Independence Days #8
The temperatures dropped around here this week, which has made it a little easier to get into the kitchen and cook. What a nice change of pace!
I can't say I've done a whole lot, though perhaps if I go through the checklist, I might surprise myself...
1. Plant something: At the Renaissance Man's garden, golden beets, golden chard, Antares oakleaf lettuce, summer savory.

2. Harvest something: At the Renaissance Man's garden, a few lonely pods of fava beans, the last French Breakfast radishes, one white radish, lemon balm, and the first crop of Masai bush beans (don't let the photo fool you; they were about 4" long and very slender); foraged black raspberries in the park and shepherd's purse at the Lady Bountiful's farm.
3. Preserve something: Froze peas, broccoli, chopped garlic scapes; dried spinach, lambs' quarters, peas, carrots, lemon balm; made over two pints of strawberry-mulberry jam with the Renaissance Man.
4. Reduce waste: Saved more food scraps for stock; saved bread crumbs to add to zucchini-feta pancakes for texture; starting to save oil.
5. Preparation and storage: Made stock and froze it; bought lemon juice for tomato canning later this summer; gathered baskets and bucket for berry picking.
6. Build local food systems: Talked with an editor at one of the local papers about publicizing Local Roots on a regular basis; taught the Renaissance Man how to make jam; foraged with the Renaissance Man, scouting out new sources of wild edibles; talked with the local movie theatre about doing a Local Roots film series later this year; saw the July Local Roots newsletter go out; took the Southern Belle and My Adorable Nephews blueberry picking.
7. Eat the food: Steamed green beans tossed with oregano, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar; pasta with loads of fresh vegetables; snacking on kohlrabi and little carrots; zucchini-feta pancakes; broccoli-cheese soup; black raspberry tea bread.
Well, guess I did more than I thought! But next week I expect to do even more as I'll have some vacation time from work, and I plan to get a bit caught up.
Tomorrow we'll enjoy Independence Day with the usual celebrations around town, culminating in what should be a grand fireworks display. It's certainly going to be a time to appreciate what is good about our country.
For me, of course, that includes celebrating the wonderful local foods I grew up picking and appreciating -- and celebrating the family traditions for putting up those foods for winter.
And yes, that's a kind of Independence I'm willing to keep practicing.
Labels: foraging, friends, herbs, Independence Days, preservation (drying), preservation (freezing), use it up, vegetables












