Bountiful Basket - Week 2

This is what I got in this week's Bountiful Basket:

Fruit:

1 pineapple

7 bananas

7 pears

9 apples

6 tomatoes

(I did a report on tomatoes in elementary school.  That's when I discovered tomatoes are actually a fruit, not a vegetable.)

Veggies:

5 # sack of potatoes

2 more spaghetti squash

kale

lettuce

mushrooms.

celery

7 Anaheim chilies

I was happy with just about everything except the spaghetti squash.  I gave away last week's squash.

Then I went to check out the BountifulBasket Blog  and found they have a yummy looking recipe for stir fry using the stuff.  The ONLY way I have ever made it is just plain baked, and frankly, it's not that impressive.

Seeing a new way to try it has me actually looking forward to using what we got this time.   I really like it that the blog shows all sorts of recipes for using the stuff we will get.

Here is some info about the food that we are getting from a recent BB email:

" High Quality, Low Cost and As Local as Possible… So, how hard do we try? Pretty hard! Most bananas are from Central America or the Caribbean and are grown by a couple gargantuan conglomerate growers. We get all of our bananas from small farmers in central Mexico. This saves the co-op between $4 and $7 a box, keeps money with small farmers, and helps keep the carbon footprint small."

Will I sometimes get stuff in my basket that I would not have chosen to buy?  Yep.  That happens. But I still like supporting this effort, and I believe I'm getting a good value for my money.   I am looking forward to getting more involved in the co-op by showing up earlier to help with the unloading and set up.  It's as much about building community as buying produce. Also, it challenges me to get out of my food rut and try some  new things.  All in all I'm very pleased with our participation.

Spring Unfolding

Things are coming alive all over the place:  While I always get knocked for a loop when the time changes for daylight savings time, I'm very much enjoying the extra daylight when I get home form work.  It's always a treat t take a walk through the gardens and see what's coming up, what's budding out, what's starting to bloom.

And of course, my beloved is enjoying that the fish are biting...  today he caught 6 in about 45 minutes at the pond 2 miles from our house.

We love spring!

Book Review - QUIET

 

I am currently reading the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  This is an incredibly powerful book.   The content is important, but that can be said of a lot of books.  What impresses me the most is that it is so well written that it is a delicious read as well as being very informative.

Cain balances descriptions of research with stories from the lives of well known and not-so-well known people across the country (and throughout history) to illustrate her key points.  Our culture of personality that gives the gold stars to the well spoken is missing out by underestimating the contribution that the quieter part of our population has to give.

Reading this book has helped me understand some of the people I work with and some of the people I love in whole new ways.  It is changing my management style as I become more mindful of giving some of the folks on my team an opportunity to share their views away from the crowd of our big quarterly meetings.  It is changing how I approach my friendships and may deepen my ability to savor my own seasons of quiet.

I'm about a third of the way through the book right now.  I may have more to say about it when I'm all the way done.  But for now, I give it four stars.  The only thing that makes me hold back that fifth star is that I'm accustomed to reading nonfiction that has notations throughout.   This book does not.  Some might call that a strength because it is less distracting to the reader, and in Cain's defense there is a strong notes section in the back of the book.  Still,  I'm a believer in noting every paraphrase and attributing the original source within the context of the writing.  Picky, I know, but it helps me as a reader to be a more critical thinker to be able to consider the source of a given statement or point of view.

Still, even without that, I'm very impressed by this book.  It's some of the best nonfiction I have read in years.

Happy Feet!

I have a long history of struggling with shoes that hurt my feet.   I am not one of those women who wear stiletto heels or pointy toed monstrosities.   I am truly baffled when I see people pay big money for things like this

:

But even when I try to buy sensible footwear, I have a really hard time finding anything that fits well.  I have big feet. (Depending on the brand I may wear 10, 10 1/2 or 11).  Many stores carry only very limited selection of shoes in the larger sizes and some don't have them at all.   For years it has seemed like there was a rule against having anything that was both cute and comfortable.  Mostly I live in my Sketchers.  Sometimes I'm in Birkenstock. But when I have important meetings or go to church I wear dresses.  Finding shoes I can wear with dresses has been the bane of my existence.

Until now.  Last week my good pal and I were on a mission to find me some shoes to wear to a professional conference I have coming up where I will be presenting before an audience.  I know my stuff, and the focus really should be on what I am saying more than what I look like, but let's get real.  People are going to be staring at me and I don't want to be wearing stupid clunky shoes.  But I also know I'm going to be on my feel a lot, so I just can't wear something that rubs, pinches, slips, or crowds my toes no matter how good they look. 

So I went in search of a suitable compromise.  I needed something that felt good and looked acceptable for this gig.  I did not have high hopes.  But wonder of wonders, I found something that will absolutely work:  These are NaturalSoul by Naturalizer, Clover wide swingback sandals.  Size 10.  I wore these Sunday to church and then again today when I had a couple important meetings.  I was pretty happy with them Sunday, but today I really put them to the test.  At each of my meetings I had a ways to walk to get to where I needed to be.  In one case that was several blocks.  My feet never hurt once.

Hallelujah!!

Some women have different shoes to go with various outfits.  I'm just so dang grateful to find something that fits me well and feels good while still looking socially acceptable that I am ready to buy four pair of this exact same shoe so when one pair wears out I'll have back ups.  I'm not risking them getting discontinued.  Besides, I truly hate shoe shopping.  These work for me.  So they will be what I wear any time I am in a dress.   (I do have some white shoes and some red shoes that I will still OCCASIONALLY put on... but these are my new go-to shoes.)

It feels so good to have happy feet!

 

Online Gardening Courses - Who Knew?

I feel a little silly to be arriving so late to the party.   I had no idea that there were so many online courses in gardening available, both academic and otherwise.

I've been teaching various sociology courses online for several different community colleges (one in Oregon, two in Washington, and now here in Idaho)  over the past fifteen to twenty years.  I'm well acquainted with the concept of creating engaging learning experiences in the virtual world.  I'm a strong supporter of using web based tools to overcome problems of time and distance that would otherwise prevent someone from getting the education they want.   I just never have encountered this being applied to gardening.

As I was perusing a few different garden websites and blogs this afternoon I came across My Garden School,  a business in England that offers all sorts of horticulture courses.

That prompted me to look a bit closer to home.  First I found something from Better Homes and Gardens,  but when I dug a little deeper I found that was really something produced by Craftsy.
For thirty bucks you get 14 "lessons".   However, these are archived videos with no live interaction or feedback from the instructor at all.   HMMM....  that does not sound like a "class" to me.  I can buy gardening books (or check them out from my local library) and search YouTube for videos on how to grow stuff.   To me education has as much to do with the relationship between the teacher and learner as it does with the quality of the content.

Besides, if I wanted canned classes,  there are some great things available on various gardening topics from free from universities with good reputations.

Hoping to find something with a bit more student -to - instructor interaction led me to the offerings at Universal Class.  These are more expensive, but in my mind you get what you pay for.  Here you get instructor led classes.  I really like their business model.  You can pay anywhere from $45 to $70 for an individual class that you have six months to finish at your own pace,  Or pay $189.00 for a yearly subscription and take any course you want, as many courses as you want (over 500 to choose from).

Here's what I'm thinking....   we just cancelled our Direct TV which we decided was not something we wanted anymore.  We had been paying about $70 per month for a whole lot of channels we seldom watched.  Now we just have Netflix and watch a few shows online.    For less than the cost of  three months worth of TV that sucked all the goodness out of my brain,  I could now get a year long subscription to all sorts of cool classes.   I would still be looking at a screen, but instead of being passively entertained with the same old TV dramas I could be learning new skills, developing talents, widening my horizons....   That may be well worth considering at some point.  But the truth is, right now I don't want to be sitting inside staring at a screen any more than I have to. 

I want to be out digging in the dirt.

So I kept looking to see what else the world wide web might have to offer:


Oregon State University offers an online Master Gardener Program 

And then for totally self directed learners there are just all kinds of cool garden planning tools and general info about growing stuff.

So yes, I am aching to get out in the gardens and begin turning soil and planning new plant arrangements.  But since I live in the growing zone that I do  (6b),  I still have some cool, rainy days and chances of frost to get through before true spring arrives.   Nice to know that while I am biding my time before my serious garden gets started there are all sorts of resources I can make use of while I'm warm and snug here in the house.

Things Aren't Always What They Seem

I was looking back over my earlier posts and noticed I had omitted writing about a particular exchange I had while I was in Washington DC for meetings.  This is something I want to remember always, which is my main reason for posting things here.

As I walked from my hotel over to the Senate Office Building to do some advocacy work, I noticed a gentleman working diligently in one of the White House flower beds.   Anyone who knows me at all knows I'm a total sucker for flowers and gardens.  After having spent a whole lot of time sitting in windowless meetings, the idea of having a job spent outside surrounded by beauty seemed utterly enchanting to me.

I sighed deeply, taking in the full, rich scent of the plants and the earth, and said to the man..."Boy, do I wish I had YOUR job."  He looked at me somewhat bewildered and replied:  "Not today you don't, lady.   I'm here to dig out poison ivy!"

Oh my.

This was just a little reminder that things are not always what they seem. 

We can look at someone else's situation and think they have it so much better than we do.  But without having actually walked in their shoes, we never really know what challenges they face.

I also have a little shell that sits on my desk as a reminder of that same lesson:

Things are not always as they appear.


When my two son (who are now in their late 30's) were just little boys, we spent one winter living in a lovely beach house  in Florida, just three blocks from the ocean.  We spent many days going for walks along the water's edge, playing in the waves and picking up shells and bits of sea glass that we would find along the way.  One day I had found some particularly nice looking little shells to add to my collection.  So, as was my habit, I took them home and boiled them for 10 minutes to kill any bacteria they might be harboring so they would not stink.  Then I set them on a paper  towel on the counter to cool and dry.

I went about my business of the day doing the various chores and errands I had in my then busy young life.  When I returned to my kitchen that evening, one of my favorite shells was missing from the collection I had so carefully set aside.

I called my two little boys in and confronted them, feeling quite convinced that one or the other of them had probably taken it.   Both kiddos insisted they had not touched Mommy's special shells.  I was angry, more so because I believed one or both was being dishonest with me than because of the loss of the shell.  I knew there would be plenty more where that one had come from.  But it was the principle of the matter.  When I asked them a question I expected them to tell me the truth.  There was no one in the house that day but me and them.   I knew I had not moved it.  So the obvious answer was that one of them MUST have taken it.

I scolded them both, insisting "Look, something had to happen to that shell.  There is no way that it just got up and walked away by itself!"

And because the universe has such a wickedly delicious sense of humor....those very words were just out of my mouth when I spied my very special shell.  On the floor.  Walking away.  By itself.

Yeah.  Even though I had BOILED the thing for ten full minutes, somehow whatever critter had been living in that shell was STILL in that shell and was trying to escape.  Yikes!

Now, the kind thing to do might have been to apologize to that little sea creature for dumping it in hot water.  Perhaps I should have returned it to the sea.  But I didn't.  Instead, I apologized profusely to my two little boys and told them Mommy had made a mistake.  I showed them the shell walking across the floor of our kitchen and we had a delightful conversation about how sea creatures lived. 

I kept that shell and have it here still to remind me not to be so quick to make assumptions.  Even when all the evidence before my eyes seems absolutely obvious that a certain set of facts is true, I need to keep my mind open to the possibility that there is more to the story than I know.

Super healthy, but is it super yummy? Jury still out.

I just drank down my breakfast - a hearty Kale-Pineapple smoothie.  I was not impressed.

I know that kale packs a punch with nutrients.  But seriously, eating healthy should be something to savor, not to endure.  I found it a bit too bitter for my taste.

I have had kale chips in at a fancy reception that I  thought were positively yummy.  But those were baked in a convection oven, which I don't have.  When I tried to make them in my regular oven, they didn't come out all that great.  I also tried making them in my dehydrator.  I made the mistake of adding seasoning which pretty much made them nasty.

So I have on more thing to try before I give up on kale.  Just found this recipe online HERE at Lifescript.com.

Kale & Potato HashServe as a side with steak or pork chops, or set a poached egg on top for a hearty breakfast or brunch. When preparing kale for this recipe, remove tough ribs, tear kale as directed, then wash it, allowing some water to cling to leaves. This moisture helps steam the kale during the first stages of cooking.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 35 minutes

Ingredients8 cups torn kale leaves (about 1/2 large bunch)
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cooked shredded potatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation 1. Place kale in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave until wilted, about 3 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and finely chop.

2. Mix horseradish, shallot, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Add chopped kale and potatoes; stir to combine.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add kale mixture, spread into an even layer, and cook, stirring every 3-4 minutes and returning mixture to an even layer, until potatoes begin to turn golden brown and crisp, 12-15 minutes total.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Per serving:
240 calories
12 g fat (2 g sat, 8 g mono)
0 mg cholesterol
30 g carbohydrate
6 g protein
5 g fiber
651 mg potassium
244 mg sodium

One more note - unless you know you are getting your kale organic it is very important to rinse it thoroughly.  This is one of the vegetables that has been found to harbor pesticide residue - so be wary.

Bountiful Basket

We just picked up our first Bountiful Basket.I'm pretty happy with what we got.

Just in case you are not familiar with the whole Bountiful Basket Food Co-Op (BBFC)  experience, here is a bit of info from their website:

BBFC is a group of people who work together for mutual benefit. This is a grassroots, all volunteer, no contracts, no catch co-operative. Since there are no employees at Bountiful Baskets, we as a group pay rock bottom prices on your food. This also means the co-op would not happen without volunteers. If you are interested in the co-op continuing, please volunteer occasionally. All it takes is a little time, energy and a smile. Volunteer opportunities include helping prepare the baskets, breaking down boxes, assisting with the distribution, and packing up. To help out, simply arrive an hour early dressed and ready to work with water to drink.
One last little thing… To quote a press release that a local City put out to encourage residents to consider participating, “Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op is a participatory experience. Participants all save a substantial amount of money on healthy food. In exchange there are no employees to guide participants through the experience.” Please read the contents of the FAQ and Policies before emailing us. All the information necessary to participate is available on the website.http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/

Bountiful Basket programs are available all across the country.  My sister got her basket of yummies last week in Colorado.

This is what we got: this week:

VEGGIES:
     1 bunch of kale
     1 head of cauliflower
     1 celery
     2 bunches of asparagus
     6 Anaheim green chilies
     1 jicama
     2 Spaghetti Squash

FRUIT:
     4 Tangelos
     6 Cameo apples
     2 Asian pears
     3 Grapefruit
     9 Green d 'Anjou pears

I'm pleased with both the variety of the selection and the amount of stuff we got.  It would be nice to be eating more locally grown produce, but since this is only the first week of March, I get it that some of this stuff came to us from Mexico.  It will be interesting to see how the balance of near and far food stuffs plays out as the growing season progresses.

I would not have purchased the spaghetti squash, since I still have a basket full from my own garden in storage.  Also, sadly, neither Larry nor I can eat the grapefruit.  We LOVE grapefruit, but alas, since we both take statin drugs to control cholesterol grapefruit in not allowed.

While some studies suggest moderate amounts of grapefruit are ok, there is no clear consensus.  So I have just accepted the idea that as long as I'm taking lovastatin, I will not eat grapefruit.  That makes me kinda sad, because I do miss it.  Besides, my favorite home remedy for hiccoughs is to concentrate on a grapefruit for 2 minutes.  Imagine the smell, the taste, the look of it. Every single time, it makes the hiccoughs go away. I don't know why it works, but it does.  Except I have not eaten grapefruit in so long that the last time I had a bad case of the hiccoughs I could not for the life of me imagine one.  So maybe I'll just hold one, deeply smell it, gaze on it's sweet flesh, run my tongue across it once or twice to remind myself of the taste, and then say goodbye.  At least that should help me with my next case of hiccoughs, even if I don't get to make fresh juice.

Getting Healthy

I am taking steps to improve my health - trying to be more mindful of what I eat and how much I move.  I am NOT on a "diet".  I am hoping to make some permanent changes in what I take into my body and what I choose not to.

This was my breakfast today:

1/2 avocado

Smoothie made from 1 cup vanilla Silk Almond Milk
fresh beet greens
cilantro
parsley
banana

It was SOOO much yummier than I had anticipated!

I really like fresh beets so we'll have them with our fish for dinner tonight.   Greens n the morning, beets at night.
Who could ask for more?

Yum!

Boise Springtime - Waking Up

Today was an absolutely GORGEOUS almost spring day in Boise, ID.  After several days of rain, today we had mild temperatures (nearly 60) and beautiful blue skies.  The days are getting longer and the ground is warming up.  All we needed was that moisture for my yard to begin to wake up.

  Here is what's going on out there right now:

CROCUS:   Always the first thing to bloom in my yard - they open up during the day and then close again in the evening.  They are such cheerful, resilient little flowers.

Allium & Daffodils

I've got lots of Allium and daffodils popping up in spots here and there

TULIPS are scattered here and there and everywhere.  Some are in clumps among bushes.  Some are in tidy rows.  Some peek out between other things and some have whole areas to themselves.  Last year I got a bunch of bulbs for the LDS Temple here in Boise.  They redo their flower beds every year so on the Monday after Mother's Day they generally have a bunch ready to give away.   I have no idea which varieties these bulbs were, so I'll have some nice surprises along with my usual standards.

My sedum  is perking up as is the money plant (lunaria)   I had purple money plant established for the past couple years but last year I introduced some white to go with it so I am anxious to see how that does.

Of course my Pussy Willow tree is covered in catkins

True spring is still  around the corner, but for me as soon as the days get nice enough to pick up a rake and begin working the yard I start feeling light hearted.  I take the dog for longer walks and savor every minute of the lengthening days.  My sweet husband, on the other hand, has a different definition of what spring means to him:

He caught this beauty this morning along with  five of its friends down at Kleiner Park, less than five miles from our house.  Not quite the same as going out to the more remote lakes or rivers, but still very good eating and great that he can spend a couple hours at a pretty spot so conveniently.

Happy almost Spring!