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Monday, July 31, 2017

More fruit. More labor.

Black currants on their way to a vodka
bath.  Almost looks like caviar, doesn't it?
I spent a vacation day on Friday, diddling around, waiting for the delivery of my new fridge.  I did get some items checked off The List and The Un-List.  I was so successful at diddling, that I forgot why I was home on a Friday (could it have been the thought of homemade Cassis in December...?) and was taken off-guard when the delivery guys called me, warning of imminent arrival.  Of course, in delivery terms, "imminent" is very elastic.  I hauled out any number of packages (identifiable and ... not) from the freezer, forming two piles - "Chickens" and "Cooler".  Then there were the unending jars of condiments that have languished in the fridge for years.  How is it I need two jars of fish sauce?  I can't bring myself to throw out food that is still useable, so I will have to work on using some of these rather exotic (to me) additives.


I watched as the panel van whizzed by my house - a common occurrence, as GPS always overshoots my house.  I counted three minutes and there they were again.  They were very efficient and polite, even when they entered the house and encountered Godzilla, the old fridge.  I was standing by with the shop vac because I had never, ever vacuumed around, under or behind it in the 11 years I lived there.  I couldn't get it to budge.  With a lot of careful maneuvering, they got it out and hustled it out the door and down the driveway.  I wonder what the conversation was like, as moving the fridge uncovered three hypodermics - needleless (veterinary use) as well as a large volume of assorted fur and a pile of peanuts.  I vacuumed my little heart out and looked at the filthy floor.  I did the best I could under the time constraints and they moved the new fridge into the slot, all shiny and white.  I love it.


Later, when I was going down the front path to my driveway, I encountered three hair balls the size of small rabbits, spaced about four feet apart, a decorative ribbon on a florists stick and my toast tongs.  I have no idea....


*****

Saturday was a mixed bag - chores, cooking, cleaning, gardening.  I got my garlic pulled and put in the barn to dry before getting hung up to cure.  I horked out my giant kohlrabis.  I made Sea Salt & Dark Chocolate Granola for my aunt and sister.  I mashed and hung the red currants in my jelly bag.  I rearranged my new fridge interior for the umpteenth time.  I picked a few green beans.  I dosey-doed around making my pie crust until I couldn't stand it and threw it together in the food processor.  I used to love making pie crust and, if I say so myself, I made a good one.  There is no good GF pie crust recipe.  It is a frustrating process of whizzing dry crumbs around until you can squeeze it together in a shaggy lump.  (Appetizing, ain't it?)  Then you wrap it in plastic and let it 'mellow' in the fridge for an hour or more.  Rolling it out is a whole nuther trip to hell that I won't even describe, but it always involves bad language.

I was making said pie crust for a Smoked Salmon Quiche.  Which I didn't pull out of the oven until 9PM Sunday, way too late to have for dinner.  Why so late?  Because I had a very full Sunday and I am not as young as I used to be.  I was out the door at 8:00A to feed the barn cats and head to VT to pick up my sister for our annual blueberry pilgrimage.  The blueberry farm is almost two hours north of me, but it is our tradition, the blueberries are divine and the prices are fair.  After being confronted with a gallon and a half of frozen blueberries from last year during my recent freezer purge, I reined in my usual over-the-top picking to about 8 lbs.  From there we took a leisurely drive to a great little tavern for lunch, then some errands and then I toted her home.  I still had two more stops to make and pulled my droopy self into the house at 4:30P.  It's hard to stay droopy when confronted with a total of 100# of yipping, celebratory pups with full bladders.  We goose-stepped out the back door and back inside.  Where I collapsed into full droop mode. 

The sheep have forgiven me for running out of fresh grassy patches because some good soul (my dairy farmer) dropped six fresh bales of hay at the barn door.  It is very popular in the run-in shed.  With everyone well-fed, I dropped into my favorite chair (complete with cat) and watched a documentary about Peggy Guggenheim while my quiche baked.  I then took it out, slapped a piece of foil loosely on the top and went to bed.

Then it was Monday.

Luscious lunch!





16 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Yay for luscious lunches on Monday!

I found our first ripe blueberries in our patch yesterday. "Few" being the operative word. That's okay since I have shell peas to pick and process today, and the raspberries are starting.

Love that you have those annual pilgrimages with your sister. Kinda marks your way through the year, plus gives you quality sister time plus good stuff for your pantry and freezer.

How come we didn't get to see a picture of the new refridge?

Ed said...

If I had one wish, I would wish I could make pie crust consistently. Sometimes it turns out excellent and sometimes it turns out poorly. I suspect the problem is that I just don't make pies often enough because if I do, I just eat them!

Nancy In Boise said...

I almost always buy store bought crust, or make crumble toppings :)

Susan said...

I found 9 blueberries on my bushes! It was so underwhelming. Yes, it is one of the highlights of the summer - and this year their new little bushes were loaded and sweet! I will bore you to death with a picture of the new fridge next post... :)

Susan said...

Ed, this is why I eat quiche. It's an excuse for pie crust but without the sugar. I used to make four at a time and freeze them. I now do two but it's more out of self-defense than convenience.

Susan said...

I had fallen into the habit of store-bought (SO much easier!) but I have stockpiled a huge quantity of GF flours that I need to use - so I suffer....

Susan said...

Oh dear, your post reminded me I have a large bowl of blueberries waiting to be frozen. Rats, I thought I was done for the night.

R's Rue said...

Lunch.

Theresa Y said...

I just put sixteen pints in the freezer. Now I'm waiting on some peaches and nectarines to ripen just a bit more and I'll dehydrate those. Your quiche looks yummy! The berries yummier. (Is yummier a word? :-/

Susan said...

Sorry! Hope you weren't up until the wee hours...

Susan said...

Yes!

Susan said...

I love nectarines! We don't get them locally and, if we're lucky, we only get a few local peaches. Our climate is challenging for stone fruit. I am hoping that my favorite orchard will have prune plums this year, as I am totally out of spiced plum jam!

Rain said...

Wow Susan...your weekends sound WAY too busy! I'm glad you got the new fridge!!! I'm wondering what's living under ours, I'm sure a grape rolled under there a year come August lol...Usually Jack hoovers the kitchen floor for me, but he can't reach that far under the fridge.

Oooh the blueberries! They'll be here any day now, the Quebec ones...one thing Quebec does right. I have to head out and get my 80 pounds of tomatoes for canning too. I think I'll make a few quiches for the freezer...I realized after the dog walk how starving I was and how it was too easy to reach for bread and cheese every morning! Something with a little more protein and some veggies would be better!

The Maine Gray Zone said...

I would love your smoked salmon quiche recipe.

Susan said...

Oh, kiddo! 80 pounds of tomatoes is a whole lotta tomatoes! I am only going to be canning diced tomatoes this year, as I still have sauce from....well, way back. I cook up a heap of summer vege and freeze it in portions so I can add them to scrambled eggs for a better breakfast. That, or my granola keep me fired up all morning. That said, I would give my left arm for a warm loaf of sourdough bread with a hunk of cheese!

Susan said...

Check your email, Sylvie!