The Yea and the Nays

The garden experiment is officially being renamed, "The-Occasional-Garden-Meal with Intention-to-be-Every-Day-If-Only the-Garden-Produced-the-Way-My-Imagination-Would-Have-Liked-It". Tomatoes are coming in strong, however, so we might go back to the original name in a few weeks. I do not give up. I like irony and find it interesting. So here is the irony. Crohn's is my latest favorite friend and its visit has been way overstayed. I can't seem to get him out of my house- go damn it! So what do I need to do to make it feel better, if I am going to eat. Low residue, is what is the name of my game. Low residue includes milk, meats, white bread, canned fruit cocktail, and white pastas with butter, oil, or margarine. Hmmm... so tonight for dinner we have on the menu baked potato with butter and some pureed spinach.

Greened Out and Seeing Colors.

Okay... here we go, crop round #2. Zuchinni and peppers have started to show their presence at the Little Brick-e garden centre. However, I gotta say, I am greened out. Totally greened out. Those red tomatoes, which are just orange, at this moment, are calling my name. The purple egg plant flowers look great and I channel my brother in law, Tom, to try and get the squash flowers fried up this weekend. Hmmm.. not too much experience frying, so should be interesting. The big find, however, was the bush of rasberries in the alley down the street. Bup and I found them a few days ago, and Natalia and I sneak over there and take off any rasberries that grow over the fence into the alley. We take our little white bowl and work our picking magic. We have many, many champagne rasberries but their fragility keep up wanting for more. The other fun thing is that we have strawberries making their ways into our plates when we are lucky enough to beat the squirrels or robins to them in the morning. Most morning, we are not up early enough. This early bird is not getting the worm. Menu planning for the next garden meal will have to be zuchinni and pepper over a bed of greens topped with farmer's market eggs with rasberries for dessert. I am hoping to find some good looking brocolli and grains tomorrow at the farmer's market. The Landfears and our neighbors have fruit trees ready to bloom so delights and our fine firefighters have a pear tree filled with pears ready for the eating outside the siren doors. Tomorrow Bup and I will be on an early adventure to snag some of those.

A Playdate and an Investigation

Yesterday as Natalia and her little friend clanked on the piano and ukuele, spinning dreamily on the carpet, we sat on the back porch- me and the neighbors. Got into an interesting discussion. I assume my neighbor knows nothing of this blog, so it was even more interesting to me. She gets to talking about our and her garden. They make the most terrificly tall tomato plants on metal poles that shoot over 10 feet into the air. Not joking. Anyhow, she continues to tell me that her 6 year old daughter and 50+ year old husband will not eat a single vegetable. Maybe a cup of bagged frozen corn here and there, she said. Then she begins to tell me that their house is filled with processed food. Her husband did not realize this until they went line by line through their stock. Half of the boxed items, seasoned items, and pre-cooked items, he did not feel were processed foods and continued to insist that they eat fresh- and this is from a gardener. So I got to thinking. We do pretty good, not great, pretty good avoiding industrialized food over here at Chez Brick-e. I have done a good job of making at least one meal a day from the garden, non industrialized. But, I thought I would go through what was in our freezer and cabinets to find out what we had. Much of it had been donated to us to get us off the rice and beans kick but, nonetheless, the items were still here. Reading my book today, I came across a list of food processed items that were not so obvious to the usual consumer. As a result, our pantry and freezer hit the motherload. Here goes a checklist through their list of processed food items. Food science has given us vacuum sealed canned food. Check. Two cans of beans and one can of artichoke hearts. Frozen food. Check. Frozen peas, peppers, and berries. Mock meats made from soy. Check. Noah's Tofurkey and tofu. Baby formula. Checked from years back. Energy bars- nope. Powdered Jell-o. Check. Donated from Grandma's pantry for Natalia to make and enjoy. Lime flavored. Fortified cereal. Check. Cheerioes, at least they are not too colored. Cyrovacked foods. Check. DOnated from my mom and dad- fish filets. They have been in there for at least 2 years. Do I throw those puppies out? Noartificial sweetners or artificial sweetners with added fiber. No margarine. High fructose corn syrup. Nope, and proud of this in my suprise! Low fat chesse or yogurt. Check. Interesting.

Holy Radish Slaw.

Early this morning, getting on my bike, I realize that I hadn't done the early morning garden walk. So... walksie, walksie, and I see something funny. Wondering why my eggplant already bolted, as it is a late summer harvest, I was a little confused. I look down to take a better look and find the biggest radish ever hiding there. Turns out the leaf set wasn't eggplant at all. Whoops! Out it came to be followed by a smaller, more savory version of itself a few feet back. We documented the rad first harvest with some silly faces in honor of Stephanie Snyder and her history of chomping on a red radish and blowing the wind right outta her shortly right after. So, lunch was a delicious arugula, radish, snap pea onion salad in a balsamic vinegar sauce. Tonight, we make radish slaw for eating and adding to the other two dinners at the table. Super fun and super exciting harvesting.

Vacation Sensation

Seven days and things can really change. As a garden watcher, I rarely notice the daily changes in the plants that grow in gardens. However, as suspected, when you return from seven days- it has changed. As Noah said, "You're pumped!". When we arrived back from Sleeping Bear the menu had suddenly taken a turn for the more diverse. Give it the end of the week, and my options take a turn a little farther away from the Farmer's Markets. By weeks end, there should be an abundance of Edamame Snap Peas, kale, and maybe some beans. They, however, are looking a little lackluster and have taken a beating from some little critter. We have already indulged in rasberries and arugula salad. All of this almost hit the fan at yesterday's lunch time. I could choose between eating a sammie on rice cake using TJ ingredients from a plastic tub or I could walk outside, cut some greens, wash them, chop them, saute them and add Farmer's Market tomatoes. That seemed like a lot of time and work and I reached for the already made hummus and rice cakes. It made me think of something I had just read and I promptly changed my mind. I grabbed the garden scissors and got my meal from the backyard- it was delicious! What did I read that had changed my mind, well let me share it with you. How much time does it really take to make a meal from scratch, in this case, from the garden? If you assume you are super busy, panicked for time and convenience, or have a wonderful toddler on you tail- you might opt to think that getting the hummus from the tub, smearing it on a rice cake, and then chopping an apple will have be the best use of time. However, that is simply avoiding cooking. Time spent driving to get the hummus, waiting in line, sliding the debit card, driving home, putting the groceries away really took about an hour. For the convenience of today's fast lunch, I spent an hour getting ready to set it on the plate. That hour, could have been spent at home, playing in the backyard, and then visiting the garden for fresh quality ingredients without the added guar gum. I have read that with the industrialization of food, we have managed to save time by not cooking. Cooking or preparing our own food is considered problematic because it uses up precious time. However, how did I have the time to write this blog, view FB, and shop online for a toddler bed gate? It is said that over the last few decades people have managed to find two or more hours in their days to surf the web, watch TV, check Smartphones,etc. I think this is fascinating and, again, I thank my lucky stars that really- I don't have to do any of that because of personal choice and the circumstances of my employment. Long live summer!

Lettuce and blowing it completely.

Not all lettuce is created equal. Is lettuce plural for lettuce, by the way. In text speak, that would be BTW! For the past several days I have been enjoying a fine dinner of scallions, roasted peaches, Michigan tomatoes, and red leafed lettuce from the greenhouse of a lovely farm just over the Illinois-Michigan border area. All joking aside, the lettuce has been soft and tasted like butter. It was like an entire stick of butter on my plate covered with the sweet fruit of tomato and balsamic vinegar. Our garden is producing some fine Romaine however, it has decided to grow without that buttery texture and flavor. However, Round #2 of lettuces are arriving at Garden Chez Brick-e, and I am excited because this variety includes red leaf and some soft sweet Bostonian heads. The squash are taking off in the garden as are the beet roots, radish leaves, and sweet peas are starting to show their height and fruit. Fantastic.... we are getting closer to self sufficiency. The mustard green are almost depleted and this is a bummer. So that's the update on the garden status. As far as eating only out of the garden, it could be fairly said that at least one of my meals a day comes from garden and farmer's marketing. Its been fun. Scallions, onions, tomatoes, collards, lettuces, peaches, and chickpeas have made for some delicious combinations. Now... for the blowing it. That's been one meal a day in total honesty. Today, however, all bets were off as we went out for Father's Day breakfast. The toast, ketchup, hash browns, and eggs came from nowhere near my garden. I regretfully ate the eggs knowing that some poor worker and chicken suffered for my gluttony. However, it sure was an enjoyable meal with the family that I will now drown my shame in a gin and tonic! Get it, Randolph, get it!

Working with and Paying With

Okay here is what we are working with for the next few days plus garden resources. The tomatoes make a mean sandwich or peapod salad for lunch. The MI peach makes a mean roasted fruit selection. The onions mixed with mustard greens, collard, and romaine makes a delightful shallot infused salad for dinner with purple asparagus and chickpea mash to provide the protein. Eggs supplied for the next several days and we are off and running to make it until Tuesday. The typical commentary of this would have to include the ability of folks to pay for Farmer's Market produce and feed an entire family. Aha... the industrialized food conundrum. Since Wednesday of this week, just to feed me, I have had to lay down 32 smackeroons. I am grateful that I can run this experiment this summer as I realize that not everyone can do it, even if they want to do it. That's the question, folks, that's the problem.

Farmers Market Lunch

Success! The next three days are only Farmer's Market and Garden. What's on the menu? For lunch today, Natalia and I made homemade chickpea hummus suprise with scallions from our garden. Thanks, Uncle David and Aunt Mary, for the delivery of grains. A check for $4.50 is in the mail for you addressed to Jack McGrail. The additional onions and tomoto come from the Michigan farm and its greenhouses in New Buffalo. We added some parsley, mustard greens, and cilantro from our garden and mixed it in the processor for delicious goodnes. The fruit of choice was the remaining tomato and about a cup of fresh rhubarb from the gardens of nearby neighbors- somewhere in a neighboring IL county. I have to hit up our direct neighbor, Cindy for a dose of her rhubarb because her bush of fruity delight is gigantic! Good job us! Lunch on the garden. Dinner is also all planned out and ready to go. But why bore you with the details.

Meal #1

Okay Meal #1 was a success! Thanks, garden. I suspect that I will refrain from posting every thing made or eaten, however, first meal is like that framed first dollar, isn't it? Here's what was cooked up over a hot boiled water. Lemon from the lemon tree (just kiddng), spices, garlic, onion, collard and mustard greens, a turnip, mint, and a boat load of spice topped off with a hard boiled egg from the Swingbelly egg man! Delicious.

Wishing for a Farmer's Market

Tomorrow is June 1st. Tomorrow starts living off the garden. Looking at the garden, this looks like a recipe for disaster. There is nothing ready for consumption yet. That is except some great mesclun, collards, parsley, cilantro, and one strawberry. Hmmm. So where's my farmer's market that is open to tide me over. Brookie-Wookie's opens tomorrow while we are on the road. Quandry #1. But who cares. Let's talk gardening plan and perameters. Gardening plan goes like this- organized by growing month. Collards and herbs, Edamame, peas Romaine and mesclun lettuces, Strawberries and Rasberries, Kentucky green beans, Pinto beans, Snack pepeers, Pablamo peppers, Tomatoes, Squashes (zuchinni, patapan), Eggplant, Radishes, and Beets. Not bad, not bad, not bad. We can work with that. So tonight, what's for dinner. It goes like this. We have turnip, mesculan, parsley, leftover potatoes and sage. Mix this up with soup broth topped with a boiled egg and we have a delicious Poland meets Jeruselum meets Lebanon meets Brookfield borscht soup. Okay, this can be done. All with a slice of Noah's homemade bread. Now for the parameters of Gardening a Little Brick-e. They are wide, broad and open to accomodate for travels and potential pass out potential from starvation! I eat out of the garden from June 1st until its all done or damaged from bugs, weather, etc. Supplementation for nutrition can only come from other people's gardens or the farmer's market in order to have some grains. The following items are allowed in the experiment simply because I refuse to give them up: coffee, alcohol, and rice cakes. Hummus will have to be homemade from organic beans bought from anywhere in their organic, closest to real form. Whole Foods here we come! While traveling, I will try to eat from farmer's markets or stands we find along the way and this I suspect will run the gammet from Michigan peaches, cherries, to homemade farm peanut butters. Eggs will come from the Clevenger's and their backyard chickens or from Swingbelly at the market. That'll do it. Let's the experiment begin.

Here's What We're Looking At...

This past school year I have indulged in my way too fair share of junk food. Anything that is synthetic and frosted, I have said, "Bring It". Anything sweet and available, I have said, "Sure, why not!" Well, now is the result of the bringing it. I feel gross, uncomfortable, and my system is out of whack more so than it normally is- and that's saying its REALLY outta whack! So I have come up with a fun new experiment for summer gardening. I am not sure how it will pan out or if it will even be an interesting blog to write or read. I suspect there might not be a lot to say. I mean am I going to check in every day with a report about how much higher the bean stalk grew? I don't know- maybe. Am I going to write about recipes and cabbage rot? I don't know- maybe. But I do know this: 1. My skin hurts 2. My Crohn's hurts 3. My knees hurt 4. 15 new pounds hurts and 5. My body is super uncomfortable I'm curious to see if living off the garden will eliminate all or most of these discomforts. On a political note, this experiment is also interesting to me because it aligns with my fascination about people and our food choices. Why is it that we think things processed in a factory are in any way good for us, healthy, or nutritional? I mean really. For example, if you can't or don't want to consume sugar why choose an "all natural sugar substitute" that is powder formed and generated in a factory by an employee wearing a Tyvek suit? Just stop eating sugar!< That's natural. I feel this way not about sugar substitutes, but about industrialized foods. They are not food, they are made in factories, and I should just not eat them. Period. The garden and my farmer's market are the present best I can do to reject the commercialism and industrialization of my food. Amen. That's my soap box tonight. Next comes the garden plan and the Gardening Little Brick-e perimeters.