Feasting for all
Everest Crabapple provides beauty and food
It’s Christmas Eve morning and we’ve gotten another couple inches of snow. We may get several more before it stops. The horses were happy to see me, as always. I imagine smiles on their faces at the sight of my pockets bulging with apples. They were covered in snow with ice in their mane, but definitely not cold. They have an amazing coat that insulates them so well the snow doesn’t melt!
Lots of juncos and sparrows were flitting about, digging through the new manure piles for any sunflower seeds that passed through (this feed is a carryover from my pre-Dynamite days when I was converting from soybean oil. I add a cup of seed for a little extra fat/calories during these cold, snowy days to supplement the Dynamite HES).
As I returned to the barn to stow the wheelbarrow, I noticed a tohee was feasting on the crabapples that we never harvested. The Everest crabapple, which is probably almost 10 yrs old now, makes wonderful jelly and our chefs buy them for cooking marvelous dishes for their customers, too. It’s a prolific little tree, with a beautiful shape. We are so fond of this tree that this year we planted them all along our drive. In the Spring, the tree is covered in white blossoms. The red, round fruit left hanging on the tree will typically last through the winter and serves as a self-decorated xmas tree! If you’ve been to the farm, you know that we have “weeds” everywhere. The weed seeds provide food for the birds, too, as well as shelter for lots of critters. I spread some wild bird feed on the walkways for extra measure since many of the weeds are under the snow now. We heat the water tank for the horses to ensure they have plenty of fresh water. The heater cord is covered in wire and hangs over the edge. This keeps the horses from biting through the cord, but it also provides the birds a means for getting to the water for a drink. There was a Song Sparrow taking a bath yesterday!
A neighbor sold us a set of tire chains so we could make the trek into Redmond for a little more shopping and to Kirkland to retrieve my best friend, who traditionally spends Xmas Eve and Day with us. We’re expecting another couple from Seattle to join us for dinner before they head North tomorrow to be with family. Redmond and Kirkland are two of the wealthiest communities in the Puget Sound area. They should be ashamed for subjecting their citizens and their emergency and safety personnel to such treacherous roads! Apprently no attempt was made to plow even the main roads. I’m glad salt is no longer used, but a little sand on the ice would have helped considerably.
Well, I have much to do to prepare our feast (and a few packages to wrap yet!). We make every effort to cook seasonally with ingredients from our farm or other local growers, and our menu for tonight reflects this. The menu includes ‘Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup with Ginger’ from Farmer John’s Cookbook; ‘Three-Beet Caviar Salad,’ and ‘White Beans with Black Kale and Savoy Cabbage’ from the Local Flavors cookbook; and Braised Duck Legs. I haven’t decided on dessert yet, but it will be something decadent using our fabulous apples that we have in storage.