Mother Earth News Fair

 We are heading to the Mother Earth News Fair and are so excited!  If you can, you should join us.  Follow this link to find loads of great information on the topics that will be covered.

Puyallup Fairgrounds | Puyallup, Wash. June 4-5, 2011 Saturday event hours: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sunday event hours: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Eggs Galore

Well, we are jumping on the chicken bandwagon.  This is a first for these two farm girls (this one in particular).  Our new adventure came about because some friends gave it a try.  Low and behold they reported that it was “easy” to take care of and raise chickens.  Amazingly enough we actually have an old chicken coop on our property so it seemed like it was in the cards for us.   

However, being novices, we were still skeptical and tossed this idea around for a few months.  When we ate our friends eggs and imagined the bountiful harvest we might enjoy, we put our reservations aside and we were first to sign up for the new batch of chicks.  I mean, the kids will have fun with them and let’s just hope the dogs will leave them alone.  Naturally, we googled chickens right away and found two extremely informative websites, Backyardchickens.com & Urban Chickens.  Armed with this new knowledge of everything chicken, we set out to pick up our chicks.

We picked up six chickens:  2 Sussex (cream to light brown eggs), 2 Ameraucana (blue and green eggs!!), 1 Black sex-link (brown eggs), and 1 Red sex-link (brown eggs).  They are all hens, no roosters.  Their current home is in a large Rubbermaid container that is a few feet deep (not the one pictured).  These little guys can really jump, so the high walls are important.  Before we really realized it one had jumped right out of its home and chirped its way to our coat closet.  Now that we have our little tweeters, it is better than TV.  We all gather around to see what they are up to.  They each have a job and they take it seriously by pecking, scratching, and eating.  Our next task is to transform our chicken coop into a palace for our new feathered friends. 

So, for now, we are dreaming of eggs...Eggs are a great addition to any meal, you can practically pair it with anything and call it a meal. We love eggs at all times of the day and I often find myself using them for dinner at least twice a week. In honor of our new chicks, I wanted to make a delicious egg dinner.  We chose a Frittata.  This is an easy recipe with some of the things we love: eggs, green chile, sausage, and cheese - a killer combination. We have eaten this warm or cold, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  This is type of thing you can easily make for brunch or for a potluck.
It starts with eggs...

Green Chile Frittata
9 eggs
1 medium onion
3 oz of cheddar cheese
4 or 5 green chiles, roasted & peeled, chopped (or 1 can of chopped green chiles)
Sausage
salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook sausage until brown, drain and cool, reserve. Saute the onions 2-4 minutes over medium high heat until translucent, cool and reserve.   Peel and chop the green chiles and shred the cheese.  In a large bowl add eggs, salt, pepper, green chiles, and cheese.  When cooled add sausage and onion mixture and stir.  Pour into an oven safe baking dish and bake until set and golden, 20-30 min.  Let cool 10 min.  Eat with a bunch of grapes on the side.

This post is linked to:

Simple Lives Thursday

Summer Goals

Part of the fun in my anticipation of the "growing season", as I like to call it, is planning out what I would like to can or preserve this summer. I find if I write it out ahead of time, I am more likely to buy that extra box of peaches or tomatoes when they are at the peak of ripeness to preserve for the long winter ahead. My bible for canning all things summer is the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. It has a great intro section on the equipment you will need and the proper methods for canning, which are very helpful if you are new to this art. Every year at this time I flip through it to review my favorite recipes and to find some new ones to try. Here is my preliminary list, with comments:

Fresh Cherries on Their Way to Becoming Preserves

~ Apples studded with Dried Cherries and Raisins...
I have been meaning to make this for a few years now, maybe this is the year.
~ Apples and Applesauce... I have tried this in the past and wasn't impressed, but I may not have done the process quite right. I may give it another go this fall.
~ Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries... I freeze these in large quantities to have all year long. Last year I picked 20 pounds of blueberries and have just one bag in the freezer left to get through. There is nothing like fresh blueberries in your oatmeal or pancakes on a cold winter morning.
~ Spiced Cherries...Always a favorite, and great as a filling in the German pastry Kolaches. See recipe below.

Tomatillos Roasting and Getting Ready for Sals

~ Honey-Spiced Peaches...Yum! The peaches aren't as firm as the store-bought canned peaches, but
they are just as tasty and you know exactly how much sugar    they contain.
~ Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce...Every year I say I am going to make my own tomato sauce, and every year I run out of time. This year I vow to follow through!
~ Apple Butter, Peach Butter and Pumpkin Butter... need I say more?
~ Cherry-Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Jam, Raspberry Jam
~ Dill Pickles...My husband made these last year and has almost mowed through our entire stock. They are

A Box of Veggies Ready for Salsa

delicious! I use a family recipe and it is so nice to have a taste of home    when I am so far away.
~ Tomatillo and Regular Salsa... My personal favorites. 
~ Red Hot Sauce... New to the list this year. I have a new addiction to Cholula and want to make it at home.

Oh my that is a healthy list! It's a good thing the produce ripens in waves so you have time to get one batch put away before the next is ready to be picked and preserved. I have been told that canning and freezing produce just takes too much time, but for me it is a labor of love. I place a high value on not consuming a large amount of preservatives, sodium, and sugar. Canning and freezing is the best way to be absolutely guaranteed of what you and your family are eating.

Schwartz Family Kolache Recipe
1 Tbsp sugar                                                 2 pkg. yeast
1/2 c. warm water                                         2 c. milk
1/2 c. and 2 Tbsp shortening                         2 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks                                                   1/2 c. sugar
6 1/4 c. flour                                              
1-2 cans jarred cherries or any canned fruit. Store bought works wells too.* See below for more options.*

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over yeast and dissolve in water. Set aside to rise. Heat milk. Add shortening to melt. Allow to cool until lukewarm, then add salt. Combine slightly beaten egg yolks and sugar. Add to milk mixture. Mix milk mixture and yeast. Gradually add flour and work dough by hand until glossy. Let rise 1 hour. Divide into egg size balls and place on a greased pan. Butter balls well. Let rise slightly, flatten each ball out slightly and make well in center of ball. Fill with fruit or cottage cheese filling. Let rise again. Bake at 325 for 15 to 20 minutes.

For Fresh Fruit Filling:
2 c. fresh apples, pears, or peaches                    1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp sugar                                                      Dab of butter
1 Tbsp flour

Put in a saucepan with a little water; cook until mushy.

For Cottage Cheese Filling (MY FAVORITE):
Combine 1 carton cottage cheese with sugar, salt, and lemon juice to taste.

New Beginnings

It is spring time here in Yakima, WA, finally.  We have been waiting all winter for the first hint of newness in the air, AKA: warm weather, green buds on the trees. Growing up in West Texas, springtime is something that happens in a flash.  February brings "shorts weather" and with it, HOT temperatures.  Anyway, we are so glad the warmth is here.  With warm weather means propagation and preparing our gardens.  I get so excited about this prospect.  Our compost pile is ready to go, ready to start our new garden. 


Compost Pile

As farmgirls, we naturally try our best to start from seed.  Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.  This year, ultimately it ended in failure for us with an unseasonably late freeze.  So we pulled ourselves up and went to buy some starts.  We started with basil. 

 

Basil

Every year I try my best to grow basil.  I have had pretty good luck so far. I grow as much as I can with the idea that I will make one of my favorites: Pesto.  There comes a time in the summer where I am knee deep in pesto.  I cut the beautiful, leafy, aromatic, basil and patiently pull the leaves off.  When I have mounds of leaves I can begin the Pesto.I make batch after batch to freeze.  After painstakingly pouring my pesto into freezer containers, ta da: I have pesto for the year.
 With the beginning of spring, I looked into my freezer to pull out a serving of my dwindling supply of pesto.  Dinner tonight is going to be pesto.  Call some friends, pop open a bottle of wine, bring out the Trivial Pursuit (or in our case Trivial Pursuit cards and a Shoots and Ladder’s board).  Here’s to new beginnings and another crop of basil.  Enjoy.


Quickie Pesto Dinner
1 package of pesto (from store or homemade)
1 package of linguine
½ package of grape tomatoes
½ an onion
2 or 3 cups of reserved pasta water
1 or 2 tsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Crusty Italian style bread
Parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Salt the water once the water is boiling, add linguine.  Cook to al dente.  Reserve 2 or 3 cups of the pasta water. Drain.

Meanwhile put the olive oil in the sauté pan to heat over medium or medium high heat.  Chop the onions and add to the pan.  Clean the grape tomatoes and cut in half.  When the onions are cooked add the tomatoes.  Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. 

Add pasta to the pan.  Stir in the pasta water until it reaches the consistency you like. Add a handful of grated parmesan cheese.  Using tongs stir and serve with a slice of delicious crusty bread and a thin slice of parmesan cheese on top. 

Pesto Recipe:
(this is how I do it, it is by no means an exact science)

food processor
1 or 2 cloves garlic
1 or 2 cups parmesan
2 tbs of olive oil
one heaping bowl full of basil leaves
1 package of pine nuts
1tbs lemon juice

I actually don't have this recipe written down so it is always a little different (I hope I did not forget anything).  Mix everything to taste.  Throw it all into the food processor and give it a whirl.

Two Texans in Washington

This blog is hosted by two ladies from Texas that have been friends for life and share a passion for all things locally grown and produced, and for living an urban farmgirl lifestyle. Together, through this blog, we will share our adventures in raising chickens, canning all the beautiful bounty the Yakima Valley has to offer, visiting farmers markets and produce stands, and everything in between.

Natalie and Erika at Girl Scout Camp, age: 10

High School Graduation 1998

First and foremost, we'd like to introduce ourselves. My name is Natalie, and I grew up with a farmer's daughter for a mom and a city boy for a dad. My family spent many a holiday and Sunday at my grandparent's farm in West Texas. As one of 18 grandkids, I spent those long days playing with my cousins in the giant cotton bins full of cotton seed after harvest, playing with the chickens and goats, helping to process deer into delicious sausages and ground meat during hunting season, and helping to clean just-harvested corn for that night's dinner. At the time, I didn't think anything of it. That was just how life was. Then I went off to follow my dreams through college and grad school, and had to rely on grocery stores and fast food joints for my meals. I became very aware of the quality of the food I was consuming, and sorely began to miss the fresh food of my youth. My Aunt's fresh eggs, my mom's peaches from the summer that she freezes to use year-round, the barbequed goat (cabrito) we would have for holiday dinner, and the fresh deer meat. Only here in Yakima, Washington did my passion for canning, or "putting up", the local produce and supporting a local lifestyle start to burgeon.  The amount and variety of fresh produce that comes off the land here is mind-blowing. I began to pick and freeze blueberries, can my own salsa and spiced cherries, and make jams and pumpkin butter. I am on a mission to preserve and enjoy as much food as this valley has to offer, and to share my trials, tribulations, and recipes with you along the way.

Natalie and Dane at the Mother Earth News Fair, June 2011

Hi.
I’m Erika, I grew up in Texas with Natalie.  Unlike Natalie I did not grow up with the deep seated need to make things from scratch or even cook at all.  Frozen dinners were commonly seen on our table.  We bought our eggs at the store.  My family still lives in Texas but I wouldn’t say they consider themselves “Texans”.  (Or maybe they would since they have lived there just about 25 years). So, I never thought I would stay in Texas. I have spent some time in the Midwest, Southwest, and now the Northwest.  When I am not dreaming of food, I hang out with my husband and two kids, teach first grade, and work on my doctorate (probably in that order).

Kale, Erika, Kaya - 2010 strawberry harvest

I have always liked to paint, draw or otherwise create things in that way.  It wasn’t until fairly recently that I really began to cook.  It all started because, well, I had to: my husband worked at night, and let’s face it, if I didn’t do it no one would.  I mean, these kids weren’t feeding themselves.  So that is how I began down this journey, and let me tell you it has been a slow, rocky ride (my oldest is 7).  Now I genuinely love to cook, to create something out of nothing.  Let’s be completely straightforward – they don’t always turn out as planned.  But isn’t that the joy of cooking anyway?  I began freezing my own fresh, local produce and canning using local ingredients.  Separately, Natalie and I have been fine tuning our abilities as culinary scientists by hypothesizing, creating, and testing.  When we found ourselves together again in the great Pacific Northwest, we knew it was fate.  That is what brought us to this point: our mutual love of cooking, local produce, everything homemade, and each other. 
Thank you for reading our blog.

Playing Dress-up in Mom's old Bridesmaids Dresses