Culinary Creativity in the New Year

Over the holidays we tried several new ways of creating new foods and herbal products. It all started with New Year's Eve, and champagne.


We each toasted, kissed, and drank a glass full of champagne while dancing in the New Year in our living room with an internet feed of Times Square...then Beth had an idea. She had always wanted to make vinegars for use on salads. Why not take the remaining champagne, add in frozen raspberries from this last summer's harvest basket that the Cooley Family Farm grew for us, plus herbs.







Beth decanting her Raspberry-Thyme Vinegar. recipe





It is good on salads, with a slightly sweet, mild taste. Add walnuts to the salad for a treat.











For more than a year now, we've co-owned two dairy cows at a local German Baptist farm. In return for paying for the upkeep and maintenance of the cows, we receive two gallons of organic raw milk each week. The cows have been giving approximately 4% butterfat...so there seems to be plenty of cream. Brent tried several, several times at making butter from this cream.

He finally was able to make a small amount, but decided the effort to make butter from the cream of 2 gallons of milk simply did not "churn out". The butter tasted a bit "barn-ey". We think the cream isn't heavy enough.

However, Brent redeemed himself by making an entire gallon of yogurt from the raw milk. It was really pretty easy. After bringing the milk to 190 F, allowing it to drop to 110 F. Then stirring in one cup of plain yogurt. Empty the yogurt spiked milk into clean jars and incubate around 90-100 F overnight (about 6-8 hours). The yogurt came out very well. I've been eating it with fruits and nuts for breakfast.

Our daughter, Colleen, decided on a unique science project for school. Having tasted chocolate cake made with beets (and liking it), she wondered how people would respond to an offer to taste beet chocolate cake A) if they didn't know it was made with beets, B) if they did know it was made with beets, and C) how many liked it after tasting it from each group. Her results show that fewer people wanted to taste it if they knew it was made from beets, however nearly 100% of taste testers said they liked it. What a culinary rebel she is!




We even decided to try our hand at making natural cosmetics and bath salts. We made astringents, creams, moisturizers, and aftershave. I don't think we've come close to a marketable product, but it was fun trying out our ideas. Here is a photo of us with our youngest daughter, who helped out in the production of the cosmetics.

So, we've set the stage for the New Year - rejoice and follow our inclinations to experience, try things out, pursue the things we cherish and love to do, and follow our hearts supporting each other along the journey.

Cheers!

Creativity

There are so many creative things happening at our house right now!

Brent is knitting me a sock.


Rhianna made a journal.


Colleen knitted a scarf...


Then started a hat too.


Brent tried to make butter,

but we all thought it tasted like a barn. (I think he'll tell you more about it later.)

Wes' biggest challenge has been using his new driver's license while learning to use a stick shift,

but he's getting better every day.

The Jeopardy Answer: "YES!"

The Final Jeopardy Question: Are we having fun yet?

Good From the Earth Medley

It was a busy evening. Our daughter's band concert was awesome on this weekday evening, but it meant most of us were hungry after returning home at 8pm. If you've been following our blog, you know we have been cooking and eating local foods for as many of our meals as possible. We had also just picked up earlier today our winter harvest basket from the Cooley Family Farm.

So, I got creative and used one or more of just about everything from the winter basket for a late evening meal. Everyone said "this is the best thing you've ever cooked!" Well, gosh, that doesn't happen very often (maybe they were just really hungry?). So this is my first "recipe" I've ever written down that I came up with *under pressure*.

Brent's Good From the Earth Medley.

1 onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced
1-2 carrots chopped small
3-4 fresh potatoes - chop bite size
1 turnip - chop bite size
1-2 beets - chop bite size
1-2 celery stalk - chopped
1 small bunch Kale - cut up
4 T olive or peanut oil
1 T sesame oil
2-3 dashes cayenne
salt + pepper
shot of rice vinegar or other vinegar

note: any combination of root vegetables you have on hand will work.
Variation: you can add small amount of scrambled eggs to this for more protein.

Warm skillet over medium heat, add 1-2T oil, add onions, add garlic. cook until light golden.
Add carrots - cook 3-4 min.
Add potatoes, turnip, beets. Add remaining oil. salt + pepper. cook 5 min.
Add celery. add 1/2 cup warm water. Stir. place lid on to steam for 5 min. Stir
Add sesame oil, cayenne. cook until veges tender. stirring to prevent sticking
Add chopped Kale, shot of vinegar, and steam for 2-3 min.

Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over all. enjoy. yum.

One Week Getaway + Vow Renewal = Best Vacation Ever!

Brent and I had an anniversary in October. It wasn't a 10th or a 15th or any of the usual "big" years. But we felt like it was time to mark that special day in a big way. We loved our real wedding ceremony which was informal and outdoors on the edge of Otterbein Lake at Brent's grandparents' home. But we felt that we would like to have the experience of getting all dressed up and reminding each other that we would be happy to do it all over again. So we did!

We planned a week long getaway to the Smoky Mountains. I told everyone how excited I was and I don't think anyone really understood why. Brent and I had never spent a week alone ever. I already had kids when we got married and it just never seemed like something we could do. We didn't mind this but we started thinking that maybe it was time. So we lined up grandparents and wrote out schedules. I found great helpers to watch River Knits for the week. And with much excitement, we headed south! Before we left Brent had secretly put a new message on our car. It took me a while to catch on.


We planned a lunch time stop in Berea, Kentucky and ate at the unique little restaurant called Papa Leno's. I never knew that it was possible for garlic bread to be called decadent, but this was before I had eaten at Papa Leno's! If you are ever driving by Berea, treat yourself to lunch there and find out why.

While in Berea we saw that there was a solar tour of homes going on. We didn't have time to take the tour but we did stroll around the EcoVillage on the campus of Berea College. This is what apartment living should be like!


We finally went on our way towards the Smokies, made our way through the bewildering assemblage of carnival like tourist traps that make up Pigeon Forge to find our cabin, the Snuggy Bug. We laughed that the Snuggy Bug was really a lot like our own house. Who else drives two states away to stay in a house that is a lot like home? Apparently we do anyway!


The Snuggy Bug was advertised as being a one bedroom cabin in wooded setting. This was a little bit of a misnomer since it was really a one ROOM cabin. It did show us that you can do a lot of living in a small space. The open beams in the ceiling made it feel spacious and open even though it was about the size of our living room. We loved it!

One of the first things we were looking forward to was our vow renewal. Amanda and Michelle had helped me pick out a beautiful dress. I even had something borrowed--Amanda's cashmere shawl! --to go with the something old, new and blue. I had a true Tennessee experience by having my hair done at a local salon. While I was there Brent rented a tux, bought flowers and waited patiently. It was really fun to have my hair done fancy, but I was really looking forward to seeing my handsome man in a tux. I wasn't disappointed!


Our vow renewal ceremony was simple and short but left me with misty eyes and an overflowing heart. We have a (not digital) picture taken by the photographer that I love. Brent and I are facing each other and he is looking at me with a smile and holding my chin as if he is about to kiss me. There is a special sparkle in that picture that sums up my feelings about our special day.

After our vow renewal ceremony we ate a delicious meal at a neat little restaurant called the Greenbrier Inn. It was a lodge for travelers long ago, but is now a restaurant overlooking the mountains. Brent found a description in a travel brochure, or we would never have found it since it was at the end of a dead end road that looked like it went no where. I surprised Brent by eating every bit of an enormous steak. The food was good, but the company was better! We strolled around Gatlinburg that evening in our fancy clothes. Well wishers cheered us on and newlyweds held up their new rings in a sign of solidarity. We didn't care that we had been married for years; it felt exhilarating. I especially enjoyed knowing that my husband cared enough to do it all again, and in some ways, for the first time.

The rest of the week was as leisurely and decadent as we could make it. We ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant not once but twice because we just couldn't stay away from the apple fritters with fresh applebutter. We toured the Great Smoky Mountain National Park--from Cade's Cove













to Clingman's Dome.












We stepped on the Applachian trail just to say we did.










In fact Brent jumped the Appalachian Trail...







We took a sky lift up the mountains, and I bought a pair of new shoes (that will show off handknit socks of course).

We decided we've seen enough of old farm settlements that are designed to recreate history though. We're ready to blend the best of the old fashioned ways, with the best of the new, so we can do it ourselves! So I made Brent promise that this stop at this farm recreation by the welcome center on the North Carolina side was the last time we really need to see how they farmed in the 1800's. We've seen it all, in every state we've ever been in, and really we've started to figure out that we already know all that stuff and more. How much corn do you really need to look at anyway?


My favorite thing we saw was the Motor Nature Trail, a winding one lane trip through rather dense forest. We saw ruins of old cabins,






dense forest,








primeval mountain streams







and even 3 bears!







All too soon our week was over and it was time to come home. As we headed north, looking forward to seeing our kids and thinking about what a great time we had, we realized that we were getting hungry. We figured we were pretty close to Berea again so the pull of Papa Leno's breadsticks guided our car into town once again. We were pretty used to being decadent by then, so it was an easy choice!

We were of course glad to be home but we returned a little different from when we left. We were happier, lighter, and we knew more than ever that we have something very special. Most of all we knew that we won't wait 11 years to do it again!

Sustainability Tour

Last week we journeyed to Stelle, IL, a small cluster of homes about 100 miles from Lafayette. A group of folks in Stelle started an effort known as Center for Sustainable Community. They teamed up with the University of Illinois to offer a one day tour of sustainable agriculture and permaculture examples. Beth is shown in front of a herd of sheep that are rotationally grazed on land that borders Stelle. We had an interesting time herding the sheep to a new grazing paddock.

Later we toured the Stelle community gardens, poutlry flock, and orchard. Shown in the second photo is a solar food dryer. The goal of CSC is to provide sustainable alternatives for living. It was good for us to view first hand some of the practices, and we realized that we can do many of these practices ourselves. Mostly it was a great day for Beth and I to be together and learn new ideas for our own Big Good!

Enjoying the Wabash River

In mid-August we joined with other NICHES landtrust members and canoed 16 miles of the Wabash River between Granville Bridge and Attica, IN. The day was beautiful. We stopped for lunch along Black Rock (picture). Prior to English settlement, Black Rock was an important strategic lookout for the Native Americans living in this area. It is now protected as part of the holding of the NICHES landtrust. After lunch we paddled down to the town of Attica. Along the way we spotted four eagles. We also marveled at the many small shacks and campers dotting the south bank of the river. Almost every spot had people camping out, fishing, or boating, and enjoying the summer and the river. Taking this canoe trip helped us realize the beauty of the river and the great natural areas that are near to us. Supporting efforts like NICHES helps to ensure that unique natural lands are protected, and made available for the public to enjoy.

Gloom, Despair and Agony on Me.

(Did anyone else grow up watching Hee-Haw?)

If you've been following this blog at all you know that Brent & I were really hoping to be able to buy "the land" in Warren County along Independence Road. We were working with NICHES, who was going to get help from the Indiana Heritage Trust, and they were going to get the woods & creek areas & sell us the home site & barn. It was all working GREAT and looked like the deal was a-go! Until NICHES called the owners in Iowa; and found out that they had sold the land the week before. We were in a fog for a while and could hardly believe it. We really thought we had everything on our side on this one. But I guess it was not meant to be.

About the same time we killed our camera on a WONDERFUL canoe trip on the Wabash. Unfortunately we can't show you the pictures because they are still on the camera and we don't have a way to read them until we get a new camera or borrow someone's card reader.

We have been kind of glum & in recovery for the last couple of weeks. But we are trying to consider other ideas and put out more feelers about new possibilities. We went to the library and looked up the county planning officials & building inspectors in surrounding counties and Brent has been calling them. So far we've learned that the Vermillion County folks would LOVE to have someone build a strawbale house in their county and they were nearly beside themselves with joy when Brent called to ask about it. I guess they don't get a lot of inquiries about people wanting to move their direction. The White County official had concerns about fire so we would have some educating to do if we found land there.

But isn't that really the big question?! Where can we find land? We're back on the quest. If you hear of anyone who would like to sell 5-10 acres with meadow or pasture, some woods and maybe adjoining a creek, pond or river, we want to know!