Putzin' and Swappin'

That table in the background of this picture has been 3 years in the making.  Actual it was 24 hours in the making, but it took 3 years to get to the point of making.  Let me go back to the start of this story.  Our house came with a wonderful back deck.  Since we live on a busy street, our backyard is our place of semi-privacy and peace and it is also our place to hang with the dogs in the fresh air.  I came into the house with visions of meals, cups of tea and glasses of wine consumed at a table on our deck, preferably with friends and family.  As I would soon find out, Paul, who is not super particular about decorating, has really strong feeling about the aesthetics of outdoor furniture.  Commence 3 years of searching for a table that he would deem acceptable for our deck.

As you can tell from the photo, we found a winner! Here's the thing; the winner was a plan for a table, not an actual table.  We considered making it ourselves, but we lack the tools, the time and the energy for more projects at this point.  Plus, I was getting impatient after 3 years of table-seeking!  Luckily for us, we know Putzin' Bob.  Bob is a vendor at our local farmers' market and has made 3 custom pieces for the inside of our house.  Bob's prices are incredibly fair, partly due to the fact that his materials are reclaimed.  Bob took Ana White's Simple Outdoor Dining Table plan and made a few improvements on it for us.  We asked for a center hole for an umbrella and he strengthened the table legs.  Our table top is made from reclaimed redwood deck boards and the legs are reclaimed wood posts from a playground set.  And, the 24 hour part?  Putzin' Bob is a misnomer; we got the call letting us know it was finished less than 24 hours after confirming the order.

Since the arrival of the table, I have been enjoying it a lot.  The weather started to cool down in the evenings, which makes the deck a great place to relax at the end of the day.  My fingers are still crossed, though, as we have yet to identify an acceptable shade umbrella and set of chairs to complete the arrangement.

What about those herbs?  Those were destined for my friend Holly.  Holly and I met through swapping and even though the MPLS Swappers are not currently swapping, we are keeping the spirit alive.  Holly's house is a CSA drop site, which means when the drops aren't all picked up by the members, she is flush with veggies!  As a friend, neighbor and produce lover, I am sometimes the emergency recipient of an unclaimed CSA share.  My dad isn't coming and going from town this year, so I haven't been getting the usual overflow from his garden.  I have my own garden, so some things I have in abundance (herbs!).  However,  some things that I crave, I didn't plant (watermelon!).  When Holly passes on a share, I like to give a little something back.  This week it was an herb assortment.  What a lovely arrangement we have.  I am grateful!

Mill City Farmers' Market (My Own State Fair)

I've decided.  I am not a state fair person.  That statement is approaching sacrilege here in Minnesota where state fair pride is strong, going back for generations in many families.  People here take the fair seriously; they take vacation days from work to attend.  All of the local news stations broadcast from and about the fair for the duration and there is even a Minnesota State Fair app. It is not unheard of to spend multiple days at the fair each season, which I am sure helps the fair to earn the highest annual attendance in the country.  

I've tried it and I just can't muster the necessary excitement.  People say the food is what the fair is about.  Others say the crafts are it.  Some go for the music.  Many people's fondness for the fair is based on the animal barns.  I like food, crafts, music and animals, so it is strange that I can't get excited about the fair.  

I realized last year that I like my food on the healthier (less stick-centric) side, my crafts in smaller quantities and my music without a grandstand.  So, I have started a new tradition: my own state fair inspired day at the Mill City Farmers' Market.  This weekend Paul and I celebrated the second annual occurrence of my alternate state fair experience.

We got to see a wide variety of heirloom tomatoes on display at this stall.
A neat aside, the stall was being run by Amish women. 

The beets were a beauty to behold. 

Like the real state fair, the crowds were heavy.
The masses were snapping up the chocolate croissants from this booth like they were Sweet Martha's cookies.
We opted for a loaf of sourdough bread to be used for sandwiches featuring our garden tomatoes.
 

My breakfast consisted of a fantastic salad from the Chef Shack.  The salad had wild mushrooms, fresh corn and a side of roasted beets.  I added a few of their homemade condiments for good measure (pickled cauliflower, quick pickles and sauerkraut).  My salad paired nicely with Salty Tart's caramelized onion and cheese roll.  Paul thought it went well with his pulled pork hash, too.

For dessert (you can have dessert after breakfast on pretend State Fair day), I bought the sea salt chocolate nugget from the French Nugget Co.  I was tempted to pick the lavender but the sea salt version ultimately won me over.

And, to fully balance the meal, we also had some of these tiny grapes.  The scale doesn't translate well in these photos, but the grapes are half the size of the usual grocery store sized grapes.

The market had a variety of craft vendors, including this weaver who was hard at work.
We also enjoyed seeing the work of Guillermo Cuellar Pottery.  I very nearly bought a large lidded canister, but I am going to stew on it a bit longer.
Same goes for the lovely woodworking of Jim Benson.  He makes spoons that are a delight to hold and a pastry scraper that I was mightily tempted by.

Speaking of temptation, Paul and I were also tempted by the mushroom log kits at Cherry Tree House Mushrooms.  I am interested in giving the shitake kit a try at some point.  I think it is only a matter of time before one of these comes home with us.

The only state fair categories not covered yet are music and animals.  Well, rest assured, we covered those, too.  These young gentlemen provided  classy background music for our breakfast.  While we ate, we watched all of the cute doggies and their owners browse the market.  We even saw a long haired Weimaraner and a long haired Dachshund!  

I think part of the reason why people like the state fair so much is that the usual rules do not apply.  The general consensus is that when you are at the fair, you can eat whatever you want.  Plus, when you are at the fair, you are there to absorb all that it has to offer.  I am happy to have approached the market with the same mentality.  It feels a little like being on vacation for a morning!

20 pounds of cabbage

Whooeee!  Cutting up 20 pounds of cabbage as thinly as you can is tiring work for the wrists.  I wonder if my fatigue point could be lengthened with better technique.  Thankfully, Paul and I teamed up and each cut 10 pounds.  We now have a 3 gallon crock of sauerkraut fermenting.  Here's hoping the temperature in the basement is just right for some tasty kraut!

Softball/BBQ/Homebrew

Well folks, we have another Softball BBQ under our belts.  This year marks year 3 (year 1, year 2) at our house and involved a new twist: homebrew!  Paul and Mark brewed 2 batches of beer exclusively for this party.  They were a hit (punny!)!

This year I relished the company and focused on hostess duties instead of taking pictures.

However, Josue's fruit shark most definitely warranted a run inside for the camera.  His creation was fun from all angles with cherries for eyes and a watermelon fin.

At long last, the weather has made a return to normal!  We had perfect weather yesterday.  And today, we awoke to a chilly but sunny morning with cool breezes and beams of sunshine making their way through the bedroom window.  It was glorious to have a cup of tea in bed while chatting with Paul about the previous day's merriment.

Today's agenda is simple: relax and soak up the day at a slow pace.  It fits the bill.

Under Pressure

When the tomatoes are ready, you have to can them.  Even if it happens at an inconvenient time which makes you have to stay up past your bedtime waiting for the pressure to drop.  I'll thank myself later.