The Results Are In!

2009 Veggies

Just a day or two before Thanksgiving we had a freeze, which finally put an end to our garden.  I harvested and weighed what I salvaged from the frost; the final yield has been tallied.  I've estimated that we have about 250 square feet of food growing space (with probably that much more used for native flowers and other perennials).  I rounded down all the weights and didn't think to start measuring anything until after my spring harvest of many salad greens, spinach, radishes.  So the official grand total is 227.39 pounds--almost one pound per square foot--including bumper crops of 15 lbs. green beans, 22+ lbs. carrots and 61+ lbs. tomatoes.  I've been trying to find information online about how what a good per square foot yield is on an intensively planted plot like ours, but have had no luck.  (Please share any leads you might have.)  I suppose the goal for next year is to top this; I'm already getting ideas for how to expand the growing space.

Have you had enough turkey yet?  We ended up with an almost 20-pound bird.  The only drawback, I've found, of ordering a local turkey is that it can be more difficult to get the exact size you want.  I bargained for a <15 lbs. tom and got a much meatier one.  I have the "Turkey" folder pulled out of my recipe file (why yes, I do have a file dedicated just to this bird; it's a sub-category under "Poultry" in the ordered box of clippings about which my husband constantly teases me.)  We polished off the tetrazzini in no time so tonight I prepared a Mexican Lasagna with my own twists.  When people ask me if I learned to cook from my mother I hesitate because my mom was more of the casserole generation.  Don't get me wrong, she made mostly from-scratch dinners every night, rarely used the microwave for food preparation, and raised a very healthy family, but she and I happen to have different styles of cooking.  Let me put it this way, at the Thanksgiving dinner table, as I was picking through our deck of Earth Dinner cards and came upon the question "What foods are staples in your pantry/fridge?" my mom admitted to relying on Cream of Mushroom Soup.  On that note, I dedicate this casserole recipe to her; she's the ace of this domain.  I love you Muzz!

South-of-the-Border Lasagna
Serves 8-12

1 lb. leftover turkey, chopped in a food processor (can sub. ground turkey)
16 oz. homemade salsa
3 dried hot peppers, cut into small pieces
2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. black pepper
1/2 t. granulated garlic
1 large egg, whisked
2 c. ricotta cheese
1 1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
14 sprouted corn tortillas
2 c. cooked beans (mung, black, pinto, etc.) pureed w/ enough liquid to make spreadable
2 c. fresh frozen corn kernels
4 green onion, chopped (optional, to garnish)
Sour cream/plain whole milk yogurt (optional, to garnish)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat a large skillet and add turkey, salsa, chilies, and seasonings.  Cook a few minutes so flavors can meld; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine egg, ricotta, and 1/4 c. mozzarella.  Grease sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.  Cover bottom of pan with 4 tortillas.  Layer in the following order: corn, 1/2 of meat mixture, 4 tortillas, bean puree, remaining meat, 4 tortillas, then cheese mixture, remaining shredded cheese.  Bake about 45 minutes or until bubble and golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool slightly before cutting and serving.  Garnish with green onions, and sour cream/yogurt.  Can be made ahead and frozen or refrigerated before baking.

Our Front Door

Now that Thanksgiving has passed we've started to think about December holidays: Winter Solstice, Christmas, New Year's Eve.  Ben and I each did our part in stringing white LED lights on the front of the house.  I knew I wanted to use more of my reserved blackberry canes somehow in the garland; I wasn't prepared to shell out upwards of $100 on greenery this year so I used my resources and homegrown decoration.  My original idea was to outline the front doorway with the twisting canes, but since they'd been wound up in the garage for the past month, they wanted nothing to do with bending my way. I decided to work with them.  The design evolved to an over-the-door cluster of vines and lights--very organic and eclectic; I love it.  I also repeated from last year the lights in the window boxes twisting through my pea trellis twigs.  With some icicle lights on the front roofline, that's all the outdoor decorating we'll do.  The inside we'll keep simple as well--a small tree with lights and heirloom ornaments, the small keepsake creche Ben bought in Chile, and maybe a string of homemade garland in a doorway.  I aim to focus on the joys and peacefulness of the season instead of bogging myself down with setup and cleanup, not to mention the expense...oh, and off-season storage, of a lot of decorations.  'Tis the season for keeping it simple.

Window boxes 

Cluster of Blackberry Canes with White Lights

Using the Leftovers

Table Decor: Mini Squash, Persimmons, Locust Bean Pods, Horsetail and Isanti Dogwood Twigs

We enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing holiday yesterday and all went as I'd imagined.  I took an early morning walk with Vera while Ben finished a few housekeeping details.  Watched the Macy's Parade, leisurely cooked, visited with my folks, and sat down to a warm feast mid-afternoon.  We all took a brisk walk after dinner then enjoyed dessert and coffee.  In the evening we played games until we couldn't keep our eyes open.  Now we deal with the leftovers.  If you hosted Thanksgiving I'm going to assume you're dealing with extra turkey as well.  If you don't already have plans for it, here's my favorite recipe for post-Turkey Day.  I tried to make it a bit healthier this year by adding more veggies, using half and half instead of heavy cream, and subbing gluten-free flour and pasta.

Turkey Tetrazzini
Serves 8

One can easily substitute wheat pasta and all-purpose flour for the gluten-free varieties in this recipe.

6 oz. gluten-free spinach spaghetti (cooked)
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/4 c. brandy or sherry
1 c. half and half
2 2/3 c. chicken or turkey broth
3 c. cooked turkey, cut into bit-size pieces
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c. chopped green peppers (I used home frozen)
1 c. chopped Swiss chard, stems removed
1 c. grated Parmesan (or cheese of your choice)

1 t. kosher salt, or to taste

pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place cooked spaghetti in the bottom of a baking dish.  In large pot, melt butter; add flour and whisk for a minute.  Add liquor, half and half, and broth, whisk.  Add cheese and whisk until melted.  Stir in remaining ingredients and season to taste.  Pour tetrazzini mixture over pasta and bake 30 min.  Serve hot.

Countdown to Turkey Time

I started cooking yesterday afternoon.  I'm trying to manage not only my oven space (different dishes need to be baked at different temps., of course), but also to get part of the mess out of the way so I can relax a little with my family tomorrow.  The biggest challenge has been coordinating space in the fridge for the bulk of ingredients from a Thanksgiving CSA share I picked up last week, the last of our garden harvest (which I frantically harvested yesterday after the overnight freeze), and the staged and finished dishes for Thursday's meal.  I find this thrilling!  I just realized I should have posted my Thanksgiving menu and recipes earlier than today in case someone was still looking for ideas, but since many of these dishes aren't exactly traditional, one could prepare them for any feast especially other upcoming holiday meals.  I am happy to say that most of the ingredients are from local producers and our own garden.  My parents are bringing wine from a winery they recently visited near their home in east-central Illinois.  A feast we will have as we give thanks for the many fortunes and much happiness we've had this past year.

Brined and Roasted American Heritage Bronze Turkey

Turkey Gravy

Cornbread Stuffing with Fruit and Polenta Bread

Classic Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Horseradish Glazed Beets

Brined Brussels Sprouts with Lemony Mushroom Melange

Gluten-Free Sesame Bean Buns

Jellied Cranberry Salad with Spiced Apples and Pecans

Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Gluten-Free Quinoa Walnut Crust

Shelled Acorns

My first acorn experiment is complete.  I patiently took these nuts from tree to meal/flour in about two days.  The initial attempt was a bit tedious, but I feel if I repeated it, I'd get my cracking technique down pat, which would save loads of time.  With some minor changes and adaptations, I referred to the instructions in The Urban Homestead book I referenced in a previous post.  This guide suggested that one soak the acorns first--which I did--then discard the ones that float.  On the contrary, I learned that the ones that float were the good and all that sank were rotten.  Then I got out the Vise-Grip and cracked away.  Of course Ben always walks into the kitchen at the most appropriate time.  He said, "this looks like the 'Black Walnut Experiment,'" referring to another urban adventure we had at our apartment downtown.  A co-worker had given me a grocery sack full of black walnuts after I excitedly inquired about them to make nocino (pronounced "no-CHEE-no"), a bitter black walnut liqueur I'd tasted on a culinary tour outside of Bologna.  This intensely flavored alcohol is made from nuts traditionally collected between June 24-25 because of the magical powers of the dew on that specific eve.   Well, these nuts sat there from June 24 to approximately December 24 before I finally got around to cracking them open.  In the cold, we set up some tarps on our tiny balcony and went to town with hammers, tweezers, and toothpicks doing our best to draw out as many nut meats as possible.  Most flew off the balcony with every whack of the hammer, much to the delight of the squirrels waiting below.  We ended up with a 1/2-pint of nuts, but it wasn't for naught as I'm determined to find some lesson in all of my urban homesteading trials.  I developed a much greater appreciation for small-scale (and I mean very small scale (like the elderly man who sells hand-shelled hickory nuts at the Dane County Farmers' Market) nut processors.  Now you can imagine the hesitation of Ben's expression when he saw I was at it again with these acorns.  After cracking them all I put them in my classic Osterizer, covering the nuts with water.  I soon realized this machine wouldn't cut it so I transferred them to the hand-be-down vintage Vita-Mix from my mother-in-law and that made quick work of these nuts.  The VM never fails!  I was left with acorn "mash."  Acorns contain lots of tannins (very bitter, astringent components also found in red wine) that must be soaked out before the nuts can be consumed.  Older wild foraging guides call for boiling the mash several times and dumping the water.  This takes a lot of energy so my guidebook suggested soaking in a bowl of water instead.  I tied the mash in a piece of scrim (you can use cheesecloth) and filled the bowl with water.  When the water became dark and cloudy I dumped it and filled it again.  I repeated this step for about 24 hours (leaving it to sit overnight) and finally the astringency was gone.  I spread the mash on a silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet and dried it at a low oven temp.  Then I whizzed it in the spice grinder to make a dark, sweet-nutty smelling meal/flour.  It can be added or partially substituted in savory baking recipes.  

Never Fails!

Soaking out the Tannins

Dried Mash

Final Ground Acorn Meal

On that note, I used some of my sunchoke flour yesterday to make cornbread for our Thanksgiving cornbread stuffing.  I indicated my substitutions in the recipe below so you could make it without these odd flours.

Polenta Cornbread

Serves 6

Use in place of your favorite cornbread or take it a step further, turning it into cornbread stuffing.

Sunchokes add a lovely earthy, nutty flavor to this bread.

5 large eggs, whisked

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1/4 lb. unsalted butter, melted

1/3 c. finely sliced scallions

1 1/2 t. salt

2 c. all-purpose flour (I used 1 1/4 c. APF, 1/2 c. sunchoke flour, 1/4 c. wild rice flour)

1 1/2 c. fine grind polenta

2 T. baking powder

2 t. baking soda

1 c. grated Asiago cheese (or other cheese of your choosing)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly butter 9x13-inch baking dish.  In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, butter, scallions, salt.  Set aside.  In large bowl, combine flour(s), polenta, baking powder, baking soda, cheese.  Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until there no large lumps.  Do not overwork.  Spread batter in baking dish.  Bake 30-35 min. or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on rack.  

Jump, Jump, Jump!

Just in time for more Thanksgiving meal preparations today, an early holiday delivery arrived from Grammy and Papa for Vera yesterday.  I call it "Mommy's Little Helper."  You may have seen these towers.  They are meant for kids to be able to reach the countertop to observe or help prepare meals.  Vera's always asking to go "up and down," which in this case mean's "up" when I'm cooking.  She's curious about what I'm chopping, mixing, and sauteeing.  Now she can stand beside me--in her little apron--and view her own personal cooking show every day.  So far she's just used this piece of equipment as a jungle gym under my supervision, of course.  Oh my, the hysteria (or "high-steria" as my Boston-bred father-in-law would say)!  But that will no doubt wear off and hopefully she'll want to help me "cook."  Apparently it can double as a puppet theatre.  I'm expecting to see some Tony Award-Nominated sock puppets shows before she leaves home.  In the meantime maybe I can get her learning about cooking early on. 

Recycled Knits

Recycled Short-Sleeved Sweater with Vintage Buttons

Flea Market Vintage Buttons

Recycled Hat for Vera

It's a great afternoon to post as I sit by the window watching the rain come down on this "warm" November day.  I guess it's good for my garden that never ends.  It's also a great day to curl up with some knitting needles.  I finished a project last night that I'd been working on since last spring (or was it winter?)  As I've mentioned, I don't knit much in the summer because I'm hiding in the cool basement sewing during that season.  So I had a long pause with what I believe is the first garment I've made for myself that's worthy of wearing.  I'm not counting the very first knitting project I ever started/completed--a striped poncho--which had a lot to be desired in terms of shape and quality.  I've made plenty of accessories--hats, scarves, socks--and plenty of baby knits, but not many full size pieces for myself.  I've been very excited about short-sleeved sweaters lately because I love layering clothes in the winter.  Some might find the color obnoxious, but I happen to love green--especially chartreuse (ironic b/c it's the color my mom detests most since her mother dyed her First Communion dress that shade.) This sweater is actually an afghan reincarnated (sorry, I don't have a "BEFORE" photo.)  On a thrifting trip a couple of years ago I was looking at yarn and an older women stocking the shelves  struck up a conversation and gave me the idea to purchase a sweater or other garment for its yarn (even if I didn't care for the piece itself), disassemble it and reknit it into something I enjoyed.  I first tried this with a hat I made for Vera; originally it was an adult size "tam," but I unraveled it and whipped it into a cute flap hat for winter.  My next endeavor was much more grand and I'll be honest--half of this afghan is still in tact in my knitting hutch.  I made the mistake of washing the blanket before unraveling, which made it much harder to untangle, especially because it had an intricate leaf pattern.  On that note, if you choose to try recycling yarn, 1) don't wash the garment first--unravel, knit new, then clean the final piece (depending on the type of yarn and washing instructions...SAVE THE CARE LABEL), 2) choose a garment with a simple stockinette or garter stitch; it's much more difficult to unravel a cable knit or other intricate pattern, 3) look for items that are machine seamed--it's much easier to rip apart the seams, though hand seamed isn't extremely difficult, 4) if you have a small child, ask them to help you unravel--this is one time that this temptation for a child comes in handy.  At any rate, recycling knits is a great way to get many skeins of yarn without the hefty price tag (this blue, long-sleeved cropped sweater was just a couple bucks and I rendered five skeins from it.)  As a homesteader, I'm always trying to be economical.  I found that disassembling these garments also gave me a greater appreciation for the quality of handknit items as well as another lesson in how garments are constructed.  I have a couple more sweaters to tear out--I have more time than money for ripping/knitting these days--then I plan to knit some cute dresses for Vera (there are many great free patterns online!)

Sweater to Disassemble

5 Skeins to Recycle

More Sweaters to Unravel

While I'm mentioning crafts, I have to tell you about one of my favorite annual events that's coming up next weekend.  Art vs. Craft is happening Saturday, Nov. 27.  On Friday after Thanksgiving I'll be observing national "Buy Nothing Day" as usual, but on Sat. I'll be checking out the highly talented and artsy/crafty folks at this event.  Please check it out! And if you give gifts for the holidays, consider buying local or handmade with intention.

This week begins the big preparation for Turkey Day.  We picked up our tom at the West Allis Farmers' Market on Saturday.  Vera got to ride with it in the wagon, but seemed let down by all the build up to "picking up the turkey" only to have this plastic-wrapped mass plopped next to her and a 1/2 bushel of winter squash in the old Radio Flyer.  I'm sure she'll change her mind at mealtime when she's licking juice off her little fingers.  I have to make a trip to the store on Wednesday for just a few last items, but otherwise I'm armed with roasting pan, mixer, butcher twine, and apron to put a feast on the table Thursday afternoon.  And about that store visit--I usually don't shop at mainstream supermarkets, but there's something that draws me to them before a big holiday meal.  I love to sense the hustle and bustle as everyone seeks out their ingredients, chooses their turkeys, considers their gravy options, and loads up on booze to make the big day a success.  Maybe it's some odd memory from childhood or later of going to the store with my mom before the holidays.  I don't know, but I'm looking forward to this foray.

Thanksgiving will truly be a celebration of the harvest for us this year.  Aside from the few greens, herbs, and roots still bearing the cold, the garden is officially closed for the season.  We placed the coldframe on Sunday and I'll plant my spinach and lettuce mix in it this week for early spring harvest.  Then we can sit down on Thursday and give thanks for all our homestead has provided this past year.