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Archive for the ‘Gardens’ Category
Monday, September 6th, 2010
It feels natural to be return to posting, but also a tad intimidating. I am back in Maine thinking about all those engaging sessions, gifted speakers, and super fun (I know the term “super fun” sounds childish, but it fits believe me) bloggers I met last weekend at the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC). The event was my first foray into the offline blogosphere.
A few of the people I met there are professional writers who have been published, but most of my blogger kinship are individuals like me who found blogging to be a place to voice authentic thoughts online. I am an amateur at writing and photography and this blog is a place where I can share places I love to visit, post recipes others have developed and I’ve tried and enjoyed… this is where I write about my musings. My personal space where you dear readers can visit as much or as little as you like. Of course, I am hoping for the former! This space continues to be a way for me to meet interesting people in other cities such as Los Angeles based Nathan of thechocolate0fmeats.com who graciously shared his knowledge of food trucks with me and Jen of userealbutter.com, who gave up programming for NASA to ski the Colorado Rockies and bake up a storm. *Note to Jen I’ll be baking that Caramel Cake odyssey you posted about some time back.
Before moving on to the photography seminar, food truck lunch, and oh yes goody bag I want to share a couple of uplifting resources I was introduced to at the conference.
Farmers Colin McCrate and Brad Halm, otherwise known as the Seattle Urban Farm Company, could well be your answer to sustainable food sourcing if you live in Seattle. McCrate and Halm will help design and install a ready-to-go organic vegetable garden for your backyard, and plan out a multi-year garden strategy including maintaining healthy soil and irrigation. After an initial garden installation, they will provide weekly maintenance and if you choose even harvest a weekly supply of fresh produce and flowers for you and your family!! Along the way, while tending to your garden, they will share their knowledge of organic growing with you.
Readers to Eaters is a Seattle based bookseller and publisher with a mission to promote food literacy from the ground up, so children and families can become active participants in their local food culture. They retail and publish books about food, and develop programs and events about our food system by partnering with farmers, gardeners, chefs, teachers, librarians, parents, organizations and communities. I am happy to report I supported them by purchasing a few books at their conference booth. Amy Penington’s Urban Pantry: Tips & Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable & Seasonal Kitchen is one I’ll be toting with me next weekend to share with my tomato canning companions.
Posted in Baked Goods, Books, Do Good, Epicurean Events, Gardens, Local Flavors, Travel | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
When I hear about a former warehouse with a rubble-strewn back lot and a mess of Japanese Knotweed being turned into a container garden with bee hives, a greenhouse, vertical garden and compost I think two things - doesn’t everyone dream of this and someone is doing it! Maine based entrepreneurs Eli Cayer and David Homa call it Urban Farm Fermentory.
Did I mention this sprung up in a mere three months?
Cayer and Homa’s unique vision could help (further) reinvigorate Portland’s Bayside neighborhood where UFF is based, while helping more people make smart, sustainable choices. As advocates for eating locally grown food they are turning waste into things that are sustainable, nutritious, and educational. By positive problem-solving and sharing resources with local producers, including one that produces kombucha, Urban Farm Fermentory will help preserve a way of life our Founding Fathers practiced and which some days seems to have almost been lost to food industrialization.
For starters they are offering classes Tuesdays 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at 200 Anderson Street in Portland Maine. $15 suggested donation. Phone 207.633.7406 for information and the class schedule.
Read all about UFF in this article.
Photo Avery Yale Kamila, Portland Press Herald.
Posted in Do Good, Gardens, Local Flavors, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Different people have varied opinions of what good food is. To me it is basic dishes with fresh and local ingredients. Thanks to a growing movement of people who want to minimize the distance their produce travels from field to table, fresh ingredients are often available via farmers’ markets, CSAs, and farm stands. Websites such as Local Harvest make it easy to locate them and so much more. That said, on this summer day I discovered not one! but two!! tomatoes growing in my backyard and began picking up goodies from my CSA. Okay, I may also have dropped by a local bookstore to pick up a paperback copy of this book so I can make some jam this weekend (between all that pleasure reading I hope to do). Life and food are good today.
Check out my little tomatoes!! The cucumber plants are completely out of control. In a few weeks I may well need to begin giving cucumbers away. Photos of those plants forthcoming, going to have to get out the macro lens for those babies.
Posted in Books, Gardens, Local Flavors, Portland Maine | No Comments »
Monday, June 21st, 2010
Today is the first official day of summer. Yay!!! Summers are short in Maine so I plan to make the most of every warm dry day. What fun things will you be doing this summer?
What I am most looking forward to doing this summer.
Evening walks and staring up at the stars (I love this year round).
Wearing bright summery dresses and my denim shorts.
Sipping margaritas and eating chips and salsa outside.
Reading in my backyard. At the top of my pile are Irene Nemirovsky’s Dimanche and Lost Trails, Lost Cities by Colonel P.H. Fawcett.
Standing up on a surfboard. (I will actually be content catching waves and not getting hit by the board again and again :)).
A weekend on Isle au Haut with friends. This pretty much involves eating, hiking, eating, biking, eating, star gazing. I feel it is my obligation as a guest to eat as many shrimp puffs and chocolate truffles as humanly possible. Wouldn’t you!?
Making pesto with the basil from my garden (I throw in parsley and walnuts). With any luck I can throw some of my backyard tomatoes in with the (homemade) pasta later this summer.
Digging my toes into the dirt.
A week in Midcoast Maine swimming in the lake and attending faculty slideshows at the Maine Media Workshops.
An overnight trip aboard the Schooner J. & E. Riggin where I will be surrounded by four of the people I love most in this world - as much for their genuine compassion as their zest for life - Annie, Jon and their absolutely magical daughters Chloe and Ella whose curiosity thankfully knows no bounds .
Top photo The Year in Pictures. Bottom photo by Elizabeth Poisson.
Posted in Friends, Gardens, Local Flavors, Midcoast Maine, Photography | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 12th, 2010
Margaret Atwood wrote “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” Oh, Margaret I do at least my hands do. A few weeks ago I started seeds for tomatoes, kitchen herbs, leeks, and salad mix in a little greenhouse on my front stoop. Sunday morning I opened up the greenhouse and found my lettuce coming along beautifully and other tiny greens slowly emerging from the soil. Once it warms up a bit more, probably in early or mid-May, I will start seeds for bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, and eggplant. About the same time I do this I will transplant my seedlings into large (also outside) containers.
Witnessing the life of these greens is inspiring, and the time and patience involved force me to slow down. Every tomato eaten off the vine, each radish dipped in salt I will have grown myself with love. This summer the foods I grow will be enjoyed with produce from the local farm where I am a CSA member, locally caught fish (unfortunately not by me though I am open to an invite to go!!), honey and goat cheese made by friends, and homemade jam.
Baby Mesculun Salad Paris Market Mix
French Baby Leeks (if you look really close you can see a tiny green sprout or two!!!)
French Rosemary and Italian Pesto Basil (tiny sprouts here and there)
Posted in Gardens, Local Flavors, Portland Maine | No Comments »
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