preserving summer: blackberry jam

hey! i did it! 3 1/2 pints of blackberry jam. all the jars made their little "thwink!" noises and i can't press down on the top, which should mean we probably won't die when we eat it. i'm not sure if it really jelled (or jammed, maybe), but i don't think i'll care when we have summery blackberry delicious goo in the winter. who isn't down with goo? the 1/2 full jar will be opened tomorrow, so we'll see. maybe, if i'm feeling ambitious, we can have biscuits and jam in the morning. oooh yeah. next: more fruit leather, after the next store run. jam uses up a LOT of sugar.

i-pick blackberries.

here's an upside to being unemployed! you can go berry picking on a tuesday. no crowds, and the crop has had a few days to ripen since the weekend. i went out looking for raspberries, but stumbled on a much heartier blackberry crop. ended up with probably 4-5 pounds of blackberries and a couple pints of raspberries. it was the last week for the last variety of raspberries, at this farm at least, so willamette valley raspberry-lovers take note.

blackberry picking is not a camera-friendly enterprise. a few pints in, and your fingers are covered in dark red-purple berry juice.

so, trust me, i got a lot more than this:

...but what to do with all of them? i got some canning equipment from my mom the other day, and i'd love to preserve some that way. i'll definitely make some more fruit leather. blackberry-infused vodka? the sky's the limit! within a budget, of course.

blackberry syrup?

ideas?

fresh, local weekend.

this was one of those slow burn weekends. somewhat eventful, but definitely low key.

on saturday, i went to the beaverton farmer's market with my parents, who were taking care of my 19-month-old nephew and 5-year-old niece for the weekend. i didn't have any grocery cash on me, so i had fun sharing free samples with the niece. and when brian came over to pick me up, the first words out of her mouth were, "aunt kelley bought an artichoke!"

also:

white chocolate oatmeal cookies. for a barbecue. they turned out better than the last time i attempted this recipe.

the aforementioned artichoke. brian's first! i couldn't resist buying ONE thing at the market.

potato-broccoli-cheddar soup. with a red pepper for good measure.

more roasted tomatoes.

waffles. but that's not too exciting.

raspberry fruit leather. mmm. if you have some raspberries that get compressed, smooshed, or are just starting to look long in the tooth, look into it. yum. i'm hoping to refine my methods and report back on this.

my vegetarian 100

these "100" lists are going all around the blogs these days. and hey, i'm unemployed, so why not indulge myself for a moment? these are all things one certain person thought that everyone (except vegans, in some cases) should eat in one's lifetime. bold the items you're eaten. here we go! 1. Real macaroni and cheese, made from scratch and baked 2. Tabouleh 3. Freshly baked bread, straight from the oven (preferably with homemade strawberry jam) -probably not with jam, but otherwise, sure! 4. Fresh figs 5. Fresh pomegranate 6. Indian dal of any sort -oh no. i have no idea! i don't remember the names of things, and rarely eat Indian. 7. Imam bayildi 8. Pressed spiced Chinese tofu 9. Freshly made hummus 10. Tahini 11. Kimchi 12. Miso 13. Falafel 14. Potato and pea filled samosas 15. Homemade yogurt 16. Muhammara - come again? 17. Brie en croute 18. Spanikopita 19. Fresh, vine-ripened heirloom tomatoes 20. Insalata caprese 21. Stir-fried greens (gai lan, bok choi, pea shoots, kale, chard or collards) 22. Freshly made salsa 23. Freshly made guacamole 24. Creme brulee - weirdly, i don't think i've ever had a classic creme brulee. maybe a bite. 25. Fava beans 26. Chinese cold sesame peanut noodles 27. Fattoush 28. New potatoes 29. Coleslaw 30. Ratatouille 31. Baba ganoush 32. Winter squash 33. Roasted beets -yuck 34. Baked sweet potatoes - double yuck. man, i love summer food so much more than winter food. 35. Plantains 36. Chocolate truffles 37. Garlic mashed potatoes 38. Fresh water chestnuts - they don't grow in the cans? 39. Steel cut oats 40. Quinoa 41. Grilled portabello mushrooms 42. Chipotle en adobo 43. Stone ground whole grain cornmeal 44. Freshly made corn or wheat tortillas 45. Frittata 46. Basil pesto 47. Roasted garlic 48. Raita of any type 49. Mango lassi 50. Jasmine rice (white or brown) 51. Thai vegetarian coconut milk curry 52. Pumpkin in any form other than pie 53. Fresh apple pear or plum gallette 54. Quince in any form 55. Escarole, endive or arugula 56. Sprouts other than mung bean 57. Naturally brewed soy sauce 58. Dried shiitake mushrooms 59. Unusually colored vegetables (purple cauliflower, blue potatoes, chocolate bell peppers…) 60. Fresh peach ice cream 61. Chevre 62. Medjool dates 63. Kheer 64. Flourless chocolate cake -yes. oh yes. 65. Grilled corn on the cob 66. Black bean (or any other bean) vegetarian chili 67. Tempeh 68. Seitan or wheat gluten 69. Gorgonzola or any other blue veined cheese 70. Sweet potato fries 71. Homemade au gratin potatoes - not sure. mom, did you use a box? 72. Cream of asparagus soup 73. Artichoke-Parmesan dip 74. Mushroom risotto 75. Fermented black beans 76. Garlic scapes 77. Fresh new baby peas 78. Kalamata olives 79. Preserved lemons 80. Fried green tomatoes 81. Chinese scallion pancakes 82. Cheese souffle 83. Fried apples 84. Homemade frijoles refritos 85. Pasta fagiole 86. Macadamia nuts in any form 87. Paw paw in any form 88. Grilled cheese sandwich of any kind - since i lived off these when i was newly vegetarian and still partake often, 1000x yes. 89. Paneer cheese 90. Ma Po Tofu (vegetarian style–no pork!) 91. Fresh pasta in any form 92. Grilled leeks, scallions or ramps 93. Green papaya salad 94. Baked grain and vegetable stuffed tomatoes 95. Pickled ginger 96. Methi greens 97. Aloo paratha 98. Kedgeree (the original Indian version without the smoked fish, not the British version with fish) 99. Okra 100. Roasted brussels sprouts wow. i have some eating to do! be sure to leave a comment and a link if you've done your own 100 list. thanks to tiger & strawberries for this one. *Update: Excuse me! My mother has never made au gratin or scalloped potatoes from a box, and is mildly offended that I might think that she did. Sorry, mom!

ciabatt-eh.

eh. my loaf of ciabatta wasn't really worth much type. i have a few ideas up my sleeve about how to improve the next loaf, and have some experimenting to do with my bob's red mill yeast. and bigas in general. hmmph. at least it smelled good, and almost any homemade bread is worth eating.

i spent a lovely evening with my parents, niece, and nephew (and air conditioning) last night, and was sent home with a goody bag of slicer tomatoes, romas, and sweet 100's from the garden.

i roasted the roma and cherry tomatoes, immediately devoured the cherry tomatoes straight out of the oven, and saved the romas for dinner.

it wasn't a lot of work, but brian called it "a treat." a treat! it was - you don't get that pure, sweet, concentrated roma tomato flavor from a can or a jar.

baking between heat waves

august and september are normally warm, dry months in the pacific northwest, but as sad as i am to see summer go, i can do without these 90+ degree days. suppose if it extends the berry season, i have no reason to complain. on thursday, (a 91-degree day i spent walking waaay too much, not realizing that a bus route had changed), i stopped by the eastbank farmer's market in my old neighborhood. man, there's a lot of good food in one small parking lot. with my $20 allowance, i took home red and golden raspberries, mixed salad greens, a big fat brandywine tomato, red peppers, and red onion, with just enough left over for bus fare. since we planned on going to the beach the next afternoon, i made a plan to use up all those raspberries. step one: eat a whole bunch by themselves on thursday night. step two: eat the rest of the golden raspberries with breakfast friday morning. step three: incorporate remaining berries into some kind of baked good for the beach trip.

on friday, i made the raspberry-topped lemon muffins from smitten kitchen. i only used the zest from one lemon, to reduce any bitterness. they still had a full, delicious lemon flavor. however, these guys are really cupcakes masquerading as muffins. a stick of butter creamed with sugar to produce a muffin? mmm-hmm. suuuure. i'd still eat one for breakfast though. or two. i overcoked them a little, afraid they'd be raw around the berries, but they were still very very good. i reccomend. go forth and bake. tomorrow, maybe. today it's supposed to be 95. let's hope it's going to be a little cooler tomorrow, because i have some ciabatta dough hanging out in the fridge.

i've always wanted to make this recipe from the bread lover's bread machine cookbook, but it called for a 6 quart bucket. and i was bucketless. that is, i was bucketless until this weekend at the beach, when we went to an ice cream shop that was selling its old ice cream tubs for $1 a piece, with the proceeds going to buy books for local children. how could we refuse?

what a lovely way to reuse materials. ice cream + bucket for me + books for kids = win-win-win.

saturday morning deliciousness

i decided to skip the "big" farmer's market downtown this morning in favor of the hollywood market, closer to home. it's a lot smaller, and i missed some of the specialty booths, especially the mushroom growers. but they did have a booth from fleur de lis bakery. oooohhoooh yeah. the guy at the booth suggested that i cut them in half, add some butter, and throw them on a grill just to warm them up. who was i to argue? wow. i loved it so much, i'm sad that the bakery is closed on mondays, because i want more. my portland life seems pretty decadent sometimes. it's great.

photo update

all right! i finally found the memory card reader. it was, of course, in a completely reasonable and logical place. i'm a dork. but, hey, look! pictures!

getting there! a shot from our penske truck as we wove through the columbia river gorge. feels like home.

aaah...local fruit! peaches, raspberries, and for crying out loud, strawberries in august. i love the northwest.

eating in our new kitchen. our apartment is hot right now, with lots of west-facing windows, but we'll be glad for the light 10 months out of the year.

tomato post below will be updated with pictures toute suite.

Naked Day!

LushNaked12 Originally uploaded by lebaskow

dear readers, how could i forget this? i had forgotten until about 23rd and kearney that this naked happening was going on yesterday. employees at lush cosmetics spent some time, um, pressing the flesh, wearing only aprons, to raise awareness of their products, in particular their "naked" products, sold without packaging. i walked by and assured the people that i knew why they were naked.

yay for cosmetics sans packaging! last year i went in there for some packaging-free deodorant, and walked out with two bars of deodorant tied up in a plastic bag. with a ribbon. a very small plastic bag, but, sigh. if you go there, make sure to have a bag with you. and since most of their products are small and strongly scented (oooh, essential oils!), you don't just want to throw this in with your groceries or sunglasses. bring a bag specifically for this purpose.

way to get naked, people. i can attest to the fact that you brought a lot of joy to the people of northwest portland that day.

more risque pictures are available from this flickr user. thanks, lebaskow!

oh. did i mention i need a job?

if you have a lead in portland, i'd love to hear about it! please? help! my family needs berries! (okay, i eat them all. i need berries!)

food on the run: give pizza a chance

*updated with pictures! i happened to run by food cart row on 5th and stark this afternoon around lunchtime, and took the name of this cart literally. it's already been reviewed by portland food carts and stumptown vegans, but i thought it was worth mention that they offer "handcrafted sodas" for $1.50, or $.75 if you bring your own cup. man, i hope i'm downtown sometime with my own cup on a hot day. i've read good things about their ginger ale, and i love me some ginger ale! i wolfed down a slice of the "compost," named as such because, according to the sign, it had "all the veggies i could find." mm, veggies! all those veggies, including fresh tomato, weakened the structural integrity for someone who wanted to fold the slice in half and hoof it down to the max stop, but the floppiness wasn't an issue after the first few bites. i did lose some cheese. the whole grain in the dough was appreciated, but i like a little more kick in my sauce. it was very abundant and sweet. overall, though, it was a great $3 slice, and i wouldn't be opposed to scarfing down another one sometime soon. speaking of sweet tomatoes - i roasted a batch of cherry tomatoes on tuesday, ala smitten kitchen. when i find my memory reader card, maybe you'll get a picture! (sigh.) anyway, i didn't roast them enough, but they're. so. good. we had some on a salad that night with rogue creamery oregon blue cheese, which completely made my day. such concentrated little buds of fresh summer deliciousness. yum. p.s. - this is supposed to have several separate paragraphs. blogger doesn't agree with me sometimes.

fermented corn, m&ms, and potato chips - medium rare, please.

mmm, steak!

accidental sausage

after being turned away from a sold out showing at laurelhurst theater last night, brian and i were still hoping for pizza, and headed to a local joint. a few slices in, i noticed that the cheese in my mouth was especially savory and chewy. it took a few seconds to register - sausage! a small piece of sausage had made its way onto our olive and mushroom pie. uguugggh! what does a vegetarian do in this situation? i just spat it out, spat some more, and made complaining faces for about an hour. brian wanted to go say something, but i wouldn't let him. that was more for my sanity. making it a bigger deal would have just freaked me out more. what would you have done? say something to the people working there? go about your business and forget the whole thing?

Soy Curls

of course, once we moved out of the oppressive midwestern humid heat, we slid ourselves right into a pacific northwestern heatwave of 3 100-degree days in a row. i made an egg sandwich the first night, and learned my lesson. no cooking is happening in our house until tomorrow. maybe. because 88 isn't exactly cool. we also need to get a good shopping trip in tomorrow as well. maybe make a trip down to food fight. any one had any luck with soy curls? i'm intrigued.

update!

we made it! we live in portland now, with a shiny new computer, but no internet access at home for the next week or so. i'm burning up my hour of library internet time with job searches, bus trip planning, and finding places to roller skate. mostly job searches. got any leads? i'm in 7th heaven with the mid-summer farmers' markets here - produce overload! - and am on my way to pastaworks to see what i can find for dinner. life is pretty good. be on the lookout for more posts when comcast deigns to bestow internet access on us. wish us luck.

foiled!

ack - all good blogging intentions have been foiled by the untimely collapse of our home computer. it's at the tech doctor. wish us luck!

berry breakfast

sometimes, it seems like the only time i get to cook is the weekends. and your know we love us some brunch.

peachy waffles

raspberry & cream cheese-filled french toast

lesson learned: challah, by its twisty nature, is prone to coming apart during the filling process. though if you're like me, and are undaunted by messiness and imperfection, don't be deterred. it was really. really. good. our local grower's guild is sponsoring an eat local month, from july 15 - august 15. by august 15, i'll be eating locally on the other side of the country, but we'll do our best in the meantime.

on that note, does anyone know where to find u-pick blueberries in south-central indiana?

can we go home now?

really, i haven't gotten too excited about moving back to oregon just yet. there's still so much work to do in the next month, i couldn't imagine wanting this time to go faster. then i saw this picture. now i want to go to portland IMMEDIATELY. save me some berries!

Bloomington Flash Flood

Bloomington Flash Flood
Originally uploaded by Judge Smails

tuesday market is open!

hoooray for tuesday market! it's especially great for those of us (cough) who can sneak away from work to get the good stuff we miss out on by sleeping in on saturday mornings. my first purchase was two lovely heads of broccoli, which were very much admired by the other vendors. oooh, i love seeing new produce each week. hope this flash flooding we had today didn't hurt local crops too much...i'd hate to see strawberry season end with a couple hours of heavy rain (see above).