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.

Merry Transitions Ahead: A Preview of What's to Come

There's a lot of change afoot down at Merry Mount, though everything's sort of at the start-up stages at the moment. Rio and I traveled to the farm last weekend on a Saturday filled with sheets of pouring rain, followed by sleet and finally snow. Was not really a pretty sight, but it's always a happy thing to be at the Merry farm!

 Rett is trying to will spring to come with a pot of pretty pansies, but even they had to come indoors overnight.

At least we were treated to a beautiful morning, with the dawn sun stretching long, beautiful shadows across the (still) cold fields.

Rett is looking forward to seeing what little plants and perennials survived the long winter, and which ones will soon be popping their heads up in the beds surrounding the towering maple tree outside of the sunporch. And Pat can't wait to see if the just-last-fall-planted fruit trees -- including cherry, pear, plum and chestnut -- will soon be showing signs of life.

But there's more exciting transitions on the horizon at little Merry Mount.

This will be a rose garden next summer! ("After" pictures in about six months!)

And this, well, it's the perfect place for Rett's upcoming ginormous garden! Think green beans, tomatoes, lettuce, corn, peppers, cucumbers, melons, potatoes and onions! (More "after" pics in the summer.)

Perhaps a pasture?

And of course the biggest restoration yet -- the barn!!!

Thanks to some expert help from Rett's and Pat's son's friends, the old barn is going through a huge transformation. It had been stuffed to the gills with lumber salvaged from another outbuilding, which has now been removed and will be repurposed.

Some cute little stalls have been cleaned out. . . soon to be home to an adorable goat or mini-donkey perhaps? The chicken coop will also take up residence in a corner of the barn. Think fresh eggs!

And parts of the roof and siding are being rebuilt. Just in time for a glorious summer!

In the meantime, Rio enjoyed hanging out in the yard.

And we had a lovely dinner of brown rice and lentil rolls, capped off with some luscious (and gluten free) coconut macaroons with mini chocolate chips and chopped salted almonds. They tasted like an Almond Joy! (Pat even had one for breakfast the next morning.)

Goat Cheese, Lentil and Brown Rice Rolls

Butter for the baking dish
6 large Swiss chard leaves
salt

Filling:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 packed cup baby arugula leaves, chopped
1 cup goat cheese (8 oz) at room temp
1 cup cooked green lentils
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 26-oz jar marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated Premsan
2 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish; set aside.

Remove thick stem from center of each chard leaf. Cut each leaf in half lengthwise. Trim end from leaves to make each half-leaf about 7 x 5 inches. bring a pot of salted water to boil; add chard and cook for 10 seconds. Remove and rise with cold water; drain on paper towels and set aside.

For filling: in med bowl, mix together the brown rice, arugula, goat cheese, lentils, mint, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Season with add'l salt and pepper if desired.

Spoon 1/3 cup of filling onto the end of each chard leaf and roll up like a burrito.

Spoon 1 cup marinara sauce on bottom of pan. Arrange rolls, seam-side down in a single layer on the sauce. Spoon remaining sauce on top, and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until the cheese begins to brown and the rolls are heated through; about 25 min. Cool for 5 min and serve. 

Delicious Coconut Macaroons

1-1/3 cups flaked sweetened coconut
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons gluten free (or regular) flour
dash salt
2 egg whites, beaten slightly
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small bowl, combine the coconut, sugar, flour and salt. Stir in egg whites and vanilla; mix well. (I added some mini chocolate chips and some chopped roasted almonds)

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: about 1-1/2 dozen.

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.