Curried Chicken Salad

So I had this chicken, an awfully pretty chicken at that!

But, that’s a lot of chicken for one young woman.

Garden Update

Remember my garden? The one I was jumping out of my pants to get started?

Well, turns out God decided to teach me about the uncertainty of gardening this winter.

My garden turned into somewhat of a tragedy.

Cider Makin’

Its Fall, for real now. The mountain sides are dappled, you can smell fires in the air, and I’ve had to pull out my warm cloths from the back of closet. One thing I’ve learned since living in the mountains of NC is that you know its fall when everyone starts bringing apple desserts to the potlucks – apple cakes, apple pies, apple turnovers, apple crumbles, apple crisps, baked apples with ice cream, apples with yogurt and granola….you get the idea.

I mean really I don’t understand  how I could ever catch a cold eating so many apples all the time.

Cuba!

Cuba: cars and buildings that haven’t changed since the 50s;

a land of revolution, Hemmingway, and mojitos;

organic agriculture, perserverance, and resourcefulness;

diverse people and beliefs.

Black & Blue(berry) Pie

So it seems to be high season for the wild blackberry vines in my backyard, and the little blueberry bush is weighted down by all the berries its branches are carrying. It seemed fitting that the first pie I make in my new place come right from the yard.

Birth of a garden

I recently move from one semi-rural small town to another to start graduate school. There’s just something about passing by open fields, quaint farmhouses, and waving neighbors on my way home that puts my mind at ease.

My new home came ready for all things domestic from a garden space that was once a horse manure pit covered with cardboard waiting to be planted, a space for chickens, a honey bee hive, and a big freezer. I took an inventory off all the fruit bearing plants growing wild: two apple trees, two black raspberry bushes, several blackberry vines, and a blueberry bush. All within the yard! Its like a dream come true actually.

Feast from the Sea

I’m not much of a fisher woman. However, I definitely see the value in catching your own food from the water, and I love love love to eat the harvest. I just don’t seem to have the patience for fishing though.

I’m more of a gatherer than a hunter I’d have to say. But every once in awhile I try my hand at fishing (with some persuading from my darlin!) and this most recent visit to the beach  was the most fruitful attempt yet!

Summer Squash Casserole

Summer squash casserole is a family tradition. There is never a table lacking a beautifully yellow and golden hued dish. And for me its doesn’t feel like a real holiday without it. Although its a staple for the family two distinct divergences in its preparation have occurred between my mother and her sister. Luckily the differences are slight and mainly cosmetic so there is no great threat to the balance of the holiday dinner table.

Roasted Corn Quesadillas

One of my favorite things about mid summer is the mounds and mounds of fresh corn that start showing up in the markets. And each vendor or store has its own special deal 2 for a $1, 5 for $4, by 20 ears of corn get a free watermelon. Whatever it takes to turn over the goods so there’s room for the next harvest. When it starts coming corn rolls in fast.

So, all you can do is load up as much as corn as you can carry, make room in the fridge and invite the neighborhood over to help eat it all. (Plus you know they’ll be  inviting you over next week for the same thing!) There are so many ways to cook fresh corn.  Some folks like to get real fancy with it sprinkling cumin or some other spice, or using some special kind of butter. You can cook it in the husk on the grill, or have a shucking gathering on the porch and boil the ears up in a big pot. Whichever way they’re cooked I love to slather on some butter and generously sprinkle the ear with salt and fresh ground black pepper – the heat from the cob and pepper makes my lips tingle.  I’m a typewriter corn eater. I eat in straight lines across the cob slowly making my way around. You know you have your assured technique too!

WineBerry Boy Bait

One of the key elements to self-sufficiency and domestic charm is resourcefulness, being able to work with what you’ve got. Cooking seasonally from the harvest you just pulled in from your garden or brought back from the farmer’s market is more rewarding to me. Or baking with the berries you just picked from the wild bushes in the woods where you go walking! You know exactly what it took to grow that food, where it grew and how it got to your table.

I spent most of the morning outside wandering through the woods in search of hidden patches of Wineberries – so hopefully the berries would be plump and sweet because they hadn’t been over picked already by young horseback riders that use the same trails.

I had never experienced wineberries before this summer, and boy was I missing out! The red berries are easy to see, with few seeds, and tender bodies similar to raspberries with a simple sweetness. The name Wineberry I suppose comes from the pretty reddish hue they carry. Although they are not a native plant to these parts, they’re here so we might as well use their fruits. Its a much kinder plant than blackberries that’s for sure. You’re cloths might get a little snagged as you venture deeper into the berry patch, but your arms and legs come out pretty clean. No sacrificial blood necessary for the harvest!