Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category

2 Aug

There’s No Place Like Home

Posted by Lynn in Garden, Local Food, Narrative. Tagged: , .

Recipe:Black Pepper Potatoes

Comfort food has been in high demand around here recently.  Prompted by our landlord unexpectedly putting this house on the market – July turned into a month of big decisions– stay or
go – and a lot of stress. For the first time ever, K.M. and I both completely forgot our wedding anniversary.

Right on cue, the garden started to produce potatoes: All Blue, Red Lakota, Yukon Gold and Red Lakotas. Mashed, fried, baked, and of course in the form of a fry –potatoes are reliable, easy to cook and acompliment to everything else on your plate.  Native to South America, the potato’s domestication dates back at least 7000 years.

Continue reading →

Advertisement

23 Jun

Moving Plants to Center Stage

Posted by Lynn in Books, Garden, Local Food, Narrative, Recipes. Tagged: , , .

Recipe: Cold Carrot Soup with Chilies and Avocados

The first time I tried vegetarian cooking, it was a trial by fire. My mother-in-law was coming to visit from India, and at that time was a full-fledged vegetarian.  This was in 1996, in East Central Illinois; a place where a grocery clerk once asked K.M. why he was buying fresh spinach, when you could “get that in a can.”

I had no idea what I was doing. We muddled through, eating a lot of pasta.  Eating out, in that time and place was nearly impossible.  People actually would say things like, “Well, it’s nearly vegetarian. You can pick the bacon out.”

Continue reading →

19 May

Garden Class Harvest: Arugula and Radishes

Posted by Lynn in Garden, Local Food. Tagged: , , .

Last night on the farm we picked arugula and radishes.

This morning, they made an outstanding breakfast with home-cured bacon, an egg and a touch of balsamic vinegar.

10 May

First Harvest: Rhubarb and Chives

Posted by Lynn in Garden, Local Food, Narrative, Nostalgia, Recipes. Tagged: , , .

Recipe: Rhubarb Chutney

I brought my first harvest home from garden class last week.  Chives and rhubarb – both planted by previous year’s classes – may not sound like much. But to me, it is a bounty and a harbinger of all that is to come. Expect to hear a lot more about the garden’s yield, between now and our last class in November.

Last spring, in Seattle, I joined a CSA and became a loyal farmer’s market shopper. I put a few raised beds in my front yard to grow salad greens, strawberries, peppers, tomatillos, and tomatoes. But I knew I wanted to do more.

Continue reading →

17 Jan

And Down Went My Uncle Sol*

Posted by Lynn in Books, Garden, Narrative. Tagged: , , , .

I added a new species to our menagerie last week. In retrospect, it’s very clear that  I just took another step towards micro-farming.  My new dependants aren’t cute or cuddly,  and unlike the chickens I hope to bring home one day, I have no plans to try clicker training with them.  But I’m totally smitten.

Run out of guesses? I’m talking about a half pound of Red Wiggler worms.  Their job is to eat as much of our food waste as they can; hopefully everything but meat and citrus fruit. Worm composting is an efficient way to keep your houseplants thriving and your food waste out of the landfill.

Continue reading →

%d bloggers like this: