Then yesterday, in celebration of National Pie Day, she made a cherry pie (canned berries and a store-bought crust this time, but it was a busy day). With some vanilla bean ice cream, it has made a yummy treat. Few things in life are as good as homemade pie.
Next, I'm still plugging away at Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and it's--no pun intended--growing on me. As the memoir progresses, Kingsolver seems less pious about her family's experiment and more grateful for the bounty they reap from their labors. the text is at its best when it's personal and narrative instead of didactic and preachy.
Right now it's August in the book and the tomatoes are in full force. July was zucchini season, and both of those chapters have reminded me of the garden Mom & Dad had at the farm house when I was growing up. It was a real blessing to be able to wander out and pick fresh tomatoes and peppers for a stir fry. I hope in 15 years or so I can be half the gardener they are.
In the meantime, with full-on spring not too far off, it's time to think about what to plant. We got some nice tomatoes last year, but the peppers never amounted to anything. In the past we've pulled off pumpkins, squash, zucchini, and cantaloupe. Any suggestions from the readership?
Finally, here are some links from the AVM website:
- Slow Food, a movement away from processed, frozen, premade food
- Local Harvest, with information about and links to local growers nationwide
- Sunstone Herb Farm, a relatively new operation in the South Valley--I'll check it out one of these days
4 comments:
Sometimes it seems we're not going to get spring, let alone a summer. I've taken to calling our yard permafrost.
Our raspberries did well last fall, I'm hoping for an even better crop this year. We also had good luck with Eggplant and green beans, but for the most part are successes are the same as yours: squash, zucchini, and tomatoes. We have failed with our corn, melons, peas, lettuce, spinach, and beets. Something is seriously wrong with our soil. We keep trying though. It's fun and even the small successes are worth it.
Living where I live, now, I have resorted to the indoor aero garden. I hope to grow some tomatoes indoors, might try some strawberries, too. (All are possible on the aerogarden.) Now when I move to Florida, I plan on doing grapefruit and orange trees in my back yard.
Raspberries are on our short list of stuff to try. Any advice?
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