Godspeed the Plough

Though the wealthy and great
Live in splendor and state
I envy them not, I declare it
For I grow my own hams
My own ewes, my own lambs
And I shear my own fleece and I wear it

By plowing and sowing
By reaping and mowing
All nature provides me with plenty
With a cellar well stored
And a bountiful board
And my garden affords every dainty

For here I am king
I can dance, drink, and sing
Let no one approach as a stranger
I'll hunt when it's quiet
Come on, let us try it
Dull thinking drives anyone crazy

I have lawns, I have bowers
I have fruits, I have flowers
And the lark is my morning alarmer
So all farmers now
Here's Godspeed the plow
Long life and success to the farmer

~Agrarian Folk Song

   A most splendid farmer's toast. Shared by Jenna over at Cold Antler.

Reubens again...kind of

The Corned Beef Vessel

  The Reuben Sandwich! Oh yes...um...well, I know I had mentioned previously that Round One of Reuben creation/consumption had all conspired very quickly. So quickly in fact, that no pictures of said sandwich were produced. I made Reubens once again, and once again...no pictures happened. I am a terrible photo documentor. So to make up for it, I instead include a photo (and recipe!) of the deliciously fantastic rye bread I used for the elusive sandwich. Enjoy!




James Beard's Sourdough Rye Bread



Ingredients:


Three Days in Advance- 1 package dry yeast
                                      2 c lukewarm water
                                      2 c all-purpose flour

One Day in Advance-     2 c rye flour
                                      1 c lukewarm water

Bread:

1 package dry yeast
2 1/4 c lukewarm water
2 tsp kosher salt
1 T caraway seeds
1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds
2 T melted butter
3 T sugar
4 c all-purpose flour
butter and cornmeal for loaf pans
1 egg + 1 T water beaten for egg wash



Three Days in Advance- In a bowl, combine yeast and water.
                                     Add flour and blend.
                                     Pour the starter into a container and seal tightly.
                                     Allow starter to sit at room temperature for 2 days.
                                     Then place in the refrigerator for 1 day.

One Day in Advance-    Put 1 cup of the starter in  bowl.
                                     Measure in rye flour and lukewarm water.
                                     Mix together and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand overnight at room temperature.

The Bread:

Dissolve yeast with 1/4 c water.
Stir down dough that has been standing overnight.
Add dissolved yeast, salt, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, melted butter, and sugar.
One cup at a time, add flour, stirring to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough out and knead for 10 to 12 minutes.
Shape dough into a ball and place in a buttered bowl. Turn the dough over to coat it with butter. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, butter 2 loaf pans and generously sprinkle with cornmeal.
Punch down dough and divide in half.
Shape dough into loaves and place into loaf pans. Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°. Brush loaves with egg wash and bake for 30 minutes, or until bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped. (= Delicious).




Notes & Tips: 
           

• I personally could have stood to cut the amount of caraway seeds in half or more. Some people love them, I'm not really one of those people so much.
• I omitted the poppy seeds. Simply because I was too lazy to buy poppy seeds.
• I cut most rising times in half by boiling a small saucepan of water, setting pan in oven, covering dough with dishtowel, and placing dough into oven above saucepan.
• What do you do with the rest of the starter? How do you feed a "mother"? Please enlighten me bakers.

        

 I will get right on that Reuben sandwich photo thing. Let me just corn some more beef first...

CharcutePalooza: The Brining

Corned Beef

   Brining. Such a simple concept that produces such wonderfully tasty results, yet so few of us utilize it. The CharcutePalooza challenge for the month of March was based on brining. The Apprentice Challenge being brined pork chops or a whole chicken, and the Charcuterie Challenge being corned beef. I skipped the Apprentice Challenge this month, as I brine every piece of pork and poultry that I cook. If you have not tried this technique before, please do so at once. You will be amazed at the difference in juiciness and flavor. This is my very basic brine recipe that I use for just about everything.

.

Brine for Chicken, Turkey, Seafood, and Pork


Ingredients:

2 quarts water, divided (can substitute half with sweet tea)
1/4 c salt
1/4 c sugar
any seasonings you like


Place 1 quart water in freezer.
Meanwhile, heat 1 quart water in small saucepan with remaining ingredients until dissolved, let cool.
Combine liquids in a nonreactive container.
Add meat and place in refrigerator, let chill for 30 minutes for pieces, up to 2 hours for a whole chicken.
Remove meat and pat dry. Discard liquid.
Cook any way you like.


   Brining really couldn't be simpler. Thanks to that fun process called osmosis, salt, flavoring, and moisture penetrate to the core of the meat, something a simple surface seasoning can't do. So I'm not sure why it came as such a surprise that corned beef could be so easy or tasty. It was nothing more than the same basic brining idea and a cheap cut of beef brisket with a little pink salt and pickling spice thrown in, and then a rest in the refrigerator for 5 days. After which it is simmered for several hours. All I can say is I have never had corned beef like it before. It was so incredibly tender, subtly spiced, and deliciously fatty.
   So, obviously Reuben sandwiches had to be made. They just had to. So going along in the challenge of the month, I also tried my hand at sauerkraut. Oh yes, did I mention veggies can be brined too? Even easier. Water, salt, and cabbage, left to mingle with one another in a coat closet for 2 weeks. Produces magical results. I am truly convinced that all of the most wonderful food things in life are all fermented.


Sauerkraut


Ingredients:

17 cups water
3/4 cup + 2 T kosher salt
1 green cabbage, shredded
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (optional)


Combine salt and water in a medium saucepan and heat until dissolved, chill.
Combine cabbage, caraway, and brine in a nonreactive container.
Fill a large plastic resealable bag with water and place over cabbage to keep completely submerged.
Keep in a cool dark place for at least 2 weeks, longer for a stronger flavor (mine was a little mild, I would try 3 weeks).
Strain the brining liquid into a pot and boil. Let cool and combine with cabbage.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Brined & Fermented Cabbage a.k.a. Sauerkraut

   Here is where I was supposed to show you a picture of those stunning Reubens, the beautiful lovechild of brined things and home baked bread (another post). But alas, they were all consumed too fast for the camera to capture. I guess I will just have to brine more meat.

More bacon goodness

Smoked for 3 hours

Roll Call

Honey Butter Rolls

   Look at those beauts! Yes, I made those! As my baking failure rate is very high, I will continue to blog about successes until I bore you completely to death.
   We fired up the smoker last weekend to celebrate such gorgeous weather with good friends, and of course, pig was involved. Unfortunately, I have no other pictures to offer, such as farm fresh deviled eggs...coleslaw...honey BBQ pulled pork...shrimp wrapped in homemade pancetta. It just got "got" too darn fast. Sorry. But I do have a recipe for these amazing rolls, that were oh so good with heritage pork and a handful of refrigerator pickles.

Honey Butter Rolls


Ingredients

1/4 c warm water
1 package dry yeast
1 tsp good local honey
1 3/4 c warm milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1/3 c honey
3 tsp kosher salt
6 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c butter, softened
1/4 honey


Combine water, yeast, and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Mix milk, eggs, 1/2 c butter, honey, and salt in mixer with paddle attachment. Add yeast mixture. Gradually add 5 c of flour, and beat on medium for 3 minutes.
Cover bowl with dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.
Uncover, add 1 1/2 c flour, and mix on medium for 5 minutes. Transfer to greased bowl, cover, and let rise yet again, for 1 hour.
Punch down dough and roll out into balls. Roll smaller balls for dinner rolls, larger for sandwich rolls.
Place in 2 greased 9" tins or pie dishes. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. (Almost there!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together 1/2 c butter with 1/4 c honey (although I admit I ran out of butter at this point and used lard instead...mmm)
Bake rolls for 10-12 minutes, or until delicious and beautiful like picture above.
Brush with honey butter and serve with remaining butter.


You can also freeze these rolls after baking, which is really nice for someone like me who rarely bakes bread. There is truly nothing more relaxing, satisfying, and seriously tasty than baking your own bread. While is does take time, the actual work involved is minimal, and the rising times take very little planning ahead.
  
Warning: Do make sure that people you invite over while you bake said bread are those you actually like, because it is terribly hard to get rid of company when the smell of baking yeast bread lingers in the air.

Crazy Farm People

   I feel an indescribable urge to write. To write...Right...Now. Maybe it's the fact that  I have been seriously slacking in the blogging department as of late, maybe it's the wine, but I think it's just plain inspiration. I have been reading a new book (well, one of several) that is acting as muse tonight.
   The book is called The Accidental Farmers, and the author is Tim Young. Tim and his lovely wife Liz are both farmers at Nature's Harmony Farm in the ye ole tiny town of Elberton, GA (yeah, I asked where the hell that was too). I had the pleasure of meeting them both at a Farm School they hosted last year, and then later I had the opportunity to make cheese with Tim and their awesome intern Amanda, not to mention buy the amazing naturally-raised meat, eggs, and cheese they sell. So while I do not know them well, I consider them all to be friends of mine.
   Naturally, when they released a book, I had to buy a copy right away. As of this moment I am 3/4 of the way through it, so I imagine I will be mentioning it again. Besides the personal ties I have to buying their book, and the idea I am in love with of farming and making a living off of the land, I want to talk about this book because it challenges and ingrains some very important issues and ideologies in my mind.
   I think besides the idea that farming is a hard-working lifestyle that requires early morning rooster wake-up calls, the majority of people picture a country farm life as a picturesque setting filled with sweet baby animals and awe inspiring landscapes. I commend Tim for both agreeing with and challenging this view point. I admire the fact that he lays out all of the negatives alongside the positives, and doesn't hide the ugly side of farming. There will always be death, there will always be illness. If you are an animal lover, it is always heart wrenching to experience both, even among many.
   I think what I find so surprising is that I am not deterred by this. I consider myself to be a huge animal lover, I wanted to be a veterinarian for all of my childhood, and have owned more animal species than most would in a lifetime. So the idea that I would be Ok with losing those that I raised from birth is a little startling, and reassuring. Maybe it is because I have already dabbled in the world of slaughtering my own food, but while death is not a desirable aspect of farming, expecting it is a must.
   I agree with many of both Liz and Tim's views on farming, in particular those pertaining to raising animals in the hopes they will "get back with nature". In our pursuit of cheap food, the animals we have raised have lost so much of their "animalness" in the process. They succumb to a number of diseases without medicinal help, cannot survive on natural forage alone, and most disturbingly, forgot how to breed on their own. To mimic nature and produce offspring that will eventually follow suit, unfortunately means an inevitable death toll, which Tim is quick to point out. I appreciate such honesty and transparency, and strangely it makes me feel better, maybe because I instinctively believe that everything that sounds too good to be true always will be.
   But the real reason for my rant tonight was actually inspired by a question he proposes to his readers. "What is it that so many feel is lacking or missing in their lives that creates interest in this lifestyle?" The "lifestyle" of course being that of homesteading, farming, and just a general interest in lost arts such as food preservation. For whatever reason, this question struck me to the core. Probably because I had never really thought about it before. I had always sort of assumed that my interest in things such as cheese making had stemmed from such an intense love of both cheese and animals. But I believe it is deeper than that. I have not always had such strong feelings for salami or pate. Had you asked me several years ago, I would not have been able to tell you what pancetta was.
   Why do more and more people feel such a need to seek out traditions that have long since been abandoned? Why are there almost 1,500 microbreweries in America now, compared to a mere 82 in 1980? Why has the online CharcutePalooza challenge been such a wild success? It is a question worth pondering that there are no right nor wrong answers for. I have been thinking about that question all night, and while I still don't have a definitive answer, I think the more important point here is that I am thinking about it.
   Having a passion doesn't necessarily need a clear cut reason. A woman who goes completely gaga over babies doesn't need to explain it anymore than the nut (myself) that flips out over fuzzy animals. But probing deeper into one's psyche is important I think. Getting deeper into the whys helps you better figure out what is just a phase, and what is a lifelong commitment. And more importantly, what your values are.
   Just the idea of farming day in and day out is a difficult thing to wrap my mind around, so why am I so attracted to it? An easy answer would be control. But just because you are electing to raise your own food or make your own beer does not exactly mean you have control over it. You have more control over what goes on your cheeseburger than how a batch of cheese will turn out. It's not about providing for yourself, you can do that so much more easily at the grocery store.

Farmstead Cheese

   So what is it? I'm not sure, and I would love your input here, because every reason is a good one. For me, it goes beyond avoiding chemicals or being healthier. I think it is the overwhelming feeling I have when a chicken that provides me with my breakfast follows me around the yard, or an enthusiastic friend samples a cured meat I have spent weeks preparing. It's not just about being "green", or even preserving the past, but about preserving relationships and community, with both humans and animals. In an age of technology and faceless communication, forging a life in things that are "real", not only nourishes your body and soul, but nourishes those around you and connects you to a unique community in ways you would not have expected, whether you sell for a profit or not.
   Even those of us who consider ourselves to be socially aloof (myself included) I think subconsciously  yearn for a connection to those around us that is real and lasting. I believe it is a primal need to share with those dearest to us, and what could be more valuable than something you grew or crafted yourself. Nothing says love more clearly. That can mean your closest friends, or your local food community. It's about keeping alive a "community" that has spanned generations, not just the present.
   I am grateful for being attracted to what most would consider a very bizarre way of life, and to be friends with so many around me that fuel my fire and challenge my way of thinking. Thanks Tim for asking a question I will no doubt ask myself for a long time to come.

A happy Nature's Harmony Farm pig

CharcutePalooza: Pancetta...Conquered

   It appears that all of my pancetta rolling frustrations paid off in the end. Today I cut my pancetta down from its' gallows and further inspected it. No mold, slightly dry on the outside but still pliable, smelled tasty. All good signs. After freeing it from its' (bad) truss, I cut it straight through the middle. Beautiful! My crazed rolling attempts did pay off.

swirly pork



   But one cannot judge a meat on good looks alone, I needed to know how it tasted. After having consumed a good deal of bacon on its' own, I figured I should incorporate this cured meat into some sort of recipe. After picking up a gorgeous bunch of kale on impulse and taking inventory of ingredients on hand, a lovely pasta dish seemed only right. Never mind it was for breakfast. Pancetta is pretty much bacon anyway.
   I used a whole wheat spaghetti for its' nutty flavor, but any pasta will do. There really isn't any sauce, allowing the pancetta to shine through instead. The earthy bitterness of both cauliflower and kale compliment the pancetta, while sweet squash contrasts it. You could just as easily use bright ingredients like fresh peas, artichokes, or asparagus for a springtime twist.

Roasted Cauliflower, Buttercup Squash, & Kale Spaghetti with Pancetta


Ingredients

1/2 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
1 small cauliflower head, divided into florets
1 buttercup squash, peeled and chopped
3 1/2 inch thick slices pancetta, cubed
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, rough chopped
1/4 c chicken or beef stock
salt & pepper


Boil spaghetti in salted water until "al dente". Drain and toss with olive oil.
Roast cauliflower and squash in a 400 degree oven until crispy and browned (about 30 minutes).
Saute pancetta in large pan until also crispy and browned (About 8 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towels.
Add onions to pan and cook until tender (4 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add kale and toss. Add stock and cover. Cook for 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
Toss vegetables with pasta, season with salt and pepper.
Top with pancetta.

Breakfast

   I think the greatest lesson I am learning from all of these meaty DIY projects thus far is how special food traditions really are. It is so easy to order meat from the deli (well, other than the waiting part) and not give another thought to it. But when you take the time and effort to cure a piece of pork and watch it transform into something as identifiable and truly iconic as bacon, it really makes you stand back and appreciate the skill those before us had to not only survive on what they made, but make it so delicious too. I feel humbled by the craft I am learning.