You may have noticed a large pile of chives in the colander last week, alongside the nettle and dandelion greens. They were getting really tall, and I cut them all back a bit, but then what does one do with all those chives? What does one do with a large harvest of any herb? Well, of course, if it’s basil, then you make pesto. But, chives, oh, chives are perfectly matched with unsalted butter and a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and made into compound butter.
Chive Compound Butter
Posted by realfoodroad on May 25, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/05/25/chive-compound-butter-25/
Nettle (Urtica dioica)
Get ready to geek out on a weed. This is nettle. More specifically, this is stinging nettle.
Nettle
Its botanical name is Urtica dioica, and it is in the Urticaceae family of plants. It’s one of many in this family that grow wild in North America. If you have the misfortune of encountering it whilst wandering through wooded areas, you will know immediately. Any skin that comes in contact with the little hairs on its leaves and stem will begin to sting and burn, and will do so until you wash with soap and water. A slight stinging, tingling sensation might continue for several hours after that. However, unlike poison ivy, which will continue to curse you with its presence on clothes, shoes, and dog (but I’m not one to hold a grudge), nettle does not sting unless you come in direct contact with it. Wearing gloves, long sleeves and long pants makes foraging for nettle easy and painless.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on May 18, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/05/18/nettle-urtica-dioica/
Foraging for Inspiration
Have you been to the site The Perennial Plate yet? You may have noticed it’s one of the links I recommend over there on the right of this page. They are just wrapping up their second year of blogging (and video blogging, although really, the micro-documentaries Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine make are sooooo much more than mere point-the-camera-at-something-and-put-it-online-blogging), and it was even better than the first year. In the first year, their focus was on local, seasonal eating in Minnesota (yes, even in the winter). The second year, they took a road trip around the country, to see what local food traditions they could discover. Their blog is great too (Mirra has her own unique take on this journey, and her relationship with Daniel, and she is damn funny), so I would strongly suggest you hole up this weekend with your computer, and do a marathon of The Perennial Plate.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on May 11, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/05/11/foraging-for-inspiration/
Oyster Stew
So back to oyster consideration. The Husband and I made quick work of the oysters I brought home that fateful day, while watching our Thursday night TV on the DVR (Big Bang Theory and Person of Interest).
My oyster obsession (and that’s what it was) intensified. I had yet to taste the decadence of M.F.K Fisher’s oyster stew, and was driven to do so, although after eating the delicate little Malpeques raw, I couldn’t imagine how cooking them could be a good thing.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on May 4, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/05/04/oyster-stew/
The Oyster, Considered (Mary Frances, I Did It For You)
The treasure chest, locked up tight.
(edited to change title and add links)
Consider the oyster, M. F. K. Fisher wrote.
Oh, that I had the courage, I thought. I read on.
Fisher went on to describe the process by which oysters come into being, a sort of anonymous, androgynous conception and birth, and the life of the tiny baby oyster, the spat, as it drifted free and breezy on the tides, until ready to attach to the first solid object in its path, or the sandy bottom of the bay.
I was fascinated. I read on.
Fisher wove her lyrical net, baiting it with a voluptuous recounting of the best oyster stew she had ever had, in a dark, tiny dive of a place, on a frigid, long night in New England.
I had to have it.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on April 27, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/04/27/mary-frances-i-did-it-for-you/
One Down, Fifteen To Go.
So we’ve got Stanley Cup Playoff fever real bad in the house. The Boston Bruins were last year’s champions, and we’d love to see them do it again. They’ve got their work cut out for them, but they have one win under their belts. We are doing our best around here to build up the Boston mojo:
GO B’s!!!
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on April 16, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/04/16/one-down-fifteen-to-go/
Lean Finely Textured Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner.
I’ve just read an article about a tour of a “lean finely textured beef” factory, taken by three governors of beef-producing states, and ABC News. In it, the company and the governors try very, very, very hard to convince the reader that “lean finely textured beef” is getting a bad rap, and can we quit calling it “pink slime”, and just shut up and eat it, please?
No.
Not just no, but Hell. No.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on March 30, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/03/30/lean-finely-textured-beef-its-whats-for-dinner/
Persephone Days
One of my seasonal growing/eating inspirations, Eliot Coleman, calls the weeks surrounding the winter solstice the “Persephone Months”. He’s describing a time of year when the sun’s path is so low that it doesn’t heat up his cold frames enough for growth to continue; the crops sit waiting to be harvested, perfectly protected and preserved in their cozy beds. The reference to the goddess Persephone comes from the story about her journey to the Underworld. There are many versions of this myth, but generally it tells of Persephone’s kidnapping by Hades, Demeter’s refusal to allow anything to grow until she is returned, Persephone eating pomegranate seeds, fruit of the Underworld, and being compelled to return to Hades for 6 months of the year, making Demeter sad and all green things die. When Persephone returns, Demeter rejoices, and all green things grow.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on March 24, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/03/24/persephone-days/
Well, Would You Look At That.
All of a sudden, it seems to be spring. Or at least a reasonable facsimile. Two weeks ago there was a foot of snow on the ground, today, nothing. A few tiny patches of ice left in the yard, and a small lump of dirty snow wherever the snow blower/plow piled it up. So, an end-of-the-season roundup seemed like a good idea. Although not much is actually growing in the ground yet, here in the Northeast, the greenhouses are being put into action on farms all around us, so soon our plates will be full of tender green beauty.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on March 14, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/03/14/well-would-you-look-at-that/
I Never Could Leave Well Enough Alone.
First, a completely gratuitous picture of The Dog, 8 months old and such a good girl!
Completely unrelated to my last post, merely coincidental, I have re-upped on the Big Double-W to lose some of the stress weight I’ve gained in the last three years. The plan has changed a lot since I last used it, and I could really use some structure to get me back on track (read: stop me binging on bread products and butter all day long). The plan offers up some meal ideas to get beginners started on the road to more nutritional bang for their caloric buck. But I am no beginner.
Like this:
Posted by realfoodroad on February 27, 2012
http://realfoodroad.com/2012/02/27/i-never-could-leave-well-enough-alone/
