It has only been four days, NaBloPoMo just barely under way and I almost blew it already. I was stretching, getting ready for bed, when I realized that I haven’t posted yet today.
We’ve been terribly busy. Jim got busy and laid out the new barbecue pit/wood fired oven installation and dug the foundation. This provided us with enough dirt to fill the strawberry bed. There is also some stockpiled back by the compost area for use in building the actual oven. Turns out our dirt is almost perfect building material for mud clay construction.
That being the case, he also went off to the local purveyor of building materials and brought home a yard of sand, which we spread over the new bed and worked into the clayey soil so that the strawberries would be happy. I’ll plant them in there tomorrow. You should have seen me, balanced on the wall of the bed, working with my cultivating fork to mix all that wonderful sand into the soil in the bed. I’m going to be a little sore tomorrow.
I also got the materials together and started production of a batch of fruitcake. I know fruit cake has a bad rap, but this is an old family recipe and I have a very interesting (and probably fictional) tale I tell to myself of how this recipe arrived in its present incarnation. I have modified it quite a bit, because I refuse to use “fruitcake fruit” (that candied and dyed mass of citron) in any way shape or form. Sometime when I have more time I might tell it.
Anyway, I’m beat and I have an early massage appointment tomorrow, so I’m going to call this a post and go to bed. More tomorrow.
The name of that book is “wicked plants”by Amy Stewart.I am going to order it as soon as I have an address.
I thought that might be it. I went directly to Amazon after our conversation and found it. Looks like an interesting read. Wonder if our library has it. (ha ha ha — what are the chances?)
I used to make the most wicked dark fruit cake without any of that awful candied fruit which required an entire bottle of dark rum (to soak the cheesecloth over about a 6-week period). I used dried fruit (apricots, dates, figs, pineapple) and about a pound each of pecans and almonds. It was best served very thinly sliced with a thin slice of very sharp cheddar cheese on top.
I use brandy to cure mine, but I’m sure rum would be good also. I never tried the cheddar cheese, but I sure am going to this year. Sounds wonderful.