Is it Brandy Yet?

Yes. It's brandy.

Apricot brandy.

I started it about two months ago, maybe three. All those apricots that filled our CSA box had to be used somehow. So they went into jars with vodka and sugar, for several weeks of turning up and down.

Now it's brandy*.

And very good, if I do say so, myself.


What happened to the apricots? Those luscious little gems were simmered with a little butter and tucked away to use as a topping for cakes or ice cream. They are potent buggers!

*Well, more like a fruit liqueur, but why quibble?

Meet your greens, part 3: Taking the stand against the veggilantes

These articles over at Ethicurian show the nuts and bolts of food policy as the USDA holds hearings on vegetable marketing. Regulation is important; the problem is that policy is written from the assumption that Great Big Monoculture is the best way to grow food. This approach is a death knell to sustainable farming practices.

The thing is: if we don't learn to live "sustainably," we're heading for a meltdown of civilization, with an environment that's so degraded, the survivors of said meltdown simply might not pull through.

This is part 3 - it would be a good idea to link back to parts 1 and 2. And if you have time, read some of the links.

Meet your greens, part 3: Taking the stand against the veggilantes

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Here It Is:

The first pumpkin of the season.

I cooked it this morning. What shall I do with it? Pie? Soup? Ravioli?

We had another yummy dinner the other day. Sometimes the simplest things can be done. I had some cod, but didn't want to do the usual fry or bake, and anyway, I was low on veggies to go with it. Shocking, I know, but there it is.

I had some fresh noodles in the frig, so I put on some water to boil them, then sauteed the fish in a skillet until it was just done. I took out the fish and added olive oil and lots of garlic. Oh, and a generous sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Then I added some white wine and let it simmer for a while. After throwing in a splash of lime juice (no lemon), I broke the fish up into pieces and added it to the pan, then the noodles, and the small bit of leftover chard I had in the frig. That wasn't enough green for me, so I went hunting in the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas. A couple of handfuls of those added some good nutrients.

This was so good, served with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a nice white wine. I'm having the leftovers for lunch!

Chicken and leftovers

Yummy chicken last night. We were able to get a couple of birds from Soul Food Farm and I cooked one of them for dinner. It's been HOT here, so I did not want to turn on the oven. So I "roasted" it on the stove by browning it in some olive oil and cooking it in a sauce for an hour.

I used some enchilada sauce that was in my freezer. I think my step-daughter-in-law made the sauce when they were here in May. It was great! I served it over polenta - I was going to make spoon bread, but remember about the oven?

Rounded the meal out with steamed chard and a margarita.

Lovely.

Fire at Soul Food Farm

I love to buy chickens and eggs from this farm, and this is heartbreaking news. I'll be helping them out, for sure!

http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/09/04/soul-food-fire/

Practicing What I Preach

Connection problems are driving me crazy. I wanted to post this several days ago, but I just now got back on...

I'm always harping on joining a CSA and eating whatever's in your box. A lot of people have a problem with that. They don't like to try new things.

Generally, I'm adventurous enough that I like to try new foods. But I do have a few things I can do without, EVER.

Like black-eyed peas.

They've never done it for me. I don't actively hate them, but I'll walk several blocks to avoid them.

Yep, you guessed it. Last week's box had fresh black-eyed peas.

I figured it wouldn't kill me to eat them. And the information sheet in the box had a nice little recipe, so...

I shelled the peas (that was fun, seeing how patient I am), then chopped up an onion, a bell pepper, a couple of garlic cloves, some tomatoes... that's all I remember.

I sauteed the veggies (except for the tomatoes) for a minute or two, then added the peas and tomatoes. I also threw in a bit of chicken broth to give it enough moisture. At the end, I added some fresh corn. Take a look:










Then I made cornbread:











You know what? This tasted GOOD! Rick thought a little pork would nice, and he's right. I may toss in some sausage when we have the leftovers.

Was it because the peas were fresh, that I liked this? I don't know. But if I'm going to eat black-eyed peas, I'm sticking with this simple recipe.

Bacon Success

It's bacon!

This stuff is so good, that once again, I'm flummoxed trying to understand why people of a certain bygone generation ever let themselves be seduced away from Real Food.

I truly do not understand it. This was not even very hard to do, although I realize I have a refrigerator and an oven and plastic bags... maybe it was a little harder for our ancestors.

After its day of rest in the frig, getting nice and dry, I put the bacon in the oven, 200 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours. I tested it with a thermometer and took it out when it got to 150 degrees.









Then I started slicing. This takes patience...









Of course, as the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer, I had to fry some up and make sure it passed the Taste Test:







Isn't that gorgeous?






Here's the pile of sliced bacon:








I wrapped these in packages of four slices, since two each is the most we can have at one serving (proving I do TRY to show constraint). It all went into the freezer to await Saturday morning pancakes.

The taste was deep and rich. Next time, I will probably use less mixture - less salt and less sugar. I may even leave the sugar out and keep it savory, trying out various herbs. I definitely want to do this again!