Daily Notes- March 18th

                                               

My pantry.  An old cupboard with shelving that is obviously not supported in the center.  The light was not good because of the skylight above and to the left.  I have enough of everything and will only send daughter to buy fruits and vegetables.  And dairy.

I even discovered a jar of lentils (I love lentil soup) way back on the top shelf.  A bag of dry black beans plus three cans of black beans.  Pasta. Canned marinara from Trader Joe. And canned jackfruit which is supposed to make a great vegetarian "pulled pork".  There's falafel mix also.

I also realized we have only been asked to shelter at home for FIVE days now.  I had thought it was closer to 2 weeks.  Felt like it.  The morning paper brought distressing news.  Maine has 32 cases of the virus and 23 of them were confirmed at the hospital 2 minutes drive from the greenhouse where I worked. The testing site is within walking distance of my home. It was a hospital but now is a Senior Health Center.

Our "curve" is zero on 3/11 and 32 on 3/17.  Very unsettling.  Six Days.  Five of which I was in the house.

I found a "non" recipe for soup.  Saute a member of the onion family in some oil (a leek if you have one or green onions).  Add one or more root vegetables cut in small pieces.  I always have carrots and celery in the drawer during the cold months and very often cabbage and a few potatoes.  Add water (or broth if you have any) I have a few jars of dry cubes handy at all times.  Add grains or beans if you have them.  Doesn't matter which ones.  Rice, barley, lentils.  Add anything you have in the fridge that would cook quickly: greens, canned veg or herbs.  Raid the frozen veg supply for a cup of peas or green beans or corn.   There you have it-- SOUP.  It does need to simmer for awhile to cook everything.  

A fellow blogger freezes excess tomatoes in the summer- just tucks the whole tomato in a bag and into the freezer.  She roasts them right out of the bag (frozen) or tosses them into the soup pot.  No thawing. I am SO DOING THIS in August and September.  And not buying little cans of diced tomato for soup.

Now.  I usually have some sliced bacon in the freezer and usually begin my soup by slicing off some bacon from the short edge of the package trying not to slice my fingers.  I saute that in the soup pot with the member of the onion family to get things going.

I sewed a few more edges to the cloth collages yesterday evening and trimmed the edges of one collage because the black cloth was too overpowering.  I did this at the dining room table while watching MSNBC.  Drinking tea.  Realizing I don't leave the house all that often in normal times.