Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

This week was full of food wonders; lettuce, mustard greens and  asparagus--all Farm grown. And KTL, a fellow Kitchen worker has brought back to life the Kitchen's herb garden, bringing us fresh batches of rosemary and thyme for sauces. Mmmm! And to top it off, Steve S., a Farm legend and general life-loving busy-body, brought the Kitchen a couple of batches of morels which had been gathered in the woods. The mushrooms were sauteed in olive oil with a little salt and garlic and were honest to God, PERFECTION! It is probably good that they are hard to find because otherwise I would put them in every dish the Kitchen makes and then people wouldn't appreciate the morels enough! Such a good, earthy flavor, with a texture that is slightly chewy. Agh! So good! Doing some reading on morels and stumbled upon  this interview with Jean Fahey, president of the Central New York Mycological Society. ( Mycology is the "branch of biology dealing with fungi," accordi...

is a little different than cooking for the community at the Farm. It's different for two reasons: 1. When cooking in the Kitchen at the Farm I have more food, spices and condiments, as well as loads of counter space and kitchen appliances at my disposal. This is not the case when I am cooking in my sisters' kitchen. The food I bought at the store is all I have to work with, unless I want a return trip to the market. Space is limited. That said, it was nice cooking with my Mom's help and it was sweet to have my niece and nephew Monster S and Monster A around, asking questions and willing to try things alongside me. 2. If I make something in the Kitchen at the Farm and it doesn't turn out exactly as I hoped it would I always have other opportunities for redemption. I can make the same dish again in a slightly different way, learning from the first attempt's mistakes. This is not so when you are making something for a gathering with the extended family you only see...