AnnieRie Unplugged

Eating Locally: International Week

Posted on October 13, 2012 by AnnieRie

This week is an international themed week with my circle of Southern SOLE Food Challengers. I made a crock pot soup yesterday that will feed us for a few days. It is based on my favorite Caribbean style spicy black bean soup, but as usual, going off into Use Up the CSA direction.

Here is the recipe that I used. Open two 15 ounce cans of organic black beans and put in crock pot with at least the equal amount of chunky tomato sauce. I used my homemade version from my garden tomatoes. I put them in right from the freezer. That is the base.

Here is where I deviate. I added all the CSA greens I had from a week ago. Kale, chard, curly endive and green leaf lettuce. This filled my crock pot to the rim, but it will cook way down. I added a splash of olive oil and a splash of balsamic. I grated three garlic cloves and a healthy amount of ginger into it.

I had an andouille sausage in the freezer from an earlier trip to the farmer’s market in Silver Spring. I cut it up into small pieces. Then, added a healthy dose of sriracha sauce. Jerk seasoning would work, as well. A large pinch of salt and some cayenne.

Let it cook on high for at least four hours. It will be served with dinner tonight, as I like my soups to age a day before I serve them. I will open a bottle of Linden Rosé’ but a good local beer will also work.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, SSFC and tagged CSA, Food, foodie, gardening, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Winterizing …

Posted on October 12, 2012 by AnnieRie

… And a potato overload. Today will see our first freeze warning so I was busy covering plants. Plus, harvesting rosemary to dry.

I figured I could make some of the overload of potatoes as well.

Tonight there will be rosemary roasted potatoes on the menu.

I always have mixed feelings at the first freeze. Winter is coming, but that first freeze makes the leaves turn. The maple trees are always dramatic not long after we see freezing night temperatures. Add to that, it is the beginning of all the fall foliage events.

Back to covering my good plants. We will see how long they last.

Week 23 of the CSA with Cute Vegetables

Posted on October 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yep, cute. Like this Japanese sweet potato.

Japanese sweet potato

Or, how about these adorable popcorn ears?

Lady Finger Popcorn

The list:
1 Head White Cauliflower
1 Bulb Fennel
1 Bunch Purple Carrots
1 Head Green Cabbage
1 Bunch Collards
1 Bunch Daikon Radishes
2 Delicata Squash
1 bunch Lady Finger Popcorn
1 Bag Japanese Sweet Potatoes
1 Head Green Romaine Lettuce
1 Bunch Cilantro

Sandy Spring CSA Week 23 2012

You will notice there is no cilantro there. And, yes, there is another cheese pumpkin. Last week I ended up making hummus as I didn’t have evaporated milk. Since there was a pumpkin in the swap box, I grabbed it and will finally make that pumpkin custard pie, now that I remembered to buy evaporated milk at Harris Teeter.

We have been eating out too many times, and the greens are piling up. I may finally have to start making smoothies. Tonight at least I stir fried some greens, the last of the bok choy and added some daikon. Chicken also. No pictures as it was pretty basic looking. Just stir fry greens, onions, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts and add shredded chicken. Sesame oil to finish. Good stuff.

hocofood@@@

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Savoring That Killer Dill

Posted on October 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yep, the monster stealth cucumbers. Two of the last. I tried an experiment with them, and it seems to have worked. The one from July and another from August, both started out in the crock, but I moved them into their own large container with a fresh batch of dill pickling spices.

monster dill pickle

This one, found in August, was hard and white, so it really crisped up in the pickling spices. The other one, pictured in my July post about the garden, had higher moisture and developed differently. Lots of taste but no real crunch.

sliced open dill pickle

The rest of the little pickles were taken out of the crock a while back, and put into jars sealed with a hot water bath. They are in the fridge, three of them, to use in the next few months. I keep them in the fridge because they seem to remain crisp that way.

I bought two crocks this summer in Ohio at Zanesville Pottery. One for sauerkraut and one for pickles.

my bluebird crock looks like this

They are put away waiting for my first cabbage in the CSA, which according to the email that just arrived, will be today. Talk about timing. I need to unpack and set up the kraut crock, which is a two gallon crock. There will be posts in the near future to see how I make this year’s kraut. I want to do a few batches so I can bring homemade kraut to Thanksgiving dinner.

making sauerkraut

Now, I need to find recipes for the delicata squash and the daikons coming today. The CSA post with pictures will be up later today. Off to pick it up soon.

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Work Outside Wednesday

Posted on October 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

Turns out that today was one of those lovely days. Warm, sunny. Perfect day to plant garlic. Half of it went into flower pots on the deck. The upper pots had flowers. The two lower ones were mint, which will stay there since mint is a perennial (or weed, depending on your perspective).

container garlic

I planted 12 cloves in the pots, and then moved over to a south facing area in the flower beds. Since garlic will be done by early June, I can leave it there and put something else in the ground once the garlic is harvested.

Another 12 cloves here. With the potential for 24 head of garlic next spring, we will be set, including those lovely scapes that I use for pesto.

I noticed that we have killer puffball mushrooms on the lawn, and something is definitely chowing down on them. Don’t know if they are edible or not. Whatever is eating them keeps coming back, as every day they are chewed down. But then, we do have a fair number of turkey vultures wandering around. Maybe whatever ate the mushrooms is in our field.

puffball mushrooms

The marigolds won’t quit. There is one bush that keeps getting larger and pumping out more plants.

marigolds

The lavender is still awesome, as is the rosemary. The thyme continues to grow. I cross my fingers and let them get bigger, waiting for that perfect moment to harvest and dry.

Tomorrow is CSA day, but it also will be work day two this week, as we really need to tackle the power washing of our garage doors. They are getting quite a bit of wear, and they need a good fall cleaning.

At least while working outside we are graced with the explosion of yellow mums. It is interesting though, the orange ones that were also out front, seem to have disappeared. These are great, though.

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Hobbies, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged Food, foodie, gardening, hobbies, hoco loco, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Cooking With Gas

Posted on October 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

The grill kind. I wish we had gas for heat and cooking, but we don’t. So, I insisted. A really good grill. Besides, when the power goes out, I have the grill with a side burner.

the gas grill, in all its glory

It was cheaper to get me a good grill, than to run a gas line over a hundred yards to our house, then do the massive renovations to get gas heat and a gas stovetop. We grill mostly in spring and fall. Summer it gets just too hot and humid to stand over the grill. Today I wanted to check out the grill and make some sausage. I first had to clean out the inside as the field mice (or chipmunks) keep bringing things into the side burner.

Today it was peanuts and bird seed. Thankfully, the leaf blower cleans it out quickly. In winter, if we don’t use the grill, the mice build nests in it. We now know to use it often when the weather warms up a bit. Tonight I had some PA market Berkshire hog sausage.

I also made corn on the cob, and grilled up some naan to serve with pumpkin hummus.

Yes, you heard it correctly. Pumpkin hummus. Simple recipe. Roast a cheese pumpkin.

Blend the pumpkin (about a pound of it) with a can of chickpeas and two garlic cloves. Add lemon juice, 2 tbsp. A neutral oil like grapeseed, 2 tbsp. Spices like garam masala, or cumin, about 1 tbsp. A pinch of nutmeg and of cinnamon. I used sriracha to add some heat. A few dots of it. It came out really smooth, yet with a hint of heat. If you want it hotter, add more garlic and more pepper.

It ended up a bit too cold to eat outside, so we brought our picnic indoors. Sausage, naan, hummus and corn. And, a lovely VGV from Black Ankle. The pan holds some melted butter with garam masala, for the corn. VGV is a Viognier and Gruner Veltliner blend.

Eating mostly locally, as usual. And, loving the fall weather.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, grilling, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Retiring “To” Something

Posted on October 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

Great Advice. We heard it twice last weekend. Once at the wedding, and again, while talking at the dinner at RdV. My uncle was talking to someone who was considering retirement. His first advice. Don’t retire in the winter unless you have something lined up and ready for you to do. And, I don’t consider digging out of Snowpocalypse a highlight of retirement.

blizzards 2010

Even if you retired like I did, in spring. Or summer. When there is an overload of things to do outside. Or even now, in October, while we are still activity-driven for weeks until the weather changes and days get shorter. My first winter was easy, because I did the HoLLIE training twice a week. Spring naturalist training, as well. With HoLLIE gearing up, the info program tonight at Miller Library 7 pm is a good place to hear about opportunities for active Howard Countians, who are retired or thinking about it.

Moving from a circle of work friends to that new circle of fellow volunteers, or hobby sharers. Finding people with like interests is difficult for many of us. Especially when we worked in DC or Baltimore. I found that after 18 months, even if I got together with old working buddies, we had no bond to keep the conversations going. So many changes in their offices. I knew few names, and finally knew we had to build our retirement circle.

Now, filling my hours with fellow naturalists, gardeners, wine lovers and the amateur radio community, oh yeah, almost forgot, the bird club and my fellow bloggers, I hardly have time to think.

Somewhere in there, we do get housework and yard work done, and a few home improvement projects. Traveling not as much, but we did way too much of that for our jobs. It is actually nice to stay home for a while and see the local world. And, make a difference.

nature photo program for families at Conservancy

Whether it is leading programs for families. Leading hikes for the schools. Cleaning up the streams that feed the Patapsco. Working on the watershed programs. Caring for the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. Or any of the other activities my fellow retirees are doing, the satisfaction of a job well done keeps us feeling that we matter.

One recent example this past year. Greenfest was filled with countians who focused on their interests while having a great time.

Greenfest at the Community College

I love the work the Master Gardeners have done, creating different historical garden plots at the Conservancy.

And, all the volunteers who organize and support Earth Day. Besides the Day itself, volunteers spend hours planning and preparing materials for events.

Earth Day supplies

Many times in conversations, at clubs, or at events, we hear how shorthanded the nonprofits, and the service organizations have become. I have heard that the numbers of people who stay retired is smaller. Many go back to work due to those long term effects of a slow economy. Others, who now are supporting elderly parents, have limited free time. If you have retired, or are thinking about it, take time to consider where you might find your calling. Your thing. What makes you smile, and feel good at the end of the day.

HoLLIE 2012 class heading out for a hike at Sharps

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Posted in Adventures, Commentary, Community, Hobbies, Howard County, Retirement, Volunteering and tagged commentary, community, hobbies, hoco loco, Howard County, howard county conservancy, retirement, volunteering. Bookmark the permalink.

Masters of Wine … And Food

Posted on October 8, 2012 by AnnieRie

This is an extremely creative, interesting collection of people for a panel. Making for an entertaining evening. Sharing their thoughts and interacting with the guests at RdV on Sunday night. The after dinner discussion about the VA wines and where they want to go was worth the price of admission.

The panel in the caves at RdV

From left to right:
Rutger de Vink, RdV Vineyards, Delaplane, VA
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA
Jim Law, Linden Vineyards, Linden, VA
Andrew Myers Sommelier, CityZen, Washington D.C.
Eric Ziebold Chef, CityZen, Washington, D.C.

The panel convened in the cave after the dinner, a Picnic-Style Reception by Chef Eric Ziebold, CityZen.

The Menu:

Assorted Fall Canapés served with Linden Vineyards Vidal Riesling
Canapés included such highlights as “pork and beans” made with assorted green beans and bacon, a veal terrine, sliced prosciutto and saucisson, an heirloom tomato salad, and seafood salad.

The first station on the terrace was:
Grilled Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Flank
Late Summer Squash Couscous
2009 RdV Vineyards, Rendezvous, Virginia

The second station outside:
Grilled Chesapeake Bay Rockfish
Hominy, Corn, Lobster Emulsion
1997 Linden, Fiery Run Red, Virginia
1998 Barbourville, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Virginia

The third station, inside the winery:
Marinated Beef Tri-Tip
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Marble Potatoes, Bone Marrow Vinaigrette
1996 Diamond Creek, Red Rock Terrace, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (from the chef’s cellar)

The last station:
Grilled Duck Breast
Roasted Figs, Fennel, Cornbread Croûtons,
Black Pepper-Foie Gras Emulsion
2009 Mount Veeder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

The dining areas were situated around the first level of the winery and stations were spread out enough that you could always find very little traffic other than the immediate crush when they first opened the event. There were 60 people in attendance, ambassadors who have purchased packages of RdV to join, and a group that we found by talking to them that had been invited through MacArthur Beverages.

main dining area for the dinner at RdV

Let’s just say that by the end of the evening, the ranks of ambassadors grew as evidenced by the number of boxes being carried out of the winery.

2009 RdV Rendezvous

After the panel, dessert was served with coffee. At that point, we were so saturated with wine, food, and conversation that I completely forgot to record the particulars of the decadence on the plate. I will have to wait until Carol Joynt publishes her Washingtonian piece. At least her blog gave some pictures of fish on the grill out in the rain. I got the link finally and saw that the dessert was made with ginger shortbread, chocolate ganache, and marshmallows torched making a very sophisticated s’more.

Highlights for us included the opportunity to taste the 1998 Barboursville, as we still have two bottles in our cellar. Luca brought magnums to the event. This wine got so much better as it had the chance to breathe. At first, it was still closed in and more austere than the Linden 1997 Fiery Run. For us, the Linden and the Diamond Creek were our favorites, as we prefer mature wines. The Rendezvous and Mt Veeder, both 2009 vintages were way too young to drink. Of the 2009s, the Rendezvous was more approachable, but still not something we want to open yet. It needs to get that bottle age first.

Benefit of living here. Evenings like this in the Virginia mountain foothills.

Event Overload

Posted on October 7, 2012 by AnnieRie

This weekend is second in a string of picture perfect fall weekends when it seems every community, farm, winery and/or entertainment organization is creating a pile up (an amateur radio term used when large numbers of operators simultaneously try to contact one rare station). I couldn’t even begin to list every event happening in Howard County and the surrounding area.

Today, my husband popped up to the Columbia Amateur Radio Association (CARA) annual HamFest to pick up a few supplies and visit his radio compatriots, even though it is raining. He had to dodge biking racers on the way, I suppose, as the Ulman Cancer Fund half full triathlon originating at Centennial winds through our rural roads between us and the fairgrounds.

The Farm City Celebration ends today, the 7th. Here is a list of what remains on their schedule.

Howard County Farmer’s Market – three more weeks of markets until season ends
Oakland Mills Village Center
9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Apple Fritters, Hayrides, & Pick-Your-Own Apples, Beets, Broccoli, and Spinach.
Straw Maze & Boo Barn (ages 4 to 9)
Larriland Farm
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Teddy Bear Farm Visits (Free hayrides for children who bring Teddy bear)
Folk singer Tony McGuffin entertains from 12 noon – 4:00 PM
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

2 crop large maze of corn & cotton opens.
Farm animals, Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Fall Decorations.
Scarecrow Making Workshop from Noon-3 PM
Narrated Hayride at 1:00 pm
($1.50 per person 2 and under free)
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Any of these events are a good trip now that the weather is changing. The leaves definitely rained down yesterday as the front whipped through. We dodged traffic that was backed up on I-97 heading into the Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, and the Boat Show traffic going into Annapolis. We were trying to get to a family wedding at the Academy. Made it in time only because we left super early. The Renaissance Festival ends the 21st of October. The Sailboat Show ends tomorrow and the Powerboat Show starts this coming Thursday. A short trip down to Annapolis gets people to major entertainment options the next few weeks.

Add to that, the Ravens play at 1 PM. thankfully, it is an away game or could you imagine the traffic there since THE ORIOLES have a playoff game tonight at the Yard.

For us, we will be trying to find the games on satellite radio while getting to a winery dinner today. Many festivals at local wineries. We made arrangements weeks ago to hear Luca Paschina, Jim Law and Rutger de Vink talk of their vision for where Virginia wines could go. A picnic style dinner prepared by Chef Eric Ziebold of CITYZEN will be served and the menu includes a 1998 Barboursville Cabernet and 1997 Fiery Run Linden, as well as the RdV 2009 release. An event we have been anticipating for a while. RdV’s chef dinners are just awesome events. Worth the splurge occasionally to attend. Or, any winery events this month. The red grapes are being picked all over the area. Festivals every weekend.

merlot at RdV

If we recover enough tomorrow, we will pop up to see the dedication of the new Glenwood Fire Station. With this station, we now have Glenwood, Clarksville and West Friendship, all equidistant from our home. The fire station is being dedicated Monday morning at 10 am. Tours following the dedication.

Add to all this, the next three weekends are just as event laden. How can anyone say there isn’t enough to do around here?

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Day Trips, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Weather, West HoCo, Wine and tagged amateur radio, community, day trips, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Hey, Breaux!

Posted on October 5, 2012 by AnnieRie

Or, should I say Hey, Bro?

We needed to go to Harper’s Ferry today to get the last piece of my husband’s tower sections. With it, he will have all the necessary parts to put up his radio tower. He just needs the antenna(s) now. Pieces and parts all over the place. But, getting closer to pouring concrete.

I went along for the ride only on the condition I could stop at Breaux and pick up our cellar club allocations. The last time we were there, was in March. I blogged about how pretty the winery is, and how we took local cheese to have lunch there. The scenery is still wonderful. Definitely early for fall foliage, as the Blue Ridge mountains are still very blue.

view of the mountains from the terrace at Breaux

And, wouldn’t you know it? They sell ajvar. Never heard of it a year ago. Now, I am finding it everywhere. This version is garlicky and goes very well with the Rose.

The nice thing about Breaux is the fact that they are open every day. Not just weekends. For us, that is a benefit. Go there during the week and there are no limos, crowds, lines. They sell baguettes, cheeses, olives, spreads and cured meats like salami and prosciutto.

If you want something else to do this month (as if there isn’t enough going on around here), they have a harvest celebration next weekend (13th) and a farm tour the following weekend, the 20th and 21st. Trick or Treat the last weekend of October. They are only 50 miles west of Columbia, just south of Harper’s Ferry.

The red grapes are being harvested right now. It is perfect weather to sit out and enjoy the scenery.