Mine, quite goofy-looking...
My neighbor's, quite artistic and spooky...
And our porch, glowing in the dark.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
First Jack-O-Lantern in Ten Years!
More or less...and now our porch is aglow.
Mine, quite goofy-looking...
My neighbor's, quite artistic and spooky...
And our porch, glowing in the dark.
Mine, quite goofy-looking...
My neighbor's, quite artistic and spooky...
And our porch, glowing in the dark.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Look what we found...
The elusive Chicken of the Woods! Actually not that elusive, since it's bright yellow, and grows in these big fluffy clumps. M and I were out on a bike ride but we tied up as much of the loot as we could into his shirt and brought it home. I'm glad that wild mushroom cooking class has finally come to my aid.
This is the pile of 'free' wild mushrooms on the kitchen counter; in the end I could only use about a third of it because the bigger pieces were too old.
So we fried them in butter and ate them with rice! Delicious! And this particular mushroom has the most uncanny resemblance to chicken--the texture is just as chewy and it almost fooled me, except I think it tastes better than chicken.
And, some scenes from the ride - Fall Foliage! Fossil Hunting! And the Great Wooden Nickel, apparently some kind of symbol for Johnson County...and I love the homage to the buffalo.
In Other News...I have completed my first week of work at Johnson County Public Health, and the novelty of employment hasn't worn off yet.
This is the pile of 'free' wild mushrooms on the kitchen counter; in the end I could only use about a third of it because the bigger pieces were too old.
So we fried them in butter and ate them with rice! Delicious! And this particular mushroom has the most uncanny resemblance to chicken--the texture is just as chewy and it almost fooled me, except I think it tastes better than chicken.
And, some scenes from the ride - Fall Foliage! Fossil Hunting! And the Great Wooden Nickel, apparently some kind of symbol for Johnson County...and I love the homage to the buffalo.
In Other News...I have completed my first week of work at Johnson County Public Health, and the novelty of employment hasn't worn off yet.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Gods Are Smiling Hard
My eyes (and flip flop wearing feet) do not deceive me:
*Why am I SO crazy about this weather? Refer to previous post.
*Why am I SO crazy about this weather? Refer to previous post.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
The Jig is Up
Somehow, Early October in Iowa = Winter. Yesterday, October 10, this happened:
That's right, SNOW. Yes yes only snow flurries and it didn't stick but....c'mon, Heartland! You were supposed to ease me into this whole cold front thing. And, of course, the entire fam was in town to attend the Homecoming festivities and big Iowa-Michigan football game. Guess who's not coming back to Iowa in any month that doesn't start with J!
In other news, my brave family had a big time in Iowa, we attended a fabulous Big 10 game which Iowa won, ate local meats and produce, and visited the Cheese Factory! I also made a fabulous feast tonight (update coming up) and beat everyone at Scattergories. And it didn't snow today. :p
That's right, SNOW. Yes yes only snow flurries and it didn't stick but....c'mon, Heartland! You were supposed to ease me into this whole cold front thing. And, of course, the entire fam was in town to attend the Homecoming festivities and big Iowa-Michigan football game. Guess who's not coming back to Iowa in any month that doesn't start with J!
In other news, my brave family had a big time in Iowa, we attended a fabulous Big 10 game which Iowa won, ate local meats and produce, and visited the Cheese Factory! I also made a fabulous feast tonight (update coming up) and beat everyone at Scattergories. And it didn't snow today. :p
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Weekend Adventure: Bikes, Cheese Curds, and a Fall Festival in Amish Country
Kalona is a small town about 20 miles southwest of Iowa City, and as I learned this weekend the largest Amish community this side of the Mississippi. And they happen to have a very large cheese factory there, with very fresh cheese curds, that I have been longing to go visit since we first got here. And last weekend's Kalona Fall Festival was the perfect occasion to go sample some fine homemade wares, local history, and CHEESE.
The ride down to Kalona took us down back roads with miles of corn and plenty of funky old barns, this one has a quilt square on it which is a public art program to decorate historic barns in Iowa.
Of course the best part of the festival was the food...this time the highlight was Apple Butter, made on the spot in this giant vat stirred by a special paddle, and served hot on big slices of white bread. Mmmmmm
Runner-up fair food: Apple fritters! Lumps of dough with chunks of apple in it, deep fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar!
The festival is held in the "Historic Village" of Kalona, which was definitely quaint and old-timey with the broom squire and the miller and the candy shoppe, but also has a fantastic Amish Heritage Museum. The local families donated artifacts dating back to the 1700s and my favorite was this treadmill-motor, a sign of the ingenuity required when operating a farm without electricity...
Ok so the Festival was great and all, great food, lots of info about old-timey ways in Iowa, but it was time for the main event, the real reason I biked 23 stinkin' miles down there: the Kalona Cheese Factory! Where milk from 30 local dairies gets turned into delicious cheese curds! As well as white cheddar. AND they have a 'Cheese Haus' that sells imported cheese from round the world. With free samples...Needless to say, I had a blast.
The reason everyone comes to the Kalona Cheese Factory: the freshest cheese curds this side of Wisconsin. And they so ridiculously squeaky and good when they're warm from the machinery...the factory has windows into the curdery (no they don't actually call it that) and the place smells like warm cheese. Heaven.
And, across the street and all around us, rolling, golden fields of soybeans. And lots of sky.
The ride down to Kalona took us down back roads with miles of corn and plenty of funky old barns, this one has a quilt square on it which is a public art program to decorate historic barns in Iowa.
Of course the best part of the festival was the food...this time the highlight was Apple Butter, made on the spot in this giant vat stirred by a special paddle, and served hot on big slices of white bread. Mmmmmm
Runner-up fair food: Apple fritters! Lumps of dough with chunks of apple in it, deep fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar!
The festival is held in the "Historic Village" of Kalona, which was definitely quaint and old-timey with the broom squire and the miller and the candy shoppe, but also has a fantastic Amish Heritage Museum. The local families donated artifacts dating back to the 1700s and my favorite was this treadmill-motor, a sign of the ingenuity required when operating a farm without electricity...
Ok so the Festival was great and all, great food, lots of info about old-timey ways in Iowa, but it was time for the main event, the real reason I biked 23 stinkin' miles down there: the Kalona Cheese Factory! Where milk from 30 local dairies gets turned into delicious cheese curds! As well as white cheddar. AND they have a 'Cheese Haus' that sells imported cheese from round the world. With free samples...Needless to say, I had a blast.
The reason everyone comes to the Kalona Cheese Factory: the freshest cheese curds this side of Wisconsin. And they so ridiculously squeaky and good when they're warm from the machinery...the factory has windows into the curdery (no they don't actually call it that) and the place smells like warm cheese. Heaven.
And, across the street and all around us, rolling, golden fields of soybeans. And lots of sky.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Most Local-est Food of All
Today I had the honor, the privilege, the incredible fortune to attend a mushroom foraging and cooking lecture by the one and only Prairie State Mushroom Club! Not only did they know SO MUCH about the zillions of wild mushroom species growing right here in Iowa but they knew which ones were good to eat and brought a whole pile of em to the class. And then they cooked them up (mostly just fried in a ton of butter--but is there a better way?) and gave us samples! It was thrilling. And so tasty.
Here's the spread of foraged fungi, which I can now (mostly) name: Hen of the woods, Elm Oyster, Hericium, Chicken of the woods, Oyster, Chanterelle, and Lactarius.
That is the President of the Prarie State Mushroom Club, holding up the most incredible mass of edible mushroom I have ever seen, the Chicken of the woods, which is sulfur-yellow and does actually taste a bit like chicken...in a good way.
These Elm Oyster mushrooms were simply breaded in flour and fried in butter--the simplest, most tastiest way to enjoy mushrooms.
Most of that big ol' pile of mushrooms - 8 wild varieties in all - went into this pan with a stick of butter, and the smell was heavenly.
Then it all went into an extra-wild mushroom soup, rich and creamy but still showcasing the strange and sometimes strong flavors of each unique species. One - the lobster mushroom - is actually a parasitic fungus that lives on a poisonous species of mushroom and in the process of devouring it de-toxifies it. It was bright red and funky and a bit nutty tasting.
So the most exciting thing I learned was that while the spring-blooming Morel is the most famously find-able wild mushroom, there are tons of varieties that shoot up in the fall, and right now is prime mushroom foraging season! Thus I am setting out with the PSMC this very Saturday on a "foray"- a mushroom hunt - to gather some tasty morsels for myself. And, of course, to take advantage of the members' expertise and not consume anything that could kill me. Stay tuned for findings and foraging adventures.
Here's the spread of foraged fungi, which I can now (mostly) name: Hen of the woods, Elm Oyster, Hericium, Chicken of the woods, Oyster, Chanterelle, and Lactarius.
That is the President of the Prarie State Mushroom Club, holding up the most incredible mass of edible mushroom I have ever seen, the Chicken of the woods, which is sulfur-yellow and does actually taste a bit like chicken...in a good way.
These Elm Oyster mushrooms were simply breaded in flour and fried in butter--the simplest, most tastiest way to enjoy mushrooms.
Most of that big ol' pile of mushrooms - 8 wild varieties in all - went into this pan with a stick of butter, and the smell was heavenly.
Then it all went into an extra-wild mushroom soup, rich and creamy but still showcasing the strange and sometimes strong flavors of each unique species. One - the lobster mushroom - is actually a parasitic fungus that lives on a poisonous species of mushroom and in the process of devouring it de-toxifies it. It was bright red and funky and a bit nutty tasting.
So the most exciting thing I learned was that while the spring-blooming Morel is the most famously find-able wild mushroom, there are tons of varieties that shoot up in the fall, and right now is prime mushroom foraging season! Thus I am setting out with the PSMC this very Saturday on a "foray"- a mushroom hunt - to gather some tasty morsels for myself. And, of course, to take advantage of the members' expertise and not consume anything that could kill me. Stay tuned for findings and foraging adventures.
Backyard News Roundup
Cat Fight!
I was about to let myself in the back door of my apartment when I noticed on the ground below me an intense feline standoff…this yard’s only big enough for one feisty feline!
That’s Luna, who lives next door, staring down the intruder
And the Prowler, who was clever enough to book it out of the yard
And then, lo and behold, across the yard I see a rotund, hungry, LARGE groundhog! Ambling across the grass to munch on the flower patch behind the Greek Orthodox church next door!
I will name him/her/it Chunky.
He spotted me leaning off the balcony to get a better shot and split…But now I’m more aware than ever of how many small-to-medium-size mammals are snoopin round my back door.
In other news, I’m still jobless. I know that’s not too hard to do these days in this craptastic economy we’re having, but I’m disgruntled by how Iowa City still can’t see how much it needs me.
I was about to let myself in the back door of my apartment when I noticed on the ground below me an intense feline standoff…this yard’s only big enough for one feisty feline!
That’s Luna, who lives next door, staring down the intruder
And the Prowler, who was clever enough to book it out of the yard
And then, lo and behold, across the yard I see a rotund, hungry, LARGE groundhog! Ambling across the grass to munch on the flower patch behind the Greek Orthodox church next door!
I will name him/her/it Chunky.
He spotted me leaning off the balcony to get a better shot and split…But now I’m more aware than ever of how many small-to-medium-size mammals are snoopin round my back door.
In other news, I’m still jobless. I know that’s not too hard to do these days in this craptastic economy we’re having, but I’m disgruntled by how Iowa City still can’t see how much it needs me.
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