Strawberry Jam Ladle {Wordless Wednesday}
I make the jam, she cleans the ladle, I try to photograph my reflection in the ladle - just another afternoon at Chez Hound. Tomorrow, I'll post a review of the Tattler reusable lids I used during canning the strawberry jam.
Marvelous Mint {Wordy Wednesday}
Mint is a weed by any definition. Many gardeners even consider it invasive - the stuff will fill a space and beyond.
Our patch resides in a bed alongside the house bordered by the sidewalk. For the most part, this contains the spread and last year oregano actually overtook some of the mint zone.
We "tend" (mint actually requires no work) our mint madness because we love the herb. Lil eats the leaves fresh like salad greens and makes them into nests and garden sculptures.
I harvest fresh leaves frequently for drinks and dessert garnishes. At least once a year I fill the dehydrator, crushing the dried leaves for tea.
When mint flowers in late summer, bees and other pollinators 'sup on the nectar while my family enjoys the petite purple blooms.
Despite it's overgrowing habit, I'm mad for mint.
Do you grow mint? If so, how do you enjoy it?
Links I Love {Friday Five}
I apologize for another list post but my mind is stuck on them right now. I have gift lists, guest lists, and grocery lists scattered around the house. When not making or checking off my lists, I read these five great articles this week:
1) It's For You, Teacher Tom is a sweet reflection in the true meaning of gift giving, as observed with preschoolers.
2) If I Do Something Bad, Will You Still Love Me? by Amy Turn Sharp makes me feel all funny inside. She can do that with the shortest stories and I am always amazed.
3) The Chicken In The Snow is Lil's latest blog post. She wrote the comic after we saw a little snowfall and wondered how our chicken Austra must feel.
4) Alex pointed out the Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks and Hacks post by Lifehacker. I hope to find some time to dig through all the ideas soon.
5) I was thrilled to see my name among the Charcutepalooza Semi-Finalists list. I am so appreciative of those who followed along and supported my meaty writing. If you liked my posts, click through to some of the other sites - I'm among some amazing bloggers!
Did you read anything great this week?
Pork Pie Photo Journal {Charcutepalooza}
Click any picture to view full size.
1. Butter, homemade lamb lard, and flour. 2. Fats cut into flour. 3. Chopping homegrown onions. 4. Mixing egg and water for pastry. 5. Pastry dough on plastic, ready to chill. 6. Pastry dough chilling in fridge. 7. Grinder cooling in freezer. 8. Onions sweating in olive oil. 9. Chopping pork butt. 10. Lil picking fresh thyme. 11. Herb, salt, and pepper mix. 12. Bowls ready to grind. 13. Meat grinding. 14. Tattoo and ground meat. 15. Adding onions. 16. Aromatics and onions. 17. Binding. 18. Adding homemade chicken stock to bind. 19. Sausage complete. 20. Rolling set up. 21. Cutting dough. 22. Rolling pastry. 23. Getting ready to place meat. 24. Shaping meat on dough. 25. Meat on pastry. 26. Pastry trimmed. 27. Edges folded up. 28. Top on. 29. Egg washing. 30. Dirty dishes. 31. Cutting crackers from scrap. 32. Dog bone scrap crackers. 33. In oven after 10 minutes. 34. In oven after 30 minutes. 35. Temping. 36. Cooling behind pot barricade. 37. Transferring to plate. 38. Hound shaped top. 39. Hound sniffing. 40. Cooling in fridge. 41. Evening snack with pub ale. 42. Reluctant child. 43. Breakfast slicing. 44. Flaky crust. An epic 7 animal products from 4 species, 3 cooks, 6 hours.
This photo journal is our entry in the September Charcutepalooza challenge: packing. We used the recipe from Michael Ruhlman's book Charcuterie, substituting a small portion of home cured bacon for the ham and omitting aspic. We found the flavor and method to be spot on but the dough recipe made at least 30% more than necessary.
Additional Charcutepalooza posts:
How to Make Hot Dogs Like a Girl
Mint Lamb Sausage Inspired by Jorgensen Farms
Red's Canadian Bacon or Why I Had to Kill a Pig To Eat Meat Again
Wordless Wednesday: 30 Day Photo Challenges
Bitter Cucumbers {Friday Five}
Lots of awesome things happened around the homestead today: we pickled homegrown peperoncini peppers, filled the basil jar with dried basil, made stuffed sausage, put cabbage into a crock for sauerkraut, and brined pork belly. In the evening I convinced Alex to clear out the cornichon cucumber patch because they were past their prime. What happened with the excess cukes? Witness the unscripted madness:
1) Take a bite to confirm it's bitter. The cuke is indeed sharper than my grandmother talking about health insurance coverage.
2) Pose for goofy pictures with cucumber props.
3) Practice bludgeoning.
4) Give the chickens a snack.
5) Fire up the air cannon. What?! Your family doesn't have a pneumatic potato gun?
Luminescence
When one prepares an ingredient from raw to plate, one learns all the secrets:
where succulent flesh gives way to stone,
the bitterest part of the leaf,
how light shines through fat.
It's a gift, to know a thing through and through.