Flat MrOopsy

Flat Mr Oopsy Visits Savino Family in Penfield (Rochester) New York

5/7/12 Monday Mr.Oopsy arrives and in great shape despite  the POURING rain and broken mailbox that left Mr Oopsy package in the garden soil beneath the mail box. Amazingly- Mr Oopsy was between two magazines, both magazines were wet, the magazine on the bottom was muddy- BUT Mr Oopsy was fairly dry! He snuggled in right away with Leona as not to catch cold!

Leona, Lucas and Mr.Oopsy

Mr Oopsy met our only pet, Rusty. Rusty is a 12 year old hound dog who is pretty sick. We might not have him with us much longer

5/8/12 Tuesday Dropped Leona's brother, Lucas off at school which is about a 20 min drive. We stopped at the library and picked up one of our “Books Plus” boxes on hold. The library makes up these theme boxes that contain books about the theme and any number of related items! Once we had a Disney box and it had lots of Disney story books, a CD of Disney songs, a Mickey puppet, Pinocchio wooden doll, Mickey ears and a few other things. It was so much fun! This time we got the “Insects & Butterfly” box!

5/9/12 Wednesday Mr Oopsy is practicing to be in a ballet. Leona has been practicing with him and he has been very helpful. We found him a tutu and he performed for Barbie at the Savino Ballet!

Here is our dog Rusty. He is almost 13 years old, so he does a lot of sleeping. But he's our only pet. We may only have him with us for a little longer.

Here's Leona and I. I taped a wooden craft stick to the back of flat MrOopsy for easier pictures. :-)

Leona loves doing crafts. I think she gets that from me. We put together this little Kids Theater and Mr Oopsy played a part in the Three Little Pigs. He was one of the pigs.

House of straw...

House of sticks.....

House of bricks!

And after a long day of performing theater, Leona thought he deserved a trip to the beach and to sleep at the princesses castle.

The princesses were glad to have him!

Saturday 5/ 12/12

We took trip to the Fairport Farmers Market today. It's the first weekend it's open since the winter. We bought a bunch of plants; vegetables and herbs. We get our eggs there too. They are locally grown and cage free and non- grain fed. We are working toward getting our own laying hens, but our town only allows them to land owners of 6 acres or more here. There is very few plots that size here, and far more residents that also want to get chickens, so we are slowly gathering together to present a united front to get the ordinance changed so we can all own them.

Here is Mr Oopsy checking out the herbs, the wonderful woman at the farm stand showed us this speckled lettuce that matures in half the time, so we bought some and think that Mr Oopsy will love it!

There were three different types of Basil to choose from. We purchased 2 out of the three, both verities seen here.

When we got home again, we let MrOopsy nibble some carrot greens that we planted. We buy mostly organic foods, so when we get organic carrots and they have some of the greens intact on the top, I “pot” them to get the greens to grow again so we can eat them in salads.

They ARE edible and are highly nutritive, rich in protein, minerals and vitamins. The tops of the carrots are loaded with potassium which can make them bitter, so the use of them in food is limited. The leaves do have antiseptic qualities and can be juiced and used as a mouthwash.

A simple use of them is to mix some in with a mixed green salad, or add to coleslaw. You may also use it for garnish. Combine your common sense and your creative skills, and invent something! That's what makes cooking fun. It is a form of art.  Carrot greens are high in vitamin K, which is lacking in the carrot itself.

Carrot tops are an outstanding source of chlorophyll, the green pigment that studies have shown to combat the growth of tumours. Chlorophyll contains cleansing properties that purify the blood, lymph nodes, and adrenal glands. Scientists have been unable to synthesize chlorophyll in the laboratory, but green plant foods contain sufficient quantities to protect the human body.

The leaves do contain furocoumarins that may cause allergic contact dermatitis from the leaves, especially when wet. Later exposure to the sun may cause mild photodermatitis. (This is NOT the same as 'poisonous' - it will only affect susceptible people with allergies to the plant. Some people have the same reaction to yarrow, ragwort, chamomile etc.)

There is a distinct difference between toxins and allergens. Carrots (Daucus carota), whether wild or domesticated, are not toxic, they are allergenic. This is like peanuts, which are not toxic but can kill those who are allergic to them.

Some eating suggestions:

Decorate a pate with it, and glace it with aspic.

What about a "carrot top pesto vinaigrette"? You can hide the bitterness under the tangy vinegar, and sweeten it slightly with some honey.

Carrot greens cooked in butter, with a little garlic or smoked bacon you don't know what you are missing!

Try sautéing the chopped carrot tops lightly in olive oil with garlic and onion. Then add other garden-grown veggies (the carrots themselves, zucchini, tomato, peppers, fresh herbs), sauté some more, then fold the entire garden mish-mash inside a whole wheat tortilla, brown it, and call it a quesadilla. Truly a great vegan treat, and the carrot tops gave a nice crunchy texture.

It is a delightful garden feast. I recommend adding your carrot tops to other things you may already have simmering on the stove.

Carrot Top Soup Recipe

6 small to medium carrots with tops and roots
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white rice
2 large leeks, white parts only
2 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons chopped dill, parsley, or celery leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water
Pull or pluck the lacy leaves of the carrot greens off their stems. You should have between 2-3 cups, loosely packed. Wash, then chop finely. Grate the carrots or, if you want a more refined-looking soup, finely chop them. Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the carrot tops and carrots, rice, leeks, thyme, and dill. Cook for several minutes, turning everything a few times, then season with 1 1/2 teaspoons slat and add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rice is cooked, 16-18 minutes. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and serve.

Carrot Top Juice (8 oz serving, number of servings: 1)

Ingredients  - 4 carrots, 1 beet with greens

Directions - juice carrots and beets together
 

Carrot Top and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

  600ml/1 pint vegetarian stock

  ½  onion, peeled, chopped

  2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped

  1 bunch green carrot tops, chopped

  1 star anise

  ½ potato, peeled, chopped

  salt and freshly ground black pepper

   1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

Preparation method:

Pour the stock into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil and add the onion, garlic, carrot tops, star anise and potato. Season to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the potato is tender. Remove the star anise. Roughly blend the remaining mixture with a  blender.

Top with a tsp of Dijon mustard, if desired. 

Carrot Top Tea

This is such an unbelievably delicious drink and great for detoxifying and strengthening the kidneys. Excellent for anyone suffering from urinary complaints.

Take a handful of carrot leaves (home grown are always best but shop bought carrots can be used as long as you thoroughly wash then to remove any chemical residues), tear them up and put them in a tea pot. Pour over boiling water and leave to steep until the tea is cold. Strain to remove the leaves and put them on the compost heap, then place the tea in the fridge to chill. It will last well for about 3 days if it hasn't all been drunk before then.
Carrots store best with their tops removed so making tea from the leaves is an excellent use of resources. Young leaves can also be used in salads.

Carrot-top soup

Main Ingredient: Barley Whole Wheat Carrot Potatoes Pear, Yield: 6, Carrot-top soup ingredients, 1 c Black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, 1⁄2 c Dried split peas, 1⁄2 c Pearl barley, 3 qt water, 1 T Cold-pressed olive oil (or Use your favourite fat free Liquid), 1⁄2 large Onion chopped,  2 medium Carrots sliced, 4 Carrot tops (greens only Stems removed, chopped), 1 large Mustard greens chopped, 1 Leeks sliced, 1 c Green beans, broken into sections, 1 large Potato, unpeeled, diced, 1⁄2 Bay leaf, 1⁄4 t thyme, 1⁄4 t tarragon, 1⁄4 t Savory, 1 tsp Salt, 1 pinch Pepper.

Method:
1. In a large pot, place the black-eyed peas, split peas, pearl barley,=20 and water and simmer until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes.
2. In a skillet heat the olive oil (or other liquid).
3. Add the onions and saute, covered, 10 minutes or until the onions begin to brown.
4. Turn off the heat under the onions and pour about ½ c of the bean cooking water into the skillet and mix well.
5. When the beans are cooked, add the onions and all the other ingredients to the bean pot and cook another 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
6. Serve in large soup bowls with generous servings of fresh whole wheat or black bread.

 

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Carrot Green, Parsley & Hazelnut Pesto for Pasta
Great way to use up those carrot greens.
¾ cup hazelnuts (or mixture of hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts) 1/8 cup organic carrot leaves, chopped 1/8 cup organic parsley, chopped 1 clove garlic juice of 1 lemon ¼-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil ½ cup fresh-grated parmesan cheese generous pinch of sea salt.
Toast the nuts at 325ºF for a few minutes to bring out the flavour. In a food processor, puree the nuts, carrot leaves, parsley leaves, lemon juice and garlic.
Pour in cheese, salt, and olive oil, starting with ¼ cup. Blend, and increase olive oil if the pesto is too thick. Cook pasta (450g) until al dente, drain and toss with pesto while still hot



Tuesday 5 / 22 /12 We have spent the last week with my in laws visiting and in all the chaos of taking family photos, cooking for a larger group, finding activities for all of us to do and bringing our camper home from winter storage, I'm afraid MrOopsey spent a lot of time in my purse. Luckily for him, he didn't mind the constant jostling, but my “purse camera” has gone died and I am left with my larger, less portable camera. It takes great pictures but heavy. So now that the in laws are gone and my home is back to its normal (less clean) state, we invited Mr Oopsey to open up the “Book Plus” box from the library with us. This boxes theme is Reptiles & Amphibians. He made a few new friends.

Read a few books & learned all about frogs, toads, snakes, newts and lizards.

Then we went out to investigate our garden, since my husband told us that he saw a few toads while mowing the other day.

Sadly, the day after mothers day, we put Rusty to sleep. He had kidney failure and had gotten to the point that he couldn't eat or drink anymore. After thirteen years we said good-bye to our beloved friend and faithful companion. I miss him terribly, and the kids do too. My parents are away for vacation and we agreed to cat sit. So Dewey- the cat- has been a great help in healing our hearts, though I am not looking for ward to him going back home and our home being once again pet-less.