tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26120615375747625702024-03-12T22:05:35.843-04:00Cooking 4 FourJim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-44723315434961177402009-08-02T22:30:00.012-04:002009-08-02T23:38:30.508-04:00July 4th reduxI've let this post languish for too long - to the point that I question its relevance anymore. But its absence has kept me from posting regularly, so I think it is worth including, especially since it involves food, family, and tradition, the three pedestals upon which Cooking 4 Four is build. So, if you can forgive me for not being timely, I give you the Annual July 4th Lobster Luau!<br /><br />Every July 4th (or thereabouts, depending on when the holiday falls), the family gathers at my grandparents' house on Cape Cod. And by 'family', I mean the lot of us - aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, brothers, friends, etc. This past 4th, there were 20 people there, which is actually one of the smaller gatherings we've had - over the years, as the family has grown, various factions have moved farther away or have other responsibilities. Whomever can come does, and those that can't make it we hope to see next year (though we'll see them in a month or so as well - family gatherings are a common occurrence). And every 4th my grandfather organizes the "luau", by which he means a traditional New England lobster and clam bake. There's actually something quite funny here - you have an Italian-American family cooking a traditional American meal and calling it by a name usually associated with pineapples, pig-on-a-spit, and grass skirts. Not sure why my grandfather started calling it a luau, but that is its official name. So if I ever invite you to the Cape for a luau, you can leave the plastic flower lei at home.<br /><br />The main menu for the luau includes shrimp, lobster, chicken, steamers, potatoes, corn, carrots, and onion. The shrimp get served two ways - as shrimp cocktail and sauteed in olive oil and garlic (really, what's a luau without olive oil and garlic?). The rest get thrown together into some lobster pots along with some corn husks and garlic (again, you gotta have the garlic). Actually, "thrown together" isn't really correct - each item is placed into a pot in a particular order, all of which is orchestrated by my grandfather. Honestly, the order of things isn't that important, but you have to make sure that things are evenly distributed and that there is enough space between everything so they cook together. A couple of lobsters, a potato and onion, a few carrots, a couple cloves of garlic, a piece of chicken, some corn (halved) and some corn husks. Repeat until all the food is in the pots. Turn on the gas and cook until done. When is that? When the last potato you put on top is tender enough you can slide a knife easily into it. Somewhere between 1 and 2 hours. Throw the steamers on top during the last 15 minutes or so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-MiriUI/AAAAAAAABY0/oqqVr2_OjvI/s1600-h/carl_lobsters.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-MiriUI/AAAAAAAABY0/oqqVr2_OjvI/s320/carl_lobsters.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569433553832258" /></a><center>My brother, Carl, with today's entree</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-JAovzI/AAAAAAAABY8/_OqY8xvxb6c/s1600-h/before.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-JAovzI/AAAAAAAABY8/_OqY8xvxb6c/s320/before.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569432605736754" /></a><center>Ready to cook</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZVbfcEQFI/AAAAAAAABZc/CBfxuS99P34/s1600-h/40.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZVbfcEQFI/AAAAAAAABZc/CBfxuS99P34/s320/40.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569936842571858" /></a><center>My grandfather making sure I did everything right</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-awn2sI/AAAAAAAABZE/sEh1zpz2Tik/s1600-h/pots.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-awn2sI/AAAAAAAABZE/sEh1zpz2Tik/s320/pots.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569437370407618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-hNWDSI/AAAAAAAABZM/nQ_0479yrEo/s1600-h/cooked.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-hNWDSI/AAAAAAAABZM/nQ_0479yrEo/s320/cooked.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569439101488418" /></a><center>Time to eat!</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-z-w6KI/AAAAAAAABZU/R3L6UNs92ZA/s1600-h/steamers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZU-z-w6KI/AAAAAAAABZU/R3L6UNs92ZA/s320/steamers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365569444140607650" /></a><br />The rest of the celebration involves plenty of wine, beer, and desserts (as usual). This year I brought along some of my homebrew and made this <a href="http://pinchmysalt.com/2009/06/26/blueberry-and-strawberry-buttermilk-cake/">awesome blueberry and strawberry buttermilk cake</a>. And when not eating there is plenty of time to hang out, catch up, go to the beach, play some bocce and do a little night fishing (for the record, I caught two stripers - both too small to keep). All in all, our 4th of July Luau is one of my favorite family events - we have 4 generations enjoying each others' company, keeping traditions alive, and eating great food. If only we had some hula dancers too...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZX47s6CFI/AAAAAAAABaM/u8fykUBBYAg/s1600-h/fishing.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZX47s6CFI/AAAAAAAABaM/u8fykUBBYAg/s320/fishing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572641668859986" /></a><center>My brothers, Jeff and Carl, fishing in the fog</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXs391YFI/AAAAAAAABaE/LWSAX6K3-A8/s1600-h/doug_bocce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXs391YFI/AAAAAAAABaE/LWSAX6K3-A8/s320/doug_bocce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572434507685970" /></a><center>Uncle Dougie playing bocce</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsq9ewvI/AAAAAAAABZ8/SikhIF1xIC8/s1600-h/jack_bocce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsq9ewvI/AAAAAAAABZ8/SikhIF1xIC8/s320/jack_bocce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572431016542962" /></a><center>Jack showing off his bocce prowess</center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsW6x3DI/AAAAAAAABZ0/GL-K5hIGbpU/s1600-h/jack_icecream.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsW6x3DI/AAAAAAAABZ0/GL-K5hIGbpU/s320/jack_icecream.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572425636502578" /></a><center>Jack at the <a href="http://www.sundaeschoolicecream.com/">Sundae School</a></center><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsJRYRHI/AAAAAAAABZs/HvhPjOeawAY/s1600-h/emma_icecream.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXsJRYRHI/AAAAAAAABZs/HvhPjOeawAY/s320/emma_icecream.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572421973197938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXr00EPYI/AAAAAAAABZk/dezugxPAxao/s1600-h/emma_beach.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SnZXr00EPYI/AAAAAAAABZk/dezugxPAxao/s320/emma_beach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365572416481541506" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-75757089036258093832009-07-24T13:42:00.004-04:002009-07-24T13:45:32.283-04:00Attleboro, MA? Or Seattle, WA?Another wet week in this very wet summer...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmnzByF5yOI/AAAAAAAABYk/_nhg02-IMHM/s1600-h/rain_gauge_072409.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmnzByF5yOI/AAAAAAAABYk/_nhg02-IMHM/s400/rain_gauge_072409.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362084043313236194" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-77686976349638740392009-07-19T16:07:00.009-04:002009-07-19T16:20:10.454-04:00Are my potatoes OK?I know I've left that July 4th post lingering, but I wanted to get this one up. I'll elaborate on the other one soon.<br /><br />The past couple of days, coinciding with the summer weather that has finally arrived, I've noticed that our potato plants don't seem to be doing so great. Many of them are turning yellow and getting all droopy - quite clearly, they're dying. Now, I know that eventually the plants die back, but I don't think that is supposed to happen for quite some time. But this is our first attempt at potatoes, so I really don't know. Here's what some of the plants are looking like (click on the image for a bigger view):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmN9_56kaaI/AAAAAAAABYE/OQ1GwoWNNbo/s1600-h/potatoe_plant.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmN9_56kaaI/AAAAAAAABYE/OQ1GwoWNNbo/s320/potatoe_plant.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360266518332729762" /></a><br />I'm starting to get nervous about our potato crop (or potential lack thereof). So, while in the garden this afternoon tying up some of the tomatoes, I decided to do a little digging around the potatoes to see what was going on. At first I couldn't find anything that remotely resembled a potato (unless you count rocks). Now I was very worried. I decided to try another spot and after a few seconds my fingers brushed up against something that seemed promising. I carefully brushed more dirt away and to my great surprise, pulled up this guy:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmN-ADJCxPI/AAAAAAAABYM/Lzcl0MCdQao/s1600-h/first_potato.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SmN-ADJCxPI/AAAAAAAABYM/Lzcl0MCdQao/s320/first_potato.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360266520809358578" /></a><br />Looks like the potatoes have done just fine. :)Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-78663626965296696382009-07-08T23:25:00.003-04:002009-07-09T10:14:09.721-04:00Independence Day (preview)No time right now to post a full story on how we spent the 4th of July. Instead, here's a taste to get your mouth watering...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SlVjfL9TIuI/AAAAAAAABXk/9qaiCWWXmq8/s1600-h/cooked.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SlVjfL9TIuI/AAAAAAAABXk/9qaiCWWXmq8/s400/cooked.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356296719264064226" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-13513165409788678352009-06-29T23:19:00.014-04:002009-06-30T00:15:34.168-04:00Veggie Garden RoundupJust wanted to give a quick run down of what we have growing in our home vegetable garden (and other vegetable "areas") along with some pics. <br /><br /><b>Main Garden Bed</b><br /><br /><u>Potatoes</u> (2 varieties)<br />Yukon Gold<br />Russian Banana Fingerling<br /><br /><u>Summer Squash</u> (1 variety)<br />Cocozelle Zucchini (x4)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJgRB493I/AAAAAAAABWI/HNGWL9jt98I/s1600-h/potatoes_squash.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJgRB493I/AAAAAAAABWI/HNGWL9jt98I/s320/potatoes_squash.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352960819526694770" /></a><br /><u>Tomatoes</u> (16 varieties!)<br />Brandywine (x2)<br />Super Sweet 100 (x1)<br />Caruso (x2)<br />Prince Borghese (x1)<br />Yellow Perfection (x1)<br />Pole Perfect Purple (x1)<br />Red Grape (x2)<br />Sun Gold (x2)<br />Sweet Chelsea (x1)<br />Mountain Princess (x1)<br />Caspian Pink (x2)<br />Mountain Delight (x1)<br />Margherita (x1)<br />Cherokee Purple (x2)<br />Garden Peach (x2)<br />Green Zebra (x2)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3BHLg1I/AAAAAAAABWQ/pNywS4kVtC8/s1600-h/tomatoes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3BHLg1I/AAAAAAAABWQ/pNywS4kVtC8/s320/tomatoes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352961210390905682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3D6trqI/AAAAAAAABWY/RDhWuSpdTqw/s1600-h/brandywine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3D6trqI/AAAAAAAABWY/RDhWuSpdTqw/s320/brandywine.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352961211143925410" /></a><br /><u>Onions</u> (2 varieties)<br />Copra<br />Cippolini<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3cDfbVI/AAAAAAAABWg/2U8sGQIGyWk/s1600-h/onions.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ3cDfbVI/AAAAAAAABWg/2U8sGQIGyWk/s320/onions.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352961217623190866" /></a><br /><u>Broccoli</u> (x4) - FAILED (bunny food and already flowering)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ4I5blAI/AAAAAAAABWo/tuAkDr49NDw/s1600-h/broccoli_fail.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ4I5blAI/AAAAAAAABWo/tuAkDr49NDw/s320/broccoli_fail.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352961229660591106" /></a><br /><u>Peas and Beans</u> (3 varieties) - limited success<br />Oregan Giant (edible pod pea)<br />Blauhilde (pole bean)<br />Royal Burgandy (bush bean)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ4Dh66FI/AAAAAAAABWw/wmeuwdcWumQ/s1600-h/peas.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmJ4Dh66FI/AAAAAAAABWw/wmeuwdcWumQ/s320/peas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352961228219803730" /></a><br /><b>Container Garden</b><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSavjTnI/AAAAAAAABXI/2CyE2V9SltY/s1600-h/containers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSavjTnI/AAAAAAAABXI/2CyE2V9SltY/s320/containers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352963880150847090" /></a><br /><u>Peppers</u> (4 varieties)<br />Thai Dragon (x2)<br />Red Beauty (x2)<br />Sweet Banana (x1)<br />Carmen Sweet Italian (x1)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSHRZqMI/AAAAAAAABW4/jLlYORuk6uk/s1600-h/carmen_peppers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSHRZqMI/AAAAAAAABW4/jLlYORuk6uk/s320/carmen_peppers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352963874924112066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSBlys_I/AAAAAAAABXA/a0F03TGYm98/s1600-h/carmen_peppers2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSBlys_I/AAAAAAAABXA/a0F03TGYm98/s320/carmen_peppers2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352963873399026674" /></a><center>Carmen Peppers - don't they look incredible? (more on these in a later post)</center><br /><u>Tomatoes</u> (4 more varieties)<br />Matt's Wild Cherry<br />Sweet Pea Currant<br />Small Fry<br />Mr. Ugly<br /><br /><u>Misc</u><br />Eggplant (x1)<br />Garden Huckleberry (x1)<br />Ground Cherry - Cossack Pineapple (x1)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSQoRt3I/AAAAAAAABXQ/T4f2GjEdddM/s1600-h/ground_cherry.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmMSQoRt3I/AAAAAAAABXQ/T4f2GjEdddM/s320/ground_cherry.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352963877435979634" /></a><br /><b>Cold Frame #1</b><br />Swiss Chard (Charlotte)<br />Carrots (Danvers 126)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmOJT2eARI/AAAAAAAABXY/gqAml0187xQ/s1600-h/carrots_chard.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SkmOJT2eARI/AAAAAAAABXY/gqAml0187xQ/s320/carrots_chard.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352965922705244434" /></a><br /><b>Cold Frames #2</b><br />replanted with leaf lettuce and arugula after <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/06/tragedy.html">recent tragedy</a><br />(not looking particularly promising)<br /><br /><b>Cold Frame #3 and #4</b> - <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/04/cold-frames-and-beets.html">new this year</a><br />Being re-evaluated after limited success with leaf lettuce, beets, and swiss chard and complete failure with purple dragon carrots (100% failed germination)<br /><br /><b>Other areas</b><br />Asparagus bed<br />Rhubarb bed<br />Herb containers (basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro) <br /><br />Wow. I knew we had a lot, but I've never tried listing everything all at once. And this doesn't even include our small <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/06/community-garden.html">community garden</a> patch! We must be nuts. Seriously, I'm quite happy with what we've accomplished so far - our successes seem to outnumber (or at least outweigh) our failures. Can't really complain about that.Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-38749904816203540352009-06-24T21:03:00.010-04:002010-07-19T17:24:39.843-04:00Farm-rasied meats<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.chestnutfarms.org/images/photoalbum/1/in_your_face_pig_sm.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 187px;" src="http://www.chestnutfarms.org/images/photoalbum/1/in_your_face_pig_sm.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a>After reading Michael Pollan's <span style="font-style:italic;">Omnivore's Dilemma</span>, I decided one of the best things I could do for my family was to avoid meats from animals raised on massive feedlots. Mr. Pollan does a masterful job of laying out all the things wrong with feedlot-raised animals so I won't go into it much here (EDIT: but you can read <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200305/kummer">this online article</a> from The Atlantic to find out more). Suffice to say, I am happy to avoid them. But, since vegetarianism isn't in my nature, I needed to find a viable alternative. I started doing a little research, looking for farm-raised meat that I might be able to get my hands on. It turns out that there are quite a number of farms in New England that sell meat and eggs from their animals. None seemed just right though for this change in diet I had planned - some were too far away, others offered a very limited selection, a few only sold meat "by the cow" (or 1/2 cow) or had a too-expensive "a la carte" system. Luckily, we found <a href="http://chestnutfarm.org/">Chestnut Farms</a>. <br /><br />So, now, once a month we pick up our share of 15 lbs of assorted meats from animals raised by Kim Denney and her family as part of Chestnut Farm's meat CSA (<a href="http://www.localharvest.org/csa/">Community Supported Agriculture</a>). In our red-and-white cooler, we get various cuts of beef, chicken, and pork (we opted out of the lamb) - all are farm-raised, free-range, and hormone- and antibiotic-free. And local. Again, I'm talking about animals that are raised on a place that more-or-less looks like the image in your head when you hear the word "farm" - <a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BAZJblla9rM/SeYnCLTY0YI/AAAAAAAAACg/rGg7DmJYfnI/CFOpenHouseOct08_133.jpg">something like this</a>...NOT <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.xlarge1.jpg">like this</a>.<br /><br />In addition to being better for us and better for the environment, the meat we get tastes unbelievable. The pork is like no other pork I have ever tasted. The chicken tastes more "chickeny". The beef is flat-out delicious. All in all, I couldn't be happier with our decision to go this route. Sure, it's more expensive than buying our meat at the supermarket, but I don't think it is all that much more (we pay $7-$8 per pound for everything - so while $7 for a pound of ground beef is quite a bit more than what we'd pay at Stop & Shop, we even out with the tenderloin steaks). Regardless, I think it is worth it - given the quality of the meat we are getting, I'm happy to pay more. As Michael Pollan explains in <span style="font-style:italic;">Omnivore's Dilemma</span>, Americans currently spend the smallest percentage of their income on their food than ever before. It comes down to choices and we've made the conscious choice to spend more money on our food than our cell phones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BAZJblla9rM/SeYnCLTY0YI/AAAAAAAAACg/rGg7DmJYfnI/CFOpenHouseOct08_133.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_BAZJblla9rM/SeYnCLTY0YI/AAAAAAAAACg/rGg7DmJYfnI/CFOpenHouseOct08_133.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>On a non-food level, one of the best things about being part of the Chestnut Farms meat CSA has been the experience of getting to know the people that produce our food. Every month when I pick up our share, Kim is there to greet me. She spends a few minutes chatting with everyone and somehow remembers everyone's name. Each month before the pick-up, Kim sends out an <a href="http://chestnutfarm.org/dev3/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=30">info-packed email newsletter</a> about the goings-on on the farm as well as what has been happening in her and her family's lives. There are regular "open barns" where the public is invited to spend an afternoon on the farm. Our kids have met Kim and they understand that she raises the animals that become our food and they are acutely aware that the food on our plates came from a once-living animal (a fact which makes our daughter Emma a tad uncomfortable, which I actually think is a good thing - more on this in a later post).<br /><br />In my quest to provide my family with high-quality, healthy, local foods, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Kim and her family. Their decision to do what they do has given me and my family the opportunity to choose where and how our food is produced.<br /><br />P.S. check out <a href="http://www.ediblecommunities.com/boston/spring-2009/quality-and-caring-are-key.htm">this great article </a>in a recent issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">edible Boston</span> about Chestnut Farms.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: -2;">(pig and cow images from Chestnut Farms <a href="http://chestnutfarm.org/">website</a>)</span>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-39210512388954621392009-06-17T19:38:00.011-04:002009-06-17T21:34:48.240-04:00House Ale<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sjl-mezWNcI/AAAAAAAABUw/aWxqWz1PO_s/s1600-h/pale_ale.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sjl-mezWNcI/AAAAAAAABUw/aWxqWz1PO_s/s320/pale_ale.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348445232047732162" /></a>I've only brewed this one once, so I'm not really sure I'm ready to call it my house ale, but I like it enough in its simplicity that I certainly can see brewing it on a regular basis.<br /><br />This is a basic pale ale (or, more accurately, a "<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style08.php#1b">special bitter</a>") with a beautiful copper color and a refreshing hoppiness. And even though clarity has little, if any, effect on overall flavor, I particularly like how clear this turned out. Perfect for any meal or occasion (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer#Serving_temperature">ideal serving temp</a>: 50-55<sup>o</sup>F).<br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><br /><b>Jim's Pale Ale</b><br />Batch Size: 5.00 gal<br />Boil Size: 2.5 gal<br />Estimated OG: 1.044<br />Estimated FG: 1.012 <br />Estimated IBU: 31.0<br />Boil Time: 60 Minutes<br /><br /><u>Mash Grains</u><br />3 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter <br />8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 60L<br /><br /><u>Extracts</u><br />1.75 lbs Extra Light Dry Extract<br />1 lbs Amber Dry Extract<br /><br /><u>Hop Schedule</u><br />1.00 oz Challenger [7.00 %] (45 min) 23.2 IBU<br />0.50 oz Williamette [5.80 %] (10 min) 2.1 IBU<br />0.50 oz Williamette [5.80 %] (1 min) 1.8 IBU<br /><br /><u>Misc</u><br />1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)<br /><br /><u>Yeast</u><br />Burton Ale (White Labs #WLP023)<br /><br /><u>Mash Schedule</u><br />Single Infusion, Batch Sparge<br />Total Grain Weight: 3.50 lb<br />75 min @ 150.0 F<br /><br /><u>Bottled</u><br />bottled with 4oz of fructoseJim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-12139923526872305412009-06-16T22:08:00.006-04:002009-06-16T22:13:09.577-04:00I don't need no stinkin' chickens<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjhRJOxFk4I/AAAAAAAABUo/6nNj98fR6l4/s1600-h/turkey.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjhRJOxFk4I/AAAAAAAABUo/6nNj98fR6l4/s400/turkey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348113776527119234" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-40571644206379427752009-06-11T23:56:00.009-04:002009-06-12T00:26:27.640-04:00Community Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWdCZFAKI/AAAAAAAABUY/jfhpeQgvzGI/s1600-h/plot56.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWdCZFAKI/AAAAAAAABUY/jfhpeQgvzGI/s200/plot56.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346290027012096162" /></a>In addition to our home garden, we decided to sign up for a plot in the <a href="http://attleborogarden.ning.com/">Attleboro Community Garden</a> - a partnership between the City of Attleboro and the <a href="http://www.attleborolandtrust.org/">Attleboro Land Trust</a> (of which I have been a board member for the past year and a half). The community garden is relatively small, so we only wanted to take a plot if there were any remaining after the sign-up period. The City was generous enough this year to expand the garden by about 30 feet - digging up part of the adjacent parking lot and putting down a nice layer of compost. This allowed the Land Trust to add about a dozen more plots. We got the last one - plot #56.<br /><br />The weather this spring has been pretty terrible for gardening - lots of rain and cold - but we finally had a nice weekend a couple of weeks ago, so Linda and I planted our plot with the cucumbers, onions, and peppers that didn't fit into our home garden. The cucumbers are going to take over this small space, so my plan is to build some trellising for them to climb all over. Hopefully, we'll be able to manage two gardens, but really, the vegetables we get out of this plot are really secondary to being part of this community project. What I am really looking forward to is getting to meet some of the other gardeners and seeing how the different plots grow over the summer - each one has its own personality.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWF2WpYyI/AAAAAAAABUI/miBrueYGTp8/s1600-h/cg_sign.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWF2WpYyI/AAAAAAAABUI/miBrueYGTp8/s320/cg_sign.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289628643681058" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWF4SBzkI/AAAAAAAABUA/tPwBC5sStUU/s1600-h/cg1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWF4SBzkI/AAAAAAAABUA/tPwBC5sStUU/s320/cg1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289629161180738" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFv0il-I/AAAAAAAABT4/mMfnQ703RgI/s1600-h/cg2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFv0il-I/AAAAAAAABT4/mMfnQ703RgI/s320/cg2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289626890016738" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFdpSicI/AAAAAAAABTw/YDSAsGtpI90/s1600-h/ourCGplot.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFdpSicI/AAAAAAAABTw/YDSAsGtpI90/s320/ourCGplot.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289622010988994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFF2zlkI/AAAAAAAABTo/8i5mzFB1ZG0/s1600-h/cukes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWFF2zlkI/AAAAAAAABTo/8i5mzFB1ZG0/s320/cukes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289615625229890" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWNElKm2I/AAAAAAAABUQ/RpJvLjFHCog/s1600-h/peppers_onions.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SjHWNElKm2I/AAAAAAAABUQ/RpJvLjFHCog/s320/peppers_onions.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346289752721759074" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-22964796239011209462009-06-04T21:15:00.009-04:002009-06-04T22:02:52.705-04:00Freezing the Harvest - take oneEating locally and seasonally as much as possible are two of my major food tenets. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. So, to extend the season of locally-grown veggies, we've decided to try freezing some this spring/summer. We probably won't have enough of a harvest of our own, so our plan is to buy an excess of vegetables at local farmer's markets when they are available instead. This year we'll start off relatively small and see how it goes. Hopefully we'll be eating local produce in January.<br /><br />Since we are currently in asparagus season and since all four of us thoroughly enjoy good asparagus, asparagus seems like a good place to start this little endeavor. Our personal asparagus patch is only in its second year and, even though we really wanted to, we did not harvest any this year. However, there is plenty of local asparagus available. So, with freezing in mind, we bought 6 pounds of asparagus from <a href="http://fourtownfarm.com/">Four Town Farm</a> (yes, only 6 lbs - I said we were starting small). After doing a bit of research online (<a href="http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1045.pdf">this pdf</a> from Iowa State is particularly useful), our freezing process went like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XB72HtI/AAAAAAAABSo/kBCZJ02jU6c/s1600-h/sort.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XB72HtI/AAAAAAAABSo/kBCZJ02jU6c/s200/sort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343654394438491858" border="0" /></a>1) Sort the spears into three rough size classes - small, medium, and large. Cut or snap off the bottom inch or two.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XDlgw0I/AAAAAAAABSw/k2_c_v5g1_4/s1600-h/boil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XDlgw0I/AAAAAAAABSw/k2_c_v5g1_4/s200/boil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343654394881688386" border="0" /></a>2) Blanch small portions in boiling water - 2 minutes for small spears, 3 minutes for medium spears, and 4 minutes for the large spears.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XfIPFkI/AAAAAAAABS4/FkHuMNiwq3M/s1600-h/shock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XfIPFkI/AAAAAAAABS4/FkHuMNiwq3M/s200/shock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343654402275087938" border="0" /></a>3) Shock the asparagus in ice water - 2 minutes for small spears, 3 minutes for medium spears, and 4 minutes for the large spears.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XsabWcI/AAAAAAAABTA/FpkuXqV5Sg4/s1600-h/drying.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XsabWcI/AAAAAAAABTA/FpkuXqV5Sg4/s200/drying.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343654405841050050" border="0" /></a>4) Dry the asparagus<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XqcHhCI/AAAAAAAABTI/ckIf84UH8_w/s1600-h/bag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sih5XqcHhCI/AAAAAAAABTI/ckIf84UH8_w/s200/bag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343654405311267874" border="0" /></a>5) Bag the asparagus in appropriate-sized portions and freeze.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Simple as that.<br /><br />I had never done this before, so I was sort of flying blind. I'm a bit worried that I blanched the asparagus for too long, even though I followed the 2,3,4 minutes guide. They seemed pretty well cooked to my taste, so I think I'll have to be careful not to overcook them come January.Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-54414725722793125912009-06-02T23:34:00.011-04:002009-06-03T00:05:57.995-04:00TragedyHonestly, officer, it was an accident. I didn't mean it. In fact, I'm not really sure what happened. I'm pretty sure they got water, either via watering can or rain. Though I must be wrong. Still, I've never seen things go so fast from this good:<br /><br /><center><b>May 27</b></center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiXwIWkUCXI/AAAAAAAABSg/RSj2A2c7py8/s1600-h/greensb4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiXwIWkUCXI/AAAAAAAABSg/RSj2A2c7py8/s320/greensb4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342940559232469362" /></a><center>.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />to this bad<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br />.<br /><b>June 1</b></center><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiXwINsJRwI/AAAAAAAABSY/v7_f9u4B594/s1600-h/greensafter.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiXwINsJRwI/AAAAAAAABSY/v7_f9u4B594/s320/greensafter.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342940556849399554" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-81348469549566615952009-06-02T00:29:00.010-04:002009-06-02T01:08:38.082-04:00Salt Hay MulchI hate weeding. I also hate weeds in the vegetable garden<sup>*</sup>. So, something's gotta give. The past couple of years, the weeds have won. Try as we might, we just can't keep up, and by July 4th I'm often rationalizing the state of our garden by saying that we're just camouflaging the vegetables from the herbivores. Nobody seems to buy it. So, this year, I decided to give mulching a try. I wasn't really sure what the best thing to do was - I wanted natural, but I also wanted effective, and I'm not convinced I could get both. Well, after very little research (which is unlike me), we ended up mulching with some salt marsh hay (actually, we went to our local nursery to get a sheet of black plastic, but they didn't have it and the guy suggested the salt hay. Since the salt hay is a lot more natural than plastic, his suggestion was pretty much all I needed)<br /><br />First I did some preliminary weeding, hoping to set the little buggers back a bit. Then I laid some old newspaper down between the vegetable rows before placing a layer of the salt marsh hay down. The neighbors had a good laugh watching me try to get both the newspaper and the hay down while the wind gusted up every now and then. But in the end, I used up one of the two bales, pretty much covering the rows between our tomatoes and zucchini. Th onions and beans still seemed too small for me to be messing around them - if/when they get bigger, I'll add more hay - and I left the potatoes clear so I can <a href="http://topveg.com/2009/04/ridging-up-potatoes/">"ridge" them</a>.<br /><br />I don't actually expect to beat the weeds. I'm just hoping to stave them off a little while. Hopefully, we don't end up with an abundance of weeds growing up through the hay.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyK9SKgOI/AAAAAAAABSQ/Px1cHenrXUk/s1600-h/salthay1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyK9SKgOI/AAAAAAAABSQ/Px1cHenrXUk/s320/salthay1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342590959287435490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyKkd76qI/AAAAAAAABSI/T6EhuOt3v40/s1600-h/salthay2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyKkd76qI/AAAAAAAABSI/T6EhuOt3v40/s320/salthay2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342590952625924770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyKYlJLyI/AAAAAAAABSA/KpCVikUBAas/s1600-h/salthay_close.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SiSyKYlJLyI/AAAAAAAABSA/KpCVikUBAas/s320/salthay_close.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342590949434928930" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 9pt"><sup>*</sup> "weeds" in the lawn however are just fine - in fact, I'm pretty sure our neighborhood hates us since we're most certainly the source of 99.9% of the dandelions in our area. Our lawn is pretty much the exact opposite of uniform, green, and grassy. But it is alive with bees, snakes, frogs, and caterpillars - which is far more important.</span>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-56899541946457247272009-05-20T00:36:00.005-04:002009-05-20T00:42:29.296-04:00First Harvest!We had our first salad from our garden the other day. A nice mix of leafy lettuce, arugula, and baby Swiss chard. <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-sowing.html">Sixty-three days</a> from seed to table.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShOJT0UhDxI/AAAAAAAABRg/5hvih-ehiO8/s1600-h/first_salad_09.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShOJT0UhDxI/AAAAAAAABRg/5hvih-ehiO8/s320/first_salad_09.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337760956919385874" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-86719914605375878042009-05-17T22:35:00.016-04:002009-05-20T00:32:21.286-04:00Sunday Gravy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDJl9gf_QI/AAAAAAAABQg/cUxuDiF1k1E/s1600-h/macaroni_close.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDJl9gf_QI/AAAAAAAABQg/cUxuDiF1k1E/s200/macaroni_close.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336987212437257474" /></a>Despite my French-Canadian last name, my cultural heritage is actually Italian (or more accurately, Italian-American), on my mom's side. As a kid, I had no idea that it wasn't "normal" to have lasagna at Easter, calamari and <a href="http://almostitalian.com/scungilli/">scungilli</a> on Christmas Eve (and manicotti and meatballs on Christmas Day), or at least two dozen people over for Sunday dinner (including any number of "cousins" and "uncles"). Linda's given up trying to figure out who's who ("Is that Big Joe or Little Joe?" "Neither, that's Anthony's son Joe" "Big Anthony or Little Anthony?" "Little Anthony, Big Joe's brother" "And who's that over there?" "That's Anthony, Little Joe's brother." ). My Nonna seems to always be cooking something and none of us grandkids are ever in danger of starving at her house, which was right down the street from where I grew up - a street which within a mile lived us, my grandparents, one of my aunts and her family, my uncle and his family and my mom's cousin (who was like my aunt). It took me a while to learn that when most kids referred to their "family" they meant just mom, dad and sis.<br /><br />Anyways, I digress. The point here is that much of my way of thinking about food comes from this upbringing. For me, family and food have always been abundant and inseparable. And no more so than on Sundays, when my Nonna or my mom would prepare the gravy. Now, I can't say with certainty that we had gravy <span style="font-style:italic;">every</span> Sunday, but Sunday gravy was certainly the norm. <br /><br />Yes, I said gravy. No, it's not the stuff you put on turkey at Thanksgiving (that's "brown gravy") and it's not the stuff that goes on biscuits (I don't know what that is). It's a red sauce. It's tomato-based. But it's not "tomato sauce" or even "spaghetti sauce". It's certainly not "marinara sauce" and you can't buy it at Stop & Shop. It may or may not involve meatballs, but always includes some kind of meat (usually pork and/or sausage, occasionally steak, rarely chicken). We always had it with macaroni - which meant ziti or penne or rigatoni - crusty bread, a salad, and red wine. The recipe that follows is not really a recipe so much as a template for making gravy - there aren't really any quantifiable amounts for the most part (though I'll try to ad lib some). This is what happens when the recipe comes from my Nonna - I don't think I've ever heard her use the words <span style="font-style:italic;">teaspoon</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">quarter cup</span>. "How much oil, Nonna?" "Enough." "How long do you simmer it?" "Until it's done." "How do you know when it's done?" "You know." So, you just do it. And it comes out good, but never quite like hers. Because you never do it quite like she does - mostly because she doesn't tell you everything. Not out of spite of course, but because there are things that she assumes everyone already knows about cooking - for her it's second nature (maybe even first nature) and she doesn't realize that it's not like that for everyone (so actually, she doesn't even assume you know - not knowing isn't even a possibility). We always joke about strapping a camera to her forehead so we can record every single step. Even then, I'm sure we'd miss something.<br /><br />Since I no longer live right down the street (though we're still just 40 miles away), I've started making Sunday gravy more and more myself. It's a slow food - you need several hours to do it right - so Sundays are good for it. Of all the recipes on this blog, this one is the most important. Sunday gravy is what this blog is all about - paying attention to what and how we eat. Gravy is about food, family, and tradition, and taking the time to appreciate them all. Of all the meals that I make, this is the one that connects me to my Nonna, my mom, and my aunts and one that I hope Emma and Jack will be calling me (or their Nonna) for advice on when they grow up. <br /><br />(Generally, with this recipe, I cook a pound of macaroni, which is more than enough for the four of us, with leftovers. I also end up with a few cups of gravy that I freeze for another day. Adjust according to your needs, though I'd hesitate to go any smaller. Also, for the meat you can mix and match any number of cuts of pork, beef, and sausage - just be sure that it is fatty enough to take a long braising without drying out. Meatballs are another post.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Macaroni and Gravy</span><br />~1 lb Italian sausage (hot and/or sweet)<br />~1 lb boneless "country style" pork ribs<br />2 28oz cans crushed tomatoes (I use Pastene brand, "Kitchen Ready" tomatoes)<br />1 medium onion, sliced<br />red wine (maybe a 1/2 cup?)<br />vegetable oil (olive oil will burn too quickly)<br />salt<br />pepper<br />red pepper flakes (optional)<ol><li>Heat oil over medium heat in large stock pot (be generous with the oil)<br /><li>Brown pork and sausage, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes<br /><li>While browning add onion, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using)<br /><li>Deglaze with red wine, scrapping the bottom of the pan<br /><li>Add tomatoes<br /><li>Rinse tomato cans with about an inch of water each and add to the gravy (this is one of those things Nonna doesn't tell you about - you just catch her doing it one day and when you tell her that she never told you about it, she replies, "Of course you do that!")<br /><li> Continue to cook on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally (make sure that you've rigorous bubbling, but be careful not to scorch the bottom)<br /><li>Reduce heat; simmer for <span style="font-style:italic;">at least</span> 2 hours, 4 hours would be much better; stir occasionally <br />(you should notice a change in color, sheen, and consistency over the hours - darker, shinier, thicker. I actually gradually reduce the heat over the hours)<br /><li>Remove meat to separate bowl<br /><li> Serve over macaroni, with meat on the side<br /></ol><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhzv7n-0I/AAAAAAAABRY/gGPdKcqx6uU/s1600-h/meat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhzv7n-0I/AAAAAAAABRY/gGPdKcqx6uU/s320/meat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013837590166338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhzWmoyXI/AAAAAAAABRQ/6fn7M5X3drU/s1600-h/browning.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhzWmoyXI/AAAAAAAABRQ/6fn7M5X3drU/s320/browning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013830791252338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtSay9cI/AAAAAAAABRI/A9WURolcEQY/s1600-h/browned.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtSay9cI/AAAAAAAABRI/A9WURolcEQY/s320/browned.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013726588630466" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtOamHOI/AAAAAAAABRA/7hJEzDVSIng/s1600-h/kitchenready.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtOamHOI/AAAAAAAABRA/7hJEzDVSIng/s320/kitchenready.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013725514046690" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtBKj_jI/AAAAAAAABQ4/ZrZFeUAoysM/s1600-h/simmering.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhtBKj_jI/AAAAAAAABQ4/ZrZFeUAoysM/s320/simmering.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013721957137970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhs2ZDlDI/AAAAAAAABQw/GxPESLRU8ow/s1600-h/done.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhs2ZDlDI/AAAAAAAABQw/GxPESLRU8ow/s320/done.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013719065138226" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhs-ypsMI/AAAAAAAABQo/2bCAFyCuM4I/s1600-h/macaroni.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ShDhs-ypsMI/AAAAAAAABQo/2bCAFyCuM4I/s320/macaroni.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337013721319977154" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-71935470671457619952009-05-13T21:39:00.006-04:002009-05-14T11:40:17.231-04:00Fiddleheads<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sgt36wEjK3I/AAAAAAAABP4/baggs_Fkhsk/s1600-h/fiddlehead.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 113px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sgt36wEjK3I/AAAAAAAABP4/baggs_Fkhsk/s200/fiddlehead.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335490034770586482" /></a>Talk about the ultimate in eating seasonally and locally! Fiddleheads, the unfurled fronds of the ostrich fern (<span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich_fern">Matteuccia struthiopteris</a></span>) , are available for only a few weeks in the Spring and, as far as I know, are not cultivated, but harvested wild. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Luckily for us, New England is the right place and right now is the right time. So, as part of Linda's birthday supper, I decided to cook up a batch. <br /><br />Fiddleheads are a rather mild, earthy vegetable - something akin to asparagus. They lend themselves to a variety of preparations - boiled, steamed, sauted - and can take just about any type of seasoning or sauce. Before you cook them however, they should be thoroughly washed to remove the brown papery "scales" (I wonder what the botanical term is), dirt, and grit. Ends should be trimmed.<br /><br />For tonight's dinner, I blanched the fiddleheads in salted, boiling water for about 2 minutes, then shocked them in ice water, drained, and allowed to air dry. I then sauted them in olive oil with some garlic and salt until just tender, deglazed in a splash of white wine and finished by tossing them with a balsamic vinaigrette (and I intended, but forgot, to serve them with a dash of red pepper flakes and some fresh-grated parmesan). They were the perfect complement to the grilled rib eye and Israeli couscous with Swiss chard. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlLeNUYI/AAAAAAAABQA/ifHsqPXPHe4/s1600-h/fiddleheads.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlLeNUYI/AAAAAAAABQA/ifHsqPXPHe4/s320/fiddleheads.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335499559773491586" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlcRs8MI/AAAAAAAABQI/tmHeLz-aiA4/s1600-h/cleaned.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlcRs8MI/AAAAAAAABQI/tmHeLz-aiA4/s320/cleaned.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335499564284440770" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlRZtdxI/AAAAAAAABQQ/G-OPqOrzYnw/s1600-h/cleaned2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlRZtdxI/AAAAAAAABQQ/G-OPqOrzYnw/s320/cleaned2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335499561365239570" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlnNFJqI/AAAAAAAABQY/76bwJthp_9E/s1600-h/saute.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SguAlnNFJqI/AAAAAAAABQY/76bwJthp_9E/s320/saute.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335499567217845922" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-88649658616877248292009-04-30T20:30:00.006-04:002009-04-30T20:56:00.513-04:00Your basic cheeseburger<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpF_EImZ1I/AAAAAAAABPI/yIafl9kiysU/s1600-h/meal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpF_EImZ1I/AAAAAAAABPI/yIafl9kiysU/s320/meal.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330650058690291538" /></a>Sometimes, a simple meal is best. Nothing fancy here - just your basic cheeseburger, some <a href="http://www.capecodchips.com/">Cape Cod potato chips</a>, a nice green salad with balsamic vinaigrette, and a homebrewed pale ale. The only thing to add would be a nice fresh tomato from the garden, but that will have to wait until mid-summer. Linda and the kids like to add some ketchup and mustard, and the kids go even further by adding relish and pickles, especially if the relish and pickles are made by our good friend, <a href="http://sarahslack.blogspot.com/">Sarah</a>.<br /><br />I don't have much of a recipe to give here. The hamburger is from our monthly meat CSA share from <a href="http://chestnutfarm.org/">Chestnut Farms</a> in Hardwick, MA. I don't add anything to it. Each burger is hand-formed and about 1/3 lb apiece. I grill them for about 15 minuted over medium heat, flipping twice, with the second flip coinciding with the cheese addition. A perfect medium to medium-rare.Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-75285643873559777562009-04-27T20:48:00.001-04:002009-04-30T20:54:31.043-04:00Planting PotatoesA couple of years ago, Linda, the kids and I visited some friends who had taken over their family farm in Pennsylvania. We happened to be there during potato harvest time. I knew how potaotes grew - I understood it intellectually - but I never witnessed it. So, we all helped dig out the potatoes and I can honsestly say that I was amazed. Seriously, I stood awed by the fact that I took a shovel, stuck it into the ground, turned over the soil, and half a dozen beautiful potatoes were right there. It was like digging for buried treasure I guess.<br /><br />Well, today I planted our first batch of potatoes - setting the stage for our own treasure hunt in a few months. We ordered two different sets of seed potatoes - Yukon Gold and Russian Banana Fingerlings. I cut each potatoe into pieces - each with a eye or two (or, in some cases, a sprout or two) - let them callus over a bit overnight, and planted them a few inches deep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAlvpUNI/AAAAAAAABPw/gjxQkShaK2U/s1600-h/potatoes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAlvpUNI/AAAAAAAABPw/gjxQkShaK2U/s320/potatoes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330651184403927250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAsmF10I/AAAAAAAABPo/DE-9gwvRDzc/s1600-h/yukon_cut.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAsmF10I/AAAAAAAABPo/DE-9gwvRDzc/s320/yukon_cut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330651186242901826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAWo_avI/AAAAAAAABPg/NaYsKnOZrlM/s1600-h/fingerlings_cut.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAWo_avI/AAAAAAAABPg/NaYsKnOZrlM/s320/fingerlings_cut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330651180349483762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHASzHfGI/AAAAAAAABPY/3sUq8QdDWX0/s1600-h/potatoes_trench.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHASzHfGI/AAAAAAAABPY/3sUq8QdDWX0/s320/potatoes_trench.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330651179318213730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAH2xCkI/AAAAAAAABPQ/Fc3TIusj53Y/s1600-h/potatoes_close.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SfpHAH2xCkI/AAAAAAAABPQ/Fc3TIusj53Y/s320/potatoes_close.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330651176380729922" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-90992899221084328862009-04-22T20:11:00.012-04:002009-04-22T20:31:21.340-04:00Every Last Cookie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3537/3466836064_f4890711ce.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3537/3466836064_f4890711ce.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>My wife's cousin, a freshman at NYU, has a great blog about a great idea. She's baking her way through every cookie in Martha Stewart's cookie cookbook and blogging about each one. She hopes to complete her mission by the time she graduates. She's through Cookie #10 in only 8 weeks or so. At this rate, she should be able to do it. Of course, she'll have to forgo graduating early.<br /><br />If you like cookies (and who doesn't?) you should definitely check it out: <a href="http://everylastcookie.blogspot.com/">Every Last Cookie</a><br /><br />PS Her photographs may be more impressive than the cookiesJim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-55209886632064850702009-04-19T20:34:00.005-04:002009-04-19T21:25:04.793-04:00Cold frames and beetsFor the past few of years, we've used a couple of cold frames for some of our veggies - mostly leafy greens (e.g. Swiss chard, leaf lettuce, arugula, escarole, etc.) They work really great as they let us sow seeds directly outside much sooner in the spring, and the small, confined areas are easy to keep weed- and herbivore-free and well-watered. This year, I added two more frames to the backyard to increase our yield by staggering our plantings across a couple of months - this way, hopefully, we'll have a continuous supply of lettuce, chard, and carrots throughout the summer and into the fall (I plan on resowing at the end of the summer for fall, and perhaps even winter harvesting). The first cold frames I made out of plywood, some poplar 1x2s, and sheets of thin plexiglass cut to size - all bought from Home Depot. This year, I asked my grandfather, who owns a <a href="http://www.iaccarino.biz/">millworking business</a> if he could cut me some plywood to size since I really don't have the right tools. Well, as I should have expected, given the way my grandfather operates, instead of plywood, I got a top-of-the-line exterior-grade composite, called <a href="http://www.extira.com/">Extira</a>. It was completely unnecessary and definitely overkill, but I happily used the pieces and put the new cold frames to work this afternoon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SevOLlHVc4I/AAAAAAAABO4/m1eOGanqwYg/s1600-h/coldframes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SevOLlHVc4I/AAAAAAAABO4/m1eOGanqwYg/s320/coldframes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326577682632504194" /></a><br />Into the new frames went another sowing of spring leaf lettuce mix and Swiss chard, some <a href="http://www.cooksgarden.com/prodinfo.asp?number=571&variation=&aitem=3&mitem=9">purple dragon carrots</a>, and some beets. If the beet seeds look remarkably like <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-sowing.html">Swiss chard seeds</a>, it's because they're just different cultivars of the the same species - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beet"><i>Beta vulgaris</i></a>. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Beets:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SevOLiujr6I/AAAAAAAABPA/PhZtx_KG6HE/s1600-h/beet_seeds.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SevOLiujr6I/AAAAAAAABPA/PhZtx_KG6HE/s320/beet_seeds.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326577681991708578" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-89462628418559277322009-04-15T12:44:00.003-04:002009-04-15T12:50:50.137-04:00The asparagus are coming! The asparagus are coming!Last year, we planted 8 asparagus plants. They seemed to do well. When fall came we cut back the first years growth and put the plants to bed for the winter (which just means we covered them with a bit more soil and let them be). I've been anxiously watching the bed the past month, waiting to see signs that the plants made it through the winter OK. Well, I finally have proof that at least one plant is still alive. Hopefully the others will follow shortly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SeYQRlneWxI/AAAAAAAABOY/TBwqvaG0fBM/s1600-h/asparagus_tip.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SeYQRlneWxI/AAAAAAAABOY/TBwqvaG0fBM/s320/asparagus_tip.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324961503753689874" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-57237799114531741932009-03-31T21:08:00.009-04:002009-03-31T22:52:18.130-04:00Pizza Nights<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLW2jWAVDI/AAAAAAAABN0/7OwtnH6i8LI/s1600-h/pizza.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLW2jWAVDI/AAAAAAAABN0/7OwtnH6i8LI/s200/pizza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319550342566794290" /></a>One of my favorite homemade meals is Family Pizza Night. I love that the kids are part of the process of making their own food. They get their own individual-sized pizza that they can "decorate" as they see fit - often making smiley faces with the ingredients. They get to choose what they want and how much they want. They get to have fun making good food and the whole dinner process is a family event. Our standard fare includes pepperoni, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and pineapple. Emma goes for mostly pineapple "eyes" and red pepper as a "smile". Jack and Linda tend to include a little bit of everything - Jack starts with a design, but usually ends up wanting to include too much so he has to forgo with his original idea. As Emma pointed out last time, I'm the most boring - <del>usually</del> always including just the pepperoni (though often with fresh garlic slivers, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes).<br /><br />As with all of my doughs, I make this one in the bread machine. I've found that this recipe is plenty for the whole family. After the bread machine has done its work, I cut the dough into three equal pieces and then cut one of the thirds in half - this results in two smaller pieces (one for each of the kids) and two larger pieces (one for each of the grownups). We usually have leftovers for lunch the next day (except me - who apparently doesn't think one piece will be enough for lunch so it might as well be eaten now). After trying several different recipes, I like this one best - I found it online, but can't remember where.<br /><br /><b>Pizza Dough</b><br />1 cup lukewarm water<br />2 Tbsp honey<br />¼ cup olive oil<br />3½ cups bread flour<br />½ tsp salt<br />2 Tbsp yeast (this is quite a bit of yeast - you can use less, but I like the rise and taste this much yeast gives)<br /><br />1) Place all ingredients, in order, into bread machine (or use your standard dough-kneading technique and skip ahead)<br />2) Set on dough cycle - watch and amend with more water or flour as needed after 4-5 minutes<br />3) When bread machine is done, remove dough from pan and punch it down<br />4) Cut dough into individual servings, form each serving into a ball, cover and let sit for 15-20 minutes<br />5) Pre-heat oven and pizza stone (if using) to 400-450°<br />6) Roll, pull, push, toss, or otherwise shape your pizza dough<br />7) Top with sauce (we use our standard tomato sauce - <a href="http://store.pastene.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PU&Product_Code=TOMA8050&Category_Code=TOMA">Pastene Kitchen-Ready tomatoes</a>), cheese and toppings of your choice<br />8) Cook until dough is slightly browned and cheese is melted and bubbly<br />9) Cool for a few minutes, cut, eat, enjoy<br /><br />A tip that I find works really well - if you are going to use a pizza stone, make and cook your pizza on parchment paper. After a few minutes in the oven, you can easily pull the parchment paper out and let the pizza finish cooking directly on the pizza stone.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKEJjTPzI/AAAAAAAABNs/kietw7bdBkA/s1600-h/dough.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKEJjTPzI/AAAAAAAABNs/kietw7bdBkA/s320/dough.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319536282510245682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDxbtk6I/AAAAAAAABNk/3yeMjvOq4Do/s1600-h/ingredients.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDxbtk6I/AAAAAAAABNk/3yeMjvOq4Do/s320/ingredients.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319536276035965858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKD-4qZ7I/AAAAAAAABNc/0PaQP0eEeKs/s1600-h/kids_pizza_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKD-4qZ7I/AAAAAAAABNc/0PaQP0eEeKs/s320/kids_pizza_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319536279647053746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDp4LcFI/AAAAAAAABNU/hH3rvT7u__k/s1600-h/kids_pizza_2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDp4LcFI/AAAAAAAABNU/hH3rvT7u__k/s320/kids_pizza_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319536274007879762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDpkT9GI/AAAAAAAABNM/hfYyHrfxBiA/s1600-h/kids_pizza_done.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdLKDpkT9GI/AAAAAAAABNM/hfYyHrfxBiA/s320/kids_pizza_done.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319536273924551778" /></a><center>(the one in the foreground is Emma's "spider-face" pizza)</center>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-39585516856895429522009-03-31T16:25:00.003-04:002009-03-31T16:36:22.930-04:00Swiss chard on its way!Looks like I may not need to resow my first Swiss chard batch after all. They're up and looking good. (Also exciting - I think I may see some carrot sprouts, but I'll give them a few more days to be sure)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pXaU0FI/AAAAAAAABM8/xGuGiLL1_KE/s1600-h/swiss_chard1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pXaU0FI/AAAAAAAABM8/xGuGiLL1_KE/s320/swiss_chard1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319453359002144850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pGhQe0I/AAAAAAAABM0/Bq_iJXrgPW8/s1600-h/swiss_chard2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pGhQe0I/AAAAAAAABM0/Bq_iJXrgPW8/s320/swiss_chard2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319453354467818306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pNW6NiI/AAAAAAAABMs/MdPv9Cf01qQ/s1600-h/swiss_chard3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/SdJ-pNW6NiI/AAAAAAAABMs/MdPv9Cf01qQ/s320/swiss_chard3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319453356303463970" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-45777879460664870532009-03-27T17:16:00.011-04:002009-03-27T20:44:48.946-04:00March seedlingsI planted some <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/03/planting-lettuce.html">lettuce</a> and <a href="http://cooking44.blogspot.com/2009/03/more-sowing.html">arugula</a> seeds just under two weeks ago and they seem to have taken. The cold frame is doing its job - even with sub-freezing night temperatures all week. YAY!<br /><br />(that's my flash drive in the photos for scale)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lettuce:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sc1C07o7fJI/AAAAAAAABME/lNhf5sWDaho/s1600-h/lettuce.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sc1C07o7fJI/AAAAAAAABME/lNhf5sWDaho/s320/lettuce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317980212124417170" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Arugula:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sc1C07MrbpI/AAAAAAAABMM/Jh3lw_rt62o/s1600-h/arugula.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sc1C07MrbpI/AAAAAAAABMM/Jh3lw_rt62o/s320/arugula.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317980212005924498" /></a>(I think I'll need to thin the arugula at some point)<br /><br />No signs of carrot or Swiss chard though, even with the temporary plastic cover I put on the other cold frame :( (though I don't really expect to see carrot seedlings for a while - they're notorious for taking a long time to germinate)Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-14196656926780943322009-03-17T19:02:00.007-04:002009-03-17T21:09:25.473-04:00St. Patrick's Day Oatmeal Stout<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ScBI18p5amI/AAAAAAAABLk/pHmiTwb9jyA/s1600-h/oatmeal_stout.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/ScBI18p5amI/AAAAAAAABLk/pHmiTwb9jyA/s320/oatmeal_stout.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314327651949308514" /></a>Those of you who also stop by my other bog, <a href="http://attleborobio.blogspot.com/">from Archaea to Zeaxanthol</a>, may remember that I have recently begun <a href="http://attleborobio.blogspot.com/2009/01/mmmmbeer.html">brewing my own beer</a>. My second brew, an Oatmeal Stout, just happens to be ready today (honestly, I didn't plan it this way!) It turned out pretty good if I may say so myself. I'm not much of a stout connoisseur, but I'm very happy with this brew. I think it might be a tad too bitter - not sure if it's the hops or too much roasted barley. Maybe both. I'll have to try experimenting with amounts when I try brewing this again. For you home brewers out there, here's my recipe:<br /><br /><b>Oatmeal Stout</b><br />Method: Partial mash<br />Batch size: 5 gallons<br />Boil size: 2.5 gallons<br />O.G.: 1.054 F.G.: 1.015<br /><br /><u>grain bill</u><br />1 lb pale malt (2-row)<br />1 lb roasted barley<br />8 oz crystal malt (60L)<br />8 oz chocolate male<br />8 oz flaked oats<br /><br /><u>extracts</u><br />1 lb Amber dry malt extract<br />4 lbs Pale liquid extract<br /><br /><u>hops</u><br />3 oz East Kent Golding (45 minutes)<br /><br /><u>yeast</u><br />Irish Ale (<a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/">White Labs</a>, #WLP004) <br /><br /><u>bottle priming</u><br />4 oz turbinado sugar<br /><br />1. Mash the grains in ~4.5 quarts of water at 155°F for 60 minutes<br />2. Sparge with ~2 gallons of 180°F water<br />3. If necessary, add water to achieve 2.5 gallons<br />4. Proceed with standard extract and hop boiling (per hop schedule above)<br />5. Ferment 2-3 weeks at ale temperature (65-75°F<br />6. Bottle<br />7. Condition (at least 3 weeks at room temperature)<br />8. Drink<br /><br />Stouts (as well as porters and most ales) are best served at ~55°F, which can be achieved by storing in a cool cellar or by placing room temperature bottles in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Most heavier beers, like stouts, are supposed to continue to improve with age - 3 weeks in the bottles is considered by some still too young to drink. I do think that the beer I first brewed tastes better now than it did when I first tried it, so I imagine this stout will taste even better in a month or two than it does now (if there's any left!). Happy St. Patrick's Day!Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2612061537574762570.post-11298370623895016972009-03-16T20:46:00.004-04:002009-03-16T20:52:44.031-04:00Spring's A'comin'It's comforting to know that there are still some seasonal cycles that you can rely on. Below are two signs that Spring is almost here in New England.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sb7zulUF7RI/AAAAAAAABK0/PbfPkruh6pI/s1600-h/Symplocarpus_foetidus.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sb7zulUF7RI/AAAAAAAABK0/PbfPkruh6pI/s320/Symplocarpus_foetidus.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313952591959682322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sb7zuS9oh6I/AAAAAAAABKs/q4Wlt5eBoQQ/s1600-h/sugaring.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9WS_LgoZplI/Sb7zuS9oh6I/AAAAAAAABKs/q4Wlt5eBoQQ/s320/sugaring.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313952587033642914" /></a>Jim Lemirehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14000051293978203511noreply@blogger.com0