It is mid-September and today I picked our first beans. Unheard of! Usually I'm picking beans like a mad-woman from July on and can hardly keep up with the production from a few feet of plants. Not this year. This year I planted green beans and lima beans - we like the shelling kind of beans. I made three successive plantings from June through July, expecting a continuous supply all summer and enough to freeze.
Lest I am getting repetitive, I shall skip over the horrible growing conditions of this summer because you've heard me rant about them already. Suffice to say, no beans this summer till today, and September 18 is barely summer, really. It's been cool and we lit our first woodstove fire last night. But, beans there were. I picked enough for dinner of both varieties. Shelling a few lima pods produced about a cup of the most luscious beans - white with red splotches. The pods are fuzzy and definitely not palatable but the beans inside are delectable. Simply steamed together the string beans and shell beans were delicious - no butter, no salt, just plain and yummy. I hope we don't get a frost before I have chance to harvest more. I can't cover them to protect the plants because they're 12-14 feet high on poles!
Everything comes to she who waits!
Spring Beekeeping Workshop
Demonstration Hive
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"Death and resurrection" (Rev. Tom Carr, The Big Context), Death and Resurrection is all around us.
Compost, though, gives me hope.
Antoine de Saint Exupery: In anything at all, perfection is finally attained, not when there is no longer anything left to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.
This is how I feel about compost. At first, we add, and add, and add, all kinds of waste plant material and food scraps - vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, weeds, you name it, - until a lovely big pile of stuff is created, and, by the way, a little soil or animal manure wouldn't hurt to add microbes and nitrogen to the pile. But, there comes a point when there's enough stuff added and now it is time to let it be. And, what happens in this phase? Well, simple, the taking away begins. Taking away of the physical nature of the matter - eaten by earthworms the matter becomes wormcastings. Digested by bacteria and other microbes, the matter becomes something other than it was before. No longer recognisable as carrot scrapings or potato peels, weeds, grass clippings, old tea bags, etc., the matter is now developing into a uniform brown approaching black fine textured granular material. Like soil, but not quite. Richer, with a fine tilth and pleasing aroma. Certainly not putrid like rotting vegetables. A healthy smell that one wants to sniff and go "Ahhh". Gone are the recognisable physical attributes of specific species. It has all been taken away by the natural decay and decomposing microbes which have performed a miracle. They've taken death, removed everything unnecessary and produced black gold, much more valuable than the fossil fuel variety.
Compost, though, gives me hope.
Antoine de Saint Exupery: In anything at all, perfection is finally attained, not when there is no longer anything left to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away.
This is how I feel about compost. At first, we add, and add, and add, all kinds of waste plant material and food scraps - vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, eggshells, weeds, you name it, - until a lovely big pile of stuff is created, and, by the way, a little soil or animal manure wouldn't hurt to add microbes and nitrogen to the pile. But, there comes a point when there's enough stuff added and now it is time to let it be. And, what happens in this phase? Well, simple, the taking away begins. Taking away of the physical nature of the matter - eaten by earthworms the matter becomes wormcastings. Digested by bacteria and other microbes, the matter becomes something other than it was before. No longer recognisable as carrot scrapings or potato peels, weeds, grass clippings, old tea bags, etc., the matter is now developing into a uniform brown approaching black fine textured granular material. Like soil, but not quite. Richer, with a fine tilth and pleasing aroma. Certainly not putrid like rotting vegetables. A healthy smell that one wants to sniff and go "Ahhh". Gone are the recognisable physical attributes of specific species. It has all been taken away by the natural decay and decomposing microbes which have performed a miracle. They've taken death, removed everything unnecessary and produced black gold, much more valuable than the fossil fuel variety.
Friday, September 4, 2009
I am very excited to announce what I hope will be the first of many educational events I am hosting to promote green living ideas with hands-on instruction for how to implement the techniques you often read about but have no clue how to do!
For the first time in Northwestern Connecticut, the Center for Sustainable Living is offering the Permaculture Design Course, and Introductory Lecture at its facility in Bethlehem.
Permaculture is a whole systems ecological design science. It offers insights and practical techniques for living a fruitful and abundant life while addressing the major issues of our day. Permaculture has become a world-wide movement and is an important tool for change in urban, suburban and rural environments.
I travelled to Brooklyn, NY last March to meet with Andrew Faust, New York’s visionary teacher in Permaculture design and education. I was so inspired by his knowledge and enthusiasm that I set to work to bring this comprehensive program to Connecticut. To my knowledge, this will be the first time Permaculture Design Certification is offered here.
In the introductory lecture, Andrew will explain fundamentals of Permaculture and outline the essentials of creating true health and wealth through the design of ecological communities and businesses, with practical ideas and solutions to transform your “green” dreams into reality. Come and hear Andrew at the intro lecture with no obligation to take the Certification course. This will be a good way to get a taste of what Permaculture is all about.
In the Permaculture Design Course, you will learn the essential elements of Permaculture, and cover topics essential to every Permaculturist’s development: from soil structure and health, to the invisible structures of our economy and society.
The curriculum includes: climate, energy and food, conservation techniques, long-term approaches to soils, water systems and waste, rethinking economics and more. At the end of the course you will be ready to apply these principles to real-life situations, and – mentored by Andrew for 1-2 years – you will be able to change your life and the communities in which you live and work.
WHERE: The Center for Sustainable Living, Bethlehem, CT
WHEN: Introductory Lecture: 15 December 2009, 1pm-4pm
Permaculture Design Course: 2/12-2/14/10, 2/26-2/28/10, 3/5-3/7/10, and 3/12-3/14/10. Fridays and Saturdays: 10am-9pm, Sundays: 10am-3pm.
FEES: Introductory Lecture $15.00
Permaculture Design Course $1,500.00 includes 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches
2 dinners plus incidental snacks, per weekend (32 meals over 4 weekends)
MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:Cynthia Rabinowitz 203-266-5595; connsoil@att.net Visit www.connsoil.com for a more detailed course description.
For the first time in Northwestern Connecticut, the Center for Sustainable Living is offering the Permaculture Design Course, and Introductory Lecture at its facility in Bethlehem.
Permaculture is a whole systems ecological design science. It offers insights and practical techniques for living a fruitful and abundant life while addressing the major issues of our day. Permaculture has become a world-wide movement and is an important tool for change in urban, suburban and rural environments.
I travelled to Brooklyn, NY last March to meet with Andrew Faust, New York’s visionary teacher in Permaculture design and education. I was so inspired by his knowledge and enthusiasm that I set to work to bring this comprehensive program to Connecticut. To my knowledge, this will be the first time Permaculture Design Certification is offered here.
In the introductory lecture, Andrew will explain fundamentals of Permaculture and outline the essentials of creating true health and wealth through the design of ecological communities and businesses, with practical ideas and solutions to transform your “green” dreams into reality. Come and hear Andrew at the intro lecture with no obligation to take the Certification course. This will be a good way to get a taste of what Permaculture is all about.
In the Permaculture Design Course, you will learn the essential elements of Permaculture, and cover topics essential to every Permaculturist’s development: from soil structure and health, to the invisible structures of our economy and society.
The curriculum includes: climate, energy and food, conservation techniques, long-term approaches to soils, water systems and waste, rethinking economics and more. At the end of the course you will be ready to apply these principles to real-life situations, and – mentored by Andrew for 1-2 years – you will be able to change your life and the communities in which you live and work.
WHERE: The Center for Sustainable Living, Bethlehem, CT
WHEN: Introductory Lecture: 15 December 2009, 1pm-4pm
Permaculture Design Course: 2/12-2/14/10, 2/26-2/28/10, 3/5-3/7/10, and 3/12-3/14/10. Fridays and Saturdays: 10am-9pm, Sundays: 10am-3pm.
FEES: Introductory Lecture $15.00
Permaculture Design Course $1,500.00 includes 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches
2 dinners plus incidental snacks, per weekend (32 meals over 4 weekends)
MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION:Cynthia Rabinowitz 203-266-5595; connsoil@att.net Visit www.connsoil.com for a more detailed course description.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Easiest Way to Handle Blueberry Harvests
I've had a truly bumper blueberry season. The rain has swelled the fruit and kept them nice and plump and prolific. How to handle all the pickings expeditiously before they rot or go moldy is the key thing.
Making jam, pies, blueberry muffins, crumble and other delectable treats are, of course, an option, but one that may be too time-consuming when you have the picking and weeding and sorting and... well, we all know garden work is endless.
Harold McGee, writing in the New York Times, The Curious Cook column of 25 August 2009, makes it much too complicated.
Here's the quickest and most foolproof way to preserve excess berries. Sort through the berries to remove leaves, debris and stems and the occasional caterpillar that may be there. If you feel the need, rinse the berries under cold running water and spread in a single layer on a tray with a dry cloth or paper towels underneath. Leave on the kitchen counter to air dry. That step may be hastened by pointing an ordinary room fan towards the berries. When dry, or even partially dry, remove the towels and place the entire tray with berries in your freezer for a few hours. When the berries are frozen, pour them all into plastic bags or containers and return to the freezer.
The benefit of this method is that the berries will not stick together since they were frozen separated. When you want to use them, pour or scoop the desired quantity from the bag/container and use in any way you want. I've used them, frozen, to dress up a fresh fruit salad, added them, frozen, to muffins and pies and pancakes.
It's a truly no fuss way to handle the harvest. By the way, this works well with grapes, peas, other berries, you name it.
Happy harvest!
Making jam, pies, blueberry muffins, crumble and other delectable treats are, of course, an option, but one that may be too time-consuming when you have the picking and weeding and sorting and... well, we all know garden work is endless.
Harold McGee, writing in the New York Times, The Curious Cook column of 25 August 2009, makes it much too complicated.
Here's the quickest and most foolproof way to preserve excess berries. Sort through the berries to remove leaves, debris and stems and the occasional caterpillar that may be there. If you feel the need, rinse the berries under cold running water and spread in a single layer on a tray with a dry cloth or paper towels underneath. Leave on the kitchen counter to air dry. That step may be hastened by pointing an ordinary room fan towards the berries. When dry, or even partially dry, remove the towels and place the entire tray with berries in your freezer for a few hours. When the berries are frozen, pour them all into plastic bags or containers and return to the freezer.
The benefit of this method is that the berries will not stick together since they were frozen separated. When you want to use them, pour or scoop the desired quantity from the bag/container and use in any way you want. I've used them, frozen, to dress up a fresh fruit salad, added them, frozen, to muffins and pies and pancakes.
It's a truly no fuss way to handle the harvest. By the way, this works well with grapes, peas, other berries, you name it.
Happy harvest!
Monday, August 24, 2009
More On Blight
Blight is such an awful word, really. Conjuring up visions of plague, illness and dark clouds overhead. That's just what has continued to happen here in New England, this summer, as gardens and farms have continued to lose tomato and potato crops. Sad for home-gardeners trying to save money by growing their own vegetables. Tragic for farmers whose incomes for the year may now be decimated. We need to buy as much other produce from local farmers as possible to help them weather these losses or they may not be here next year.
On the bright side, the University of Connecticut plant pathology department is confirming that during our cold winters, the spores will not overwinter in the soil. That is good news because otherwise we could be looking at many years of infestation.
To be on the safe side, though, I am recommending not using any stored potatoes as seed potatoes next year. Why take a chance, even if they do keep well in storage. Plan on buying certified disease-free potatoes to start with. Also, I think it is best not to compost plant parts of infected tomatoes or potatoes. Although, theoretically, the heating in a compost pile should kill pathogens, why take a chance? Perhaps your compost pile is not constructed perfectly and the spores might live in the warmth of the pile through the winter, but not be killed. Bury the plants and diseased vegetables at least two feet deep in the ground or burn the whole lot.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Peach Pie Blues
It was the perfect day to make peach pie. Peaches are plentiful around here and my husband, Stuart, had just worked his way through part of a large cardboard crate of peaches by making several quarts of peach jam. With the sealed jars cooling on the counter, many more peaches in the crate, and weekend guests arriving in a few hours, peach pie seemed the obvious dessert for dinner.
I quickly made two batches of butter-based pie pastry, wrapped them in wax paper and then plastic bags and placed them in the freezer for a quick cool down. In the meantime, I boiled a large pan of water and blanched the peaches so the skins would easily slip off. Slicing 10 cups of peach flesh into a glass bowl, I then sprinkled over a cup of brown sugar.
The sky started to get dark and ominous and the radio was warning of dangerous thunderstorms in our area. Nothing to get alarmed about as we have lots of late afternoon thunderstorms during summer in our part of northwestern Connecticut. The heat and humidity builds during the day and the tension releases in violent storms as the sun starts to get lower in the sky. A typical summer day, except this storm front was influenced by the effects of Hurricane Bill out in the Atlantic. The storm clouds were impressively churning.
But peach pie was calling and I methodically continued my preparations for two pies - one to be frozen, uncooked, for later consumption and one for tonight.
Squeezing a large lemon, I scraped the pulp into the juice and poured it all over the sweetened peach slices, sprinkled with cinnamon, ground ginger, fresh ground black pepper (yes, it is my secret ingredient for all fruit pies and makes the fruit zingy and gives depth to the flavors). Tossing the whole thing together, I set aside the bowl and turned on the oven to preheat to 450 degrees. I like to start the pies off in a hot oven for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 to finish.
Everything was proceeding nicely with no hint of any trouble to come. The sky was getting black and rumblings could be heard in the distance. My cats and dog started to become restless.
I rolled out the first pastry shell, layered the fruit in the dish and covered with the top crust layer. Into the oven the pie went just as a bolt of lightening broke right over the house followed almost instantly by a crash of thunder. I'm used to this type of weather but it is a bit un-nerving when the storm is right overhead. One after another lightening bolts broke around the immediate neighborhood and three times in a row the electric current in the house gave off startling loud crackles as if the wires outside had been hit directly. Then, disaster - a loud crack of lightening, a flash of light, a popping sound and.....horrors! No electricity!
The timing could not have been worse with my pie in the oven and our guests arriving on the New York bus shortly. Torrential rain was gushing down outside and the gutters off the roof were emptying the deluge into the rain barrel on the corner of the house near the kitchen window.
I decided the best thing to do was to play it cool. After all, the oven had reached 450 degrees and if I didn't open the door it could stay hot for some time. Who knows? Perhaps the pie would cook in there even as the temperature cooled.
After about an hour I run out through the still-gushing rain to drive to the bus station to collect our friends. Taking my life in my hands, I drove through the still dangerous lightening dramatically flashing all around. I was sure a tree was going to come down on my car as I drove through tree-lined country lanes. I left Stuart at home to figure out how to cook an entire dinner on an outdoor gas grill.
The electric company had no clear idea how long the power would be off, but the estimate was at least 3 hours. Not too bad. Of course, the New York bus was delayed because of the storm and I sat in the depot lot in my steamed up car feeling frustrated, tired, and very sticky while several buses came in sans friends. I had no actual idea at that point how long the delay would be, since the depot was closed and there was no-one to ask. An hour later, friends safely in my car, we make our way home through more rain.
At home, there was still no power but the house was very pretty with candles and the Coleman camping light illuminating the kitchen counter. Stuart was heroically cooking on the gas grill - thankfully the rain had eased to a gentle misty drizzle.
The pie was still in the oven but was only about half baked. I felt half baked after the experiences of the last few hours! Nevertheless, I removed the pie from the now cool oven and looked for a place to set it. All the kitchen surfaces were covered with stuff! There was no space! I guess baking and cooking in darkness with no running water (because no power for the well-pump) leads to a lot of mess, to say the least.
I set the pie dish on top of the pan used to blanche the peaches and went on to help with the rest of the dinner preparations. All our camping experience came to the fore and we produced a lovely dinner - home-made bread made earlier in the day, marinated baked tofu - ditto, steak on the grill, potatoes dug fresh from the garden were boiled on the gas grill and smothered with chive butter, and sliced veggies cooked on the grill. Two bottles of wine, candles, music - we were actually starting to enjoy this.
After dinner, I decided to finish cooking the pie on the grill on top of a pizza stone. Lifting the dish off from the top of the water pan proved to be extremely difficult as a vapor lock had occurred fastening the pie-dish rim tightly to the top of the pan. I used the point of a knife to loosen under it and just then another disaster occurred! The pie dropped into the pan of water and was completely submerged.
Undeterred, but almost hysterical with the comedy of the event, I fished out the pie and stuck it out on the grill and closed the lid. I had no idea what to expect. I had visions of having to ditch the pastry and try to salvage the peach filling to serve over ice-cream or some such thing. But, twenty minutes later I retrieved the pie, cooked to perfection. The pastry was light and flaky and seemed completely unaffected by its arduous path through electric power outage, a dunking in a water bath and cooking on a pizza stone on an outdoor grill.
The moral of this story, seems to be that precise cooking and baking instructions are totally unncessary and one can produce delicious and picture-perfect food in any number of unorthodox ways. I highly recommend dunking uncooked pies in a water bath before cooking!
I quickly made two batches of butter-based pie pastry, wrapped them in wax paper and then plastic bags and placed them in the freezer for a quick cool down. In the meantime, I boiled a large pan of water and blanched the peaches so the skins would easily slip off. Slicing 10 cups of peach flesh into a glass bowl, I then sprinkled over a cup of brown sugar.
The sky started to get dark and ominous and the radio was warning of dangerous thunderstorms in our area. Nothing to get alarmed about as we have lots of late afternoon thunderstorms during summer in our part of northwestern Connecticut. The heat and humidity builds during the day and the tension releases in violent storms as the sun starts to get lower in the sky. A typical summer day, except this storm front was influenced by the effects of Hurricane Bill out in the Atlantic. The storm clouds were impressively churning.
But peach pie was calling and I methodically continued my preparations for two pies - one to be frozen, uncooked, for later consumption and one for tonight.
Squeezing a large lemon, I scraped the pulp into the juice and poured it all over the sweetened peach slices, sprinkled with cinnamon, ground ginger, fresh ground black pepper (yes, it is my secret ingredient for all fruit pies and makes the fruit zingy and gives depth to the flavors). Tossing the whole thing together, I set aside the bowl and turned on the oven to preheat to 450 degrees. I like to start the pies off in a hot oven for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350 to finish.
Everything was proceeding nicely with no hint of any trouble to come. The sky was getting black and rumblings could be heard in the distance. My cats and dog started to become restless.
I rolled out the first pastry shell, layered the fruit in the dish and covered with the top crust layer. Into the oven the pie went just as a bolt of lightening broke right over the house followed almost instantly by a crash of thunder. I'm used to this type of weather but it is a bit un-nerving when the storm is right overhead. One after another lightening bolts broke around the immediate neighborhood and three times in a row the electric current in the house gave off startling loud crackles as if the wires outside had been hit directly. Then, disaster - a loud crack of lightening, a flash of light, a popping sound and.....horrors! No electricity!
The timing could not have been worse with my pie in the oven and our guests arriving on the New York bus shortly. Torrential rain was gushing down outside and the gutters off the roof were emptying the deluge into the rain barrel on the corner of the house near the kitchen window.
I decided the best thing to do was to play it cool. After all, the oven had reached 450 degrees and if I didn't open the door it could stay hot for some time. Who knows? Perhaps the pie would cook in there even as the temperature cooled.
After about an hour I run out through the still-gushing rain to drive to the bus station to collect our friends. Taking my life in my hands, I drove through the still dangerous lightening dramatically flashing all around. I was sure a tree was going to come down on my car as I drove through tree-lined country lanes. I left Stuart at home to figure out how to cook an entire dinner on an outdoor gas grill.
The electric company had no clear idea how long the power would be off, but the estimate was at least 3 hours. Not too bad. Of course, the New York bus was delayed because of the storm and I sat in the depot lot in my steamed up car feeling frustrated, tired, and very sticky while several buses came in sans friends. I had no actual idea at that point how long the delay would be, since the depot was closed and there was no-one to ask. An hour later, friends safely in my car, we make our way home through more rain.
At home, there was still no power but the house was very pretty with candles and the Coleman camping light illuminating the kitchen counter. Stuart was heroically cooking on the gas grill - thankfully the rain had eased to a gentle misty drizzle.
The pie was still in the oven but was only about half baked. I felt half baked after the experiences of the last few hours! Nevertheless, I removed the pie from the now cool oven and looked for a place to set it. All the kitchen surfaces were covered with stuff! There was no space! I guess baking and cooking in darkness with no running water (because no power for the well-pump) leads to a lot of mess, to say the least.
I set the pie dish on top of the pan used to blanche the peaches and went on to help with the rest of the dinner preparations. All our camping experience came to the fore and we produced a lovely dinner - home-made bread made earlier in the day, marinated baked tofu - ditto, steak on the grill, potatoes dug fresh from the garden were boiled on the gas grill and smothered with chive butter, and sliced veggies cooked on the grill. Two bottles of wine, candles, music - we were actually starting to enjoy this.
After dinner, I decided to finish cooking the pie on the grill on top of a pizza stone. Lifting the dish off from the top of the water pan proved to be extremely difficult as a vapor lock had occurred fastening the pie-dish rim tightly to the top of the pan. I used the point of a knife to loosen under it and just then another disaster occurred! The pie dropped into the pan of water and was completely submerged.
Undeterred, but almost hysterical with the comedy of the event, I fished out the pie and stuck it out on the grill and closed the lid. I had no idea what to expect. I had visions of having to ditch the pastry and try to salvage the peach filling to serve over ice-cream or some such thing. But, twenty minutes later I retrieved the pie, cooked to perfection. The pastry was light and flaky and seemed completely unaffected by its arduous path through electric power outage, a dunking in a water bath and cooking on a pizza stone on an outdoor grill.
The moral of this story, seems to be that precise cooking and baking instructions are totally unncessary and one can produce delicious and picture-perfect food in any number of unorthodox ways. I highly recommend dunking uncooked pies in a water bath before cooking!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Check out the latest Greentips online from the Union of Concerned Scientists for the latest on using re-chargeable batteries. While you're at it, sign up with UCS to receive their Greentips in your own e.mail. UCS is a terrific organization that serves to educate and also lobby for the environment. You can rely on their credibility and expect to learn a lot by reading their bulletins. Simply highlight the URL address below and paste it into your browser bar.
Kick the Disposable Battery Habit
August 2009
Read this issue of Greentips online
http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=iTUwbOuI82-Ye4wZMHWGKw..
Kick the Disposable Battery Habit
August 2009
Read this issue of Greentips online
http://action.ucsusa.org/site/R?i=iTUwbOuI82-Ye4wZMHWGKw..
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