Happy Summer! We left Texas last year on Summer Solstice 2023. The heat index was 118F. I can’t believe we have been here for a year now! There is a heat dome over NY and New England now. It really feels like climate change is accelerating. Unfortunately, there are still people who deny that CO2 levels in the atmosphere have been rising and this is most likely due to human activities. I really hope that people will accept it and that there we be some kind of scientific breakthroughs and societal change to help mitigate the suffering that will continue coming. (I’ve been watching this since my high school days and have a BS Biology/Environmental Studies 1999)
So what have I been doing this year? Chef Veggie is currently hibernating and may resume in the fall if there is interest. But that doesn’t mean that the cooking stopped. I’ve been learning some new techniques and also revisiting cooking for just 2 people. When my daughter went to college in the fall of 2023, it was just me, Sean, and 2 kitties (Mochiko & Sunny). Now we have Mikan too!
Just Egg
It was the year of Just Egg, English muffin and Matcha Latte breakfasts. I love Matcha and use tea from Matchaelogist, or other organic Japan grown Matcha like Naoki (see here) with NotMilk. NotMilk came out with an unsweetened vanilla version (Get it HERE..it’s shelf stable too). I’m trying to stay away from oatmilk because it has a lot of sugar and not much protein. Mochiko could be a Just Egg mascot! It’s probably one of her favorite foods.
Sourdough
We kept our sourdough starter alive for an entire year. I’ve been making bread at least weekly.
Local Food
The Troy Farmer’s Market, local orchards, corn fields and farms are so beautiful.
We went to the farmer’s market every Saturday for the 1st 6 weeks!
Apple picking at Windy Hill Orchard just 10 minutes from our house was such a treat!
I really hope to explore some berry farms soon.
Foraging
We found oyster, chanterelles, lobster, bear’s tooth, and beech mushrooms and delicious hickory nuts.
Did you know you can eat hosta shoots? When spring came, we ate so many from our yard.
Our front forest was so full of daffodils and the Golden Afternoon song described them perfectly “There are dizzy daffodils on the hillside…”
I made lilac lemonade from bushes in our backyard and my first batch of rose petal jam a couple weeks ago.
Gardening and Mushroom Growing
Sean’s dream came true! After months of hard work hauling dirt, creating beds, and nurturing seedlings he has the most beautiful and productive garden. And a mushroom growing operation in the basement! Lion’s Mane, 4 kinds of oyster (blue, Italian, yellow, pink), beech, chestnut and shiitake have been successful so far.
There are some starter logs with injected mycelium plugs that we hope will fruit outside in the fall.
5 Minute Pizza
If you know our family, we love homemade pizza and have been hosting pizza parties for decades. While lots of people are getting expensive Ooni pizza ovens they never use, we have to recommend the Piezano. It has a ceramic bottom and is electric. It makes fast 10 inch pizzas. You can make so many different kinds without waiting long. The bamboo lifter is ingenious. And in the summer you don’t have to heat out your whole house! Find it here: Piezano
What a Year!
I’m realizing that all of these topics could have been their own posts this year.
Other than food stuff, I’ve been taking good care of my Shiba Inu puppy Mikan (see his IG account @mikan_mochiko), exploring outdoors with hikes and kayaking, sewing doll clothing, learning 3D printing and laser cutting, salsa dancing, lots of yoga, hosting guests (come visit!), trips to NYC and Burlington, VT and places along the way.
I’m promising to be more regular with blogging again, even if it’s just for me and a few interested people. Or a least post more frequently on IG. And now that my puppy is older, I’ll also get back on the cookbook finishing train to have it done by next May 2025!
Hope you and your family or loved ones are well and are able to stay cool! Happy Summer! (I miss you winter!)
Love,
Cristina
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What a great year!