Weekend Cook: Spicy Veal Skirt

Veal skirt with broccolini and sushi rice.

I'm not the best at removing silverskin, so these are some hacked at meat bits of skirt, and they cooked real fast. They were coated in spicy rub and grilled on high for 4 minutes a side.

Ummmm.

I know this looks like a Munchkin portion, but I actually taste-tested everything to the point that I no longer wanted anything else to eat. I love sushi rice and the extreme spiciness of the meat provided the seasoning. Proofreading makes me want to eat this again!

Busy Girls

The winter coop in the youngstock barn is a bustling place, but these ladies are content sitting on eggs in their boxes. Notice the lovely red combs they have; the saying goes that large red combs=daily eggs. So far, it has proved to be true.

Three a day

For the past two weeks we have been getting three eggs a day from the turkey hens. This is very unusual; the only turkeys we ever had that lay were Red Bourbons. These are from Broadbreasted Bronze.

Life on the farm 111609: Turkey Tips

It's that time of year again. The corn harvest is near completion; it's time to fill the bird feeder, knock down the hollyhock, and mark the main driveway with reflective staves for when the snowdrifts erase the entrance to the farm. We don't want the milk truck getting mired down on the lawn.

It's also the time of year that it's all about the bird - you know the one - that holiday turkey.

You can't open a magazine or watch television without being bombarded with hints and tips on how to prepare a T-bird or conjure up a stress-less (or simplified) Rockwellian gathering, but instead of delving into any of that, my husband Dan is offering his tips on how to grow your own holiday bird.



We've raised American Bronze, Narragansetts, and Red Bourbons. They were all delicious, but the one we like the best are Broad-breasted Bronze. They dress from 21 to 40 pounds and compared with the others, are easy keepers.

Dan's advice is twofold:

The first rules apply to all livestock raised for meat.

1) Have a plan on how you are going to do it in.

2) Don't make pets out of your food.


Practical pointers pertaining to turkeys:

1) Order more birds than you think you need (if getting day-old chicks) because they die easily: they can tip over onto their back, get stuck in corners, injure a leg = dead.

2) They jump and fly after a few days, so cover the hot pen until they have real feathers. Cold chicks = dead chicks.

3) Check on them multiple times a day because they attract predators with unhappy peeps and movement. Owls, snakes, cats, rats, falcons, fox = dead.

4) Once they no longer need heat lamps for warmth and are larger than a quart of milk, put them on grass during the day. They love to graze, and will keep their area neatly mowed down. They eat weed seeds, too. Bring them in at night because of predators, and keep a watchful eye and ear out for circling hawks and eagles.

5) Separate hens from Toms when they start breeding and sparring, because injuries will ruin the "eatability" of the birds. Slashes, bleeding, infection = dead.

6) Finish the turkeys on cull apples and cracked corn, because that's what they'd eat if they were living in the wild. You can see native turkeys in alfalfa stands and cornfields all over the county.

Don't let this discourage you, because turkeys really aren't all that difficult. They don't overeat and are pleasurably social, running across their pasture to greet visitors. Mature hens can even give you an egg a day.

It's become popular to keep a few laying hens in the backyard, but if you have the room and a processing plan, a turkey or two is a nice addition.



Like any meat bird you raise yourself, your holiday turkey will be more flavorful, moister, and cook faster than what you can buy in the stores. Just ask Dan.

Turkey update: Bad Boys

All the hens have been separated from the Toms because they were getting a bit too frisky, if you know what I mean. One injured hen is too many, and it looks like we will lose two.

More Frost Photos

On the way to the plant this morning, the frost was two feet up the cedars.

The ground is just as pretty as any foliage.

I'm glad the chickens and turkeys were moved inside the barn.

Monday Menu: Veal flank, sweet and sour side

Rice noodles with butternut squash and farm-raised veal.

I like to cook veal flank because it is just right for two portions, but since it is thicker on one side, half of it inevitably becomes well done. This is not a problem, because this cut is tender past medium.

I marinated this flank in Tomate liquid, Worcestershire sauce, and EVOO for a few hours. Then 4 minutes a side on a hot grill.

For a side, I prepared some rice noodles, then dressed them with Tomate, fish sauce, and some sesame oil.

This was tart, so I tossed it with some leftover squash for a sweet/sour side.


Another quick and easy meal of veal.

That's my job!

There are three styles of harvested corn for animal feed. One is corn silage, (mature corn with green stalks) that is chopped (contains some energy, lots of fiber). The next is "cob corn", older corn cobs that are cut into slices; it looks like corn in the stew in a fancy magazine (contains energy with some fiber). The last is "grain corn" corn that is very dry and stripped from the cob (mostly energy and good for burning in new-fangled pellet stoves). We are getting ready to harvest grain corn.

Dan will be bringing a red "dump wagon" and a tractor to our Swanton property; I am following in the truck to pick him up and bring him back.

What you can't see here is that the wagon is wonky and shakes from side to side if the tractor goes over 18 miles an hour. No mailboxes were harmed during transportation, but it was a near thing.

Finally safe! He unhitched the wagon and parked the tractor.

Weekend Cook: Rick's Tamale

(Spicy chicken tamale with Candeleros brand mole (mo-lay) sauce)

After watching Rick Bayless win Top Chef Masters I purchased one of his cookbooks. This delicious tamale recipe is adapted from "Mexican Kitchen".

Instead of using salt in the filling, I ground up 2 TBS of roasted pumpkin seeds.

I added them to 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken breast.

I combined that with 2 TBS of chili sauce, 1/2 TBS of dried cilantro, and 1 tsp Adobo powder.

The dry mix was one cup of masa harina, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt (the broth in the batter step was already seasoned), and 1/2 tsp Adobo powder, whisked together.

I beat 1/4 cup of chilled Crisco - I'm fresh out of the lard the recipe called for.

The dry mix was added alternately with seasoned chicken stock. I used about 2/3 cup of liquid in all. The batter was soft, the texture of commercial peanut butter.

About 4 TBS of masa was smeared on a prepared corn husk and topped with 3-4 TBS of chicken.

Rolled and ready for steaming. It took about 2 hours in all to cook these through.


I think that two cups of chicken was a bit much for this recipe, since some of the tamales fell apart, and there was still a bit of chicken filling left over. The flavor and texture were spot-on hot, spicy, and delicious.

New Cheesemakers: Mt. Mansfield Creamery

Vermont is surely the Napa Valley of cheese.


This is a new Vermont cheesemaker that we had seen on WCAX News, and when I spotted the label in the cheese case at Healthy Living I had to try it. They call this cheese a Havarti; it has a creamy flavor and springy texture.

If you are scared of venturing beyond Vermont cheddar, this is a good "gateway" cheese into the fascinating and delicious world that Vermont cheesemaking has become.

Turkey Update: separate but equal

(King of apples, but master of no one)

In every pecking order, someone has to be the bottom. This Tom was attacked by a superior and once he started bleeding from his wattle, it was necessary to remove him from the pen to keep the others from setting on him. As you can see in the video, the Toms in the pen are shadowing his every move.

New Arrivals: Day Old Chicks

We've been expecting these packages in the mail for the past four days; they are the day old chicks that will become our laying hens for next farmer's market season.


(The red cast comes from the heat lamps that keep them warm)

We purchased the "brown egg layer" assortment from McMurray Hatchery, and have a variety of breeds, including the ones that lay blue and green eggs. Some look like chipmunks, others like owls.

Rub Recipe and Barbecue Sauce

Peppery Rib Rub, makes ½ cup:

3 TBS. Brown Sugar
1 TBS. Italian Blend Spices
1 TBS Sweet Paprika
1 TBS Black Flake Pepper
2 tsp. Garlic Powder
2 tsp. Onion Powder

Mix all ingredients together and keep in a sealed container if not using immediately.



Beer and Maple Q-Sauce

8 ounces Beer (1/2 bottle - Sam Adams Lager)
¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS Prepared Mustard (Dijon)
1 ½ tsp. Kosher Flake Salt
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Smoky Paprika

2 TBS Maple Syrup (medium)

½ Cup Ketchup (Heinz)

Combine all ingredients except ketchup and maple syrup in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer, whisk in the maple syrup. For 15-18 minutes continue to simmer, whisking every now and then to incorporate the mustard and prevent the syrup from dropping out.

Remove from heat, whisk in ketchup. Makes 1 1/4 cups.

(After the ketchup addition)


It's thinner than a commercial sauce - but has plenty of tangy flavor.

Monday Menu: Chicken on the Egg

Low and slow cooked farm-raised chicken from the Big Green Egg.

I cut the backbone out of this 8-lb. bird and dusted the skin with a homemade rub made of mostly brown sugar. The procedure is called "spatchcocking" and helps the bird cook more quickly and evenly. This isn't a full "butterfly" since I didn't break the keel bone (or remove it) so it would lie flat. The backbone and wing tips were saved and frozen for making stock later.

I preheated the grill to 225f and put the chicken and a squash over direct heat for 2 1/2 hours.

A temperature probe in the breast let me know when it was 161f, I coated it with homemade BBQ sauce, then I removed the bird. The thighs registered 174f.

Looks good to me!

After resting for 20 minutes under foil and a heavy towel, the breast is still hot and moist.

Legs are also perfect; the pink coloring of the meat near the skin is from the smoke.


Just a little additional BBQ sauce brings it all together (KC Masterpiece - I ran out of homemade sauce) and it's complete! The recipe for both the rub and my own sauce will appear in tomorrow's post.


The squash wasn't quite done after 2 1/2 hours, so I cut it into pieces and microwaved it on high for two minutes to finish cooking.

Weekend Cook: Molly Tamale, part 2

It takes some time to make tamales, but if you think of it as a way to use up leftovers it's worth the while. This recipe serves 2, and made 7 modest tamales. The Food Network recipe I adapted is here.

First, pour boiling water over rinsed dried corn husks and weight them down so they remain submerged. The thinner ones will be pliable in an hour, the thicker ones will take two hours.

One and a half TB of butter, 1/4 cup plus 1 TB of cold duck fat in a mixer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together: 3/4 cup masa harina, 2/3 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. Adobo seasoning. Set aside.

On "high" whip the fats until they are milky white and smooth (about 5 minutes).

Add one small can of Ortega mild chilies, diced.

It's a mess. For the rest of the recipe you will need 2/3 cup of water.

Add the dry mixture three tablespoons at a time alternately with the same amount of water.

(If you've ever made Whoopie Pies or certain cakes, you've already got this technique down.) Dry ingredients make the mix pasty. Liquid is added to bring it back to a batter consistency. It is done when all the dry mix is incorporated, and water is added as the final addition until the batter is the consistency of stiff frosting. I had water left over.

Drain the husks and shake dry. Lay one down and smear on a line of 3 tablespoons of mix near one edge. Top that with the duck from yesterday (about 2 - 3 tablespoons in volume). Roll into a tamale shape.

I turned under both ends of these tamales, but it is not necessary. One end folded under to keep it from unraveling will do. I put them in my bamboo steamer.

They cooked at a full simmer for 2 hours.

Tamales are done when the husk separates from the dough.

(I saved this tamale to photograph in the daylight)

The just-cooked tamales were the texture of really moist cake, and ducky - no point covering the flavor of duck with too many spices. The leftover tamale was dryer and slightly mealy in texture, but still held its flavor. They were nothing at all like Monica's.

The mild salsa, made in Vermont, is Candeleros Southwestern Grill Spring Fling Lime Salsa. It spoils quickly after opening the jar, so I freeze it in small one-cup containers.

Weekend Cook: Molly Tamale, part 1

When we first started vending at farmer's market (10 years ago), I had trouble remembering so many names of vendors and clients. So I used monikers that took up less space in my brain like "Tulipman," and "T-shirt Girls".

One in particular became "Molly Tamale," "The Tamale Girl". I called her Molly for half a season before someone corrected me, and the humiliation of bumbling yet another name finally made it stick in my head - Monica Mead!

I have some of her tamales in the freezer but I thought as the summer market ended, that I've become some kind of lazy that I can't be bothered to make my own. I used to make homemade tortillas and pack burritos for Dan's lunch, for goodness' sake!

So here is my first tamale recipe, in two parts. The first is the meat, two duck legs from Healthy Living Market.

Patted dry.

I ground some black pepper on the meat side and seared them on the skin side in a pan lightly coated in EVOO on medium heat. The goal is to get the fat started rendering out, because I need it for the tamale recipe.

After about ten minutes I turned the duck over and threw in 8 garlic cloves; as you can see the fat is building up in the pan.

I added two bay leaves and let it simmer for about 3 minutes.

Into a preheated 300f oven, I turned the oven down to 250f for 2 hours.

Done! The meat easily pulls apart.

I discarded the skin and strained the fat, pouring it over the meat and putting it in the refrigerator to cool and harden overnight.

(Duck tamales with green chili salsa, in poor lighting)

The actual tamale recipe will appear tomorrow.

Farmers' Market #26: The End

Even with weights attached, our tablecloth threatened to fly away. We put the sides on the tent and it helped make things bearable, until about 1 pm, when the wind shifted to blow in the opposite direction.

Dan and I were going to dress up, but it was too cold and blowy for my costume, and he said all the ooompff of putting on a mask dissolved soon after we arrived, because it was such a struggle to set up in the high winds.

I added lines in pumpkin orange and green on all our signs.

We decorated the stand.

And had goodies to pass out - Heath Bars were the adult's choice, Milky Ways the kid's-fave, and we brought nearly all the Almond Joys back home. No problem, since they are Dan's first choice among the three.

In the director's chair, a Highlander!

As they say, a good time was had by all.

Maybe too much of a good time for some.

For about an hour, the winds died down, the sun peeked out, and people ventured out from their homes.

Everybody loves a samosa, even princesses!

Go Batgirl!

And lastly, two dogs who didn't dress up for Halloween.

More Halloween in City Hall Park

That's a pug dressed as a lobster!

Another as a pumpkin.


And Batman carrying Spiderman's head!

Cheesemaking: How the milk gets to the plant

It couldn't be simpler. As the cows are being milked, the milk is sent to our cheese vat, which is an old bulk tank. Cultures and rennet are added. There is no heating, cooling, or treatments given to the milk. It is "old school" and it is what it is.


All is quiet while the milk sets. This will make 70 (3.4 pound) wheels of cheese - maximum capacity for our facility.

Life on the farm 11/02/09: Last Market of 2009

(Arethusa Collective sets up in 25-mile-an-hour winds)

After three inclement Saturdays in a row, I was ready for the farmer’s market season to be over. Most customers thought it had ended weeks ago, after the sun started refusing to appear during the day.

Once the anticipation over the next fruit or veggie to come into season has waned, and it’s no longer temperate enough to relax and eat lunch on a blanket in the park - it pretty much sucks to be vending in the cold for six hours straight. Thank you, October 2009.

In spite of that, we had a bit of luck because on the last market day it was warm and the drenching rain held off until market hours ended. But the wind!

We had to stake down our ground cover during set-up so it wouldn’t blow away in the 25-mile- an-hour wind (and even stronger gusts). We bungeed our tent to a tree and put the sides down; even so, I was barely able to get a tablecloth anchored down.

My husband Dan attached a windbreak to the food-vendor’s tent on our left to help keep their propane stove from going out. I was worried that our clipboards and flyers would become airborne, and packed them securely away.

The final market day fell on Halloween.

(Flapper Girl and Military Man face off in a leaf-throwing battle)

It’s a colossal costume party in the city, all day long.

Half the fun was trying to guess who the revelers were supposed to be, but the biggest surprise was how many Pugs and Papillons also came in costume. Who wouldn’t crack a smile at a doggy bumblebee, red lobster, or Krypto The Superdog sniffing at the communal pee-tree?

We decorated our booth with masks, witchy accessories, and had a basket of candy bar minis to hand out. My favorite visitors were the ones who couldn’t quite reach the tabletop, especially a Cowardly Lion...

...and a fluffy white Abominable Snowman - you know, the character from “Rudolph”, with the blue hands?

Napkins and paper plates from food vendors’ stands took flight and tote lids tumbled across the green; signs blew down, and an un-anchored canopy rose six feet off the ground and headed to Church Street.

(Our specials sign swung dangerously during tear-down, when the tempest resumed)

At least there were no serious injuries or property damage. It’s days like these that are the reason for the mandatory liability insurance that all vendors have to carry.

The sun shone brightly, and the wind died down for an hour or so.

(Danielle from Arethusa gets a costume adjustment)

More interesting people ventured out.

Then it started all over, again.

In the past ten years we’ve ended the market season in rain, snow, and hail, but never in gale. The tent just about tore itself down.

(Cadets? Or awesome costumes?)

On our way out of town we saw someone on the street dressed as a Hasidic Jew. I was reminded that our friend Lieutenant Morrison of the Burlington Police Department was at our booth in uniform, and had been asked if her “costume” was authentic.

Best not to similarly embarrass ourselves by giving a hearty thumbs up to the serious-looking guy wearing ringlets, just in case.

Monday Menu: St. Louis Ribs and Sweet Delicatas

Pork ribs and squash cooked the slow way on the Big Green Egg smoker, but this recipe will work in an ordinary oven just as well.

I used my own rub of smokey paprika, turbinado sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder; the slab rested for an hour while the smoker came up to a stable temperature at 250f.

I put two whole Delicata squash on with the ribs. They cooked together for 3 hours.

At the three hour mark, the squash are done.

The ribs were coated in 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce thinned with 1/4 cup of beer, and sealed in a foil pouch for two hours at 250f.

After 5 hours total in the smoker, the meat is falling off the bones.


I deplore mixing sweet and savory as a rule, so the squash alongside white rice just didn't work for me. Maybe I should have dropped a big ol' pat of butter on it like Dan did.

Chicken Kitten Update

The Chicken Kitten has finally decided to stay in the barn and parlor area. As you can see, she has put on some size and has her winter coat.

"Veal Meatballs" recipe

Another recipe from the farm printed in the Green Mountain section of the Burlington Free Press.

Weekend Cook: T-bone (and salmon)

A surf and turf done inside the house instead of outside on the grill, due to the darkness of the late hour. Those are beets from Arethusa Collective, our own beef, a salmon fillet from the Hannaford (trying to slide in a healthy fish whenever I can), and sticky sushi rice. Of course for the fish to be truly healthy for you, I think you are supposed to eat it instead of beef, not alongside it.

I don't like to make steak indoors because of the grease spitting all over...

and because I can't get the dark color I want on the meat. I seared it on both sides (8-10 minutes each), then put the pan in a 300f oven for 20 minutes. I also put two center cut salmon filets in to bake.

My plate: the salmon was coated in Tasty Licks Salmon, a lemon-pepper rub. Very good, but I didn't find out until the following morning that it contained "modified food starch" which could have cause the slight digestive upset I experienced. I should know better by now not to use anything without proper labeling - the rub was a free sample that came with an order from the company.

Both the salmon and beef were done at the same time.

This was Dan's plate: rare meat as usual, and he agreed that the salmon was a real winner. I will certainly put more Montreal Seasoning on the steak next time.

Happy Halloween

This is as much decorating as we will do for Halloween, however, it's spooky on the farm all the time. Check out the semi-feral barncats:

There's a made-for-the-Sci-Fi Channel movie in there, somewhere.

And down at the local Quickie-Mart I saw:

Trick or Treaters singing Halloween "carols" at the gun shop across the road, but it wasn't all just for fun - they were performing for donations from local businesses to support Camp Ta-Kum-Ta

Here they are at the Quickie-Mart singing the theme to "The Addams Family" Love that Wolf-man!

And this little guy had a Charlie Brown moment with an eye-hole wardrobe malfunction. Happy Halloween!

Farmers' Market #25: Next to Last

It's the rainy day set-up again - one small table with no room for sampling out cheese. It was so windy we had to put a back panel on our booth, and loaned a panel to each booth on either side of our stand.

There were over thirty cyclists in the park, cheering - I never found out why. Was it a low-tech "Ride-in"?

It was very rainy and unpleasant.

That's a Canadian flag the person to the right is holding. The group is singing "Oh, Canada". No lie, I know "Oh, Canada" when I hear it. My best guess is that they are QuadFest latecomer hostel-stayers (note all their belongings in the bags). Visitors to our booth were asking "Who are those Frenchies?"

Another raincoat I wish came in the big girl sizes.

The Tamale Girl (Monica Mead) has left for New Zealand, Martha Enzler (The Tile-Lady) is gone, I think Panadero Bakery is for sale - and it looks like we will be absorbing the Farmhouse Artist's Market to give them more room and exposure next season. I can't believe I'm already thinking out how "Market 2010" will look.

One more market to go in 2009, snow or rain, we'll be there!

Cheesemaking: Curd sizes

(The whey drains from the vat)

I've seen cheesemakers create curds as small as 1/4-inch and as large as 3-inch. Curds are cut to allow whey to drain from cultured milk that has been "set" into a firm mass using rennet. Think "Jell-o".


We make one size of curds for all our cheeses, about one inch, but never square, and never perfect. Every step in cheesemaking affects how the end product will turn out. Once the whey is gone from the curds, what you are left with becomes cheese!

Wheatless: Betty's Yellow Cupcakes

Big hug for Betty!

These were easy to prepare, moist, light and spongy - a winner. Happy Birthday to me!

That's a double-threat of Nutella and Cabot brand whipped cream topping - it helped soothe the bitterness over the previous batch of cupcakes.

These were really, truly gluten free, not simply meeting the Federal Government's definition of gluten-free at 200 parts per million.

I can detect as little as 3 parts per million - and thanks to the frilly skirts of the government guidelines I often get "burned" by companies eager to exploit the term "gluten free", when they actually make people like me sick.

This is one company that truly cares about their customers.

Meatball Toasties

What to do with those leftover meatballs? I cut them into 3rds, placed them on the top of grilled bread (not gluten-free, only Dan can eat these) and topped them with cheese. They went into a 400f oven for 15 - 18 minutes. Very fragrant and garlicky!

Monday Menu: Veal Meatballs with Red Sauce

Mmmm. Meatballs and fettucini.

(Tomme Collins cheese, eggs, and veal are from our farm. The cipollini onions are from Half Pint Farm. The garlic is from Arethusa Collective. Sunflower oil is from Rainville Farms, just down the road.)

The ingredients: one pound ground veal; 4 cloves garlic and two onions, grated; 5 ounces of Tomme Collins, grated; 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 2 TB gluten-free breadcrumbs; one egg; and 4 ounces of spinach...

(Arethusa Collective spinach)

washed, stemmed, blanched, drained, cooled, and...

chopped.
Mix all together and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour.

Form into golfball-sized meatballs (about 16-19), and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake at 375f for 18 minutes. They will not be fully cooked through.

Bring 2 or 3 cups of red sauce to the simmer in a pan, add meatballs and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

There are 2 tricks to making tender (and dare I say "fluffy") meatballs. One is to perform a baking step - this sets the shape of the meatball. The second is to finish cooking in a sauce. Mmmmm.

24

Twenty-four chickens were spared from the chopping block when we processed stewing hens last weekend. I chose them based on the size and deep red color of their combs; hens that have stopped laying (forever) have shrunken and ashen combs.

Some of these are molting which negatively affects their egg production, but we are still getting a few eggs each day.

They should start improving after being in the lighted barn (the winter coop) for a few weeks, and again after their plumage comes back in.

Besides providing eggs for our family this winter, they are the "seniors" who will teach the new laying hens how to go back in to the summer coop at night next year.

Weekend Cook: Simply Steaks

I seared these 2-inch beef steaks direct on the charcoal grill for ten minutes a side, then removed them to a cookie sheet, covered them in foil, and put them in a 350f oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking. The plan was to use the gas grill for the baking step, but it was too cold for the propane to work, and the fire kept huffing out on me.

For the first time, I had steaks at "rare", "medium-rare", "medium-well", and "well-done". This was due to variances in heat intensity on the grill during the sear.

Farmer's Market #24: Dewey Day

It was 49f. There are no eggs for sale, which means...

stewing hens will be available next week (which is now, this week).

Getting your face on a U.S. postage stamp wasn't enough of a tribute, so today was John Dewey Day, celebrating the Burlington-born philosopher by...

dressing up in weird paper masks and circling the drained-for-the-season City Hall Park fountain to sing. However, the 150th anniversary of his birth was not until the following Tuesday, so I'm guessing all the celebrants had full-time employment and couldn't get out of work on the actual day.

If he knows who John Dewey was, I'll eat that hat!

Lots of doggies sniffing around today.



But this one had the coolest sweater! Two more markets to go before regrouping and preparing for our winter delivery schedule.