More Pyrohy


Pyrohy, I've decided, are a perfect Sunday dinner. The main reason for this is because Sunday morning many of us think to make bacon. Then we are too lazy to do the dishes before the birthday parties and errands so that pan with bacon grease is still sitting on the stove when the pyrohy are ready. And that pan is begging to be reheated and filled with just-boiled pyrohy for dinner. Yeah, Sunday.

Of course, I had to make the pyrohy first. Thankfully today I had company and a really well-timed nap from the girls. Andree and Gwendolyn came over for a little, old fashioned pyrohy bee. Well, really, I got the games started by making the dough then put them to work making pyrohy. And they were stellar for their first time ever!

We stuck with traditional fillings of mashed potato with cheese and bacon, plain mashed potato, and sauerkraut. Potatoes from our CSA and sauerkraut courtesy of my parent's suburban kitchen. I prepped it all this morning. And taking a cue from the lady's at my parent's church - home of a ridiculously large bimonthly pyrohy supper - we scooped and rolled our mashed potatoes ahead of time. Makes for faster and easier folding of the pyrohy.


Andree said that my babbling and instructions was like watching a cooking show. Minus the couch and red wine! I was a little chatty with pyrohy stories, who knew I had so much to say? Of course, that may have more to due with being surrounded by the kids for weeks now with little adult company than my extensive knowledge of pyrohy.

Did I mention the single parenting? That would also be why I needed pyrohy for dinner, with kale on the side, roasted carrots, kubasa, and the cookies both Gwendolyn and Andree brought us (chocolate chip with bacon and shortbread). And now I shall sit on the couch and drink my wine, with or without a cooking show.

Heart



Kale chips not potato chips. Let's just get that out of the way. But they are better. But sometimes they are worse, way worse.

An old boss of mine had a heart transplant a little over a year ago. He was sick, very sick, for a young man. For awhile he was attached, and essentially kept alive by an obtrusive, loud, cranky machine. An external pump, if you will, that he carried around behind him like a business traveller and his carry-on through the airport.

Kale is one of the dark green, leafy vegetables that 'they' like to tell us to eat, and eat often. Nothing but good stuff in them. Loads of vitamins, beta-carotene, and even calcium. One of the key vitamins in kale is Vitamin K, very good for blood coagulation.

And blood coagulation is very bad for men with external heart pumps.

But now, with a new heart pumping and no carry-on luggage, those dark green, leafy vegetables are back on his plate. And because potato chips are supposed to be off that same plate I am offering up this recipe.

Kale chips are an addiction in this house; a favourite way to use up the abundance from our CSA. Yes, the girls like them too. Kale chips have a crunch that disintegrates as soon as you bite into them. They do taste green (which is a good thing) but they also carry the taste of the salt and spices you toss them with as soon as they come out of the oven.

So, if you are a salty snacker, try adding kale chips to your bowl. Ridiculously easy to make, fast, and full of real flavour that you control. Snacking at its best. And new heart approved.

Kale Chips

1 bunch kale - purple, green, or lacinato (or a combination
Olive oil
Salt
Seasonings (smoked paprika, truffle oil, seasoned salts, cumin, black pepper, chili powder...)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Wash and dry the kale very well. Cut out the stiff rib and cut the leaves into 1-2 inch pieces.
3. On a rimmed baking sheet toss the kale with a light drizzle of olive oil. Go easy on the olive oil to have crisper chips.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Give the kale a gentle toss halfway through.
5. Remove from the oven and toss with a generous sprinkle of salt and seasonings of choice. (Smoked Paprika is our favourite.)

A Pretty Thing


Just a scarf.

You've heard me say it before, but I really don't like to sew clothes. There are so many delicious patterns out there and loads of fabric that I do think would make better clothes than quilts, but I can't quite get motivated to break out pattern pieces.

When Jacquie sent me a piece of Anna Maria Horner Good Folks voile I wasn't confident that it would work in a quilt. Yes, all together with a whole bunch of voiles would be fantastic, but I also don't generally do single fabric line quilts. Geez, I really am a picky quilter!

The voile is just too pretty to leave languishing in a stash bin. Unbelievably soft too. Yes, it would make a gorgeous blouse or summer dress. With my clothing sewing skills, however, I also thought it would make a lovely scarf.

Selvage to selvage it is a bit shorter than the conventional 42-44 inches. This makes it too short to be good scarf. When I went searching for a coordinating print I couldn't help but take out an older AMH fabric in that pink. So one side is AMH, the other is grey. A quilter's linen and a Lecien print I picked up in Ontario.

This is ridiculously easy to make. Sew your front pieces together, sew your back pieces together. Then, wrong sides together sew around almost all four sides. Leave a spot to turn it right side out, after clipping the excess fabric from the corners. Top stitch all the way around.

This scarf now goes with me everywhere. I'm not generally a pretty kind of gal when I dress, but I do adore this scarf and even though it is plain jane construction, it makes me feel very pretty to wear it.

Thanksgiving



I am thankful for:

... A family who loves me even when my crazy comes out.
... Farmers who works hard.


... My new career.
... Knees that still walk for me, even if I can't ski, skate, or run anymore.
... Curious, feral daughters.
... Friends that stick with you.


... Indian Summer
... Our kids being at an age where they will disappear and leave you to have adult conversations with wine.

... Scotch and fat pants.

What about you? What are you thankful for this year?

For the Girls


So I need to start a new quilt, or two, like I need a bad knee. Oh wait, I've already got two of those, so why not start two new quilts?

The girls have shared a room for almost two years. Now that Smilosaurus is out of the crib they've been stuck even sharing a big bed. Truthfully, they seem to love it - choosing it over sleeping separately when presented with an option. It works for them and 95% of the time it works for us.

You see, we put our girls to bed and then pretty much ignore them. They can talk, giggle, fight, or whatever - as long as the lights stay off and they stay in bed. And 95% of the time that works. The other 5% of the time one wants to stay up while the other sleeps or they fight over the covers. That 5% of the time I am desperate for them to have their own beds.

We've been shopping with little success for twin beds we like. Hubby is actually getting them made now off a design we put together. New beds, however, necessitate new quilts. By the time I get these done they might have new beds. Maybe Hubby and I should have a race?

BS


Brussels Sprouts. There I said it. The big, ugly, cruciferous vegetable. And one of my favourites.

The only thing that makes me more excited than the arrival of Honeycrisp apples in the fall is the arrival of those thick stalks, heavy with their tiny cabbages.

Truthfully, I'd never had a brussels sprout until I was an adult. What my mom didn't like, we didn't eat. Not so for my girls. They don't start salivating at the sight of green, but they will eat a nicely roasted sprout topped with hazelnuts. And what they don't eat Hubby and I will gladly devour.

With Thanksgiving coming I have a proliferation of CSA veggies to use for dinner. I won't be shopping for any specific dish, just using what my farmer has so carefully grown for us. So I'll pick up my turkey at the market, maybe grabbing some sausage for stuffing. But I cannot, will not, forego my brussels sprouts at dinner.

Our favourite way to cook the sprouts is roasted. Simply cut them off the stalk, trim any errant leaves, and toss with a bit of olive oil. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. When they are done drizzle with a bit of good balsamic and sprinkle on some toasted hazelnuts or pecans. Even better when you throw some pancetta in the mix.

Here are some other good brussels sprouts recipes to share. Some I've made, others I just want to get to, maybe this weekend?

Cream Braised Brussels Sprouts (oh wow! these are good)

And speaking of Thanksgiving, I had two other posts this week talking about my favourite holiday. One on survival tips for the big dinner, and another on the second most important side dish (after brussels sprouts, of course), mashed potatoes. Seriously, it is my absolute favourite. What's your favourite holiday?

Thanks for Swinging By


I suppose you want to know who won the giveaway?

The big winner of the complete set of rulers was Angela. She was a very excited gal when Pat let her know.

And the winner of the Blog Aid cookbook was Debbie from As Busy As Can Be.

I also wanted to answer some of the questions that came up in the comments. Yes, it is indeed real maple syrup. It's the only thing we've got in the house. I am a good Canadian girl and it's the only way to go. I get mine from a maple farm in Ontario. Sadly, sugar maples don't grow out West.

The bean recipe can be kept vegetarian, just skip the bacon. But in this house we adore the bacon. And maple and bacon together? A little bit of heaven.

About that metric and imperial contrast. Another uniquely Canadian conundrum because we have conflicting influences between American and British influences. More than once I've found myself writing a recipe using both grams and cups or milliliters and ounces! But I think only a Canadian would get it.

Someone asked about my time. Well, let's just say I don't watch that much TV and there is little in the way of exercise in my life these days - stupid knees. And the best part about being a food writer is that I get to do research and make dinner at the same time. Even if it means making Christmas cookies in the September sunshine!

And yes, I promise to finish my Mom's quilt and soon!

Thanks for hopping!

Browned Butter Sunday


After finishing 5 articles in a week (recipe testing included) and single parenting for most of that time, frankly, I didn't care much for Sunday dinner. The fridge was full of food, the girls spent the afternoon munching on late season strawberries, cheese, and a cantaloupe, and we were all getting downright cranky.

That left only one option for dinner - popcorn.

When I told the Monster that we were having popcorn and I would find us a movie to watch she got so excited that she literally burst into song. Then, on her own volition, she start cleaning up the living room to make it ready for dinner at the coffee table. Hell, if that's what it takes I'm thinking dinner like this everyday!

Not all was lost when it comes to a good Sunday dinner though. When we returned from the market and I went to refresh the fruit bowl I had some mealy peaches and sad looking apples and pears to contend with. Then there were the ripe peaches that didn't make it home intact from the market and a few half eaten apples courtesy of the girls. The only option was to make a fruit crisp.

The girls got grains and fruit for dinner. I am not a bad mom.

While cutting up the fruit (just a pile of what we had, peels and all) I had this notion to try browning the butter to the crisp first. I guess some part of me was still able to be creative. The butter melted and crackled away on the stove. Then it occurred to me that I never really know how brown is technically browned butter. Turns out I've not been browning enough all along. So I kept it on the stove and got to the lovely browned bits.

In the end, I could have left it a bit longer, I think, but it had that rich, nutty smell and some good colour. Even though I was making crisp, I must confess that the smell only made me think of lobster. I must still have Nova Scotia on the brain.

Once the butter cooled a bit I made up my regular crisp topping. Frankly, I could have eaten it straight, and did so for a few nibbles. It was rich with a butterscotch goodness and with a slightly lighter texture from using melted butter. I am never making crisp any other way, ever again.

And I refuse to feel bad about taking the time to treat the girls and sit quietly in front of the TV. Roasts and veggies are nice and all, but Sunday is also about family. After such a hectic and trying week sitting down together, this time with snuggles, was a much better option.


Browned Butter Fruit Crisp

Filling
4 cups fruit
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 Tonka Bean/1 tsp cinnamon

Topping
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats

1. Chop the fruit into 1/2 inch chunks. Peeling is optional. Gently toss with flour, brown sugar, and spice. Pour into an 8 by 8 baking dish.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a small, stainless steel pot on medium low heat melt the butter. Then let it cook , swirling the pot every now and then, until it turns brown. As the colour starts to come to it, watch it closely. It can burn quickly.
4. Once the butter is browned nicely, pour it into your mixing bowl and let cool a few minutes. Admire the colour and dream of lobster. Then add in the brown sugar and stir. Once combined add the flour and oats.
5. Crumble on top of your prepared fruit, trying not to snitch too much along the way.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the topping is crisp and more than golden and filling is bubbling.

On the Edge

This giveaway is now closed.

In more ways than one I'm living on the edge this week. I've had what one of you called a reset (love that term!) and have crashed head first into this week. Somewhere in between early mornings, late nights, preschool duties, deadlines, lessons, and single parenting I managed to test out Pat Sloan's new Cutting Edge Rulers.

On what else, but some grey fabric? Yes, I say grey. At least consciously that's what I say and spell, but a look through my archives may reveal lapses in that intent.

I won't lie, these rulers take a bit of getting used to when you start. There is the noise as the rotary cutter blade moves along the carbon sharpening idea. Then there is the different markings. I'm so used to my yellow that the red and black lines were off-putting. But after a few dozen cuts it all made sense.

My only real complaints are that the labelling on the 6.5" by 24.5" ruler wasn't set up the way I normally use. That is, low to high out from one corner. But that might just be me. Oh, and the frosting for non-slip is awesome, but perhaps not well suited when you are cutting nothing but grey fabric!

Way to go Pat for bringing something new, but not too gadgety to the market. Want to win some? Stay tuned for the details.

Pat didn't want a straight review of the rulers. No, not her! She never does anything by the rules anyway! So I'm happily sharing one of my first quilts, and a recipe. This week, it is all about Maple. And I don't mean my dog. (Yes, that is her name.)

This is actually my second quilt. (I have no photos of the first, a single Irish Chain made 12 years ago for my first nephew.) I made this quilt for my Mom. She was living in Texas at the time, so I wanted to give her something to remind her of Canada. And it currently sits in a box in my house, waiting a hanging sleeve. (Sorry Mom.)

I'll admit, I do cringe a little in looking at it. But it is still important to look back at where we came from and remind ourselves of the potential for where we can still go.

What I find interesting in looking at this was my move into a more scrappy look. That is, choosing to use multiple greens instead a single one. I guess I started that early in my career.

And on that theme of Maple, I thought I would share this recipe with you. After all, I'm also a food writer, I should be able to give you a recipe!

(Smilosaurus enjoying her beans last year)

Maple Baked Beans.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t cracked open a can of beans to eat along side a hot dog or roasted potatoes – at home or at the campfire. Walk away from the canned goods, making your own baked beans at home is really easy. Put all the ingredients in the oven to bake then hit the ice rink or toboggan hill. When you come home smell will beg you to tear into a loaf of crusty bread and curl up with a bowl of beans. There is nothing fancy to it. If you want to keep this vegetarian leave out the bacon and fry the onions in a touch of oil.

Makes approximately 4-5 cups

2 cups dried white or kidney beans* OR 2 19 ounce cans white or kidney beans, drained

6 slices bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small can of tomatoes paste

2 cups water, stock, or bean cooking liquid

¾ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon or yellow mustard

*When using dried beans

1. Soak the beans overnight in water with a handful of salt.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

3. Drain and rinse the beans well. Cover with fresh water by at least two inches. Add half an onion, peels on, and a couple of unpeeled cloves of garlic. On high heat bring to a boil in an oven proof pot or dutch oven.

4. Once the water is boiling, cover and place in oven to cook. Bake for 1.5-2 hours until beans are tender to the bite. Drain, reserving remaining cooking liquid.

For baked beans:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.

2. Chop the bacon. Fry in a dutch oven or oven-proof dish, with a touch of oil to get it started. When the bacon is cooked but not crispy, add the onions. Cook until the onions are tender and transparent.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bake, covered for an hour. Season with salt and pepper.

I mentioned the giveaway, right? Well, the kind folks at Sullivan's are offering an entire set of the Cutting Edge rulers for one lucky reader of the Blog Hop. You need to leave a comment at every spot on the hop. Here's the list, make sure you visit them all!

Pat Sloan

Kelly Jackson

Amy Ellis

Jackie Kunkel

Julie Herman

Amanda Jean Nyberg

Monica Solorio-Snow

Amy Lobsiger

Pam Vieira-McGinnis

Carrie Nelson

Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson

Michelle Foster

And Pat Sloan again!

And for one lucky reader here, I'm offering something totally not quilt related. But Pat asked us to share a recipe, so I thought a cookbook would be a good addition to the giveaway. I was thrilled to contribute to this cookbook - Blog Aid: Recipes for Haiti - along with a tremendous group of bloggers/writers/chefs. It was a fundraiser for the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders in response to the earthquake in Haiti. Learn more about the project. And all commenters here are eligible to win their own copy!

This giveaway is now closed.

Soul


We've just returned from an almost garish weekend trip to the East Coast. Yes, I jauntily flew 5 hours (one way) for a weekend. What an indulgence. And oh so necessary. Now, if only the lottery folks would understand that I need to do this more than once every 3 years.

My soul is well, better now. I was reminded of my love for my husband, my love for friends (old and new), my love for Halifax and all its rotten charms and tourist traps, my love for the ocean and falling leaves and leaves falling in the ocean, my love for foghorns and even cruise ship bellows, my love for beer, my love for simply strolling, my love for me and my soul.

Just a sailboat, as seen from our sailboat.

Coming home with Kate and her family after we sailed and ate. A day spent with friends old and new. Capped with beers cuddled under Kate's mom's quilt and quiet conversations about love, grief, picky eaters, firefighting, vegetarianism, health care reform, friends, creativity, writing, boats, and love again.
PS Barb, I'm sorry we missed each other. Next time!

Celebrating the marriage of one of my oldest friends to the woman who clearly makes his heart dance and leap.
Boys being boys at the Seaport.


Colourful inspiration at the farmers' market.


Waterfront details that warm the cockles.


Halifax details that blow your mind with stories.

Late night shenanigans with the best man on Earth. We got ourselves sorted out in Halifax over 14 years ago and did so again this weekend.

It's a good thing I have my soul, because I'm pretty sure my heart was wrenched from me, tied to a heavy rock, and thrown in the Atlantic. At least I'll have a good excuse to go back.

Grey/Gray

So, I spent a day organizing my fabric. I'm still not done. But I did get through the main stacks and all my bins. What remains are the scraps, selvages, and ongoing projects.

I organize everything by colour. And I had to get a new bin for one colour. It seems I've been on a bit of a grey kick lately. These fabrics range from almost beige to nearly black. Some have more blue than brown. I love the way they vary. The entire stash reminds me of a pile of rocks.

The vast majority of these fabrics have been purchased in the last 6 months. Yikes! I'm in love and almost ready to start cutting into these. Almost. There are a few projects in my head.

And I'm going to share that cutting with you next Friday when I'm part of Pat Sloan's Double Blog Tour for the Sullivan's Edge Rulers.

But first, I want to know, how do you spell grey/gray?

Straight

It's been a long time since I did straight lines. While I adore symmetry and order in my life, my quilting tends to be a bit more random, chaotic, and improvised. And frankly, a bit lazy. I will always try to choose the easy way out of a situation, including quilting.

This is changing though. On the Bookcase quilt I chose a more time-consuming pattern to great effect. And when it came time to start quilting my Low-Volume Circles (I still need a better name than that) I had only one vision for the quilting. It involves a lot, a lot of straight lines. Oh, and some hand quilting. Definitely not the easy way out.

This is the start of the straight lines, as seen from the back. I'm hoping to have this one ready for the Fall Blogger's Quilt Festival, if not sooner. Watch for it!

Fiffer Feffer Feff


Dessert first.

It's just been one of those days - full of 2 year olds being 2, 35 year olds being pissy, and everyone trying their best to just get along. And stay together.

I indeed started and ended my day with a slice of apple pie. The first of the season. Talk about comfort eating. Just the way the apple peel releases from the flesh under the cut of my paring knife is enough to inspire relief in the heart. Apple pie is comfort cooking. Hmm, maybe I should be making another pie right now?

Why so much stress in my retirement and new career? Well, I've been sick (sniff) and Hubby has been pretty much gone for a week. The first few days actually felt pretty good. I thought I was handling things so well. It certainly makes a huge difference to not be gone for 10 hours a day at a job that crushed me. By now, however, I'm cranky and fuelling myself with tea all day, and a chocolate and scotch once the girls go to bed.

This weekend I thought I better buckle down and be a good mom. I tried. Hey, I only lost Death Wish once at the market today. And I did my best to take responsibility for that one, although we all know that she took off while I dealt with her spazzing sister. But today is Sunday and so rather than heat up leftovers I thought we all deserved a proper dinner.

Enter the roast chicken. Take one chicken, a giant clove of garlic, and a lemon. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry, smash the garlic clove, and stuff the lemon and garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Salt, pepper, and a little bit of olive oil. Place in oven. Cook for an hour or hour and a half (depending on the size of chicken). Eat.

The Monster asked for potatoes and tomatoes to eat with the chicken, so I roasted some potato coins and made a salad. At least I roasted a chicken. And we sat down together, us girls, and ate our Sunday dinner while singing songs about a Fiffer Feffer Feff. And then we ate pie.

Peel Me a Grape


There are times in the kitchen where experimentation fails in a colossal way (note to self: stay away from the curry) and other times where a little 'why not?' turns into 'why have I never?' With a pile of Coronation grapes being snubbed by The Monster I needed that why not.

Why not put grapes in muffins? We put raspberries, peaches, apples, and even pineapple in muffins, so why not grapes? You really don't see it much though. And I'm not sure why.

Hopefully, after you see these muffins you will change your mind. There was some Twitter chatter about this a day after I made the muffins, with Jennie going all out to seed her Concord grapes.  I am far too lazy for that, so thank goodness the Coronation grapes are seedless. 

The base for this recipe is my basic muffin recipe (find it here) with some grapes and roasted, skinned, and chopped hazelnuts added in. With the the girls I have much better luck with muffins when I bake the mini kind. Mama doesn't like that because I eat a lot more that way! This recipe will make 12 regular sized muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Grape and Hazelnut Muffins

1 cup hazelnuts
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup small grapes (I used Coronation)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or grease with butter.
2. Roast the hazelnuts (unless already roasted) in the oven on a cookie sheet.  Roast for 10-15 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then. Be careful not to burn them. Pour them into a clean kitchen towel. Wrap it up loosely and rub the nuts with the towel. The skins should come off easily. Don't worry if not every bit of skin comes off. Aim for most of it. Le the hazelnuts cool while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
3. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Combine the egg, milk, oil, and vanilla in another bowl.
4. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely, on the smaller side, but don't worry about any larger chunks.
5. Toss the chopped hazelnuts and grapes with the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Scoop into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-20 minutes, until tops are rounded and golden.

Sneak Peak


I know I go on and on about process and even criticize folks who wait for finished projects for a reveal.  But I can't help myself on this one.  I am so excited by it.  It deserves a proper unveiling when the time is right.

This is a tiny sneak peak of my all organic quilt, showcasing the Geo Grand fabric by Daisy Janie. I was completely inspired by the fabric when it came to the design.  But the full effect isn't there yet, that's why I want to wait to reveal it.

To complement the Geo Grand I picked up some Robert Kaufman Organic solids from Pink Chalk. And I picked up some yardage of Geo Grand and organic thread from Plum Project. (Thanks Holly, for that recommendation!)

Yesterday I cut and finished the top.  This whole being home thing is kind of nice when the creative juices hit! Of course, there was little in the way of home maintenance done yesterday and I stayed up way too late to finish. I'm paying for that today. But nothing that tea in a Bunnykins mug can't mend.

Running (on Fumes)

Oh to have the energy.

My first week as a freelancer/stay-at-home mom/housewife/lazybones/artist and I'm sick as a dog. So much for much in the creating, cooking, and fun department. Shh, don't anyone, but the girls watched a lot of TV this week. And ate graham crackers for breakfast. In my defense, they were homemade.

Somewhere in there I did manage to finish my little quilt top. I had grand plans to make this bigger so it was at least a good nap size for an adult. But to do so would have necessitated buying more fabric and I already have that habit down pat. I didn't want to buy anything more for this quilt; I even used stash for the backing.

So it ended up at 48 inches on all sides. I really do prefer to make larger quilts, but I'm fine with it. This was one of those quilts that just had to be made. I'll tell you why another day.

Now to find the time and space to baste it because I already know how I'm going to quilt it. But for now, it must be added to the pile of UFOs. At least it is a pretty pile.

Dirt in my Freezer


It might be the Ukrainian in me, but I am incapable of throwing away good food. And I feel inordinate guilt if I forget about leftovers or a head of lettuce in the fridge. That would also be the Ukrainian in me.

With a really good haul from our CSA this year I've been forced to face these issues head on. It's one thing to throw away grocery store produce that you paid pennies for and was grown and picked by a random stranger in Mexico. It's another thing entirely when you get the lettuce in your hands was placed there by a man with permanent dirt under his fingernails.  The same dirt that still graces your carrots, your onions, your greens.


* Aside - As I read that last paragraph it occurs to me that is just as bad to throw away the grocery store lettuce because there is still a person there with dirt under his fingernails. *

Our farmers, Jon and Andrea are such committed people. We light up when we see them at the market, where we pick up our weekly haul. The girls go running and asking after the horses and roosters, all while ripping greens with their teeth. We shoot the shit about the weather and yuppies and our egg man. And food passes hands.

Then we come home and I am forced to deal all that food. On a day when I'm just so damn tired I really don't feel like finding room in the fridge, grating zucchini, or freezing chard I sometimes leave the bag on the counter for hours, even a day. Then I remember the dirt. The dirt I'm invested in.  The dirt our farmers are invested in.  The dirt this food was grown in. So I sharpen my knives and set too. Far better to have trimmings in the compost pile than real food.

We clean, we store, we cook, we freeze, we eat. And so we will eat for another week, thanks to the phenomenally hard work of Jon, Andrea, their family, and their WOOFers. And in January, I will make another loaf of this zucchini bread, some swiss chard fricos, or a bowl of gingered carrot soup and be thankful for that dirt.

But now? Now I need to head back in the kitchen and make some beet leaf cabbage rolls.