Greenblade - creation - faith - justice

Seasonal eating

 

Last week I was doing some grocery shopping and I was skeptically eying some California broccoli.  I knew I wanted a green addition to that night's dinner, but was I ready to eat all those miles?  Luckily, there was still local asparagus which somehow I had missed on my first pass and I grabbed a few big handfuls.  Why do I make it such an emotional decision to select fresh vegetables?  I don't get quite as worked up over things like, say, olive oil or rice.  Although I do try to be intentional with those products as well.  I was very interested in checking this site for food rating, which goes beyond just food and considers "health", "environment" and "society".  (It's still in Beta and I had more than a few internal errors while checking it out, but I think the concept is great.)




I am ... MORE

Satisfying Meals

This may be a shock to all the Greenblade foodies I know, but today was the first time I have eaten stinging nettle.  Last summer, I thought I had identified a few plants in the area we call "The Puddle", but at that point it was too late to enjoy the tender leaves of spring.  A few weeks ago, I was able to identify the plant up close with a friend as she snipped nettle shoots at her house, so I felt confident in how to identify the plant.  Yesterday, I scoped out the spot again and found that the few plants had expanded to a handful.  This was inspired by the discovery of two clumps of garlic mustard hidden among the Egyptian mint.  (The first ones ever - which were yanked out after dinner and cleaned, roots and leaves put into the fridge for the next day.)  This morning, after dropping Sabina off at school, Josephine and I had ... MORE

Thinking about Food

 This is in part a response to Andrew's latest post.  For those of you with televisions, or access to one, PBS is going to be airing Food, Inc.  I saw this movie with my parents and Sabina and thought it brought up a lot of great issues.  All of us got something different out of it and some interesting conversations were sparked.  What a great opportunity for that person who may not get your Greenblade-y ways to see that these issues we care about are not limited to our small community in Central New York.  Watching a film together definitely gives you some common images and concepts to share in a different way than reading the same book.

Pictures of the garden coming soon...  Peas and radishes are sprouted, along with tiny chard and carrots.  Rhubarb leaves are looking healthy, though it will be a few weeks before the first pie!  The garlic bed is glorious, ... MORE