Demolition underway

Yesterday afternoon our old garage was the backdrop to a game of boules.

Today this monster arrived to demolish it to make way for our new garage.

Its jaws of steel and slow gait as it moved in for the attack reminded us of a dinosaur

Current interior of garage- note dirt floor

We will be replacing this charming space with a larger garage including a kitchen to service the wood fired oven and other outdoor entertaining. Which we seem to do a lot of.

It will include a small bathroom and guest bedroom as well.

And it will have a real floor.

 It took only 45 minutes to remove the building as well as a large tree that was in danger of falling on the new pergola and garage. 

We don't like removing trees that give much needed summer shade, but we lost several large tree limbs in the recent storm and were nervous about building anything near it.

As is our usual mode we only decided a few weeks ago how to proceed.

Now I have to try and make some decisions re fittings and fixtures before I leave for Sydney.

Too many choices. Too little time.

Eating well

Preparing and eating food is a pleasure/passion I enjoy in both my lives.  

"We're eating well" - I say when we have just finished another meal
that looks as good as it tastes, that is well balanced- aroma, flavour, and texture - and leaves us feeling happy and content with our lot in life.  

On the farm, when we have more time to prepare, present and eat our meals, often using our own produce, I seem to be saying those words a lot.
Some highlights from July.

Fried stuffed zucchini flowers, shrimp, green beans and sage leaves

4th July ribs

Peach cobbler and Mark's homemade vanilla icecream 

Left over grilled ribeye made into a salad with a tangy lemon dressing, tomatoes and green beans from our garden

Salade Nicoise - also with our tomatoes and beans

Zucchini, pea and corn saute with farfalle pasta

Roast local pork chop on a corn fritter,  green salad with a mustard thyme dressing and peach mojo

Sunday night's roasted corn risotto

I am looking forward to August

Bon appetit!

Last of the summer corn

Tonight we ate some fresh sweetcorn grown by our friends Steve and Dawn.  

Possibly the last that we will get our hands on this summer.

This recipe for Roasted Corn Risotto is one I have cooked on both sides of the world for a quite a few years.  It is one of my favourites.  The corn's roasted sweetness- slight caramelised, the creamy stock and just cooked arborio rice is a fresh and summery version of a traditional comfort food meal.

I would never have attempted this if it was a hot night - but at 80F with a fresh breeze we have had a perfect afternoon and it tempted me to the stove to stir my rice and stock, accompanied by a glass of a wine - a classic Californian chardonnay. What a match! And perfect later with the risotto.

Our verdict, the last of the summer corn is the sweetest.

Pizza night!

It's Friday and we are firing up the wood-fired oven tonight.  

When we are in Sydney and thinking about our outdoor oven here, we have plans to keep it going 24/7.  Sliding bread dough in to bake into crusty loaves, slow roasting meats overnight after cooking pizza, trying new recipes from this new WFO cookbook.
 (This book was our idea but the authors beat us to it.)

I have been here 4 weeks and we have only done pizza once and roasted a couple of chickens.

It has been too hot to think about standing in front of the 700F+ oven!

Tonight we have some friends coming over and thankfully it is cooler today.

The WFO is a great way to entertain - you can prepare all the little dishes of toppings in advance, lay them out, pour the wine and beer and and then get the guests to make a pizza. Easy!

It's a lot of fun and people of all ages seem to enjoy it.

Right now, Mark's dough is rising and I am prepping the toppings.

Some of the toppings options on the menu:

Freshly made tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella  and basil

Sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese and basil

Sauteed kale, caramelised onions, pinenuts and feta

Portobello mushrooms, olives and mozzarella

Will post some pizza photos later tonight.

Unique property for sale

 On my way to town I pass this lovely old church that has been for sale for some time

The Hopewell Methodist Church erected in 1876. 

Its design is very simple, in the style of original and local farmhouses.

It is located on the bend of a pretty road, amongst fields of grain.

Such a positive and hopeful sounding name. 

The worn entry stairs reveal the numbers of people who came through its doors over the years to pray or seeking salvation. 

A place that has good karma, I would think.

I often imagine what it could become in the hands of a new owner.

A great destination farm restaurant -
in the style of those in rural France or Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York state.

It would be patronised by locals but also attract customers from our closest big city, St Louis
and other nearby towns.

A place renowned for long Sunday lunches and special events,  giving people a greater understanding  and connection to the land. 

 It would feature produce from growers and producers in the surrounding area and would have its own vegetable and herb garden as well.

It would serve simply prepared food, in season, in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere and accompanied by good value and quality wine.

I can dream, can't I?

Could it work?  

Or does something like this have to be closer to a big city? 

Scary movie material

I see this sign on my drive to town.

I have heard of  trapping animals for a variety of purposes including food, food, wildlife management, hunting and pest control.  It is fairly common in this area.

But "youth"?

Its makes my active imagination run to horror movies, murder and mayhem.

This is the road that the sign directs us to. 

Would you drive down there alone?

Corn - a reality

The heat has taken a huge toll on the corn crop this year all over the corn belt. We have had 10 days here over 100F- not heard of in our area since 1936. 

The rain here on Sunday was too late to really help.  

Mark picked some samples yesterday from our fields and also from some neighbours

Local corn

Our corn

Normally at this stage of growth it would be looking more like the sample fourth from the left.

Talk on the local radio as I drove to yoga this morning was about the impact this will have on the price of grain for farmers  and subsequently the price of food for consumers.

I live with a grain trader, who is always talking about crops.  I know this happens all the time around the world and I am aware of the severe droughts that occur in Australia. It is part of our life there.

However,  living in the country really brings it home.

Would anyone else like to comment on their corn corp?

Food on the Fourth

I have often been on the farm for 4th July, and our story was even immortalised a few years ago in St Louis Magazine AT HOME 

(with photos taken by our friend Steve Adams)

Due to different schedules, we haven't had an Independence Day party for a few years. 

This year we planned a celebration based around traditional American food with a multicultural twist that recognised our worldly appetites.

Most of our friends had driven over an hour to get here, so a Bellini - a puree of our white peaches dolloped into a cold flute of Prosecco  - was a very refreshing welcome on a 100+F day.

Appetisers included Manchego and red peppers on crostini, spicy Asian chicken wrapped in iceberg lettuce and garlic shrimp, sizzling from the wood fired oven (WFO).

Photo: Steve Adams

Our main was something we hadn't cooked before in the WFO - baby back ribs. 

I think these are so American and for me symbolise summer here and the 4th July.

We have always wanted to try making them.  I found 2 recipes,  one for a dry rub and one a marinade.

Both were excellent - with only a few bones left on the platter. 

Most people had a favourite- I enjoyed having the two tastes on my plate.

Marcia brought two delicious salads - a lightly pickled cucumber and a peach coleslaw,  I made Jamie Oliver's "mother ship" tomato salad and a basil pesto potato salad.

Photos: Steve Adams

Dessert was my mother-in-laws famous peach cobbler - which I made using our peaches and served with Mark's homemade vanilla ice cream.

Photo: Steve Adams

We could even see some local fireworks in the distance as the night ended.

I wonder if we will ever celebrate Australia's own Independence Day?

These brilliant photos were all taken by Steve Adams and while my post has focussed on the food, his blog has more photos of what we got up to between courses.

Getting ready for 4th July

Really, believe me, I am not one for visible patriotic gestures on either side of the world.

No flags, no bunting or other displays.

However, these three chairs just happen to line up this way each 4th July.

Strange.

A pergola raising

A big weekend.  

A new addition to the homestead complete in one morning!  

Not without thorough planning by Mark and our friend Walt - who had previously constructed a pergola at his own home and came over with his detailed plans.

 Mark had pre-ordered the materials from a local supplier and they were prepared, ready to go on  Saturday at 6am. 

With forecast temps 106F (or 42C)  they wanted to get an early start, while there was a bit of shade .

By the time Marcia and I got up an hour later the first side was up. 

Our neighbour joined the build, bringing much needed tools.

Another friend came at the end to see what was going on and offer advice.

Q: How many men does it take to build a pergola
A: 2+2

By 2pm it was almost complete - with only the top cross beams to add.

It looks fantastic - beautiful cedar, which will fade to that wonderful grey.

With some landscaping, paving  and vines to be planted - in time we will have much needed shade
and another place to enjoy food and wine closer to our wood-fired oven.

Thank you Walter!

Shiny, happy faces

For a short time each year a field near us is in full sunflower bloom

This happy faced crowd always makes me smile

Even funnier, a bunch like this would cost $30 in Sydney.

PS You can see how dry we are - the grass is turning browner by the minute. 

City vs Country

I grew up in a city (or at least a suburb of a city), three of my favourite places are cities - New York, Paris and Sydney -  and until I met my husband I had never considered living on a farm!

I have been totally surprised how I have adapted to my country life.  

To be truthful, I haven't spent longer than six weeks at a time at our farmhouse - but over the years it has crept gently into my heart and soul.

Today I can say I have two places that I call home.  

I love them both.

I look forward to going to the farm and I am happy when I am coming back to Sydney.

I enjoy the buzz of Sydney and the serenity of the farm.

They reflect two parts of my personality that make me feel complete.

  

Sunset on the farm

Tomorrow at this time I will be winging my way to this.

Combing my two trips into one for a longer stay- will I survive?

Can't wait to share it with you!