tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69596911617519048312011-11-27T19:35:30.283-05:00One couple's quest for a sustainable lifestyleJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-46308515287465507312011-08-15T12:20:00.004-04:002011-08-15T15:12:31.128-04:00

"Cooking in the raw" sounds like something they do at a nudist camp. (It kinda cracks me up that "nudist camp" will now be a searchable phrase on my blog, but I assure you I was fully clothed.) I made a raw blueberry-strawberry cream pie this weekend. I have no photos, but I can tell you that it was delicious and even quite attractive. The "cream" part was made from ground soaked cashews blended

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-58438489435890865972011-04-27T10:05:00.002-04:002011-04-27T10:18:30.229-04:00

Funny how one things leads to another, especially when it comes to internet research. I was reading a blog featuring a recipe from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book. Being a breakfast devotee, I naturally went to Amazon to check out this promising-sounding item. I was flipping through the online preview when I came across a recipe for milk toast. Unfortunately, the recipe continued onto a

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-87077016654926959092011-04-06T22:06:00.000-04:002011-04-06T22:06:02.768-04:00

Without that, we got nothin'. I was walking to lunch in Annapolis today when I passed a couple on the street. We did one of those things where we both moved to get out of the others' way but ended up getting in the way again so I laughed and said "Excuse me." My smile prompted the woman to stop and tell me their story. They came to Annapolis from a rural county in Maryland to look for work.

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-11239236641559545282011-04-04T11:56:00.000-04:002011-04-04T11:56:18.940-04:00

I'm at work and don't have my CF card with me to add pictures to the blog, but I thought I'd do a quick post letting anyone who's interested know that I'm still here and I'll be posting something much more substantial than this in the near future. My eggplant, squash and tomato seedlings all enjoyed a day in basking in the sun in the cold frame yesterday (the air was still pretty chilly, but it

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-21417821607738764312011-03-25T16:45:00.002-04:002011-03-25T16:46:39.701-04:00

The best thing about having my husband's roasted potatoes for dinner is that I know that means a hearty breakfast of roasted potatoes, poached egg and bacon the next morning: I recently received my program of events for the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival which will take place May 7-8 at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland. (On a side note, I'd love to live in a place

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-22189124422354595612011-03-24T17:52:00.002-04:002011-03-25T08:17:14.900-04:00

Over the past weekend, we got my garden beds all ready for planting (the two that weren't already planted with spring veggies). My husband and I filled up the beds with a mixture of top soil, leaf mold and a soil amendment made here on Maryland's Eastern Shore called Chesapeake Green. We also got a bunch of pots for herbs and started them and the remainder of the plants that I'm starting

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-40526965969912280082011-03-17T10:41:00.006-04:002011-03-17T20:21:03.098-04:00

We saw a bluebird the other day. First of the season. It really is spring! :-) REVISION: It wasn't a blue bird. It was a blue jay, pictured below. So, I had my day off Monday, which was supposed to be very productive. It certainly started out that way. The electrician came and fixed the electrical problem we were having. After the electrician left, I went to the county extension office to get

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-40789374089247689222011-03-13T20:00:00.013-04:002011-03-16T11:58:37.917-04:00

This has been an incredibly lovely weekend! My new garden beds are now installed. It required pulling up the old frames, transferring the soil to the wheelbarrow (or one of the other raised beds, since I did them one at a time), putting down the new frame with a layer of newspaper in the bottom then piling the soil back in. Because these frames are taller, I'll have to get more soil to fill them

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-15162388767557142252011-03-09T06:52:00.005-05:002011-03-16T11:58:15.218-04:00

Okay, so sometimes I wonder if the title of my blog isn't a bit misleading for newcomers. (Not that I've had many newcomers, but I've had some and hopefully that will increase.) Obviously I'm not actually farming at this point in time. The farm is just a dream hovering on some future horizon. The opposite of a mirage, however, as the closer I get to it, the more real it will become. This blog is

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-86611676887063746462011-02-28T13:29:00.009-05:002011-02-28T13:45:47.548-05:00

1) It was already 54 degrees when I left the house today. 2) The air already smells like flowers even though none are blooming yet. 3) The tulip plants out front continue to climb out of the soil. 4) We're supposed to have massive thunderstorms this afternoon. 5) I started seeds! (Finally.)        I'm actually rather late on these, but no gardener is perfect. My local garden supply center

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-78378542733082615312011-02-27T09:34:00.001-05:002011-02-28T13:46:17.312-05:00

Simone The night before last, we decided to let the cats sleep with us. (Actually, Chuck decided to let the cats sleep with us, despite his frequent protests that he doesn't like them very much. I didn't argue.) For a change, they both settled down and barely moved all night. At some point Chuck flipped over and launched Simone across the room, but Adelaide stayed stretched out at my side until

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-37269054542380729252011-02-24T12:07:00.004-05:002011-02-24T16:33:14.377-05:00

It was brought to my attention (rudely, but accurately) that Murray McMurray Hatchery, which I have linked on my blog under "Handy Websites," sells genetically modified chicks. The Cornish X (read "Cornish Cross"), which is what every factory farm raises, is genetically modified to grow very quickly in a very short amount of time. There are likely others they sell that are genetically modified,

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-11785355763062768472011-02-14T09:27:00.000-05:002011-02-14T09:27:48.543-05:00

Seriously, I almost cried when I watched this, it made me that bloomin' happy. (I'm a sap, but a very lovable one.)

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-89275117783416565952011-02-13T10:04:00.000-05:002011-02-13T10:04:27.141-05:00

I spent some time last week researching the chemicals that go into your average every-day soaps and shampoos that you buys at the supermarket (and in some so-called "natural" alternatives, actually.) Sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, is a synthetic surfactant that causes soaps to form suds. It (or its sister, sodium lauryl ether sulfate - SLES) is found in just about everything - handsoaps, shampoo,

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-11450544893744558762011-02-09T22:48:00.002-05:002011-02-10T08:29:27.512-05:00

I've hesitated to write during the last week or so for a couple of reasons. One, I don't have any photographs (well, that's not entirely true, but other things have made me lazy about getting them ready to post.) Two, I've been rather down in the dumps the last few days, because it seems highly likely that my husband won't be able to come back to the D.C./Maryland area for his last tour in the

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-15310540681642250642011-01-27T13:22:00.000-05:002011-01-27T13:22:24.048-05:00

Finally, I ordered seeds. I'm not certain I've succeeded in paring down what I want to grow, though. I currently have in my possession these seeds (though I won't necessarily try to grow all of them this year.) - Spinach, Bloomsdale - Peas, Green Arrow - Pumpkin, Musquee de Provence - Melon, Delice de Table - Bean, Fin de Bagnol - Squash, Golden Zucchini - Tomato, Gold Rush Currant (not

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-51344497095981373192011-01-24T07:46:00.002-05:002011-01-24T07:47:01.727-05:00

I don't have to be at work until 10 today (because I have to stay considerably later than usual) so I'm enjoying a leisurely Monday morning with tea and toast in bed. Feels extremely luxurious to breakfast in bed, even if I did have to get up first and make it myself. :-) I'm reading a book Zannah gave me ages ago - Rosamunde Pilcher's Coming Home. I'm still very near the beginning. So far it's

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-44228658075036637742011-01-19T19:43:00.002-05:002011-01-20T20:06:44.948-05:00

Deep down, whether we care to admit it or not, we all have the little rituals - some pretty standard, some a little quirky - that comfort us when we're tired, stressed or just particularly down (and also when we're not any of those things and happy as the clam that didn't make it to the soup pot.) I used to make lists of all the things that make me happy. I haven't done that recently, but that's

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-48624038612007155592011-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:002011-01-17T12:18:08.477-05:00

I'm saving the rabbits for another time. Today, I want to talk about winter/new year planning. But first I want to talk about coffee cake. I just made one, despite the fact that it's actually closer to lunch time. And it would more accurately be called tea cake since that's what we're drinking. (Did I mention that Chuck and I have both given up coffee? Chuck gave it up because he feels much

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-70731141218083025822011-01-16T09:49:00.000-05:002011-01-16T09:49:08.227-05:00

Ha! Goal for the weekend complete (not my only goal for the weekend, just the blog-related one.) I finally made a new banner for winter. I have further plans for today. Breakfast is definitely on the near horizon (tea is already taken care of.) I spent most of the day yesterday away from the house (eating quiche and cupcakes - life is so hard) so today is largely devoted to staying home. We'll

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-2197906880927832202011-01-13T18:39:00.000-05:002011-01-13T18:39:23.095-05:00

So, months after saying I'm going to write a fantasy novel, I actually started writing a fantasy novel today. I'd come up with ideas and then got discouraged and scrapped them, but this time I've come up with an idea I really like, and I started working on it today at work. I got so absorbed in it that I didn't realize it was past time for me to leave work (a moment I'm usually all packed up and

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-37520968306465425692010-11-27T12:31:00.000-05:002010-11-27T12:31:49.143-05:00

I am thankful for the realization that I've mysteriously gained eight pounds since this summer. Now I can take action to reverse that trend, before I things start really getting ugly. At the last minute, Chuck and I decided to go to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. Except that it was more Christmas in November than Thanksgiving. We decorated a tree. We ate tenderloin wrapped in bacon, a

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-38695611901590034932010-10-10T20:58:00.001-04:002010-10-11T15:42:59.030-04:00

A real conversation that occurred about five minutes ago while I was sitting in the living room and heard a strange whimpering noise from the kitchen. Me: What's that noise?         pause Chuck: A dragon. Me: Are you beating it? Chuck: No. I'm cooking it.         long pause Me: Well, I guess I'd whimper, too. Made me smile. :-) And it segues rather well into this ... I'm working on writing a

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-18853806939875253182010-09-29T09:18:00.000-04:002010-09-29T09:18:49.485-04:00

My work computer is driving me crazy. The list of things at work that drive me crazy keeps getting longer. This has really gotten ridiculous though. It's slow. It stumbles and suddenly freezes like it's forgotten what it came upstairs for. It falls asleep in the middle of sentences. We're supposed to be getting new ones, but who knows how long that will take. Anyway. One of my 3-year-old nieces

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-82920585664662571172010-09-14T17:26:00.004-04:002010-09-14T17:27:39.523-04:00

I keep promising that I'll go back to regular postings, and I still haven't done it. I think I'm just frustrated at the thought of all the things I want to do that I really can't do right now. So continuing to pretend that I'll have my self-sustaining farm any time soon is depressing. I started a book over the weekend called Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Homefront by Sharon Astyk, and

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-32984265445919140772010-09-04T09:13:00.000-04:002010-09-04T09:13:35.010-04:00

I'm sipping coffee from my Mitchell's Hardware mug (I love these mugs. Seriously, that's all I drink coffee out of anymore - Adelaide too) and thinking about heading to the farmers' market. I think I've used that photo before on my blog, but it never fails to make me smile. :-) I was thinking I'd take pictures of the market today, but it's very windy and juggling market bags, vegetables and a

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-24923926045341165742010-08-29T12:32:00.002-04:002010-08-29T12:34:34.599-04:00

I have been a total multi-toed sloth on my leave. It's been great. I wish I didn't have to go back to work, but it's not until Tuesday so I won't get all mopey about it just yet. I tore out my garden. It was neglected more this summer than I was expecting (again, I blame the class) and the tomatoes were suffering. I decided to rip everything out and get ready for fall. I'll plant lots of greens

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-14418285215994101052010-08-23T14:07:00.002-04:002010-08-23T14:07:31.530-04:00

Okay, so while I may be "back in the swing of things," that doesn't mean a daily post. I never promised a daily post. Here, look at this. You'll feel much better.

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-23982151882120297032010-08-18T10:18:00.003-04:002010-08-18T10:25:27.836-04:00

I would love to feel that way about my work. Sigh ... someday. This is a line from the title of a nice article by Matthew Benson that touches briefly on the benefit of physical labor in a virtual age. Benson's farm in upstate New York is absolutely beautiful (so are his chickens - the beauty queens of the poultry world.) I want that farm, just farther south and with a few more acres of pasture

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-44728442397498242002010-08-10T18:22:00.006-04:002010-08-10T22:16:36.298-04:00

My dinner in combination with my reading material this evening made me laugh (see photo). I've only read the first couple of pages so far (I was too busy eating), but I think I'm going to love it.  Really, people. Cooking fat is your friend. Real fat from real animals is much better for you than hydrogenated oils. I can't even look at the greasy, way-too-yellow substance called margarine without

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-20713813660445806392010-08-09T11:19:00.002-04:002010-08-09T12:11:02.708-04:00

A little over a week has passed since I finished my course, and I feel like it's taken me that long to recover. I don't think I can completely convey to y'all just how much it took over my life. It probably wouldn't have affected me that much except that there were a lot of exercises that completely go against my desire to just keep to myself and be quiet. A lot of time and nervous energy was

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-56008964199714500162010-07-13T10:56:00.000-04:002010-07-13T10:56:58.642-04:00

I was reading Nature's Harmony Farm's latest blog post this morning and in it, Tim gives a "mid-season report card" listing the (many) things he and Liz have accomplished on their farm so far. But the thing that hit me was this particular sentence: "By now we're no longer rookie farmers, and we know that having an ongoing list of priorities is just a normal part of farm life. We're getting

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-45236791359666853962010-07-12T10:55:00.000-04:002010-07-12T10:55:29.229-04:00

Let's just ignore the fact that it has now been a month since I last posted anything. This course has been brutal. When I have homework to do, I'm frantic. When I don't have homework to do, all I want to do is be lazy. I'm good at the lazy, obviously. I had a lovely weekend. It started with driving home Friday afternoon and seeing another huge rainbow stretched across the sky. Saturday, I went

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-80600110419854816372010-06-13T12:17:00.003-04:002010-08-10T18:17:12.210-04:00

Two sustainable reading posts back to back means that I have gone an entire week without posting. It's shameful but true, and I can't guarantee that it will change in the next six weeks. This class that I'm attending (until July 30 now, instead of Aug. 2) has pretty much taken over my life. I leave in the morning around 6 or 6:15 a.m. and don't get home until 6:30 or 7 in the evening. Sometimes

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-76535557082338971752010-06-06T15:48:00.006-04:002010-06-06T17:44:16.654-04:00

I received two new books in the mail last week (actually, to be precise, one was new, the other used.) I've poured through both this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The first one is Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox, a book that contains a wealth of information and recipes for making your own beauty products. Hair care, skin care, soaps, bubble baths, tooth powders and mouthwashes - you

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-30640363415413176962010-06-05T22:07:00.006-04:002010-06-06T16:07:38.276-04:00

Last week I started a two-month course in military public affairs (the field in which I currently work) and in a class on the nature of news, the instructor mentioned Norman Borlaug, who won the Nobel Prize for developing a genetically modified strain of wheat that this particular instructor (and a lot of the rest of the world's population) thinks is largely responsible for keeping India from

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-78457888610378129862010-06-03T21:55:00.002-04:002010-06-03T22:02:18.902-04:00

If you look closely in some of the photos, you can see a fainter second rainbow above the first one. I was jumping around in the yard in the rain, taking pictures and delighting in these rainbows (and generally getting soaked.) I couldn't believe no one else in the neighborhood was out looking at this. So I ran over to one my neighbors house, knocked on the door and pointed it out to them. They

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-9164479625209714622010-06-02T21:25:00.007-04:002010-06-06T17:22:33.913-04:00

I need to harvest peas. I've been just picking them off the plant, opening up the pods and popping the peas in my mouth. So yummy. Seriously, I could just sit in the garden in the sun, listening to the birds and popping fresh peas in my mouth and consider that a beautiful day. I've started a training course for work, which makes it harder to find time to post, but I'll manage. The course itself

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-71471378785729428862010-05-30T14:07:00.001-04:002010-05-30T14:08:57.234-04:00

I'm working on some writing today. I have an article to write for a local nature preserve that I'm volunteering for, and I'm trying to get at least one query letter ready this weekend to send out Tuesday. It's possible that it will be going to a non-profit that won't pay me, but that's okay too. It's a clip and a credit if nothing else. It's sunny and 85 degrees outside but only about 79 inside

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-21047154063963615112010-05-29T13:03:00.026-04:002010-05-30T09:09:06.609-04:00

I went to the lavender store this morning while I was at the farmers' market and bought some raspberry lavender jelly. The raspberry comes through more than anything else but there is a lovely floral undertone that I assume is the lavender. Very pleasant on toast with tea. And here's some of what else I got at the market this morning: The tomatoes aren't local (it's still too early) but I

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-77203803754612831782010-05-28T08:55:00.008-04:002010-05-28T09:46:06.546-04:00

After the completely self-centered, let's talk about me-ness of my last post, I decided to post something informational. Did you know that you can make lavender jelly? I had no idea (well, until I did), and it sounds yummy. It looks even better - if you like pink, which I do. Some shades of it anyway. Go to that site (which includes a recipe) and tell me - is that stuff not gorgeous? Makes me

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-78912271693672116682010-05-27T22:02:00.006-04:002010-05-28T08:58:13.725-04:00

  My small suburban organic garden I have a habit of taking on a lot of different projects at once. I'm usually good at balancing all of that, but I think lately I've been skipping from one thing to the next and consequently not really accomplishing much of anything. I made a list of all the projects or skills I'm interested in pursuing (or am pursuing already) in the interest of paring down:

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-85226203210295349042010-05-26T12:59:00.002-04:002010-05-26T13:02:30.873-04:00

Courtesy of rodale.com, watch baby chickens! They're babies, so they sleep a lot, but when they're awake and lively, they are pretty entertaining (as only a chicken can be.) I just watched two of them in a staring contest. Lasted about 10 seconds, then one of them gave up and walked away. Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-50722366786038516782010-05-25T10:17:00.024-04:002010-05-26T15:30:20.236-04:00

In my house, an operating ice cream maker provides a wealth of entertainment for cats. I've actually caught Simone sitting on the counter next to the machine just watching it in awe. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get a photo of it yet. "Who? Me?" As usual, my recipes are modifications or combinations of recipes I've read or, occasionally, completely made up so some of my measurements are

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-85116243349541578002010-05-24T10:16:00.004-04:002010-05-25T13:50:54.222-04:00

So don't think I haven't noticed that the only people who are reading this blog are the same people who were reading the old blog (in other words, people I personally know), despite the fact that I've really made an effort to get search engines to pick this up. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. I'm even on Twitter, but of the four people (really just three people and one organization) who've

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-80107170432648062482010-05-23T19:10:00.005-04:002010-05-25T18:42:59.121-04:00

Using Farmgirl Susan's Arugula Pesto recipe (minus the garbanzo beans because I didn't have them) I made some pesto with my last harvest of arugula not long ago and put two sandwich bags of it in the freezer. This past week, I didn't feel like cooking anything strenuous so I defrosted one of the bags - and then didn't cook the pasta to go along with it. Instead, I think I just ate a salad that

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-4686585220924021122010-05-23T18:52:00.001-04:002010-05-23T18:54:10.361-04:00

I spent today thoroughly cleaning my house and loving every minute of it. (And oh, how lovely it looks.) I went through every cabinet and closet and filled two boxes with clothes to donate - one of civilian clothes and one of uniforms since as of tomorrow I will have resigned my commission as an officer in the U.S. Navy. I half filled a box with dishes and small appliances to donate. I have a

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-35591282111397968502010-05-22T14:47:00.009-04:002010-05-25T13:49:05.098-04:00

A deep-dish onion and mushroom pizza with homemade mozzarella is baking in the oven. A plastic container of roasted root vegetables (beets, rutabegas, carrots and radishes) is sitting in the fridge along with a large measuring cup full of fresh strawberry puree and honey that will shortly be transformed, with the addition of milk and cream, into some kickass strawberry ice cream. Not long ago,

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-69333999300620886712010-05-20T20:43:00.003-04:002010-05-22T15:43:35.302-04:00

I am recovering from a springtime cold that just dropped on me like a bomb - as quick and as unexpected and almost as damaging. Body aches, head ache, sinus pressure, stuffed up nose, raspy cough, sore throat - the works. (Though not a fever, oddly enough ... apparently my immune system was adequate to the job without elevating my body temperature.) And though I feel much better, I am exhausted.

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-15123450583299954752010-05-17T21:26:00.002-04:002010-05-17T22:20:24.673-04:00

Sometimes it feels like we fight the same battles over and over - for the environment, for good healthy food, for the small farmer, for the underdog, for all the down-home good things in life - and never get anywhere. But tonight I stood at my back door, breathing in the cool, rain-washed air - thinking about my husband in a gulf on the other side of the planet, thinking about our dreams for our

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-32947764939539460812010-05-16T18:30:00.003-04:002010-05-23T18:55:22.255-04:00

Controversy aside, foie gras is one of life's greatest pleasures. I've actually only had it once, but I think on it as one of the most memorable culinary experiences of my life (along with my husband's Beef Wellington.) Sweet, tender, luscious fattiness. There's a restaurant in my small town that features duck foie gras along with a kind of duck potsticker - as an appetizer, and last week,

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-35573690858879240962010-05-15T11:29:00.006-04:002010-05-16T14:55:32.853-04:00

My first recipe! This a dish that’s very quick and easy to make – ideal if you find yourself walking in the door at the end of the day completely on empty, stomach snarling, but completely unwilling to eat take-out because you know it will be something bad for you. I admit, some people will get to the end of this recipe thinking “And … this is supposed to be good for me?” but I firmly believe

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-43677307526053458142010-05-14T20:09:00.001-04:002010-05-16T14:56:54.383-04:00

I said back in my first post (last Friday) that I would post something I had written for a different blog that went into why I wanted a farm. So, here it is: I’m still thinking – one might go so far as to say obsessing – about my farm,  the one that so far exists only in my imagination. I said I’d write about why I’m so set on this at some point. I thought hard about it yesterday when I saw the

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-40018080641848704082010-05-12T21:58:00.008-04:002011-03-17T10:40:38.350-04:00

Did you know that spiders will assess the bug catching success of their webs and, if it falls short of their expectations, will pick up and move house? At least I think they must, because for several days now there has been a spider building a web between the toilet bowl in my bathroom and the wall (or perhaps the plunger). I've hesitated to dispose of her because she's tiny and not particularly

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-14111000356853844252010-05-11T18:45:00.005-04:002010-05-16T14:57:27.683-04:00

Imagine the flavor of pork that has spent its happy little life feasting on whey and apples. The Gloucestershire Old Spots Hog is a heritage breed from Gloucestershire, England, an area that apparently is known for its apple orchards and cheesemaking. In addition to pasture, these thrifty foragers live off the by-products of the area's agricultural endeavors, earning them the nickname "orchard

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-46876473325982358702010-05-09T13:36:00.013-04:002010-05-16T14:58:05.590-04:00

I had a glorious revelation while I was making mozzarella this morning for homemade pizza later in the week. Not all pasteurized milk is the same. I already new better than to use ultra-pasteurized milk. The process of ultra-pasteurization heats the milk to a high temperature (191 degrees Fahrenheit according to my research thus far) then, after a certain amount of time that varies with every

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-69128979614780934372010-05-08T07:49:00.005-04:002010-05-16T14:58:18.591-04:00

I'm thinking maybe I should change the name of this blog to "Eat, Hope, Farm" since a love of really good, fresh food is also strongly tied to our desire for a farm (something I forgot to mention yesterday.) I made three loaves of Susan's Farmhouse White Sandwich Bread yesterday, except I added a lot of wheat flour and wheat gluten in place of the all-purpose flour she calls for, so it was

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959691161751904831.post-85836691286792510812010-05-07T19:25:00.005-04:002010-05-16T14:58:33.773-04:00

And so it begins. Okay, well, "begins" might not be entirely accurate, from a couple of different points of view. Aside from 48 square feet of vegetable garden, we have not in fact begun farming. Though I suppose that can be seen as a start. And this is hardly the beginning of my farm dreaming, since I've been somewhat obsessed with this idea for about a year now (and was at least interested

Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04282892109984691688noreply@blogger.com4