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This week, I’m so pleased to partner with Aunt Fannie’s on something special. Their products have no harsh chemicals, no hidden ingredients — just natural cleaning agents, held to the highest safety standards, for fresh-smelling, effective products you’ll love. I really love using them in my home and you will too.
Hello, I’m back and slowly reconnecting to the world.
I had the below written before I was struck down with appendicitis last week. Little did I know how much stranger the summer would get!
It’s been a funny summer and it’s not just me. Everyone I’ve spoken to has said “weird summer.” The weather has been fickle and I’m writing to you currently in jeans and a sweater over a sweatshirt. I’m ready to get back to Hudson, which is something I never say this early! I think I’m also ready to reenter my social life. The past year recovering from my knee replacement left me feeling very vulnerable in mind and body, but I believe I’m starting to get my footing again. How are you feeling?
Thank you all for your kind words and support, they really made me smile, which I needed. My friend Alice even popped by the hospital as I was being discharged to drop off some of her Garden Dal, which she made with some freshly dug potatoes, this summer’s garlic, celery, various green herbs and lentils. I do believe lentils have a healing quality. They are all I want when I’m recovering from anything. They are a salve to the soul.
I’m now home and recovering and need to take it easy for the next two months (I’ll work out again some day!), but other than that I’m very grateful to have been in such good hands here in Canada. I also was able to slow down and watch one of the most delightful shows I’ve seen in a long time called My Brilliant Career. It takes place during the year 1900 in Australia and follows the life of the free-spirited writer Sybylla Melvyn who breaks every society rule. It’s funny, romantic and has beautiful costumes. It made me miss my long hair and had me longing for high-necked blouses and my copy of Anne of Green Gables.
Onward! This week I’m so pleased to be sharing a recipe and video from Better at Home with you. It’s called Peas, Shoots and Leaves and I absolutely named it with purpose. It’s a simple and perfect salad to make right now and it comes together swiftly.
Take a peek below for the video (I sing again!) and the recipe after the jump.
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🧽 Cleaning With: Aunt Fannie’s Wood Wipes. Unlike most wipes, these are safe on wood. Chad is a fine wood worker and absolutely loves them. They’ve also come in quite handy this summer wiping down all the antique wood pieces that came with our cottage in Nova Scotia. Like all of Aunt Fannie’s products, they are plant based, biodegradable and smell zippy and bright. They are also safe around children and pets! I am a genuine fan of all their products and highly recommend them.
📚 A Fun End-of Summer Hudson Valley Event: On Thursday, August 27 from 5:30-7:30 pm, join The Department of Things at the Esopus Library for a fun, end of summer Hudson Valley screen printing pop-up event! These two organizations participate in @nyserda's #ExperienceCleanHeat initiative. Free totes, bookmarks, and more will be available to print. If you’re curious to learn more about @nyserda's #ExperienceCleanHeat initiative, take a peek at here. They are doing great work.
🎵🎵 Looking forward to: If you’ve ever been to Abby Rockefeller’s Churchtown Dairy Barn, you know how special it is. If you haven’t and are planning to come to Columbia County, please stop by. It’s like a cathedral, but it’s in the shape of a soaring round barn. Starting on Friday, 8/29 through Sunday, 9/6 they welcome back their Chamber Music Churchtown series. Artistic director and founder Wendy Sutter (a renowned cellist) chose this location for Chamber Music Churchtown as the acoustics are incredible and the environment is so magical. I am going on Friday, 9/4 to hear some Brahms and Beethoven and I couldn’t be more excited. You can get tickets here. It will be a nice way to land back in Hudson.
I do fear that giving away my penchant for Victorian clothing, Gibson girls, and classical music this week may have changed your opinion of me. But she is me. Nice to meet you.
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Peas, Shoots, and Leaves with Buttermilk and Feta Dressing
The truth is, I developed this recipe because I always wanted to call something by this name. She’s witty, eh? But this salad is also a bit of a showstopper. The tangy buttermilk and feta dressing is best tumbled with peak spring produce, and the snap peas offer a lovely counterbalance to its creaminess with their crunch. Serve it with whatever else you’re making for dinner and New Potatoes and Mint with Too Much Butter (page 235) alongside.
Serves 4
Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
3⁄4 cup (180 ml) whole buttermilk
2 1⁄2 ounces (70 g) crumbled feta cheese (preferably French if you can find it)
5 tablespoons (75 ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces (225 g) snap peas, cut on the bias
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
2 ounces (55 g) pea shoots
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons minced chives and/or blossoms, for scattering
2 tablespoons roughly chopped or torn fresh mint leaves
Flaky salt, for serving
Method
In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, feta, and 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice and season well with salt and a good few churns of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Set aside.
In another bowl, gently toss together the snap peas, scallions, and pea shoots with the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice and the olive oil. Season with salt.
To serve, transfer the dressing to a medium plate or platter, preferably with sides, and mound the snap pea mixture on top in the middle. Drizzle with some more olive oil and scatter with the chive blossoms and mint. Finish with a few pinches of flaky salt.
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Wishing you a sunny and not too humid rest of your week. I’m willing it myself!
With love,
Lu x
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