Garden Update

Here's the garden with the fence and trellis installed. I still need to add netting to one of the trellises, but the peas and beans haven't sprouted yet, so I'm not in a big hurry. My only concern now is the realization that our best chance at a veggie garden may not get nearly enough sun. I watched today, and it gets about three to four hours worth rather than the required six to eight. We grew tomatoes, peppers, and herbs on the deck last year, so I'm hopeful that it will work well enough. We shall see!

Piedmont Farm Tour

We've talked about going on the annual farm tour for a couple of years now, and we finally got around to it last weekend. We toured two farms that offered meat, eggs, and produce. We picked up maple sausage at the first, and the kids gathered eggs at the second. (They loved the experience and both the eggs and sausage were delicious.) One of the farms is in Hillsborough, five minutes from our house, and it has an on-farm market every Saturday morning. Lucky for us, it also has friendly dogs and baby ducks to sweeten the deal. We'll go back again very soon, I'm guessing.

Another stop on the tour was a dairy farm (with yummy cheese samples and a horse drawn carriage ride!) and the last farm we visited wasn't really a farm, but instead focused on harvesting and producing alternative energy. From what I gathered, interns work and live for free in platform tents, eat together, and use the composting toilet when required. Although I've done it before, and willingly so, the idea of sleeping in a tent for more than two nights in a row along with communal anything was incredibly unappealing. (It made me feel old.) And I have to admit, we went there more for the pony rides than the biodiesel fuel. (I do appreciate the work and was quite impressed with the field of solar panels - thank you willing interns!)

blue poop

One of the things Sarah wanted to do at her birthday party was decorate cupcakes. This seemed harmless enough, however, here's the thing - instead of squeezable frosting, I unwittingly gave the kids gel food coloring instead. I know this because after thinking it odd that everyone's face was stained, I looked at the label on the package. Eric squirted the stuff on his cupcake at least four times, sucking it off after each squirt. The result? He had blue poop for three days. He thought it was great, announcing the color each time he went to the bathroom. I won't make that mistake again.

Sticky Buns

Brian decided to treat the kids (and himself) to cinnamon rolls for dessert tonight. We had eggs for dinner, so why not finish it off with another breakfast treat, right? Sarah and Eric both complained about the stickiness and used forks to eat them. Brian explained that yes, in fact, another name for cinnamon rolls is sticky buns. Eric started laughing and then said, "Stinky bum." Sarah started cracking up, so he then said, "Stinky poopy bum," which received even more laughter. He repeated it several more times, much to Sarah's delight. "He said 'Poopy,' Mommy!!" As a mom, I felt obligated to end the potty talk. However, the English teacher in me couldn't help but note the impressive word play.

Thoughts on Food

I'm currently reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenburg. Before that, I read The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule. Both of these books have me thinking about the food I eat and offer to my family and the time and energy involved in making a meal. I grew up in a family that honored mealtimes. We sat at the table together, discussed the day, and ate. Good nutrition was emphasized. If we, as kids, wanted a treat, we had to eat the healthy stuff first. My parents (and more specifically, my mom) did a great job of instilling these values in me. I feel strongly about these ideals and wish the same for my family.

But these two books have me thinking further. The idea of cooking from scratch, eating wholesome, minimally processed food, not to mention trying to eat locally, are all on my mind. The task at hand is daunting, but also quite appealing. I'm aware that good food (and the ways we gather it, prepare it, and share it) can become more central to our family's moments and memories, not to mention providing lifelong lessons and habits. Interesting, indeed . . .

Apple Pancakes with Maple Syrup

We have a very tasty Tuesday morning tradition at our house. I make apple pancakes for the kids (and myself) and we happily indulge. I'm mostly certain that this is how my four year old daughter maintains her grip on the growth chart that has forever presented itself as a challenge to her tiny self. She eats four pancakes each morning, until we run out of them, which is several days before the following Tuesday.

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Here's my version, taken from Brunch, the perfect weekend treat by Jennifer Donovan.

Ingredients -

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (specialty flour, and very easy to find)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp flaxseed (I add this to get some good stuff into the kids. It's absolutely optional.)

1 egg

1 cup milk

2 apples, peeled and grated

butter

maple syrup

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To make them -

Mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and flaxseed in a bowl. (I peel and grate the apples at this point.) Beat the egg and the milk together and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir together until it's combined and then add the apples.

Heat the butter in a large nonstick pan over medium low heat until melted and bubbling. With a ladle, pour in the mixture and cook until bubbles appear in the batter. Flip and cook until golden brown. Increase or decrease heat as needed. And add a little more butter between sessions.

ENJOY! We can't get enough of them!