Snapshots: The Locust Swarm

I now have had a small taste of the Biblical plague of locusts visited upon the Egyptians. Or the marching army of locusts described in On the Banks of Plum Creek. 

I was not a fan.

Although the numbers of locusts we saw last week weren't as formidable as those two events, there were enough that it was disturbing. The swarm arrived in our village on Monday. I drove out of our gate and while I was waiting for Poppy to close the gate behind me, I sat looking at our neighbor's pasture. It looked as if there were cottonwood seeds or something floating through the air there.

And then I realized that all those things in the air over the pasture were flying locusts. They covered the roads and swarmed in the air. 

It was hard to get a photo of them, but all those dark spots in the road are locusts.

Driving through them sounded like hail as they slammed into the windshield over and over. 

My car's grille has looked like this for a week.

The boys went running through a pasture and reported that it was hard to see, because the locusts kept flying into their faces. They pretended the insects hitting them were gunfire, though, so I guess it was fun in the end.

I'm glad someone found a silver lining to this particular nasty cloud, because no one else has appreciated them. They haven't eaten my garden (yet . . .), but they have completely destroyed all the pastures. They prefer grass, and all the new grass that was finally starting to grow after the rain is totally gone. It's ugly. Neighbors are having to feed their cattle purchased feed, and probably will have to sell some of their herds off.

The swarm only reaches a few miles, but it was centered here for at least four days before it moved on. I've been asking the older people what breaks the locusts' cycle, and they all agree that a hail storm will kill them off.

I am hesitant to wish for hail, but I guess it would have a positive effect in this case.

Anyway. Here's something nicer.

Poppy disappeared into her room for several minutes and reappeared asking me to come look at her "barrette masterpiece." It was pretty impressive.

We have actually been getting rain, and I haven't had to water my garden in several days.

Almost half an inch in about an hour one afternoon resulted in . . .

Very heavy fog the next morning.

And a foggy sunflower, just for fun.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.

Friday Food: A Daily-Dessert Revolt

Friday 

Short version: Pork and sauerkraut, cornbread, kohlrabi sticks, rice pudding

Long version: This was the last really cool day we had in our forecast, so I took advantage of it by cooking a pork shoulder in the oven for a long time. I had a can of beer that had gone flat to dump over the pork while it was cooking, along with sauerkraut. When the pork was done, I defatted and reduced the juices and added extra sauerkraut. It was very tasty.

Rice pudding because the oven was on so long for the pork. As always.

Saturday

Short version: Tuna/salmon patties, mashed potatoes, fresh peas, ice cream

Long version: This was the day the kids shelled all those peas for me.

Bowl o' peas.

As I expected, they were quite starchy, and probably should have been simmered longer, but about half the family loved them. A pretty standard percentage.

Everyone loves the tuna/salmon patties, and there was much sadness that I only made six of them. 

In my defense, they were six very large patties.

They were cheered up by giant bowls of ice cream, though.

Sunday

Short version: Fried pork/sauerkraut/rice, pan-fried sweet potatoes, ice cream

Long version: Leftover pork fried with more sauerkraut and leftover rice. Simple, but surprisingly tasty.

Poppy had asked about sweet potatoes out of the blue the other day, so I bought some at the store. I prefer them roasted in the oven, but it was too hot for that, so I just cooked them in a skillet on the stove.

A couple of the children very seriously told me that we need to stop having ice cream so much, claiming that it wasn't special anymore and we should save it for Sundays.

Well, if you insist.

Monday

Short version: Lamb, leftover mashed potatoes, sauerkraut

Long version: I had thawed a boned leg roast, but didn't want to tie it up rolled and roast it. So instead, I marinated it flat, then browned it that way before slicing it. Then I returned it to the pan to finish cooking. This is a good, fast way to get it cooked.

Second time in the pan.

If I slice it before browning the whole piece, I find the slices release too much moisture to brown. That's why I brown first and then slice. Meat doesn't dump juice all over the cutting board either if it's sliced when it's still raw inside.

I had made some oatmeal/peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies a couple of days before to be the snack cookies for the week, and I asked after dinner if anyone wanted one. "OH NOOOO," wailed the children. "Not dessert every night!"

Guess not, then. 

Tuesday

Short version: Leftover pork and rice, pork sandwiches, coleslaw

Long version: I didn't have enough of the pork and rice for everyone, but I did have another piece of the plain pork still. I took that out, and remembered the child who had asked for pork in a sandwich last time I had some left over.

So a couple of kids had pork sandwiches. Both chose to have them with barbecue sauce this time.

I did not offer dessert.

Wednesday

Short version: Ground bull burritos, kohlrabi sticks with ranch dip

Long version: I added canned black beans to the ground bull, along with the rest of the onion from making the coleslaw that of course I had already cooked, plus onion and garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chile powder, vinegar, and a little salsa.

The children were very pleased with this. Kids just really like burritos with ground beef. 

They also really like the kohlrabi. There is one more in the garden, but it's really small, so the kohlrabi is pretty much done for the year. But the basil is just starting up . . .

Thursday

Short version: Chicken and spaghetti with pesto, carrot sticks with ranch dip

Long version: The basil really took off recently, and the plants are just big enough for a small batch of pesto. Much rejoicing.

I used the pesto on both the spaghetti and on the chicken, which were just breasts that I chunked up and fried, then added the pesto and Parmesan to it. I kept the chicken separate from the spaghetti, since A. and I don't eat the pasta. He had his chicken with bread and butter. I had mine with leftover coleslaw.

Unfortunately, I was rushing out the door to pick up a child right as I was trying to finish up dinner, so I totally forgot that I meant to take out some of the pound of spaghetti I cooked for something else later. This meant that I did not have nearly enough pesto for the pasta I had cooked. I added butter, garlic powder, and salt, but it was still pretty bland. Boo.

Refrigerator check:

Lots of leftover bland spaghetti. And cheese. Perhaps I will combine the two . . .

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

A.P.D.: Dream Houses

Yesterday, pretty much out of nowhere, Poppy said, "I would like to live in a mansion."

Okay. 

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it would have so much SPACE!"

Yes. That it would. My first thought--and response to that--was that also all the SPACE needs to be CLEANED. This being my experience at Blackrock, which is not a technically a mansion, but is also not a normal house.

Poppy acknowledged the truth of that, and then she asked me what my dream house would be like.

This is a fun question. I will answer it here for you now.

Random photo of part of our current house, which shelters us adequately, but is neither photogenic nor my dream house.

I like stone houses. Not brick. Stone. They just look nicest to me. They also have excellent insulating properties, and tend to be cool in summer, warm in winter.

I like one-story houses, BUT, I also like the bedrooms to be separated from the living areas in some way. My current set-up of having my bedroom open out to the kitchen is not ideal for me. Stairs serve the function of separation in a two-story house, but so do courtyard-style houses. 

Houses built around courtyards are my favorite style. You can have wings of the house that are far enough away from the living areas to be private without having stairs. And then, of course, you have a courtyard, which are the perfect outdoor spaces. 

I like doors in the interior of houses. These open-plan houses that are so common now are not for me. I like to be able to close and open doors as needed.

Although I acknowledge its utility, I do not like heating with wood, and my dream house would be heated electrically. I know this requires depending on the electrical grid, and thus comes with a lack of independence, but I really don't enjoy messing around with wood, propane, natural gas, or anything else.

I do like propane fireplaces, though. They're nice. Clean, and they provide the cozy atmosphere of a fire.

I like carpet in bedrooms, but rugs and wood floors everywhere else. 

I don't like those open showers that have become so popular. I like contained bathrooms, with the shower and tub together. It's nice if the toilet is in a separate alcove, though.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but you're probably getting the idea.

So! How about you? What is your dream house?

 

Snapshots: Lookit What I Found!

I went out our gate to go for a run, and look what was there on the side of the road.

Sunflower season has started!

That tiny bottle with the purple flowers in it was Poppy's contribution to the table before I found the sunflower. I didn't have any flowers there for a few days, so she brought the dried ones from her room. I guess the table doesn't look right to her without something in the middle of it.

Raising that girl right.

I have some bright-pink hollyhocks this year, and I'm not sure if the MiL sent these seeds to me and I totally forgot about planting them, or if they somehow are the product of the paler pink ones that come up every year. Either way, I love them.

Pretty pink.

A. and the three boys spent several very hot days doing stone work at a ranch down the hill. The lower elevation there means it's hotter than at our house on the high plateau, so it was right around 100 degrees some of the days they were there. 

When doing manual labor in such temperatures, there can never be enough liquid. And not just water, either. This calls for switchel.

Three jugs of water, one bottle of switchel.

A reader here (hi, Jody!) e-mailed me to suggest that I could also add cream of tartar to switchel for the potassium. I had never considered this, but I don't see why it would be a bad idea. I'll have to try it this coming week when they go back down the hill to finish their work there.

The truck selling cherries in the city also had shelling peas when I was there yesterday. I do not grow shelling peas because, well, they have to be shelled. So tedious. 

A. loves fresh peas, and even though I knew it's past prime pea season and these were likely to be starchy, I got some anyway.

There was great excitement among the children when I brought them home, and they set right to work shelling.

They chose the back steps as their shelling location.

About halfway through the bag of peas, one of the children came in and asked how many they had to shell. ALL of them, child. And that is why I don't grow them. It was a fun novelty, though.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.

Friday Food: I Fixed My Deli Drawer!

Friday 

Short version: Fiesta scrambled eggs, leftover rice, coleslaw

Long version: Fiesta scrambled eggs means I add salsa and grated cheese to them. Sometimes pinto beans if I have an open jar, but I didn't this time.

I had a helper to crack the dozen eggs, which was nice.

I have what seems like unending cabbages coming out of the garden, so it is definitely coleslaw time.

Saturday

Short version: Enchilada casserole, leftover coleslaw, fresh bread with apricot jam

Long version: I had a very long day in the kitchen, what with all those apricots to deal with, plus bread to bake. It was fairly cool this day, though--in the mid 80s--so I took advantage by doing as much kitchen work as possible. 

Since the oven was on anyway to bake the bread, I made the casserole--shredded bull meat, beans, corn tortillas, cheese, homemade enchilada sauce--and baked it while the bread was in. Then at dinnertime, I put the whole casserole in the microwave just to re-melt the cheese. 

Sunday

Short version: Bull big macs, home fries, green salad with vinaigrette, chocolate pudding with cream

Long version: No steak for Father's Day? Nope. Because we don't have any. Luckily, A. loves cheeseburgers. Especially with homemade sourdough buns and Big Mac sauce.

I would typically have made oven fries with this meal, but it was hot and I didn't want to have the oven on at a high temperature for 45 minutes. So instead, I microwaved a few big potatoes until they were mostly cooked, then chopped them and fried them in a skillet.

Father's feast frying. (Yay, alliteration!)

Monday

Short version: Leftovers, customized ice cream

Long version: The kids finished the enchilada casserole. A. had the last hamburger patties (no buns) and leftover rice. I had a salad.

And it was hot, so we all had ice cream. A couple of kids had mint chocolate chip. We also had vanilla ice cream, which was topped with either apricot puree, maple syrup, or chocolate syrup, depending on preference.

I had the chocolate syrup. It's the taste of my childhood. Well, the taste of my childhood was actually Hershey's syrup, and the syrup I make is better, but it's the same idea.

Tuesday

Short version: Breakfast burritos, raw produce, more ice cream

Long version: I unearthed a bag of elk chorizo at the bottom of one of the chest freezers, so I decided to cook that this night. I also made scrambled eggs with cheese, but separately, because only half the family likes chorizo. So the burritos were either chorizo and egg, or the last of a can of refried beans I found in the refrigerator and egg.

All of the children asked to have chocolate syrup on their ice cream this night. I have converted them. A. stuck with his apricot jam. He's always been a fan of fruit and ice cream.

Wednesday

Short version: Lamb curry, rice, maple lemonade

Long version: I found a boned leg roast from a ewe that we butchered way back in October. I seemed to recall that that sheep was a bit strong-tasting, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to use the extra curry liquid I had frozen one time when I was making curry and made it far too strong. I had taken out some of the liquid to dilute what was left, and froze the extra sauce, which was stock+curry powder.

I also used the last of the cooked yellow split peas that were in the freezer, along with carrots, potatoes, peas, already-cooked onion, and sour cream.

The meat definitely smelled gamey while I was browning it, but that wasn't noticeable in the end result, so it was a good use for the curry.

After dinner, all the children decided to make themselves lemonade with the bottled lemon juice I buy in bulk, and maple syrup. I suspect it was heavy on the syrup, but I just considered it their dessert and let it go.

Thursday

Short version: Roasted chicken and gravy, garlic bread, roasted carrots, sauerkraut, ice cream

Long version: It was cool enough to roast the whole chicken that had been hanging out in the freezer for awhile, so I did that.

Well, I thought it was cool enough, but then it ended up being 80 degrees in the kitchen by the time I was done, so maybe not. Good chicken, though. I made gravy with the juices and milk and cornstarch, too, which was also good.

Refrigerator check:

Please note that I have already replaced the hanger on my deli drawer, rather than piling everything up on the shelf for months. I'm very proud of myself, yes.

Okay, your turn! What'd you eat this week?

Sweet Relief

For a lot of reasons, we don't have air conditioning in our house. We do have a giant old window unit that can theoretically be put in the kitchen, but I hate the thing so much (and A. hates it even more) that it very rarely actually gets put in.

We don't typically have temperatures over 100 degrees, and more importantly, the humidity here is usually pretty low, so it's manageable. 

But there are days. Days when a hot wind has been blowing constantly, and there are thunderstorms brewing all around that raise the humidity level. Days when I have to bake bread or otherwise heat up the kitchen. 

Days when the outdoor temperature readout on my shiny new Honda's dashboard informs me it's 100 degrees*. 

Those days are not comfortable.

We have ceiling fans, and my bedroom is on the east side of the house, so I can usually get by with reading in my bed with the fan going during the hottest part of the day.

But if a storm rolls in? Then the wind will pick up, the temperature will drop twenty degrees in thirty minutes, and all windows and doors in the house will be opened to let an honest-to-goodness cool breeze blow all through the house.

Bedroom curtains billowing in a cool breeze from a storm.

Air conditioning is nice, and certainly convenient, but there is nothing like the feel of a cool rain-laden breeze after you've been sweating all day. 

Nature's A/C is perfect.

*Although to be honest, this was when I had driven somewhere off our high plateau, so it was only about 94 degrees at my actual house at this moment.

Snapshots: Preserving

My friend called me this week to let me know that the apricots at her mom's house were ready to pick and I could take as many as I wanted. I had to be in that city for an appointment with one child on Friday, so we picked some apricots.

Box on the left is the very ripe ones I picked up from the ground. The box on the right is the less-ripe ones we picked from the tree.

Very ripe apricots do not have much pectin, so they won't really thicken and gel. With the box of ripe ones, I just made a sweetened apricot puree for yogurt. I made jam with the slightly underripe ones.

This is two and a half gallons of apricot jam. It won't last nearly as long as you'd think.

I had started bread dough that morning. I typically make my bread dough in my big stock pot, but I knew I would need that to make jam. So instead I used a dedicated dough bucket I bought awhile back and hate because it's square. This makes it hard to mix in and even harder to clean the dough out of the corners. I had mistakenly ordered it thinking I was getting a round one and then I couldn't return it, so I'm stuck with it. 

It comes in handy at times like these, I suppose. And I was very pleased when I thought to use my old 8-inch square baking pan as the lid for it. The pan is very old and kind of rusty, so I don't actually bake in it anymore.

Flipped over, though, it makes for a nice tight lid.

I also finally got around to "krauting," as my children call it.

With some help, of course, because few things are more fun than smashing sliced cabbage with a rolling pin.

I have more cabbages coming out of the garden, so I decided to make a skillet of Holy's cabbage and try freezing and thawing a small amount to see if the taste or texture was affected. I suspected it would freeze (and thaw) well since it's so soft to start with.

I was right. 

So then I made a couple of very large batches of it to freeze.

I (over) filled my biggest 14-inch skillet twice and ended up with three quart bags of cooked cabbage for the freezer.

Unfortunately, yesterday when I was driving to the village, the road was absolutely carpeted with grasshoppers. Thousands of them. They haven't made it to my garden yet, but I don't see how they could miss it. It's looking likely that there might not be a lot of other things that make it to harvest this year. But at least we have sauerkraut and apricot jam, right? Right.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.