Our cabin came with the name “Dancing Bear”, but we have never seen any bears there ourselves, which is OK with me. We did see a healthy looking black bear about a half mile down the road last year, from the safety of the car, and the neighbors see them regularly, so we knew they were around. I don’t really want to see one up close without barriers.
The previous owner installed bear bars (foot long sections of plastic pipe hanging from the window frame that prevent the window from opening all the way) after he had inquisitive bears come up on the deck during dinner one night. Apparently they liked the smell of the pizza he was cooking.
We keep a wildlife camera on a tree overlooking the cabin’s deck and parking area but have only caught two partial bear photos in four years. We were excited when we downloaded the photos (actually movies) this time and saw first, two yearlings walk by, and then a mama with two young cubs.
Mama Bear and 2 Cubs
On the movie version, one of the little cubs ran over and climbed the tree. The time stamp was just one week before we arrived.
I think the whole bear family may have been rooting around out near the shed during the night because I noticed a bunch of overturned rocks and rotted wood that looked mighty fresh this morning. Too bad the camera does not point in that direction. I am glad they have avoided us whenever we go walking in the woods, but I keep an eye out and whistle tunes so I don’t startle them.
We never leave any kind of food outside and I don’t even feed the birds for that would surely bring the bears in to clean up the seeds. We learned this after using an empty sunflower seed bag to hold some dry kindling under the porch. A bear hauled it way up the hill and tore it apart, licking it clean, and tossing kindling all over the place.
I like that there are bears living in these hills and that we can exist in the same space without disturbing each other too much.
Wendy Maddox, Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters
My 30 hens are laying 24-27 eggs every day. My little egg fridge out on the porch is full, there are eggs on the counter waiting to be cleaned up and put into cartons, and now the kitchen fridge is filling up with eggs. Obviously I need more customers or fewer chickens (knock on wood).
A guy I sold 8 hens to this spring brought me 4 half grown Rhode Island Red hens today because his big hens would not let the smaller ones be part of the flock. The last thing I need is more hens. I told him I would take them and pass them on to a neighbor and then I insisted he take three of my layers home, along with 5 dozen eggs- so there.
Got Eggs? Get Cooking!
What to make with all these eggs? There are strawberries and broccoli ready to pick out in the garden, so I start with Custard Sauce, and Angel Cake, with strawberries. My custard recipe takes 18 yolks and the cake takes 18 whites. I decide to make two half gallon batches, which means I can make an egg white frittata for dinner too. Three dozen eggs!
Strawberries with Biscuit Shortcake smothered in Custard Sauce is my all time favorite desert. I like the drop biscuits better than Angel cake but since I need to use lots of eggs, Angel it is. These recipes come from vintage Good Housekeeping Cookbook, handed down from my mother, who got it at her wedding shower in 1949.
1949 Good Housekeeping Cookbook
It no longer has a cover and is missing some of the first pages but I love that it includes things like how to shave ice from the block, and how to use your icebox properly (or your brand new, modern refrigerator!) and includes substitutions for things that were hard to get during the depression. Plus it has all the wonderful dishes my mother used to make for us.
Of course, sticking to a recipe is almost impossible for me. I tend to improvise according to what I have on hand. So, while making the custard, I threw in some extra whole eggs, along with the yolks, to make the custard a little thicker, and I used coconut milk instead of cows milk. In the second batch, I ran out of coconut milk and added 2 cups of half and half instead. When making the Angel Cake I added a Tablespoon of cornstarch to each cup of unbleached flour to make cake flour and did not do the requisite 4 siftings of the dry cake ingredients, but shook it through a wire mesh sieve twice instead. Cooking is all about being creative once you get the hang of it.
The cake and custard both turned out fine. The frittata is a little different each time I make it, depending on what veggies and sausage I have on hand. It is all good and a fine way to spend a (yet another) rainy day inside. Below are the recipes so you too can eat more eggs.
Custard Sauce
6 cups milk (any kind)
18 egg yolks (or 9 whole eggs)
1 Cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tsp Vanilla (can be omitted)
Use Double Boiler I use a 3 liter enameled iron pot that happens to fit perfectly into my 4 quart Mirror Pressure Cooker pot.
Constantly Stirring Custard
Pour milk into upper pot and heat over not quite boiling water until tiny bubbles appear along edges of milk.
Break eggs and separate into two bowls, beating yolks slightly with a fork and stirring in sugar and salt.
Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly adding and stirring the hot milk in, a ladle full at a time. Then pour back into double boiler and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When it starts to thicken and coats a metal spoon, remove from heat and set into a sink full of cold water, stirring to help cool it quickly.
Cooling Custard in the Sink
Stir in the Vanilla and transfer into a half gallon canning jar, screw a lid on and cool in the fridge.
The main thing is to not overcook it, especially if you use whole eggs. It can curdle if it gets too hot, in which case, bring it back together by beating it with a mixer.
Pour over strawberries and biscuits (or Angel cake) and enjoy.
Angel Cake
1 1/4 Cups egg whites (10-12)
1 Cup sifted Cake Flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
Let whites come to room temperature. Heat oven to 375 degrees F
sift flour and 1/2 C sugar ingredients together
Beat egg whites and salt at high speed until foamy
Sprinkle in Cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form, but still moist and glossy
Add 1 cup sugar in four additions while beating. Add flavorings and beat a little more.
Sift in flour mixture 1/4 at a time, folding in with wooden spoon or spatula 15 folds each addition. fold another 10 strokes at the end.
Pour batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan and bake 35 minutes.
10 Inch Tube Pan
Test for doneness by pressing finger on top lightly. If it springs back it is done.
Remove from oven and turn upside down to cool for one hour (or until cold) before loosening with a knife along edges and turning out onto plate.
To serve, cut gently with a serrated knife, top with berries and pour custard sauce over. Ice cream is also good.
Note: I doubled this recipe, and still used the same size pan without a problem. It took longer to cook by about 15 minutes. I kept doing the finger check but did not pay very good attention to the time.
Shortcake Biscuits
2 cups flour (unbleached with wheat germ added)
3 teaspoons Rumford Baking Powder (or homemade)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
Heat oven to 450 degrees F
Mix dry ingredients in bowl
Cut in shortening with pastry cutter to the texture of coarse cornmeal. Make a well in center and add half the milk and mix quick and light with a fork, then the other half.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet and cook 12-15 minutes.
Serve still warm, broken into bowls, with strawberries and custard sauce poured over. Yum!
Egg White Frittata
3/4 – 1 pound sausage (ground or sliced)
1 lg onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
Saute meat, onions, and garlic till done
Butter a 9x 13 baking dish and add the meat and:
2 cups plus, chopped broccoli, spinach or kale
Lightly Beat 18-22 egg whites, adding dried basil, salt, pepper, Creole spice mix, etc and pour into the casserole
1 Cup grated cheddar cheese, sprinkled on top
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F
That takes care of one days worth of eggs…Back to the cookbooks for more recipes. Anybody need some eggs?
-Wendy lee, writing at Edgewise Woods, Gardens and Critters
What a rainy week. It is too wet to garden, too grey, and damp and soggy to do anything outside but take pictures. The creeks and rivers are flooding from all the rain we have had the last few days.
Stone Ruins on the Flooding Potomac
We have been lucky here. Folks nearby have had 6 inches all at once while we have only been getting about an inch and a half a day. We lucked out on the hail and high winds too. Thank goodness.
The veggie garden is growing like mad and I am really glad I mulched the potatoes, peas, spinach and broccoli at the same time I planted them this season.
Kale and Peas
Otherwise the weeds would have taken them already. The asparagus is on it’s third year and we have been eating it every other night for dinner, along with the kale that wintered over. I picked a nice basket full of broccoli tonight too.
We got the strawberries weeded and cleaned up just before all this rain and there are lots of green berries and plenty more blossoms opening up. I am glad they are not ripe yet or they would be rotting out there. We have had 5.9 inches of rain this week and it is not done yet. Hopefully the newer strawberry flowers will still get pollinated. Bees don’t forage well in the rain. Last year, when I still had my bees, the black locust tree blooms got frozen so the bees lost out on a major nectar source.
Black Locust in Bloom
Now they are in full bloom but it keeps on raining. Maybe the bees are out there dodging raindrops. I hope so. The air smells incredibly sweet and clean.
Lush does not begin to describe the greenery outside right now.
Tree Peony
When the sun finally comes out we will be smothered with rampaging plants, humidity and all the insects (gnats!…) that will explode with growth all at once.
Spring Optimism
I am afraid this long, rainy week marks the end of my annual spring optimism, that time every year when I think I might just be able to keep up with the garden chores. The gorgeous flowers and lush greenery have been so delightful and are so much better than a dry spring though. I can live with some nice healthy weeds, especially since all the edibles are also doing so well.
Blueberry blossoms
My problem is that I tend to feel just like the weather looks. A beautiful sunrise never fails to lift my spirits, but days of rain can send me down into dark places. Today, to combat the rainy day doldrums, I drove down to the river to watch the power of the water rushing by. It tends to put things in perspective for me.
The Potomac River at the Shepherdstown Boat Ramp
After watching the muddy water roll by awhile I drove along some back roads that had obviously received a humongous amount of rain. Bridges and culverts and blacktop sections were washed out and guys with heavy equipment were in major clean up and repair mode. Water was pouring down hillsides where there were not even any streams normally. I stopped and talked to one guy who had lost all his driveway gravel and whose neighbor was pumping five feet of water from his basement. That worked to snap me out of it. I am counting my blessings.
Since I no longer have a real job, and have allowed myself the freedom to schedule my days, I will now add the writing habit to my regular morning routine. After my morning house and barn chores are done, and I have had my coffee and some breakfast, I will ensconce myself downstairs on my writing couch and write for at least an hour each day. I will free write at least 500 words on anything I choose, then I will edit the previous days writing. I can do this.
Writing Growth Space
Now that I have my distraction free writing space set up, all I need is my laptop, with the wireless off. No dings, no calls, no excuses. Getting up earlier will not work for me, since if I get up much before dawn, my brain takes way too long to function properly. After chores is better. I will not waste time reading emails, or going on Facebook, until after I have finished my writing time.
My New Writing Habit Begins
Most mornings I wake with the sun and then start my work day at about 9:00. I am either out in the pottery, gardening for clients, or at my part time gig, cleaning the church in town. Writing from 8 until 9 should work fairly well. Ok self, 8 a.m. it is. No distractions. I will not be distracted.
Today, we are having a nasty ice storm, which makes me want to stay in bed. The sun is not even getting up, do I really have to? I pull myself from my warm bed anyway, and go through my morning routine, knowing that the critters still need breakfast, especially in this weather. Luckily, the church cleaning can wait another day, but I need to go online and switch back to my old cell phone, and then figure out how to return the new cell phone that can’t get a signal here. No distractions at my house.
Magnolia in Ice
Distraction Free Writing
At 1:30, after walking around outside taking cool ice photos, I finally settle down in my writing space and find that I can keep writing for hours. The difficult part is getting a finished piece ready for posting to my blog. I edit, then I re-edit. Two hours later and I am still editing yesterdays writing. Am I the only one who takes this much time? I want to post to my blog at least once a week, but my posts tend to run long and my photos are organized by date, not topic. I had started to sort them into folders by type but ran out of room on my hard drive. Retrieving and renaming pictures from the external drive is yet another chore on my list. I will not be distracted.
I spend 30 minutes looking at Microsoft Publisher, where I had apparently saved some blog posts last winter. Maybe I should use that instead of word? More research. More distractions. This is me trying to stick with an organized writing challenge. I will keep writing. I will not be distracted.
