Green August

It's August 1, the first day of my third green August. My rules have changed a bit but my goals remain the same. I will for one month try to live green. I will make meals from what's ready to harvest in my organic garden. I will bike, walk or take public transportation all month.
Since my garden is somewhat sun challenged, the beginning of August is a little spotty. My tomatoes are still green, the eggplant and cantaloupe are way in the future. So what's for dinner?

Embrace Dandelions

After a long brown, gray and white Midwestern winter dandelions are a beautiful sight. A lawn filled with dandelions has not been sprayed with pesticides. It is healthy and natural as nature intended. Young children pick dandelions and make beautiful bouquets. It is only as one grows older that prejudice develops and the lovely yellow flowers are maligned.

Toast Spring with a glass of Dandelion Wine.

Dandelion Wine


2 qts dandelion flowers
3 lbs granulated sugar
4 oranges
1 tsp. cloves
1 gallon water
yeast and nutrient


This is the traditional "Midday Dandelion Wine" of old, named because the flowers must be picked at midday when they are fully open. Pick the flowers and bring into the kitchen. Set one gallon of water to boil. While it heats up to a boil, remove as much of the green material from the flower heads as possible (the original recipe calls for two quarts of petals only, but this will work as long as you end up with two quarts of prepared flowers). Pour the boiling water over the flowers, cover with cloth, and leave to steep for two days. Do not exceed two days. Pour the mixture back into a pot and bring to a boil. Add the peelings from the four oranges and cloves and boil for ten minutes. Strain through a muslin cloth or bag onto a crock or plastic pail containing the sugar, stirring to dissolve. When cool, add the juice of the oranges, the yeast and yeast nutrient. Pour into secondary fermentation vessel, fit fermentation trap, and allow to ferment completely. Rack and bottle when wine clears and again when no more lees form for 60 days. Aging longer improves flavor.

Winter Garden Week 8

The Harvest Continues--fresh herbs inside--zero degrees outside.

Take a Break from Chicago Winter

2008 Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show

March 8-16, 2008

Donald E. Stephens Convention Center

5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont, IL

Saturday through Wednesday: 9:30am-6pm Thursday and Friday: 9:30am-8pm

Admission: $12 weekday and $14 weekend

Seasonal Effective Order

Indoor Harvest

I'll be picking fresh herbs from my garden tonight. Tortilla soup with cilantro , cucumbers with sour cream and dill, and fresh mint for my strawberry shortcake. The goddess has outsmarted winter with a little help from her aerogarden.

Winter Garden Week Six

First Harvest

It is really amazing how much the herbs have grown in the past two weeks. I have began to snip small amounts to add to various menus. It is a treat to have fresh organic herbs available on my kitchen counter during the cold, snowy days of a Chicago winter.

Dorothy Hyde Kuhrt--100 Year Birth Anniversary

Pretty as a movie star, my mom could have held her own in the Hollywood days of Joan Crawford and Bettie Davis. Lucky for me, Dorothy chose to be a mom and a "housewife." No, Mommie Dearest, fortunately--but the dearest and most loving of moms. Her baking gene produced award worthy treats which were gobbled up by friends and family. She was a perfectionist--our house was always super clean and beautifully decorated. She paid the same attention to my wardrobe. I was always dressed in the latest fashion of the times. She would spend hours taking me to stores to find just the right outfit--whether for the first day of school, Christmas, a new coat for winter or an Easter outfit. I especially remember times spent at Marshall Field's State Street Store and Gilmour's in Oak Park--trying on coats, hats, dresses and more. Happy 100th Mom--I know you're out there somewhere in the Internet. Love and thanks for all you did, Carole

Winter Garden Week Four

Getting Bigger

Winter Garden--week three

Looking Good.

Winter Garden--week two

Little Sprouts...

The chives are winning with dill in hot pursuit. The basils and cilantro are hanging in with parsley and mint just starting to sprout.

Under the Covers

Protected by a fluffy white comforter of snow the outdoor garden hibernates. Indoors, the garden under lights begins to sprout.

It's the first day of the New Year--a time for resolutions. My resolution for this year is to learn to make bread. Not the bread machine variety that comes in a package but the real thing. This is not my first attempt at bread-making. I spent the summer of 2006 pursuing this noble goal. My creative efforts were flat at first but as I continued I was able to produce a tasty loaf of white bread. Although I was never completely satisfied with the results--too dense, uneven, too yeasty--not quite right.

This year I resolve to make bread worthy of a French boulangerie--with me the boulanger. I will be studying the science of making bread in my kitchen. I will test recipes under various conditions and methodically record the results until I have perfected Pain Francais--the perfect loaf of French Bread.

Bonjour,

From the future Bread Goddess

WINTER GARDEN DAY ONE

Mint, dill, chives, parsley cilantro, purple and green basil.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

The fall garden...

is gentle,
is hardy
and is most definitely a survivor.

After countless frosts and some light freezes the survivors stand ready to serve. So on this day after Thanksgiving, I give thanks to those who have camped out in the cold so that they could warm our hearts and feed our souls on this special holiday.

Broccoli...for the vegetable tray and the broccoli souffle.

Celeriac roots...for puree, remoulade and a delicious addition to the mashed potato casserole.
Celeriac tops..for straws in our Bloody Mary's.

Parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage...for seasoning the turkey and stuffing.

Butternut squash...for the butternut squash au gratin with goat cheese.

Beets, spinach and kale for just being there.

Leeks for their subtle flavor in the turkey soup.

Thanks.

Record for Chicago Area?

November Tomatoes...

I've only been at this organic vegetable gardening thing for two years so maybe I'm easily impressed. But tomatoes riping in the garden on November 6th without a cold frame--isn't that a bit unusual?

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Oh what a beautiful day. Everyday starts with these blue beauties greeting me on the way to my backyard green grocer where I harvest the fresh chives, tomatoes and basil to throw into my breakfast omelet--such big rewards for so little effort.

Dateline: Chicago, October 8, 2007

It feels a little bit surreal to be walking barefoot across my patio hoping to catch a cooling breeze on October 8th in my zone 5 local. My garden still thinks it's summer. The tomatoes are literally bursting at their seems, the green peppers glow with sweat and the basil stretches skyward. The irony--my just arrived Martha Stewart Living is awash with Thanksgiving perparations. Yesterday, the Chicago Marathon had to be stopped after 3 hours and 45 minutes due to the heat. Who knows, maybe that was the Cubs problem on Saturday. But, I know, in spite of global warming, this most likely will be a short lived respite from Chicago's long winter. I'm thinking another day like today won't happen again for seven to seven and a half months so I'm loving it and will worry about the Thanksgiving turkey tomorrow.

Food Glorious Food

A short walk to the yard, no gas, no bags...just a wicker harvest basket. How easy, how satisfying, how green.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Surprise, surprise...someone at my local garden center must have either been confused or decided to have a good time at the expense of naive gardeners--as several of the six packs I bought last spring were mismarked. So instead of cucumbers, I got butternut squash--instead of zucchini, I got acorn squash. The leaves are similar and I was duped. The finished product is not similar--and now I have more squash than I know what to do with. Squash soup anyone! The good thing, squash is a good keeper--so I'll be able to enjoy food from the garden on Thanksgiving--maybe even Christmas.

Cool Idea for a Warming Situation

On 7/7/07 Live Earth concerts to raise awareness and demand action to find solutions to global warming will be held in Johannesburg, London, New Jersey, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo.

The performances will feature classic acts such as the Police, Madonna, Smashing Pumpkins, Bon Jovi and Metallica as well as contemporary artists including Kanye West, Wolfmother, Rihanna Akon and Kelly Clarkson. In addition people will be asked to sign the climate change pledge.


Here's the text of the pledge:

I PLEDGE:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"

3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship and means of transportation;

5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

If you are interested in signing the pledge you can do so at http://www.avaaz.org/en/climate_pledge/j.php/?cl=12901315

Keep your cool. gg

Fruits of My Labor

First Blueberry....... First Potato......

I couldn't be more delighted. It's almost like giving birth again.