a couple of pics

After some lovely rain and a few days of computer purgatory, I had to get outside.

In The Art of Fermentation, Katz tells of fermented amaranth stalks. I'm not quite sure if these lamb's quarters are at the best maturity for that, but thought I'd give it a go any how.

Does anyone eat the green seeds? If so, how do you prepare them?

Lambsquarters stems get really very fibrous when they're mature like that, so you might want to check on that before fermenting them. Once I thought I could make pickles out of the fibrous stems of the leaves covering cauliflower -- we were using the whole rest of the plant so I thought I'd just make pickle out of this one leftover part -- but in fact it didn't get any less fibrous in pickling, and when we opened it months later, we all enjoyed the spicing, but ultimately it went in the cow slops bucket because it was too fibrous.

Rebecca Norman wrote:Lambsquarters stems get really very fibrous when they're mature like that, so you might want to check on that before fermenting them. Once I thought I could make pickles out of the fibrous stems of the leaves covering cauliflower -- we were using the whole rest of the plant so I thought I'd just make pickle out of this one leftover part -- but in fact it didn't get any less fibrous in pickling, and when we opened it months later, we all enjoyed the spicing, but ultimately it went in the cow slops bucket because it was too fibrous.

There was an usual method recommended to soften the stems...and it didn't work. Oh well!

Blissful Bella on the mini excavator we rented.

This next video needs some explanation. Here's the description I posted on YouTube:

Bella doesn't like to be recorded, so I sneakily set my phone to record behind my dirty dinner plate. Jenn pulled away my plate for a better view. Thankfully, Bella didn't notice until after these two songs! Rebecca is Bella's mom on harmony and kazoo.

Apologies to Erica for getting only *that* part of her in the video! That's what happens when trying to be sneaky!

The "beer club" mug was a sample mug for the size/kind used for permies mugs. We're sitting at a picnic table built by Justin, one of the gappers.

This is in between the base camp house and detached garage/office at wheaton labs. Oliver, our kitchen commander, was cruising past / to and from our back up pantry in the garage for bananas foster dessert supplies.

Good company, good food and sweet music. Now, there's a nice evening if you ask me!

Oh my god! Thanks for posting! She/they are fabulous! Such pretty voices.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:Does anyone eat the green seeds? If so, how do you prepare them?

I can't eat them unless they're prepared in some way, they are very dry, like the leaves want to be. Sauteed in a stir-fry works (oil is what does the trick), pickled is fine but they don't add flavor so you need to do that work, you can sprinkle them over a salad but there's too many on a single stem for several salads, imo.

Thanks for the video and the music. Some of us can just dream of breaking current ties and living such a life. Seeing others enjoy it helps and makes us want to join you.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:

Does anyone eat the green seeds? If so, how do you prepare them?

They are a good addition to salad. Since they can be quite dry like Rick said it helps when a salad dressing soaks them and they stick to the other bigger salad things. Other really easy way to utilize a lot more is throw them in a smoothie.

Love the kazoo!

Oh, and that's a lovely table. Things just get better and better out there. . .