day 2.

Last night after posting:

Removed skin from the smoked pork picnic; added bones and the most well-cooked parts of meat to the crock pot, sliced the rest of the meat. Simmered crock pot overnight. This won't make as smoky a pork stock as using smoked hocks, but it'll suffice.

Day 2 -

Brought strawberries and their accumulated liquid to a boil, then turned off heat.

Yogurt for breakfast - nonfat unsweetened (I always get unsweetened, usually not nonfat) with homemade peach jam.

One French press (2 large mugs) of hot coffee (Black Bear - Guatemalan Antigua, I think, but I didn't mark the bag).

Washed greens in lobster pot - two bunches turnip greens, one bunch dandelion greens, one bunch Swiss chard. Realized I could get local greens from Lull's to add.

Lull's -

The local strawberries are gone; so are the cherries, even though last week was the first I saw them this year. Lull's is one of those farmstands that carries a lot of stuff they don't grow, so you don't notice at first until you see that the sign just says CHERRIES, not OUR OWN CHERRIES. No raspberries yet, no plums, no wild blueberries - fuck domestic blueberries. But they have the first of the local peaches. Peaches are real hit and miss up here, and these are the best-looking local ones I've seen in years. Though apple varieties are always carefully noted, peaches here are just White or Yellow, which is probably all most people want to know. I buy a couple Yellow - if they're good I'll get more before Caitlin comes this weekend.

The corn is Massachusetts, but I knew that - I drive past a dozen acres of cornfield on the way to Lull's, and it's still tween high.

Greens, they've got Our Own Kale, Our Own Callaloo, Our Own Red Kale. I get two bunches each callaloo and red kale. Callaloo can refer to a number of different greens - I don't know which one they grow here.

Well, now I have twice as many greens to wash. Might freeze some of the callaloo and red kale, so I'll wash them separate so I can keep track. The others can mingle.

The washed greens go into the lobster pot with the smoked pork stock, a squirt of sriracha, a couple cloves of garlic, a spoonful of Marmite instead of plain salt.

Ended up freezing one bunch each of callaloo and red kale.

Lunch - a few slices of the smoked pork, with barbecue sauce (Lip Lickin brand), some watermelon, an apricot.

Pimento cheese sandwich in the afternoon. Boy, this batch really came out good.

Added the chartreuse-soaked cherries to the strawberries. Adjusted with a little sugar, a little citric acid. Brought to a boil and simmered briefly. Boom, strawberry preserves. Since they're "preserves," not jam, I'm not too worried about whether they're thick enough - they'll just be eaten with yogurt for breakfasts - you notice there's no added pectin. This is just one jar's worth, after all - pectin doesn't come in packages that small.

While debating what to do about dinner - I want the greens to keep cooking, so that's out - I have two pieces of bread slathered with fancy butter and Vegemite. I have both Vegemite and Marmite in the house right now, which is unusual, so I did some head to head comparisons I've been meaning to post about. The upshot is that when it comes to bread, butter, and *mite, Vegemite wins - when it comes to a burger, Marmite wins. Interestingly, in both cases the victor is superior by a wide margin. I think what it means is that Marmite has a stronger flavor - the subtler flavor of Vegemite shines when it's the centerpiece, while Marmite works better when it's competing with other strong flavors like beef. If you're not sure what either Vegemite or Marmite is, that's cause I never got round to that post, but they're spreads made from yeast extract - high in umami/savoriness, much like miso, soy sauce, or demiglace are. Also quite salty.

Hmm, the bread is pretty filling and it's nearly eight - okay, fruit will be sufficient later and I'll try the greens again in a few hours, no more cooking today.