May 28 2009
episode 73: “Spinner with a capitol S”
episode 73: “Spinner with a capitol S”
on/off the needles:
-craft show results
-subversive seamstress clutch purchased
new clutch from subversive seamstress
-Los Manos Locos (crazy monkey socks) toe up on dpns
super crazy monkey socks
-kingscot back on the needles
-wisteria sweater dreams. take a look at sockpr0n’s sweater…..dreamy!!!
babble:
-french press for a cold brew
-Owen loves his trike. chilling in our patio
-little man bbq
-my version of a day off
-records out of the basement…..lets get this basement started!!!
green thumb:
-my secret garden
don't see a garden do you?
ahhh!!!! there it is!
-paver annuals
-#()@#(*$)@(#*$ BIRDS ATE MY STRAWBERRIES!!!
anti-bird security devices... shiny!
spinning:
-washing fleece on memorial day using sockpr0n’s lock method and beth smith’s method
washed locks
-i heart flicking locks
Harrisvilledesigns weaving bobbin winder
my first full bobbin
-dreaming of spinning and knitting a sweater from lock to finished
-drooling over fleece
-spin or dye swapping group on ravelry
favorite thing:
mmmm.....cherries....
Grandma Marita’s Cherry Soup
stock:
2 cans sour/tart cherries
1/4c sugar
1tsp butter
1 can water
dumplings:
2 eggs
1/4c water
dash of salt
1tbs sugar
flour
Combine stock ingredients and mash cherries in pan. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add water, salt and sugar and stir. Gradually add flour until batter is stiff enough to drop by teaspoons into simmering liquid and hold together. If too thin, add more flour. When dropping, dip spoon into liquid first before dipping into batter so the dumpling will release from the spoon without sticking. Simmer for 5 minutes or until dumplings are cooked.
great with whipped cream or ice cream. yummy warm and cold! enjoy!
7 Responses to “episode 73: “Spinner with a capitol S””
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Hi Meghan,
As a “charter listener” from across the Michigan border, I can tell you where to get all the fresh-frozen tart (variety name is Montmorency) cherries you want! In Fennville, MI (which is conveniently located about 20-30 minutes from Allegan, home of the Michigan Fiber Festival- do you see where I’m heading here?) is Crane Orchards & Pie Pantry. They have a huge orchard with a quaint restaurant and pie shop (so good.) They have freezers full of buckets of the sour cherries, (better than the canned ones, IMO) as well as frozen ready-to-bake pies and crisps of all varieties. I would think sour cherries would be plentiful about the middle of August (Fiber Festival time, by the way.) It’s a great place to visit with the Little Man in the fall too, when they have hay rides, fresh cider and cider donuts, and an enormous corn maze.
The Fiber Festival itself is worth driving up for, and there’s cherries too! Let me know if I can help you find your way here. I never miss it.
Nancy in Holland, MI (2 1/2 hr. drive from downtown Chicago)
Meghan
Birds can be disasterous to a strawberry patch. My mom uses CDs tied to an overhead line, they are great because they reflect and move in the breeze (or even no breeze).
I dont have berries but I still use them in my garden to keep the critters away too.
I have never had ‘Cherry Soup’ but it’s similiar to a cherry cobbler type dish that we make. I’ll definitely try yours. I love love love cherries too. You dont see the sour cherries much anymore but I’m from cherry country in NY and we go picking in the summer and get enough to freeze to have pies all year round. Sours usually come about mid July, give or take a week. Look for them locally arond then. Do you have a farmers market? There must be cherry orchards in IL somewhere.
All your talk of spinning has me aching to try…………..
For a source for sour cherries, you might try Spoon Foods (mail order). Here’s a link https://www.spoon.com/catalog.phtml?PAGE=DISPLAY&cust_id=&user_num=&cust_status=&cat_id=8&sub_id=&prod_id=1495.
My family has been making a slightly different version of cherry soup for generations. I think it’s probably very similar to your family’s, just minus the dumplings. I’ll have to try adding them, or, more likely, try to get my mom to add them when she makes it. =) Actually, it’s not that hard, I don’t know why I haven’t tried making cherry soup myself. There are 2 other fruit soups we make too…rhumbarb soup and plum soup. The rhubarb one tastes just like rhumbarb pie (one of my all time favorites) and the plum soup is a bit thicker and spicier. Yum!
We made a similar dessert – except our cherries were thicked with tapioca after the dumplings came out. And we ate it with whipped cream on top.
For canned sour cherries – look for Oregon brand – they’ll be on the top shelf and are somewhat pricey – but are really good!
Found Sadaf brand sour cherries at a Middle Eastern market: Afghan, Persian, etc. There was another brand of sour cherries as well.
Hi meghan….
I’ve only just gotten around to listening to this particular podcast today (i’m so behind!)…. but I had a suggestion… maybe for future use? If in your travels you come across a lawn ornament owl? They are amazing!! We were having issues with the birds picking out all the seeds we planted in our garden… so we kept re-planting only to keep feeding the birds!! We tried the sparkly stuff/foil/cd’s but eventually the birds would return (dang NYC birds!)…. the Owl has been the only thing to keep them away for good!… and our garden was able to grow. Yay!!
My aunt has another method… which is to put up a stuffed animal… in semi-effigy~ she ties them up (by the chest)- scare crow style. It works surprisingly well. We bought her most recent sacrifice- after easter- at target when all the left over stuffed animals for easter baskets were 75% off (we bought a medium sized $10 doll for $2.50.)
Good luck with your garden!
We had sour cherry trees on our farm and I, too, have had problems finding sour cherries since moving from it. I have found them in WalMart with the canned fruit. It is hit and miss so when I see them, I stock up.