Ottawa Valley Organic Farm Tour

We are delighted to find ourselves amongst a community of local farmers, quite inadvertently...when we took on our flock of hens, it was as a favour to a friend who had to pass them on. Now, the eggs they lay are traded for vegetables and raw milk, and we're in conversation with friends at Earth Rocks...looks like we may barter eggs for "green" dishsoap, toothpaste, laundry detergent, etc.! It's a wonderful circle of community trading. We used to keep our "egg money" in a large Mason jar and use it for buying more chicken feed. However, food in the fridge is a much better deal.

On that note, we've decided to make the shift to feeding our chickens 100% organic food from Homestead Organics. At the moment, we've been mixing a bag of organic lay mash with one of non-organic to make it go further. We sell them as "mostly organic eggs from free-range chickens". We have a faithful, small customer base. Once, when I thought we'd have to ditch the organic feed altogether because of the cost, these friends protested. They WANT organic eggs and are willing to pay more for them! Other neighbours, hardcore "locals" who are used to paying $2.50 at the grocery store and at other farm gates for non-organic eggs have dug their heels in and refuse to buy our eggs. It's really interesting to see how food quality can be such a divisive issue. People pay lots of money to buy good quality shoes, barbeques, lawn-mowers, motor boats...but they'll be damned if they'll pay $1.50 more for highest-quality eggs. And they appear to think that we're scamming people by charging what we do, when the money we "make" from our eggs doesn't even cover the cost of feeding them, let alone the work of keeping them fed and watered, and their coop clean. I just feel that if I'm going to go to the work of raising chickens to have home-grown eggs for my children, I want them to be as far from mass-produced, industrial grocery store eggs as possible.

Which brings me to today's topic: The Ottawa Valley Organic Farm Tour! We attended the kick-off on Saturday night, at Donegal Heritage Farm, which is about a 10-minute drive from here. At the end of a narrow, gravel road, we came to a gate; the kids were delighted to see me get out of the van, open the gate, drive through, get out, and close the gate before we drove up to the farm! Tom McCullough and Joanne Zomers are the happy farmers who raise organic eggs, chicken, pork, lambs, and so on, in the most beautiful of settings. They are also the owners of The Red Canoe Cafe in Wilno, which features locally-grown food.

The evening included:

.:baby animals!

.:live local musicians! (shown here: Ish Theilheimer and Barney McCaffery)

.:a tour of the farm!

.:an amazing array of mostly-local, home-cooked fare

.:and a tree swing!

What more could one ask of a rural Saturday evening? The sky was clear, the kids ran off with other stranger-friends as only kids can do, and I sat around on the grass eating rhubarb crumble with strawberry puree, chatting with Kylah of Rainbow Heritage Gardens and her lovely friend Juniper. We almost got our fill of chubby-baby snuggles with her darling Dayvah...because how could you ever get enough of that?

In the beautiful evening sunshine, Dayvah had her own local, organic meal (courtesy of her mama), and I just had to get a pic of those gorgeous, healthy legs, curled up in nursey-bliss.

The Sunday portion of the tour includes visits to two local farms that focus on raising food organically. Thanks to Michael Ilgert (the farmer who provides raw milk to local foodies) for organizing such a wonderful event, and to Joanne and Tom for opening their doors and feeding all the visitors!

.:handmade thank you cards are always appreciated!

These will go into the mailbox today.

I realise in writing this that some of you may be wishing you'd known about this event in advance! Next year, I'll be sure to give advance notice, with a link to this year's pictures, so that maybe we can meet and dine together on the grass at a local farm!

Perfect Berry Pie

Although I am no means a Martha Stewart (or one of her lackeys) in the kitchen, I do make a good pie. Pie-making can be intimidating, especially when you start thinking that you need all kinds of fancy accessories to put it all together: pastry cutters, lattice makers, flutey-edge rollers...forget it! I'm going to tell you how I do a pie, and it requires nothing more than a bowl, some measuring cups and spoons, a fork, spoon, and a rolling pin...and those most useful and most beautifully created tools: your two hands.

Telltale signs of mommy's helper: flour and berries on face.

First we picked berries behind our barn...this has been like finding a pirate's treasure, as we had lots of canes last year, but no berries. I had to pick fast, as Margot was eating them at a wicked pace. Once I had a scant 3 cups, I knew I had just enough (4 would be better but by 3 our ankles and wrists were scratched, the bugs had found us, and Margot was whining).

I don't wash them because I know they're free from pesticides...I just carefully picked through for sticks, leaves, and bugs. !

So, here's what you do:

For the pie crust, I just follow the instructions on the Tenderflake lard package!

1. Mix together 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (OR 6 cups cake and pastry flour) and 2 tsp. salt.

2. Cut in 1 pound (the whole darn box!) Tenderflake pure lard.

At this point, I use my fingers to pinch the flour into the lard. Do this until it resembles coarse oatmeal. This always seems like a strange indicator to me; you just don't want it to be "creamed" together the way you would butter and sugar...it should be small and crumby, but still in bits.

3. In a measuring cup, combine 1 egg, slightly beaten, with 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Mix into lard mixture with a wooden spoon. Add just enough cold water to make the dough stick together.

This is probably the hardest part: DO. NOT. OVERMIX. It really should just cling together. Add the water very gradually so it doesn't get too sticky.

What makes pie crust flaky is all those little bits of lard that are not totally mixed in. Pie crust shouldn't be dense...it should be light and flaky. Keep working at it. It takes practice, but I assure you, it's worth it!

So, now you can divide this huge ball of dough into 6 equal parts. Tightly wrap four of them in plastic wrap, then put them all in a freezer bag, and pop in the freezer, ready for you to use for tarts, pot pies, or more berry pies!

Roll out one sixth on a floured surface; attempt to make it round! This doesn't always work, but don't sweat it. It's just pie, after all!

Lay it in a 9" pie plate, gently pressing it into the "corners" and letting the excess hang over.

Now you make your berry mix:

3 cups berries

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then mix in berries. If you prefer to use frozen berries or that's all you have, add 1 tsp. lemon juice and 1/2 tsp. lemon zest to the mix.

Pour into the pie shell, and dot with about 1 Tbsp. butter, in little pieces.

Isn't that pretty?

Roll out your second ball of dough, and place over the whole thing. Trim the edges with a sharp knife...there is no right or wrong way to do this, as long as you leave enough to pinch it together to seal in the filling! You can leave an inch "seam allowance" to roll in and make a thicker edge if you like. You can cut it to the edge of the pie plate, then press the two layers together with fork tines. I like to fold them both over, then press with my pointer and middle fingers about a centimetre apart (yes, I'm Canadian and you can tell because I shift comfortably between Imperial and metric measures!), with the tip of my opposite thumb between them, creating an edge like this:

Slice some little vents in the top. If you want to get fancy, you could cut a little shape out with a knife, or with a tiny cookie cutter! I really like the look of a simple, home-baked pie myself.

Place this delightful creation in an oven that's been pre-heated to 400 degrees. Bake for 35-40 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven, till all is golden and beautiful.

Hot, oozey, berry goodness!

Resist the urge to cut when hot...all the filling will ooze right out. Let it cool for an hour or so; then it will be set, and still nice and warm and wonderful!

Raspberry pie is my favourite pie (a close second is cherry). As soon as it touches my tongue, I am transported back to my childhood summers on my Nanny's farm in Quebec. I wonder sometimes how much my memories of that time have influenced where I am today: homemade bread, toasted over the woodstove; picking raspberries for a freshly-baked pie; picnics in the surrounding fields; and so on. The sweet/tart flavour of the berries, combined with the salty flakiness of homemade pie crust is beyond description. I wish I could add an olfactory feature to this space, so that as you read you could smell that pie as it baked...or that you could join me this afternoon for a hot cup of tea and a warm slice of this childhood memory.

Julia Child used to say, Bon Apetit!...

One of my favourite French expressions is Bon Courage, which, translated directly is Good Courage. To me it means..."Go for it, bravely and with a smile on your face!" with a bit of "I know you can do it!" thrown in...

So, get out that rolling pin, and make a pie: Bon Courage!

Home Sewing Part 1: Perky!

We live in an old farmhouse that has "good bones". What this means is, there are refinished wood floors, new windows, lots of light and open spaces. What it also means is crooked doorways, slanted floors, mice that come out to dance on the counters at night, and angular quirks that will make renovating "interesting". Although we have long-term plans of renovating the summer kitchen or perhaps even removing it to add an addition that will house a laundry room/washroom and a recording studio, for now we're just trying to find a weekend to paint: our bedroom, the livingroom, the kitchen, the hall...yes, the whole house.

In the meantime, I perk things up by sewing little items that somehow pull the many colours of the present paint job together. Like this table runner:

Some of you beginner sewists (I hate the word sewer) may feel daunted by such a project. You're casting me in the light of 'Amazing Seamstress!' Well, I'm here to tell you that you, too, can make a table runner, or a seat cover, or a cushion cover in a log-cabin style, as long as you can sew in a straight line.

First, cut out 2.5" strips of 5 fabrics that bring you joy.

Choose two of the strips, and place them right sides together. Sew a 1/4" seam down one long side. Then cut this long (double) strip into 2.5" pieces:

Open these up, and iron down the seam. This will become the centre of your log cabin. Just a word of interest: traditionally, the centre square of a log cabin quilt block was red, to represent the hearth. I love this and usually remain true to the tradition. Since this was a spring/summer runner, I veered a bit and used pink instead!

Now, lay these open two-square pieces down a strip that is the same colour as one of the squares (in this case, green), and sew as you go.

Cut between the pieces, and when you open them up, you'll find this:

Can you see where this is going? You're going to lay the bottom edge (in this photo) along a strip of your next colour, and sew them together, then cut them apart.

This is what it looks like before you cut them apart.

Remember to iron down the seams as you go.

The next strip should enclose that little centre square. You'll be sewing on two strips of the same colour to "frame" each smaller square.

...cutting the strips apart....

So now you have your little centre square, plus a bigger green-and-orange square around the centre.

Continue in this manner! You can go as big as you like, and you can make as many as you like. You can make a whole quilt this way! The advantage of strip quilting is that it is FAST. I've made a whole quilt in one day, from start to finish, using this method. It is now our beloved, much-abused beach quilt! The disadvantage is that all your blocks come out looking the same. You can play with other ways of doing this, like sewing each piece along a different coloured-strip, but then you lose the speed factor. These make great last-minute gifts, so the speed factor matters in that case!

Once you have your squares, you can play with positioning to create different effects:

Like this...

...or this!

I chose to lay them in a line to make a long runner. I attached the blocks to one another by sewing a strip of yellow gingham between them, and on each end, then along the long sides. Now I just have to back it and put on some binding. It's FINALLY raining here so today might be the day!

Please email me or ask any questions in the comments...happy sewing!

C'est Chaud

It's. Too. Hot. Mind-numbingly, psychosis-inducingly hot. The heat we're experiencing is best summed up here, by a fellow blogger who lives in the same area as me.

We've been sitting around a lot here, and when everyone starts fighting, it's time to get out the wading pool. Wednesday afternoon I returned from doing groceries to a houseful of crabbiness. I hauled the pool up on the shady porch and filled it with COLD well water. Before you could say "climate change", everyone was in, including Nanny, Daddy, and me (just our feet!). Add to this some local, greenhouse-grown peaches from our CSA basket, and everyone's mood shifted within minutes.

To top it off, we got into a splash fight, with Daddy dousing my mom, then me, then ending with me dousing him. The kids were drunk with the hilarity of grownups acting so silly and screamed with laughter, which made us all feel 100 times better.

All we can do in a house without a swimming pool or an air conditioner is get wet, and avoid too much activity. By activity, I mean knitting, sewing, typing, even turning the pages of a book. I collapsed for a moment off my feet, and Miss Violet, always on the lookout for a cuddle, joined me. Within moments we were both snoozing away, her all ready for swimming lessons later in the day.

We're living on mostly raw foods, not as any kind of health kick or political statement, but because we can't bear to add another degree to the temperature in our house by using the stove. We're eating lots of guacamole, salsa, wraps, salads, and of course, fluids.

Here's a great recipe I got from my sister, when I wondered how I'd use up all the mint in our CSA basket! I'll call it

Too-Darn-Hot Salad

Combine in a bowl:

1 cup diced English cucumber

2 cups diced watermelon (I used canteloupe because I had one on hand)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped mint

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

I didn't even break a sweat making this! It was quick and tastes absolutely fresh and delicious. I scooped it up on tortilla chips. If you plan to use watermelon, eat it immediately, or the melon gets mooshy. If you chopped everything more finely, it would be a perfect salsa! If you want to bring it to a potluck, assemble the ingredients at the last possible moment.

Another favourite hot-weather recipe is my:

Aunt Clara's Green Apple Guacamole

2-3 avocadoes, mashed

1 peeled, chopped Granny Smith apple

juice of 2 limes

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

salt, pepper, cilantro to taste

Unfortunately, before I could photograph it, this happened:

Who needs testimonials when all that's left is an empty bowl?

What are your favourite keep-your-cool foods?

Wash Wednesday: Last Installment!

The colour of July is upon us. I love how my clothesline frames and reflects the rainbow of my perennial garden! After the monochromatic grey-and-whites of winter, these hues are balm for my eyes!

In her wonderful poster, "How to Really Love a Child", Sark states, "If they're crabby, put them in water". Our kids have cool baths, sink baths, wading pool splashes, and even sit in buckets to while away those long, sweaty summer afternoons.

Recently, Jude and Violet were wondering aloud about what a washboard was for. Out came the bowl of water and a bar of handmade soap, and they learned how to scrub their clothes "like the pioneers". In this heat, I wouldn't want to to be standing over a steaming washtub; however, I wonder if my personal "Mount Washmore" might be lessened if we didn't have a machine to do the work for us?

Have a wonderful wash Wednesday!

Tuck Me In

I fantasize daily about someone telling me, "It's time for your nap". This caring person makes sure I'm fed, and that my hands and face are clean. They entice me into a comfortable, safe place, and admonish anyone who makes a noise loud enough to disturb me. Why is it, then, that I so often have to convince my girls that a nap would be soooo nice?

Violet is 3+ and naps most days, after a small battle. I make her a nest in our bed, place pillows around her, cover the windows and turn on the fan, and cuddle with her till those stubborn eyelids start to blink more and more slowly...finally, the shutters close, and those protest-tear-damp lashes are at rest on her cheeks.

She sucks her thumb sporadically; when her hand falls from her mouth, I know it's safe to creep away, leaving her in this blissful state of safety, comfort, and blessed rest.

If you could nap an afternoon away, where would you do it?

One Bright Summer Day

I'd give all wealth that years have piled,

The slow result of Life's decay,

To be once more a little child

For one bright summer day.

~Lewis Carroll, "Solitude"

 

After a dreary, rainy June, July has come upon us with sun and delicious heat! What else could we do (for three days straight!) but head to the perfect playground? Your beach may have fine white sand, or coarse granules. The bottom may be firm, squishy, carpeted in bark or rampant with weeds. Maybe it's in a protected park, or maybe there are broken clamshells or broken glass to cut your feet on. Ours has a sign that reads "Nudity is prohibited"...love that we live in an area where signs like that are necessary!

Provided that he or she is well-supervised by the water and protected from the sun, the beach is a child's dream. There is stimulation for every sense: the sound of the breeze and the waves, the smell of water and pine, the crunch and heat of sand under your toes, blue and more blue to see, and hopefully some snacks packed by mama! Hummus and crackers and fruit are our beach essentials.

There's that gasp as the cold waves lick your belly.

 The first time you take your child to a beach, you will be astounded at how many creases and crevices there are on your her body, and how the sand can find its way into every single one of them.

There are so many things to love about the beach. My favourite is how satisfied my children are after a day there; everyone dozes on the way home, sand in their hair and bums, and a tinge of sun on their faces. The wind, sun, and water conspire to drug them into a stupor, so bedtime is usually a simple affair. And all mama has to do is shake the sand out of the quilt, and hang it on the line with the towels and suits, ready to be packed up tomorrow.

Do you have a favourite childhood memory of the beach?