Picky, picky picky....

.......yesterday I went to the weekly afternoon farmers market with a friend ( this is not the one I participate in , but the one I've gone to for the past 10 years or so ) I usually just walk around and visit the vendors and run into people I know while my friend does a little shopping~ although I must confess there is a lady there that has great plants so on occasion I bring some of these home ~ back to the story, as we were standing in line for fresh tomatoes I couldn't help but begin to smile, it seemed as if everyone was picking up the tomatoes ( and all the other vegetables for that matter ) and inspecting them and then getting the perfect one meant for them....and I just thought to myself when you grow your own you are proud as a peacock of whatever comes off your plants or vines..heaven forbid it should ever be misshapen but if one is you just say to yourself look what this plant did!(and everyone else) and will rarely cast something you have grown to the side ( no matter what it looks like ) unless it truly is bad...picky, picky, picky....I'll let you know what happens to this tomato.

Process Matters

To quote the folks at Cooks Illustrated "Over the years at Cooks Illustrated we have found that process matters, that when compared side by side, one method is actually better than another...." and Friday I realized just how true this is. I had a busy morning as it was the day to take the meat birds to Roberto for processing. A friend told me about him, he processes chickens cheaper than the areas small operations USDA place, so off I went. I arrived with my 8 birds and found Roberto. The small facility he processes in was very clean and there was no odor, so I felt comfortable leaving my birds. Now I was prepared to return in a couple of hours with cooler and ice but Roberto said he'd be done in 1/2 hour so I quickly went to the store to get my ice! It wasn't until I got home and was rinsing and preparing the poultry for the freezer that I realized just how valuable Roberto is! He takes care of each bird individually even hand plucking them. This means my birds are tender and unbruised as they haven't been beaten by a commercial plucker. Their skin is soft and undamaged, and I understood why in part our Turkey last Thanksgiving was so deliciously tender...Roberto had been a a part of the process...

We had grilled chicken on Friday night and it was absolutely delicious so naturally I'm already looking forward to this years turkey ( Blue Slate Heritage breed raised by one of my friends) and I'm thankful Roberto will be part of the process...

The Buzz....

The bees....oh how important they are, while I love to harvest the honey in late summer their most important job is pollination.

They keep my cucumbers straight

( it takes 11 visits from a bee for proper cucumber pollination)

to my tomatoes, and every other fruit and vegetable in my garden!

And... I am so looking forward to garden goodness this summer!

I just started a cooking club of sorts, 3 other couples and I have joined a CSF - Community Supported Fishery- and we will be getting together every other week to prepare and enjoy the catch! We'll be trying all kinds of fish and seafood from the NC coast and intercoastal waterway! Not only do I look forward to trying and learning new recipes but I'm also looking forward to the company we'll enjoy over the course of the summer.

This week I'll be using some of my honey in this Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce -

A recipe by
Chef Isaac Frerichs


Yield: 4 Delicious Portions

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, bone in, cut into 2 breasts and 2 leg & thigh portions, skin on

10 whole garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 cups ketchup

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp hot sauce

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 cup local honey (wild flower honey works great!)

2 tbsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder



Preparation:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Place garlic cloves, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss well. Place in foil, wrap up and roast in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

While the garlic is roasting, place all ingredients (except chicken) in food processor.

When done, remove sauce mix and place in a small sauce pan.

Preheat grill. Spray grill with cooking oil.

Brush glaze on chicken and start grilling chicken skin side down.

When a nice sear has been imparted, baste and flip over. Grill for a minute and place on a sheet pan.

Baste well and finish in the oven until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, bring the glaze to a boil remove from heat. When the chicken comes out, baste it well with the remaining glaze.

Serve and enjoy!

"The Mini Herd"

Saturday was the day Kudzu arrived. He's so cute and the 3 alpacas have bonded. Henri seems more attentive while Raoul just stands around eating and watching.
I just love watching them and with Kudzu's arrival it feels more like a group or "Mini herd". It's how it should be as these wonderful animals are herd animals.
The millet I planted for them last week has sprouted and there is a nice green glow on the front pasture...
The alpaca mulch I have been using seems to be doing a fine job on the tomato plants. I'm continuing to add soil conditioner to plants that haven't received it and am anxiously waiting for summer garden goodness.
I grow sprouts year round and am always looking for more ways to use them... Tonight I'm trying this recipe from Vegetarian Times (MAY/June): They say it's a French food craze - these little glasses with layered ingredients calling them Verrines....

Quinoa - Avocado Verrines

1/3 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp chili powder - divided
3 tsp lime juice
2 tsp olive oil
1 ripe avocado
2 -3 drops Tabasco sauce ( I'm using Texas Pete!)
1/3 cup sprouts

1- bring quinoa 1/4 tsp chili powder and 1 cup water to a boil, cover reduce heat to med low and simmer 12 - 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed
2- whisk together 2 tsp lime juice, oil and remaining chili powder. Add quinoa and toss to coat, Season with salt and pepper.
3- divide quinoa among small glasses, dice avocado season with salt and pepper and toss with Tabasco sauce and remaining lime juice. Divide avocado among glasses and top with sprouts -
serve immediately for a nice light first course or appetizer!

Henri you are not a ballerina!

Henri and Raoul are slowly adjusting to their new life here at Hexapoda, their pasture has shade trees squirrels, birds and my cocker spaniel Lucy running around, not to mention the classical music 24 hours a day. I'm hoping this means life is good for them, and maybe they are getting use to their new home. That Henri will occasionally stand on 3 feet with one leg stuck straight out - (to scratch his ear..) a ballerina he is not...
Within an hour of their arrival we began to get soil conditioner, which meant I started to use it on my garden. This past Saturday was my first weekend at the farmer's market braving my new "farm product" and it was well received I sold some and I received an order for a large amount. My friends are now coming over with 5 gallon buckets happy to take the alpaca by product away! It really is a wonderful addition to the garden and can be used fresh as the nitrogen is very low. The tomatoes I planted and conditioned this spring are doing well along with the rest of my garden. I've been digging through the blue potato pots and we've had 2 meals of rosemary garlic potatoes...

Blue Potatoes

The blue potatoes I planted earlier in the year are doing great! Looks like I'll be able to dump the pots out for harvest around the 1st of June. I'm already looking forward to potato salad, and garlic roasted potatoes to name a few.
The alpacas have settled in and are enjoying their grazing rye. I have begun using the "Alpaca Soil Conditioner" all over my garden! The plants that received it early are looking great and I already have tomatoes growing. I'll be planing cucumbers soon along with squash and zucchini ( although I must admit I did plant one each of squash and zucchini that are already coming up!
It's going to be a great year in the garden!
I'll be having Spinach in a salad tonight....
To make it use fresh spinach, toss with some Parmesan cheese and walnuts and then mix in a good dressing ( I'm using the Gerard's Spinach Salad dressing tonight) and I'll top this salad off with a freshly poached egg!

Henri and Raoul

The alpacas arrived on Friday and we thought we were ready. The fence was up, the shelter built, the water buckets in place, hay feeders in place, lock on gate, night time lighting, fish pond complete with goldfish and fountain and of course classical music.Ha! We haven't stopped working since they got here! First of all there was a space in the gate where they could stick their heads through the gate and get stuck, fixed that, then we found out Henri loves to climb - moved all the wood piles - and then he kept pushing on the gate - one more lock and a rope! But they are worth it we love them....
so....today I've been planning their summer grazing and will be planting millet soon - there are several types but the feed store where I go carries tiff millet so that's what we will be trying....
Henri and Raoul are both intrigued with all the animals in their new area and watch the squirrels intently...I haven't introduced Henri to his chicken Margaret Thatcher (she's an English Speckled Sussex) yet, but it should be interesting when I do...