Hangin’ In There – Early Summer 2025

My most fun cooking projects this spring have been 1 – dehydrating pineapple; so tender and sweet – like pineapple-flavored raisons!

And 2 – deciding to finally tackle the challenge of cooking a true Virginia country ham. I bought the whole ham last fall and had it hanging in my cool room all winter without a spot of mold! I consulted with Virginia foodways specialist Damon Fowler, then read lots of online versions on how to best prepare one, and then almost eenny-meeny miny moe chose the recipe that was the simplest, as it used the oven. Oh, my goodness! It’s beautiful and tasty. Once cut, I’ve put most of it in the freezer in more reasonably sized portions.

To provide distraction from the crap out in the world these past weeks and as brief relief from hunkering over a screen as I work on my book I have been stitching my way through some mending. The technique I’m using is the traditional Japanese visible mending called Sashiko. It’s just demanding enough to be a bit of a meditation.

The damned weather has made gardening sheer hell this season; off and on hot/cold, wet/dry. Most of the potatoes I planted in the big tubs have been ruined by a condition called ‘hollow heart’. Apparently, it is often caused by inconsistent moisture or growth, with a black cavity forming in the center. Super yukky! And such a waste of seed potatoes and work! The Yukon Gold are particularly vulnerable, but even the Kennebec and Red La Soda are somewhat affected. I held back more seed potatoes, Kennebec, German Butterball, and Red Norland, that I set out last month and maybe they will turn out better and make a fall crop. Cross your fingers!

While the veg garden is mostly a flop this season, the ultrasonic deer repellers are doing a good job for the most part, and my sweet little garden chair planter keeps reviving every spring to make my shade bed look beautiful.

 

Later,

Leni