Garden Stories

Clayton had always believed that a good offense was the best defense. Especially now, with Big Government trying to force innocent citizens to buy insurance and eat vegetables and join a gym .... Armageddon was surely coming soon. But not before he would take matters into his own hands.

Beginning Spanish for Farmers

Being a farmer here in Arizona (or probably most other places) means that at least a little bit of Spanish is required for day-to-day communication and pleasantries. Now, I spent my entire childhood education learning French, so Spanish has been something of an interesting challenge for me, but one that I am enjoying.

I am lucky enough to work with some very nice hombres and they have taken it upon themselves to teach me some functional Spanish for the farm. Mostly at this point I know vegetables, numbers, and some basic verbs -- enough to get me through a day of harvesting. I can say necesito diez bunches nabos blancos por favor (I need ten bunches of white turnips please) and gracias para su ayuda (thank you for your help)  and donde es la jefa? (where is the boss lady?) and many other similar things. But I am always trying to add a few new words to my vocab, and I teach the guys some new words as well. It is a nice cultural exchange.

Today I had a customer come by in the afternoon and need a pound of dill. This is one of the Rainbow Valley ladies who make beautiful fresh cheese here in AZ and one of our old farmers' market buddies. So of course I told her "no problem, I can get that for you right away". I rushed right over to los hombres and let them know what I needed: "hola, nesecito comeré una libra de dill mas rapido, por favor".  And then, to get my point across that I needed it right away, I waved my hands in the air and shouted "ándale!"  and laughed. The guys looked at me, said something in Spanish that I didn't catch and pointed to the row of dill and asked "una libra?" I said "si, gracias" and walked off. A few minutes later, one of the guys came over with a pound of dill, which I gave to the cheese ladies and off they went. 

Well, because I am trying hard to learn farm Spanish I checked with the foreman, Carlos, later on in the day about my new word comare. "Carlos, what does comeré mean in English?"  I asked. "It means to eat" he replied and I burst out laughing. I had demanded that the guys eat a pound of dill, very quickly, and then waved my arms and said "get on with it!" Turns out that the word I was looking for was cortar .... to cut. It was indeed a good day on the farm.

Centurion

Mmmmmmmmmmm. Mmmm mmmm mmmm.

That is exactly how I feel after eating the most delectable happy hour snacks at Centurion here in blossoming Downtown Phoenix. We were walking by earlier today to get some coffee beans from our local roaster, when we stopped to peruse the menu of this tiny yet compelling eatery, relatively new in the area. As I oohed and ahhed over the menu descriptions, I noticed that the chefs were looking out the window at us and waving. So, naturally I went inside to check it out. I was intrigued.

Hours later, after failing to entice a few girlfriends to join me for a happy hour snack, my gallant husband offered to take me there instead. The only customers in the tiny interior dining room, we were treated to the pleasure of watching our chefs prepare for the (fully booked!) evening meal and listening in on the typical back-of-house chatter that happens at any restaurant during the twilight hour between lunch and dinner.

Our selections from the HH menu included chef's choice cheese plate, hot cashews, manchego and chorizo risotto and spinach and shitake mushroom risotto. The second risotto order was placed at the end of our meal when we really just needed more wonderful flavors to enjoy. We were not ready for the experience to be over. The meal was accompanied by $3 chef's special wines ... tasty, luscious and perfect with the food.

It would be hard to say that one item was the highlight of the meal, only because they were all a spectacular experience individually. The hot cashews were sauteed with garlic, paprika and red onions and had a burst of meaty, nutty flavor that was addictive. It was hard not to eat one bite right after another. The cheese plate was a dainty selection of cheeses with foccacia, mustard, raspberry jam, fig preserves and blackberries. The selections meshed supremely well, with bold complimentary flavors. But maybe the risotto really stole the show. Our first choice of manchego and chorizo risotto was creamy, subtle, rich, and perfectly balanced. It was all that I could to to restrict myself to tiny bites to make the enjoyment last longer. Of course, a second risotto had to follow the first, and I was still exclaiming all of the way home at how good my mouth still tasted. I have now vowed to learn to make risotto that is somewhere in the ballpark of Centurion's.

The entire personalized experience was heightened by the warmth of the staff -- Chef Eric, Chef Matt and Maitre' D Michelle. I was given a micro tour of the kitchen and treated to an insider's view of the operations of a small European Fusion kitchen brigade. Next time I will be sitting at the bar and peering over to intently absorb every movement and nuance of the Chefs at work.

Needless to say, I am a happy girl at the moment. I have no interest whatsoever in being productive for the rest of the evening and I will probably be begging someone to accompany me back to Centurion at the soonest possible occasion.

Radish Poem

I have the urge to plant new things at Patio Farm. The threat of frost is probably past here, and I have some newly cleared space in my garden. I was browsing through seed catalogues online and looking up photos of veggies on Google when I stumbled across a poem on radishes. I was touched. I love the humble, frivolous radish. I am glad that someone else is inspired, as I am.

Spoon River Vegetables
Radish
--GC aka BB

It is true.
I have squandered my life.

While the frugal celery
strove to tower,
and the conscientious pepper
struggled for dignity,
I was busy admiring the way
my healthy-rosebud-complexion
spread so evenly over
my satin polished skin,
taut over my
luscious rotundity.

I loved it there
in my darkness.
I relished the warmth
of the moist lover
enveloping my swelling belly.

How was I to know
I wore green flags on my head?

But I have never been angry.
I have no regrets.

When they pulled me
from the ground
the earth kissed me goodbye.


 
Poem found by chance at Bossy Betty blog.

Butternut Squash Soup With Jalapeno and Ginger

Winter is soup time.

While I am actually a big fan of soup year-round, there comes a point in fall when I celebrate the start of soup season and begin dreaming about big steamy pots of soup simmering on my stove top. There is potentially no better way to scent the entire house. My husband invariably comes down the stairs, lured by the smell of onions and wine or herbs, and exclaims at how great it smells. The great thing about soup is how well it keeps and what an easy and delicious lunch it makes for the rest of the week. There is nothing easier than taking a container of soup to work with you and heating it up. And no better lunch on a chilly day.

Soup is mostly an improvisational undertaking for me. I spend up-front time imagining what might taste good, considering what is in season, or in the fridge, and what I might combine to satiate my particular soup craving. There is nearly always at least a day of daydreaming that precedes any cooking and it builds the anticipation and excitement. "Guess what kind of soup I am going to make!" I'll say to just about anyone, and then launch into a description of my imagined soup extravaganza. Because of the extemporaneous nature of my soups, it is not often that we eat the same one twice. But the butternut squash soup here is a family favorite and has been made countless times in just about this exact form, because it is hard to make it any better.

I have actually not really liked many of the butternut soup recipes that I have tried in the past -- most of them are either too plain (just pureed squash!) or too sweet. This one has a spiciness and a warmth to it that compliments the squash and deepens the complexity of the meal.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger and Jalapeno

Olive oil
2" fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno or other spicy chilis, seeded and choppedsalt & black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne (more or less depending on heat preference and strength of cayenne)
4c vegetable stock
3 medium or 2 large butternut squash, peeled and seeded and cut into 1" cubes (about 8 cups)
1 tablespoon brown sugar or maple syrup
optional: milk, soy milk, cream or plain yogurt

Prep all of the ingredients first to make the cooking go quickly. In a large stock pot, heat the oil and add the ginger, garlic, jalapeno and a teaspoon or so of salt. Stir and then cover and cook on medium heat for a few minutes. Keeping the pot covered will prevent the moisture from evaporating and the garlic from browning. Once the mixture is soft and fragrant, add the cayenne and black pepper and cook for another minute or so. Add the stock, 2 cups water, sugar and squash and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until squash is soft, 30 or 40 minutes. Once the squash is soft, puree the soup and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more water at this point if you want the soup to be a thinner consistency. You can add the optional milk or cream, about 1/2 cup or so, and then cook for a few minutes longer. Or, you can serve the soup with a swirl of cream or plain yogurt as a garnish. Serve with homemade crostini for dipping. Makes enough for a meal for 4 with leftovers for lunch.

Ryan's Herb Crostini

Slice 1 fresh baguette thinly and lay on baking sheets. Brush with olive oil and a mix of herbs -- oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, etc. Bake in the oven at 350 until the crostini are crisp but not burnt. Can be stored in an air tight container for several days up to a week.