Pickl-It party

Have you ever wondered what 25 pounds of tomatoes, 3 pounds of basil, and 10 pounds of beets look like? Wonder no more...

My good friend Susan told me about a great deal her CSA is having right now, and I just had to get in on it with her. So with plans to do some freezing and lacto-fermenting, we signed ourselves up for these insane amounts of produce.

This morning was our Pickl-It party, which is really just a fancy way of saying "hey, let's do this together so that maybe the kids will keep each other occupied long enough for us to make a dent in these huge quantities." The box of tomatoes and the bag of basil are all mine (Susan got her own) and we decided to split the beets between us.

Phase 1 of the plan is to peel and slice/grate the beets and throw them into Pickl-Its for yummy, lacto-fermented pickled beets - they're probiotic! Phase 2 is to process the basil with olive oil and freeze in small portions for quick pesto-making and sauce-seasoning all winter long. And finally, phase 3 of the plan is to core and freeze the tomatoes for use in stews and sauces this winter (because anything in a can is bad, but canned tomatoes are especially unhealthy due to their acidity which leeches even more BPA; jarred tomatoes are really expensive).

Were we insane to think we could plow through 10 pounds of the beets in 3 hours while the 2 toddlers and an almost-1-year-old played, and the baby slept? Maybe. Other than a few scuffles over tinker toys and blocks, and meeting the expected needs of the younger two, we did make some progress. We were able to wash and peel about half of the beets. Don't they look like rubies?

This is my hand - after scrubbing with soap, even.

Looks like I have my work cut out for me this afternoon...the food processor will get a nice workout. It's also a good thing we found a freezer on Craigslist - the basil and tomatoes will be nice and cozy with the 1/4 grass-fed cow and 25 gallons of raw milk we put in it last week. Dreaming of getting a food dehydrator now...

All she needs is a fairy wand

Maybe that will be our next mission at the craft store...

For the birds

We took another field trip to the craft store today, and this time Claire picked out a little wooden birdhouse. (She also picked out a pair of size 15 knitting needles, a knitting frame, a cupcake-making kit, and a bag of tootsie pops, but we only brought the birdhouse home.) It was the perfect painting project for us this afternoon.





Claire also made up her own version of hopscotch to play on the back patio



While I was putting the groceries away she stole a tomato, sprinkled pepper on it, and ate it like an apple



And this is what we saw in the backyard before heading up to bed

Bedheads

A rare moment where Claire stood still long enough to have her picture taken (as soon as this was snapped, she dove back down onto the bed to snuggle Arden some more)



There's no such thing as Bedhead when your hair is this short (even if there were, who would notice it beyond a smile this bright?)

I love my girls :)

The windows needed washing, anyway

Today we stayed in our pajamas all day. Ok, we've done that a lot this summer, so today wasn't out of the ordinary in that regard. What set today apart was that we painted the windows.

A few days ago we took a field trip to a craft store because the cord cleat for Claire's bedroom blinds snapped in half, and it's been really irritating trying to wind the cord around a tiny little screw each morning. Of course, I can't visit a craft store without walking up and down every single aisle, and while we were doing this Claire happened to find the perfect tube of bright pink paint. It was just the size for her little 2.5 year old hand to grasp, and she was being so patient with my wandering that I told her we could get it. I hesitated at first upon noticing that it was window paint, but then I realized how fun it might be to paint on the windows...and I was right:

Tengo Bingo!









Cleanup wasn't too bad; it came off pretty easily with water and then I followed that up with vinegar to eliminate the water spots. The windows had been covered with sticky little hand prints so they needed a washing, anyway.

I have another project that's calling me back to the craft store tomorrow...I wonder what else we'll find while we're there?

Probiotic Pickles

After reading this post my mouth was watering for pickles. And not only are lacto-fermented pickles tasty, but they are loaded with health benefits.

“The proliferation of lactobacilli in fermented vegetables enhances their digestibility and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, not only keeps vegetables and fruits in a state of perfect preservation but also promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestine.” – Sally Fallon, co-author of Nourishing Traditions (Here is more interesting info if you're interested.)

While picking up groceries at the co-op last night I saw organic pickling cucumbers, so I grabbed some along with the spices called for in the recipe at the link above (so thankful for my new smart phone! It was easy finding this recipe while standing in the produce department.)



After getting the girls down for their afternoon nap I got to work. Maybe "work" isn't the right word, because it was actually super easy and fun - kind of a cross between making a cake from a boxed mix and playing Tetris. Seriously.



I had bought the 10 or so dry spices in bulk, so each was in its own little baggie and required dumping into a bowl (out of the 5+ cups it made, the recipe only calls for 2 Tbs per 4lbs of cukes.) In another bowl I mixed the salt and water together for the brine. And then after washing the pickling cucumbers and cutting up an onion came the fun part: packing them into the Pickl-It jars Tetris-style.

I had enough cucumbers to fill four 1.5 liter jars so I adjusted the rest of the recipe accordingly, and before I knew it the jars were filled.

"Really? That's it?" I thought to myself. "That was sure easy!"

Now for the most difficult part of this whole process...waiting until they're done :)

One of those days

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind where you keep finding yourself sighing and saying, "are you kidding me?" because it's just one thing after another?

The day started out fine, with plans to bake a crumb cake, meet a group of friends at a park in the morning, and meet up with another friend to hit a farmer's market in the afternoon.

So after getting out of bed at 5:30 I took the girls downstairs to get started on breakfast and preparing for the day. Yesterday morning I had mixed up the dough for the crumb cake - made with sourdough starter - and covered it with a dish towel for the 24 hour ferment/rise. When I pulled the towel off this morning I noticed something moving...a little bug running along the surface. Figuring he probably wasn't traveling alone and feeling really grossed out I threw the dough away, bummed because I was wasting it and wouldn't have the tasty treat for breakfast. "Oh well," I thought, "we have vanilla yogurt, homemade granola with walnuts, and fresh strawberries and blueberries; that sounds really good!" So we ate that.

After breakfast I tended to the chicken stock that had been simmering on the stove all night. I carefully took all of the pieces out of the liquid, and separated the meat from the bones (a tedious process, but oh so worth it! I love making chicken salad, enchiladas, and other meals from the meat, and the stock always comes in handy while cooking.) I packed a picnic lunch, got myself and Claire ready, and somehow it was almost 9:00.

The plan was to leave at 9, so I nursed Arden and then laid her down on my bed so I could throw my hair into a ponytail. As soon as I did she started projectile spitting up - it was as if she had a hose in her mouth, turned on high, spewing a steady stream of liquid. This is unusual for Arden, so I was a little alarmed. I grabbed her to keep her upright, and it kept flowing. In all it must have been 2 or 2.5 cups of breastmilk (how did she get that much in there in the first place?!) that drenched her, me, and the bed. I quickly mopped it up and changed her outfit and diaper. We were 30 minutes late to the park, which isn't a huge deal, but it certainly wasn't a relaxing morning, either.

We had fun with our friends, but when we got home I saw the bowl of chicken sitting on the table. I had forgotten to put it in the fridge before leaving, and it sat out for 6 hours. (*sigh*) After dumping it in the garbage, Claire refused to nap. I could tell she was exhausted, in fact she could barely keep her eyes open, but she did everything she could to keep her body moving to avoid sleep. I was wiped out and had really been looking forward to the break (and bummed that my streak was over - for the last 5 or so weeks I had been getting both girls to nap at the same time!) Later when we got to the farmer's market I realized that I had forgotten my sling for Arden at home. By the way this day is going I guess I'm lucky I didn't forget Arden!

When I was going through the mail I came across a letter from the insurance company regarding my settlement. Directions on the form include signing it in front of a notary - this is extremely frustrating because I just spent 45 minutes at the bank YESTERDAY having the form for Arden's birth certificate notarized.

And there's even more, but I'm tired of complaining and I realize that these are minor things to be complaining about in the first place.

Can this day just be over, please?