Puttin' Up

Good Morning,

After all the valuable and useful information you learned in Farm City, we though an equally thought provoking demonstration was necessary. The main theme of Farm City is using what you have in a sustainable way. This is why we thought a demo on canning would be perfect. Not only does canning give us thousands and thousands of ideas/recipes, it is also something you can easily do at home with fruit or vegetables from your garden.

In addition to the lesson on canning, Doug will be making hot pepper jelly. The hot pepper jelly is something Doug swears by, "both sweet and spicy" he says. Hot pepper jelly goes wonderful with a cracker and goat cheese, but we are going to take it up a notch and serve it with pork tacos.

No need to eat dinner tonight!

Farm City

Good Morning Everyone,

It's hard to imagine gardening with such icky weather, but I came across some photos from the Farm City website. There is a link on the right hand side titled "Farm Photos" which will take you to her Flickr.I though they would be fun to share; help you visualize as you read. The pictures also convey how big her garden really is. She also has a lot of animals running around too. I hope you enjoy!

Fresh Friday on Garfield Street

Good Afternoon!

Today is the grand opening of Garfield Street's Gardener's Exchange. The Gardeners Exchange is a neighborhood effort to provide fresh and seasonable produce to Tacoma area residents throughout the 2011 growing season.

Fresh Friday's vision and mission include the desire to:

-provide fresh and sustainable produce

-encourage organic growing practices

-increase awareness and education of local growing and farming practices

-increase a sense of community

-support the local economy by providing free space for both backyard gardeners and small farmers to buy/sell at low cost, exchange or barter produce.A place like Garfield Street Gardener's Exchange is a great way for foodies like us to get fresh local vegetables and fruit for low costs.

Fresh Fridays will be held from 3--6pm on Fridays, beginning today on the south side of Garfield Street between C Street and Park Avenue. I will try to send weekly updates about what will be sold/featured at the market each week as well!

Our First French Cooking Demo

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Book club is in 2 days! I have been holding Doug's upcoming demo a secret until the last minute however, it is time to share! If you are like me, some of the recipes in Sharper Your Knife where a little intimidating and daunting, however we are all capable enthusiastic cooks! On page 165 there is a sweet little recipe for Coq au Vin. Coq au Vin is french cooking at its best, yet wonderfully simple.

Coq au Vin is a French braise of chicken cooked with red wine, bacon, mushrooms, and garlic. Despite its name, Coq au Vin is a surprisingly easy way to make delectable chicken. The Coq au Vin will be served on top of a bed of rice pilaf and roasted chicken stock. Can you say delicious!

I am looking forward to see you all again and remember bring your questions for Kathleen!

Kathleen Flinn's Blog

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I realized this morning I have not posted a link to Kathleen Flinn's blog. I always find it a fun to peruse an author's website or blog because it allows you to get to know the author a little more. Remember Kathleen will be here so please come with questions. It is a special treat for us to meet her and talk with her intimately so I cannot reiterate enough how important it is for us to come with questions and comments.

In other news, Doug and I have discussed our upcoming demo so stay tuned for details!

Culinary Week at PLU

Good Afternoon,

Next week is Culinary Week at Pacific Lutheran University. This year's theme is "A Tour of Asia." April 16-21st there will be several demos and conversations concerning all things Asian. Some discussions feature spice, dumplings, and Asian curries. Doug has a lot of involvement with the demos and presentations so it is definitely worth stopping by.

The complete schedule can be found here! I hope you check it out

July's Title

Hi Everyone!

I would like extend a thank you to everyone who cast a vote for our July title!

It was a close tie between Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India and Sex, Death and Oysters: A Half-Shell Lover's World Tour, but Climbing the Mango Trees was the winner! However, I will keep Sex, Death, and Oysters on my list for titles in the future.

I hope you are enjoying Sharper Your Knife!