Who thought it up? Why is it so loud? Why can’t you turn it off?
Tonight, after leaving a wonderful talk by Dr. Katie Mack on gravitational waves at the Museum of Natural Science’s weekly Science Cafe, I had to stop for gas and rolled my eyes when I saw the Gas Station TV screen. Ugh.
But this one was turned way down so I wasn’t immediately assaulted by talk noise. I glanced at the screen.
Word Of The Day.
Wait, what?
And the word of the day was:
Serendipitous.
One of my favorite words.
So.
Maybe.
(shhhh... maybe gas station tv doesn’t have to be so bad after all)
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Thursday, November 09, 2017
It’s soup/stew weather on November Hill - share your favorites!
Gray Horse Matters mentioned stews in a comment earlier this week and I was already thinking of soup, so I thought it would be fun to share some favorite recipes.
My favorite fall stew is what I call sweet potato chickpea curry. It can be made on the stove or in a crockpot, using either dried or canned chickpeas. I used to make it in the crockpot but then my favorite (old, given to me by my mom) crockpot died and the new one just isn’t the same. It seems like it heats up too much too quickly and the notion of slow cooking doesn’t really happen. So I shifted back to stovetop and this recipe works well for it.
I sauté a medium onion and how ever many cloves of garlic you like in some coconut or good olive oil. Lately I’m preferring coconut oil for cooking. I salt the onion liberally when I put it in the pan and then I have to force myself to leave it alone and let it do its thing. The more you let it caramelize the better taste you’ll get in the stew.
Once the onions have cooked down add a large or several small sweet potatoes. I peel and cube them. If you love sweet potato, add more. Once I have the sweet potatoes in the pan I add the spices. You could use a pre-mixed curry powder, or you can do what I do and just mix and match what I have in the cupboard. Usually that is cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, a dash of nutmeg, ground red pepper, and garam masala (which you could just use on its own). This spicing is really about customizing the flavors to your own tastes.
Let this simmer for a bit, until the sweet potatoes just start to soften. Then add in the chickpeas. These are either canned, or the pre-soaked and cooked chickpeas you have ready. Let all this simmer on a low temperature. I’ve never done this before but if I made it today I might add a bit of coconut cream or milk to make it a bit richer.
You can eat this in a bowl on its own or serve it over rice. Jasmine is good but again, do what tastes good to you!
With sweet potatoes being readily available in the fall it’s a perfect way to use them. I haven’t done it with pumpkin but that would work, and butternut squash is also delicious made with chickpeas this way.
Originally I added in fresh or canned tomatoes to this recipe. Over time I stopped doing that, probably because I just didn’t have any on hand, and I think the flavors are more distinct without the tomato. But right now we happen to still have tomatoes on the vine and with a freeze coming Friday night, this would be a nice way to use them. You can add more or less depending on your taste for tomato!
A favorite soup around here is butternut squash soup. My husband is good at making this and it is fairly quick once the butternut is baked. It’s easy enough to put a couple of small or one large butternut squash in the oven for an hour (we just put them in whole and let them cook) then when you’re ready for dinner, scrape out the squash, leave the seeds and pulp behind, and put in the blender with salt, pepper, coconut milk or cream, any spices you like, and blend. Then heat the purée on the stove and eat. Husband sometimes add cheese. If you want to put more time in, for a more complex flavor, saute onions and garlic on the stove while the butternut is baking and add that in when you purée the squash and seasonings. The end result is a creamy, tasty soup that warms you up and is very filling on a cold night. You can also pair this with sausages - we like our local bratwurst - and a side salad for a more complete meal.
These are standard autumn fare on November Hill. I would love to try some new recipes! Share your favorites!!
My favorite fall stew is what I call sweet potato chickpea curry. It can be made on the stove or in a crockpot, using either dried or canned chickpeas. I used to make it in the crockpot but then my favorite (old, given to me by my mom) crockpot died and the new one just isn’t the same. It seems like it heats up too much too quickly and the notion of slow cooking doesn’t really happen. So I shifted back to stovetop and this recipe works well for it.
I sauté a medium onion and how ever many cloves of garlic you like in some coconut or good olive oil. Lately I’m preferring coconut oil for cooking. I salt the onion liberally when I put it in the pan and then I have to force myself to leave it alone and let it do its thing. The more you let it caramelize the better taste you’ll get in the stew.
Once the onions have cooked down add a large or several small sweet potatoes. I peel and cube them. If you love sweet potato, add more. Once I have the sweet potatoes in the pan I add the spices. You could use a pre-mixed curry powder, or you can do what I do and just mix and match what I have in the cupboard. Usually that is cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, a dash of nutmeg, ground red pepper, and garam masala (which you could just use on its own). This spicing is really about customizing the flavors to your own tastes.
Let this simmer for a bit, until the sweet potatoes just start to soften. Then add in the chickpeas. These are either canned, or the pre-soaked and cooked chickpeas you have ready. Let all this simmer on a low temperature. I’ve never done this before but if I made it today I might add a bit of coconut cream or milk to make it a bit richer.
You can eat this in a bowl on its own or serve it over rice. Jasmine is good but again, do what tastes good to you!
With sweet potatoes being readily available in the fall it’s a perfect way to use them. I haven’t done it with pumpkin but that would work, and butternut squash is also delicious made with chickpeas this way.
Originally I added in fresh or canned tomatoes to this recipe. Over time I stopped doing that, probably because I just didn’t have any on hand, and I think the flavors are more distinct without the tomato. But right now we happen to still have tomatoes on the vine and with a freeze coming Friday night, this would be a nice way to use them. You can add more or less depending on your taste for tomato!
A favorite soup around here is butternut squash soup. My husband is good at making this and it is fairly quick once the butternut is baked. It’s easy enough to put a couple of small or one large butternut squash in the oven for an hour (we just put them in whole and let them cook) then when you’re ready for dinner, scrape out the squash, leave the seeds and pulp behind, and put in the blender with salt, pepper, coconut milk or cream, any spices you like, and blend. Then heat the purée on the stove and eat. Husband sometimes add cheese. If you want to put more time in, for a more complex flavor, saute onions and garlic on the stove while the butternut is baking and add that in when you purée the squash and seasonings. The end result is a creamy, tasty soup that warms you up and is very filling on a cold night. You can also pair this with sausages - we like our local bratwurst - and a side salad for a more complete meal.
These are standard autumn fare on November Hill. I would love to try some new recipes! Share your favorites!!
Wednesday, November 08, 2017
Clearing the cobwebs
Inside and out!
Inside, mostly metaphorical cobwebs in my brain as I try to focus in today on clearing my to do list and getting back to the book. It’s a gray, damp, drizzly, cold day outside so perfect for making phone calls, checking things off, filing, and clearing small piles of papers that seem to stack up even though I go through mail and recycle daily. With the fall color coming in through the windows it’s one of my favorite kinds of days. A good soup for lunch would have been delicious but I just ate some cold pizza and will have to think about making soup for tomorrow.
I went to let the horses and donkeys in as the drizzle started up. They were in all night due to rain but got to turn out for the first half of the day. My farm helper is here and since it’s cold and damp for him as well, he’s working in the barn today. He mucked the stalls (a rare treat, what a luxury!) and has been working on clearing the cobwebs up to the top of the roof. I walked in the barn and breathed a sigh of pure joy. The rafters are so very clean now. Seeing those clear beams and ledges cleared the last of my mental cobwebs right out!
We are lucky to have him and grateful for his work.
We’re looking at 20s tomorrow night so it’s time to bring in the potted plants. I need a plant stand at this point. And still have some repotting that needs doing but it’s not going to get done today!
Inside, mostly metaphorical cobwebs in my brain as I try to focus in today on clearing my to do list and getting back to the book. It’s a gray, damp, drizzly, cold day outside so perfect for making phone calls, checking things off, filing, and clearing small piles of papers that seem to stack up even though I go through mail and recycle daily. With the fall color coming in through the windows it’s one of my favorite kinds of days. A good soup for lunch would have been delicious but I just ate some cold pizza and will have to think about making soup for tomorrow.
I went to let the horses and donkeys in as the drizzle started up. They were in all night due to rain but got to turn out for the first half of the day. My farm helper is here and since it’s cold and damp for him as well, he’s working in the barn today. He mucked the stalls (a rare treat, what a luxury!) and has been working on clearing the cobwebs up to the top of the roof. I walked in the barn and breathed a sigh of pure joy. The rafters are so very clean now. Seeing those clear beams and ledges cleared the last of my mental cobwebs right out!
We are lucky to have him and grateful for his work.
We’re looking at 20s tomorrow night so it’s time to bring in the potted plants. I need a plant stand at this point. And still have some repotting that needs doing but it’s not going to get done today!
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Portal
The donkeys are coming in and marching about too. It’s fun having them there.
Last night was blissfully silent. No coyotes, no barking dogs in my pastures, no barking Corgis in the house.
Monday, November 06, 2017
PSA: please keep your dogs on your own property!
Last night Bear and Baloo went completely crazy barking and howling in our fenced back yard. I went out with the trusty Malkoff flashlight and heard a pack of coyotes yipping and yowling behind our back pasture. I spotted the horses and donkeys, clustered together, agitated and upset in our front field. And then I heard a dog barking in the lower part of the front field.
This is the second time in a few weeks a dog has been on the property. One neighbor reported a loose dog in the neighborhood in this same time frame and another neighbor acknowledged it was their dog and came home from work to get the dog in.
Ever since we moved to November Hill we have had ongoing, though not frequent, issues with dogs coming onto our property. I have dealt with neighbors individually educating and asking that they please adhere to the law regarding dogs. Some neighbors have been super responsive and apologetic. Others have been totally uncooperative and the issue has never been resolved. This is what has fueled our refencing project and my plan to bring a pair of Maremmas to guard the property and the livestock.
Although we have a larger area we do not allow the Corgis to run free on our own property. The Horseguard fencing is very secure for the horses but not as secure for dogs who run through quickly, and we do not want our dogs disturbing neighbors.
For the record, allowing one’s dogs to leave the property off leash is against the law in our county! And North Carolina has a livestock law which protects livestock from being harassed or endangered by dogs. Any injuries or damage to property are the responsibility of the owner of any dog who breaks this law.
I sent an email this morning to the neighborhood going through this yet again and asking that people please keep their dogs on their own properties. Since I haven’t been able to spotlight the dog barking with my flashlight I do not know whose it is, but I think a wildlife camera might be helpful in figuring that out.
Sigh.
The new fence can’t come quickly enough for me.
This is the second time in a few weeks a dog has been on the property. One neighbor reported a loose dog in the neighborhood in this same time frame and another neighbor acknowledged it was their dog and came home from work to get the dog in.
Ever since we moved to November Hill we have had ongoing, though not frequent, issues with dogs coming onto our property. I have dealt with neighbors individually educating and asking that they please adhere to the law regarding dogs. Some neighbors have been super responsive and apologetic. Others have been totally uncooperative and the issue has never been resolved. This is what has fueled our refencing project and my plan to bring a pair of Maremmas to guard the property and the livestock.
Although we have a larger area we do not allow the Corgis to run free on our own property. The Horseguard fencing is very secure for the horses but not as secure for dogs who run through quickly, and we do not want our dogs disturbing neighbors.
For the record, allowing one’s dogs to leave the property off leash is against the law in our county! And North Carolina has a livestock law which protects livestock from being harassed or endangered by dogs. Any injuries or damage to property are the responsibility of the owner of any dog who breaks this law.
I sent an email this morning to the neighborhood going through this yet again and asking that people please keep their dogs on their own properties. Since I haven’t been able to spotlight the dog barking with my flashlight I do not know whose it is, but I think a wildlife camera might be helpful in figuring that out.
Sigh.
The new fence can’t come quickly enough for me.
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