Food and Drink – Page 3

seeding the spelt

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Saturday, Lee turned the field over in preparation for Sunday's seeding. He arrived early in the morning, fed the animals, and then harnessed up Charlie and Jane, getting them ready for their work day.

After driving the team from the barn to the field, Lee filled the hopper with spelt seed. If you are not familiar with the plant, it is a short grain in the wheat family. The plant has been sewn for thousands of years and was popular in the Mid East and Europe during medieval times.

Spelt is the farm's winter crop. The grain will grow until it is harvested in June. I'll be sure to post pictures during the next few months so that you can see the field in the upcoming seasons.

I enjoy watching the powerful animals working. Their muscles ripple and stretch as they pull the seeder through the field. I definitely have the sense that they enjoy the work.

At the end of each row, Lee turns the team around by hollering Haw… Haw… Haw. Hee for right, Haw for left. The horses know just what to do and coordinate their efforts around the turn and back down the field.

I watched the trio in action all morning, and when Lee took a break, we talked for a while. I could smell the turned earth and the fallen leaves. There was a cool, chilly breeze early on and then the sun warmed the morning up. I know that later this winter, when the cold and snow has forced us indoors for far too long, I can draw upon my memories of this day and hear, smell, and see Lee and crew in action. It's these kinds of memories that carry us northerners through the long winters.

a tale of two fruit

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Across the road fro our home are two trees that bear fruit this time of year. Shown above, you might recognize a black walnut. The green outer casing rots way, revealing the walnut inside. I like walnuts, but even with a source near by, I prefer to buy them. The rotted casing stains your hands and is difficult to wash away.

You are forgiven if you don't recognize this one. Say hello to a hedgeapple. In my home, we call them brain fruit. They are also called osage oranges (go figure, they are all green). In Arkansas or Texas, they are also called horse apples though, to be honest I think of horse apples as something else entirely.

As far as I know, hedgeapples have no real purpose other than as an insect repellent. They are not poisonous or toxic, but are said to taste terrible. If I ever come a cross a recipe for hedgeapple pie, I'll be sure to share it with you.

sorghum syrup

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

A couple weeks back, we took a look at sorghum growing in the field and I told you that it used to be turned into a sweet syrup back in the old days before cane sugar became so cheap. You can still find it in the south but it is no longer mass produced. I thought you might like a recipe for making your own sorghum syrup. I will assume that you probably have an acre or so of the sorghum cane harvested and ready to go.

The first thing you should do is pick a nice cool morning and get up early. The process is pretty hot so you won't want a warm day. If your mules are already awake in the pasture, you probably over slept.

Your set up should look something like the pictures shown above. Waggons full of sorghum cane, water wagon and steam engine. You can use your draft horses to pull everything into place. You do have draft horses don't you? A friend to help is a good idea. Pick somebody with a weak mind and a strong back for the best results.

Next, you will want to fire up your steam engine. You do have a steam engine don't you? You don't? You sure you are really dedicated to becoming a sorghum syrup maker? Maybe you can borrow your neighbors steam engine. You will need it to press the canes and boil the juice. Go ahead and get going, I'll wait.

if you reach up and fiddle around with these valves every few minutes, you will make people think you really know what you are doing. They don't really do anything, but part of the process involves looking cool.

Keep an eye on the oil level as well. If you begin to run low, you can add some from your oil can. Be sure to use authentic steam engine oil.

When your engine has a good head of steam, give it a test run to check that everything is working to order. If your neighbors are sleeping, give a tug on the rope and blow the steam whistle. They will probably appreciate that you are looking after them. Nobody likes to sleep in.

If everything is running ok, connect your steam engine's drive wheel to your press using a long leather belt. Give the engine some steam and your are ready to go. Start feeding in your sorghum canes.

The press will crush the sorghum canes and free up the juice. You will want to collect the juice in a clean bucket. At this point he juice is a watery sweet liquid with a slight grassy taste.

Once you have collected the juice, pour it into your steam boxes and use the steam from your engine to heat the steam boxes.

The heat will boil the sorghum juice down to a syrup. Every once in a while, skim off the green stuff. You don't want the green stuff. Green stuff is bad, it looks ugly and tastes like grass.

Once you have the syrup all cooked up, you will have enough for the next year. Enough for you and your neighbors, friends, relatives and people that you don't really like, but you have to be nice to, because you work with them.

Now have your favorite cook person make you a big stack of pancakes and biscuits because you have syrup and nothing to put it on! Go on, get going, we are done here.

charley’s lunch pail

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

On his way to check on the display barn, Charley left his lunch pail on the picket fence that surrounds the area. With the barn inspected and pronounced ready for the day, Charley returned to retrieve his lunch. Knowing the crowds that would soon descend on the farm for the fall festival, the poor man is going to need the calories. Keep a good eye on your lunch Charley or it just might disappear. Now, I am feeling hungry.

my morning weakness

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Sunday mornings are my opportunity to get up early and enjoy a sunrise walk. Driving over to the lake and walking around the shore or through the prairie are pretty typical. When I am done, I often head downtown just to look for something to photograph. For some strange reason, my car drives past Schuler's Bakery… all on its own, I swear. The doughnuts are good but the butterfly cookies are even better.

All I can say is that my waist line is lucky that I don't walk every morning.

Sorghum

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

You have never seen sorghum? I am not surprised. Sorghum is not a common plant any more and when you do see it, you might be forgiven if you think you are looking at a field of corn.

Just like corn, sorghum grows on a tall stalk with long hanging leaves. However, if you look closely, you will see that there are no ears on the stalks.

At the top of every stalk is this bunch of fruit that looks like berries. These are the seeds.

What do you do with sorghum? Well, you make syrup with it. The canes are cut down and passed through a grinder, squeezing out the juice in the process. The juice is then boiled down to make a sweet amber colored syrup. Think of slightly bitter sweet molasses and you will have some idea of what sorghum tastes like.

While not very common in the North, Sorghum syrup can still be found in some areas of the South, like northern Georgia. I have eaten biscuits with sorghum syrup many times and can tell you that it is worth eating, if you can find it. Just like maple syrup or honey, a jar can sit on the shelf for a long time, so bring one home and enjoy the sweet flavor of sorghum syrup for months to come.

Consider this a tip from your friend Tim. I would not steer you wrong when it comes to good eating.

my welcome aboard party

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Friday marked the end of my third full week at my new company. I've ;earned a lot in those short three weeks. The company is staffed with fantastic dedicated people that are focused on the job of helping others. That kind of attitude is spread throughout the organization and is embedded deeply within their culture. A prime example is the big party they threw for me. The entire office was invited, all 150 of them.
Sure they called the event the company cookout, but that is just because they knew I would be embarrassed if too much focus was placed on me. See how caring and thoughtful these people are? I feel really lucky to have landed among such gracious folks.

I was part of the grilling team, a dedicated group of people with mad cooking skills. These people wanted me to be comfortable and ensured that I was the tallest person in the group. Isn't that nice? Being just over 5'9", I felt like I was a towering giant.

There were speeches, dancing ladies, ice cream, singing, and prizes. Yes sir, that was quite a party. I sure like working with these folks a lot. What a great welcome aboard… oops.. I mean, what a great company cook out. I can't wait till next year. They are so thoughtful that they will probably through an anniversary party around the same time of year!

the finest in baked goods

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

This is not the post that I intended to write today. I was originally going take a look at the Dayton Art Institute in a more serious way thatn I did yesterday. However, I woke early today and took a photo walk around town. As a result, I took this image and wanted to share it with you.

Schuler's bakery is a local institution and they make some fantstic goodies. Just like the sign says, they are the finest in baked goods, at least here in Springfield, Ohio. We are particularly impresed with their doughnuts and I love their butterfly cookies. They are really the best around.

The same thing can not be said for their commitment to customer service. This location in particular is staffed with women that would make a drill seargeant proud. You had better know exactly what you want when you walk up to the counter as they do not have time to deal with your ineficiency. When ordering doughnuts, they will ask you two questions and you had better have the answers ready. How many and what kind. Falter at all and they will pounce on you. Don't ever make the mistake of telling them that you just want a dozen assorted doughnuts. You will be quickly informed of their inability to read your mind and figure out what you might and might not like in your assortment.

To be frank, these women scare me just a little bit. I am intimidated when presented with their demands and I have not had time to make up my mind what deliciousness I want to eat today. S , I usually just stammer something out and hope for the best. Still, I go back and get more.

What can I say? Schuler's really is the finest in baked goods.

lust

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Yeah, I said it… lust.

I am drooling while I wait for these tomatoes to become ripe. Then look out, there will be a feeding frenzy of juicy red eating. How about a few slices with some salt and a drop of basalmic vinegar? Maybe a tomato sandwich with mayo. There are so many good choices and I am going to try them all out on these big red beauties. It is my duty after all.

What is your favorite way to eat a tomato?

diner

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Tim McMurdo

Do you have a favorite local food stop? I do. I absolutely love a local diner named Mobile Dogs. MD is located inside the ground floor of a downtown office building and has been around since the 40s. It's the kind of place where you go in and sit at a small counter on a chrome plated swiveling stool. After about your third visit, they know your name and get your drink ready as soon they see you coming in.

I like to visit in the off hours so that I don't have to fight for a space during the breakfast and lunch rushes. The menu is simple, typical eggs with meat and toast or biscuits and gravy for breakfast, burgers, dogs and sandwiches for lunch. Best of all, they serve a giant fried bologna sandwich. It must be a pound of bologna. I always get mine with fresh onion rings. On a recent visit, I saw a man order and eat a dozen fried eggs and a double order of bacon. He washed the entire meal down with a single glass of Coke. That kind of eating should be an olympic sport.

There is always banter being served on the side by the regulars who seem to rotate in and out all day. Semi toothless old men and overweight women, all of whom have seen better years. People that have survived hard lives and have found a way to enjoy the small victories and simple pleasures.

I think I will go there for lunch tomorrow and order a coney dog with fries and homemade macaroni salad. Hear that low rumble? My stomach is growling already.