Stuff I'm Up To

Mushroom hunting
Sigh. I don't get enough days out in the woods, but did manage to score all these within a ten minute local jaunt. Today brought us no mushrooms, but we did meet some beekeepers who also love the funghi -- a promising contact for bee questions. I'm hoping to start some hives this spring.

Canning
Did some real canning this year, a hobby that has been on hold while having small children. I always shoot for as many quarts of tomatoes as possible. I think I got somewhere around 17, not nearly enough. Varietal chile salsas were a first for me. I worked without a recipe and they turned out great. I fire roasted red jalapenos, as well as a red Padrons, added some vinegar and garlic -- heavenly, or maybe it's hellish. Since my husband likes the hot stuff, I also made a fermented chile pickle with ground mustard seed, cayenne, and ginger from this Madhur Jaffrey's book. This pickle inspires me to want to make more fermented foods.

Thinking about sheep
My friends over at Mariquita Farm are downsizing their livestock and we may be the proud new owners of seven ewes and a ram soon, like this week!

Photo Essaying
over at Mariquita during my two hours a week of kid-free time. It's close to preschool and Julia and I like to cook, talk, and get some farm chores done together. We did pumpkins into puree and roasted peppers over an outdoor fire.

Reading
Omnivore's Dilemma. It puts all my feelings about food and agriculture into words. I know I'm late reading it, but for all the other stragglers out there, Go Forth and Read!