The Pickling Project

Even though I hold out no hope of matching the puckeringly good tastiness of Morse's pickles in North Waldoboro, ME, I still wanted to try my hand at canning dill pickles again this year.

The cucumbers came from the Orono Farmers' Market.

 The garlic and dill are from my little veggie garden in the back yard.

I did learn to keep the jars in a simmering water bath as I pack them. Lost two jars when they cooled off too much. They broke when I put them back in the boiling water. I was glad I only lost two.

The weather was nice enough to set up the water bath outside on the porch. I like not having to heat up the house.

Done! I think BF and I canned 26 pints altogether. We got into a nice rhythm by the third batch. The hardest part of pickling cucumbers is waiting until they're ready to eat.

OK, off to do some work. We are getting ready for the Gilsland Farms Arts and Fine Crafts Show this coming Saturday and Sunday (August 17-18). The farm is a sanctuary maintained by the Maine Audubon, so we are really looking forward to checking it out. We hope that, if you are in the area, you will stop by our booth and say hello!

Have questions or want to tell us about your tips to getting that perfect pickle? Leave a comment below, check out our facebook page, or leave us a convo at our Etsy shop. 

A Beet Convert.

I felt compelled to pick up some beets at the farmers' market. Look at these in their richly colored glory! How could anyone possibly pass by the booth without getting some? Thing is, up until this weekend, I had never met a beet I liked.

I thought, maybe I would grill them. Everything tastes better on the grill, right? But, just about dinner time, the skies opened up with rain, lightening, and thunder. Very dramatic, but not very good for cooking beets outside on the grill. So I improvised.

I grated one beet to leave raw and cut the rest up thin. These I tossed in a skillet with some olive oil, shallots, orange zest, juice from said orange, some scallions, poppy seeds, and some white balsamic vinegar. I pan fried these just for a few minutes, then put the skillet in the oven to roast the veggies. The recipe I used is based loosely on this one.

Roasting the veggies in the oven reduced the liquids into a lovely sauce, sweetened the beets, and turned everything red. Some mozzarella sprinkled over the top and a side salad of greens and cucumbers with a mustard dressing rounded out the dish.

Definitely a beet fan, now that I know how to cook them right. Even BF said he'd have them again.

Anyway, last week was another busy one for Madder Root. We sent out tea towels, napkins, and produce bags to Archipelago in Rockland, ME, Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME, Rocky Acres Farm Stand in York, ME, Minka in Kennebunkport, ME, and Lisa Marie's Made in Maine, in Bath and Portland, ME, plus all our lovely Etsy customers. We do appreciate your support!

We've got our sights on August 17 and 18, 2013 when we'll be at the Gilsland Farm Art and Fine Craft Show in Falmouth, ME. Hope you'll stop by and say hi.

Want to share your favorite beet recipe? Just leave a comment below, check out our facebook page, or convo us through our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Artisan Bread Fair

We had so much fun at the Maine Grain Alliance's Artisan Bread Fair on Saturday. It is truly one of those little treasures that make Maine summers such a great thing!

These pictures are from just one of the booths: The Bread Shack from Auburn, ME.

There were about 60 vendors represented: bread makers, cheese, wine and beer tastings, milk shakes with locally produced milk and ice cream, wood-fired pizza, music, crafts people and artisans selling their wares.

Yup, we pretty much ate our way through the day...

Along with getting ready for the fair last week, we shipped out orders to Under the Dogwood Tree in Southwest Harbor, ME and Attentif Design in Amesbury, MA. If you are in those areas, please stop by and say hello for us!

We also heard from Cindy of LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls about a giveaway she is hosting that includes one of our produce bags and a six-pack of her dryer balls. The offer is good until July 31, 2013. For more information, please check out her website.

We're also happy to hear from you on our facebook page or through our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Healthful Treats

I've always had a sweet tooth, but lately, I've been looking for more healthful treats.

Banana Raisin Walnut Oat Bars

Last weekend, I tried these bars made from bananas, applesauce, milk, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and oats. I added some walnuts, which I'd probably roast next time for more flavor. I liked that the bars weren't very sweet - just whatever sugar was already in the fruit - but they were a bit bland. I'd add a little salt, maybe some orange zest, and some more spices (cloves, ginger, cardamom) next time to spruce things up a bit. Still, I'd make these cookies again.

And, then there were the chickpea, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies.

Chickpea Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Interesting. I liked the texture of these a lot, though I think I'd add a touch more peanut butter to bring out that flavor. They were filling, too, with the chickpeas adding a bit of protein. I think these would be good for an energy boost on hikes or long bike rides.

Anyway...We had another busy week at Madder Root. We got some wholesale orders out to Window Panes in Bar Harbor, ME and Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME. We also sent out a bundle of tea towels made special for the Maine Grain Alliance to Skowhegan, ME. The oats tea towels will make their debut at the Kneading Conference starting Wednesday. The towels will also be at the Artisan Bread Fair this coming Saturday, July 27th (if there's any left by then!!). We'll have a booth set up Saturday, as well, so we do hope to see you there!

If you've got a favorite recipe you'd like to share, please comment below. You can also check us out at our facebook page or at our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

Yay for the OFM!

Lots to choose from at the Orono Farmers' Market this weekend (Yay!) and, even though I had to stand in line for those early tomatoes, they were totally worth the wait.

Peasant Bread, Sourdough, and Olive Loaf

The vendors were saying the combination of super rainy, then super hot days this summer is making some of the crops ready for harvest earlier than usual. Kale, garlic scapes, summer squash, greens, raspberries, strawberries...the list goes on and on.

Cucumbers, New Potatoes, and Carrots

I am sooooo addicted to this goat cheese from Olde Oak Farm. It made an especially good lunch spread on the sourdough bread with a simple salad of greens, freshly sliced cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and some apple slices.

"Pretty" and "Gem"

We sent out some wholesale orders last week to Northern Tides in Lubec, ME and Treats in Wiscasset, ME. If you're in either of those parts of the state, please stop by and say hello for us!

We also have our sights set on the Artisan Bread Fair in Skowhegan, ME at the end of the month. We were honored when the Maine Grain Alliance asked us to design a special tea towel just for them. The tea towel will be making its debut at the bread fair, so we hope you'll stop by and check it out!

If you have questions or would like to see more of our work, please leave a comment below, check out our facebook page, or stop by our Etsy shop. We'd love to hear from you.

Hope your week's a good one!

Downeast

BF and I visited some friends in "downeast" Maine last week. It was really nice to get a change of scenery. These are some photos I took on an early morning walk.

Something about old barn doors warms my heart.

Love that these aren't just ordinary pickled eggs. They're "wicked good" pickled eggs.

Pretty tough to wake up to this scene (but someone had to do it!).

As far as Madder Root goes, we're in full swing and getting ready for the Maine Grain Alliance Artisan Bread Fair in Skowhegan, ME July 27th. This will be our second time at the fair. Looking forward to all the great food and beautiful crafts. We're working on a new product we hope will be ready that weekend.

We also sent some produce bags to LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls. Cyndi's pairing the bags with her great wool dryer balls as a special offering. More details to come.

Garry at Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME stocked up on produce bags and napkin sets last week as well, so if you're in the area, please stop by and say "hi" for us.

If you'd like to learn more about us, please feel free to check out our facebook page or our Etsy shop.

Hope your week's a good one!

A Whole Lotta Green

It's 11:30am and I'm just noticing it's Monday. Madder Root Monday. Already. Whew! That week went fast!

Parsley and Ornamental Peppers

Remember the cold frame experiment? I've been harvesting parsley, basil, kale like crazy over the past few weeks. The shallots are in the ground and looking good. I could have planted the rest in the ground as well, but I love seeing a whole "lotta" green on my porch!

Basil

My gardens are young, so I don't have much blooming at the moment, except the rose campion. Love that little burst of color.

Last week, we got the cars unloaded from the Vintage Bazaar, sent an order of napkins and produce bags to Conklin's Maine Mercantile in Belfast, ME, and got caught up on our Etsy orders (thanks for everyone's patience while we were away at the show).

Also, the June giveway for a farmers' market set of produce bags at Kitchen Vignettes has wrapped up. Thanks to Aube for hosting us on her blog all month and to all who participated and left such nice comments! 

Anyway, I mostly wanted to get a post up and say how much we appreciate everyone who supports Madder Root on facebook, in shops (see the list to the right of this posting), and online. You keep us inspired!

Hope your week's a good one.