Flowers in Bloom

Scarlet lilies
in front of plumes of periwinkle.
Fuchsia roses,
petals delicate.
Bells the color of margarine,
or fresh turned butter,
creamy and smooth.

Morning and moon glories,
have begun their climb,
grabbing, pulling and wrapping themselves,
up anything and everything
integrating themselves into
arbor, tomato, even grass.


Each unique,
Makes me wonder,
How I survived winter without this,
natures artistry?

Meat CSA

I got John the best Valentine's present ever: MEAT!

That's right, meat. The perfect gift for the man who has everything or nothing.

In the dead of winter, I realized there wasn't much for local produce to be had. We do live in Minnesota. However, I could go local with the meat I was consuming.

In an effort to use meat that was raised more humanly and locally, I purchased a 3 month half share in a meat CSA. The animals all graze freely in fields (grass fed beef). They are raised chemical and antibiotic free at a farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Our meat CSA is Sunshine Harvest Farm.

More importantly, however, the meat tastes really, really good! It is such a difference from the bargain priced meat I buy at the grocery store that I end out slathering in ketchup. This meat is very tasty.

Each month we have gotten a bag of premium cuts of beef, ground beef, a chicken and one dozen farm fresh brown eggs.

Yes, it does cost a bit more per pound, but with all that flavor we have found we don't need as much meat. Trust me, this meat tastes really good. We would rather eat less, but better quality. With a farm that we can visit, we also can feel a lot better about the treatment and lives the animals have lived before they end up on our plate and we know our money is going directly to support a local family owned farm. It is win-win!

After ordering, we showed up at a pick-up sight. As soon as we got out of the car, the farmer greeted us by name and gave us a personalized bag of meat. We personally opted out of port and were alright with processed meets. They make if very easy to customize your order to your preferences.

Here is our bag of delicious meat:


And here are the main attractions:
We were very impressed with the cuts of meat we got. The unbelievable steaks, brisket and spare ribs are definitely some of our favorites!

Spring is in the Air!

This is Minnesota, so it won't be time to start growing for a bit, but the snow is melting and I am discovering some of the plants I planted last year green and growing already! There is a feeling of hope emerging after a long and gloomy winter.

My hubby and I just spent a small fortune on seeds from Johnny's Select Seeds (our new favorite catalog). We are hoping we can get a lot of plants started early on our sunny porch. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

To help us through to the growing season where we will be able to enjoy delicious garden and locally grown produce I got John a 3 month subscription to a meat CSA for Valentine's Day. Nothing says I love you like meat! The meat will come from a local farm that raises 100% Grass fed beef & lamb and pasture raised chicken and eggs. The farm believes in sustainable and chemical free agriculture. When our first batch of meat and eggs arrive from Sun Shine Harvest Farm we will be able to actually get a blog in or two using local ingredient once again.

What's a wedding without locally grown flowers?

John and I love the farmer's market. In college, we went to the Eau Claire farmer's market. It was small at first, but we wandered the two aisles of stands over and over, making friends with the vendors. In fact, after an almost break-up, we ended out at the farmer's market together again, because it was still our favorite thing to do. By the end of that Saturday morning visit, we had fallen in love again.

The Farmer's Market, being our absolute favorite place, was something we wanted to include in our wedding through the food and flower choices (in fact we often talked about getting married at the St. Paul Farmer's market). The day before the wedding, we went to the St. Paul Farmer's market and bought most the flowers for our wedding. I spent most of the day before cutting and arranging those flowers while John chopped the fresh vegetables we had purchased for the Groom's Dinner.

Here are a sampling of the flowers:

For the table decorations, I planned on floating peonies in beautiful bowls.

John's Aunt who helped set-up (thank you so much) the reception took it to another level by combining other beautiful flowers with the burgundy peonies.

Vases of beautiful fresh flowers in a variety of colors were placed around the reception hall. Lillies, peonies and sunflowers were all in season.

The sunflowers were stunning. I was surprised to see them so early in the summer.

I filled six urns with white peonies with pink streaks and white and pink snapdragons (my father's favorite flower for decorations near the chuppah. My mother always loves the smell of eucalyptis (it reminds her of growing up in California) so I made sure the chuppah decorations included it.


We also got married in front of a beautiful garden at my temple. You really can't get anymore local then using plants while they are growing in the earth.

We had a beautiful wedding day. Though the flowers may be details that not many of the guests noticed, for us they were something that made the day truly ours. Flowers from the farmer's market are also a steal. We would have never been able to afford a flower filled wedding without the incredible deals we got. If you are considering an even while flowers are in season, I would really encourage you to pick up the flowers at the St. Paul Farmer's Market. The selection and arrangements will surpass your wildest dreams.

Purple Tomatillos Salsa

You eat with your eyes first, so presentation is key to the level of enjoyment you have when you eat. When food is colorful, you will feel more satisfied with what you eat (and it will give you a bigger following at potlucks).

Salsa is an easy way to create colorful and delicious food. It is a healthy condiment that will enhance many dishes. You can't go wrong when making it either. Use what's on hand, and as long as it is fresh it will create a tasty salsa combination. Here's a preview of the final result:



Ingredients:
8 purple Tomatillos (or regular green ones...we were just excited to find purple ones at the FM)
3 cloves Garlic
3 tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 1/2 jalapeno peppers
2 purple bell peppers
1 chipotle pepper
1 wax pepper

1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Cumin
2 Tbsp lime juice

Directions
Chop all ingredients (exempting the already small ones such as salt and spices) finely. Combine all ingredients in bowl and serve. Please do not cut off part of the tip of your finger (as John did) while chopping with the fancy new knives you received as a wedding present because it is gross.

Here's the salsa topping some filling and delicious nachos/taco salad:


To make this, we put down a layer of corn chips then fresh lettuce/greens, vegetarian black been refried beans, some cooked chicken or seasoned ground beef (optional because you already have protein from the beans, sliced tomatoes, a sprinkle of cheese, a large helping of the tomatillo salsa and some slices of avacado. This will be the most filling nacho/taco salad you have ever had and it is relatively healthy too. The tomatillos have less mosture then tomatoes, so you don't run the risk of the salsa making your chips s or lettuce soggy. Best of all it is colorful and full of delicous frest flavors.

The uses for this salsa is endless. Try it on eggs, top baked potatoes with it or eat it plain. We love to stuff omlettes full of it or use it for a mexican flavored pizza. Enjoy!

Okra Tomato Corn Soup

Longing for the okra of his youth, my husband made this Cajun flavored okra tomato corn soup.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 clove garlic, minced
3 rib celery, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups diced fresh tomatoes
10-15 okra
3 cobs worth of corn kernels (cut fresh off the cob)
3 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (we use Penzy's Cajun Seasoning)
dash freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat.

Add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté, stirring, until celery is tender.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes, sliced okra, corn kernels, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until okra is tender.


Add salt to taste.

Okra is a fun ingredient that isn't used much in the Midwest. I love that okra has a star shape when sliced.

This Weekend's Garden Harvest

The harvest from our garden was plentiful on Sunday: