tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53917898945112971462024-02-02T10:22:07.445-05:00A Bikeable FeastUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger585125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-5893788472989657672020-08-04T20:20:00.000-04:002020-08-04T20:20:31.613-04:00Ridiculously easy summer veggie tart<div>Too much summer squash arriving in your CSA box or growing in your garden? After trying out this recipe, you just might stop trying to foist your excess zucchini on neighbors... and start impressing them with your baking skills. I've made this twice in the past week! Here is the recipe, <a href="https://food52.com/recipes/22854-summer-squash-ricotta-lemon-thyme-tart" target="_blank">modified from the one on Food52.com</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Summer Squash Tart</b></div><div><br /></div><div><b>INGREDIENTS</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Whole Wheat Pastry Crust</i></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour</li><li>3/4 tsp salt</li><li>1 tsp sugar</li><li>1 stick (8 TBSP) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces</li><li>3 TBSP ice cold water - I actually measured 3 TBSP cold tap water, then added an ice cube and put the cup in the freezer as I was gathering the remaining ingredients</li></ul></div><div><i>Tart Filling</i></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>5 ounces fresh ricotta cheese (about a third of a pint sized container)</li><li>Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon</li><li>Juice from 1/2 lemon (1-2 TBSP)</li><li>a mix of small summer squashes, sliced into thin coins (about 1-1.5 cups worth)</li><li>a few sprigs of fresh thyme</li><li>Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (2 teaspoons)</li><li>Pinch of smoked paprika</li><li>A dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese</li></ul></div><div><b>RIDICULOUSLY EASY DIRECTIONS</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat the oven to 425F.</div><div><br /></div><div>Add the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar to a deep bowl and mix well with your hand to combine. </div><div><br /></div><div>Scatter the pre-chopped, cold butter pieces over the dry ingredients and rub together quickly with your fingertips, until it forms a sandy-looking texture with some pebble-sized pieces. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sprinkle the cold water over the mixture and mix gently with a fork or your fingers until the dough comes together. Mine never really formed a "ball," but I did make sure there were no big globs of butter and no pockets of dry flour. The important thing is to work quickly so the dough doesn't get too warm and mushy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Plop chunks of dough into a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and press them around to form a crust. No rolling pin needed! It doesn't need to look perfect, just a somewhat uniform thickness that goes up the edges of the tart pan.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbRUqUMhi55n1Ys5frljQcLJUL0mZ61JuBqv57hvWKUdahtT-pzLdCt96mSIDWaO8nvditAxOHl0BcOfvLxzdPh7QZwxtB5pANWTEP-jchQCzTuNMzDqp5cOwyEibbPhNEo4qrlL-QTI/s2048/simple+whole+wheat+crust+-+aug+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbRUqUMhi55n1Ys5frljQcLJUL0mZ61JuBqv57hvWKUdahtT-pzLdCt96mSIDWaO8nvditAxOHl0BcOfvLxzdPh7QZwxtB5pANWTEP-jchQCzTuNMzDqp5cOwyEibbPhNEo4qrlL-QTI/s640/simple+whole+wheat+crust+-+aug+2020.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now let's get started on your filling... Stir the ricotta and lemon zest together in your bowl. Go on, use the same one from the dough, there's no need to create extra dishes here! Spread the mixture into a thin layer on top of the dough. It's starting to look pretty good, right? Oh, just wait....</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAFc8lEEXVRi0LF1DPhJVnY0lwOV9R6DwSq10WbwneLcEfh2R1QwALMXxCepe4MCbiSEZhImJDlYC55TbNU_mNRvTUSspMWG9Kq4dVEZF4lP899-4QPGhJYJE1Zlv40LKjgHlm5ssOF8/s2048/just+added+the+ricotta+mixture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAFc8lEEXVRi0LF1DPhJVnY0lwOV9R6DwSq10WbwneLcEfh2R1QwALMXxCepe4MCbiSEZhImJDlYC55TbNU_mNRvTUSspMWG9Kq4dVEZF4lP899-4QPGhJYJE1Zlv40LKjgHlm5ssOF8/s640/just+added+the+ricotta+mixture.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next, toss the squash slices in the bowl -- yes, that same bowl! -- with the lemon juice and olive oil. Place them in a pretty pattern single layer on top of the ricotta, overlapping the edges a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvx738e28nj6F_LdCFNtln0U4zQOc1-xs0bK8jub-yDbIMKT6aA8dsuyUgIhZxjNNnw1gqNFK0k9sExt34Kqq1jaMSC3oII6SCBX7MQdQmwT-yc-HUgq0dAxmcs7VoYV4RnR_HbW1TNQ/s2048/squash+tart+ready+for+herbs+and+baking+-+aug+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvx738e28nj6F_LdCFNtln0U4zQOc1-xs0bK8jub-yDbIMKT6aA8dsuyUgIhZxjNNnw1gqNFK0k9sExt34Kqq1jaMSC3oII6SCBX7MQdQmwT-yc-HUgq0dAxmcs7VoYV4RnR_HbW1TNQ/s640/squash+tart+ready+for+herbs+and+baking+-+aug+2020.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Pick the leaves off the stems of your thyme (imagine the motion of a firefighter sliding down a pole - ha!) and sprinkle the leaves over the squash, along with the paprika, and finally the Parmesan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Bake your tart for 20 minutes, then cool to room temperature, slice, and enjoy. Sorry there are no photos of the finished tart, we ate it too quickly... both times!</div><div><br /></div><div>This dish will keep in the fridge for a few days... in the unlikely event of leftovers. I think you could swap in lots of other tasty summer veggies, too: eggplants or tomatoes would make for lovely variations, just mind the extra liquid these more moist veggies give off when they cook.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-10134490112848616632020-05-19T21:22:00.000-04:002020-05-19T21:22:36.552-04:00Grow Your Own: Sprouts and Microgreens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjMDpn9ch1imTU-jLg-1VF32HpMIx4hVx7tcCssHpm1hPbUFPD33Pfo2PBUaQZqKilrkLPpmRn3haDaOxuUanEi6_3mF2Q2XJXZcXSmjHHEyjqe-hTmr-YGEMRU0DK4Lb1DCnb_OkYTc/s1600/pea+shoots+-+28+april.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjMDpn9ch1imTU-jLg-1VF32HpMIx4hVx7tcCssHpm1hPbUFPD33Pfo2PBUaQZqKilrkLPpmRn3haDaOxuUanEi6_3mF2Q2XJXZcXSmjHHEyjqe-hTmr-YGEMRU0DK4Lb1DCnb_OkYTc/s200/pea+shoots+-+28+april.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pea shoots ready for my salad....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, readers, you may have noticed I haven't written in a few weeks. I'm fortunate enough to have lots of work to do: live streaming cooking sessions with some of my classes, scaling up food production in the garden for local families and to contribute to the aggregated <a href="https://www.freshfarm.org/food-hub">PopUp Food Hub</a>, and working with a team to develop distance learning activities. And I've been cooking. A LOT.</div>
<br />
One of my favorite virtual lessons I helped to put together was for <a href="https://www.freshfarm.org/foodprints/foodprints-anywhere/foodprints-anywhere-5-15-20">growing sprouts and microgreens</a> with what you have around. It all started about a month ago, when I took an online class offered by local microgreen farmers, <i><a href="https://www.littlewildthingsfarm.com/events-1">Little Wild Things</a></i>, and since then I have been growing and using sprouts on just about everything...<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1Bda2_3pcRrliBDRF8WxyRlIAja-m0gpDq64CEgBhXDhaZYbuuf-4tfH6koxV45-nD-GGaw0EOPjz1QtXgzfZ2zgZp6QLnLhHvx6nbEpp1coHOWdC_-8YxwkLb96eb3UjaZV7blPYAM/s1600/lentil+soup+with+sprout+garnish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1Bda2_3pcRrliBDRF8WxyRlIAja-m0gpDq64CEgBhXDhaZYbuuf-4tfH6koxV45-nD-GGaw0EOPjz1QtXgzfZ2zgZp6QLnLhHvx6nbEpp1coHOWdC_-8YxwkLb96eb3UjaZV7blPYAM/s200/lentil+soup+with+sprout+garnish.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celery sprouts on lentil soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdsqfbFHMpVS58k98DhHSHvUrEk_58CPyy3qhMLLQMsPh8FoRq2TOyAmvW3Jd6NHIhVll8xQSBiGkVKIYEFtyCuGUVRsvUL1We7PcQBYnORQlkSQxqHV9UOVht8LO-i6Eu2yMjmmKOV4/s1600/sprout+taco+garnish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdsqfbFHMpVS58k98DhHSHvUrEk_58CPyy3qhMLLQMsPh8FoRq2TOyAmvW3Jd6NHIhVll8xQSBiGkVKIYEFtyCuGUVRsvUL1We7PcQBYnORQlkSQxqHV9UOVht8LO-i6Eu2yMjmmKOV4/s200/sprout+taco+garnish.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale microgreens on tacos</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>
In case you'd like to try your hand at growing these inexpensive, easy, and nutrient-dense foods -- they are 4-6 times more nutritious than the full grown plant! -- here's <a href="https://www.freshfarm.org/app/uploads/2020/05/Nutrient-Packed-Microgreens.pdf">a link to the instructions</a>. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It only takes about a week from when you plant the seeds to when you are devouring the fruits (sprouts?) of your labors. I found that I had reasonably good luck even with older seeds, like dried peas from 2016 that never got planted in the garden. Even with... popping corn from my pantry! (Who knew you could sprout that? Not me, until a couple of weeks ago!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Let me know if you try growing some yourself... and of course what delicious dish you used your homegrown microgreens in!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-48457563731467989282020-04-30T21:05:00.000-04:002020-04-30T22:07:58.992-04:00Down in the dumplings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I adore dumplings. I haven't been able to get them out of my head since Matt and I ate some, what, two weeks ago from <i>Copycat.</i> My landlady, Jacky, has a soft spot for them, too. So when an opportunity arose this week to participate in a free <a href="https://slowfoodusa.org/slow-food-live/">Slow Food Live</a> streaming session on how to make proper Chinese dumplings led by a Boston-area chef who recently authored <i><a href="https://www.meimeiboston.com/cookbook">Double Awesome Chinese Food</a></i>, you can bet we signed up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uDw5_xCdTcvU7atGeXZDOEufYryTRT-upz0peaHvmgio5Ex9cQ6BvhAbCVK1DrT5wFDonx0nMQQ83SL6yWc34VI5fB_xLPn_krKtOyO7B8zV6qHJoZq3N3YVpNpLgSgINlHOFnv3GEA/s320/homemade+dumplings+-+april+2020+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As a food educator myself, I really enjoyed learning from a good instructor. Mei Li was a lovely teacher -- a funny and patient mom who smiled as a pack of novice dumpling makers from around the country hung on her every word for how to make simple, perfect dough and tried our hands -- literally -- at making our own little morsels of pillowy deliciousness. <i>Really, it's just flour and hot water?</i> Amazing. I especially loved that the chef herself demonstrated how she made beautiful but imperfectly sized dumplings, and Jacky and I were both encouraged by the fact that she successfully made these dumplings with her four-year-old from time to time, using whatever filling ingredients she had on hand. Corn, beans, and pre-roasted squash, say, or ground lamb and curry spices. Our dumplings were filled with a finely chopped mix of the contents of my vegetable drawer: red cabbage, carrots, shiitakes, ginger, and green garlic. Delish! Round two was filled with the veg mix plus some minced chicken and hot sauce. Also delish! (Don't shake your head at me, of <i>course</i> there was a round two!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3egtSVeyhC9RWtWHzlBC9sHnEYbqZhuuhBUxmTYA4ayZQPe-Oeb5liNd1N__GlqABM2xU_8tPk3jxHLnlQKL0Shg9b66ztcG-KXhBEgwVyH-K1XRNRI9sWRGLZv4uk2GNW0Cx2EV108/s1600/homemade+dumplings+-+april+2020+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg3egtSVeyhC9RWtWHzlBC9sHnEYbqZhuuhBUxmTYA4ayZQPe-Oeb5liNd1N__GlqABM2xU_8tPk3jxHLnlQKL0Shg9b66ztcG-KXhBEgwVyH-K1XRNRI9sWRGLZv4uk2GNW0Cx2EV108/s320/homemade+dumplings+-+april+2020+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Tasty and so quick to make! I think the longest part of the process was letting the dough rest for 30 minutes before rolling it out and filling it. (I was convinced a handful of times during that thirty-minute eternity that enough time had passed, but luckily Jacky was actually watching the clock and wouldn't let me start handling our dough until a full half hour had passed. It was worth the wait.) Here's how to make your own, based on our slightly floured, handwritten notes:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Basic Dumplings</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Makes about 24 dumplings<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Ingredients</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li>2 cups flour (we did 1 cup each of white and whole wheat), plus a few TBSP for rolling out dough</li>
<li>1 cup just-boiled water</li>
<li>2 cups or so of whatever filling you have around, mashed or finely chopped, such as...<br />traditional potstickers: cooked shrimp or shredded pork with mushrooms and scallion<br />vegetarian: mixed veggies with ginger and garlic<br />southern: leftover fried chicken with hot sauce<br />polish: mashed potatoes with cooked onions and shredded cheese</li>
<li>dipping sauce: we used a few tsp soy sauce + 1/2 tsp freshly minced ginger</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Directions</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Use a wooden spoon to combine flour with 3/4 cup hot water in a medium bowl. Stir until most of the flour comes together into a crumbly dough, adding more hot water as needed, 1 TBSP at a time. Once it is cool enough to handle, gently knead it with your hands until it forms a soft ball that feels "like a baby's butt." Don't roll your eyes at me, I can't help that it's an accurate description! Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let dough rest for 30 minutes.<br /><br />Meanwhile, gather/chop/cook your filling. Seriously, the world is your oyster here, people, clean out your fridge!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />After your dough has rested for the requisite 30 minutes, divide it into 4 sections. <br /><br />On a lightly floured surface, roll out one section at a time into a fat worm, keeping the remaining sections of dough in the towel-covered bowl to keep them moist. <br /><br />Cut each dough worm into 6-8 little marshmallow-sized blobs. <br /><br />Roll out each marshmallow until it is a thin, roughly circular pancake -- say 3-5" in diameter. These are your dumpling wrappers. I would only roll out one or two at a time, so they don't start sticking to your counter or cutting board. Or you can commiserate with a co-chef, as I did, with one of us rolling out dough and the other filling/sealing dumplings.<br /><br />Holding one dumpling wrapper in one hand, use a spoon in your other hand to scoop a teaspoon or two of filling into the center of your dumpling wrapper, Fold the two sides together, as if making a taco, and pinch the edges together. You may need to wet the inner edges of the dumpling to get them to stick. (Our dough was still nice and moist so we didn't need to do this, but I've had to use water in the past when sealing dumplings.) Now you have your dumplings ready to cook or freeze!<br /><br />Mei Li showed us how to steam fry our dumplings, which is my favorite way to have them: heat just a splash of oil in a heavy pan (we used cast iron) until it shimmers, over medium heat, and add a half dozen dumplings. Once the bottoms have browned, <i>carefully </i>pour in 1/2 cup of water and quickly cover. Check after a couple of minutes -- if the water has all evaporated, let the dumplings cook for another minute or two to crisp up the bottoms and then put them on your plate drizzled with your ginger soy sauce. You can start steam frying the next batch while you enjoy the first one.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Easy, right? Okay, fine, if you want tips on fancy dumpling folding, you can order a copy of the <i>Double Awesome Chinese Food</i> cookbook. I think Jacky already did....</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-42178598344281459352020-04-18T14:30:00.000-04:002020-04-21T23:04:42.810-04:00Brown bagging itOur fair capital city has a lot of problems, it's true. Overzealous parking enforcement. Corrupt politicians. Outrageous rush hour traffic. But every so often our DC city council does something truly great. Thank you to our local officials <a href="https://dc.eater.com/2020/3/17/21183791/dc-restaurants-add-alcohol-wine-beer-delivery-takeout-coronavirus-closings">for allowing to-go cocktails</a> during these crazy times. It supports our local bars and restaurants AND our sanity.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I very much enjoyed the some-assembly-required negroni Matt ordered for me last night as part of our delicious takeout dinner from <a href="https://www.copycatcompany.com/">Copycat</a>. Props to my friend Jenny for telling me about their tasty food (and also forewarning me that they would not sell me a cocktail unless I <i>also</i> ordered food). I would bike over to H Street for more of those dumplings and hand pulled noodles any day. And they do make a mean cocktail. Or, rather, they gave me the tools to make my own, including a piece of fresh orange zest and a rather sizeable ice cube.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Classy, delicious, and earth friendly with its reusable packaging, this was my kind of drink:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneg8t7ugRy_7YQmuShZ5f7CSuThXBVMuNvPr2aEpnrYnpTSLClSooRT9BuRnX0DdKfKEPiQfLvwwg5uy7Q4vWjtLY0Hwh-2oPQqjYdQCXyc_SxAKerGK8H5HNL-eYMPSZPXLkpqeVc24/s1600/negroni%252C+stage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneg8t7ugRy_7YQmuShZ5f7CSuThXBVMuNvPr2aEpnrYnpTSLClSooRT9BuRnX0DdKfKEPiQfLvwwg5uy7Q4vWjtLY0Hwh-2oPQqjYdQCXyc_SxAKerGK8H5HNL-eYMPSZPXLkpqeVc24/s200/negroni%252C+stage+1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFkXT2eEIRb04wFO1LlVxwZsbrNXiIDjzfQk8PLIhV_CfW5VAc9aZ3kP6ojOItJ5GBSp8Lu3FOZSu0ZDNsh9pKLgRqxbeAhWmM5KF1t0N9GhE0mFMJ8qzPrsFMSsrjxIoHWuDaoGIO68/s1600/negroni%252C+stage+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFkXT2eEIRb04wFO1LlVxwZsbrNXiIDjzfQk8PLIhV_CfW5VAc9aZ3kP6ojOItJ5GBSp8Lu3FOZSu0ZDNsh9pKLgRqxbeAhWmM5KF1t0N9GhE0mFMJ8qzPrsFMSsrjxIoHWuDaoGIO68/s200/negroni%252C+stage+2.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Happy Earth Month, indeed!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-55798664019053128622020-04-14T23:25:00.001-04:002020-04-21T11:19:53.813-04:00Gardening has NOT been cancelled<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A dear friend sent this to me a few weeks ago and I have kept it on my desktop ever since:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluw1RRLZKYK1kkgGlrfwLIMkdF2RNGZz7NjAA8klvPVnIRf17EV7fv1Us8HEN9QKPbMGBEWP283F5OgMAcBbgFyhickxhqvPM7HPB7bsdLi6z9aO5LZ6441pp0k-DoTM9Eh88iJi7jK4/s1600/image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluw1RRLZKYK1kkgGlrfwLIMkdF2RNGZz7NjAA8klvPVnIRf17EV7fv1Us8HEN9QKPbMGBEWP283F5OgMAcBbgFyhickxhqvPM7HPB7bsdLi6z9aO5LZ6441pp0k-DoTM9Eh88iJi7jK4/s320/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
During relative seclusion and 10-hour days in front of a computer in recent weeks, I've made it a point to get outdoors -- safely -- and be around green things as much as possible. Though I did go into a bit of a weeding frenzy in the backyard garden after a couple brunch cocktails on Easter Sunday, most of my outdoor time lately has been spent at my school's garden. I think some days it's the best part of my week to spend a couple of hours shoveling wheelbarrowfuls of wood chips or digging up tenacious wire grass invading the garden paths. (It's a great workout, too -- <a href="https://mayor.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-issues-stay-home-order">thanks for allowing us to garden, Mayor Bowser</a>.) I didn't even mind getting my shoes and pants completely soaked last week while repairing the drip irrigation system. Nor was I phased by getting sprayed in the face a few times on a warm, sunny afternoon as I fumbled to turn off the water source.<br />
<br />
Many folks have walked past -- at a safe distance -- while I've been in the garden in recent weeks. Some of them have been kids and parents that I know, and who were excited to see that I was still nurturing the spaces they'd helped with earlier this school year. But many of the casual, garden-side conversations were with total strangers strolling past. A few stopped to ask how they might help, and a handful of them commented on how they pass by the garden regularly and are elated to see healthy, colorful living things thriving amid these times where it seems like all there <i>is</i> is bad news. (While I still support my local NPR station, I can't handle more than 30 minutes of news a day these days.) Gardens are a sign of hope, proof that life continues, and plants can nourish our bodies and souls.<br />
<br />
Since I technically can't invite any of you to join me in the garden in person, let me offer you some virtual good news for your soul by way of the garden video I made for my students a few weeks ago. It is my first official stint on YouTube, but luckily I am <i>behind</i> the camera for most of it:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i4oDaQkcX9s/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i4oDaQkcX9s?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Yes, I love being in the garden. But when it comes down to it, nothing is as fun or rewarding as gardening with kiddos. I hope we can get back to this soon:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV4vwmbu__cEVXLqRE-ZVKqloX9ROPnsaQKGW7wK9oZpmNMAog2x_28sUGbiCyqcGXxm2vw0NkwMe86sjftoCt_ecUAYarxGjqnhtSb3J3gE2gwpDcTXKP1Zp0NTHzyl7K56fJQJjxVk/s1600/one+month+ago.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPV4vwmbu__cEVXLqRE-ZVKqloX9ROPnsaQKGW7wK9oZpmNMAog2x_28sUGbiCyqcGXxm2vw0NkwMe86sjftoCt_ecUAYarxGjqnhtSb3J3gE2gwpDcTXKP1Zp0NTHzyl7K56fJQJjxVk/s320/one+month+ago.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-57365960554926575922020-04-10T21:30:00.000-04:002020-04-11T15:05:10.713-04:00I dream of chocolateI might have just made the best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten. I might have to go vegan after today. Nothing will ever be as good as the ice cream I licked off my fingers as I scraped the last of the milk chocolate custard from the edges of my churn.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Sure, I'll get to the recipe -- that's why most of you are here, I imagine, especially during these days of social isolation that naturally result in more of us spending more time in the kitchen than usual -- but first, I feel you need a bit of context. You see, it's my boyfriend's birthday and he LOVES ice cream cake. And I don't mean fancy, high end ice cream cake. I mean grocery store ice cream cake. (Don't shake your head at me. He's awfully cute and charming, and in my defense I didn't know about his occasional habit of eating a half of an chocolate ice cream pie in a single sitting until after I was properly smitten. Luckily he bikes a lot to burn it off.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So anyway, I was talking with my cousin a little while ago and mentioned that I wanted to try <i>making</i> an ice cream cake for Matt's birthday. Sonia is one of the best baker/confectioners on the planet, so when she suggested I check out some of the recipes on the Smitten Kitchen blog, I did. I believe I managed to find <a href="https://smittenkitchen.com/2013/07/hot-fudge-sundae-cake/">the most elaborate ice cream cake</a> out there. It involves baking cookies <i>and then crumbling them</i> to make the base. And that was just the crust! Two different flavors of homemade frozen custard, from-scratch fudge sauce, freshly whipped cream... that woman is my kind of crazy.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I will spare you the gory details of me trying to secure things like 6 cups of heavy whipping cream in the midst of what seems like a run on all things baking at my local supermarket. Suffice to say, I got <i>most</i> of what i needed for the hot fudge sundae cake. It turned out pretty well, no?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbTJcX4poDWDxjiCOEOfK3KkppvvtuZ8LvlGp8WxZtgjfJMPLmT0qmnuAkRrYxs3F_ZNeUSm3aXarUYGzhnjNHyfACFGVr1tjCroKJ9AWI9pphNFaJqRlO5KJ8FmUuy1QR-j0c_zULqU/s1600/fudge+ice+cream+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbTJcX4poDWDxjiCOEOfK3KkppvvtuZ8LvlGp8WxZtgjfJMPLmT0qmnuAkRrYxs3F_ZNeUSm3aXarUYGzhnjNHyfACFGVr1tjCroKJ9AWI9pphNFaJqRlO5KJ8FmUuy1QR-j0c_zULqU/s320/fudge+ice+cream+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Those are mini peanut butter cups on top. It is the only ingredient I didn't make from scratch. (I know, it seems like a cop out at the end, but did I tell you about the decimated baking aisle at Whole Foods? There was no chocolate to be found. As it was, I had to dip into my emergency chocolate stash at home to have enough for the fudge sauce.) Anyway, while I <i>did</i> have cherries at home to top the ice cream sundae cake, peanut butter cups seemed more Matt-like, and it's his birthday after all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks for sitting through that backstory. Or at least discreetly skimming through it to get to the recipe. Here it is. I suggest you take up a robust workout regimen before embarking on making this -- let's just say it's a bit rich. I've adapted it here so that it's just the chocolate ice cream part of the Smitten Kitchen recipe. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Milk Chocolate Frozen Custard</b></div>
<div>
(Makes 1 quart + an extra cup or two*)<br />
<b><br />Ingredients</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>2 1/2 cups heavy cream</li>
<li>3 Tablespoons cocoa powder</li>
<li>6-<i>ish</i> ounces milk chocolate pieces</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups whole milk</li>
<li>3/4 cup white sugar</li>
<li>pinch of salt</li>
<li>6 egg yolks</li>
<li>1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
<div>
Put 1 cup of cream and the cocoa powder in a medium pot, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups cream. Try to resist the urge to just start eating this chocolate cream base. The final product is worth the wait, I promise.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in another medium pot, then transfer to a spouted liquid measuring cup. Whisk together egg yolks in the cooled pot. Slowly pour in warm milk/sugar/salt mixture, whisking constantly. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.<br />
<br />
Pour the custard through the strainer and whisk it into chocolate cream until smooth, then stir in the vanilla.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Chill in the fridge for a full day or overnight. You want it fully chilled before churning in your ice cream maker.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Churn your chilled chocolate custard according to the ice cream machine manufacturer's directions. In most cases, ice cream is churned for 30 minutes then transferred to a container to finish in freezer, but if you like soft serve grab your spoon and get in there after the ice cream thickens a bit.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Enjoy your homemade scoop of chocolate heaven!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(*If you are comparing my recipe to the original, you may notice I used more that half of the original custard base for the ice cream cake in the chocolate ice cream. What can I say, Matt and I prefer chocolate to vanilla ice cream. And I <i>may</i> have set aside about a cup and a half of chocolate ice cream for another surprise later.)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-20737617910425283962020-04-03T08:00:00.000-04:002020-04-03T11:37:31.110-04:00Instant LoveI'm not going to lie, readers: I normally prefer <i>slow</i> food to <i>fast</i> food. Take beans, for instance. Dry beans soaked overnight and then simmered are SO much better than their canned brethren in terms of nutrition, texture, cost, weight (hey, I'm biking these things from the store), and flavor. Sure, sometimes I do grab a can of garbanzos for convenience, but my preference is to invest in the long game. Anything claiming to be "instant" or "quick and easy" is likely to elicit an eye roll from me at best, and sometimes outright scorn.<br />
<br />
Well. This December, my favorite cousin, Sonia, gave me an InstantPot for my birthday. (Sorry to all of you other cousins out there reading this, I love you, too.) I'd been hearing about these contraptions of convenience for many months, not only from Sonia but also from interns and parents at my school. Rave reviews all around. I was, of course, very suspicious. Also, I harbor a lifelong fear of kitchen gadgets that might explode and destroy part of my person or house. Pressure cookers fall into this category. (If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you may recall me <a href="http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-do.html">cowering behind my friend Mike</a> the first time we used his pressure canner back in 2010.)<br />
<br />
Well, yesterday morning I woke up hours before my alarm (again). Annoyed to be up before sunrise, I did what any normal foodie would do. I made granola. Also, I was looking for a way to use up 4 cups of oats and not make many dozens of oatmeal cookies since I don't eat a lot of cookies <i>and</i> I am not getting nearly as much exercise as I am used to. Plus, I still have half of a pineapple cake my landlady made me taking up the valuable fridge real estate, so it couldn't be anything requiring refrigeration. But I digress.<br />
<br />
Last night, I got to thinking: what goes well with granola? Yogurt! And I am pretty much stuck in my house all day and night, so why not make the yogurt, too? [<i>Cue the sidelong glance across the room at the InstantPot.</i>]<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTrfC2e8gqZLqfi8ZfTRAXp6RrjPd0XFsgN9OOdJLfTUkhmCutGD9XGRkH0e5kohlb-8uGUQ_o0d5pow5zdtOBa-kf1NbOlpv0-SApwhAfXI0b0akXhcsqWVW_xnAJxxtpEvKf-fvpaM/s1600/instant+pot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTrfC2e8gqZLqfi8ZfTRAXp6RrjPd0XFsgN9OOdJLfTUkhmCutGD9XGRkH0e5kohlb-8uGUQ_o0d5pow5zdtOBa-kf1NbOlpv0-SApwhAfXI0b0akXhcsqWVW_xnAJxxtpEvKf-fvpaM/s320/instant+pot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The booklet it came with had a yogurt recipe, but it was a little vague. I don't want to screw up and waste a half gallon of milk nor do I want to blow myself up by accident. (See above,) I looked online for reassurance and wouldn't you know that everyone makes their yogurt differently, and has <i>very emphatic</i> instructions about how to make it the <i>best</i> way. Also, everyone had different opinions on how and when to remove the lid, in some cases <i>while the InstantPot was on(!)</i>, so I ended up using my best judgement after all and just going for it. Here is how I made my batch, that came out to almost 4 full pint jars:<br />
<br />
<b>Instant Pot Yogurt</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><i>2 quarts whole milk</i></li>
<li><i>1 large spoonful of plain yogurt of your choice</i></li>
<li><i>Sprinkle of sugar</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Pour milk into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the stove off immediately and let milk cool to 110-120F.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Whisk in your scoop of yogurt and sugar. This is your yogurt "starter." (Honestly, some recipes called for 1/2 cup yogurt to 1 quart of milk; other recipes called for 2 Tablespoons of yogurt to 1/2 gallon of milk. People!!) I added just a bit of sugar because I am a homebrewer and when you have a yeast starter for making beer you always sprinkle in a little sugar. Not a cupful, you sugar fiends, just a sprinkle to keep the healthy bacteria in your yogurt happy. It;s still meant to be a tart yogurt.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Divide your milk/yogurt mixture among 4 pint jars, but do not put on the lids. </i><i>Put filled jars into Instant Pot's inner, metal bowl, then add a cup or two of water to create your water bath for the jars. Just so we are clear here, though the jars are uncovered, the water does </i><u>not</u><i> go</i> <u>into</u><i> the jars, it goes into the metal inner pot of the Instant Pot. Try not to spill water into the jars.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, then choose the </i><b>Yogurt</b><i> function. It should flash </i><b>8:00</b><i> (meaning 8 hours). Press </i><b>Start</b>.<i> The timer will start counting up. Your yogurt will be done in 8+ hours. I made mine overnight, removed my freshly made jars of yogurt, put a lid on each, and popped them in the fridge. After tasting it, of course.</i><br />
<br />
I ate a couple of mounded spoonfuls right out of the first jar, and then stirred a bit of it into my breakfast borscht -- what, I've been cooking a lot. Delish!!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kukx07LxriCYijXwtnqVZ4hHgKHnnFEMSmYTkqzELVlO4qXvVd5EKZMTHwQZd0dcIbGllV21VPJ8yBkaU-J9d6qQBT6tlbOAPvHfU3Kdz7nfR94pz0trzU_VL5sihOpi3zK5KFoklBA/s1600/yogurt+and+borscht+-+3+april+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kukx07LxriCYijXwtnqVZ4hHgKHnnFEMSmYTkqzELVlO4qXvVd5EKZMTHwQZd0dcIbGllV21VPJ8yBkaU-J9d6qQBT6tlbOAPvHfU3Kdz7nfR94pz0trzU_VL5sihOpi3zK5KFoklBA/s320/yogurt+and+borscht+-+3+april+2020.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I think I will stir it into some of that cinnamonny, cardamommy granola from yesterday for my snack later. Yeah, I know, it'll take up some of that precious fridge real estate, but you know what: it's worth it. And it basically takes up the same amount of space as the milk bottle did.<br />
<br />
(Don't have an InstaPot? Don't fret. You can also make yogurt with a space heater, blanket, and cutting board <a href="http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/2009/05/little-culture.html">like this</a>.)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-7746377991154087542020-04-01T17:01:00.000-04:002020-04-01T17:01:44.021-04:00Herbal MedicineWell, here we are, readers. Home. All of us. With no more excuses for being behind on our blog writing. <i>"I was just... um... sitting on my couch?... not near my computer?... searching for my power cord...?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
While many of us are working hard to distance ourselves <i>physically</i> from others, it is also important to maintain some semblance of <i>social</i> and <i>emotional</i> closeness with those we care about. And just as important to keep our bodies healthy and our minds active. That's a lot to manage. Lately, while I've had plenty of work to do helping to develop distance learning materials for my job, I've been feeling pretty stressed out: worrying about people, not sleeping well, feeling isolated, and all of this amid a dwindling selection of opportunities to get outside of my house and out into nature, where things are still fairly normal (or what passes for normal in this era of CLIMATE CHANGE). Thank goodness gardening is still one of the out-of-the-house exercise activities allowed by our mayor, though I wish I was able to garden with kids. Lord, I miss my students.<br />
<br />
[Break to make a calming cup of chamomile tea.]<br />
<br />
Today, I attended my first <i><a href="https://slowfoodusa.org/slow-food-live/">Slow Food Live</a></i> session, led by herbalist Christine Buckley. Over the course of an hour of the remote (and yet hands-on) "DIY Spa Day" session, we learned about the benefits and uses for two common plants: thyme and chamomile.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0K5tv7MzT1xU7iLf9BoT2udJq_HT5aAf7PEwH7KogwtF43n0oEMRjXUOtLeXqRmY9TBxwiWZGgQwue5UtIIAM_p1pRdQ6IuhqLPBlpNkbeMpesF8GuFirIiU4JbORtrGdBxHbTtKahg/s1600/diy+day+spa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0K5tv7MzT1xU7iLf9BoT2udJq_HT5aAf7PEwH7KogwtF43n0oEMRjXUOtLeXqRmY9TBxwiWZGgQwue5UtIIAM_p1pRdQ6IuhqLPBlpNkbeMpesF8GuFirIiU4JbORtrGdBxHbTtKahg/s320/diy+day+spa.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br /><b>Thyme</b>, which grows really well, even in not-so-great garden soil, around these parts is pretty easy to get your hands on. I had some that I'd dried from my garden, which I used to do a calming "facial steam" as part of today's session.<br />
<br />
Apparently thyme is the wonder plant, with benefits ranging from antimicrobial (germ-killing) properties to digestion improvement. For me, the two best things about the steam treatment were 1) its calming properties and 2) its respiratory system clearing capabilities. (Though I don't get outside nearly as much as I'd like these past few weeks, I still seem to be suffering from seasonal allergies. Figures.)<br />
<br />
To make your own <span style="color: #e69138;"><b>thyme facial steam</b></span>, just boil some hot water, pour a couple of cups of it into a big bowl, throw in a handful (1/4 cup or more) of fresh or dried leafy thyme branches, and lean over it. Christine recommended putting a towel over your head to keep the relaxing steam a bit more concentrated so it can do its magic -- opening up your pores and your respiratory system -- but for kids or those more sensitive to heat, you can forget the towel part. It was recommended for anyone with a sore throat, seasonal allergies, or a wet cough. Just be careful not to scald yourself or your sinuses! It won't prevent or cure COVID-19, but it will help clear out gunk in your respiratory system and stimulate your nervous system, all while calming you down. Pretty sweet. I might have to do this daily.<br />
<br />
<b>Chamomile</b> is the other plant that our herbalism guru focused on today. We made a medicinal-strength cup of tea (i.e., two teabags steeped in just boiled water for 7+ minutes). Then we sipped on the tea while we learned more about the fantastic things that this common, aromatic flower brings to the table. It helps with fever, rashes, and mild sunburns. It's anti-inflammatory, calming, and anti-spasmodic (helps with digestion issues).<br />
<br />
Once the teabags cooled in my nearby saucer, it was time to try the <b><span style="color: #e69138;">chamomile compresses</span></b>. Which is just to say: I stretched out on the couch and plopped a somewhat squishy chamomile teabag over each eye. Five minutes later, I was a new woman. Or at least a more relaxed one.<br />
<br />
I'm very much looking forward to reading through Christine's book, <i><a href="https://www.roostbooks.com/plant-magic.html">Plant Magic</a></i>, which I ordered online about 5 minutes later. More to come on herbal remedies and other related tidbits when it arrives in the mail. (Probably a healthier choice than my other recent plant-related fun reading, Amy Stewart's <i><a href="https://www.amystewart.com/books/drunkenbotanist/">The Drunken Botanist</a></i>, but the recipes in that one have helped to keep my landlady and I from going completely stir crazy in recent weeks. And it was actually a pretty good read for someone who loves botany, cocktails, and origin stories.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-82911863682007028202019-11-04T21:47:00.002-05:002019-11-04T21:47:38.019-05:00A recycling challenge: bike helmetsSo I went to my local REI the other day to pick up the new rain pants and bike helmet I'd ordered -- a fancy new MIPS helmet (Matt had convinced me that it was time to get a new one <a href="https://www.evanscycles.com/coffeestop/news/10-things-to-know-about-mips-in-bicycle-helmets">that better protected</a> my witty cranium). On the bike ride over, I got to thinking about how I buy myself a new bike helmet about every year or so, and how I've been learning along with my students how challenging it is to dispose of some materials. I have a pretty good idea of <a href="https://dpw.dc.gov/service/residential-recycling-collection">what can be recycled curbside in DC</a>; clothing I don't wear any more ends up at a clothing swap or Goodwill; I bring my compost to the farmers market now; and I've even gotten Matt to start saving plastic bags beyond reuse to take to the plastic bag recycling bin at the grocery store. But what the heck can I do with old bike helmets? I have gone through a lot of them over the past ten years, and I hope to be biking for many more years to come.<br /><br />You probably know, readers, that if you are in a crash in which your bike helmet makes contact with anything substantial, you need to replace it asap. Some of you might <i>not</i> know that bike helmets become less effective over time -- even without daily/regular usage, the helmet materials become less effective in just a few years, and should be replaced. So most people should be replacing bicycle helmets every 1-3 years. But for all I could find on the all-knowing Internet, there does not seem to be a place to send old helmets for recycling. Even REI -- one of the most environmentally conscious companies I know -- doesn't recycle them or offer a solution to the problem. I know this because I asked at customer service when I was picking up my new helmet. (They did recycle the cardboard box the new one came in, at least.)<br /><br />The next day, at <a href="http://www.slowfooddc.org/what-does-a-healthy-diet-look-like-world-food-day-poster-contest/">a World Food Day event I was at in Anacostia </a>-- I wore my new helmet on the ride there and was still noodling on this problem on the ride over -- I got to talking with some folks about this conundrum and one of them told me they'd read an article recently about meal worms that <i>eat</i> Styrofoam. What?! I came home and looked that up later, of course. Maybe a stepping stone would be for REI and other sellers of bicycle helmets to have bins of <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/styrofoam-eating-mealworms-could-happily-dispose-plastic-waste-n435901">these meal worms</a>, Yeah, that'll happen.... but it still doesn't account for the outer hard plastic part or the straps.<br /><br /><b>Here is my challenge for you, readers: FIND a friend or relative who is an engineer. Encourage them to invent a SAFE-BUT-RECYCLABLE bicycle helmet. </b><br />The person who comes up with a solution will make millions. They should remember us little people when they do. All I ask for is a lifetime supply of these helmets. And maybe a few weeks a year at their apartment in Paris... because if I became a millionaire I would of course have an apartment in Paris to visit from time to time and would let friends stay there.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-19820556562203694612019-09-22T20:30:00.000-04:002020-04-30T21:04:52.973-04:00Girl Scouts, ImprovedIt's been a bit lonely around the apartment, with Matt in Nepal for work. But I've been making the best of it, mostly by deep cleaning the refrigerator and cooking up a storm. Today, my kitchen has been filled with delicious -- if incongruous -- smells of chickpea curry, roasted broccoli, various kinds of homemade pickles, and my test batch of spent grain thin mint cookies.<br />
<br />
<i>What? Thin mints?? Made with spent grain?! </i>Yes. With my Oktoberfest party coming up in a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to start testing some festive new recipes.<br />
<br />
Now, don't get your lederhosen in a bunch trying to explain to me how girl scout cookies aren't authentically German. I know that. Neither is spicy pickled okra, but both are on the menu for Oktoberfest. And if you're coming to the party you will be glad I am departing from the traditional kraut-pickle-sausage-pretzel regimen (though all of these will be represented as well). The cookies turned out so well it is only because I <i>really</i> like my landlady that I have decided to share some tonight while we catch up on the latest <i>John Oliver</i>....<br />
<br />
For your baking pleasure, I offer this easy recipe, courtesy of The Brooklyn Brewery's delicious <a href="https://brooklynbrewshop.com/blogs/themash/recipe-spent-grain-thin-mint-cookies">Mash recipe blog</a>:<br />
<br />
<b>Spent Grain Thin Mints</b><br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><i><br />Cookies</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 stick of butter, room temp</li>
<li>1/2 cup of sugar</li>
<li>1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder</li>
<li>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</li>
<li>1/4 teaspoon coarse salt</li>
<li>3/4 cups Spent Grain Flour</li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>Frosting</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (a half block of Trader Joe's Belgian dark baking chocolate, in this case)</li>
<li>1 teaspoon mint extract (or use 1/4 teaspoon mint essential oil) </li>
<li>2 tablespoons butter </li>
</ul>
<b>Directions</b><br />
Preheat oven to 350F.<br />
<br />
Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add in cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Fold in the flour 1/4 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Using your hands, form dough into a disk. (If super sticky, put in the freezer for 5 minutes to chill. This will give you time to lick the eggbeater and wash some dishes.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZUlCr3l5Mqc3yjJAmkykHEV8uYrmqTzbD7TTP9C30nn58rTmyJTastMulMVZl2HMWtk6Qxb0rYV9D4oyaQsEtansuvaujLbMNsUYZN4CF9cjDuHAVSMGd1zcsUFboL3tH7wcMB38LaY/s1600/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheZUlCr3l5Mqc3yjJAmkykHEV8uYrmqTzbD7TTP9C30nn58rTmyJTastMulMVZl2HMWtk6Qxb0rYV9D4oyaQsEtansuvaujLbMNsUYZN4CF9cjDuHAVSMGd1zcsUFboL3tH7wcMB38LaY/s320/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Roll out dough on a floured work surface (and with a floured rolling pin) pretty thin, @ 1/8" thickness. Using a circle-shaped cookie cutter cut out dough and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOTav-wnAkfFskbQ3C7brC91zsf8XB5PO4x0pY8o-GtgEv2Ener0OnxuM6xYIiwk78kmgV6ZCWqFnwkWlQr5bRWZi5dJjRWBPiHocYEfbxpRp2aRYIAELNhKjlkvN0VDSwUfTzOHe_eU/s1600/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinOTav-wnAkfFskbQ3C7brC91zsf8XB5PO4x0pY8o-GtgEv2Ener0OnxuM6xYIiwk78kmgV6ZCWqFnwkWlQr5bRWZi5dJjRWBPiHocYEfbxpRp2aRYIAELNhKjlkvN0VDSwUfTzOHe_eU/s320/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25283%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
Depending on the size of your cookies, bake for 8-10 minutes. (They are <i>thin</i> mints, so they bake quickly. Be careful not to burn them!) Carefully transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.<br />
<br />
In a double boiler (or a heat proof bowl over a pot), melt your frosting ingredients: chocolate, mint extract, and butter. Carefully dip cookie in melted chocolate, flip to fully coat and remove with a fork. Return to lined baking sheet and repeat for all cookies. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to set chocolate coating.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbrKFbhrPCrMkDJ4K1GjuN8XkCU_p6O8CupALOuqR0fLWZ3DgBKcn2kywC4OpTtJZh3AUyT5v2oWEE2PYKOWyNRsv8X2hip8scz90pz5JvdpLs41AVI30lKznr06nbTxZ0ySLmsvzBwc/s1600/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUbrKFbhrPCrMkDJ4K1GjuN8XkCU_p6O8CupALOuqR0fLWZ3DgBKcn2kywC4OpTtJZh3AUyT5v2oWEE2PYKOWyNRsv8X2hip8scz90pz5JvdpLs41AVI30lKznr06nbTxZ0ySLmsvzBwc/s320/spent+grain+thin+mints+-+sept+2019+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
Just try not to eat them all in one sitting. They are FABULOUS.<br />
<br />
Oh? The stuffed dragon? That's Werner. I needed a little help with some key parts of the process. I'm hopeful Matt will be around for the actual baking for the party itself. I'm going to need to buy more chocolate. And more milk for dunking.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-51411138728878095932019-05-19T14:45:00.000-04:002019-05-19T15:46:58.595-04:00Plant more plants<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1rMBNk3Pcr1Xt9wbv2lVjZwFCl9I0b0vaJyvTeq3CmqCu6JIIKszZI4IjYTwQS_YiyKfG6RwCGd6dQ4dgrJgi8i_2A8OxWy47KVCKEn_-WXl4xJS_7d9LJwNwb8e-9qAVP1brS7fZTE/s1600/plant+more+plants.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1rMBNk3Pcr1Xt9wbv2lVjZwFCl9I0b0vaJyvTeq3CmqCu6JIIKszZI4IjYTwQS_YiyKfG6RwCGd6dQ4dgrJgi8i_2A8OxWy47KVCKEn_-WXl4xJS_7d9LJwNwb8e-9qAVP1brS7fZTE/s320/plant+more+plants.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Last night, I finished reading <a href="http://www.emilynagoski.com/home">an excellent book</a> that my friend Amanda recently gave me about women's sexuality. While the focus of <i>Come as you Are</i> is on cultivating a sex-positive attitude amid a sex-<i>negative</i> culture, the parts that resonated so deeply with me were the sections on letting go, on allowing oneself to do what author Emily Nagoski calls "completing the cycle" of painful feelings -- be the feeling fear, grief, or anger, it needs to be recognized and expressed. Crying. Yelling. Exercising. Sharing a bottle of wine with a friend and talking til three in the morning. There are many ways to process painful emotions, and sometimes the process takes a while. Often the processing itself feels painful and endless, but it has to happen if we are to move on. (Yes, this is a blog about gardening and cooking and sustainability and not particularly about sex beyond the occasional reference to the<i> literal </i>birds and bees. Stay with me here....)<br /><br />This morning, I attended a <a href="https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Common-Good-City-Farm">memorial herb garden</a> dedication for <a href="http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/2016/12/ahimsa.html">my friend Tricia</a> at Common Good City Farm. I've been mourning my friend's absence over the past two and a half years, grappling to make sense of a senseless murder and struggling to find a way to move on. Her memory, and my sadness, have caught me off guard more than a few times, and I've found myself suddenly misty-eyed while biking around her old neighborhood or meditating during a yoga class or just mixing up a cocktail in my apartment. Apparently I'm still processing. Making bitters, hosting clothing swaps, gardening, joining an herbal CSA to learn more about medicinal herbs -- all of these have been attempts to continue the joy and learning that my yoga teacher and go-to herbalist Tricia inspired over the course of our years of friendship.<br /><br />It was only today that I finally felt the beginning of real healing around the raw place in my heart, when others shared stories about her exuberance and welcoming spirit and passion for the earth and growing things and building community. When we wrote messages on ribbons and tied them to the fence -- akin to Tibetan prayer flags -- behind the Tricia McCauley Memorial Herb Garden. When we took home smooth stones with Tricia quotes and medicinal herb seedlings to plant in our own gardens. When we honored her legacy by continuing to connect with and educate and look out for each other. I myself picked up some chamomile and holy basil plants for my school garden's herb bed, and mentioned to a few gardening newbies asking about what to grow that holy basil is especially good for calming and quieting the mind -- <a href="https://theherbalacademy.com/creating-local-materia-medica-holy-basil/">it's a nervine and an adaptogen</a>, which I learned from my more recent herbal guru, <a href="http://www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com/herbal-csa/">Holly</a>. Everyone left with at least one herb to grow at home or in a community plot. Because if there was one quote we could all agree on that encapsulated our dear Tricia, it was "Plant More Plants!" It's the best way to heal ourselves, each other, and the planet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-26034018543996939482019-03-08T16:39:00.000-05:002019-03-08T18:34:15.520-05:00Do the rot thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPCx8K40Xv4AR0sYWgrZsblO51ej4Eb_7TzAN56GVx6DZQYjyMd-SgW-NdbtjKMMuPlb3x3zjch4HFZ1UhS2vDabU1p56p7lwgzQLgtxNg3usTFknGuql4hAE6t2yy3BoUBxzEhh8XsQ/s1600/testifying+at+dgs+oversight+-+feb+2019+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPCx8K40Xv4AR0sYWgrZsblO51ej4Eb_7TzAN56GVx6DZQYjyMd-SgW-NdbtjKMMuPlb3x3zjch4HFZ1UhS2vDabU1p56p7lwgzQLgtxNg3usTFknGuql4hAE6t2yy3BoUBxzEhh8XsQ/s320/testifying+at+dgs+oversight+-+feb+2019+%25283%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
"You're asking me what my favorite <i>vegetable</i> is to eat? I don't really see how that question is relevant," grumbled Nate after giving his impassioned testimony at last week's Oversight Hearing for the Department of General Services down at City Hall.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I ducked my head and winced, but the autistic 6th grader had a point. We had come to advocate for environmental responsibility within the DC public school system, not chit chat about carrot sticks. Nate had just suggested on-site composting as a possible solution to our school's need for responsible food waste disposal, perhaps even better than the heavily polluting transfer trucks that had been picking up our food waste. We didn't understand why the composting program we'd been participating in for the past three years at our school had suddenly stopped mattering to the DC government: last June, the compost pickup contract had mysteriously lapsed and now all school waste was going into the landfill. We were there to find out why, and how to get things up and running again.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"We were taught how to put things into recycling, trash, and compost bins. We have done it and it worked. But then -- kaboom! -- it stopped. We want to know how this happened. <u>Who exactly is responsible</u>?" demanded 8-year-old Zia. The audience actually clapped. In spite of the clear "no applause allowed" sign posted outside of the hearing.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"What I see in the adult world looks like you don't care. Kids do. It matters to us more because we will live longer than you. We want to live healthier, too." explained her classmate, Eli.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"Are you calling me <i>old</i>?" joked the panel chair, Councilman White. Eli visibly blushed, and squeaked out a timid "Um, yes?"</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I know our eleven-person group was primarily comprised of people too young to vote (yet), but we knew our stuff and presented an articulate and compelling case for restarting composting at our school. Was Councilman White taking us seriously? I found out later that we'd <a href="https://twitter.com/RobertWhite_DC/status/1101224285773942790">ended up on his twitter feed</a>, but maybe kids testifying was simply an unusual form of entertainment, a break from the norm. Would anything be <i>done</i> to get cafeteria composting up and running at our school any time soon? I was proud of my students' civic activism, but dubious about our impact.</div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well it turns out that someone <i>was</i> listening after all. Earlier this week, our friend Bobby at DGS stopped by the school to thank student testifiers in person for their efforts that have apparently lit a fire under the new DGS director. He demanded that his department prioritize school composting, and indicated that he would visit our school and others doing this critical environmental education work. Until we testified, and wrangled a few other passionate environmental educators at other public schools to submit their own testimony, Bobby had been pretty sure nothing would happen this school year. Now there was an urgent demand from the top to get a compost pickup service in place, and retraining for custodial staff on the calendar in the near future.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8kL_xQW7Wo7ZtIGxpb3xJORbSZf_CX0JwLQuG5J7ztzsl4XUA3Cg6v0su_UsL9vgYXcgie7kxbdVaqMipGTXVvG7t1JlmuyDxHjvhIeE5CCgwiFTz2gpZSc80UFaTrOoR_xB2BaAu7g/s1600/dgs+follow-up+-+swwfs%252C+mar+2019.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8kL_xQW7Wo7ZtIGxpb3xJORbSZf_CX0JwLQuG5J7ztzsl4XUA3Cg6v0su_UsL9vgYXcgie7kxbdVaqMipGTXVvG7t1JlmuyDxHjvhIeE5CCgwiFTz2gpZSc80UFaTrOoR_xB2BaAu7g/s320/dgs+follow-up+-+swwfs%252C+mar+2019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm so proud of our students!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe in coming years we can even get composting going at City Hall. I mean, seriously, Mayor Bowser, for all of this talk about DC's <a href="https://doee.dc.gov/release/mayor-bowser-recognized-bold-climate-policies-district-wins-bloomberg-american-cities">focus on the environment</a>, the security guard didn't want to let me into the building with a non-plastic fork to eat my salad and I had to pack out the banana peel left from my lunch so I could compost it at home....</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBWlm7Nq1Hs1oqTXQLg8S_VOV-XMB8PuIk9NxIw6uwwpOv9FIhuZv4KsEtq5k-dc4utd7GgmoaozRwXSK6_7EeA3OkFmQ2UEM-MoGb-8ahTUoTxB3J8-3hLwN8xIlJIBAwN-wDk7pTiY/s1600/testifying+at+dgs+oversight+-+feb+2019+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBWlm7Nq1Hs1oqTXQLg8S_VOV-XMB8PuIk9NxIw6uwwpOv9FIhuZv4KsEtq5k-dc4utd7GgmoaozRwXSK6_7EeA3OkFmQ2UEM-MoGb-8ahTUoTxB3J8-3hLwN8xIlJIBAwN-wDk7pTiY/s320/testifying+at+dgs+oversight+-+feb+2019+%25281%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-59871647480515695162019-02-08T20:00:00.000-05:002019-02-10T23:15:10.201-05:00I didn't even know I needed that!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-Spk3QADyLzTQ7BVBLuLYERUM92IiVIXt50ukwm_LL8zeSAhQXRpOwREbzW7_mjLZUqVAsczLcum7EhX-6I_-WNDharH84z49YLo27fHPdfeY8eEQ0WvXfewxk6SXuEnXioDY05tCPk/s1600/juicer+inspector.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-Spk3QADyLzTQ7BVBLuLYERUM92IiVIXt50ukwm_LL8zeSAhQXRpOwREbzW7_mjLZUqVAsczLcum7EhX-6I_-WNDharH84z49YLo27fHPdfeY8eEQ0WvXfewxk6SXuEnXioDY05tCPk/s320/juicer+inspector.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Some women, I am told, have trouble walking out of a shoe store without purchasing 3 new pairs of heels. Others find themselves with closets overflowing with blouses or handbags or sexy underwear. Me, I seem to have a problem wandering around hardware stores unmonitored....<br />
<br />
Earlier today I went into the ACE Hardware up the street. I had a clear mission: I needed new burner liners for my electric stove. It turned out that they didn't have enough of the kind of liners I needed, and while I waited for the friendly gentleman at the shop to put in my request to order some I perused the aisles. You know, just looking around. I ended up leaving 10 minutes later with one burner liner... and a box of small-mouth jar lids... and a Ball-jar citrus juicer attachment. What a cool gadget!! Obviously I had to go home immediately to whip up a couple of Boulevardiers for me and Jacky. You know, test out how well the juicer juiced.<br />
<br />
One of the coolest things about my new juicer is that once you're done juicing you can add in the booze and ice, screw on a regular lid, and shake up your drink. No fancy cocktail shaker needed! (I have one of those, too, though.) In case you want to try one of my favorite cocktails of late, here's the recipe for a version I made last year on Valentine's Day (before Matt, my boyfriend of almost a year at that point, admitted that he didn't actually like bitter cocktails -- I <i>love</i> them, and him.)<br />
<br />
<b>Blood Orange Boulevardier</b>(courtesy of the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/blood-orange-and-bourbon-boulevardier/16279/"><i>Washington Post</i> Food Section</a>)<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>1 shot fresh orange juice -- I like blood orange for the color, but any orange will do</li>
<li>1 shot campari</li>
<li>1 shot bourbon</li>
<li>1 shot sweet vermouth</li>
</ul>
<br />
Combine in a jar or shaker with a few ice cubes. Shake well. Pour into a glass and enjoy.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-85106941180101079892018-11-24T12:46:00.004-05:002018-11-24T12:48:08.337-05:00American Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFb95WgKDgmRleu_Jt2l6FCFQCs6ctkl7SblCZlw3bhw9mjacGO1IJKJCBT3bLk59NGSZYWFv9Qp7wKqn-EBbfcSwX2G4B7Q0hpZyUSM5i_I9u0VQCtK6YLKb3PdRKj44R6EWFQFLO7S4/s1600/perfect+apple+pie%252C+nov+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFb95WgKDgmRleu_Jt2l6FCFQCs6ctkl7SblCZlw3bhw9mjacGO1IJKJCBT3bLk59NGSZYWFv9Qp7wKqn-EBbfcSwX2G4B7Q0hpZyUSM5i_I9u0VQCtK6YLKb3PdRKj44R6EWFQFLO7S4/s320/perfect+apple+pie%252C+nov+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What could be more American than apple pie on Thanksgiving? Readers, you know that I am more of a cook than a baker, so when I got so many compliments on the pie I made this year at mom and dad's house it inspired me to get back to blogging after a few months off. I need to make this again.<br />
<br />
The crust is adapted from the <i>Foolproof Pie Crust </i>recipe in <i>Cooks Illustrated</i>, courtesy of my neighbor, Marilyn -- one of the best bakers I've ever met, which is the sole reason I set aside my long-standing bias against all-purpose flour and shortening to try it out. See, I'm not a purist! The pie filling and baking instructions are adapted from <a href="https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/our-favorite-apple-pie-51248690">Epicurious' <i>Favorite Apple Pie</i> recipe</a>.<br />
<br />
The pie itself resulted from a group effort: my landlady, Jacky, supplied some of the ingredients, including delicious Cortland apples from her recent trip to upstate New York; mom did serious KP duty peeling, coring, and slicing the apples; Matt mixed up the pie filling ingredients, with extra cinnamon for good measure (or perhaps a lack of looking closely at the measuring spoons); dad supplied the butter pecan ice cream to top our still-warm pie during the Thanksgiving dinner.<br />
<br />
<b>American Apple Pie</b><b><br />Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
2 ½ cups + 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon table salt<br />
2 Tablespoons sugar<br />
12 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1 Tablespoon slices<br />
½ cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces<br />
¼ cup vodka, cold<br />
¼ cup ice cold water<br />
5 large fresh apples<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />
2 Tablespoons lemon juice<br />
Additional sugar, for sprinkling<br />
<br />
<b>Directions</b><br />
<br />
Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add 1 more cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and any masses of dough have been broken up -- this will only take a few quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium mixing bowl.<br />
<br />
Sprinkle vodka and 1/4 cup ice water over mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix in the liquids, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Pat dough into two evenly sized balls, flatten each to about 1" tall discs, and wrap each in a piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Chill your piecrust dough discs in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 days).<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 425°F.<br />
<br />
Peel, core, and slice the apples into 1/4" thick wedges. Place apples in a large bowl and mix with 1/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. (Matt lobbied for more cinnamon. He got it.)<br />
<br />
Unwrap the first ball of piecrust dough. Sprinkle with a little flour and use a rolling pin to roll it out into a uniformly thick circle that is about an inch wider than the pie dish on all sides. (You can eyeball the size, or place the pie dish on top of it to check.) Gently lift the dough, then flip into the pie dish and gently peel back the paper. Gently press the dough to fit the pie dish contours, then trim the excess dough using scissors. Fill the dough-lined pan with the apple mixture.<br />
<br />
Take out and lightly flour the second disc of piecrust dough on its piece of parchment paper, then roll it out to the same size as the first. Drape your top crust gently atop the apple mixture, again peeling away the parchment paper, then press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together, trimming excess crust as needed. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk. Brush top crust with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.<br />
<br />
Carefully cut five 1" vents in the top crust for steam to escape.<br />
<br />
Gently cover the delicate crust edges with aluminum foil -- this prevents them from burning.<br />
<br />
Place pie in the oven and bake until the crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Rotate pie and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown and you can see the thickened juices bubbling, about 50 minutes more.<br />
<br />
Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes to allow juices to set before slicing. Delish. I just had the last slice with coffee this morning....<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-51246383304157905722018-08-13T00:24:00.000-04:002018-08-13T00:24:10.689-04:00Bikers to the rescue!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Readers, there is nothing more attractive than a man doing good. Well, maybe a man on a <i>bicycle</i> doing good. And I am lucky enough to be dating one. Fancy that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEbValMBDD3wFEn6W-9A1aXktiUr3ckrAdUVn4AUTnBQASNvISALHqV8OVzZiK3rQqydjk4GMCWgEBQyURomN-JNtHjfcwAFJmBZLJJAc1yMonlHQhvG2cN7D1IrQ5EtRE0JSMtYFEfk/s1600/Matt%2527s+first+food+rescue+-+12+Aug+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEbValMBDD3wFEn6W-9A1aXktiUr3ckrAdUVn4AUTnBQASNvISALHqV8OVzZiK3rQqydjk4GMCWgEBQyURomN-JNtHjfcwAFJmBZLJJAc1yMonlHQhvG2cN7D1IrQ5EtRE0JSMtYFEfk/s320/Matt%2527s+first+food+rescue+-+12+Aug+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I hate wasting food. It is shocking the amount of perfectly edible food that is thrown away in this country every day, especially while an unacceptable number of Americans suffer from malnutrition and food insecurity. I regularly see giant trash bins outside of supermarkets and restaurants spilling over. I hear <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/18/americans-waste-food-fruit-vegetables-study">food waste</a> and <a href="https://endhunger.org/hunger-in-america/">hunger statistics</a> bandied about so frequently that the problems seem too big to take personally, and I worry that the majority of us don't understand that these problems concern each and every one of us. Some days I find it hard not to lose hope. But then there are moments that I realize that the <i>solution</i> can also concern each and every one of us....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Today I had the good fortune to accompany Matt on his first shift as a <a href="https://foodrescue.us/getinvolved/">food rescuer</a>: picking up already prepared, delicious, unsold food and delivering it to a great, local program that needed food. Usually a car is needed for this sort of assignment, but after a bit of research Matt learned that some food donations can be delivered on two wheels. It was actually pretty easy, and we ended what was otherwise a rather lazy Sunday feeling pretty good about life.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
12:30pm - While checking his email at the farmers market, Matt learns that the load of baked goods he'd signed up on his Food Rescue app to deliver this evening was going to be a bit large for a single cyclist to haul, so he asks me to join him. I happily agree, eager to see the program in action.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
1:00pm - Eat lunch near the farmers market.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
2:00pm - Start watching <i>Game of Thrones, Season 6</i>. (Don't judge me, it's good. And don't you dare tell me what happens in Season 7!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
4:30pm - Thunder and rain begin.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
5:30pm - Bike over to <a href="http://www.seylou.com/">Seylou</a> -- home to <i>the</i> most amazing whole grain breads, including croissants (I know, I couldn't believe such a thing existed!) -- to pick up bread donation.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
6:00pm - Load 4 enormous bags of bread into our (thankfully waterproof) bike panniers and start heading north to <a href="https://christhouse.org/">Christ House</a>. Rain intensifies.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
6:30pm - Bread delivered. Delivery volunteers adequately soaked and smiling, and about 50 pounds lighter. Rain stops. Head back to my apartment to change into dry clothes and watch a bit more Game of Thrones. Easy peasy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Interested in helping to address hunger in your area? Consider joining the Food Rescue project, as a donor, recipient, or transporter. Or maybe starting a chapter in <i>your</i> town. Learn more <a href="https://foodrescue.us/the-solution/">here</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-2118368225293271422018-06-28T17:10:00.000-04:002018-07-20T17:40:56.100-04:00Get your hands on plantsReaders, I'm a night owl. It is a tough sell to get me out of bed, nevermind dressed and at a workshop at the crack of 9am. Especially during the summer, and <i>especially</i> the Monday after school lets out. But every so often an amazing opportunity comes along that has me out of bed and excitedly biking headlong into a humid, 100F+ degree day: the <a href="https://www.nfusbg.org/hops/">U.S. Botanic Gardens' HOPS Teacher Institute</a> was one of these instances.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Over the course of two, very busy days this past June, I and a couple dozen other environmental educators explored water, soil, sunlight, and plants in ways that I can't <i>wait</i> to bring back to my classroom. We got to play with all kinds of cool gadgets: looking at the critters wriggling around in water droplets under our microscopes; analyzing soil samples as part of a CSI-style plant theft mystery; discovering that grape juice has more sugar than cola using our refractometers; making our own sundials; building a model watershed; making found object collages with photo paper and the power of the sun. We got to mess around with pH testing strips, create botanic paintings, dissect flowers, melt chocolate in a solar cooker, and fiddle with thermometers and compasses. I think my favorite moment was getting to poke at a venus fly trap. I'm sure that video clip, which for some reason I cannot locate, will surface if I run for public office one day....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Many thanks to our fearless instructor, Lee, who sent us all home with a GIANT bag filled with all of the tools we used throughout the training, so that we can get out students excited about plants and their surroundings, too! If you ever have a chance to attend this summer teacher training at the Botanic Gardens, go!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTxAIoN_7Qr9bS-8Fv6x3AHTg4gj5eeiwYbjL0Nog_J2-yBFqD75oJPFREQdSRqiAA1jtYKnQD3p8VDlCVeSs7SLMEt1vp7YWdqbWG4cOHksrJD0VA1DyCLQyVr5Wgsor91m18zKdSFI/s1600/IMG_20180619_172141943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHTxAIoN_7Qr9bS-8Fv6x3AHTg4gj5eeiwYbjL0Nog_J2-yBFqD75oJPFREQdSRqiAA1jtYKnQD3p8VDlCVeSs7SLMEt1vp7YWdqbWG4cOHksrJD0VA1DyCLQyVr5Wgsor91m18zKdSFI/s320/IMG_20180619_172141943.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(Ah, this photo? It's my view from Ollie's saddle, biking down Pennsylvania Avenue with our treasure trove of scientific tools, posters, and a banana tree seedling last week.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-6846336972196054772018-06-18T22:37:00.000-04:002018-06-20T22:37:50.735-04:00Don't forget to vote!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWtP_-9aZ-9cWot2VPEIyd0_YfpiCCQeO99VsAKJO7ZucrRKvtKJvj7_sBpDmxC4pF2JBdyM0UYfNCZ0eG0M8SS88jgPF9hFfXPXFQGYxcICKHbrx_fGuJP-xZz76EuINLbGHpTJPfBQ/s1600/mugwort+for+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWtP_-9aZ-9cWot2VPEIyd0_YfpiCCQeO99VsAKJO7ZucrRKvtKJvj7_sBpDmxC4pF2JBdyM0UYfNCZ0eG0M8SS88jgPF9hFfXPXFQGYxcICKHbrx_fGuJP-xZz76EuINLbGHpTJPfBQ/s320/mugwort+for+office.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Yes, I know that DC always votes overwhelmingly Democratic, but I'm telling you <i>your</i> vote matters. While we don't get to have a voice about, say, who runs the EPA, alas, there are folks who are doing important work to further human rights, environmental justice, and access to healthy food in our city. Don't forget to vote tomorrow: find out where <a href="https://www.dcboe.org/Voters/Where-to-Vote/Polling-Places">here</a>.<br />
<br />
(Oh, that sign? Yeah, I couldn't stop giggling when I saw it last week on my walk to the P Street Whole Foods.)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-66006740154727735332018-06-10T23:57:00.001-04:002018-06-10T23:58:29.938-04:00Bee carefulThe pungent aroma of raw honey and herbal tea permeates the air in my kitchen as I type this, and I think to myself: I'm glad I didn't die from a bee sting earlier this week. I love honey, and quite enjoy beekeeping, but after a bee sting about a little over a month ago I began to worry that I was developing a more serious allergy to the little flying ladies.<br />
<br />
It was late April, and had finally stopped raining for a day. My beekeeping mentor, Kevin, and I were inspecting the West End Community Garden's five hives. All was going fine that sunny afternoon, except I was getting a bit antsy with us poking and prodding around, box by box, frame by frame, for a solid hour and a half as we checked for brood, hive beetles, and nectar stores. I had been feeling a little tickle on my shin for a few minutes, and began to worry that a bee had wandered up my untucked pant leg. Foolishly, perhaps, I gently shook my leg a bit while I tried to remain calm and pry another frame out of the hive. The tickle moved a bit further up the inside of my pantleg. I froze. I lifted another hive frame out for inspection. Further north still, the tickle moved. I shook my leg a little more and started to sweat. Bam! Stung. Right on the ankle, probably while the disoriented bee was trying to escape my khakis. It hurt, sure -- it always does -- but a few hours later my ankle began to swell. The couple glasses of wine I had at the WAMU donor reception that evening meant that popping a couple of Benadryl probably wasn't a good idea, so I just slapped an ice pack on it, put my foot up, and called it a night. I wasn't having trouble breathing, at least, and there wasn't a rash. See? Nothing to worry about.<br />
<br />
The next morning, as Matt and I took the bus up to Connecticut for the weekend, the swelling and aching continued. By that night, one couldn't even tell I had anklebones. For the next week, I popped a couple of Benadryl a few times a day, icing and elevating my foot whenever possible. I got back to town and checked in with my doctor, and though the swelling was going down she immediately had me tested for bee venom sensitivity. I figured it was just a precaution: I've been stung a few times in my life and while it smarts for a few minutes, or at most a day, I never showed signs of a serious allergic reaction. Well. It turns out you can <i>develop</i> a serious allergy to bees. My bee venom blood test came back positive. Suddenly everyone I mentioned this to had a story to share about a friend or family member who had an extreme and unforeseen bee sting reaction. Not the best thing for a hypochodriac to be hearing.<br />
<br />
My doctor prescribed an EpiPen. Wouldn't you know it, there is a shortage of EpiPens on the market right now. "Just call back at the beginning of July and check and see if we have any in stock," the pharmacy worker at Kaiser told me over the phone, "And try to stay away from bees."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I work in <i>school gardens</i>, lady! And what exactly am I paying hundreds of dollars a month for, if my insurance company doesn't have a common medicine in stock and can't be bothered to call <i>me</i> when the potentially life-saving medicine is ready for me to pick up? Honestly.... So now I carry around a bottle of liquid children's Benadryl to chug if I get stung. Because I certainly wasn't going to miss out on the honey harvesting last week. Luckily we were only messing with the bees for about 30 minutes, then it was on to the serious -- or perhaps not so serious -- harvesting of the honey from the frames:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkzR0jzvvhD_Qhj7ehiCDJETwZgRe9Jp3rgFvZN6gKENOUfVjGL9Z1UH21NF-2PU_DKlVgUs6nFkP9Usqz_O_KMe5zVn5PVVEsa0Ijx6RZhUPF72bzUqo1U549PPATxzNeucE7UpzUIA/s1600/honey+harvest+-+june+2018+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkzR0jzvvhD_Qhj7ehiCDJETwZgRe9Jp3rgFvZN6gKENOUfVjGL9Z1UH21NF-2PU_DKlVgUs6nFkP9Usqz_O_KMe5zVn5PVVEsa0Ijx6RZhUPF72bzUqo1U549PPATxzNeucE7UpzUIA/s200/honey+harvest+-+june+2018+%25283%2529.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bees, I would like to propose a truce. I will continue to make sure your hive stays healthy, and you don't sting me. We can split the honey 50/50. Okay. Okay! 60/40, you win.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-3538894323574321602018-05-24T17:30:00.000-04:002018-06-20T22:27:10.120-04:00Use Less Plastic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFak8Ar335lY2vMPKYlxubYEFPXjHhBNZ-71Wzs3LogQDzDRI41xgk-CgPRi6EJ-2V6cBbm8w2a4H6oDVSkkLuOK0qqcM9JryyC2jhR5vQdvV77-v35N_JuXTjCq8IPpxVMnrcvbTi_sE/s1600/take+one+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFak8Ar335lY2vMPKYlxubYEFPXjHhBNZ-71Wzs3LogQDzDRI41xgk-CgPRi6EJ-2V6cBbm8w2a4H6oDVSkkLuOK0qqcM9JryyC2jhR5vQdvV77-v35N_JuXTjCq8IPpxVMnrcvbTi_sE/s320/take+one+only.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
Anyone who has been to my apartment or my classroom has a pretty good idea how I feel about plastic. I am perhaps an old lady before my time, compulsively washing and rewashing ziploc bags and drip drying produce bags that show up from time to time for reuse until they are no longer functional (at which point I trek to my local Giant* to recycle them, along with other plastic bags and the odd bit of saran wrap). I've had the same roll of plastic wrap in my kitchen since I moved from my old apartment in Columbia Heights nearly five years ago. I give stern looks to friends and loved ones who don't use cloth shopping bags... and I really try not to do the same to strangers in line at my local Whole Foods or the farmers market, but sometimes I can't help myself. Don't even get me started on how often I have washed and reused old yogurt containers....<br />
<br />
But it's not just me, I swear! It's reinforced by the company I keep. My students in the Student Sustainability Corps -- an opt-in, after school program for kids in grades 3-8 -- are just as adamant about responsible use and disposal of plastic. I credit that largely to my friend and co-conspirator in all things sustainability, Karin, who also teaches at the school. Once kids learned about where their plastic utensils were coming from earlier this year -- how plastic forks they had been using in the cafeteria every day were made and transported, how long they were used for, and where they often ended up -- they FREAKED OUT. And came up with some brilliant solutions, including Finger Food Fridays: having foods in the cafeteria that don't even require utensils at all! This simple, replicable idea caught the eye of some pretty big muckety mucks in city government, who recently awarded them a city-wide award:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoD4A386keBtA7BiBOUd-XDxPeGBFOeiHFrvBVJU6u7f7DjUQsjbZs3y46FXV1UfQpMip5h_wn11TjjBoRG_MEFp0-XwWwYA1LUyJoFnuDoOZApZooHQZbPY-imuU7q2bq7KLpNzDYG4/s1600/dgs+most+replicable+solution+award+-+may+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzoD4A386keBtA7BiBOUd-XDxPeGBFOeiHFrvBVJU6u7f7DjUQsjbZs3y46FXV1UfQpMip5h_wn11TjjBoRG_MEFp0-XwWwYA1LUyJoFnuDoOZApZooHQZbPY-imuU7q2bq7KLpNzDYG4/s320/dgs+most+replicable+solution+award+-+may+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
But they didn't stop there. These bright and determined young people<i> kept on </i>thinking about things any kid or school could do to reduce their use of plastic. They created and posted signage to encourage their peers to be mindful about their plastic utensil usage and consider reusable water bottles, researched compostable utensils, and even brainstormed ways to create a reusable lunch kit (cloth napkin made out of an old tshirt + a small, metal fork and spoon). They took their ideas to the annual <a href="https://doee.dc.gov/service/anacostia-environmental-youth-summit">Anacostia Environmental Youth Summit</a>... and won first place for their idea to improve the local watershed by reducing plastic's entry into it in the first place. They came home with a check for $1,000 to implement a watershed-improving project of their choice. Reusable lunch kits, here we come!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmMUKYEivAUqGNfGKfjPVBwDRheDjMD33aoUP-UEtN2XyEeeZiXzaChTY8BgAEO1Vyo1FztD5g4s6vGk7Te9z7zroyPzpFIX8_KjsHAy6f_YCukiW5n2bqN3cEo0PYImGEy2qsbF2Iis/s1600/swwfs+wins+1st+place+at+the+AEYS+-+may+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWmMUKYEivAUqGNfGKfjPVBwDRheDjMD33aoUP-UEtN2XyEeeZiXzaChTY8BgAEO1Vyo1FztD5g4s6vGk7Te9z7zroyPzpFIX8_KjsHAy6f_YCukiW5n2bqN3cEo0PYImGEy2qsbF2Iis/s320/swwfs+wins+1st+place+at+the+AEYS+-+may+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm so proud of these kiddos. Now let me ask <i>you: </i> what are YOU doing to improve our local watershed?<br />
<br />
*An aside on Whole Foods: don't take your plastic bags there for recycling. I've informally audited their bins over the course of a handful of months and I can tell you unequivocally that the people who shop there apparently can't be bothered to put their TRASH in the clearly labeled TRASH BIN nor their COMPOST in the clearly labeled COMPOST BIN in the P Street store. The also-clearly-marked RECYCLING BIN is a disaster. Maybe they pay some poor worker to go through each bagful afterwards, but I doubt it. While I can't seem to help myself fishing trash and food waste out of the recycling bins in my school's cafeteria, I draw the line at doing the same at a grocery store. So I bike eight blocks in the other direction specifically to Giant so I can drop off my plastic bags for recycling in their PLASTIC BAGS ONLY bin, which, incidentally, does not have TRASH or COMPOST in it. Thank you, Giant Food. :)<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-43803066557687274982018-05-18T18:04:00.000-04:002018-05-23T18:29:47.226-04:00Swim to Work day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9smFZpSBiWYYt3aeF4TyzPhoEVuYvxQvdnTJBnaRYKZ7i9DEmgiy0ebRtLeNjqgRxrhRFfenmQtXBp6qBtmsNizDpJIP7-8nMJqj9cpSjdrpgfkf1HmOZAwALSxXJYxzHKLkF822Y0M/s1600/DSCN9517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9smFZpSBiWYYt3aeF4TyzPhoEVuYvxQvdnTJBnaRYKZ7i9DEmgiy0ebRtLeNjqgRxrhRFfenmQtXBp6qBtmsNizDpJIP7-8nMJqj9cpSjdrpgfkf1HmOZAwALSxXJYxzHKLkF822Y0M/s320/DSCN9517.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
I've been a dues paying member of the <a href="http://www.waba.org/">Washington Area Bicyclist Association</a> for almost a decade now. And though I bike to work most <i>every</i> day, today was the first time I officially registered for Bike to Work Day. Mother Nature decided to weed out the fair weather bikers, it seems, but the upshot was that the Shaw rest stop on my way to work had plenty of size small tshirts and snacks for those of us who braved the wind and rain. So did the rest stop in Foggy Bottom on my way home, so I picked up a tshirt for Matt, too, who recently was in a little bike accident and so was not able to bike -- or swim -- to work today. (Oh, he's fine, just a little banged up, and with a front brake that needs adjusting.)<br />
<br />
But seriously, this rain. It's been nearly a solid week of precipitation, readers! My cabbages have more than doubled in size over the past two weeks, as have the lettuces, kohlrabi, late-starting sugar snap peas, and too-early-transplanted tomatoes. My plants have gone a bit nuts in the school garden, to be honest. The flora may be loving this break in the drought, but I am getting a little bit tired of it. Also: my rain pants, it seems, are no longer waterproof. *sigh* I think there's an REI sale coming up soon, at least....<br />
<br />
As Ollie and I sloshed through the rain on the way home from school this afternoon, I mused that perhaps WABA might broaden their efforts beyond cycling to triathalon training. Then they could have easily marketed today as Swim to Work Day!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-29448198121414590492018-02-26T21:22:00.000-05:002018-05-23T18:30:21.590-04:00De la chacra a la mesa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Many thanks to my oldest and dearest friend, Becky, for setting up one of the most memorable days we had during our trip to Cuba. After pulling myself out of bed before the crack of 7am on a drizzly Wednesday morning -- hey, this is vacation, and that's earlier than I get up for <i>work</i>! -- we packed a jumble of breakfast foods into tupperware containers, grabbed bottles of water, and stumbled out to our waiting taxi that promptly whisked us off to Caimito, where we would be volunteering on <a href="https://tungasuk.wordpress.com/">an organic farm</a> for the day. (Interestingly, our friendly cab driver was the ONLY person in the entire island nation who, rather than being multiple hours late, was actually a half hour early.) As we zoomed through the rainy morning, the day became sunnier and the air clearer. I hadn't noticed how thoroughly diesel fumes had infused my time in Cuba until they were almost gone in the rural quiet of the countryside....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Upon arrival, Farmer Annabelle welcomed us with coffee, juice, and some delicious yogurt made by her neighbor. Then we pulled on some rainboots, squished out to the field, and started transplanting tomatoes and onion starts. The sun came fully out, and both Becky and I marveled at how lucky we were to be in this beautiful place with our hands in the earth, helping good people do good work. We chatted as we tucked the seedlings into their new homes, following behind the quiet older Cuban farmhand who marked out holes for us to dig and plant into. After some water and a bathroom break, we were tasked with adding soil and seeds to rows of starter trays in the open-sided nursery. Meanwhile, divine smells began to emanate from the kitchen....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over a fabulous, lingering lunch, we learned that Farmer Annabelle, a Nicaraguan transplant, had studied and worked in a number of fancy Parisian restaurants. She had learned a lot about the need for quality ingredients during her time in France, and had developed a passion for the delights of food's seasonality. Upon reflection, she and her husband Alfredo decided that what they <i>really</i> wanted to be doing wasn't cooking in fancy restaurants (or working in IT, as he was doing) but helping to grow food and teach others how to improve the land through sustainable farming. They just needed some land... and to learn how to farm.</div>
<br />
After visiting Alfredo's parents in Cuba, they decided to put down roots there. With help from family and the government, they took over an old house and began to fix it up while they cleared space to grow food. The plan was to start with planting trees and row crops, and eventually expand to more growing space and adding in livestock. Rather than burning down the existing foliage, as their neighbors had done for generations, they researched ways to more sustainably prepare the land and build up the soil's resilience and nutrient content. They composted on site, collected local seeds and introduced little known crops (like broccoli and leeks) to their planting plans, and shared with others as they learned. Now, four years later, they've built a community of sustainable farmers who share knowledge and seeds... and, in the case of the day we were visiting, a friendly meal around the farm table. <br />
<br />
I'm still trying to decide which was the best meal of the trip: this unconventional one that featured white bean hummus and a veggie and free-range pork stirfry, or <a href="http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/2018/02/comida-cubana.html">the traditional Cuban lunch</a> from our cooking class. I daydream about both of them still. If you go to Cuba, dear reader, you might have to try both!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DP82Tq1Km9433PM6lFn6ujr_HXNey2Y-2BwL1PfUpHvb52X3uf7qnhGWa6sqr0R3Dsd_vuaEEfxXEccRXSwfpUs4Q6JgRpw5Gr_-rTyu8psIzoHunJ35XzOPf6OQkGfL6M-XeWRWZFU/s1600/farmer+annabelle+harvests+goodies+for+lunch+-+Finca+Tungasuk%252C+Caimito%252C+Cuba.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DP82Tq1Km9433PM6lFn6ujr_HXNey2Y-2BwL1PfUpHvb52X3uf7qnhGWa6sqr0R3Dsd_vuaEEfxXEccRXSwfpUs4Q6JgRpw5Gr_-rTyu8psIzoHunJ35XzOPf6OQkGfL6M-XeWRWZFU/s320/farmer+annabelle+harvests+goodies+for+lunch+-+Finca+Tungasuk%252C+Caimito%252C+Cuba.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
[Here's Annabelle harvesting a broccoli that she sent us back into town with that afternoon. Boy did we scarf up that hard to find vegetable with our dinner that night!]<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-22280284115549571062018-02-01T22:49:00.000-05:002018-02-04T17:00:48.899-05:00Comida Cubana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cuban food gets a bad rap in the States, at least from most Cuban Americans I know, who complain about a lack of seasoning, ingredient choices, and creativity. <i>Rice and beans, rice and beans, more rice and beans maybe with a little pork. </i> Yet I have to say that while <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moros_y_Cristianos_(food)">moros y cristianos</a></i> features prominently in most meals on the average Cuban table -- not surprisingly, given the monthly allotment of rice and dry beans given by the government to each Cuban citizen, and the average person's inability to afford much more -- I've enjoyed some deliciously diverse dishes while bouncing around Havana. <br /><br />Perhaps the best experience I had during my 10 days in Cuba was a cooking class, hosted by the lovely Malinelli and her charming husband Hector at their home. My best friend Becky and I started our culinary adventure at the open-air agromercado, tagging along as our cooking instructors bought fresh ingredients from local, organic farmers....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYIFusWzdx0LUX_KIaw17GwMofB_ME8tB9CiGdRgYE99jmh3HCMgyNmxWrkK_evKT1TntBa-Q63BHMWHS06jQ8uapFbyaVEixRzXf7AQePLXcpf8frQ55lsPb7sU2imy15SQyT86X1Hk/s1600/at+the+agromercado+with+mali+-+vedado%252C+habana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYIFusWzdx0LUX_KIaw17GwMofB_ME8tB9CiGdRgYE99jmh3HCMgyNmxWrkK_evKT1TntBa-Q63BHMWHS06jQ8uapFbyaVEixRzXf7AQePLXcpf8frQ55lsPb7sU2imy15SQyT86X1Hk/s320/at+the+agromercado+with+mali+-+vedado%252C+habana.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At this stand, Mali showed us how to pick out good malanga -- a local tuber used to make fritters and other starchy delights:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNJcxzHQmHQKpNzBs7H6efEOyEMz4v22Yy_52tOTznDj8Te6PwoeYPHZcxCHO3gVBI9sfvsNqfjtWV4ZgztjFgYSutjxGKHj2H7ksEtrXWh5oYNklNzXCAJ-RRmqziHKjTazh5soGVKo/s1600/buying+malanga+at+the+agromercado+-+vedado%252C+habana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHNJcxzHQmHQKpNzBs7H6efEOyEMz4v22Yy_52tOTznDj8Te6PwoeYPHZcxCHO3gVBI9sfvsNqfjtWV4ZgztjFgYSutjxGKHj2H7ksEtrXWh5oYNklNzXCAJ-RRmqziHKjTazh5soGVKo/s320/buying+malanga+at+the+agromercado+-+vedado%252C+habana.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I was dubious about these unassuming, dirt encrusted root veggies until Hector showed us about an hour later how to scrub, prepare, and perfectly fry them. I don't normally seek out fried food -- to be honest, eating it usually leaves me feeling a bit ill -- but I could've devoured these garlic and herb loaded malanga fritters for days, with or without local honey to dip them in. And now Becky and I know how to make them, thanks to the hands-on practice and follow-up recipes sent to us by our kind cooking instructors.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbKSGIMk-knjZxuQnh_N5FnKllhb5WNE7hgYda924WZwgh3rh0ISrgAaOJv3m_laAoDsbIKNpcETK0YLaUk0aihgatdHfcz1y4uRMs0uPwd9GTSVhFv6LcIMflVnGBVt8TP3x0OYhIxs/s1600/becky+tries+her+hand+at+making+malanga+fritters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbKSGIMk-knjZxuQnh_N5FnKllhb5WNE7hgYda924WZwgh3rh0ISrgAaOJv3m_laAoDsbIKNpcETK0YLaUk0aihgatdHfcz1y4uRMs0uPwd9GTSVhFv6LcIMflVnGBVt8TP3x0OYhIxs/s320/becky+tries+her+hand+at+making+malanga+fritters.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Here we are with our delightful hostess, Mali, and a friendly English couple who also joined our cooking class, sitting down to our homemade Cuban feast:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TMzbEwkRX8oveCZIQX4tQn_KysRTq0hs0ctBrYy6Sxae67wS0boRhb4Mi4AKZPl7nUuJM-r6b4o2egNkkF0U_OoIzHnK5DgM6bzsv1hPsN37JWxE5g0e2dDcThDugXtVJltDBt7FKiM/s1600/a+feast+at+mali+and+hector%2527s%2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TMzbEwkRX8oveCZIQX4tQn_KysRTq0hs0ctBrYy6Sxae67wS0boRhb4Mi4AKZPl7nUuJM-r6b4o2egNkkF0U_OoIzHnK5DgM6bzsv1hPsN37JWxE5g0e2dDcThDugXtVJltDBt7FKiM/s320/a+feast+at+mali+and+hector%2527s%2521.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
After a hearty late afternoon meal of fried plantains, a simple salad, pork with sour orange and garlic (my new favorite dish), a new twist on the traditional black beans and rice, the famous malanga fritters, and capped off with great conversations about Cuban history, economics, and culture over coffees and cheese with guava jam for dessert, we were ready to face the rest of the day with contented bellies. It's a good thing, too, since our evening led us first to live music and dancing at the Casa de Musica in nearby Miramar and then a jaunt around the hip Fabrica de Arte Cubano on the later side. I was still so contented from lunch that after our late night cab right back to the Airbnb, all I had room for was a bit of leftover fruit before crawling into bed. Well, maybe I could have nibbled on a malanga fritter or two....<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-6078371399007322952017-11-26T18:17:00.000-05:002017-11-26T18:17:44.135-05:00Duck Duck SoupNothing warms the soul quite like hot soup on a cold day. And while yesterday was rather temperate for late November, we've definitely had some soup weather in DC in recent weeks. So when dad sent me home with some leftover duck meat the day after Thanksgiving, and with our country's leader currently making a mess of things, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023969/">duck soup</a> sounded just about right.<br />
<br />
What's that? Oh, yeah, since there were only four of us at this year's annual poultry extravaganza, and since mom and I are partial to duck, we opted for a turkey-less thanksgiving. Before you sputter something about how skipping turkey on Thanksgiving is unAmerican, let me direct your attention to the delicious concoction I just ate for dinner:<br />
<br />
<b>Duck Avgolemono Soup</b><br />
<br />
Ingredients<br />
<ul>
<li>1 TBSP butter</li>
<li>a few glugs of olive oil</li>
<li>1 carrots, diced</li>
<li>2-3 celery stalks, diced</li>
<li>1/2 red onion + 3 small leeks, diced</li>
<li>3 garlic cloves, minced</li>
<li>4 cups good vegetable broth</li>
<li>2 bay leaves</li>
<li>1/4 cup brown rice, uncooked</li>
<li>3 lemons worth of freshly-squeezed lemon juice</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>1 large handful leftover duck meat, chopped into small (1/2") chunks</li>
<li>2 large handfuls fresh spinach, finely chopped</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
</ul>
Directions<br />
<br />
Warm butter and olive oil in a medium pot. Stir in carrot, celery, and onion -- you've now got a fragrant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirepoix_(cuisine)"><i>mirepoix</i></a>. (Go on and use that fancy culinary French vocab, aspiring cooks!) Stir in garlic, then broth.<br />
<br />
Bring pot to a boil, stir in rice, and then turn the head down and let things simmer for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.<br />
<br />
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together lemon juice and eggs. Then, slowly and carefully -- SLOWLY, I mean it! -- whisk about a half cup of warm broth in a thin stream into the lemon egg mixture. Now your lemon egg mixture is <i>tempered</i>, which will keep it from curdling. (You're welcome for that other fancy cooking vocab word.)<br />
<br />
Slowly, whisk your tempered lemon egg mixture into the main soup pot, stir in duck and spinach, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Once the duck is warmed through, which should only take about a minute or two, dish it out into bowls and enjoy. This recipe makes enough for two large bowls of soup. And I'm ready for my second bowl....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-8939491038376322832017-08-29T23:54:00.000-04:002018-02-26T21:47:29.891-05:00Mead Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is a bit of a meadstravaganza around my apartment these days:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcZqzAnHzVfSt71Qy1LIugIAz7NyV6Z4vYWfMD5ekHi5tNiFzhLTkafR3L0z1u_RZzklMYG33FmlpK_LYN4LoL6Bfd8m_aJqiVxioOKkQsOhHN6rmr1uw5jJZpm3st0lDVEU6ch7xA8c/s1600/meadstravaganza+-+aug+2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcZqzAnHzVfSt71Qy1LIugIAz7NyV6Z4vYWfMD5ekHi5tNiFzhLTkafR3L0z1u_RZzklMYG33FmlpK_LYN4LoL6Bfd8m_aJqiVxioOKkQsOhHN6rmr1uw5jJZpm3st0lDVEU6ch7xA8c/s320/meadstravaganza+-+aug+2017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
By now you must sense that I love <a href="http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/2016/02/international-whatever-day.html">any reason to celebrate</a> food and drink. In fact, I was just talking with some neighbors this weekend about our need to celebrate International Crepe Day. The group agreed that it's too many months away, as is Nutella Day, though felicitously the two are a mere three days apart, so we agreed we needed to make some practice batches between now and then. For research.<br />
<br />
While sipping on a little snifter of mead after dinner tonight, I realized that many of you might not know there is a National Mead Day. It was on August 5th this year, and I was fortunate to have my mead making mentor, Tysen (yes, I have a mead mentor!), and my boyfriend Matt, (yes, I have a boyfriend!) over to celebrate. After a lovely brunch, we got to tasting five different varieties.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zC8y8733hZ6zBm0n5pXSZ5fLIY8QGfd371wKE9pdcv2Sx6LMWajbx3Kw-c7mh27hYyKyOPYwAXOwi_8cMt5SmQAUC3sVfEaXPR_UxRy0cVvWt0NFsNuvyOr1ESQBhgX0Jz0Nk0gwxTo/s1600/mead+day+-+aug+5%252C+2017+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8zC8y8733hZ6zBm0n5pXSZ5fLIY8QGfd371wKE9pdcv2Sx6LMWajbx3Kw-c7mh27hYyKyOPYwAXOwi_8cMt5SmQAUC3sVfEaXPR_UxRy0cVvWt0NFsNuvyOr1ESQBhgX0Jz0Nk0gwxTo/s320/mead+day+-+aug+5%252C+2017+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I'll be writing a full post on the mead making process and results -- Tysen will be editing the excerpts from our planning, brewing, and tasting sessions, and posting the finished podcast in coming months on <a href="http://www.meadmakr.com/">his site</a> -- but as I decompress from my amazing summer travels and dive back into teaching, I didn't want to miss the chance to share this most important day that you should mark on your calendar so you don't miss Mead Day <i>next</i> year: it's the first Saturday in August. You have almost a whole year to learn about and learn to love mead before then! Those who are around may be invited to taste the by then 18-month-aged varieties pictured here:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbbhL_dEZTdu9CkggFEnoTbdUHNkecP5NG2A40npMcy6gwVKUeh-pknAm4iu2u-dbW3fC-h237dvLAFIvXJpJp1y23fHomHbvUBx8z5LxbZKZtDNiEe0y3WURNMWYTt1JGnkehdFcpZQ/s1600/tasting+the+mead+-+aug+2017+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbbhL_dEZTdu9CkggFEnoTbdUHNkecP5NG2A40npMcy6gwVKUeh-pknAm4iu2u-dbW3fC-h237dvLAFIvXJpJp1y23fHomHbvUBx8z5LxbZKZtDNiEe0y3WURNMWYTt1JGnkehdFcpZQ/s320/tasting+the+mead+-+aug+2017+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Which will you prefer, I wonder? The classic? The quince-infused? The tangerine and thyme variety? What I <i>can</i> say is that there will be no more of this smooth, barrel aged one, hand carried all the way from western Poland:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjKo0G99Czqdf9FG1ecNX4lzex25N4NzhPARKJBsEHV6SCRyODBigNwYkobefPObaK0jdZNdtAzmBQYPGwN80af54HT2dqMWH6BIewWCo8Zd-YAq65cdJgDtkL9sebHqiPh9mc-w1HmU/s1600/mead+day+-+aug+5%252C+2017+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjKo0G99Czqdf9FG1ecNX4lzex25N4NzhPARKJBsEHV6SCRyODBigNwYkobefPObaK0jdZNdtAzmBQYPGwN80af54HT2dqMWH6BIewWCo8Zd-YAq65cdJgDtkL9sebHqiPh9mc-w1HmU/s320/mead+day+-+aug+5%252C+2017+%25283%2529.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />
Take comfort, though, DC-area mead lovers (or those who are mead-curious): you can reference <a href="http://www.meadmakr.com/">Tysen's awesome website</a> to learn how easy it is to make your own mead. Or you can pick up some of Charm City's latest limited-release meads at many a local grocery. I have a can each of raspberry coconut and orange lavender in the fridge now. For research, you know. Cheers!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5391789894511297146.post-22850194316332531102017-08-26T10:53:00.001-04:002017-08-29T23:18:33.093-04:00This means war!!<div class="mobile-photo" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM5wJKI9hpfpnB2dK7AwWDp2zUIIKfbUtX-jryxH7e766Pp8Dbj8KBn-o7F8VZBDF9pVJWc0YSxsUlS3KELq4bTYpZzCdKkeCzHSMeSgAcSeXfW4NJ-5ylkGVGfRdOdFlE1gGpOegPX4/s1600/IMG_20170825_171049830_HDR-739483.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6458596757402806754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM5wJKI9hpfpnB2dK7AwWDp2zUIIKfbUtX-jryxH7e766Pp8Dbj8KBn-o7F8VZBDF9pVJWc0YSxsUlS3KELq4bTYpZzCdKkeCzHSMeSgAcSeXfW4NJ-5ylkGVGfRdOdFlE1gGpOegPX4/s320/IMG_20170825_171049830_HDR-739483.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="auto">
It's not news to me that DC has a rat problem. It's also been known for some time that Ollie has been sharing a storage closet with rats. But until recently, the rodents kept to their corner, and we kept to ours.<br /><br />Apparently these rodents have gotten a little big for their britches: the other day when I went to take Ollie for a ride I noticed some distinctive chew marks on her right handlebar. I brought my bike helmet inside. (Rat poop on my head? No thank you!) Then a few days later, some chomp evidence on her left handlebar. Then today, a brazenly large chunk was missing. Eating rubber? Really?? Apparently the mild winter meant that rat populations across the city have grown considerably larger than usual, and they're getting aggressive. I hate rats, yet I've generally maintained my distance. Love and let live, you know. But now?<br />
<div dir="auto">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto">
NOBODY chews on my Ollie and gets away with it! This means war!! That exterminator better get here asap or I'm heading in there with the rat poison myself....</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1