Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Mostly Food


That's a picture of the curtain that can be pulled in front of the pantry. It's been there since we moved in. It belonged to my darling Susan and I inherited it when she died. It's barkcloth, a vintage fabric, and it was already sewn as a curtain and the pole it's hanging on was already up and ready to receive it when we bought the house. 
I feel like it's a bit of clear and lovely perfection, and when I picked the color for the shelves, I didn't even think of that curtain. We've kept it pulled back forever and probably still will mostly, but sometimes I think I will pull it simply because it is beautiful and I love it. 

My house smells like heaven right now. I picked even more mulberries today and looked up recipes for pies. They all called for only three cups of fruit and I had at least ten cups. Here's one of my biggest bowls with the berries, sugar, flour, lemon zest, and lemon juice. 


I had to run to Publix today to pick up a prescription and I got to see Lily which was wonderful. She took my groceries out to the car and we chatted for awhile. One of the things I got was vanilla ice cream because I knew I was going to be making pies when I got home. Before I mixed the berries with the flour and sugar I made up the pastry and put it in the refrigerator. 
Remember when I was a shit pie dough maker? 
Well, not any more. I've taken to using my food processor and it's been one successful attempt after another. It's a little scary how easy it is for me now. I ended up making one very large pie and one very small one. Here they are before they went into the oven. 



I have taken the small one out and it is cooling on the marble counter under the china cabinet which is only possible because I cleared so much of the stuff on it off yesterday. What a luxury to have a designated counter to cool a pie on! 

And here's another picture. 


Our first potatoes! Mr. Moon dug them up yesterday and I am going to cook them tonight. A few weeks ago I made a sort of scalloped potatoes with broccoli and onions and my husband loved it. Since I have some leftover broccoli I think I will recreate the dish again, only with "our" potatoes. That man has spent all day in the garden. I took at least fifteen minutes out of my very important day and pulled all of the spent Bibb lettuce and the cilantro to make room for him to plant cucumbers, field peas, squash, and zinnias. He has weeded and also mulched with leaves that he's raking up in the front yard. 
In other words, he is working hard while I have dilly-dallied around making pies and going to Publix. 
I'm not sure why but this makes me feel so guilty. Perhaps serving him a piece of mulberry pie with ice cream on it will assuage some of my guilt. 

It has been ridiculously beautiful here today, cool and dry and it's supposed to get down to 45 degrees tonight. I think I will use the duck one last time and then pack it up for the summer. 

Both pies are out of the oven now. 


And there are so many more mulberries on the tree. I think that jam-making may be in my near future. 

A good day. A very good day. 

Love...Ms. Moon

45 comments:

  1. Oh really there is hardly anything I like to eat better than home made pies. Wish I could just reach out and get one. Well, I have some nice apples left.... but mulberries.... The mulberry tree in our garden is not prolific, and the mulberries stick to the stems and are hard to pick. And you can't pick them till they are nearly black. So I'm assuming your tree is much more generous with its fruits. It would take me a month to pick enough of ours for a pie. Still, the kids and the birds enjoy them raw. Oh, and those potatoes are so pretty!

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    1. This year's mulberry crop is the biggest we've ever had. And yes- they do have stems but you can just leave them in and mostly they get so soft you don't notice them when cooked. And honestly, kids enjoy them right off the tree so much that it doesn't matter if you cook any or not. I've just got such a huge crop that I feel like I need to do something with them.

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  2. Guilty? Guilty? With those beautiful pies and ice cream for dessert tonight?! Mr. Moon is a lucky man and that's all there is to it. My man would do most anything for homemade pie. :)

    I love your pantry and the curtain is perfection!

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    1. Well, guilt is my default emotion. Explains a lot. And somehow I feel as if doing things in the house just isn't nearly as important as doing outside things. Definitely not as hard.

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  3. Dilly-dallied around making pies???!!! My husband would be thrilled beyond words if I dilly dallied like YOU dilly dally!

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  4. Yummy! And the curtain is gorgeous! What a generous gift left with the house! I have some lovely old barkcloth that I keep in a drawer...why? I should just use it...or send it to you!

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    1. I brought the curtain with me. The pole was there already. Barkcloth is one of my favorite things on earth. Sue left me a few other pieces but this one was the biggest and in the best condition. I love the purple in it.

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  5. i love when the birds and squirrels get drunk on the mulberries as they rot!

    be well

    xxalainaxx

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    1. My birds and squirrels aren't really that interested in the mulberries. I have no idea why. And the chickens don't seem to care about them either which is REALLY odd. They eat everything.

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  6. I kept thinking jam while you were making pie, because there's plenty of fruit to keep going.

    The curtain looks just right with those cool shelves.

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    1. I think I'll start picking daily and storing the fruit in the refrigerator to make into jam. Why not?

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  7. You shouldn't feel you are shilly shallying about while Mr. Moon does all the important work. Everything you do is important and sure doesn't happen as fast as if Mary Poppins were in charge. So take your time and make pies and go to Costco to buy ice cream to put on top.
    That green curtain is to swoon for. How lovely.

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    1. Isn't that just a gorgeous piece of fabric? You would love it.

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  8. I love that curtain and your beautiful pantry. I have the standard Lowe's kitchen. Cupboards too high and too low. I can remember mullberries falling plop plop into our little swimming pool. I made the kids find them before they could swim and as far as slacking off, I think you are holding up your end admirably.

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    1. Mulberries in the swimming pool- that could be a book title. Or at least a poem title for sure.
      Did you give your kids little nets to get them with?

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  9. The pies and the curtain are beautiful. A piece of pie please.

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    1. Yes, m'am. Would you like ice cream with that?

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  10. guilt shouldn't even enter your thoughts. Pie? shopping, AND baking? You alway hold up your end, and Mr Moon, his. It all balances nicely. Curtain.....to die for. I would pull it closed just to see its beauty and enjoy the memory of its origin
    Susan M

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    1. Exactly on the curtain- it's too pretty not to pull it sometimes.

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  11. Yum.
    Everything.
    Pantry. Curtain. Pies.
    Everything.

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    1. The new pantry is absolutely delicious to me. And the pie was pretty good too!

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  12. Love the curtain! And your pies look terrific too. Why on earth should you feel guilty? It's not as if you've been watching Judge Judy all afternoon. You've been busy!

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    1. Well, there is a certain amount of crossword doing...

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  13. Every time I see your kitchen it occurs to me that it would be wonderful to sit at your table. I usually picture myself drinking a cup of coffee, but I just changed that up to a piece of mulberry pie and a scoop of ice cream. Your curtain is gorgeous (and I’m usually not a fan of green).

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    1. In The Office, Angela said that green was a "whorish" color which makes me laugh every time I look at my shelves. I have a whorish pantry!

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  14. Every time I see your kitchen it occurs to me that it would be wonderful to sit at your table. I usually picture myself drinking a cup of coffee, but I just changed that up to a piece of mulberry pie and a scoop of ice cream. Your curtain is gorgeous (and I’m usually not a fan of green).

    ReplyDelete
  15. Every time I see your kitchen it occurs to me that it would be wonderful to sit at your table. I usually picture myself drinking a cup of coffee, but I just changed that up to a piece of mulberry pie and a scoop of ice cream. Your curtain is gorgeous (and I’m usually not a fan of green).

    ReplyDelete
  16. Every time I see your kitchen it occurs to me that it would be wonderful to sit at your table. I usually picture myself drinking a cup of coffee, but I just changed that up to a piece of mulberry pie and a scoop of ice cream. Your curtain is gorgeous (and I’m usually not a fan of green).

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Mercy me!! It seems that I was determined to say how I loved your kitchen! Google has NOT been my friend lately. I apologize if there’s more than one of my reply. And now I hit ‘publish’.....

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    2. Mercy me!! It seems that I was determined to say how I loved your kitchen! Google has NOT been my friend lately. I apologize if there’s more than one of my reply. And now I hit ‘publish’.....

      Delete
    3. Mercy me!! It seems that I was determined to say how I loved your kitchen! Google has NOT been my friend lately. I apologize if there’s more than one of my reply. And now I hit ‘publish’.....

      Delete
  17. I LOVE the curtain, it's so beautiful.
    And your pies are a delight.

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  18. That curtain is beautiful. I had to look up barkcloth. As for you doing nothing all day, really? Making pies is not work? Since when?

    Have a lovely day:)

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    1. Compared to digging and weeding and planting and raking and mulching, making pies is absolutely not work. It's just a fun activity.

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  19. I'm sure Mr. Moon has no complaints about your "dillydallying" making pies!

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    1. At this point, he'd probably trade a pie for some help in the yard.

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  20. When I first saw the picture of the mulberries in the bowl I thought I was looking at some sort of insects - maybe locusts or tropical beetles. The pies would have tasted very different. I see you have got a bottle of Tito's handy - just in case the dilly-dallying gets really tough.

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    1. There may well be a few worms in those berries but if there were, they are all nicely cooked now.
      Of course there is Tito's. Always!

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  21. I just love that curtain material so much. Green was my Mom's favorite color and she would just adore your new pantry with curtain. Your pies look delicious and you have done just the right amount of work today! Pie and ice cream to celebrate!!

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    1. I like the idea of your mom loving my pantry and the curtain.

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  22. I love the way you intuitively matched the green of the pantry shelves to that beautiful curtain. And mulberry pies! I planted a mulberry tree next to my back fence this year. Looking forward to berries in years to come. x0x0 N2

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.