Gumboot Nation: ‘Creative shopping in the Creek’ feature coming

Greeting Creekers, 

As I write, it’s Halloween. I have carved my pumpkin and am planning a (modest) bonfire. On the radio they were just talking about zombies, the kind that might come out this evening and a different and maybe scarier kind of zombie: zombie trees. Zombie trees are those that appear healthy to the untrained eye but are in fact in danger of falling due to stress from the past years of drought. Now I have a name for the trees I have heard falling in the forest and I am wondering about all those trees surrounding our house and I guess we should get them checked out. Just what I need, another thing to think about. My little brain is full. Wars, famine, earthquakes, climate change, homelessness and now Christmas is coming, which has its own kind of stress. Okay now most of you are rolling your eyes and thinking, “What?? Why is she talking about that? Isn’t it enough that we have to put up with two months of muszac Chistmas carols and kitchy decoarations?” You are right but then there is the shopping part and most of us whether we want to admit or not participate in this and apparently most of you, unlike myself, do not wait until after Dec. 1 to do it. So in an effort to provide you with alternatives to small appliances and electronic gadgets and encourage you to shop local, I plan to devote a coming column to “Creative Shopping in the Creek.” I will be including the obvious businesses but a lot of you are doing things out there but don’t have a store front. So, if you have a website or Instagram where you sell your creations, or sell from your studio or can provide gift certificates for your services, experiences or classes and you would like to be included on my list, contact me with your info. Soon!  

I just took a break and ate an apple. It was a particularly delicious one and it got me thinking that there is probably no other fruit with as many different varieties. The common supermarket ones are just the tip of the iceberg. There are heritage apples that are good for juicing, sauce, pies and drying and are all worth celebrating. If you would like to celebrate the apple, drop by the Hall this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Second Annual Apple Festival in support of Whirlpool Learning, an outdoor school based in Roberts Creek. There will be all things apple, including an apple tasting tent with more than 20 varieties to try, apple bobbing, caramel apples, and of course, a pie eating contest! Better still, all three local cideries will be there. This will be a great family event for what is predicted to be a gray, wet, fall day.  

The Legion has two nights of entertainment this weekend. Tonight, it’s storytelling and songwriting with Richard Inman and Elliot Wray. Tomorrow night, it’s dancing to The Band That Never Was. Heads up that Thursday Night Jazz on Nov. 16 will feature The Ken Grunenberg Sextet, a wonderful group that has been playing jazz on the Coast for 15 years. The Shortcut is now providing dinners Wednesday to Friday from 5 to 9 p.m. You can have a real night out and stay local. 

Well, there are pretty much two kinds of weather this time of year, mild and wet or cold and clear. Both kinds make me want to eat soup and so I figured it’s time for a recipe. But first of all, here is a tip for making vegetable stock. You can save a lot of the scraps and peels that you usually put in the compost by keeping them in a large bag in the freezer. When the bag is full, dump it in a pot of water with some salt and pepper corns, a couple of bay leaves and maybe some garlic. Simmer for about an hour, strain it and taste it. If it’s too watery, cook it for a while to reduce it and freeze until you want to make soup. Good scraps include, carrot peels, onion scraps, bits of celery, old tomatoes, fennel tops, leek tops, mushroom bits and parsley stems, etc. but NO to brassicas.  

Onion soup with lentils 

Soak 3/4 cup of beluga (black) lentils or du Puy lentils overnight, drain (brown lentils are too soft). 

Sauté 5 large, sliced onions in a couple of tbs of oil and a tsp of salt until soft and golden (20 minutes or so), adding 1 tbs of cider vinegar towards the end. 

Put them in a large pot with the drained lentils, 4 cups of vegetable stock, 5 bay leaves, 2 tsp dijon mustard., 1 tbs dried thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. of anise seed (optional, but good ) and 2 tsp cracked black pepper. 

Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender, adding more stock if needed. Taste for salt and serve with a piece of grilled cheese top toast floating in each bowl.  

Enjoy! Write to me [email protected].