I have conflicted feelings about farm-fresh organic produce. It's delicious, but so darn free of pesticides.
Tonight I made a lovely dish of greens, and was looking forward not only to eating it but to blogging about it, because I've never cooked with sorrel before and it's a tart, lemony, herby, welcome surprise. I sautéed a shallot and a few cloves of garlic in some butter, then added the chopped spinach and sorrel, and then added a touch of cream and a bit more butter to make it delicious but not too heavy. Wonderful.
But you see, there was un escargot dans l'oseille. I saw it as I was cleaning it, and set it aside as I might set aside a fly in lettuce, declining to use the leaves directly surrounding it. But as I was preparing the spaghetti, the snail came out of its shell and began to move. And it slid all over a leaf, glistening with slime in the bright kitchen light. And my stomach turned.
I had rinsed the sorrel, one leaf at a time. But six days in the fridge with a slimy little snail oozing all over it? I just couldn't do it. And since A. didn't protest, I think he had also lost his appetite. I threw it out, and deposited the snail in the flower bed outside the building.
So no photo, no recipe, no tasting notes. :( Next time!
July 8, 2011
July 1, 2011
Heartsy feature + news...
Poor blog, I've neglected you! It's been too long. There are a couple of fun updates to share.
First things first: today I'm being featured on Heartsy. It's a great deal: with an $18 voucher, you get $38 in store credit! You can get one through midnight tonight Saturday, and they're good for three months. It works through my Etsy store, which currently has many items not yet listed on my main website, such as these:
Speaking of Etsy, my sites have started picking up a bit of momentum...you can see them here and here.
Heartsy is basically the Groupon of handmade goods. There has been a mixed reaction to it among the handmade community, the thought being that it devalues handmade-ness, but I think it's a helpful tool for makers to have. I am personally doing Heartsy right now for three reasons: the exposure is helpful, as I'm just starting out and therefore lingering in obscurity; I believe in my products, so I think it's a good thing to get them into people's hands; and I'm gearing up for my first retail show next month, so the proceeds will help me create a larger inventory for that event.
Second things second: in a few weeks I'm going to be selling at the Ann Arbor art fairs! It's a huge event—over 200,000 people descend on the town during the four days of the fairs—and one I've gone to since I was little. I'm not in one of the official juried fairs, but I will be in a very central location downtown, along with several other women who make accessories. Very exciting. More details to come.
First things first: today I'm being featured on Heartsy. It's a great deal: with an $18 voucher, you get $38 in store credit! You can get one through midnight
Speaking of Etsy, my sites have started picking up a bit of momentum...you can see them here and here.
Heartsy is basically the Groupon of handmade goods. There has been a mixed reaction to it among the handmade community, the thought being that it devalues handmade-ness, but I think it's a helpful tool for makers to have. I am personally doing Heartsy right now for three reasons: the exposure is helpful, as I'm just starting out and therefore lingering in obscurity; I believe in my products, so I think it's a good thing to get them into people's hands; and I'm gearing up for my first retail show next month, so the proceeds will help me create a larger inventory for that event.
Second things second: in a few weeks I'm going to be selling at the Ann Arbor art fairs! It's a huge event—over 200,000 people descend on the town during the four days of the fairs—and one I've gone to since I was little. I'm not in one of the official juried fairs, but I will be in a very central location downtown, along with several other women who make accessories. Very exciting. More details to come.