Debbie's Drawers

Flower Share 2010

2010-08-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have been delightfully surprised with the beautiful flowers I have been picking from Green Meadows Farm's flower share. I just had to post some of the pictures of this weeks blooms.

They are so lovely I don't have to do anything but pick, cut, and place in a vase. They all just go together to create a simple bouquet of simple beauty.

Even the pollen is lovely.

The last couple weeks I picked 7 sunflowers and 24 stems of mixed flowers. The flowers last so long, with daily water changes and stem clipping, I now have 5 vases of bouquets around the house. Happy flower house.

Too Many Veggies!!

2010-04-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

So I'm finally on school break. Phew! I have been going to the farm to pick up my produce share every week. Well, actually Rob has had to go for me a couple times as I have classes one weekend a month. So, anyway, I have way too many veggies for two people. Me, I love
vegetables,but, Rob, not so much. In honor of Rob not liking veggies I made, for the very first time, sauerkraut, gingered carrots, and stewed rhubarb. That lonely bit of rhubarb escaped the pot, he was hiding in the bottom of the bag, sneaky bit of red and green. Rob has already screwed up his face in distaste. Whatevah. After a gazillion years of marriage, I cook what I cook, eat or don't eat. We don't starve in this country.
I used Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions to make the fermented vegetables. I had some carrots left from last week that were a bit dry I think. The recipe called for 4 C of carrot for a 1 qt jar. As you can see the 4 C of carrot did not have much juice. Hope it still works. It smelled all sweet and gingery and it is so orange pretty.
I used local raw honey in the rhubarb. I'm looking forward to having some w cream. Mmmm.

Organic tomatoes that taste good in April. Nice. Though organic, I neglected to ask from whence they did come. I will next time. I served the toms with basil, mozzarella, olive oil, and a marvelously viscous red/brown aged balsamic. Oh mouth make smackey.
The chickens and lambs have been walking about the farm making me so happy. It's weird I suppose to get such joy from looking at chickens and lambs. Me.

I have more to cook up tomorrow and this week. I have an orange cauliflower, zucchini, more carrots, green beans, another cabbage, 3 luscious looking bright green artichokes, a feathery fronded fennel, 3 bunches of multicolored swiss chard, some red potatoes, sweet potatoes, and 2 heads of red leaf lettuce. Yes, I did say 2 adults! For the summer CSA share I was able to purchase a half share, but this winter share was all or none. My composter has had a workout for sure. Sorry! I do give some away, like arugula, yuck, that stuff is soooo bitter. I have no idea how to like it.
Peace and Food and Love and Stuff Like That

Produce Share Yippee!

2010-03-26T15:11:00.000-07:00

This huge amount fruit and vegetables is from the first of the produce share I just joined at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton. I am so excited to have all this organic produce. I have never eaten rutabaga, never cooked an artichoke, and have not made a salad with arugula. Let me see if I can eat all this goodness in a week. Bet I will have to cook and freeze some.

Last week Rob picked up our share from the farm as I had class all weekend. I did try to pick it up before class but the Ipswich River was flowing in waves across the road. Alas I was detoured, therefore hubby was my gofer. No picture last week.

Now this week included strawberries and rhubarb, not even close to growing around here yet. More arugula, well guess I will have to try it again.

Gloucester Fish Share

2010-02-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

Middle of winter and time to clean out the freezer. I had some fish stock and some cod I had frozen in September that needed eating so I made a chowder with whatever I had on hand.

1# white fish, I had cod
2 qt fish stock
1 onion
2 stalks celery
2 carrots
some frozen peas
2 baby bok choy
parsley
s&p
4 oz heavy cream
butter
bacon fat

saute veggies in bacon fat (or whatever fat floats your boat)
add stock and bring to simmer
add fish and simmer for several minutes till done. I tossed in the whole filets and broke them up as they cooked.
add some butter and salt and pepper
add the heavy cream and shut down the heat.
eat it.

I added extra parsley and chives and butter.

I still need to use, from the freezer, a turkey breast, some shrimp, a slab of pork fat, 2 ribeyes, and some leftover rib roast from Christmas.

Thirteen Degrees

2010-01-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

It's 13 chilly degrees here today, brrrrr, so chili shall be devoured. I have made lots of different chili's over the years. I have followed recipes, adapted recipes, and just thrown ingredients together haphazardly. Today I knew I wanted a grain-free, gluten-free, lower carb, delicious, easy, quick, ingredient-at-hand kinda chili. Here is what happened:

1.5 # hamburger
1 red and 1 green pepper
1 large onion
3T chili powder
1T cumin
1tsp garlic powder
1 chipotle pepper, canned
1oz unsweetened chocolate, a square
2C beef broth
1 can mexican tomatoes (Rotel type)

Saute hamburger in some fat, I used bacon fat. Saute the onions and peppers. Add the spices to the veggies and saute a couple more minutes. Until your kitchen smells gorgeous. Add the chocolate till melted in. Add the beef broth and tomatoes. Simmer about 30 min.

You can now eat this as is, add cheese, sourcream, avocado. Put beans in it. Throw it on top of rice. This is very quick, easy, and tasty. No, it isn't the same as all day cooked chili. But it is Saturday and I'm wicked lazy today.

Gluten Free Blueberry Biscuits

2009-08-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

I have to give credit to Elana Amsterdam for this drop biscuit recipe. I modified the plain bisquits to create a not-too-sweet blueberry biscuit. I use Honeyville blanched almond flour purchased via Amazon as Elana recommends for the best result.
2.5 c packed almond flour
1/2 tsp celtic sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh baking soda
Mix the dry
1/4 c grapeseed or coconut oil
1/4 c agave syrup
2 droppers of liquid stevia
2 eggs
Mix wet
Mix wet and dry
Add 1 c organic Maine wild blueberries
Drop w small ice cream scoop onto parchment/silpat lined baking sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Schmear with butter and enjoy.
These biscuits are very protein and calorie dense. Don't be fooled. You DO NOT need to eat 3. You CAN, but you will certainly be full for a while. Thanks again Elana.
http://www.elanaspantry.com/

Here fishy fishy.

2009-08-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

Picked up my 1/2 fish share last Thursday up in
Gloucester on a beautiful day

at the harbor.

My share was a very large cod and several whiting. After filleting the cod and gutting the whiting I pan fried the cod, just a little S&P, butter and lemon. So fresh this simple cooking tasted fabulous.

2009-08-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post a couple pictures of two flowers in bloom in the yard this week. The rustic rose of sharon and

Florida's famous Hibiscus. This is really Home Depot's brand of double hibiscus. I have a red and salmon. They are both flowering profusely. I will try to overwinter them in the cellar. I did this with a topiary hibiscus for two years with really good results.

Ugly Chicken

2009-08-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a chicken soup with the organic free range chicken I had frozen from the local farm. Why did I freeze it? Because the other two I purchased for about $13 each were sooooo tough and tasteless! I was looking forward to a nice fresh taste. No, no, no....they were bland and tough as can be. Yes, I cooked them correctly. I can cook. This sucker was $18. So I boiled the chicken, sauteed the veggies....

....created a tasty stock....

.....all from this crappy looking chicken, sorry chicken, maybe you were cute in your day, all feathery and clucking. The soup was DELICIOUS, thankfully. Thank you chicken.
I probably won't purchase chicken from this farm. Everything else has been lovely.

Sweet Fruit Share and Giant Fish Butchering

2009-08-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

My fruit share this week. Blueberries, peaches, plums, and the sweetest clementines evah.

The half fish share and I don't mean I share with Captain Jack Sparrow (yes, I did name him after the yummy Johnny Depp).

My daughter caught this evilish shot after the massacre!

Gluten Free Fried Food

2009-08-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we all know fried food is not good for you. Well, my husband, the celiac man, was delighted to eat fried seafood again after many years. Woodman's of Essex, serving since 1914, has a dedicated fryer and batter for those needing gluten free fried goodness.

The fried scallops and french fries are gluten free. The scallops were delicious. The fries were fries. I am not a fan of fries but Rob enjoyed them. Most places that serve fries do not keep separate fryers so he rarely had fries anywhere but home.
I, who does not need to be GF, but usually is, had fried clams. All I can say is if you know that eating a fried clam is an awesome oral experience you will know I mean yummy.
Thanks to Woodman's for some nice, tasty, greasy, fried food. See ya next year.

Farmer's Market Today

2009-08-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Finally made it to the local farmer's market here in Beverly. Very few stalls. But the fresh produce was just lovely to look at, to smell, and then purchase.
The herb bunches were huge for $2, I mean huge. They had some succulent looking blueberries....but...I still have some from my fruit share. I'm thinking I should have scooped them up and frozen them. Oh, well, maybe they will have more next week.