sunday doings:

made a honey-peach kefir smoothie with peaches i got at the farmer's market yesterday morning before going to work:

-yummy-

and then i discovered this morning that robert harvested our onions yesterday - here are some of them, along with a purple kohlrabi and some cauliflower we picked a few days ago:

-go garden, go!-

last but by no means least - i made some sauerkraut today with cabbage harvested from the garden. 

here is the link for the blog post on making it:

its been a busy week: i have been working on the display cases and they are coming along just nicely:

-bases were sanded and glued up-

-frames made and glued up-

-joints cut-

-everything dry fitted and hogging studio space-

besides working on the cases for 4 long days this week, i also worked 25 hours at the restaurant.
i am wiped out today, but am looking forward to a visit by a friend that is down in VA from NYC.
i hope you all have had a productive week and am wishing you another one coming up!

making kefir:

since anita gave me some of her kefir grains earlier this year, i started making kefir on average about 1-2 times a week. 

i have gotten much better at it, and get a thicker consistency than i did in the beginning. 

in the past i have either used whole milk, or 2% milk - whatever was around.
they both worked just fine. so when i got the sample jar of raw milk from my soon-to-be cow share,
i could not wait and just had to try it out with it:

 take your grains (about 2-3TBLS), place them in the bottom of a jar (mine is a quart jar), fill it up with milk of your choice (leaving enough head space for possible expansion), either stir it up - or what i do is put a lid on it, shake it all up, take lid off and cover jar back up loosley with said lid or with a coffee filter.

then store it in a dry, dark space (i keep it in a cupboard) until the whey has separated from the rest of the milk. depending on the temperature of your house and what kind of milk you use, it could take anywhere from 1-3 days. letting it sit longer lets the milk ferment more, and you get a tangier taste the longer it sits. it should look something like this when ready:

transfer your semi-liquid into a fine mesh colander/sieve and strain out the whey that has separated

(they say not to use a metal bowl or utensil as it can affect the grains - but the sieve is ok)

 once the whey has dripped out - place over bowl and with a wooden or rubber spoon begin working the kefir through the sieve until all you have left are the grains - it should look something like this:

after separating them out, you can add them back to your jar and start the process over - or - if you need to take a break from kefir, put them in the jar, just cover them in milk and leave in the fridge until you need them again.

if the grains start looking a bit "funky" feel free to rinse them off with water before putting back in jar and adding your milk of choice

 when done - i like adding some fruit puree and agave syrup to give it a little flavor

for easy drinking i put it into a smaller mason jar - tasty!!

-i am no authority of kefir - this is just what i do - 

if you would like to read more about it, its benefits, etc, please go check this blog out and the links it has to offer.

stool 33:

          stool 33 was designed and developed this winter while working in the shop trying to only work with and utilize things i already had in my wood storage- the goal was not to purchase anything.
          33 consists of 3 pieces of heart of pine, which are from salvaged church pews, and the 3 legs are made from salvaged oak fence boards, then painted with milk paint:

besides its original, minimalist design, 33:

• can be stacked two on top of each other
• add two more upside down on top of that for easy storage
• can be used not only as a stool but as a side table, too
• can be formed into a circle when putting 6 stools together
• can be ordered with different colored legs
• is a limited edition of 33 stools

herd share:

i have been looking into the possibility of becoming a herd share owner at a local farm, just around the corner from me. as part of my share i would receive freshly milked milk once a week, and receive other benefits as well - like going to see this guy:

his name is Bob and is a 2 week old Jersey cow. the cuteness is overwhelming. and the milk from the farm is delicious. 

in the making:

the display cases for the Art Center in Orange were started this week and are coming along nicely. not as quickly as i would like, as it is wedding season and i have extra shifts at the Inn - but still coming along:

cheesed out:

a guy i work with at the Inn requested some cheese boards shaped like cheese - this is what i made him:

 he also requested a large butcher block for his momma - and this is what came from that:

thanks for looking and checking it out.

blueberries!!!!!

today we went blueberry and a little black raspberry picking at The Market at Grelen in Sumerset. it is a gorgeous nursery and they had plenty of beautiful plants to pick from.     

                    
                       

i doubt anyone loves blueberries more than John!

last nights dinner:

- fresh from the garden: cabbage, some more broccoli, and leeks:

slaw was made with the cabbage and had onions and peppers, and some kohlrabi and fennel from farmer's market in it. the leeks, broccoli and mushrooms were sautéed. Robert cooked up some venison burger and we put it all in a burrito, topped it with some cheese and favorite hot sauce - YUMMY!

i love the summer time, when the garden is abundant with fresh veggies and i can go there to "shop" for whatever i need - or get inspired and cook something up with whatever is in it.

big-a$$ butcher block:

this is a commission piece in the making - biggest butcher block yet - about 17"x17" square and 2.5" thick - made from ash:

-glueing together the blanks-

-cross section of a blank 2-

-blank 1 cut up into pieces-

-blank 1+2 arranged, awaiting glue up-

kale:

this spring we have had an over-abundance of kale - our kale from last fall made it through the winter and got HUGE this spring. we have been eating quite a bit of it in salads, been feeding the chickens the tops when they looked like they were going to bolt, and they just kept growing and growing.

yesterday i harvested 3 plants and Corinna, John and I made multiple batches of kale chips with olive oil and sesame seeds and kale pesto with raw almonds. both were had for dinner/snacks last night and were delicious.

-3 kale stalks being picked- 

-kale on its way into a 375F oven-

-kale pesto with almonds-

collaboration:

this past week i had the pleasure of designing and making some sample trays for HAAND.

these trays will be traveling with them to the dwell on design show in LA and will be paired with their beautiful and simplistic slip cast ceramics ware.

 these smaller ones will be little cocktail trays and vehicles for their short fat beaker of the chemist cup series.

and this large tray -which has a generous 12"x18" of space in the center- will hold a tea/coffee service of sorts which is a new line of products they are currently bringing to life.

it is pretty exciting stuff. it was super fun to design these trays, keeping in line with HAANDS minimal design - which really speaks to me.  i cannot wait to hear of the feedback they will be getting at dwell and see where this may take us down the road.....

table: DONE and delivered

last week the table got a few more coats of finish on it - then it was completely finished.
on friday i borrowed my father-in-laws truck and john helped me deliver it to the group home.
they loved it. and i am pretty happy with it, too.
here a few pics:

the table is roughly 35" x 84" x 30" high. it has to accommodate special chairs they had, which in the past did not fit under thier table. plus - all the edges and corners had to be rounded, so none of the inhabitants of the group home will hurt themselves.

it was incredibly fun to make, and i am already thinking about the next table i want to build.....