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!

A Fond Farewell

The time for saying goodbye to Retro Summer '09 has come at last. It has been, if I don't mind saying, a fabulous three months of cooking and gardening and sewing and enjoying the outdoors.

Here are a few of the highlights:


Baking with seasonal fruits...


Enjoying the best of summer picnic foods, like ribs and corn...


And indulging in desserts of all shapes and sizes.


Of course there was growing and harvesting fresh food from the garden...



And visiting the local farm animals hanging out in the shade...


There were a lot of summer projects, from handmade jewelry...


To handknit cardigans...

And summer dresses...

There were lots of summer flowers to be picked...

and enjoyed.

And, finally, there was of course the beautiful outdoors to explore.

And plant in...

And make campfire memories with.

Of course, even though summer is coming to an end, there is a fresh excitement in the air for the arrival of fall (one of my most favorite seasons). And I'm sure that even though the days will get colder and the flowers will fade, I'll still be baking and sewing and enjoying nature--and posting all about it here.

Starting next Monday with a new series.

So let's bid summer a fond farewell, and welcome a new season with open arms!

Hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Runt

Do you see these two tomatoes? Aren't they nice, all red and fresh? One of them is a roma I plucked directly from the veggie aisle at the grocery store. And the other, also a roma, I harvested directly from my backyard. Can you guess which is which?

If you guessed that the large beauty on the right was my homegrown prize, you'd be wrong. Dead wrong.

Because the tomato on the left, dwarfed in its shadow, is the one that I grew in my backyard. It is about the size of a large grape. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've eaten grapes that are bigger than that this week...

Is this tiny tomato an anomaly, you ask? Well...I can't say, because it is the only tomato that has decided to grace us with its presence this season.

Of course it was very, very tasty. That one bite that we had.

Very tasty.

But one bite may be all I get this summer.

Because apparently I've been carrying on from day to day completely unaware that I suffer from a severe tomato-growing deficiency. If it hadn't been for this small tomato, I would have never known.

We might not have caught it in time.

I'll keep you updated on my condition.

Previous Related Posts:
Veggie Revival
A Tale of Backyard Tomatoes
Feeding the Naysayers

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

A Tale of Backyard Tomatoes

Naturally when I was planning my veggie garden this year, I added tomatoes to the list. I mean, who doesn't want to grow and eat fresh tomatoes? They're arguably one of the best foods on the planet. And this year I had even upgraded my efforts by buying heirloom varieties, which are supposed to be superior in flavor to the standard hybridized types.

So here they are, in containers on the side of my house:


Don't they look happy? All verdant and full. Growing up tall and healthy.



Except for one thing....

Why don't they have any tomatoes? Why are they content to grow up towards the sky, and yet seem to disdain the thought of doing the actual work of growing fruit?

One--count it--one tomato is growing, and looks about as delectable as a lime-green marble.


I fertilize them often, and water them faithfully. Why are they so lazy?


And then there's this guy. Sad, sad tomato plant. I give it Exactly the same care as the other two. Does it look happy? No. Not at all. It is weeping over more and more daily. Like it has lost its will to live.


It is curling up to die.

As you can see, perhaps my dreams of making batches of homemade tomato sauce and piling my late summer sandwiches high to the sky with juicy goodness are just that--a dream.

Hopefully your tomato tales are better than mine--

Previous Related Posts:
Feeding the Naysayers
Slow & Steady
Ode to Peas

Feeding the Naysayers

My husband and I have had arguments about my little experiments in growing food. They go something like this:
him: you know you’re not saving money by doing this, right?
me: what do you mean? of course we’re saving money. Have you seen how much veggies cost these days?
him: yes. But you aren’t factoring in the water, soil, fertilizer and plant costs that are going into your little garden, are you?
me: well....no.
him: so long as you agree that this is just for fun and not practical. Because if you want efficiency and cost savings, you should just buy your produce at the store.
me: well aren’t you a party-pooper.


He, of course, has a point. It is more efficient for large-scale industrial farms to churn out food which is then harvested prematurely and hauled across the country in freight trucks. And yes, it is a very cheap way to eat. This is why, in a market-based system (propped up by giant farm subsidies...ahem), it has become the primary modus operatus for food. God bless efficiency!

However, I have to disagree with him when he says it isn’t practical to grow your own food. Because practicality should not only be measured in monetary savings (as many in the testosterone camp are inclined to do). So here are a few reasons why it is practical to have a veggie garden, party-pooping husbands excepting:

* it increases food security. We’ve become highly dependent on the big corporations that grow and deliver our food, but what if something were to happen to them? It is comforting to know that my yard can produce at least some sustenance if I need it in a pinch.

* it delivers more vitamins and minerals. Not only does homegrown food taste better (remarkably better!), but because the journey from ground to table is so short, those important nutrients that are in fruits and veggies don’t have an opportunity to deteriorate.

* it decreases our risk of contaminants and pathogens. With all the food scares lately, it is nice to know that the chances of something poisoning me from my own vegetable garden are significantly smaller than from commercial veggie sources.

* it is good for the soul (can you picture my husband rolling his eyes right now?). Seriously--getting out into the dirt, planting seeds, tending to their growth, and then eating their fruits, is very rewarding. It connects us to one of the most basic functions that defines human civilization: cultivating food. Thankfully we don’t have to strive as much as our ancestors did for this cultivation, but it feels good to strive a little. Sort of grounding in a way.

There are, of course, multiple other reasons why growing your own food is practical, but you get the picture.

As for my party-pooping husband--well, he loves the taste of freshly shelled peas, thank you very much.

Previous Related Posts:
My Sprouts are Sprouting!
Ode to Peas
How to Eat your Garden Peas (aka last night's dinner)

How to Eat your Garden Peas (aka last night’s dinner)

So naturally after harvesting a bowl full of peas yesterday, I had to find a way to eat them without carting my lazy bum to the grocery store.


Here are the steps I followed:
step one: scavenge your fridge for veggies & leftovers
step two: dig through your pantry for pasta
step three: select a cheese
step four: pick a sauce and/or seasoning
step five: put it all together


My steps looked like this last night:
* cooked 1 c. of orzo pasta according to package directions
* while pasta cooked, I chopped and sauteed some garlic and onion in a large skillet in olive oil until browned
* then I added chopped leftover rotisserie chicken & sliced grape tomatoes to mix until they warmed. next came the cooked orzo.
* then I dropped in 3 tbs. of pesto (I freeze my pesto into cubes and just toss them into dishes when I want to)
* the peas and Parmesan cheese came last as I stirred it all together until the Parmesan melted.
* Salt. Pepper. and Serve!

Previous Related Posts:
Ode to Peas
Three Day Weekend Scones
Doin' Nothing
**Visit Retro Summer's webpage to get the latest links, summer entertainment ideas, photos, and more!**

Ode to Peas

I’ve been waiting for them since April. Watching as they pushed their sprouts out of the ground, and started reaching up toward the sky. And then watched some more as they got so tall they pulled their trellis right out of the ground. Then one morning they were covered in blossoms--sweet white flowers promising things to come. And then suddenly, as if overnight, the peas were ready. Long, fat pods begging to be plucked and cracked open, revealing shiny emerald gems--green pearls for the taking.

And take I did, yesterday evening. Happily plucking and shucking and filling my bowl with crunchy peas. I could eat them like candy (oh...if only I did eat them instead of candy...). They’re perfect on salads and in pasta and in homemade chicken pot pie.



And they’re a perfect start to a new Retro Summer mini-series on growing food. Because you can’t have a theme devoted to the joys of summer without spending at least some time talking about the most important contribution of the season: food!

So the conversation begins with peas. As a child, the bulk of my pea-eating experience centered around the little squishy, soggy peas drained from cans. We used to eat them religiously with Spaghetti O’s, and they were actually one of my favorite veggies. I was, however, missing out on one of the best parts of summer peas: the crunch. And I suppose the crisp, sweet flavor. And also the vibrant green.

Okay, so maybe I missed a lot. Which is why I was eager to make up for lost time when I put my tiny pea seeds into the ground this spring. Needless to say, I'm not disappointed. Of course, not every veggie-growing experiment of mine is working as nicely this summer. But that is fodder for the days to come....

Until then, I'm happy to eat my peas.

What are your favorite garden veggies? Share your comments below!

Previous Retro Summer posts & links:
Look at more pictures and upload your own on Retro Summer's Flickr page!
My Community Staycation
Ode to Patios
A Day at the Farm

Farmer's Market Loot

I had a fabulous time at my local farmer's market yesterday afternoon, and thought I would share some photos of my loot.


First purchase was a bunch of fresh asparagus grown on a nearby farm. After having read earlier this spring about the Huge difference between fresh asparagus and the store-bought variety, I admit that I was more than curious to try it out. I asked the farmer at the stand when the skinny spears were harvested (because apparently they should be eaten as soon as possible for the best flavor), and was therefore pleased to learn that they were cut from their stalks less than 12 hours prior.

So I spent $5.00 (yes, I know that's a lot for produce) on my bunch and then promptly cut them into ribbons for pasta at dinner. So are the rumors true? Is fresh asparagus really that much better than store-bought? Absolutely Yes! Even my husband agreed, and he hates to agree about stuff like that. The spears were so crisp and fresh, with this wonderful earthy flavor. Would I spend $5.00 again for the experience? Definitely. Totally worth it. Even more so, I now have a hankering to plow some asparagus trenches and grow my own...



The next purchase was this locally made pasta. I can't even begin to tell you the sizes and shapes and flavors that were available from this pasta stand! Orzo, fettucine, linguine, etc. etc. in tomato basil or lemon sage or whole wheat. After deliberating for several minutes, I finally settled on some chipotle pasta for a little kick. And since the sellers conveniently printed recipes for us to take home, I enjoyed the pasta with some chipoltle cream sauce (I'll share more about that in a few weeks!).

For $4.25, it was pricey for pasta, but I thought it was a fun novelty. Will I buy it again? Probably not, since truthfully the sauce provided the real flavor. But it was definitely fun to try!

Finally, the bread you see was my last purchase. I hadn't intended to get anything from the local bakery shop, but one of the bakers caught me trying to leave and insisted that I try some samples first. I am So glad he did!

They had everything you could think of, including this amazing Asiago Sourdough that I almost stole right there. Talk about having a hard time deciding! I deliberated forever, asking for opinions and eating samples by the fistful. Finally I decided to go with a sweet bread perfect for breakfast. Which flavor, you ask? Only the most delightful lemony-choclaty bread Ever! Lemon White Chocoloate to be exact, which didn't sound appealing to me at all until I had a bite of it in my mouth. To. Die. For.

Needless to say, you can probably guess what I had for breakfast this morning... At $5.00 a loaf, it's way cheaper than drugs! I'll definitely have to get my fix next week!

Thus concludes the tales of my day at the farmer's market. If you haven't shopped one recently, I highly recommend it! Just remember these simple tips:
* bring your own bag
* bring cash, including smaller bills and quarters
* set a budget, and expect to pay more. The great food (stuff you would Never find at the grocer) is worth it!

note: this trip was part of my Retro Summer June calendar of field trips! Click here to download the calendar to join me on the next event!

A Day at the Farm

I can't think of a better field trip to kick off the summer than Saturday's trip to a local farm. There was lots of good food, fresh produce and dairy to purchase, animals to pet, and even a tour on an old yellow school bus! Below are a small selection of my favorite pictures from the day.


Lettuce, strawberries and rhubarb where the order of the day, as well as stacks and stacks of farm fresh eggs and even some exotic mushrooms. In addition to all of the wonderful food, there was plenty of informational material to stock up on covering a variety of topics like organic food, local farms and community supported agriculture.



Undoubtedly my favorite part of the day was visiting the chicken coops. Hundreds and hundreds of clucking hens roaming about was a sight to see! I got a half-dozen fresh eggs out of the tour, plus a few pecks on the toe.


Since this summer is all about nostalgia, I couldn't resist snapping some shots of iconic farm images, like this grain silo and the dusty rafters of an old barn. These images, plus the warm day and community atmosphere of the farm made me long for a simpler time. By the time the day was done, I was ready to don an apron and set to some canning. Or baking. Or hanging laundry in the sun. You know--farm stuff.

And after touring the acreage and seeing the produce, my friend and I couldn't resist signing up for a small farm share. So we'll be receiving 26 weeks worth of farm produce starting this month! I'm sure you'll get to hear a lot more about that in the weeks to come (like what we're going to do with all of the beets when early fall rolls around!)!


Previous Related posts & links:
Going to the Farm
Retro Summer on Flickr
Oh How I Do Love a Good Field Trip!

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

Summer Smarty Pants

Mental Break
One of the best things about summer is the opportunity to take a step back from the serious demands and issues influencing “adult life,” and enjoy some leisure. Soak up the sun. Read a novel by the pool (I’m working my way through number three already!). Catch a few mindless action flicks at the cinema.

Because the truth is that nobody really wants to think too hard in the summer. Least of all me.

the Bigger Picture
Nevertheless, I can’t in good conscience shelve the Smarty Pants column for an entire 12 weeks (smarty pants is a regular column here focused on current events and issues in our world). So I thought every once in awhile, I’d take some time to look at the bigger picture behind a few of the summer topics I’ll be posting about. So when we spend a few weeks talking about gardening and growing food, I’ll probably write about how the local food movement has grown in popularity over the past decade.

And during the weeks on customizing your home/apartment, I would love to discuss when tract housing become the norm for residential building (and how that has affected the way our communities function).

And when we dive into outdoor living, I’ll probably mention how the way we landscape our yards influences the environment and those around us.

Why the Effort?
Why go to all the effort? Because even the simple and recreational things that we do usually have greater significance in our communities than we realize. There is almost always a larger story to be told, and taking a few minutes to listen can be very rewarding.

Just a few minutes, of course. The rest of time I'll be soaking up sun and reading novels.

Previous Smarty Pants Posts:
Protecting Yourself against Fraud
Blame the Pigs
Avoiding Pitfalls