Garden Installation

It's taking just about all the energy I have left to blog tonight.  I have fully installed three out of the four backyard raised beds.  The last one is waiting until after our new fence is built next week. Earlier this week I finished digging up the grass around the beds and finished the brick edging.  Yesterday I emptied the compost turner, using the nearly composted food scraps as the bottom layer of the new beds.  Our compost turner works well, but it's definitely not easy to empty.  I always try to pitchfork the compost out of it, but end up throwing on gloves and finishing the job with my hands--as in cooking, the hands are always the best tool.  This afternoon the topsoil was delivered.  Basically the guy just backed the truck into the apron of our garage and dumped it out.  Vera thought that was pretty cool.  I worked like heck to move three cubic yards of dirt in time for Ben to get home and pull his car into the garage.  At first glance it didn't look like much dirt, but after moving the initial three or four loads I realized I had a long way to go.  I couldn't have done it without my trusty green wheelbarrow that I bought at the ReStore a few years ago--best $4 I've ever spent. Vera napped through the first hour--this is turning into a sequel to "While You Were Sleeping."  I'm lucky that she's timed her naps so well to allow me to get so much done.  While I was shoveling all the topsoil I realized that this was karma for not having to shovel snow for the past two seasons.  But I've realized that Ben more or less does the yardwork in the winter and I do it in the summer.  I was completely wiped out after all of this, but I'm planning to do it again in a couple of weeks when we install two more beds in the front yard.  I relate it to childbirth.  After a while you forget the pain and decide you want to do it again.    This weekend I'll be planting one of the new beds with carrots and onions, and transplanting herbs to another.  The backyard is really taking shape.  I'm excited to plant some annuals in pots next weekend and get the shade sail hung.  Then it will be time to relax and enjoy it.  I've already got my stack of summer reading in mind.

Chasing Fairies

It's spring mushroom hunting season.  Last Friday on the way home from work I drove past the park and in a flash noticed some rings of tall grass growing in the park.   I  knew right away from my scattered mycological experiences that these were fairy rings, which, according to my dusty copy of Common Edible Mushrooms by Clyde M. Christensen, were once thought to mark the path of dancing fairies.  What a lovely thought!  They are formed when a few spores of the fairy-ring mushrooms fall upon a favorable place and begin to grow.  I really wanted to snap a picture of these perfectly circular rings so Vera and I set out with the stroller this morning to look for them.  This required a bit of off-roading with the buggy; after much backtracking we found nothing.  It was like they disappeared as quickly as they showed themselves.  Must be another spring ephemeral like spring beauties and trout lillies.  The picture here is one from the web.

But have no fear, our morning walk still proved to be interesting.  Instead of chasing fairies I, for a moment, almost thought I was going to be chased by an urban coyote.  We were strolling through the seminary grounds and in the distance in a clearing I could see what looked like some sort of wild animal.  At first glance it appeared to be a bobcat or a dog.  It was standing very still as if ready to pounce.  I couldn't believe what I thought I was seeing.  I didn't think coyotes showed themselves much in the daytime.  I was a bit nervous about it so I clapped my hands a few times as I peered at it through the bushes.  No movement.  So we pressed on deciding not to try disrupting it.  As I came around a bend another "coyote" was just yards from me.  It was then that I realized these were some sort of taxidermy decoys most likely placed there to scare the real coyotes that I've seen trotting around the grounds and up the street in the wee hours on my way to work on Fridays at dawn.  We were so glad to learn they were fakes though it still made me shudder.

I've been working outside for the past week at least to get our new raised beds installed, remove any excess grass in the new walkways, and replace the brick edging.  It's been quite a project, but I know it will be rewarding when I'm able to grow more veggies this year.  I was looking at the backyard from an upstairs window and feeling so lucky that I have this palette to work with everyday of the growing season.  It's so therapeutic.

Sunday we continued the Sunday dinner tradition started last fall by hosting some Chicago friends for lunch.  We enjoyed the first real green salad from our garden.  We cut sorrel aplenty, but I was able to complement it with enough baby greens, mesclun mix, and herbs to serve at least a small bowl for each guest.  There's always so much hope in that first bite.

Last night was my first Transition Milwaukee meeting at the Urban Ecology Center.  I'd wanted to join since I first heard about the group over a year ago, but wasn't able to manage the commitment with my own to Vera and her feeding needs.  Since that has gotten a bit easier I've been able to get out a little more.  It was wonderful to be in a room with so many like-minded people working towards a sustainable, alternative, post-carbon community.  There were many familiar faces and many I had never seen.  It's great to know there are all these people out there striving towards to the same goals and we've never met until now.

And, of course, I won't leave you without a new recipe.  As a baker with a science background I'm not usually one to suggest tampering with a baking recipe.  In fact, the precision of baking is what drew me to the field of pastries in the first place--it brought together my love of food, my sweet tooth, and countless semesters of chemistry (not to mention the hours are more reasonable than the average restaurant cook's schedule.) But I have been experimenting lately with "bean-nut butter," a higher fiber substitute for straight peanut butter made of cooked garbanzos and peanut butter.  In baking it can be directly substituted to give your recipes even more bang for your buck.  I've adapted this recipe to be egg-free, dairy free, gluten-free, and delicious.

Bean-nut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes about 1 dozen

3 ripe bananas (can use frozen bananas)
3 T. flax meal
3 T. water
1/2 c. sucanat
1/2 c. bean-nut butter (see recipe below)
1 3/4 c. rice flour (could also use garbanzo or coconut flour)
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/3 c. melted coconut oil
1/2 c. rice or almond milk
1/2 c. chocolate chips (can be dairy-free if you choose)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix first 5 ingredients in a food processor.  Blend for 1 minute.  Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.  When thoroughly mixed, add to food processor along with coconut oil and milk.  Blend well.  Add the chocolate chips and pulse once or twice.  Ladle the batter into a greased muffin pan, filling each hole to the top.  Bake for 15-18 min. or until muffins are firm to the touch.  Cool and serve.  These also freeze well.


Bean-nut Butter 
Makes 3 c.

2 c. cooked garbanzo beans
3/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. hot water

Mix all ingredients in the food processor until smooth.  Store in the fridge if you plan to use in a few days or freeze in cubes to thaw for later use.

Spring Foods

I'm always in search of more spring recipes.  The pickin's in our garden are few and far between, but that doesn't mean I can't cook something with our meager harvest.  Every season I find myself backed up with sorrel, the lemony perennial "herb" that is oh so prolific.  It's best used fresh because it turns a drab green when exposed to heat so I usually prepare it as a cold soup or tossed with salad greens, but I tried a cooked recipe again last night and was happy with the results.  The sorrel was mixed with enough other ingredients that the color wasn't so pronounced in the final dish.  I also incorporated chives and peas--wonderful spring ingredients.  Peas aren't quite here yet so you may want to save this recipe for later in the spring.

Sorrel and Pea Frittata with Chicken and Herbs
Serves 4-6
Adapted from Verdura, Vegetables Italian Style by Viana La Place


2 T. unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and finely diced
6 eggs
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 c. sorrel, washed and chopped
2 T. fresh chives, chopped
1/4 c. frozen shelled peas, thawed
2 T. basil pesto (frozen from last season's harvest)
1/2 c. cooked, diced chicken breast (leftovers are great)
2 T. freshly grated Parmesan
1 T. bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over low heat, cook onions until they are soft.  Set aside.  In the meantime, break the eggs into a bowl, add the cream, and whisk until well-combined.  Add the sorrel, chives, peas, pesto, chicken, onions, Parmesan, and bread crumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir the mixture well.  Place the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet and turn the heat to medium high.  Swirl the oil in the pan to coat the sides and bottom.  Add the egg mixture and lower the heat.  Cook the frittata slowly, stirring until large curds form.  Stop stirring and cook until the frittata is firm except for the top.  To cook the top, place under the broiler in the preheated oven.  Cook until firm and lightly golden.  Watch it carefully since overcooking will toughen the eggs.  Remove the frittata from the oven and let cool for a few moments in the pan.  Place a plate over the top of the pan and invert the frittata onto it.  Serve warm or at room temp. with a simple tossed salad.

I've been checking our asparagus patch just about every day lately.  I'm excited for the first harvest.  Finally!  Asparagus should not be harvested until the third year.  The first couple of seasons it will produce skinny stalks that should be allowed to go to seed.  It's hard to believe these three years have passed so quickly.  I was a bit nervous about the asparagus this morning when I still didn't see any signs of life.  It was one of those times when my garden journal came in very handy.  I consulted last year's notes, which told me that it suddenly popped out of the ground on May 2.  And, if I recall, it grew literally inches by the day after that.

Bringing Nature Home

I love being outdoors and am constantly collecting bits of nature to bring inside.  I feel it helps bridge the gap between the two realms.  I've enjoyed discovering uses for the cherry branches we pruned from the tree last week.  I have some of them in one of my grandmother's vases in the dining room; they're blossoming and have made me quite cheerful at the breakfast table in the morning.  Today when Vera and I were out for an early morning walk, scoping out the lakefront path where we did so much wild foraging last year, I found an interesting piece of "driftwood" that I packed into the stroller and brought home.  It will make a cool centerpiece for our outdoor table this summer.  As I was studying it, I thought of other bits of nature in our home and have photographed them here.

Today was the first rhubarb harvest.  So far the stalks are fairly short, but from my experience the more I pull the sooner the rest will come in bigger and stronger.  These plants have really shot up in the last couple of weeks.  Looks like we'll have lots of "pie plant" to freeze for the winter.  This harvest will mostly likely be eaten fresh, perhaps in a quickbread this week.

I wanted to share a new recipe with which I experimented last night in preparing dinner for a weekend house guest.  Ben and I love smoked trout and are always looking for new ways to enjoy it.  This recipe was also a good way to use some of the spring goodies popping up in the garden.

Smoked Trout Pasta Cakes with Sorrel Mayonnaise
Makes about 8 cakes

This is a great way to use leftover pasta.  I had some cooked and frozen from an event I catered a few weeks ago.  This was a great way to use it because the texture after thawing didn't matter so much.

8 oz. smoked trout, skinned and flaked, finely chopped
1 c. cooked spaghetti or linguine
2 beaten eggs
2 oz. fresh chives, minced
1/4 c. fine dry breadcrumbs
2 T. chopped sorrel
1 t. dried hot pepper (optional)
2 t. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 recipe Sorrel Mayonnaise
grapeseed oil for pan-frying

Cut the cooked spaghetti into 1-inch pieces and set aside with the smoked trout.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, chives, bread crumbs, sorrel, hot pepper, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add the smoked trout and pasta.  Shape into 1/2-inch thick patties by hand or with a round cutter and freeze briefly on a cookie sheet so they hold together better when frying.  Heat a large heavy skillet, add and heat 2-3 T. grapeseed oil. Over medium heat, cook the patties, a few at a time (do not crowd the pan), about 3 min. on each side or till golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Keep warm.  Serve with Sorrel Mayonnaise.

Homemade Sorrel Mayonnaise
Makes about 1 cup

You can substitute any herb for the sorrel--I would suggest trying cilantro if you're making this in the summer.  Usually mayonnaise is made with only yolks, but this recipe uses both yolk and white so you don't have to worry about using the white somehow.  You could make it without the whites as well.


1 organic, farm fresh egg at room temperature
2 T. red wine vinegar at room temperature
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. dry mustard
1 c. sunflower, olive, or grapeseed oil at room temperature

Place raw egg, vinegar, salt, and dry mustard in a food processor and add 1 T. oil.  Process, then add remaining oil via the feed tube (see note) in a slow steady stream.  Process until thick.  Add additional seasoning, if needed.

Note:  I recently learned, via the book Julie and Julia, that the tiny hole in the bottom of the piece that fits into the feed tube is specifically for making mayonnaise.  Pour all the oil into this part and it will gradually drip out in a perfectly slow stream.