What a glorious January weekend! Sunday was a sunny, wintry day.....my favorite! JSM and I usually spend Sundays together since it is the only day we are both off, but JSM's friend Doss was in town from Philadelphia so I had the day to myself! I hate giving up my time with JSM, but I had to make the best of it. So, instead of spending the day outside in the beautiful weather or pretending to love football, I was inside on the sofa relaxing (with this beautiful view of the blue sky out the sliding glass door!) For the first time in months I had nowhere to go and nothing I had to do so I finished a book AND I watched an entire documentary. Yes, I spent a whole 2 hours watching television.....I never watch movies! But I couldn't resist No Impact Man on OWN.
I can't say I loved the premise. It was ridiculous actually, I mean, what lunatic cuts off the electricity to their NYC apartment and then "borrows" ice from their neighbor for a makeshift refrigerator made out of planters? Not only are you still using electricity, but you're stealing from your neighbor! What's the point? Anyway, the whole documentary seemed a little tired....a NYC couple and their small daughter spend a year giving up just about everything - nothing new, no food grown further than 250 miles (which eliminated coffee), no using transportation unless it involved a bike, and no electricity! What pleasures are left? I guess sex since the wife was pregnant by the end of the show. I have to admit, two years living outside of Portland have made me a little immune to these kinds of extreme escapades. We already recycle, compost, and attempted to grow our own food with limited success. But I will say No Impact Man did have a little impact on me.....it did get me thinking about what we eat!
We don't eat a completely local diet, but I am grateful that at least some of the things we eat are grown right here in the NW including the beef and chicken we get at New Seasons. So, after two hours of watching a small family eat seasonally I wanted to make something.....from scratch. So, what does one make when you want something warm, comforting, and homemade? Applesauce, of course. Not only are apples still in season, but they are locally grown in Washington state - perfect! Did I mention it's quick and easy?
Peel, slice, and core 6 apples (I used Braeburn). Combine in a saucepan with 3/4 c. water and the juice of 1 lemon. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft.
Once apples are soft, mash with a potato masher, add 5 T brown sugar (to taste), 1/2 t. cinnamon, and 1/4 t. nutmeg and stir.
The end result is a smooth applesauce with little bits of fruit that pairs wonderfully with potato pancakes. It tastes delicious on it's own, too!
The documentary also got me thinking about this coming spring. In addition to reworking our plans for the vegetable garden we hope to get chickens and bees! We've been talking about bees for months and have already been to an introductory class. I hope they might help our garden grow better this year, I think JSM hopes to get lots of honey! The chickens are JSM's idea, but I am totally supportive even if I don't love eggs. I'm excited to go pick out the little chicks this spring and I am hopeful we will get a Mid Century Modern chicken coop (although JSM may have other plans....) We've been reading a great book we received from our dear friends, J&J, titled A Chicken In Every Yard by Portland natives Robert & Hannah Litt (surprise, surprise!) The idea of being able to get food from our yard still intrigues me even after we had little success last year. 2012 is a fresh new year! We are really excited about trying something new and hopefully, gaining some honey and eggs in the process, not to mention more adventure and lots of lessons, I'm sure. Here's to many more glorious weekends to come since we'll need lots of dry weather to get all this set up!
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