And speaking of food. ...

I have a new post up at (Never) Too Many Cooks about how to get started eating locally. If I haven't scared you with my tales of the tomato, click on over.

It has begun.

The great tomato carnage of 2010 has begun.

The Tomato Post -- that wasn't. Or, About a boy and his words.

So, I'll bet you thought this post was going to be about how we to took that gazillion pounds of tomatoes and handily whipped up giant batches of sauce and salsa that will keep us going all winter, right? Um, yeah. Well,  instead, it is about how I begin to hyperventilate every time I go near the kitchen and catch a sight of these angry veggies staring back at me:

What was I thinking? And there is at least that much again on the vine outside. I ought to have my head examined! Clearly I am a warped individual.

But instead of persevarating on the tomatoes, I'll tell you a nice little story about a mostly non-verbal little boy. Oliver, it seems is figuring out this communication thing. And it is happening in great, giant, delicious bursts. Full sentences like: "I want to sit here. Get up." and "Sami, I want to draw pictures." and, "Papi, can I have a quarter?" And my personal favorite (said while handing me a plate full of green beans): "I don't want to eat this. I want chips with cheese."

All of Oliver's words and sentences are said slowly, with space in between the words, in which I imagine the words and the sounds traveling some complicated neural backwoods road. But they are finding their way out and he is making himself understood. For a boy of almost eight, a boy who once could not produce a single word, it feels like we are nearing some mountaintop of achievement.

It makes me think anything is possible. And that, my friends, is a very nice feeling.

The pickle post

It's August. It's hot as hell. And I've got like a hundred million pounds of fruits and vegetables waiting to be put up for the winter. "Put up." Sounds kind of quaint, doesn't it? Well it in no way imparts any kind of useful information about how much work is involved in canning.

We didn't do so great with our 100 mile challenge this year. Last year I'd say a good 85% of our food for the entire year was locally produced. This year I let myself off the hook a little bit and found it soooo easy to slide back into the convenience food trap. BUT, the garden we put in didn't get the message and now that August has arrived we are inundated with veggies.

So despite the fact that it was 98 degrees here in Virginia today, the boys and I got to work making pickles. And, since I still have just slightly less than a hundred million pounds of tomatoes waiting for me, you can expect many more picture posts involving food in the coming days. I understand if you aren't too interested, trust me. But you'll probably have to wait awhile for another real post to appear (though you never know!).

In the meantime, behold the pickles:

And the mess that goes along with it (Yes, we live like this!):

 And then? A trip to the river cools us off:

And wild blackberries for dessert:

Life is good.


Next up? Tomato sauce and salsa.

Swimming, biking and the Great Mystery Garden

Summer is my season.  I've said that here before, I know. In fact, I said it in my very last post! Our days have been filled, filled to the brim, with all sorts of good things. Someone gave us one of those large blue pools that are now a ubiquitous part of neighborhood backyard life. Setting the thing up and learning how to keep the water clean was a LOT more work than I anticipated, but it has been really worth it. Sami learned to swim within one day of getting the thing, and Oliver couldn't be happier than when he is in the water. Also, it has been a great magnet for neighborhood kids, making our house THE place to hang out when the mercury is hovering around ninety -- which is most of the time this summer. That has been great for all of us, including yours truly, who now can actually sit pool-side and chat with the other mothers.

And then there is the biking. A new bike rack for the car plus hot, hot temperatures have pushed us towards the woods, exploring local mountain bike trails. And the only thing that Oliver loves more than the water is riding his bike. Combine the two? Perfect!

And then there is the garden. I know, I'm a total dork to take pictures of our garden -- and even more so since I'm posting them on my blog -- but, but, check out these grapes!

And these beets? I didn't even plant them! Seriously, I don't know how they got there. Maybe they were in the packet of mixed greens seeds?

And the big mystery plant that sprouted from the compost is a mystery no more!

Can you see what I see?

A nearly ripe pumpkin. In July!! How amazing is that?  I see pumpkin bread in our very near future.

And speaking of food, if you aren't yet tired of hearing about my garden and the foods we get from it, I have a new post up over at (Never) Too Many Cooks. Pop on over and check it out.

Next post: back to our regularly scheduled programing with a tale of the most awesome grilled cheese sandwich ever made. Stay tuned!

Suddenly Summer

Today was one of those days when it really felt like summer vacation -- and not just because the calendar says it is the middle of June, but because our attitude says so. We're busy finding our groove and trying to beat the heat. We don't have air-conditioning and with a week of temperatures in the mid-nineties, it has been a challenge to keep myself the kids from being too cranky. Lucky for us, we live within just a few miles of some gorgeous swimming holes, which is where we spent a few hours today ignoring the heat. Unfortunately I remembered my camera but forgot the memory card. The heat will make you think you're losing your mind like that. So you'll just have to picture two giddy boys and their mama frolicking in the ice-cold river. And trust me, it was all that and more!

Once home again the kids and I engineered this awesome pirate/space ship by hanging all the sheets, blankets and towels from the clothesline.

Sami dragged his sleeping bag out there, declaring that he was going to sleep under the stars. Then the two kids spent a few hours lounging out there with books while I tried to figure out what to do with a staggering amount of laundry that had somehow spontaneously generated in my laundry room and which I now could not dare to hang on the clothesline. At bedtime tonight Sami lasted about three and a half minutes out there before throwing open the back door and indignantly telling us that the rabbits were making too much noise. Then he went upstairs, dragging his sleeping bag behind him, and climbed into bed with his brother.

Also in some weird twist of events, Oliver has taken a sudden liking to a basket of Little People that has been sitting in the corner of his room. I just don't even know what to say about it, really. Oliver has never much been one to play with toys and suddenly I find him zooming cars back and forth. 

And, as if all that weren't enough to make this a really great summer vacation kind of day? Just look at the broccoli we had for dinner tonight: