Month: October 2010

October 7, 2010

Mud And Fire

I managed to log a fair amount of studio time over the last couple of months, and here’s some of what I did. I’m trying to divide my time between making more of existing designs and trying new things, so there’s a bit of both here. I’m going to start selling some of these via Etsy in the near future for anyone who’s interested; look for a post with a link when I get that together. Anybody who can’t wait can email me.

For starters, I made 10 more of the flower cups:

There’s a pink glaze under the inside blue around the lip, giving them a nice blush. For something new, these bowls are about the same size but a little thicker:

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October 5, 2010

Grow Your Own

Instead of pickling them, I’ve been leaving green beans on the plant once they get beyond the filet stage, which is the only stage where I really enjoy them. Once fat and fibrous, they make a decent 3-bean salad, especially when run through my Grandmother’s antique bean slicer up in Vermont, but the thrill is pretty much gone. So, along with our dragon’s tongue beans, I’ve been shelling and drying them instead with an eye towards soups and stews and, of course, cassoulet–that apotheosis of beans–and something this chilly, rainy spell is steering my mind towards with increasing force.

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October 3, 2010

Yeast Of Eden

After three days of torrential rain (over four days) which we needed badly, it’s perfect again. The stream rose so high it actually displaced a few of the garden beds, requiring some work today to get things back in place. Besides shifting the 2×10 frames, the water moved some soil around, and strewed freshly-planted garlic cloves in the paths nearby. I got it all back together in short order, and topped up a couple of beds with compost for good measure. The combination of copious water followed by copious sun is having a highly salutary effect on the late plantings; turnips and winter greens are fattening right up. The carrots are great, and the burdock leaves are attaining prehistoric size. It’s been great bread weather.

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October 2, 2010

Sosumi Aredi

Admittedly, the garnishes are pretty spare, but is this not a sexy plate of dinner? I made a customary stop at Mitsuwa on the way back from a recent trip to the city and picked up hamachi, kampachi, fluke, and yellowfin tuna (bluefin is verboten. Don’t buy it). I got a bunch of other goodies, too, per usual: noodles, sake, condiments like mirin and usukuchi, and these fresh yuzu. I also got shishito peppers, from…

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October 1, 2010

Ducks In A Row

Remember that amazing duck I wrote about two posts back? My article about the fascinating man who produced it is out in this month’s Chronogram. Photo by Jennifer May