Lizzy & Chad: Uprooted: The Many Ways to Cook a Snapper

I buried a fish in the future corn bed today. I do hope that it's corn that you're supposed to bury a fish with. If it's not, we have enough to bury in all of the garden beds! Ever since Chad discovered how much he loves fishing a couple of months ago we've had an abundant supply of fresh fish. While Chad's out getting his hunter gatherer on, I come up with different ways to cook snapper. So far we've had fried snapper fillets, grilled snapper, baked snapper, smoked snapper, snapper soup, snapper curry, snapper tacos, and multiple variations of fried fish cakes.

While I think Chad's a little tired of eating fish, I can't get enough of it. And of course I always love a good kitchen challenge. I think next we're going to have it sushi style! Unfortunately, the freezer can't handle anymore fish stock, but even so, nothing goes to waste around here. The chickens are given first choice on the carcases and the rest go into the compost pile. Chad and I have debated whether or not this is a good idea, given the rats, the dog, the smell, but I just can't pass up an opportunity to add all of that good stuff to the garden once it breaks down.

In addition to catching fish to liven up our meals, we've also been taking advantage of the oysters and mussels that inhabit the beach nearby. I love handing a hammer and a bucket to our wwoofers and saying "It's low tide. Let's go collect lunch!"

Luffas

The vegetable garden is coming along. We've been munching on plenty of salad greens, sugar snap peas, kale, chard, radishes, broccoli, spring onions, leeks, carrots, and asparagus. The tomatoes and peppers are sprouting in the greenhouse and I think I even saw an okra sprout today! At least I think it's okra. I've never seen okra growing before. Even more exciting than the okra, though, is the luffa that is sprouting. Luffa, as in the bath sponge. I'm growing bath sponges. It's going to be a hit. Too bad that by the time they're ready to use we won't have enough water to actually take baths.

The plum trees are beginning to blossom and as long as the wind isn't blowing rotting fish smell your direction the orchard is heavenly to walk through. Chad and I, with help from our wwoofers, recently added two almonds, two pistachios, four macadamia nuts, a walnut, two pears, a peach, an apricot, and a plum to the orchard. We also planted two grape vines along the garden fence. We've been so happy to see that the sad looking twigs we put in the ground last month are now beginning to show signs of life. The grapes, especially, show visible growth each day.

When we're not working in the garden we entertain ourselves by...