It's the most wonderful time of the year

I just stopped home to let my poor pup have a quick break and tried to do a little garden triage while we was playing in the yard. I won't say it was relaxing because my iPhone was glued to my side to catch work emails, but I found this lovely little collection of goodies. The raspberries and blueberries were here when we moved in - the raspberries needed (and continue to need) some love so I don't expect a huge harvest. The same can be said for the strawberries I planted, but I've gotten a handful so far. My blueberries, however, are amazing. Two of three bushes are heavy with green berries and a handful are just starting to turn lavender on their way to rich, deep blue. Alright.... back to work, but this little snack made my day.

Anti-biotics and meat

Just like it's an issue to overprescribe antibiotics to humans - especially with respect to non-bacterial infections (sorry, that Z-pack isn't going to cure your cold) - the same principle holds true with animals. Especially those we ultimately eat.

The FDA reiterated its guidance that livestock farmers shouldn't unnecessarily use antibiotics that are used to treat humans in healthy animals. The press release and link to the draft guidance is here. I haven't had a chance to read the full guidance document yet, but I certainly will. For the moment, I'll reserve comment.

I'm not one to scream for regulations to address every single problem, probably because I know a bit too much about how laborious the process is to get a strict regulatory structure to evolve with an issue, so I want to be sure I'm not misinterpreted. But... this is a good reminder for people to think about and pay attention to how things work in their food supply. And a good reminder for me to stop being wishy-washy about it myself.

Looking ahead.

I've been a very neglectful blogger as of late, but the truth of the matter is, there hasn't been much to share. Western One left for a visit to the west and I have not prepared a single meal in his absence. Not one meal. Granted it's only been four days, but I don't think I'd cooked for a good week before that. I noticed last night that my milk had a "sell by" date of May 31. If I am actually at home, I hide in my house for fear of being run out of the neighborhood with torches and pitchforks because the lawn needs some serious love. I semi-recruited a friend's son, who happens to be a neighbor to help mow, but haven't managed to follow through.

But, it's almost over and I have much to look forward to over the next month. First, I'm recording a "my Exit" hour soon. For those of you not from the Albany region, The Exit is a really cool public radio station that plays fantastic music, the kind of stuff you rarely hear on the radio. My kind of stuff. Just like I started this blog to provide a forum through which to explore and think about food, I threw my name into the hat to record an hour of music of my choosing to live out the closest thing to a music fantasy a tone deaf girl can have.

Then, later in July, we are westward bound - the long way. Wonderpup, Western One and I are setting out on a road trip to visit family in Cheyenne, WY for the weekend which just happens to be the world's largest outdoor rodeo. Dear lord, this will be an experience. I will be sure to share food and other adventures along the way. In the meantime, I'll just take things one long day at a time and hope my garden is forgiving.

Fireflies and balance

The end of June is, without question, my busiest time of year. Just for a bit of perspective, I walked out of the office at 9pm tonight, called Western One and said "I'm on my way home, it was an early night." I was sitting at my desk by 8am this morning. My yard is a mess, my house is a mess (although less so thanks to my guy), I haven't seen my boyfriend or dog for more than half an hour all week, and we forgot to pick up our CSA share. (heartbreaking....)

We had company coming tonight, which, considering the above should totally stress me out, but our guest is a wonderful, low-maintenance friend and even at this hectic time it's nice to have him. However, I was still feeling a bit revved up, as was wonderpup so we set out for a walk. The poor little guy has been a tad neglected these past few weeks. I stepped out the door, leash in hand, and barely crossed our property line before a wave of relief spread over me. It was just after 9pm and the sky was this amazing blue-black - I was trying to think of the Crayola crayon name that perfectly describes the color, which I can't do, but I can absolutely picture it. It was one of my favorites as a kid. But you know what a mean - that deep, earthy blue against which the trees stand out like shadows. Midnight blue, maybe? When you push down hard enough, but not too hard.

The moon was perfect and my entire street was filled with fireflies. I've seen a handful here and there already, but this was the first time they twinkled like stars all around me. Wonderpup pranced and wiggled, clearly recognizing how special the moment was, and the past few weeks of insanity melted away for a bit. It never ceases to amaze me how a simple situation or act can make you stop and finally catch your breath. I was just walking my dog on what happened to be a perfect summer night. I often find a similar solace in the kitchen, not when I am preparing anything in particular, but simply because the stars align and there is something therapeutic in the ritual.

Sunday Dinner, GP style

I might be clinically insane because it is entirely too hot to be in the kitchen, but I set out to make Sunday dinner anyway. I had some chicken thawed out that I knew would languish in the fridge this week if I didn't make it. The chicken may represent a reasonable middle ground - naturally raised, no antibiotics or hormones, but I got eight breasts (reasonable sized breasts, not the "how the hell does the bird stand up" breasts) for just over eleven bucks. I'd like to do a bit more research on the brand, which I sadly can't share because I left the main package up at the lake, but I am hoping it serves as a reasonable transition option as we are working toward better choices. I have so much respect for the folks who are making really excellent meat choices and have limited their consumption accordingly, but we just don't seem to be quite there yet. It's just too easy to throw some breasts on the grill.

That's precisely what I did tonight - but I had to use our ind

oor cast iron grill because we don't have the propane grill set up yet. (blasphemy, right?)

I grabbed a bunch of herbs from my garden and made a quick marinade - leftover parsley from this week's CSA share, basil, rosemary and oregano. A bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil balanced out the

healthy dose of balsamic. I was going for an earthy, rustic flavor - I think it worked. I even managed to save some of this week's swiss chard (much of it had wilted) to round out the meal.

All in all, a successful plate considering my efforts to waste less, think more about my meat and manage to keep plants alive. The fact that it was tasty just made it all the better.

June Garden

I realized I haven't given any garden updates lately, and, amazingly there is actually some positive news. My raised bed, while not well organized, is chugging along. The broccoli, beans and ground cherries I started from seed, and the garlic from bulb, but I bought the other plants. Tomatoes from seed were just not working for me. We decided to open up another plot after ripping up a bunch of ugly ground cover. I knew if I waited until I got around to building another bed, there would be snow on the ground, and the soil looked pretty good, so I went the direct planting route. I have zucchini and anaheim chilies in there so far, with some room to spare. I made a zucchini carrot bread last year that was out of this world, and froze well, so I don't mind if I end up swimming in zukes.

I also finally got the herb garden to a productive place, after some false starts. Even some of my basil from seed is beginning to reanimate

The rosemary is really thriving, which is good because I'm dying to make my black pepper and rosemary roasted walnuts again. I had a potted rosemary plant that I think I overpruned a bit making the nuts around the holidays, but it's back to life in the ground and has a new friend in a second plant. Of course my picture cuts the rosemary off, but you can see I actually have living basil, oregano, cilantro and some baby baby dill.

This is by far the most successful gardening attempt of my adult life. I've had some frustrations already and have learned quite a few lessons. Right now, despite my utter zeal this winter, I'm thinking the starting from seed thing is for the birds. I've picked up a bunch of plants from the farmers markets for what I feel has been a reasonable price. I feel good that I'm buying local and I've had considerably more success with the plants as opposed to seed. We'll see what happens next year, I'm sure my impatience will get the best of me and I will play with seeds indoors again. For now, I'm just going to enjoy the progress.

Lunch

My submission for All over Albany's "what did you eat for lunch" effort today. On sad days where I inhale food at my desk, I am often thankful for Dale Miller To Go!!