Ashley English's Blog, page 19

And the Winner of the "Dreamers Into Does" Giveaway Is...

Sharon, aka "Mama to Adam." I'll be in touch soon, Sharon, to get your mailing information. Thanks to everyone who entered. I loved reading all of your responses. Canning sure is grand, isn't it? I put up 4 pints of 5-spice pickled cherries on Sunday and have got a mess of yellow plums in the fridge and lemon verbena growing in my herb bed that I'm thinking of making into this (big thanks to A.J.

Dairy Duel Deal!

Want to win a copy of my "Home Dairy" book? Well then get yourself over to Lark Book's Facebook page, for a "cheese vs ice cream" throwdown!

The Haul

Picked all this goodness from the garden yesterday. Patty pan, crookneck and zucchini summer squashes, lemon and pickling cukes, and loads of tomatoes, in assorted and sundry varietals and sizes. About to put in my fall garden, too. Looks like we'll be eating fine for some time to come! *That's echinacea flowering in the background. I plan to dig up the roots this coming autumn and turn them into

A Free Pass

Want to come to The Creative Connection event in St. Paul this September? Want to come for free? With a friend? And get complimentary accommodations while you're at it? Yes, yes you do! Then pop on over to TCC's blog for the skinny on how you can try your hand at winning. The event promises to be a good one, with an incredible line-up of talent on hand. I'll be there, teaching a class on water

Stem to Root

There's a fantastic article by Julia Moskin in the NY Times on what's being called "stem-to-root" cooking. Much like nose-to-tail meat-eating, wherein all of the parts of an animal are consumed (and not just the meatier pieces in the middle), stem-to-root "honors," if you will, every component of a fruit or vegetable, from its flowers and shoots to its rind and peel. It also respects the labor

Sips & Reads

I picked up a bottle of this Lenoir, NC-made apple brandy the other day. It's created using N.C. apples in a 110 year-old carriage house in downtown Lenoir, and aged in white oaks barrels. I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm pretty excited to do so. Any of you have a preferred means of imbibing apple brandy? On the rocks? Mixed with sparkling cider? Chilled? Meanwhile, after wrapping up this

Guest Post: A Little Fire

I've got a great guest post for you today! It's from Aiden FitzGerald, a freelance writer and the voice behind A Little Fire. Aiden, her husband Charlie Barmonde (a ceramicist and an old friend of Hubs' from his days of hijinks and shenanigans in Sarasota, Florida) and their adorable young son Felix live in the tiny coastal Rhode Island town of Little Compton. She recently wrote a guide to the

Nice & Easy

One of our favorite "it's-far-too-ungodly-hot-to-even-look-at-the-stove" go-to eats during the dog days of summer is rotisserie chicken salad. After picking up a cooked bird from our nearby natural foods store, we'll strip the meat off and blend it any of different ways. On my birthday, Hubs did it up with a curried spice blend, and then served it on fresh wheat bread slathered in mango chutney.

Get Out the Vote

So, here it is, folks. I decided to enter small measure in Country Living magazine's 1st ever Blue Ribbon Blogger Awards. Out of the variety of categories entrants can select, I chose "Green." There's no big reward involved for the winner, aside from a shout-out in the magazine and a trip to the awards ceremony in NYC. This blog (and my books) is simply my labor of love, and I really, truly love

It's Settle(ment)ed!

They love me in Jamestown! The first permanent English Colony, founded in Virginia in 1607, has my entire series available for purchase in their gift shop. Thank you SO MUCH to Doug, aka the "Haphazard Countryman" (the voice behind Concrete to Chickens) for snapping this photo and sending it to me. I spent 8 very formative years in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Virginia, traveling often with