Vermicomposting

We added some red wigglers to our household this week!

Vermicomposting is a method of composting and during this process, red worms convert your organic waste into a usable, natural fertilizer.

On Monday, at work, I signed up for a free worm composting workshop (only 45 min long) and I actually came home from it with my own tote complete with red wigglers, dirt and shredded newspaper. I was delighted! I haven't decided yet if I need to order more worms or if the dozen the instructor gave me will multiply fast enough that I won't need to add to them at all. Depending on their production in the next month, I may add another pound to the mix. Since worms are hermaphroditic, each worm can have up to 12 baby worms a month! Wow. Anyway, I am looking forward to having my own worm castings for the garden next Spring.

Loaded with beneficial bacteria, all natural, non-burning, and odor-free, worm poop is truly a miracle of nature. A single worm produces its weight in casting a day! In the meantime, I am feeding my little worms baked and crushed eggshells from our own chickens and one cup of tiny vegetable scraps per week. They seem to be happy and mind their own business in their little dark home. The cats (Oscar and Oliver) and dog (Canute) don't notice the worms at all and I hope it stays that way.
If you are interested in starting your own vermicomposting bin, here is a great straightforward website that I found.

Ode to Marshmallow Fluff

I have long had an obsession for Marshmallow Fluff.
Perhaps this obsession with Fluff began in the cafeteria at school growing up in Connecticut as I passed by the mounds of Fluffernutter sandwiches that I was not supposed to eat because they were deemed an unsuitable lunch option by my parents. I am pretty sure that every so often on "brown bag lunch" day, which was the one day I did not bring my own lunch to school, I would grab a bag that contained a Fluffernutter sandwich...oh the joy I felt as I took a big, sweet, sinful, indulgent bite of marshmallowy fluffy goodness and felt a humongous smile spread across my face as I nodded with tasty approval.


There is something about the pure white fluffy spread that just brought so much comfort to me at that age. I am sure I would still find delight in a Fluffernutter sandwich to this day. Yes yes, although Marshmallow Fluff is certainly not going to add vitamins and minerals but rather sweetness to one's meal, we cannot pick on it too much because it still has its original 4 ingredients (Corn Syrup, Sugar Syrup, Dried Egg Whites and Vanillin) rather than a list of 30 unrecognizable chemical ingredients. Since 1917, this classic has not changed a bit.

So this brings me to my inspiration for this post. One of my favorite magazines, Gastronomica, sends me monthly email updates and just yesterday I received notification about a forum on Marshmallow Fluff! I think it is just EXCELLENT that Gastronomica is holding a forum in NYC about this classic food item. If I lived anywhere near NYC, I would definitely be attending the event. I am looking forward to reading the article in their Spring issue that is dedicated to Fluff. Like many New England natives, I have a soft spot for Fluff (it's made in Massachusetts, after all). Sure, it's antithetical to almost all food principles by which I cook and eat, but how can you not appreciate something called Fluff?

Edible Type

A couple of months ago a friend and fellow letterpress artist from ASU sent me a link to this delightful company's site: Typolade. I figure it is better late than never to post about this exciting discovery! A set of movable type in chocolate is like a dream to me. The website does have English text as well so it is worth reading about their product.

While searching online for more edible letters, their stories and their history, I discovered chocolate letters available from Peters Imports. I have not figured out what size the letters are but my favorite is of course the handsome "H"!

The story behind these chocolate letters is as follows: "At many Dutch Sinterklaas Eve parties (December 4th), the very last surprise in Sinterklaas' special burlap sack, is chocolate initials, the first letter of each person's name. There will be one for each person—the first given to the youngest child, then on up to the oldest person present." The tasty treats may be found in shoes, left by Sinterklaas as he makes his rounds checking on children.
Letters became associated with Sinterklaas in the 19th century, when a sheet was used to cover St. Nicholas presents. A bread dough letter, placed on top of the sheet, identified where a child’s gifts were located. During the 1800s advances in cocoa bean processing led to the production of chocolate bars. Chocolate letters were first manufactured around 1900, though they didn’t become readily available until the 1950s. Almond pastry and sausage letters are made by bakers and butchers.

A custom of edible letters goes back to Germanic times when, at birth, children were given a rune letter, made of bread—as a symbol of good fortune. Convent schools in the Middle Ages used bread letters to teach the alphabet. When the letter was learned and could be written well, a pupil could eat up the bread letter. D

uring the 16th and 17th centuries pastry letters were captured in Dutch Masters’ still-life paintings. I have long been fascinated by these Dutch still-life paintings and they make the top of my list for favorite historical paintings.

If you've been following my blog or know me well, you are aware of my love of cheese. In honor of that, I cannot help but share another Dutch still-life painting with you...of cheese!

New Green Growth

During this past week I have been transplanting many tomato, eggplant, and pepper seedlings. They seem to be quite happy after their move and I am happy with their size. I also planted some new seeds during the last few days: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Red Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard and several varieties of lettuce and some sunflowers for color.

The misty dome covers are taking in the warm sunlight and most of the brassicas which I planted a few days ago have already sprouted. I expect the seeds I sowed today will sprout in another few days. It is at this time every Spring that I plan on the new expansion of my garden. It just gets bigger every year! This year Matt and I will add one more raised bed, measuring 4' x 16' with plans to grow more root vegetables. This year I am growing rutabagas and turnips for the first time. The extra bed will also open up more room for greens which we can never seem to get enough of. Now if only the snow would melt once and for all on the ground (we still have 2 feet!) I would be able to get out there in a couple of weeks and start feeding the soil in preparation for potatoes, peas and root veggies!

Meet the Delaware Chicken

Today I ordered 20 Delaware chicks that will arrive on June 1st. This is ten more meat birds than we had last year! I also ordered six Turkeys! I am excited about the Bourbon Reds that will be gobbling around outside our house this year.

Matt and I began the search for a heritage breed meat chicken last year after we were turned off by the common Cornish x Rock cross that has come to dominate the broiler industry. We figure if we are raising our own meat birds, why support the industry standard? After researching Heritage meat birds we came up with the Delaware.

Delawares, originally called "Indian Rivers," were developed by George Ellis of Delaware in 1940 and were used for the production of broilers. It was once of relative importance to the U.S. chicken industry, but today is critically endangered. It is primarily suited to meat production but also lays reasonably well. Perhaps if we get attached to a hen or two we'll keep some as layers to keep the other girls warm in the winter.

May 10th: Here is an article I just came across that spotlights the Delaware Chicken. I found the link while reading the Slow Food USA blog on Heritage Chickens.

Treasured Recipes to Hold On To

It is a beautiful sunny Spring day outside and I am watching the snow melt away bit by bit as Ubu the rooster crows with delight to his ladies in the outdoor yard of the coop that they have not seen since October. Last week several items came into my possession that I have been meaning to post about but did not have the time until now.

Some of my favorite things to collect are vintage recipes and cookbooks. My mother-in-law, Lyn, seems to unearth treasures every once and awhile that she sends to me in the mail. I wanted to share the most recent. I think old, dirty, used, loved recipes and pages in cookbooks are beautiful things. Above is a recipe for Matt's Great Grandmother's Fruitcake. Yes, quite a classic! I will definitely make it one day. Another fruitcake can't hurt anyone right? Lyn also sent along some pickle and relish recipes that will help to use the abundance of garden veggies in late summer in response to my earlier post on Dilly Green Tomatoes.

This brings to mind that I also have a Blackie's relish recipe that my mother was sure to pass along to me some time ago. I have yet to make it but I clearly remember eating it as a child. The Blackie's I speak of is Blackie's Hot Dog Stand in Chesire, CT...you must go if you like hot dogs! It has been there since 1928 and their relish is delicious. Oh and you can buy the relish from their online store! And so, I look ahead to a summer of delicious relish-making from favorite recipes.

I received a call at work last week from someone who was referred to me by our local bookstore. She was looking for someone to help repair her 80-year-old mother's favorite cookbook. It is The American Woman's Cookbook by Ruth Berolzheimer, 1938.

While I am not a trained in book conservation, I did agree to the job as I do know how to repair and bind a book. Luckily, it does not need complete restoration. She only want it to be usable without falling apart in her hands. I am happy to work on this project. It will be quite a task as you can see but I am up for it.

It is the greatest cookbook I have seen in a long time! The photos inside are amazing. I am a bit infatuated by the wonderful and slightly wacky images in vintage cookbooks. Did anyone ever really cook like that? I wish I could have seen an entire buffet in person of these complex, embellished, colorful, and gaudy dishes. Next, I will be searching for my own copy of this cookbook, preferably an edition from the same year. I am sure there must be one or two out there!

Rediscovering the Shopsins

I covet the bacon scarf. I think this scarf is absolutely brilliant! So much that I feel as though only Tamara Shopsin, the daughter of the eccentric Kenny Shopsin could come up with such a design. Growing up immersed in Shopsin's at its original location at 63 Bedford Street could only mean a world of eternal inspiration for an artist. The home of the mac-and-cheese pancake, slutty-cakes and blisters on my sisters, Shopsin's will always be of my favorite restaurants. I only had the pleasure of eating at the original location twice, both times indulging in their version of the drink Morir Soñando, "to die in a dream", alongside a heaping plate of food...I ate at their second location once. Now it is time try their new location at Stall No. 16, 120 Essex Street which I plan on doing in January 2010 when I visit the city with Matt. One must plan these things in advance when you live so far away! If you would like to learn more about Shopsin's, I recommend watching I Like Killing Flies, reading this article, perusing the over 900-item menu (I'll bet you've never seen anything like it!), or of course visiting the place yourself! Be prepared for the most memorable dining experience and be open to listening to profanity while you eat. Follow up with a purchase of Kenny Shopsin's cookbook, Eat Me, another item I really must get my hands on!