Harbingers

I got my first definitive sign that spring is imminent this morning. As I opened my kitchen door, ready to head out in the early morning fog and mist to let the hens out of their coop, I heard them. Loud croaks, coming from the tiny throats of hundreds of newly emerged frogs. Our miniscule pond, frozen over all winter, finally thawed in this week's warm spell. Frogs are bursting out all over the place. Harbingers of spring. It's really going to happen, after all.

*Image from here.

Bottled Bliss

My friend Denise recently turned 30. For this threshold birthday, she'd planned a big soiree, complete with a Spanish theme and a bonfire. Fate had other plans, it turned out, dumping a boatload of snow the day of the bash, rendering the roads into a treacherous, slick, ice-clad nightmare. She was disappointed, to say the least. I was saddened, too, as I'd made a honey Valencia orange cake for the occasion.

I had to wait for almost a week's worth of snow thaw before I could safely venture out of my secluded, shade-prone, one mile dirt road-sited mountain home to make it to Denise's similarly hard to reach outpost. High up a steep dirt road (I likened it the other day to driving in San Francisco), Josh and Denise's place is not for the faint of vehicular heart.

I finally made it over, though, with the remains of the cake (we couldn't let it go to waste during the wait!), and some goodies from my pantry. The infused vinegar you see before you was one of the gifts. It's phenomenally easy to make and is a great go-to birthday, host/-ess, housewarming, or "it's Tuesday and you're awesome" gift for the culinarily inclined folks in your life.

The possibilities for infusing agents are endless. To organic white wine vinegar, I added lavender springs (dried from my lavender plant last season), fresh sage and rosemary from my yard, peeled, whole garlic cloves, and dried bird's eye chilies from the summer's crop. It looked gorgeous in the bottle and will undoubtedly be delectable on the palate.

If you've got some empty bottles lying around (we keep almost every bottle we come across, our basement a veritable treasure trove of former olive oil, vinegar, and liquor bottles), and some vinegar, you can whip up infused bottles of your own. From berries to spices, from herbs to chilies, bottled bliss can be yours for a fraction of what you'd shell out for ready made.

Heirloom Foods

Happy Friday, everyone! My "Small Measures with Ashley" post is up over on Design Sponge. Today's topic discusses the preservation of heirloom foods and animal breeds. It's a topic very near and dear to my heart.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. We're off for a quick day trip to Atlanta tomorrow. Some beloved friends not only just bought their first home, but are having their first child in a mere 6 weeks! While I've had other friends have children, this will be the first time that I'll get to witness a very close friend fully big and round and undeniably pregnant. I'm looking forward to seeing what Asheville eco store Nest has available gift-wise (we buy all of our expecting friends gifts from there; everything from Kate Quinn is fabulous, and organic to boot!).

It will be a quick jaunt, up and back in the same day (a total of 7 hours in the car-good thing we like each other so much, and have the likes of Portishead, M.I.A., and Penguin Cafe Orchestra to lose ourselves in!), but it will be just the mini vacation we need. The weather promises to cooperate, too, so things should go off without a hitch.

Oh, Asheville friends, two upcoming gardening classes you might be interested in: The Buncombe County government is sponsoring a "Grow Your Own-Eat Local" gardening basics class on March 20th at AB-Tech from 9-3:30. A mere $10, this class is a total winner.

Also, my friends Beth and Christopher are teaching a four-part organic gardening basics class at their Swannanoa farm. You can find class descriptions here. Each class meets from 1-5 one Saturday a month, beginning March 27th and ending June 19th. It's possible to simply take individual classes, at $40 each, or the entire series for $140 (take all four and you also get an entire flat of veggie starts!). My friend Alisa and I are already signed up. I'd love to see you there, too!

*Image from here.

A Little Bit More

The snow has, I believe, finally stopped (totally knocking on my wooden dining room table). It is seriously gorgeous and still and blindingly white. That said, it really needs to stop. We've more than filled our snow quota for this winter. Not complaining. Just stating the obvious.

That said, the power is on, the wood stove is lit, the tea is hot, the pets are happy (well, the chickens are less than thrilled, but, they've seen worse).

A soundtrack for your viewing pleasure (my 2010 winter anthem).

*To see more images of snowpocalypse, Round 25, go here.

Right Here, Right Now

Gettin' By With A Little Help

Things are always better with friends. If you've got to drive across the country, it's much better to do it with your best friend in tow (right, Bonner?). If you're going to perform, or speak, or otherwise be completely and wholly conspicuous in public, it's easier knowing a buddy is in the crowd, cheering silently from the sidelines.

To that end, "crop mobs" have begun springing up. Developed in the Triangle area of North Carolina's piedmont region, crop mobs are public calls for friends, family, and any and all interested persons to take up shovels and trowels and collectively conquer some large farm task. Participants sign up online, then receive periodic notices of pending crop mobs. The combined efforts make short work of projects that would have taken just one or two individuals days or weeks to complete.

People who might have little to no interaction with the workings of an actual farm but have an interest in making their ecological "talk" marry with some tactile "walk" are building community, crop knowledge, and the crops themselves simultaneously.

I think crop mobs are a phenomenal idea. The current model of "self-sufficiency" being espoused sometimes loses sight, in my view, of the absolute interconnectivity and symbiotic relationships that must occur in order for all living organisms to survive and thrive. Asking for help isn't a sign of incompetency or defeat; it's the smartest action, the wisest choice, and the most intrinsic component of our humanity that an individual could solicit.

*Find this image and a Raleigh News & Observer article discussing crop mobs here.

Small Measure Can-Do Contest, Round 9

It's the first Monday of a new month, which means one thing: another Small Measure Can-Do Giveaway. For those of you new to the contest, or to this blog, I'm staging a giveaway each month from now until the release of my book, Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English. Each month one lucky person will win an artfully crafted canned item featured in the book and made by yours truly.

From my pantry to yours, this month I'll be giving away a jar of Rhubarb Amaretto Chutney. I realize that last month's giveaway was also for a chutney. Wanting to keep with the book's recipe arrangement and emphasis on seasonality, however, my rhubarb chutney seemed perfect as a harbinger of spring (although, admittedly, it's not yet available where I live, showing up a bit closer to April and May, hence the lovely photo sourced online in lieu of any fresh rhubarb stalks).

Besides, can you really have too much chutney? There are few things I can think of that wouldn't be improved upon with a little smear of this chunky, zesty, puckery spread (I was going to suggest cupcakes as the one exception, but then I started imagining a dollop of chutney on top of some browned butter frosting, realized that it sounded amazing, and abandoned that notion). This particular chutney pairs lovely with Indian cuisine. It would also serve as a fine accompaniment to a tangy, fresh chevre, a smoked ham sandwich, or tossed with some roasted or sauteed vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. It's an equal opportunity chutney.

To enter: Simply leave a comment to THIS specific post by telling me your favorite way of cooking or serving or simply eating rhubarb. Your comment MUST link to your particular blog or web site (and therefore to your contact information) or include your e-mail address. Otherwise, I won't be able to get in touch with you if you win! Any entries that do not include some way of getting in touch will be disqualified.

Deadline: Comments must be received by midnight EST March 15th, 2010. Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.

Other rules:

1. You must have a mailing address in the United States of America (sorry international folks!).

2. Only one entry comment per person.

How it works: Each comment will be assigned a sequential number. The winning number will be selected from a random number generator, so there'll be no favorites, simply a game of chance.

*Top image from here.