Of Cabbages and Corn Kings

Aren't we lucky? 

We get to enjoy the bounty of harvesttime in the Midwest.

These guys and pal know it. They are riding high and living the life of cabbage kings.

Seems like a pretty good retirement gig.

Future sauerkraut!

One for the Books Winter 2019

Sweating, and fondly remembering cooler, okay, colder, days.

Winter 2019 was incredible. 

And more incredible. 

And before it was all over it became unbelievable. 

Just wanted to get it on the record. 

In a Peach Jam

This is what half of a a socially distanced line for peaches looks like. It wound around the parking lot in a giant U. People wore masks and were quite polite. It was weird.

This why these people were willing to wait in a long line in a big parking lot.

Beautiful Georgia peaches.

The peach truck was selling out and had to limit people to two boxes each. Just enough for our needs. We ate them fresh and made this beautiful peach ginger jam.

Canning in 2020 surely broke some kind of records as we all worked to stay busy and productive. By the end of the summer jar lids were nowhere to be found. We felt so lucky to have stocked up pre-pandemic. Still haven't seen lids back on the shelves. Guess when the peach truck comes this year we will have to sacrifice so others can have the limited canning supplies by settling for peach pie and crisp. Sigh. So hard.

Ramping Up the Pandemic Pantry

One thing we could do well, and safely, while isolating was get out in nature 

and forage our little hearts out.

In this case some generous young foragers shared their bounty of ramps aka wild leeks.

Pretty, aren't they?

We made a pesto-like concoction.

Spread it on flatbread from the freezer. Added a bit of cheese. 

And voila. Perfectly pizza from the wilds of Wisconsin and our well-stocked store of staples.

The Glad Game

Pollyanna is a very old reference from a book written by Eleanor H. Porter in 1913. Probably most people don't know why we say someone "is being a Pollyanna". Pollyanna was the titular character  of the novel, and according to the story her father taught her to find something to be glad about no matter how dire the situation by playing "The Glad Game". She is so good at the game that she influences her very crabby aunt and even an entire town to see the world in a more positive light.

Another more current book with a humorous take on remaining optimistic is "Could Be Worse" by James Stevenson. Despite the everyday woes of the grandkids, or even the amazing events in his tall tale that starts with being lifted out of bed by an eagle and dropped in the mountains where he meets the abominable snowman, his constant refrain is "could be worse". And it is true, isn't it?

Just last night we read in The #1 Ladies Detective Agency book currently on our nightstand that "Mma Ramotswe always managed to put things into perspective. Everything could always be worse, and so be grateful that things are only as bad as they are."

We are simply calling our attempt to find the silver linings during these very unusual times 

"Bad News/Good News". Here we go.

Bad News: No hair appointments for the foreseeable future.
Good News: We never gave in to coloring so we will have no grey roots growing out. As for the bangs - we still own bobby pins, and a scissors if things get desperate.

Bad News: Teeth cleaning cancelled.
Good News: No scolding for flossing deficiency.

Bad News: Stuck at home.
Good news: We have a cozy, big house with a full pantry in a walk-able neighborhood with congenial neighbors to wave to and greet from a distance.

Bad News: No get togethers with friends and family.
Good news: Lots of technology for virtual visits!

Bad News: Dreary weather and rain.
Good News: It is not snowing and signs of spring, including rain, are all around.

Bad News: Absolutely no reasons to procrastinate on the household to-do lists.
Good News: We are actually getting things done. Taxes, census, cleaning, cooking. Check, check, check, check.

Bad News: We get no visitors.
Good News: Pajama time 24/7!

Bad News: Spring and Summer vacations canceled.
Good News: We won't miss seeing our own garden at the peak of the growing season. We can admire every single moment of the magnificent rhododendron, lilacs, and spring epheremals in bloom.

Bad News: Our president is not doing a very good job of reassuring the nation, and indulges in some harmful magical thinking.
Good News: We do not have to be the ones standing behind him at press conferences trying desperately not to react to what he is saying. (Those people deserve a daytime Emmy for their performances.)

It doesn't matter where you are getting your inspiration to find the Good News in your situation, we only hope that you are finding it somewhere. And, we welcome you to share your Good News or source of hope with us here in the comments. If anyone calls you Pollyanna please take it as a compliment and remember, it could be worse.

Urban Syrup

There is no acceptable substitute for real maple syrup.
However the price of real syrup is somewhat dear, 

so last March we put our giant West Hill Norway Maple to work. 

With the perfect combo of cold nights and root-warming sunny days, 

the three taps produced more than three gallons of sap a day.

The end result was thirty gallons of sap over a few short weeks,

that we were invited to add to the collection of a Master Gardener friend's hundreds of gallons,

from over a hundred trees she taps.

Boiling it down is a family affair.

We got in on a little time tending the operation in the woods on a day when family had other obligations.

When the numbers and the taste test converge to say it's time to pull off the syrup it goes through the woods, into the house.....

and comes out like this!

Fire up the griddle!

Think Spring 2020

Think Spring Garden Seminar 2020 

Y'all come. 

Here We Go Again

A nifty thrifty website is whencanIreusethiscalendar.com.

Because of it we were able to reuse this lovely thing again this year after a mere six year wait.

Marie Kondo might not approve of that kind of saving, but she will be even more disapproving of the length of time we will have to hang on to it for a third time use. 2019 calendars do not sync up with the yearly dates again until 2030.

Your 2018 calendar is usable again in 2029. Not bad.

If you are a first wave baby boomer you might as well give your 2020 calendar to a millennial packrat right now unless you plan on taking really good care of yourself so you can use it again in 2048. 

Have a good year!

Trumpet Fan Fare

It doesn't look like much of an indulgence, 

but these Black Trumpet mushrooms 

dried and mixed with course salt give everything from scrambled eggs to your 

bloody Mary glass rim the flourish to take them from ordinary to extraordinary.

When this is gone we'll have to wait for quite awhile until we can make more.

 Trumpet salt definitely gives added incentive to next fall's foraging!

Think Spring 2019

Come on y'all and Think Spring with your fellow gardeners. 

11 speakers on 13 topics plus lunch, vendors, and door-prizes.

Registration information here. 

Tomato Days

So many tomatoes! 

If only we could spread the bounty of the Wisconsin garden out through the year to have real, homegrown tomatoes instead of the pallid impostors passed of as tomatoes at the grocery store in the winter months.

But we can't, so all-you-can-eat BLTs, puttanesca sauce, caprese salad, and salsa are on the menu everyday, several times a day, in tomato season.

And to add to the wonderful experience is the annual reminisce that comes with pulling out a recipe card written in the hand of the giver. 

In this case, Tammy. 

Here is her salsa recipe with adaptations for a smaller quantity. We don't have a many friends as she does. Her recipe would feed a very large group. Ours is just right for a family weekend.

Tammy’s Salsa

4 cups fresh tomatoes (can use part canned tomatoes)

Cilantro to your taste (1/4 bunch)

1/3 large or ½ medium onion

1-3 mild jalapeno peppers, seeded (or more, or some hot ones if you like heat)

1/8 cup (1 ounce) lime juice

1/8 cup (1 ounce) vinegar

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

½ teaspoon each salt and sugar

Chop finely or pulse in food processor.

Serve with chips (and margaritas if you are lucky).

This is pretty spicy stuff for a pastor's wife. We are going to send her some recipes from our church lady cookbook for times when canned soup combos are called for. Although we would never want to quash her spirit, culinary or otherwise, salsa as a funeral potluck offering might make some tongues wag, and burn! Tater tot hot-dish might put out more than one kind of fire.

Best of luck in your new role, Tammy. We're on stand-by with Jello recipes if you need inspiration.

Fenceline Fiddlehead Forage

Beautiful, tightly wound fiddleheads arising from their ostrich fern base.

Pick only one or two from each so the plants don't suffer. Make sure they are ostrich ferns!

Blanch in boiling water for a few minutes.

Saute in butter. Yum!

Gobble, Gobble

Turkey. Not just for Thanksgiving. 

This is a very nice soup.

Keep it in mind for the next soup weather day.

We recently made it on the last soup weather day.

Good anytime.

Turkey Meatball Soup

½ lb. ground turkey

3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

4 T. fine dried bread crumbs

1 large egg

1 T. fresh minced parsley or 1 t. dried

S and P to taste

1 qt. chicken broth

½ c. frozen or fresh peas

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 small zucchini, finely diced (optional)

½ c. precooked tiny pasta, such as orzo, shells, rings, or precooked rice

In a medium bowl, mix together the turkey, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, egg, parsley, and S and P. With moistened hands, form the mixture into balls about the size of marbles. Remove them to a large plate, cover with wax paper and refrigerate until ready to cook.

In a large pot, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the peas, carrots, and zucchini and cook for 5 minutes or until just tender. Slowly add the turkey meatballs, keeping the liquid at a slow simmer. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the turkey balls float to the top. Add the cooked pasta, and heat through. Serve in soup bowls and pass additional Parmesan cheese if you wish.

From Susan Costner - Parenting magazine 1991

Blizzard Bread

Just two weeks ago we were housebound by a spring snowstorm. Today the sprouts are sprouting, the buds are budding, and the grass is greening. Finally!

The good news about the late, last blast of winter was that we finally made bread after vowing to all winter.

We wanted a not too healthy, but wholesome bread that would make good breakfast toast. This recipe for Country White Bread from Taste of Home was perfect.

Punching down risen dough is so satisfying.

Just out of the oven and brushed with butter for a soft crust.

According to our vintage copy of the Farm Journal Country Fair Cookbook the "break" on the sides that we thought was not good, is actually desirable. Does it look "well shredded".

We won't be entering the fair with this recipe, but it is a winner and keeper for the collection. Now that it is documented here it will be available by an easy google search of "Next Door Laura bread" whenever we need it. How cool is that? Quicker than finding a card in a recipe box!

This is a great resource for figuring out "what went wrong?" with our many baking failures (with out having to pester our home ec major friends with questions too often). There is a similar page for each type of baked good - muffins, pies, cookies, biscuits, cakes, etc. And there are blue ribbon winning recipes in every chapter too.

Copyright 1975. Many batter spatters inside.

Country Weekend Ideas

 Bachman's Ideas House. Hurry. Ends April 16.

Living room,

adjacent sunroom,

and dining room are all pretty in

neutral with hints of pink palette.

Things are growing in the kitchen.

There are

Spring green accents

 throughout.

The entryway is an indoor farmyard with

tire swings,

garden fresh produce,

a clever rug,

tools near at hand, 

and inviting welcome

and nostalgic 

beverage stations.

Upstairs, one bedroom is succulent

 

and another resembles a conservatory.

The bathroom is the hive of the living quarters.

 

The third bedroom is for the birds.

And the last bedroom for the bird watcher,

butterfly collector, 

herbalist, 

nature lover,  

and horticulturalist.

Downstairs we go again through the kitchen,

 

for one last look at the layers of detail.

Sorry, can't stay for dinner.

The flowers, kept refreshed everyday are delicious looking.

The living room bookcases feature a trend we hear is all the range. 

Turning books backwards for a less busy look to the shelves.

So beautiful. If we won the lottery.... fresh flowers all the time.

This was a very nice house, but on the scale of how much of a nightmare to dust....

It is about a 9.

We'll be reading up on the newest thing the Scandinavians are doing right* and we are doing wrong. 

 But we are pretty sure the designers did not get the concept of lagom The Lexin Swedish-English dictionary defines lagom as "enough, sufficient, adequate, just right". Lagom is also widely translated as "in moderation", "in balance", "perfect-simple", and "suitable" (in matter of amounts) - Wikipedia, when they over-accessorized this Ideas House.

Oh well, no one really lives here and has to clean around all the clever decor.

And to be fair, due to the very unusual April we have had, the outdoors has had to come in making for a bit of crowding.

Plastic greenery! Real stuff (and taking the tire swings out to the tree) ahead. We hope.

*Hygge. Swedish Death Cleaning.