Agrarian Beginnings

It starts here...



...and here. It may not look like it, but our growing season begins now.



The rhubarb...



...and the daffodils know -it is the beginning of a new growing season. Happy New Year!

Almost Spring

The beginning of spring can be difficult to spot. I mark February 1st as the first day of spring, the beginning that is almost imperceptible; On my wall calendar the 20th of March is labeled 'Spring' but by that date, the agrarian Spring is well underway. Now, the signs that spring is beginning are becoming apparent.

In response to the lengthening daylight, I am coming out of my winter hibernation mode. Last week, I was motivated to start knitting a lace shawl, one of my resolutions for the New Year, but more indicative is my desire to DO STUFF outside. My spring cleaning is weeding the rose and berry beds and putting down fresh straw in the barn (I find it more difficult to find inspiration for spring cleaning inside the house). Cleaning out the chicken house, pruning, and preparing the garden beds for planting are done now amidst the optimism of Almost Spring.



The buds on the trees are swelling, a sure sign that screams to me, "GET READY, SPRING IS COMING!!!" Almost Spring, I think of as its own season, on the cusp of the beginning of the growing year when the hatchery and seed catalogues are repeatedly leafed through in our household and when decisions are made that determine what's grown and raised. It is the season for a fresh start. Once we are in the midst of Spring proper, seeds can get washed out, not germinate, early frosts hit -its a long list of discouraging things that can go wrong during the growing season- but now we can hope for and envision the very best growing season ever.

One of the very first things to come up is the rhubarb, and its appearance is one of the surest sign that it is Almost Spring. Weeding the rhubarb bed is on my list of THINGS TO DO. So is weeding the strawberry bed, the raspberry bed, the currant bushes, cleaning out the asparagus bed......

Mud, and lambs, lambs and mud. This is what Almost Spring looks like just outside the barn door (and also Spring and sometimes Early Summer, Late Fall, and Winter).

Even if there isn't much to graze on, the flock wants to be out on the pasture every day. It is a small flock and we have pastures we rotate them through, so they have access to pasture all year round, which makes for a happy flock of sheep with happy and healthy growing lambs.

Both the flock and us have made it through another winter, and welcome it being Almost Spring!

Shepherdess Macaroni and Cheese

January in the Pacific Northwest is cold, wet, dark and gray. One of the bright spots in the month is having lambs. This is Little Big Guy born in October, making him several months older than our other three black lambs born last month. I love everything about having lambs and being their shepherdess.



Every January I make shepherdess-style macaroni and cheese, at our house aka Tamburger or Lamburger Helper. 'Bake until bubbly' is the sort of directions that I am drawn to this time of year, and with several odd bits of various cheeses lying about that should be used up, and ground lamb (and/or goat) in the freezer, this can be made without a trip to the store. The best macaroni and cheese is made from scratch, Comfort Food with a capital C, and the very best is whatever version you (or your mother or grandmother) make, and whatever style that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside just thinking about it. Some like myself, add ground meat and/or chilies, some use the sharpest cheese, one particular cheese, or a blend of several, and some prefer whole wheat pasta instead of semolina. The point being, that if you make a sauce with care for those you love, it will be the best, whatever style you make.

Shepherdess Macaroni and Cheese

Cook al dente 12-16 oz. small shell or elbow pasta

Meanwhile:
Saute 1/2 -1 lb ground lamb (or goat) and 1/2 onion. Set aside.

In a separate pan
Melt: 4 T. butter (you can use olive oil instead of butter, if you prefer)
Add: 1/3 c. flour
Cook a bit without browning. Stirring well with a gravy whisk or wooden spoon,
Add: 2 1/2 c. milk (whole, 2 %, 1/2 c. of cream as part of measure, if you like), making a smooth sauce.

Stir in:
2 1/2 c. cheese -grated cheddar, a mix of cheddar and Pepper-Jack, diced cream cheese, or whatever you have. I used Edam, Farmstead Gouda and an American style blend this time. I don't measure the cheese, but guesstimate for more or less that amount.

Butter well a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish, and sprinkle with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. Mix drained pasta, cheese sauce, and cooked ground meat together (in whichever pan used that appears able to hold all), then pour into casserole. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs and/or shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Bake 350 degrees for 20-40 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. I served this with Irish Soda Bread -Comfort with a capital C.



After using up the odd cheeses, I noticed a pint of leftover sliced strawberries in the fridge that I felt should also be used up soon. With sliced rhubarb in the freezer, I had everything needed to make an amazing crumble, which could have very easily baked alongside the mac and cheese -if I'd have thought of that, which I didn't, but it could have.



Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble is fantastic, a snap to put together, and it disappeared in no time.

Mix together in 8 inch square Pyrex dish:
1 qt. frozen rhubarb, thawed
1 pint sliced sweetened strawberries
1/2 c. sugar, or to taste
3 T. cornstarch

Mix in food processor and spread evenly on top:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar or brown sugar
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/2 c. butter
Bake 350 degrees for 25-55 minutes.

Rhubarb

The rhubarb season marches on! My rhubarb bed is jungle-like in its vibrant lushness. The plants had a slow start this spring but are now in fine form. They like lots of water.



I want to harvest, freeze and enjoy the rhubarb as much as I can. Check out http://www.rhubarbpiecapital.com/ for lots of ways to enjoy and celebrate this fruit.



I've already mentioned this pie, but it's such a good country classic its worth saying again: Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie from Saveur is yummy! I came across a recipe for Rhubarb Bars, dubbed RhuBars that sound really good but I must confess -I am dedicated to my own chosen Rhubarb recipe. Until this year, these bars are all I EVER made with all our rhubarb. Honest, they are that good. Now that I have several more plants, I feel I should branch out a bit. Pie and fruit wine were my new-rhubarb-things-to-try but this Rhubarb Bar recipe is still the best.



Rhubarb Bars
Adapted from Rosie's Bakery All-Butter, Fresh Cream, Sugar-Packed, No-Holds-Barred Baking Book by Judy Rosenberg (Really, this is the title of this book and you so want to check it out!)

Butter 9 x 13 inch Pyrex dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In food processor mix:
2 c. flour
2/3 c. powdered sugar
2 sticks softened butter, cut into pieces
Press into dish to form a crust. In a small bowl beat 1 egg white with a fork and pour over crust, tilting to coat evenly. Pour off excess (or not) and bake 25 minutes. Remove from oven and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes (keep the oven on). Meanwhile, prepare topping.

In large bowl, whisk together:
2 large eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
When crust cooling time in refrigerator is up, fold in: 6 c. rhubarb, sliced 1/4 inch thick, and pour over crust. If you mix this up and let it set while the crust cools, the sugar tends to draw moisture from the rhubarb and the custard isn't quite so nice, so fold it in at the last minute. Return to oven and bake 50 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

Date-Pecan Granola and Green Enchiladas

The pollen from the sheep-belly-high orchard grass is making me miserable with allergies. Instead of doing the hundreds of things outside yesterday that I should have been doing, I stayed inside, as much as possible, with the windows closed and cooked.



I was motivated to make granola by my daughter who keeps checking the empty crock where I usually keep it. It's really easy, so there's no excuse why I haven't made any for awhile. I vary the fruit and nuts in this recipe -dried blueberries and filberts, dried cherries and almonds, and raisins and walnuts, are favorites. This time I made a new variation, Date-Pecan Granola, that is particularly good. The recipe is adapted from the Andy Fairfield Granola recipe in Nigella Lawson's cookbook Feasts. This really is the best homemade granola you'll ever eat. If you don't have a large roasting pan, mix it all in a bowl and then divide between two smaller ones -or halve the recipe.

Date-Pecan Granola
Mix in a really large roasting pan:
5 c. old-fashioned rolled oats (thick like Bob's Red Mill)
1 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sesame seeds
3/4 c. applesauce
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 c. honey
1/3 c. Lyle's Golden Syrup (or all honey, if not available)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 - 2 c. pecans
1/2 - 1 t. salt
2 T. canola oil
Bake 325 for 10 minutes. Stir and repeat until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Cool and add 1-2 c. (8 oz. package) chopped dates. Store in closed containers.



Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie. For the recipe, click on my Saveur link and use their 'Search Recipes and More' box.



Making enchiladas involves frying each tortilla and then immediately coating it in the sauce -and then you fill and roll each one. These are time consuming steps, but worth it. My sister-in-law Angela's mother, born and raised in Mexico, says traditionally they are first dipped in the sauce and then fried, but this results in such spattering and sputtering that the reverse process is preferred. I used purchased green enchilada sauce here, but prefer to use my green sauce that I make and freeze in the late summer when the tomatillos and cilantro are profuse. We ate all I froze last year so I will try and freeze more of it this year.



Green Enchiladas
Have everything ready for filling and rolling before you start frying the tortillas.
Pressure cook 1 pieced rabbit (or chicken) for 9 minutes, quick release pressure and cool. Debone and shred meat onto a plate.
Grate 4-6 oz. Pepper-Jack (or Monterey Jack, Co-Jack or Cheddar) Cheese
Dice 1/2 onion
Open small can Diced, Roasted Chilies
Open 28 oz can (or defrost quart frozen) Green Enchilada Sauce and place in large bowl.

Heat 1-2 inches oil for frying tortillas. Fry tortillas one at a time 1 minute, or until softened but not crisp, turning once. Immediately remove from oil and immerse in green sauce. Remove to a plate and continue until all are done, 14-20 tortillas for a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex baking dish and 5-6 servings.
As soon as all tortillas are fried, begin layering and rolling. The tortillas will begin to fall apart if left to sit too long. If you double or triple recipe for a large crowd, recruit someone to help you -one person frying and one person rolling. Making enchiladas results in a lot of dirty plates, even before anyone starts eating. On a small plate, place one tortilla and layer down the center:
1-2 T. grated cheese
1-2 T. shredded meat
1/2 T. diced onion
1 t. diced, roasted chilies
Fold two sides over filling and place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all are filled, making two layers in dish. Except for cheese, scatter any remaining filling ingredients over top layer. Pour over casserole any remaining green sauce, and then sprinkle top with remaining grated cheese and 1/4 c. grated Parmesan, if desired. Cover with foil, folding back along one long side of the dish to leave a 1-inch vent opening. Bake 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serve with sour cream, refried beans, and a seasonal vegetable of choice on the side.