It's That Time Again

vegetable displayI am surprised every summer when I become so busy I can scarcely think. But here I am again, surrounded by the bounty of the growing season and the resultant canning projects, classes, tours, and events. Check out this week:

Saturday (yesterday): Work at Clintonville Farmers' Market, attend Veggie U Food and Wine Celebration Sunday: Visit Eshelman Farm, process some of their peaches, plums, and apricots Monday: Begin sustainable pork tour Tuesday: Continue sustainable pork tour, begin volunteer leadership role at Ohio 4-H International Program Orientation for 100 Japanese youth and adults Wednesday: Orientation all day Thursday: Alex's Birthday! Orientation in morning, work at New Albany Farmers' Market in afternoon Friday: Homeschool evaluation, can peaches (I hope they last this long!) Saturday: Work Clintonville Farmers' Market, celebrate Alex's birthday Sunday: Visit Ohio State Fair for 4-H International Day

I have taken and will continue to snap lots of pictures but barely have a second to check email and work for clients, let alone write a blog post. They will come - inspirations from the Veggie U event, a review of the orchard, pictures of the adorable Japanese youth, and impressions from the pork tour. I hope to finish and introduce you to a recipe index soon too.

If Henry David Thoreau is correct that “success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it,” you will see me make it big soon.

Mark Your Calendar {Friday Five}

sunflower with beeIt's summer time and the local eating is easy. Nearly every day one can find an event featuring great Ohio foods. Here are my top picks for the next few weeks: 1) Next Wednesday, July 25, Jeni Britton Bauer will be the featured author at Thurber House's Summer Literary Picnic where she will share from her cookbook, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home. Tickets are $30 for a boxed dinner and the reading, and $15 for the reading only. Call 614-464-1032, or visit: www.thurberhouse.org.

2) The Ohio State Fair runs July 25 - August 5th. Our family attends every year to see the wide variety of domesticated animals at the agriculture barns. We also enjoy the ODNR park to explore Ohio's wildlife.

3) Local Matters Local Foods Week is August 11 - 19. Start by taking the Eat Local Challenge to make small changes with big impact in your eating and then plan to attend an event during local foods week. There is something for every interest and budget.

4) Despite all the fun stuff to do outside the house, I will spend lots of time canning in the coming weeks. I hope to pick peaches at Branstool soon. Bird's Haven already has canning tomatoes available for $0.50/pound to pick up at their farm, Granville or New Albany Farmer's Markets. Email farmfresh@birdshavenfarms.com or call 740-404-1475 to reserve yours.

5) I would be remiss if I didn't mention my upcoming classes. I'm teaching Dehydrating 101 at City Folk's Farm Shop on August 5 from 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Meatless Monday at Franklin Park Conservatory on August 6 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm, and Yes You Can: Preserve Tomatoes at Franklin Park Conservatory on August 12 from 3:30 - 5:30 pm. And of course I love to chat gardening, cooking, and preserving at the Swainway Urban Farm booth at the New Albany Farmers' Market on Thursdays from 4 - 7 pm and the Clintonville Farmers' Market on Saturdays from 9 am -12 pm.

Boiled Peanut Hummus {Recipe}

boiled peanut hummus recipe When I set out to develop a simple healthy nosh for an otherwise indulgent Southern-inspired dinner, I never expected it to involve frogs and many hours of preparation. But boiled peanut hummus did exactly that.

Veggies and bean puree are a perfect appetizer because they can be prepped ahead of time and add a nutritious component to meals or snacks. I wanted to experiment with boiled peanuts because I suspected their legume quality would make for a special hummus.

Twitter friends pointed me to the Crestview Market for raw peanuts. Crestview is the only one of the four (!) Asian markets within three miles of our house that I had not yet explored. I couldn't just grab the peanuts without wandering the aisles. Back by the ample meat counter I spied one of my few irrational fears: frogs. Live ones. A whole tray of bright green, fist-sized frogs covered with a hair net-like containment sat by some soft shell crabs.

I turned my back and tried to get the heck out of Dodge, not even stopping to snap an Instagram.

Back home, I poured all the raw peanuts that would fit into my slow cooker and covered them with water. I let it run overnight, allowed the peanuts to cool and then began peeling the soft beans from their wet skins. I blended them with seasonings and hoped for the best.

The resulting dip is delightfully earthy and leguminous. Amongst the rich flavors one can only barely pick out peanuts. The leftovers tasted better than the first night, yet another recipe that ought to age and mellow before eating.

Was it worth the frogs, time, and slimy skins? I'm not sure. But if you can find canned boiled peanuts in your area, or better yet fresh boiled, try this recipe for a spin on traditional hummus.

boiled peanut hummus dip recipe

Boiled Peanut Hummus Makes: 1 1/2 cups Time: 8 hours boiling, 15 minutes preparation

3 cups raw in-shell peanuts or 1 1/2 cups shelled boiled peanuts 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Cook raw peanuts covered in water in an electronic slow cooker set on high for ten - twelve hours. 2. Allow to cool and shell peanuts, measuring 1 1/2 cups. 3. In a bowl of a food processor, mix peanuts, olive oil, salt, Old Bay, lemon juice, and black pepper. Pulse a few times and then process until hummus is smooth. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, to thin hummus if you wish. 4. Best after twenty four hours in the fridge when the flavors can marry.

Ohio Village: 1862 in 2012

ohio village columbus One of my favorite childhood memories is going to the Ohio Village. I remember visiting the hot, smoky blacksmith's shop, smelling the rich tanned skins in the leather shop, and playing with wooden hoops and stilts.

When the Ohio Village reopened this summer to Ohio History Center guests after many years of being a special-events-only destination, I eagerly took Lil. My friend Kate (don't miss her blog about foraging and simple living) and her son came along with us.

school house at ohio villagereenactor at ohio village

The Village represents a small town several miles from the 'big city' of Columbus in the year 1862. Shops, offices, and homes are furnished with pieces common to the Civil War era. Volunteer reenactors introduce visitors to the tools and trades of the time.

washing dishes in outdoor kitchenwashing laundry at ohio village

We visited the school building where Lil drew on a slate and noticed the very few books children could read. At the tailor's house, the kids practiced washing dishes in an outdoor sink and later did laundry at the German immigrant's home. They investigated the bed made of a straw mattress on a rope frame.

ohio village dress shoplanguage of the fan at ohio village

Lil and I tried on lengthy dresses in the dressmaker's shop and were glad that fashion of today isn't so stifling. A reenactor at the ladies seminary taught Lil how to 'speak' the language of the fan. The uncrowded village allowed kids to explore at will.

ohio village gardens

I enjoyed looking at the gardens around the property including apple trees, a grape vine patch, a large heirloom garden and smaller herb patches. They are historically accurate and include vintage plant varieties like tobacco, dill, and beans.

shipping ledger at ohio villageshowing chamber pots

I wished the printer and blacksmith's shop were open but understand that with a volunteer staff, we were lucky to see what we could. Lil did not miss what wasn't open. She learned words like 'ledger' and 'chamber pot', though she is too young to understand the context of the Civil War era. She advises other kids: "I think that the Ohio Village is a nice place because it's just interesting to see things in the past and it's really fun to play in all the houses and go to the school."

ohio village buildings

If you go:

  • Bring snacks or lunch to enjoy in one of the covered picnic areas. No food is available for sale in the Village, though there is a small snack vending machine inside the Ohio History Center.
  • Restrooms (with modern toilets) are available in the hotel.
  • Dress for the weather - authentic to 1862, most buildings do not have heat or air conditioning.
  • Consider a membership to the Ohio Historical Society. They offer discounts for many occupations and organizations. The very affordable membership gains you entry into museums and sites around the state.
  • Parking is free most of the time. If there is a special event or during the Ohio State Fair, a parking fee may be charged.
  • Visit Wednesday - Sunday before September 2. Hopefully if enough of us attend this summer, the Ohio Historical Society will open the Village every summer.

Ohio Village at the Ohio History Center 800 E. 17th Ave. Columbus, OH 43211

Peach Old Fashioned {Cocktail Recipe}

peach old fashioned recipeA gifted bottle of Michter's bourbon plus the first peaches of the season equalled a lovely cocktail a few weeks ago. Alas with the derecho and heat wave, I took to drinking the bourbon straight up for awhile. Now I'm back to share this cocktail recipe with you. old fashioned stepsmuddled old fasioned fruit

A traditional Old Fashioned includes a muddled orange slice. For the summer season, I substitute a peeled peach. How do you peel a peach? If the fruit is ripe, the peel should remove from the flesh with a gentle tug of your bare hands.

I like to make Old Fashioneds because they are simple to put together: line up the glasses, fill with fruit, muddle, add ice, top with bourbon. I like to drink Old Fashioneds because bourbon is my favorite spirit and the mix of liquor, fruit, and bitters is clean flavored and refreshing.

Do you enjoy an Old Fashioned?

ingredients for peach old fashioned

Peach Old Fashioned

Makes: 1 serving

1/2 fresh peach, peel removed 1 maraschino cherries or 2 home-canned tiny sour cocktail cherries scant 1 teaspoon sugar 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 ounces good quality bourbon ice

1. Place peach, cherries, sugar, and bitters in the bottom of a low ball glass. (If you don't have a low ball glass collection, a half pint jam jar works well for this casual cocktail.) 2. Muddle gently with a cocktail muddler or the end of a wooden spatula. 3. Add ice to fill jar about two thirds full. 4. Pour bourbon over the ice. 5. Stir gently to combine and serve.