It has been a length of time since I have visited the blog. An infant, a seven year old, a new career, the building of a hostel, our farm, and a future bright and full have been consuming me in the most wonderful of ways. To say that I am overwhelmed would be understated, but when I go to bed each night exhausted, it is an exhaustion that means something. That I have conquered another day, and that day was so full and spectacular, that I will probably drool and snore as my tiredness seeps from my bones.
I am wrapping up an almost 8 year career managing the Co-op Deli. I have learned so much and I am grateful for those 8 years. I will be putting my co-operative business background to work as the new Director of the Co-operation Station daycare. I hope to bring exciting energy to each day, to fill the bellies of our youth with delicious eats, and to feed their minds and hearts with as much of the goodness of the world as I can.
The blog will be continuing on through our Hungry Hippy Farm and Hostel website- www.hungryhippiefarm.com. I am working with the wonderful local radio station WTIP, to create some new pieces to record and air with a focus on local harvest. I can't wait to continue our food segments on the radio, and I am super excited as I put my first piece together!!
Today there is a chicken- that I set in an aromatic brine of brown sugar, garlic, bay, sea salt, molasses, and water-soaking it up in the fridge. My husband and I will be smoking it this overcast afternoon. There are beets and blueberries simmering on the stove top to be made into baby food. I like to expand their pallets when they are young, and my eldest daughter can contest to eating a wide range of random but usually delicious eats. I also just whipped up a dry rub to slather the chicken with when it is done with its 2 to 3 hour bath, just before it enters the smoker. There are 12 pigs running amuck, grazing the clover and rooting the pasture, awaiting feeding time. The chickens are down to a flock of 3, and one insists on roosting the evenings away with my car in the garage. While all of these things are in action, it's my 6 month old who pulls me in, reminding me that her first teeth are coming in with a vengeance.
This is my world today. Filled to the brim with all of the good stuff my life has to offer. Today I was going to post a special recipe to wrap up this chapter, and I guess that this recipe is special in that it is laden and intertwined so thoroughly into my being and all that is encompassing it. This recipe was created between pureeing batches of beets and blueberries, brining a bird, dodging the dog, and comforting my children from all of life's woes. This recipe is packed with flavor and a days worth of memories. We are calling it our Hippie Spice blend- the mix of spices we used as a dry rub for our chicken before it hit the smoker. A blend of salty, sweet, smoky and a little spicy, this blend will be great on just about everything you're grilling. I can't wait for the next blog post! Please check us out at www.hungryhippiefarm.com!! Belly up!!
Hippie Spice Rub
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup smoked paprika
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon granulated onion
3/4 Tablespoon black pepper
1/2 Tablespoon dry rubbed sage
1/2 Tablespoon dry mustard
1/2 Tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 Tablespoon dried chili flakes
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, making sure to mix thoroughly. Store in an air tight container for up to a month!
