Tired but Happy

I have been working out of town real often lately and am now on a cooking job about an hour from home. Truth be told, I am having a blast feeding 9 incredible folks who REALLY love to eat!  Because the hours are so long -12 to 13 hours a day- and the drive is so far, I have been spending every other night on site.  It allows me to actually get some sleep! I roll out of bed in the morning, jump in the shower and then walk across the driveway (and more often than not encountering a camel or an elk on the way), put on the coffee and start breakfast.  It is creative and exhilarating work and I am so grateful to be able to work at this ranch.
I do miss home though and my everyday stuff: the garden, the chickens (it's almost chicken butchering time again!) and MY HUSBAND!  On the nights I drive home, it is a quick, "Hi! How was your day? Gotta' get some sleep...see you in the morning..."
But I stayed up tonite to check my mail and catch up on a few things.  I read this article online and thought it was a brilliant idea...maybe it will become the new trend in wedding food (or really ANY party). Enjoy and GOOD NIGHT!
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996593,00.html?xid=newsletter-weekly

50 Healthy Foods...

Found this article the other day and was duly impressed with the info it contained:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/save-money/cheap-healthy-food-460610#comments

Jeff Yeager is a very funny and pragmatic man that writes the column The Green Cheapskate for The Daily Green, an e-zine also called, The Consumer's Guide to the Green Revolution. The article linked here is called 50 Healthy Foods for Under $1 a Pound.  There are so many great recommendations in Jeff's article such as buying produce when it is on sale, blanching it and freezing it.  Food in season tends to be cheaper (think of this when you buy green beans in January at $2.89 a pound!) and sometimes, when you buy an entire case, you can get a REALLY good deal. Every Autumn a local farmer sells his crop of sweet potatoes out of his garage. It is the only product he grows to sell and we wait every year for his sign to go up saying that his potatoes are available. He sells the exceptionally large ones or exceptionally small ones or the gnarly ones for 50 cents a pound and we buy about 85-100 pounds.  They keep all year with no special effort (we keep them in a bus tub in the bottom of the pantry) and we usually finish the last ones a month or so before they are available again.  And you can read my previous post on picking strawberries at Marburger's Orchard to see how we do pretty much the same thing with fruit.  We are picking peaches this week at Marburger's and will freeze most of them after we eat our fill of fresh ones.
Yogurt made his list at 2/$1 for the individual cups, but I think making your own is a BETTER, CHEAPER and GREENER alternative. You can go to my website, http://www.theteachingkitchen.com/ for complete instructions, plus step by step pics. I have a batch of milk heating on the stove this very minute which will be yogurt by this evening.  I mean, it's taking care of itself while I am in the office blogging.  Easy and CHEAP! 
The point of all this being that eating well-and healthy-doesn't have to be expensive. Yeah, the learning curve may be steep at first and you may have to adopt new habits, but after the initial work it becomes second nature.
Some of Jeff's recent articles on The Green Cheapskate were:
How to Compost Almost Anything    
8 Great Perennial Vegetables Almost Anyone Can Grow                             
10 Things I Learned While Living Without Running Water
Having lived for many years without running water, I especially appreciated this one!
Check out his blog for lots of great ideas on how to save money and live a better life while doing your part to help our planet.

Strawberries, Blackberries and Peaches, Oh My...

Last week, Lily and I took a morning trip to Marburger Orchard just outside Fredericksburg to pick strawberries.  I had planned on picking weeks before (the season usually starts in March) but before I knew it, the end of April was here and I still hadn't made it out there. A frantic evening call to Lily and the plans were made.  The next morning, the car packed with baskets and empty beer flats, I picked her up and off we went. The crop this year is prolific and the picking was really easy.  In less than 2 1/2 hours we picked almost 65 pounds of beautiful strawberries!!! Marburger Orchard is a lovely, flower laden 41 acre ranch with 25 acres of that in fruit production.  The peach trees are neatly arranged in rows according to variety-and they have 13 varieties planted.  As one variety plays out another steps up, so they have continuous production from mid-May through August. And right in the middle of the peach trees are the strawberry fields-long, lush rows of plants full of jewel like fruit.  It's a sight to see!

Armed with our baskets and cardboard flats, we settled in a back row and began picking.  We kneeled on the sandy soil between the rows and after about 20 minutes, Lily enviously pointed out a man in a row in front of us wearing kneepads. What a great idea!

But we kneeled and picked and talked about all kinds of things.  It was a pleasantly cool morning with a slight breeze and before we knew it, our first baskets were full to overflowing. Right about that time a small tractor came down the row to pick up our full baskets and transport them back to the front table at the top of the hill. In no time our second baskets were full and, after the tractor picked up this load, we walked back with our last empty flat, filling it as we walked back to the top of the hill.  Lily commented how addicting the picking was-the berries are so beautiful that you keep thinking, "just one more..."

I usually pick about 30 pounds, but with Lily's help I unknowingly upped it this year.  I have to admit I was quite surprised (and really pleased!) when Gary Marburger added it all up and said, "Just over 64 pounds..."

Wow!

Strawberries are almost done for this year.  There will probably only be pickable fruit for another week or two.  Weather's getting quite warm now with days in the upper 80's, so there are no new blooms.  If you would like to pick, plan it soon and check their website for fruit availability.  Gary Marburger updates the site every few days and there are some great pics of the ranch. 

Next fruit coming in will be blackberries.  Mr. Marburger has built trellis type uprights for the blackberry canes that keep them off the ground and make picking quite easy.  You can just walk down the row with your basket over your arm and pick to your heart's content (and, ultimately, your belly's content, too!).

He has a few different varieties of blackberries, but be aware that most are NOT thornless, so wear long sleeves.  They are large berries and VERY tasty.  Perfect for pies and cobblers and they freeze like a dream.  Blackberry season should start in 2 weeks or so, but it will take 7-10 days after that before production is at its peak. The blackberries finish toward the end of June.  If you time it right you can pick blackberries and peaches in the same morning!  The first variety of peaches ready to pick are called Regal and they should be ready mid May or so.  From that point on, there will be two to three different varieties available at any one time until August.  I find peach picking to be the easiest of them all.  You place your box on the ground and walk around picking.  The trees are not tall so everything is within reach.  You might notice small cement "cups" hanging in the peach trees.  These are hung off certain branches to keep them growing laterally instead of upright so picking is easier. I've always thought it was an ingenious idea and when you are picking you will see that it obviously works!  The peaches are phenomenal! Sweet and juicy and they also freeze well. It's best to get to the Orchard in the morning-they open at 9-because it is hot later in the day.  Wear a hat and bring cash or a check as they don't take plastic.
I'll take this opportunity to post my VERY FAVORITE fruit dessert recipe.  It is equally good with strawberries, blackberries and peaches.

Fruit Crisp

3 cups old fashioned oats (not quick oats)

1 cup all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

½ t. nutmeg or cinnamon

2 sticks cold butter (1/2#), cut in small pieces

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)

Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon or nutmeg and pecans if using, in a bowl. Mix in cut up butter. Mix well and store in a ziplock or a freezer container. This makes LOTS! You can use this over any fresh or frozen fruit.
For fresh fruit: toss the fruit with about 1 tablespoon of flour and about 1/4-1/3 cup of sweetener of your choice (honey, brown sugar, maple syrup) per 3 cups of fruit. You can use less sweetener for peaches and strawberries and more for blackberries which tend to be more tart. Place the fruit in a greased casserole dish and cover the fruit completely with the crisp mix. Bake about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbly. If the fruit is frozen, you will have to bake it longer-about 45-50 minutes. Great topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  It's nice to have the oat mixture in the freezer for a quick, fairly healthy dessert!

We are lucky to have resources for fresh fruit like this in our area.  In addition to it being a great educational environment for kids, it's a wonderful opportunity to pick enough fruit to can or freeze so you have quality fruit year round.  A big "Thanks" to Gary Marburger and his staff for making the Orchard such a welcoming place and for working so hard to grow quality fruit.  And thanks to Lily for some great pictures! I had a terrific time with you kiddo and look forward to mornings spent picking blackberries and peaches! Yum!

Spring Garden 2010

I can't remember a Spring as beautiful as the one we are now experiencing.  My memory may have been shortened however by the crippling drought of the last few years.  The weather is so mild right now and we've fallen into a nice cycle of cool and clear weather, then clouds and rain, then clouds and no rain and then back to cool and clear.  I know this cannot go on forever, so I am spending lots of time outside.  We have little fuzzy, green peaches on our tree and, in speaking with the local growers, it looks like it will be a great crop this year.

My artichoke has 2 tiny artichokes almost ready to pick.  If you pick them small-about the size of a golf ball-you can eat them whole without removing the choke since it isn't fully developed.  They are tasty and tender boiled for a few minutes and then brushed with olive oil and grilled.

My sugar snap pea plants are almost up to my shoulder. 

And at this point, I don't know if I'll get any peas since I read Nisa's post on The Cooks We Are about pea shoots. The French omelet she makes is beautiful! Now I snatch the shoots off the plants every time I enter the garden and munch on them as I am planting or weeding.  In the Autumn, I am going to try to remember to plant TWO full beds of peas, so I can have some for pea shoots and some for peas! The shoots are beautiful and graceful with tendrils that wrap around anything within reach. 

The poppies began blooming yesterday.  A rich, intense burst of color in the garden.  I love the buds before they bloom.  Day by day you can watch them poke out of the foliage, bend over toward the ground and then slowly start reaching for the sky until the green outer layers of the bud fall off and the crepe paper like petals unfold.  All these years I've had poppies in the garden and they fascinate me still.

Roses began blooming this week also.  This rose bush was in the garden when I bought the ranch and I've never moved it.  It takes up an enormous space now, but I use the roses as the base for the lotion I make, so I let it go wild.

The horseradish is quite happy.  This Autumn I will dig up the root, cut off some bits to replant and process the remainder for the fridge. Yum!

We've been eating green onions for awhile.  I love it when they flower. 

The Meyer Lemon tree has been blooming for a month. The entire garden smells of its perfume. It has four small lemons on it, and too many flowers to count. It's a new addition to the garden but won't actually be planted there. We'll move it into the greenhouse before the first frost.

Pulled up the last of the beets for dinner tonite.  They are a bit gnarly looking, but after boiling them for a bit, I peeled and sliced them and poured some apple cider vinegar over for them for a quick pickling. Then I made a big salad with all the beautiful lettuces in the garden, some toasted walnuts, sliced apples and bleu cheese.  It was a great dinner and I made a vinaigrette for later in the week with the vinegar leftover from pickling the beets.  It's a wild purple color and unusual tasting vinaigrette!

We lost a chicken last week.  I don't mean that we had an attack by a predator, I mean we LOST a chicken.  One of the laying hens just never came back to the coop in the evening.  I am pretty certain that she is setting somewhere in the yard.  The mild weather and frequent rains have made the vinca almost knee high in places and so thick you can't walk through it.  This same thing happened four years ago.  We assumed some critter had snatched a chicken until I heard a noise one afternoon in the middle of a big patch of vinca and when I investigated further-moving aside the plants with my hands-the mama hen jumped up at me and the babies scattered.  As far as the recent chicken disappearance goes, since there was no sign of an attack-no feathers anywhere (or other body parts...eech!)-I am pretty sure she is hiding in the thick foliage on a pile of eggs.  At least I hope so.  I'll wait to see if she shows up with a trail of babies behind her instead of trying to hunt through the twining vines.

The Joys of Spring

Beautiful weather here in the Texas Hill Country.  I can say that even though today dawned grey and drizzly.  From here at my desk I can hear my garden cheering.  I walked around the yard yesterday taking pictures of the new growth and reveling in the joys of Spring.  Peach trees in bloom, the hope of juicy peaches in July makes my mouth water now!

The fig has lots of new growth even though I neglected to prune it last Autumn.

The lettuces that were covered in snow exactly a month ago are now lush and ready to pick.  Salads are on the menu most every day.

Sugar snap peas are up and beginning to climb the supports.  So few of these make it to the table as I can't resist picking handfuls while I am gardening and eating them on site.  Crisp and oh, so sweet!

The horseradish root is sprouting.  Have you ever had fresh horseradish?  It would make you swear off the grocery store stuff! 

The poppies, which I planted years ago in honor of my mom (whose nickname is Poppy) re-seed every year in different places around the garden.  It's a sign to me that Spring has arrived.

And the arugula, which we've been eating for months, is now going to seed.  I let the seed scatter all over the garden and then replant it in the beds...or let it grow right where it is-usually in the paths!  Come September it will sprout and start the cycle all over again.

Lest you think my obsession fascination with morels has waned, I will leave you with pics of the fruits of my 4 mile walk yesterday.  I was impressed with the size of the mushrooms and am wondering how much longer they will be around.  We are still eating morels daily...most recently grilling them with onions and piling them on sandwiches.  My goodness...

I saw the first snake of the year yesterday.  So very sweet! And so very glad it wasn't a rattler as I almost stepped on it...

On another note, the Comfort Area Farmers Market begins its 2010 season on Saturday, April 3rd

from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. so come on over if you are in the area.  It is held in the Comfort Park right on Hwy 27.  It looks like it will be a great year with lots of new vendors and exciting programs planned.

We will be open every Saturday morning through Autumn.

There is also a great new Open Air Market starting in Comfort the first Saturday of every month beginning in April, which coincides with the Farmers Market Opening Day.  It is being held behind the new thrift store in town, called General & Thrift at 606 High Street, from 8-4.  All sorts of vendors will be setting up and BBQ will be available for sale. 

Do come visit us at these markets and support the local economy and pick up some terrific products.

And a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear husband, Scott.  He tolerates, no...encourages me in all my varied endeavors and is my biggest champion.  I can't imagine life without him. 

Happy Day Sweetheart!

The Biggest Haul Yet!

My friend Debbie and I went out this afternoon and within an hour had picked over a pound of mushrooms!  I had been telling her about them and even showed up at her house yesterday with some for her to try, but as much as we looked at her place, there were none to be found.  I was afraid that she thought I was making all this up (complete with pictures!).  But today she was thrilled to search under cedars and tromp through the woods after she found her first mushroom.  I'm telling you, it's addicting!  Some of the morels today were so big!

Last night we ate quinoa with asparagus and morels...an amazingly lush and rich dish.  It is supposed to rain tonite and tomorrow, so Sunday or Monday we'll be out again.  And next week, I'll start drying some of the bounty.  What a gift! 

A 3 Hour Walk

Couldn't get out of the house fast enough today, the hope of more morels pulling me.  But I had a few things to take care of around here, so it was after 11:00 before I headed out armed with a backpack full of supplies: camera, scissors, bags, water bottle and snacks.  And what a good walk it was!

Just a bit over 5 ounces. I crawled on my hands and knees under lots of cedars, but it was worth it.  Here are some pics of the morels as I found them:

Cute, huh?  This next one was growing out of the bottom of a tree.

At one point I had been walking about 40 minutes without finding any at all.  I figured that I had gone out of the area where they would grow.  As I was ducking under a branch, my glasses (which were perched on top of my head) got knocked onto the ground.  "Stop here and look!" I thought to myself and crouched down where my glasses were.  I found a morel about 4" from where my glasses lay.  Up to that point, if I found one morel, I would find more in the same area.  So I sat down where I was and began to look around.  Just to my left I found what would be the biggest grouping of the day.

I think I will wait a few more days before going again.  I left quite a few tiny ones in the ground.  I am hoping to find enough more to dry some for later.  As for now, I can't help but get home and saute some up for lunch.  Adding a bit of chopped garlic and brown rice, they made a tasty lunch!  With enough left over for another meal!

Be Still, My Beating Heart

I don't know where to start, so I will simply post this picture and go from there:

For about 2 weeks now, I have been walking the woods with my trusty sidekick, Sophie, scouting out areas where morels might grow.  I knew the season was coming up and that the conditions were so right for them this year...wet, cold and with some periods of snow on the ground (see previous posts!).  I have never found a morel, but have eaten them (and swooned with every bite) and have been told that they can be found in Texas.  Indeed a neighbor has found them on their property and a ranch where I sometimes work has had bumper crop years. I know they've been found in Gillespie County and lots in the country outside Austin but, as I said, conditions have to right.      

I just knew this was my year. I felt it in my bones.

I've been working out of town for the last 6 days on the ranch where the bumper crops of morels have been found, so "dry land fishing" (as I've heard mushroom hunting called) was a big topic of conversation.  When I finished work today, my friend Steve told me,

"If you find some, call me and if I find some, I'll call you! We need to know the season has started!" 

It has been cold and dreary all day and has rained about an inch in the last 12 hours, but once I got home I couldn't help myself.  I put on a sweater and my new rainboots and headed out with Sophie at my heels.  I  half heartedly looked in a few places, but thought that tomorrow would be the day to REALLY start looking.  It is supposed to be warm-in the low 70's- and sunny.  But the walk was going along so nice and although I was a bit cold, I thought I'd go check a few of the places I had scouted out.  I walked probably a half mile through the woods and came to a rocky slope with small trees.  I just stood there.  I am completely serious when I say I FELT them.  I knew they were there.  I just stood there looking around.  My eyes locked on a spot about 2 feet in front of me.  There it was- a small morel not much more than an inch tall, poking out of the ground.  My heart stopped.  I crouched down and saw it was 2 morels, one much smaller.  I picked the larger one and stepped back to a flat rock and sat down.  My heart was beating as I sat and looked over the leaf covered ground.  About 4 feet in front of me and to my right, I saw a large one. I said out loud, "Oh my, oh my..." which brought Sophie running.  I stepped carefully over to the one and saw it was FOUR morels.  I picked the two largest and went back to my rock, turning them over and over in my hands.  I must've sat there for 10 full minutes, just amazed that I REALLY had found some morel mushrooms.  I was getting cold, so I decided to head back home.  One last time I walked to where I had found the first one and stepped just beyond it.  There, at my feet, were 2 more.  I picked the larger and, after marking the spot, headed back through the woods towards home.

Tomorrow will be quite a day!

One of those days...

I just felt funny when I woke up this morning.  I didn't sleep all that well and even after drinking my coffee in bed (Scott indulges me most every morning with this treat) I had a hard time getting moving.  Finally got out of bed, did a little work via e-mail, checked the weather and exercised for 30 minutes before taking a shower.  By this time I realized I was running a bit late.  I had to be at work at 2:00 in San Antonio and had planned on leaving by noon so I could stop by the bank and run a few other errands.  I rushed to get dressed and ran out the door.  I left the house at 12:03.  Yes!  Made it to the city and my first errand at 1:03.  Perfect.  Made a few more stops and then drove to work.  As I parked my car I realized I had forgotten to go to the bank and I would have to pay for parking.  I had 2 bucks and change and parking was usually $2.50...whew!  Went into work and chatted a bit with the gals before starting work.  Had a real good session and as I was leaving my room I looked down and noticed this:

I was wearing two different shoes.

How in the world could I have worn two different shoes all day and not noticed?

I think I'll go to bed now.

...and more snow...

Geez, you'd think we live in the south or something the way we are reacting to this snow!  But it is so much fun!  Scott and I just came in from a walk around the ranch with Sophie.  The snow is perfect for snowballs...it compacts into perfect spheres...but it seemed every one I threw, Scott caught!  As soon as we came in, the snow started falling again.

Chicken tracks in the snow.

The entrance to the garden.

Bundled up!

Scott throwing a snowball...it missed!

Some of the chickens in the snow.

After I had come back in the house, taken off my wet shoes and coat, Scott poked his head in the door and said, "You've got to come out and see this..."  I grabbed my camera and followed him back out.  He stood by my car and said, "Notice anything?"  My sunroof was open a bit...oh no...

It was 72 on Sunday and yesterday when I was in San Antonio, it was 66 degrees.  I was dressed for work and it was warm...of course I opened the sunroof.  Problem was, I forgot to close it...

Ahhh, life is good...