September... Tomato season is nearing an end as I store my jarred salsas, ketchup, and bruschetta, and frozen sauce. The remaining ripe plum tomatoes got dried in the oven (cored and quartered, on a foil-lined sheet, at 170ºF for 6-12 hours). If after all the other demands of life allow the time, green cherry tomato rosemary pickles and green relish.
After losing power 35 hours during Irene, we went to Sturbridge Village to see how people lived before electricity. We had our own plan of making shadow puppets, cooking on the grill, listening to the radio, doing crafts.... I'm the kind of person who never wants lights on when they don't have to be, but I didn't realize how dark it got without everyone else's. Had it not been cloudy, we would have looked at the stars. It was difficult reading and playing board games. It was windy and raining. The candles came out. As it happened, the batteries in the boom box had corroded and my husband braved the weather going store-to-store for C batteries when all we had were AAs. I made a sock monkey named "Storm". My daughter, only four, bugged me to let her sew until I said yes and gave her a straight line and a circle to stitch. Last week she sewed her first pillow. I don't think I'll be saying she can't do something again. It's funny how all the "lost arts" come out when the power fails, and how much it fascinates children. We made coffee in our press pot by boiling water in a kettle on the grill, an hour long process. At Sturbridge Village we listened to the actor explain how she roasted the coffee beans at the crack of dawn...I told her I hoped she saved coffee for the next day in order to make the coffee. Not knowing how accurate her farm was, I noted the mealy moths in the grains, the bean beetles in the pole beans, the flies on the food. I'm not sure the Indian meal moths she had would not have been present, but Colonial America did import nutmeg, also from India and other Asian countries.
Just as one season ends, another begins. Fall is by far my favorite. Part of me wants to slow down and enjoy the changes. But it was a rocky road in and school has begun. As usual, I have obligations nearly every day, taking work home while at the same time looking at what my child did in pre-school. I look forward to all the harvest activities that pop up this time of year, knowing I can't do them all. We've been eating anything that can be thrown into a wrap, corn on the cob, pasta, salads. More "quick" recipes to come. I did come up with a quick "gelato" recipe a few weeks ago when my husband brought home overripe peaches in a shrink-wrapped Styrofoam tray from somewhere... Tomorrow we will pick peaches and apples from down the road, canning late into the night. I'm thinking ginger apple sauce. I guess I'll sleep this winter.
After losing power 35 hours during Irene, we went to Sturbridge Village to see how people lived before electricity. We had our own plan of making shadow puppets, cooking on the grill, listening to the radio, doing crafts.... I'm the kind of person who never wants lights on when they don't have to be, but I didn't realize how dark it got without everyone else's. Had it not been cloudy, we would have looked at the stars. It was difficult reading and playing board games. It was windy and raining. The candles came out. As it happened, the batteries in the boom box had corroded and my husband braved the weather going store-to-store for C batteries when all we had were AAs. I made a sock monkey named "Storm". My daughter, only four, bugged me to let her sew until I said yes and gave her a straight line and a circle to stitch. Last week she sewed her first pillow. I don't think I'll be saying she can't do something again. It's funny how all the "lost arts" come out when the power fails, and how much it fascinates children. We made coffee in our press pot by boiling water in a kettle on the grill, an hour long process. At Sturbridge Village we listened to the actor explain how she roasted the coffee beans at the crack of dawn...I told her I hoped she saved coffee for the next day in order to make the coffee. Not knowing how accurate her farm was, I noted the mealy moths in the grains, the bean beetles in the pole beans, the flies on the food. I'm not sure the Indian meal moths she had would not have been present, but Colonial America did import nutmeg, also from India and other Asian countries.
Just as one season ends, another begins. Fall is by far my favorite. Part of me wants to slow down and enjoy the changes. But it was a rocky road in and school has begun. As usual, I have obligations nearly every day, taking work home while at the same time looking at what my child did in pre-school. I look forward to all the harvest activities that pop up this time of year, knowing I can't do them all. We've been eating anything that can be thrown into a wrap, corn on the cob, pasta, salads. More "quick" recipes to come. I did come up with a quick "gelato" recipe a few weeks ago when my husband brought home overripe peaches in a shrink-wrapped Styrofoam tray from somewhere... Tomorrow we will pick peaches and apples from down the road, canning late into the night. I'm thinking ginger apple sauce. I guess I'll sleep this winter.
Gluten-Free/Low Sodium/Vegetarian
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Peach “Gelato”
Taste of Italy
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Prep: 15 minutes Freeze: 1 hour or overnight Serves 4
2 over-ripe peaches
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/8 cup local honey
1 tsp. ground ginger
Have peaches getting soft on your counter? Make this quick dessert! Soft peaches are easy to peel the skin from. You can peel, then freeze, or vice-versa. I usually freeze the peaches in their skins so I don’t have to wrap them, but peeling must be done quick so peaches don’t thaw. Freeze peaches at least one hour, preferably overnight. Remove pit by slicing around peach and twisting sides. Chop pitted peaches and mix with half-and-half, honey, and ground ginger in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately.
