I can’t undress from the pressure of leaves, the lobed edges leaning toward the window like an unwanted male gaze on the backside, (they wish to bless and bless and hush). What if I want to go devil instead? Bow down to the madness that makes me. Drone of the neighbor’s mowing, a red mailbox flag erected, a dog bark from three houses over, and this is what a day is. Beetle on the wainscoting, dead branch breaking, but not breaking, stones from the sea next to stones from the river, unanswered messages like ghosts in the throat, a siren whining high toward town repeating that the emergency is not here, repeating that this loud silence is only where you live.
What has been going on in this crazy little brain lately? Eyebrow waggling, (bad) jokes, swimming in her new little yard pool, drawing dogs and dresses, decorating eggs for Dan (that’s Captain Underpants, by the way), rocking out with her headphones, reading good books (What Is the Point of Math?, Greta Thunberg speeches, Dahl – always Dahl, Story Thieves), gardening (her little garden looks good! Lots of cherry tomatoes coming, good looking thinned corn, lush pumpkins, a happy zucchini and cucumbers). She’s looking forward to taking her friend to mini golf and maybe the Pittston Fair, maybe a beach day. Here’s some kooky random bits – this is what our days are punctuated with, crazies abound!
Picture a young northern couple road tripping from Manchester, Vermont to New Orleans, Louisiana in a urine yellow ’74 Valiant (which cost us $350) that looked like tinfoil that had been scrunched up and then attempted to smooth out, with a big dog and lots of CD’s (with a playlist of Nirvana, Harry Connick, Lyle Lovett, Indigo Girls, Fugazi, and of course Bjork) visiting everyone they knew down the East Coast – stopping in Springfield and Boston, MA then Staten Island and Jersey Shore, Pennsyltucky to a couple of weeks in Ellicott City, MD and stretches through the South. Fire Ants in Alabama (that remained in the edges of their car for months after), the ethereally bland and unleaveable town of Purvis, MS with many State Park campsites and roadside visitor centers, parking lots of Piggly Wiggly’s along with really getting to know each other punctuated our trip (only being together a bare 4 months – this was to be the pre-honeymoon). And then NOLA.
Yes, it’s us. We were immediately smitten with New Orleans, though very poor (as it took us almost 3 months to make it there, we had exhausted our savings). We imagined living there but with less than $200 to our names pickings were slim. We slept in the car most of the time – we got a room once but the only one we could afford was super sketchy – frogs in the shower, roaches in the sink, and a bed I wouldn’t pull down the blanket to sleep on the sheets (but the dog wasn’t allowed in!). We got drenched in the torrential surprise rains that lasted only 10 minutes, then dried in the hot air that followed. And we ate maybe 3-4 times out in the 2 weeks we stayed there…one time at a little family diner where I relished my grits (and J did not) and people who met us asked us if Vermont was in Canada. And another good time…
We were walking through the French Quarter, where we had perused leather shops, witch shops (they were hiring, I should have applied), and folks selling craft and artisan goods on the street. We had visited ‘free stuff’, a walking tour of the Garden District (I was using Anne Rice’s The Witching Hour as my guide, yes, really), one of the St. Louis cemeteries, and a series of disheartening apartments, live street music and dancers. One day we were starving and wandering the streets in the ‘Quarter where we stepped into a little grocery offering hot sandwiches. We tried to order two but the grocer told us to sit and he would serve us one and see if we needed another. Out came a magnificient full boule of bread filled with meats, cheeses, and olive salad – we had arrived to the experience of the Muffuletta and we didn’t even know it. For the first time we were sated.
Though our New Orleans fantasy didn’t work out for us (and perhaps for the better, perhaps not, I think we would have still eventually met our lovely musician friend Greg, now relocated to Spain via Austin, TX from NOLA but having started in VT – we miss you tons!) we’ve been trying to remap our Muffuletta. For me, the current secret is food processing our homemade Jardiniere with a mix of any kind of black and green olives (if we’re feeling flush and fancy, it’s Kalamatas and Greek green, if not it’s Manzanilla and canned Black, doesn’t matter), maybe some capers or extra canned artichokes or a handful of spinach and scapes (in season) (if you like spicy add a little red cherry pepper) and then a selection of nitrate-free deli meats like (Fiorucci) Salami, ham or turkey if that’s what we have (the kid did not care for Mortadella), definitely Provolone but maybe some Jack or Cheddar or even Muenster if that’s what’s in the fridge (though I could see a veggie happening with roasted eggplant or zucchini or faux bacon and faux cheese). We have a bit of a process to make it work – a preheat of meats/cheeses, a hollowing out of a boule, and a full foil wrap while baking to make it ‘come together’. We hope you like it.
Yankee Muffuletta Serves 6, sanely
1 Boule of delicious bread (hopefully a sourdough Panem Domus or Garlic or even a Parmesan Stone Broke Bread loaf), split into two flying saucer spherical halves. Hollow out the top half a bit (we like to use it as an appetizer, dipping it into the left over vinegar we drained from the Jardiniere).
1 pint of (hopefully ;)) Rock Bottom Jardiniere, or a mix of jarred roasted red peppers, artichokes, cauliflower, or other pickles you prefer: whizzed in the processor for a minute to break down into small pieces, we prefer a slightly chunky tapenade – not smooth or big pieces, adding (if desired)
1 jar and 1 can of Manzanilla and Black Olives (less from snacking, of course) or 10-12 ounces of pitted Greek Olives
other possible additions to whiz with the mix: spinach leaves, scapes or garlic, cauli or broccoli, that lost turnip or beet in the the drawer of the fridge, celery, carrots, fennel, onion, cucumber – drain mix if needed (this is a great place to add foraged goods, too – daisies, clover, burdock root – nothing too bitter or oxalic or sweet)
1/4 lb sliced strong cured flavored deli meat like Salami or Capicola or even Prosciutto, or if vegetarian: slice an eggplant and/or zucchini/yellow squash thin and roast with a drizzle of olive oil at 375 degrees until satisfied with texture – I like about 20 minutes when the eggplant starts to carmelize with crispy edges but still has body, the zucc when it is golden – you’ll want about 1/2 lb cooked veg), Turkey bacon could work too, just cook first.
1/4 lb mellow flavored deli meat like Mortadella, Turkey, or a mild ham (for veg, use more of eggplant/zucc or even a layer of spinach/chard/Tuscan kale to equal the 1/2 lb of meat)
1/4 lb of sliced Provolone
1/4 lb of other cheese (shredded Mozzarella or shredded/sliced Jack, Cheddar, Muenster)
glug of Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Fresh ground Black Pepper, to taste
2 tsp dried or fresh Oregano (if dried, crush the herbs between your fingers to release the oils) (could also use Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Tarragon, Savory, or Sage – or a mix of any/all)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. Prepare a large baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay out a circle matching the bottom of the boule of strong meat onto the paper, then lay with one of the cheeses (or a circle of roasted eggplant/zucchini and cheese or faux cheese). Next to it on the same tray lay another circle of mellow meat and another cheese and heat until cheese is melted and meat is hot. Using a big spatula place one of the piles on top of the other (2 layers equaling meat/cheese/meat/cheese – though you could be extra decadent, keep the piles separate and put olive mix between them when building).
Meanwhile, whiz up in a food processor the Jardiniere, olives, any extra selections, a little olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. When it resembles your desired texture you are ready to assemble the Muffuletta.
Place the bottom of the bread boule on two sheets of crossed foil, spread a thin but decent layer of muffuletta olive mix across the bread then top with the circle of layered meat/cheese (or veg/cheese) then pile on a deeper layer of olive mix, then top with the hollow bread. (Which is best while singing the ‘spreading the muffuletta song’, as you can see by the image – ha!)
Crush gently the whole sandwich with two hands (not enough that stuff squirts out the side but enough you hear the bread crack), then fold over the foil tightly and put on the baking tray.
Bake 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit at least 10 minutes in the foil. Peel off foil and cut into large wedges.
Serve with fresh Heirloom Tomato or Cucumber slices or wedges. Fridges well and is still absolutely delicious cold the next day (if there is any left). Enjoy!
Of all the things we do, building our skills in some direction is the point. Baking is about feeding ourselves and our people, but also about the nerdy scientific elements of structure and rising, and the political aspirations of building new economies based on local food sovereignty. Gardening and orcharding is also about food guilds and getting into a conversation with the natural elements around us – getting to know our fellow creatures. Writing is about finding communication and relation between all of these things.
Somedays we want to live different lives. Many of you may not know that J started out as a poet, an art bookmaker, a musician and spent the majority of his teen/young adult years either building post and beam constructions, or working in ski mountain restaurant kitchens. We both went to Goddard College in Vermont (no, that’s not where we met!) where he was in process of a MFA in Writing. Meanwhile he was a machine operations manager at the Burlington Free Press (a Gannett paper) for a couple of years supervised by a stunning gentleman – old school Reggae musician Cleon Douglas where J was in discussion of writing Douglas’ biography. We lived in north and south Vermont, north and south New Mexico, did a 3 year internment in Boston, and then a few years in Portland Maine and now almost the same amount of time here in rural Maine. In Portland, J found a nice home in the solar industry and taught music theory and guitar in the state prison system before embarking on his own baking project. Though sometimes now he wants to live somewhere he can surf and cook meat over large fires.
I was never anything of note – slowly pursuing an art practice I didn’t know I wanted and a writing practice that is too idiosyncratic for most. I worked in a comic book store, a nursing home, and as Santa’s helper and eventual manager. I managed a chocolate store, worked as a supervisor/trainer in a bookstore, sold arty pewter goods, worked a 36-head hydraulic silk screen press (and a manual 4-head) and embroidery machines, and was a college admin/registrar for a couple of years. We both worked as professional testing proctors in Boston. Then I came to Maine and practiced as a holistic health coach for almost 6 years before going back to school for more arty/writing goodness. For a long time I wanted on the lecture circuit but mostly now I just want to write in peace, make art when I want to, and grow herbs for teas.
All these skills were gradually built with our attentions in our life – our attention to growth and self integrity (I’ve been growing herbs for teas since I was 19, I started in Staten Island making my little brother be my taste tester – ha!). Our beautiful child is learning skills of discernment, critical thinking, compassion and self-regulation. May we all be so open to learning from each other and the things we pursue. Thank you for being on this journey with us.
My life more civil is and free Than any civil polity.
Ye princes, keep your realms And circumscribèd power, Not wide as are my dreams, Nor rich as is this hour.
What can ye give which I have not? What can ye take which I have got? Can ye defend the dangerless? Can ye inherit nakedness?
To all true wants Time’s ear is deaf, Penurious States lend no relief Out of their pelf: But a free soul—thank God— Can help itself.
Be sure your fate Doth keep apart its state,— Not linked with any band, Even the noblest in the land,—
In tented fields with cloth of gold No place doth hold, But is more chivalrous than they are, And sigheth for a nobler war; A finer strain its trumpet rings, A brighter gleam its armor flings.
The life that I aspire to live, No man proposeth me; No trade upon the street Wears its emblazonry.
The official birthday was yesterday – 12 and running! Duende has had some lovely celebrations this past week – family visits, friend visits, a party, fireworks, mini golf, and lots of treats! We’ve been enjoying the spoils – playing Sleeping Queens (thank you, Pear! We love it!), she’s been sketching reflective mountains in ponds and dog muscles and coloring cat anatomies (thank you Sabrina and Grammy!), wearing very fashionable clothes and jewelry (thank you Nana and Grammy and Mira – she loves the tooth necklace!), throwing rubbery bunnies and wearing her locket (thank you Uncle Brady & Auntie Monica!), redecorating her room with new star lights and dragon eggs (thank you Josh & Bonnie and Nana!) and eating lots of goodies – Chinese food, ice cream, more ice cream, Key Lime Pie, and lots of party leftovers. We made fermented sodas, Kale Salad, French Potato Salad, pulled chicken with flatbreads, Carrot Pie; many favorites. Thank you everyone who came to party Grammy, Poppi, and Nana – and especially our chosen family (Dan, Mira, Joe, Jamesy, Josh, Bonnie, Dave, Pear, and Justin – Jemma and Soph, you were missed!)
We’ve never been much for fireworks – when she was little, she did not like the loudness so we avoided it (which we preferred avoiding crowds anyway) and it wasn’t until a few years ago when we started occasionally going to the Augusta fireworks (which is a hit or miss situation depending on where you park and what you are willing to deal with) but other than that, she doesn’t see many – so it was a real treat when Uncle Brady busted out his traveling tub of sparkly bits. Duende was entranced.
And then on the day itself, we went to Gifford’s Mini Golf (which she’s also never done) and it was a sweet course – perfect commitment and ice cream treat after. And then games at home and Chinese food! Yay!! I’m sure she will milk a few more days of celebration – there’s a new yard pool with her name all over it.
Happy Birthday my little love, you are not so little anymore.
I can’t address the world right now – the pendulum swing is too far in either direction and bodies (those not in power, never in power, always under foot) are strewn like mowed daisies along this stretch of country road. My daily work focuses on this cultural and natural emergency swing so my homestead work must reground me in this place with these people, in this love. Lots of pictures to remind me of the work we do, for each other.
We’ve just come off of a weekend of visitations and celebrations for the child – tomorrow is the true big day, and we are thinking of something nice for just the three of us, like mini golf or petting baby goats and a welcome delivered dinner of Slab (thank you J for bringing that up with your commute tomorrow – you’ve made a little gal’s day! and thank you S. Lanzalotta for your gift to share and your generous presence; rest in peace) and then family games (maybe outside free range bocce? croquet? or indoors Azul? Parcheesi?). It was nice to see people but it was a little exhausting for us all – we’ve not been in the practice of hosting events for quite awhile.
But with that practice, we are considering (and since so many of you have asked! how lovely!) a 2022 Harvest Party. Pencil it in for September 17th (2pm-whenever) with live music, homemade foodstuffs, locally made beer/fermented sodas/dandelion wine and lots of homestead love like apple cidering, blackberry picking, grape harvesting, foraging, and yard games (kite flying, giant Jenga, horseshoes), and of course, great community building. We’ll send out an official invite within the next month as we finalize our thought processes.
This week’s 2 Do List: * Re/plant field pots (rhubarb, nettle, wild bee balm, boneset, etc) * Re-design ‘la petite jardin’, our herb garden/kitchen bed * Start new fencing for veg garden & extra barley/bean bed * Thin corn/plant purple podded pole beans * Forage more tea supplies & medicinals (I think I can still get in some more raspberry leaf before they fruit, Scarlet Monarda, Yarrow, Mullein, Sarsparilla, we shall see) * Build shelving & re-organize the ‘vinyl station’ (perhaps now renamed Schallplatten Bahnhof – ha!) * Make much Carrot Jam (mmm, with warm brie…or with pork, on top of cake, or just on toast!) * Bottle up Red Clover Wine! (to go with the bubbly Dandelion Wine we bottled last week) * Get Birthday Peach started on her natural Cabinet of Curiousities Summer projekt * Work on Chapter 2 of Dissertation, the bulk of which is written but there is more work to be done; on elemental thinkings and artings… * J to start practicing his guitar/songs for the Harvest Party! 😉 * Come up with Marketing campaign for Stone Broke Bread Bakery – we need 20 more customers, can you help? Spread the word to your local friends and family and consider renewing your share soon!
