Daily Archives: August 17, 2009

Woolly Mammoths

The Herd Dispersed

Leave a comment

Lughnasa                                 Waning Green Corn Moon

The Woollies have come and gone.  Kate’s wonderful meal has begun to work the true miracle of transubstantiation, beets and potatoes and chicken become Bill, Frank, Charlie, Warren.  We did a tour of the orchard and the vegetable garden, talking along the way about permaculture.   The topic interested everyone.  It was fun to share the work Kate and I have been doing here with good friends.

Kate’s idea of giving the big dogs bones to occupy them worked well.

The dining room table had 9 people around it.  It felt like a family dinner.  We never moved from the table.

Jim Johnson showed up and brought his idea of selling lambs to individuals.

Now, tired.  Good night.

Cooking, Woolly Mammoths

Ready

Leave a comment

Lughnasa                             Waning Green Corn Moon

The table has its two extra leaves, making it big enough for 8 seated with space, 10 or so with a little up closeness thrown in for good measure.  There are daisies and marigolds in vases.  Our entire apple crop for this year–3–rest in a Japanese bowl.  The greens have been cut, washed and chiffonaded.  Kate has roasted the turnips and beets.  The chickens will go into a clay pot each and the potatoes will go onto boil.

Appetizers are ready and we’ll get the ice when Warren arrives to help.  The house got an extra cleaning today and the patio and deck have been swept.  We’re ready.

It’s fun to do this once in a while.  Gathering our own produce and preparing it made me feel like a small farmer.  It’s a good feeling.

The temperature will be moderate and the sky clear.  A perfect evening to consider local and sustainable agriculture, but even more a perfect evening to entertain friends.

Cooking, Family, Woolly Mammoths

Mammoths Trek North

Leave a comment

Lughnasa                          Waning Green Corn Moon

Today the Woolly Mammoths put themselves on the ancient trail to the north, a gathering of the herd happens here in Andover starting at 6:00 p.m. or so.  Kate has helped me with the meal the last two meetings, or, better, I have helped her help me.  The menu includes two brined and roasted free-range chickens.  It also includes potatoes from our garden with our parsley, roasted beets, turnips, and carrots, and possibly, tomato and onion salad from our garden.  I say possibly because three of our Cherokee Purples began to turn last Friday, all the rest of our tomato explosion are still green.  Kate will also make her signature dish, a rhubarb pudding.

I have to go out this morning and retrieve my new wedding ring from the jewelers so Vega, Kate, and I can have a small ceremony during the meeting blessing the new ring.  Then there’s a chain to get to keep Rigel out of the damned orchard.  Ice.  Bones to keep the big dogs happy during the meal.  The little things that have to get done before a large meal.

So, I’d better get to it.  Talk to you later.