Adventures in Grub Composting

Well, I just harvested my first batch of grub compost, and it wasn’t as terrible as I’d feared, but there was quite a scene between me and some black soldier flies.

Here’s how it went down. I had my grub/compost bucket, and I also had a second, empty bucket. The plan was to transfer the contents over so that I might gain access to the gooey layer of compost, which ostensibly lay at the bottom of the grub bucket. Or so I hoped.

The transfer went well. And I was delighted by the quality of the compost material. Now, as I expected, I ended up with a great mass of grubs on top, but I knew that I just had to wait for their natural dislike of sunlight to force them downward.

That, too, worked like a charm. They tunneled down, and I skimmed off a layer of compost until I reached grubs, then they dug down further, and I skimmed off some more compost. All according to plan.

I had thought it all through beforehand, but I hadn’t counted on the little grubs’ keepers, and today I found out why black soldier flies are called soldier flies. Because they will die for the cause. And they mean business.

They took the transfer from bucket to bucket surprisingly well. Or maybe they were just caught off guard. But when I started actually removing compost, even though there were no grubs in it, the flies went ballistic, and I swear they called in reinforcements.

It’s lucky for me that they don’t have mouths, or I’d be one sorry customer, bitten all over. But since they couldn’t bite me, they took to swarming me, buzzing loudly around my head, and, get this, dive bombing me.

Those little kamikaze freaks actually hurled themselves at me as hard as they could over and over again, trying to get me to back off their babies. And finally I did, but not before I’d harvested at least two pounds of thick, black compost material, which I promptly spread around my plants.

Phew. I’m glad that’s over. The flies have settled down, and everything’s calm again. At least until next time.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Did you miss the original post? Read it here!

East Austin Company Makes Bulgarian Yogurt

White Mountain Foods Bulgarian Yogurt, made right here in East Austin

I’ve haven’t been blogging consistently lately, and that makes me sad, but I have good reasons. I’m busy researching some super interesting subjects, and as with most of my obsessions perfectly healthy interests, they’ve entirely taken over my consciousness, starting the moment I wake up and giving me no peace until I fall asleep. But, while my mind is noodling away, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that I’m taking care of my 100 trillion personal pets. My what? No, I’m not talking about my cats, of which I only have two. I haven’t turned into a crazy cat lady. And I’m not talking about my compost grubs, which are still flourishing, by the way, and sometimes do seem to have reached into the trillions.

I’m talking about the 100 trillion beneficial bacteria that live in the human body, and I’m taking care of them, or at least the ones in my digestive system, by eating yogurt every day, and being careful to choose a brand that’s teeming with probiotics.

As I stated in my inaugural post on this blog, I do often make my own yogurt, but when I don’t have the time, I like to buy high quality and preferably local brands, so I was thrilled recently to discover the Bulgarian Yogurt made by White Mountain Foods, which is located just a few blocks from my house on East 5th St. (For those who know the area, they're right next to Live Oak Brewing Company.)

Anyway, I hadn’t heard of Bulgarian Yogurt before, and I do declare that this stuff packs a mouth-puckering wallop. It is super good, creamy, and definitely more tart than the rather tame yogurt I make myself. Those Bulgarians must know how to party hearty. Not being so hard core, I like to add a bit of local honey or molasses to my cup-sized daily dose, and after I take the tart edge off, White Mountain Foods Bulgarian Yogurt tastes perfect to my non-Bulgarian palate. And my digestive system loves the 90 million probiotics per serving.

Don’t like yogurt? Vegan? Here’s a list of foods that contain probiotics as well.

And while we're on this subject, are you a fan of Greek yogurt? Then you might be interested in this NPR story about how some yogurt companies are using additives to thicken their product and calling it “Greek yogurt”. Outraged? Vote with your wallet at the supermarket and farmers’ market.

Tomato and okra stew over creamy polenta

Stewed garden tomatoes and okra over creamy polenta

Sometimes, even in summertime, you need to curl up with a warm bowl of comfort food. This week, thanks to a bout of severe allergies, I really needed some comforting, and I had just the thing in mind. I’d been craving okra for a while, and second to frying, I think there’s no better way to enjoy okra than cooked with simple stewed tomatoes. They’re such a natural pair, tomatoes and okra, they’re heaven together. And spooned over warm, earthy polenta, they’re even more satisfying.

I just picked a bunch of garden tomatoes, brandywines and san marzanos, and washed and stewed them. I removed the skins, but didn’t even bother removing the seeds. The okra would add seeds, too, I figured, so whatever. I’m sick, I can’t bother being fussy. After the tomatoes cooked down, I added the sliced okra and cooked it until tender. A sprinkle of sea salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper, and I was ready to go. (If you want some kick, a pinch of crushed red pepper would be nice, too.)

For the polenta, I brought about a cup of chicken broth to a simmer and threw in enough cornmeal to make a thin paste. Not too much, since cornmeal absorbs liquid quite quickly, and you want to give it a chance to cook. Then, for flavor and creaminess, I added a small chunk of raclette cheese. Raclette, which I mentioned in this recent post, melts beautifully and has a wonderful, nutty flavor. It works very well incorporated into polenta. Even better than parmesan, I think, texturally and flavor-wise, too. Give it a try.

Raclette Cheese

Bastille Day Bash

I've been a bit under the weather, so I'm only now getting around to posting these shots. Bastille Day at the French Legation Museum was such fun, and I understand from regular attendees that the Alliance Française d'Austin might have enjoyed their largest turnout ever. It certainly was crowded and very festive. 

We spent our evening stretched out on blankets, listening to live music, and sipping wine with Juan Garcia, Laetitia Bertrand, and their adorable son Noah. They really are some of the most enjoyable people I've met in a long time. Here are some pics of the food and the crowd.

Merguez sausage sandwich with cranberry coulis

This sauce was labeled as a cranberry coulis, though The French Fork and I couldn't taste any cranberries to speak of. She suggested that it tasted more like harissa, and I had to agree.

Fruit and cheese plate

Long lines at this year's Bastille Day event. Word is that turnout exceeded expectations. (photo by Shane Guiter)

Lots of people showed up in spite of the heat (Photo by Shane Guiter) 

Raclette

How To Eat Raclette, by Laetitia Bertrand and Juan Garcia

In honor of Bastille Day, I thought I’d post this charming video made by my friends Laetitia Bertrand and Juan Garcia. You might remember them from my post about the most amazing meatloaf I've ever had. Letty and Juan were kind enough to share that recipe with me, and I'm still so grateful.

Laetitia is a Frenchwoman living in Texas. Her delightful food blog is The French Fork, and it’s from her that I learned about raclette, a traditional Swiss meal (also enjoyed in France) where melted cheese is scraped over potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions, and dried meats. The French verb racler literally means to scrape.

Not only is there a specific cheese (semi-firm cow’s milk) called raclette, to use for this purpose, but there are electric grills for making raclette as well.

Here is a lovely, brief memoir about how to create great memories by Hosting a Raclette Party. Fun!

Summer strawberries for lunch

Summer strawberries

Summer Hair Care

Josie Maran Argan Hair Serum

My poor hair. I spend so much time in the sun, I think I’ve gone about two shades lighter. And much, much drier. If I don’t do anything to it, my hair feels like straw. And my age doesn’t help. I’ve always battled dry hair, but the older I get, the more it shows.

As a result, I’ve tried a lot of products for dry hair, and I thought I’d share a couple that are working for me right now.

 

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum

 

• I love that this product is organic, paraben free, all-natural, and vegan.
• I love that it contains no alcohol. I’ve been using Biosilk for a while, but the alcohol in it pretty much defeats the purpose. I can absolutely tell the difference when I use this hair serum.
• I like the smell. It’s a very light mix of geranium and bergamot.
• I like that it contains argan, jojoba, and avocado oils and vitamin E.

 

I bought it at Sephora. There is also a 100% argan oil product that you can use on your skin. I’ll probably try that, too, eventually.

Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque

Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque

 

I was looking at online reviews for a different product (Terax Crema from Italy), when I noticed that everyone was mentioning this Deep Repair Masque in favorable comparison.

 

My hair is so stressed, and I didn’t want to wait for shipping, so I headed for Ulta, the only place I could find that carries it. And I’m really glad I did.

 

It’s a little tricky to apply. I don’t like combing my hair when it’s wet, and you have to comb it through and let it sit for 7 minutes (I do longer), but the results are pretty impressive. Not only do my locks look better, they actually feel stronger and healthier. 

 

My hair being the mess that it is, I didn’t see the miraculous results that some people report, but combined with my Argan Oil Hair Serum, I think this stuff is going to help me down the road toward happier hair. And it smells very nice, too.

*As always, I like to mention that I don't work for any of the above shops or companies. I just happen to like these products. 

Thoughts on the Paleo Diet

While listening to the NPR Food Podcast recently, I heard this interesting story regarding the increasingly popular Paleo diet. In case you don't want to read the article or Listen to the Story, let me cover the bullet points. 

1. Human beings evolved to eat meat. People on the Paleo diet eat mostly meat.
2. But doctors tell us that too much red meat is bad for us, potentially doubling our risk of colon cancer.
3. Paleo followers argue that being overweight/sedentary and eating too much meat is the problem.
4. Doctors don't necessarily disagree with this point but still maintain that 2 to 3 (or fewer) playing card-sized servings per week is ideal.

My thoughts . . . 

I've shared my soul-searching about Why I Eat Meat before, so I won't cover that ground again.

I've done the Paleo diet, and I have to admit that I felt better than ever while on it. I suspect mostly because I stopped ingesting gluten and simple sugars. My moods leveled, my digestion improved, and it even helped with my insomnia.

Inevitably, life gave way to cheating, often in the pursuit of convenience, and I gradually started eating all of that stuff again. I don't do extremes, and I refuse to cut anything out of my diet entirely, but I also believe in maintaining a balance, and I had managed to get way out of balance, especially with the gluten. So much so that I became quite ill and was unable to eat anything at all for three days last week. That scared me straight.

So, I'm taking my gluten intolerance more seriously and getting back on a sort-of Paleo diet.

The problem that I see with Paleo is that some followers seem to act as if Early Man had endless access to meat without any periods of dearth. Now, I know that the serious followers actually include fasting days to mimic Early Man's situation as closely as possible. (I've gleaned much of this information via Dan Benjamin's 5by5 network, by the way.) Apparently, when you've done the Paleo long enough, you grow less hungry over time, so these fasting periods aren't really painful. The reports I hear claim that when your blood sugar isn't spiking, you just sort of forget to eat.

As a vegetable lover, I dislike the "few vegetables" rule that I've heard about. But, again, I understand that this is just a provision when you're first starting out. As your blood sugar levels, you can begin adding in more greens and even some starchy things like sweet potatoes.

To my mind, the smartest version of the Paleo diet would be to imagine Early Man living by the sea. What did he eat? A lot of fish, crustaceans, and maybe even seaweed. So, going back into the Paleo scene, I plan on focusing on seafood and white meats, leaving beef, pork, lamb, bison, and goat for special treats.

Of course, you have to exercise rather vigorously while on this diet, especially if you're going to eat a lot of red meat. The man in the NPR story runs barefoot in Central Park every day. That's too kooky by half for me, but whatever works.

I'm definitely not giving up yogurt. Technically, you're supposed to give up dairy, but probiotics are awesome, and I'm not going without them.

Also, I try not to let my current diet trends affect this blog. So, I'll still be posting on all the varied and wonderful foods that catch my eye, I just might not be actually eating all of them. :)

For more on the Paleolithic Diet, check out the Wikipedia Page.

Shrimp in Vodka Sauce with Polenta & Bacon Seared Collard Greens

Shrimp in vodka sauce with polenta and bacon-seared collard greens

Did I really never post this photo? Remember back in March when I enjoyed this dish at Hyde Park Bar & Grill, and I said that I wanted to make it at home? Well, I made it pretty soon thereafter, but I never posted about it.

Apparently, I have this problem with blogging. I have so much information that I want to post and share, there is an actual backlog of stuff, and occasionally I'll just skip over something. Not often, but it's happened once or twice. I guess I need to work on that.

Anyway, this dish was just as yummy at home. I used Giada De Laurentiis' vodka sauce, and her Basic Polenta recipe, too, which I then cut into triangles and pan fried after it was set. I used Lamb's Stone Ground Cornmeal from Converse, TX for the polenta, by the way.

For the bacon-seared collard greens, I washed and cut them in a chiffonade, diced two bacon strips and cooked them in a pan until they were browned and the fat had rendered, then I threw the greens in and let them wilt a bit in the heat, turning them around in the bacon fat. Add a bit of salt and maybe some chopped tomatoes, and you're done. Simple stuff.

(I just sautéed the shrimp in a bit of oil and added salt and pepper.)

Vodka Sauce

Basic Polenta

Enjoy!

And I'll make an effort to keep up with my information overload a little better in the future.

house made foods at home

I didn't get any particularly good shots at Easy Tiger this time, but I wanted to post a photo of the sandwich that made me decide to attempt making corned beef at home. Shane ordered the corned beef on rye, and it was pretty darned tasty. But you know what? My homemade corned beef was every bit as good, and maybe better.

What this new and wonderful wave of house-made products in restaurants has taught me is that homemade food really is better. Think about this. In the past, if you went to a restaurant and ordered a corned beef sandwich, you'd most likely get a commercial brand like Boar's Head. But two things happen when you eat food that's made in house: 

1. You recognize immediately how much better housemade (and homemade) food is than commercial food. We may have been conditioned to think that commercial food is better, and especially so in a restaurant setting where your taste buds anticipate BIG and even artificial flavors. But taste buds don't lie, and when they get a taste of the real stuff, the homemade stuff, in a restaurant setting, they recognize right away that homemade really does taste better. Why? Because it's likely to be fresher and contain fewer chemicals.
2. You realize that there's no reason why you can't do this at home. Of course, you don't have to do it, but if you love learning and being challenged, then you'll immediately start thinking up ways to make your own corned beef, and how to make it even better. 

I love eating in restaurants as much as anyone, but the more they make their own cured meats and complicated condiments, the more I realize that anyone can do this stuff. The only difficulty lies in mustering the courage to get started. But once you jump in and get a few successes under your belt, you'll realize that if they can make it in a commercial kitchen, in a lot of cases, you can probably make it at home. (With the exception of Easy Tiger's incredible bread, of course. I could never replicate that.)

Pretzel & Mustard

House made corned beef on rye with potato salad

Easy Tiger

Smoked turkey on Pain au Levain with avocado, radish, and roasted jalapeño aioli. Very delicious.