The Last Harvest

Posted on October 14, 2013 by AnnieRie

Of the garden. And of the computer. I mentioned last week that my PC seized up and told me my Operating System was corrupted.

My husband did manage to retrieve all the 59 Gbytes of pictures, finally. And, another 50 Gbytes of scans, downloads, pdfs, tax files, and pst files from Outlook.

Now I am putting together a new PC. But, currently, using his laptop for my blogging.

Today I also went out there and made the last garden harvest. Made a three basil pesto with the Thai, African blue and Genovese basils in the garden.

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Almost two cups of basil. I was really surprised to see that much still growing in the yard, and in the pots by the back door.

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Each basil is unique. The Thai, very spicy, the African, very peppery, and the Genovese, lemony.

I got an 8 ounce jar to put in the freezer, and about 3 ounces to use on Naan with dinner later this week.

I also harvested the Thelma Sanders squash. The lone squash.

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I think this squash will be decorative. It never really got big enough. I will harvest the seeds and try again next year. Much reading to do this winter to see what I did wrong.

I will be planting garlic this week. And harvesting the last rosemary to dry, and the sage. Oh, there is still some ruby chard out there. Maybe another frittata, with chard and herbs.

Last summer was really challenging. I have to re-think where I plant next spring.

As for dinner, I did roast some cauliflower, and also made another spaghetti omelet.

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Cauliflower with Indian spice. Omelet with feta. Not bad for a Monday night.

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Weekly Meal Planning

Posted on October 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

Like so many others who belong to Community Supported Agriculture, I try and do a weekly meal planning on Fridays, the day after I receive my CSA box of veggies.

If I have to defrost items, or hit a market or make a store run, I do most of that on Saturdays. It is the best way to ensure I use up everything that comes in the weekly drop off.

Yesterday, I was going to go to Glenwood after my volunteering at the Conservancy, but the program and clean up didn’t finish until noon.

Thankfully, I knew I could get to Breezy Willow since they keep the farm store open from 10-2.

My meal planning required eggs, which I had completely used, and a loaf of bread, as I planned to have chili after the football game, and a spaghetti omelet using what I made in the crockpot Friday.

I didn’t plan on buying any veggies there, just eggs, bread, apples, cheese and butter. Oh, and some sausage so I can make meat loaf later this week.

I got sidetracked by this.

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One amazing looking purple cauliflower. I will be adjusting the cooking schedule in order to roast this huge fresh vegetable. I love to dry roast them, with just a covering of melted butter and some garam masala. Looks like my meatless Monday will feature it.

As for what was planned and already executed, Friday did include a crock pot lamb “stew”. I saved the broth and some of the veggies, as this stew turned out to be a little thin. Using some noodles in the broth after removing the lamb, carrots, potatoes and some onions, I kept the crock pot on for just enough time to get a bowl of “spaghetti”.

Half of that mixture, stirred with four eggs, pecorino, salt, pepper and poured into a pan.

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My husband told me his mom made spaghetti omelets often. I never had one, and this was one very nice simple dinner. After cooking the bottom, I put it in the oven, on broil, and browned the top. On the plate, it looked like this.

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Served up with a side salad, using the rest of the beets from an earlier CSA delivery.

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Dinners and lunches both highlight the CSA veggies. I now use a small notebook to determine the combinations I can make, to vary our meals and not waste any of the food.

I just need to keep from being tempted by those impulse purchases, like that cauliflower, but it is so good. That beauty will not go to waste.

Tonight we finished the venison chili. Tomorrow, the cauliflower, with baked potatoes and the pesto I made Thursday with the CSA basil.

Tuesday, I will be making those mini meat loaves and putting a few away for the future.

I still need to work the collards into the rotation, but they may be the side dish with the meat loaf.

By doing this planning, and remembering to defrost things in advance, I have really been good at using up my CSA.

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One Busy Saturday

Posted on October 12, 2013 by AnnieRie

Saturday in this part of the world can be lazy, frantic, or somewhere in between.

Today was pretty busy. Conservancy, Breezy Willow and home, cooking and cleaning. At least cleaning up the mess made when cooking.

Today we had one absolutely amazing morning (me, the presenters and 74 other visitors) where we shared snakes, turtles, worms and owls with the guests at our monthly free event.

I’m not sure what I liked most. The snakes, or the owls.

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The snake was pretty impressive, but so was the screech owl.

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After I left there, I headed up to Breezy Willow to get some things, including eggs and cheese (oh, and killer ice cream) to supplement the CSA.

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I now have a new favorite flavor. Honey Lavender.

Back home, to do some clean up after all the rain, and to make something new for dinner.

More on the food tomorrow. Today, it was all about the creatures.

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So. Who’s cuter. Ranger or the alpaca?

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Enough Already!

Posted on October 11, 2013 by AnnieRie

OK, we needed rain but not this deluge. We have a lake in the back yard and I can’t get into one of the cars in the driveway without wading through puddles 4-5 inches deep.

I can’t get to the garden to check on the heirloom pumpkin squash and I am crossing my fingers that it will survive being drenched and laying in standing water.

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If the reports are correct, we should have erased the rain deficit for the year. They say six inches have fallen at the airport.

Last week I took the last tomatoes off the vines. They have been slowly ripening in a paper bag, and on the windowsill once they start to turn from green.

Most lunches have included one or two of the small pineapple heirloom tomatoes. This year they were much later ripening, and are pretty much all that is left.

Fall is definitely here. I have been doing crockpot cooking almost everyday. Chili yesterday. Lamb stew today, and there will be chicken soup Sunday.

So, rain, rain go away. You made your point and the trees should be in better shape.

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Making the Most of the CSA

Posted on October 10, 2013 by AnnieRie

It is week 21. Things are morphing into those fall veggies. There are really wonderful items in this box.

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What did we get?

Salad Mix
Red butterhead lettuce
Radishes
Sunflower sprouts
Red Bok Choy
Potatoes
Collard Greens
Basil
Green Beans
Broccoli
Green Cabbage
Baby Eggplant

I already made pesto with the basil and used some of the sprouts in tonight’s salad.

We made venison chili today, using freezer and CSA items from the past few weeks.

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As for making pesto, it was standard.

At the moment, I am having computer problems on my “piece of garbage” Microsoft system, and my husband’s won’t cooperate and let me open my files correctly (another Microsoft product). I really need to trash all of them and get an iBook.

Oh well. at least I got a post up.

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Successful Programming

Posted on October 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

At the Howard County Conservancy, where I have been volunteering for the past three years after retiring. Things keep getting busier.

So successful that preregistering for events may become even more important in the future.

Like for this weekend’s CREEPY CREATURES!!!. Ashley Jarvis and Billy “Box Turtle” Heinbuch will be presenting this Saturday’s free “Wonder Walk”. Only it will be a morning in the Nature Center with all sorts of critters.

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Who knows what they will bring? Last fall’s event was a huge success. This year you won’t want to miss them.

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Those who do sign up in advance guarantee a spot. Those who come Saturday morning without being on the list, do risk not getting in, if the maximum capacity of the room is reached.

The Conservancy events keep getting more popular. The Fall Fest last weekend set a record. Over 800 people came for some part of the day. The twilight hike in late September attracted a mind boggling 140+ people.

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It’s nice to see the expanding participation.

I have been working on the program committee putting together next year’s calendar. This is such a fun “job” in retirement.

If you want to have an interesting, easy learning, hands on, experience, come on out this Saturday. 10 am. Just up the road in Woodstock.

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Lunch at Facci

Posted on October 8, 2013 by AnnieRie

Time to go check out the first of the new restaurants out here in the western part of the county. Although Turf Valley isn’t that far west, and the address is Ellicott City, it still is one of the closest restaurants for those of us living off I-70 beyond Marriottsville Road.

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I didn’t take my camera in, just ended up using my husband’s phone to take a couple of pictures of lunch.

I chose to have insalata and an antipasti (appetizer).

The salad.

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Portobello, very nicely done.

The appetizer of polpette consisted of four large meatballs. I only finished two of them and saved the rest.

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Tuesday is half price wine day at Facci. So, we ordered a nice bottle of Sangiovese, each had a glass and brought the rest home to have with dinner. As it turns out, the portions at Facci are so large, we ended up bringing home half my lunch, and about a third of my husband’s entree.

It made for an easy dinner tonight. Meatballs, leftover bolognese, mixed together with some of my roasted garlic, and supplemented with tomato paste, chicken stock, cremini mushrooms and olives. It worked out.

Next time my husband wants to try the clam pizza.

The decor is lovely. The private dining room in the back is going to be used for special events like a traditional Piedmont Menu paired with an array of Italian wines, a tiramisu competition, and grappa to finish. Looks interesting. We may have to sign up for the special events occasionally.

I think I found another place we like to eat, adding them to our favorites, Iron Bridge and Bistro Blanc. Now, can’t wait for Xitomate and Grille 620 to open.

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Game Day Food

Posted on October 7, 2013 by AnnieRie

Like many of our friends and neighbors, we are dedicated football fans, watching games on Sunday afternoons.

Only, as a locavore, our snacks may be a bit different than others out there.

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Crackers with chevre and pineapple habanero jelly. Don’t you always serve these at your football tailgate parties? If not, you should.

The chevre is just so, so good. I get it from Breezy Willow. They buy it from an Amish farm and sell it at their farm, and at the Glenwood farmers’ market.

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Believe me, I could sit there and eat the entire log of this cheese. We put it on rosemary crackers, from Roots. Added a dollop of my homemade jelly.

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We figured something out about the jelly. The bottom of the jar is hotter than the top. It seems those bits of pepper settle and the more you dig into the jar, the hotter the jelly gets.

Still, with a cold Yuengling, from my husband’s home county in Pennsylvania, this is locavore Nirvana, in terms of game day food.

Anything else you can think of, that compliments football and fall?

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Great New Recipes

Posted on October 6, 2013 by AnnieRie

Last night when we returned home, I decided to pull out some new recipes and try them. First, a tribute to Marcella Hazan, her leek and scallion frittata.

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A thin frittata. Just the right size for a light dinner. I do not have a 12 inch nonstick skillet specified in the recipe, so I used my 14 inch skillet. It meant I had to slightly adjust the recipe. This recipe came from MARCELLA SAYS.

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You don’t want to mess with Marcella’s recipes very much. They are perfectly balanced. It all comes down to the layering of flavors. That being said, here is what I did.

Heated the tablespoon of butter and tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Added one cup of scallion tops. Two cups of thinly sliced leeks (white parts only). Let it all slowly soften under a low heat. Add the 1/4 cup of water to steam them to doneness. After water evaporated, took it all out and set aside.

Meanwhile, added four eggs to a bowl. I used four regular sized free range eggs from Love Dove Farms. If you use large or extra large eggs, use three instead of four. Added 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan to the eggs. Gently mixed it together. Added the scallion/leek mixture. Folded it all together. Put it all in the skillet, after I had melted another tablespoon of butter in it.

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Let it cook until starting to firm up. Put it in a 400 degree preheated oven to finish.

Along with the frittata, I served a new salad. Inspired by Dinner: A Love Story. The link will take you directly to the recipe.

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I really love this salad. You do not have to measure anything. I used about a half dozen large pieces of Tuscan kale. Cut very thinly, avoiding the stems. Place in a bowl and add one avocado, sliced in thin pieces. A handful of thinly sliced scallions into the bowl. Squirt the juice of one large or two small lemons over it. Shave pecorino romano over everything. Drizzle olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. We were heavy on the avocado compared to kale. Next time, more kale as it is so good this way.

More on the great recipes I have found over at DALS. Even if it is a “family” blog, the recipes are simply wonderful. I stumbled upon them by accident, looking for something a while back. If I can ever find the book at the library (it is always out or on hold), I would love to check out their cookbook.

I do have their blog to thank for knowing that you shouldn’t mess around with the instructions on Marcella Hazan’s recipes. Do what she says. The layering of flavors makes her food incredibly flavorful.

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Release Party at RdV

Posted on October 5, 2013 by AnnieRie

What a picture perfect day!

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RdV Vineyards held their 2010 release party for their “ambassadors” today. A little different than a case club. You can become an ambassador by subscribing to buying at least a 3-pack of their vintage red blends, yearly.

According to their staff, there are at least 700 ambassadors. 300 or more of them came down today to pick up the new release, and to savor tasty tapas prepared by Jaleo.

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Figs and Serrano. Wedges of Manchego. A classic tortilla. Marcona almonds. Bowls of olives. All complimenting a big beautiful 2010 vintage. They were pouring Rendezvous. If you wanted Lost Mountain, you could buy a bottle, but no tastes of that today.

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These wines are luscious. There are no other words for them. You can not believe they come from Virginia. Seriously. Big, bold, beautiful, and this isn’t even their flagship blend. Worth every penny to buy a few.

They only made 500 cases of Lost Mountain and 1000 of Rendezvous. The roughly 700 ambassadors will make a large dent in that. The rest will make its way mostly into restaurants around DC.

Add to that, what they use in their winery events, and it will mean again that they sell out of most of their wines.

Today was even more interesting as they were sorting grapes below us, while we were up in the lobby having our party.

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Rutger was working most of the day. He did pop in, but you could see him out with his picking team as they were bringing in grapes, taking advantage of this lovely weather.

If you love big, classic Bordeaux styled wines, these are exquisite.

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Debating whose birthday will be the occasion to pop open this bottle.

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Nothing like ripe red grapes, heavy on the vines, to make our Saturday special. If you love good wine, take the time to make an appointment and visit. Only 2 hours by the back roads, and about an hour and a half using I-66. You would think you went to France.

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