Heirloom Meals: Savoring Yesterday's Traditions Today

Wednesday December 22, 2010

Heirloom Meals Radio:
Nat Bacon

How does a Jewish boy from Cambridge, MA end up as the head cheese maker at Shelburne Farms? Simple, he had a keen interest in environmental studies and took a job working on a farm when he was 18 years old.  A few more stints on some farms, a degree in dairy farming from the University of Vermont and a summer apprenticeship at Shelburne Farms and the rest is history.

Nat shares his memories of nudel kugel, brisket and other jewish fare but he was smart enough to get the secret ingredient (aka TIP) from his Nana on how to make his kugel taste likes hers - fresh squeezed orange juice!!

The interview is fun and informative.  Nat defines cheddar - it's a place, a cheese and a process.  The pasture to palate, sustainable farming that is practiced at Shelburne Farms is inspiring.  Nat also shared some of his favorite recipes from the Cooking with Shelburne Farms, Food and Stories from Vermont.  I can't wait to make the Shepherd Pie!!  Shelburne Farms is well worth the visit and check out the cheesemaking and Nat at work, cheddaring!!  Can't wait to go back in the spring!!  Thank you Nat!

Listen to the interview here.

Tuesday December 21, 2010

Tabletop Tuesdays:
Simple Says it All

For right now, my everyday before Christmas tabletop is a fantastic 12 Days of Christmas cookie jar from Williams-Sonoma, combined with a table runner that I made this summer with feathers and eggs.  The red color does the trick for me.  I add a hint of green with the candles in my antique English barley twist candlesticks.  Simple is good. And the hidden treat is better!! 

Happy Solstice!!

Monday December 20, 2010

Ms Murky Mondays:
To Our Health!

Having just shot 16 videos with a focus on healthy, diabetes-friendly recipes I exist in the extreme consciousness of healthy eating/living.  So when I had a weird pain in my right calf for days - it didn't feel muscular, or charley-horse-like - I began to worry.  My symptoms were deep below the muscle, a slight burning and a nuisance.  And as most of us do - I go to WebMD and input my symptoms and I get "CALL YOUR DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY" I read more - oh my, it could be a blood clot.  So I was convinced for the past 3-4 days that I had deep vein thrombosis.  I am happy to report, a doctor's visit and trip to the hospital for a ultrasound later, I am OK!!!

Tears of JOY!! Merry Christmas. Thank you angels!

So I can go back to sharing my diabetes-friendly recipes.  And go back to working hard and loving life.  Don't take your health for granted!! Please eat well!!

So please check it out, the first of 16 - click on the cheesecake torte.

Friday December 17, 2010

Carole’s Concoctions:
A Page out of Jen’s Book!

I must give credit where credit is due.  And, today my sister, Jennifer Murko Gower gets all the credit. Jen is the consummate concoctor and she has truly developed some of the best recipes/guides for certain dishes that I often cook.  Several years ago she made a pork stew out of a leftover pork roast.  I asked her for the recipe and what she gave me were some basic instructions such as: "I used cumin to taste, lots of pepper, cannellini beans, onions, garlic, carrots - whatever -WHITE WINE, of course - chicken stock and finish it off with some spinach." 

And I have concocted this recipe with those instructions.  But I have taken it one step further - I wrote down exactly how I did it and the amounts.  So, here it is but PLEASE feel free to substitute and play - it's where all the creative fun happens!!

Thursday December 16, 2010

Heirloom Breeds & Seeds:
Early Winter Challenges and Pregnant Ewes

Of course the snow and the cold just couldn't hold off until the sheep were
settled for the winter, so I've been bundling up and just trudging ahead
with everything that needs to be done. The water freezes in the barn
nightly, so I added a heat tape. This doesn't mean the pipe doesn't freeze
anymore, it just takes a few minutes for the heat tape to work and the water
to run. I have the water pipe heavily insulated as well. Once the sheep are
in the barn, there will be enough body heat to keep the pipe from freezing.
I have to turn off the power to the barn at night when I leave for safety,
but when the lambs come, if we need it, the power can be on. Considering the
hayloft is above where the sheep live, it is a good idea not to tempt the
fates with a potential barn fire.

I'm closer to being completely ready for the pregnant ewes to move into the
barn. I've built some pens and filled in the gutters so the sheep don't fall
and trip. The girls have finished their hay aftermath grazing and they are
ready to move in. Tomorrow I will finish setting things up and bring inside
the ewes that will lamb in February/March. The "open" ewes, the ones who
aren't pregnant are out in the pasture with llamas, horse and donkey. We'll
add Happy the ram to the ewe flock this weekend and leave him in to breed
for 20 days.

Speaking of breeding, Nancy the Ultrasound lady was here Monday and we
scanned all 123 ewes to check for pregnancy and to see how many lambs they
were carrying. My Mom did the recordkeeping, Harvey spray painted the
shoulders of the pregnant ewes so we could tell them apart from the non
pregnant ewes, Kevin ran the gate letting sheep in and out, Nancy scanned
and I caught sheep. Boy did I sleep well that night! It took us about 3 1/2
hours to scan everyone. Ultrasound scanning isn't an exact science, but the
numbers we came up with are pretty good all the same. 68 ewes are bred. Of
those 36 are carrying singles and 32 are carrying twins. So about 100 lambs
total. These lambs will be born February through March 2011.

The next group of ewes (that will begin breeding this weekend) will lamb
sometime in May. Whoever doesn't get bred out of that group will be kept
with the ram and will form our fourth breeding group to lamb in July.

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