From the Kitchen of Sunrise Cottage

Maybe I have been staring at the pile of dishes in my kitchen sink for too long. But the fact is, it's a daily pile. It isn't built up from a weeks worth of meals. No, it is one day. You see, I feed 5 people three meals a day out of this kitchen--from scratch. Interestingly enough, I believe that to do just this was something I wished for at one time. Back when I had less children and a Trader Joe's I frequented. Don't get me wrong, I still appreciate my local co-op grocery for essentials--like chocolate chips and lentils. And I enjoyed cooking from a young age... Once you have...

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The Farmer was underwhelmed and King Peter disgusted, but Battlegirl and I enjoyed the soup. Very bright green in color. The verdict is still out from Hornet as he was in bed by the time we had it ready....nevermind, it was a no go for Hornet tonight.  I guess it's paritcularly vegetable-y, and you don't cook the collards very long, so their flavor is strong.

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  " Local food is a handshake deal in a community gathering place. It involves farmers with first names, who show up week after week. It means an open-door policy on the fields, where neighborhood buyers are welcome to come  have a look, and pick their food from the vine. Local is farmers growing trust." from Animal,Vegetable,Miracle p. 123 Chris is going to try this recipe he saw in Martha Stewart Living (magazine) tomorrow. I'll let you know how we like it... CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH GREENS 1 tbs olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 4 cloves garlic Sea salt 1 head...

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  Here are the pictures of the sweet potato pie I promised. In this box you will find lettuce, braising greens, scallions, and sweet potatoes. Remember, the "best" thing to do with braising greens is saute them in butter. As one friend said, they are similar to sauteed spinach but with a more complex flavor. May the peace of God transcend in you above the hecticness of this season. Thank  you everyone.  ...

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On Sunday we spent the day with friends. Cooking, eating,  and fellowshipping together.  It was decadent. Our children entertained themselves and played quite well together. We made "Carnitas" using a pork shoulder (or Boston Butt) from one of those lovely pigs of ours. Josh used a recipe from epicurious.com . We made salsa from our canned tomatoes, elephant garlic, scallions, jalapenos and cilantro--which is growing quite happily now! And some quick-pickled carrots and turnips. To pickle fresh veggies for immediate use:  Slice, chop or grate vegetables of choice. We used carrots and turnips....

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The start of a new month; I appreciate any excuse for a fresh start. In today's box you will find, multicolored sweet potatoes--red, white, and blue. Although, as an artist, I must say that whichever botanist or horticulturist picked vegetable colors must have been color blind.  "Usual" sweet potatoes are orange and the "blue" look purple to me. Just like red cabbage and onions, they look purple to me also. But I digress, the rest of the box is fairly green; collards, kale, "spring" onions, and lettuce. And, oh is the lettuce lovely. If you enjoy raw onions as I do, then slice those long little...

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Our first "pork harvest" is in! We have been fattening 6 pigs on veggie scraps and whatever they scrounged out of the woods surrounding our pasture (as well as a non-antibiotic feed) since April. So in keeping with tradition, now that the weather is cool (at least it is supposed to be cool), it was time for "hog killing." "The cute little pigs" going to  market was more difficult for our children than the usual cow or chicken has been in the past, but they weren't little or cute anymore, and we all agree, the sausage is delicious. We have mild and hot breakfast sausages, sweet and hot Italian...

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We just finished vegetable soup with bread and sweet potatoes--an excellent rainy November day meal. I made this soup after hearing about one of our very own, Elizabeth Hall, turning her weekly CSA box into a weekly pot of soup! I started with chicken broth,  then sauteed onions and garlic, and add chopped sweet potatoes, turnips, turnip greens, and beet greens, as well as a little brown rice. I seasoned with only salt and pepper and we grated some parmesan over each bowl. Your boxes today contain 1 bunch carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes, as well as 1/2 lb of spinach, and 2 lbs sweet...

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    Aahhh, recipes. Concoctions of deliciousness from my table to yours...Hmmm, if only it were that easy. I am not sure that I am really a good recipe conveyor, but I do love good food, and when my kids are playing happily elsewhere, I like to cook it too! I have begun reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and as someone whose living comes from the land so to speak I appreciate her words very much. It is entertaining as well as informational.  If you don't agree with all of her opinions, you will still find more of experiential wisdom, farm-table...

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For my first official post in the recipes category I want to share my favorite recipe.  This is a meal that my WHOLE family loves, it is simple, versatile and highly stretchable (you can feed 4 or 14 with it). (Fall CSAers read on for Kholrabi recipes) So, without further ado, I give  you: SAUSAGE SOUP Ingredients: Hot or sweet Italian sausage (I use ground hot, not links) chopped onions fresh or canned tomatoes depending on the season Kale, spinach, collards, kholrabi greens, turnip greens, swiss chard, or any combination of the said greens Brown or white rice (I prefer...

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