The Quitter book is moving along, mostly as planned.

I have been spending a lot of time learning how to use Adobe InDesign CS3. I have been figuring out how to do the Quitter book layout on my own, but I’m finding that I might need to call in some outside help on this. I understand how it all works; it just isn’t working the way it is supposed to. I’m used to the old PageMaker platform that I have used since 1997. CS3 is really different in good and bad ways.

The good news is that Nathaniel sent me the final watercolor book cover. I am working with it in Photoshop in order to get all the publishers requirements met. The cover is amazing, but I won’t give away the details. It is exactly what I was looking for even though I provided no guidance. The first idea is usually the best idea…

The inside illustrations are a few weeks away from being finished and scanned. This pretty much means that the completed layout is about five weeks from completion. This assumes that I actually finish writing everything that needs to be written in that time frame. I read the guts of Quitter #5 aloud to Kristin a few nights ago. Traditionally this means one last edit before printing. Traditionally…

I’m getting close, and I can’t wait to actually hold the book in my hands.

I used to make the best vegan seitan stew, modified from several recipes I used to use for regular beef stew.

Now that I am back to being an omnivore, I was looking to make a more seasonal stew using local meat. The store started carrying stew beef from Nooherooka Natural farm (90 miles) and I have a bunch of carrots, leeks and cabbage from Robb’s fall CSA. I have never used cabbage in the stew before.

1 - Brown one pound of stew beef in a little oil or bacon grease.

2 - Add several leeks, a few cloves of garlic, two teaspoons of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika (if you have it), 1/4 teaspoon pepper (again, if you have it), four cups of water and a bay leaf.

3 - Bring the mixture just to boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for thirty minutes.

4 - Stir in lots of carrots, potatoes, green beans and a few cups of shredded cabbage. You can add pretty much any vegetable that is in season or anything you have frozen including corn, celery and peas.

5 - Add a quarter cup of rice, return to a boil.

6 - Reduce heat and simmer for another thirty minutes or so or until all the vegetables are tender.

7 - Remove the bay leaf.

8 - In a jar, combine a half cup of water with a quarter cup of flour. Shake the mixture until it is combined.

9 - Add the flour and water mixture to the stew. Cook and stir until thickened.

10 - Season to taste with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper or whatever you like. Enjoy with a few slices of hot no knead sourdough bread.

About a month ago, the Tidal Creek newsletter started showing up in co-op owners’ mailboxes. Included in the newsletter was the press release about the Co-op Month contest as well as a reprint of my post on foraging pecans.

The pecan post generated the most comments out of any here on Cricket Bread (so far). During the first week the newsletter was out I was stopped in the store at least a few times every day just to talk about the articles.

Folks want to talk to me about the project, share a story about their experiences with food or offer some thanks on getting them to think differently about what they eat. These conversations are invariably short, and I am usually putting out fruit and vegetable stock when they spot me.

But I sense that these conversations are valuable in that I make this project approachable, tangible and human.

Most of the folks who come up to me have never said much to me besides the usual pleasantries. Those who know me know that, despite how much I like to share myself through writing, I am not a talker in person. I think this frustrates some people who might think they are going to get a great story out of me - you know, about the time I wrestled a deer to the ground and ate its liver or something like that. I hate to disappoint. I will offer up advice on farms, what is in season, how to cook what and so on in conversation, but I tend to do better with stories when I write them down or when I am with close friends.

All this said, I would like to get more comments here on the blog and get more back and forth going. I check the stats; I know ya’ll are visiting and spending a lot of time reading what I have to say, but I would like to know what you think about what I’m saying. Book, blog and website suggestions are also welcome as I tend to get focused on certain things and miss out on the million other things out there…

A couple of days ago I was biking to work when a rare morning thunderstorm came in. I always carry my rain gear, so I was good for being dry. It is the lightning that bothers me. I was out there on the street with no cover, pedaling into the wind and rain at pathetic speeds as the flashes of light and thunder moved closer together.

When it started to get really harsh, a piece of lightning came very close to the corner that I was rounding, illuminating me and a morning jogger. As the jogger and I passed each other, I felt the inevitable thoughts that each of us was crazy for being out in this stuff, whatever the reason. Then she yelled out “Good luck not dying!”, and I was shaken into a fit of speed that pushed my legs and breath and concentration into full on fury.

It was great advice from one idiot to another, out in a brutal winter storm, cold wet faces blinking at each other for just an instant. Now those four words continue to echo and roll and rhyme in my head days later.

I recently celebrated my thirty-fourth birthday, not much of a milestone but still proof that I actually am having pretty good luck not dying. And I plan to keep that up.