unEarthingMe

Much has been going on and I've been too preoccupied to write.  I'm looking back fondly on our late May trip to Emerald Isle, especially now that it looks like we won't be able to do an early September (my favorite time to go!) beach trip.

There is a lot simmering in our kettle right now and I'm sure I'll be doing some writing on that soon.  For now, I'm focusing on a couple of new adventures, one of which is occupational therapy for J.  I think by summer's end, I should be an honorary doctor after all of the research on my family's various woes.

For now... remembering the beach, enjoying the pool, looking forward to an influx of visitors this month.

 As we inch towards the latter part of June, strawberry season comes to a close.  One of my favorite things to have in the morning as a child was when my grandmother would make either peaches and cream or strawberries and cream.  My youngest daughter shares this passion and even though her dad had to rush off to work on Father's Day before getting a special breakfast, she enjoyed a heaping bowl of super ripe strawberries that really HAD to be used today with some of the extra rich cream skimmed off the top of our raw Jersey milk.  It doesn't get much better than that.  In her opinion it can get slightly better when Mom whips that cream with a little vanilla, but this is pretty darned good!

These may be our last fresh local strawberries of the year save the one or two a day that come from our garden.  I wasn't even able to freeze very many from our pick your own excursion for lack of freezer space.  Just in case, she made sure to savor every bite.

This week has been dedicated to harvesting greens.  My French Sorrel long ago bolted, but everything else has been coming along beautifully.  After the sorrel, first to bolt was the Boston lettuce.  I had been trying to eat that pretty exclusively as the other greens still looked good.  Now they're reaching for the sky and yelling for attention.  So quickly did my Romaine go from perfect to looking like it could turn bitter, that I had to really get out there and bring it all in.  My long neglected Red Leaf who sat back and slowly grew alongside the others seems to have changed it's mind overnight.  Then, there is the spinach across the street.  That's B's garden and I don't pay much attention to it.  I do what I can, but I have my hands full with my beds.  He has been working so much that I know he could use a little help over there and mentioned that his spinach was getting ready to bolt.  A few days ago, I went over and cut all of it to the ground.  We may get a little more out of it since I didn't pull it up.  Though in this heat, I'm not expecting much.

Needless to say, we've been eating A LOT of salads!  Salads for lunch and for dinner.  I dearly wish I could preserve these greens that we've grown.  I can certainly give some away.  Our spinach, on the other had, can be frozen.  Right now, almost the entire refrigerator is filled with gallon baggies of spinach.  On B's birthday, we served him breakfast in bed.  He received a frittata made with spinach sauteed with shallots, olive oil, butter, kosher salt, fresh cracked peper and a dash of red wine vinegar.  After adding and cooking the eggs, I stuck it under the broiler with grated parmesean cheese.  This was a delicious variation on my new favorite breakfast that I've been making since starting the SCD (specific carbohydrate diet).  That favorite was a sauteed crimini mushroom and asparagus frittata.  This adjustment allowed me to move into what we have an abudance of now.  This morning I made that frittata again and managed to use up a whole gallon baggie of spinach in the process (more of a cross between frittata and spinach souffle) thereby making room for some of the goodies I picked up at the Farmer's Market this morning.  Why on earth would I go to the farmer's market when I can't even fit the produce I have into my fridge?  We've gotta have something to go in all of those salads!

One thing I bought was plenty of local fruit; red cherries, Ranier cherries, raspberries and the very, very ripe strawberries that mark the end of a season.  Next year, we really hope to be producing more of our own fruit.  We get a strawberry here and there.  Perhaps one or two a day.  Certainly not enough to sustain our fruit consumption.  We do have a large mulberry tree out back but, it's not a particularly tasty one.  Some trees are better than others and this one produces pretty but, insipid fruit.  I did harvest a quart or two before deciding it wasn't really worth the effort.  B has laid the groundwork for future harvests with all of the trees and bushes he has brought home and (mostly) planted.  We look forward to kiwis, peaches, cherries, apples, rasperries and more strawberries next spring and summer.

I think that the rest of our weekend will be spent filling the extra fridge with greens.  Maybe a salad party is in order?  This would have been a great week for those out of town guests that I don't think will start rolling in until July.  Unfortunately, at that time, I think we'll be past greens and not quite ready to harvest tomatoes and peppers.  My carrots seem to be taking their sweet time.  I may have a few turnips to serve and definitely some fennel.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for some lettuce.

I've decided that June should be a month of celebration.  There are so many things to celebrate; Father's Day, my husband's bday, portfolio evaluations marking the end of our "school year", the pool opening, one of my dearest friends finally getting to say goodbye to New Mexico and head back to where she belongs, same friend's group opening night at 1708 which more than doubled the gallery's record for attendance at over 4000 people, a celebration for my niece and nephew, my eldest daughter's first paycheck, my husband's new business taking off, oh & we get a new roof this week.  I'm sure there must be more because a few of these things have passed and I want to keep celebrating all month!  Now may be a good time for out of town guests (hint, hint).  Everything here is lush and green.  Our gardens are really producing.

Last night we attended the First Friday Artwalk in Richmond making this my second whirlwind overnight in a week.  I haven't been to one of these in forever.  The streets were teaming with people.  DJs blasted techno music out of enormous sound systems on the sidewalk, vendors of skateboards and African statuary lined the street and throngs of people moved from gallery to gallery many looking to see and be seen.  This event has really grown and while I was ecstatic to see many people I haven't seen in years (some since art school), my youngest had a hard time with the sensory overload (we were greeted with a raucous chorus of plastic harmonicas and kazoos as we entered the crowded gallery).   Teen girl thoroughly enjoyed herself as long as she got to hang with my sister or my friend but, I was too uncool to be within five feet of her.  

photo does not show daughter's chartreuse tights and white platform shoes

D.H. supports two sleepy girls

It was envigorating to be amongst so many creative people.  The night wound down at the new home of an acquaintance where some of us gathered as the galleries shut down.  He was living in an apartment when I last saw him and now he was the perfect host in his handsome home with a backyard welcoming enough to get everyone out into the hot humid night where we could view his abundant garden.  I covet his ample studio space in a freestanding building a few yards from his back door.  My sister ended up with a houseful between miss New Mexico, my mother and my family.  For breakfast, she cooked up yummy, cheesy, garlicy scrambled eggs with fresh basil while my sweetie ran up to the local coffee shop to get everyone muffins and scones.  What a weekend and we're only half done.

We're back home and sweaty (though not as sweaty as we were in Richmond).  As soon as my husband finishes installing some window-units, we're off to the pool for the first time this season.  So, let the revelry continue!
you know you've been out west too long when you've got your cowboy boots with your sundress. 
snuggling up by the campfire 
shot of my productive garden