A Rainy Saturday Morning Update

I'm beginning to think Mother Nature got things mixed up again. Back in May it was record-shattering hot out, and now we are getting cold wet weather in August! This is quite unfortunate for people on summer holidays right now, and I doubt the farmers are happy about it either. I would think they would be counting on the sun and warmth to ripen the veggies, and fearing the wetness will make mould flourish and rot the plants. I'm betting the turnout at the Farmers Market will be lower that usual as well this morning....definitely not great when we are in the season of plenty!! Cameron (if he ever wakes up) and I however, will be heading out later this morning. Raincoats and boots ready to go.


I've been busy canning the past couple days. We had enough plum tomatoes in our CSA box Wednesday night to put up a 1L jar for the winter. I actually don't mind doing a small batch at a time since I can get them done quickly and without destroying the kitchen! I also strained and processed a batch of raspberry balsamic vinegar I've had steeping in the basement for several weeks. It tastes so bright and fresh, which I'm sure will be fantastic next June when we are up to our ears in lettuce! I also put up a basket of Niagara peaches in a honey and vanilla syrup. I was so happy to find a recipe that would bump up the localness a wee bit....half the sugar that would normally be used was replaced with local honey! The vanilla bean made a big trip, but it will definitely be a flavour that is noticeable and savoured with the peaches. Again, mindfulness is key.


I have pickles to tackle today, herbs to dry and I think I will make some cauliflower soup. My feet are frozen right now! It's definitely soup weather.


Last night was a bit of a fail for me. Sydney is away, Keith was on nights so it was just me and Cameron. I had no energy at all yesterday, and actually had a nap in the afternoon (which doesn't happen that often) after I finished the peaches. Come supper time I was craving something heavy, calorie rich and soothing. I hadn't taken anything out, we were hungry and both getting cranky, so we jumped in the truck and went over to the fry stand, rather than get a pizza (our Friday night tradition). This has happened once before, earlier this summer, and my justification then was that the potatoes were very likely to be locally grown...as in just down the road local. We are surrounded by potato farms here, and I don't think it would make any financial sense to buy anything but local potatoes. But, I still didn't ask. They were also advertising fish last night, which I heard one customer telling another that they were out of the "good fish"....meaning pickerel, which is usually bought on one of the local Native Reservations (which as far as I'm concerned are not caught ethically, but that's another story), so they were definitely serving local food. So, we ordered our fries, went home and ate them. And, they were good. 


And then, we went for a bike ride to work some of them off!


Thursday night however, was much better, and maybe why I let myself slack off. I cooked the last of the homemade fettucini I had dried and put on the shelf and made a lovely pesto from the basil and oregano in my garden. My husband can't eat garlic, so I had to leave that out unfortunately. I used Thornloe Asiago, but store bought EVOO and a walnuts. I have no idea if any nuts grow around here...I really should look in to that. It was REALLY good. My pasta is gone now though, so I better take some time soon to make some more. With the tomatoes coming in now, I think we can take a break from potatoes!!


I also want to share another blog I found the other day. The Food Illusion is the chronicle of a mom who has taken on 100 days of eating nothing but whole foods. They aren't buying any refined or pre-made food (like crackers, bread, breakfast cereal, etc) that have more than 5 ingredients in it, so she is able to buy somethings (Triscuits qualify!) but most of their food is from scratch. She has some wonderful recipes and the site is quite educational. 


I love how eating well takes on so many forms. It doesn't seem to matter if you chose to go organic, local, whole, raw, or some combination. Each one has it's pros and cons, so none is perfect, but they are all significantly better than surviving on "foods" from boxes made in a factory.  


Changing the world...one bite at a time.
Shannon A.