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Author: dakota pharmgirl

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Published on 5 Comments on Backyard Beginner Beekeeper, Part 1

The happiness of the bee
and the dolphin is to exist.
For man, it is to know that
and to wonder at it.
         -Jacques Yves Coustea


Well first off, who doesn't love Jacques Coustea? (for the younger crowd who might not know him, he was the oceanic 'Steve Irwin' of his time with a lot less dumb danger thrown in).

In addition to watching his television documentaries, my parents had this fantastic hardcover reference book set called The Ocean World of Jacques Coustea....I remember spending hours pouring over pictures and text in wonder of the amazing diversity of sea life (it was pretty exotic stuff for a land-locked Dakotan).

...continue reading "Backyard Beginner Beekeeper, Part 1"

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Published on 1 Comment on Lettuce Be More Exciting!

Anyone else looking at seed catalogs with dreamy eyes???

My fingers are itching to get out in the garden already but recent snows unfortunately have my wishes way ahead of my weather.

But I know I'm not the only one! Even our chickens, Speckles and Ginger, have caught Spring Fever, resuming their laying and enjoying some 'free range' time out of the coop wandering the yard. We're ALL ready for Spring!

This year I'm determined to get out there a little earlier to spice up my greens, especially with some that do very well before the temperatures heat up.

Will I still plant lettuce? Of course....I have to have some recognizable greens to hide the more exotic ones in salads for the kids!  Spinach and arugula are definitely going to be part of the staples.....but there are so many more options!  What about Mizuna, Mache, Mustard greens, Claytonia, or Minutina? Are some of those new for you?  They were for me so I had fun doing a bit of research. Let's try something new!

...continue reading "Lettuce Be More Exciting!"

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Published on 3 Comments on Yogurt Yumminess – Yes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember back when I was still an 'Instant Pot Ingenue', I mentioned the yogurt function on this magical machine but said it would have to be the subject of a later post?

Well, this is that post.

And it's made me even more fanatical about the Instant Pot now. Seriously, it's super easy to make your own fresh yogurt and it tastes amazing - I think better than the store brands. And, after making your first batch, you really only need a half gallon of milk to make repeat batches.

So while this post may be more of interest to those who've already got an Instant Pot, maybe this will spur interest if you're on the fence about getting one?

...continue reading "Yogurt Yumminess – Yes!"

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Published on 7 Comments on The Tale of the Farmer’s Daughter

As I sit in my garden quietly content after checking on the upcoming bounty of fresh veg, nibbling away at a few plucked snap peas and cherry tomatoes, I wonder about my ties to soil and the urge to have my hands in the dirt.  Where does this come from? Why such a strong sense of connection to this voluntary toil I do with willingness, hope, and joy every year when so often the effort is way more than the output?

I know it's partly because I want my kids to learn where food comes from and the difference between home-grown and store-bought.  But also, is it just because my parents showed me the same?  My father an expert farmer who knew how to make magic with seeds, soil, and water.  My mom having a prolific green thumb as well.

Or is it something deeper in us?  Some cellular level DNA thing that is built in over time?

I recently had reason to ponder this further when, out of the blue, an unserious web search looking at my family's genealogy produced some surprising but reaffirming revelations. What I found makes for a great story and ties into what this blog is all about despite the fact that I'm not talking about food this time.

I have to provide a bit of historical background along the way but stay with me, it will be worth it.

Per this blog's namesake, I hail from the farmlands of the great state of North Dakota where the buffalo (used to) roam.

For those who've never been there and noticed that 90% of the population is blond, North Dakota is a state of primarily 2 types of peoples - Scandinavians and Germans, with the great majority of Germans then being of 2 types who arrived in America from Germany by way of Russia.

 

The Dakotas are full of what we call the 'Odessa or Black Sea Germans' or the 'Volga (river) Germans' depending on which body of water was closest to their point of origin in Russia.  I'm from the Black Sea bunch. To give context to this story, I need to give you the cliff notes version of the historical landscape. Promise it's 200 years in just 2 paragraphs.

...continue reading "The Tale of the Farmer’s Daughter"

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Published on 3 Comments on Summer Daze

I don't know what happened this Spring but was time on hyperspeed??  Some job changes, a load of kids' school projects and activities ranging from creating 3-D DNA models to piano recitals to soccer matches, and maybe stress over my own expectations about what I 'should' be getting done seemed to take over the days.

It really didn't help that I left completing 30 pharmacy continuing ed credits (which you have 2 years to do) to the last month this May.
Adult procrastination fail!
(and yes, I did buckle down and finish on time so still legal =)

But I am SO glad that Summer has begun - ready for a fresh season start - to chill, watch my garden grow, and hopefully see things slow down a bit.  And glad to finally get to writing a post on all things growing: summer flowers, gardening, and chickens!

...continue reading "Summer Daze"

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Published on 4 Comments on Instant Pot Ingenue

How many of you out there purchased an Instant Pot® after hearing it's the hot new thing and giving in to a sale on Amazon??

How many of you have actually taken it out of the box??

Confession: I got mine over 4 months ago and it just came out of the box a few weeks ago. There was too much to do over the holidays to start experimenting with something new.  And it didn't help that I'd read too many blogs about how people had suffered to overcome the initial trauma of its newness and many buttons. But I told myself it's an appliance for pete's sake and I have a graduate degree....I can DO this!

So I did. And it is awesome and simple and all things good and wonderful.
Here's my story.

...continue reading "Instant Pot Ingenue"

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Published on 1 Comment on Veggie Highlight: Japanese Sweet Potato

The Japanese sweet potato or 'satsumaimo' was one of those mystery veggies that came in my CSA box that I stored away in my potato basket for a couple weeks while I figured out what to do with it. Weeks went by and while extended family was here for Christmas, I thought 'what the heck, just roast it' (which is basically my go-to strategy for most mystery vegetables) and see what happens.  It was a hit!

Roasted with just olive oil, salt and pepper, they were quite sweet with a 'carmelized' nutty taste.  To me, they had a flavor similar to roasted chestnuts.  Served with grilled pork loin, it made a nice pairing. They don't have a lot of water content so the roasted sections I cut almost had a homestyle french fry type texture.  If you've ever tried to make sweet potato fries before, you know they have a higher water content and can sometimes turn into a soggy mess....not the case here.

...continue reading "Veggie Highlight: Japanese Sweet Potato"

Published on Leave a comment on Veggie Highlight: Leeks

leek1Many people consider leeks in the 'semi-exotic' category of vegetables. This was true for me until I began cooking with them more regularly the past few years.  But I've now come to view them as essentially just gigantic scallions. They're easy to throw into dishes anywhere  you might use an onion.  As far as flavor, they tend to be a little less 'oniony', sweeter than onions themselves.

In history, the leek has held both an exalted and abused status.  The Welsh actually wore leeks in their caps to help distinguish themselves from their opponents in the battle against the Saxons in 640 AD. They did win the battle (presumably partly because they weren't attacking their own men?) and the leek became the national emblem of Wales.   In contrast, the French thought leeks were 'the asparagus of the poor'.  This remained the opinion until a French chef at the New York's Ritz Carlton in the 1920's came up with vichyssoise (cold potato and leek soup). Leek reputation restored!
 ...continue reading "Veggie Highlight: Leeks"

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Published on 4 Comments on Anniversary Interruptis

enhance-10 Hiya Everybody! I've been on a little unplanned hiatus....although it was the kind of adventure you don't want to have.

September marked the first complete year of the Dakota Pharmgirl blog and I had big plans for an anniversary article! Now here we are about a week before Halloween. That was not the plan!

Here's what was supposed to happen and how it got derailed.

...continue reading "Anniversary Interruptis"

Published on Leave a comment on Herbs and ‘The Hugo’

IMG_0258As the tops of my basil plants start to flower, I'm reminded that summer is soon over and the kids will be back to school routines and soccer games next week.  I'm not ready yet, but will make the most of the last weekend of pool & play before going back to the demands of that 4-kid, color-coded, whiteboard activity calendar!

My sad basil plants need answers now so I thought it would be good to do a refresher on what you can do with all your herbs for the season. Since you can find a thousand recipes for pesto on the interwebs right now, we're going to skip that suggestion here and cover things in general.

herbsHowever, as a reward for the hard work of cleaning up your summer garden, I'll share the recipe for the trendy drink of the summer from Europe (and a new way to use some of that peppermint that has spread across your garden over the summer).  Hubby's cousin introduced us to this drink (thanks Gertrud!) and it was a popular new offering at his hometown's wine festival we attended while visiting family in Germany this past month.

It's called the Hugo and I am officially importing the recipe from Germany to Philly right here in this post. Serve it for your Labor Day get-together this weekend and get ready for rave reviews. You're welcome =)

...continue reading "Herbs and ‘The Hugo’"