Wilderness Pesto

I can't tell you how happy this little project made me today!

It's cold and bitter outside. Only in New York do you go from 80 degrees and sunny on one day, and 40 degrees with snow the next! I did, however, get a few minutes to run outside and snip some garlic mustard to make pesto before they get too old, or die from frost.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with garlic mustard, it's a member of the mustard family, and is VERY invasive. You will quickly notice when you find them, there will be a sprawling field of them. This means you don't have to worry about picking too many and killing the crop! Garlic mustard is probably the easiest wild plant to forage because there are no poisonous look-alikes. The only down side is that it does have a relatively narrow season for being palatable.

So if you want to make this, you better get outside and find some ASAP.

The recipe is simple. This won't taste like basil pesto, so if that's what you're used to, you may want to blend in some basil with your garlic mustard.

Oh, and I'm making it the old fashioned way, not with a food processor. I've decided to forsake modern technology. (Mostly because I keep breaking it.)

Wilderness Pesto

3-4 cups packed leaves
4 (or more) cloves of garlic
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

* A couple notes before you start

When picking your leaves, you may not want to use the 2 or 3 nearest to the bottom. Older leaves can be a little on the bitter side. When in doubt, feel free to taste test.

Also, in place of pine nuts I used some wild white walnuts that I had lying around.

If you're using a food processor, just throw all your stuff in like making any other kind of pesto.

If you're using a mezzaluna and mortar & pestle, do as follows:

1) Oil your cutting board or whatever surface you'll be cutting on. I even put a little oil on my table because I had the feeling I'd be making a mess.

2) Pile up your leaves and chop with the mezzaluna until you have tiny bits. Scrape it all into a bowl.

*Nifty tip: some additional olive oil and a silicone spatula work nicely to "squeegee" scattered bits into the bowl.

3) Add olive oil and cheese to the bowl and mix with the greens.

4) Mince garlic into tiny bits, or use your garlic press, and mix into the pesto.

5) Grind nuts and add them to the pesto.

(Actually steps 3-5 can be done in any order.)







And there you have it. Making pesto, using hand tools and wild ingredients. Great GrandGrok would be so proud!

PS: I found a gorgeous set at Amazon that is PERFECT for this project!

Spring Has Sprung!

It's officially SPRING! And foraging season!

While out this weekend I noticed knotweed shoots, young garlic mustards, and dandelions! That means some fantastic treats and recipes are on the way. If you dig wild foods, stay tuned. I will do my best to keep you in the loop on all the kitchen projects.

Up this weekend: pesto and wine!

I'm also hosting my first Pampered Chef party for my dear friend, Cahlan. Do any of you use their products? I ordered a much-needed garlic press, and a new slotted scoop for my deep fryer. Gonna need that baby for dandelion fritters.

Also, I believe I may have found a use for the honeysuckle that is taking over my property. It's not edible, but it might be worth it anyways. :)

And finally, I decided to do a little giveaway to encourage donations to St Jude. For every $5 you sponsor me for, you will receive one chance at a $25 Amazon Gift Card! The drawing will be held August 1st.

Donate HERE!

Now get off the computer and go outside!

Elderberry Duck with Fruited Rice

I know, that just sounds divine doesn't it?

It's not hard to make either. I promise!

You will need:
Duck Pieces
Elderberry Jam
Vinegar
Rice
Dried fruit
An Apple
Cooking fat
Greens
Honey

I left my ingredients vague because there is so much room for substitution in this meal. For example- your cut of duck. You can use duck breast (skin on) or quarter a whole duck, like I did. If you don't have elderberry jam, you can use any kind of jam you like. Orange or apple would be delicious with this recipe also. In place of rice you may use riced cauliflower. Any dried fruit will work. I used currents and raisins. If you're using larger fruit such as apricots, be sure to cut them into small pieces. Cooking fat and greens are up to your personal preference as well. I used lard to cook the duck and coconut oil to cook the (dandelion) greens.

Start by heating some fat in a large pan. Place duck pieces skin side up and sear the underside. Coat tops with fat and place in a hot oven (425 degrees.) After 5 minutes begin brushing duck pieces with jam mixed with vinegar, repeating every 10 minutes or so with the juices that have collected in the pan.

*If you use red fruit jam, red wine vinegar should be used. If apple or orange jam are used, cider vinegar might be more appropriate. Only use a small amount. Just enough to thin the jam and add a bit of tart.

After 2nd basting reduce heat to 325 degrees and check temperature occasionally. You don't want to overcook it, so stop cooking when the internal temperature is 140 degrees. If your duck comes with giblets, simmer these until cooked, then dice to add to the rice.

To make the rice, use the duck drippings and water to cook the rice, adding the dried fruit (about 1/2 cup per 1 cup dried rice,) an additional 1/2 cup of water, and the apple (diced.) Add honey and salt to taste.

Saute greens in cooking fat with salt and pepper, and a splash of lemon juice.


Really, that's it!

Now go cook!

When You Feel Broken

On my way home from Soul Full I came to a realization. This isn't the first time. In fact it's a fairly common occurrence to have some sort of revelation after a good night with my crew. Same thing happens every time. We go out, we chat, we laugh, we part. I drive home on my dark and winding country road, my thoughts bending and curving like the asphalt, only partially illuminated by the glow of headlights, glimpses of objects seen, assessed, then forgotten. I climb my gravelly driveway with this new-found thought in the forefront. Drop my bags, strip off my jacket, and sit down here to write.

Our conversation scattered and jumped as it always does. At one point we touched on the topic of my newest piercings and my recent desire to simply want to get home and disrobe, rather than dress up. I know that sounds odd, as it's so unlike me for the most part. There's something about this new adornment that makes me feel pretty... er. As expected, JP challenged me on it, mockingly, that I wouldn't dare to go bare at Wickerman again this year. It would, of course, be out of character. But I wish I could...

It's not that I haven't considered it. In fact I've considered it more than ever these last few weeks, now that I feel I have something worth showing off. Something that makes me feel my body is a little... less unsightly? I know. That sounds terrible. But it's true. Booby jewelry takes the focus off the belly. Or so I figure.

This wasn't the realization. That came later on the drive home. I was mulling over this conversation, tumbling it around in the cement mixer upstairs, when I realized...

I don't recall a time in my life, perhaps since hitting puberty, that I was ever NOT trying to improve my appearance or "fix" something. When I was fat I wanted to be thin. When I lost weight I wanted to lose more weight, or somehow hide unsightly saggy skin. Now that I've gained back some weight I find myself once again wanting to trim down AND hide unsightly saggy skin. For nearly all my life I have battled my appearance. I have never been proud of how I looked, especially unclothed.

That makes me feel incredibly sad.

So now I sit here wondering... will I ever be content with myself, if I can't be content now? If I fixed everything that was "wrong," would I not still find things to fix? You see those people addicted to plastic surgery. If I had all the money in the world, would that happen to me?

If I can't be content with myself now, comfortable in THIS IMPERFECT BODY, how can I ever be? Can I possibly resolve to not make fat loss a goal until I am at peace with my fat? Could that mean *gasp* baring it all at Wickerman, showing everyone how unpretty I am under the fabrics? What is it going to take for me to finally get past this?

I wonder if this is how people with terrible, disfiguring scars feel. It must be. At least they have a story, a reason. What's my reason? I'm fat. I used to be fatter. I can't control my appetite, and my body tells my secrets.

To say my appearance doesn't matter is one thing. It's all well and good to say I'm happy no matter what, that I'm content with myself. Strong is the New Skinny, and all that jazz, but unless I can stand there bare, it must not be true. I wish I could stand in front of somebody, be it friend or stranger, and not feel shame for what I've done to my body.

Very few times in my adult life have I ever been exposed and not felt shame. Strangely enough, one of those times was when I was being pierced. I didn't feel shy, or embarrassed. I thank the piercer so much for that! He might never know how grateful I am that it was such a positive experience. It was in it's own away, a ritual. I was incredibly nervous, but I did it, and I feel I've grown.

I feel I need some sort of ritual to mark this much needed change. I need to end an old way of thinking, step through the threshold, and be reborn. A rite of passage, a coming of age... something to say "This is me, and I will not be ashamed!" Will it be at Wickerman? Perhaps. I may need to enlist these friends, these confident, beautiful, courageous people to heal me, and help me become whole.

What, I wonder, does the Goddess say?

This Is Not Your Child

Something happened to me the other day... well not TO me, but near me, and it pissed me off to the point I had to vent about it on Facebook. The comments following prompted me to write a full fledged blog post about it. Out of nowhere I'm finding this is something I'm surprisingly passionate about.

Food rules for your children... or other people's children.

I was standing in the checkout line at the dreaded Walmart when I overheard a woman behind me talking to somebody about babysitting her grandson. Normally this isn't anything to pay much attention to, but what she said really hit a nerve.

Apparently Grandma doesn't agree with her daughter's food choices for dearest Grandson. Daughter says no cookies, candy or soda. Grandma disagrees. It is Easter time after all, and homes are overflowing with sugar. It would be downright ungrandmotherly of her to not give the boy junk food! I kid you not, at one point she even said that Daughter will probably make another "Do's and Don'ts" list of foods, and that she'll do with this one just like she did the last. Throw it out.

I was irate. It took everything I had in me to not say something to her. I bit my tongue so hard it nearly bled. The nerve!

But this was not my battle.

And yet... what if it were?

Now I'm not saying my mother, or any of my other family members would be that blatantly disrespectful of my wishes. If they were, I'm sorry... I would not be leaving my child unsupervised with them. I don't care if it is my own mother, father or sister. That's just the way it is. It's my child and I will feed them as I see fit, and I expect my friends and family to support me on it.

A friend brought up a point though, turning it around. It did offer up some food for thought.

I am an omnivore, and proudly so. What if, for example, I was watching a child for someone who is Vegan? I disagree that Veganism is a healthy diet and believe that children not only should, but need to eat meat. What do I do?

Nothing. This is not my child. I have no right to decide what the child will and won't eat. That is his mother's decision, in spite of how much I may disagree.

Likewise I hugely disagree with giving toddlers soda. It's probably the worst thing you can do to a growing baby, but I'm not about to tell somebody how they're going to raise their kid. It is not my child.

Will my kids have candy, or cookies, or cake? Yes, probably sometimes, but only when I decide they may have it, and I will decide what kind they may have. I understand I can't always dictate what they're going to eat, but I also refuse to have people who should be supporting me go behind my back and contradict me.

I know, I know I'm on a bit of a soapbox here over something that didn't even happen to me, and I apologize. It just makes me sad to see a mom trying to do right for her child, and having still more hurdles thrown in front of her by her own mother. It has to be very frustrating, to say the least.

What have you to say? I'd love to hear what you think!