A little Red at Christmastime.

A little Red at Christmastime.

Silence.  Standing outside taking in a blanket of newly fallen snow.   Silence.  Little ones asleep in their warm beds.  Silence.  My blog while I grow babies into toddlers and then kids.  And so now, in the season of frenzy, finally able to carve out time, I'm sharing with you my passion.

Red Cherries...picked from a local tree, pitted by three generations, and enjoyed by many.

In July I had plenty of help harvesting the sweet (okay, sour) goodness.  Tutus are a mandatory part of the cherry-picking uniform.  Spilled bowls of cherries are also part of the deal.  And little girls sharing time with their Mama is the best part in my memory.

No fancy cherry pitter needed, chopsticks worked perfectly.  Grandma, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.  Chatting.  Laughing.  Silent.  Connecting and making more memories.  To me, memories are a special part of growing, harvesting, purchasing, preparing, sharing, and enjoying local eating.

 

And finally, the "fruit" of our labor.  "Granny" is one of the best pie makers I know and just happened to be vising when the cherries were ripe.  I love when the stars align just so!

Perspectives on Rain



Rain.  It's raining.  My thoughts go to what the rain means - two kiddos and mud, no park time, muddy puppy paws in the house, a dreary day.  After dropping off my oldest at a friend's I planned to get groceries.  A grocery store run with a one year old is rough enough, add rain and it's time to scour the pantry and push groceries off for a different day. 

Rain.  It's raining.  "I'm scared of the thunder," my cherished 3 year old tells my friend to whom I'm depositing her for the morning.  "It's telling us the sky is giving the flowers a drink."  my friend replies.  As a local foods lover, she is a more seasoned gardener than I and her perspective is different.  Attached.  Connected to the earth.  Aware of its needs.  Thankful for the rain and the filling of her pantry that it will bring as the season continues.

When we live unattached to the earth, its seasons, its needs and its provision for us, we may begin to see things that can be sources of great thanksgiving as big inconveniences.  I am thankful to have had my disconnected perspective challenged and for the opportunity to become more connected to the earth and the seasons.  Rain.  Blessing?  Annoyance?  Consider your perspective.

 

Pecan Perfect!

Food and time with family is special to me.  It's even more special when I know where the food we eat comes from.  Recently my brother visited and we shared a breakfast item that I grew up eating during holiday brunches, Monkey Bread.  Yummy!  The local part of this meal - fresh pecans! 

Looking at this picture makes my mouth water.  Proof that what they
taught me in college is true - "They eye eats first!"

I decided to use more of the pecans in a chocolate pecan pie, something I've never made before.  Tasty, very tasty, especially with the local pecans as my shining stars.

I've blogged about these pecans in the past, harvested from trees in the Derby area.  I answered a call in the fall from the "farmer" - he's got the best ones he has had!  He cracks them when you place an order, so they are fresh.  If you'd like to inquire about these or purchase some, call Ward at 316-777-1349.  Happy Pecan Eating!

Terrific Turnips!

Turnips are a terrific vegetable to grow locally in the winter.

 

 



Okay, really, have you ever heard anyone describe the turnip as "terrific"?  This root vegetable is probably something more of a staple that does well in the ground throughout the winter.  It's ability to provide nourishment when other tastier veggies are absent from the local diet made me interested in tasting it for the first time.  A friend has turnips, and was kind enough to share some with our family.  What to do with them?  For some reason, turnip soup sounded tasty, so I made this recipe.  It was simple, local, and with a grilled cheese made a nice Saturday lunch.

Now, what else to do?  Chris decided to pull out his mandolin to slice up some paper thin turnip pieces.  He then stuck them in the oven at 200 degrees...wallah, turnip chips.    They actually got a little too brown, but they were pretty tasty half way through baking. 

Since then we've had roasted turnip and carrots two nights this week.  While they're not a vegetable I'd run to the grocery store to buy (does the grocery store even sell them?!), I do think they are tasty enough to eat throughout the winter season and there are plenty of recipes to try.  Next, turnip mash...something like mashed potatoes, only using turnips.  New culinary experiences here we come!