tomatillo berry crisp

tomatillos                     marianberries

from our csa farm            from our backyard

tomatillo berry crisp

(makes about 8 servings)

4 c chopped tomatillos, husks removed
1 c sugar (or a bit less)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp cornstarch
4 c berries

topping:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 c flour
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c chopped toasted pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Place tomatillos in a food processor. 
Zoom them around, then strain and reserve excess liquid. 
Pour processed, strained tomatillos into a saucepan.
Cook over low heat while stirring in sugar and salt, until it has the flavor of a nice tart apple (about 15 minutes).

Combine cornstarch with 3 Tbsp reserved tomatillo liquid.
Stir into simmering tomatillos until mixture thickens; remove from heat.

Heat oven to 375°

Spread cooked tomatillos in baking dish. Top with berries.

Mix remaining topping ingredients until crumbly, then sprinkle over fruit.

Bake 10-15 minutes.  Serve with ice cream.

♥

kids workshop at home depot - this saturday!

the first saturday of october is in just a few days!
that means it's the

free kids workshop

at the

home depot

9:00 am - 12:00 noon

click here for more information

and to see this month's project

{a boat}

here are the photos from last month

when ned made...

~ a cute little table ~

okay...

it's supposed to be a football display stand

♥

favorite quick breakfast: egg sandwich

hot, quick, delicious,

and more than 25 grams of protein.
what more could you ask for?

whole wheat english muffin

farm fresh egg

veggie sausage

cheddar cheese

{and butter}

...serve with fresh orange slices...

~ YUUUM! ~

♥

p.s. this is the veggie sausage i buy

earthly delights - csa bounty week 18

~ the final harvest ~

{thank you to our farmers & farm interns!}

here is our last share of the season

red russian kale

tomatoes

tomatillos

ground cherries

red and yellow onion

{our farm newsletter read,

"The tiniest red onion in the world,

and it's all yours..."}

leeks

carnival squash

summer squash

cucumbers

green beans

hot peppers

{a long joe cayenne for ned's mustache,

& a tiny jalapeño for bunny's mustache}

sweet italian pepper

eggplant

magic garlic

basil

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

our paradigm-shifting farmers,

~ casey & lori ~

they truly make the world a better place.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

and me,

wearing my new upcycled

~ earthly delights farm t-shirt ~

{100% farmer screenprinted}

who's your farmer?

♥

earthly delights harvest party 2010

it was a really cool shindig

on this gorgeous day

in a northwest boise backyard.

there was a delicious potluck

from mostly local ingredients

{with a contest ~ the tomatillo berry crisp won}

there were several musical guests,

poetry readings,

and then ned sang the abc's

there were favorite farm games of yore:

a three-legged race & potato sack races.

ned won the sack race... twice.

here he is with his farm-fresh prizes:

if you live near boise,

you would be well-advised to

click here

and find a way to connect with these great folks.

you could:

1. buy a csa share for next summer

for 18 weeks of local, organic produce

2. buy a winter csa share

for 10 weeks of homemade soup & bread

3. attend one of their workshops on

seed saving, canning, homebrewing,

fruit tree pruning, backyard chickens,

or urban permaculture.

4. just call or email them and ask for a farm tour

or find out how you can get involved.

earthly delights is not a traditional farm.

it is made up of several urban backyards

in northwest boise.

homeowners allow the farmers to grow

crops in their backyards,

maximizing diversity and production

in previously underutilized lots.

locally grown food is healthier

for us,

for the environment,

and for the local economy.

the web of earthly delights farmers, interns,

neighbors, friends, and family

is a model for a sustainable, happy world.

and they throw one heck of a party.

♥

fall window

brown, orange, warm red.

pewter, gold, tarnished silver, rust.

i have redone my kitchen window.

i'm dedicating it to

~rebecca~

who, like me, has a fall birthday

and who needs it's familiar, cozy warmth

more than ever.

{fall is my favorite season}

♥

♥ bunny ♥

around here, he's a VERY big deal.

and today, he got to go to school with ned

for show & tell.

here are ned & bunny the moment they met

{easter 2006, ned was 17 months old}

 

without question, bunny is the best.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

i helped in ned's class today.

such a treat to get to witness this special time.

when it was time for recess, i gave him a kiss,

then stood in the doorway of his classroom

and watched him run out into the sun,
down onto the playground with his friends.

it's all still so new for him,
and recess is the part
he looks forward to the most.

 

i pressed the moment into my memory.

hard.

like a handprint into clay.

♥

pip & patito ~ just a couple ducks who happen to be living the good life

visiting them continues to be my daily gig.

here they are from earlier today

in all their ducky spendor:

♥

do you ever... put your hair up with a knot & a chopstick?

this is what i do with my just-washed hair

i gather it up as if i'm making a ponytail,

twist it into a knot,

then skewer it securely

{say that 5 times fast}

with a fancy chopstick.

{you can also use a pencil}

it's quick, easy, pretty,

& better for your hair than an elastic band.

have you ever tried to photograph the back of your head?

it's not easy.

and this hairstyle has a bonus:

once it's dry,

it has turned my stick-straight hair

into loose ringlet curls.

i actually made these beaded chopsticks

13 years ago when i worked here.

{i was even their hair model!}

♥

callapitters

i love them

and how he says callapitters

~~ also ~~

breakfast is brek-dis

animal is ama-lul

squirrel is sqwuh-luh

♥

earthly delights - csa bounty week 17

we are fortunate to eat so very well.

thank you, farmers, for

our share this week:

{~these kids are getting downright squirrely~}

tomatoes (lots!)

tomatillos

cucumbers

green beans

magic garlic

yellow onion

a leek

a baby melon

eggplant

bell pepper

ground cherries

basil

~ ~ ~

happy eating!

♥

today wasn't such a good day

this card really sums it up: 

after a day like this,

i just KNOW that tomorrow will be better.

{ eyes up, right durls? }

♥ 

rustic roasted tomato bread soup {from tracy porter}

are you familiar with tracy porter?

she is such an inspiration to me.

~{and many of you}~

she is a genius

of fashion, decorating, gardening, cooking...

to name a few of her arenas.

yesterday, i made her recipe for

~RUSTIC ROASTED TOMATO BREAD SOUP~

and it was phenomenal.

tracy first posted this recipe & video
18 months ago,
and i've been meaning to make it ever since then.
{i'm a little slow on the uptake}
it is a bit like she read my mind, though,
as my kitchen counter was full of gorgeous tomatoes
{from monday's csa share,
our own backyard, and a few from friends}
and i was planning to make it this week
when she re-posted the recipe.

i will let you head on over to HER blog
to see the recipe & her loveliness in action.
{click right here}

i adapted her recipe a bit
since i had no olives, leeks, or scallions.

i had lots of organic heirloom tomatoes,

one big yellow onion & 3 partial heads of garlic.

note: since they were partial heads,

i peeled all the cloves prior to roasting.

here is my tomato/onion/garlic mixture

{before} roasting

 {after} roasting

as she predicted,
my whole house,
inside AND outside, 
smelled heavenly.

once i had them in my soup pot,
i used my immersion blender to quickly blend
the roasted tomatoes/onions/garlic.
{this is easier than using a food processor.}

i used my usual vegetarian broth instead of chicken stock.

this is the bread i used

with basil from my garden

and parmesan shavings on top,
the finished soup was epic.

thank you, tracy, for a new family favorite!

♥

show & tell

friday is ned's show & tell day.

show & tell is not really a time for boring.

no, show & tell

is when you break out the über-cool.

the unbelievable.

with that in mind,

he chose his magnetic rocks.

he demonstrated for the class

how he can put one rock on top of the table

and {magically} move it around
with another rock underneath the table.

a trick that, according to his teacher,

was very much appreciated

by his colleagues.

♥

september 16 ~ today is my dad's birthday!

☼
☼ ☼ ☼
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

happy birthday, pop!

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
☼ ☼ ☼ ☼
☼ ☼ ☼
☼

if my dad had his perfect day,

it might look like this:

wake up early

read the paper
with coffee & a couple krispy kremes
do the crossword puzzle

hit the outlet mall {☺just kidding}

go to a baseball game {make it a double-header}

watch the stock market recover

have a scotch on the rocks,

then a gourmet italian dinner,

then see a concert.

{all with my mother, of course.

because, after almost 50 years of marriage,

they still really like each other.}

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

here are some choice bits of sage fatherly advice:

1.
the diplomatic
ask your mother


2.

i never promised you "fair"

my dad is a VERY fair man.
but, for whatever reason,
like,
ice cream cones that seemed to be different sizes,
someone would inevitably whine, "that's not FAIR!"


3.
read the book

handy when someone can't figure out
a new gadget

and, my favorite:

4.
we are a family;

we will get through this together.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

i love you, dad.

hope your day is great.

♥