Eggplant Inspired

I was on my way out of the farmers market this morning. My hands were full with an overflowing basket in one, and a full bag of Snowville Cream and Whole Milk in the other.



I walked by the stand with all of these eggplants just as I was approaching my vehicle. As if I was star-struck, I stopped, put my belongings onto the ground, and swung my camera to the front.



We have no plans of cooking dinner at home tonight. And yet I was compelled to bring some of these beautiful eggplants of different varieties home. They are too pretty to pass up. Or so said my impulsive-self.



On my way home, my mind started working on the possibilities. Babaganouj? Eggplant parmesan? Roasted eggplant salad? Oh, who knows? And really, who cares? They are home now, and they will become something scrumptious...as soon as we decide on that their fate will be.

Michigan's Summer

One of the perks about living in Ohio, as opposed to California, or New Zealand, is that we are finally living somewhat closer to family. Still a long drive, but we can leave Columbus at noon, and get to Western Michigan for dinner. That is very close for our record.



Another perk about having family in Michigan is that we now have access to a large body of water, a constant in my life since I was born. Ohio can be beautiful, it's true, but the lack of water in central Ohio is palpable. And during a heatwave like the one we just had, the palpability was not the least appreciated.



Also, Michigan (like Maine - another place we had called home) has the ideal soil for blueberries! We are lucky to know some friends who had revived a blueberry farm, now tending it organically. We went there last year to store up berries for the winter. It was a success: 20 lbs of organic blueberries were enjoyed from summer to summer.



If we lived closer, we would be going up to Michigan more often. Maybe even spending most of our weekends on the shore of the Great Lake. Instead, we have made it up twice, both times blessed with perfect weather while Ohioans tolerated the muggy hot days in the flat plains.



Perhaps we will get another chance to play in those waves again before fall sets in... But already, our memories of this summer by the lake, on the farm, in the fields, and with family, will linger the same way that the 20 lbs of blueberries sustained us for the year.



When winter comes, on the other hand, we enjoy staying put further south of Michigan. They get the more severe winters, more snow, and frigid temperatures. Yup, nothing and nowhere is perfect. But Michigan in the summer sure is a sweet spot to behold.

Purple Twins

Just an image of two florets of purple cauliflower purchased at a farmers market in Michigan during our last visit there. Beautiful, tasty, and nutritious. Happy week to all!

Backyard Farm Update July 16

The garden is in full force now. There are enough chores to do that before we knew it, it was time for a late breakfast.



The kids asked if they could have a 'big breakfast', in their case it usually means eggs, home fries, toasts, and sometimes bacon and pancakes make it in as well. After agreeing to go inside and make the feast, I suddenly remembered that I had used up all of our potatoes for the last 'big breakfast' that we had.



So what did we do? We dug for our potatoes! Last time we checked, they were still small...but why, they had grown! They are beautiful real-looking potatoes now (we had ordered the seeds for them since late winter). We harvested enough for the meal, washed, cut into cubes, and before we knew it, we were enjoying them as part of our Saturday's big breakfast. Homegrown. Organic. Well-earned.

The chooks, on a different note, are doing very well. They get to roam around the garden now, when we are back there to make sure they are safe from the neighborhood hawks that we have spotted flying about. They are enjoying our left-overs, beef being their favorite (surprisingly!)!

More reports to come, stay tuned!

Slate Run

Oh summer. It's a bitter-sweet time, really. On the one hand, life is more fluid: children get to sleep in, and have free play in and around (and in and around many more times) the house. We are loving the garden, and the animals that are thriving along with the vegetation.  We love eating most of our meals outdoors, next to the fire pit that does not only act as an insect repellent, but the perfect dessert cooking station for the kids. There are also still trips to take, memories to make, and the bags that get packed and unpacked many times over. We all love the adventurous side of summer, truly.



Then there is also a lot of time in the summer. Time to cherish, but also time to fill with the little ones who are always hungry for more. What are we doing today? is a popular question around here, especially when the calendar is wide open, not filled with camp activities or itinerary to places far beyond.



This week is one of those that I had to draft a general plan of attack (knowing full well that I won't get much of anything else done). We made a list of places we would like to visit, activities we would like to pursue, and then we were free to change it however we wanted, down to the last minute.



Today, instead of going fishing at a metro park nearby, we decided to visit another of our favorite metro park. It's summer after all...who needs to stick to a plan?



Slate Run Farm is everything you would want a 'park' to be. It's a 1880's living historic farm with fields of corn, a lush garden, a pasture with chickens, ducks and geese. The farm house stays the way it used to be, with old-fashioned toys, old fashioned sewing machines, artifacts and antiques everywhere you look. They also have several animals that work on the farm, a wonderful attraction for children and adults alike. All of their farm equipment stays true to the time period. You definitely feel transported back in time when people were busy with chores and outdoor life with no flat screens or gadgets to distract them by.

I overheard a young man, no younger than 13, telling his brother in that crackling in-between growing phase voice: "Hey, I forgot how much I like it here!"



We visited the animals, noticed several swallow nests with baby birds' beaks poking out chirping away. We walked through the barns and petted baby turkeys and remarked on how big the piglets had gotten since we were there last. My favorite part of all is the 'summer kitchen' - a room outside of the main farmhouse where they cook during the hotter months. A batch of cinnamon and sugar cookie was cooking in the wood-fired stove when we entered. The aroma was enough to want me to live there forever.



But summer is still young, indeed. There is still a lot more time and a lot more things to do. I am glad that Slate Run was part of this summery day I got to spend with the kids, as part of our 'doing' today.

Homemade Black Raspberry Sorbet

Remember these black jewels we picked in Michigan last week? Well, we had wanted to turn them into something cold and delicious, but did not have enough time while we were up there. So, we took them home, one state south, and yesterday was the day for sorbet-making.



One of the reasons that I married my husband is that if we were given a choice, we tend to go with the old-fashioned way for most things. Almost always. One day when I came home from running errands without the rest of the family, they all had giddiness about them. All three of them. Should we tell Mommy what we got? He said to the kids... We had just gotten the chooks, and the coop to go with them. We also acquired a wheel barrow for our little backyard farm. I was hoping that they had not set up a composting toilet without a little bit of consultation.



We got an ice cream maker!! Yelled the kids. The old-fashioned kind!! They added. Oh phew. I can live with that, I thought.

When it arrived, my husband might have as well been a kid on Christmas day. The three of them attempted at the most basic of all: vanilla ice cream. We had Snowville cream and milk on hand, and so, they cranked and cranked. And 30 minutes later, we tasted the labor of love. It was not half bad.

In fact, it was good. It was not quite Jeni's - good...yet. But it was better than store-bought for sure. They went on to making more flavors...and this last, hand-picked wild black raspberry sorbet. I think it's the best one yet!

This is the recipe they used, from our trusted magazine friend Saveur.

Our Sunflower

They are finally blooming, our own sunflowers, planted from seeds. We must have planted two or three packets-full of sunflowers, but only three made it (we suspect all the happy squirrels around here are the culprits). Survival of fittest at work!

Black Raspberries

It's become a tradition of sort in our family: black raspberry hunting in Western Michigan. We won't tell you where exactly because, you see, it's our private territory. Once fourth of July comes around, we won't let anyone know where we go to find these black jewels!



I am saving you, in many ways, from an incredible amount of mosquitoes that take up residence in the said territory once the weather is warm and humidity is high. They are big, vicious, and numerous. It's better if you don't venture into their home because you will most likely be eaten alive.



But our kids love this tradition. And so do we. So when we were back up there last weekend, we put on our mosquito-brave faces and out we went.



There was enough for a tub full of black raspberries. This time I think they are going to be turned into scrumptious sorbet, hand cranked the old-fashioned way in an ice cream maker. I know...that is a story in itself.



You will have to come here again (to this blog) to find out what that is all about! I can tell you it will be worth a visit back (but you will have to wait a few days)!

Chick and Garden Update: July 7

I am cheating. This is not exactly the most current garden update. We just got back from being away for a few days...and honestly, this garden is about twice the size that you see here!



The ladies, too, they are quite a bit more mature looking, and much more used to their coop! We are patiently waiting for them to lay their first eggs...knowing full well that it won't be until the fall...the fall!



Stay tuned for a real update...after some weeding and watering and animal-loving after a bit of time away.

By the Lake

When you live 5 minutes away from the Pacific ocean, you don't think much about when you will see the water next. Vacation plans don't always work around coastlines or lakes, although I think it's human nature to want to be close to some sort of water. It completes the soul somehow (maybe because we are made mostly of water?).



Well that was then. This is now. We were excited to leave the heartland for a few days to be near Lake Michigan. It is one of the Great Lakes that looks like an ocean with beautiful sandy beaches and sand dunes. Swimming in the water here is not only refreshing, but practical. No salty residue to wash off afterwards.



We came over the 4th of July, and didn't see a single parade (but some fireworks over the trees from the grandparents' home). Instead we laid on the sand, played in the water, and celebrated America's birthday by the lake. Blissful.



Grand Rapids also has a farmers market that happens 4 days a week during the growing season. They are a bit behind central Ohio, so I still saw early summer produce beautifully laid out for purchase.



We were happily surprised to find gooseberries and red currants (only one bucket of each) at the market. The farmer was happy that we knew what they were! Well...of course we do.



We say so long to the lake shore for now, while looking forward to our return in a short few weeks.

Chicks and garden update

As I take a little break from writing (not a blog post...this is my procrastination!), I wanted to give you a little update on the chicks.



Clearly I was over ambitious about having a blog devoted to the chicks and the bunny (who was I kidding?). I could keep it up, but the house may never be clean, the laundry unfolded, the dishes unwashed. So, my friends, what I should do it keep it all in one place, right? I should have known better.



At any rate, the chicks have graduated from their warm indoor pad. They are now in the coop (with an extension area -- photos to come) right next to the bunny. All is well thus far. We even have an official permit to proof that we are legal owners of chickens in this little town of Bexley!

Oh, yes, and the garden is thriving. It's a forest of 40+ tomato plants, herbs, and pumpkins with several other edibles in between!

My girl and the bunny

A quick, sweet photo of my girl and her bunny. She was determined yesterday to be able to hold it, love it, cuddle with it (the bunny is half her size). And she achieved her goal. No photo of that here, but you can trust my word for it.

Cincinnati, Part II, Findlay Market

This post can also be viewed at Cool Columbus

Of course I couldn't go to Cincinnati without visiting the Findlay Market, right? My understanding family was nice enough to be dragged there despite the rain that was pouring down on us on Sunday morning (that was NOT in the forecast, but oh well). I had read a little about this public market in Edible Columbus' sister publication, Edible Ohio Valley. It was time to see it for myself.



Findlay market is tugged away in a small block in a sleepy neighborhood north of downtown Cincinnati. Like I said, it was raining, and it was early on Sunday morning, so it was not the most happening place in the city. But in some ways, it was a wonderful introduction to the market - we literally had it all to ourselves.



The inside of the market reminded me of a smaller version of the one in Cleveland we went to last winter. There were lots of meat vendors, bakeries, and even seafood stalls (a bit of a puzzle to me!). The German food culture influence is big here as well with lots of options for sausages, and German baked goods. Outside a very small farmers market braved the rain. We got some fresh staples to bring home as edible souvenirs.



Just outside of the covered market, more restaurants and shops lined the small streets. I have not felt this way about other places in Ohio (besides German Village), but the quaintness, the local food vendors, plus the colorful hanging baskets reminded me of small European villages I had visited in the past.



I can only imagine how lively and well attended the market would be on a warm sunny summer morning. I don't even need to see it to know, but I do hope to get back there again sometime to experience this place at its best.




Findlay Public Market
1801 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Hours of Operation

9am to 6pm - Tuesday through Friday
8am to 6pm on Saturday
10am to 4pm on Sunday
Closed Monday

Findlay Market is open year-round.