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.