Beans, charcuterie, and other assorted miscellany.

You know, I've been trying to write up the rest of my experience at the butchery class to no avail. It's not that I do not want to write about it--I do. I just want to do it (the class, the instructors, the hog) justice, and I haven't been focused enough lately to do any of that. So here we are.

And don't get me started on blogging about the food I've been cooking. We've been eating well, sure, but really nothing we've eaten has been particularly exciting. Actually, that's not true. But I haven't taken photographs for a number of reasons, and I haven't worked out by thoughts into recipes. (Oops.)  

So here's the thing:  I've been cooking, and making jams, and gardening, and... curing meat. Yes, I finally got a copy of Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie  and am slowly making my way through it. One of the things that really made me excited about making charcuterie myself was the idea that I could control the ingredients. I can cure bacon with or without nitrites. I can use sugar.. or not. I can use bourbon (YES!) and coffee, or garlic and bay, or... just plain salt. And I can control from which farm I buy the pork (beef, lamb, duck).  I haven't been excited about much in the kitchen for quite a while, and I'll get into that in some future post. But this? It's fun.

In other news I've read a number of the books I talked about in my last book post. I read Weston A Price's tome Nutrition and Physical Degeneration and got a lot of good out of it. It's actually something I recommend you read whether you're inclined toward a carnivorous or herbivorous diet, though I'm not sure that if you're vegan you'll agree with everything in there. Essentially it's about nutrient density, the [serious] problems that arise from eating a processed food diet, and how to fix the wrongs. This, of course, is the short version. What I took from it? Eat an unprocessed diet with some (note: some, not necessarily a LOT of) animal products. Avoid white flour, refined sugars, too many canned goods, and industrial vegetable/seed oils. Sound familiar? I was mostly surprised with the talk of vegetable oils, since for a long time I thought canola was fine. I started avoiding it about 18 months ago for the most part, and I'm glad now that I did. But anyhow, Price goes into detail about numerous traditional diets around the world, and not all of them are meat-heavy. All are nutrient dense, but the macros and specifics vary quite a bit. It's a fascinating read whether you like the current WAPF thing or not. I highly recommend it, and wish I had the energy to write a full review of the book.

Actually, I've since moved back from "paleo" (which is a flawed word anyway) toward a traditional/ancestral diet. I've reintroduced some soaked/fermented beans and gluten-free grains and pseudo-grains--mainly rice and buckwheat, but a little organic corn as well.  I eat more beans than grains, though, and feel loads better for it. Grains, I feel, are problematic for some reason. At any rate, it's a load off my shoulders knowing my body has healed enough to eat some of my favorite foods again, at least in moderation. Just eat real food, right? Who cares what you call it?

Now that I've written a lot about very little, I'll leave you with the promise that I will, at some point, finish the series about my experience at the butchery workshop. I'll maybe get into writing about the charcuterie I'm making right now. (My wonderful husband purchased a wine fridge for me as an anniversary gift... not for wine, but for dry-curing meat.)  So far I've made bacon, salt cod, and have guanciale, duck prosciutto, and bresaola going right now.

Thanks for sticking with me in my on-again/off-again blogging. I've got a lot of great ideas, and maybe sometime this summer I'll have the energy and motivation to write daily again. Right now I'm recovering (still) from a really bad ankle sprain five weeks ago. I'm still in a boot for two more weeks and then will be slowly doing rehab to [hopefully] prevent it from happening again. My main motivation right now is to get into a pool, at least, and work off some of this pent-up frustration. It's amazing what reduced mobility does to your outlook. (It's not good.) I'll admit: I've been making a lot of strawberry jam and some pickles. More on that later.

What have you all been up to? Any fun cooking projects going this summer?

Pig, from farm to table. Literally. Part 1

Bacon. Ribs. Chops. Carolina barbecue. Carnitas. Chorizo.  Any way you look at it, meat from the humble pig is delicious. I mean let’s face it--there’s a reason people say bacon is the gateway meat. Even as a veg*n, I was enamored with the smoky taste of bacon. If you look closely, there are a plethora of veg*n recipes for “bacon” made from eggplant, coconut, and tempeh. Not to knock those recipes--I like them. But they don’t hold a candle to the real thing. And yet, as any good former veg*n would tell you--there’s a real dark side to pork.

The way pigs are treated in factory farming operations (CAFOs, if you like acronyms like I do) is horrific. Gestation crates prevent sows from standing up and turning around. Pigs have their tails clipped to prevent bites from other, stressed animals. (They say it’s to keep the pigs comfortable, but that “comfort” level is only needed because the animals don’t have enough room to be pigs.)  There is nothing natural about commercial pork. And, as such, I refuse to buy it.  

I used to believe that the best way to stop factory farming was to abstain from meat altogether. I still feel that given the choice between CAFO meat (poultry, pork, beef, etc.) and none at all I’d choose to be veg*n again, despite the fact that my family can consume neither soy in quantity or gluten.  But now I believe that supporting local farmers’ efforts to reclaim pastured, humane animal products is both better for health, the environment, and the movement toward meat the way it should be. That is, from pastured animals and farmers who care.  Luckily, northern Virginia is a fantastic place to find farmers who believe in this type of product. In letting their animals live as animals should. In being responsible.

But as I began to eat animal products again I still held ethical reservations. I did believe that it was morally okay to eat meat. Humans are omnivores, and should eat a little of everything. But I also believed that if I were going to eat meat again, I needed to be prepared, should the need arise, to kill for myself an animal to eat. It’s not something I take lightly. I do not like unnecessary violence, and find it abhorrent. (This is one reason I detest CAFOs with such passion. Animal abuse on the way to slaughter is unacceptable, even if said animal is going to die anyway.) But, I cannot be a hypocrite. If I cannot stomach the idea of slaughter so that I can eat, I have no business whatsoever eating meat--regardless of the type of farm from which I purchase said meat.

Several weeks ago I received a notice of classes to be offered at a local farm via our CSA farmer, Rob Moutoux. The classes to be offered included home dairy (yogurt, cheese, kefir, etc.), which Rob would be teaching, and also mushroom cultivation among other topics. But the one that caught my eye was a class on pig butchery. As in, upon arrival in the morning there would be a hog out back, and by afternoon said hog would be pate and well on its way to bacon. As much as the thought of attending a slaughter turned my stomach, I knew I had to sign up. I needed to know I could be there and watch the process from start to finish, participating when appropriate. My husband, Jarrod, signed up with me; we found a babysitter for the day; and we prepared for a long day of, well, everything.


To be continued...

Living on through creativity

Thank you all for the well-wishes sent over the past couple of weeks since my Papa passed. I was able to spend some time with my family in Seattle while my in-laws (who are in the running for the "world's best in-laws" award) watched the kids. I'm not sure what to say, really--what do you say about visiting family for a memorial service?  I'd like to share a little of who my Papa was, and how he lives on through his art.

Papa painted. A lot. His college studies were in studio art. And while he went into business for his career, art was always his love. I remember going up to visit my grandparents in north Seattle and sitting in the guest bedroom looking at his paintings, drawings, and general artistic musings. He had loads of books and little models. I even, on occasion, got to learn from him and dip my paintbrush into his vast collection of watercolors.

When my grandparents moved out of their large house and into a smaller one near Lake Washington my grandmother banished his creating out to a small garage/shed/annex in the back of the house. It became his studio.  Eventually my family and his friends convinced him to start selling some of his paintings, but he painted more for the joy of art. I'm lucky enough to have five of his original creations hanging in my home. I wanted to share a couple of them with you. (I'm sure he wouldn't mind.)

I regrettably didn't get the creative genes my grandfather had--at least when it comes to painting. (My youngest sister got that talent, and I proudly display one of her photographs on my wall.) But I do have the memory of being creative with my Papa, and I have a little piece of his soul hanging in my living space. I only wish he were here to create more.

Brief interlude

It seems no matter what I do I end up taking breaks from blogging here unexpectedly. I had every intention of posting a book review this week, but life got in the way.  You see, my Papa passed away this past weekend. It was not unexpected, and I was able to see him one more time at Christmas, but it's still difficult. Papa was one of the men I respected most in my life, and it's hard to have to let go. Even harder still is it for my grandmother and aunts. So I will be absent while I visit my family. I've got a planned post or two for now or when I get back, but simply put family is far more important than blogging. (Of course, I know you all understand.)  Have a lovely weekend, and go give your loved ones a hug.

January 2012 reading list

My cooking has been dismally boring this past month. Sweet potatoes until we burst, local meat, greens, carrots, onions, and very little else save those little treats like cauliflower and organic blueberries and bananas from the store. I'm a little done with winter, folks, so instead of exercising my culinary prowess I've been reading about food and nutrition, with a little food politics thrown in for good measure,. Here's my January reading list in case you want to follow along:

Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat
by Melissa Joulwan: This is a classic paleo (Whole30-style) cookbook with plenty of intriguing international flavors and tons of time-saving tips. I'm still working my way through the book and will review soon.

Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
by Weston A Price: I'm finally getting around to reading this classic. I avoided it for a [really] long time because of my laziness, but I read enough referencing this book that I felt I should dive into it for myself.

Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life
by Nora Gedgaudas: Gedgaudas writes about nutrition and its link to mental health, among other things. I'm excited to get through this one.

Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Larry Estabrook: I've been meaning to get all the way through this book for ages.

Cocoa-toasted cauliflower from "Well Fed"

 You guys! This stuff is... amazing.  And bonus? It's not only in "Well Fed," but also here for free.

Whole30 to start the new year-- Who's in?

Everyone seems to have New Year's resolutions or some kind of goal for the year ahead. I have goals, sure, but as I mentioned in a previous post I have no use for "resolutions"--I find that [resolutions] are often too easy to break. I mean come on, committing to a full year of no fewer than eight hours of sleep a night? No way. Sometimes life just throws you a curve ball and things like that just become impossible for a while. (They also rely too much on one's environment, which again, is subject to such lovelies as Murphy's Law.)

That said, I think it's important to have goals. Concrete goals with a time frame are the best for me, and so I am going to put forth a couple of things I'm working on right now. First is the recipe book, which I've given myself plenty of time to work on. (I'll need it too, because I'm a little slow-moving on that right now.)  Another is that I've signed up for my first half marathon in eight years. You see, I've got the racing bug again. This time I'm going to be smarter about training, so that I don't end up with a wrecked knee.  I've got six months until that race and I'll be fine--maybe not as fast as I used to be, but fine. And for a short term goal? January is a Whole30 month for me. I will not put crap into my body at all this month.

What is a Whole30? It's 30 days of very clean "paleo" (I HATE that word) eating. Meat, fish, fruit, veggies, good fats, nuts, coffee/tea. No alcohol (thank God, because the holidays involved more wine than I've had in ages). Zero sugar or sweeteners of any kind. No grains, no legumes, no dairy of any kind. I'm not using this as a diet, more as a reset button. As always, I tend to eat less in the way of meat and fish than most "paleo" folks, so a lot of my food will be raw or cooked fruits and veggies. (Yum.) This is also a chance for me to figure out if my body can handle things like rice and beans after the month is over.

So what have I eaten so far this week? (Sure, it's only day 4, but I feel fantastic.) Fish, blueberries, tons of kale, local pastured eggs, sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, winter squash, coconut... The usual, basically, but no treats.   Not even almond flour treats this month. If you're interested in the concept or the program, check out the website for more information. The Whole9 website is chock full of really good information and links to resources.

The Whole30 is really a common sense approach to resetting your food mindset, but if you need ideas or additional help regarding what to eat or shop for, the Hartwigs have put together an e-book with a ton of information. I felt comfortable enough starting this month without it, but plan on reviewing the information here sometime next week.  I'll be posting some recipes for salads and soups over the next couple of weeks, since that's pretty much all I want to eat right now after the holidays. (Hot and sour soup, anyone?)

Happy eating!