Saturday, April 21, 2012

Spring 2012

It's been along time since I posted any news from the farm.  Last year was such a nightmare with all the rain, that I never had the time.  I was always running behind the clock, trying to catch up after the soil finally dried out enough to till, which was way after Father's Day.  This year is starting out quite different.  We have had very little rain; according to a friend we are 2" below normal for April, but I'm not sure whether that's compared to last year or the average for this month!  If it's 2" below last year, then that's a blessing, believe me.      It's tempting to plant some things earlier than normal, but I am holding off on that, and waiting until the usual dates to plant.  Mother Nature can't tempt me!

I have been planting in the greenhouse;  tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, beets, broccoli, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, Brussels' sprouts, kale, chard, herbs.  The list is endless!  I took the opportunity to plant spinach, carrots, shelling peas, and sugar snap peas in the ground on Friday evening, anticipating the rain we are supposed to get this weekend.  And we could really use it, the ground was crispy dry, which is very unsettling for this time of year.  Are we in for a drought year?  Not sure, but it sure feels that way.

In anticipation of another year of vegetables, I have been reading a book by Tamar Adler, "An Everlasting Meal, Cooking with Economy and Grace".  The author definitely has a different way in describing cooking in general, but I like her advice on how to create a meal with what is on hand, which is very helpful in planning meals when the ingredients are mostly determined by someone else, (meaning me or White House Gardens CSA).  It has also helped me cut down on my grocery spending.  I read a lot of food blogs, (as you can see from the list to the right), and I am always buying new ingredients for something that inspires me after reading a post from one of my favorites.  Then, I either don't have the time or inclination to prepare it, and end up with things I don't use.  Tamar's thoughts about "cooking with what you've got" are very inspiring for me and got me to thinking about how wasteful I can be with food.  I hope you will check it out.  If nothing else, please check out her video on how she uses her farmers' market purchases How to Stride Ahead: Part 2   I think you will enjoy it.