Despite the fact that we woke up to snow Saturday morning (which was then sleet and finally rain), the sun came back the next day, just in time for springtime preparations here on the farmlet. Sunday we spent a good chunk of our morning in the yard, cleaning up leaves and debris, planting some snap peas, and a few other projects that have been lingering.
Like every year, there’s good news and bad news. Only one of the two baby apricot trees made it through the winter. The fig tree didn’t survive either, but we have 2 new apple trees and a couple cold hardy cherry trees as well, and a mulberry tree on the way. On the good news front the Seckel Pear tree seems to be budding, all the bulbs Eli and I planted last fall are coming up, and my hibiscus trees, bought on discount last year as I went to order wedding flowers, thrived in the dining room over the winter. Which has indicated that perhaps I can also keep citrus trees that way, so I ordered a Meyer Lemon tree in a mad rush of optimism.
I’m technically done with quarantine, but taking it very slowly as I re-enter the world, and of course we’re doing that as little as possible. I’m still exhausted a good chunk of the time, weeks later. Still, I and my family got lucky to be minimally impacted, and I’m grateful.
While I had to pace myself, gardening and yard work is somewhat meditative for me, and I find it more relaxing than tiring, even though I could clean up the yard for months without stopping and there would still be more to do.
Still, after 2 wheel barrels full of leaves and debris, and some snap peas in the ground, it was time to take a break. Alice the chicken apparently thought so too.
Monday was back to chilly and grey, and I got up early to go for a walk and get dinner into the Crockpot. This time of year, when it’s warming up but all too slowly, it’s the perfect time for a Crockpot meal.
I took a 3-lb pot roast and sprinkled it with salt, and pepper and then pan-seared it, before putting it into the crock. Using the same pan, I added more olive oil, chopped a couple onions, 4 cloves of garlic and a carrot, and sauteed them until soft.
Then I took a large can of crushed tomatoes, a cup of red wine (cooking wine works just fine here) a teaspoon each of Allspice and Cinnamon, and a half a teaspoon of ground cloves, plus some salt and pepper, let that cook for a few minutes to meld flavors, and then poured it over the roast in the Crockpot and let it cook for 8 hours.
The kitchen smelled amazing – the combination of tomato and red wine with spices more frequently used for baking is not to be missed.
I served it over cauliflower mash, and honestly, it was just the thing to start the week off. Today is due to be warmer and there’s plenty of pot roast leftovers, plus some chicken soup with rice to finish off as well.
I hope you and yours are staying safe.
Little House on the Fairy Hill 