Potato Plans

The ground is all ice and mud and chicken crap around here.  Last night we got some snow turned rain, and it froze in the early morning hours, making every damn surface slick as shit.  Still, my mind has already made the turn home towards spring.  The days are lengthening as we chase the weekends like dogs do their tails. The goldfinches and cardinals are getting chatty, and the squirrels are stuffing their cheeks with leaves instead of nuts.  My windows are filled with a warm glow in the evening rather than a stark bright white and blue landscape.  Such is February, brutal yet filled with promise.  I'm not yet impatient to work the ground, but excited to start dreaming up garden plans again. It is a quiet time to write down priorities, think up new endeavors, ruminate on last year's failures and decide on the young year's garden projects. New this year: Homegrown potatoes.

In the past I have grown potatoes in a sandy community garden (epic fail) and a garden within a state park (one huge success, one huge bonk).  This year I am looking to grow them within the boundaries of our backyard.  Since I have Neil, it would prove pretty difficult to try to grow anything anywhere other than home.  So I came across the idea of a potato tower on Pinterest, and it excited me that I could try to grow the tasty tubers without compromising prime real estate in my back garden. Check it out:

 

The whole process can be found here...I already have all the supplies necessary lying around in the garage barn.  You take some galvanized wire and secure it in a two-three foot wide circle.  Then you line the inside of the wire with straw (I buy my straw bales at Thorofeed near the track for $4), add a foot of compost and your first layer of potatoes.  Layer it up like a dip and plant whatever you'd like on top.  Perhaps some flowers, nasturtiums? would look nice up there. Or maybe some basil?  The potato leaves will grow through the straw outside the container, kind of like those strawberry planters you see around Father's Day.  The potatoes are ready when their leaves yellow and die in early fall. Then you are free to tip over the whole deal and harvest them. 

 

Sounds like a decent idea to me, and well...if you're going to make a potato tower, why not double the pleasure?  I went a little crazy and decided to order two different kinds of potatoes from the Maine Potato Lady.  We use potatoes a variety of ways at our house...baked, mashed and roasted being the most common.  This year I chose to grow Kennebec (baked/mashed) and Red Maria (roasted, potato salad, etc).

 

  Red Maria is described in the Maine Potato Lady's catalog: Finally, we have a beautiful name for "NY 129", a late-season red potato developed by the cornell breeding program.  I've grown this variety in my trials several times and was always impressed with the yield and uniformity of these large, round tubers.  Bright red skin is lightly textured and holds color well in storage.  Here is a picture from Cornell:

 

 

 

Kennebec: Released by the USDA in 1948, Kennebec is still one of the top ten varieties grown in Maine.  And no wonder!  It's very dependable under most growing condidtions, with high yields of large, white-fleshed tubers.  You can cook Kennebec any way, boil, mash or bake-and enjoy a superb meal every time.  Excellent storage.  Loads of white flowers cover this large plant.

 

courtesy of the Maine Potato Lady

 

So there you have it.  I had the opportunity to choose from early, mid and late season potatoes, so I chose the latter two in case we have a shit spring.  The Kennebec potatoes will mature in 70-90 days, and the Red Marias will take a few weeks longer. I plan on getting them into their towers in early May, as I don't really have to depend on the earth and sun to warm up this soil. Things I still need to consider include how to keep Doug from using them as a marking post...bird netting?, where to put them, and how to secure them from gusty thunderstorms (I'm thinking a tpost here).

 

Oh yeah, and what to do with my cherry on top: 100 sets of Stuttgarter onions.

 

Kid in a candy store I tell ya.

 

 



Not that I ever sleep ever...

Tastes Like Burning

Last night Colin and I planned a cute night in. Seeing as we were in Florida this time last year, we decided to make some Islamorada sandwiches and Key Lime pie. I suppose we were having a little too much fun with our whiskey and wine, because the next thing you know, our oven was on fire, complete with flames coming out of the door. It's safe to say we burnt our buns...I threw the flaming pan outside and covered it with a wet towel (see below).

Well, apparently this looked pretty appetizing to dear old Doug dog. I wasn't aware that he ate the charcoal brick in its entirety until I woke up at 5am...not to baby squalls, but to that panic inducing bleh...bleh...bleh bleh bleh bleh BLAAAAAAAA...

The fact that his puke was black was a dead giveaway.

I love dogs.

Carrot Ginger Soup for Sickies

This past month has seen its fair share of sniffles, coughs and underweatherness in our home.  I'm going to blame the germ fest that is every daycare (I'm assuming) in January, February, March  winter.  Every kid's got some kind of level of sneezles lately.  And then they pass it on to mama and daddy dearest.  I was fortunate to escape most of the maladies so far, but Colin was not as lucky.  One of my go-to sniff-buster recipes is carrot ginger soup from the original Moosewood cookbook.  I add a bunch of cayenne to make our noses run and heat up our bodies, but this is totally optional.   Tastes amazing either way.





Carrot Ginger Soup

2lbs of carrots (they come in 2lb bags!) scrubbed and chopped into 2" pieces
4c of stock (I make my own, and I will tell you how: dump a bunch of shit in a pot and let it go all night)
1 potato peeled and cut into 2" pieces
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 inch of fresh ginger peeled and grated and/or (I do and) 1 T ground ginger
3/4 c sour cream
as much cayenne as you want and can handle, or none at all!

Put the carrots, potato and stock into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.  Turn off and let it cool.

Sautee the onion, garlic and ginger in a little butter until onions are translucent.  Turn off and let cool.

When everything is room temperature, put it into a blender and puree.  Add the puree back to the sauce pot.  Over low heat add sour cream, ground ginger and cayenne and stir until warmed through.  (You can make the first part ahead and add the sour cream when you are ready to eat if you are so inclined).  Top with a dollop of sour cream and a little fresh parsley and serve with warm bread.

Pair this meal with a cuddle under a soft blanket and you have yourself one comforting evening!

Head tilts

Oh you wanted a recipe?

Salt Dough Ornaments

2c flour
1c warm water
1c salt

Take off your rings and mix this together. Add a little more flour until it doesn't stick to your hands. Roll it out, maybe 1/4" thick. Cut with a cookie cutter. If you are making handprints, squish those baby fingers in there and make a perfect circle with a pint glass.

Bake at 200F for three hours. Flip halfway through.

Paint with acrylic paint. Did I mention that your baby won't die if he ingests acrylic paint? Poison Control told me so back in November.

Twenty Six Valentines

Neil and I...well let's face it....Neil...was invited to a Valentine's Day party this coming Wednesday. Everyone in the group needs a baby cuddle and Neil is their fix. I tried to make sure no one would make Valentines for an infant, but I couldn't guarantee it and didn't want to seem like a schmuck. I didn't want to be the only one coming to the cabin empty handed. So, this afternoon I sat down and made 26 personalized salt dough heart ornaments. And you know what? The kids will probably be pissed that they can't eat them! Whatever. One of my friends stopped over in the middle of all this and I glowered while uttering "Welcome to mother fucking craft day..." She pretty much backed away slowly and ran for the hills. What can I say? I never was one for making Valentines. Just ask my mother.

A short sweet Valentines visit!

Grandma and Grandpa visited baby Neil and we all were just thrilled. We played and played and had dinner at Druthers downtown. The beers and appetizers were a real improvement on this summer's trials. Both the beer/cheese dip and the sauce that went with the fried mozzarella were lovely. We all enjoyed each others company the following morning, lazing around, visiting lamp stores, thrift shops and cuddling. Grandma and Grandpa drove home in the snow this afternoon...hoping to beat the storm named Nemo. I'll let you know how we fared and will share the visit's recipes in the am! For now, a few sweet photos.

Cubby Wisdom

The Bump

Today I got an email from The Bump entitled "13 ways to tell you're ready for another baby"...

Are you ready for another baby? Click here to find out!

Good god Bump. Seven months out and you've already got the Female Parts For Rent sign back up. Sigh.

Apple Experience

...I assure you it's probably not the norm. Neil doesn't get a whole lot of sleep at his little apple bottom peace palace, but just listen. They have a garden and a compost pile. They have a resident bun named Alfie and will be raising chickens in the spring. They visit the state park and the forest on a regular basis. I visit Neil twice a day and when I sniff his baby hair it is all granola and cinnamon and sautéed onions. He smells delicious. Not of bleach. Of love and outdoors and good food. I leave him and he's smiling. Today they made him a gnome hat. We are lucky.

New crystals of snow

Chowderfest 2013

When I finally woke up this morning (finally meaning 8:30, which is late around these parts lately), the sky was that leaden heavy grey and it looked and felt like snow . For whatever reason, Neil had a shitty night and was awake between 2am and 4am. I think it was farts, but honestly I'm sick of giving him excuses. He babbled to me and I snuggled against him in my bed until his conversation gave way to the sandman. So Colin gave me an extra hour to sleep it off this morning...

While Neil took his morning nap I visited the farmers market. In the winter it is literally a block away from where we live, but the walk had a chilly edge. The proximity of the market, fresh produce, local meat and live bluegrass...these wonderful things are not lost on me. We are lucky. The winter market is held in an elementary school, and I love to look at the children's art while I wait to exchange my empty milk bottles for full ones. It's always so bright and cheerful.

When I got back we headed downtown for the 15th annual Chowderfest. If you haven't gone, let me be the first to say that it is a lot of standing around in the cold for a little bit of chowder from each participating restaurant in town. Great for you if you have a beer jacket on. But Colin did it right this year, and with the HUGE prospect of a long sleeved t shirt on the horizon, we zipped through five restaurants to claim our prize.

Afterward we hit up the Henry St Taproom for a couple good beers and a seat by the fireplace. Neil played ladies man as usual. I actually enjoyed the way this panned out this year. Sure, there was no drunken craziness, no fights, no late night pool, no bar hopping. But now we're tucked away at home, with a homebrewed milk stout, watching the Devils play and the snow fly. I do believe I like this version of Chowderfest better.

I Love Friday

String Theory

Neil and I were invited to spend an afternoon at a homeschool space class. I learned about black holes and white holes, galaxies and solar systems while Neil got passed from mom to mom. He just loves everyone. At one point I looked down the row of mothers and just about everyone was knitting. I'd love to learn to knit again. My brief stint in Albany was disrupted by my move to Saratoga. I made it through maybe an eight of a scarf. Along the same lines, I spoke briefly with the presenter while the children were drawing galaxies. He tried to explain the String Theory to me, which is the idea that everything is made up of the same teeny tiny bundles of energy...possibly handed down by divine creation...and that they vibrate throughout the universe to make up gravity... And that if this idea is true, everything can be explained by one math equation...

I think I'll stick to learning how to knit for the time being...

Seven month update

Well here we are in February...Neil began his seven month on January 23rd.  So much has happened. Part of me wants to pick up where I left off, and another part just wants to leave a big gap there. I just looked back and realized I didn't even write about Christmas. Good lord...well...I suppose that's the reason...I just had to go help someone finish their nap...

Christmas was an exhausting whirlwind of extreme fun.  I don't think there could be a better holiday than your first baby's first Christmas.  Come on now.  He was held and doted on and loved up and snuggled down by all of his grandparents and got to play with his Uncle Mick.  We ate fondue at my parents' house. Man, I don't know why they want me to make it every year...I always drink wine and forget one thing or another.  This year I forgot to double the amount of wine, and the cheese ended up being really stringy, in a playfully funny way.  It provided some laughs and tasted great, so whatever. We spent Christmas morning at the Schweizers, and Christmas evening at the Corbetts.  We did end up having a White Christmas, and fireplaces and woodstoves were aglow.  Truly, it was a magical week spent close to family.  Neil was just starting to sit up, and he got lots of practice while playing with his myriad of toys.  He also spent an evening with his (generous) Ani, while we blew off some steam during a Phish show at MSG.

So then the whole month of January happened. I'd like to say that nothing exciting happened, but of course it did...however so small. 

At Neil's six month appointment his pediatrician suggested we get him a head xray (!) to make sure his plates weren't fusing shut too early (!).  So I spent a day schlepping around getting daycare sorted out and giving this poor kid to the not-so-friedly xray technicians.  He gave me a bewildered look at one point and I just couldn't imagine what it would be like to have to endure more than this one medical experience with your child.  The results were fine, but it was a stressful day.  I'm fine with not living that experience out again. 

We spent the rest of the month in flurries and frigid temperatures here.  Neil has tried bananas, avocados, carrots, mangos, sweet potatoes, squash, rice cereal and applesauce.  He is so not a big fan of avocado and lukewarm to the rest. Sometimes he's real into stuff and other times he snubs the spoon.  He's sitting without assistance now, and endures less and less topples as the days go on.  He LOVES Doug and gives him a big smile.  I'm hearing a lot of DA DA DA DA DA especially when he is tired or whiny.  Since he has started at Apple House he has had a lot of sniffles and coughs, so we recently bought this humidifier to help alleviate sickness symptoms.  His room does feel a lot better now.  I'm happy with the product so far too, as it is not made with BPA or phthalates. Neil is also taking baths in the "big boy" bath tub....the enormous clawfoot cast iron tub.  We might need a smaller baby bath tub to put inside this thing...it's just too much water for one small nugget!

I guess that's it really.  Colin has been brewing and I have been enjoying the balance of work and staying home.  I like my work, teaching kids about the great outdoors, and I really want Neil to see/understand that women are capable of doing more than staying in the home and taking care of children (even though mothering is the hardest, most rewarding, hardest, best job of all).  I feel like this sounds snarky but by no means is it meant to be. Stay at home moms rule. And so do working moms.

Ok. I'm bouncing around.  I'll have plenty to write about in the coming days.  I'm just going to have to do a better job of sitting down to blog regularly. On tap this weekend is Chowderfest and the Superbowl, and next week my parents are visiting.  So that's lots of eats and good times awaiting us! Photo time!