Mmmm. Gardening.

Not my actual garden, but a girl can dream, right?

I am feeling the urge to get my hands in some dirt. February is the month (I almost made it) that I finally let myself start thinking about my garden plans for the spring; otherwise, it would consume all of my thoughts all winter long.

I always try to get heirloom seeds and save seeds each year from my peppers and squash (because they’re the easiest to save). Heirloom varieties are tried and true. I don’t like my veggies to have any freaky hybrid or genetically modified characteristics. Plus, how sweet is it to think about how many tables and mouths the heirloom veggies have reached?!

 

Here’s what’s getting it’s grow on in the 2013 Homegrown Garden:

• Sweet potatoes, obviously.
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Zucchini
• Yellow crooked neck squash
• Butternut squash
• Cucumbers
• Bell peppers
• Jalapeno peppers
• Banana peppers
• Bush beans
• Green beans
• Sugar snap peas
• Spinach
• Kale
• Rhubarb
• Silver queen corn
• Garlic
• Sweet basil
• Rosemary
• Chives

Saturday Afternoon.

From a window in Catalyst Cafe.

Right now everything is just barely covered in snow and beautiful in Athens County. I am thoroughly enjoying my view at the Catalyst Café overlooking the good ole Hocking River and finding it hard to get anything done.

Just a Little Shanty Update: Still waiting on electrician to put up temporary electric. I am wishful that this will be done by mid-February. I’ve sent measurements and a rough floor plan off to a good friend’s contractor brother, who is generously making me some legit blueprints that are not scratched out on the backs of grocery lists. March is go time for the subfloor.

Twenty-seven.

So this past weekend I turned 27 years old. I still feel like I am 23, so I am pretty confident that 40 really is the new 30, and the next 10 years are going to be puh-retty awesome. I celebrated by getting a tattoo, sharing a dinner with friends at my favorite wood-fired pizza place {Della Zona - all local ingredients, from small farmers}, and dancing my booty off to some foot-stomping-down-home-gritty live music from the Spikedrivers.

For my 27^th year of life, I have some pretty hefty ambitions to fulfill…

1.       Finish building the shanty. Even if it kills me, and I don’t live to see 28.

2.       Get my ass -30 lbs. and rock an American Flag Bikini.

3.       Start-up an Etsy Shop as an outlet for my obsessive knitting habit. (Almost ready to open Hillside Knits!)

4.       Learn how to field dress a deer.

5.       Raise my first flock of meat chickens and butcher them myself.

Cheers to 27, 27 more, and another 27 after that!

Made from Scratch Sunday.

I have said it once. I will say it again and again and again. Everything is better when it is made from scratch! On Sundays, I'm gonna start sharing some of my favorite from scratch recipes with you. For the debut Made from Scratch Sunday, I have chosen BUTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN, because it is so.damn.good. I am a sucker for comfort foods. I can't help it. I read through a zillion fried chicken recipes and reviews and pieced together what I thought was the secret combo to stellar fried chicken goodness. Next time I will try to be a better food photog :)

Warning: I don't use measuring cups, so I'll do my best to describe the measurements.

The Real Deal Fried Chicken

What ya need:

• Large (10" or 12") heavy duty skillet. Cast iron is best, and the skillet needs to be deep enough to hold an inch or two of oil.
• 1 gallon zip-loc bag
• Wire cooling racks
• Big ole tub of Crisco
• Whole chicken cut into pieces (If you don't know how to cut up a chicken, here is a good step-by-step tutorial: How to Cut Up a Chicken - Martha Stewart) You can save money by going with a whole chicken, but if you are intimidated by getting all up in that, no shame in buying it cut up already. Get a mix of whatever cuts you like best - 6-10 pieces.
• About 2 or 3 cups self-rising flour (self-rising really makes a difference to get that bubbly crunchy crust)
• 1 pint buttermilk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic salt
• Cayenne pepper

What ya need to do:

1. Fill your zip-loc bag about a quarter full of the flour. Add a tablespoon of salt and pepper and a teaspoon of garlic salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
2. Put your buttermilk in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3. Dip chicken pieces one at a time into the buttermilk bath until coated. Then drop those babies into your flour mix bag. Zip it up and toss around. I only like to put about 4 at a time into the bag so they can get good and covered in flour.
4. Lay coated pieces out to rest on the wire racks, and let them rest for about 20-30 minutes.
5. While they are resting, heat Crisco in your skillet over medium/high heat. You will need 1 or 2 inches of liquid. There is a fine line here of too hot and not hot enough. Little bubbles are okay, but if you start smelling burning oil or it starts rumbling, turn it down, but you need to get to a nice and steady hot place.
6. Repeat the buttermilk dip and flour process, and then they can go directly in the frying pan.
7. It will take about 10 minutes on each side. Shuffle them around in the oil every now and then so they don't get too crispy or burnt in one place or another.
8. Let cool and drip dry on wire racks.

Be proud, enjoy, then take a nap!