I've picked Sage, Oregano and Basil to take to coworkers tomorrow and I'm thrilled that I have enough to share. The rest of the harvest is still weeks away, but herbs make me feel good. I made a little bouquet and tied it in my window so that my kitchen will smell good, too.

I also cooked lentils in the rice cooker tonight! It was so easy that I wish I'd known about it years ago. 2:1 water to lentils ratio, salt, a titch of olive oil and you're in business. Lentils are like a blank canvass - you can season them any way you like. Of course I made way too much so there's some frozen -- probably have to do soup with them because they'll be mushy.

D

I'm obviously going to write about things other than our green efforts here. That's okay with you, right?

A few months ago, I had a thought that went something like this: I have, over the years, challenged and stretched my mind and accomplished much more professionally and academically than I ever thought possible. I wonder what would happen if I stretched my body in the same way?

Today is one of those days when I feel like this was the stupidest idea I've ever had. Today, I feel like after 42 years -- most of it spent being overweight -- I might as well sack up and accept that my body is truly not my friend. Hiking in Yellowstone is no more an option for me at this point in my life than is becoming a brain surgeon. The time has come to pay the piper and I have successfully destroyed my body. I may become healthier, but I have to admit that there are some capabilities that I no longer possess.

Which pisses me off greatly.

D

This has nothing to do with gardening....

but I saw this driving down the road one day and thought, "Tigger died on the cross for your sins". I had to go back and take a picture. I figured this is a safe enough place to post it since you probably all know that I'm sorta sick and twisted anyhow.

Week 2 Shopping Trip

- Bag of organic Romaine lettuce
- 3 cans of organic Garbanzo Beans
- 1 jar of tahini
- 3 limes
- 1 lemon
- 1 bag of Terra chips
- Gallon of milk
- A really small piece of cheese that was $27.99 a pound
- 1 red bell pepper (grown in Canada)
- 1 quart of Michigan strawberries
- 2 pounds of marinaded skirt steak from Dos Hermanos
- A bunch of cilantro (Dos Hermanos)
- A package of whole wheat pita bread
- 2 bunches of organic bananas (grown in Ecuador)
- A loaf of 3 seed bread bread from the Food Co Op

Total haul: $80

Realization of the week: In order to eat locally (completely) someone living in Michigan would have to give up a LOT of stuff. Mangoes. Avacado. Bananas. I'm thinking this is more of a guideline than a rule.

Thar's FOOD in that thar garden!

Michigan Produce Availability

One task on the "To Do List" complete - Go Bill!

Michigan Produce Availability available from the Michigan State University Extension Service and the State.

Dee

1st Shopping Trip

Grocery shopping is part of our regular Sunday errands so we hit the Whole Foods today. Can I just say that this is much harder than I expected it to be? I knew it was going to be more expensive to eat local/seasonal/organic foods and, to some extent, I knew that it would be a challenge to come up with tasty meals day after day within those guidelines. What I did not expect was so many choices of eggs that fall in that category. Free Range: okay that seems good. That means that the chickens weren't locked up in a tiny cage to lay eggs. No antibiotics: Also good. Fertilized: What th'.......? Whole Foods was kind enough to provide commentary on this subject. "Don't be afraid of finding a baby chick when you crack the egg" (that's a relief). Fertilized means that the chicken was actually in the presence of a rooster when your eggs were created. I'm thinking that chickens that are getting laid must be happier than chickens that don't and thereby lay better eggs.

My other big realization is that you can't automatically assume that just because something is the Whole Foods brand that it's any higher quality than a popular brand. For example, we usually buy Honey Nut Cheerios. The WF brand's label read exactly the same as the Cheerio's label, only WF brand was cheaper and came in a bag rather than a box with a bag liner (reduced waste = good). The real pisser came when I ran in to Hiller to grab a lemon that we'd forgotten at WF's and found the same box of Honey Nut Cheerio's for $2 cheaper than either the bag or the box at Whole Foods. So I got it too. So much for reduced waste, huh?

Poor people will never be able to eat well. For $110, here's what we got to feed our family of 4 for the week (obviously we'll use some stuff that we already have on hand).

2 lemons
1 box of Honey Nut Cheerios
2 bunches of organic bananas
1 bunch of Michigan grown asparagus
1 bag of fresh green beans from somewhere (Mississippi maybe?)
2 containers of organic blueberries
1 quart of Michigan strawberries
4 peaches
1/2 pound of pine nuts
2 boxes of whole grain pasta
a nice huge hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano
1 bag of Honey Nut Oats
2 bags of prepared granola
1 box of Kashi oatmeal
1 box of Kashi waffles
1 gallon of skim milk
1 dozen organic, grain fed, free range eggs
1 six pack of Oberon (my FAVORITE beer -- local to boot)
1 six pack of Edmund Fitzgerald (another Michigan beer, bought as a gift)

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with the haul. I'll be using some of our basil and a little rosemary to make asparagus pesto for pasta tomorrow night. Past that, I have no idea what's to eat.

Dee