January

Posted on January 29, 2021 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Hi everyone! How are you holding up? Things around here are chugging along, day by day, moving forward – or at least that’s the goal…(:

January is nearing it’s end, February is just around the corner, the days are getting longer …and thankfully – summer is inevitable…

But in the meantime, a few pics from my little slice of the world…

Just wanted to say hi and wish everyone a lovely weekend. Stay well. Be well.

And may you enjoy a few of your favorite things this weekend…despite COVID. ):

Life is what it is…might as well be kind to one another…

Shortcake – dairy and gluten free – just add strawberries…

Posted on July 19, 2017 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

It’s strawberry season here in Maine…

Finn and I have been strawberry picking for the past five years together. We started in 2012. Finn was two.

It’s something we look forward to every July…and this year was no exception. For the past three years we’ve been visiting a farm in Whitefield Maine – Sheepscot General – it’s the only organic u-pick strawberry field in Maine – and they are worth the drive.

We ate pints of fresh strawberries for days…

We also gave a few pints away, froze a few pounds and then I got into making stuff with all those scrumptious strawberries… strawberry sorbet (twice), strawberry infused vodka and tequila (so tasty and dangerous), tried my hand at a GF/DF shortcake (see recipe below), and finally a strawberry/blueberry cobbler.

Sadly though, we are now out of freshly picked strawberries.

But, on the plus side, we’ve eaten our way through almost 14 pounds of amazing strawberries and are already looking forward to next years strawberry season…

One can never eat too many strawberries, right?

Here’s the recipe for dairy free/gluten free shortcake (adapted from the Minimalist Baker). It’s amazing and well worth the time.

Ingredients;

Coconut buttermilk.

Here’s how to make coconut buttermilk;

Mix:

3/4 coconut full-fat coconut milk (stirred/shaken – no clumps)

1 Tbls. lemon juice

Stir to combine.

Set aside.

Then gather;

1 cup gluten free flour

1 scant cup almond flour

2 Tbsp non-GMO cornstarch

3 Tbsp. organic can sugar

1/2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbsp coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease baking sheet.

And…then.

Combine GF flour, almond flour, cornstarch, cane sugar, sea salt, baking powder and whisk to combine. Add the coconut oil and use a whisk, fork or pastry cutter to ‘cut’ into the flour, until small bits remain…just like you would with wheat flour…

Add almost the entire batch of coconut buttermilk to the dry mix and stir with spoon to combine…you may need to add a bit more, you may not…you’re trying for a semi-sticky dough…try not to overwork it…

Transfer the dough onto a well floured (gluten free of course) surface – I used a cookie sheet. Roll (with a floured rolling pin) out until the dough is about 1″ thick.

Then flour the opening of a small drinking glass, circular cookie cutter or biscuit maker and push into dough, making small circular disks – about 1″ thick – mine were more oblong than disk-like, but it’s more about thickness anyway…

Place on a greased cookie sheet – side by side. Touching. No space between – not squished, just touching…

Then – brush the biscuits with either coconut milk or melted coconut oil. Coconut milk will keep the shortcake more moist, while the oil will make the tops more crispy…we tried both and liked both for their differing characteristics…

If more texture/sweetness is wanted, sprinkle raw cane sugar on top of each before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven – or until the tops are beginning to brown and become crispy. Then turn up the heat to 450 F and bake another 3-6 minutes – CAREFUL – don’t burn them – that would be a bummer…

Now, while that amazing shortcake is baking – wash, hull and slice 1 lb. of (preferably, organic) strawberries.

Top them with a pinch of cane sugar.

O.M.G. – freshly picked strawberries, sliced with a pinch of sugar added…so delicious!

O.K., now let them sit until time to serve…

Once the shortcake has undergone its transformation, remove from oven and let rest about five minutes or so. Then separate each biscuit from the other and let cool…

Best served at room temp…

Now, when the time comes to serve these beauties up – slice each biscuit in half, pile on strawberries and a bit of ‘juice’, then top if off with the top!

So. Good. As is.

No. Cream. Needed.

Seriously.

Enjoy!!

What’s your favorite strawberry recipe? Share here…

Be well.

Eat well.

Enjoy.

In the garden…

Posted on July 13, 2017 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

It blows my mind. How things change…

It was only five months ago that my garden looked like this.

Yes.

Five months ago – February 2017. Snow to the tops of the fence posts – more than thigh high snow…

And while that was going on outside – I had these beauties going on inside…

and these lovelies waiting to pop up…

(garlic).

Though before any of these seedlings could be put into the ground, the snow needed to melt, the earth needed to warm and the ground needed to prepped…

Here was April.

I turned the soil, added peat moss, seaweed (collected locally), wood ash and love… then covered with a landscape fabric to help prevent weed growth, while also warming the soil…

The mosquitos are INSANE here and harvesting is challenging enough once July comes around, let alone weeding – so to minimize being maddened with buzzing while working in the garden, I try to keep my weeding needs to a minimum.

I cover the majority of the garden with breathable fabric and then fill in with hay. Each allows water and sunshine through, while keeping weeds at bay…

In the pic above you can see black instead of the earth – that’s the fabric covering warming the earth while suppressing weed growth.

I cut openings for each row of veggies/flowers. I simply cut a line for a specified length and then pin down each side with landscape pins and wooden row ‘tags’ on each end. I then cover seeds with hay (to help with heat and moisture retention), and water – then once seedlings/plants begin to grow and become larger, I place hay between each individual plant. Like with the garlic greens seen above, (behind the wheelbarrow full of seedlings waiting to go in)…

Amazing to think that only a few months later the same garden would look like this.

Tomatoes, basil, leeks, red onions, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, cucumber, beets, lettuce, green beans, peas, swiss chard, kale, potatoes, brussel sprouts and self seeded cilantro. Phew.

Most started from seed.

Months ago.

In my house.

On window sills during the day…

And at night – moved beside our woodstove…

Or sown directly into the ground as soon as the garden was ready. In the case of garlic (below), it was planted last fall…while others waited until spring or early summer.

Either way, much love, planning and work has gone into each plant with the hopes that each will feed us…

Planning and growing are one thing – though there’s also the watering and the harvesting…

the picking, gathering, cutting, pruning, then it’s the washing, cleaning and storing…

A lot goes into growing food – yet it’s all necessary and SO worth it!

My kitchen sink doubles as the wash station and each veggie goes into it’s own separate bag and stored in the fridge – if necessary. Some veggies, like tomatoes (which aren’t ready for a few more weeks/months) are stored best on the counter. Each vegetable has it’s own needs…

Flowers are not be forgotten in a garden either…not only are they beautiful and useful (think cutting flowers), but helpful for pollinators. (:

So plant, plant, plant, plant. And love it – even when it’s 100 degrees outside, with 100% humidity and mosquitos are swarming you! (: It’s worth it.

Hopefully you can try it someday – even if it’s simply one pot of tomatoes or cucumbers on your fire escape.

Everything tastes better with love…

Be well.

Eat well.

Enjoy.

What’s you favorite vegetable?

end of summer bbq

Posted on October 1, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Fall is here and the leaves are changing, but we had one last hurrah before the cooler temps settled in…

Ahhhh, summer barbecuing, bonfires and good friends…a great way to end an absolutely beautiful Maine summer.

Let the kids help! Grape kabobs are a great first ‘skewering’ job…

Then, let them move onto the veggies.

Even though it was a casual BBQ, I decided it was a great time to utilize a few of my ‘free finds’ – fun dishes, glassware and mason jars I used for holding all the silverware. Paper can be easier, but I prefer real plates, real silverware and cloth napkins – plus, it’s less wasteful.

I made a few salads (in addition to the kabobs) as well as cupcakes for dessert.

The beets were picked from my garden and roasted, then topped with goat cheese, fresh basil and an olive oil drizzle. White bean provencal salad utilized dry beans (less than canned) which I prepared a few days in advance. Potato salad was assembled on the day of the party, though the dressing, potatoes and green beans (from my garden) were prepared two days in advance. Parties are fun if you prepare as much as possible in advance…and keep it ‘outdoors.’

We thought the barn would be the perfect spot to eat. The table was set with a linen tablecloth that I picked up at Brimfield a few years ago for only $12. The white tablecloths (under the floral one), candle stick holders, vase and a few of the chairs were all found for free from my favorite shopping stop – the dump. The fun wooden folding chairs were picked up for $2 each, the other ‘t-back’ chairs were picked up for $5 each at a local yard sale. I love a bargain!

I also served a skillet cornbread and a fabulous cocktail – again, utilizing what I had on hand…

Entertaining doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Invite good people. Ask everyone to bring something to share. Provide inexpensive (but lovely) salads, prepare as much as possible without buying a lot of pre-made foods, utilize what you have on hand and don’t forget the flowers. It’s the little things that make a difference…

And if you can, why not end the night with a bonfire under the stars…complete with blankets, pillows and marshmallows…

Enjoy.

cucumber in a glass

Posted on August 31, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

This is my first post about a cocktail.

Anyone who knows me, knows I enjoy them, so I’m surprised that it’s taken me so long to write about one.

Perhaps it’s because I usually keep things simple;

Martini.

Bloody Mary.

Gin and tonic.

Margarita.

Vodka and homemade lemonade.

You get the picture.

Not much to write about…

Though, a few weeks ago I decided to have a little dinner party/BBQ and thought, why not serve a fun cocktail? One that can be pre-made and utilize what I have…

So I did a little research (with cucumbers in mind) – I had a lot of cucumbers (they are prolific this year!!) and came across this recipe (see below).

I’m not fond of its’ given name…so I’ll just call it – Summer – for now…

It’s cucumber simple syrup, unsweetened cranberry juice, lime juice, vodka and I added a little bubbly with a splash of seltzer...

It’s not difficult and only requires a few hours – of which most time is the ‘steeping’ of the shredded/grated cucumber (in the simple syrup); this requires nothing of you except patience…

First you need to make the simple syrup.

There’s a reason it’s called ‘simple’ – it is.

Mix one cup water with one cup organic sugar (or whatever sugar you have on hand) in a small pot, bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Now, the original recipe calls for one English cucumber, but I didn’t have an English cucumber…so I improvised.

I know there is a difference between homegrown pickling cucumbers (the type I had on hand) and English cucumbers – but since I didn’t have English cucumbers, I used what I had – makes sense, right? In this case it worked.

I figured the expense of the sugar, my time, and my cucumbers would be less than driving 40 miles to buy an English cucumber…and it worked out just fine.

Granted I’ve never tasted this cocktail with English Cucumbers, but I do know it tasted damn delicious with my homegrown ones…so try a batch of each and let me know what you think.

Back to the recipe;

I used two peeled medium sized homegrown pickling cucumbers, instead of one English cucumber.

Size does matter here. The bigger the cuc, the fewer you will need. Use an average sized English cucumber (in your mind of course if you don’t actually have one) for comparison…

Grate them, don’t worry about the seeds being mixed in.

Measure two cups worth of this cucumber mix and add to simple syrup.

Pour carefully into a wide mouthed jar and let cool.

Let rest, overnight, in the fridge.

Strain and collect simple syrup – discard solids.

You should end up with about two cups cucumber simple syrup.

Mix this (cucumber simple syrup), with the rest of the ingredients below and serve over ice with a cucumber wheel on the lip.

enjoy!

9 ounces vodka, chilled
12 ounces cranberry juice (no sugar added)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
Ice, for serving
Splash of seltzer

What do you think this drink should be named?

Do you prefer English cucumbers?

If you enjoy cocktails, do try this one. It’s refreshing, light and packs a punch. It’s also the epitome of summer…

Enjoy.

in the garden

Posted on August 17, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

This summer has not been my summer to be in the garden…at least not as much as I’d like…

But today, time and circumstance allowed and I was able to get out there!

Phew.

I pulled weeds, cut back tomato plants, and harvested a few goodies…

I was amazed by what was growing – despite the neglect and lack of water.

Thank you plants.

SO much green!

What have you been growing…?

Enjoy.

easy maine crab salad

Posted on July 20, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

This must be the most simple Crab Salad Recipe – ever!

It will also work for lobster…

I’ve not bought Maine crab meat since last summer and it’s been on my mind a lot lately…so, on a whim, I stopped by a local fish market just a few miles down the road (open only during the summer months – one must take advantage of the few places open this time of year!!) and picked up an 8 oz. package of local crab meat.

Drove straight home and began dicing.

A few minutes later I was in heaven.

Fresh crab salad on a bed of crisp local greens – my lettuce never did make it…yet, that is…once cooler weather approaches, I will plant again…fingers crossed.

Anyway, if you like crab meat, have the ability to buy it – fresh – then do try this recipe.

Crab Salad

8 oz. Crab meat

One Celery Stalk

Quarter of a Shallot

Mayo.

Juice from one lemon

Salt

Pepper

Love

That’s it.

Find yourself some super fresh crab meat. Not in a tin.

8 ounces is just fine.

Flake into a medium sized bowl.

Finely dice celery stalk and shallot.

Add to crab meat.

Add pinch of corse salt,

and a couple of turns on a pepper grinder…

Add juice from half a lemon.

Then add one small spoonful of mayonnaise and mix.

Taste,

and adjust to liking – perhaps more lemon juice, salt or pepper?

Maybe it’s just perfect…

Serve between two slices of soft bread and fresh lettuce leaves or on a bed of greens with crackers served on the side…or enjoy by the spoonful…

No matter what – just enjoy!

Let me know what you think?

What would you do differently?

Enjoy.

the last two weeks…

Posted on July 12, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

These last two weeks have been busy – and that’s a good thing – summertime in Maine is the busy season…

S-u-m-m-e-r-t-i-m-e….and the livin’s e-a-s-y…fish are j-u-m-p-i-n’…and the c-o-t-t-o-n is high…(click on the link and listen while viewing)…

Time for being outdoors…and taking things a little more s-l-o-w-l-y…

Gardening, playing, swimming, enjoying windows being open, going to the beach, being barefoot, balmy breezes, fresh strawberries, kale, peas, corn…boating without jackets (warmth jackets – not life jackets), blue skies, picnics, fans blowing humid air, fresh cut grass, seaweed in the air…lobsters, fresh Maine crab meat, time on the dock, feeling hot, being sun-kissed, sleeping with just a light cotton sheet…enjoying long light filled days with starry warm nights…

summertime…

fresh food. warm nights. open windows.

bliss…

Love it. Summer.

enjoy!

it’s been far too long…

Posted on June 29, 2015 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

I’ve needed to post.

Desperately.

So here it is.

In photographic form…

A taste of the last six months.

Yeah for summer!

What have you been up to?

enjoy

halloween 2014

Posted on November 6, 2014 by ripe ~ red ~ berries

Halloween is such a fun holiday. Everyone gets to be whatever they want…and what a holiday to get creative!

Now, I’m not usually the type of person who goes all out on holidays, but this past Halloween I did.

My son, Finn, is so into holidays, especially Halloween, that this year we hosted a Halloween party. A Halloween party which has taken the entire past year to plan. We had very few dinner conversations where Halloween decor was not the main topic of conversation… Finn is that serious about Halloween (clearly, I am too!).

A Halloween party for kids and grown-ups alike and what a blast it was! Complete with lots of handmade decorations and games – a bat pinata, driftwood burning man, witch finger cookies, a mummy head, and specimen jars are just a few of the things we made…and the dance floor (aka our barn) was complete with a disco ball (this we did buy – but what an investment!)…

I cut out bats to hang from the ceiling, made hanging ghosts from found (at the freebie barn of course) sheer curtains and metal hangers, baked witch finger cookies (made weeks in advance then froze) and caramel apples, created a bat pinata by covering layers of glue and newspaper over a blown-up balloon, designed a ‘catch the cat’ toss game (from found bucket and construction paper) and constructed a monster mash can (recycled cans and construction paper) toss, plus shadow puppets (card stock paper) for the kids and gauze-like curtains (also found for free from our dump), which we made c-r-e-e-p-y… Oh and so much more…blood dripping candles, ghost cut-outs, a ghost toss…the list goes on and on. I hadn’t realized how much I made until this post!

I also realized that I really like making stuff.

Staying up late, cutting, gluing, assembling..it was like being a kid again! I had so much fun! The best part would be Finns expression in the morning, when he’d look around to see what mamma made last night…all our ideas were coming to life!

Handmade decorations are not only re-usable and fun, they also save money and are way cooler than any store bought decoration! Plus, thanks to our local transfer station I was able to create many things for free! It also helps to have a brother in-law with a professional sound system and a partner who can do (and make and fix) just about anything! Now, this party was not all free, we did spend some money, but it was money well spent!

Here’s a few pics of what I’ve been up to these past six weeks.

Bat template. Cut-out can be hung from ceilings or on walls. They look great indoors or out.

Finn helped me with the ‘creepy’ curtains. I was so psyched when I found an entire bag full of white, sheer curtains, for free at our local transfer station! Use old curtains, sheets or cheesecloth, cut small holes and strips into each. Spray with coffee to create an aged look…it works great! Then tack/hang up when dry. They are now packed away for next year, as are most of the decorations…

I picked up this super cool glitter skull at a thrift shop for $2. The mason jars I had, but if you don’t have mason jars, just recycle glass jars and add tea lights (every inexpensive, yet effective!)

Now, this sound system made the party, and we didn’t rent it, we borrowed it from my brother-in-law…but an i-pod or computer with speakers will do too!

This is just cauliflower in water colored with red food coloring. Great effect and cheap! Fennel bulbs work amazingly as hearts too. Cauliflower looks great cut in half with the leaves slightly peeled back too. Bummer, I didn’t get a photo of my knife stabbed ‘heart’…

One of our guests decided to use the glow-in-dark slime and eye balls together…gross!!

More free stuff (lucky me, I know) – the flannel, pants and boots I picked up at our dump too! The rats and spider were purchased. Now, while I am not an advocate for plastic, these decorations will be used for years to come…

The owl cut-outs I made using a template and the eyes were very small stickers that I had enlarged and then cut out…another inexpensive idea. Copy, enlarge and cut-out!

The bar area was complete with cobwebs (taken down and will re-use) and inexpensive wine with new labels! I downloaded templates, cut-out and glued on…it takes a bit of time, but well worth it! If possible, rinse the bottles (careful not to wet the labels) and store for next year!This idea, the paper skeleton, I just LOVE! I couldn’t figure out how to fold paper in order to have it come out as garland, so I ordered it. I actually ordered two, it made more sense with the shipping costs and now I have garland for next year too! The rest consists of paper and one white balloon…so much fun!

Shadow puppets! Great for any kids party. These fabulous templates I found on the crafty crow. That is such a great site!! I designed the holders out of recycled paper towel tubes and toilet paper roll (my idea)…

The mandatory spiders frozen in ice! So effective! Put water in ice trays, place spiders in each holder, freeze and voila! If children are involved, be sure they are not too small – choking hazard!

Red slime…another mandatory item…looks a lot like blood…that expression is purposeful!

Don’t forget your windows…paper cut-outs are another effective, yet inexpensive way to decorate! I found this image, had it enlarged, then cut out on card stock paper…

Panty hose leg filled with stuffing and spiders…creeepy…stuffing I picked up at my freebie barn.

This was so fun! I was up very late one night making each of these ‘monster’ cans…I designed each can, yet the idea is an old one! Try it. I used plastic eyeballs and table tennis balls…again, plastic items which will be packed away and used for more projects/games…The large skull in the background was an enlarged image from one of Finns Bones books…

This was fun. It’s a toss game. I called it ‘Catch the Cat.’ Object, see how many hula hoops you can ‘catch’ the cat with…this was a fun project to design!

Use what you have. I had a cake plate, so why not put a skull in it! Place it on a bed of moss with some over sized ants crawling out of its mouth and well, you have a creepy table piece…

This is another effective idea! I found it through Martha Stewart, though I altered it to fit my needs and budget. I used a wire hanger (from the dump) as the head and stuffed that too, thus allowing a sturdy support and ‘built-in’ hanger…I also added cut-out black construction paper eyes and moth and glued them on. So much fun!

I made a mummy head like this years ago and still love the idea. The head cost me $4 at a local cosmetic supply store, then it’s covered with paper towels which have been stained with coffee, then dried. Applied with corn syrup…a messy, but thrilling project. It looks amazing with coffee stained gauze surrounding the base, served up on a sliver platter!

And finally these incredible witch fingers! This idea has been on my mind for years now and I was so pleased with the results that they are definitely going on my ‘next years’ list! They are really almond cookies, with almond slivers as nails and raspberry jam (I substituted jam for the red food gel) as the ‘glue’. Very convincing. Bonus, these can be made weeks in advance and frozen. Simply create the ‘finger’, shape, mark, and press an imprint of the almond (remove almond before baking) on the tip, then bake. Cool on rack, then store in airtight container in freezer. No need to defrost either. Simply remove on the day of the party, apply jam and press nail on. Yummy!