In my blogging hiatus I have started to dabble in meat curing and have made my own duck prosciutto and pancetta. I also continue to ferment and took the plunge into wine making, starting with a box kit of Italian Pinot Grigio - this is currently in process and I am waiting to get to the right specific gravity for degassing and clarifying.
I bought half a pig last fall and had the enjoyable experience of choosing which cuts I wanted, how to cure specific parts and how much sausage I could get. There were a few things that surprised me about the process - as much as half a pig sounds in my head, it's actually not that much meat. Also I wanted to do way more than there was available meat, so I am looking forward to my next half this coming fall.
The duck and pig came from the same local farmer. The pancetta was a happy accident - I asked the farmer to set aside a 1lb piece of pork belly for braising. Apparently the local butcher didn't quite get what I was asking because when I defrosted the package, there was belly but no fat. In an attempt to turn lemons into lemonade, I tried my hand at pancetta. It wasn't entirely successful, as most recipes I looked at were for 5lb cut of pork belly. I tried to adjust the cure appropriately and not let it cure for as long, but in the end, after the drying time, I found the meat to be too salty. Oh well, live and learn. I put the lot in my food processor and I'm adding a little, bit by bit to various things - so no waste here!
This spring I had the good fortune to have a friend with a friend that knows how to forage for ramps on her property. I say "good fortune" as I was the happy recipient of some of these beauties for the first time and made ramp butter - it was such a lovely shade of green! I'm keeping it in my freezer and it is making appearances in eggs with the pancetta.
Another fun thing I found this spring were fiddle head ferns. I was in Boston visiting a friend in mid-April and found them. What an experience! I have been reading about fiddle heads for years in my cooking blogs but have yet to be blessed with finding them myself. I made pasta - it's my go-to when I come across a veggie that I have yet to dabble in. They were so bright and green tasting - a lovely way to bring in spring. (Also don't mind the "flat Stanley" in my picture - she belongs to one of my PAs from work and it was my assignment to bring her with me to Boston)
I'm not only about food - I have also been doing some crafting. I made a pottery garden gnome - which is funny, as it seems that I can cook most things but I have trouble growing them. After glazing, I realized he's naked! Guess that's why he has such a shocked expression...
I also found a fun "drinking while crafting" experience in making silk scarves - the company is called Sip-n-Silk. We made a zentangle pattern. Next will be sarongs! I also enjoy the painting while drinking experience as well - we have a local place called Art-n-Vino and have made some fun paintings in my off time as well.
So that's pretty much my year in review. I have also gotten a promotion at work and am now responsible for educating and molding minds - somewhat of a frightening thought, but I'm up to the challenge!!
I joined a CSA again, so keep an eye out for upcoming posts. I joined 2 separate ones and am sharing them with different work people, so I'm hoping that I didn't over commit!! Only time will tell...
My feeble attempt at gardening - at least they are growing and healthy!!!
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