Monday, June 27, 2011

A Most Unusual Walk

My almost-twelve year old and I went on a walk yesterday.  We stopped to pet our favorite little dog at about the mile and a half marker, and met her owner.  He says he doesn't tie her up, because she just showed up one day, and he wonders if her owner will find her (she's been living with him for 3 years or so).  So now we know her name.  Coco.

On the way back down we met the lady who has a "Farm Fresh Eggs" sign out.  She took us for a tour around her place (greenhouses, outside garden, chickens, sheep, and cows) and loaded us up with oregano, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and beet starts and a bag of lettuce.  I told her I would bring her a few taro huli next time I am up the road.  I don't have a lot of starts to share this year.

Someone has been stealing her sheep and apparently, selling them on craigslist.  She found out who it was, so that is a relief, although the sheep are long gone.  She has St. Croix-Barbados mix.  They look more delicate and more white than mine.  I told her she could borrow Calico or Sam if she wants more color next year.

Our son drove to work today for the first time.  He is very patient about calling home when he gets places (it was his idea) to calm me down.  He is deviating from his usual route as he wants to practice with the Cross Country team at the Bayfront today.  I saw the confusion in his eyes when his dad was giving him directions - so I told him since I had to bring his brother down for gym today, I would meet him at his work and he could follow me to the practice location.  He knows less about his town than I did when growing up, because he never really had the opportunity to walk all around town like we did growing up.  There isn't a good bus system on this island like on Oahu, so the kids were a lot more dependent on rides from parents.

I made some mango-lemon marmalade the other day, along with daikon-carrot pickle.  Today is baking day for this week - french bread rolls for sandwiches and cookies.  Better get off the computer and do it!

10 comments:

Deb said...

Sounds like a delightful walk !!

That's a great routine to implant in your kids when they start to drive. My 24 year old son, who lives out of state, still calls me upon arriving home after visiting. Mom's never get over worrying !

Is Spot feeling better ?

Chai Chai said...

Sheep rustlers? We live in a sad world sometimes.

NancyDe said...

Hey, Deb. He is feeling better, I think - but he sure hates to see me coming with the wound cleaning materials. Sally is back to normal, bossy little thing. too. How are you?

Chai Chai, all I can think is he must be desperate to feed his many, many dogs... if the neighbor is right about who is taking and selling her sheep.

Cassie said...

Taking walks is so nice, you miss out on a lot unless you stop and take your time.

From Beyond My Kitchen Window said...

Who would steal sheep in this day and age? I can never understand the mentality of a thief. Simply taking something that you didn't work for or pay for. I'm thrilled the thief was caught. I know how you feel with a new licensed driver. Very scary for parents but fun for the kids. He'll be fine.

Julie said...

Nancy the mango lemon marmalade and the daikon carrot pickle both sound really yummy. I wouldn't be a bit bored if you decided to share your method/recipe!

NancyDe said...

Welcome, Julie! daikon pickles were easy. I cut the carrots and the daikon into thin strips and salted them well. The salt leaches the liquid out, which I helped along by sort of kneading them. I drained the liquid when the daikon were bendable and rinsed to get rid of some of the salt. Then I mixed vinegar, some sugar, and a little water to make a brine and poured it over the daikon and carrots in mason jars to cover it. Sorry, I kind of did it to taste (was trying for that Bale Sandwich taste) so no real measurements.

Lemon and Mango marmalade: I cut the lemons very thin and took out the seeds. I cut the mango into chunks. I put both in a pot, covered with water to an inch and a half to 2 inches over the fruit, added 2 cups of sugar and cooked the heck out of it, until it reached the jell stage - about an hour or an hour and a half. Then I used a boiling water canner and processed it for 20 minutes (15 at sea level) - but you could just put it in the fridge is you don't make so much that you need to store it for a long time. Pretty easy, but if you do the whole canning thing, time consuming. Ono, though. If you don't like that slightly bitter taste, you can just use the outside peel and take out the pith and use the juice of the lemon.

NancyDe said...

Oh yeah, the mangos were from Maui - so sweet. Forget the name of the orchard, but I got them at the Hilo Farmer's Market.

Julie said...

The Hilo Farmer's market is fabulous, lucky you! Probably the mangoes came from Yees. Thanks for posting the recipes, i'll file away for when i have some time ; )

NancyDe said...

Yop, Julie, it was Yees. Those were the biggest mangoes I have ever seen! If I didn't have to go to Hilo later on this evening, I would drive down just for a few more. It's such a haul, though, two trips doesn't make sense - maybe next week. Mango season is so short.