Sunday, May 31, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Thirty)

Day Thirty's Consumption

May 30, 2009.

Breakfast
Spelt Crackers

Lunch
Bowl of Maine Grain Soup
Grilled Greek Peasant Cheese

Dinner
Spelt Fettuccine
w/ tomoatoes and basil
Sweet Grass Winery Blueberry Wine

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/honey, blueberries & oats
topped w/ Maple Goat Milk Ice Cream


Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Nine)

Day Twenty Nine's Consumption

May 29, 2009.


Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ blueberry butter, cranberries & honey

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey


Dinner
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ Baby Red Norland Potatoes
& Asparagus
Grilled Greek Peasant Cheese
w/ cheddar & chevre

Dessert
Maple Ice Cream
w/ blueberries

Today was another quick and easy day for preparing food. With a couple jars still full of soup in the fridge and yet another rainy day...it only made sense to dive back into a warm hearty bowl of soup which by now has turned more into a gruel like substance. With the addition of a fresh loaf of Mother Oven Greek Peasant Bread that was delivered today...I decided to spruce up dinner with a little grilled cheese on the side. The mixture of cheddar and chevre melted in between to hearty pieces of bread...mmmmmm

Transportation today included another rainy 28 miles on the bicycle as well a 2 miles of errand walking with Cassi.


Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Eight)

Day Twenty Eight's Consumption

May 28, 2009.

Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ blueberry butter, cranberries & honey

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey
Crackers w/ Cheese Sampler

Dinner
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ Baby Red Norland Potatoes
& Asparagus

Today was a mirror image of yesterday...with Cassi working the night shift and me having loads of work for the upcoming show...I kept it simple and easy ! Leftovers. The one bright spot of today was the creation of crackers. Its quite easy actually, 2 cups of flour mixed well with 2 tablespoons of butter a little fresh water to wet it a bit...roll it out on a floured sheet while sprinkling various salt and herbs into the top layer, then into the oven for 10 min at 400* and presto ! Crackers. I've been procrastinating about them for a couple weeks but now I know in only a few minutes prep time we can have a container of crackers to snack on for the week.

Transportation today included 22 miles of wet and rainy bicycle commuting as well as a 3 mile walk for supplies !

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Seven)

Day Twenty Seven's Consumption

May 27, 2009.

Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ blueberry butter, cranberries & honey

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey
Side of Raw Cheddar Cheese

Dinner
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ Baby Red Norland Potatoes
& Asparagus
Savage Oakes Barn Red Wne

Today was the start of a long cold rainy stretch here in the land of ports...and I prepared for it by soaking my Maine Grain mix; Soldier Beans, Split Peas, Barley, Pinto Beans & Yellow Eye Beans, as I prepared my morning oatmeal. I proceeded to push through another grinding day of work tending the produce and returned home later to find a bowl full of swelled grains... as I was soaked from the ride home I sure was glad I had pre gamed the evenings dinner. I proceeded to fire up the stove and relaxed with a warm shower. From there I spent my lonesome evening at home putting the final touches on my "Local rootZ" mix in preparation for the upcoming event... while Cassi spent it grinding out her night shift at work. The soup was just the thing...warm, filling and with plenty for dinner tomorrow !

Transportation today included 22 miles of bicycle commuting.

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Six)

Day Twenty Six's Consumption

May 26, 2009.

Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ blueberry butter, cranberries & honey

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey

Dinner
Bay Scallops
w/ Asparagus
Blacksmith Hard Cut Cider

Dessert
Baked Cortland Apples
w/ oats and honey
Topped w/
Blueberry Butter & Maple Ice Cream

Today was the back to work day and it resulted in a tired evening where I found myself very hungry from early on... Planning on having something quick and easy I stopped at Free Range Fish & Lobster on my commute home and picked up a pound of Bay Scallops for $6.99/lb. Seafood definitely makes for a quick and easily satisfying dinner... with the accompaniment of a few glasses of hard cut cider that flowed over into dessert...it made for an early to bed evening !

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Five)

Day Twenty Five's Consumption

May 25, 2009.

Breakfast
Gringo Omelet
w/ Cilantro, Tomatoes, Shallots
& Baby Spinach
Side of Cilantro Marfax Bean Dip

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey
Side of Halloumi Cheese
2 Blueberry Bombs

Dinner
New England Fish Tacos
Mother Oven Pita Bread
stuffed w/ cilantro & Marfax bean dip
Cusk, spinach, shallots
& goat mozzarella

Today being Memorial Day, was a holiday from work. It started as all non-work days start with a special breakfast geared towards a Mexican flair...at least as Mexican as Maine ingredients in May will allow. The extra bean dip I had made from the prior evening created a good base to build an omelet around as well as some fresh tomatoes and loads of cilantro. After breakfast Cassi had to work so I took advantage of the good weather and got on my bike. My partner in crime for todays ride was Andrew Land. We tend to push each other to the limits and today was no different. We spent a couple hours tacking up about 30+ miles around scarborough, cape elizabeth and a bit of so portland. It was a beautiful day for riding but the headwinds put us back on my rooftop deck, feet in the air enjoying some alcoholic beverages in no time. After some relaxing, Cassi arrived home from work and dinner was on... simple yet filling...we went back to the New England Fish Tacos because we had both enjoyed them so much the week prior. The day ended with a bit more fussing of the new painting series and a viewing of the movie
... the 11th Hour, and enviormental awakening which I highly recommend !

Lots and lots of cilantro was consumed today soooo...
Transportation included 33 miles via bicycle as well as 2 mile stroll around town.


Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Four)

Day Twenty Four's Consumption

May 24, 2009.

Breakfast
Spring Greens Omelet
w/ baby spinach, baby red russian kale,
baby swiss chard, shitaake
blanco queso & raw colby cheese
Side of Yukon Golds w/ shallots
Slice of Greek Peasant Bread
cup of lemon verbena & mint tea

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey
Little Halloumi Cheese
Blueberry Bomb

Dinner
Baked Cusk
w/ Asparagus & Cherry Tomoatoes
& Marfax Cilantro Bean Dip

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/honey, blueberries & oats
topped w/ Maple Goat Milk Ice Cream

Today was a lovely day off for both Cassi and I. We went on a nice leisurely, 12 mile bicycle ride in order to complete a few errands and get a little exercise after a big breakfast. Our first stop was over to A & C supply on outer Forest Ave. I needed to pick up a couple supplies to complete my paintings; MSA varnish, detail brushes... From the art store we decided being Memorial Day weekend...that perhaps we should browse R.S.V.P. liquor store up the road a bit and see what type of selection they may have for 100% Maine alcohol. We were excited to find a few choices... Bartlett's Winery makes an Apple and Pear brandy that looked very appealing but its price tag made us over think the purchase a bit...not that it was way over priced but a little steep for a 350ml bottle...lets browse some more...hmmm...whats this Cold River Vodka made from 100% Maine potatoes, distilled and bottled right in Freeport ! Not to mention there was a Blueberry Vodka made also by them using 100% Maine blueberries. Sold...that would be our treat, as well as a nice coastal white wine from Bartlett's Winery (one of a few we haven't tried). As we were leaving we started dreaming up a mixed concoction...we need to stop at Whole Foods because they had that 100% Blueberry juice made by none other than Arthur Harvey. In and out we went from the mass grocery store swarming with people buying up loads of 365 goods...from there it was over to Harborfish Market for a new fish to boost our protein intake. They had fresh off the boat Cusk on special for 3.99/lb...two big fillets oughtta take care of dinner for tonight and give us something to work with for tomorrow. From there we made the long ascent with packed full panniers...back up Congress to our quaint little west end abode. It was there that the Blueberry Bomb prototype was made....after trying the flavor explosion we decided it needed a little something fizzy...Im a little embarrassed to admit it but we bought a bottle of Poland Spring Seltzer water...It falls into our "Local" restrictions being 100% Maine pumped water but the fact that even a couple dollars of our hard earned money was going to a company that sold out to Nestle...made me feel not so great..at least until I completed the finished product.

the Blueberry Bomb
3 oz Cold River Blueberry Vodka
2 oz 100% Blueberry Juice
4 oz Poland Spring Seltzer
stir over ice and presto...a summer drink in the spirit of Maine !

After a little relaxing with our beverages we decided to get going on dinner. The cusk turned out to be a great fish that kinda fell in between haddock and halibut...not quite as tough as halibut but not quite as tender as haddock. Anyhow it was excellent especially when accompanied with some fresh cilantro and marfax bean dip and a bit more asparagus...we cant get enough asparagus...but we know the season is drawing to an end... bring on the Collards, Spinach & Kale !

Transportation for Cassi and I today, included 12 miles on the bicycle as well as a 2 mile walk later in the day.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Let It Grow....

With a very full schedule the garden has started small but will be growing in size as my "Local rootZ" show comes to a completeion. I have lots of plans to make this summer a relaxing summer filled with self sustaining methods of enjoying life !
The rooftop garden pictured below contains....
Flat Leaf Parsley
Chives
Lemon Verbena
Lemon Thyme
Pineapple Sage
Peppermint
Spearmint
Tarragon
Sweet Apple Peppers
German Strawberry Tomato
Hawaiian Pineapple Tomato
Cherokee Purple Tomato
Black Cherry Tomato
Collards
Red Russian Kale
Basil
and some little guys...mostly peas and beans

and a little chickadee looking interested but a little camera shy...

More garden pics to come....

the Re-Evolve Tourer

That's right my new touring bike has finally come to completion ! Obviously I still need to add a few things; fenders, racks, bottle cages etc...but the guts of the bike have been built with a lot of help from Percy Cycles (www.percycycles.com).

Here's the breakdown....
Surly LongHaul Trucker
Shimano 105 Crank
Shimano 105 front & rear derailleurs
Dura-Ace Bar End Shifters
Wipperman Stainless Steel Chain
Cane Creek Brake Levers
Paul Neo Retro Front Brakeset
Paul Touring Rear Brakeset
Trans X Handlebars
Percy Cycle Stem
FSA Pig Headset
Velocity Dyad 700cc Rims
Velocity ATB Hubs
40 spoke count rear wheel
36 spoke count front wheel
Michelin City tires
MKS touring pedals
Brooks Sprung Flyer "S"
Salsa Seatpost
on its way is the axiom sport touring rack,
axiom typhoon waterproof handlebar bag
& Sks Fenders

And here is what it looks like for now....


Custom Re-Evolve logo that only Lukaduke approved bikes can sport !

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Three)

Day Twenty Three's Consumption

May 23, 2009.


Breakfast
Spring Greens Omelet
w/ baby spinach, baby red russain kale,
baby swiss chard, shitaake
blanco queso & raw colby cheese
Side of Parsnips & Rutabaga
Slice of Greek Peasant Bread
cup of lemon verbena & chamomile tea

Lunch
Kraut Salad
w/ New Leaf Mesculin Mix
Olivias Garden Cucumber
& Tomatoes
Pea Shoots, kimchi
goat cheese
(see picture below)

Dinner
Garden Herb Pita Pizza
w/ tomatoes, basil, oregano, sage
goat mozzarella & romano cheese
glass of Barrett's Barn Red Wine

Dessert
Baked Cortland Apples
w/ oats and honey
Topped w/
Blueberry Butter & Maple Ice Cream


Today was another great Saturday...full of productivity and great food. It started with the typical early morning stroll down to the Farmer's Market in Deering Oaks Park. Our selections this week were as follows; Baby Swiss Chard, Baby Spinach, Baby Red Russian Kale, Cukes, Cherry Tomatoes, Goat Milk, Potatoes, Pak Choy and a couple new seedlings... first a very interesting German Strawberry Tomato plant from Old Ocean House Farms and then a Cascadian Hops plant... great for a relaxing tea and a possible source of some 100% local beer brewing next fall... maybe ? Anyhow for the market we made the trek with ourfresh market bounty up the Deering Ave hill and back to the kitchen for our standard extravagant weekend breakfast... I had risen very early this morning to organize the studio and decided to roast up some rutabagas and parsnips for an added treat to the much anticipated weekend meal. Also added into the mix was a new cheese from Bob over at Sunset Acres...a goat cheese entitled "queso blanco". I had purchased it over at the Public Market the prior day when I was grabbing some vino. All in all another wonderful start to a full day of painting for me and full work day for Cassi. As I proceeded to get my hands dirty in the painting studio, Cassi prepared herself a lovely lunch for work and put together a elegant salad for my treat later in the day... so sweet she is ! Anyhow with food on deck and a lot of final touches needed on the new body of work it was time to let the brush drift along....12 straight hours of painting capped off with some late night pita pizza and dessert to wind down another long work day for Cassi and a productive day in the painting studio.
The excitement is growing as the new body of paintings comes to completion. Now its time to start getting the turntables dusted off and to prep some top ranking vinyl selections !

Below is the Kraut Salad Cassi made me...
How to Prepare

Handful of New Leaf Farm Mesculin
One Olivia's Garden Cuke
Sliced Olivia's Garden Cherry Tomatoes
Spoonful of Thirty Acre Kimchi
Crumbled Sunset Acres Plain Chevre'


Transportation included a 2 mile walk around town with Cassi.



Local Rootz Painting Studio.... Sneak Peak

So after 3 or so weeks... the paintings have progressed into a body of work that I am very excited to share. However i feel in order to encourage people to come see the work first hand, I need to just tease the viewer with just a glimpse....So far Ive completed 2 birchwood panels that measure 60" x 30" as well as a quad canvas 40"x40" and a handful of small scale panels & canvases !
I urge you to please stop in ...

"Local rootZ"
@ the ARM FACTORY
200 Anderson St.
Portland, ME
hours : 7 pm - 12 pm

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty Two)

Day Twenty Two's Consumption

May 22, 2009.

Breakfast
French Spelt Toast
w/ blueberry butter & maple syrup

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey
Slice of Greek Peasant Bread
w/ apple butter

Dinner
Maine Shrimp Flip Fry
w/ asparagus, tats soi, shallots,
arugula & wooden trumpet mushrooms
Side of Halloumi Cheese
Glass of Bartlett's Winery Georges White

Dessert
Baked Cortland Apples
w/ oats and honey
Topped w/
Blueberry Butter & Maple Ice Cream


Today was another hot one...88* was the high and it took its toll on me in my return trip from work...I had a bike loaded with weekend groceries but still decided to take the long way home because I knew Saturday was gonna be a rest day. Upon returning home a bit exhausted, Cassi and I decided we should do some chores for a bit before kicking our feet up in preparation for another busy weekend of planting and painting. She headed to the Eco-Laundry Mat and I was off to return movies to Videoport, purchase some stakes for our tomato plants and also needed to pick up some butter and wine for our evening meal...not to mention dropping some "Local rootZ" flyers around town. Upon returning home with sweat on my brow, I took the initiative and fired up the ole ice cream maker... 2 cups Straw Raw Milk, 1 cup Smiling Hill Cream, 1/2 cup Maple Syrup...churn churn churn my little frozen buddy ! With Cassi returning with baskets of fresh laundered clothing and a tired look in her eye...I decided dinner needed to be quick and easy, with as little time over the hot stove as possible... a quick flip fry is what i called it...because I did more flipping than stirring...all the ingredients came together wonderfully...with a nice side of Halloumi cheese from Townhouse Farm !
Let the weekend begin !

Transportation today included 32 miles of bike commuting as well as a 2 mile walk on errands !

Friday, May 22, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty One)

Day Twenty One's Consumption

May 21, 2009.

Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ blueberry butter, cranberries & honey

Snack
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey

Lunch
Kraut Salad
w/ New Leaf Mesculin Mix
Olivias Garden Cucumber
& Tomatoes
Pea Shoots, rubykraut
goat cheese

Dinner
Bay Scallops
w/ asparagus
roasted in butter & tarragon
glass of Sweetgrass
Apple Cranberry Wine

Dessert
Baked Cortland Apples
w/ oats and honey
Topped w/
Blueberry Butter & Maple Ice Cream

Today was a very productive day... with Portlands streets hitting 91*, breaking its record high temp ! Besides the unseasonable warmth, it was a typical work day that finished up with an extended commute over to meet Cassi as she exited her job @ 4pm. From there we headed straight to Rabelias Bookstore. We have been trying to find a day where we could browse together in this haven of books geared towards foodies. Its a quaint little shop hugging a block that contains some of portlands primo restaurants like Hugo's and the Pepperclub... anyway, as we entered the store we both had ideas of what we were looking for. My major goal was to find a bread baking book that was geared more towards sourdough recipes as well as other breads that are created with starters rather than dry yeast...why ? Well, they dont make dry yeast in Maine...so in order to break bread I need to grow my own yeast stock in which to bake with....and let the kneading begin...because I purchased a book entitled "Bread Alone" by Daniel Leader & Judith Blahnik. The major selling point for this book was that every recipe has measurements for wet yeast (starter) or dry yeast. Excellent! As for Cassi...she was looking more for books on preserving and canning...I think she is planning on filling our freezer full of berries and fruit this summer ! Her final selection was... "How to Store Your Garden Produce" by Piers Warren. With a few new books in our bag we were off to spend more money on food related items...next stop, Leroux Kitchen...why you may ask ? A little thing I like to call a Pasta Maker ! We purchased a beautiful machine called the Atlas, made in Italy, a solid stainiless steel hand crank pasta roller that pushes out spaghetti, lasagna, and tagliatelle among a few others...pasta is definitely one of the things we have been missing from our dinners and I am looking forward to getting creative with my own flavored pasta's as well as various pasta dishes ! Leaving Leroux with our hands full, we decided on celebrating all our new found food items by going over to Harborfish Market to pick up some bay scallops...combined with a bit of butter & seaweed sauteed asparagus, it made for a luxuriously yet simple meal, that shined bright especially with the sweet contrast of Sweetgrass apple cranberry wine.
Stay tuned for some interesting pasta and bread making trial and errors !

Transportation today included an extended 30 mile bike commute to and from work as well as a 4 mile walk doing errands with Cassi !

Project Local Rootz (Day Twenty)

Day Twenties Consumption

May 20, 2009.

Breakfast
Rough Cut Oats
w/ honey, blueberries & cranberries


Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey
Few Cherry Tomatoes

Dinner
Grilled Cheese on Spelt
w/ raw colby, goat mozzarella, wood trumpet mushrooms
basil & oregano
Side of Asparagus
w/seaweed

Today was a standard work day...with Cassi stocking the fridge full of farmers market goodies and a few treats from Whole Foods. A few items to highlight were; cukes, pea shoots, apple cider, blueberry butter, frozen seaweed, maple syrup, a few varieties of radishes as well as some of our new found Maine fungus. This fungus I speak of hails from Oyster Creek Mushroom Company in Damariscotta. They sell packaged dry varieties of wood trumpets, shitaakes, chanterelles, morels and more... as well as kits for growing your own shitaake mushrooms. Needless to say we were both very excited to have an old friend back in our diet ! Along with these great items I was able tobring home a loaf of Mother Oven spelt bread from work...it was this bread that made for a quick and easy evening meal. Nothing to fancy, a simple grilled cheese with some raw colby cheese from Sonnental dairy farm as well as a bit of Tourmaline Farm goat mozzarella that melted perfectly with the butter sauteed wood trumpet mushrooms. Then I seasoned it with a bit of fresh oregano and basil to make it the perfect meal for a busy day!

Transportation today included 28 miles of biking on my standard work commute.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Nineteen)

Day Nineteen's Consumption

May 19,2009.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Sunnyside down
Yukon Gold Hash
w/ shallots
side of carrot ginger kraut

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey
Greek Peasant Bread
w/ apple butter

Dinner
Pita Pizza
w/ tomatoes, basil
goat mozzarella & romano
Bartlett's Pear Wine

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/honey, blueberries & oats
topped w/ Honey Goat Milk Ice Cream
Small Glass of Sweetgrass Vineyard Blueberry Smash

Today was yet another hectic work day that resulted in a creative and quick dinner. Arriving home from work, both Cassi and I agreed a new wine would be a nice treat to accompany our dinner this evening...We headed to the Public Market and mulled over their selections...eventually making a final decision on 2 different bottles. The first was a Pear Wine from Bartlett's Winery (a personal favorite of ours) and then we decided to splurge and give Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery a shot. I had called Sweetgrass the week prior and discussed which of his wines and spirits were prduced with 100% Maine fruit...unfortunately none of his spirits were compatible with our diet except for his Apple Brandy, which I have yet to find in Southern Maine, but on the brighter side, was the fact that all their wines and dessert wines were 100% Maine fruit, with one exception, that being the peach smash. Sweet ! We had been eyeing up a few of his wines at the public market in the weeks prior but didn't want to dive in until we knew where the fruit was coming from...now that we knew...we decided on a bottle of Blueberry Smash dessert wine...mmmm, with the beverage selections completed Cassi decided she wanted some more yogurt from jk hortons. Unfortunately they were sold out for the time being...but in the process of searching I noticed a nice big hunk of Romano cheese from Echo Ridge Farm. I decided right then that we needed some of this cheese and we were definitely having pizza tonight. We have been craving pizza since day one and the time had come to make it happen...Remembering we still had some Mother Oven pita pockets in the cupboard i decided they would make a good crust to build a pizza on top...Someday when I have more time I will give the handmade pizza dough a shot but I have yet to make a sourdough starter to get the ball rolling on my bread making process... anyhow the recipe was quick, easy and the final result was delicious. Paired with Bartlett's Pear Wine which is aged in oak barrels that give the hint of a smooth Chardonnay with a bit of a pear bite that lingers...lovely indeed. Later that evening we decided we needed dessert to accompany our dessert wine...whipping up the standard baked apples and blueberries topped with some goat milk ice cream...after a long day we took a load off and sip by sip, bite by bite, we moaned and groaned about how nobody can be eating as well as us...nobody !

Check out Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery @ www.sweetgrasswinery.com

Transportation today included 22 miles of biking as well as a 2 mile walk with Cassi.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Eighteen)

Day Eighteen's Consumption

May 18,2009.

Breakfast
French Greek Peasant Toast
w/ blueberries & maple syrup

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey

Dinner
New England Fish Tacos
Mother Oven Pita Bread
stuffed w/ pinto bean dip
halibut, spinach, shallots, tomato
& goat mozzarella
Side of Asparagus

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/honey, blueberries & oats
topped w/ Maple Goat Milk Ice Cream

Today was another occasion where Cassi also had to rise up at 5am and get out the door for work...I decided to take advantage of the situation and use up what was left of our Greek Peasant bread to throw together a breakfast. A couple sparrow farm eggs whipped together with some straw farm raw milk, dunk the the leftover bread and toss on a hot griddle of butter...topped with some blueberries soaked in maple syrup...the result was amazing and the perfect start to our first morning of the work week.... uggh WORK !
After a full day back on the bike, commuting to and from work with only a little snack of yogurt to get me through the day, I was starving upon returning home. Looking at the options in the fridge...I knew that whatever it was it would include the leftover halibut from the evening prior. Thinking about the most filling, quickest source of food...I decided on using the pitas in the cupboard...the beans soaking on the stove top and some various greens from the fridge...after baking them in the oven for a couple minutes to crispen up the pitas we were in business ! Yet another option for a quick easy meal...it seems everyday this "local diet"gets better and easier. We have been playing with the idea of extending this for the year... Ill talk more about it after the upcoming show...for now I need to get back to the canvases !

Transportation today included 29 miles via bicycle.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Seventeen)

Day Seventeen's Consumption

May, 17, 2009.

Breakfast
Spring Green Omelet
w/baby spinach, baby red russian kale
& asparagus
w/raw cheddar & plain goat cheese
Yukon Gold Homefries
w/shallots
Slice of Greek Peasant Bread
cup of apple cider

Lunch
Plain Smiling Hill Farm Yogurt
w/ honey

Dinner
Baked Halibut
Braised Baby Spinach & Red Russian Kale
Asparagus

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/honey, blueberries & oats
topped w/ Maple Goat Milk Ice Cream


Today was an average weekend...it started off with a big breakfast that mirrored the day before. Cassi had to leave for work and I was left to paint...after several hours of painting I decided we were due for some fish in our evening agenda...I hopped on my bike and took the long way around the peninsula...up the eastern prom trail and over to harborfish market. I spent some time browsing the different mussels and clams but didn't quite get up the nerve to purchase any... instead I inquired once again as to what was caught in the Gulf of Maine... after much deliberation I decided to try something new... and the large Halibut Steaks for 8.99/lb looked very satisfying. It was very easy to prepare...20min @ 425*, which was the same temp and time I roasted the asparagus for also...then in our cast iron pan, I sauteed a little bit of the left over baby spinach and kale from breakfast to add a little more variety to the plate. It all came together wonderfully...with a nice bottle of Rough Cut Cider from Blacksmith Winery (one of their only 100% Maine fruit wines...they source the apples from Ricker Hill).

Transportation for the day included 5 miles of errand running on the bike and a 2 mile walk around town with Cassi.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Sixteen)

Day Sixteen's Consumption

May 16, 2009.

Breakfast
Spring Green Omelet
w/baby spinach, baby red russian kale
& asparagus
w/raw colby & plain goat cheese
Yukon Gold Homefries
w/shallots
Slice of Greek Peasant Bread
Cup of Pineapple Sage/ Lemon Verbena tea

Dinner
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ rutabagas & parsnips
Tomato Oregano Melt
w/ Goat Mozzarella
on Pita Bread
Glass of Savage Oaks Barn Red Wine

Dessert
Bowl of Maple Goat Milk Ice Cream


Today was a very productive day in the studio...being Saturday it started off with a early morning walk down to the farmers market in Deering Oaks Park. The market was bustling with spring greens, cheese, honey and tons of seedlings. We quickly restocked our fresh herbs (chives, oregano, rosemary) and a couple parsnips and some more cherry tomatoes from Scott @ Olivia's. Then it was over to Tourmaline Farm to grab another ball of her goat mozzarella. As we picked out a good piece of mozzarella I asked her about how well goat milk would work for ice cream making. She said that the butterfat content is higher in goat milk than cow so that it would make for a tighter crystal, resulting in a wonderful ice cream...Sold ! Add a quart of goat milk to the bag...then it was over to the seedlings. We decided it was time to get some tomato plants potted up...so many different heirloom varieties to choose from. Our final decisions were; Black Cherry, Yellow Pineapple, and one Cherokee variety, as well as a great looking Apple Sweet Pepper... add to the list a chamomile plant for more tea options and we left the market marching up the hill with yet another full load of groceries from the farmers market. After arriving home and polishing off a substantial breakfast to hold me over for a full day of pushing the brush across some canvas and Cassi plugging away at the coffee shop, we decided to give this goat milk ice cream a shot...3 cups of goat milk and 1/2 cup of maple syrup later... we had made a rich creamy ice cream like none I had tasted before..packed out into a couple old yogurt containers for the evening dessert....mmmmm maybe I took a couple spoonfuls during my full day of painting!

Transportation included a couple miles of walking around town doing various errands...however I painted from 1pm on Saturday to 2am on Sunday...

"Local Rootz" is gonna be a display of my best work yet...Trust Me !



Project Local Rootz (Day Fifteen)

Day Fifteen's Consumption

May 15, 2009.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Sunnyside down
Yukon Gold Hash
w/ shallots
rubykraut & carrot ginger kraut

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey

Dinner
Tomato Basil Melt
w/ Goat Mozzarella
on Mother Oven Pita Bread
Kraut Salad
w/ New Leaf Mesculin Mix
Olivias Garden Cucumber
& Tomatoes
Pea Shoots, rubykraut
goat cheese.

Dessert
Baked Macintosh Apples
w/ oats & honey
topped w/
Maple Blueberry Ice Cream

Today was a standard work day...finishing the week off by commuting on my newly constructed Surly touring bike. As for food, all our meals were nourishing and familiar. The big thing for us today was the bread. Going a week without any bread pasta or flour based products definitely turned the cravings on a bit. I was doing some research on making my own sourdough starter again and have plans to create my starter this weekend. The bread situation became so dire that when I saw the Mother Oven Bakery pick-up truck pull into the parking lot at work I pulled out my phone and sent Cassi a text that said... "Mission bread accomplished ! " I grabbed our standard loaf of Greek Peasant Bread and also added some of his new pita pockets to the cupboard...a little reward for not breaking down and eating spoonfuls of flour....the pita pockets made for perfect crusty shell with some fresh Olivia's Basil, Tomatoes as well as a slice of Tourmaline Farms goat mozzarella. mmmmmm. Capping off a long week I opted on going a bit overboard for dessert by baking up a couple apples with oats & honey to scoop the last of our Maple Blueberry Ice cream...time to make some more ice cream !

Transportation today included my 34 miles on the bike. 30 miles on an extended commute to break in the new bike...as well a 4 mile bomb around town with Mr. Land.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Fourteen)

Day Fourteens Consumption

May 14, 2009.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Sunnyside down
Yukon Gold Hash
w/ shallots
rubykraut & carrot ginger kraut

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey

Dinner
Roasted Asparagus & Bok Choy
w/ dulse seaweed
Bowl of
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ rutabagas & parsnips
Glass of Savage Oakes Blueberry Moon Wine

Dessert

Maple Blueberry Ice Cream

Today was a rush rush chaotic day...which in turn made for a whats in the fridge dinner... It all turned out wonderful and the leftover soup was a welcome warmth to the cold wind and rain pattering upon our third flour windows in our west end abode. I had spent a lot of my evening after work...pedaling around from one under stocked portland bike shop to another. Why, well Percy and I were finally building my Surly Long Haul Trucker Touring Bicycle...we had overlooked a few integral components and I was riding from one to the other searching for the parts I needed. It was all worth it because before dinner I was able to take the rainy maiden voyage on my newly assembled touring bike...watch out America, soon ill be in a neighborhood close to you !
Stay tuned for an upcoming post where I will put up some pics of the bike as well as a list of all the parts involved in the creation of my new bicycle.
Anyhow after arriving home, Cassi and I looked at each other and said "ICE CREAM". We patiently proceeded to whip up a small dinner and take a stab at ice cream making. All the recipes in our manual contained ingredients that were not something we had or could find in Maine, so we decided on winging it...we took a basic recipe and substituted as needed....

Heavy Cream became Straw Farm Whole Raw Milk with the cream layer on top

Refined Sugar became maple syrup and honey
vanilla flavor became frozen blueberries.

After a half hour we had a lovely serving of maple blueberry ice cream that satisfied all the sweet food desires we have had through the last two weeks... with 3/4 of a pint left over to pack out...we realized what a great investment this really was and started dreaming up other recipes for the upcoming seasons...apple pie cream, pumpkin ice cream, oatmeal ice cream, maple ice cream, strawberry ice cream and who knows...we will keep you updated !
Transportation today included 35 miles of biking as well as 2 miles walking...

Project Local Rootz ( Day Thirteen)

Day Thirteen's Consumption

May 13, 2009.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Sunnyside down
Yukon Gold Hash
w/ shallots
rubykraut

Lunch
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey
Cubed Sonnetal Farm Raw Colby

Dinner
Shrimp & Spinach Saag
w/shallots
Glass of Savage Oakes Georges River White Wine

Today was another farmer's market day with Monument Square bustling with people and produce. We had a couple of new scores today as well as some nice replenishments; oregano, red beets, aroostook red taters, chives, pea shoots, shallots,Olivias Garden tomatoes & cukes, Raw Honey, another jar of Thirty Acre Kimchi as well as a few items from iniside the public market; Straw Farm Raw Milk, Sunset Acres Plain Goat Cheese, Mesquite Wood Smoked Maine Sea Salt. And my goodies from work included Moon Hill frozen blueberries as well as some more New Leaf Farm Mesculin and Spinach courtesy of Crown of Maine. Spinach, Spinach, Spinach !
It was so fresh and tasty I think I ate half the bag on its way from my bike panniers to the fridge. I knew this was a must on the menu for the evening. I kind of had this whole plan in mind that morning to make an "Indian" inspired saag. However, I was anticipating another new item which failed to arrive at my workplace that afternoon. A new farm has begun pressing its own oils and has started marketing a 100% Maine Canola & Mustard Oil. I was thinking the mustard oil sauteed spinach would be the closest I would come to all those amazing Indian spices Ive been lacking...I will need to be patient... Apparently they needed a second pressing in order to fill all the orders placed...ours was in the second press and there were some issues with the process... I hope they figure it out for all our sakes...Maine Cooking Oil...just think of all the possibilities.
Anyhow the dinner was still delicious with the substitution of our standby butter instead of oil. Also moving forward on future plans I should talk about another big purchase of the evening. After a little pushing on Cassi's part we decided to purchase an Ice Cream Maker from Leroux Kitchen....mmmm 100% Maine Ice Cream.


Transportation today included 26 miles of biking... and 2 miles of walking.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Twelve)

Day Twelve's Consumption

May 12, 2009.

Breakfast
Two Eggs Sunnyside down
Yukon Gold Hash
w/ chives, rosemary & shallots
rubykraut

Snack
Plain Sheep's Milk Yogurt
w/ honey

Lunch
Kraut Salad
w/ New Leaf Mesculin Mix
Olivias Garden Cucumber
& Tomatoes
Pea Shoots, rubykraut
goat cheese

Dinner
Maine Grain Tomato Soup
w/ rutabaga & parsnips

Day Twelve involved a busy schedule...which left only time for the basics. Breakfast and lunch remained consistent and fulfilling, and the early afternoon salad boosted the days energy. I had planned soup for the evening meal by soaking the beans all day in order to hasten cooking time. As an added bonus I added some roasted rutabaga and parsnips to add a bit more chunk to the soup .


Transportation included 28 miles bike commute.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Project Local Rootz (Day Eleven)

Day Eleven's Consumption

May 11, 2009.

Breakfast
Spring Omelet
w/ Arugula, Asparagus & Goat Cheese
rubykraut & ginger carrot kraut

Lunch
Plain Sheeps Milk Yogurt
w/honey
Macintosh Apple

Dinner
Baked Shrimp & Bay Scallops
Roasted Asparagus w/ Lemon Balm
Pan Seared cherry tomatoes w/shallots

Dessert
Baked Cortland & Macintosh Apples
w/ oats and honey
topped w/yogurt
& berry compote

Today had a better than average breakfast due to both Cassi and I needing to leave for work for five forty-five. Seeing that we were both up, I decided to throw together an omelet with the left over arugula and decided it never hurts to add more asparagus in the mix... After eating we went off to our daily grinds, and being Monday (bread delivery day) I was planning on bring some more mother oven bread home for dinner. I had already started thinking about how good the tomato basil sandwich was on our first night into the project, and decided that would be dinner tonight. Especially since we still had the Goat Mozzarella that was purchased from Tourmaline Farm at the market on Saturday...unfortunately those dinner plans had to be aborted. Why ?... because there was a sickness at the Mother Oven bakery... rats, this caused me to be a little stumped as to what to do now.
As I quickly pedalled my way home from work...I zipped along the greenbelt and across the bridge as I was admiring the beauty of the bay below, it called to me "scallops". Quickly my bicycle swept down park ave... down to commercial and straight into "Free Range Fish & Lobster". I walked straight to the case and perked up when I noticed Mahi Mahi for only $6.99/lb. I inquired and found out it had been caught in the southern Atlantic off the Florida coast...damn I figured as much but it never hurts to ask...anyway, bay scallops were the real reason I was here and they were in abundance. I decided 1/2 lb wcover it, we had some Maine shrimp meat already at the house as well as a handful of asparagus left over from the farmers market. It all came together with the addition of some beautiful cherry tomatoes which I seared with shallots and butter on our new cast iron skillet...excellent. Mother Oven bread will come again Friday...Ill keep my fingers crossed this time and in the meantime am looking into baking bread using sourdough starters. Stay tuned for more bread updates as this happens.

Ahhh scallops....

Transportation today included 22 miles of biking as well as a 2 mile after dinner stroll with Cassi.

Monday, May 11, 2009

A few Cognizant Mixes....

So I wanted to begin rounding out this blog with some of my musical projects...
What better way to kick it off then with a few classic mixes from the archives.

First Up
"Dont Throw it all Away..."
selected & mixed
by Lukaduke

To Download mix Click below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=63e614f46e0178f7391d7d881749d3a703ed3296e70d5d51b8eada0a1ae8665a

Tracklist.....

Pressure & Slide Riddim

Pressure & Slide – Carlton Patterson
Please Mr. Doctor – U Brown
No Work Pon a Sunday – Tenor Saw
Outta Hand – Cutty Ranks

Greetings Riddim
No Problem – Peter Metro
Greetings – Half Pint
Under Pressure – Super Cat

Things in Time Riddim

Cry Fe Dey Youths – Super Cat
Ghettoman Skank – Ranking Toyan
Leave People Business Alone – Admiral Tibet
Soundbwoy Wha Happen – Wayne Wondeer & Nardo Ranks

Send Another Sound Home – Ini Kamoze

Wha Dem Fa Riddim
Wha Dem Fa – Carl Meeks
Special Singer – King Everall

Stalag Riddim
Ring the Alarm – Tenor Saw
Bam Bam – Sister Nancy
Raggamuffin Soldier – Lloyd Hemmings
False Alarm – Nitty Gritty
Dust Another Sound – Super Beagle

Tempo Riddim
Fever Intro Tenor Saw
Fever – Tenor Saw
Original Love Me – Little Howie
Tempo – Anthony Red Rose
Gorgon Danette - Princess G. & Sis Wingie

Kuff - Shelly Thunder
Old Veteran - Nicodemus

Ready Dun Riddim
No Bad Man - Junior Demus
Robbin Killin – Mikey Merican
Ready Dun – Nitty Gritty

Your Gonna Die – Malibu
Rough Neck Sound – Banana Man
Things Gwaan – Ninjaman

Punaany Riddim
Bigger Boss – Chicken Chest
My Magnum – Red Dragon
Think A Gun Ting – General Pecos
The Red – Capleton
Luv da Sound bad – Shaka Samba
Foot Patrol – Peter Metro
Worries & Problems – Sugar Minott
Sunshine – Wayne Wonder

Shes Mine Riddim
Shes Mine – Barrington Levy
Love You Down – Sanchez

Far East Riddim
Here I Am – Sanchez
Stop Loving You – Freddie McGregor
Tune In – Cocoa Tea

China Town Riddim
My My My – Richie Stephens
Don’t Throw It Away – Home T
Old Time Something – Admiral Bailey

Freedom Blues Riddim
Come Down – Super Cat
We Can Live It Up – Cocoa Tea & Tony Rebel

Instant Death – Tony Rebel

Sleng Teng Riddim
Murder Dem – Ninjaman
Buddy Bye - Johnny Osbourne
Trash & Ready – Super Cat
Pumpkin Belly – Tenor Saw

Boops Riddim

Don’t Touch My Boops – King Kong
See Boops Deh – Super Cat
Jah Bible – Sancho
Conscience – John Holt

Next Up

"Get Cognizant 2k7"
selected & mixed
by Lukaduke

To Download mix Click below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=63e614f46e0178f7391d7d881749d3a703ed3296e70d5d51b8eada0a1ae8665a

Tracklist:

Old School – Fitzie Niceness

(DON'T STAY AWAY RIDDIM)
Brag & Boast- Leroy Mafia
Wouldn't Stay Away – Sadiki
Running For My Life – Luciano
You – Lady Lex

(TAXI RIDDIM)
Sunlight – Nikesha
Lately – Bitty McLean
Driver A – Buju Banton
Informer – Ranking Joe
Transporter – Mitch
Gangsta Law – Mr. Vegas
Chase – Conrad Crystal & Sugar Roy
Be Like Dis- Capleton

(HEAVENLY RIDDIM)
Jah protect Us – Capleton
Heavenly – Alaine
Since Ive Been Loving You- Morgan Heritage
Brown Skin – Richie Spice
No Doubt About It – Gentleman

Safe & Secure – Gentleman & Lukie D
Always on My Mind- Da'ville & Sean Paul

(JAH POWERS RIDDIM)
Come Rescue Me – Da'ville
Tell Me the Reason Why – Ras Shiloh
Cant Live That Way – Anthony B
Poor Peoples Place – Turbulence

(OVERSTAND RIDDIM)
Times Hard – Ziggi
Vybz Murderer – Gentleman & Tamika
Road of Life – Anthony B
Protect & Care – Bescenta
Give Thanks- Ray Darwin
One Day – Alborosie

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner – Alborosie
Waan the Ting – Alborosie & Michael Rose
Ganja Ting – Jah Cure & Mikey Pelpa

(STATEMENT RIDDIM)
Brooklyn & Jamaica – Morgan Heritage
Brooklyn & Jamaica RMX – Shaggy, Screechie Don, Redd Fox
Judgement – Chuck Fender
Put Down the Guns – Elephantman
No Love Ina Dem Heart – Anthony B
Wanna Know You – Sizzla
Conscience – T.O.K.

(CRY BABY RIDDIM)
Journey – T.O.K.
God Nah Sleep – Assassin
As Far – Elephantman
Thanks & Praises – Sizzla
All By Myself – Buju Banton
My Cry – Shaggy

Built We a Fire – Ill Inspecta & Lexie Lee

(NO BORDERS RIDDIM)
Come Fight We – Ill Inspecta
Good Over Evil – Ziggi
Give Me Love Dey – Collie Buddz
Stand Up – Junior Reid
Set It Off – Choppa Chop
Badda Den Dem – Burru Banton

(MAD SICK RIDDIM)
Ya Dun Know – Burru Banton
Westmoreland Sensi – Burru Banton
Legalize It – King Kong
Burn Tha Highest – Bounty Killer

One Chalice – Anthony B

(ROCKING TIME RIDDIM)
High Grade – Turbulence & Spectacular
So Many Problems – Fantan Mojah
Gunplay – Lorenzo
Show More Love – Sizzla
One Life – Perfect

(KIDDUS I RIDDIM)
Shoot First Ask Questions After – Capleton
Watch What Your Doing - Gyptain

Project Local Rootz (Day Ten)

Day Ten's Consumption

May 10, 2009.

Breakfast
Spring Omelet
w/ asparagus, pea shoots, sorrel
goat cheese & echo farm cheese
Red Norland Hash
w/ shallots, rosemary & chives
side of rubykraut
Cup of Lemon Balm & Mint leaf tea

Snack
Smiling Hill Plain Yogurt
w/ honey
Cup of cider

Lunch

Kraut Salad
w/ New Leaf Mesculin Mix
Olivias Garden Cucumber
& Tomatoes
Pea Shoots, rubykraut
goat cheese

Dinner
Haddock
w/ lemon thyme
on a bed of braised
arugula & sorrel
Asparagus
w/lemon verbena
Glass of Bartlett's Coastal Blueberry Wine

Dessert
Baked Cortland & Macintosh Apples
w/ oats and honey
topped with yogurt

Today was a typical day off with a little work done to open up my painting space. Breakfast is always the highlight of a day off. Especially when we have a lil extra money to try a new cheese in the omelet mix and Sunday was no different. I awoke knowing that before we could have our morning meal I would need to hoof it down to the Public Market and pick up some eggs. After arriving @ the market I couldn't get my eyes off J.K.Hortons "Maine Cheese" section in the cooler. I saw this Echo Farm semi soft cheese that looked appealing... I cant quite remember what it was called because I can recall butchering the name when asking for it. Anyhow it was fantastic addition to the omelet. It had a funky sharp flavor that smoothed itself out very quickly...especially with a lil addition of some plain sunset acres to mellow the arugula & sorrel mixture. If you have yet to try sorrel I would recommend it. Is a leafy green that has a citrus quality almost similar to rhubarb.Lunch consistent of a nice salad that I livened up by adding a bit of rubykraut. It added some good flavor and a wetness similar to dressing. Dinner was pretty straight up and comforting. Having the day off we stopped back in at Harborfish and got a great piece of Haddock to accompany more asparagus and a braised mixture of greens from the fridge that were on their way...add to the mix another bottle of Bartlett's Wine, this time just made with blueberries, we couldn't help but sit and smile at the bountiful food Maine has provided us day in and day out for the last 10 days.

We have already been heavily discussing keeping the project rolling through the year !
I'll keep you updated as always....

Here what sorrel looks like....


Transportation included a 3 mile walk around the peninsula.

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