Rampaging

I just finished putting up several more quarts of ramps, some pickled, others experimentally confited (cooked in butter, then jarred with enough butter to cover). The pickled ramps are nice, but they taste like pickles - very garlicky, spicy pickles. Hopefully by preserving in butter they will retain that sweet oniony taste. My hope is to be able to save them until graduation in June, so my family can try ramps for the first time. Maybe they'll even make it back to Washington!

Ramp fever is sweeping over the CIA these days; on any given afternoon you will see dozens of students emerging from the woods with a pungent bag of these wild leeks. The dorm and lodge fridges are stuffed with grocery bags and garbage bags full, and half the kitchens reek - in a good way - of ramps. But it will be over all too soon, as they finish growing, die back, and flower. It's best to enjoy them while they last.



Natalie and I went riding again yesterday. It was the perfect day for it - warm, a nice breeze - on a good horse! My friends and I spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring the woods around school - and found some amazing old ruins. I'll post photos later.

Today was a good day, though we had a lot of prep to do - like every Monday. We did apple tarts for a small banquet of 22; tomorrow it's 40 souffles. And then 66 apple tarts on Wednesday.

I feel like a weakling for hardly posting anymore, but working in the restaurants is very draining - all I want to do is sleep. But, less than 10 weeks of school left!!!!