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The Spring Equinox

A neighbour is killing a couple of their free range male ducks today, and putting on a duck stone casserole dinner.  Stone casserole is another version of Stone Soup, and when I went looking for the link I realised that it is a way we often get together – a great way to have a low stress dinner party. My post about Stone Soup was at the Autumn Equinox, and here it is, the Spring Equinox.

The day and the night are equal length now, and we are heading into the long hot days of summer.  It’s a good reminder to think about mulch, water, and bushfire readiness.

I’m taking a basket of in season vegetables – silver beet, kale, peas, broccoli, and celery –  along with some lemon thyme and a loaf of sourdough.  And a bottle of red wine.  I have heard talk of a lemon meringue pie.  A couple of people are likely to bring a guitar. This is the life!

Posted in Design, Garden, In Season

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9 Comments

  1. kim

    Have a lovely Spring Equinox!! We have friends we get together with that also grow their own produce. Getting together and everyone bringing a plate….it is magic. It reminds us why we do this… as we sit around the table swapping stories.

  2. serendipity2000

    Hi Linda. I very much enjoy your blog and am amazed at the number of different and interesting breakfast challenge ideas you continue to come up with! I too love cooking and we’ve only just started to develop our food garden (finally – it’s a long story). I see you use a pressure cooker for what seems like most of your cooking and I’m thinking of getting one. Could you tell me a little about it? What are the advantages and what should I look for when buying one.

  3. Linda

    I do use a pressure cooker a lot, probably most days one way or another. Mine is a Sensor, made by Tefal in the UK. It was a gift from my mother, and I don’t dare ask how expensive it was! But then, it will last for generations. It was expensive because it is stainless steel, but I used to have an old fashioned aluminium one for years, and you can pick them up at op shops for very little. Just make sure all the seals are good and that it has the little weight for the top. Stainless steel is lovely though.

    It works by allowing you to cook at higher than 100 degrees (physics of heat and pressure) which means things cook much faster – about a third of the time, and most of that on a very low flame – which saves not just time but also electricity or gas. You also use very little liquid, which concentrates flavours. Some herbs and spices don’t like the high temperatures, but they tend to be the ones that evaporate off in boiling anyhow, so they’re best added at the last minute. I use it for anything I’d otherwise simmer for a long time like beans or stews, but I also use it for anything I’d cook in a pot with a lid. Green vegies, for example, in the pressure cooker with crushed garlic, little bit of butter, a spoonful of water, lid on, bring to pressure, turn it off, shake, sit for one minute, serve. Also great for sterilizing jars for yoghurt or for preserves.

    I don’t have a lot of kitchen gagetry. Things that only have one use often feel like clutter to me – just more stuff to store and clean up and find things amongst. A pressure cooker, food processor and stick blender are just about it.

  4. serendipity2000

    Thanks for the info Linda. I too have very few kitchen gadgets. However as I’m time poor, the idea of a pressure cooker is very appealing and would be a useful item in my kitchen.
    Trust last night’s stone casserole was a success. Great idea.

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