Produce & Popcorn Cakes - Special Treats!

Hola!

It's Tuesday. I had a pretty good day today, and we leave tomorrow for a district-wide inservice in another village, so it's a short week. It will be good to get out for a couple days and see some friends from other villages. I'm only worried that the good behavior I've seen this week will be forgotten over the four-day weekend. We shall see how it turns out!

This may sound silly, but I've been wanting to post about the subject of fresh produce. You see, it is something we do not take for granted here. The vegetables sold at the co-op only last a couple days (both at the store and on the counter) and they are fairly expensive. They will do in a pinch, but both variety and freshness are usually lacking.

Luckily, there is an organic farm in Bethel, and they will send a box of random vegetables for a fair price. We do not choose what they send; whatever is in season is what we get, which is kinda cool- it adds some mystery and anticipation to the whole ordeal. The last time we got one of these boxes, there was a special announcement over the intercom system at the end of the day: "Teachers, there is a box from Bethel. I repeat, a box from Bethel." This odd message was just cryptic enough to get me out of my classroom for a much-needed break.

When I got to the principal's office, where the highly anticipated box was sitting, untouched, there were about three other teachers in there. We waited for two more. It was almost ceremonious. We did not want to ruin the moment for anyone. As 4th-5th Teacher opened the box she'd ordered, Math Teacher gasped. He prodded at the lettuce that spilled out of the top as though he had never seen it before. My own eyes were nearly as big as saucers. I think my jaw even dropped a little. It was like we were looking at a newly discovered species. Or gold. (Take your pick.) We all looked at each other, thinking, "Is it real? Can I really have some of that? What should we do with it?" All of a sudden, the day was forgotten and our energy renewed by the thought of....a SALAD! I wish I had a picture of all of us crowding around the precious box, gazing in wonderment at its contents.

A rare salad before dinner. This was actually brought by our
mentor teacher, and we ate every last bit.

In addition to about three types of lettuce, the box contained kohlrabi, parsnips, potatoes, and beets. I'd never had kohlrabi or fresh parsnips before, but it was all good. Absolutely no complaints. We divided up the produce and went on our way. I never thought that getting a box of vegetables could make my day, but stranger things have surely happened.

OK, enough about veggies. For those of you who have been fortunate enough to enjoy my Grandma Ruby's popcorn cake, I hope this next section makes you proud. I've been meaning to master the art of crafting these delectable cakes, and I think I'm on my way. I hit a couple snafus, as evidenced below by the fact that the air popper cover blew off, throwing popcorn everywhere. You can laugh. I did. After cleaning up this mess, I set about making the caramel.

To make this addicting concoction, real cream is required, which is not available here. My mentor teacher brought some to me just for this purpose. I got to work, confident that I would remember exactly how to make the caramel from the times I had helped Grandma. 

No dice. As it boiled, I continued reading the directions: "Boil until soft ball stage." Huh?

I called Grandma in a panic because I had no clue how "boil[ing] until soft ball stage" would appear, nor do I have a fancy shmancy candy thermometer. Of course, it didn't occur to me to call her before I started boiling the stuff, so thank goodness she was home and answered the phone. Laughing, she talked me through it, and I'm sure she'd approve of how it tasted. Turns out it's not so hard to recognize, but I did call her just in time; "soft ball stage" doesn't take too long to reach. I also sustained a nasty burn on my forearm in the process, but it was worth it. I was due for another accidental self-inflicted scar, anyway. 

Here's the proof! So tasty. Didn't last long, and made another
for the last teacher potluck. 

Overall, it was a success. So, that's it for today! Thanks for all your encouragement and emails.  Keep 'em coming!