Seasons Turning Weekend

This weekend was a blur of summer fading to fall.  I put three garden beds to rest, including harvesting peppers and green tomatoes, pulling out honeysuckle and ivy creeping around the fence, and adding to our massive compost heap.

In discussion last night we decided to take advantage of low mortgage interest rates at our favorite credit union.  We hope to sell our Honda Fit and buy a mid 90s Civic or similar, using the car payment difference to refinance the house into a 15 year mortgage. That's not really pertinent, is it?

This morning Alex was planning to start on making molds for the kitchen concrete counter tops.  In reading about how to do so and the necessary steps after, he came across an article about using furniture grade plywood for counter tops.  We have had wood counter tops before and loved them.  In a fit of inspiration ten months in the making, we changed direction and are now going to install cherry veneer counters, and soon!

In the middle of thinking about the counter tops, I received a text from Trish at Local Matters.  She invited us to the lovely community garden at the ECLC school.  Really an integrated playground and garden, we loved walking the spiral paths and raised mound, playing with the climbing toys and monkey sculptures (above), and drinking the apple cider.  This event was a truly good time and a harbinger of offerings to come for Local Matters Local Foods Week.

While at the garden tour, we met a Farmer Paul and his chicken.  We have considered raising backyard chickens for eggs for quite some time.  When he mentioned he was selling several four month old hens, our ears perked.  Maybe now is finally the time for us to get into raising urban livestock.  We're researching coops and will certainly update progress here.

When we returned home, we planted three varieties of garlic.  Getting my hands in the soil after a weekend of big decisions always makes me feel grounded again.

We ended the weekend with a hearty dinner with family: roast pork and potatoes, risotto cakes with tomato sauce, portabella with goat cheese, green salad, bread, butter, and gourmet salts.  Autumn is beginning to settle in around here.

Picking Apples at Windy Hill Farm

I love apples and I love autumn, so it follows that I love spending a day apple picking.

For three years now we have been loyal patrons of Windy Hill Apple Farm, home to Charlie's Apples.  It is an organic farm with a selection of specially chosen disease resistant trees located north of Johnstown, Ohio.

The farm name was fitting as today's weather included high wind warnings.  We picked Liberty apples, some of the best apples for cooking.  They were a little picked over so filling our 1/2 bushel bag took about an hour.

I prefer Windy Hill Apple Farm for so many reasons:

*Charlie himself.  He is an intelligent former-engineer.  He is soft spoken but wise about apple growing and happy to share his knowledge.

*The organic farming methods means I do not worry about pesticide/herbicide exposure when Lil bites into an apple fresh off the tree.

*The lack of chemicals means the farm is teaming with wildlife.  We saw three birds' nests, a wide variety of insects, and evidence of deer.

*The apple products available on farm include hard cider, cider syrup, and cider vinegar.  All are hand made by Charlie and his family, delicious, and include no icky ingredients.  There are no candy sticks or fall decorations to inspire the 'I wants' from my daughter, only wholesome local apple goodies.

I tried some of this year's hard cider (made from last year's apples) and it is the best yet.  Blended from two apple varieties, the naturally fermented hard cider is richly flavored and a true heirloom product.  The Johnny Appleseed stories don't mention it often, but Johnny was really planting for hard cider, not fresh fruit.

*The farm is small and off the beaten path.  Today we were the only people picking.  Other times there have been one or two families, but never enough to feel crowded.  The bags are self serve and you pay on the honor system.

*Charlie's motivations are to understand and educate others about sustainable growing and carry on the long standing traditions of apple farming.  Production and profit seem to come second to these lofty goals.

If you go:

Pick what's in season.  Charlie's flagship variety, Gold Rush, will not mature until late October.  I plan to make a return trip then.

Call ahead. Some varieties sell out and it is best to call ahead so you know what is available.

Make a pit stop in Johnstown.  The farm doesn't have a public restroom, although Charlie has allowed us to use the bathroom in his home on site in emergencies.

Bring cash or check for payment.  Apples cost $8/peck, $14/half bushel (Amazingly, this is cheaper than the non organic pick your own at other local farms!!)

Stay tuned for some suggestions about what to make with all your apples!

The Birthday Cake Hound

This is a picture of Devorguilla, aka Devie, aka big hound, in 2002. It was just after we moved to Norfolk Virginia in our first house. I had not yet found work and we were extended beyond our means. But it was Alex's birthday, so I baked a German Chocolate Cake from scratch.

Devie found the cake and ate at least half. If you didn't know Devie then you wouldn't know that she normally had a huge chest and tiny waist. This picture only shows a very full tummy.

Devie did not die, although some dogs do from excess chocolate inhalation. At the time, I had such anger in me that I felt I wouldn't have minded if she did keel over.

For the intervening eight years, Devie has always been around when there is food and continues to put front feet on the counter to steal what morsels she can.

Yesterday we were outside visiting with friends. I heard the tell tale 'clack' of Devie's nails on the kitchen floor. It took only a second until I remembered Lil's birthday chocolate cake cooling beside the stove.

Ack!!! Devie had eaten into half of it. Damn dog and damn my leaving it in reach.

On our evening walk, we stopped by the local market to purchase more cocoa for another cake.

When we got out the butter to make another cake, guess who was ready at the mixer?

Yep. And later, when we were icing it?

Finally our twice-made chocolate cake with chocolate frosting was decorated with butterfly rings and served at Lillian's fourth birthday party. Happy birthday, my dear girl! May the Birthday Cake Hound never strike on your special day again

2009 Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival

When I first heard about the Ohio Fish and Shrimp Festival a few years ago (it has been running for 8 years), I thought it was too weird to be true.  This year our schedule aligned with my father's band, Bunty Station, being booked at the show and we had to go see for ourselves.

The festival is held at Freshwater Farms of Ohio in Urbana.  After an out-of-cellphone-service induced series of misdirections, we made it to the small farm.  The first person we saw was an elderly man who handed us a brochure and told us excitedly about the sturgeon petting in the fish barn.  Sturgeon petting?!?

The next thing we walked by was this menu:

What to do?  Touch a fish I never knew I wanted to pet or eat Michael's local potatos?

Lil made the decision for us as she ran towards the fish barn.

Entering the small door to the very large one story metal barn, we were first drawn to the tanks upon tanks of Ohio freshwater species.  The blue gill, catfish, snapping turtles, crayfish, and more were in neatly labeled tanks for demonstration and research.  The farm welcomes individuals to tour the farm and shop their farm market Monday - Saturday.

After touching a painted turtle and frog, we finally came to the sturgeon tank.  Lil dove in and pet one of the five foot, seventeen year old fish right between the eyes.  Not a fan of slippery things, but still curious, I touched one as well.  It was slimy and hard.  I mentioned that the sturgeon's strange face reminded me of the Dunkleosteus head at the Ohio State University's Orton Hall Museum.

Talking to the well informed fishery keeper and some Wikipedia research revealed that I wasn't far off.  (I do hold a degree in Geology.) Sturgeon first appear in the fossil record about 200 million years ago and still very much resemble their ancestors.  Unlike most modern fish, the sturgeon has bony plates as a skull and a host of other unusual characteristics.  The can live up to a hundred years and grow to enormous size.

First spawning between 20 - 25 years of age, sturgeon population increases slowly.  Due to humans' huge appetite for caviar (sturgeon roe, harvested by killing the mother fish), the sturgeon population is endangered throughout the world.  Fresh Water Farms keeps their sturgeon specimins alive to see if they might be able to induce captive spawning to help repopulate Ohio.

The rest of the farm's large tanks are populated with catfish, trout and pond fry.  Fish can be purchased as stock for your own pond.  They sell a variety of retail fillets and smoked fish products available for pickup in Urbana.  Freshwater Farms supplies a large portion of Ohio restaurants with Ohio trout as well.

After all the fishy excitement, I was hungry and convinced the family to walk back towards the food.  In addition to the big menu served by Freshwater, there were several other food vendors.  We came for the Ohio foods and happened to be gifted my father's comp meal ticket, so we stuck with Freshwater.

The food line was long because everything was hand cut or battered and fried just before service.  By the time our fried catfish, hand cut chips, au gratin potatos, cole slaw, green beans, and hot dog arrived, I was so hungry I forgot to take pictures!  Bad food blogger!

Everything was tasty and obviously home made.  The chips were the clear winners of the night.  Alex watched them double fry each batch and you could tell: perfectly cooked, crispy, and salted.

Lil and I explored some of the ample kids activities while waiting for Dad's band to play.  They had a large sand pit, balls, and a ball catapult for kids to play with.  Earlier in the day were some organized activities.  Finally Bunty Station went on and we enjoyed the show.

I have to admit that my expectations for the Fish and Shrimp Festival were low.  I was prepared for smelly fish barns, troublesome waste, and/or that corporate farm feel.

Happily we found only a wholesome business.  I can recommend Freshwater Farm's as a local, sustainable fish source.  The festival, an easy hour's drive from Columbus, was great free entertainment on a perfect early fall evening.  Even if Bunty Station is not invited back, we will return to pet the sturgeon again!

Experiment Cooking

When we were young, our parents sometimes opened their kitchens for 'experiment cooking'.  (Yes, by 'we' I mean Alex and I grew up three doors away from each other.  That's a story for another day.) These sessions are some of my fondest cooking memories from childhood. In experiment cooking, there are no recipes.  Kids use whatever ingredients they want.  They use whatever techniques they want.  They make messes and mistakes.  I remember short but very sweet cake, salty cookies where salt was accidentally used for sugar, and lots of unusual spices in combination.

This past week, Lil asked to be the cook so I introduced her to this marvelous kitchen play.  Because I wanted her first time to be relatively successful, I made some suggestions (baking powder, for one) to ensure her cookies were at least edible.

Lil put in butter

then sugar.

She mixed and cracked an egg in the bowl.

Then she added flour, a little bit of vanilla, and baking powder.  More mixing, and then chocolate pieces.  Lil was very excited to scoop the dough herself.

She put the dough in the oven to bake.

Then I asked her to wash dishes.  She was so elated at being the cook that she was happy to clean up after herself.

Lil even wanted to take the hot cookies off the cookie sheet.  She was concentrating so much!

Parenting a child through experiment cooking is not easy.  "It's getting messy!"  "She's wasting the nice German chocolate!" "Will she burn herself?"  All these thoughts were running through my head.  But remembering how much I enjoyed myself experiment cooking as a child, I kept my mouth shut and tried to make the experience joyful for Lil.

In the end, the mess was not too great.  Lil 'washed' the dishes, though I had to rewash them.  She sponged off the countertop as best as she could.

The ingredients were not a waste because we all enjoyed the cookies.  In total she used about $3 worth of chocolate, butter, and sugar.  A pretty cheap afternoon, really.

And she didn't burn herself!  I couldn't believe it and it took all my strength to not just say no.  I rationalized that even if Lil did burn herself it wouldn't be serious and it would teach her an important lesson.

Perhaps I learned more than Lil through experiment cooking.  I now know that she can do more than I expect.  I saw that when she was truly free to make the mess, she is truly willing to help clean up.  Once I let go of my preconceived notions and hesitations, it was actually loads of fun to watch her cook.

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If you want your kids to enjoy some cooking with abandon not under your roof, remember to come to the Kids Cook classes at Sprout Soup starting October 8.

Expanding the Urban Orchard

On Sunday we went shopping at our local nursery Oakland Park for garlic starts (they did not have any hardneck varieties) and blueberries (which they did not have either).  They did have a dwarf european plum tree at 33% off.  We were sold.

For awhile I have been hating on two overgrown shrubs in a small bed near our garage.  They are not pretty and produce nothing worthwhile.  The spot gets a fair amount of sun; at least enough for a small tree.  So, the shrubs had to come out before the plum could go in.

While Alex was removing shrubs, I went to Lowes.  I generally try to avoid Big Box stores, but Alex had seen blueberry plants there earlier in the week and we really wanted to expand our blueberry bed.  (By personal and non-profit accounts, Lowes is one of the more employee and human rights friendly Big Boxes.)

When I came home, the shrubs were out and the tree hole was dug.  Alex was a patient co-gardener and  re dug the hole when we realized the tree would be more centered a few feet over.

Lillian "helped" the whole time.  Sometimes her assistance was more trouble than help, but she does love to break up dirt clods.  Given some layers of clay in our holes, there were plenty of dirt clods.  She is also a helpful model of how deep a tree hole needs to be.

Lil was great at lossening the roots.  Then she sprinkled some alpaca green beans in the tree hole.  These alpaca feces are full of nutrients!  My neighbor Mary graciously provides them to me for free right now, but may eventually sell them as part of her burgeoning farm, Alpaca Green.

The plum tree was planted in the new hole.  I made Alex take a picture of me filling in around the tree, lest anyone think I always leave the heavy lifting to him.

Under one of the overgrown shrubs was a hearty and pretty azalea.  We thought it would do better out front, so I replanted it.

I worked on planting the blueberries when Alex got the idea that we could fit a new raspberry patch in our side yard if we just removed an overgrown rose of sharon.  He worked on it for a long time and finally sunlight shed on the side yard.

Off he went back to Lowes where I had seen the raspberries.  He chose three Fall Gold plants, which are supposed to be ever-bearing.  The spot we planting is not truly full sun but hearty raspberries will likely still produce.

We do not expect fruit from any of these plantings for at least two years.  We will pinch off blossoms from the plum and blueberries to allow the plants to establish strong roots before putting energy into fruiting.  In a few years, we should have quite the urban orchard!

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Summary of our Fruiting Plants

plant (variety) - quantity - location -years in ground

peach (dwarf) - 2 - front yard between sidewalk and street - 1

cherry (dwarf) - 2 - backyard - 1/2

raspberry (red early) - 1 - backyard by alley - 1

raspberry (red everbearing) - 1 - backyard by alley - 2

raspberry (fall gold ever-bearing) - 3 - sideyard - 0

strawberry (early) - 10 - sideyard - 2

strawberry (late) - 10 - sideyard - 2

plum (dwarf self pollinating) - 1 - backyard - 0

blueberry (multiple) - 4 - front yard - 1, 2, 0

Kids Cook Classes at Sprout Soup

Children aged 3 - 6 years old are invited to join me to explore, cook, and taste local harvest foods this fall.  Classes will be held Thursday October 8, 15, 22, and 29  from 11:15 AM - 12 PM at Sprout Soup in Clintonville.

Each class will feature a dish we prepare and taste together, a take home project, and recipe card. October 8 - Herbs October 15 - Apple October 22 - Crackers October 29 - Squash The cost is $3 per child per class or $10 for the series of four.  Parents are invited to stay and learn with their child.  A play area is available for older or younger siblings.  Pre-registration is not required.

Camp Food

This weekend we went to our annual Labor Day Camp with family and friends.  Every year we have a theme night with costumes and related food.  This year our friend Leonard went all out on the theme, Hawaii. I could write about the tiki hut trike, our chant to counter the hellfire and brimstone preaching group across the way, the 25 mile bike tour including a confederate prisoner of war camp, or the bald eagles we saw fly over East Harbor State Park many times.  But since this is largely a gardening and eating blog, I will focus on the food.

We started our drive early Saturday morning.  With some extra pizza dough as inspiration on Friday night, I made a pear and mozzarella pie to take on the road.  I chilled the cooked pie overnight in the fridge.  It was filling, yummy, and easy to eat in the car.

The camp stove saw heavy use in the mornings at camp.  Breakfasts are my favorite because someone else (usually my dad or grandfather) always does the cooking!  Being that I have food and only food on my mind early in the morning, I took no pictures of our actual breakfasts.

It is harvest time here in Ohio, so the food table was laden with seasonal fruits and vegetables.  My grandmother brought some delicious yellow melon pictured below.

Camp lunches for us are simple sandwiches, fruits and veggies, and chips.

For the Hawaiian themed meal, Alex braised a pork shoulder with pineapple and cinnamon.

Other theme dishes included mai tais, beanie weanies with cocktail umbrellas, and a poi substitute: mashed potatoes with a beet adding color.

The next night we had grilled meats, salads, fork mashed guacamole and roasted corn.

Grandma brought her famous gingersnap cookies, my favorite of the snacks.

And there were s'mores, of course.

What do you eat when you are car camping?