of Korean cuisine that ferments numerous vegetables, spices and salt into a savory staple. She thought a) it was way too much work and b) that fermenting anything just meant that it was rotten.<br />
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On the contrary to my contrary friend, fermentation is an ancient practice of preserving and improving foodstuffs. In fact, our bodies crave the healthy bacteria that form when food is fermented.<br />
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While many more people have likely tried making homemade wine (fermented grapes) or beer (fermented barley) recently, there is a bit of a renaissance around my community in fermenting other foods. Recently the Eco-Village (http://ourecovillage.org) put on a course for making Sauerkraut and Kombucha. Kefir and yogurt is made by many, so it isn't really much of a stretch to try out kimchi.<br />
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When my daughter and I went to northern Japan in 2001, it was kimchi not sushi that was most predominant on the menu. Not only is kimchi inexpensive to make in a market where food is very costly, but it is incredibly flavourful, easy, and great for your body.<br />
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Fermented foods, according to Sandor Katz my fermentation guru, "are quite literally alive with flavor and nutrition" (<i>Wild Fermentation</i> pg. 5). And he is quite right. The flavour from fermented foods is unparalleled. A good sauerkraut can enliven even the dullest mashed potato. It is a tonic for the body carrying massive vitamin C and microbes that help supply vital cultures to your digestive system. Come on now, many of you already eat live culture yogurt from the store so don't be afraid. Add to that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization confirms that fermentation improves the bioavailability of minerals in food They are, quite basically, more available to be absorbed by your body (<i>Wild Fermentation </i>pg 6).<br />
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Fermented food is not rotten. It is transformed. Yes it takes some time and preparation. But it is not wasted labour. A spoonful of sauerkraut daily energizes me. The fact that I can produce it on my counter with limited effort, watch it transmutate from shredded cabbage to something quite other is remarkable.<br />
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A jar of kimchi now sits proudly beside my sauerkraut, bubbling away while all else in the world seems dormant. The smells from it are wonderful. Heady with garlic, ginger and chilis, it is a creative concoction of chinese cabbage, bok choy, leeks, daikon, red radish, and carrot -- all things that can be grown in my garden and preserved for the long winters without fresh. It is a fragrantly welcome addition to our sufficiency lifestytle.<br />
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Here is the recipe for Kimchi as given by Sandor Katz. His book Wild Fermentation is a gem of information on fermenting all types of food and a really good read.<br />
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Baechu (Cabbage) Kimchi: Timeframe 1 week or longer<br />
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For 1 quart of Kimchi:<br />
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Sea Salt<br />
1 lb/500 grams Chinese Cabbage<br />
1 daikon radish (and/or red radishes)<br />
1 to 2 carrots<br />
1 to 2 onions and/or leeks and/or a few scallions and/or shallots (or more)<br />
3-4 cloves garlic<br />
3 to 4 hot red chilis or 3-4 tsps of chili flakes depending on your taste<br />
3 tbp fresh grated ginger<br />
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1. Mix a brine of about 4 cups water (non-chlorinated) and 4 tbsp of salt. Stir well to dissolve.<br />
2. Coarsely chop the cabbage, slice the radish and carrots and let the vegetables soak in the brine overnight.<br />
3. Prepare spices. Grate the ginger; chop the garlic and onion; remove seed from fresh chilis. Kimchi can absord a lot of spice so play with it.<br />
4. Drain brine off vegetables, reserving the brine. Taste the vegetables. If too salty, rinse with cool water. If you can't taste the salt, sprinkle with a couple teaspoons of salt and mix.<br />
5. Mix the vegetables with the ginger-chili-garlic-onion paste. Mix everything together thoroughly and stuff it into a clean quart-size jar. Pack it tightly into the jar, pressing down until the brine rises. If necessary, add a little of the brine to submerge the vegetables. Weight the vegetables down with a smaller jar or a zip-lock baggie filled with brine. Or if you think you can remember to check the kimchi every day, you can just use your (clean!) fingers to push the vegetables back under the brine.<br />
6. Ferment in your kitchen or other warm place. Taste the kimchi every day. After about a week of fermentation, when it tastes ripe, move it to the refrigerator. An alternative and more traditional method is to ferment kimchi more slowly and with more salt in a cool spot, such as a hole in the ground, or a cellar or other cool place.<br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1931498237&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Give it a try. I am sure you will be pleased with the results!<br />
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ChrisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-52061484806309173212011-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:002011-02-23T10:28:03.100-08:00Staff of life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LCPEYwaMrpzldKKU5wDVH6GoJMaeW72G5MCQKrfIVYNE1qyupX-XYgW0ZgXXUWPairJy2RWyWS5Gw99JOmTxB3D2Vc2gz6tlnl-Pb5GOE6yGtuMDT4OVssAwIpJh61GSrTcdz442aHPH/s1600/artisan+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LCPEYwaMrpzldKKU5wDVH6GoJMaeW72G5MCQKrfIVYNE1qyupX-XYgW0ZgXXUWPairJy2RWyWS5Gw99JOmTxB3D2Vc2gz6tlnl-Pb5GOE6yGtuMDT4OVssAwIpJh61GSrTcdz442aHPH/s320/artisan+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In my family of origin, bread was our religion. My maternal grandmother only ever bought a commercial loaf called "Hollywood Bread" and there was great angst when we could no longer find it available. My paternal grandmother considered a thick slice of homemade white bread with butter and jam as dessert and ate it with a smacking gusto that remains one of my favourite memories.<br />
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In a long-ago post, I began a sourdough starter trying, finally, to get one to work. Using the methods outlined at http://sourdough.com I now have to lovely living starters, one white and one whole wheat, in the kitchen. I try to make two loaves a week from them and experiment occasionally with other things such as pancakes, cinnamon buns and, for the last couple of days, I have finally gathered the courage to do an artisan loaf.<br />
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What does courage have to do with bread you might ask? Well, artisan bread is a real commitment. While my humble daily loaves take a maximum of 20 minutes to put together (not including the 10 minutes spent the day before making the sponge or baking time), an artisan loaf requires some attention on each of four days. For the complete process see http://sourdough.com/recipes/pain-l%E2%80%99ancienne-two-modified-versions but basically you make a wet dough on day one, let it rest overnight in the fridge. Day two, fold it in half and put back into fridge. Day three take it out in the evening and each hour for 4-5 hours stretch it out and fold it, then put back in bowl to rest. Then after 5 stretches, put into a banneton (a very odd looking wooden oblong bowl) that gives artisans that distinctive oval shape and ridged crust. and set back into fridge for its final sleep. Morning of day 4 bake in a steamy oven at 420 F for 15 minutes and 410 F for 30 minutes. Voila, an artisan bread with the romantic name of Pain a l'Ancienne! Doesn't that just scream for a good cheese and red wine by the fire?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGWNsz2jP5KVi8CIzt3gnkfQJn2j-EkI9IJmSfav5WIB_UYk4-TQfK7qHSBqLbgMED7_3MgwLvqQ7s5CDb_eU-5APajbiUp8vkfx0pdUR6zF0hhMizn6Q4EynenWAIz9-8ZhKn_b9hyqP/s1600/artisan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGWNsz2jP5KVi8CIzt3gnkfQJn2j-EkI9IJmSfav5WIB_UYk4-TQfK7qHSBqLbgMED7_3MgwLvqQ7s5CDb_eU-5APajbiUp8vkfx0pdUR6zF0hhMizn6Q4EynenWAIz9-8ZhKn_b9hyqP/s320/artisan+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Ok so maybe the work load isn't that tough but just try remembering the stretch and fold routine while you are engrossed in a good book or movie!<br />
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Anyway, it turned out. Not exactly as pretty as the bakery loaves (more John Merrick than Angelina Jolie) but a good honest loaf. Now to figure out what to slather on it??<br />
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For those of you who prefer to gather your culinary expertise from a good book, try Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. It is a treasure-trove of bread varieties and methods. It was gifted to me by a friend from Honeymoon Bay and remains one of my favourite cookbooks. Not for the faint of heart but worth the adventure!<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0812969677&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe> Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-23637273929925824532011-02-21T13:50:00.000-08:002011-02-21T13:50:30.973-08:00In anticipation of bees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn83uF47Hckb0TToZ0jX_RdjHw1MBDp7KtDbJNIzgvpyABVlqNjvMC9rA487SzHaJ8a3n4fXdJ5Sd5QA2v6JnvXgf6z7Ge3pcjPtO9iz8lUpD9Dp0WtV4TQvRwBWxZVLx-aDVZqJvGE1HS/s1600/HoneyBee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn83uF47Hckb0TToZ0jX_RdjHw1MBDp7KtDbJNIzgvpyABVlqNjvMC9rA487SzHaJ8a3n4fXdJ5Sd5QA2v6JnvXgf6z7Ge3pcjPtO9iz8lUpD9Dp0WtV4TQvRwBWxZVLx-aDVZqJvGE1HS/s320/HoneyBee.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I have always been fascinated by bees. Their ability to transport their tiny bodies, laden with the pollen of summer flowers, on wings too tiny for flight is, truly, awe inspiring. Bees, in fact, shouldn't be able to fly at all. In 1934, it was recorded that bees defied all the laws of aerodynamics. But there they were, humming busily between the calendulas, apple blossoms, and bee balm, blissfully unaware that they should be treading about on the ground.<br />
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It wasn't until last night watching "Richard Hammond's Invisible Worlds" (and the groundbreaking slow motion photography of Michael H. Dickinson that sorted all this out in 2006) that I learned what a feat of aviation marvel bees perform. During flight, their bumpy half-drunken flight, they actually use short choppy high speed flapping and twist their wings so that both the backward and forward motions create lift. For their body size, their flapping is outrageously fast. Nothing short of amazing! <br />
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But really amazes me about bees is honey. I love honey. Its gooey goldenness on a spoon was used by my mom as a cough suppressant when I was a child. An evening of laboured coughing was invariably met by a spoonful of sweet goodness to be sucked. I don't actually know if there is any medicinal benefit to honey in this use, but the slow coating of my throat seemed to help. I would drift off to sleep comforted at least.<br />
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For my children, when they were young and wouldn't swallow a pill, I would often crush it up and hide it in a thick dollop of honey on a spoon. One upping Mary Poppins' spoonful of sugar, I felt much better giving the kids something a little closer to the garden than the factory.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-38ZIw2d4vik/TWLdBzRB4CI/AAAAAAAAAFU/s1600/HoneyBee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>So tonight, I extend my affair with bees on their terms. I enrolled in a beekeeping course and have been looking to the first night for weeks. I have a spot picked out for the first of possibly several hives right along the drainage ravine that runs beside our house. It is thick with blackberry brambles and promises a sweet and dusky honey reminiscent of a forest in late August. If you ever had the chance to be in a Pacific coast forest late summer, you know the smell I mean...hot, musky, and above all blackberry scented. <br />
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</a></div>As part of my overall yard revamping, my adopted children will gain a place of honour and we will have to spend many a day pondering their needs, their society, and their work. And while the payoff of honey may take until next year to really flow (pardon the pun!) we will likely have a little reward by early Fall this year. They will also be the deciding factor for future plantings. Everything in the little land around our house will now be chosen with their bee friendly nature in mind. <br />
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Then the big decisions will come. Mead or gifts? How much do we hoard away for ourselves? What can I do to take out the sugar and substitute honey in my baking and cooking? What kind of jars would be best to give away at Christmas. Like the bees, I will be flapping quite hard here for a while. <br />
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(Thanks to IslandMoments Newsletter Jan/Feb2010 for the gorgeous bee picture at the top of the blog!)<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B0046ZNX5E&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=modernsu-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1929832311&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6053431368016230476.post-794215103722557212011-02-19T12:44:00.000-08:002011-02-19T12:47:16.616-08:00A Magic Geranium Day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Pq10g5Ow5dXGHJpsA4nxGX3XSa4w-ix32PkSXuKqVmubm4w6kVdB4gSLyJbtkyn-o_8jWMaCywOUfUPZfiY8PpE_WSt9Fa-I5P7nm4cEqnJhKZIo2BoGj3DwVyRPfFNlkUYD7CUwY0nw/s1600/basil+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Pq10g5Ow5dXGHJpsA4nxGX3XSa4w-ix32PkSXuKqVmubm4w6kVdB4gSLyJbtkyn-o_8jWMaCywOUfUPZfiY8PpE_WSt9Fa-I5P7nm4cEqnJhKZIo2BoGj3DwVyRPfFNlkUYD7CUwY0nw/s320/basil+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Today the sun is out. After a long and sometimes oppressive winter, hope and energy have returned. The song birds woke me up this morning and I have been like a windup toy ever since. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/READ-ALOUD-FUNNY-STORIES-THAYER/dp/B000HZTJL4?ie=UTF8&tag=modernsu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><br />
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Noticing that it is threatening to take over the small hydroponic operation we have going, I have made a basil marinade for some pork chops that will be bbq'd for dinner tonight. Then I excavated the kitchen counter from the miscellaneous build up of things that should be elsewhere and sorted and cleaned up parts of the garage that were beginning to take on a life of their own. The sun really is my "<i>Magic Geranium</i>" (If you have never read this story, you really must look it, and its author Jane Thayer, up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/READ-ALOUD-FUNNY-STORIES-THAYER/dp/B000HZTJL4?ie=UTF8&tag=modernsu-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">READ ALOUD FUNNY STORIES</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=modernsu-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000HZTJL4" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" />)<br />
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But sunny days are for outside work so I called the gardener who does my heavy lifting to tell him of seven junipers that have to go to make way for plants that produce food. There will be fruit trees down the east side of the house and on the west side of the back yard where we removed a rotten old and unused deck. The fig tree we bought last year will find a place of honour in the front garden and a new herb bed is brewing in my mind. Some serious planning will have to occur to fend off the voracious deer but I think we can win that battle. The lemon tree (now sitting in the garage with the lime waiting for an end to the -3 overnight temperatures) is full of buds that give hope for a fragrant and delicious summer.Can you imagine the joy of a hot day paired a Hendicks gin and tonic and a garnish of your own lemon and lime wedges? <br />
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This week the local food security org in town (www.cowichangreencommunity.org) is coming to start the design of my vegetable garden. We are going to revamp an overgrown and unused part of the yard for some raised beds and my bees. Hopefully they will be coming mid to end of March so I need to have a lovely site created for them. I can hardly wait for the hypnotic drone of my little workers and the sweet glory that they create. There will be at least one batch of mead bubbling away by the fireside for us this winter. <br />
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This year I committed to seeing how far along the self-sufficiency path two full time jobs, my feeble elbows, and our astronomy hobby (for which we spend our entire summer vacations travelling) would allow. I want the work of self-sufficiency to be sustainable too. Much too often I have started something and made it so much work it was un-sustainable considering our life.I want to avoid this and see just how much we can do for ourselves.The sunshine today just affirms that it was the right decision.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com