Local Meal

As we were sitting down to lunch recently, I realized that the meal we were eating was almost entirely made of local ingredients. I snapped a few pictures for an obligatory and probably boring "this is what I had for lunch" post.

The Menu:
Quiche
Roasted Radishes
Pickled Ramps

I'll admit that the crust on the quiche is not local. I have yet to find a local flour source. It is homemade, however, so that counts for something! The eggs, of course, are from our two favorite chickens on the block, so they are ultra-local. The quiche also contains some sausage that we got from a local farmer.

We bought the radishes at one of the first farmer's markets of the season. They were only $1.50 a bunch and so beautiful. We bought a few bunches and decided to experiment with some, so we roasted them. I know it sounds weird to roast radishes, but they are phenomenal. Just put them in a casserole dish, use a little butter, salt and pepper, and some balsamic vinegar and let them broil for a few minutes. They come out really caramelized and sweet, not at all strong like a raw radish.

I talk about the ramps here, but this meal was prepared a few weeks later, when our pickles had had enough time in the brine for us to try them. They were REALLY great! Wow! The coriander in the brine produced a nice lemony taste.

So, there you have it. A pretty quick and painless (mostly) local meal. If we all ate this once a week, we would save 1.1 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL PER WEEK. And it was all so delicious.

Rose in Bloom

I just had to take some pictures of our rose bushes, which are currently in full and beautiful bloom. When my mom was here the yellow rose bush in the front yard was just beginning to bud and she couldn't believe how big it was. You see, she got me this little rose bush a few years ago and it was no bigger than my two fists put together. I didn't even take very good care of it and here it is, just bursting with roses at least twice a year. I really want to transplant this bush and take it with me but I am also terrified to uproot it.



In other rose-related news, today Aaron built a couple of quick trellises for the backyard rose garden. Of course, we do not deserve to enjoy such things ourselves, we only do them when we are poised to move. The roses were literally falling into the pathway, thorns sticking into any skirt or petticoat that came near. I think that they will enjoy their new support and train up the trellises very nicely. Plus, it makes the yard look all the more Secret-Gardenish for perspective buyers, so $10 and a couple of hours seems worth it.

Fallingwater

My mother came to visit a couple of weeks ago. We had marathon house cleaning and packing sessions, which was such a huge help. Sometimes you need someone there to help you get started on such a huge project. We did find a little time to take the drive up to Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, two houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Both are only about a 30 minute drive from our house, so it was nice to go one last time before we move.


Fallingwater is an incredible piece of art. If you are driving through Western Pennsylvania, I highly recommend seeing this. I love going there and imagining what it was like to live there. I think going there a few times in different seasons is one of the best things we've done since we moved here. You see new details each time you visit.


It was our first time seeing Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd Wright house just a few minutes from Fallingwater. It was really neat, as well. The kitchen is an octagon in the middle of the house and the hallways are narrow. I kept imagining what it would be like to live there in winter and decided that it wouldn't be a bad place to hibernate.

Delays

I meant to (finally) upload my pictures from our trip to Sweden and Finland yesterday but halfway through my computer decided to crash and I couldn't bring myself to start all over again. So I apologize for taking so long...thank you for the emailed requests...

We have been SO BUSY here. I got sick (probably caught something in Finland, actually) and then my mom came to visit just a few days after we got back from our trip, my summer semester started, and then we had someone interested in looking at the house so we had to rush to get things ready and in "showable" condition for that. Yes, we are trying to sell our house. We hope to move from WV as soon as Aaron hears word about a job prospect. I am really looking forward to being closer to family and friends. And perhaps more significantly, the place that I have learned to call home. When we moved here I was pretty tired of Boston and yuppie snobbery. However, good and bad, it is where I see myself most happy in the years to come. I am looking forward to being close to the water, near good restaurants, immersed in culture.

On the needles, on the nightstand: Catching Fire

I am on to Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. It is not as good as the first one, but I'm going to have to finish the series out.

I am also knitting a wool soaker. I can't seem to find the pattern I used, but that's okay. It is a quick knit but maybe not the best soaker ever. I plan on knitting more using different patterns and can't wait to try the pattern that my friend Jayna recommended as her favorite. I love knitting up quick little things in wool. They feel so good and so rewarding.