Food

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Food & Drink

When life gives you lemons...

Waffles with Lemon Curd and Orange Juice

This past week in the kitchen, I applied the old adage about life giving you lemons. In this case, I made limoncello and lemon curd from the Meyer Lemons that came with our Beneficial Farms CSA box. After my dark night of the soul regarding the squandered persimmon opportunities, it felt great to maximize use of something.

Squash-o-rama

Pie Pumpkins

Ladies and gentlemen, it was all about the squash this week. How to use it, can one type be substituted for another, what can it be served with, how long does it take to cook, etc. I had a mound of butternut squash sitting in the pantry that were tumbling out every time I opened the door. Having a several pound squash land on your feet several times is an excellent inspiration for finding a good use for it.

You Say You Want a Revolution

Revolution 45rpm label

Are you ready for a transition away from fossil fuels? Are you or your town ready to live sustainably? What do local resilience, powerdown, and permaculture mean? There is a revolution afoot and it is called the Transition Town movement. The Transition Town movement is helping villages, towns, and cities like Santa Fe prepare themselves for a future without fossil fuels.

On not wasting food

Spiced Persimmon and Walnut Muffins

Persimmons are very pretty. They are a lovely dusky orange color and their stems look like a blooming flower. I admired them for quite some time on my kitchen counter before I reminded myself that they were food and fresh fruit does not last forever. I pureed them after cutting out a few squishy bits and the equally lovely puree went in to the refrigerator. It came out for a spectacular batch of persimmon muffins and then went back to sit some more. By the time I was ready to use more, it was too late. The puree had been colonized and had to be pitched (at least in to the compost bin).

Winter Planning for Spring Planting

Fishtail Weeder and Common Mallow

The days are short, nights long and the ground is cold. Winter isn't a great time for planting, but it is a time for planning a garden. Last fall we planted everything from an apple tree to iris bulbs, but there is still much to be decided for spring planting. While the snow flies we are thinking ahead to the gardening season.

Full Refrigerator in 2009

Roasted Squash Risotto and Green Beans

I start the year with a bursting refrigerator and freezer and pantry. I am very lucky. I am lucky to have money for lots of good food. However, this excess is silly. This week I'll be pulling stashes of frozen soup out of the freezer, rethinking the things in the pantry, and in general looking at what we have and wondering "what am I saving this for? A visit from the queen?"

Cook vs. Persimmon

Two-Tone Persimmon Pudding

2009 is breathing its icy breath down our necks. It was a mighty chilly Christmas holiday with either ice or slush to line your path. Again, the cook runs to the kitchen with all haste to conjure up warm and comforting food. We are taking a two week break from the weekly CSA delivery (like at Thanksgiving, even farmers get a little break) but we were sent off with an extra heavy bag to tide us over until the first week of January.

Looking for color in winter

Butternut Squash

We have passed the Winter Solstice, the longest day of the year, and now are definitely pointed toward spring. However you wouldn't know that with a week of snow headed our way and a white Christmas on tap. Since the days have been grey as of late, I've been looking for light and warmth in the kitchen. Thankfully the oranges of squash, the reds of pomegranates, and the verdant greens have been helpful in that regard.

Rethinking the salad

Chocolate-Pumpkin Layer Cake slice

We had several lovely salads this week; salads beautiful in color and composition. They were all great but strangely unsatisfying. I can eat as many nourishing greens as I can fit on a plate and I have realized that unless they are warm, it's just not going to scratch the itch. In contrast, the baked acorn squash with the chicken fricassee last night was just great. I know I'm supposed to eat lots of greens and they are the tried and true diet food but nowadays they need to be paired with something warm.

It's all about the pomegranates.

Pomegranates Perched on a Plate

Thanksgiving, the great American holiday, is come and gone and the push toward Christmas begins. We had a fine and snowy Thanksgiving in northern New Mexico. The snow was soul satisfying since we are still waiting for a real occurrence of the white stuff in the middle of the state.

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