Recipe: Root Veggie Soup

Wow, this is a really filling and comforting soup. I got it off a package of root vegetables (contents shown above), but I adapted it slightly to my liking. The original recipe didn't have much in the way for seasonings and the end product was meant to be blended to a puree. From past experience, I have not like these types of pureed soups, so I skipped that part and just added some thickener.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion
1 tsp olive oil
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 lbs root vegetables (carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celeric, sunchokes)
* Potato (I did not use, but will try next time)
6 cups vegetable stock
3/4 cup cream
2 tsp corn starch mixed with some cold water
salt and pepper to taste

I will add here that maybe you want to add a potato as well. I think the flavor would certainly be great and it may bulk up the broth enough to omit the corn starch later. If you do use too much carrot, parsnip, or turnip the soup can bit sweet for my taste. The potato may help to counter that sweetness.




Prep all of you veggies-  scrape, clean, and cut.

Heat the olive oil- make sure to use under Medium heat so you don't scorch it. Yes, I did this, while talking to my sister on the phone. If you do scorch the oil (it will start smoking heavily and smell awful) get it off the burner and out of the house! Smoked oil is a carcinogen, you should not breath it in. But don't worry, if this happens, you will KNOW not to breath it by it's putrid stench.

OK, add the onions and cook until soft.




Now add your vegetables and cook for 10 minutes. They will not be thoroughly cooked. I also added my salt and pepper at this point, maybe a teaspoon or so of each. You can experiment with other seasonings, the recipe called for none at all, a bit odd. Generally speaking, a little seasoning goes a long way. You could try some thyme or rosemary as well.




Add stock and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes per the directions. Mine took longer. Take off the heat and allow to cool for a bit. Stir in the cream.

Now heat on the stove again and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Allow to simmer until nice and thick. Adjust seasonings as needed.




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Fiber CSA

So i'm taking a quick mental break from documenting... yes, I'm pretty busy this time of year... and I discovered something I just had to write a new blog post about.

Half of the time I blog as a way to store information for myself. I use my blog for recipes, links, and as a general reminder about things I've read or heard about. This is one of those posts, but hopefully it will be of interest to others as well.

I was reading a magazine and it had an article about starting your own fiber CSA. For those who don't know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Most of the time, you purchase a share in a CSA in return for a monthly box of seasonal produce. CSAs have expanded to include meat, cheese, dairy, flowers, herbs, fruits, honey... But a fiber share? What a dream for any knitter! Now of course I am not literally interested on purchasing a herd of sheep and starting one myself, but it did inspire me to google "Minnesota fiber share"... and I found one here on localharvest.org. I gave the contact person a call. They are a small operation but are expanding. She refered me to their website kindredspiritfarm.com and said I should also send her an email and she will let me know when she has updated prices and availablility for new members. There is also a general local harvest page for the farm Here.

Over the phone she gave me some estimates. They offer two basic types of shares, one for completed yarn and the other for raw or washed fibers and roving (for spinners). She stated that a 1/2 share of yarm would be about 6 oz of yarn every other month and that a spinning/fiber share would be about 1 lbs of fiber every other month.

So I'm very excited about this, especially since I tentatively have been OKed to purchase a spinning wheel by Equah if I can find one that is economical (under 200 bucks, these things aren't cheap!). I will have to compare prices as it is much easier to find local roving than local yarn. Also, these have rabit, goat, and sheep fibers so it would be a good way to learn to spin different fibers.

Here's to new adventures.

Simple Soaps

This is a soap I got at the winter farmers market a few weeks ago. The brand is Simple Soaps and they are from a local lady who uses her own goats' milk in the soaps. I know goats milk soap is pretty popular, so I was curious to try some. They have a variety of scents to choose from, both based on essential oils and others using synthetic fragrances. The essential oil fragrances are very well constructed and very nice, not something all EO enthusiasts are able to pull off. Some people like synthetic fragrances, others avoid them, but you have to admit, they often smell a lot better. I think it just takes a keener scent sense to make an appealing EO blend.

At first I used this just as a hand soap, but lately I've been using it in the shower since I've been running low on my own soaps. It smells very nice, mine is a blend of peppermint, basil, and ??? I would say it is a bit too drying for me to continue to use on my skin, probably only because I'm so sensitive to fragrances. So I think I will return it next to the sink... It will last longer there anyway.

I visited the website for Simple Soaps today and it looks like they just opened a shop in Dover MN. I think that might be worth a visit once the roads shape up. For now, you can order them online, they even do custom batches of 15 bars or more... How nice would that be for wedding or birthday gifts? Check them out atsimplegostsoaps.com

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Music on Monday: Charlie Parr

I can't remember where I first saw him, but I know how I first discovered his music. I used to have a habit of wandering down to Cheapo records at 1 or 2 in the morning when I was restless, bored, and usually a little lonely living in Minneapolis/St. Paul. At the time they were open 24 hours and I was a night owl with a love for music. With no where else to go, I would go to Cheapo. They had listening stations throughout the store and I would spend the night scanning records and listening to anything and everything that peaked my interest. On of my favorite places was the local section, and that is where I scanned and considered disks from Tapes and Tapes, Jasper Loes, Luke Zimmerman, Vicious Vicious, and Charlie Parr.

Parr was one for the win. I bought his second album and soon was tracking him down for shows. Not hard to do as even then he held a regular list of shows. One of my favorites was seeing him at Beaners in Duluth, MN. I traveled up with my roommates, one of whom was in a band at that time called the Godevils. They were playing at Beaners as well that night as well and it was a small, relaxed venue... a real treat. At the time, he still was working to cleverly conceal his youth... and didn't look much older than myself.  I've also seen him at open-air shows at various Twin Cities gatherings and block parties. While he has a solid following, the best part of these show is watching passer-bys stop in their tracks until you can barely see Charlie among the swarm. No matter who walks by, he instantly communicates the talent, depth, and legitimacy of folk music.

I encourage everyone to to follow some of the links I've provided and give this talented man a listen. A quick Youtube search also will lead you to many live performances.

Official website with discography, shows and more: charlieparr.com

You tube videos: 1922, Jubilee, Jesse James

Albums on iTunes: Music on iTunes

So there it is, give him a listen, you won't regret it. Hell, take a show in with me sometime.

Maple Roasted Roots and Blog Inspiration

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Location:12th Ave NE,Rochester,United States

So I'm trying to figure out a more consistent format for my blog. After doing some thinking this weekend, I think I would get more use out of the blog and it may be more enjoyable to read for others if it were semi-structured. I also feel my blog has too much of some things (How Tos) and not enough of others (local goods). So I did some brain storming, and this is what I came up with:

Sunday: Recipes
Monday's: local music
Tuesday: "soap box" thoughts on topics important to me
Wednesday: local product or store reviews
Thursday: local art (maybe to be combined with music on Mondays?)
Friday: local entertainment/ things to do
Saturday: tutorials and "How To" projects

I will freely admit that above list is kind of a wish list and a bit ambitious.... Being as it is pretty hard for me to get any sort of regular post up each week at the moment. But we will see. I will still include general updates on what I have been up to, but you may have to wait for the details (such as my cheese making post, which you are likely to see on Saturday :)).

So in honor of my new attempt at organization, here is a recipe for this Sunday:

Maple Roasted Root Vegtables

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup (I use pure maple syrup, not sure how the fake stuff would turn out)
1 Tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
1 Tbsp ground or minced ginger root
3 lbs root vegetables of your choice (carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, celeriac, sun chokes, etc)
1 sweet potato

Combine the oil, syrup, and soy sauce in a large bowl. Skin and cut vegetables into chunks. Toss in the mixture and distribute onto a baking sheet. Roast at 450 for 40 minutes or until tender. I like ginger so I added extra to mine.

These are absolutely delicious and hard to walk pass without snitching a bit.... Isn't that a refreshing way to think of veggies?

Well, wish me luck as I put forth my best effort at daily blogs. Tomorrow I am going to highlight a favorite musician of mine, Charlie Parr.

Recipe: Thyme Potatoes

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Location:7th St NE,Rochester,United States

This one is too simple.

Cut up 6 large potatoes, with or without skin. Drizzle about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil on them. Sprinkle with course salt and thyme. Bake at 350 until tender.

I'm not sure this is even a recipe per say, but I'm the type that adds way too much butter and sour cream to her potatoes, and this is much healthier and soooo yummy! Enjoy!

Recipe: Green Beans and Cream

Another simple recipe, this one was a win. Admittedly, there are no local green beans right now. But the cream and onion are local and the chicken broth I made.

Ingredients:
1 lbs green beans, trimmemd
1/2 onion, chopped thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 1/2 Tbsp cream
Salt and pepper to taste

First, boil the beans in salted water for 10 minutes. The submerge in ice water.

Heat the oil over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook until translucent.


Add the green beans a cook a bit in the onion. Then add the stock and cream. Season with salt and pepper and allow liquid to reduce.


Haha, uh no final picture... They were gobbled up in minutes!

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Location:5th St NE,Rochester,United States

Ferndale Market

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One of my favorite little grocery stores, even though they are way up in Cannon Falls. The shop is located on a turkey farm and it's primary focus is on local food and local products. It's a bit different than what co-ops carry because local goods take spotlight here.

This picture was take last week when I ran though, I bought a face scrub made of wheat and turmeric and a lip gloss.

For more information:
http://ferndalemarketonline.com/

Farmers Market December 17

I was looking back through my blog and realized I had stopped short on one the original focuses of my blog.... To post all the local niceties Minnesota snd the surrounding region has to offer. I miss writing about my day at the farmers market... Plus writing helps to keep track of who I bought from, who I would go back to, as well as give me ideas of farms or stands to visit.

Also, I would like to blog more often, so that the blog is more of a diary than a collection of reviews and "How Tos." I plan on still including those, but the truth is, if you want to be more self sufficient and a concious consumer, you give up a lot of the convenience of just running out and buying something you need when you need it. So, there is a rhythm to things. I think writing in more of a diary formate may convey that rhythm a bit better.

But I digress...

I have to say, I haven't been to a Rochester farmers market in a while 1) because I assumed wrongly there would be much there 2) because it isn't every weekend and I was falling victim to poor planning and 3) I didn't know where it was.

I'm glad I went, the picture above shows a small fraction of the vendors. I used the token exchange system for my card because I forgot cash. I definitely wasn't prepared. I didn't go in with a list and honestly the fridge was pretty much stocked up. This is never a good idea at a farmers market. You end up circling the place about 12 times (though it's way more fun that wandering around the grocery store) and always end up getting fun, but not practical things. And that's just what happened to me today, but I couldn't be more pleased :). Life doesn't always have to be organized to yield desired results.

Early on I saw one stand that sells milk (including chocolate) and they had eggnog today. While I'm not the biggest fan, this stuff was way way better than the grocery store stuff. But it was spendy, $6 a gallon and with a $3 bottle return fee (you get this back when you return the bottle). So I passed at first. I went back later and they were out. You snooze you lose at the farmers market! But the lady did direct me to their small on-farm store, and so I may try sneak out there for a bottle today. Bonus: it is cheaper on the farm. And anyway, I would like to do more "farm trips," they are fun, and they help you learn more about producers and keep the products they make more salient in your mind.


So there is the haul I ended up with. And I forgot eggs... Eggs of all things! Oh well. Above you see a bag of honey crisp apples (yay!!!!), carrots (really really good... If grocery food tasted like this we'd all eat our veggies), 1 lbs whole wheat flour, canned tomatoes in an awesome square jar, a bag of popcorn, and a handmade soap. I will make another post about the soap soon.

I went in wanting the apples and carrots. The popcorn and flour were more impulse buys, but are significant because I am trying to expand the scope of what I buy locally. I think I may try making some bread with the flour, even if that requires adding non-local flour to it to meet recipe requirements. The popcorn should be a healthy snack and I found a way to pop it in a brown paper bag on Pinterest. I bought the soap, because obviously I love handmade soaps and it's fun to see what other people are doing, this one is made with goats milk the woman milks herself, nice!

The pop corn came in red or white bags. Apparently the white corns have less shell when you pop them, but I had to go for a mixed bag ... Too pretty to pass up. It fit perfectly in the mason jar below.


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Location:5th St NE,Rochester,United States

Flaxseed Styling Gel

Ok, this one is easy.

3 Tablespoons flaxseeds
1 cup water

Combine and simmer on the stove until the liquid reduces by half. Then strain. I used a nutmilk bag, next time I will use a fine mesh strainer, it was a little hard to squeeze all of it out, but it was the best thing I had at the time. It will thicken more as it cools.

I've read to keep it in the fridge, but I haven't had a problem with it spoiling. Just make it in small batches. In any case, it costs pennies to make, so if it does spoil, I would just make a new batch. This makes a nice light gel that also nourishes your hair.


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Location:5th St NE,Rochester,United States

Repurposed shower puff

So my shower puff exploded; this aggravated me because I'd had it only a week. So I cut it into long strips and Crocheted it into a kitchen scrubby. I actually meant to make a soap sack, but I wasn't following a pattern and it was far too wide for that purpose. Because of the ruff ends of the mesh, it is actually quite abrasive. Equah now wants to buy a new puff just so I can demolish it and make another.... Maybe she missed the point o my shenanigans?


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Local Lunch

Thanks to Minnesota.






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Saturday October 15, Rochester Farmer's Market haul.

Peppers are destined for ham soup and stuffed peppers. These carrots are absolutely awesome. The mozzarella... Not so much. Sorry to say, but it tasted like sour glue, not even edible. Also some eggs, ground beef, and some canned tomatoes.


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Equah's Stuffed Peppers

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Location:5th St NE,Rochester,United States

Everything in this meal is local, whith the exception of the rice, olive oil, and seasonings. Even got some canned tomato goodies at the Farmers Market.

Equah's Stuffed Peppers

1/2 can tomato paste (3oz)
1/2 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbs chicken bouillon
1 1/2 tsp Equah's seasoning
1 lbs ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup rice (cooked)
1/2 cup water
5-8 green peppers (small) with tops cut off

Equah's seasining blend: Anise, ginger, garlic, black pepper.

Preheat oven to 350
Mix: beef, bouillon, tomato paste, diced tomatoes
Mix olive oil and onion and add to mixture (you can do this in the baking dish to grease it as well)
Add rice and water to the mixture and mix
Stuff green peppers with mixture, put into baking dish with a little water in the pan
Cover with tinfoil and back at 350 for 1 1/2 hour or until rice is done (add water as needed)

Farmer's market Sept 24

The chicken is from Vreeman Farms, around $11. Not sure why, but I have a hard time finding larger local chickens. I'm not expecting the 13 lb monsters we used to grow, but 9-10 lbs would be nice. Many I buy no longer come with gizzards either (...am I the only one who noticed this?) which is somewhat annoying.

Cheese from Prairie Hollow Farms: a mild cheddar from grass fed cattle. It nice, not amazing. I may try some of their other varieties next time. This one had an almost apple-like, sweet flavor.

Bread: whole wheat from Six Arrows farms. This was excellent. It said whole wheat, but Im not sure I trust that, but at least it isn't packed with corn syrup.

The concord grapes and lemon grass are for Equah for the most part. She loves lemon grass tea and the grapes are a favorite of ours.

I really wish I had asked what type of carrots these were. I have my suspicions they are a particular variety of heirloom, but I don't know enough to confirm that. They are sugar sweet and wonderful.

Do I need to explain turnips and potatoes? Favorites of my for potpie :)


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House of Hidden Treasures

We all need our champion, and this lady just might be mine. Dee Haas has been the single owner of this vintage shop since 1968. The house is over 100 years old and its 12 rooms are filled to the brim with a unique stay of antique treasures. It also boasts Dee's handcrafted pieces which are worth the drive in and of themselves. Eclectic jewelry is her specialty, and in her 86 years she is now becoming familiar with the term "steampunk" because it so aptly describes many of her pieces, though not all. The house in unheated, so dress warm. Amber and I only made it through the house... some how we missed that there was also a garage (!) and a barn (!!!) full of treasures. Dee lives in a part of the house sectioned off from the store, and came up to assist when needed.



I am not the best photographer, and I could not get a picture to justify the awsome floating staircase in the entrance; it is absolutely amazing. Not to mention Dee has cut out flowered vintage wall paper and pasted it to the ceiling of it, a theme repeated in many rooms upstairs.





So here is where a person takes decorating, combines it with ingenuity, and gets art. The tree here is made of burlap bags pasted to the wall and features vintage photos on the walls and ceiling.




Here you can better see how she cut the leaves and some of the featured photos.




Another room upstairs, again the ceiling has vintage wall paper... Dee has trailed this down the tops of the walls and cut along the pattern of flowers. Don't ask me how she got it up there...




I could not get a decent photo of the back stair case... go see it yourself. Why buy wall paper when you can just plaster the walls with vintage adds and clippings?





The top of the spiral staircase at the entrance of the house. I'm sorry to say I was so distracted by the awsome house I didn't really take many pictures of the stuff in it... many old glass jars, prints, magazines, home goods, jewelry and clothing.




So this was my haul! Above is a letter box with alphabetized dividers. I beleive this one is destined to hold my knitting patters... I wouldn't be surprised if I return for another someday. I also got a cool leather cuff... actually once used to husk corn. To the left of the cuff is box that Dee made of wall paper holding an awsome bracelet she made of Bakelite (!) buttons... and entirely reasonably priced. At the top you have my personal favorite... hand stitched vintage laces.



Here are the three laces I bought... after going through several boxes full. They weren't cheap, but so worth it.  Now I just need ideas to use them in.



My Bakelite bracelet... :)

...And the letter file. The date on the side said 1928, so it's nearly 100 years old. When closed, it looks like and old book.

Dee also mentioned that we may want to check out another vintage shop named Sugarloaf located in an old brewery in Winona, but that will have to be another day and another post :).

House of Hidden Treasure

507-932-3577

807 Richland Ave.

St. Charles, MN 55972

Open 9:30-5:00 daily ("except maybe Wednessdays" per Dee)

*Call in Jan, Feb, Mar, and 1st part of April

Making shampoo soap

So my olive oil/Castile soap still has a week to cure, but I figured it was high time to start another batch. Not sure of my logic... Since I really could benefit from some more coconut laundry soap... But I went ahead and bought oils for shampoo soap. Logic need not apply when it comes to my little science lab.




Above you see the majority of the equipment for making soap, plus the ingredients uses today. Really, all you need for soap is olive oil (or another fat), water and lye. Once the process is complete, none of these will exist in your soap... Just pure, simple soap. But the fats used do influence how the soap performs and depending on it's intended use, you want to very them accordingly.

So basic equipment: blender, digital scale, instant read thermometer, double boiler, Pyrex measuring cup. Plus gloves, goggles and protective clothing.




Measure the oils. Heat to 90-110 degrees.




Measure the water into Heat proof glass measuring cup. Measure lye separately. Outside: slowly add lye to water. Water will become hot and cloudy. Let settle until clear.

Next part goes fast so no photos... Add oil to blender, then lye. Cover blender with top and towel for extra protection. Blend until soap can hold memory "trace" I reached.




No fancy molds yet, I use cartons for small batches.



Once soap sets, usually the next day, cut as desired. Soap is too harsh to use at this point. Let it cure 4-6 weeks.


This is my Castile soap that has cured 4 weeks. Very simple- just olive oil, lye, and water.

So far the recipes I've used are a from a wonderful book titled "making it: radical home ec for a post consumer economy" they also run a great homesteading blog title Root Simple.


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