A huge segment of the toy industry makes kids cameras, plastic hardware tools, faux art supplies, and character-branded naturalist equipment. The motivation for such things might be pure, but they are often cheaply-made, useless imitations of adult tools. I can’t tell you how many ‘kid’ versions of tools have met their end in our donation bin. We toss the plastic screwdriver that doesn’t actually work with screws, the cheapo watercolors that have no pigment, the [...]

Truthfully, I become a little kooky around the winter holidays. My perfectionist tendencies and the dark days put me on edge. Excess time on my hands because I’m not gardening and canning allows me to try to craft the perfect experience, cookies, gifts, and meals. But life isn’t perfect. Rather than be disappointed when my plans don’t work out, this year I am trying to focus on being fully present to enjoy the most meaningful [...]

My final Charcutepalooza post, on the topic of showing off, takes the form of two family stories. Origins of the Sweetheart Once upon a time in 13th century Europe, lived Devorguilla of Galloway. Devorguilla was a woman of substance (i.e. wealthy land owner) whose parents arranged her marriage to John de Baliol. Read more of the Baliol family history on Tom Baillieul’s website if you wish – it’s pretty fascinating stuff!  Tom, Alex’s father, also [...]

The eleventh Charcutepalooza challenge is curing. Alex and I have cured and dried many meats including saucisson sec, fermented chorizo, and coppa. I asked my daughter Lillian to complete this challenge with me. She’s been around hanging meat for most of her life. Curing requires minimal skill and can be left for days at a time, perfect for the distractable mind of a six year old. Watch how Lil cures lardo: While the lardo cured [...]

This, my friends, is how Lil occupies much of her time these days: cracking nuts in shells. The only downside is the pile of sharp fragments, some of which inevitably fly across the room and end up on the floor waiting for a bare foot to poke. Sweeping up is a small price to pay for the hours of entertainment, fine motor development, and nutritious snacking.

I recently mentioned on twitter that having the first meat of the season hanging in the basement made me feel like our house was a home again. Someone (who are you? I can’t find the tweet now!) replied “It’s modern mistletoe!” That got me to thinking about how meat curing is a tasty metaphor for my nearly-eleven-year-long marriage to Alex. Curing meat takes time and attention from both parties in our house. We help each [...]

It is list making season, no? No matter your place on the HanuSolMas spectrum, there is some holiday that calls for presents. In my family, gifts are made of love and time. Much of what we give and receive is handmade. We flip the consumerism coin and come up with heads and hearts – my family makes some awesome gifts. And yet, we give and receive indulgences that cannot be made by hand. Our wish [...]