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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Beauty

Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where others see nothing. ~Camille Pissarro
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Our state is gorgeous. Get outside, enjoy summer, and take advantage of everything Maine has to offer.
These pictures were taken by my talented other half on Scopan Lake.

Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

I need to start off by thanking whoever the Warden or Warden wife was who planted the rhubarb at this house. I have no idea who did it or when but I can't help but wonder how many families/residents of the house have put it to use. It's a beautiful little patch that we have gotten SO much use out of the last month. Jackson randomly comes inside with a stalk or two and asks me to make muffins. Pancakes, crepes, salads, cakes, and sauces have been flavored with the tasty perennial.
This morning it was 82 degrees before 8:30, and for that reason we have been cooking outside as much as possible. I've never made homemade BBQ sauce before so when I stumbled on this recipe for RHUBARB BBQ sauce I couldn't pass it up.
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I love any food that is cooked in one pan and then pureed. It doesn't get any easier than that. Note on the recipe I omitted the strawberry jam because I wanted to use as much rhubarb as possible.
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Nothing better than fall of the bone BBQ ribs with that little bit of crispy char. Put extra napkins on the table...things get messy real quick!
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Ingredients:
3 cups rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp maple syrup
3 Tbsp strawberry jam
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp chipotle chile in adobo sauce, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
Make:
Throw everything in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rhubarb is very soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.
I prepared the ribs exactly like the recipe from http://www.handmadeintheheartland.com/2014/05/fall-off-bone-bbq-ribs-with-kc.html#more and added the rhubarb barbecue instead of the KC Masterpiece.

North Woods Garden Pests

Between the cat crapping in it, the chickens taking dust baths and snack breaks in it, and the soil being less than ideal, I thought for sure my first garden was doomed. I begged my husband to put some kind of fence around it to keep the animals out. After he did, it seemed to have solved the problem. Then a few days after I left the woods, this picture was sent to my phone.
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Apparently the 2 foot tall wire fence didn't deter the moose from pissing in my garden. I don't think it hurt anything because there's lots of green popping up. My only problem? When I planted the garden I stuck popsicle sticks at the end of each row, marking what was planted where. The chickens, children, dogs, or cat threw the sticks every which way. I know where the beets and basil and lettuce are for sure...everything else? I guess we'll have to figure it out as we go along.
To my green thumb friends...other than building a much larger fence and a scarecrow, are there any secrets to keeping the moose out? Does the soap trick work?
Wish me luck. I think I need it!

Up North

Hello, friends!! It's been a while, but we are alive and well in the woods. The boys and I have been spending as much time as possible outside and I haven't had much desire to get on the computer to write.
We came back to Clayton Lake yesterday after a busy week in Downeast and Southern Maine. Although the food and quality time spent with my girlfriends in Portland was wonderful, I was ready to come back into the woods after a weekend in the city. City life fits like a glove for some but not for all and certainly not for me! Don't get disgusted with me for saying so. While I recognize it's not for me, I also know that I have friends and family who love it and are happy to call it home.
It takes all kinds of kinds. Some of us thought the North Pond hermit was crazy and then there were some of us who envied him for a minute. As we are nearing the one year mark of life in the woods, I am certainly one of the latter even more than I was when the story first came out.
When my wheels pointed North, I kept thinking of this poem I found a couple of weeks ago. It is perfect in every way. The only thing I don't like about it is that I'm not the author!

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You'll know in your heart......
I know when I see a logging truck or the exit sign for 286 or the Irving in Oakfield that we are getting close. Continuing on 212 and eventually connecting to route 11. Then it's on to Ashland to pick up a pizza from the One Stop before we cross the Aroostook River. Once those wheels hit the dirt it's such a feeling of relief and peace.
Ten months ago on my 25th birthday that first 6 1/2 hour drive was the most dreaded and stressful ride of my life. It didn't take long for that dirt road to become nothing more than a long, LONG driveway that leads to home.