Ground Flow

Elderberries To The Rescue

2009-08-22T14:30:00.006+02:00

Last week, we went over to our friend's house in the south of Belgium. They live in a small valley, and have woods behind their huge backyard. It was supposed to be the height of the Leo Perseids meteor shower/show. But it was cloudy and rainy all evening and all night. So that ended that.

That didn't stop us from having a barbecue (corrugated metal covered the large grill), while various salads and vegetable dishes (using Olive Oil they got from a friend in Provence) were prepared. It was a cozy evening with good friends, good food, and loads of laughter.

The next morning we woke up and noticed that in most of the elderberry trees were ripening or fully ripe. So, I asked. And they said, of course! It was still drizzling/raining, but we picked from branches we could reach by pulling down the flexible branches, and soon I had a full bag.

And I have FINALLY gotten to all those berries taking up a whole shelf in the fridge.

It is picky and time-consuming work. Next time I do this, I am enlisting help. Because you have to make sure you get all the spidery thin stems and twigs removed. When cooked, they are poisonous (raw too, actually). And then I had this huge bowl to contend with.

But after debating between jelly or syrup. I decided on both. Well, actually a jam (which is jelly, but with skins and seeds - because I didn't feel like straining out the seeds and skins, again! There are only so many pots in our kitchen). And so, I ended up with 5 1/2 jars of Elderberry Jam and one litre (quart) bottle of Elderberry Syrup. I did a mix of recipes and methods. And because I don't have a kitchen scale, I guessed the amounts of everything. But here are basics:
Elderberry Jelly
Elderberry Syrup
Elderberry Jam

So, here we are Elderberry Jam and Elderberry syrup. The Syrup (and the jam too!) is very good for preventing the onset of a cold or for any throat infection/virus. A couple of teaspoons a few times a day, will keep you in good health. This morning I used those couple of teaspoons over yogurt and sliced apples. The taste was amazing! Next time an elderberry-apple jam/butter! They really complement each other so well.

So why is it "Elderberries To The Rescue"? Not only because I have a bit of a cold coming on that I plan to make disappear, but also we keep getting these apples, and I am getting sorely tired of coring, peeling, or mushing for an apple pie/crumble, or whatever. Now I can just slice and top with elderberry syrup or elderberry jam, on yogurt, on bread with butter (for the Europeans) or peanut butter (for the Americans). I can even have a refreshing drink in this glorious summer heat by adding some cold sparkling water!

That deep velvety luxurious red deepening to purple.

Tomatoes, Tomatoes... Pizza, Arabiatta, Stuffed!

2009-08-15T12:19:00.011+02:00

Tomato season has officially started! It's been just over a week that we have 4-5 tomatoes a day. That means if we don't pick or eat tomatoes for one day we have 8-10 to contend with. This morning, however I picked 21 tomatoes! Had it been that long that I had looked into our little greenhouse?! Or maybe the past week as just the teaser!

One day last week, we had collected about 10 tomatoes and I decided it was a good a time as any to make a pizza topped with tomatoes, basil,arugula and spinach from our garden.

And it was hard work! People say pizza dough is easy, but they lie. I could have made two loaves of bread in the time and energy I used (in fact I was a bit lazy, as i didn't do as good a knead as I should have, but it was hot, and it's pizza - c'mon!). Well now I know for next time. there will be another pizza next week using different dough... but all in all...

It was delicious!! And looks pretty... but there is so much to learn! And whoever comes to our house next week is going to get a treat. : )

The next day was pasta arabiatta (chili-garlic tomato sauce). Sorry, no pictures - we were too hungry.

The day after that tomatoes stuffed with breadcrumbs, almond slices, garlic, and a bunch of parsley, to go with lamb chops and mint sauce.

Here are some more pictures:

The Blackberry-Apple Ritual

2009-08-11T10:36:00.007+02:00

When we were young, we would spend the summer with our dad in London. He had a house in Wembley with a garden. And in the darkest corner of the garden was a blackberry bush. We always came in August, and were always "lucky" (so we thought) to get the blackberries at their ripest. We would each get a large bowl, wade through that dark corner, and somehow it was always a fantastic surprise. "Blackberries!"

We would pick blackberries until our fingers were deep red with juices -- looking like we had lost the fight with the blackberry thorns. But we would emerge smiling and carrying bounty!

We would walk into the kitchen, where Beverly would have the apples already sliced. We'd help crumble the crumble. Top the pie, put it in the oven. Eat dinner. Take out the pie. Make custard while it cooled just a little. And have the warm deep red blackberry-apple juices peeking from under golden crumble and ochre custard.

So now you know why I had to make this. This is the late summer ritual. Even if our bush isn't that large and our harvest wasn't that huge. Plus, we have apples from our garden. And these were the first ripe ones!

Oh, and I added blueberries (more than the picture shows) - because the blackberries needed some help. So, I guess, it is really a mixed-berry-apple crumble. More than good enough!

Garden Sunshine

2009-08-10T11:07:00.005+02:00

Good Morning Sunshine! This lemon yellow sunflower woke us up a few mornings ago. It's sorbet color, plus it's height (about 2 meters) makes sure it gets lots of attention.

A friend of ours, who has a huge organic garden in Hoegaarden (yes, the town of the famous citrus-y Belgian beer), brought us a huge tall graceful bunch of coriander (aka, cilantro) flowers as a house-warming gift last year. And ever since then, I've wanted them in my garden. I made thai curries, ginger-lime soups, and topped salads, honey-ginger glazed chicken with the young leaves. Now I have these beautiful flowers, and tiny pale green spheres that will soon bronze into coriander seeds -- to add to further curries, Indian, Moroccan... Oh, I'm in love!

Another lace-like flower. Melding yellow into green. I planted dill for the chance to make yogurt sauces and delicate, yet flavor-packed fish --- but I also wanted the flowers. And next to the coriander, it creates a lacy curtain in front of our sunflowers.

And one ruby ripening on the vine. We had some on the pizzas I made yesterday. I'll post those pictures soon.

No flour, hardly any sugar... and the shops are closed

2009-08-09T16:09:00.004+02:00

This is really going to be a non-post, but I had all these things planned for today and my pantry is empty (well, not as full as it should be). And it is Sunday afternoon, so all the stores are closed. So in the meantime, I'm posting a picture of the red currant-cherry jam on bread with butter. That gorgeous red-purple color looks beautiful in the sun.

Ah, breakfast was on the terrace (or patio in American??). I had blueberries with yogurt and then more blueberries with cornflakes. The start of blueberry season is a beautiful thing. And it may just have inspired us to see if we can buy a bush. Heheheh...

For now, I have a box of red currants that we bought in the shop on the stove transmuting into jam, as I write this. Because, obviously we need more (and the price was cheap)!

ADDED on August 11th - The transmuting into jam

The Drying of Mint

2009-08-02T16:41:00.003+02:00

It's really simple. No mixing, measuring, or adding. And yet, I almost missed the chance to enjoy our mint through the fall and winter. Right now, everything is in bloom. Bright purple flower abuzz with bees, and this is the wrong time to harvest. Luckily I started a couple of weeks ago. Last week, I took the bunches tied with string out of our shed and brought them into to be stored in jars.

Ironically (or perhaps not to those who know better), the mild spearmint has the stronger dried mint scent, while it is quite mild when fresh. The peppermint was quite a bit less potent. Perhaps I picked the wrong time to harvest them. That is always a possibility. But it is a joy to have fresh, um, dried mint for tea.

Apple Chutney Improvisation

2009-08-02T16:28:00.004+02:00

Well it turns out that I couldn't make the "English" recipe for apple chutney, as "Allspice", apparently, does not exist in Belgium. And I didn't feel like using black peppercorns. So, I compromised and with the ginger added two cardamom pods and 4 or 5 cloves.

It didn't come out with chunks of apples, but rather like a purée. But we've already eaten the half jar extra as a condiment to burgers (lamb and veggie) and with potatoes. It is spicy and sweet with a hint of apple.

That same day, I had some red currants from a friend's garden. It wasn't enough for a pot, so I added some cherries. We just ate opened it today, and it has a lovely red-purple color and taste. The raspberry-currant one was a bit tastier, but we are not complaining. Here's to raspberries, currants and all things red.. combined with a bit of ginger and green apple!

Apples and Things

2009-07-15T22:42:00.002+02:00

Over the past week, our apple tree has been shedding some of the smaller fruit. I can't tell whether it is the wind, or some sort of self-pruning mechanism.

Then, this past weekend we had friends over with their 7 month-old baby, and then more friends with two more kids. These kids are tall enough to reach the apples, and so they did. "I was just caressing them", the oldest said. Hmmm... the bite mark in one of the three picked apples says that perhaps some sort of fairy tale fantasy of "picking fruits in the forest" was running through their minds...

So now we have 7 small green apples... and someone suggested CHUTNEY. What a great idea! Now that I've begun making preserves.

I have found two recipes. One that is more "English". The other more "Indian". I haven't decided which one I'll make yet. Any votes?

Champagne Currant-Raspberry Jam

2009-07-05T22:03:00.003+02:00

Champagne currants (as opposed to black- or red currants) look like perfect pale pink transparent spherical jewels, but they are sour and seedy, even when at their ripest. So, this week, we picked them all and today began the great experiment. My first attempt at making jam.

I added a handful of raspberries, mushed them all together. Bring to a boil, add lots of sugar, cook some more... and my first pot of jam!

Only one pot. But, I'm so proud! Hopefully, it will still be around when my friends from Switzerland come by at the end of the month.

I ma-ade ja-am! I ma-ade ja-am! And it looks beautiful.

Catch-22

2008-11-18T16:57:00.004+01:00

So, I'm not good at this blogging thing. And I don't really have much to say. Ok, well that's a lie... but still deciding whether this will be a food blog or a political blog or a blog on health and wellness.

Currently, this is what is on my mind:

The EU says it will sue the U.S. if they bail out GM and Ford. And, I have to agree with the EU and the Republicans(!). These companies have been managed so atrociously for so long, and now that there is some money out there, they think they can get some. The nerve! All the rest of us have to suffer the consequences of our actions. They have had so many opportunities to run the company well. They have capital, reputation, access to highest echelons of power. It is not as if this is some poor, run-down part of the economy.

Plus, if they get bailed out, what will stop the steel industry, the airline industry, the construction industry from asking for bailouts? These are also huge parts of the global economy. There isn't enough money too bail them all out. Even the IMF has just said that they are short on funds to bail out the countries that they expect to be coming to their door hat in hand.

Then again, if GM and Ford go under. The U.S. is almost assuredly headed toward a depression.

What is the greater threat?

A return

2008-08-13T15:07:00.002+02:00

I've been away for a while. Dealing with the contradictions that pull us in life, well... at least pull on me. And I have finally made the plunge. I have expunged Bloomberg from my life, and I am now self-employed. Sometimes, I am super-energized and focused. Sometimes, I am scared shitless. But it hasn't even been a week yet, so I assume things will smooth out with time.

I'm also on the look-out for a partner. Someone with whom I can develop this business, or we can develop each other's businesses. I definitely want to be part of a community of alternative/complementary therapists. And the trick is finding one in Belgium. Not impossible though. Keeping an eye out...

This afternoon the sun is finally out after about 18 hours of rain. I was starting to see moss grow on the fence in the garden. I've just finished a cup of hot chocolate and I'll give Peter a massage.

All is well.

Spring Patio

2008-04-28T13:48:00.002+02:00

We had the first breakfast on the patio this weekend (twice!). Well it was noon, but it was the first meal of the day. And yesterday evening, we had dinner on the patio too! I think we can finally say spring has arrived in Flanders.

We planted thyme, parsley, and our strawberry seedlings. We also bought a couple of lavendar plants and planted a baby tomato plant. Perhaps it's all wishful thinking.

But sitting on your patio in the sun, or in the warm evening air, having just planted little things that may grow. . . *sigh* It was a great weekend.

We also did a lot of biking - 35km from Nederzwalm to Gent. :) And I did really well. It would be good to do a biking trip through France or somewhere. I'm trying to convince Peter that I can do it. I think he believes it now.

Now, I'm just thinking of the yummy things I'd like to cook. :)

Homesick

2008-04-25T16:54:00.003+02:00

It will be 6 months in May since I've been back to NYC. I thought I would make it just fine, but I'm already feeling the slight emptines. But now it's too expensive for a ticket. I have to wait at least another 6 months, or 8 months when me and Peter can both take 2 weeks off.

I don't know how I'm going to survive it, actually... hmmm...

Lot's of cooking elaborate meals for friends!

Come one, come all!! A feast :)

Beginnings

2008-04-24T22:12:00.001+02:00

I've finally begun. After all this head-wringing to figure out a name - Ground Flow or GroundFlow, it is. Close enough. It works for me. Down-to-earth and flexible. I am such a fire and air person, it feels good to create something of earth and water. Especially as I've just started a little vegetable patch in our garden (i should say, we, me and Peter), and rain and earth have all of a sudden become even more precious commodities. Looking forward to rain, or the prospect of filling my large watering can with rainwater collected in the back of our garden - and feeling/looking a the earth we have for it's texture and what we need to make it better.

This evening I walked out and it looks like the radishes and beetroots have little shoots out. :)

So, where is this "GroundFlow". In our garden, it is deep, as the surface is quite sandy. Or perhaps it is quick and shimmery, as it can slide of the earth in riplets.

Where is my "GroundFlow"? Actually, what is it?! I guess this is why I am writing this. Assume it will be something down-to-earth and flexible.