each saturday we get a bushel of veggies and fruits through our winter CSA... and each sunday i have been making a hearty veggie barley bean soup to eat during the week with whatever goodness comes in there and whatever looks seasonal and good and local at the market.
this week, i found out that he can help me (he has helped before, but usually only for a minute or two and then runs off). and really, really, really likes to help me! a great stepping stone...
what we have been up to during our winter days...
stringing up some snacks for the birds and critters around here. though we dont really get frost and do not get snow, we still like to keep our neighborhood beasts happy with some goodies...
making granola. always making granola. (i usually do a twist on this recipe...)
for all of the hungry little beasts (some not so little...) in my world.
and i usually dont, but i just felt like splurging on the blueberries this week. it was worth it.
got this fixed and running. i have been shooting a whole lot of film these days... this beauty is on loan to me, but i may have to negotiate a more permanent arrangement ;)
lots of beach time... (building a fort for crabs)
beach hikes
i love it when she looks out for him and helps him... so sweet.
i just actually really and truly love the fog... muir beach.
converge.
yep, his hoodie just about sums up his mind-set.
those giant hands of his!
always marching...
more beach time, different beach (cronkhite...)
finding broken treasures. still treasures to them...
a last glimpse of the glow...
almost full... beautiful chilly winter beach day.
with all of the kids ;)
more photos on my flickr including a bunch of sailing shots from the holidays... cant fit them all here!
I wanted to share the bounty that we have been getting through our CSA, Live Power Community Farm. This abundance of great biodynamic produce was from just one week's bushel basket!
the veggies... (and a melon)
the fruits... (this was just after the huge loads of peaches we were getting!)
so, when you receive this much abundance...
you just have to make some amazing sauce! my freezer is stocked, though we are going through it quickly... this is such a good recipe. And so simple!
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and yes, the season of knitting is in full swing (does it ever stop, though?)
here is a share of my recently stashed for all of you fiber aficionados.
madelinetosh dk in moss
madelinetosh vintage in fig
dream in color: classy in spring tickle (green on top)
dream in color: classy in gothic rose
dream in color: classy in some summer sky
madelinetosh vintage in logwood
and some good old malabrigo merino worsted in whatever this amazing colorway is called...
busy hands, busy hands...
Summer would not feel complete without little hands (and big hands!) harvesting bucketfuls of berries ...
Aside from the blueberry picking we did up in Humboldt in July, we embarked on a day trip to Swanton Berry Farms on the coast near Half Moon Bay in August.
We started in the blackberry fields. At first we only found red ones - not quite ready...
But as we adventured a little deeper into the rows and rows of blackberries,
we found all of the good and ripe ones!
Took a little snack (besides all of the blackberries we ate) break...
and then proceeded on with the strawberry harvest.
all in all, these plus one more big box of strawberries were our take-home loot.
In the past years, I have been too worried (about not doing it right, etc.) to make jam in the traditional method. I have only made freezer jam. This year, I decided to take the plunge as, besides all of these berries, we had an equal amount of blueberries which needed to be put up. I followed the directions on the Pomona's Pectin box (and yes, added a wee bit of sugar rather than honey this year...) and it turned out great! Sterilized all of the jars, filled them to the proper level, heard the little "pings" of the lids, and over a month later, the jars of jam are still looking great and tasting great when we crack open a new one (which we have done quite often around here...)
So, now we are stocked for at least a couple of months! Now, on to some apple butter in our near future... ;)
a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment I want to pause, savor and remember." happy weekending...
I am so grateful to be a member (thanks Kathleen!) of a great local biodynamic farm CSA. This Saturday was the first distribution day...
It is so different than any CSA that I have been a part of as all of the members band together with the farmers to sort and deliver the veggies and fruits. We are all assigned into clusters around the bay area and each cluster has a different representative attend a weekly sort where we literally pull the produce off of the farm truck and divvy it up into equal shares for all of the members.
It is such an eye-opening experience as you walk through the season along with the farmers, starting with small amounts of greens in the beginning (so much rain this year early in the season made it difficult to grow, but will be great for the future crops of this season) and blossoming into more overflowing bushel baskets as the season progresses. I really REALLY love the true-ness and real-ness of getting my produce this way. I am supporting a farm (while dreaming of moving my family onto their property) as well as teaching my children (and myself) how it really is to eat locally. Back in the day, folks did not have the luxury to go to the grocery store and purchase exotic fruits and vegetables from across the ocean. How did we become so dependent on food from outside sources when we have such an abundance in our backyards (literally for some of us).
I also like the notion of "you get what you get" which, this week, meant a lot of greens (which we enjoyed raw baked into a quiche) some lettuce and radishes, dried peaches, cherries and strawberries. We also have an egg share -a dozen per week- from Pt. Reyes as our babies are not laying quite yet... As the season progresses, however, and the produce becomes more abundant, the harvest, however large, is still equally divided among the share members. So, big harvest = big basket for us!
Now, I did have to supplement a bit this week because our family eats A LOT of fruits and veggies, but made it a point to purchase only items which were grown within the bay area and surrounding counties. (Good Earth Foods in Fairfax actually includes the exact distance away from their store which the produce was grown- shocking to see items like coconut, etc. saying "this item was grown 3000+ miles away from here!" )
So, here is to supporting local farms, and getting what you get!
(and more later on how I am in the process of helping our CSA to switch to cloth produce bags for small items like dried fruits, cherries, etc. which are still being bagged in plastic... everyone in our CSA is very receptive to this change, so I have to get sewing now!)
I have been making and baking up a storm lately. This week alone chalk up a big batch of Raw Kale Salad, Gluten Free Carrot Pumpkin Seed Bread, Maple Butter Nut Granola from this amazing book, Banana Sunflower Seed Bread, and another batch of these... and it is only Wednesday! Something in the air, I suppose. If it is a rainy or foggy day {or even if it is not!} these are really a nice hearty treat, but not too heavy. I think the spelt flour makes them a bit lighter....
{Foggy Day} Oatmeal Cookies
{adapted from this recipe and some imagination...}
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup mascobado {or other brown unrefined} sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon/nutmeg combination {sometimes called "apple pie spice"}
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup grain sweetened chocolate chips
1/3 cup juice sweetened dried cranberries or blueberries
1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together. Add in maple syrup, vanilla and egg and mix for 1 minute.
In another bowl mix dry ingredients together. Slowly add this mixture into the "wet" mixture and stir until well incorporated.
Add in the chocolate chips and sunflower seeds and mix well.
Scoop teaspoon sized cookies onto a cookie sheet (I often used parchment paper and scoop with a melon-baller)
Place tray of unbaked cookies into refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or so.
Remove from refrigerator and place into preheated oven. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
Inhale deeply as you enjoy the warm taste of goodness...
These go really well with a nice fresh cup of our local artisan roasted Goodwin Coffee. Just a little bit of heaven...
These are also best and enjoyed made while listening to this along with the rest of the album.
Kale and I have always been the best of friends. I can just eat a bit ol' pile of steamy naked kale and call it dinner.
A couple of years ago, I found another way to love kale...
"WInter Meets Spring" Raw Kale Salad
2 heads of finely chopped raw Kale (I usually use "Dino")
1/8 cup raw sesame seeds
1/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp chili flakes (you can use your judgement with this amount)
Juice of 3 {Meyer} Lemons
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
3-4 tbsp Tamari (more or less to your taste)
{Though I didn't use it in this batch, I usually add a handful of Arame. I soak it first. Adds more goodness...}
Mix all ingredients up really well and let it sit for a few minutes before you eat it. Be prepared to be hooked...
Seriously my favorite thing to eat! It makes me feel so alive inside! {Especially when I turn up the volume on the chili flakes...}
And wouldn't you know, while I was making this...
{yes, that is a masking tape crown made with a blueberry leaf feather... made by miss E for little e}
...my dynamic duo decided to make their own!
This recipe was modified from the recipe which my daughter's Kindergarten class would make each Thursday. After school on those days, I would only hear "Please, Please make those muffins for me, mama!" After her teacher shared the recipe at the end of the year, I had my work cut out.
I love this recipe because not only is it full of goodness, but it uses only maple syrup to sweeten. I have modified it in many ways, but this is my favorite so far. Adding zucchini and making it partially gluten free are the main changes. You could also easily make this completely gluten free. I did not only because I ran out of xanthan gum, essential (I think?) for the gluten free flour I use (Bob's). The balance of the flours used adds some variety of flavor and the millet adds the crunchiest little texture.
You can also make this using only whole wheat flour (just substitute the 2 cups gluten free flour 2 more cups of whole wheat flour).
Feel free to substitute anything else that sounds good in place of the zucchini (blueberries, carrots, etc.)
Zucchini Millet Muffins
1 cup butter
1 1/3 cup maple syrup
6 eggs
1 cup milk
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups Bob's Gluten Free Flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup millet (uncooked)
2 small-medium sized zucchinis grated (approx 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tins (or use silicone cups).
Melt butter on stovetop, cool and mix in the maple syrup, eggs, milk and vanilla in standup mixer or thoroughly by hand.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients except the millet.
Add dry to wet, then add millet and zucchini, and mix for about a minute or two.
Scoop into muffin tins and make for 25 minutes.
*NOTE: This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen muffins. Adjust accordingly or share with your friends and neighbors!*
It is also suggested to have a cute little helper to do the cracking, the mixing and the scooping (and the munching!)
Seeded Cranberry Cookies (Gluten Free)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup Sucanat (you can substitute brown sugar if you like)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 cup Pamela's Baking Mix *
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/8 cup raw sesame seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup dried cranberries (fruit sweetened)
*if you would rather make your own "mix", just look at the ingredients on the Pamela's link- not sure of the ratios, but I am sure you can find this information somewhere online...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sucanat until light (make sure the butter is soft, but not melted). Add in egg, vanilla and cinnamon and mix until well blended.
Add in Pamela's Mix and mix well (I use my stand up Kitchen-Aid and mix for approx. 2 minutes).
With a wooden spoon, mix in seeds and cranberries until well incorporated.
On a baking sheet lined with Parchment (or greased) drop spoonfuls of cookie dough (I use a melon baller scooper thing).
Press down to flatten on top with a fork.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
Try to not burn yourself by tasting them right out of the oven! :)
(Sometimes I add in grain sweetened chocolate chips for an extra tasty cookie!)
