Sustainable Eats

This Christmas I am focusing on gifting things that teach people how to fish. I will shop from Heifer International and give thoughtfully chosen things based on interest.
Perhaps someone is interested in beer – a book about home brewing might be exciting enough to start them off on that path.
Who doesn’t love warm homemade bread [...]

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Inspired by the blazing lard incident we decided to smoke the turkey this year. It turns out turkey was meant to be smoked. The combination of brine and low cooking temperature ensures that even the most horrifically overcooked turkey will come out succulent and moist and fragrantly seasoned with an enticing smoky aroma. The fact [...]

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These flat breads make marvelous crackers that are less work than smaller rolled and cut crackers.  They are the perfect thing for satisfying a need for crunch and can substitute for tostada shells and even be used to make northwest nachos.

3 1/2 cups any combination of ground Bluebird Grain red winter wheat, Lentz Spelt or [...]

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We grew an amazing number of acorn squash this summer from Rents Due starts purchased at PCC. The tag said prolific but I had no idea just what that meant.

Here we are almost December still with several boxes of squash in the garage. Faced with no sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner I made up a [...]

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This spring I planted a quince tree as a total leap of faith since I’ve never before eaten a quince and was not even sure I would like them.  Boy am I glad now I did!  Raw they are painfully sour and rock hard but once cooked they are delectable – like a firm textured [...]

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You can make this using a deep pie dish or use a spring form pan to make a tall tart as I have done. For a deep dish pie use the lesser quantities of fruit and thickener I’ve listed, the larger quantities are enough to fill a high-sided spring form pan about 3/4 of the [...]

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If you get tired of trying to get the perfect American flaky pie crust – give yourself a break and make this instead. Instead of layers of flaky which only come from lard or shortening this uses butter to make a forgiving, fuss-free crust that essentially gives you two desserts in one.
Begin this dough the [...]

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I’m going back over the weekend and adding photos and recipe links to my entry, Thanksgiving Day Feast. There is new info so if you are getting this on RSS feed don’t miss it!
I gave up on the lard that went up in flames and made a butter shortbread crust for the apple quince tall [...]

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It’s true we are just days from Black Friday and you are all probably mentally working on lists of Christmas gifts for loved ones.  Before you shop – consider giving the gift of services, donating to charities or making fun things that allow you to re-use containers while gifting creativity and caring.
Kimi hosted a handmade gift [...]

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Phew! My stomach is full and my heart is happy. We finished this Thanksgiving’s feast with a dear friend and did a bang-up job of keeping it local. In fact, not a single item for this meal with the exception of the spices came from a store. Even the flour (with the exception of the [...]

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