Grow yer own dang biomass inadvertently
June 7, 2006
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Way back in January, and then again in March, and again in April and May, I had big plans for my kitchen garden. Big and neat. Knowing that I would have to return from Occitania to the Polar Circle for gainful employment, I alphabetized my seed beds and planted sticks for beans and gourds to climb up and a rack for what I hoped would be groves of tomato plants, dripping with 4 sorts of fat tomatoes. I made a shockingly Dutch-looking irrigation system, so that when it came time to water, my neighbour Sidi ElGouche, could throw open the sluices and let er rip. And Sidi ElGouche being the sweetheart that he is, was not shy about making sure that in my absence, my kitchen garden got a goodly amount of water.
When I returned to my garden on the 14th, I encountered a solid plot of homegrown biomass.
.'))
debra at 15:06 | No comments | post to del.icio.us
Here as the Centre of the World, in terms of food
June 3, 2006
Here as the Centre of the World banquet with local food from Twente and Overijssel. Guests getting giggly on the bubbly.
A week and a half ago, my colleagues and I at the Dutch Art Institute (DAI), were in the throes of an international symposium on ‘all things periferal’ for artists and mediators. Illustrious guests from Overijssel and the ‘rest of the world’ were invited to discuss this (contemporary art) subject for two solid days in the Rijksmuseum Twenthe. Early in planning phase of this event, I decided that the symposium would be more coherent if, during the the event, we attempted to eat food grown and produced from within the province, a Twente tasting menu. In a huge gesture of over-confidence, I took upon myself the task of organising the symposium’s food side, in particular a sit-down banquet for fifty, on the 23rd of May. All of the food for the banquet and incidental feedings would come from within the province of Overijssel, within a 60 kilometre radius of the event epicentre.
- Here as the Centre of the World Banquet Menu
- fork -local pickled beet with smoked herring, and strips of rhubarb
spoon – turnip green mash with goat cheese
knife – lumps of bread - Kruudmoes:
- Hangop served with caramel sauce and berry coulis
- Wines
- Meibok, Witbier, Vrouwe van gramsbergen and Blond beers
barley, buttermilk and fatback porridge served with ground up local greens including: ground elder (zevenblad), white deadnettle (dovenetel), kohlrabi leaves, applemint, spearmint, peppermint, curly leaf parsley, beet greens, spinach, sorrel and ‘Roman’ chervil
from the Hof van Twente Winery
from the Mommeriete Brewery
debra at 14:35 | No comments | post to del.icio.us
Not on holiday, just very, very busy
May 27, 2006
debra at 10:00 | No comments | post to del.icio.us
