Great-Granny's Pound Cake

This has been a week full of celebration.  My birthday and my son's birthday fall just two days apart during this beautiful season of azaleas and dogwoods.  We both always want the same cake, so we often celebrate with it on the day between our birthdays.



The cake we both love so much is from a recipe my great-grandmother (for whom I was named) brought over from England when she immigrated.  Her daughter made it often, her granddaughter made it often, I make it often, and now my son can help continue the tradition.

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 Great-Granny's Pound Cake

3 cups sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
6 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, zested and juiced

1. Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature.

2. Prepare a tube pan or a bundt pan by greasing it with butter.  Sprinkle flour in the pan and shake to distribute.  Dump out any remaining flour.

3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and smooth.  A good stand mixer makes this process much easier, but you can do it with a hand egg beater if you are patient and strong.

4.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat them in well.

5.  Mix in the lemon zest and lemon juice.

6.  Alternately add a little flour and a little cream and mix until all is incorporated.  Don't overbeat.

7.  Pour into the prepared cake mold, using a rubber spatula to get every last bit.

8.  Put the pan into a cold oven and set the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook for 90 minutes or until it is golden brown and smells heavenly.

9.  Let it cool a bit, if you can wait--especially if you're putting wax candles in, which will melt into the cake otherwise!

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One of the tricks that makes this cake turn out so well is to use cream, butter, and eggs from grassfed animals.  I know those are the only things my great-grandmother had access to, but it means making a decision these days.  Going grass-fed means this gastronomical splurge is a bit better for you since these ingredients will be higher in vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, and conjugated linoleic acid than conventional eggs and dairy would be.  (You're also reducing the chance of food poisioning if you lick the delicious batter from the bowl!)

Maple Sugaring

Early spring is the time when the sap starts running in the trees. While we were at farm camp a few weeks ago, the children had the opportunity to collect maple sap to make syrup and other maple products.



In order to express their appreciation of the gifts of the trees, the children hiked into the woods and formed a circle under the trees.  They joined with others to read poems and say blessings...



...and sing songs together.



The sap was poured into vats and fires were stoked underneath.



With the hours boiling over the fire, water in the sap slowly evaporated and the liquid got thicker, more viscous, and sweet as the sugar concentrated.



Ten gallons of sap makes only about one quart of syrup.

On the last day at camp, we had a feast of whole-wheat pancakes, which we soaked with the glorious maple syrup we had helped make. Its wonderful sweetness was magnified for us by our participation in the process.

Chicken Whisperers

And one escapes all this loving attention:

Playground with Cows

After all the hours in the car driving up to New York state, the kids in the homeschooling group were ready to brave the rainy day and let off a little energy.  They were all thrilled to see a space at the farm all set up for a little boisterous play.  And the children loved the proximity of their playground to the cows' playspace:



They paused in their play to watch the cows begin their afternoon parade to the barn for a little hay:





How wonderful when the calves came onto the playground to play with the human kids!





Mamas were both watchful and patient:



(to be continued)

Growing

My family spent the last week living on a dairy farm in New York state--chaperoning twelve homeschooled children at farm camp. It was an amazing, exhausting week full of both laughter and tears, stress and quiet peace.

The biodynamic farm we visited is the same farm that Colin Beavan ("No Impact Man") visited with his family. Although it was the first time David and I had been up there, it was the third year of camp for many of the children.

In the next few posts, I'll talk more about some of the incredible things we got to do and see.

Today I'll leave you with a few observations about what went on in my own head during those times we were acting as chaperones:

1. I was flooded with memories of the deep pain of homesickness I experienced when I first went to camp when I was a child.

2. I was overwhelmed by the intense memories of how cruel and exclusionary I was (usually unintentionally) when I was eleven years old.

3. I was surprised that the boys, still physically immature, were far more modest than the girls, many of whom are beginning to develop.

4. I was much more aware of the weather's effect on our attitudes and behaviors than I am at home in our suburban world, full of inside activities to blunt the connection with nature.

5. I was very amused to watch the entire group of children embrace whatever chores they were offered, even chores they complain about at home. All were eager to help in any way they could, whether it was taking out compost, beating rugs, or washing dishes. At the end of the week as we said our goodbyes, I invited any of them to come to help at our house whenever they were missing camp!

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It is good to be home--back to the beginning of sprouting radishes and arugula in our backyard, back to our own beds and pillows, back to our usual routines. But spending this spring week in a place of such obvious rebirth and growth emphasizes to me how important it is to remember our connections to the land and to each other.

More details about the farm to follow in the coming days.