It's been a while since the last update from the garden. Unfortunately, in between moving and travel, the poor tomatoes and peas had a rough transition. Those big green tomatoes I planned on harvesting? The squirrels at my new place have a fondness for them. While I waited for each tomato to ripen, the squirrels… Continue reading Kitchen garden (V)
Category: vegetables
Kitchen garden (IV)
It's been pointed out to me since last week's post that my memory is playing tricks. We didn't sing "Summertime" in high school, we sang it in middle school...with my friends, not my sister.Maybe it's because I'm too busy thinking about my tomatoes. And that little guy above. He's taken up residence between two tomato… Continue reading Kitchen garden (IV)
Kitchen garden (III)
Dropped in to share this exciting development in the kitchen garden: three pea pods have appeared, with more on the way! I am half-tempted to name them, but the rational part of me reins in that enthusiasm.I'd been amazed by the tightly furled white flowers of the pea plant. Now, these flowers have given way… Continue reading Kitchen garden (III)
Kitchen garden (II)
An update on the garden:The tomatoes are flourishing, after being re-potted to deeper pots and staked with bamboo and sisal. (I think it looks rather pretty, don't you?) However, I originally planted three per pot, and since none of them died off, that meant they would eventually compete for light and water. So the other day I… Continue reading Kitchen garden (II)
Corn pudding
There's nothing that says summer quite like corn. Corn on the cob, scorched with grill marks, dripping with butter. Husks that remind me of bark stripped off a tree. Corn silk that seems to get stuck everywhere, from your teeth to the counter where you've been working.And isn't it a beautiful vegetable? Just right for… Continue reading Corn pudding
Turnip tops
What is it about being on vacation? You sleep better. You get to spend long hours reading or flipping through magazines. You go for long, chilly walks. You actually crave vegetables for lunch instead of pizza.For me, the first three all lead to the last. Because I'm more mindful of my habits and what my… Continue reading Turnip tops
Parsnips redux
For the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about food. Not just perusing recipes to figure out what to make for dinner (although that is one of my major hobbies), but about what I choose to consume.It all started with Michael Pollan and In Defense of Food. Oh, Michael Pollan, you make me… Continue reading Parsnips redux
Brunswick Stew
We are pulling Christmas together here in Ohio. Everyone's pitched in wherever they can, and the house is finally starting to look holiday-ish. We're winding garlands around the banisters and laying boxwood across the mantle.We keep asking each other, "What are we forgetting?" "Are we in good shape this year?" Because usually Christmas Eve feels… Continue reading Brunswick Stew
Fried Parsnips
I have always been wary of parsnips.When I was little, our dinner vegetables tended toward the traditional: peas, green beans, corn, carrots, salad. For a long time I didn't know what parsnips were. Based on the name I thought they were something like turnips, which I knew all about from reading the Molly McIntire series… Continue reading Fried Parsnips
Fried Potatoes
I'm starting to notice something about this project. Are you?There's not a lot of color in prairie food. It's mostly shades of brown. Which could go to a gross place, but I'd rather think of it as a commentary on the limited availability of food and storage out on the prairie. It seems that once… Continue reading Fried Potatoes
Abby Murphy 