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...
Read more →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...
Read more →When I saw this idea combining three of my favorite things (canning jars, pumpkins, and Halloween), I knew we had to make jar jack-o-lanterns. I dug out a stash of not-acceptable-for-canning jars (ones without a brand name) and our acrylic paints. Lil, her friend, and I each painted three jars in shades of orange....
Read more →Lil’s kitty cat cake was made by my sister Heather of Taysetee Pastry. Lil’s birthday marks two weeks until my birthday, yippee!
Read more →Ingredients and Inspiration: We are trying to return to a normal routine after several weeks with lots of events. Our garden is winding down with only a few tomatoes and peppers left. I unearthed some old homemade chorizo in the freezer that needs to be used. Lil’s birthday is this weekend! Monday – chorizo...
Read more →It’s official. As the sidewalk fills with students walking to the school on our block, we are choosing to homeschool. Mixed Feelings Until a few years ago, I judged that homeschooling was crazy and relegated to people who want to indoctrinate their child in some religion. I feel that same judgment now from some...
Read more →Our 20 year old Japanese exchangee, Anna, left for Japan this morning. We’ll remember her stay as a busy time filled with lots of cooking and dining. Here are five images from her visit: Anna making rice balls for us. There’s nothing more American than eating an Ohioana hotdog from Dirty Franks! Anna with...
Read more →This week, we lost our speckled sussex hen, Sussie. Suss had not been active, or laying eggs, for a few weeks. We tried several recommended treatments but she continued to lose weight and strength. On Thursday, Alex found her dead in the coop. In life, Sussie was the most skittish and shy of our...
Read more →What is it? Garlic scapes are the magical-wand-like flower shoots of the garlic plant. They emerge in late spring and contain a small bud that will become a flower if left on the plant. Many farmers, including me, prefer to cut the scapes away. The theory is that instead of the garlic spending energy...
Read more →Two birdwatchers building a birdhouse… …and two orpington chickens happy to be free from theirs. Added to Five Minutes for Mom Wordless Wednesday and Dagmar’s Momsense WW .
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