Root to Stalk Cooking

In Denver we pay a bit extra to have a compost bin. I don't mind the cost, though it would be nice if everyone could have access to a way to compost. Mostly I put our compostables in there and it gets removed each week, but I also have a small bin where I'm creating some compost for use in our garden. Then I get to be extra picky about what goes in there. Paying attention to where waste goes tends to trigger a reaction to try and stop it at the source. And growing some of my own food gets me more energized to try and use all the pieces I can. That's why I found this cookbook so appealing:

Yesterday I harvested some carrots and decided to make carrot top salsa verde from this book. Delicious! And I feel good for using every part of the carrots.

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Word Salad - a writing prompt from my latest class

I mentioned that I'm taking a 4-week introduction to writing class at Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver. It is amazing! I am loving the creativity it is inspiring and the instructor is fantastic. Last night we focused on the sensory aspects of writing and one of my favorite activities was Word Salad. Our instructor handed around a bowl full of words: written, typed, cut from magazines... we pulled out a pinch and then wrote a poem using as many of the words as we wanted and adding our own. The creative spirit really flowed and I was once again reminded of how much I love writing poetry. It's something I enjoyed as a child and then laid aside as I focused on other things in my studies. I also forget to read poetry, but luckily Joy gave us a bunch of recommendations for books to read. Here is the poem I wrote last night. It's still raw - no editing. And I enjoyed every second. And send my regards to infinity True vulnerability is received through kindness It is ...

Preserving in the Winter and Crafting Classes

I really slowed down on this blog once canning season ended, but realized it does not just have to be about food preservation in that sense. This insight occurred to me in particular as I was deciding what to do with 5 pounds of organic meyer lemons. My neighbor and I decided to share a 10 pound box, shipped from Fairview Orchards in California. I knew I needed to use every last bit of these beautiful lemons. Lemon peels in vodka, preserved lemons, and homemade vanilla I adore the taste of limoncello, so I knew that drink had to feature in my plan. I bought some 100 proof vodka and carefully removed the yellow portion only of the peels of 12 of the lemons. They will steep in the vodka for about a month and then the flavored vodka will be mixed with simple syrup to create the limoncello. Half will be mixed with a milk-based simple syrup for a creamy version. Then I had plenty of juice to mix up some delicious meyer lemon margaritas! (2 oz lemon juice, 2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz Cointr...

Sourdough class and snowy day at the dog park

The sourdough bread baking class was pretty interesting. I was impressed by the preparation of the instructor and the materials we were sent home with. We have a document with a recipe and FAQ of common issues. We also left with: starter, dough ready to shape into a loaf, dough rising in a cloth-lined basket ready to bake, and a loaf of bread baked in class. The only real issue was that the kitchen we used for the class was not heated on a Saturday so we were pretty cold and the bread certainly did not care for it. The loaves we took home baked were very flat and didn't tasted great. The one I made later that evening that rose in our warm kitchen was quite good and the one I baked the next day out of the dough I had mixed myself in class was pretty good too. I'm keeping a journal of factors and results so I can tweak and hopefully get better at all this. But I will say freshly baked bread tasted great with the homemade smoked chicken and potato soup I made from scratch on...

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