Happy Hanukkah!
December 20th, 2011
Sadie’s Leftover Bagel Pudding
December 8th, 2011
Baby Sadie gets some love from big sister Charlotte, godmother Samantha, and grandmother (Nana) Nancy.
We’re in Sadie-land around here, spending more time than seems possible admiring her tiny fingers, thick hair, and increasingly round cheeks. After two weeks (and a few new fairy costumes) the girls are still smitten with her: Charlotte asks to hold her every morning before school, and Bea is more than happy to answer questions about her little sister when we’re on outings. Despite the sleep deprivation, the transition to life as a five-some has been as smooth as we could hope.
Sadie came home the night before Thanksgiving–so much to be grateful for this year!–and though we postponed the big meal until Friday, we did roast a 24 pound turkey with all the fixin’s. Between leftovers and the amazing meals that friends have stocked in our freezer, we haven’t needed to cook much in the last couple of weeks. In fact, we’ve ended up with extra–after Sunday brunch, we were left with a bag of bagels. Instead of tossing them to the chickens the next morning, we used the stale ones in this improvised bread pudding. I wouldn’t recommend using “everythings,” but plain or cinnamon raisin make a tasty dessert (or breakfast, if you’re a nursing mama with a sweet tooth). The spices are approximate–feel free to adjust to your taste, putting in less cinnamon if you use cinnamon raisin bagels, or adding 1/2 cup of raisins or currants if you’d like.
Sadie’s Leftover Bagel Pudding
Makes 6-8 servings * 3-4 leftover bagels (plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, or multigrain are nice) 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped 1/2-3/4 cup sugar (to taste) 1/8 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon cloves 1/4 teaspoon allspice dash freshly grated nutmeg 2 1/2 cups milk (we use goat’s) 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the dish * Over a large bowl, tear stale bagels into bite-sized pieces. In the bowl, combine bagel pieces, apples, sugar, salt and spices. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour milk mixture over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The bagels will absorb almost all the milk mixture as they soak.Preheat oven to 375. Generously butter a deep 8×8 baking dish and pour in the soaked bagel mixture. Cut butter into pieces and scatter over the top of the pudding. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until pudding is puffed and lightly browned on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm.
Welcome Sadie Pearl!
November 22nd, 2011
Welcome to the newest member of the Ten Apple Clan: Sadie Pearl Hathaway Schatz born November 21, 2011 at 11:55pm weighing 9 lbs 3.5 oz. Mama & baby (and big sisters) are all doing great.
Still No Baby.
November 21st, 2011
- Margaret, extremely pregnant and 10 days past her due date, cleaning the turkeys we slaughtered and processed yesterday.
Yesterday we “delivered” 8 turkeys weighing from 20-25 lbs, but no baby. Stay tuned.
Year’s End Harvest
October 9th, 2011
The final fruit of our labors taken in before Fall's first frost
We had our first frost earlier this week, and with it came the frenzy of harvest. Bea and I spent the afternoon gathering tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cukes, basil (and basil and basil), beans, and armloads of zinnias and cosmos. After supper, Karl went out with the headlamp and spread sheets and tarps over tomatillos, beans, and the few squash plants that haven’t been ravaged by the various bugs and blights that hit our cucurbits this season.
It’s beautiful and warm this weekend, and the plants we covered against the frost are now basking in the sun. Everything else is piled in the kitchen and mudroom, filling all the baskets and buckets we can find. Now, the pickling, freezing, and drying….
Only in Maine…
September 16th, 2011
Our swap meet lobster and wild mushroom on rice
There are a lot of things about Maine that make it a pretty unique and interesting place to live. For example, last year we donated a year’s supply of eggs (one dozen eggs per week for an entire year) to the Levey Day School silent auction. This was the second year in a row that we have done it, and both years the top bidders were Perry and Sharon Newman of Portland. So part of our week is a regular egg drop off with the Newmans. Last week, I met Perry in front of Browne Trading where he was also picking up some fish, I think. I got there first and nabbed a valuable Commercial Street parking spot right in front. Perry pulled up behind, but in an illegal spot. I got out, gave Perry his eggs, and then headed home, giving him my parking spot. A dozen eggs and a parking spot! “Only in Maine,” Perry said, as I handed him his eggs for the week.
After breaking for the summer, last weekend our monthly Portland Permaculture swap meets started up again. And what a way to kick them off! Monique, from Lobsters on the Fly brought live lobsters, and several people brought foraged wild mushrooms.
(Side note: It’s a banner year for mushroom foraging in Maine. Walking through our woods the other day with Charlotte and Bea I counted at least 15 different mushroom species, in plentiful supply. If only we knew which ones to eat! Any foragers out there who want to come explore the bounty of our woods and share in the goodies — just drop us a line!)
So in exchange for a couple rounds of fresh chevre and a bit of aged manchego, we took home the fixings for an amazing lobster and wild mushroom supper (see recipe below). Only in Maine….
Lobster and Wild Mushrooms on Rice
Serves 4
2 lobsters, approx. 1 1/4 pounds each 2 tablespoon unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup minced shallots 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 pound foraged mushrooms (we used Black Trumpets), well cleaned5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
* 3 cups cooked basmati rice * In a large pot, steam or boil lobsters in salted water until scarlet and just cooked. Be careful not to over cook, as they’ll be sauteed again with the mushrooms. (We steamed them on a bed of seaweed in a re-purposed roasting pan.) Let lobsters cool until they can be handled, then pick the meat, roughly shredding tail and claw meat, and set aside in a bowl. In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil until the foam subsides. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring continuously, until they begin to release their juices. Add the lobster meat and fresh thyme sprigs and pour wine over the top, lowering heat to a simmer and stirring occasionally for 5-8 minutes, until flavors have blended. Stir in the heavy cream and taste for seasonings–you’ll probably need less salt than you anticipate. To served, pour sauce over a mound of rice and garnish with chopped parsley.
Food Lovers’ Guide to Maine is Out!
August 18th, 2011
Margaret’s latest book, the Food Lovers’ Guide to Maine is out in book stores this week. To celebrate we’re giving away 5 copies of the book on the Food Lovers’ Guide to Maine Facebook page. Just “like” the FLGM Facebook page by midnight Friday August 26 and you’re entered to win. The winners will be announced on the Facebook page the following Monday. Spread the word! And stay tuned for more fun Maine food giveaways this Fall.
How We Spent Our Summer Vacation
August 15th, 2011
Faithful readers may have noticed a suspiciously small number of blog postings over the past few months and wondered what the heck we’ve been doing around the farm. It’s been a busy summer, and between entertaining house guests, sending Charlotte to her first summer of day camp, tending our abundant poultry and fertile (read: weedy) garden, our maiden attempt at sheep-rearing, Karl’s new enthusiasm for meat-smoking, Margaret’s manic pickling, and, of course, everyone’s excitement about the coming baby, we haven’t been keeping our posts up to date. We’ll do better, we promise. In the meantime, here’s some glimpses at our summer, so far:
(more photos on our Facebook page)
Our annual strawberry picking trip to Gillespie Farms
Charlotte shows off the haul... soon to be made into delicious jam.
Tastings at the Gray Public Library have been a big success. Steve Arsenault serves the girls some cider -- better that than the delicious home roasted coffee that he shared with us grown-ups in June.
Margaret, our Israeli camp counselor Yuval, Grampa Steve, and the girls take in a Sea Dogs game.
Charlotte rides the bus to her first day of camp.
What's a summer campfire without marshmallows?
The girls pick blueberries in their pajamas for blueberry pancakes
You know the garden is in full production when pizzas on the grill are all-out garden affairs. Here we have roasted peppers and eggplant, sungold tomatoes, basil, garlic, and arugula in the back.
August is pickling season!
We're not the only ones who have been eating well lately...
The goats have been doing their fair share of eating too. They cleared this patch in one day (see previous picture for the "before".)
And we finally tried out the smoker we bought at a yard sale last summer...
...with terrific and delicious (smoked duck) results.
And what would summer be without fruit pie? This one was peach and cherry. Yum.
(visit our Facebook page for more photos!)
Family, Farming, Food, Garden, Goats, Homesteading & Farming, Photography
The Hearty Salads of Summer
July 14th, 2011
Italian Gourmet peppers
When the weather is hot and long days allow for late gardening, we try to simplify things by keeping a few hearty salads in the fridge. Beans, potatoes (both white and sweet), or rice usually make the base, tossed with handfuls of chopped herbs and whatever’s ripe from the garden. The dressing may be Dijon vinaigrette, balsamic and oil, or a squirt of citrus. Proportions vary each time and the combinations are virtually endless: sweet potatoes with tarragon, onion and white wine vinegar; white beans with sorrel, garlic, lemon and olive oil; and rice with tomatoes, parsley, basil and red wine vinegar are some of our favorites. Serve with a little grilled fowl and a big bowl of tossed greens and dinner’s on the table.
For our latest batch of the salad below, we used peppers, onions, garlic and herbs from the garden, and we were thrilled to use limes Karl’s mom brought up from her tree in Florida. If you’re in a Mexican mood, add a little cumin and a dash of chili powder.
Black Bean Salad with Peppers, Onion and Lime
1 pound dry black beans 1 bay leaf 2-3 green peppers 1-2 onions 2-4 cloves of garlic, minced handful of cilantro, rinsed and chopped 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped juice of 2 limes 1/4 cup olive oil kosher salt to taste *Soak beans in cold water overnight. Drain, return to pot and cover by 2 inches with water. Add bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cook beans until tender but not mushy. Drain and run under cool water until room temperature. (Alternatively, you can use drained canned beans, but we find the sodium content a little high. Pregnant mama=swelling feet and fingers.) Coarsely chop peppers and onions and place in a large bowl. Add cooled cooked beans and toss to combine. Sprinkle minced garlic and chopped herbs over the top, and pour in lime juice and olive oil. Gently toss, add a dash of kosher salt, and taste to adjust seasoning.
Books
Food Lovers' Guide to Maine is the ultimate guide to Maine’s food scene providing the inside scoop on the best places to find, enjoy, and celebrate local culinary offerings. Written for residents and visitors alike! Read more...
Living With Goats: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Own Backyard Herd, came out in October 2009, and is specifically targeted to the beginning goatherd or anyone considering a life with goats. Read more...
This is how it all started! The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese, tells the story of our journey from New York City to a farm of our own. Hop in the "goat-mobile" and join us on our cross-country goat trek across America. Read more...