Garden 2 Kitchen: Sugar & Salt Go Herbal!

Earlier this year when I had the MO roundup, I wanted to make something really neat for the cooks to take home with them.  Gifts from the garden, so to speak, but what to make?  The year before the cook's gift was a potted herb in a one of a kind pot.  I had envisioned full lush pots of happy herbs just waiting to be used.  Not quite an epic fail but not what I expected either so I decided to look at other herbal gift ideas.  Flavored sugar and salt seemed doable.  Two simple ingredients with some herbs thrown in.  What could be easier?  I just needed cute jars and a recipe, which I was sure I could find on the Internet.  Turns out everyone has their own idea of "how to" and "how much" when flavoring salt or sugar.  After much reading, I decided to go with the food processor for incorporation and winging it with the herb amounts.  I knew exactly what I wanted my end result to be so how much trouble could it be
 or sugar. After much reading, I decided to go with the food processor for incorporation and winging it with the herb amounts. I knew exactly what I wanted my end result to be so how much trouble could it be.

With the salt, it was just a matter of adjusting the herb amounts.  I wanted a nice strong flavored salt that would add that burst of garlic and oregano to bread sticks or pasta or anything else for that matter.
The sugar I made a small miscalculation in the drying procedure resulting in one large piece of minty rock candy the first time.  Well, the salt pretty much dried on its own so why wouldn't the sugar.  Alton Brown could tell you the molecular "whys" but I'm going to share with you the "what I did's" so you can make these simple recipes to use for yourself or for gifts.  Plus, I have 2 extras to share,  both of which I find rather exciting.  Ok, so exciting might be a little strong but one I found very useful and the other, well, just plain interesting from an herb grower's point of view.

Let's start with the sugar since I forgot to get pictures of the salt for some reason.  It is the same process for both.

Minted Sugar

Wash and dry 4 cups of fresh mint leaves.  I left the stems if they weren't too tough.  Use your salad spinner to get the mint dry.  In a food processor, add all the mint.  Add 1 cup of sugar and pulse in the food processor.  Add 3 more cups of sugar, one cup at a time pulsing in between each addition

Here is where I went wrong the first time. I put my wet sugar on my solid trays in the dehydrator just as I did the salt expecting the same result.  A nice granulated substance that made the garage smell
like a pizzeria.  Not that I expected the sugar to have the pizzeria smell, just for it to return to its small granulated form.  That will only happen if you do this to dry your sugar.

1.  Turn your oven on to 200 degrees F.

2.  Line cookie sheets with foil for easy of handling when finished drying.  I did enough sugar at once that I needed two cookie sheets.

3.  Place both trays in oven and watch carefully.  Take out one tray after 5 minutes and stir with a fork.  Return to oven and immediately repeat with second tray.  When the #2 tray goes back in take out #1 and repeat.  This takes several minutes but you want that sugar dry.  Trust me.
 

If you are wondering why I used so much mint when other cooks recommend a sprig or two tossed in with several cups of sugar and allowed to dry over a period of time.  Because I wanted to make these.

Touch of the Tropics Tea cookie
http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/63416445/touch-of-the-tropics-tea-cookie/detail.aspx

I wanted to make up a new cookie recipe showcasing the mint sugar to share with my cooks for our dessert.  I figured a sprig of mint wouldn't cut it if I wanted any kind of mint flavor in my new cookie recipe.  Yes, I know mint extract can be overwhelming when used in excess but the herbed sugar isn't.  Besides, I wanted to be able to see the flecks of mint in the cookie and I thought it was cool that
the sugar turned such a lovely shade of green naturally!
  
My DH likes takeout garlic bread sticks.  He has never quite come out and said it but the implication has always been there that my homemade bread sticks are a pale comparison.  Not anymore!  Using a blend of my oreganos (I have 5 varieties), chives, garlic and garlic chives I made a herbed finishing salt that I use for more than garlicky bread sticks.

Garlic Oregano Salt

These measurements are not precise but I think everyone can use their own judgment where their taste buds are concerned.
2 cups rough chopped fresh chives & garlic chives

3 minced cloves of garlic

3 cups rough chopped fresh oregano, your favorite flavor.  I just happen to like a blend of mine.

Pulse the herbs and 1 cup of kosher salt in food processor until blended well.  In a bowl, add 4 more cups of kosher salt and your herbed salt.  Either use your oven at 200 degree F to dry your salt or your dehydrator if you have solid trays.  The salt doesn't have to be stirred, as it does not turn into one solid rock hard lump.

I have used this salt in and on everything.  I really like the salty burst of herbed flavor it can bring to my plate.  Salty foods are one of my favorite things: however, we all know we should watch our salt
consumption.  Since I try to not use much salt while cooking, I find that at the finish a small pinch of this salt really perks up whatever I'm eating.  Be it pasta or a baked potato.  And my garlic bread sticks finally have won over the DH.

I'm pretty sure this salt gives my infamous cheese crackers and extra boost too.  Just ask the ladies that have tried them.  I don't like store bought cheezits now that I have perfected this recipe.  And no, I haven't updated the one that is in my recipe box yet.  It is on the list of things to do.

 
Onto the new and exciting stuff I have just learned about.  Recently there was a discussion on Facebook about washing your face with olive oil.  Hmm, I seemed to remember my cousin saying something about that several years ago.  What really caught my attention was a comment in this
discussion about using an olive oil sugar scrub and how this friend really liked it.  Well, I have seen
sugar scrubs before and didn't think much about them but since my friend liked it I thought I should check it out.  So I looked at different websites and the links for the olive oil wash.  Found a recipe for the scrub and thought, hey, why not?  Then I thought why just use plain sugar?   Why not use my minted sugar while I was at the experiment.  I knew peppermint worked for your stomach and in aromatherapy for headaches so I looked at skin care uses.  It's reported that spearmint is healing in the bath and when decocted strongly heals chapped hands.  Applemint and lemon balm are soothing and cleansing in a facial steam.  All right then, got them all covered my minted sugar has applemint, lemon balm, spearmint and peppermint in it.  I used this recipe-
http://michellephan.com/blog/post/diy-sugar-and-olive-oil-scrub

The smell of mint when I mixed this together was nice.  Mint being one of the few things my nose will pick up.  I was rather afraid of smelling too minty so I used this one day when I wasn't going anywhere, just in case.  Yes, it is a little messy to use but in the nice warm bathroom that mint smell
was so soothing and I wondered if headache sufferers might not benefit from this scrub.  *A word of caution, if you do try this recipe watch it in the shower, the olive oil can make your floor a little slippery!*

I was shocked at the results after using the scrub and showering as usual.  My skin has become so dry this winter that I have been using what amounts to axle grease to alleviate itchy and dry as the Sahara skin.  Minute I am out of the shower that nasty stuff would have to go on and then the 20 minute wait
for it to absorb.  Yuck and I would still have dry patches!  After using the scrub, I was not itchy and I could use my lightweight summer moisturizer.  I have been using this about 3 times a week for 2 weeks now and I am happy to report this is so working for me!  I've also been experimenting with washing  with olive oil too.  Again, a note of caution because not everything you read on the Internet is true, shocking I know.  You can always do your own research and I certainly encourage that, but I'm sold on doing this because along the way I read about honey and sugar's benefits to the skin.  Both are humectants meaning they bring moisture to the skin.  Honey has claims as an anti-oxidant and sugar is said to contain alpha hydroxy acid.  Sugar is supposed to be a milder gentler exfoliant too.  And just think you can add whatever herb or essential oil to your own homemade scrubs that might benefit your skin to its fullest or your nose.
 Now for my 2nd exciting discovery!  I know I should maybe get out more.  Follow me along on this quest and see if you don't find this just a little interesting.

The dear lady that came and helped in the garden recently (you met her on the WWOOF blog) brought along and herb for my collection.  She called it broadleaf spearmint.  Ok, it smelled like mint
BUT it was growing wrong and its taste had bitter after notes unlike any of my mints.  I was pretty sure it wasn't a mint.  But what was it?  I questioned her as to where she got it.  She thought maybe a private sale, maybe a nursery.  She had the plant a long time.  She used it to make tea.  There was something about this plant that reminded me of something else.  It was irritating that I couldn't think what.

First off, I googled because I wanted an answer.  I came up with several different types of mints but this plant didn't match any of these.  If you are wondering why I was so sure it wasn't a mint, remember I said it was growing wrong?

This is applemint.

This is peppermint.

You see how both plants have a straight stem with many leaves coming off that stem?  That was my first clue.  Any of the mints I have here and what I saw on my search grows that way.  This plant's
leaves grew straight off a woody rootstock on individual stems rather like a violet.

Was I able to find out what the plant was quickly?  Nope, took me two weeks.  Had I the patience, I could have looked page by page in my tried and true herb book (The Complete Book of Herbs by Leslie Bremness, I highly recommend this as a good basic herb book) and found it.

I brushed up against this plant in the sun room one day and again was taken by its minty aroma so back to the quest I went instead of on with the chores.  That and I had been looking at my Shasta daisies thinking their leaf pattern was oddly similar.  I plugged in the correct search phrase, finally,
and found a chat forum where someone asked almost the same question.  There were several suggestions there and on of them rang a bell.  So I looked it up and sure enough, there it was.
 

Alecost/Costmary
Chrysanthemum balsamita (Tanacetum balsamita)
It is called Alecost because it does have bitter notes to it and was used in brewing ale.  Cost derives from the Latin costum, meaning spicy oriental herb.  Alecost, well, spicy herb for ale.  Costmary is Mary's or women's spicy herb.  Common names for the herb include balsam herb due to its smell, Bible leaf as it was said to repel bugs from bibles and its smell could keep one alert during long sermons.  Mint geranium is a misnomer because costmary is not related to the mint family (Labiatae) or the geranium family (Geraniaceae).  Another interesting fact I found was that originally this herb was always classified as Tanacetum balsamita but now is becoming more widely known as Chrysanthemum balsamita.  Why?  I didn't find the answer to that one.  There is so much to learn about the classification of plants.

Plants and herbs can easily be mislabeled when common names are used or they came out of great great grandma's garden and have been handed down.  Information can get lost.  Luckily, for my friend this wasn't one of the herbs that was used long ago but is now classified as toxic.  For me, it was exciting to learn about this herb.  Herb lore has interested me as far back as grade school.  Too bad I didn't know how fascinating I would find it when I was in college and could have studied it more in depth.  However, a dear friend recently told me you can always learn, you don't have to go to college for that.  Lady Sparkle you were right because I have been learning.  And there is so much to keep learning.

I hope you enjoyed today's journey through my garden and into my kitchen.  Until next time, may your garden whatever size it may be, help set your table.  Or supply your cosmetic needs.
 

Who would want to WWOOF in MO, USA?

Colorado. Oregon. Wyoming.  Now they might be among some of my first picks.  But Missouri?  And it really wouldn't be WWOOFing here at my house, it would be WWOOGing.  Who in the world would want to WWOOG in a state that can equal the humidity of New Orleans and the weather can give you plenty to talk about because you just never know what your season will bring you.  I do the Ging part here all the time but this is where I live!
What the heck am I talking about?  World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and I leaned about it in an article "Postcards from the Veg" by Amanda Kimble-Evans in the Organic Gardening magazine.  Originally the program was called Weekend Workers on Organic Farms and originated in England.  It was a way to get city folk out on the farms for a weekend lending a helping hand on organic farms in exchange for food, lodging and a chance to learn about where their food comes from.  According to the article, WWOOF has 90 countries now involved with 6, 000 hosts providing a way for farmers and volunteers to connect.  There is also a WWOOF-USA.  There is a name for having this type of working vacation, agro-tourism.  Can you imagine going to Italy or France and joining a family to work on their farm, to see how things are done?  A lady mentioned in the article
had gone to Italy and stayed on several Italian farms.  She wanted to connect with her ancestral roots.
Another gentleman traveled to New Zealand.  He spoke of forging memories, learning new skills and finding a passion for gardening.  For those of us non-fliers staying stateside sounds like a good idea
to me.  But Missouri?  And like I said it would definitely be gardening here at my house and not farming.

Yeah, yeah this is a working vacation but to me it sounds like a fabulous idea.  Granted I am a little
odd in my notions of what a vacation should consist of.  Me, I want friends or newly made friends,
good food and something fun to do.  Again, my ideas of fun are odd.  I do like the outdoors but I am tired of having crappy vacations.  I have been to Sturgis for a trip that makes people giggle hysterically when they see the pictures and hear how it went.  After they stop laughing they look at me and maybe wonder how my spouse managed to talk me into going on another motorcycle trip
with a sidecar and my son.  We had a blow out riding down the highway at 75 on that one.  I have been hit by lightening on the dunes of Colorado.  I once thought we had lost my son while 4 wheeling on the Paiute Trail in Utah.  We were in the middle of NOWHERE with NO cell service.  That was my last vacation with the family.

Come on, fess up!  Is there anyone that wouldn't like to stay at petey's and see her life and critters first hand?  Oh man, I could learn so much from her and I am a willing worker.  Except for the butchering part.  I admit being able to do that would be so hard for me and I am not a vegetarian.  Weeding and learning how to make cheese and soap would really be more my speed.
 
Back to me and Missouri.  When I saw that people were traveling to help out on farms in exchange for education and seeing where their food comes from, I wished I had an interesting enough place for
someone to want to come to help.  I could really use an extra pair of helping hands but I don't have a farm and I don't have beautiful vistas to gaze at.  I just have lots of gardens.  My ability to share good
gardening knowledge some might say is debatable, myself included, but I'm always confident I can
tell you what not to do!  The mistakes I have made in the gardens are too numerous to count.  I did
have 2 interesting successes this year.  One because I've been trying to grow a "salad bowl" for several years and failed but this year I tried something different and TA DA!

Some of those greens were served at the mini MO.  That's zucchini next to my lettuce mix.  I have horrid squash bugs here so I wondered what would happen if I put my squash in a container.  I could control its environment better.

That is celery.  When I saw, where ever it was, about re-growing certain plants from the root ends I just had to try.

I do love to chat while weeding.  It makes, to me, a tedious task go by faster and I will happily talk about the plants we are working around and what you can do with them.  Just ask some of the girls I've been able to hire in the past.  One of them was kind enough to say she always learned something
while here.  To have someone here for a week working with me and sharing food at my table would
be such a boon to me.  We might have to send the DH &DS to Subway but why not after spending a
day in my gardens couldn't we have a nice meal from what it can offer?  A rustic gratin of potatoes,
tomatoes, onions and cheese served with a nice homemade loaf of bread.  I can grow 3 of those things.  Figured out juicing those blackberry brandy leftovers make a much better seed free dessert so we could have a really nice easy ice cream.  We could go fishing in the pond out back for our main course.  After dinner we could sit outside and just enjoy conversation in the nice country quiet.  Certainly not fast paced or exciting but it sounds like a good time to me!

Another article which was in the Kansas City Star about the lack of urban grocery stores made me really wish I could WWOOG here at my house.  One mother featured in the story lived in a neighborhood lacking in convenient grocery stores but rift with fast food places.  She didn't have a car to go to the grocery store but had to walk and then carry home groceries with very small children in tow.  She spoke of how her food choices were limited.  Once the children wanted to purchase a watermelon but she was afraid the distance they had to carry it would be too much for them since she
couldn't carry milk and the watermelon.  There were other similar stories.  I knwo what these people really needed was decent transportation but it certainly would help them out if they could grow some produce for themselves.  I know renters or apartment dwellers might not be able to actually have a
garden plot or fruit trees but they could container garden.  At the very least that could give them
cherry tomatoes and herbs.

Food matters to me a lot.  Fresh food grown without pesticides or herbicides.  All of that is important to me and I couldn't help thinking maybe these people just don't know they can grow some produce for themselves.  I grew up in the suburbs but we always had a garden and fruit trees.  My grandfather farmed for a living.  My townie grandma, Mom's mom, always had a garden and fruit trees. Something else occurred to me.  What if I could share my cooking knowledge with those who didn't have the opportunity to learn from one of the best thrifty home cooks like I did?  With today's food costs and the economy as it is, knowing how to prepare an affordable nutritious yet good tasting meal is important.  Again, I don't know everything but I keep learning new things all the time!

Long before reading either article I simply wished for a pair of helping hands in my gardens.  There is so much to do here and the team of me, myself and I get overwhelmed sometimes.  There are plenty of varieties to sample from here, so a newbie could taste and choose before buying seed or plants and they could see how they grow.

In the tomatoes, Black Krim is my favorite but it is such a pill here in MO.  Very fussy about its conditions but the flavor is outstanding.   Like a fine wine.  Same with Wolf River, if the conditions aren't right the apples rot on the tree.  If the planets align correctly you get these.

The Krim is in the middle.  The rest are just an assortment I like to grow.  I love the different flavors they all have.

 
Wolf is huge with outstanding flavor.  The other normal sized fruits are Asian pear, Winesap, Fameuse, Granny Smith and Red Delicious.  Love those Asian pears; they netted me a great gift!

Herbs in a pot.  There is basil, saltwort and bay.

Can you see how dark the "soil" is?  I read that spraying your basil with a coffee solution can keep some pests at bay.  My morning coffee is cold brewed in a French press.  I just pour the dregs from my French press onto my potted herbs.  Does it help?  I don't honestly know but I know it doesn't hurt and it seems to keep those horrid little gnawing gnats from eating my plants.
.
This year anyone coming here after June 13th would have learned about watering and water conservation.  those herbs weren't stacked just to get into the photo.  I stack pots so the top one drains into the next pot instead of onto the pavement or ground.

That is my beloved workhorse loaded up.  I fill up my water barrel and away I go.

That black thing is a soaker hose.  I use the green one as an extension to get where I need to go.  It
came to me after the DH's failed attempt at attaching the soaker hose to the barrel to use a siphoning method hence the rock zip tied on.  It anchors my siphoning hose in the bottom of the barrel.  For those kind enough to wish me a Happy Birthday earlier this year, I could almost feel the "?'s" forming when I said I'd been watering and was going out for another round.  You see it takes a while to fill the barrel and use the soaker.  Plus, the soaker hose doesn't work everywhere so I had to use 5 gal buckets with holes drilled in the bottom around my parched fruit trees.  Yes, it takes time and when I had finished one section it would be time to start back at the beginning.  It was really dry here all summer.  We had a rain once and when I walked through the mud, I left my footprints on the driveway.  They were there until September when we finally got rain.

Despite the drought, my fruit trees were loaded.  My dear Asian pear gave me a good crop.  Way too many for me and I couldn't let them go to waste so I called people to share my bounty. One dear lady, a fellow Master Gardener, offered to pay me for them.  I said I didn't want money but time would be nice.  I really didn't think she would take me up on that because who has time?  Here though, even for 45 mintues another pair of hands would be nice to have in lieu of payment.
She said she would call and arrange a time.

And she did!  Not once but twice.  The first time I was getting ready to go to Nashville so I was the one with no time.  Yet, she persevered till she found a mutually agreeable time and spent several hours pulling weeds here.  That is her in the background.  I am very grateful for her help and happy I could share my fruitful bounty with her.  Thank you!!

 It's not just about having help in the gardens either but how gardens or farms can truly help others.
Not just with food but physically and emotionally.  Around the time I was reading the articles I've
told you about, I saw another about a veteran that returned from Iraq with multiple problems.  He and his wife ended up back on his parent's farm.  There he started growing blueberries.  He noticed physical and mental improvements after working the land for a year and a half.  Figuring if he benefited so could other fellow vets.  With help from the non profit organization Work Vessels for Veterans, he purchased Veterans Farm.  Here the challenges of farming help others like him while teaching another set of skills and giving them a place to share their stories.

My dad was a veteran and he helped me put in my very first garden.  I used to wonder why, when he didn't have to, he spent so much time in his garden.  Having spent so much time in mine, I believe I know the answer.  There is something about the growing of things and turning of soil, seeing and feeling nature that soothes the mind and nurtures the body.

I hope you enjoyed today's journey through my garden and into my kitchen.  Until next time, may your garden whatever size it may be help set your table.

And the laughter flowed...

..like a good wine poured into your favorite glass.  That is what happens when you get some AR peeps together.  New to be friends, old friends, throw in some family and good food and you have the makings of a lovely laughter filled afternoon.

As most of you know, I have hosted the MO Midwest roundup for 3 years.  I am very lucky to have had the privilege to meet the people that I have and to become friends with them.  This year not everyone that wanted to come to the roundup could.  When the mini MI roundup was posted for October I thought maybe I should do a mini MO one then too.  Any excuse to get together right?  Hey, I had the best good fortune to go to the October IN mini and surprise the heck out of 2 dear friends.  Even though I wasn't sure how many there would be for my mini I figured it didn't matter.  I was serving 3 soups, bread, my now infamous cheese crackers, my  wannabe Boursin cheese spread and salad.  I had a bottle of Mad Housewife wine so even if no one could make I would be happy and the poor DH, BBQ Dude, could always go to Sonic.  Which he did while we had our luncheon, he doesn't eat soup.

So I cleaned house, worked some in the yard and got food prep underway.  The 26th was our anniversary of 22 years.  We had planned to go out to eat but my dear spouse noted that I still had much to do.  He suggested pizza and a quiet evening.  We would go out the next evening after my guests had left.  The dear man even remember to get me flowers.

So off he went to pick up pizza as I scurried around. Not long after he left my cell phone started ringing.  Thank heavens I found it before it went to voicemail.  It is my dear friend, Magnolia Blossom, wondering how far behind I am.  She knows me well!  After all she knows where the vacuum and various other assorted things are stored here because despite my best efforts I am NEVER done on time.  She says she feels bad there is no one to help me.  Being of the suspicious nature that I am and the fact that someone really got me good at my June roundup, I look out the window at my driveway.  Just in case you know, because while weeding one day the odd thought bubbled up, "Hmmm, Lora is not going to let me get away with getting her in IN.  Nah, an 8 hour drive for lunch, she wouldn't do that."  Oh, yes she would!  I had stepped away from the window but Bane was still looking.  Sure enough!  There was my dear friend sitting at the end of the driveway waiting for me to open the gate.  Much squealing and many hugs later, Lora was back manning the mop and helping get things ready for the next day.  She even brought me flowers which I turned into 2 centerpieces.

I sawed a hole into the birdhouse gourd  & painted it on Thursday and thought I would shove some of my chrysanthemums in it and call it good.

It was a small gathering of my nephew and his family, Magnolia Blossom, Perri Pender and Heidi S.  My niece in law has perused AR so I figured she counted as an AR peep :)  and family is always welcome to come to these roundups.  Perri  and Heidi had wanted to come to the summer roundup but Life got in the way.  Lora is always up for a roadtrip and her DH is quite understanding.

I figured since there was a chill in the air soup would be perfect.  I just had one glitch my niece and her daughter have a wheat allergy something I am not used to dealing with.  Again the peeps on the Buzz came through for me with suggestions and recipes.  I've saved those threads to forward on to her too.  So what did I make for her?  Vegan gluten free pumpkin black bean soup.  I made my own vegetable broth.  Something I have never done but again I looked on AR for recipes and tweaked a couple. Ended up emptying a bunch of veggies into a pot of water with herbs & wine and ended up with a very tasty broth.  The ladies seemed to enjoy it.  It also made a good base for later tweaking on Sunday because my guys couldn't handle vegan.  I turned the soup in to a hearty Taco soup that was well received by the race car watching guys.

I didn't get many pictures this time even when I thought I had and I even forgot some food items.  Stop laughing those of you that have been here before, I know I ALWAYS forget something!  On the right are the bean, afalfa and broccoli sprouts I grew just for the salad we were having.  Left them in the fridge.  Deep sigh.  But hey, Magnolia Blossom and I high fived because we did have lunch ready when I said it would be!  Woot Woot that was a first!

Oh well, as dear Lora said they couldn't miss what they didn't know they were supposed to have.  Like the wine poached chicken veggie soup, forgot to put the pureed cauliflower in it to thicken it.  No wonder it wasn't as thick as the soup I served Mi Being Mi on our recent roadtrip.  Remembered that Sunday morning when checking emails.  Again deep sigh.

Oh, but what does it matter?  The food was good and everyone seemed to have a good time.  That's what really matters.  As I said the laughter flowed like a good wine into your favorite glass.  New people were met.  We had fun talking and just look at this Buttermilk pie Heidi brought. 

I didn't get any of it.  Lora and I went on a mini roadtrip after everyone left to a local winery.  While we were gone my son came home from work and polished it off.  He says it was good. 

Mother Ann, if you get to come in June we are busy looking into the local wineries for you to tour.  The wine MB & I toured was pretty good but I must say the dog there was more welcoming than the owners.  There is more than I thought to do in MO so for anyone that is thinking about coming to the next Midwest MO roundup add a couple of extra days in your schedule for sightseeing.  Yes, the date is already set for the next one, June 21st thru the 23rd 2013.  Again everyone is welcome to come.  Don't worry about fitting in.  It is easy even if you are shy.  Some of us might be seasoned roundupers, but that doesn't mean newbies should feel like outsiders.  Heck no!  Lora and I, after everyone had left, enjoyed a delightful conversation with Heidi.  Look, she brought the neatest planter!

As always with us AR peeps, we talked about all kinds of things.  Everyone can feel at home.  That's the best thing about these roundups be they big or small, you are getting to know other people and building friendships.  Who else would drive 8 hours just for lunch? 

Hugs,
Cat

To those of you on the East coast you are in my prayers.  Stay safe from the storm!

MUUUUAHHHAAAHAHAA!!!!!

NO, this is not another Halloweeen blog!  That is the laugh of 2 peep's planning an awesome surprise!  This is the story of Cat & Mi ouse's (Mi Being Mi) most EXCELLENT road trip/ surprise adventure.  The story starts with Thelma and Louise AKA Magnolia Blossom and Lady Sparkle.  Last year they went to Nashville, IN to a lovely little artsy crafty type of town.  They went in the off season but still had a blast.  So much so they decided to do it again this year and invite others along for their adventure.

Around the time of their shout out for anyone who would like to join them, another invitation had been issued for all the folks in MI.  Well, Mi Being Mi is from MI and really, really wanted to go but it was just a little too much of a drive for her.  So when MB announced their plans, Mi asked me if I would join her on a road trip to Nashville.  Now the last time I went on any kind of a vacation without the family was in ForNever.  I even mentioned this to MB.  She replied that the first trip without her family had her driving on a dark & rainy night to a total stranger's house ( the first roundup held here at my house).

Right off the bat, I said no.  Then I asked for details.  Emails flew back and forth.  The decision was made!  We were to do it.  Jump out of our comfort zone and JUST DO IT!  Reservations were made.  Details were being ironed out.  Excitment was building!  Now MB knew we were coming.  LS did not.  Cue the laugh!

I volunteered to do road trip worthy food as my partner in surprise crime was doing all the driving.  Thank you BearlyBarbie, Allie Geek, Patty Cakes, Nurse Ellen and Emily Nicole for your suggestions when I threw out my picnic "?" thread.  You see why I couldn't really tell you what I was doing but I did need help trying to figure out how to have a hot meal on the road.  Candice and RedNeckGramma knew and thank you for your suggestions.  RNG your hug to Lady S was duly delivered!  I also shared your apple juice technique with her too.

Here's what I took.

A veggie soup with wine poached chicken, fresh baquette rolls with seasoned butter ( I promise Baking Nana I WILL get that blog done on seasoned salt & sugar), hummus, and a nice little assortment of cheeses, mixed nuts, my homemade cheezits (Thank you BigShotsMom and Baking Nana for all those discussions we had about how to get those perfected.  The ladies said they were and again, I promise to get that recipe posted.), fresh fruit from my orchard and water.  I did take adult beverages as well.  More about them in a moment :)  Also note to self, don't put your soup in a small mouth thermos.  While hot & deliciously perfect for that cool rainy night, it was a trick getting it out.

If anyone is wondering what kind of fare I left for my dear spouse who urged me to go on this weekend trip, I thought perhaps he would like to choose his own menu.

Deep sigh!  I try so hard with my two but once the Cat is away this is how they play!

Pizza, little smokie sausages, chips and heat & serve pulled pork.  The DH was proud of himself for providing his own dinners and also thinking ahead to lunch on Sunday for game day with Alan, our dear friend.

Then suddenly, our plans came to a screeching halt.  Mi's work had amped up their workload.  She had hoped to take that Friday off as IN is a bit of a drive from here.  No such luck!  Hopefully, she could leave at noon and I could have someone drop me off in a convenient location to save some drive time.  Things went from bad to worse.  It looked like Mi couldn't leave until 4.  Mind you, she is 1 1/2 hours away from me so that put us coming into IN waaaaay late.  Tearfully, I had to decide whether it was even worth trying to go.  Too little sleep and all that walking around we were to do, I just didn't think I could manage it.  Poor Mi, she felt bad because she couldn't even tell me what would happen with work till the very last minute.  So I said if you leave at 12, I'm in.  If not, I'm out.  I proceeded to pack and make food as if I were going and there were no hitches in our plans.  I informed MB that it was likely I wouldn't come.  I didn't know if Mi would make that long drive at night by herself either.

Then the email came late Thurs.  WE were a GO!  I called Mi, we firmed up our plans and I finished up all my chores here.  However, I decided to not let MB in on our final plans.  Cue that laugh again!

A real quick aside here, I hate traveling.  It always seems like so much work and I hate sitting for such long stretches doing nothing.  With my partner in surprise crimes, Mi ouse, the miles flew by.  We had so much to talk about.  That and she might have been doing about 80.  This is what I have always found so neat about meeting other AR cooks, you have SOOOO much to talk about.  So many different topics, too.  Now I did wonder what she and I would discuss on the way home but again we covered many varied topics, some quite important ones too.  Like why is it you only see one shoe on the side of the highway?  Where is its mate?  How did it come to be on the side of the road in the first place?  These terribly important topics make all those miles melt away.

The excitement in the car was certainly building because not only did Lady S not know we were coming, MB wasn't too sure either.  At our first pit stop, we decided for me to call MB and spin a tale of woe.  Again note to self, keep the camera with you at all times!  Mi ouse was barely containing her laughter as I woefully told MB how late Mi ouse was leaving and that I just couldn't come.  Yes, mauigirl, we feel we did you proud creating that proper surprise atmosphere.  Lie like you really mean it and then laugh your you know what off after hanging up.  My partner felt unable to do this so stuck to texting for her part in our plan.

Our drive was pretty uneventful up until the last 30 minutes.  Truck traffic was heavy and it started to rain.  Poor Mi ouse was getting very stressed with the lack of visibility but we arrived safe and sound.  I was ever so glad I brought a bottle of wine for her.  I'm pretty sure she was ready to uncork that bottle with her teeth if necessary once we settled into our room.

Now for the most EXCELLENT parts.

Maid service was right next door.  Perfect!  A light knock on the door by Mi ouse.  MB opens it with a you know what kind of grin on her face thinking she has pulled off a great surprise on Lady S but the tables were turned!

I do believe she had the same kind of look I had on my face (mauigirl's surprise visit to my roundup) when the recognition that the lady taking pictures was none other then the Cat that was woefully left behind.

Does she look surprised to see me or what?

And look at this smiling face; it is not a beautiful sight?

Naturally Mi ouse and I had to do a little self congratulation on our most excellent surprise.  Then we were off for our trip to Nashville.  It is a lovely little town and there was quite a bit to see.  At lunchtime we were joined by Indiana Peggy.

It was so nice meeting her.  We visited all kinds of shops but I think our favorite might have been the one with the free samples of wine!

Mi and I were very sorry we couldn't meet Lucky Noodles but we thank you and Peggy for those sweet gifts.

Lucky made us all a traveling music CD and Peggy shared with us her rock sayings.

We all had a wonderful day followed by happy hour in our motel room.  The conversation flowed as it always does with AR peeps.  Alas, it had to come to an end but we met up for breakfast the next morning.  Even more conversation followed which included topics like toilets, trumpets and echoing.  Then we had to say goodbye and hug for one last time.  Mi ouse and I had a long drive home to make but our weekend had been so worth it.  I have made another wonderful memory to cherish with the help of my dear friends and met a new friend.

Thank you all so much!  I missed you as soon as I was back home.  Mi and I discussed our next get together opportunity on our way home and as you know the date for the next roundup is already set.  So there is much to look forward to in the future and maybe more new friends to met and make!

So till I see you again! 

(((((HUGS)))))

Love,
 Cat

Blooms, Beasties & Blackberries: My Garden to Kitchen Trials & Triumphs!

It seems to me that every since the early days of joining AR and making some wonderful friends they have been urging me to share my gardens and gardening knowledge in a blog or blogs.  Quite honestly, I thought their confidence in my abilities rather misplaced.  Yes, 20 years ago I did see this cow pasture where we built our home as a blank slate.  I was so sure I could create a garden area that would not only be beautiful but also furnish herbs, fruits and vegetables for our table.  No, I never paused to consider that those large picturesque gardens I've seen on TV neither have a staff of 3 (me, myself and I) nor were they built on a skimpy shoestring budget.  That didn't stop me from forging ahead and starting one garden then another and another...  I even became a Master Gardener in my pursuit of the perfect garden.  A title that doesn't mean I know everything just that I'm supposed to know where to look for answers or whom to ask for answers to those plaguey problems that I always seem to run across.  I do have a few reoccurring ones as well as new issues cropping up every year.  So what to share of my garden to kitchen adventures?  First, I tried looking through the eye of my friends at the gardens to see if any on thing stood out.  From a culinary standpoint, I do grow a large variety of fruits, herbs and vegetables or I should say attempt to.  Take the herbs; there are roughly 70 some scattered around here.  Nope, no typo I'm counting everything classified as an herb that I've planted.  Granted, I still don't know what to do with each of them but I'm learning.  This year with the help of friends and quests on the Buzz, I have tried several new AR recipes and finally used some formerly unused herbs.  Still where to start, which garden and its bounty or lack there of.  Finally, I found the decision an easy one once I stopped worrying about trying to share any excellent gardening or culinary tips.  After all Google is fantastic for fact-finding, Organic Gardening is on FaceBook and we all have AR to help with the rest.  I decided it was really about coming along with me through the gardens and seeing what ended up in the kitchen.  My original garden is first up along with my foray into the blackberry jungle and the resulting blackberry creations.

Yep, this is how you get to it.  I keep thinking that bridge will go at anytime.  Years ago on this little island of land, I started my main gardens.  Getting water over there was always a challenge and as the gardens around the house grew, the island went by the wayside.

That's what it looks like from the island side.

The necessary attire for the job even though it was a humid 85 degrees with an expected high in the upper 90's later.  Sweating profusely versus having most of your hide left intact resulted in that lovely outfit.  Yes, I know there are thornless cultivars but when I planted my patch, I used plants from my grandfather's farm and 10 purchased plants.  They used to be in carefully tended rows but now look like this.

They were loaded this year despite the heat wave.  It must have been the early rains that got them off to the right start.

They certainly got tall!

I found these unexpected blooms from an old flower garden.  I'm surprised the glads were still there.  I guess the heavy grass cover keeps them from freezing to death in our winters.  I know I certainly wasn't freezing on the days I picked.  Yes, you have to go several times because the berries don't ripen all at once.  Always something to look forward to, more opportunities to impale yourself on thorns.  Let me tell you blackberry thorns are as vicious as fishhooks.

It was while I was extricating myself from one bush that I noticed I was not alone on the island.  Yep, I could hear something farily large moving around in the brush.  And me with my vivid imagination could just conjure up all kinds of possible beasties.  Deer have been using the island as both restaurant (there are 2 apple trees) and shelter but we have had bobcat and cougar sightings in the area.  What were the odds some large fanged feline would be stirring in this heat just to get my hard won blackberries?  With dogged determination, I kept picking and my unseen companion settled down, maybe for a nap.  Thank heavens because I really wanted to try a new recipe with some of my berries.  I'd been waiting for a couple of summers to try it.  Patience is a virture when dealing with Mother Nature.

First, you have to clean the berries of all the extras that managed to get in the bucket.  Did I mention it is rather hard to pick with heavy leather gloves on but it beats the alternative of shredded fingers.

Since we had been invited to a July 4th BBQ, blackberry pie was the first of my berry experiments.  The BBQ was buffet style and I thought making mini pies would be better than having to slice and serve big ones.  Just because I had never made mini crusts nor the fact I can't seem to make pretty piecrust no matter how hard I try didn't stop me.  I just hopped on the Buzz and asked away.  Marianne sent me to a pie making video.  Then Mother Nature opened her oven door so no bake pie filling seemed ideal to keep from having my oven on as much.  My thinking was if I could just get the crusts down on a cooler day then I could make and fill them the day of the party.  So back to the Buzz and old Betty Crocker (I have Mom's 1956 edition) for consults.  Thanks everyone for your help!

My crusts were light & flaky and tasted great.  I use butter only, chilled vodka in place of water and AP flour.  As you can see, I still didn't master the fine art of pretty crusts.  Deep sigh.  The pie filling I did do on the stovetop using sugar as needed, cornstarch and whatever additions I thought necessary for the fillings such as cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice.  After all, why stop with one filling when I could do 3?  Despite the lack of rain, my peach tree yielded small but some of the best tasting peaches ever.  My sister sent several bags of her strawberries after cleaning out her freezer so I figured I would use them up too.  All in all everything worked out pretty well and they did taste good.

This ice cream was a by-product of THE recipe I really was looking forward to making.  I just wish it had been a little clearer on using the resulting soused fruit.  It said don't throw it out but save for use in sauces.  After watching the AR video of the easy homemade ice cream, I thought I would whip up a batch of homemade blackberry ice cream by tossing some of that fruit in.  Unless you really enjoy a particularly crunchy ice cream, the blackberries really need to be sieved and the remaining juice sans seeds used as the flavoring.  See, I may not have any great tips garden or culinary wise to share but I am confident I can ALWAYS tell you what not to do!

Now for the recipe I had been waiting so long to make,  Homemade Blackberry flavored Brandy.  Every since reading Mother Ann's heart warming story of her family sitting around drinking blackberry brandy left over from making their special cranberry sauce, I have wanted to make my own.  Why?  Because I figured it would taste better than store bought and I really like Mother Ann's special recipe http://allrecipes.com/personalrecipe/62566117/debs-awesome-baked-cranberries/detail.aspx.  My whole family agrees that cranberry recipe is the best they have ever had.  I think the homemade blackberry brandy is excellent.  I even made some blackberry flavored vodka which is really good.  It is so easy to make too.

1 quart blackberries to 750 ml of alcohol

You need a clean 2-quart container (I didn't have one so I used a quart mason jar and a pint jar).  Carefully wash and pick through your fruit.  Add to jar and then mash berries with a fork.  Add alcohol to cover and seal tightly with plastic lids.  You do not want any headspace; oxygen can cause fermentation, which you don't want.  I found that older not perfectly in their prime fruit can too.  Yep, talk about percolation in a jar, not pretty.  Store jars in a cool, dark place and gently stir or shake jar ever day or two.  You will see the color change and you can sample to see if your alcohol has reached the infused flavor you want.  I stopped one batch after 7 days.  I have another still infusing at 3 weeks.  When ready filter out the fruit.  You can use paper towels, coffee filters or cheesecloth to achieve a clear liquid.  This takes time!  I ran out of patience so my liqueur isn't going to be crystal clear.  You can add sugar at this point if you want, using a simple syrup to make an after dinner liqueur.  Honey or brown sugar can be used also but the resulting liquid will turn cloudy.  Return the liquid to its original bottle and store away from heat and light.  The longer it ages the mellower the flavor will become.  Honestly,  I find it quite good after 3 weeks and I didn't add any sugar!

I hope you enjoyed today's journey through my garden and into my kitchen.  Until next time, may your garden whatever size it may be help set your table!

3rd Times a Charm: The Midwest Roundup Revisited

Back in January when I posted the first invite blog for June, I just knew I would have everything done.  The gardens were going to be perfect, the house was going to be perfect and the food was going to be done on time & perfect.  I got a good running start too.  I started working on gifts in the morning & evening even though my crochet skills are nothing in comparision to Lady S.  That woman makes magic with a hook!  Her stuff is so pretty when finished you don't want to use it!  Since our weather was so warm, I started working in the gardens weeding and helping with the new horse barn.  While DH was laid off, we made the decision to use part of the designated horse fund to build our own barn.  Boarding the horses elsewhere was just getting too expensive and we have land with hay shares.  Since DH signs up for all those "rewards" programs that I don't bother with, we were able to start this in the backyard.

Yet again, we started projecting before a roundup.  We are trying to build an outdoor kitchen area complete with wodd burning pizza oven.  We started this project before the DH was laid off.  DS and I ripped up existing patio bricks to reuse for this project then it skidded to an abrupt halt with the layoff.  With the "rewards 4 times" special we were able to start on the backyard again.  All that lumber cost $5.  I know! I couldn't believe it, made a "rewards" believer out of me.  It will cost more  to totally finish the project but it will be done as the DH  has consistent work. So maybe everyone can come back for pizza and wine some day.  I must say coocar knows her wine.  And she can make pretty food that really tastes good!  Did anyone get a photo of her deviled eggs?

So why wasn't everything perfect?  Maybe cause we took time to paint the house.  Uh, maybe cause I lost some days helping my sister.  The one that sold her farm and is now living a gypsy's life.  Whom I must say I have talked with less in the last 6 months than I have a certain AR cook that gave another AR cook the perfect Kodak moment.  I had no idea my jaw could drop that far!  Lastly, maybe because there really is too much to do for the team of me, myself and I to finish.  Well, at one time the gardens were blooming and looking nice cause the DH took this.

Back to the gifts, I wanted to do something that I could afford and that would be useful.  With the help of WFDM? (She and her girls made these really cool gift bags and donated them to the roundup) I was abe to decorate the bags with a saying that I thought appropriate since all but one of the cooks traveled some distance to get here.   The states Oregon, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Kansas were all represented. 

I made herbal finishing salts and a minted sugar from my garden herbs to share and I crocheted some stuff.  A mini lid potholder and 2 handle covers.

Yes, that is a stencil of Pippin's remaining front paw. Can't say he was thrilled to help with this project.  He didn't even stick around to meet our guests.  The DH opened the garage door and he was gone like a shot!  Yes, he did come back after his outing.

My dear friend, bhawk/Brenda, came on that Friday before the party to help.  She gave up a day 2 weeks before also.  We were supposed to work in the gardens but we didn't accomplish as much out there as we did planning our assault on the tasks for the weekend roundup.  We had several lists  going and for the most part we got it done except for the appetizer round.  The Relay walkers came a little earlier than I planned so we didn't get everything out, but they exceeded their goal and that was awesome.

By the time Mi Being Mi arrived, everyone was gone.  We decided to forge ahead and productively party unlike some of the others with that orange stuff.  Our thinking was to get as much done the night before so we could really visit with each other the next day because that is so much more important than sleep!  We figured we were working so well together we needed a name like our "Thelma & Louise".

The best we could come up with was the Katkateers.  Hey, look we are moving so fast in the kitchen Mi Being Mi is a blur!

One of us also had a great decorating idea during the evening.  Brenda wanted to do cool gifts but ran out of time so she brought orange cozies to decorate with the thought of cutely stuffing the rest of  her gift in them.  Well, we had already gotten into the cozies so we decided to use her washclothes as placemats.  Earlier under the careful supervisiono of Mrs. Mike, Mr. Mike set up the tables and chairs getting everything situated in the sunroom.  The placemat idea added a perfect splash of useful color to the tables.  BTW those balloons are still holding air, Mike.  Guess we know who is full of hot air now, don't we? :)

These quiches deserve another shot.  Brenda got the recipes from AR but won't be reviewing them because she totally tweaked them but she would like to thank Sharon Skildum/Asparagus Quiche and Dorothy Collins/Zucchini Quiche for giving her the ideas to work with.  And we who ate them, would like to thank them too!  Yum!

The table is set with absolutely wonderful food.  Thank you, Brenda for setting up the menus and place cards for the food.  Thank you, Sheila for jumping right in and helping all weekend too!

After visiting around the table for awhile

We decided to go to the back and see the horses and the pond.

Lora is explaining her trip to the back from the previous year and I believe she is absolutely refusing to repeat it.

My DS offered his vehicle as more suitable transportation.  Mrs. Mike is wondering if her DH is going to be pried away from the hot rod shop where my DH was engaged in conversation with him, our BF Alan and his dear lady.  They decided even more deluxe transport was necessary so...

Christine and Sheila were game however!

The morning after at Cracker Barrel.  Mike thought perhaps leaving that yellow hat behind would induce me to drive it all the way back to his house.  Afraid not this year :)

The group is saying goodbye.  The weekend was ever so short or so it seemed.

The Katkateers headed for Kearney to pick up a gift to be sent on from Candice and Christine.  It was sad to say goodbye again!  But wait, on the way there Brenda felt  a perfectly good day was going to be wasted going back and cleaning up from the party.  After all, the chores would still be waiting patiently for us at all of our respective houses.  So we called mauigirl and arranged a meeting back at Cracker Barrel.  We were going to play tour guides with what was left of the day before we had to put Julie on her plane.  A brief aside here and then I'll share how the 4 of us finished our weekend.

Don't ever play poker with this group especially Lora and Julie.  Two weeks before the roundup, Julie, tells me she wants to make nametags for us.  A nice cheap little gift she can do for us.  Oh, how nice!  BTW they were REALLY cute!  Several days before the party she calls and actually sounded upset which made me feel bad for her.  She had a surprise that is now ruined because the stupid flower shop in Kearney couldn't find my house.  So I email explicit directions and went on with my "to-do" list.  Friday afternoon the flowers still weren't here along with the nametags.  Those having been "sent" to be delivered with the flowers.  Friday evening I call to let Julie know about the missing stuff.  Little do I know she is sitting in an airport waiting for her flight to KCI.  So this is how that Kodak moment happened for me.  Sat. morning Brenda is sure we need to call the flower shop and complain. Lora had to scramble for her phone so she could tell Brenda to NIX that idea.  Just as I'm getting WFDM? soft & fluffy hamburger rolls ready to go into the oven, Lora sings out that I'm needed in the sunroom.  I reply, "Just a minute, please".  No, come now the flowers are here.  So this delivery lady shoves the flowers and box towards me while complaining about finding my house.  I'm formulating this sentence in my head, "I'm sorry I thought" /the question mark above my head is turning into a dim light bulb/  "the directions were ok"  / why is this lady looking over my shoulder at all the cooks gathered round the door?/  "but I am sure glad you got here"  / the light bulb has grown brighter and finally exploded with the realization it is the high energy imp, Julie, standing in front of me!  Like I said don't play poker with these folks!

So what did the tour guides decide to do?  This was coocar's suggestion the day before.  We took Julie to the city market in Kansas City and we went to the Steamboat Arabia museum.

Sorry, Candice, we tried but couldn't get any of those lovely beads for you.  BTW thanks for telling me about my grandmother's antique butter bowl.

Sheila is being grossed out by what is in this open barrel.

Because I decided to wear an orange tank top for our last day together, I got a free candy onion.  I never get free stuff and would never have seen the sign if the little gal hadn't said something to me.  I was concentrating on not walking into posts or off the sidewalk.  I was a little tired.

While in the city market, we decided to have some lunch.  We walked by a Vietnamese cafe and Julie asked around to see if it was any good and then she played culinary tour guide for us.  I admit to not trying ethnic restaurants because I have no idea what to order and my guys  are not that adventurous at all.   Enjoying new flavors was quite a treat for us all!

So our day ended and the only tangible things left behind the next day were all the thoughtful gifts everyone brought.

The most important thing left behind, though, were all the wonderful memories and bonds of friendship these people helped to make.

We thought it fitting to have our group photo with my grandfather's restored Allis Chalmers tractor.  After all it is orange :)  We also raised a toast to sassyoldlady for begining the roundups and to Marianne and Baking Nana for following after with theirs.  To Lora, who took a chance and drove all the way here one dark and rainy night.

XOXOXO to all of you and thank you so much for gracing my home with your laughter, stories and recipes.
With Love,