our first basket! (this year)

Last week our family received the first CSA basket of the year!  (CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, find out more by clicking HERE.) This is our fifth year of participating in such a program.  We love it so much; it's wonderful to get a chance to have all of this fresh, local, seasonal produce.  I love that we're helping to support a local farmer.  And it's great to be encouraged to try new things - I am very much a one of getting stuck in a rut as far as which foods I buy.

We will receive a weekly basket of goodies throughout the growing season - roughly from June through September/October.  The amount of produce in each week's basket varies according to the season (for example, although this week's basket was plentiful, the fullest basket is yet to come).

Our first basket included:  two heads of lettuce, broccoli, pod peas, a ton of Walla Walla onions, a green pepper radishes, beet greens, kale, and Swiss chard.  Bounty!  We're so thankful to be able to do this again. 

To nourishment,

tomato harvest

This was today's haul of tomatoes: October 11, 2012.  Tomorrow the rain is supposed to begin.  Will it be our last harvest, I wonder?

busy summertime

Lately I've noticed something.  As summer is ending, when I chat with  people about it has gone for them they talk about how busy it was.  Lots of activities and gatherings.  Go, go, go.  It always strikes me as slightly odd, because the main reason my summer was busy had to do with me standing in my kitchen and chopping things.

Don't misunderstand: we took outings.  We traveled the central and western United States for three weeks in our Suburban.  We've had gatherings with friends.  We went swimming.  We did stuff - although I think we probably did less of that stuff than a lot of people took on.  Because, let's face it: I am a homebody.  A homebody and an introvert, which is not really the most exciting combination.  Still, I kept my self busy...

I blanched beans and roasted tomatoes.  I froze and bagged berries.  I made jam.  And rendered tallow.  And made some more jam.   Then I prayed for more tomatoes.  

So...I think it's safe to say that I kept pretty busy - even beyond the regular stuff like school and laundry and diaper changing.

Was it worth it?  I suppose that's a matter of opinion.  I know that for me, it's important to do what I can to preserve the harvest, to use what I can now and save some for cold weather.  It's important to make use of fresh, organic goods, of healthy, clean animal fats, and of my freezer space.  It is very satisfying to pull out summer goods in the middle of winter, to taste those gorgeous summer tomatoes, the sweetness of summer berries.  It's good to know I'm providing for my family with my own two hands - even if my feet do get tired sometimes.  I want to seize the opportunities I've been given at every chance.

For me, it is worth it.  The work of my hands is rewarding in its own way, and it does my heart good to know I've done what I could.

our first rendering

You'll never, ever guess what we did this week.

Okay, you might guess if you follow me on Facebook.  But otherwise, I bet you'll never guess.  So I suppose I ought to just come out and tell you.

We rendered tallow.

You know what beef tallow is, right?  It is to cows what lard is to pigs.  It's a very stable fat, which makes it great for frying.  Tallow and lard are also traditionally used in pie crusts and other pastries (as well as butter, of course).  When sourced from healthy, pastured animals they are a great source of health benefits.  Julia Child is recalled to have said that back when McDonald's used tallow to prepare their french fries, they were surprisingly good.  But after they changed to "healthier" oils, not so much.

When it comes to rendering beef tallow at home,I got the idea HERE, and we ran with it.  When we were getting our grassfed beef for this year, we had the option of receiving fat as well.  When my husband asked, I answered with a very enthusiastic "Yes!"

It's a sure sign you're a food geek when you're super excited about two bags of beef fat in your refrigerator.

Finished tallow

The process is simple: trim the fat, cut up the fat, and then very, very slowly melt the fat. I used my slow cooker on warm and low settings.  After it's melted down, strain and cool it.  When it's hot, it will be translucent.  When cool, it will be solid.

Hot tallow

Cold tallow

I've been asked approximately 600 times (or something like that) what I'll use my tallow for.  And no, I'm not planning to make soap or candles with it, though many people do.   Most of our rendered beefy goodness will be used for food!  I'm planning to use it for french fries and making tortilla chips.  I cooked quesadillas in a little tallow last night, and I think it's safe to say I will never be the same (I'd always used olive oil before, which has a fairly low smoke point - not good for high heat! Besides, they were indefinably yummier this way).   I'd like to try making pastry with it too, and see how my particular tallow from my particular animal works in that situation.  

So far I've used it in cooking several different was:  cooking eggs, roasting red potatoes, and frying quesadillas.  Delicious all around, I tell you.

There is one other thing I'll use my tallow.  Stay with me now; this may stun some of you.  Last night I found a recipe for tallow body balm.  Apparently it's fabulous for the skin.  And check it out: they even sell it at $13 for 2 oz. on THIS website.  The testimonials are amazing.  I used some of my homemade lavender-scented balm this morning, and my skin feels so supple and soft.  Astounding.  Who would've thought?

Tallow.  Simple and natural.  A delicious way to get the fats our bodies need!

 

it's what's for dinner

This marks the fourth year we've purchased grass-fed beef from a rancher.  

(Why grass-fed and grass-finished?  Click HERE to read more.)

We bought the most we ever have:  three-quarters of a cow.

Wow.

Our family is so excited, though.   And to tell you the truth, it was a little tricky to get it all in the freezer.

We had to utilize every square inch of freezer space we had available, which included one big chest freezer and two refrigerator freezers.  My husband did it though. Didn't I tell you he was spatially gifted?

I'm so pleased and happy to have such a supply of lovely, healthy grass-fed beef available.   I can hardly wait to make this sausage again.  We love it in omelettes, on pizza, and in many other dishes.  It's so easy!

Recently I discovered some other promising recipes: Homemade Beef Pepperoni (which the commenters say is similar to summer sausage!) and Spicy Pepperoni, as well as a new Beef Jerky recipe.  

A word of advice, though: grass-fed beef cooks differently than conventional beef.  It's quite lean, so it needs to be cooked more slowly, over lower heat.   I highly recommend Stanley Fishman's book Tender Grassfed Meat, especially if you are new to grass-fed.  Here's a link to some free recipe ideas:  American Grassfed Beef.  It took me a while to learn how to prepare grass-fed beef, but it was so worth the process!

pickle me too

fermenting dilly beans

Coming soon: how fermenting foods at home is easy, traditional, and a hugely beneficial to one's health!

The Bite of Oregon

Yesterday my family set out to experience the Bite of Oregon.  In case you don't know, it's a weekend-long celebration of Oregon food - a festival.  It benefits the Special Olympics.  We had never been to the Bite before, but we had a great time!  The weather was perfect, which helped too of course.

Kyle helps saute garlic for a cooking demonstration

We found kids' activities and presentations.  My favorite birthing center hosted a very comfortable place for mamas to relax and nurse their babies.  Pretty much everyone I saw was in a good mood.

Gabe

Oh, and....yeah.  There was really awesome food.

Chicken, spinach & artichoke crepe

chocolate-covered fruit kabob

The kids decorated their own chef hats.

And there was a fun Food Network-style Iron Chef competition. 

Iron Chef Oregon - Round 1

It was a very worthwhile outing, and I think it's safe to say that we'd all love to go again next year.

Can I tell you a little secret?  Prior to The Big Trip, I nevereverever would have suggested doing this.  I would've wanted to.  I might have stayed home and felt a little sad that we "couldn't go," but felt convinced that it would be too much work.  Not worth it: too hard.

I would have been wrong.  Let me say it again, taking that trip was empowering.  On the same level that natural childbirth is empowering.  We can take on challenges, we can step out, be away from home at naptime, and we will figure it out.  The baby will deal.  We'll survive, and we might even be happy that we did it.

Numerous times on our outing, we heard the words "That's a lot of kids."  And you know what? It is.

I never thought I would have such a large family, not ever.  But I do.  We do.  God has blessed us in this.  It's a challenge, it's stretching, and it's fun.  It's our family.  And I am proud of my kids - in the house or out of it.

my sweet addiction

I have a tiny little problem.

I'm pretty sure that I can stop whenever I want to.  But the thing is, I'm not sure that I want to.

Stop, that is.  I'm absolutely sure that I want to jam.

Is it proper to use "jam" as a verb?  I'm not sure.  Usually I care, but not in this case.  Right now, I've thrown caution to the wind.  Grammar rules be scorned.

I am hooked on jamming.  Or jam-making, if you prefer.

Strawberry jam.  Raspberry jam.  Marionberry jam.

Sweet and summery.

Soon there will be blackberries to jam, too.

Frankly, I cannot wait.  

Jam, jam, jam, jam, jam.  

All through the year, on cold rainy days...let us eat jam.

(If you're curious, the recipe I use for honey-sweetened freezer jam is HERE.)

a seasonal jackpot

summer squash, zucchini

I was hugely bummed to miss the first three weeks of the season for the CSA (Community  Supported Agriculture) baskets we purchase in summer.  As it turned out, the very first one was to be delivered on the day we drove out of town.  What timing!  My neighbor kindly offered to receive them and reimburse us for the produce - part of the arrangement of the CSA program is that the consumer commits to buying from the farmer for the growing season.  I hated the idea of paying for three weeks' worth of produce we'd never see, and I also hated the idea of asking for a refund for those three weeks.  This program is built to support the local farmer; that's one of the many reasons I love getting seasonal produce in this way.

kohlrabi

Well, we got home on Saturday and I discovered that my neighbor had sweetly put the perishable vegetables away in my kitchen.  When I poked around to see what there was, I was amazed at the quantity!  Three weeks in, and we are rolling in produce.  Let me take you on a little tour of my refrigerator's crisper, if I may...

beets

green onions
cauliflower
kohlrabi
beets
lettuce
cucumbers
red chard
green chard
English peas
snap peas
carrots
cabbage
zucchini
yellow summer squash

cucumbers

Did I score, or what?!

using summer strawberries

Here in the Pacific northwest, it is strawberry time!  Oregonians are proud of their berries, particularly the petite, oh-so-sweet Hood variety.  In this town and in my home there is much rejoicing when the strawberries "come in."  We've been enjoying our first flat of strawberries very much, and in light of that I thought I'd share my favorite ways to use these stunning little gems - aside from simply eating them, that is!

Popsicles
1 cup berries
1 banana
1 cup whole plain yogurt OR kefir
1/2 cup raw honey

Blend well to combine, pour into molds and freeze.  Enjoy on a warm summer afternoon!

Smoothies
Here's my little secret: to make smoothies, I simply mix up the popsicle recipe above.  Pour into cups and serve.  Easy and convenient if you don't have time to wait.

Shh...don't tell my kids.

Jam
One of the most versatile ways to use summer strawberries is in freezer jam.  For several years now, I've been using this recipe from Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet.  Using a product called Pomona's Pectin, it's happily possible to use only honey to sweeten your jam!  Long time readers of this blog will know that I really dig honey-sweetened stuff.  My family loves having a stash of freezer jam in supply; it's so refreshing to have that taste of summer all year long.

Kombucha
I mentioned in my post on How To Make Kombucha, I mentioned that I often flavor our kombucha (during a second ferment) with fruit.  During the summer -and while our supply of frozen fruit holds out- I use berries.  My very favorite berry for kombucha?  Strawberry.  So sweet, yet tangy and fizzy...and bright red. It doesn't get much more festive than that, if you ask me.



There you have it, my favorite ways to use summer strawberries.  Of course, the possibilities are pretty much endless, but that's how we do it at my house.  Happy end of June to you!

the last days of June

As June draws to a close, I feel a bit as though I'm in a desert. I am hungry, thirsty, and tired. My supplies are dwindling, and my eyes search the horizon for a sign of nourishment. Surely things will turn around...soon, soon.

The scene inside our chest freezer is bleak. We've eaten the ten chickens I bought from a friend last summer. Our 3/8 of a side of beef is gone - aside from a few organ meats I haven't been able to cope with just yet.

Outside, our garden is struggling. Some plants are doing well, but others long for sun and warmth, as do I. June has been cool and rainy here, and my tomato plants do not appreciate that fact. By and large, the garden is hanging in there, but there's not much that's ready for picking - yet.

I've spent my grocery budget for the month. Every penny. Last week I was scraping to buy produce. I wanted to buy a head of cauliflower, but couldn't quite manage it. I'd spent that money on strawberries, so I had to settle for something less expensive. Our fresh vegetable purchases last week consisted lettuce and a single cucumber. (We also had a stash of carrots.)

Yes, things are bleak. For the last few weeks, meals have been extra frugal, and often meatless, unfortunately. Thankfully, I still have some shredded, cooked chicken in the freezer, which I pull out for this and that. But all in all, the end of June is fairly stark.

Ah...but July is coming. July, when I will purchase a new batch (ten in all) of fresh, pastured chickens. July, when I'll get the call that our new order of grass-fed beef is ready to pick up. July, when the CSA program we're signed up for will begin. July, when summer will likely begin to feel like summer - for more than one or two days a week.

With any luck, July shall bring berries and vegetables, pastured meat, warmer temperatures, and sunshine.

So for now, we're buckling down and getting by. But July...ah, July. In July, we shall eat like kings.