Our Food Forest In Progress

Here are before and after shots of our backyard and casita.

Backyard and Casita - July 2009

Backyard and Casita - April 2008

Blackened String Beans

This year I planted a bunch of pole and bush beans throughout our gardens. So far we’ve harvested about 5 pounds of beautiful crisp green beans. A few nights ago we made blackened string beans with a mustard remoulade dipping sauce using Ric Orlando’s recipe. Ric owns New World Home Cooking, a restaurant that we visited often when we lived in New York’s Hudson Valley. If you like hot and spicy, you’ll love these. They go great with crab cakes. -Tree

Blackened String Beans with Mustard Remoulade dipping sauce

Crab cakes made with scallions from our gardens.

Jen featured in Albuquerque Journal

Jen was featured in yesterday’s Albuquerque Journal in an article called Healing Essentials. You may need to click on the link for a trial pass to read it. -Tree

We’ve been eating well at Sunstone

Another great meal from the pig Jen and I raised and butchered: Barbecued ribs marinated in ginger, honey, garlic and fish sauce; sauteed amaranth greens from our garden, and home-brewed beer. Talk about eating local.

We got the recipe for the ribs from the July issue of  Bon Appetit magazine. -Tree

We cooked the ribs 8 minutes on each side with the grill cover open, and then 8 minutes each side with it closed.

Barbecued ribs, amaranth greens and home-brewed beer.

Today’s Garden Harvest

So far this year we’ve been blessed with an abundant garden. The apple and pear trees are loaded with fruit, the squash vines are gargantuan, the tomato plants bursting with delicious heirloom tomatoes. Here is a photo of some of today’s harvest which includes green beans, amaranth greens and chimayo chile (not pictured). – Jen

Jalapenos, Stupice tomatoes, Santa Fe Grande chiles, and New Mexico Green chiles