I did something today that I was always taught not to do. I played outside in the dirt in a dress. And you know what? It was AMAZING! When I was young, the first thing we were told to do when we came home from school was to change clothes. We were never allowed to play in our "good" clothes.
Today I came home from a wonderful, productive day. I looked out at the cucumber garden and it was overgrown with weeds. Any good gardner knows that the easiest time to pull weeds is after a good rain. The cool air was calling my name so I kicked off my flip flops, put on my garden clogs and jumped in the dirt. As I squatted in the garden it began to occur to me why it may not be the best idea but it was too late. I had already realized that I had broken a cardinal rule and I was energized and envigorated.
How sad is that at 43? Just do it girls!
Cheers!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Perfect Day
I have spent the last five days in Washington, DC at the Summer Fancy Food Show sponsored by the National Association of Specialty Food Retailers. This is the largest show in the country and is totally overwhelming! It was so nice to wake up in my bed and be able to wander out to the garden and see the progress.
Many of you don't know that my husband and I have a small farm that specializes in naturally grown, heirloom produce. We grow the varieties from seed that have been painstakingly saved through history. This morning I was surprised by some beautiful lemon cucumbers that look like a lemon but are tender and sweet. Best picked at lemon size, one is the perfect serving size. On the other side of the cucumber garden, the Japanese Long was just reaching it's perfect size of one foot. Long and thin, this is the cucumber that is billed as burpless, and almost seedless in your large grocery stores. Often sold for over $2.00 each, I felt like a millionaire as I picked this fruit, especially since mine was organic.
As I travelled back to the house I passed the small herb garden where the Genovese basil had started to try to bloom which is a huge no-no. The beauty of basil is the more you cut, the more you get so I couldn't wait to find some scissors and trim it right up. It immediately filled the kitchen with that aromatic scent that only fresh basil can give.
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Many of you don't know that my husband and I have a small farm that specializes in naturally grown, heirloom produce. We grow the varieties from seed that have been painstakingly saved through history. This morning I was surprised by some beautiful lemon cucumbers that look like a lemon but are tender and sweet. Best picked at lemon size, one is the perfect serving size. On the other side of the cucumber garden, the Japanese Long was just reaching it's perfect size of one foot. Long and thin, this is the cucumber that is billed as burpless, and almost seedless in your large grocery stores. Often sold for over $2.00 each, I felt like a millionaire as I picked this fruit, especially since mine was organic.
As I travelled back to the house I passed the small herb garden where the Genovese basil had started to try to bloom which is a huge no-no. The beauty of basil is the more you cut, the more you get so I couldn't wait to find some scissors and trim it right up. It immediately filled the kitchen with that aromatic scent that only fresh basil can give.
Several hours later I whipped up a great little dressing of olive oil, vinegar, garlic, basil, mustard and spices. Chopped an onion and tomato, tossed it with the lemon cukes and served a delightful salad for dinner. Ahhhh, the joys of summer!
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