The Westside Local

This place has "local" right in the name, so it was promising right from the start. I decided to have my birthday dinner there last weekend and try it out for the first time. I liked the looks of the logo, the name, the website - I was delighted to find that I liked the actual place, too.

in the beer garden

We dined al fresco that night; it was lovely weather. And we happened to encounter some friends in the beer garden and shared their end of the long communal picnic table. The proprietors at The Westside Local hope that "these communal seating areas make for an interactive dining experience, encouraging chance meetings, networking, new friendships, and even love." I'd say it kind of worked.

The food proved to be as pleasant as the ambiance. I had deviled eggs, which came with pea shoots (and I love LOVE pea shoots), and a Musser's tomato salad with heirloom tomatoes, both dressed exquisitely with citrus vinaigrette dressing. And then a vegetable gratinee that was far more interesting and complex than it sounded. The menu says "thin potatoes" but it doesn't tell you that they are creamy soft wafers that melt in your mouth; the menu says "local sautéed vegetables" but it doesn't tell you one of those veggies is kale. (Fortunately the server clued me in, and boy am I glad she did.) The entire dish was topped with arugula and when I told the server it was good she told me that they get it from a farmer just down the street. I said who, Lew? She didn't know the farmer's name; but I did.

beer and localities

Despite having ordered and consumed a beer of sizable proportions, in addition to the other fantastic food, I managed to save room for the Mojito Blueberry Tart for dessert - a clarifying and rich combination of lime, mint, and berry. And a charming cap to the lovely birthday evening. I can't wait to go back.

My Birthday

Sunday was my birthday - it was the big 3-0. Not that I give too much extra credence to the ages that are divisible by 5; I did celebrate "the big" 2-8 and "the big" 2-9, and next year's prime 31 will surely be big. Nonetheless, this was intended to be "big." So I began celebrating early, to make this birthday as big (long) as could be.

Soup and mimosa at Happy Gillis. And Christy drew me a cake. This "30" begins with an E.

I started last Thursday with happy hour at JP Wine Bar and I got the best gift right off the bat: a book of notes from friends & family, past & present - Sergio has spent months secretly soliciting handwritten messages from so many people, all saying such warm, fuzzy things to and about me. And our dear friends made the whole book so beautiful.

Es - and the book is my favorite shade of blue

Day 2 of birthday - Friday - I had some lovely gifts (an owl and a scarf, some of my favorite things) and wishes from friends. Day 3, my pre-birthday, was lovely - after the farmers market, Pilates, and a great brunch that Christy made (with potatoes in a spicy homemade salsa) - we went to the Tivoli to see a matinée of "In the Loop" - we laughed heartily and were intrigued by the absurd impact of political rhetoric. After that we had snowcones from Fresher than Fresh and in the evening we enjoyed the Farmers Table at Blue Bird Bistro.

Sunday - the "big" day - I went to church and received many happy hellos. Then Sunday brunch was soup, a sandwich on a bialy, and a birthday brownie at Happy Gillis and in the afternoon we saw a great photography exhibit at the library called Red Desert, Blue Sky, Green Prairie - an interesting collection of assorted glimpses into the landscapes and townscapes of the West/Midwest. Dinner Sunday night was a new place called Westside Local (more on that presently).


Then, on Day 5, I figured it was all over - the dreaded August 24, always one of my least favorite days of the year. The day was uneventful (sigh) and I figured today would be, too. And then - just when I thought all the birthday fun was over - I got two gifts two days late: a lovely basket of garden fresh tomatoes from my manager - a welcome sight amidst spreadsheets on my desk.

And from Sergio (who was already carrying a balance in the gift giving column) I got one last great gift tonight: a big, beautiful, powerful pressure canner.

Yes, We Can

The birthday may be over, but this is only the beginning.

Taking the Curcurbits for a Spin

Today I read an article (thanks to a fellow locavore's tweet) called "Zucchini and Corn Fritters Rule the World" in which The Crisper Whisperer, the newly appointed columnist on seriouseats.com explains vegetable world domination in the form of plentiful CSA produce. This charming tale conveys precisely what it feels like when you get such a daunting amount of one or another vegetable. But fear not; the author, Carolyn Cope, suggests that we can "wrest control from the arms of summer abundance."

For me, in the last few weeks, that abundance has been cucumber; one after the other in the CSA share. I eat a reasonable amount of delicious cucumber sandwiches, but the cukes keep coming and I begin to feel powerless.

So today, Christy was our Crisper Whisperer. She found a recipe for Cucumber Soup and slaved over a hot stove - er, uh, a fast blender - to make a perfect summer dinner tonight. With garlic, onion, sour cream, and broth, it's a much richer soup than one might think. And of course, this soup is served cold. Cool, you might say. Cool as a--well, you know.

Cucumber Soup, Toast, and Watermelon Water

To accompany our soup, Christy made something called toast. No, no, no. Not that kind of toast. German "Toast," which refers to open faced sandwiches, cooked in the oven, and intended to be eaten with a knife and fork. Christy says you can use anything on these "toasts" - for ours tonight she used mustard, apple, tomato, onion, arugula, and cheese. They were like lovely sandwich pizzas, warm and light and perfectly paired with the soup. And in keeping with the theme of blended curcurbitaceae, we had Watermelon Water to drink.

And best of all, we're down to a much smaller army of cucumber in the fridge. Until the next pick up, that is...


Cold Cucumber Soup
4 cucumbers, unpared
1 lg. sour cream
1 med. onion
1 clove garlic
1 can vegetable broth
2 drops Worcestershire sauce
Dash lemon juice
1 tbsp. thyme & oregano
Generous handful fresh parsley, removing most of stems
Salt & pepper to taste

In blender/food processor, combine in small batches the cucumbers, garlic, onion, both soups and parsley. (Pre-chopping makes the first 3 ingredients blend better.) Pour into large bowl and add Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, spices and sour cream. When all pureed, mix and taste. Adjust according to your palate. Chill before serving. Garnish with a few chopped chives, parsley, a slice of lemon, or a couple of the above. Keeps well. Yield: 2 quarts.

Watermelon Water (Agua de Sandía)
2 cups diced seedless watermelon, with rind removed
6 cups water
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)

Place one cup diced watermelon in blender, along with two cups of the water. Blend until liquified. Pour into a pitcher. Place remaining cup of watermelon in blender, along with two more cups water. Blend thoroughly and pour into pitcher. Add remaining two cups of water and sugar. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill thoroughly before serving. Pour into tall, ice-filled glasses and serve.

Tomatoes for Later, Pasta for Now

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen yesterday. A lot. Most of the day in fact. I processed an estimated 55 pounds of tomatoes for canning and freezing. It took approximately 7 hours - give or take an hour. (I lost track in the haze of steam.) But not to worry, I had a friend near by to help make the time fly and we breezed through our tomatoes relatively quickly considering our inexperience. We lost some time trying to figure out the food mill. But tossed it to the side and went on with our sauce, seeds and all.

I bought a new food mill for my tomato extravaganza.

steam from the water bath canner

spaghetti sauce

We ended up with 5 quarts of tomatoes (plain, halved), 7 half-pints of tomatoes (crushed), nearly 6 pints of spaghetti sauce (yum), 1 small ziplock back of oven dried tomatoes, and lots and lots of tomato juice ice cubes - all destined for some delightful wintertime meals, if I can muster the patience to wait. That spaghetti sauce is awfully tempting.

But, what is not tempting today is the kitchen. Too much of a good thing yesterday. I went to bed tired last night. And aching. And smelling of a pizzeria. So today I am not interested in another long haul in the kitchen. My legs are too tired and quite frankly, the pots and pans look tired too.

So what to eat? Pasta Verano. You know - like Pasta Primavera ("spring") which I always make in the summer, so I've renamed it - Pasta Verano. Oh, I have another name for it too - "What's-Left-in-the-Fridge Pasta." This is another Tuesday/day-before-the-CSA-pickup meal. (Or Monday, as it were.) It tends to work with whatever happens to be left.




Pasta Verano

ingredients:
pasta
olive oil
arugula, spinach, basil - or other green
assorted quantities of left over veggies, including but not limited to:
carrots
cherry tomatoes
eggplant
green beans
summer squash
bell peppers

Chop all the veggies except leave the cherry tomatoes whole. Place on a cookie sheet for roasting - paint with olive oil. Roast at 375 degrees. Delicate veg (squash, tomatoes, beans, peppers) stay in for 15 minutes; hardier veg (carrots, eggplant) can stay in for nearly 30.

Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain past. Add arugula to hot pasta to wilt. Or add fresh basil on top of pasta. For large quantities of pasta, serve with vegetables on the side.

Summer Squash Soup with Salsa

Golden Summer Soup served with bread/tomato salad on the side (Visit The CSA Chef for that simple and rewarding salad recipe)

Nothing says summer like a yellow soup. This recipe works best for color if you use yellow bell peppers and yellow summer squash. But if all you've got are a green pepper and a zucchini, not to worry. You can peel the zucchini if you want to but there's no need. It will still taste wonderful and feel summery no matter what shade of yellow it turns out to be.

Golden Summer Soup with Salsa
1 med onion chopped
1 yellow bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cup veg broth
1 lb (3 cups) yellow summer squash
1 large (1 lb) russet potato peeled and diced
1 c corn kernels
1 Tbsp thyme
Salt & Pepper to taste

1) in a large pot over med heat, sauté onion and pepper in oil until wilted - 3 min
2) Add stock, squash, potato, and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered until vegetables are tender - about 30 mins. Let cool.
3) Puree the soup in a blender or food processor; pass thru a food mill ( opt ). Return to pot and add salt and pepper. Serve soup with one spoonful of salsa.

for a fresh salsa ...
1 med tomato seeded and diced
2 scallions chopped
1 t cilantro
1 t lime juice
Dash Tabasco

for a cooked salsa ... Thanks to Chef Christy for guiding the way!
approximately 4 tomatoes
approximately 9 tomatillos
2 small onions
5 cloves of garlic
2 - 3 jalapeños
small amount of vegetable broth paste or vegetable broth (optional)
salt

Roast the peppers, onions, tomatillos, and tomatoes on an open flame, until they blacken. When they're roasted and cooled, remove the stem ends of the peppers, and remove the cores of the tomatoes. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. Add salt and broth to taste; add sugar if it's too spicy.

We used barbecue skewers which quickly caught on fire, even though they had been soaked; we wished for stainless steel skewers (or just an open grill outdoors) but opted for fondue forks ultimately. This whole procedure made the apartment smell, according to Sergio, like a little pueblito in Mexico.

On the plate: everything roasted! In the reflection: Chef Christy loading the blender.

The finished product is a beautiful big jar of an earthy brown salsa with flecks of black charred veg. It's a little bit spicy and perfect.

Family Vacation in Los Angeles

Big Vacation No. 2 this summer (only a few days after No. 1) was to Los Angeles to attend a wedding on Sergio's mom's side of the family and to celebrate the milestone birthday of Sergio's dad with his side of the family. Which means we had quality time with lots of folks from far away in just five short days, in addition to seeing the sights in southern CA. We stayed in Pasadena first and visited Hollywood and the Griffith Observatory. The wedding was in Pasadena as well and it was big, beautiful, and fun. The day after the wedding we went to the "Inland Empire" to see the other side of the family and with them headed back out (outland?) to the coast to visit the beach and to tour the Queen Mary. Oh, and back at Sergio's aunt and uncle's house we ate the freshest oranges I've ever had. They were from the tree in their back yard. Oh, California, you temperate climate you.

All of the pictures are on Flickr; below are just a few...

These oranges traveled 1500 miles in my suitcase.

observe

playing with The Nina

hooray for Hollywood

the whole gang at the wedding

Family Vacation in Washington, DC

This summer's Big Vacation No. 1 was with my family, 12 of us total, in the nation's capital. We stayed in Foggy Bottom in a beautiful four bedroom condo that overlooked the Potomac and was full to the brim of books. We enjoyed a special tour of the Library of Congress and of the Capital; we saw the White House from afar and the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights up close. We experienced monuments and memorials, shopped at Trader Joe's and the farmers market, ate delicious food, saw interesting exhibits, watched Night at the Museum at the museum, walked an average of 8,000 steps a day, almost mastered the fare card system at the metro stations, and had a very good time indeed. It pained me to leave at the end of the trip (Sergio and I left a day before the other 10), but we were off to Big Vacation No. 2.

All the pictures are on Flickr; below are just a few...

in the corridor of the big beautiful condo

FAMILY at the LOC

from the Library of Congress to the Capital

a view of the Washington monument

The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States

the gang at the Hirschhorn

Founding Farmers

Just as all of the reliefs, murals, and monuments in Washington DC commemorate in symbolic detail the pantheon of American history, the smart logo at the restaurant Founding Farmers also pays homage to the nation's foundations. One F looks to the left, honoring the agricultural origins of the land; the other F looks to the right signaling the importance of farming for the future. The figure in the middle of the logo is a corn cob with multicolored kernels to represent the diversity of all of the founding farmers.



The food and the principles behind the restaurant pay homage, too, with nostalgic entrees, clever names, and of course, a list of local farmers and producers. The full range of the menu reflects a sophisticated respect for heritage, history, and - as the slogan says - true food and drink. The pasta is handcrafted using "only the best '00' flour, inspired by Thomas Jefferson;" the "Simply Barackwurst" is from Simply Sausage Farm in Virginia; there is pimiento cheese and tomato jam on the menu, both of which were decidedly the best I've had.



To start, I ordered a drink called "Nice Coat!" (with an exclamation mark) - "A little fresh basil, a little lime juice, a little Blue Coat American Dry Gin, a little love. Nice!" And indeed it was. Just the first nice step in a very nice meal of fried green tomatoes, skillet cornbread, flatbread, butternut squash ravioli, and a fresh fruit tart (peaches) with pristine house made vanilla ice cream.



Dad ordered the Steak and Enchilada; it came with a corn cob in the middle. Two in our party ordered entrees that came with a side of green beans that were remarkable (so remarkable that I can't remember what their entrees were). Sergio ordered the veggie burger, of course. Everything was delicious.



The decor is rustic but refined - a sort of historical hip with agrarian influences. Bird lamps and cloud lamps suggest open air and bucolic notions of farm land; beautiful canned vegetables line the walls. The salads are served in big mixing bowls; the water comes in milk bottles and the water glasses are thick and homely. The entire experience - food, drink, and ambiance - is equal portions new and old, expected and unexpected, clever and plain, all perfectly combined into something at once refreshing, comforting and unique.

Oh yes, and on the window encircling the entire restaurant is a charming relic from Thomas Jefferson - a recipe for Macaroons.

Macaroons
From the Thomas Jefferson Papers
*Pour boiling water on your Almonds & take off the skin.
*Wash them in cold water wipe them well in a towel
*Beat them
*Add whites of eggs from time to time beating them always to prevent them from turning into oil
*Take them out of the water
*Add sugar
*Add whites of eggs
*Beat them well with a wooden spoon
*Taste the paste to see if it is too bitter
*Add sugar if you find it too bitter
*Dresser les avec deux couteaux le grosseur d'un noix sur des feuilles de papier.
*Put them in a oven, not too hot but hotter than after taking out the bread.
*You prove proper heat of the oven by holding in a bit of white paper. If it burns it will burn your macaroons. If it just browns the paper it is exact.

Weekend Warrior

All I wanted to do last weekend was make blueberry jam. My one lonely half pint of blueberry spice jam from last year had been emptied by January. I've been anxious to make some ever since. Summer's here now, so I finally made time last weekend for a jam session. I went to City Market, and lo and behold ... NO blueberries! By some ridiculous oversight on my part I have missed the height of the blueberry harvest.

I did notice one solitary blueberry in a quart of blackberries and when I inquired, I was told that there might be a few more blueberries next week, but that what few they'd had that day were sold out and that - in fact - it's kind of the end of the season. I was aghast. Didn't I buy some last August? I thought I still had more time this year! I went back the next morning and still no blueberries; another farmer said they've already had six weeks of blueberries and may or may not get more this year. It's really been six weeks already? How could I have missed it? How am I going to make that lovely blueberry spice jam?



In my sadness I bought 5 quarts of blackberries, 13 ears of corn, and 4 quarts of peaches. Not to mention the 4 pounds of roma tomatoes, a half pound of okra, some summer squash, potatoes, onions, and pecans that I'd bought at the Brookside Market. I pouted all the way to the grocery store to get my pectin; to console my longing for blueberry jam I decided to make blackberry jam instead. I ended up making blackberry preserves (actually more just blackberries in syrup) and then peach jam, too (very happily reminiscent of Mema's fried pies), and I decided to spend the rest of the weekend preserving everything else I'd bought.

frozen berries, blackberry preserves, peach jam, frozen okra, frozen squash, frozen corn


I blanched and froze most of the other veggies: the squash, the okra, the corn. I even used my new contraption, the Corn Stripper which works pretty well if you hold it right; if you hold it wrong, you won't like it one bit, I can tell you for a fact). My four pounds of KCCUA roma tomatoes are now approximately one pound of oven-dried tomatoes. And I only used half the blackberries to make the preserves - the other half I decided to freeze for later.

And then, when I went to stow my bags of frozen blackberries in the freezer, do you know what I found? Two bags of frozen blueberries from last summer (one was marked August 11, thankyouverymuch). Blueberries!!! I couldn't believe it. I still had plenty of pectin, so before I took down all my canning gear, I made one last batch of jam - the coveted blueberry spice jam. Four full half-pint jars.

Peach Preserves
4 cups sliced, pitted, peeled peaches (about 4 pounds)
1 package powdered pectin
2 TBSP lemon juice
7 cups sugar

Combine peaches, powdered pectin and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring gently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two piece caps Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Berry Preserves
2 pounds berries
4 cups sugar

Combine berries and sugar; let stand until juices begin to flow, about 10 minutes. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to gelling point. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Blueberry-Spice Jam
2-1/2 pints ripe blueberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg or cinnamon
5-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1 box (1-3/4 oz) powdered pectin
Yield: About 5 half-pints

Procedure: Wash and thoroughly crush blueberries, one layer at a time, in a saucepan. Add lemon juice, spice, and water. Stir pectin and bring to a full, rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add the sugar and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, quickly skim off foam, and fill sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. For more information on how to sterilize jars see "Jars and Lids," (FCS 8255). Adjust lids and process 5 minutes in a water bath canner.

Ratatouille

For months I've been wanting to watch Ratatouille again; I hadn't seen it since it was in the theaters. I kept forgetting to add it to the Netflix queue. Then when a two year old moved in with us, we decided not just to rent it but to buy it. We all watched it together the first night. And every night since then, Nina watches it over and over again. We all know the lines so well we could reenact the entire film.

We did reenact one part - the eponymous dish of the film. I had been rooting around Smitten Kitchen and stumbled upon this recipe. It looked simple enough, and we'd just gotten skinny eggplants in our CSA share. So I whipped out the mandoline and we made ratatouille, while Remi was on the screen doing just the same.

zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, pepper, summer squash, zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, pepper, zucchini...

The recipe was simple in its ingredients but time-consuming in its preparation. As I put both dishes in the oven (for we had more veggies than would fit one dish) I was tired and decided that this dish just takes too long to put together. But when it came out of the oven nearly an hour later, and we finally tasted it, I decided it was well worth it all.

One dish, Remi style

We served ours with quinoa.

Incorporated

I went to see the new film Food, Inc. tonight (along with many other Green Drinks folk). Having already joined the local food club, I didn't really need any convincing. But I was convinced anyway.

I am usually content enough with the choices I make for my food, but the scope of the matter, as portrayed in this movie, made me discontent about the state of the industry. The industry which shouldn't really be such an industry. I cannot understand why the system that our world operates in could get so off kilter. Why the same regulatory agencies in place to protect consumers from food are the same organizations that are increasing risk; why society has made such high demands on our pocket books and such low demands on our health?

And I can't quite understand how to get out of it. I can afford to buy everything local and organic, but what about the people who can't? I can refuse to eat factory farmed chicken, but what about those who are so down and out that they can't refuse a job at one of those hideous factories? I can refuse anything with genetically modified soybeans in it. But what about those farmers who can't refuse the pollen from GMO seeds that wafts over from neighboring farms and contaminates their fields and gets them sued by Monsanto for patent infringement?

(And - yikes - how did we ever get to this point in the first place?)

Well, we handed out many KC Food Circle fliers and farmer directories after the movie - lots of great info that I hope people were amenable to hearing, especially after the movie. And the website for the film offers suggestions so I guess that's another good place to start, especially on the national level. I guess I already started trying for change by hoppin' on the locavore bandwagon. But perhaps there's something to do to start more or to start anew or to start again.

Pesto, Pesto, Pesto

Last week I had bestowed upon me a large lump sum of basil. Several big fat bunches. And there was plenty of extra garlic to be had at the CSA pick up. Perfect for pesto. At the farmers market on Friday I found myself drawn to a big bag of arugula - but couldn't decide what to do with it. Farmer Lew suggested I make pesto. So that was the theme for the weekend. One batch of spicy arugula & walnut pesto for dinner; two batches of basil pesto (one with pine nuts and one with walnuts) to freeze for the winter.



For all three batches of pesto I used Goatsbeard Farm Walloon cheese. It's a hard goat cheese that works well as a local replacement for parmesan. And since I'm already using olive oil and nuts from an undisclosed location, I was going for whatever else local I could get.

In the foreground, one tray of pine nut pesto ready to go in the freezer. In the background, sous-chef Nina (my assistant food processor button pusher and salad spinner operator).



While the basil pesto froze, we sat down to eat our arugula pesto, served with whole wheat pasta and sauteed summer squash, green beans, and tomatoes.

Basic Basil Pesto

2 cups firmly packed basil
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or Goatsbeard Farm Walloon)
2 Tablespoons Romano cheese, freshly grated (also optional)
salt
1/2 cup olive oil
lemon juice (optional, just a drizzle to prevent oxidation)

Wash the basil in cold water. Spin dry with a salad spinner!

Place the basil, pine nuts, chopped garlic, and an ample pinch of salt in the processor bowl, and process for a few seconds. Add the olive oil, scrape the sides of the bowl, and continue to process the mixture until a uniform creamy consistency is achieved.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and mix in the Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses by hand. Actually, I didn't do this step by hand; I used the processor. It is purportedly better for texture to do it by hand. I have not fully evaluated this claim. And I didn't want to dirty another bowl. Moving right along...

More optional options: When the cheese has been evenly amalgamated with the other ingredients, mix in 3 tablespoons of butter softened to room temp, distributing it uniformly into the sauce. When spooning the pesto over pasta, dilute it slightly with a tablespoon or two of the hot water in which the pasta was cooked. I left out butter

FREEZING PESTO (or "SOMETHING ELSE I IGNORED")
Make the pesto in the food processor, freezing it without the cheese and butter. Add the cheese and butter when it is thawed, just before using. Pesto may be frozen in an airtight container for several months.
Confession: Everyone I have asked told me they freeze theirs with cheese and I have done the same with no ill effects.

PS: After freezing the pesto in two ice cube trays all night and all day, I took the lovely, lumpy little cubes out of the trays and put them in my new Reynolds Handi-Vac plastic bags. I'll admit, I was skeptical of this little doo-hickey at first. (Although clearly not too skeptical to shell out ten or so dollars for it and the special bags.) The good news is, it worked!



The bad news is...


... due to the tender nature of pesto, there was a bit of smushing. Even when fully frozen, pesto tends to be pliable. But I think it will work just fine for other veggies. And I think it will still be easy to remove from the bag a few frozen hunks of pesto at a time.

Ask me in January - I'll let you know how it goes!

Guess Whose Diploma Came in the Mail

"The Curators of the University of Missouri
To all whom it may concern
Greeting:

Be it known that the Curators, having been advised by the Faculty that Emily Jo Akins has completed the Course of Study required of candidates for the degree of Master of Arts English and is qualified to receive the same, do confer said degree with all the honors and privileges appertaining thereto. In testimony whereof the signatures of the proper officials and the seal of the University are affixed.

Done at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the City of Kansas City, State of Missouri, this eighth day of May, in the year two thousand and nine."

Wild Edibles Walk

On our "cabining" trip last weekend, Sergio and I went out on a Wild Edibles Walk, a guided tour of all things even remotely edible on the Natural Wonders Trail at Meramec State Park. Naturalist Lisa was our informative guide and the walk was a beautiful traipse through the woods. We saw a myriad of flora both edible and not (no fauna but for the tracks). We learned so much, too, and are continuing to learn with the public copy of Wild Edibles of Missouri that I checked out from the library upon our return.

Earlier I read something in the brochure for the park that caught my attention: it was an admonition to all visitors and hikers that they should be prepared to "meet nature on its own terms." This choice of wording made me keenly sensitive to the idea of whose terms most of my world is currently running on. And I wondered what that means for all things uncultivated - for all the things we saw growing 'wild.'

The trail we walked, the Naturalist, and the books, were all cultivated and tame. But I feel confident in saying that the things we saw were still pretty wild indeed.

Naturalist Lisa and her resources

Sassafras from the top: this plant is unique for its three different leaf shapes: large three pronged leaves, football shaped leaves, and mitten shaped leaves.

Sassafras from the bottom. The sassafras root is edible (was used for root beer) but has been banned by the FDA for being potentially carcinogenic.

Wild Ginger grows low to the ground and has beautiful leaves. Its flowers (not pictured) grow from the ground, at the adjoining base of two stems, and are pollinated by ants.

Acorns of many trees are edible; I believe this one is oak.

We saw a number of mushrooms along our walk - none of us could tell if they were edible. When in doubt, assume that they aren't.

Besides learning about edibles, we learned a bit of dendrology. The walnut tree has compound leaves - that's one leaf with many several (in this case about 18) leaflets.

The walnut is also edible, but you need a sledge hammer or car to crack open the hull.

More incredible spreads of mushrooms - beautiful whether you can eat them or not.

Blackberries grow wild; these aren't quite ripe so we didn't taste them.

Every time we came across a plant that had been nibbled on, Naturalist Lisa referred to it as having been "browsed." I loved that word for it made me think of bugs with grocery carts. Here's an actual browsing in progress. If you look closely you'll see a second bug on the back of this caterpillar. And perhaps there's a third, microscopic bug on the back of that bug.

None of us could identify this one, we just loved the way the stem appeared to be sewn into the leaves, instead of the leaves growing out of the stem.

Don't know what this is besides a beautiful compound leaf.

Deer tracks!

Gooseberries are green when ripe and black when overripe. We think.

There are wild grapes in Missouri; this is a wild grape vine.

All the photos from our Wild Edibles Walk can be seen HERE.