I've been missing seeing the lone turkey that sometimes marches through my backyard. This afternoon, I noticed two squirrels going crazy, running in circles around a tree, and jumping in the air as if to get my attention. Behind the tree I noticed a familiar tail - my turkey was back!
Then another head poked out of the bushes, and I realized that my turkey had a girlfriend....wait...more movement, and I see little turkeys! Three, four, six...eight? No way! Final count was 10 baby turkeys out for a stroll with Mom and Pop.
The two squirrels were like court jesters, doing cartwheels and somersaults for the swamp royal court, and heralding the arrival of Their Majesties and the royal heirs. After the family and squirrels walked the length of the swamp, they retired to their swamp palace for the day.
What a great way to cap off the weekend!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
First Produce Delivery of the Summer
This summer I'm supporting a local organic farm by purchasing a share in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). For money up front, I get deliveries every other week of whatever is in season.
This week's box contained Spinach, Mixed Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Baby Bokchoy, Daikon Radishes, Garlic Scapes, and Strawberries.
I had to do some surfing on the internet to find out what some of these things even were, but went to work planning the weekend's menu. A couple of weeks ago I purchased a leg of lamb from a local farmer, and had that in the crock pot rubbed with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. I threw in a couple of new potatoes and onions and let it cook on low for 9 hours. But what to do with this bounty of fresh from the garden produce?
A mixed salad was up first. I used the lettuce greens, some of the radishes and spinach, and sliced up some red onion, baby cukes, and carrots that I had in the fridge. For the dressing, I used about a tablespoon of fresh dill from my garden, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a splash of red wine vinegar, and about 1/2 c. olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. I threw a package of feta cheese into the dressing, and added to the salad right before serving.
I had never used Bok Choy before, much less the baby version, so I went to the web for some ideas. I ended up cooking a few slices of bacon, removing them from the pan, adding a bit of olive oil and some chopped onions, and then the bok choy (whole). I put the lid on the pan and let them cook for about 4 minutes, removed the lid and let them cook a few minutes more. I added them to a serving platter with the lamb and potatoes.
We're planning to go on the boat today, so I made a Napa Cabbage Slaw by rolling the cabbage leaves up and thinly slicing them. To that I added a bunch of chopped green onions and the rest of the radishes (I used a veggie peeler to shred them). Separately, I melted a stick of butter, 2 T sesame seeds, a package of slivered almonds, and a package of ramen noodles all broken up. I threw that on a pizza plate and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning often. When it got nice and brown I took it out, cooled it, and added it to a separate container.
For the slaw dressing, 3/4 c. vegetable oil, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 c. sugar were brought to a boil until the sugar melted. That was cooled too in a separate container. When we're ready for lunch I'll add the crunchies and the dressing and toss. We're also planning on having grilled shrimp (we have a grill on the boat, how cool is that?) and whatever snacks we wrangle up (there's a couple of strawberries left over, and snow peas are always good).
Gotta love the bounty of summer!
I had to do some surfing on the internet to find out what some of these things even were, but went to work planning the weekend's menu. A couple of weeks ago I purchased a leg of lamb from a local farmer, and had that in the crock pot rubbed with rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. I threw in a couple of new potatoes and onions and let it cook on low for 9 hours. But what to do with this bounty of fresh from the garden produce?
A mixed salad was up first. I used the lettuce greens, some of the radishes and spinach, and sliced up some red onion, baby cukes, and carrots that I had in the fridge. For the dressing, I used about a tablespoon of fresh dill from my garden, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a splash of red wine vinegar, and about 1/2 c. olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. I threw a package of feta cheese into the dressing, and added to the salad right before serving.
I had never used Bok Choy before, much less the baby version, so I went to the web for some ideas. I ended up cooking a few slices of bacon, removing them from the pan, adding a bit of olive oil and some chopped onions, and then the bok choy (whole). I put the lid on the pan and let them cook for about 4 minutes, removed the lid and let them cook a few minutes more. I added them to a serving platter with the lamb and potatoes.
We're planning to go on the boat today, so I made a Napa Cabbage Slaw by rolling the cabbage leaves up and thinly slicing them. To that I added a bunch of chopped green onions and the rest of the radishes (I used a veggie peeler to shred them). Separately, I melted a stick of butter, 2 T sesame seeds, a package of slivered almonds, and a package of ramen noodles all broken up. I threw that on a pizza plate and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, turning often. When it got nice and brown I took it out, cooled it, and added it to a separate container.
For the slaw dressing, 3/4 c. vegetable oil, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 c. sugar were brought to a boil until the sugar melted. That was cooled too in a separate container. When we're ready for lunch I'll add the crunchies and the dressing and toss. We're also planning on having grilled shrimp (we have a grill on the boat, how cool is that?) and whatever snacks we wrangle up (there's a couple of strawberries left over, and snow peas are always good).
Gotta love the bounty of summer!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A Darn Good Night
Yesterday I awoke with stomach cramps and felt pukey - even had to lay down for an hour. But I took three Advil and got up and went back to work. I had put chili in the crockpot, and was planning to make Emeril's cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped hotdogs to with it. And cornbread muffins. I invited my friend Jane and her daughter Kirsten to join us for supper - they really wanted to experience a good campground campfire, and it looked like we might have one if the weather held.
My brother Bruce had been in Mitchell, South Dakota (home of the famous Corn Palace) most of the week, and wasn't expected home until around 9 pm. And Emily and Sarah, Bruce's daughters, weren't coming to the lake this weekend for various reasons. So supper would be just the girls - me, sister-in-law Monica, Jane, and Kirsten.
And then my niece Maureen called me, and asked if her family could come visit on their way to their cabin on Ottertail Lake.
"Of course!", I said, mentally tallying what food I had, and if it was enough to feed 2 more adults and 2 children. "Stay for supper!"
And then Bruce got out of his class early, so he was headed to the lake, and would make supper too. So at 5 pm I moved all the food to his camper, where he has a spacious deck and large dining set. I plugged the crockpot in outside, and put the wieners in the fridge, then sat back and waited for everyone to arrive.
Maureen, Jesse, Andy, and Woody were first on the scene. We hung at my house for awhile so they could admire my garden and try the newest flavor of Diet Snapple. Then I took them all over to Bruce's camper on his golf cart. Soon after that Jane and her daughter arrived, and lastly Monica came, straight from work. Bruce fired up the grill, I cooked the wieners and we all ate until we were stuffed.
Bruce told a story from our childhood. The first word Bruce and I had ever learned how to spell was Mississippi. We used to spell it out loud all the time, in a sing-song rhythm. Now Mom used to wax our wood floors once a week, on Dad's bowling night, which as it happened was also our bath night. After the floors were waxed and cleaned, Mom would get us ready for our bath by stripping us down to our socks. Bruce and I would escape and run, sliding down the slick hallway in our socks, spelling M i s s i s s i p p i at the top of our lungs.
That wonderful little game ended when I picked up a sliver in my foot big enough to necessitate a trip to the doctor to have it removed, along with my very first tetanus shot.
A gang of little kids came running down the gravel road - we knew all but one of them. Soon after, their parents came by on their golf carts and we sat on the deck and visited a little bit. Maureen and her family had to go, and I got hugs from all. Then Ryleigh, a little girl from the campground, wanted me to pick her up for a hug too. She hugged me hard and kissed my cheek.
Mothers and fathers took their kiddos home to get their pajamas on, and then it was campfire time. Bruce has a great setup - a big yard ending at the swamp, and woods on one side. He's parked an old fridge in a shed on the edge of the swamp, where the beer and pop are kept. The wood for the fire is stacked neatly (sort of) on the edge of the trees, and so everything is easily within reach.
A small winged creature kept buzzing us, which some people saw and others claimed they didn't. It had to have been a bat or bats, but we hadn't experienced them before, so it was a little creepy. One of the times when someone shrieked seeing it, I looked up and saw a tall shadow move into the shed, which set off all sorts of ghost stories. Later on Shane, one of the campers, said he saw the shadow too.
The marshmallows came out for the S'mores, more wood was piled on the fire, and Kirsten got to break in her new Fleet Farm boots by kicking wood back into the fire pit when it escaped.
A little after midnight everyone said their goodnights and see ya tomorrow's and went home. A very good night indeed.
My brother Bruce had been in Mitchell, South Dakota (home of the famous Corn Palace) most of the week, and wasn't expected home until around 9 pm. And Emily and Sarah, Bruce's daughters, weren't coming to the lake this weekend for various reasons. So supper would be just the girls - me, sister-in-law Monica, Jane, and Kirsten.
And then my niece Maureen called me, and asked if her family could come visit on their way to their cabin on Ottertail Lake.
"Of course!", I said, mentally tallying what food I had, and if it was enough to feed 2 more adults and 2 children. "Stay for supper!"
And then Bruce got out of his class early, so he was headed to the lake, and would make supper too. So at 5 pm I moved all the food to his camper, where he has a spacious deck and large dining set. I plugged the crockpot in outside, and put the wieners in the fridge, then sat back and waited for everyone to arrive.
Maureen, Jesse, Andy, and Woody were first on the scene. We hung at my house for awhile so they could admire my garden and try the newest flavor of Diet Snapple. Then I took them all over to Bruce's camper on his golf cart. Soon after that Jane and her daughter arrived, and lastly Monica came, straight from work. Bruce fired up the grill, I cooked the wieners and we all ate until we were stuffed.
Bruce told a story from our childhood. The first word Bruce and I had ever learned how to spell was Mississippi. We used to spell it out loud all the time, in a sing-song rhythm. Now Mom used to wax our wood floors once a week, on Dad's bowling night, which as it happened was also our bath night. After the floors were waxed and cleaned, Mom would get us ready for our bath by stripping us down to our socks. Bruce and I would escape and run, sliding down the slick hallway in our socks, spelling M i s s i s s i p p i at the top of our lungs.
That wonderful little game ended when I picked up a sliver in my foot big enough to necessitate a trip to the doctor to have it removed, along with my very first tetanus shot.
A gang of little kids came running down the gravel road - we knew all but one of them. Soon after, their parents came by on their golf carts and we sat on the deck and visited a little bit. Maureen and her family had to go, and I got hugs from all. Then Ryleigh, a little girl from the campground, wanted me to pick her up for a hug too. She hugged me hard and kissed my cheek.
Mothers and fathers took their kiddos home to get their pajamas on, and then it was campfire time. Bruce has a great setup - a big yard ending at the swamp, and woods on one side. He's parked an old fridge in a shed on the edge of the swamp, where the beer and pop are kept. The wood for the fire is stacked neatly (sort of) on the edge of the trees, and so everything is easily within reach.
A small winged creature kept buzzing us, which some people saw and others claimed they didn't. It had to have been a bat or bats, but we hadn't experienced them before, so it was a little creepy. One of the times when someone shrieked seeing it, I looked up and saw a tall shadow move into the shed, which set off all sorts of ghost stories. Later on Shane, one of the campers, said he saw the shadow too.
The marshmallows came out for the S'mores, more wood was piled on the fire, and Kirsten got to break in her new Fleet Farm boots by kicking wood back into the fire pit when it escaped.
A little after midnight everyone said their goodnights and see ya tomorrow's and went home. A very good night indeed.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Scorched Earth
I've written before about the neighbor that likes to burn things in his firepit using lots and lots of gasoline. Tuesday he was back, and must have really missed his firepit, because he spent the day ripping out bird houses and burning them, after dousing them with gas. Then he took down a lattice fence that hid his yard tools from sight and threw that in too. Now that the fire was going swell, he threw in his yard tools, including two gas-powered weed eaters! I'm pretty sure I saw some metal chairs on the heap as well.
After the bonfire cooled down the next morning, a large patch of grass around the firepit was gone, and even more of it has been scorched and won't come back. The old man shoveled the contents of the firepit into 2 trash bags and threw them away.
I have a suspicion that this man is getting ready to leave for good. He pulled up concrete stepping stones (I was afraid they were going into the fire too), and I saw him pack some lawn games into the trunk of his car.
I didn't see his wife, but rarely ever do. I heard two years ago that she was suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia (they must be close to 80). They live in Minneapolis (about 3 1/2 hour drive from here), but used to spend most of the summer in their camper.
They've build a screened in porch the whole length of the camper, and painted it in Florida pastels. The old man used to get up early every day and build things, like the bird houses that he so recently burned. Their yard is full of gnomes and signs, and bird houses, and owl statues and other things he's made. I've never been in their camper, but their porch has windchimes hanging from every possible spot.
I imagine that the old man is dismantling their summer life bit by bit, destroying anything that he can't carry home in his sedan car. Just like losing someone you love, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind.
After the bonfire cooled down the next morning, a large patch of grass around the firepit was gone, and even more of it has been scorched and won't come back. The old man shoveled the contents of the firepit into 2 trash bags and threw them away.
I have a suspicion that this man is getting ready to leave for good. He pulled up concrete stepping stones (I was afraid they were going into the fire too), and I saw him pack some lawn games into the trunk of his car.
I didn't see his wife, but rarely ever do. I heard two years ago that she was suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia (they must be close to 80). They live in Minneapolis (about 3 1/2 hour drive from here), but used to spend most of the summer in their camper.
They've build a screened in porch the whole length of the camper, and painted it in Florida pastels. The old man used to get up early every day and build things, like the bird houses that he so recently burned. Their yard is full of gnomes and signs, and bird houses, and owl statues and other things he's made. I've never been in their camper, but their porch has windchimes hanging from every possible spot.
I imagine that the old man is dismantling their summer life bit by bit, destroying anything that he can't carry home in his sedan car. Just like losing someone you love, leaving nothing but scorched earth behind.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Just When You Think It's Over and Done With
But for the last few months, Scottie was losing weight and coughing a lot. I knew something was wrong, and 10 days ago Scottie started breathing funny, wheezing and panting. Being Sunday, I took him to a clinic open every day, 24 hours a day. $700 worth of x-rays and blood work later, I found that he had cancer all throughout his body, and the top of his mouth was being eaten away by the evil stuff.
The poor vet was young, and when I asked her through my tears if it was time, she paused and said, "maybe you could take him home tonight and bring him back tomorrow". I knew she was telling me there was no hope, and there was no way I was going to put Scottie through this stress again. He had already buried his claw in the back of the vet tech's hand and had to be put to sleep just to get his blood.
I was led into a back room, where Scottie was asleep with a gas mask over his nose and an IV in his paw. I told him he was a good cat and that I loved him. I kissed his head and with my hand on his side, the doctor administered the fatal dosage. He breathed one more time, and I felt him go.
I felt such relief when he left - so much so I was able to tell the doctor about his life and the other cats that live with me. I signed the papers releasing his body, paid the bill, and left with an empty cat carrier.
Since then I've done okay - grief comes in waves, and sometimes I wouldn't know when it would hit.
I drove to my Summer Palace and arrived yesterday afternoon. Today, I collected my mail, and there was a letter from Faithful Friends, a local pet cemetery and crematory. They offered their sincere condolences, and enclosed his death certificate, along with two pamphlets on how to deal with the death of a family pet. That wave of grief came crashing down on me again, and I have yet to make it past the first sentence of the first pamphlet. But I will read them, and I'm so grateful that Scottie was taken care of by such caring people.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Cilantro Vindication
When people ask me what foods I don't like, the one rising to the top is invariably cilantro. I don't like the smell or the taste, even though I make dishes with it during the summer for others. Heck, I might even grow it this year just to please my family and friends who think my cilantro aversion is nutty.
Today I read an article in the New York Times about people like me. Here are a few excerpts:
In a television interview in 2002, Larry King asked Julia Child which foods she hated. She responded: “Cilantro and arugula I don’t like at all. They’re both green herbs, they have kind of a dead taste to me.”
“So you would never order it?” Mr. King asked.
“Never,” she responded. “I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.”
The authoritative Oxford Companion to Food notes that the word “coriander” is said to derive from the Greek word for bedbug, that cilantro aroma “has been compared with the smell of bug-infested bedclothes” and that “Europeans often have difficulty in overcoming their initial aversion to this smell.”
Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects.
The senses of smell and taste evolved to evoke strong emotions because they were critical to finding food and mates and avoiding poisons and predators. When we taste a food, the brain searches its memory to find a pattern from past experience that the flavor belongs to. Then it uses that pattern to create a perception of flavor, including an evaluation of its desirability.
If the flavor doesn’t fit a familiar food experience, and instead fits into a pattern that involves chemical cleaning agents and dirt, or crawly insects, then the brain highlights the mismatch and the potential threat to our safety. We react strongly and throw the offending ingredient on the floor where it belongs.
So I'm not crazy. I just have strong genetic memory.
Today I read an article in the New York Times about people like me. Here are a few excerpts:
In a television interview in 2002, Larry King asked Julia Child which foods she hated. She responded: “Cilantro and arugula I don’t like at all. They’re both green herbs, they have kind of a dead taste to me.”
“So you would never order it?” Mr. King asked.
“Never,” she responded. “I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.”
The authoritative Oxford Companion to Food notes that the word “coriander” is said to derive from the Greek word for bedbug, that cilantro aroma “has been compared with the smell of bug-infested bedclothes” and that “Europeans often have difficulty in overcoming their initial aversion to this smell.”
Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects.
The senses of smell and taste evolved to evoke strong emotions because they were critical to finding food and mates and avoiding poisons and predators. When we taste a food, the brain searches its memory to find a pattern from past experience that the flavor belongs to. Then it uses that pattern to create a perception of flavor, including an evaluation of its desirability.
If the flavor doesn’t fit a familiar food experience, and instead fits into a pattern that involves chemical cleaning agents and dirt, or crawly insects, then the brain highlights the mismatch and the potential threat to our safety. We react strongly and throw the offending ingredient on the floor where it belongs.
So I'm not crazy. I just have strong genetic memory.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Community Supported Agriculture
In my last post I mentioned that I've been craving fresh produce. So here's what I did about it.
From Local Harvest, here are the basics of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
Lida Farm offers CSA shares to people in the surrounding area, and I've signed up for their every-other-week option. Starting mid-June, I should start getting fresh fruits and vegetables harvested that day and shipped to me cross-county, not cross-country.
I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited about the opportunity to support a local business and satisfy my cravings at the same time!
From Local Harvest, here are the basics of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.
Lida Farm offers CSA shares to people in the surrounding area, and I've signed up for their every-other-week option. Starting mid-June, I should start getting fresh fruits and vegetables harvested that day and shipped to me cross-county, not cross-country.
I'll let you know how it goes. I'm excited about the opportunity to support a local business and satisfy my cravings at the same time!
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