Wrapping It Up

This week I stayed motivated to continue putting the garden and yard to sleep for the year.  I planted garlic and further trained my espalier apple trees on Monday.  I was inspired by the espalier apple trees I saw at the Chicago Botanic Garden a few years ago.  The next season, I planted two dwarf apple varieties along our north fence; the second season they produced a good amount of fruit.  This year there wasn't any, probably because I pruned them vigorously last spring.  Our neighbor, who guides my trimming activities, showed me a couple of tricks to help train the flexible young branches.  One is to clip a clothespin to the skinny trunk just above and parallel to a branch you want to bend so that it pushes it downward.  That technique worked very well.  This week I pursued the second technique of hanging a weight on the end of the branch to pull it down.  After this season there were many vertical branches I would have liked to clip off, but I've learned that spring is the best time to prune because the trees are least disease-prone.  So for now I trained the new growth.  We'll see what we need to prune in the spring (Am I thinking of next season already? You bet!)  I also began breaking down my pole bean trellis and pulling dead stems off of perennials.  I haven't touched a rake yet, but plan to this weekend.  Otherwise it wouldn't be the first time I miss the city's leaf collection.  I do try to keep as many leaves as possible on our property to use as winter mulch, but our compost bin can't hold the rest.

Yellow Plastic "Lame"

This week I also spent a good amount of time in the kitchen baking and cooking.  Ah, it feels great to have more time to do this now that my classes have wound down.  I baked my new favorite bread that I mentioned previously.  To score the top I use a tool that was given to me by the first pastry chef with whom I worked, Mary Lou Simmelink (and also the person who inspired me to take up knitting).  I just learned that it's called a lame.   It's not necessary, but very handy for slashing or docking.

After harvesting all my beets on Sunday I had a lot of beet greens with which to contend.  I never like to waste them, but blanching and freezing them all can be tedious and sometimes I don't feel I can even use them all before the next season.  So Monday I found a way to use a lot (like a pound) of them very quickly.  I served this with vegetable crudites and my freshly baked bread as a sort of "nosh plate" dinner, which we occasionally do--it makes for a nice communal meal.  I used golden beet greens which imparted a beautiful yellow cast to the dish--almost looked like I'd added curry, or at least turmeric.  And I didn't have bacon on hand though I had a container of bacon fat--a staple in the back of our fridge, it can always be found snuggled up next to the everlasting container of hog casings (sausage-making season is upon us.)  

Creamy Beet Green Dip
Makes 12-14 1/4-cup servings

I adapted this recipe from one that called for collard greens.  You could really use any leafy greens from spinach to kale.  

2 slices bacon (can sub./add finely diced, skinned bratwurst)
Bacon fat (if not using bacon)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 c.)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped (3/4 c.)
1 lb. fresh beet greens/other greens, washed, stems removed, chopped in a food processor (or by hand)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, cubed and softened (can sub. 1/2 the amount with plain whole milk yogurt)
2 oz. shredded cheese (about 1/2 c.)--Monterey Jack, cheddar, gouda, etc.
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 t. Cajun seasoning (optional)--if you don't use this, add 1/4 t. salt
Breadsticks, vegetable crudites, fresh bread, crostini for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 12-inch skillet cook bacon until crisp.  Drain bacon on paper towel.  Remove and discard all but 2 t. bacon drippings from skillet.  Add onion and peppers to skillet.  Cook 5 min. over medium heat or until vegetables are just tender, stirring occasionally.  Add greens and garlic; cover and cook 10 min. or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Add cream cheese, shredded cheese, sour cream, and Cajun seasoning (or salt) to greens mixture, stirring until combined. Crumble bacon and add to greens mixture (or add bratwurst, if subbing.)  Spread mixture in a 1 1/2-qt. casserole dish or 9-inch pie plate.  Bake, uncovered, 10 min. or until warmed through.  Serve with vegetable dippers or bread(sticks).

Free Pears!

Yesterday I was driving through Mequon after an appointment and saw a sign on someone's lawn that said "Free Pears" so, of course, I couldn't resist stopping.  My first thought was that we would use them for our next round of Community Pie pie baking.  Our group had a meeting this week and decided we still needed to seek out pumpkins and pears that would go unused around the city (we have plenty of apples.)  So I filled two canvas bags with windfall pears (and I mean WINDFALL--with the heavy winds this week, they were coming down as I crawled around under tree) to total over 25 lbs. of fruit.  I saved a few of the scratch and dent pears for myself and tonight I prepared a salad with romaine and spinach from today's CSA box, toasted walnuts, shaved Asiago cheese, and an apple garlic vinaigrette--a combo created a la minute from two leftover preserving mediums.  The pears were delicious (and so free!)

Vintage Martin-family fabrics

In case you've wondered if the life of an urban homesteading ever gets boring, it doesn't.  At least not in my book, but then again I'm not easily bored.  I received a special delivery yesterday from Ben's Aunt Martha in Bradford, PA (home of the Zippo lighter).  She'd eagerly passed along a box of fabric from her mother (Ben's late grandmother, Georgia). Knowing I loved to sew and that she wouldn't use the remnants anytime soon, she shipped them west.  There's a variety of colors, patterns, and textures including a couple polyesters straight out of the 60s or 70s.  Ben said "that's how I remember my grandma, in polyester," so this gift was a treat for us both.  I added them to my fabric cabinet today and plan to put them to use this winter as I start new projects.

This weekend my mom will be in town as Ben heads out for the annual "Fall Classic," dudes canoe trip on the Wisconsin River.  Maybe Grammy can help me persuade Vera that being a gnome for a night is a fun idea.  We'll let you know how it goes.

Harvest Time

Rattlesnake Pole Beans

Lincoln Leeks

Golden Beets

I decided this past week that although we've had beautiful, fairly warm weather for this time of year, I have to start wrapping things up around the garden or I'll be frantically trying to squeeze it all into a weekend in the next month.  I picked the rest of the Rattlesnake pole beans from the trellis, shelling the already dry ones and leaving the rest to dry completely in a sunny window.  Today I harvested all the leeks and mature red and golden beets (another succession of beets is still in the ground.)  When I show people my garden they always ask how I find the time to manage it all season; "how much time do you spend every day?" is a common question.  To be honest, on an average day during the growing season I don't spend more than 30 minutes actually "working" in the garden.  I weed early and often, harvest little baskets of vegetables here and there depending on what I need for cooking (or more if I'm preserving), and plant successions in small spurts.  But this time of year, harvest time, I definitely spend more time in the garden and yard.  Harvesting vegetables then cleaning and weighing them took about an hour and a half this afternoon.  This week I'll probably spend another couple of hours, at least, planting garlic, Egyptian walking onions, raking, and putting away trellises and pots.  This was the first year I grew leeks and I was extremely pleased with the yield.  They weren't the most robust leeks I've seen, but they produced well enough to provide all the leeks we'll need all winter.  I enjoyed watching these perky little green stalks share a bed with my kohlrabi and now fall beets and radishes.  In fact, I already miss seeing them in the raised bed.  My mind often wanders when I'm left to a menial or repetitive task so as I was cleaning and trimming these alliums--snipping the root hairs about a 1/2-inch below the base--I was somehow reminded of the successful, but short-lived dog grooming business my mom and I had when I was a kid (our regular groomer, a local clown--think manicured show poodles--skipped town after her messy divorce from a fellow clown.  We were out of a qualified trimmer so we proactively picked up our own clippers...but I digress.)  I also harvested more side shoots of broccoli today.  It's the first year I've grown broccoli and I've been so impressed with its production.  Since harvesting the main heads, the side shoots have been crazily producing many more individual florets.  There's nothing like having fresh, crisp broccoli to use right from the garden.  My favorite way to use it is in an egg dish like quiche or an omelet.

Broccoli Florets

I thought I was done preserving for the season, but on Friday I acquired a grocery bag of red bell peppers from our farmers at Pinehold Gardens.  According to them I underestimated the time it would take me to write recipes for their CSA newsletter this season so they've been generously giving me surplus vegetables.  I think it's a great barter.  I julienned and froze half of the peppers, but chose to roast and can the rest.  I prefer to roast them directly over the flame of my gas stove.  It helps to ventilate the kitchen if you choose this method.  The charred skin you'll peel off is a great carbon source for your compost.  I must say I've been most excited about this preserving projects.  Hopefully these will be better than the slimy store-bought things Ben's been so turned off by in the past.

Roasted Red Peppers with Lemon Juice
Makes about 3 pint jars


Adapted from Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.  Anyone who's taken my preserving classes has heard me say that it's not safe to can something in oil and expect it to be shelf-stable.  In this case, because there is plenty of added acid (lemon juice and vinegar), it's a safe recipe.  But if you choose to make a straight herb-infused oil, you must refrigerate it.

Flame-roasted Red Peppers

4 lbs. red peppers (about 10)
1 c. bottled lemon juice
2 c. white wine vinegar (6% acidity)
1 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 t. pure kosher salt

Roast peppers directly on a gas burner or under the broiler until blistered all over, turning them frequently with tongs.  Place in a sealed plastic bag or covered bowl and let steam at least 10 min.  Peel and seed the peppers, rip or cut them into large sections or strips.

Canned Roasted Red Peppers

In a wide 6- to 8-quart pan, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, and salt.  Bring just to a boil.  Prepare canning jars and lids.  Heat water in canning kettle.  Heat jars if not already hot.  Pack roasted peppers into jars and ladle in hot liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at top.  Remove air bubbles; wipe rim with damp paper towel.  Place lids and rings on jars.  Tighten lids until they are just fingertight.  Load kettle jar rack, submerge, making sure the water is covering the jar--ideally by 1-inch.  Bring to a boil, process for 15 min.  Remove jars to folded towel on countertop and let cool completely.  After 1 hour, check that lids have sealed.  Label and store.

I spent most of today in the kitchen preserving, baking, and cooking.  I love days like this when I have the energy.  Tonight was the Packers v. Vikings game so I decided to make a big pot of chili for game time.  I'm one of those people who loves pro football (especially Superbowl) strictly for the food aspect--everyone wants something to nibble while they're keeping score.  Otherwise, I couldn't care any less about football.  This was a chili recipe I prepared for the last Superbowl, but I used shredded pork for that batch instead of chicken.  It's delicious either way.

Three-Bean Chicken Chili
Serves 6

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine.  I used some of our dried rattlesnake beans along with black and fava beans for a variety of texture.  It was a pleasure to go outside and cut fresh cilantro from the garden this time of year.  It's still going strong.

Rattlesnake, Black, and Fava Beans

1 T. coconut or grapeseed oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 3 c.)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 green bell pepper or poblano pepper, chopped
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 lbs.)
3 t. ground cumin
2 t. chili powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 dried bay leaf
16 oz. mild salsa (home-canned or store-bought)
1/2 c. diced green chilies
3 1/2-4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 t. salt
4 c. cooked beans, drained and rinsed
freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. sour cream for garnish (optional)
Shredded cheese, for garnish (optional)
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Finished Chili

Heat oil in large stockpot and saute onions, garlic, and peppers, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 min.  Raise heat to medium, and add chicken, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and bay leaf.  Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is seared on outside and coated thoroughly with spices, about 10 min.  Add salsa and green chilies, and stir to combine.  Cook 5 min.  Add stock, salt, and beans; season with black pepper, stir to combine.  Cover; simmer.  Stir contents, then replace lid to partially cover pot.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chili is thickened and chicken is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.  Divide among bowls; garnish as desired.  Serve immediately.

Many people have been asking me what to do with all that winter squash coming in lately.  Last night I made more of my Chili-Carrot-Tomatillo Soup, but substituted carnival squash for the carrots.  It purees into a beautifully creamy soup and is great with a dollop of plain yogurt.

This weekend I finally picked up my knitting again.  It feels so great!  I'm currently finishing a short-sleeved cardigan for myself.  I started this last spring and stopped just as I was starting the first sleeve.  When I picked it up again Friday night, it took me the whole night to figure out where I'd left off in the pattern.  Whew!  Nothing like a good mental challenge to start the knitting season.  I also started an easy pullover sweater for Vera last night.  My friend Beth who blogs at At the End of This Row inspired me with her one-year vow to not buy any new yarn.  All of her projects since then have been classified as "stash busters."  I love that concept and have decided to try it myself--not that I buy a lot of new yarn to begin with (I'll share my secrets in a later post), but I do have a hutch full of odd skeins in my basement craft corner.  I can't wait to get to the bottom of it and see how many projects I can create.  I'm guessing that most of them will be for Vera since garments her size don't require much yarn.  One last project I had started last spring was a purl-stitch cardigan for Vera.  I was getting frustrated with it back in April because the pattern was missing a step or two--not the first time I've come across badly written knitting patterns (almost as annoying as badly written cookbooks.)  Instead of seeking out a local knitter to help me sort through the book's mistake, I've decided to abandon the project and disassemble it.  In coming to this conclusion, I was reminded of my sister's dedication to baking.  She'll call and leave a message on a night I'm teaching a class, I don't get it until 10 PM--too late to return her call in a later time zone--so I call her in the AM to find out she'd wondered about substituting an ingredient in a baking recipe, but she was already halfway through the recipe so decided to throw out the whole cake.  Sounds like she missed the memo on "mise en place," though I'm realizing I should put everything in place before beginning a craft project as well.

Entrance to the LUH backyard garden

Vera and I were out for our daily walk one day last week, loving all the fall colors.  I realized that the gods must erase our memories of the beauty of years past because each year it's like I've forgotten just how amazing and glorious each season can be.  I'm loving the purple of the New England Aster juxtaposed with the red of the Staghorn Sumac leaves all against the backdrop of the trees' oranges and golds.  Gorgeous!  I'll enjoy it as long as I can.

"Oh Gnome You Di-in't!"

Accessories to Vera's Gnome Costume

I've officially entered the stage of creating homemade Halloween costumes.  And let me tell you, I could hardly wait.  I grew up with my mom making many costumes from an angel and bumble bee to Lady Liberty and a clown (which my brother and I actually shared, attending alternating Halloween parties.)  Last year we didn't Trick or Treat, but Vera wore the standard infant pumpkin costume that was given to us by a friend.  We stopped at a couple friends' houses then took her out to dinner.  This year we may try to pull her in the wagon and see how much fun she has climbing the stairs to each front door, granted she doesn't get trampled by the herds of kids that swarm our square block in Bay View, which is known as the Gold Coast for candy.  Vera's L.A. cousins, Ryan and Quinn, eyed this costume idea many months ago and Ben and I thought we'd go for it because it's really quite appropriate for our setting.  We'll attempt to dress her as a Garden Gnome.  I use the word "attempt" because so far she wants nothing to do with the beard, though she's giddy about the cone-shaped hat.  This is one reason I'm not spending a boatload on the costume, she may only wear it for a photo-op.  I found a pair of brown pants and a blue turtleneck at the thrift store.  I'm shortening a thrifted patent leather belt with a big buckle that matches her black patent leather shoes.  And I made the beard and hat out of supplies I had readily available in my fabric cabinet and craft stash.  Now if can just get her to sit long enough in the garden, it might actually work.  Ha!


Last night was the last of my cooking classes for 2010.  In a way, it felt like the last day of school afterwards.  It was a jam-packed season of preserving and vegetarian cooking classes, but in most ways, it was worth it.  Now I can exhale.  I have about three months until my next class, followed by some introductory preserving classes this winter as well as planning for next season's preservation series.  So begins my "summer vacation."  If I had to write a report on "What I Plan to Do on My Summer Vacation," which will actually be my winter vacation, it would include tackling multiple knitting projects; organizing files, closets, and pantries; planning my 2011 garden; baking; cooking; and reading as well as visiting with friends, having Sunday dinners, and RELAXING--a coveted idea in my current life.  Of course Vera will be hanging out on this winter vacation with me and we plan to get outside every day whether it's in the winter stroller, on the sled, or playing in the snow; go to library story hour and playgroups, and get crafty--when can a young child be introduced to glue and safety scissors (as you can tell, I'm eager to get her crafting as well.)

Ben's leaf, circa 2000

As the warm season truly draws to a close, I'm realizing that I may need to mostly or partially bring my clothesline inside.  Friends have told me I can dry clothes outside all year, but I anticipate having to at least use the dryer for finishing them.  With this cold, moist air by the lake I can't see things getting 100% dry out there all winter, though for our electric bill's sake I wish they could.  (The solar panels can't come soon enough.)  So I was outside yesterday morning--one of my weekly laundry days--before dawn (with the exterior garage and house lamps spotlighting my work) and it was so peaceful.  The only sound was the rustling of trees in the wind.  Ah!  That sigh is the feeling I want to maintain as I slowdown and relax this winter (which is NOT here yet!)

Here, There, and Everywhere

Salsa Party Setup

I felt like we were all over the place this weekend.  It was another whirlwind Friday through Sunday, but fun was had by all.  Friday night I put on my first preserving party.  A good friend had some other friends and co-workers interested in learning how to preserve so months ago we began organizing a salsa party.  She prepared a festive taco bar along with a pot of spicy tortilla soup, played Latin music, but stopped just short of running "La Bamba" on a loop on the basement television.  While the guests mingled, ate, drank, and made merry, I turned it on in the kitchen preparing salsa then demonstrating to the guests how to can it.  Everyone got to take home two jars of salsa as well as some other lovely parting gifts of Jane's choosing.  I don't know about all of them, but I had a blast!  I feel like many of the guests took home some new skills--or at least they now have a desire to try canning for themselves.  To be honest, I'd been a bit nervous about teaching food preservation to a group that had been imbibing, but I made sure to (mostly) abstain myself so that at least one person was guaranteeing the salsa's safety.  Perhaps in the future I can host bridal canning showers (give the gift of domestic skills) or more weekend preserving parties.

Spanish Eclectic Cottage

Saturday we drove down to Glen Ellyn, IL (western suburbs of Chicago) to visit Ben's parents.  And speaking of preservation, we went on the annual Historic Home Tour put on by the Citizens for Glen Ellyn Preservation.  We made it to four of the six homes/buildings on the tour.  I've always been taken by this kind of activity.  Ben says it's because I'm nosy about how people live, which is completely false (though I probably should have been an anthropology major).  What I really enjoy is seeing how people decorate they're homes and getting ideas for our own.  And ever since my "Living Environments" class in high school, I can easily geek out when discussing architectural features like clipped gables, rafter tails, and corbels.  We toured two gorgeous Arts and Crafts homes, which both had cozy nooks and smaller rooms that made me want to curl up then and there with a book or some good music.  We also toured a Prairie Style home as well as a "tiny" Spanish eclectic cottage--more elaborately decorated than my taste, but absolutely stunning.  I gathered lots of new ideas, especially for remodeling our own kitchen soon.

That night we got a sitter for Vera and drove into Chicago with Ben's parents for dinner at the Atwood Cafe on the ground floor of the Burnham Hotel.  We enjoyed a delicious local, seasonal menu then headed over to the Goodman Theatre to see a musical version of Candide by Voltaire.  We found this French satire, written in the mid 18th century, to be timeless.  Following all the unhappiness, hatred, and dishonesty in the world, it concluded with the central couple moving to a farm and growing vegetables--something hopeful for the future in this crazy world.  What a coincidence that we should see a performance like this.  Reminds me that we're doing the right thing in building our urban homestead.  Hopefully we too are building hope for the future.