Fridge Door Project - Local Sorrel Drink

It's been awhile since I've posted an addition to my fridge door project. The problem hasn't been that I haven't been making anything, it's just that I'm still tweaking some of the things I have made. If you deem the newest jar of pickles too vinegar-y then you still have to finish them before making a new batch. Or at least that's how we roll.

Fortunately for you guys (and our taste buds) this one turned out pretty darn great the first time. I'd been trying to decide how to replace the sugar-y corn syrup sweetened juices in the fridge door. There's usually a bottle of cranberry and a bottle of pink grapefruit in there. We don't often drink either straight, but we'll mix in club soda to dilute them. I don't have a juicer nor did I want to start the habit of handing over a large percentage of our grocery budget to expensive fruit. Is fruit expensive everywhere? I always feel like it's crazy expensive here. And then wandering around at the Bordeaux Fair last weekend with my go-to local sorrel drink in my hand, I was all like duuuh! So I hightailed it over to the nearest stand with a pile of the dried red flowers and started asking questions. "A pound of flowers will make about two gallons of drink." "They're five dollars per pound." "It takes about ten minutes." "You add whatever spices you want."

Sold.

Half a pound of sorrel flowers came home with me that day.

Now, as well as I've been told, sorrel is a type of hibiscus but is not the pretty hibiscus flowers you always see in pictures and around the island. It is the same "hibiscus" that is in tea and other drinks, but they fool you by putting a picture of a more familiar flower on the label. That's how it has been explained to me. Seems like it's likely true because in my ten years I've never observed anyone cooking those pretty flowers straight off the bush in their front yard.

What I love about sorrel drink is that it's heavily spiced. It's the complete opposite of all the sweet fruit juices you normally associate with the Caribbean (pineapple, guava, mango). I might continue to play around with the spices in the future, but I was pretty happy with what I decided on for my first batch. Everyone I asked at the fair said cinnamon and cloves were a must. Allspice might be good too, but I didn't try it. Google tells me ginger is a staple of the Trinidadian version. I went with a stick of cinnamon, five cloves, and four strips of orange zest.

Tear the petals off of each flower (as you see above). You don't need the seeds, only the petals. They don't dye your fingers red as I was fearful they might. Fill a pot on the stove with water and drop in the spices. Bring it to a boil. Once it's boiled, drop in the petals and turn off the heat. It quickly goes from this:

To this:

Now you just let it sit and steep. I was originally told ten minutes but it was too weak for me at that point. I wound up letting it steep for twenty minutes, heating it back to a boil, and then steeping for another ten minutes. 

When you're satisfied with the taste, sweeten to your liking. Pour through a strainer and throw away the solids. Enjoy over ice! I definitely found that this tasted even better the next day but it was still great day of. Next time I may increase the amount of sorrel I put in to make it stronger and better to mix with club soda, but for now we're happily drinking it on it straight up.

Sorrel Drink

Locally on St Thomas you can buy sorrel at farmers markets and occasionally I see dried packages of them at Fruit Bowl. Elsewhere, check the international section of your grocery store. The Caribbean, Mexican, or African sections may have them dried in bags. Or you can just find them on Amazon.

The amount of sorrel you use per gallon of water is up to you. I started with 1/2lb and will probably increase it for my next batch for a stronger drink.

1/2lb-1lb sorrel flowers

1 gallon water

1 cinnamon stick

5 cloves

4 strips orange zest

sweetener of your choice (I used 3/4 c. fair trade sugar)

Pull the petals off of the flowers. Throw the seeds away. Put your spices in a pot with the water and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, turn off heat and add the sorrel petals. Cover and let stand 15 minutes. Taste and if drink is too weak, bring water to boil again, turn off heat, and allow stand another 15 minutes. Continue until flavor is to your liking. Add the sugar. Pour into a pitcher through a fine mesh strainer, discard solids, and serve over ice.

More from the Fridge Door Project:

- Dijon Mustard

- Italian Dressing

- Ketchup

Currently working on:

- Garlic Dill Pickles

- Tomato Jam (which I prefer over ketchup)

- Berry Jam

Bordeaux Cultural Fair and Farmers Market

This weekend we headed for the loooong (island speak for "20 minute") drive out to the west side of the St Thomas for the Cultural Fair and Farmers Market in Bordeaux. The Bordeaux Farmers Market isn't your typical hipster/small farmers gathering. It's a collective of mainly Rastafarian organic farmers who, one weekend a year, go all out to celebrate and share their culture, food, produce, crafts, natural medicines/remedies. There were even several drum lesson set-ups. This event draws looooads of white people. Seriously. Tons. Ask anyone on the island that has been. I like watching all the newbies try to figure out what each food stand is selling. The stands often don't offer menus or prices and the poor first-timer Stateside transplants can't understand a word the dreadlocked guy on the other side of the counter is saying. They end up ordering a styrofoam container of food through a serious of points, grunts, and brief unsure phrases like "that orange stuff" and "a fried thing-y." And a couple trying to order a meal together and share? Forget it. Relationships have ended over less. When one half of the couple didn't understand that just because she asked for soup doesn't mean she'll get it if she wasn't there at the exact time to earthenware pot comes off the hot rocks? And her failure means the other half of the couple is stuck eating some sort of lentil substance and a grey mystery food? Not that I know what that feels like first hand. Nope. I've got it under control.

This isn't to say the food isn't good. It's delicious. Love it. This year we feasted on eggplant, barbecued tofu, potatoes, and black eyed pea fritters (peas balls). And it's good to be shaken up and tossed out of your comfort zone. The fair is a typical island environment. We waited fifteen minutes for a mysteriously absent woman to return to her stand so that I could buy a bag of spirulina, and when I did she seemed annoyed that I was bothering her. But three or four stands down I bought sorrel (the flowers, not the greens) from a woman who patiently answered all my questions about how much I needed and how to make a traditional sorrel drink (recipe to come!). It's the island. Like I said, it's nice to be out of your comfort zone.

Although the weekend fair is only held once a year, the Bordeaux Farmers Market is twice a month on the first and third Sundays. There aren't as many vendors on regular weeks but there is almost always a variety of seasonal produce, stands selling honey, eggs, and vinegars, and the pumpkin soup guy. Oooooh, the pumpkin soup guy. Don't miss him. Trust me. He alone is worth the ridiculously long twenty minute drive.

Tie Dye Jeans, Yachts, and Iced Coffee

That's how I kicked off Saturday morning, grabbing iced coffee with Seth and some friends down in Yacht Haven and pretending to be rich and fancy. (By the way, two of our good friends are dating and her influence has started creeping into his apparel choices. He suddenly looks like a sharper and more put-together version of himself. I love when that happens to guys.)

Do you like that copper bracelet on the right? I bought it on an elementary school field trip to an indian reservation or burial ground or something. I'd say I was a downright cool fourth grader but that was around the same time I was having morning meltdowns because my mom said you couldn't wear royal blue sweatpants (of the elastic-at-the-ankles variety), matching sweatshirt, purple zebra print quilted high-tops, and four inch long chandelier earrings to school. I was told to either take off the earrings or switch the sweatpants for jeans. Obviously a tantrum inducing order. Obviously.

utility vest, Nola's Boutique; tee, American Apparel; tie dye jeans, Current/Elliott (via Twice); shoes, 80%20 (old, similar here); bag, BCBG; pearl and leather necklace, Nola's Boutique; gold necklace, gift; watch, Timex; braclets, old

So we wandered down behind Gucci to take these photos. And in case any of you guys accidentally got two Gucci Disco bags for Christmas and still have nooooo idea what to do with your extra one. (All those sleepless nights trying to figure out how to cope with two bags...) I like them. They're pretty. Problem solved.

On Where I've Been This Week...

Last weekend I was telling a new friend blah, blah, I blog three times a week, blah. Lies. (At least if you judge me by the past week.) But I have a good excuse. We have had a rotation of house guests spinning in and out of our home. At one point the guest room, office, and living room couch all had inhabitants. Our guest list contained people of both the work colleague and the good friend variety. So while there were meetings and times of heavy discussions about the toll working internationally can take on employees, brainstorming, and future development the time was also sprinkled with rugby, a St John hike, making good food, other people doing the dishes, softball, lots of beaches, the Patriots game, and reading a book in the shade while watching Seth & Co generally act like idiots. And no blogging. Sorry 'bout that.

My Love Affair With Spray Paint

It's bad, you guys. Somewhere along the line I learned that Rustoleum fixes everything. Ugly picture frames. Rusty mason jar lids. Hand-me-down patio furniture. Relationships. When my world is crumbling and caving in, Rustoleum is usually in the top three of things I turn to. You think I'm kidding? But oh no, joking I am not. Recently I've been having living room melt downs about the state of our coffee table. (I just cleaned it! How is it covered in crap already? What's wrong me me that I can't even keep my coffee table cleared off? How can I combat life's problems with a cluttered coffee table? It's too distracting!) Seth will hold me and let me cry for about 15 seconds, which is about all I need. Then I go on with my life.

Last month while visiting Boston we swung by IKEA. (Ok, no one swings by IKEA. We were there for a few hours and had lunch and tiny princess cakes.) In the deadly "put it all in your bag because it's only five dollars" section, I tried to convince Seth that we needed a tray to corral all the ridiculousness that ends up on our coffee table. His answer was that he'd never heard me mention wanting a tray before and too much princess cake combined with hour three of IKEA overwhelming-ness had me convinced I needed everything. But he told me if I really wanted a tray I could use the surfboard tray he picked out during wedding gift returns. The one that has now been sitting unused in a closet for seven years. (We don't surf. And even if we did I don't think we'd need to tell our friends about our new hobby via a surfboard tray. My guess is we could just tell them using our words.) Only if I can paint it and removed the surfboards, I said. And we reached an agreement.

So last weekend I drug the dusty surfboard out of it's seven year exile. I'm not even positive I'm going to keep it white. I was just so excited to organized the coffee table that I went with what I had.

And I love it. As you can see, another living room staple got an update too. Spray paint is like an addiction. Once you start spraying stuff you see all the other items that need updating. Plus it's a a pain to pull out our drop cloth so I try to get it all done at once. The only thing that kept me from painting our paper towel holder and tape dispenser was the rain that moved in. And the key to not having something look spray painted is cleaning it well before painting (no dust) and to spray several thin layers, allowing drying time in between. Don't try to get it all covered on the first or second go round because then you get drips.

And the tray is doing a great job, pullings it's weight as a member of this family by containing the coasters, candles, books, and electronics that usually get tossed haphazardly all over the table. Seth wondered aloud if the people who gave that chip and dip bowl to my parents as a wedding gift back in the 70s ever imagined it might be used as a cell phone and tiny digital musical device holder. Probably not. Unless they watched a lot of sci-fi movies.

Now, go forth and spray paint. The weekend awaits you. You'll be surprised how exhilarating it is. Nothing says empowerment like deciding the generic box store paper towel holder should be red, and making it so.

A Jeans and Tee Alternative - Stripes, Cargos, and Jelly Shoes

One outfit to take me through two coffee meetings in Frenchtown and Yacht Haven, a quick grocery/post office trip, re-organizing my home office, and dinner with friends in the evening. That's what a recent day called for. I really wasn't in the mood to change clothes three times. What's a girl to do? This:

sweater, H&M (oooold, like London two years ago old); cargo skinnies, Free People (via Twice, similar here); sunglasses, Ray Ban; bag, BCBG (old); jelly shoes, thrifted; watch, Timex; necklace, RJ Graziano (from St Thomas Humane Society Boutique); bracelet, vintage;

A great alternative on a day when jeans and a t-shirt wasn't appealing. It was on and off rainy as well. Here was the thought process behind what I threw on that morning. Sunglasses in a classic shape. I grabbed my wayfarers here. Stripes work with basically anything and as a lightweight sweater they can look more put together than just a plain tee.

Easy vintage jewelry I could just throw on. I was in such a rush I forgot to grab my earrings. 

Having a pair of neutral non-jeans I can grab fast helps me dress and and go on mornings that I'm not feeling jeans or tailored pants. My skinny cargos have been a go-to jeans alternative lately. I've also got a pair of grey tie-dye jeans that I've been loving but they were in the laundry hamper. It's about time to replace this purse, yes? I'm keeping my eye open for another snakeskin print tote. This one was linen from BCBG two summers ago. I've used it far more frequently than I thought I would. I think I'll retire it to beach bag status when I find model 2.0. 

And jellies. Oh, my jelly shoes. How I love them. 

Jellies are my new favorite obsession. I first re-remembered them when I saw a pile of shoe boxes covered in dust a few months ago at our St Thomas Cash and Carry out at Four Winds. (I think I was there to get a fish bowl and a rug. Or maybe an apple peeler and a table shaped like bananas. You can get it all at Cash and Carry. And they take credit cards. Go figure.) This pile of shoe boxes held grown-up sized jellies that looked left over from 1984, judging by the layer of dust on the shoes. They were uncomfortable and not well made (designs were badly cut out and also discolored) but my little-girl-me shoe of choice has been on my mind ever since. When I found a brand new pair at a thrift store in Boston last month I snatched them up. $3.99? Um, yep!

I did a quick online search to hopefully provide you with a few pairs. Apparently jellies are only carried by our island Cash and Carry and designers. Crazy. Not sure what happened to the cheap drug store variety of my childhood. But if you're in the mood for some $100+ jellies, my favorites are here, here, and here.

Hopefully the trickle down effect will happen and jellies will soon be readily available at a Target or gas station near you!

2013, I'll Be There In A Sec

Our feet have been firmly planted on St Thomas soil for about a week, but as you can see by the picture above I'm still hanging on to winter. The morning after a snow we drove into Boston to meet someone. A 30 minute drive through that snowy serenity. And then a five minute frustrated shout session in the car because I typed our destination address into my phone incorrectly and had Seth driving in circles around Cambridge. Gotta keep if real here. We've all been there. It's cool.

So as I try and hang on to our wintery December, 2013 is currently storming onward. I never thought I was a resolution girl. I used to pride myself on saying I didn't make resolutions but I don't think that's true anymore. A few Januaries ago I said no more flip-flops and it stuck. Another January I committed to wear more red lipstick during both day and night. Now it's a common addition. So I guess resolutions aren't the worst.

So 2013, here's what we'll try to do together:

1. Burn more candles. Good ones. I want a home that smells warm and inviting, even when I'm the only one home.
2. Learn to sew. When I was about eight I got a Girl Scout badge for it. To earn it I sewed a white vest and then puff painted flowers and butterflies all over it. I want to do more of that.
3. Continue developing this space. I'm having fun here. I love sharing the things I enjoy with those out there interested enough to read about them. Being featured on Lucky Magazine's site this week was fun affirmation that just doing things I love is enough to inspire others. I'm hoping for more of that.

That's it. I feel like a short list is best. Accomplishable. I'm sure I'll add things along the way. A couple months ago I started playing the guitar. That wasn't something I would have foreseen in January 2012, but it happened. And all the eat right, work out more, read more books, watch less tv, yada yada. Those aren't resolutions. Those are necessities for a healthy life and I'm always striving to improve in those areas.

What about you? Any great resolutions you've made this year or in a past year?