Video: The Story of the White House Garden

Okay I love the White House Garden too... but I do just want to call out Michelle Obama for looking so gosh darn glamorous while she's out in the garden in this video. I mean I get super dirty and fugly when I'm out gardening so I can't help but think that if you are looking that good working in the dirt, chances are good it's just a photo op.

Food For Thought: A Different View

"Meanwhile, Professor Pollan, eat all the "plants" you like -- but don't try to pry me from my Haagan-Dazs dark chocolate ice cream. I bought it at Safeway, and it's sitting on my IKEA kitchen table."

... so states Charlotte Allen in her Los Angeles Times OpEd that was published in Sunday's paper.

Here's the link to the entire opinion piece:

Keep your self-righteous fingers off my processed food

Truthfully I feel conflicted about Ms. Allen's piece, an opinion piece that critically evaluates a new book by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Shell's book "Cheap" (which I have not read, or actually even heard of until today) explores America's constant pursuit of the cheap commodity and the damages it causes to our society and environment.

Anyway, the piece is critical of the sustainable/local food movements and how these movements to some degree take for granted the availability of inexpensive food and commodities . I must say I do appreciate the availability of choice in our marketplace today (including my much loved and appreciated IKEA bookshelf and my closet full of Target and H&M wardrobe pieces) and though I can't say I fully agree with Charlotte Allen's point of view, I do think that it is a great way to continue the conversation about the way in which the sustainable/local/green food and commodity movement must learn to move beyond white middle and upper class America in order to be successful.

Farm Fresh Foods

What do you make with a daikon? Or fiddleheads? Or more importantly, how do I discern which "never before seen" vegetable in my CSA box IS the daikon?

Daikon: Why am I so unappetizing?

Sometimes...okay, almost every week...(but I'm getting better!) I have trouble identifying an uncommon vegetable from the box we receive from a local farm. And *sometimes* if I'm not sure what to make with the unnameable, I don't make anything at all...I toss it. (gasp!) It is definitely a tendency I have that I don't brag about and that Tyler has counseled me on a few times. I made a mid-year's resolution to stop wasting those unnameables: daikon, parsnip, mesclun, etc...

This morning, while flipping through radio stations I heard the word "daikon" and I stopped. Hmm, that root vegetable is being discussed on NPR. It must be important. So, I listened and discovered a great new program called "Farm Fresh Foods". It singles out a fruit or vegetable to discuss by sharing history, recipes, storage information and fun facts. I was happy to hear daikon is tasty when eaten fresh with miso paste or julienned for a salad of sesame oil, salt and pepper.

Maybe the daikon salad is delicious and I have no idea what I have been missing. And maybe not. But I won't know if I keep tossing them out just because I can't figure out what to do with the unnameables.

Thanks NPR for a fresh, new source on fruits and veggies
Marci

Family Gardening

It happens every time I visit my folks in Red Bluff. I arrive. I give hugs and kisses to parents and dog. I take a tour of the garden. I make comments on how lovely the garden looks and then, invariably, my parents tell me they have saved several garden "projects" just so they can do them with me. It makes me feel warm and special inside, actually. I appreciate their offer of spending time with them while doing manual labor to beautify their backyard and I know they appreciate my efforts several years ago to encourage them to transform a large plot of dirt into a garden sanctuary for them to enjoy whilst all their grown children are away. Let me tell you about the garden...

The garden project started about 20 years after we moved into the house. The previous 20 years were spent spraying weed killer multiple times a year on the future home of the garden to combat weeds that were taking over the plot of dried dirt. How dare they! Finally, as I was going to graduate from college in 2006 and I had been living with my parents the last semester, I decided it would be fun to have a garden party for a graduation celebration. However, we didn't have a garden. So, we mulled over the idea and began discussing plans for patio placement, raised vegetable beds and perennial choices. We didn't always agree, but we all did add some nice touches to the garden to make it our own. For instance:

Jeff had to have an artichoke plant. It is still coming back every year and now that my brother is away in the Air Force my parents always smile when they look out at the purple, blossoming artichoke and think of him.

My dad really wanted a meandering brick pathway. We did it and I think it looks pretty meandering.

My mom loves pansies and violets. Every spring they plant all the pots with the small, delicate flowers for her to enjoy.

I wanted ferns under the Redwood trees. We planted them and few months later they died. Boo. I also wanted berry bushes. And just this year my dad planted some blackberries. Yay.

It turned out to be great fun digging holes, pulling weeds, laying bricks, trimming trees, making numerous trips to Home Depot and the local nursery and planting vegetation with family.

My dad, mom, brother and I manually labored for about 2 full weekends and we transformed the dusty dirt plot into a colorful home for bees, butterflies, crazy bee chasing dogs and a tired family in need of some ice, cold lemonade to enjoy on the new patio under the Redwood tree.

Mom and dad keeping the garden growing.

I will always look back at that time we spent together as a family and see my brother and I becoming more of equals in our parents eyes, like we were hanging out as friends: sharing opinions, appreciating ideas, working together and enjoying each other. So, now when I return home for vacations and holidays I always know there will be a special, saved project for us to do together in the garden. I look forward to those times and realize family gardening is my favorite way of spending quality time with my parents.

View of winding brick walkway that leads to patio and passes Grandma's old bird feeder on the left.

Rex admiring the garden. Or he could be waiting intently for a throw of the ring.

Marci

P.S. I realized the before and after pictures of the garden are on my parents' computer, so next time I am home I am going to post them to the blog for more drama, you see.

Pesto on the porch

I also schlepped the ingredients out to the porch to take a nicely lit photo for this post, but I think it was worth it. :) In a recent CSA bountiful box o' vegetables we received a bunch of sweet, licorice smelling basil which made Tyler remark how he would love if I had basil perfume. Mmm. Anyways, we decided to make a big batch of basil pesto for dinner accompanied with some red wine and long lasting pesto breath that seemed to carry through into the next day. (A little less garlic next time, I think).

Pesto is at it's best when it is made with fresh, high quality ingredients. Which means I carefully removed the *special* olive oil from the cupboard, thoroughly cleaned the fresh picked basil and finely grated the supreme parmesan cheese. It sort of made me feel like I was prepping for an elegant evening. ;)

Don't they make a pretty family?

Let's get the pasta dressed already!

Basil Pesto Recipe (a la Marci)

3 handfuls of fresh basil

1/2 handful of pine nuts

1/2 handful of grated parmesan cheese (make extra if you like to sprinkle it on pasta)

1 clove of garlic

Pinch of salt

Squeeze of a lemon

Dollup of butter

Several drizzles of olive oil (around 1/2 cup)

Add garlic, pine nuts and salt to food processer, and blend. Next add 1/2 of basil and olive oil, blend and then add the rest until a smooth consistency. Lastly, take a squeeze at half a lemon, spoon in a dollup of butter and toss in the parmesan. Blend. Taste and add more salt, cheese or oil to your liking.
The pesto should be a nice, thick, but slightly runny consistency. Mix with angel hair pasta and top with extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I enjoyed mine on the lovely porch with a glass of pinot

I have made different basil recipes in the past, with various expansions and slightly different ingredients, but I feel it is the freshness and amount of each ingredient you add that makes the pesto your favorite recipe. So, I have skimmed back on the garlic and added more cheese than most recipes and in the end I always end up tossing in a little more of this or that to get it just right. Make it your own and you will always enjoy the meal.

Bon appetit!

Marci

"Where are they?" Oh, we went for little jog...

End of summer hiatus is over! I was busy being "teacher" this past month for a summer school class and just did not have enough energy to write and train for a 1/2 marathon at the same time. Yes, a half marathon. The "Tierra Rural" gals worked their little hineys out for the past several months and finished the short jaunt last Sunday at the America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego. Lila got a PR (personal record; yay!) and I finished my first half. And I am still recovering by sleeping a lot and eating junk food all day. Ahh, the joy of brutally running yourself to death one day and next stuffing your face with all and any yummy food in sight. Can't wait to run the next one!

Nervously smiling before the race.

We even had a Tierra Rural follower join the race with us...bf Tyler! So I felt we were well represented. :) I think I am going to do the half in Carlsbad in January too, but I promise I won't take off the next 4 months of life just to train.

We even got GOLD medals. And, yes, it is hanging in my room for all myself and Tyler to see.

While Lila was visiting we had a TR pow wow and redesigned the site to reflect our "trendy, gal pal" friendship we share. Our blog designer (it's Lila) did an awesome job creating a new layout and we even added a few tid bits about ourselves. Tah dah!

More summer events and ideas will be shared in the near future! I am happy to be back. :)

Marci