please spring, Spring!

Spring is being really slow on the uptake this year, what with two threats of snow since the official first day last week. Super lame, especially since I shiver dramatically at any temperatures below, ooh, 64 degrees. But luckily I'm the stoic type, and can cling to all the great things that are around the corner. Along with raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, here are a few of my favorite things (about Springs!):

1. The Farmers Market - Starting a whole month early this year, the JFX Farmer's Market kicks off this Sunday, April 3rd! It's probably still a tad early for much produce, but my mouth waters at the thought of the dairy and bakery and smoothies and coffee,and....oh, my, I can't wait! After recently reading a wonderfully written letter to the public by a small business owner about how every little effort to support local entrepreneurs makes a difference, I am filled with desire to do just that! Who wants to join me?

2. The Color Green - No, I don't mean money (though Spring is a lovely time for real estate....), I mean leaves! And grass! And vines and creepers! Even WEEDS make me happy after a whole winter of various shades of brown. I really have my work cut out for me this year with my garden and planters, which are currently in major disarray. But just thinking about how lovely my (itsy bitsy teeny weeny) back patio is when in full bloom makes me relish all the digging and planting I have in my future.

3. Patterson Park - Ooooh the park in the spring is just the best thing on earth! I consider myself outrageously lucky to be able to look out my window every morning and watch color creep back into the park's flora. Even before the trees and grass become lush and green, the park begins to fill with people. Old and young, rich and poor, it doesn't matter. Everyone can enjoy a lovely public park, and the first warm days of Spring are like a siren song. Complain all you like about how the warmer months make it harder to park because of the flocks of park-goers - I'll take a busy, well-used park over easy parking any day.
4. My Beach Cruiser - Most of the year I consider my 3 zillion pound beach cruiser to be one of the worst investments I've ever made. Most, but not all. In the Spring that bike is the best thing on earth.The basket is perfect for groceries, farmers market purchases, or...my dog.

And the bell! The bell calls out for friendship, I swear. Even though getting it in and out of the house is a feat of true physical

strength and determination, I have hopes of forming a posse of fel

low bikers to cruise the streets. [Public Service Announcement: Dear auto drivers, please please please understand how terrifying it is when you swish by me with a 7 inch clearance from my leather-bound handlebars. My heart is literally somewhere in my throat, choking me with terror.]

5. My Birthday! - As an Aries (April 12th, baby!) I live with hope eternal that I can have an outdoor birthday party. Pretty much every year I do, but I can't claim that it is exactly...pleasant. But I hold out! Even if it's slightly damp and reasonably chilly, I swear there's promise in the air of warmer weather soon to come. I like to think of raindrops as little drops of hope and life for all the flowers soon to come.

6. EcoFest - Totally cheating that I'm putting this on here since I've never actually been before, but I am going this year! And will be loads of fun! And N is playing music and a friend of mine is making/selling food! Come with me!

So you see, even though the weather is still bonafide horrible, there are just so many great things around the corner! Oh, and can I add one more? 7. I'm back to blogging.

love k.

block buds unite to make taste buds happy

Need something Spring-y on this gray day? In the same vein as my post about indoor home projects to keep you busy this winter, here is one to get your outside ready to rock, and your summer and fall table bountiful. If your back yard is anything like mine, there isn't exactly room for a full seasonal vegetable, fruit, and herb garden - you have to pick and choose. But then you end up with an unmanageable amount of rosemary, and more sage than anyone could ever need. Peppers and tomatoes are awesome but they all seem to ripen in waves...hmmm....

So while at a neighbors the other evening, I got to talking about herbs and flowers and he mentioned that he'd had an enormous crop of mint. Mint! I forgot mint last year! While adding it to mental thing-to-plant list, I had a though: Why not try to divvy up herbs etc over a few different households? A sort of uber-local CSA of sorts. Not only could you get an AWESOME variety of veggies, berries and herbs that you alone could not produce, but it might also do some nice neighborhood bonding along the way. Why not do a monthly pot-luck alley BBQ where you try to use the literal fruits of your labors?

Between a CSA, block CSA and the farmers market, you could really keep things local and delicious this summer! Make some friends, eat fresh food, share the work...what's not to love? So get out there and meet your neighbors and start brainstorming what you can bring to the table.

love k

game balls and dough balls

Today I took a mid-afternoon break from work to relax before evening appointments and showings. I didn't exactly kick-back however... Instead, N and I headed to the park for a sort of sports camp-esque couple of hours. We played soccer in Patterson Park, where a couple of kids walking by got a real kick (HA!!) out of joining in. Then, we headed over to the courts for some basketball, once again joined by the same kids. They were both around 11 years old and just so much fun - they had the burgeoning swagger of teenagers, but none of the antagonism or angst. They were great sports, and the four of us kept up a lovely banter over a game of "fifty." Respectful, polite, and friendly, these kids exemplified everything you'd pray to find in inner-city boys. Just goes to show that if you don't expect the worst and are open to spending a little time with neighborhood kids, they might just surprise you after all.

Oh, and I baked these almond-apricot tarts with apricots from the farmers market:


And tonight I made this whole-wheat pizza for dinner, with basil and oregano from my garden, CSA broccoli, garlic and onions, and a whole mess of cheeses. Yummers:
I'm going camping for a few days, so I hope you all have a lovely weekend - feed the ducks, play some ball, hit the pool, bake a home-grown pizza... I've given you more than enough ideas, no?

love k

it is, however, delicious being green

To continue with my "green" theme I seem to have going...

As you all know, I'm sharing a CSA share with three other people. Conveniently, they are my roommate, my boyfriend and my neighbor which makes for fabulous ease when splitting it all up each week. But here's the challenge - what do you do when you have four people and 3 beets? 2 heads of broccoli? A head of cabbage? We decided this week we'd try something different and pool our resources and food and make a CSA feast together (or, as I like to term such occassions, a "group dinnie"). First, I'll list what we had so you can be impressed with how much we used later on:

• 4 zucchini
• 2 broccoli
  
• 1 cabbage
• 3 shallot onions
• 2 bunches of unidentifiable greens
• 3 beets

In my garden I also had:

• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Lots of other things that are irrelevant to this story but I'll post pictures of anyways

So what I made was:

• Cabbage salad with crumbled bacon, toasted walnuts and bleu cheese dressing
• Broccoli with melted sharp cheddar cheese and crispy shallot flakes
• Baked zucchini with grated parmesan cheese and pepper
• Roast beets
• Whole chickens roasted with thyme, rosemary, oregono and lemon (and bacon greese from the previousy fried bacon to crisp the skin)

I mean look how many ingredients were either homegrown or locally grown! And it was all delicious, inexpensive and lots of fun. I'm thinking this should be a weekly event and we can just rotate who's week it is to do all the cooking and who brings the wine.

Here are some gratuitious photos of my garden right now - my tomatoes are really starting to come in, as are bell peppers and a banana pepper. My herbs, especially the basil, are just flourishing and I can barely keep up!

love k

fresh from the farm

Today is the first day of my CSA! If you don't know what that is, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture - in short, you buy a share for the season (June-November) and each week pick up a big ol' bunch of fruits and veggies grown by a local farmer, which in our case is One Straw Farm. Four of us decided to share a share, which, according to OSF, is enough to feed a family of four for a week. Financially, it breaks down to about $5 each per week, since we paid for our share early. And guess what else! Our pick up location is about two blocks away at our neighborhood charter school, to which a portion of OSF's proceeds go. The prospect of six months of fresh, locally-grown produce practically delivered to my door just makes me swoon. Between the CSA, my (albeit) small garden, and JFX Farmers Market, I am hoping I can cut back on non-local produce, meat, and dairy (though many doubt I'll be able to resist out-of-season fruits and veggies available at Safeway...). The frequent complaint I've heard is, "there are just SOOO many greens in the beginning!" but I figure it'll just make me get creative and stay healthy. I've already googled several recipes for chard!

So it was with much anticipation that I headed up the hill and found myself faced with heaps of glorious produce, friendly volunteers, and a lovely new reusable bag in which to tote them home (the produce, not the volunteers that is).
Isn't all this rainbow chard just glorious?

On my way home, I had to stop and take a picture of SG and MV's house - it just looked so great with the flowers, new trim, and flag, don't you think?

When I got home I lay out all my CSA goodies and took a photo just for you:

Hmm, looks like I have me lots o' salad in store this week. As I find successful recipes, I'll share them. If YOU know of great recipes for seasonal produce, let us know!
love k