Archangel

The forecast for today is miserable – snow, freezing rain.  In anticipation, we finished winterizing the garden and got the garlic crop planted and mulched (weeks and weeks later than normal).   The duck house and chicken coop have been mucked and loads of fresh straw added, since the birds are not yet acclimated to the cold weather just now coming our way.  With the outdoor chores done, we can keep to the house knowing everything is taken care of outside.

I got a pot of white bean soup going first thing so I wouldn’t have to worry about dinner this afternoon.  As usual – no recipe, just using up what we have: to the soaked beans, we added 2 ham hocks, a finely chopped sauteed onion, 6 cloves of fermented garlic, La Ratte fingerling potatoes  (above) and Nantes carrots dug from the garden on Monday, and Fordhook Giant Swiss Chard plucked this morning (and cut up very finely so the kids will eat it).

I also threw in a handful of finely chopped golden raisins – they melt into the broth and add not only vitamins, but a subtle sweetness that complements the salty ham and adds complexity to the dish.  Later, Ruth will start a pot of brown rice and we’ll call that good for dinner.  Simple, nourishing, and perfect for a snowy day.

While the kids are making a Lego explosion all over the living room, we’re finishing our book on CD and I’m hoping to cast on this beauty (a lace-weight adaptation of this pattern).  It’s been a long time since I’ve knit a shawl for myself, and I am already ahead on my Christmas knitting (thanks to all the time off my feet with that broken ankle), so I thought a small project just for myself might be okay.  The yarn is Malabrigo Lace, in the colorway Archangel – found on deep clearance online (with free shipping!).  Fingers crossed it will be finished in time to wear for Thanksgiving dinner.