Spring Slacker: falling behind on my garden

Those of us in Northern Colorado woke up to snow this morning. Heavy, wet, thick snow. The kind of snow that seriously puts a damper on my plans to wear my wrap dress tonight at the benefit (don't worry--I'm wearing it anyway! I'll just have to accessorize with a shoulder wrap--).

This weather also got me thinking about spring gardening (risky business in Colorado, if you haven't noticed...), and how I'm WAY behind on my planting. By this time last year I already had sprouts happily pushing out of the ground. I was also reading about the local food movement, researching CSA's in my area, and plotting for more garden space on the other side of my yard.

Alas, none of these good habits have transferred to this year. I haven't planted a seed or read anything about gardening.

In other words, I need a friendly reminder that in spite of the dreary weather, it really is time to get my hands in some dirt. Past time, in fact. So, in order to nurture some garden inspiration, I've decided to revisit a few posts from last spring, which I thought I'd share with you in case you missed them:

1. My Sprouts are Sprouting: my early-spring thoughts on the value of seeds. Maybe last year's enthusiasm will rub off on me this time around...

2. Feeding the Naysayers: why I think growing food is a good idea, even if my hubby has his doubts.

3. A Day at the Farm: last year's visit to my local CSA was so much fun! And even though I won't be joining this year (sadly, too much of my produce went to waste), I will be snatching up their goodies at the farmer's market!

Finally, for a little education viewing, I thought I would check out Food, Inc. Have any of you seen it already? If so, what were your thoughts?

Do you have any gardening plans for this year? Share about them by posting your comment below!

What a Tart

I promise this really isn't a cooking blog. Because honestly--there are a ton of those out there that are Way better than this! But since meal planning and cooking is a Huge part of everyday domestic life (and this is a blog about domesticity, after all), and I'm a bit camera happy when I cook, I thought I'd share about last night's dinner.

The meal: veggie & sausage tart with salad greens
The recipe: modified from September 09's issue of Real Simple magazine (I'd share the link but they don't have it up yet...)

I saw this dish over the weekend and knew immediately that I wanted to try it out. The basic filler consisted of zucchini (which we've been getting weekly from our local CSA), red potatoes and leeks (I substituted shallots) sauteed in olive oil.

Then I modified this meatless dish by adding one link of very tasty chicken sausage. It definitely boosted the flavor up a notch! I also substituted crumbled goat's cheese for the original feta the recipe called for, and loved the mild, salty flavor.

Then I made the pie crust using my handy dandy food processor.

Here's the tart before the oven...

And after... Ummm...look at that golden brown goodness.

I dished it up in wedges...

And served it with salad greens with vinaigrette.

It was a perfect summery dinner, and considerably healthier than the weekend's peach cobbler binge...

Have you tried any good recipes lately? Share them by posting your comment here!

Previous Related Posts:
Peach Cobbler
Feeding the Naysayers
Summer Weekends: Smores

Going to the Farm

I’ll be kicking off the first of many field trips this summer with a trip to the farm tomorrow! Not my farm, of course, but one of the local farms surrounding my town that offers community members shares of their annual crops.

A Farm First
Even though I was born and raised in an agricultural area (Northern Colorado), I have never actually toured a working farm here, so I am excited. They’ll even have an animal barnyard, although I probably won’t be elbowing the kids to get my hands on the pigs and lambs.

Drawing Me
What draws me most to the farm is hearing about the local food movement, and learning more about their crop-sharing program. After reading several books recently on the subject of growing food, agriculture and the like, I am eager to see the action in my town.

Plus, there will be food and drinks (we have A Lot of local micro-breweries), live music, and vendors. What could be more fun than that!?

Join Me, or Host Your Own Trip!
If you live close by, and are interested in joining me for the event, just email me for more information at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com. Or consider gathering up some of your friends for a tour/visit to a local farm near you!

And I’ll certainly be taking lots of note to share more during the “Plant Nerd” mini-series coming later this summer, so stay tuned for that, too!

Previous Related Posts & Links:
download a copy of June's other field trips!
visit Retro Summer's webpage for the latest updates!
Plant Nerds & Cookie-Cutters: a glance at the topics ahead
Oh How I Love a Good Field Trip