Merry Mount Muted

Exploring new arrivals, the greening garden, the sigh of a summer day at Merry Mount. (And a summer solstice party recipe at the end.)

 

 

 

In memory of Sweetie:

 Here's to summer, and the summer solstice!

Green Apple, Macadamia, Quinoa Salad

Salad:

1 cup uncooked quinoa (rinsed, even if it says pre-rinsed)

1/2 cup roasted macadamia nuts or toasted slivered almonds

2 scallions, sliced

1 green apple, diced

1 green pepper diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 jalapeno, diced

Dressing:

Juice of 2 small limes

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T red wine vinegar

1 t honey

2 T greek plain yogurt

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper

Garnish:

3 T chopped cilantro or parsley

1/2 avocado, diced

Cook quinoa in 2 c water in rice cooker. Allow to cool. Combine all salad ingredients. Shake together dressing ingredients, adding more lime if needed. Pour over salad. Garnish w/ cilantro and avocado.

What's New, Pussycat?

Why, thank you for asking, Tom Jones; as a matter of fact, there's quite a lot new at the Merry farm! The beautiful green-eyed pussycat, above, named Moocher, has a quartet of adorable, fuzzy, mewing babies in her little box in the garage. Moocher's a barn cat that  showed up at Merry Mount last fall, and she's happily keeping close watch on her new brood.

But those tiny kittens aren't the only piece of the what's-new-at-the-farm pie. There's a whole lot of newness to ooh and aahh over. Let's take a little look, shall we?

Most impressively, there is a chicken coop. . . a real, live, cozy chicken house all ready for some soon-to-arrive feathered friends.

The coop was crafted out of one corner of the old barn, most impressively by Rett's own hands, with a lot of help and guidance from her son's super-handy friend Quinten. See the nesting box below?

 And the beautiful roosting box?

Rett even built a wall to keep the critters in their own little corner of the barn! Tongue-and-groove paneling, thanks to salvaged lumber from an old out-building.

 And once the hens are at Merry Mount, Rett can gather the eggs like this!

Here's their door to the chicken-pasture! Rett has some hens on hold at a farm about an  hour away -- she's gettin' fancy ones like Plymouth Rock and Buffington.

In the meantime, however, Rett was pining for a feathered friend, so she bought a couple of canaries. Canaries that laid eggs. And one hatched! Here's the scrawny little baby canary that lives with his parents on the sun porch!

 

There's a brand-new garden plot ready for a-planting! Lettuce and spinach and corn, oh my!

Herbs are growing in pots by the house.

Perennials are reappearing everywhere.

 

And in the farmer's fields surrounding Merry Mount, little corn plants are popping up in linear rows that stretch as far as the eye can see.

After a long winter of icy trips to Merry Mount, with snow swirling around the barren fields, a gloriously gorgeous Memorial weekend visit was a treat. Truly!

Old friends gathered from Missouri and Indiana and from up the road in Columbus.

The doggies were happy.

 

And the late afternoon sun cast a golden hue.

 

Oh Merry Mount, how olive you!

 Later, the guys fired up the grill.

 And we enjoyed a lovely dinner al fresco.

 Sesame noodles (recipe below), grilled shrimp, and grilled veggie kabobs.

Good food, good friends and the best setting ever!

The sun set on a perfect day, then a canopy of twinkling stars appeared overhead.

The next morning, Robert was inspired to capture the magic of Merry Mount like this:

Morning Music

In the dewy hour
     before the farmhouse wakes
and the white clapboard sides
     harden into view,

the trilling finches and the bickering jays
     taunt and tease the slow-footed Sun,

'til roused.

he reaches West to paint again
     the eave and roof and rail
               a fresh vermillion.

Merry Mount 2014
Robert Bode

'Til next time!  Here's the recipe for Sesame Noodles:

1/4 cup light or gluten free soy sauce
2 T red wine vinegar
juice of one lime
6 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces dried angel hair pasta or linguine, cooked al dente

scallions, slivered red bell pepper, sesame seeds
lime wedges, fresh cilantro

Place first 7 ingredients in food processor and blend on high until well blended, about 1 minute. Add peanut butter and blend. Add oils on low speed.

Place thge pasta in a large bowl and toss with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce. Add scallions, red bell pepper and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with a lime wedge.

Pure Gold....

Merry Mount was all aglow last weekend, thanks to the gorgeous late-afternoon sun that stretched long shadows across the backyard and tinted the fields a warm amber hue. A nice change, thank you, from the frigid white-on-white landscapes that have been way too common this cold, icy and snowy Ohio winter.

 A great time for a visit (and a birthday celebration) at the farm.

 A little quiet contemplation at dusk.

 A beautiful sunset.

 And a collection of fabulous friends.

 

 A little "birthday cake"

And a lovely dinner that everyone pitched in to help cook. Watch out for these guys' knife skills!

 On the menu: Mary Anne's outstanding Island Pork Tenderloin (for a hint of the tropics!), roasted sweet potato wedges with a maple glaze, and some gorgeous brussels sprouts.

No complaints about this colorful dinner!

 

 And for dessert? An amazing towering chocolate cake, Graeter's ice cream and Rett's homemade hot fudge sauce. (A few recipes below.)

 Next morning? Cozy start to the day.

Furry friends.

 

 

 

 And a lovely Merry Mount breakfast: Fresh fruit, grilled polenta, and scrambled eggs.

One last question. How many people does it take to change a light bulb at Merry Mount?

A village, I guess! And a long pole with a suction cup attached! Brilliant!

Rett's Hot Fudge Sauce
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter,sliced
pince of fine salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light cornsyrup
2 tablespoons water
9 ouncesbittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In measuring cup with a spout, combine cream, butter and salt. Set aside.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar, corn syrup and water, stirring until the sugar dissolves; increase heat to high and bring to a full rolling boil. Cook until a dark amber color, about 1 to 2 minutes, without stirring. Remove pan from heat and carefully pour the cream mixture into the sugar mixture. Take care since the sugar will bubble up when the cream is added. Whisk until smooth.

Put the chocolate in a large, heatproof bowl. Pour the hot cream/sugar mixture over the chocolate. Add vanilla and whisk until smooth. Serve the hot fudge sauce warm.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat over low heat before serving.

Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet  potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1 inch wedges (you can peel them but they are good with the peels left on, too)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Sea salt and freshly grated nutmeg for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss sweet potatoes on large, foil-lined baking sheet with the oil, season with salt and papper. Roast for 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from oven, and toss the potatoes with the syrup.

Return to oven. Roast, tossing twice until the potatoes are beginning to brown and are tender, about 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle warm potatoes with lemon zest, sea salt and a pinch of nutmeg.