Tuesday, October 30, 2012

First Time for Everything


Hey Ya'll,
I have been without my computer for days now, but I didn't want anyone to think I forgot about writing more regularly. So I figured I would try this blog via text feature that blogspot offers.
Here goes, my daughter and I went to the Farmer's Market this past Saturday and we found some lovely green tomatoes (amongst other tasty treats) but I realized that my kiddo up to now has never had fried green tomatoes. The classic Southern side that can be eaten as a meal sometimes. So we took a pint full of firm round light green little lovelies and today I sliced them up, soaked them in buttermilk, seasoned and coated them in cornmeal and pan fries them. Like a good Southern-girl she was instantly in love. The crusty crunchy exterior mingled with the softened slightly tart interior perfectly. At first she questioned the difference between a red tomato and a green tomato. Once she had a taste she understood immediately, that's my girl! I'll have to make sure she gets to experience these more often. After all, I am obligated to develop her young impressionable palate to its fullest capacity. Alright ya'll I hope this post takes, let's see.
Namaste Ya'll

Edited posted: Apparently my picture made my text too large to post on my blog. But posting from my email on my phone worked brilliantly. Namaste Ya'll

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Ultimate Local

This post is part of the Food Day posts for the #FoodDayBlogAlong! organized by Mary Makes Dinner and Notes from Maggie's Farm
Foodday 
Hey Ya'll,
So, there were many directions that are available for the Blog Along but I chose to write about eating locally. Now when eating locally is mentioned I immediately think of farmer's markets and hipster cafes that serve seasonal fruit salads and whole grain pancakes with farm fresh eggs. This of course is lovely all on it's own. But I decided to take my eating local experience to the next level, beyond my Go Local Austin card. I decided to bring local eating as close to my table as eating. I decided to start my own vegetable garden. Well, miniature container herb/veggie garden anyway. I made a promise to my daughter that we could try our hand at raising some of our own food, plus I kind of wanted to see if I had what it takes to be a small time farmer. I have actually always kind of dreamed about growing a huge garden (small farm really) and raising a few small animals. Well I figure this is the first step in determining if I have what it takes to live the life of a woman of the land.
I imagine that if everyone, no matter how limited their space, took the time to grow at least a few vegetables of their own they could save money, reduce waste, increase their nutrient options and provide some time in the sunshine taking care of not only the plants but ultimately themselves.When you live in even the poorest of the poor neighborhoods and you have even just a container of soil that can grow a small bunch of carrots to call your own, a ray of light shines down on each day that you get to breath in the pure oxygen produce by your very own personal garden.
Let's talk container gardening and keep in mind this is my first time with anything larger than a Kindergarten bean sprouting project. But, it really felt kind of natural getting my hands in the dirt and transplanting my plants.

My first Box of Herbs and veggies

 So the nice young man at the Nursery was really pushing the Spinach today so I took that as a sign that I needed to eat more leafy greens thus my first plants of Spinach and Kale. I also picked up some Sweet Peas because the nice young man showed me how to place bamboo stakes in my container to run the peas upwards and allow for more bushy plants that sit low in the pot.


 YAY for Herbs!! I chose Parsley Cilantro and Thyme mostly because they are my favorites and also because apparently they grow really well during this time of year in my neck of the woods. The thyme automatically smelled of my favorite recipe of roasted chicken and rosemary potatoes to me. I was so excited. As we planted the cilantro my daughter asked "May I eat some of the cilantro? It's my favorite."  Being from Texas we love our TexMex food and since she had teeth in her mouth my daughter has loved a fresh Filipino-style cucumber tomato salad with cilantro. Needless to say there will be plenty of that this Summer.

Calliope Carrots and Buttercrunch Lettuce to pull together my Fall salads. Now if only I had a Pecan Tree....Hmmm, maybe when we purchase our first home. The niffty thing about the carrots is they are going to amaze my daughter when it's time to harvest. They grow into like 4 or 5 different colors. She is going to absolutely lose her cute little mind. I'll have to take video and share that here when the time comes.



 So I actually only managed to get one of my 2 containers filled, turns out I needed way more soil than I anticipated. The sweet peas, spinach, kale, and some of the lettuce went into the first container. I will be purchasing more high quality potting soil from the nursery and finishing my second container with my herbs, carrots and remaining lettuce seeds this weekend. But I wanted to share my local eating adventure in time for Food Day.


http://www.gonursery.com/
Last but certainly not least I would like to thank Jeremy who was so much help and had pity on me once he saw me wandering around the nursery lost and unsure of myself. Jeremy helped me understand where to place which plants and how to give them the space they needed to grow. Thank you Jeremy.

Happy Food Day all know where what you eat comes from and try to get it as short a distance from farm to table as possible whenever you can.
Namaste Ya'll

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Unfinished Business

Hey Ya'll,
We are currently in a testing bye-week so to speak in classes right now. So at the moment there is no homework and there are no lessons to speak about, just time being given to us to take our first test and get caught up on any work that may have been neglected. Since I last shared about how school was going I have gotten myself all caught up and am feeling accomplished. With not much occurring on the academic front for me for now I will venture into other topics today.

I am fully aware of the fact that there are many, and boy do I mean many, projects in that I have started but never finished. Yoga challenges, Juice cleanses, workout regimens, knitting projects, sewing projects. Heck even my degree is a hodge-podge of courses that originally belonged to the ideas of 4 separate degree plans I once thought I wanted to pursue. Fortunately, the college I went to basically had a generic health degree that I fit into and was able to graduate with rather than run out of financial aid while I tried to find myself. The honeymoon phase of any new job wears-off quickly for me because I have yet to place myself in a role that feeds my soul. My passions are very specific but for some reason I have convinced myself that I could never make a decent living fulfilling them. Well, now I realize the only way I will be successful is to do work that I love and am willing to be part of every single day that I wake up. With anyone who takes the time to read this as my witness I will live my dreams:
I will make food the center of my profession
I will service pregnant women and their babies (maybe I will doula or lactation consult)
I will write again...and enjoy it again
I will live in my dream home on the outskirts of town with my small livestock and my large garden.
I will see the world and speak its languages

And I will share all of these experiences with you all right here. Of course I have started with my IIN journey and will continue the whole way through. Earlier I was a little down on myself for failing to make this blog what I originally set out for it to be; sharing my love for food and my walk into yoga. But then I thought, this blog was never meant to be so one dimensional. This blog was meant to expose my overall journey into peace and into truly loving my life and who I am in this life. I have finally begun to do that. Now is the time to open up and share my food adventures with those of you who choose to stop by and read. My first real food post will be an Eat Out Loud post for Food Day, which is officially October 24, 2012  It will be complete with pictures and descriptive words, the whole nine yards. Thank you all for baring with me as I gain my footing in this sometimes frighteningly open world and learn to love who I am enough to honestly share myself with anyone willing to listen (or read). I look forward to evolving this blog into what it was always meant to be and doing it with love rather than my own impatience for perfection.
To anyone who may actually read this thank you for doing so, until my next exposure.
Namaste Ya'll