This is what we are reading right now.

On Saturday morning we headed out to Hansen's - a different strawberry patch. The sun was too hot to pick as many as I had hoped, but we ended up with too much to deal with in the kitchen on a hot day. Some became strawberry jam, some went into a strawberry milkshake last night, and the rest are in the freezer.

In the garden

n = newly in season

p = peak of season

w = winding down


Cilantro - w
Basil - n
Lettuce - n,p,w
Chard - n
Spinach - w
Peas - p
Asparagus - w
Artichokes - p
Onions - n + p
Garlic - n
Strawberries - p
Blueberries - n
Gooseberries - n
Broccoli - w

Strawberry Sunshine

Primo

On Friday we headed north to Silverton for a visit with Tia Kara and Primo Sebastian. Lydia looks forward to playing more with Sebastian as they grow older. For now, holding hands is enough.

In the afternoon we visited the Oregon Garden for the first time. Sahara showed off how fast she can now run. We'll go back for more exploring with Papa some day.

Thanks for the fotos Kara!

Favorite lunch

Sahara now asks for a variation of this for lunch most days. What a lucky girl!

Grass, Teeth

We had a Sunny Sunday so Sahara donned her strawberry swimsuit and strolled around our new lawn.

One tooth has risen through and she's working on the second.

It's all about food

Talking Food with Barack Obama. Interview by Ari LeVaux, Durango
Telegraph, June 5, 2008.

(Just a snippet.)

What policy initiatives would you propose to strengthen local food systems?

Obama: 'Community supported farms... can provide an important source of fresh fruits
and vegetables to inner city communities that do not have easy access
to grocery stores that sell organic foods. Moreover, farms... that
sell directly to consumers cut out all of the middlemen and get full
retail price for their food, which increases the financial viability
of small family farms. As president, I would implement USDA policies
that promote local and regional food systems, including assisting
states to develop programs aimed at community-supported farms. I also
support a national farm-to-school program and am pleased that the
Farm Bill provides more than $1 billion to expand healthy snacks in
our schools.'"

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Last night I was going to make a Greek salad for dinner with the cherry tomatoes, cucumber and basil from the market. But at the last minute I realized that the grey skies and chilly rain required a warmer, heartier meal so I opened up my favorite cookbook and looked up "lentils."
I improvised a dal soup recipe and it hit the spot. With some bread and a salad we had a perfect dinner.
In case you weren't sure what to make tonight and lentils sound good:

1 cup red lentils, rinsed
3 cups water
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
bit o' butter
1/2 tsp. tumeric
salt to taste
a few Tablespoons coconut cream (I skimmed off the top of a can of coconut milk)

In a pan big enough to hold the soup, sautee the onions, garlic and turmeric in a bit of butter until soft. Add the water, salt and lentils, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are mushy. Add the coconut cream and blend it up so it is smooth. (I have one of the immersion blenders which I use all the time for pesto, smoothies, sauces, soups and it has to be one of the best kitchen purchases I ever made.)
That is it!

Daydreamer

I want someone to make a pattern of this dress for me from this picture. In all my free time, I would then sew Sahara and Lydia each this dress in every color of the rainbow.