Harvest Kitchen Sisters

Pickled Winter Radish

2012-02-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Who says you can't pickle in the winter? We just tried this quick winter radish pickle out (mostly because we had them in storage) and to be honest I am pretty surprised as to how much I love them. Winter radish are grown in the fall and store through the winter months. The are larger, meatier and more mellow then their feisty spring cousins. I was surprisingly delighted with this recipe it is fresh, crisp and zingy (not to mention pretty). Quick pickle recipes are great when you don't want to haul out all the canning supplies and they are usually ready to eat within a couple of days.

So get your pickle on!

recipe here

Wordless Wednesday...but with words

2012-02-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

From the City.

So, I'm going back to work in roughly a month. I am feeling anxious and a bit sad about this transition.

My crazy person lists: dinner ideas for Simon, meal ideas for Theo and random stuff to do.

When Theo was first born, everyone told me to enjoy it cause time was gonna fly right on by but I just didn't really understand them. I thought, "....a year, how could a year fly by??? I'll be aching to go back, forget that, maybe I'll even go back early..." I have never been so wrong about anything in my whole life. I have been on the verge of tears for about the past week as I start to get us ready. Making lists, crossing things off lists, stressing about said lists.

It's funny, I swear this transition has made me call everything into question. I've considered myself a feminist for forever and even did an entire undergrad in women's studies (much to my dad's chagrin) and now I'm facing this dilemma where all I really want to do it stay home and cook and craft and do laundry and look after my family but in the back of mind I have this little voice saying, "no, no, no you need to do MORE, you need to CONTRIBUTE..." but, I say to the voice, staying at home is truly the hardest and most thankless work ever and I am contributing, I am contributing to my family and to society by cranking out this lovely kind little human being, that's gotta count for something!

what is this voice and where does it come from???? who started it and keeps it humming in my mind???

From what I've heard from other mama's, you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't. You go to work and you feel like you're missing out on your family. You stay home and you're missing out on a career and independence and freedom.

So what to do? I'll let you know when I figure it out.

amelia

(not so wordless this week)

Oat Bran Muffins

2012-02-07T14:41:00.000-05:00

From the country...

To the left brannies with strawberries. To the right with raisins.

Maybe not the most exciting title for a post I must admit but since making the decision to start this plan I am trying to find alternatives to the beloved butter(amongst many, many other delicious edibles). That yellow devil along with his friends Mr. bread and Ms.dairy with their adoptive devil child peanut butter (did I mention the teenage cousin Bacon??) have been my allies for awhile now. Yep, time to shed the "baby weight" (if I can still rightfully call it that) and try retraining my brain in the ol' eating department. Can anyone say portion size?

Anyway on to the recipes. I have found 2 oat bran recipes in the past week that I am fairly fond of. This one has blueberries in it (I doubled the amount) and this one is a basic recipe that I doctored with some powdered ginger and strawberries. I also made the recipe with raisins and no strawberries for my gal Millie who isn't there in her diet yet when it comes to strawberries.

Well wish me luck and enjoy the muffins!

Weekending...

2012-02-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

From the City...

This weekend was spent up north with friends and fam.

Birthday parties, cuddles with the g-parents, sled rides on the frozen pond and play time with cousins.

The best birthday cake of all time.

Working in the new kitchen.

Nate.

Sled ride on the pond.

Countless games of guess who.

oh, and a long sleepy ride home...

Linking up with Amanda at: The Habit of Being

-ab

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2012-02-03T06:00:00.002-05:00

Lala is a yoga-stoned gypsy, writer, eternal food nerd, nature lover and Bikram yoga teacher

living right here in the big busy city of Toronto.

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When Amelia asked if I could guest post on the sisters' blog, I thought, awesome! I was excited, I figured it would be what I need to get back into writing about food, with all the glorious pictures and recipes after taking a break for so long. And I get to virtually hang out in her blog-kitchen.

But then it hit me. I had to write about food, with all the pictures and recipes. My break was now over.

Before I go on, I suppose I should share a little bit about me. I love food. Not in an obsessively unhealthy way, but a true, deep love that has been with me right from the start. The history, the traditions, the purpose of dishes that we all grew up with, discovering new things, digging up old family recipes, travelling to far away lands and getting to know the culture through their food, creating something from scratch, the patience it takes to bake a pie, and even the tedious job of dicing onions and mincing garlic are all adventurous to me.

Aside from loving food, I also have other great loves. Yoga coming a close second. As images of stereotypical yogis flash before your eyes, I'm happy to admit that I am far from the traditional yogi (whatever that even means). I eat meat, lots of it. I wear leather. And black. I swear like a sailor. I'm sarcastic. And I will not ask my students to open their heart up to the sky in my classes. I just can't do it.

My yoga of choice is Bikram yoga. In fact, I love it so much that I signed my life away to become a teacher, enduring weeks and weeks of sleep deprived days filled with tons of yoga (yay), lectures (sometimes yay), and sweaty laundry (not so yay).

While away from home and no access to my humble kitchen, I had to figure out creative ways to continue my standard of eating. As in, good, clean food that I enjoy and that my body also enjoys. We didn't have much time to ourselves nor equipment for anything beyond a tuna sandwich. So...I became a wee bit preoccupied - ok, obsessed, about cooking with next to nothing that I created a giant list of foods that one can make without a stove, an oven, or at times, fridge space.

Yes, I told you I loved food. I made a list.

While I eat anything and everything I want, I had to be creative during training. My stomach couldn't live off of processed food, packaged dinners, or fast food. Neither could my pocket. Our training required us to eat more than the average person as we were expending so much energy. There were days we would ingest as much as 4000 calories! That was a lot of food! I needed to make everything I ate tasty as enjoying food is just non-negotiable, even in the most challenging of places.

I am Asian, and we almost always have a sauce to accompany most dishes, so of course, this spills over to any food I make. One of my favourite yet simplest ways to add flavour into food was with fresh chutneys, preserves, and sauces. Some call them pestos, pickles, etc. Many of them can be made without needing to be cooked, so packed a few recipes up along with my yoga shorts.

My two favourite sauces/pestos are made with cilantro and kale. So much flavour and yet, they're so easy! While in training, I would make a small batch in my tiny blender to last a couple of days and we would add them in soups, stews, sandwiches, you name it. They're dairy-free, gluten free, raw, and vegan too if you're into that stuff.

The base (for me) for pestos/chutney always include acid, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Then you can add anything. If I want a little bit more heartiness to them, I add some cashews into the mix or any nut that will bind the ingredients. Pine nuts are the price of a diamond ring so I rarely use them.

Here are my two go-to recipes that I eat far too much of. I don't use measurements, so don't be afraid to experiment. These are guidelines only.

Cilantro Chutney

1 bunch of cilantro

2-3 shallots or half a small onion

4 cloves of garlic

juice of 1 lime

olive oil

salt

ground black pepper

Thai chilies (optional)

Combine everything in a food processor until desired consistency, adding oil as needed.

**Goes well with mayonnaise to add to sandwiches. Mix with yogurt for a delicious dip. Add to diced tomatoes for a fresh salsa. Freeze into ice cube trays to add to soups, stews, and curries. Fantastic with bread and awesome with grilled meats. Flavourful marinade too.

**Mash with avocadoes with extra lime for a kick ass guacamole.

Kale Pesto

1 cup kale (stems included)

3 garlic cloves

juice of 1/2 lemon

olive oil

salt

ground black pepper

Combine everything in a food processor until desired consistency, adding oil as needed.

**Goes well with pasta, bread, and fresh salads. Actually, it just goes well with everything! I'm addicted to this stuff!!

Thanks to Amelia and Laura, for getting me out of my food-writing rut and hosting me on the

Harvest Kitchen Sisters.

Hope to see you in yoga one day!

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To read more from Lala, you can find her over on her blog.

Henry's Birthday

2012-02-02T12:47:00.001-05:00

From the City...

Amy's little Henry is turning three. Amy being my best friend from our days of high school, shesh, 10 years ago and Henry her, not so little, three year old boy. Henry is one pretty special kid, he's shy and quiet but funny and quirky, just like his mama.

It's his third birthday party this weekend and it's gonna be a big one, both for him and for his parents. See normally this family lives up in Pangnirtung Nunavut but are living back in Ontario for the year while husband goes back to school and mama has second baby (a girl!).

This is the first birthday that Henry will get to share with his grandparents on both sides, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.

Like I said, a big one.

Here's what I'm bringing.

1. Find a plastic animal of your liking as well as a good container. I used a peanut butter container but a mason jar would work if you're making for an older child. Glue the little sucker down.
2. Really make sure to glue him down. I used hot glue but crazy glue might be better.
3. Paint the whole thing a colour you fancy. We have lots of blue left from the mural so it was an easy decision for me.
4. Marvel at your handiwork.

I got the inspiration from this great blog.
I made Laura's play doh recipe, which is honestly the best one ever. You can find it here.
You can't tell but I made an apple print bag to put everything in. You can see how to do it here.

Bye!

-ab

Ground Hog Day

2012-02-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

From the country...

photo credit: Jason Cohn / Reuters

The toll

Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam: did not see shadow- spring is on the way

Ontario's Wiarton Willy: did not see shadow- spring is on the way

Puxsutawney Phil (the U.S critter): did see shadow- 6 more weeks of winter

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Wordless Wednesday - Instagram Edition

2012-02-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

From the City...

-ab

What we have been up to

2012-01-31T12:29:00.002-05:00

From the country...

The new kitchen

Seed organizing and ordering

cookies of the play dough variety...

fresh batches of soap (lavender and oatmeal/tea tree)

I have been trying hard to be productive this month. I do have a slight case of the January blahs though, so needless to say I have been a bit slugish. I have spent some time planning and organizing the new growing season, taking trips to the second hand stores to purge the house, making countless batches of play dough for the boys (in baking colours), and I had a chance to invite some friends over for a soap making session. I hope to have all our soap made for the year (and for some gifts) in the next few weeks.

We have been playing around with the new kid's kitchen that I bought for Millie at Christmas. I know she may be a tad young, but I found it here, it was fifty bucks AND it was hand made to boot! It is a really great little prize and I hope Millie plays with it for many years to come.

The seed order is done and the decisions have been made for this up coming season. We plan to go big on growing onions, which is exciting for me because they are one of my favourite vegetables to grow. Also on the new list is more culinary herbs, and some more early lettuces to accompany the fiddle head harvest in spring.

We have also been dancing around the kitchen to our advanced copy of My Father and The Hunter by the Strumbellas (one of the perks with being related to a band member).

So with spring in mind, I am trudging along.

Tool Drool

2012-01-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Ergonomic Stainless Steel Tools from Lee Valley

I have been perusing A LOT of seed catalogues. Seeds, seeds and more seeds. Organizing seeds...ordering seeds...and a substantial amount of time thinking about seeds... how to sow..where to sow...direct seed...starting seeds indoors....how many days to maturity. Important stuff to know when your growing season is only around 6 months.

Along with figuring out my seed order is fawning over the latest/greatest new tool. Let me tell you a shiny new (and more importantly- well made) tool can make a farm girl drool. I wish I could buy them all and hang them up in the barn all Martha Stewart- like. A row of tools shining against some old weathered barn board.

The good news is we put some tools in our budget this year! Most of the budget will be eaten up by some new tractor implements but I have a feeling that one of those shiny digging forks and a bulb planter may just have found a new home...

check out here for the tools above and here for some really great stuff.

Do anyone else out there get a case of tool gimme gimmies around this time of year??

Weekending

2012-01-29T21:21:00.002-05:00

From the City....

Theo discovered mashed potatoes. Yes, those are potatoes directly up the nostrils.

I wore my new favourite shirt all weekend. (purchased in mexico for $10. Not bad)

I finished my wire earring hanger. So simple. Can be done with an old frame, wood stapler and wire.

I'm not gonna lie, it works pretty well.

I got Simon this button. It's true too. I wear my rubber boots all over Toronto.

This guy finally started crawling.

Nothing is safe now; dog food, dog water, dog toys, the dog...you get the picture.

My lovely friend Lindsay came for a visit. What's so great about my visits with Lindsay is that we can go months without seeing each other and fall right back into where we left off. We drink tea, we talk babies, we wander around looking at pretty things like egg salt and pepper shakers, Le Creuset anythings, dishes and clothes and then finish the day off with nachos and wings.

Thanks for the great visit Lindsers!xox

Linking up with Amanda at: The Habit of Being

Hope everyone else had a great weekend.

-ab

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there! My name is Savanna and my blog is Crafty Savvy. In my rare free time I love to craft, read, play the piano and violin and sew. I have been sewing for about 6 years and have loved every minute of it. I love making quilts to purses and everything in between. I am fairly new to blogging and am ecstatic to be guest posting for Harvest Kitchen Sisters!

This is my first guest post ever and I am so excited!

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Today I will be showing you a felt wallet that I recently created that is perfect for everyday shoppers!

The Little Lace Wallet Tutorial:

To begin, you need to gather a few materials.

-1 piece of medium sized felt( the color is your choice)

-1 piece of medium sized felt that is a color that coordinates with the other piece of felt

-1 piece of lace, or one small and one thick

-Thread, sewing machine, and #1 sewing machine foot

-Rotary Cutter, cutting mat and cutting ruler

Sewing tips:

When I sew down the lace on the wallet, I like to use the straight stitch and #1 foot on the sewing machine.

When I am sewing felt, I like to use the zigzag stitch and #1 foot. It is really fun to make this wallet because you don't have to finish the edges of the wallet, because felt doesn't fray.

To begin making your wallet, cut a piece of felt 5 inches by 8 inches. This will be the exterior of your wallet. Now, cut a piece of lace that is about 6 1/2 inches long. (The lace should be long enough to have extra to sew down on the back) Sew the piece of lace 1 1/2 inches from the edge.

Using the other coordinating piece of felt, cut 3 inches by 5 inches. This piece will be the pocket inside the wallet. If you want to spice up the pocket, you can sew a little piece of lace to the top of the pocket. Place the piece of felt on the right side of the wallet so it matches up with the other two sides of the exterior felt. Sew down 3 of the sides of the pocket but leave one of the sides un-sewn.

Using the same felt you used for the pocket, cut another pocket for the left side of the wallet that is 3 1/2 inches by 4 inches. Now take the felt you used for the exterior of your wallet and cut a pocket 2 1/2 inches by 3 inches.(Again if you want to add another piece of lace to the top of the pocket, it looks really cute.) Now you are going to place the smaller pocket you just cut out on top of the bigger pocket and sew it down on the two sides and bottom of the pocket.

Sew this pocket onto the left hand side of the wallet so it matches up with the left side of the wallet. Sew down the two sides and bottom of the pocket.

Now you have a cute wallet that will be perfect for your everyday shopping!

I hope you have fun making this wallet!

It is great to hold a few cards and cash.

Thank you so much for letting me guest post!

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To see more DIY projects from Savanna, head on over to her blog, Crafty Savvy.

My Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

From the City...

-ab

Making Goat Cheese

2012-01-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

From the City...

We have an abundance of goat's milk around here these days. We've been making a slow transition to a bit of g.milk for Theo everyday in anticipation for my return to work (shesh) in a month and a bit but as with everything with our son, its a s-----l-----o----w transition and one entirely up to him.

To think, he didn't want to nurse at all in the beginning and now he's doesn't want to do anything but.

The simple ingredients plus some salt and pepper, dried herbs and minced garlic.

Colander lined with cheese cloth

Goat's milk that has been brought up to 180 degrees. Add 1/4 cup lemon juice (which I might tweak a bit next time and use less, little too lemony tasting for me). Allow to curdle for 20 seconds.

Allow the whey to drip out. You can use this in a soup or stew if you so fancy.

Drip drip drip.

Now this is a very serious contraption I've designed. Yarn, wooden spoon, ball of cheese cloth containing my goaty goodness. I let it drip drop for another 1 to 2 hours.

Now, I bet you'd like to see the end result. Sadly, the cheese didn't last long. Or even through our dinner that night but let me tell you, it was creamy and wonderful and perfectly delicious.

To my cheese ball I added:

1 garlic clove minced

salt and pepper to taste

dried rosemary

Here's the link to the online tutorial that I used. Give it a whirl!

-ab

Recipe Round Up

2012-01-22T19:35:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Here are some recipes that look amazing that I'm planning to make in the next couple of weeks.

I feel like if I blog them, they will come. If I actually commit to trying something new, I just might do it. Simply click on the pic for the recipe, if you fancy to give them a try yourself.

Quinoa Beet Salad

(...cause lord knows, there's a lot of beets around this time of year)

Quick and Easy Chicken Pot Pie

(if chicken pot pie doesn't scream January, I don't know what does. I also like it, because we usually have some sort of leftover chicken, cheese, milk and veg. kicking around so it's an easy one to throw together.)

White Chili Topped with Cornbread

(I just need more cornbread in my life)

Cheeseburger Macaroni

(This might just be a nostalgic one but it doesn't hurt that it looks amazing, it reminds me of when we use to have Hamburger Helper as kids.)

Balsamic Chicken

( I don't love chicken, but Simon does and this looks pretty yummy so we'll see)

Turkey Tortilla Soup

(looks heavenly and colourful)

Mexican Rice

(we ate the most amazing rice dishes every day in Bucerias that I feel like I need to learn to make some of my own just to fill the void that's been left.)

Wish me luck in the kitchen!

-ab

Love Letters

2012-01-20T20:14:00.000-05:00

From the country...

a picture of me in pink tending to the crops.

A love letter from Nate- his world is a little more exciting now that he has learned to read and write.

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2012-01-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

Lindsay is a nurse / urban farmer / knitting queen and crafter who blogs from Peterborough, Ontario where she lives with her husband, little boy and boston terrier..

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A Quick Gift

This week I received some exciting news. A friend of mine is pregnant. That in itself is pretty exciting but it gets better. She’s expecting TWINS!!! I know right?! Amazing. So, I thought I’d show her how excited I am for her by making a little gift.

I cannot remember where I saw this idea – which is too bad because I like to give credit where credit is due and by no means want people to think this is my original idea.

Wherever I saw it, the idea stuck in my head and has finally seen the light of day.

The idea? Making burp cloths out of old T-shirts. My dear husband has been putting old clothes in the basement throughout the year and lucky for me, we’ve both been lazy enough not to bring it to the drop-off centre – so T-shirts I did have.

Disclaimer: I’m by no means a sewing expert. I know the basics and that’s about it, so….if I can do this, so can you!

Step 1: Choose the fabrics you would like to use.

Step 2: Cut off the arms of the T-shirts

Step 3: Cut up the sides of the T-shirt

Step 4: Figure out the shape of your burp cloth. For the blue/bikes cloth, I used a placemat that was conveniently on my kitchen table (ahem…I mean, my crafting table). The shape of the yellow/spaceship cloth was decided by the fact that I only had that much spaceship fabric left and that’s the shape it was in.

Step 5: Cut the T-shirt and your other fabric to the shape you have chosen

Step 6: Put right sides facing together and pin around perimeter. REMEMBER!!!!! – you are going to need to leave a few inches open to turn your piece right side out.

Step 7: Sew around the burp cloth leaving however much you want as a margin. I used the edge of my sewing foot.

Step 8: Trim your corners. If you don’t, when you turn the piece right-side out, the corners will be bulky.

Step 9: Turn your piece right-side out and push your corners out.

Step 10: Pin the opening shut that you left so you could turn your piece.

Step 11: Sew around the entire piece, again leaving whatever margin you’d like. I used the same as before – the edge of the sewing foot.

Step 12: Admire your new burp cloth!!!

Apparently the old T-shirts are great at absorbing spit-up.

And with twins…I’m sure there will be quite a bit of that.

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You can read more from Lindsay over on her blog; The Naive Homesteader.

Tried, Tested and True

2012-01-19T17:17:00.000-05:00

From the City...

So I've finally done it. It has taken years of hardwork and determination, sleepless nights and my partners growing waistline, but I have perfected my banana bread recipe.

So go ahead, give it a try. You can thank me later.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease up your pan.

Whisk together:

1 1/4 cups white flour

1/4 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Beat in a seperete bowl:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil + 1 tbsp butter

Beat in:

1 large egg

3 good and ripe bananas

Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3 parts.

If desired, fold in:

1/2 cup chopped nuts ( I shudder at the thought)

1/4 cup dried apricots (see previous comment)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!

-ab

Our Winter Project

2012-01-18T18:24:00.000-05:00

From the City...

This is what we spent the past week doing.

What began as a small pink octopus turned into a giant underwater mural complete with a shark, turtle and, of course, a fat crab. It might be fair to say we were a touch inspired on our recent vacation.

Our work in Progress....

The completed project...(As you can tell, Ruby loves it too)

It will be a sad day when we break out the white paint and the roller and paint it away but for now we are just loving this giant underwater mural.

Theo doesn't seem to mind it either.

-ab

Saving Seed

2012-01-18T11:07:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Green Zebra tomato seeds

Black Turtle beans

Smilyan Beans- originally from Bulgaria (smuggled in mind you..heh heh)

Purple Orach seeds (a really pretty purple salad green- that comes up in the greenhouse every year).

Sugar pie pumpkin seeds

Last season was our first foray into seed saving. There are always volunteer seeds that pop up in cold frames and greenhouses but this is the first year that we prepared dried out and packaged some seeds for spring planting. It is a pretty basic procedure really, one that I should have started long ago but by the time the season is through there are always some tasks that are left behind. Sometimes though, a saved seed from your own farm can be superior to one that is brought in from somewhere else.

Take the tomato seed for instance, I purchased the plant from a local seedling sale a couple of years ago and planted it directly into our hoop house. Unharvested tomatoes dropped onto the soil, some of those seeds survived the winter and came up the following year as seedlings. It is my belief that the more a seed grows in your soil, under your particular growing conditions, the better adapted they are. I can't grow a tomato to save myself but these Green Zebra tomatoes grow beautifully.

So next time you have a bumper crop of something try saving the seed. Oh! and to save a seed true- you have to start with an open pollinated non hybridized seed to begin with. There is lots of information out there for seed saving and some really great publications on how to do so. I urge you to do a little research on the seed you intend to keep.

Click here for a link to Seeds of Diversity Canada (our national seed exchange and the magazine is an altogether great read) and below is their write up. There may also be some Seedy Saturdays/Sundays coming up in the next while in your area- which is a great way to find seed that is locally grown, so keep on the look- out. These events are a great way to support small seed companies as well.

About Seeds of Diversity

Seeds of Diversity is a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to the conservation, documentation and use of public-domain, non-hybrid plants of Canadian significance. Our 1400 members from coast to coast are gardeners, farmers, teachers, scientists, agricultural historians, researchers and seed vendors. Together we grow, propagate and distribute over 2900 varieties of vegetables, fruit, grains, flowers and herbs. We are a living gene bank.
Formerly known as the Heritage Seed Program, a project of the Canadian Organic Growers since 1984, Seeds of Diversity Canada is now an independent charitable corporation operated by a volunteer board of directors. Our work is funded mainly by membership fees and private donations.
Members receive our 40-page magazine Seeds of Diversity twice a year, plus our annual Member Seed Directory which allows members to obtain samples of over 2900 varieties of seeds and plants offered by other members in exchange for return postage.

Happy planning!

I have a confession to make....

2012-01-17T20:14:00.000-05:00

From the City...

I love my phone. I love the camera, the apps, the calendar, the games ( scrabble addict right here), I love its cute sleek little design and I won't even lie, if I forget it at home, I'm lost. With this cold weather this little phone of mine gets a little glitchy and sad so I decided to whip up a little sock for it.

Here's some pics:

Its a pretty straightforward project.

Measure 8 cm across. I doubled it up with some ugly grey to make it warmer.

Cut a strip of fun fabric and stitch it to the front, making sure to leave enough to curl over for when you sew the whole thing together.

Sew all the way. Then if you desire and you like the look, hand stitch with embroidery floss around the edges. I also did this to the button whole to make it a little more secure as felt has a tendency to stretch and fray.

Find a cute button, like this one from Bread and Buttons, which was given to me by my sister!

I glued it down as well as stitched it because I really didn't want to lose it.

Insert phone and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables

2012-01-16T10:04:00.000-05:00

From the country...

squash, garlic, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, celeriac, and onions.

After the roasting process...

made into soup.

For X mas we received one of these food processors. Needless to say I have been whipping everything in sight just so I can play around with this really great (and super efficient) new kitchen gadget. It has its place now with the arsenal of other gadgets (stand mixer, ice cream maker...) that take up the majority of space in our kitchen. It works so well, and really is a hoot to use! I haven't even used a knife for a week!

I digress...

On the weekend (while the temperatures crept below the -20 degree mark) I roasted up some vegetables and made a hearty soup. This isn't really a recipe because it was so easy- I roasted the vegetables, processed them into a nice smooth consistency and added stock (we had duck and turkey stock on hand- we ALWAYS have a stock pot with bones in it on the stove...), salt/pepper taste, and some dried herbs (I had rosemary and savoury). My new fancy gadget literally made the soup. Roasting vegetables really brings the sweetness out of them- which resulted in a really nice slightly sweet, slightly nutty (thanks to those J chokes), and super velvety soup.

I even have some garlic left over for a dip I plan on making- with the processor of course!

Oh happy day!

You like us, You really like us...

2012-01-15T11:46:00.000-05:00

From the City and the Country...

Well we are just tickled pink over here today!

Thanks to Callie from Backyard Farms for awarding us our first ever Liebster Award. Not only do we have the pleasure of being one of Callie's favourite blogs but we also get to go ahead and pass the award on to five of the blogs that us HKS just love.

So here are the rules:
1: Choose FIVE up and coming blogs to award the Liebster to.

Blogs must have less than 200 followers.
2: Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3: Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites.

The blogs we have chosen vary on content, ranging from recipes to crafts to homesteading.

Hope you enjoy our selections!

A Wooden Nest - Lindsay Jewell

Lindsay's blog is definitely one of our fav's, well written with perfectly composed pictures, knitting projects galore and delicious recipes.

There is always something new to read and enjoy.

Milkweed and Teasel - Jennifer Montero

Jennifer's blog is a pretty unique and wonderful one. Full of hunting stories, gorgeous pics of her life in England and tales of some real wild homesteading!

The First Lime - Monica
Monica's blog constantly inspires our creativity and also keeps us in the loop of coolness (which we are definitely lacking!). With quirky crafting projects to photography tips to DIY hairstyles, we are constantly learning something new. Did we mention, she's only 13!

A Mountain Hearth - Lara Katherine Moutain Colley
Lara's blog is a truly inspiring view of living a life of sustainability. From her stories of child rearing, to homesteading in rural Oregon to her delicious recipes, her blog is reminder of the benefits of a life of simplicity.

Mama milieu - Joni
Joni's blog beautifully documents her life with two little ones, a big move from LA to Ontario and her life with a musician husband (which one of us knows a lot about!). Intertwined with kid friendly recipes, family pics and natural parenting tips, this blog is one we both frequent quite often.

Thanks again for the award Callie, it really means a lot to us and a big congrats to all the other winners of the Liebster award!
-hks

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2012-01-13T07:37:00.000-05:00

I'm Jennifer Montero. I work on a private estate in South West England alongside my husband, who has the fancy title of Head Gamekeeper. He produces and releases pheasants and partridge for formal driven shooting, a traditional sport in the UK.

I'm the 'gamekeeper's wife' - helping care for the birds, training our pack of gun dogs, shooting wild game and vermin, and producing stews and cakes year-round to keep the workers fed. In my not-so-spare time I tend to our animals, including my flock of Polled Dorset sheep, and 40 acres of our land.

I'm figuring it out as I go along.

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When Laura and Amelia asked me to be one of their guest bloggers, my first thought was “Wow! I’m honoured. But what the heck can I possibly write about that would interest their readers?” (My second thought was that they were both complete geniuses for outsourcing their blog posts during the holiday season. That’s why their blog is so good –they’re both smart cookies).

Well, I don’t know a lot, but I’m learning a lot. In fact, pretty much every day of my life is a new challenge, from learning to spot-weld a hole in my trailer, to diagnosing sick sheep, to the etiquette of addressing British aristocracy properly.

I know, that sounds like a strange skills set to have. Let me tell you how I got here. Maybe I should tell you where I come from first. I’m American, but I’ve been living in Britain for the past 17 or so years. Except for that one year I spent in France. That’s where it all started.

Picture this: a non-French speaking, 30-something American woman rents a house in rural France because she dreams of starting a small farm. France has great weather, and the land is much cheaper than in England. She starts by digging up a long rectangle of turf in the middle of the lawn, then drives to Mr. Bricolage to buy seeds (her favourite store because Mr Bricolage is fun to say). She sows many rows of plants and flowers, ignoring the spacing guidelines on the packets. In fact, she ignores all the instructions on all the packets. She assumes nature will provide. Nature should have provided her with some common sense. Nothing comes up but a few weak green bean plants and a small crop of Cosmos (pretty but inedible). The moles move in. Gilbert, the octogenarian farmer who lives next door, comes over to show her how to ‘pique le taupe’ by pushing rose bush stems in the ground to deter moles (incidentally doubling both her French vocabulary and gardening skills at the same time). Then, the soil she dug over bakes hard due to the sun and a sparse watering regimen, creating a concrete-like cap over all the remaining seeds.

At the same time, the greengage tree in the garden fruits beautifully but, not recognising the edible bounty in front of her face, most of it falls to the ground and rots. (Gilbert’s wife made all of hers into confiture.)The woman realizes something: she doesn’t know anything about gardening. Or soil conditions. Or how much to water plants. Or seed sowing. Or farming techniques of any kind.

That was ten years ago. That woman – OK, it was me - came back from France humbled, with a big, long list of skills that needed undertaking. I enrolled in gardening school, took tractor-driving courses, and learned how to reverse a trailer, and use a chainsaw. Soon, I got a job on an English estate as a Head Gardener (hence learning to deal with aristocracy). Being in charge of a large garden was a stretch for my blossoming skills but I managed. And I got better at it.

I can look back over the past decade and measure my improvement, but while I was learning, it often felt like I would never know enough to succeed, or even to cope sometimes.

So, this is my manifesto for you would-be small farmers and urban homesteaders: JUST START. You will fail often, but you’ll get better. Start at the beginning with something. Maybe you don’t know how to ameliorate your soil to grow fodder maize. So grow potatoes in a tub instead. Maybe you are new to raising your own animals for food, and you’re squeamish about the killing process. That’s OK. You have not got to conquer all of it at once. There are intermediate steps you can take to get there. In fact, I can help you with this last one.

My husband is a gamekeeper so we eat a lot of pheasants. When I met him six years ago, I’d never plucked a bird in my life. I was scared the first time he presented me with a brace (i.e. 2 birds strung up by the neck) as a courtship offering (I know – what’s wrong with a simple bouquet of flowers!?!) So, as an interim step, I figured out how to get most of the meat offthe bird without facing the guts and gore. The bonus to this method is, if you’re short of freezer space, you can fit a lot more meat in your freezer to eat long after game season is over.

Start by buying a box of rubber gloves. There’s no shame in wearing them when you handle things you find kind of icky. If anyone asks, it’s for hygiene and to keep the smell off of your hands (both valid reasons).

I find it easier to emulate something if I can watch it being done (My knitting skills have improved since the advent of YouTube). I made this video so you could learn to process a game bird for food. I’m no techno whiz, so apologies for the amateurish filmmaking (See, I’m taking my own advice and starting anyway).

I call this process “NO Guts, ALL the Glory".

See the Video HERE.

You don’t even have to kill anything to practice it. Hunters will give you a brace of birds ‘on the feather’ (i.e. unplucked), or you might pick up a fresh road casualty. In fact, the partridge in the video flew into an electric cable; we watched it hit the cable and fall dead in the road, right in front of our car. We had it for dinner, along with a teal I’d shot the night before.

I hope this technique will help you make use of an unexpected bounty. I know it means that you waste some of the carcase value – giblets, and the bones for soup-making – but it’s better than wasting a whole bird because you’re unsure or uncomfortable with plucking-gutting-trussing. You can BUILD to that skill. Until then, you can practice this skill, and have food for free.

And if you ever feel afraid about trying something new, remember: you’ll have to fail in a big way to beat the girl that moved to France to farm moles, bake clay in her yard, and harvest rotten fruit.
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If you want to learn other techniques (or better yet, teach me some of your own), or read about my near-constant battle with nature, my flock of Dorset sheep, innumerable chickens, nine gun dogs, two cart horses, and a semi-feral husband, please catch up with me on my blog.

Home Again, Home Again

2012-01-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Here's some pics from our trip to mexico. I'll try to keep them brief because I know what it's like to get stuck looking at someone else's vacation pics.

Flying with a nine month old is a CRAZY experience. Theo slept for about 2hrs of the 5 hr flight but trying to entertain a baby for 3hrs meant, for us anyway, the most ridiculous amount of nursing you can imagine. Luckily for us, that boy can eat and eat and eat.

Where we stayed in Bucerias. It was pretty amazing.

The beach was a big hit for this guy. Aside from that, he's at a very frustrating time in his life, he wants to crawl so bad but is still in the face planting stage of the process, this time, in sand.

Little hippie surf town called Sayulita.

Sunshine taking a little nap with her daddy.

Sandy Dogs

The view from our ride.
*note* I did A LOT of air breaking while driving on the mexican highways.

Mexican vanilla for baking. I can only imagine that heaven smells exactly like this.

Earrings I treated myself to.

This guy again.

Being entertained by cousin Dexter.

You don't mind if I touch that lens do you?

We were so excited when we got seated on the plane home and found we were in the emergency seats. This meant, only two of us in a row, lots of leg room, enough floor space for a baby play zone! Amazing. 5 minutes after this pic was taken we got the boot and ended up sitting in two aisle seats!

Home Time.

Thanks for reading!

-ab

The Life Cycle of a Turkey

2012-01-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

From the country...

What came first the turkey or the egg?

The First Knit

2012-01-07T18:26:00.000-05:00

From the country...

The finished product

This is my first ever "real" knitting project. I have played with yarn and needles making many a wash cloth. There is the terribly ugly long and curly scarf that I made for Mark when we were first going out (said scarf is still joked about repeatedly and I believe there is a snowman outside wearing it...) but aside from that, this sweater for Millie is the first real something. I would like to say that I breezed through it and it only took a day but that would be lying. I took my time, dropping a stitch here, taking it apart there. Then there was the impromptu tutorial from an expert knitter who pointed me in the right direction (thanks Heather!!)

Oh!and lets not forget You Tube...

The process was fun though. Going to the knitting store, picking out the right colour yarn, and finding the right buttons. I have to say I have been officially needled by the knitting bug and can't wait to start my new project.

For the pattern click here which I found from this gals' inspiring website.

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2012-01-05T19:08:00.000-05:00

A city girl gone country, Andrea resides in a 150 year old Gothic Revival farmhouse with her husband, The Artist, and their children, The Glimmer Twins. When she isn't spending her time learning to make a homemade life or renovating her farmhouse, she enjoys watching her bees forage and listening to her rooster Elijah at 3am.

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Three years ago, although it still seems like yesterday, the thought of country living wasn't much more than a far fetched dream. Then unexpectedly, we stumbled upon a farmhouse that beckoned us home and as we waited for our house to sell in the city, I felt like an expectant mother again. But this time, instead of folding baby clothes and choosing paint colours for the nursery, I was gleaning copies of Hobby Farm Home magazine from front to back.

As we waited and waited that summer for the closing date and feeling odd about our lack of sentimentality for a house in the city we had dearly loved just months before, I discovered Barbara Kingsolver's; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Before I had finished the first chapter, I knew my reasons for moving to the country would grow beyond raising chickens and growing my own Christmas trees. I now yearned for a low mileage diet, a sustainable way of living. I wanted my journey on this earth to follow the hiker's credo 'pack in, pack out', in other words, leave nothing behind.

Eventually our house sold and as the months unfolded here at our old farmhouse, I started documenting those little things I loved about being here. My reasons for "Why I Moved to the Country" have varied from practical items like getting a clothesline installed (Reason #31) to more tongue in cheek reasons such as developing music tastes to suit time spent in idle weeding (Reason #81) and I'm not surprised when I discover new reasons to explain why this lifestyle ties my heart strings in a bow.

What did surprise me was how a life lived in this place has connected me to nature. I don't necessarily mean enjoying nature through hiking or bird watching, or even being able to ski right outside our door; I've always enjoyed these kinds of activities. It's a different sort of connectedness, a realization that I am not part of two habitats, there is no inside and outside, all there is, is here. Spending entire days planting, or weeding, building an outbuilding, or skating on our pond, it doesn't really matter what the activity is but rather about being entirely caught up in every corner of this farm, from sunrise to darkness. Nature is no longer something that I can go and be a part of whenever I choose; I am nature. I am like the beaver who builds lodging for safety and food storage but my lodge remains a part of the outdoors.

So as the new year wipes our slates clean, we venture to the furthest corners of our habitat. Corners, I'm sure that oft feel ignored after a summer of planting, weeding and harvesting have occupied our hearts, hands and minds. But as we follow the familiar trails searching for signs of fellow dwellers in the snow we realize that no matter how long we are absent, we are always welcomed home.

And that, my friends, is why I moved to the country.

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You can read more about Andrea's rural adventures over on her blog.

Bound for Mexico

2012-01-01T20:52:00.001-05:00

From the city....

Happy New Year from the Harvest Kitchen Sisters

2011-12-31T08:38:00.000-05:00

From the City and the Country..

Highlights from 2011

...and a new year begins

With Love,
Laura and Amelia

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2011-12-30T08:01:00.000-05:00

Simon is 5 foot 11 and a half, 170 pounds (of mostly hamburgers and fries), has a big beard to keep him warm, and can sometimes be found dancing shirtless in his apartment to Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes. He loves egg nog, 90's comedy films, and watching his son explore life.

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Simons Top 10 Holiday Traditions
I love the Christmas holidays. It's my favorite time of year. The ugly christmas sweaters, the decorations, the snow, the gingerbread houses, and of course...Santa. I like how just once a year a culture that is so fast paced and is in such a rush all the time slows down just for awhile.

For me, It usually starts in mid November when I start planning our family's December activity checklist for holiday fun. I have made a list of my ten favorite holiday traditions to help you fully immerse yourself in such a wonderful time of year.

1. Christmas Movies

Starting December 1st I like to plan a schedule of one Christmas movie a day until the 25th. My schedule isn't random but rather a well devised plan of the least favorite to most favorite movies as the month goes on. In the early stages I like to watch films like a Christmas Story, Disney's a Christmas Carol, Bad Santa, the cartoon rudolf one and so on. These films are a good way to slowly get you into the Christmas spirit and prepare you for mid december when the real heart melters start.

After December 15th it's on like donkey kong. Elf, Scrooged, Home Alone (both 1 and 2), The Santa Claus, and of course the holy grail; National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

Christmas movies are vital in the process of getting into full Christmas spirit mode.

Note: You will need cozy blankets and any candy or treats that have been colored green and red for the holidays to fully appreciate this activity.

2. Christmas Carols

All day, every day starting December 1. (except of course when you are watching your Christmas movies) Christmas carols are some of the best songs in the world. They are joyous but often carry a sadness that make you reflect about your life. I have always had a hard time finding the right Christmas albums so this year I found out that you can just stream them from the web for free. North pole radio is one of my favorites. By streaming your carols you get a good variation of artists and versions and are bound to get some of the ones you love.

Ps.. Get sweet speakers! Never, in my opinion, should music be listened from laptop speakers. It kills the sound. My recommendation is to get some good quality speakers with a nice amplifier. It makes all the difference. And if you are really feeling adventurous learn a carol or two on the piano or guitar and have your whole family sing it. Old school.

3. Kids

I have yet to find an emotion inside of me that compares to the feeling I got as a child on Christmas eve. I can still remember me, my bro and my sis all sleeping in the same room on christmas eve so we could wake each other up on Christmas morning. So exciting! And then at five in the morning we would tip toe down the old wooden stairs anticipating our stockings being filled with toys. What a wonderful feeling that was. Anyways, my point is this: go spend Christmas wherever there are kids. Kids bring the magic back to adults at Christmas. Usually we spend Christmas at the farm (my wife's family) and every year I make sure to wake up before the kids so I can see them open their stockings. Its great.

Ps...kids don't like socks! (sorry grandma, I still love you)

4. Road Hockey

photo credit: Megan Ward

You don't need to know how to play hockey nor do you even really need to like hockey to have fun playing road hockey. Anyone can play, including kids. All you need is some sticks, a ball, and a couple of nets. Call up all your old friends and have them out so you can see everyone over the holidays at least once. I guarantee a good time. Ps..a little friendly trash talk never hurts to bring out the competitive spirit in your friends and family.

5. Food!

Pull out all the stops. Eat everything you can. I literally drank an entire quart of egg nog on Christmas eve this year. Our strategy is to just cook a bunch of finger foods, put it out on the table and just graze all day. It's so wonderful. (except I usually get stuck with dishes at the in laws which is kind of like jabbing a fork in my own eye but it's all worth it on the holidays)

6. Nothingness

I have been doing a lot of reading on Buddhism and Taoism lately. It really puts into picture how life moves too fast and that we should really just take in the moment and enjoy the present. My recommendation for the holidays is to do nothing whenever you can. Watch a movie during the day, sleep in, read in the bath. You work too hard in this crazy culture. You need a break.

As the Buddha says... "all things will pass".

7. Tobogganing

So I know I just recommended doing nothing over the holidays but if you are feeling ambitious and have done your meditations in the morning, go tobogganing! It's not just for kids. Go at night, bring beer, invite friends. I assure you it will be good for some laughs. Especially if you go with my brother in law Brian: it's like watching a cat in water. Guaranteed hilariousness.

8. Snowball Fight

I love friendly competition. And throwing snowballs at my 10 year old nephew is just the thing to fulfill that need. Get your snow pants on (yes, the ones with the plastic overalls) find a good size yard with no yellow snow, and have a team battle snow ball fight.

You can build forts, make an attack plan, and wage war! Its a lot of fun.

9. Hot Cocoa

Enough said. Delicious.

10. Love, love, love

I know... This one sounds a bit cheesy, but now that I'm a dad I'm allowed to be dorky right? anyhoo, for some reason I always have a great time with my family and friends at Xmas. It's full of laughs and good times. And in my old age it's becoming less about the presents and more about the good times during the holidays. (my twelve year old self would kill me for saying that)

...but alas, my final advice for the holidays is to make sure to spend as much time with your friends and family as you can.

It really is what it's all about.

Happy Holidays!

-simon

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Our Version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears

2011-12-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Every Christmas there is always a gift under the tree intended to make me cry (I think Amy prides herself on such a gift giving skill...). There isn't a Christmas morning that I can remember where upon opening a sentimental gift, I haven't had a little weep. This year it was these amazing pottery porridge bowls adorned with our names. The bowls were hand made by Rosie from Sunshine Pottery.

The bowls remind me of the story, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

In our story though, there is 5 bears. Daddy bear's porridge is a huge steaming bowl with everything under the sun in it (you name it- fruit, seeds, nuts, sticks, stones etc). Mama bear's bowl is uneaten (because she would prefer an egg to stewed down gruel...). Young bear Nate would have a medium sized, warm bowl with finely minced fruit in it (as to not affect his rather sensitive gag reflex...). Little Lucas Bear's bowl is cold and half eaten with a plate over it (for when he has time to finish) and Baby Millie Bear's bowl is empty while she grunts away wanting more.

Which one would Goldilocks prefer?

The Great Fire of 2011

2011-12-28T20:55:00.000-05:00

From the City....

So this was the scene at my mother in law's place last night. Scary right? We were making yorkshire puddings and the combination of oil and a 450 degree oven caused a pretty wicked grease fire. Luckily for us, by the time the fire fighters had arrived, the fire had been doused with flour and was pretty much out. But seriously, grease fires, they take off in no time. You go from a simple little flame to a full blown fire with billowing black smoke in seconds.

Here's some tips to help you avoid a visit from your local fire fighter:

Add foods to hot grease very carefully and slowly
Pat foods down of excess water before adding to oil
Keep oven mitts and a proper lid for the pots being used close by, this way, in an event of a fire you can smother it quickly
Never pick up a pan that is on fire
Use baking soda to put out a grease fire
DO NOT USE WATER ON A GREASE FIRE
Have a fire extinguisher located in your kitchen

Safe Cooking!

-ab

Sorry it's a little late...

2011-12-27T21:01:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Happy Holidays from my little family to yours.

photo credit: Megan Ward

Also, a big happy birthday to the daddy in our fam.
We sure do love you.
-ab

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2011-12-23T09:28:00.000-05:00

Lindsay is a self-professed homebody from Portland, Oregon.

She lives with her husband and a very fluffy feline, and is obsessed with homemade bread, books, paper, and yarn. She likes to read, write and make things.

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Hello HKS readers! I’m Lindsay Jewell from A Wooden Nest, and I’m excited to be here today to share one of my favorite Christmas gift recipes.

As you know, we are right in the midst of the holiday season, and many of you have traditions you look forward to upholding every year around this time. My family is no different, and if you know me, it’s no surprise that most of our happiest traditions revolve around food.

For example, when I was a little girl, my mom would prepare homemade cookie plates en masse for our extended family. It may seem like a simple gesture, but everyone eagerly received their plate of goodies from under the Christmas tree. And while various cookies and candies came and went, there was one particular cookie recipe that the family requested every year: Mountain Bar Cookies.

When I was a kid, these Mountain Bar Cookies were such a mystery to me. There was something magical about watching my mom transform a single gloopy mass of chocolate, peanut butter and oatmeal into delicious, solid confections. Now that I’m older, the science behind these cookies isn’t such a secret anymore, but the taste never ceases to amaze me.

Now that I’ve officially appointed myself as the one to carry on the Mountain Bar cookie tradition, I make them every Christmas for my friends and family. And although I’ve replaced some of my mom’s ingredients for more natural substitutes (butter instead of margarine, and natural peanut butter instead of the overly processed stuff), the cookies are more delicious now than ever, and always highly anticipated.

So if you are looking for something delicious to share with your friends and family this year, try this recipe for Mountain Bar Cookies. They take very little time to prepare, and use simple, whole ingredients. But beware, once you make these, you’ll be asked to provide them every Christmas from here on out. And that’s not so bad:

Mountain-Bar Cookies
Makes 3-4 dozen.

• 2 cups cane sugar
• 1/2 cup salted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup natural chunky peanut butter
• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lay out a long strip of wax paper on your counter-top or table.

Over low heat, place in a large saucepan the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa powder. Once the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat and mix in the peanut butter and vanilla. Once the peanut butter has melted, add the oats and fold into the mixture until well incorporated.

Begin dropping the warm mixture onto the sheet of wax paper in heaping teaspoons. Allow the cookies to cool and set on the wax paper for several hours. Once hardened (they will

have a matte finish), remove from the wax paper and serve.

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You can read more from

Lindsay over on her

incredibly beautiful blog, A Wooden Nest.

This is a Recap.

2011-12-22T12:11:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Here's little recap post of what's been going on for me these days.

Theo had a bath with his cousin Everly.

I went to an unreal Strumbellas Show and danced until I could dance no more.

Theo fell asleep with his shoes on.

I attempted to make christmas cards with a teething nine month old.

Yes, I'm crazy.

I realized after the first batch that the red hand was more on the gory creepy side and less on the festive holiday side therefore we made another batch in green.

Don't worry, we still sent out the red hands, just not to the grandmas on my list.

Thats it, theres my little recap!

But come back tomorrow because on my favourite fellow bloggers will be guest posting and it's a gooooood one!

-ab

*Bonus Guest Post: How to Cook Your Holiday Bird

2011-12-19T08:45:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Mark Trealout is a co farmer on our family farm, Grassroot Organics, founder of Kawartha Ecological Growers, and a food activist.
(... also my main squeeze).

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photo credit: Saveur.com

There certainly are a lot of opinions on how to cook that holiday bird. Brining vs. not brining, larding vs. rubbing w/ fat, trussing vs not trussing, to stuff or not to stuff. Rest assured though, you can get good results with any of these techniques, if applied correctly.

Brining

A little difficult to do at home especially with large birds but if this is attempted, it is much better to err on the side of not enough brine time than too much brine time. In the end, in my opinion, you want the bird to, almost, taste like it was not brined so that the natural flavours of the turkey will come through and not be disguised by herb/salt/citrus. Just an ever so slight hint herb/salt/citrus is the ideal. - and, in particular, the salt aspect of the brine is more important to how it changes the cell structures than achieving a marinated-tasting bird (whereas the salt actually makes individual cells more elastic, enabling a juicer bird in the end, and being more forgiving if overcooked). A very important tip is to rinse, pat dry, and let the turkey rest, uncovered in the fridge, for 24 hours after brining.

Larding

Heritage birds have more fat than standard birds but when roasting a whole turkey, it is inevitable that the white meat will cook quicker than the dark meat. A couple of tricks here:

Soak a cloth in some sort of fat (butter will do nicely, or melted duck/chicken/pork fat) and drape over the breast. Leave the cloth there for the first 1/3 of cooking, then remove to allow breast skin to crisp up.

Another good trick is to have some softened butter and rub the breast well with this, under the skin.

Trussing

I like to leave legs untrussed, which allows them to cook a bit quicker. I like to tie the wings in tight to slow down the cooking of the breasts a wee bit.

Stuffing

I wouldn’t recommend stuffing your bird you’re planning to brine, instead make it on your stove top. Stuffing in a brined bird can be too salty otherwise. A real turkey pure-ist would say that you can't get your stuffing up to a proper temp without compromising the breast meat (ie overcooking your bird).

However, in my opinion, there's nothing more classic than pulling out that perfectly roasted turkey, complete with stuffing in both cavities. Having that cloth draped over the breasts will help you achieve these good results.

What I’m planning to do this year to my heritage holiday bird:

photo credit: eclecticrecipes.com

·
Take turkey out of bag asap and let rest, uncovered, in fridge for as long as possible (up to a week is just fine, and a day or two will help too)
· The night before I roast it, I'll rub all over w/ salt and pepper (inside cavity too); this is a bit of a cheat, giving you somewhat similar results as brining does (a lil' bit anyways)
· Heat oven to 450
· Gently lift skin from breast, and rub breast directly w/ softened butter (can be seasoned w/ herb too)
· Stuff both cavities (and it's better to under-season the stuffing, considering the cavity is rubbed down with salt and pepper already - can always be adjusted afterwards)
· Tie wings in tight to breast
· Drape a butter-soaked cheesecloth over the breast
· Put into your hot oven (450) for 5-10 minutes
· Reduce oven to 300, and continue roasting for about 20-25 minutes to the pound; remove cloth after 1/3 of cooking time.
· I don't usually bother with basting; I just don’t see the need!
· Remove bird when cooked to your liking (I go to 160 F, tested in the thigh);
· Let rest 30 minutes before carving, in a warm spot, covered w/ foil tent (or something similar)
· Remove stuffing, put into a pot/casserole, and bring to temp, gently, on stove top or in oven
· Make gravy while stuffing is heating, and bird is resting

Click here for a low tech brining recipe. We hope that this little bit of cooking advice helps when preparing your holiday bird.

A BIG thank- you to everyone that supported us this season in our on going Heritage turkey endeavour!

Happy Holidays from our farm,
Mark, Laura, Nate, Lucas, and Millie Mae

Crafting from the Farm- Clay Ornaments

2011-12-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

From the country...

naked decorations, awaiting the oven...

I had hoped that December would be a relaxing month where I could make crafts, knit, bake and nest.

Not so much.

I think I need to realize that there will be no real relaxing month, maybe just a few relaxing hours per day. Between market, closing down the farm (on going), the kids and our livestock, December has been a rather hectic month for us. We have had turkey fatalities, a crawling little lady into EVERYTHING and a particularly trying time with the boys (no Santa threat seems to work...).

Theo T's slightly scary bear ornament...

January may be the month I am waiting for perhaps?

Anyway, I have managed to set aside a few minutes per day to work on clay ornaments. I have made some mementos for the kiddies to put on the tree and they have made their own creations. I have also been to the public school for my annual craft with the Kindergarten class.

So here are some photos of said clay ornaments, this years addition to the tree and some to sell at market this weekend.

Now if I could only get around to that baking...

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2011-12-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

Nearly six years ago, Kathleen Harris traded the misty shores and mountain peaks of Vancouver for the wind-swept urban plains of Toronto.

Lured to central Canada by an active film and television industry and kept here by love and opportunity, she’s doing her best to live life with a big heart and a small footprint.

She’s currently preparing for the launch of her creative small business,

Smiling Stranger Productions, in January 2012.

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Le Toronto Tour de Hot Chocolate #1

Hello all you beautiful readers of Harvest Kitchen Sisters!

I’m just tickled pink to be guest posting here today, thank you so much to Amelia and Laura for having me.

As a transplanted west coaster, I like to think I’ve handled Ontario’s frigid winters fairly well. One thing that has definitely helped me cope with these dark, cold months is a good cup of hot chocolate. Some days, it’s the only thing worth venturing out of the house for.

(Why I’ve decided to french-ify this hot chocolate tour is anyone’s guess. It’s likely just the Bon Vivant in me).

1^st Stop: Bobbette & Belle, 1121 Queen St. East, Toronto

I should start this one with a disclaimer: The Hot Chocolate at Bobbette & Belle is highly addictive. Once you have one, you will dream about it for all times, it will become your standard for hot chocolate excellence and it’s possible all others will fail to meet the bar this cup o’ chocolate is about to set. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution, or with reckless abandon.

Bobbette & Belle is a beautiful artisanal pastry shop in the Leslieville neighbourhood. While their focus and claim to fame is their breathtakingly beautiful wedding cakes, cupcakes and french macaroons, I was lured into their elegant strorefront last winter by a laminated sign on the door – HOT CHOCOLATE.

Powdered chocolate mixed with hot water this was not. Oh my, not at all. It’s more like drinking liquid chocolate pudding that’s freshly homemade. Rich, deep chocolate flavour coats your tongue, makes your tastebuds sing. It’s served at a perfect drinking temperature so there’s no burning the tip of your tongue with that first sip which is great, because waiting for this magic to cool down would be torture.

That’s not a hyperbole.

They serve one size of hot chocolate, a cup of this heaven is $4.80 with tax. Yes, that’s a little steep, especially if you’re hot chocolating as a family, but did I mention there were marshmallows and a blowtorch involved?

Not even kidding. Bobbette & Belle make their own marshmallows in store and top off every H.C. with two freshly roasted ‘mellows. I didn’t get a picture but after the liquid has been poured, out comes a pan and a blow torch, flaming the marshmallow tops to a perfect brown, bubbly and crispy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside.

They float on top, the finishing touches on a cup of deliciousness that tastes like quality and love.

The spacious storefront has an airy French countryside quality to it, with high ceilings and gleaming hardwood flooring. There’s plenty of room for stroller parking inside and a neat spread of culinary and fashion magazines invite you to stay awhile, to sit by the large windows and dream, or watch the world outside hurry by.

The staff at Bobbette & Belle are friendly and talkative, and hugely passionate about what they create and sell. Over the holidays, they’re open everyday but I do recall an unfortunate Monday incident last winter wherein I ventured out into the bitter cold for a cup only to be foiled by a very locked door, so double check their hours in the new year if you’re planning on heading out on a Monday.

2^nd Stop: Nathan Phillips Square, Queen & Bay

Ice skating has never been my winter sport of choice but I do love its beautiful simplicity. Frozen water + Blades = Winter merriment.

The ice shone with light.... Something joyous. A gift. There were about ten men skating, part of a game. One chased the others and as soon as someone was touched he became the chaser. Each man held in one hand a sheaf of cattails and the tops of these were on fire. This is what lit the ice and had blinked through the trees.

“In the Skin of a Lion”

Michael Ondaatje

In downtown Toronto, there’s a handful of very popular public skating rinks that operate throughout the winter months. Harbourfront Toronto has a beautiful rink on the lake’s edge and Nathan Phillips Square turns into urban ice skaing central with its rink.

You can bring your own skates if you’ve got them or there’s rentals available. I wandered over to Queen St. W and Bay St. to see what hot chocolate options exist for a post-skating treat.

There’s a newly renovated concession stand in the square and here you can get a classic cup of snack shop hot chocolate for $2.25. This cup of H.C. hearkens back to every hot drink ever consumed at a skating rink. Piping hot (burn your tongue temperature) and outrageously sweet, it manages to be exactly what you were in the mood for post skating.

A little warm up and a little comfort, steam rising from the rim and clashing with the cool winter air. Sit along the edge of the rink, warming your hands while lights twinkle overhead on the ‘freedom arches’ and blades scratch at the surface of the ice.

If you’re more in the mood to head indoors after a good skate, you can head over to Bannock, a new restaurant in the Hudson’s Bay building that’s kiddie corner to the square.

They have a take away counter and while it’s not listed on the menu for whatever strange reason, they do sell hot chocolate. For $3.75, I got a regular sized “Holiday Hot Chocolate,” which jazzed up the drink with some peppermint syrup and sprinkles.

Seating inside felt limited, but that’s likely because seats were generally grouped together in 4s and taking a whole table just for myself felt rude (paaaaaainfully Canadian of me, I know). I got over it and grabbed a stool by the window to take in the decor and ambiance: earthy and comfortable.

My minty H.C. was a good drinking temperature, I was able to start sipping the sweet chocolate right away. While it’s peppermint punch was delicious and refreshing at first, it got a little too sweet about midway through so if I were to get it again, I’d ask for just a half-pump of syrup, or forego the peppermint altogether. It was still pretty delish, though.

I hope this post has whet your appetite for a hot chocolate break and that you take the time to venture out and treat yourself to something new and delicious, especially as the busyness of the holiday season spins ever faster.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you again the new year for more Chocolat Chaud adventures!

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As mentioned, Kathleen will be returning to the HKS in the new year to share more of her hot chocolatey adventures. If you just can't wait until January, you can see more of Kathleen and her amazing work over on her vimeo page.

An Update from the Crafting Workshop

2011-12-15T17:52:00.000-05:00

From the City...

(could the below picture be a hint at tomorrows guest post??? hmm, just you wait and see!)

This past week has been spent in this apartment crafting, a lot. Sunday was a trip to the fabric store followed by hot chocolate and christmas movies while the whir of the sewing machine buzzed in the background. So far I've been able to get a fair chunk of my projects completed.

Including the above stockings inspired by one of our very first guest bloggers Rosemary. Millie Mae is decorated with birds including a turkey as her mama is one mighty fine turkey wrangler and Theo's a tree, a little too literal perhaps, seeing as it's his middle name and all but I liked it anyhow.

A family tree for Theo's cousin Everly Sunshine.

This is a door hanger minus the doweling which is still at the hardware store.

My son so graciously modeling Millie Mae's button flower headband for her stocking.

My cinched headband, pattern here. This was originally a gift but I sorta, um, fell in love with it.

So now i'm in the process of whipping up another one.

How's your christmas crafting going?

-ab

From One Blogger to Another

2011-12-10T10:02:00.000-05:00

From the City...(Little Dude, just shy of 9months)

So I've recently discovered some free online photo editing sites that are amazing!!!

Super easy and straightforward, even for the most non techy folks, myself included. Seeing as I discovered it from a blog I follow, it only seemed fair and fitting that I should pass it along, you know, good blog karma and all.

So here's the scoop. You do need to register for both but its a very fast and straightforward. Worth it.

Picnik: The free package gives you the basic goods. Basic pic editing, collage maker, different filters, writing on pics, rounded edges etc. The catch is, with the basic, you get very limited collage making options. Max, like 6 pics or something. So then you take your edited pics and you head over here.

Big Huge Labs: Again you have to register. You can add a max of 36 pics to this collage maker, you can do a basic layout, or a much more exciting one with larger pics and smaller pics combined. It's so easy and straightforward, you don't have to resize pics or crop or anything, they just work everytime. It's the best.

So anyway, there it is.

Hope it makes your projects more fun!

-ab

**Note: I do not work for the companies suggested, I was not compensated for telling you this.

This is strictly my new addiction and I wanted to share it.

Terre Madre Day...tommorow !!

2011-12-09T20:30:00.000-05:00

A Family Friendly Celebration of Local Food. Click here for more information on this free event celebrating local food.

Save the Shropshire Sheep!

2011-12-09T20:12:00.000-05:00

From the Country...

I received this cry for help from a fellow farmer raising the near extinct Shropshire Sheep. From my standpoint it would be devastating to lose part if not all of your livelihood. We need to preserve our heritage animals not destroy them.

Dear farm, food and life friends,

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has elected to destroy my healthy flock of rare breed Shropshire sheep, despite all their negative test results. They are not just my sheep...they are Canada’s heritage sheep. I am opposing the CFIA because there is no evidence of any scrapie on the farm or in the flock. I am asking for your help to preserve their genetics too.

If we lose the fight to save them, and CFIA kills the targeted 44 animals, the breed will be several steps closer to extinction with only 107 registered breeding females, 38 ewe lambs and 16 rams remaining in Canada.

Even America’s best known farmer and agricultural activist Joel Salatin is upset by the possibility of their disappearance. “CFIA’s intent to annihilate the Wholearth flock of Shropshire sheep owned by Montana Jones is deeply troubling,” Salatin wrote to the CFIA. “Without credible tests that empirically prove the existence of scrapie, to proceed with the planned extermination is both unscientific and tyrannical.”

We are looking to you and to the media to get word out to stop this slaughter from happening. Please support this cause and sign the petition to Save Our Shropshires (http://shropshiresheep.org).

Thank-you!
Montana Jones

Whole Earth Farm Studio

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2011-12-09T08:01:00.000-05:00

Lindsey is Toronto native, brought to the beautiful city of Rio of Janeiro by love, at least initially. She has been living there for the past 2 years and blogs about everything that living in a foreign culture can offer. From language difficulty, to trying to make friends, to 'where will we start our family' she tries to find happiness

(while complaining as little as possible!)

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So, this weekend, I finally got around to watching this movie called The Help. If you live anywhere other than Brazil, you're probably pretty familiar with it. On the other hand, residents of Brazil heard about it by word of mouth because, for some reason, it didn't make it to Brazil.

After watching I think I may know the reason.

Because it IS Brazil! Present day Brazil, I might add! And surely, by showing a movie whose main point is to emphasize the crazy ridiculousness of racism in 1960's Southern USA, people will start to scratch their heads and reflect on their own Brazilian culture and think 'Waaaaait a minute....' or 'Hey, isn't that my life?! That doesn't seem right!'

Or worse, and more likely still, they won't do anything at all.

Brazil has this weird idea that there is no racism here. It goes way back into the roots, when the Portuguese came to Brazil to colonize, bringing slaves from Africa with them. Obviously (!) someone wanted to get frisky (hint: it probably wasn't a slave) and the next thing you know, Brazil is a mixed culture of African and Portuguese, and more recently German, Japanese and Italian.

My point here is that although yes, Brazil is a mix of the above cultures, there is a whoooooooole lot of racism.

First of all, most people call their housekeepers 'Maids'. The word for Maid in Portuguese is empregada which actually technically means The Employed. ('The Help' anyone?) Second, you don't even have to guess what the background of your 'Empregada' will be before meeting her (always 'her'). She will 100% be of Afro Brazilian heritage. I would bet money on that.

Without going into a ton of detail, I'll just make it very clear that the poorest of people in Brazil are generally black and are definitely put into categories of lower class citizens. The Portuguese word for black person is Negro while Caucasians are of course called 'white'. Plus, I have personally heard on several occasions, citizens of the Upper Class call citizens of the Low Class "pessoas feias" (ugly people). It's a head shaker.

The whole point of writing this was to explain why I've had such a difficult time accepting this culture of having Houskeepers. Probably about 90% of Brazilians have a housekeeper. Hell, the housekeepers probably have housekeepers. It's just the way of the culture. But after 2 years of trying to push away from that, I have finally given in. I've finally thrown in the towel and asked for help (because I really need it!)

But now comes the new challenge of how to appropriately interact with my empregada. There are certain rules, certain expectations, and they go both ways. Generally you are expected to cook for your empregada, but ironically I don't think she eats with the employer...? I feel super uncomfortable with this.

Also, you need to have a list ready for the empregada to do (ie laundry, ironing, cooking/prepping vegetables, cleaning). These ladies do it all.

Also, how much do I pay her? More than she asks out of compassion? The average is between R$60 and R$100 Reais* per day ie. NOTHING. I'm so new at this!

The problem is there is a real fine line between the Employer and the Employed - and some people take it really far. Some people insist that their maid call them senhora (ma'am) at all times. Some demand very particular care to their delicate clothing items. Some have a menu ready for their maids to cook up. I feel guilty just knowing that some people are like that!

Me? I just want a clean house! I work a lot and so does my husband and I just want a little help keeping my place tidy. I'm not honestly sure if I'll ever be comfortable with the idea of someone working in my house, cleaning up my mess. Argh social conflict.

Am I alone? Does anyone else have the same opinion about having someone come to help out in the house? I have a feeling it's a North-American condition,that we feel a strong responsibility to take care of ourselves, without help from others. Maybe I'm the one with the problem. Maybe I need to let go of my predispositions!

So tomorrow is the big day... Our new empregada will come and I'll be exposed to another element of cultural difference in Brazil (there are so so many...) What seems like such a simple moment is really testing my Canadian character!

Wish me luck and stay tuned for the finale.....

*(equal to about $30-$50 CAD and consider that the cost of living here is MUCH higher)

All the best!

Linds

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You can read more about Lindsay and her life in Brazil over on her Blog.

Lindsay's Blog!

So Many Christmas Crafts, So Little Time.

2011-12-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Oh man. The christmas crafting has officially begun. I just got home from a week at the farm and now it's time to get my act in gear. I have big plans. A little pact with myself to make each gift I give, with the exception of a pair of loafers for Sime that he's been talking about non stop. The homemade gift giving can be a little daunting but with so much inspiration out there on my fav DIY craft blog sites,

the time is now.

Above are the pics of my future projects.
Here are the descriptions and links for yourself if you're feeling oh so inspired.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

-ab

December 6

2011-12-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

"Violence against women and girls affects us all. It destroys lives and weakens the fabric of our society. As a population, it takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy."

The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS: The Numbers

Women and girls are more likely than men to experience violence and assault in intimate and family relationships.
According to the 2009 General Social Survey, women report experiencing more serious forms of spousal violence and are more likely to incur injuries than men.
According to the 2009/2010 Transition Home Survey, between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, admissions of women to Canada's shelters for abused women exceeded 64,000. Since 1998, annual shelter admissions for women have been relatively stable. ¹
Young women experience the highest rates of family violence.

Aboriginal Women

Aboriginal women are almost three times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to report being the victim of a violent crime, including spousal violence.
In 2009, close to two-thirds of Aboriginal female victims were aged 15 to 34. This age group accounted for just under half of the total female Aboriginal population over age 15 living in the 10 provinces.
Among victims of spousal violence, six in 10 Aboriginal women reported being injured in the five years preceding the survey; the proportion was four in 10 among non-Aboriginal women.
Over three-quarters of non-spousal incidents of violence against Aboriginal women are not reported to police.

Status of Women Canada

Give Something Good This Christmas

2011-12-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

From the City...

For just $25 you can purchase a food hamper for a family this christmas. Here's the link.

So simple and so important.

Give the gift of good food this Christmas.

Here's some more information about The Stop

(the non profit here in Toronto that is behind the campaign)

-ab

Date Night in the Big Smoke

2011-12-05T20:31:00.000-05:00

From the country.. spending a night in the city.

I honestly cannot remember the last time Mark and I went on a date. Before the kids we used to go out once a month. Now it is once a year (if that). Which is fine really, because I like being home with all my creature comforts (like say right now as I type with my pj's on, munchin' a candy cane). It is nice sometimes to treat yourself, and boy did we do that.

The night started at Buca restaurant. Handmade pasta, charcuterie that makes you weak in the knees, the BEST blood orange gelatto, baked cardoon.... I had to unbutton for the last spoonful of Panna Cotta with figs. It was a trip watching the young urbanites sharing bottles of wine, all the while texting on their phones while us farmers swooned over plate after plate of food art.

Then it was over to the quirky Gladstone Hotel, where we stayed in this room. This was a treat gifted to us for participating in a Harvest Wednesday at the hotel back in the summer. Walls filled with art from local artists, a whole floor dedicated to local pottery, a VERY old elevator, and live music. While we were standing at the front desk, 40 very drunk people in Santa suits filed into the bar gearing up for a night of karaoke in the bar.

So thanks to everybody who helped make this happen (watching our boys/turkeys/ fixing my knitting errors and shlepping Miss Millie across the city to meet us at the hotel).

It was a grand night in the big smoke.

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

2011-12-02T08:03:00.000-05:00

Hi! My name is Rose. I live in a small town with my husband, Toddy, daughter, Everly, and dog, Grizzle. By day, I'm a teacher, in my 'free' time I love doing pottery, DIY projects and spending time with family and friends.

Stocking Patches – A New Christmas Tradition

Over the course of the past year my family has experienced a baby boom. We’ve welcomed three new babes in total (all born within 9 months of each other). My brother and his wife had a boy named Ryshen in December ‘10, my sister and her husband had a girl named London in September ’11 and my husband and I had a girl we named Everly in January ’11.

My sister-in-law, Amber, heard about this idea from her neighbour and thought our family would be game to try it out. The jist is that each baby starts with a Christmas stocking. Every year, starting this Christmas, they’ll receive a new patch for their stocking made for them by their aunts/mom/Grama. The patches are supposed to represent them or something important to them. I really love that years down the road each of them will be able to look back at their patches and see all of the stages of their lives. The hope is that each stocking will eventually be covered with patches.

In order for the tradition to begin we needed Christmas stockings. Each mom (Amber, my sister Robyn, and myself) made stockings for our own kids. The catch here was that they had to be 3 feet long. These stockings are longer than the babies and in London’s case, she fits inside! The reason that we made them this size was that Amber was making Ryshen’s big (in her family, stockings are a bigger deal than presents, so there has to be a lot of room for it’s contents) and we wanted all of them to be similar in size.

My sister and I decided to make our stockings together so we could consult each other (but mostly because my mom was also there to offer advice). After a wild trip (shopping basket baby rides, a lot of indecision, impatient salespeople, crying babies) to Fabricland, we had all of our material to begin making the stockings. We started by drawing a template and then cut our fabric. We lined each stocking with cotton quilting batting so that it had some weight and would keep its shape well. Once we sewed the pieces together we finished the top with trim.

When it came time to make the patches there weren’t too many rules. Each patch had to be made out of something that could be sewn onto the stocking and be approximately 3x3 in size. That was it.

For the patches I made I thought that felt would do the job the best. I love felt because of the array of colours to choose from and the fact that the edges don’t fray. I decided to make each patch circular and cut out the little pieces that made up the design. The only part that took some time was stitching them all together.

The patch I made for Ryshen is a scene that I associate with where he was born/lives in Terrace, B.C. When we went to visit him this past summer we went hiking in the mountains, hung out down by the Skeena River and went salmon fishing. I know that in the coming years all of these things will be an important part of his life.

For Miss London’s patch I went in a totally different direction. She has a pretty unique name in that her middle name is Electric. That’s right. For her patch I liked the idea of the famous Tower Bridge in London, UK with a lightning bolt above it. In the end, I think it’s one of my favourites.The patch I made Everly also represents her name. It’s an E (for Everly) in the middle of a sun because her middle name is Sunshine.

My sister made her patches out of fabric.

My sister-in-law, Amber, made her patches using her childhood bed sheets and some other materials.

My mom (Grama) made quilted bears for each of the babies out of fabric and ribbon (Grama got a little excited and made hers quite a bit larger than the rest – this was before we decided on the size and all of the other details).

My brother also wanted to get in on the action by hand painting colourful fish on canvas.

While the stockings aren’t completely finished yet (they will be by Christmas!), I love the way they turned out. We’re all really looking forward to seeing how these patches evolve and how each stocking changes in the Christmases to come.

Miss E checking out her new stocking!

Thanks for Reading and Happy Holidays!

-Rose
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You can see more of Rosey and her

craftiness at her website,

Sunshine Pottery.

Trust me, you'll be happy you did.

Chocolate Beet Root Cake

2011-12-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

From the country...

I don't dislike beets. I tolerate beets when need be. There are very few vegetables that I dislike. Beets are just on the bottom of the list.

When I bake a chocolate cake it has to have all the good old fattening stuff like butter, buttermilk, eggs...but when Mark's birthday rolled around he requested a chocolate beet cake.

Beets in a cake? I tried to talk him out of it. He insisted that this baked delight was all the rage, so the cake was made.

It wasn't bad. It was really moist (having 6 beets in it), the cream cheese icing was amazing and simple to make. It had a beety earthiness but it wasn't over powering. Would I trade in my go-to chocolate cake recipe?

Uh, no.

But we did have an extra serving of vegetables with our meal.

Our First Annual Guest Blogger Winter Series

2011-11-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

We'll be hosting our first annual Friends of The HKS this winter and needless to say, we're pretty excited about it.

Each Friday during those long winter months, we'll be handing over the keys and letting our fellow lovely bloggers and friends take the reigns.

There will be recipes, stories, pictures and crafts.

All things that, we hope, will inspire and excite you.

Above are just some pics of our upcoming guests.

So make sure to drop by, we'd love to have you.

-hks (Laura and Amelia)

Something Fishy in the Mail

2011-11-28T16:26:00.000-05:00

From the Country...

37 lbs of hot smoked salmon

We couldn't wait to crack into it...


The man of the hour, our Pops with his catch of the day!

So a while back our Dad went on a fishing excursion out west.

He bagged a biggie.

My Dad spends a lot of his free time fishing the lakes around here whether it be a breezy summer afternoon or a frigid winter morning. He has bought a fishing boat, down riggers, countless rods/lures, fish finders etc, etc. He has taught Nate and Lucas to fish. And every year we collectively buy him the same old gift card to his favourite shop. The man loves to fish.

Yet more often then not, he comes home empty handed. The same sheepish look on his face when we say,

"No fish for dinner tonight, huh?"

Not this time, this time he sacked the big one. He sacked it, payed to have it smoked (all 37lbs of it!!), and got it shipped across the country for his family to enjoy.

You did it Dad (with photo proof and everything this time...)! Congrats!

Salmon for dinner...again.

Baking Bread and then Breaking Bread

2011-11-28T14:04:00.000-05:00

From the City...

A tiny kitchen that is, amazingly, still big enough for bread making. Note the pink kitchen aid which did all the bread making dirty work. And yes, that is an apron with naked cowboys on it.

The dough. Before it's first rising. One of the best tips in this recipe is to make sure that your yeast, sugar and water mixture is good and frothy before you add the flour to it.

I turned my oven for 20 seconds at about 350 degrees and then turned the oven off and stuck the dough in for about an hour and voila, it came out like this. At least doubled in size.

Divided into two loaves and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes to rise again. This pic is after the second rising. Egg wash and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

For dinner we had slabs of bread with raspberry jam and farm eggs with goat cheese,

it was like my dream evening.

Here is the actual recipe.

It's really great and super foolproof.

My changes are as follows (which I did the second time around):

only 2 tbsp sugar

(I wanted sandwich bread but I would add the full amount of sugar if you plan on making raisin bread or sticky buns or something incredibly delicious like that)

2 cups whole wheat flour and 4 cups white bread flour

(the original recipe is a bit too cakey but would be PERFECT for french toast)

I also found the loaves way too big.

For a special occasion, sure, have the extra large slabs but on a day to day, we like our bread regular sized and toaster friendly, because of this, I made three loaves as opposed to two.

Cheat, use your kitchen aid.

Proof your yeast, water and sugar in the bowl of your mixer. Add your oil and salt and mix, with the dough hook, on low for a couple of minutes. Then add your flour a cup at a time. Crank it up to medium and let it knead for 5 minutes.

happy breadmaking!

-ab

An Entire Post Dedicated to Yarn

2011-11-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Laura was in the city last night on the hunt for some good yarn for a sweater for Millie Mae. So we found ourselves at Lettuce Knit for an hour looking at yarn, talking about yarn, touching yarn (you get the picture). Look at the concentration in her face. ..."must find perfect yarn, must find perfect yarn..."

This colour is just plain lovely. I'm a sucker for the oranges.

The earth tones.

Baskets upon baskets.

Heavenly. That purple is divine.

Add these to my christmas list. Handmade shawl pins. I first saw them and salivated over them at Soulemama's blog but now to find them at my own yarn shop, well, that's just not fair.

I really like Lettuce Knit because its just really cozy on the inside. It's exactly what a yarn store, in my mind, should look like. Kind of like unorganized chaos, which to me, really is the best kind. Books of patterns piled high, baskets of mix and matched yarn, bowl of buttons, vintage couches and and an old wood table with mismatched chairs.

oh and of course, a buzz of creativeness that you can just feel when you walk in.

86 Nassau St.

Kensington Market

Toronto.

Tales From the Kraut Keeper...

2011-11-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Millie pounding the cabbage with her lil' fists (this helps to release the water from the cabbage for the brine)

Taking a look at her work...

Tasting...

Quite possibly the most feared kitchen utensil- the mandolin (notice no safety feature...) used to slice the cabbage.

Time to wipe down the crock and make sauerkraut. Fermented foods are really nutritious and are super delicious! I personally love the zing of fermented cabbage. Fermenting foods not only preserve nutrients but breaks them down into a more digestible form. We have made to date fermented dill pickles, fermented vegetables and kraut.

"The process of fermenting foods- to preserve them and to make them more digestible and more nutritious-is as old as humanity."according to journalist, chef, nutrition researcher, homemaker and community activist, Sally Fallon.

We eat Sauerkraut with everything and on its own out of the jar/crock. I make it each fall to go along side our heartier meals (perogies, sandwiches, cheese trays- amazingly good in sausage on a bun!!).

Sauerkraut is also a snap to make, you just need the time it requires to cut and beat the cabbage. Only salt and cabbage goes into this recipe, the rest is science! Find the recipe here from the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz.

Genius!

Lately.

2011-11-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Thank you Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Not only are you sweet and vintage but you offer some tasty baked goods to boot. I added blueberries.

I made this with leftover chicken from our roast chicken the night before. It was heavenly.

Recipe HERE.

T's first time at the Santa Claus Parade. We didn't stick around to actually see the big man in red but what he doesn't know won't hurt him...(look at that cheesy ham smile)

Theo and his cousin Finn. They couldn't look any more different from one another but they are pretty much already the bestest of friends.

Behind the scenes pics from The Strumbellas photo shoot.

One good lookin folk band, if I do say so myself.

Oatmeal cookies. Recipe Here.

Happy Monday Everyone!

-ab

Bedtime Standstill

2011-11-21T11:32:00.000-05:00

From the City...

So we are officially making Theo's slow transition out of our bed and into his own big boy bed. By slow I mean, like at a snails pace and I won't even lie, nap time right after this picture was taken was in our bed cuddled against my chest. He has started to like the crib though, he enjoys the mobile and the books, toys and blankets but nothing and I mean nothing beats touching daddy's face and tugging on his beard and cuddling and nursing his mama.

Our bed is a busy spot these days (oh my!). Little Tank goes to sleep in our bed and then gets transferred to his crib when we go to bed then back into ours to nurse at about 2 and then back into his own crib until 5 and then back into ours. By this point, I'm so exhausted with all of the baby schlepping that I just let the little gaffer sleep with us. So basically, in the end, he always wins.

Even our dog Ruby is so exhausted with all the bed hopping these days that she no longer sleeps in our room, rather in the living room on the floor.

...hmmmm, maybe I should join her?

-ab

Pickled Carrots

2011-11-17T12:29:00.000-05:00

From the country...

I am nearing the last of the preserving, I just have a crock of sauerkraut to make and some jam for the holidays. I LOVE pickled carrots not only do they taste amazing but they look like glowing embers in a jar. This batch resulted in 5 jars, so I may have to make another batch to last the winter. I went with this recipe (from the lovely people over at Well Preserved) for the brine but each jar had a slight variation of seasonings. Two jars were spicy with chili flakes, another was celery seed/red peppercorn, one jar of cumin/red peppercorn, and the last was spiced up with fenugreek. And of course each jar had some sliced onions, one or two garlic cloves and a bay leaf. Fennel seed would also be a great addition.. really the sky is the limit.

I have yet to put these beauties on their shelf in the pantry because I am not done gazing at them as the shine on the counter in the day. They really reflect what little sun light we have now that the days are oh so short....

Good Riddance...a turkey update

2011-11-15T12:35:00.000-05:00

From the country...

With the holidays around the corner I can finally see the end drawing near for my flock of heritage turkeys. They have been a labour of love and frustration. Each day a new hurdle emerges and each day we learn something new about raising these flighty birds. I am ready to put these birds to rest- 3 feet deep into our chest freezer that is (and a fresh one in the oven!).

Just yesterday, I looked up to find one on the roof of our barn! Time to clip the flight wings once again...

I have asked what the definition of a Heritage Turkey is and why I raise them, so I thought this would be a good podium to explain further.

I raise these animals because I have always had a keen interest in heritage breed animals, specifically poulty. I have been discouraged by the commercial raising of poultry and want to be able to give customers an informed choice and an alternative to industrial raised turkey. Also, I want to humanely raise healthy poultry for my growing family. I want to raise many different animals on our family farm and stick to the tradition of a mixed farm when so many others have turned to mono culture. It is a simple as that.

*What is a Heritage Turkey?

(As defined by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy)

Heritage turkeys are defined by the historic, range-based production system in which they are raised. Turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a Heritage turkey:

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%.

2. Long productive lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years.

Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26 – 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20^th century

HKS Needs Your Help

2011-11-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

From the City and the Country

Calling All Guest Bloggers!

We're just so busy these days with all of our ironing, sewing and floor washing to get to any good blogging and that's why we need your help!

Have something interesting to say, an incredible recipe to share, a great picture, a snippet of your life in the city or in the country???

Well Come on Down!

Email us your idea at: harvestkitchensisters@gmail.com.

We'll be launching our first biweekly guest blogger soon so check back often for that...

(and trust me, it's a good one)!

xox hks team

A Refashioned Frock

2011-11-14T20:55:00.000-05:00

From the City...

I bought this beautiful dress about two years ago in anticipation of someday getting pregnant and wearing it as one of the best maternity dresses of all time. So now that I'm no longer pregnant, I still want to wear the damn thing as much and as often as possible. So what are the chances that I would head over to one of my favourite blogs and find this. Just the inspiration I needed.

Before.

Note: it is not a stain on the front, I was doing dishes and splashed water on myself.

After and with a belt. The kids seem to be wearing belts these days.

What I did: Ironed and stitched down four seams at the back. This took out a lot of the bulk. Took out a little bit of the extra fabric in the armpits. Shortened it even more and stitched up the seams on the shoulders.

On a side note: This is what happens when you don't do laundry on the weekend when you should. Keep in mind this doesn't include the pail of diapers and wipes that also need to be washed.

-ab

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

2011-11-14T11:35:00.000-05:00

From the country...

This is a Martha Stewart recipe for pumpkin cookies with a browned butter icing. The thing about Martha's recipes is:

#1- You need copious amounts of butter laying around
#2- you need to give your baking lots of undivided attention.

I did have the butter, but my attention is always divided, so I was literally icing these cookies with a crying baby girl at my feet. When my children have grown, I figure I may just be a pretty good baker. Until then it is half ass all the way. These cookies by the way are fluffy like muffin tops and the icing is a sin. Try them when you have hours to spare (all by your lonesome).

Creamy Tomato Soup

2011-11-13T18:14:00.000-05:00

From the City...

Any recipe that comes together with only the things that you have on hand, whether in your pantry or in your freezer, is definitely a friend of mine.

Tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Before.

Tomatoes, onions and garlic roasted. After.

A close up of that roasted garlic. Olive oil and tinfoil. That's it.

Completion/Perfection.

1 can whole tomatoes

2 onions

1 large head local garlic

stock or water

a handful of freezer basil

salt /pepper to taste

olive oil

a splash of cream (1/4Cup)

Roast tomatoes, onion and garlic with a little olive oil and salt and pepper for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Once finished, heat a splash of olive oil in a pot, toss in onions and garlic and then the tomatoes and basil. Thin with water or stock as much as desired. Add basil.

Remove from heat and puree. Put back on the heat and add your cream and salt and pepper to taste.

If you feel so ambitious, you can put it through a strainer to thin it out even more but I like a little texture so I kept it just the way it was.

Every cold rainy Sunday should be spent with these three, plus loads of blankets, toys, books and of course, tomato soup.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

-ab

*RECIPE: Thai Green Curry

2011-11-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

From the City...

My empty plate. Would have looked a lot better with the actual curry in the picture.

When Simon and I traveled in Thailand, I ate more green curry than you can shake a stick at (not sure what that saying means but I'm pretty sure it means, a lot.) We also took a cooking class and learned to make our own with the goods from the market.

I was able to dig up some of our pics from that trip, hello 2009.

Restaurant on Koh Chang, Green Curry.

And yes, I did eat everything in the giant bowl and no it is not a platter.

Simon with a lot more hair. Cooking class in Chiang Mai. Siam Rice.

Assortment of Goodies.

Cooking Class Green Curry.

David Lebovitz posted the most delicious recipe over on his blog along with some truly beautiful pictures to accompany it. You can find his recipe here. This recipe is for sure a keeper. I didn't have shrimp paste so I used tofu instead and I was pretty happy with it.

-ab

p.s I just love those damn tiny corns.

Guilt.

2011-11-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Yet another pair of Mary Jane's for Miliie (she has three pairs and doesn't walk yet)- score from the thrift store only four dollars!!

From the country,

Guilt. Specifically Mother guilt. I know this is a common occurrence but some days it can be a bit crippling. Some days the guilt cloud hangs a bit heavy.

Why are we so darn hard on ourselves? We feel we should do less of one thing and more of another. When our children get sick or hurt we wonder what we could have done differently. We wonder whether our children are getting enough socialization, nutrition, sleep, exercise, education and on and on. Are our children happy with the choices we have made for them?

We mirror ourselves in other people's projected perception and feel we don't add up. We are constantly in some kind of competition with one another.

The truth is there is not a Best Mother Award. There isn't a ribbon that gets placed on you at the local fair. Mothering is a constant learning curve- so just enjoy the ride.

So, this is to all the Mothers, Moms, Mums, and Mommas out there. This is to my Mom. This is to my sister. And this is to my best friend doing it all by herself.

Extreme Preserving/Stocking Up

2011-11-09T09:59:00.000-05:00

From the country...

Bulk food we purchase through a buying group. Bulk flour, coconut milk, tomatoes (we didn't get ours put away this year) rice, rice milk(for Lucas), oats, and a ridiculously big bag of bay leaves

The pantry all tidy...

jars of preserves,

herbs, beans, etc. in brown paper bags

Has anyone watched the show, Extreme Couponing? If you haven't here is a brief/slightly biased take on the show. People collect an gazillion coupons, go to their grocery stores and buy hoards of food and pay say $8.76 for a bill of say $600 smackers. While on one hand I think they are genius, men and women spending hours with their scissors, saving their families thousands of dollars a year. On the other hand, I look at their heaping carts (often multiple carts) and see a mountain of highly processed foods in a box.

So, over here we practice a little bit of extreme preserving/stocking up. Instead of a heaping cart of food we have a heaping freezer of frozen fruits/ vegetables, a pantry that makes a farm Momma smile, and a basement with crates of storage vegetables. I know that this lifestyle is not for everyone, I just wanted to weigh in here on how we live. While the women on the show gleams about her room of canned goods and toilet paper, I am equally as thrilled with my little pantry fully stocked. It reminds me of the hours of work and fills me with a sense of accomplishment and the best part is it will feed our growing family over the winter months.

I love my pantry. It has the sturdiest shelves. Shelves that are relied on around here year after year, to keep our food safe and sound. I love that someone many, many years ago painstakingly built these shelves in this little tiny space, for their food to be stored away. I wonder if that family beamed over the harvest placed on the shelves before them, they way that I beam about ours.

Harvest Kitchen Sisters

Pickled Winter Radish

Wordless Wednesday...but with words

Oat Bran Muffins

Weekending...

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Henry's Birthday

Ground Hog Day

Wordless Wednesday - Instagram Edition

What we have been up to

Tool Drool

Weekending

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

My Wordless Wednesday

Making Goat Cheese

Recipe Round Up

Love Letters

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Tried, Tested and True

Our Winter Project

Saving Seed

About Seeds of Diversity

I have a confession to make....

Roasted Vegetables

You like us, You really like us...

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Home Again, Home Again

The Life Cycle of a Turkey

The First Knit

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Bound for Mexico

Happy New Year from the Harvest Kitchen Sisters

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Our Version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The Great Fire of 2011

Sorry it's a little late...

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

This is a Recap.

*Bonus Guest Post: How to Cook Your Holiday Bird

Crafting from the Farm- Clay Ornaments

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

An Update from the Crafting Workshop

From One Blogger to Another

Terre Madre Day...tommorow !!

Save the Shropshire Sheep!

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

So Many Christmas Crafts, So Little Time.

December 6

Aboriginal Women

Give Something Good This Christmas

Date Night in the Big Smoke

Friends of HKS: Guest Blogger Series

Chocolate Beet Root Cake

Our First Annual Guest Blogger Winter Series

Something Fishy in the Mail

Baking Bread and then Breaking Bread

An Entire Post Dedicated to Yarn

Tales From the Kraut Keeper...

Lately.

Bedtime Standstill

Pickled Carrots

Good Riddance...a turkey update

**HKS Needs Your Help**

A Refashioned Frock

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Icing

Creamy Tomato Soup

*RECIPE: Thai Green Curry

Guilt.

Extreme Preserving/Stocking Up

HKS Needs Your Help