Inside My Fridge - August 8, 2011

I still have loads of cucumbers! In addition to cucumber salad and many batches of icebox pickles, the last of which you can see bottom-center. I tried a version of this tomato-cucumber soup that was quite nice, but need a creamy, cold cucumber soup this summer, so I'll find one this week.

We have oodles of pattypan squashes, which are possibly now my favorite squash. I've been slicing them and layering in a pan with olive oil, salt/pepper and a bit of parmesan, then baking. Simpler is better for truly fresh food and it doesn't get much more simple than that. My dad has promised me several of the cute-and-tiny pattypans which I plan to stuff with cheesy breadcrumbs and maybe some bacon. My husband wants to try an oyster stuffing for these as well, so if anyone has any recipes, let me know.

The paper bag contains some not-totally-ripe tomatoes from our CSA. This is a great tip for those massive heirlooms you grow at home that split if you leave them on the vine, but are green on top if you pick them when the bottoms are ripe. Just put them in a paper bag for a few days; this captures the ethylene gas and allows them to finish ripening to delicious perfection.

Also, you may see the store yogurt on the bottom shelf and wonder if I've given up making my own. Funny story there...my three-year-old became constipated, which given the amount of fresh (mostly raw) fruit and vegetables she eats is rather odd and the pediatrician recommended adding some probiotics and specifically mentioned Activia so we immediately procured some. A little research over the weekend indicates that, yes, homemade yogurt does indeed contain lots and lots of probiotics, so that's good to know for certain. Oh, the funny part of the story? As it turns out, between my husband and myself we'd given her an inhuman amount of cheese over the previous two days. Communication failure there...

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Hornworm!

I found several of these hornworms on my tomato plants last week. They can be hard to spot so I don't look for them, but instead what is missing...in this case, the leaves at the end of the stem. In the last two years I was not vigilant (to my chagrin) because they are voracious eaters and can defoliate an entire plant in a day or so. You can also look for dark pellets on the leaves; these are their droppings.

They seem to appear just when my tomato plants are full of green fruit and then they eat everything. This year, I've been on the lookout and given the plants a daily visual inspection. Thus far, this easy approach has been effective! I just cut off the bit of plant they are eating and dispose of both. While I will happily smash squash bugs (with gloves), I am a bit too squeamish to just squish a hornworm.

I believe this is actually a tobacco hornworm, based on some brief googling this morning. This site has some wonderful information about the life cycle of this interesting garden pest. If I ever see one with wasp eggs, I'll be sure to get a picture.

Icebox Pickles: No heat required!

No cooking required.

My last summer before college, I dated a fellow whose mother always had a bowl of what she called  "icebox pickles" in her refrigerator. She explained to me that it was perfect for summer because it required no heat, just mix and leave overnight in the fridge. Icebox Pickles take full advantage of a cucumber's natural crispiness and, as they're stored in the "icebox" (aka: the fridge), they're cool and refreshing in the heat of summer.

I'd never tasted anything like them before. I found my fork actually seeking out onions for the first time in my life; they were super-thin, just this side of raw, with a pickly-sweet crunch that perfectly complemented the cucumber.

This is a double batch, sliced super-thin with a mandolin, to give an idea of how much veg you need.
"Six medium cucumbers" is so very subjective!

A few years ago, I began trying to reproduce these unique pickles (with two unsuccessful attempts), when I found a recipe for "Marinated Pickles" on the recipe blog for my CSA, and suddenly I was in heaven. The recipe required no cooking, no heat -- cool and crunchy, all the way, so I adapted it to suit what I keep in my pantry/garden. Slice veggies thinly, toss it all together in a jar or bowl, and leave it in the fridge overnight. Easy, Fresh, Crisp. Summer!

Marinade (because it's technically not a brine if you don't boil it), before vigorous shaking.

The recipe is below, and calls for cucumbers and onions, but as you can see I added some green pepper and super-thin carrot. Use what you have.....

UPDATE, Summer 2018: After several years of experimentation, I have significantly reduced the amount of sugar from 1/4 cup to 1-1.5 TBSP. I kept cutting it and not finding a difference in flavor...until I went below 1 TBSP this year. Try this for yourself! See where your palate notices the change.

Click here for printable recipe.

Lose Weight with Spiritual Practice (Seriously)

Ever since my "Lint" in January, I've been wanting to write a follow-up post about the benefits of Spiritual Practice. Prayer, meditation, fasting, self-denial --I find that practicing these types of things allows my mind to turn away from myself and be guided more clearly by God. Here, you can also insert Divine, Universe, Love, Holy, Allah, Jesus, Flying Spaghetti Monser, whatever you choose. I don't really quibble with the names people have for the force that created and flows through the universe. 

The point of Spiritual Practice is not, to me, to "tap into" God. The point of Spiritual Practice is to create a channel, an open space, that allows God to tap into me. Prayer, meditation, service, worship are all wonderful ways to do this. But sometimes it's really helpful to do a little more, to become a pilgrim for a time. I suppose that's why some type of Spiritual Practice is a component of every major world religion. Since I was raised Catholic, I found it very natural for me to pattern my own pilgrimage of the soul on the Lenten practice of abstention and reflection. It is a way to honor my roots but not be bound by them.

One reason it has taken so long to write this is my seeming inability to nail down specific benefits. This all sounds great, but is it really helpful? Is it worthwhile? My answer is certainly yes, but if pressed, I am general: clarity of thought, a new perspective on my journey....and then I realized that I'd made at least one specific change directly as a result of my spiritual focus during Lint. I changed how I approach exercise.

I've somehow finally grown to realize that it is a lot easier for me to incorporate something into my daily routine -- to make it a true habit -- if I start small. I resolved to forget about trying to find the perfect hour-long exercise routing to fit into my day, and then struggling to find the hour to exercise...at home...with two kids under five. My goal was only to Exercise Every Day.

At first, I thought I'd do 30 minutes a day, which I didn't do at all. Enter Zen Habits, a blog I really find inspiring, and the idea of starting with only five minutes a day. It did not escape my notice that five minutes a day would be better than the nothing I was doing currently.

Now, in August? It is rare that a day passes without me engaging in at least five minutes of exercise. Most days I get in 10-20 in 5- and 10-minute increments. It's not a lot. But it is certainly better than nothing and it is a great example of how little changes can make a big difference. I've lost 15 pounds since January and my energy levels are higher than they've been in a long time. I'm gradually increasing my weekly average "workout" time, but my only goal is still to exercise at least five minutes a day. Well, that and do a pullup unassisted, something I have never been able to do.

Spiritual Practice is my way of listening to that still, small voice. And that voice is not one of judgment or condemnation at my weakness. It is a voice of Love and Compassion urging me to have the courage to find the way that works best for me. And now I'm going to urge you to start small on that next new habit you think could change your life.

Peace Be With You.

Pictures were taken in Franconia Notch State Park.