A Little Labor : A Little Rest : A Drummer Fantasy

Some weekends it is a struggle for me to get rest, sit down or take a break - because I finally have the free time away from work to do all of the things I really want to be doing. In between the chores, I'll hang a photo, stitch a line of embroidery, sprinkle down some seeds, pull some weeds. Yes, progress really is that incremental and glacial. Not sure whether to be appreciative or frustrated on that one, so I'll just let it sit.

But this past long weekend, for some reason, I got in a terrific pattern of rest smattered with moments of productivity. Perfection, in my rambling brain, for sure:

We went to the Staunton Farmers Market on Saturday morning (top photo) . We bought some sausages from Heartland Harvest and I made one of our all-time favorite meals - the sausage-potato packet. Have I written about that here? So simple and perfect for the hungry masses that snarf it up in minutes and then mutter an appreciative thank you.

Willa and I have been doing a lot of baking. She is fully committed to her role as mixer. And when it is something extra-doughy like scones, she takes her role of rolling it, patting it and marking it with a B (her sweet words, not mine) very seriously. Thumbprint cookies with jam (we used fig jam, my strawberry freezer jam and a friend's raspberry preserves) are a present favorite.

So are the Corniest Corn Muffins. Grab the last of the sweet corn harvest and bake these.

A friend had me over to make tomato preserves. They reminded me of preserves that Corey had brought back from Haiti years ago. Sweet and savory. And good on pretty much anything.

I'm getting ready to buy a few more things for the garden - for fall perennial and shrub and tree plantings. More echinacea, some rosa rugosas, a pink dogwood, a weigela . . . and that fig tree I keep whinging on about.

I have Hoosier cabinet lust since two friends introduced me to them. Unfortunately, I don't have the funding for one, so I lust aimlessly (for now).

I'm drawn to the blog, The Age of Uncertainty, for so many reasons - including the journals of Derek and the glimpses of ephemera that spill out of books that cross the author's path. The writing alone leaves me wishing for sharper wit and observations in my own writing.

The Black Keys are coming to town on Thursday. I predict I will leave the show with a new facet added to my male drummer fantasy (about my being one, not chasing after one).

The Let's Eat Post

We have ten (!) jars of strawberry freezer jam tucked away in our freezer. I can't wait to try my hand at blackberry and peach preserves, too. Or maybe a hot pepper jam. If you've been intimidated by making jams or jellies, start with freezer jam. No scary boiling or canning involved. Look for freezer jam pectin or try Pomona's Pectin.

The recent trip to New York included lobster rolls, clams and oysters on the half shell, Italian food, Greek festivals and German bakeries such as Front Street. I bought a new Tiffany blue kettle and one pound of Irish tea when I was up there - tea I can't find down here, including Punjana (from Cork!). (I also promptly renewed my gym membership upon my return. I think my derriere was the sole ballast on the prop plane back into Charlottesville.)

I bought my first cocktail shaker for dirty and fruity martinis. Maybe I'll concoct something with the syrup I made last week with local black raspberries. Whatever I make - it will seem supremely refined and grown up coming from that chilled stainless steel shaker. To me, at least.

Peaches-peaches-peaches. I feel as if, living near all of the orchards (including Henley's low-spray orchard), everything smells like peaches these days. Drizzle some home-made blackberry syrup over them. Or grill them. Or cut them up and freeze them for later use in smoothies. But I always have a brown paper bag filled with a half-dozen - softening and ripening.

I had time to stop by the Yoder's Shady Lane Greenhouses farm stand last Thursday - the one near the Hunt Country Store on Garth Road. They had organic potatoes and squash. I also bought a few melon, hot pepper and tomato plant starts. And a whoopie pie. Wait, two whoopie pies. One for me and one for Corey. Wait one-and-a-half for me and one-half for Corey. Actually, I hid them both. For me and me alone. I nyum-nyum-nyumed them before bed and I left pathetic whoopie pie crumbs in the bed sheets.

Make this burger. And as mentioned, don't forget the onions.

I know I talk often of the insanely awesome local food movement here in Charlottesville. But I have a confession to make - I rarely make it to a farmers' market. I try to buy at local shops or directly from orchards and the occasional farm stand. But my very active and curious toddler is drawn to all of the grab-able goodies - making strolling a farmers market tricky and kinda stressful. So, there's Relay Foods. Check out their on-line farmers' market. I have my eye on Babes in the Woods sausages, organic swiss chard, no-spray kale, Carpe Donuts, anything from Revolutionary Soup, fresh fettuccine-cut pasta and vodka sauce from Mona Lisa pasta and I plan on trying new-ish shops such as Holy Grael sorbet (mango or green tea chai coconut sorbet!), Ties and Pies bakery (scones!) and Agnes' Bagels with Salmon and Caper cream cheese. They've also added Whole Foods. I love what they are doing so much and I love that they are a young company.

To The Market We Went

Saturday morning at the Crozet Farmers' Market was a hoot and being part of a farmers' market and the camaraderie was inspiring. So much so that, in getting caught up in the excitement, I spent every penny of my morning's earnings at the market - supporting other vendors! The way it should be, right?

Vendors to look out for over the next few weeks at the market :: The family selling divisions of unique daylilies ( I bought a 'Pandora's Box') to send their kids to camp this summer. The iris rhizome tent (ask him anything about irises). The lady who bakes the almond/cherry/chocolate icing cupcakes (I had to keep checking my face in the mirror, to wipe off icing smears). And heirloom tomato starter plants galore. Get up and out there early!

Peonies, The Market, The Weekend

I am hoping to one day grow some peonies of my own. Until then, I rely on the green thumbs (and generosity) of others.

A surprise visit today, from Kris, included a very generous delivery of homegrown asparagus. I am taking her lead and making cream of asparagus soup this weekend.

Daylily donations and swaps from local gardeners will go in the ground - continuing my quest to stabilize a tricky slope.

And, I will be trying my hand at the Crozet Farmers' Market tomorrow morning - selling rhubarb, herbs, cutting flowers and my photos. Come on by!

Fall Garden Chores: Steph of New Branch Farm

I asked several of my gardening friends to tell me about their favorite fall garden tasks.

Stephanie owns and operates New Branch Farm - an organic farm just outside of Charlottesville. She is also a new mom to Ryan. How she does both befuddles me. Make sure to visit Steph at the C'ville City Market on Saturday mornings. She will be selling arugula, basil, eggplant, green beans, greens mixes, garlic, lettuce mixes, radishes, tomatoes and tomatillos.

From Steph:

My favorite fall activity is planting garlic. It's a welcome break from all the fall field "clean-up" - tilling in earlier plantings, bringing in tomato stakes and row covers for winter storage, etc. You can plant garlic late in the fall so it usually one of the last outdoor farm activities I do (I usually plant between late October to mid November).

Good catalog resources for garlic are Johnny's Selected Seeds and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

What's In Your Farmers' Market Bag?

What are your new favorites? Old favorites? Is there a variety of something that calls to you each week? Remember, your market stalwart might be someone else's discovery.

I have been picking the brains of my friends on what they look forward to each season and every year, and I always try something new as a result of these pickings. Last week, I was at the Wednesday eve Meade Market with Kris and saw that she bought a small-ish looking watermelon. It was yellow-fleshed and I asked her to help me pick one out. It is the sweetest melon eva-s!

Talking with the farmers at the market also opens my eyes. To things like turnips. Forever overlooked on my part.

So, tell me - what have you found?

Dinner :: In Season, In Minutes

A strong cup of tea at 4 p.m. gave me the energy and gumption to do a little 'cooking' last night. My long days - early mornings, back and forth to daycare, lunchtime nursings, work from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. - normally leave me zapped by 7 p.m. But I had a pile of locally grown goodies in the fridge - from the Wednesday evening farmers' market. Waiting to be devoured in their simplest states. Supper needed to happen quickly.

Peach and Tomato Salad from Mark Bittman. I didn't have any red onions, but had just bought scallions from the Radical Roots' stall on Wednesday. They were a good match and substitute. The 'maters (various kinds of cherries in a rainbow of colors) were also from RR. Low-spray peaches were from Crozet's Henley Orchard. This one was a winnah. Prep time - 5 minutes.

Local sweet corn - steamed and buttered. Delicate and snappy. Prep and cooking time - 5 minutes.

Roasted fresh garlic, sliced thin and served over goat cheese and crostinis. Prep time - 10 minutes to roast the garlic cloves; 5 minutes to toast the crostinis and assemble.

Organic blueberries and raspberries with sweetened goat cheese. I added a bit of sugar and a dash of vanilla to the cheese - and whipped it for a few seconds with a fork. Prep time - 2 minutes - tops.

Ka-blam. Done!

I felt like I was channeling Bittman himself. Ideas flowed. Tasks were multitasked. Things were being chopped while other ingredients steamed or roasted. I was a whirling dervish in the kitchen. I couldn't be stopped.

Luckily, though, Corey came in after all of this excitement and tended to the aftermath.

And clean-up.

Local Color: Crozet Farmers' Market Highlights

Willa and I greeted our Saturday morning very early yesterday. With the sun, so to speak. So I packed up her stroller and we went for a long walk in my favorite neighborhood in Crozet. With $9 in my wallet, we made a detour and hit the Crozet Farmers' market. And came home with an absolute bounty.

Organic Bright Lights swiss chard - the stalks (which can also substitute for celery) grow in neon colors. $3 per humongous bunch.

Organic plums! A father and his daughter were selling them - 10 for $1. I asked his little girl to pick out winners for me. They are pictured above.

Diminutive organic eggplants. For my favorite recipe. 2 - $1.

Oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip cookies. 2 - $1.

One big turnip - to try out Poor Man's Shrimp. I sliced it really thin and ate it with cocktail sauce. $1.

Two hefty tomatoes - $2.

*And, for next week, when I have a little more cash . . .

Homemade Cucumber Salsa - The gentleman who sells all organic vegetables out of the back of his truck had me sample it and it will be one of my top purchases next Saturday. $7 for a quart. It tastes green and garlicky and healthy. I think I could polish off a quart in one sitting.

A restocking of Sweet Garlic Dill pickles and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Cheryl Beachy's stand.

Plant This :: Globe Amaranth

I had a big container of globe amaranth in our container garden two years ago and it got the most attention from visitors. So, I picked up a starter from the Wednesday evening City Market in Meade Park and added it to this year's very simple deck garden. Give it full sun (afternoon sun) and a sprinkle of water here and there. This low-fuss annual will keep blooming well into early autumn. Pair it with trailing chartreuse sweet potato vine (not pictured here - but here's a photo) for a cooling effect. Both withstand our summers beautifully.

Recipe: Chilled Beet Borscht

I started making this in the early summer months a few years back. I loved it and slurped it down at my first taste. I called my mom, and told her of my newest recipe 'discovery'.

She giggled, "When I was pregnant with you, we were in Russia and my favorite meal was black bread and borscht."

How else can you explain the love of beets, pickles, dill, buttermilk and sour cream in one dish? It is a stretch. Corey watches me eating ladle-full after ladle-full and makes I've-thrown-up-a-little-in-my-mouth faces. Charming and a vision of maturity. But I am not shaken.

Here's a version of it; my recipe is straight from The New Moosewood Cookbook. Fresh farmers' market beets make a huge difference. They are in season right now.

Lucky for Corey, I had also churned some homemade strawberry ice cream the afternoon I made this batch of borscht. He didn't have to eat his beets first.

The Spring Garden Takes Shape

Corey, Baby and I beat feet over to Staunton yesterday morning for a visit and a walk through their farmers' market. They had just what I needed these days - starter plants for the vegetable and herb garden. Then, I snuck out to the garden today - for a quick 15 minutes - and got all seven plants in their proper spots. And the first row of radishes sown.

Simpson Elite Lettuce
Another unknown lettuce variety
Swiss Chard
Thyme
Chives
Italian Curly Parsley
Apple Mint

Phew. And now? I nap.

(Garden Inspired) Spoils from the Trip

Heirloom tomatoes from Orient Point, Long Island.
From top (clockwise) - Brandywine, Green Zebra and a mystery variety. Hmmm. Thoughts?

Lemon verbena and Linden soaps from Provence (by way of high-falutin' LI garden centers).

Preserves and mustard from Miss Amy.
A New York farmers' market find that has become a staple in my mom's cupboards. My starter kit should suit me just fine for autumn recipes.
From the top - Spicy Cranberry Jalapeño Spread, Blue Point Mustard and Hot and Mean Jalapeño Peach.

Keeping It Real, Keeping It Local

Our first Cocozelle zucchini and Sungold cherry tomatoes, early July 2007.

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Waldo Jaquith - over at cvillenews.com - wrote a piece earlier this week about the local food movement in our area - The Politics of Eating Locally. And he gave a shout out to Life in Sugar Hollow!

There is something about the rhythm of eating with the seasons. Eating what is fresh at the moment. There are actually vegetables and fruits that have experienced a renaissance of sorts in my kitchen - because the taste when they are in-season is markedly different from year-round supermarket produce. Sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, melons and blackberries. Off the vine - without much preparation or fanfare. Perfection.

I also recognize that eating locally takes work and, for me, took many, many seasons of farmers market visits to understand what grew when. Small steps, dear readers.

There were two vendors at the Charlottesville Market that I watched particularly closely - Waterpenny Farm and Radical Roots. Both are organic farms that also offer some heirloom variety produce. In just focusing on those vendors - I had an easier time remembering what crops showed up when. And, several years down the road, this research helped me take the leap to growing our own food out in Sugar Hollow.

If you are up for exploring things on a simple scale - just try fresh eggs from a nearby farm. Test out one new locally-grown tomato variety this summer. Or a pepper. Or maybe even a tomatillo. Or those tiny, purple and white Asian eggplants. Next spring, think about throwing a few sugar snap pea seeds in the ground. Consider making a visit to a farm that raises grass-fed, free-range livestock.

Small steps. Small steps. Visit the Buy Fresh Buy Local website for a comprehensive guide to Charlottesville-area farms, restaurants and markets.

Buy Fresh, Buy Local

As I get ready to go to the Crozet Farmers' Market this morning, I am reminded about a new Charlottesville resource. Buy Fresh Buy Local has listings of community farms (veggies, fruit, meat), farmers markets, CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture - in which you subscribe or buy a part of one particular farm's bounty) and U-pick spots (berries, orchards, etc.). They also feature area restaurants and grocers that focus on accessible, fresh options from the surrounding counties.

The shorter the distance your food has to travel, the better it'll be - more vitamins, higher quality, all that good stuff.

If you don't live in the area, check out localharvest.org or foodroutes.org to learn more about organic and local food options nearest you.

This salad included our first salad greens of the season from the garden and tofu (marinated and grilled) that is made at a nearby commune, Twin Oaks.

Now - off to the market to buy more pickles. My new fifth food group!

Heaven. On. Earth.

Three highlights from the weekend.

First local strawberries of the season. Promptly devoured with a generous helping of cream and sugar. Calories, schmalories. You only live once.A content, stinky beagle with buttercups.First purchase from the Crozet Farmers' Market. BEST pickles I have ever had. I woke up this morning thinking about them.

I'm out to the garden to transplant tomatoes and peppers; sow zucchini seeds; start my morning glories and moonflowers; and pot up my herbs from Friday's shopping trip (more on that later . . . ).

P.S. Do large quantities of pickles count as a 'vegetable serving'?