Gardening

Well, I have a suitcase to pack, a floor to mop, and errands to run, but I'm on the computer. I feel like this blog could easily go by the wayside if I don't set aside more time to update, so that's what I'm doing. We're leaving to visit Joel's parents in Park City, UT tomorrow morning, so blogging next week will probably be sporadic, or non-existent!  I just looked at weather.com...85 degrees here on Saturday, 54 degrees in Park City. IT"S MAY PEOPLE!!

I can't believe April is over. What a busy month. Birthdays, Easter, house guests, a trip to VA, gardening....and May is looking just as full. That's good, though. By the time July rolls around, the high heat and humidity will make us all slugs. The garden is coming along really well. This past week Joel harvested all of our greens. Bok choy, kale, spinach, lettuce, and mustard greens, plus a few carrots he had planted in late winter. I'm so thankful Joel enjoys being outside and working in the garden. If it were up to me, there is NO WAY we would have a garden. I mean, it seems like a good idea when it's 60 degrees outside, but by the time summer rolls around we would have a problem. I'm happy to report we ate ALL of the greens this week, except for one bag we gave to a co-worker of Joel's. 

Our menu this week:

Friday: Pizza w/ goat cheese, caramelized onions, and lettuce

I tried to copy a recipe from a restaurant we visited, but it didn't turn out that great. I was supposed to use arugula, but just used what we had instead, and that was a mistake. Just so you know, regular lettuce on pizza isn't very good.

Saturday: Spinach lasagna and salad 

Strawberry and rhubarb crisp

Both of these recipes were superb, and healthy! AND, Benjamin wolfed down the lasagna, which is the important part! 

Sunday: Eggs in a Nest

This is a recipe from "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in sustainable agriculture and eating locally. The author and her husband literally live down the road from Joel's grandmother, in Meadowview, VA. This book is a chronicle of her family's experience eating exclusively from their garden or from local merchants for a year. They also own a restaurant in Meadowview called the Harvest Table that only serves food in season and from local growers. Awesome!

Monday: Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Another great recipe from "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle."

Tuesday: Greens stir fry with kale, bok choy (surprisingly delicious!) mustard greens, onions, carrots, and brown rice.

Wednesday: Spinach quiche

     Ok, I have to admit something. I think Joel was jonesin' for some meat at this point, so he      volunteered to get some BBQ from a local rib joint. They were giving 10 percent of their proceeds to help the victims of fires in Myrtle Beach. I think that was just an excuse though! We still had the quiche for breakfast the next day, so it wasn't a total loss.

Thursday: Spinach, onion, tomato, and cheese quesadillas

That brings us to today, and we'll probably eat out since we're leaving town soon. BUT, we ate (almost) vegetarian this whole week. That wasn't really a goal of ours, but when you eat so many vegetables, you don't really have a lot of room in your diet for meat. The majority of our food came from our garden, or the Wilmington Farmer's Market. And even though both Joel and I love vegetables, we still ate things we never would have experimented with previously. Who knew that I, a lifelong carrot hater, would enjoy them sauteed in a little olive oil? And I never would have bought bok choy or kale from the grocery store. I'll have to publish some of these recipes a little later, when I have more time.

Onions and tomatoes should be next. Stay tuned!