Back to the land

An article from the New York Times Sunday Review has been lingering in my mind for three weeks. It's the story of a mother in Brooklyn, broke because of extenuating circumstances, turning to the land to feed her family. I was struck by how similar our diets are: homegrown veggies supplemented with dried beans and stretching one big piece of meat to last for a week's worth of meals. I'm full of admiration for the ways she has further immersed herself into the locavore lifestyle. She has chickens and makes bread and cheese. She is the model of where I hope to be if I continue to change my life bit by bit, day by day.

"Even if things turn around financially, I don’t think I could stomach going to Whole Foods (except maybe for olive oil) because my biggest revelation in terms of self-sufficiency is this: It is no big deal. You can tell yourself anything is too difficult, or you can just do it." Susan Gregory Thomas

To read the article click here: Back to the land, Reluctantly

Whatcha eating? Louisiana gumbo!

The days may be shorter and cooler but there is one good thing about this time of year - GUMBO! Ok, not just one good thing. This time of year it's wonderful to curl up with a warm bowl any type of winter stew. Chili, butternut squash, lentil - yum!

Being married to a Louisiana man has many perks. His bone fide gumbo is one of them. Oliver used the carcass from last week's roast chicken, and several chicken backs from the freezer, to create a foundation stock for the soup. He then made a roux and added the food "trinity" (onions, bell peppers and celery). Once everything had cooked down it was combined with the stock, a freshly browned chicken and some andouille. The gumbo was left to simmer for a couple of hours in our cast iron pot.

First freeze = sad tomatoes

The weather forecast for tonight predicts the first frost of the season. Frost combined with several blustery days and sustained cool temperatures meant we had to face the facts. Tomato season is over. It is time for the tomatoes to give up their real estate.

Oliver pulled up our two plants today and separated the fruit into grocery bags for me to see. We had 5lbs 3oz of growing heirloom tomatoes and ANOTHER 2.5 lbs of grape tomatoes. Oh what might have been!

This summer we learned a lot about fertilizing tomato plants. I'm really looking forward to applying this year's lessons to next years crop. Onward tasty kale!

What's for dinner? Fajitas!

Skirt steak grilled indoors on our cast iron grill top, pico de gallo made from homegrown tomatos, store bought onions, peppers and an avocado. Easy to make, real food, low on meat, heavy on the veggies, utilized a bit of our garden and delicious too!

Made enough for two each for two meals.

Next Monday: Food Day

If you've been putting off making a lifestyle change involving food then next Monday, October 24 is the day you've been waiting for. If you're already in the habit of eating and ejoying real food then next Monday is a day for celebration! National Food Day is a day to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. The goal is "nothing less then to transform the American diet". 


The more people talk about a real food diet the more accepted it will become. Change starts with you! If you believe in real food mention it in passing to someone you care about. Thanks!


The six principles of food day are: 
1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods. 
2. Support sustainable farms & limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment & animals by reforming factory farms
5. Promot health by curbing junk-good marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers. 

Works in Progress

The foundation work for my pending Etsy shop is going very well. There are currently seasonal prints, holiday table place settings and greetings cards in the works. Hope to have everything ready to go by the first of November. Making it happen means I need to take some time away from blog writing.


If you check back and don't see any news posts it doesn't mean I've given up the blog! It just means I'm busy in the art studio. Thank you for your patience and please help spread the word about And Topher Too!


PS - Anyone have a favorite winter vegetable? I'm trying to decide what to paint to represent winter. So far kale is the winner.

Perfect tomatoes are perfect

Quick post from a quick dinner. Tomato sandwiches on whole wheat bread. Just a dab of mayo. Perfect tomatoes. Red and flavorful all the way through. Never seen the inside of a refrigerator. Picked them up on Sunday at the Grant Park farmers market from my favorite vendor, Mountain Earth Farms. This is what tomatoes were meant to be.

Another great reason to learn to feed yourself...*

*and by "feed yourself" I mean "produce your own food".


On my drive home from work this evening I listened to an NPR All things considered segment that both worried and energized me. "Facing Planetary Enemy Number One: Agriculture" highlighted the vexing  reality that: 1."Farming accounts for a third of all the emissions of greenhouse gases that humans release into the environment." 2. Demand for food is expected to double over the next forty years due to population increase. 

Damage done to the environment by big agriculture is a topic that comes up in the news at least twice a week. (But at the moment I can't remember where I've read the most recent articles. New York Times? NPR? If YOU, my attractive and intellectual reader, if you remember please post it as a comment.) The answer to the inevitable head-butt seems consistent: we cannot feed the world with an agricultural system based on petroleum and mass deforestation. The solution lies in local food systems based on time tested crop rotations and a diet dominated by plants.

This is as good a time as any to start living by the Boyscout's motto: be prepared. All you have to do is learn how to grow and eat some plants. If I can do it, you can do it too!