"Anna was a lovely bride, but Anna, damn 'er, up and died."

The golden-colored Anadama bread is a specialty of New England that is always made with cornmeal and molasses. Many cookbooks relate stories about the origins of its unusual name. One being the quote above that was supposedly on Anna’s tombstone. I like this one best, only because it reminds me of an epitaph on the tombstone of B. P. Roberts, a notorious hypochondriac, in one of our favorite places, Key West. “I told you I was sick.” I’m drifting slightly here because our annual trip to Key West is only 12 days away.

Anyway, Anadama bread has been around a least since 1850. According to Wikipedia, it is thought it came from the local fishing community in Rockport MA. but it may have come through the Finnish Community of local stone cutters. During the turn of the century around 1900 it was baked by a man named Baker Knowlton on King Street and delivered in a horse-drawn cart to households in Rockport by men in blue smocks.

I modified a recipe from “The Original King Arthur Flour Cookbook” using my active sourdough starter. Wow, when baking, this bread smells amazing and lingers in the house for a while. It’s great toasted for breakfast and I don’t expect it to hang around for very long.

Thanks to Michelle for suggesting this historical challenge.

Public Art

P.A.I.N.T. Producing Art in Neighborhoods Together

Saturday we had the installation of some public art that was sponsored by The Center for Neighborhoods and designed for our community garden. The artists, David Bibelhauser and Lauren Argo, came to the garden and invited the gardeners, neighbors, and friends to help assemble two geodesic domes. The domes were designed to complement the garden and to show that connected we are all strong. Each piece of the dome supports a part of the whole structure’s weight. If just one piece weakens or is removed, the entire structure becomes unstable.

The day started with the installation of the dome on the lower part of the garden. This dome will eventually be covered with trumpet vines.

Throughout the day, there were workshops on composting, bee keeping, creating a community garden, and harvesting rain water.

For lunch, The San Diego Sandwich Works food truck offered great sandwiches and soup. MJOL and I had the La Jolla wrap. It was so tasty and they even substituted Havarti Cheese for me. Maybe because I said I could eat my weight in that cheese? While talking to the owners they invited me on the truck. Heaven! Cause you know I’m fascinated by food trucks. The truck has been totally redone and the electrical can run on quiet batteries instead of not so quiet generators.  Totally plumbed by a master plumber and up to code. Totally cool.

The Mayor, Greg Fischer, stopped by and helped plant some of the vines for the lower dome, and took our electric goat for a spin.

Then the installation of the upper dome started in the afternoon. This dome has painted canvas panels, with colors taken from the garden logo, to provide shade. When the dome was finished it was dedicated by our Councilperson, Tina Ward Pugh. A beautiful fall day.

Food Truck Round Up

Last night MJOL and I hopped on down to the First Friday Trolley Hop. Mainly because we knew that there would be food trucks at the Main Street Garden. Now, given the chance, in a former life, I would be a food truck chef. They fascinate me. Don’t know why, but serving gourmet food out of a truck..could be fun.

 We decided to partake of Lil Cheezers. We both ordered the Caprese.  Mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, balsamic reduction and a little garlic, served on wheatberry bread. It was so very tasty. Alongside was a homemade curried catsup that I really enjoyed, sweet, a little spicy..yum. (MJOL was not such a fan.) The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the potatoes that came with. They were a little greasy, soggy and lukewarm. Could have left them off and it would have been fine. But, the sandwich made up for that. I was licking my fingers!

 Holy Mole truck was there,

along with Mozza Pi

and the San Diego Sandwich Works.

It was a beautiful evening and after eating we walked along Market Street and enjoyed all the festivities. We visited the Bodega, which was hopping at the hop, what a great place and we plan to return there soon. We watched a glass blowing and forming exhibition at Flamerun that was way cool. The artists made a large apple. We strolled past the Garage, man that place was jumping, and then stopped by the Fairness table to chat with Chris for a minute.

Bellies full and minds expanded we made our way home to get rested up for our Community Garden Harvest Festival happening this Sunday.

It was a great Friday night.