The garden is going like crazy right now. It is all we can do to keep up. In fact, I believe we are failing to keep up. The chickens have had their fair share of huge zucchini (that hid from our eyes until they were the size of dump trucks - how do they DO that?). Our sungold tomatoes are starting to come ripe. Oh, what a lovely, tasty snack when you are going about the garden. They are like little sweet, juicy bombs going off in your mouth. So awesome!

This weekend, Hubby and I started harvesting the Borlotti beans as fresh eating beans. This is the stage after they are green (and can be eaten like a typical green bean). The beans themselves are fully developed and can be eaten out of the shell. But it is before the beans hardened and dry (when they are good for storing to use during the winter). Borlotti beans are absolutely beautiful beans.


You cannot find these in stores (at least around here), and it is a shame. They are good for eating throughout their various stages and are simply gorgeous.

We used these borlotti beans in an "around the garden"soup which also had onions, garlic, scarlet runner beans (green stage), carrots, courgettes (zucchini), turnips, beets, potatoes, sungold tomatoes and various herbs. Yum!

There will be more to come. I'm looking forward to all the tomatoes getting ripe to start making sauces.

How are the gardens going out there?

I'm Up to Here...

With beans and apricots and will soon add zuccini (or courgettes - that word sounds so sophisticated) to the list. We survived some pretty wicked storms - except for our Bismarck corn which was blown down.

Quick post, I know. More to come with photos.

In Memoriam

We had to put Yellow Dog down today. He seemed to be doing fine last week. But at the beginning of the week, we noticed that he wasn't eating or drinking. He seemed very uncomfortable and doing a lot more whining than usual.

We brought him to the vet earlier this week. The only thing they could find was that his bladder was huge. The vet said he had never seen a farm dog with a bladder that big. It was full and Yellow Dog seemed unable to relieve himself. They catheterized him and helped him out. But nothing seemed amiss. They sent him home with instructions to watch how he did.

Well, he didn't improve.

The dog dish sat full. The water bowl wasn't touched. Yellow Dog would wander under a pine tree and lay there - no energy, no movement. He seemed so tired. He didn't relieve himself. He just kept looking tired and uncomfortable.

Blood work was run. Xrays were taken. Nothing.

But he wasn't improving. He couldn't seem to expel his waste.

In the end, the vet thought there was some nerve issue. There wasn't anything to do.

It is a tough thing to decide to put your dog down. It was especially hard with Yellow Dog. When we moved to our little house in the field, we had no animals. Then suddenly, on the 4th of July 5 years ago, a yellow dog showed up in our yard. No tag, no collar. But he was very friendly and loved being pet and played with. Since we didn't know his name, we called him Yellow Dog.

Concerned that he would run off before we could track down the owner, we attempted to tie him up to one of the trees. Well, Yellow Dog was a clever chap and figured out how to wiggle his pinhead out of the collar and leash. But he seemed in no hurry to move on. So, we got some food and put out some water.

We made calls to the local vet to see if anyone had reported a missing dog. Nothing. We checked the local paper and the local town for posters looking for a lost dog. Nothing. Days turned into weeks. Nothing.

Then the person we bought our old house from came by and said "Hey Cooper!". What? You know this dog?? Well yes, he said, he belongs to a guy down that way. I'll bring him back, if you want. Well, we felt a twinge of sadness, but felt he should go back to his owner. So, he was put into the back of the pickup truck and was driven off.

An hour later, Cooper aka Yellow Dog came bounding through the field into our yard. And that was it. He chose us.

We didn't have him for very long. But he was a great dog. He was very smart. During the winter, he would plant himself in front of the kitchen window. If he saw one of use looking out, he would look forlorn and start to shake. Once we moved out of his line of sight (but still could see him), the shivering would stop. He tore apart his fair share of garbage and stole food off the kitchen counter. He loved having his butt scratched - often looking back at us with a look of pure ecstasy as his hind hips were rubbed. He was very vocal, whining as we got out of the car when we got home from work. He perfected the downward facing dog pose - or as we called it - The Bow. He was a great pet and we loved him.

You are very much missed tonight Yellow Dog.

...And A Cherry On Top

We have heard rumors of massive storms tonight. We'd put off harvesting our sour cherries for days, but the rumors decided it for us. Harvest time!

This is the first year we had a good harvest of cherries. FINALLY!They look great!

The Cherries

Of course, we need to actually do something with these cherries. The obvious answer is of course - Cherry Pie!

First though, the cherries needed to pitted. We had bought a cherry pitter sometime years ago. Good for us! It did make the job easier and quicker, though still pretty messy.

In Process

I looked on the interwebs. I found one recipe for a Sour Cherry Pie that called for lemon and cornstarch. Ok....then I found another from the New York Times that called for cinnamon and brandy. BINGO! The only problem was it called for tapioca as the thickener. So I used the cornstarch instead. Also, the New York Times recipe called for baking the pie crust before pouring in the filling. Too much work for me! So I didn't.

For once, the pie crust was not too bad. If you have ready previous posts, you know that pie crusts are not my forte. However, it is really hot and humid today. We don't have air condition. Thus, the dough turned out a bit more moist than I usually get it. It gummed up a bit on rolling, and still split and didn't stay nice and round. But it was a lot easier to work with and fixing it was a lot easier. Note to self - more moist crust is good.

The pie turned out great! I literally took a spoon to the cookie sheet I had underneath it and started spooning up the sweet and sour cherry-flavored goop. Ooooooooooo! Nice!

The pie

The pie is still cooling as I type. But, I know it will be good. Hubby and I will enjoy it with some Cedar Summit vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmmm.....

The Whole Hog

Yesterday, Hubby and I went to Corner Table for a butchery class. This fabulous restaurant in Minneapolis focuses on local, sustainable food and holds several classes throughout the year. Hubby follows the executive chef, Scott Pampuch, on Twitter and saw that some spots had opened up at the last minute. Woot!

We showed up to the restaurant at 12:30pm and were greeted by Scott. He got us some coffee and tea. Did you know that his tea distributor has directions on how to brew each type of tea? Yeah, I didn't either until yesterday. How much tea leaves, the water temperature, how long to steep - wow! But, I must say, it was a very nice tea.

Others started to show up - a couple we had met at one of Scott's Tour de Farm dinners last summer came in. The class is limited to 6 people, so everyone gets a chance to jump in and get involved.

The groups split into two and we were each given half a pig. Our half had the whole tongue. Most of the offal was taken out - with only the kidney left. We each took turns cutting and sawing various sections as directed by Scott. Remember folks: knife for flesh, saw for bone.

I will admit that I am, well, challenged, when it comes to handling knives. Hubby cringes whenever I wield a knife in the kitchen and either takes the knife away and does the cutting himself or retreats to the living room with a trailing comment of where the bandages are located. Well, Scott noted my incorrect hold on the knife and provided me with corrective feedback.


Needless to say, Hubby was exasperated since he had told me the exact same thing on several occasions. I am still working on remembering no index finger on the top of the blade. I will get it eventually.

I had to opportunity to cut out the tenderloin, we cut off the hind-leg for making prosciutto (Scott will make them with Mike Phillips, executive chef at The Craftsman). We sawed off the feet (or trotters - I love calling them trotters!). We mostly stuck to the primal cuts. We did prep the meat for making as large "sausage" - a Mortadella that was encased in a cow intestine. Plenty of chuckles as the sausage was stuffed, but a good time.

We did get a light snack - some head cheese, a nice soft aged cheese (creamy like brie but had a much more funky, strong crust - which I like), and DIY soft tacos with confited turkey, pickled carrots, tomatoes, basil. We brought some Nocino along as well. Scott also brought out a very tasty chocolate ganache - the small shavings had a deep, rich chocolate flavor enhanced by a nice saltiness. I felt it went great with the Nocino.

It was a very fun afternoon. If you get the opportunity to do something similar, I would encourage you to do so.

Catching Up

Yes, I have been extremely neglectful of my blogging duties. But, at least I can say that I am making an effort - if not consistent.

Things are picking up around here. We have been eating a lot of asparagus - and have gotten to the point where they grow faster than we have the ability/desire to harvest them. So, most have gone to seed. I do have to say, though, that asparagus "in-flower" is actually pretty looking. So, I don't mind.

Our radishes have gone completely bonkers, and we've eaten the first round. I believe we will be sowing a second round soon. We do have some in a pickle press with miso paste - so I am looking forward to sampling them when they are ready.

We have had several salads from our garden greens.

The peas, broad beans (fava beans), scarlet runner beans, and barlotti beans are all coming up quick, as are the zuccinis and squashes. The popcorn is coming up well, the potatoes all seem to be doing their thing. The carrots, shallots, leeks, beets, turnips, kale, and chard are growing. Our tomato seedlings seem to have made it (we did them from seed this year) - we even got a few "volunteer" tomatoes where last year's tomatoes were located. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are Sungolds - the sweetest cherry-type tomato I've ever encountered.

We've sauteed up some broccoli rabe, which taste very much of broccoli raw but get a very mustardy flavor when cooked. Very tasty.

But, my favorite right now are our strawberries! I love garden fresh strawberries. We've nibbled a few that have come ripe up til now. But, today, I harvested a good bowlful. I macerated them with raw sugar, balsamic vinegar and black pepper - OH MY! That is SO good. I completely advocate macerating strawberries with balsamic vinegar - it is so tasty and you get a much more flavorful and complex syrup. This concoction was perfect over a bowl of Cedar Summit vanilla ice cream.



How are your summer harvests going?

An Old Family Recipe

My cousin recently posted on Facebook that she had just made a rhubarb recipe from her great-grandmother (my grandmother). She raved about it, in fact. As it turns out, several of us had never heard of this mysterious recipe before. We practically demanded that she give us the recipe too. Of course, she kindly obliged. I am sharing the recipe with all of you (yes, all of you!).

Grandma Beulah's Rhubarb Crunch

The Crust
1 cup flour
5 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter

Mix together the ingredients and pat into a 9"round pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

The Filling
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups rhubarb peices

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Add whipped cream to your serving if you so desire.

On another note: Apparently we had April in March and May in April. So of course, we now have March in May. Freeze warnings and snow - this is madness! We contemplated putting the burn barrel out in the middle of our orchard, burning away, just to keep the blossoms and fruit (yes, we have apricot fruits that are setting) from freezing. Ahhhhh! Come on warm weather! Oh, well, I will be able to console myself with rhubarb crunch.