ep1 : intake

SANATORIUM : an establishment that provides therapy combined with a regimen (as of diet and exercise) for treatment or rehabilitation

I'm hoping this may serve as a journal for my domestic exploits, centered around suburban backyard agriculture and cooking. 

About 8" of snow yesterday. It accumulated quickly and about when I thought it would, starting in earnest about 4pm with the heaviest arriving between 6pm-12am. I made the right decision to undertake more than 50% of the shoveling at about 130am when I had the energy. The first project was a dog run out back. I felt like the snow was just deep enough that I could shovel a path to herd the dog where I wanted him to go- barring the presence of some kind of animal threat- he wouldn't stray into fresh powder up past his belly. Considering the snow's insulating qualities, I wanted to disturb as little as possible and see how long it will stay on the ground. Also to see which areas would melt first, drain better, etc. I kept the shoveled path confined to either paved or grassy areas- I did not shovel snow off gravel pathways to avoid disturbing that, or having to clear dog shit off of it. I also built a mounded and packed snow step to allow access over a short fence that was about buried in a drift anyway. This allows access to the shed at the back corner of the yard. 

The temperatures should be sustained below freezing through the next week. That being said, it is time for me to finally execute a winter project I have had kicking around for at least a year- an ice hockey table. Exactly like an air hockey game table, but made of ice and requiring no compressor or electricity. I don't happen to have a full 4'x8' sheet of plywood available, so I will have to gather materials some time today. Hoping to use scrap stick lumber for rails and plastic sheeting that I already have. The table will be mounted on an 8' picnic table. I plan to flood with buckets because we let the lazily let the garden hoses freeze, given the mild weather that until now has dominated. 

I will also have to furnish a puck and two mallets. I learned thanks to the internet that a regulation competition air hockey paddle is just under 5" diameter, the size of a compact disc. With a little drilling and carving I am hoping to re-purpose two wooden votive candle bases that I stubbornly hung on to. As for the puck, thinking of digging a floor hockey puck out of the snow. I would like to cut a regulation ice hockey puck into 3/8" slices but can't bear the thought of ruining saw blades with hot vulcanized rubber in the process. This circular saw carnage may be averted by using some kind of hot knife to make the cut. Alas, rubber smith I am not- and experimenting with different thicknesses of small diameter log rounds may need to suffice for pucks.

Speaking of the picnic table, in the month of November I began to notice the germination of all manner of seeds that we harvested and threshed on it's top. Lettuces, cilantro, fennel. The spot below the picnic table is proving to be quite protected from the elements and may provide a decent environment for hardening off young seedlings come spring- maybe even.. come late March. I can't wait to see the first bees enjoying the first flowers germinated from seeds that we must have dropped all over the place under there. I believe there is a bee balm plant under that snow as well! Usually one would desire to keep bee-attracting flora away from where someone may sit and eat fruit salad- but we have not had any such problems! Not even yellow jackets in freshly composted fruit scraps in the heat of the summer.

Last night I trudged out into the snow to cut some parsley to garnish a soup. This involved finding a corner of the snow buried fabric shower curtain that covers this herb patch. The parsley has been picked to death- I'm sure we have some of it drying somewhere in the house- but there is no substitute for fresh. I was surprised to find so many frozen bugs and the like on the parsley-  not sure what they are but they appear like little fleas or aphids. Half the parsley I cut was usable for my purposes. Still not too bad for December 29. 

The soup was simple- a "spanish" style fish soup, not quite a stew- dominated by paprika and lemon. Cubed potatoes, previously chopped and frozen paste tomatoes- about half a pound of each. About a pound of portioned hake filet and some prawns cooked in the last 10 minutes. A little too much lemon juice was used, with even more zest as part of the garnish. With the tomatoes this created a bit too much acid, yet everyone somehow avoided heartburn. All in all, a quick one-pot that I will go back to, especially when accompanied with sinus congestion.

I also need to identify the weed that has almost completely blanketed the soil in our two cold frames. The new solid walled cold frame made of salvaged windows has clearly been working better than expected. Reminder that G offered to scrape and paint the old and quite possibly lead paint ridden windows next spring. And that soil testing in that bed is most likely in order.

D is making half a brisket with "cajun" seasoning and about 10oz of newport storm's vlad "russian" imperial stout. I'm skeptical with the addition of that particular (9% abv) beer and hoping they don't clash.

The plan was to make "thai" green curry, this one actually employing cream and a roux en vez de coconut milk, with the additional fish and prawns purchased last night, but I can't be bothered to cook only for myself.

Ok, enough for today. 

Notes to self: 
The right side of our oven is hotter. 
House garlic is not keeping that well; is beginning to sprout.
Keep storage onions and potatoes well separated. Both like dark and dry, but potatoes have and give off much more moisture.
Frozen ginger is great to grate.

Depleted stock items: 
Canned garbanzos, fresh parsley and cilantro.