Downtown Tomatoes

The ingredient list for the chorizo sausage purchased from our local grocery begins, "Pig salivary glands...". It cooked down from 2 pounds to under 8 oz, the rest fat drained off from the pan. And the taste? A spoonful of spicy grease. So I wondered, plaintively, if there weren't a more appetizing alternative.

I haven't found commercial chorizo (yet) that isn't made from pig bits & fat, but I did find a recipe in the NY Times for a fairly authentic tasting version:

HOMEMADE CHORIZO
Adapted from AZ
Time: 20 minutes plus 24 hours' marinating

1 1/4 pounds diced pork shoulder
1 scant tablespoon kosher salt
1 scant tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper.

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, salt, brown sugar, garlic, nutmeg, paprika and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate 24 hours.
2. The next day, grind the meat using the largest die on a meat grinder. Cover, and refrigerate at least an hour or two. Make into patties, or simply use it crumbled.
Yield: About 1 1/4 pounds chorizo.

Pecan Pie V from allrecipes.com

Sandi's version of pecan pie is -- or should be -- a scheduled narcotic.

She says to use vanilla powder instead of vanilla extract (one source is Sur la Table) -- and to make sure the pecans are absolutely fresh and soft. She also substitutes water for milk in the all recipes version, another plus.

Ingredients:
1 cup 145 g Light brown sugar
1/4 cup 50 g White sugar
1/2 cup 115 g Butter, melted
2 ea 2 ea Eggs
1 Tbsp 8 g All-purpose flour
1 Tbsp 15 ml Water
1 Tsp 2 g Vanilla powder (best) or vanilla extract
1 Cup 120 g Chopped fresh (raw) pecans

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (235 degrees C).

2) In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in
melted butter. Sir in the brown sugar, white sugar,
and the flour; mix well. Then add the water, vanilla
powder and nuts.

3) Pour into an unbaked 9-in pie shell. Bake in a
preheated oven for 10 minutes at 400° F (235° C)
Reduce temperature to 350° F (175° C) and bake for
30 to 40 minutes or until done.

The pecan is the nut of a North American hickory tree, Carya illinoiensis, which is indigenous to the American South & Midwest. The word "pecan" derives from the Native American word for the nut - the Alogonquian "paccan" or Cree "pakan."

Tradition has it that the French created pecan pie soon after settling in New Orleans. Food historians, however, have been unable to find published recipes before the late 1800's.

Jean Anderson, editor of American Century Cookbook, refers to herself as "a good daughter of the South, practically weaned on pecan pie." You are warned! Pecan pie is highly addictive!

The hilarious Simon Tofield of Tandem Films has created a new cartoon for the RSPCA.

"There is of course a serious message to this animation. According to leading vets, pet obesity is one of the biggest issues affecting pets' health and one in three of the UK's dogs and cats are now overweight. Fat pets can develop serious health problems - including diabetes, arthritis and even organ failure."

Paragonah tom struts his stuff.

Our friends DJ and Suellen of Paragonah, Utah have taken up raising a flock of Narragansett turkeys.

Narragansetts were in the 1930's the 3rd most popular variety in the U.S. By 1952 only 2,576 could be found - and by 1998, that number dropped to 27 toms and 60 hens amongst 12 breeders.

Today they are enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to their calm disposition, and the ability to reproduce by themselves without human interference or assistance.

Feathersite reports that Narragansetts are their favorite turkey - "an active bird, but when kept at liberty, doesn't wander too far from home."

In DJ & Suellen's case, "not too far" means they roost on the doghouse outside their back door.

The catalog-fondling season, that is.

Above, a "Sea Man" heirloom tomato.

The new catalog is from "Totally Tomatoes" and very fun for fantasizing.

I currently have about 3' square of cement. It's sunny enough, I guess. I could grow 1 tomato in a pot ... so I'll have to be choosy.

A "surfeit" of skunks. (How appropriate.) These have their flaps up, so beware!

The tres cute photo is by Gordon and Cathy Illg -- wallpaper is available at National Geographic's website.

And yes, in keeping with the theory "just about anything will eat a chicken" -- skunks will eat chickens, too...Although they prefer the eggs.

Bob's sister, Deene, had a weekly skunk visitor -- an albino she named Henrietta. Last year Henrietta excavated a good portion of the lawn, looking for grubs. Sadly, or perhaps happily, Deene reports that Henrietta wasn't around this year.

The Banks Barn - of heritage post & beam construction - during disassembly

Historic Properties lists quite a few older structures for sale -- including those in need of renovation or removal.

Several of the listings are historic barns rescued from razing by The Foundation for Historic Building Rescue of Harleysville, PA.

The barns are "professionally dismantled, documented with field sketches, video footage and/or photography, tagged and assembled as a kit, [and] ready to re-erect at your site."

The prices seem reasonable ... & the recycling inspired.

Gene Gerue built a "chicken moat" around his garden - a strip of dry land, enclosed by two parallel fences. The moat keeps out possums, ground hogs, rabbits, deer and raptors.

Throughout the day, the hen patrol moves all around the garden (but never in it), munching on all those things hens love: weeds, seeds, worms, tiny pieces of stones and (best of all) bugs.

When his neighbor's garden was nearly devastated by grasshoppers, his hens gorged themselves silly and the garden was saved.

More information is available at Mother Earth News.

Speckled Sussex Chicken from Cottage Grove, OR

As the interest in urban farming surges, there has been an increased interest in keeping backyard chickens. While cities nearly always ban roosters (for obvious reasons) hens are sometimes allowed in limited numbers. San Francisco allows up to four hens, if properly kept. South San Francisco, where we live, does not.

Urban chickens are great in theory -- they provide eggs, fertilizer, and eat bugs. But here are some things to consider before taking up poultry keeping:

1) Just about anything will eat a chicken. In urban areas (like San Francisco) we routinely see loose dogs, cats, hawks, raccoons, possums, and, on the outskirts of the city, coyotes. Many of these (even dogs and coyotes) can scale a 6-foot fence. They are messy, messy eaters. I've seen the devastation one dog can cause in a hen house. So chickens must be kept cooped.

2) Chickens can fly short distances. If they get loose, chickens will likely end up in your neighbors' trees.

3) Hens don't lay eggs productively their whole lives, and they get sick. Many cities ban slaughtering animals within the city limits. It is best to be prepared, and have a plan for old or sick chickens.

4) Chickens are an every day responsibility, like any animal. They can't be left to fend for themselves. The cost of hiring help may exceed the cost benefits of keeping chickens.

5) Chickens can be reservoirs of avian illnesses such as avian influenza and Newcastle disease. Agents of the Agricultural Department can and will come to your home and (on the spot) wring the necks of birds they suspect may carry illnesses, as some horrified parrot owners in Los Angeles discovered during an outbreak of Exotic Newcastles a few years ago.

As my friend Sandi says, "Keeping chickens in the city brings to mind a thousand and one potential problems ... it's the other thousand and one problems that I know I can't think of that worries me."

Polar aurorae result from the collision of charged particles from the sun with the Earth's magnetic field in the upper atmosphere. Interaction with oxygen produces green and red light emissions - other gases produce various shades of red, blue, purple, violet.

Aurorae also produce sound, which aurorae enthusiasts term growlers, howlers, whistlers, hissers, and chorus (among other terms.) At times, it can even sound like a pack of barking dogs -- what Steve McGreevy calls "the beautiful sounds of Mother Earth." He first tuned in by hooking a phonograph amplifier to a barbed wire fence in the middle of nowhere. McGreevy's website provides sound files, photographs, and instructions for building your own specialized receivers