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Please pass the ...

When summer transitions into fall, there are so many more opportunities to reconnect with friends. Art openings, book club gatherings, put lucks of all kinds that have little dishes of this and that to sample from.  The way I think...the friends, the events, they all circle back to pottery and what those tasty tidbits will be served on.

Please pass the.... food: tiny tomato tarts on the pottery: see below 

Dish with Leaf Motif

Please pass the.... 
food: chewy caramel apple cookies on the pottery: see below

"Stripes and Dots" oval plate

 
Please pass the....
food: eggplant, pesto and goat cheese pizza on the pottery: see below 

Square Plate with all over floral design

My Plates (for passing) are one of a kind, dishwasher and microwave safe, and for sale at my guild's gallery: the Dedham Square Artist Guild in Dedham, MA. One could be the perfect piece to serve your favorite food on at your next gathering. (And no one else will have the same one...)

Last Farm Stand Sale of the Season

To get ready for the next distribution, I was cooking up all my winter squashes last night.

"Summer squash swell from blossoms to fruit in a matter of days, while winter varieties absorb energy from the sun and soil for months on their way to harvest - no wonder they are such a good comfort food.  The dense, sweet flesh of winter squash brings the light and warmth of the whole summer to your winter table." Farmer John's Cookbook

The three squash I have on hand are Buttercup, a red kuri variety; a Butternut, an all purpose favorite; and a sweet dumpling. 

Peel, remove seeds, cut and cook in a 1/4" of water to steam in a 350 oven.

Bake 45 minutes or so, then drain.

Mash each type of squash and set aside to cool overnight.

When mashed and cool, I will freeze squash for easy cooking with breads, soups or just a warm puree.

Sweet or savory winter squash puree
Joy of cooking

for a sweet puree... add for every 1 cup puree
1 T butter
1 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper

for a savory puree...add for every 1 cup puree
1 T butter or olive oil
1 small garlic, minced
1 T choped fresh parsley or sage
salt and pepper

Beat in warm heavy cream or orange juice to sweet or savory mix.

Serve plain or:
top with sauteed onions, zest of lemon, marscapone or sour cream, Parmesan or Gruyere cheese.

While I was baking, I was thinking back to the soda firing I did this past summer at Harvard.  The process creates such beautiful orange colors when the fire and soda connect with an unglazed surface.  I'm already looking forward to the next summer workshop. A group from my cooperative studio, Potters Place plan to attend this friday's ceramic show at Harvard.  I'm looking forward to spending time with them.

my soda fired vases from summer workshop

I was also thinking about the new friendships I'm developing at the Dedham Square Artist Guild, ...after a great Saturday shift, I went home with a homemade mini pumpkin pie made from buttercup squash.

The reason for all this late night baking is to make room for more veggies. This Saturday, December 10th is the last farm stand sale of the year.  It is the second of two winter share distributions and the last pottery sale at Powessit in 2011.  Stop by from 11-4 to pick up your local veggies and check out my handmade pottery.  The two go together so well.

In the garden and beyond

This coming weekend, I've been invited to join a group of Westwood friends to sell our wares at Jane's Beyond the Garden Gate Sale.  The sale takes place on Sunday, December 4th from 12 noon until 4pm at 52 Wildwood Drive in Westwood.  There will be jewelry, pottery (mine!), soaps, ornaments, live wreaths, as well as greens, candles, lanterns, fleece, furniture, etc. Bring your friends!

What's in the garden and how does it inspire?  Last night I washed, peeled and cut up leeks and radishes from my November Powessit Farm Winter share.  My favorite way to eat these veggies is to saute them in some butter, then add water, cover and steam until done.  They are soft and comforting and delicious topped with feta or goat cheese.

sliced raw radishes

I am not a fan of raw radishes, but my family likes them raw with a little cream cheese.

Red radishes and Watermelon radishes

The color combinations in the Watermelon variety are a wonderful surprise to behold when you slice through a seemingly pale white exterior.  Radishes are high in vitamin c and have a healthy dose of potassium.  Great for lowering blood pressure too!

Daikon radishes

I've also got some daikon radishes to eat.  These can be quite large.  They are delicious in any Asian style recipe whether it is a stir-fry (that's how I'll eat mine) or shredded in a salad or even pickled.  You'll find them quite mild compared to other radish varieties.

How does the food influence the pottery?  The light green and neutral colors of these root veggies is something I've enjoyed playing around with.  Of course, when you are coking, you need bowls, bowls and bowls!

crisscross bowls

For more radish recipes, click here

Open Studio : Providence, RI

With rain predicted off and on for Saturday, September 24th, Providence, Rhode Island is just a tankful away from Boston and the place where Whitmore Boogaerts will be hosting Open Studios at his sculpture studio located at 89 Bellevue Avenue. He has invited 10 of his artist friends to share his space to make this day a real event where a customer can meet the artist, talk about the work and purchase directly.  Open 10 to 5.  Free admission and ample parking.

Here's what you'll find:

Whitmore Boogaerts

Jim Bush

Misa Galazzi

Lisa WB Walker

Adam Carriuolo

Cali Almy

AND MORE: 

Jennifer Rashleigh, Susan Brooklyn, Mike Bryce, Wayne Marcus, and David Michel

How does this relate to food and pottery? This is a local group of artists, some of whom work in clay, like myself.  We bring local fare to share with each other, chat about art, share recipes and discuss how our art imitates the life we live as creative individuals. It's all about the relationship between art and how we use it to make the world a better place.

 

Potsdamelf Creations

bird mugs

Sarah E. Lynch is an artist working in upstate New York (Potsdam to be exact, like the name of her etsy shop).  She works in many mediums including photography, painting and ceramics.  Her work is inspired mostly from animals. 

I met Sarah through Etsy where we talked about the connection she has between food and her ceramic creations.  She grew up going to the local food co-op with her parents and helping them in the garden. 

carrot eating bunny

"It wasn't till I went to school that I learned that many people are very disconnected from their food. Some people don't even have house plants let alone a garden!"  Sarah Lynch

Some of her pottery is created to raise awareness about food, the food chain and eating. "Many people don't want to think about where their food comes from. We support our neighbors and friends when we pick our own fruits and vegetables locally."

An example of Sarah's food and pottery relationship is her Gazpacho recipe that can be eaten out of her bird bowls. 

bird bowl

Gazpacho

modified from a Joy of Cooking recipe

3 large tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper
1 clove garlic
1 peeled and thinly sliced sweet onion (vidalia or purple)
1/2 cup or more of fresh chives, parsley, basil, chervil, and tarragon
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 cups chilled chicken stock, beef stock, or just plain water
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
salt to taste (apx 1 teaspoon) 

Many people use a food processor to puree this soup but I prefer to just finely chop all the ingredients. It's nice to see the individual parts and colors.

Seed and chop the tomatoes and cucumbers. ( I peel my cucumbers but not everyone does this) Put them in a large bowl. Seed and finely chop green peppers and add them to the bowl. Mice garlic and sweet onion. Add these to the bowl too. Wash, chop, and add the mixture of fresh herbs. Combine your choice of stock with olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, and salt. Mix everything all together and chill till it's time to eat. 

I find this goes really well with cheesy garlic bread and any type of grilled meat product. 

fish eating crane

Find out more about Sarah and her work from her website, etsy shop and facebook.