Draft 2021

I don't know that I've ever seen thistles in bloom before. This patch is around the corner from me and I think they are beautiful. As Melissa and I approached on our walk, a whole flock of finches, gold and otherwise, flew up out of the branches. I'm so glad this little patch of nature was left here - and so were the birds. I think they are lovely and hope to gather some seed for my own perennial garden. That's one thing I love about our less-than-perfect neighborhood. There are little patches of nature springing up everywhere. When I visited my Mom in suburbia last month, her yard looked like astroturf - there wasn't a stray clover, dandelion or less-than-uniformly green blade of grass in the whole lawn. It's hard to believe that more fertilizers and chemicals are applied to lawns on a per acre basis than on agricultural lands. I find that sobering and reprehensible. There is just no need to spray, spray, spray and fertilize a patch of grass. Frank

This is Wally, my big, goofy dog. My mom says he reminds her of Marmaduke. He's tall and gangly and highly food-motivated. This should make him easy to train; unfortunately, his owners weren't disciplined enough to teach him much more than sit, lie down, roll over and "No!" (The latter only works sometimes, depending on how sincere Wally believes the request to be) We got Wally from the local rescue league when he was 3 1/2 months old. His first two years were challenging, to say the least. He regularly chewed through $60 or more of dog toys a month, grabbed toys, tv remotes or anything of interest and ran, emptied waste baskets (I can't count the number of times I've had to pry his mouth open to remove soggy, dirty kleenex), and required more than 5 miles of walking a day, just to be manageable. The only thing that kept me from returning him was the lesson in responsibility I wanted to teach my children. And that goofy face. In the intervening 8 years, Wally

We harvested the last of the lettuce along with nasturtium flowers, blueberries, raspberries, radishes, carrots, green beans and a ton of swiss chard. We've started getting a few tomatoes everyday, though we had to remove one diseased plant. I'm hopeful that the rest won't develop blight. The squash plants have all been blossoming, though only one has set fruit so far. It looks like we'll get a little more broccoli this week, too.

Our neighborhood has many empty lots and unkempt, vacant properties. While this is mostly unsightly, it does provide my family a glimpse of a more natural environment. Many lots are full of clover, chicory and other flowering weeds. There are even a few thistle plants left to flower. On one of our walks this summer, we started talking about chicory and how beautiful the flowers are. I vaguely remembered that chicory was used as a coffee substitute , but in talking about this with my daughter, I realized I wasn't sure what part of the plant was used for brewing nor how it was processed. A quick internet search yielded the information we needed. We now knew we had to harvest the roots, dry them and roast them. The experiment turned into a family affair, with my two daughters and Michael heading out, trowels in hand, to dig up some chicory roots in the yard of an abandoned house. Digging the roots. Scrubbing off the dirt. Chopping the roots. Grinding them. Roasted chicory. Yesterday,

Scrumptious. Our entirely local meal this week was baked stuffed tomatoes, fresh beans and musk melon. The tomatoes were stuffed with bread crumbs, herbs from the garden and goat parmesan. The only non-local items in the dish were the olive oil and salt and pepper. We thought we'd died and gone to heaven. Literally. The beans were from our garden and topped with local butter. The musk melon came from southern Indiana, but dh brought it back with him from a business trip to said location. Oh, and it and the 3 other melons and the watermelon he brought home were all free. Apparently, the guys at the research station dh visited watch for melons that fall off of trucks transporting them to market. This "road kill" is then given away for free! This is a piece of blueberry pie, topped w/homemade ice cream. All ingredients were local, except for the shortening in the crust and the sugar. I'm contemplating buying some local lard from my Farm to Folk CSA for use in pi

It's been 23 years tomorrow since I married the man of my dreams. He has stood by me through deepest, darkest depression, the mental illness diagnoses of 3 of our 4 children, and a myriad of pets, including lizards, rabbits, mice, hermit crabs, snails, rats, cats, dogs, fish and soon, backyard chickens. He has withstood an unfair amount of bitterness over his work commitments and travel on my part, especially when the kids were young. (I'm better about it now.) His commitment as a father has been unwavering. I'll always remember the goofy songs he sang to the kids at bathtime when they were little and his sheer delight at being a father. He's always willing (after an initial "no") to remodel another house, paint another room, plant another garden (or two, or three) or even make dinner at the drop of a hat. Believe me, you haven't lived until you've had Michael's nachos. I met him by chance, married him for love, and cannot imagine my life without h

Today, we scrambed to fill out the forms, figure out the correct categories and transport Melissa's crocheted creations to the Iowa State Fair. The fair doesn't start until August 7, but the Thread and Fibers entries were due today. Most of her entries were made in the junior division, including the felted wool crocheted purse above. She chose the wool and created striped pattern herself. The above purse is made with 50 percent Ingeo fiber, a yarn made completely from corn, and 50 percent wool. She crocheted the two fibers together and then felted it. She stayed up until 1 a.m. this morning finishing the purse. She felted it after breakfast and then I found myself drying the still wet purse with a hair dryer so she could turn it in! This scarf is much prettier than it looks on the table here. She crocheted this one from 100 percent Ingeo fiber, making individual granny squares, sewing them together and then crocheting around the outside edge. This scarf is absolutely gorgeo

When I was a kid, I hated broccoli. It was that overcooked, soggy, disgusting-tasing stuff my Mom served a couple of times a month. I didn't even know you could eat raw broccoli until I was a teenager! We visited my cousin, who had a veggie platter including raw broccoli and cauliflower. I couldn't believe how good it was. A few days ago, we harvested our first-ever home grown broccoli. I thought we had planted it too late in the season for it to flower, but more-seasoned growers urged patience, and they were right. Fresh broccoli never tasted so good!

Pesto, for my family, is as much a part of our everyday culinary life as hamburgers are to most Americans. There is something unbelievably sumptuous about the mixture of basil, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese that belies its simple, country origins.. Pesto may be one of the oldest sauces in the world and gets its name from the traditional use of a mortar and pestle to combine the ingredients. Once you've tried pesto, you'll understand why I fret every year about whether I'll have enough basil to make enough to last the winter! My favorite pesto recipe is from The Joy of Pasta . Makes enough for 1 pound of pasta. 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp. salt 2 cups tightly packed basil leaves 2 T finely chopped pinenuts (can substitute walnuts) 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please buy a hunk of the real stuff - you won't regret it) 2 T freshly grated romano cheese (I often just substitute Parmesan) 4 T butter, softened In food processor, combine garlic, s

Randy Pausch , author of the book The Last Lecture has died. He lost his battle against pancreatic cancer, leaving behind his wife and three young children. I read The Last Lecture just a few weeks ago, and found it inspiring and thought-provoking. In the book, Pausch discusses the importance of living one's life to the fullest and helping others realize their dreams. It's so easy on a daily basis to get bogged down in life's little worries: the messy house, the dirty dishes, the husband who travels too much, the bills, etc. If you are a worrier, like I am, losing sight of the forest for the trees is all too common. I could spend my days worrying about the bills, about what I don't accomplish, daily, weekly, monthly. But I am choosing to focus instead on all the good in my life: my four healthy, wonderful kids; good friends; a husband who loves me ridiculously much; the happiness to be found in each and every day. Thank you, Randy Pausch, for helping me and thousa

We actually belong to three CSA's this year, all under the umbrella group Farm to Folk . Tuesday is our pick-up day for our Picket Fence Creamery order and our share from The Berry Patch . What I really love about Farm to Folk is the ability to order produce from its various producers, based on what they have available each week. I've been ordering raspberries galore from The Berry Patch and mostly freezing the extras. But this week, I decided to make raspberry jam. I had forgotten how easy it is to make jam. I always use Sure Jell Light . I think the lesser amount of sugar allows the flavor of the fruit to shine through. I had enough berries for one complete batch of raspberry jam that yielded 6 jars. I was making the second batch when I realized I was shy about a cup and a half of berries. I had fresh, local blueberries in the fridge, so I crushed up blueberries to make up the difference. We think the Blue Raspberry Jam is even better than the regular.

But yesterday was sunny and beautiful. While I was making raspberry jam and Sarah, bless her heart, was battling fur tumbleweeds, Melissa went out with the camera and documented summer's beauty. Thank you, Melissa.