Apples and Peaches and Pears.....OH MY!

Today I hit the Fruit Trifecta jackpot! Which, is not a bad place to be.













Today's work includes picking Wealthy Apples, freestone peaches, and Red Bartlett pears for tomorrow's NorthSide Farmers Market. Denise came out to help, but the crop is just coming so it did not take us long.

I am really disappointed in the size of our fruit this year. I thought all the rain that we had would make large fruit, but now I am wondering if lack of sun caused the fruit to stop growing. One thing that I do know, so far everything I've "taste tested" is very, very good.

On Wednesday or Thursday, Denise and I are planning to make peach butter and other goodies. I've never made peach butter so asked Denise about it. She said that basically, you just cook down peaches and mush them up, like you do for apple or pear sauce. She does not add sugar, but I am thinking that a touch of local honey (ours!) and a bit of apple or pumpkin pie spice would be nice. I won't know until I try it, and I am really looking forward to our cooking day!



Marcheta *busy, busy

Half Local, But I Can do Better!

Today is another Lazy Sunday. After breakfast at home, we're off to where the road takes us.

I like days like this, with no agenda...nothing in particular that needs to be done or seen. We all need adventure in our lives; for me, the more the better!


I do want to share today's breakfast menu (did not take time for pics, daggoneit!).

French Toast made with cinnamon swirl bread, home baked by the Charlton family (vendors at both NorthSide and 'Lil Farmers Markets).  Served with raspberry syrup bought from the Charltons, who are distributors for a small business that makes syrups.  The eggs were from Bill and Kathy Bebee.

Small link sausages, finished off with Shag Bark Hickory Syrup, bought at Shreve's Migration Sensation event from the person who makes it. It is VERY yummy!

Sliced bananas, with a slight maple syrup drizzle. Of course, the syrup was made by Galion's own Nelsonstrail honey and syrup makers :)

Iced tea.

So, here's what I was thinking: most of this meal was from local producers. Could I make a similar breakfast that is TOTALLY local?

 

!!!!!!YOU BETCHA!!!!!

 

Even heavy rain does not stop

Chef Michael Taylor and his

wife Mo from doing cooking with

fresh, locally raised foods at 

NorthSide Farmers Market.

Stay tuned, because I am on a mission to do just that. To make it easy, Chef Michael Taylor leads the way with his demos on cooking with local foods. He and his wife, Mo, come twice a month to NorthSide Farmers Market, ready to shop the market and cook with what is there that day. (Believe me, his demos are loads of fun!...and tasty, too!!!)

 

 

The next farmers market is on Tuesday, so I'll be looking for sausage or bacon from Rus-Mens Naturally Raised Meats, and if our peaches/pears/apples are still not ready, berries from Fairview Orchards.  And, I'll take time for pics, too :)

 

How much locally raised food is in your pantry? Like me, can you do better?

 

Marcheta *working on improving

 

 

Chocolate Mint

This year, most of my herb plants are growing in pots on my wrap-around porch. I love having them so close to my cooking source and also the fact that when I need a snippet of "this" or "that" I don't have to go to the garden (especially if if is raining). 

Among the culinary delights residing among hanging geraniums, nasturtiums, and other regular porch-type plants are lemon verbena, different types of parsley, basils, and mints.  My porch is about as fragrant as it can get!

The picture is of chocolate mint. I love this mint so much that it is actually right beside the door, where I often bend down and run my fingers through the leaves to release beautiful aroma.

Chocolate mint leaves can be used in anything where you'd use regular mint. I did a quick web search for ideas and came across infusing honey with chocolate mint, putting a few leaves in the bottom of a coffee cup before coffee is added, using the leaves in ice cream and baked goods. The possibilities seem endless!

Today I plan to simply steep a handful of leaves in hot water and make an iced chocolate mint tea. Doesn't that sound refreshing?

Marcheta *cheers!

Noel's Bake-sale Tips

I grabbed today's blog post from Noel Lizotte's  ApronFreeCooking website. When it comes to needing a quick and easy recipe, Noel has it covered!

Marcheta *lazy today

Noel writes:

 Back to school means back to bake sales, a delicious extracurricular activity where cookies – easy to make and even easier to sell – reign supreme. For those looking to stand out from the bake-sale pack, adding simple flavor twists to the fan-favorite chocolate chip cookie can make treats that are the talk of the table.
“Adding an extra surprise to your plate of homemade cookies is easy,” said Mary Beth Harrington of the McCormick Kitchens. “Add peppermint extract and cocoa powder, then swap out chocolate chips with chocolate chunks, and … voila! You now have Double Chocolate Chunk Mint Cookies. Kids and adults love the blend of cool peppermint mixed with rich cocoa and semi-sweet chocolate.”
Try these delicious twists to the cookie recipe below to create top-notch chocolate chip cookies for your next bake sale – and don’t be surprised when they’re the first to disappear:

• Double Chocolate Chunk Orange Cookies: Replace peppermint extract with1 teaspoon of McCormick® Pure Orange Extract.
• Triple Chocolate Chunk Mint Cookies: Add 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
• Cinnamon Chocolate Chunk Cookies: Replace peppermint extract with 2 teaspoons of McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 2 teaspoons of McCormick® Ground Cinnamon.

For more delicious bake sale ideas, visit McCormick.com, the “Bake Sale” board at Pinterest.com/McCormickSpices or Facebook.com/McCormickSpice.

Double Chocolate Chunk Mint Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon McCormick&reg Pure Peppermint Extract
• 6 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate.
2. Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets sprayed with no stick cooking spray.
3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until cookies are set. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Serves
Makes: 4 dozen cookies
Preparation Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
8 minutes
SOURCE:
McCormick

Happy as a Big Sunflower

Oh, I am as happy as a big sunflower,
That nods and bends in the breezes,
And my heart is as light as the wind that blows
The leaves from off the tree-zees

When I saw this picture of our long-time landscape customer and regular customer at NorthSide Farmers Market, Anne, the lyrics from a song in one of the "Little House" books came to my mind because her big smile and handful of sunflowers.

As I've mentioned many times before, a farmers market is much more than buying fresh, locally grown food. They are places where friends meet in the open air. Most markets that I go to have a festival feel about them. And that is how it should be...people glorifying in summer's bounty. :)

During cold spells, according to Laura Ingalls Wilder, her pa would sing this song while slapping his arms against his body to get his blood moving. Not only did this serve to keep him warm, it also brought some cheer into a long, cold winter.

I found the lyrics at LauraIngallsWilder.com, a fun website for Little House fans.

Marcheta *glor--or-or-or-or-orIA

Saladmanders

The little guy in the orange shirt is a regular visitor to NorthSide Farmers Market. His name is Antonio, and he especially likes the kid's make it/take activity that Denise plans each week.

Yesterday, they used cucumbers as a base for other elements. Gotta love having a plugged up ear (from sinuses), because when I asked Antonio what they made, I thought he said "saladmanders", which made sense to me. But actually he said "salamanders". When I repeated, "Saladmanders?" he and his friend cracked up.

Things like this are what make shopping at farmers markets so much fun!

And, hey, I am pretty proud of myself, because I think that if apples, grapes, blueberries and the like were used instead of candies, the cucumbers would have truly been "saladmanders", so I think that I just invented a new snack :)

Marcheta *inventive

1 Picture = 1K Words

What you see here are members of Crawford County Arts Counsel posing with mural artist Eric Grohe (the tall man in the white shirt) at the Crossroads Mural in Bucyrus, Ohio.

So...why are we holding paintbrushes? Because structural damage to the building caused damage to the mural, one of three that Eric has painted in our County Seat. Repair work has been completed on the building, which is located in Millennium Square, and now Eric is back in town to do the tremendous job of repainting.

Eric's website shows the before and after work when the mural was first painted. It is amazing what talent + paint can do to transform an area.

To help raise funds for the restoration, the newly formed CCAC (of which I am a board member) is hosting a Wine and Cheese event. This is going to be so much fun! Not only do attendees get to sample wonderful Ohio wines and cheeses, they will participate in a mural walk with Eric, and later be able to chat with him during  Meet the Artist at Gus' Grille and Grog (which has generously provided the food plus facility).

 I believe that preserving the  mural's wonderful, detailed artwork is worthwhile because it is an important aspect of our county.  The mural preserves the history of the area while paying homage to industry and agriculture, both an integral part of our county's success.

Talking with Eric today was enlightening to me. I had no idea how much work goes into such a huge project. Not only does the concept have to be drawn and a scale model made, but also seasonal light studies and traffic flow studies have to be conducted to determine when the most amount of people will see the mural and from what direction. In choosing colors, samples of the bricks and stones from the buildings depicted in the mural are collected. Also, factors such as how much sky is around the building have to be taken into consideration in determining how paint colors are mixed. All this, and more. 

*WHEW*

My brain cells nearly melt into a sludge at the base of my skull just thinking of it all!

From left to right, members of the CCAC are: Your's Truly, Tonya, Sandy, Carol, Eric, Dani, and Bob.

If you are interested in attending the event and meeting Eric, leave a message in the comment section or email me at ohiocountryjournal@gmail.com

Marcheta *pigmented

Ava's Fashion Shoot

In between going to weekend country festivals, I was able to get the "trial" sundress/jumper done for Ava. Of course, I don't really like to spend our time together in the sewing room, especially when the weather is as wonderful as it has been the past few days, but I wanted to be sure about pattern size so that I can make other garments for her without worrying that they will be too small.

Even with her here, the dress turned out a bit too big. But I think it is OK...if made into a winter fabric, there is plenty of room for a blouse or knit top underneath.

Ava added the leggings for a "touch of fashion".  Ava loves her new sundress, so we did several poses outside for her to print out for her fashion scrapbook. :)

She goes home today. It has been a fun five days filled with lots of activity. And our adventure is not quite over yet...we plan to stop at the boardwalk in Galena on the way home to check out the Osprey platforms. Maybe we'll see some of those majestic birds!

Marcheta *tired Nana

Sugar Pie Honey Bunch

Today Jim inspected the new bees to see if they are healthy and making honey. The supers by the pond have lazy bees..so far they've just been luxuriating in their new homes.

It's another story at the scrapyard by the barn, where a super was put "temporarily". As you can see, those bees know that they are not living at water-side resort, but in a honey factory in a working-class neighborhood. The bees have started making honey, but for some reason were working to make new comb instead of depositing their labors into the cells provided for them. Jim scraped off the comb to discourage this (we want the bees to spend their energy in making enough honey for them AND us), and re-arranged the frames in the supers. Hopefully the bees will like this situation.

For reasons unknown to modern man, the lyrics "sugar pie honey bunch", sung by the Temptations, ran through my mind as I was photographing the inspection. I am not a baker, especially pies, so I had to look up a recipe for honey pies. They all looked too gooey to me, and since I have an orchard I decided to share an apple pie recipe that uses honey from food.com.

http://www.food.com/recipe/honey-apple-pie-66198

I haven't tested the recipe and cannot vouch for it, but it looks good!

Marcheta  *can't help myself

Sew Lazy

Another rainy Saturday. It seems to be the norm for this summer. None-the-less, we did venture to Bucyrus' Lil' Farmers Market, where dedicated vendors were set up despite being soaked once more.

Now we are all set to settle in to indoor activities, with pies and other goodies for snacks...what could be better?

Ava is with us for a few days. Her school starts in just three short weeks. Being rained out of outdoor activities makes today a perfect day to make a basic jumper/sundress for her. She's not an easy kid to fit; making a plain pull-over garment gives me a base for making other clothes when she's not here to be fitted. A quick trip to my favorite fabric store, Jo~Ann, netted us this fun, flowered seersucker; bright colors to cheer up the greyness of the day.

Ava, herself, is keeping busing crafting all sorts of things; the most important of all is a super-heroine crown and cape with tissue paper and kites for her dolls from scrapbook papers and ribbons.

All-in-all, today has been great for taking a break from usual chores and switching our brain cells into other actions. The change in routine is very relaxing, even though we are still busy as bees :)

Marcheta *in stitches