It's been way too long since I last posted here. I suppose my personal life sort of got in the way.
I hope to resume posting using a different slant to my entries. The state of the economy has definitely changed the way I view cooking. Although I was interested in eating seasonally before, now it's truly a necessity (it's so much cheaper!) I am also more determined than ever to eat locally and organically (which, sadly, is usually not cheaper).
In an effort to meet these goals, I jumped into gardening with both feet this year. We planted a cornucopia of varieties, and , although some were failures, have successfully harvested tons of tomatoes, arugula, spinach, sweet peppers, fingerling potatoes, onions, raspberries, blackberries, carrots, various herbs and leeks, leeks, and more leeks!
All of this was supplemented by donations from my father's, friends' and my in-laws gardens of peaches, more blackberries, corn, more tomatoes, hazelnuts, more peppers, more onions, eggplant, green beans, haricot vert, bok choy, pears, plums, melons, and beets.
In a panic to preserve this amazing windfall I taught myself to can. I learned both the waterbath method and even fired up my mother's old pressure canner on a nightly basis for a few weeks.
I haven't counted all of the pretty little jars lining the shelves that my husband just built me in the garbage, but it's easily in the hundreds now.
I intend to use this blog chronicle the meals I manage to create with what I have and what I can buy through Idaho's Bounty.
I mentioned before that buying locally and organically can be more expensive and so I have also undertaken a project to offset the extra cost of local foods by couponing for sundry items and stocking up when they are on sale. I am blogging (along with many others) about the deals I discover around the Treasure Valley at Boise Bargain Babes.
I hope to resume posting using a different slant to my entries. The state of the economy has definitely changed the way I view cooking. Although I was interested in eating seasonally before, now it's truly a necessity (it's so much cheaper!) I am also more determined than ever to eat locally and organically (which, sadly, is usually not cheaper).
In an effort to meet these goals, I jumped into gardening with both feet this year. We planted a cornucopia of varieties, and , although some were failures, have successfully harvested tons of tomatoes, arugula, spinach, sweet peppers, fingerling potatoes, onions, raspberries, blackberries, carrots, various herbs and leeks, leeks, and more leeks!
All of this was supplemented by donations from my father's, friends' and my in-laws gardens of peaches, more blackberries, corn, more tomatoes, hazelnuts, more peppers, more onions, eggplant, green beans, haricot vert, bok choy, pears, plums, melons, and beets.
In a panic to preserve this amazing windfall I taught myself to can. I learned both the waterbath method and even fired up my mother's old pressure canner on a nightly basis for a few weeks.I haven't counted all of the pretty little jars lining the shelves that my husband just built me in the garbage, but it's easily in the hundreds now.
I intend to use this blog chronicle the meals I manage to create with what I have and what I can buy through Idaho's Bounty.
I mentioned before that buying locally and organically can be more expensive and so I have also undertaken a project to offset the extra cost of local foods by couponing for sundry items and stocking up when they are on sale. I am blogging (along with many others) about the deals I discover around the Treasure Valley at Boise Bargain Babes.
I just finished a book called Plenty in which the apartment-bound authors decide to eat only foods produced within one hundred miles of their home for one full year. It is set in the northwest and I found it very inspiring. They referenced another similar project in which participants were required to eat completey local (within 120 miles - or a two hour drive) but they could have a list of twleve "cheat" foods that came from anywhere on Earth. I have already been pondering my own cheat list.
1. Coffee
2. Spices (Oh my. Hopefully this qualifies as one item? Doubtful.)
3. Chocolate
4. Avocados
5. Lemons and Limes (think this can count for one?)
6. Clementines (at Christmas)
7. Coconut Milk
8. SEAFOOD? (Hmmmm, not sure if I can throw the whole ocean into one category...)
9. Salt
10. Olives and olive oil
11. Parmigianno Reggiano
12. ?
Down to the last one already?
Hmmmm, this better be good....
