one local pepper pizza...

we have been getting lots of sweet peppers through our csa this season. beautiful peppers of several different varieties. moonpie and i like to eat them raw, but we got so many last week that i thought to cook some up and add them to our wed. night pizza (that actually was made on friday- but who's keeping records?). so here is the recipe for our weekly pizza:

crust:

(loosely adapted from lucy burney's immunity foods for healthy kids)

preheat oven to 375'

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp mixed herbs

1 cup lukewarm water

2 tsp instant yeast

4 tbsp oil

(i usually throw in half of a grated zucchini)

mix up the dough and let sit while you get your toppings ready. disclaimer: no babies were harmed in the making of this pizza crust. he stands there until i turn off the mixer and then dives in. raw dough is a hot commodity in our house!

roll out the dough

place on lightly oiled and dusted (i use corn meal) pizza pan (i'd use a stone if i had one!)

add pizza sauce (this night i used spaghetti sauce because it's all i had on hand)

layer on toppings- we always start with some sort of leafy green and put on whatever else we have lying around. this night we used peppers, tomatoes and basil.

add cheese (as my sister would say "mozzarella makes it swell-a)

bake for about 20 minutes (or until cheese gets golden)

that's it! i love this recipe because it is easy! the dough doesn't have to rise and all steps can include little helpers. like i mentioned before, we eat this pizza once a week on movie night. and btw- moonpie pulled all her peppers off. looks like raw is the only way to go with this girl! : )

"momma, look at me!"

sissy's recent art project...

we're baaa-aaack!

almost every summer as a kid we spent a week in the sangre de cristo mountains outside of santa fe, nm. it never fails that around july the longing starts up again pulling me back to these mountains. this summer i got the chance to share my mountains with my kids. john and i had already been back a couple of times, but this was our first time with the lovelies. there is something to be said about sharing a special spot with your children. it's more than geography, it's heritage. taking us out of our natural habitat taught me something about them i didn't know. moonpie- who insists on being strolled at all times- loves to hike. she hiked a 2 mile trail up a mountain without a whimper! she also, like her momma, has no fear of standing on the edges of cliffs and hanging over.






buddy on the other hand (who i caught standing in the sink this morning-fearless) has major boundaries when it comes to the edge, just like daddy. and this boy who runs circles around me all day gets frustrated and tired with the big ol' rocks. but loved riding in his daddy's arms or on my back.




it is so neat to get to experience your children outside of their box, pushing their limits or setting boundaries for themselves. alright, on with the pictures:


the kids did great on the drive. we took 2 days to get there but drove straight through on the way home. it took 18 hours to get home (traveling with 42 people!) i couldn't believe how well they did. no melt downs at all! i was a proud momma!

listening to 'the boss' on the road:

muleshoe, tx


buddy, meet billy, the kid that is


day 1/ hike 1
"momma, i'm a butterfly. this is my proboscis."


checking out the worm in the well

food prep was not nearly as hard as i made it out to be. i just refilled the ice chest daily and made 2 meals/day, like spinach pizza on ezekiel bread english muffins, tomato spinach/noodle soup, bean burritos, bbq chicken sandwiches, etc. it just took a day of prep before leaving to make the beans, chicken, granola, bread, muffins, cookies, chop the veg. and so on. but once we got there it was easy!

my 'kitchen'. proof that all you really need is love!

the view from look out point:

queen of the mountains:

music to my ears!

this is the news i woke up to on this glorious morning:

According to The New York Times, "seed companies and garden shops say that not since the rampant inflation of the 1970s has there been such an uptick in interest in growing food at home." The Huffington Post, ABC, and NBC have all surfaced in Buzz with reports about the surging interest in growing-your-own.

it is encouraging to read that americans are not simply sitting back allowing the circumstances to just happen to them. rather, we are taking initiative to make positive choices for our families! here is a challenge to those of us that are a bit ahead of this curve- take someone who is new to gardening under your wing. just one other person. can't be too hard, right?

in other news, of the family variety, tomorrow we leave for youth camp. this is my first time to take the kids on a youth trip. usually we sit back and tearfully wave goodbye to daddy. but this year we are going to my most favorite spot- glorieta, new mexico! i can't wait to show the kids my old hidden spots (like the caves my brother and i found). it is hectic getting everything loaded. i have baked muffins, granola and fig bars. today i am roasting a chicken, pre-cutting all veggies and preparing noodles al-dente. the funniest part of all is that i have no kitchen! i will be living for a week off of my toaster oven and electric skillet. i've been told i'm crazy...maybe this is evidence enough...

golden opportunity

sitting here dreaming up my fall garden. this is just one of the things i love about gardening- you are always looking forward. if things didn't go well this time around, you push on. and gardening in the fall! cooler days, sweeter crops- what could be better?!? in my research for the best plants for texas in the fall i came across this guide:

The following are optimal "windows of time" for planting fall vegetables:
Beans - 8/1 - 9/1 (lima beans 7/15 - 8/15)
Beets - 9/1 - 10/15
Broccoli plants - 8/1 - 9/15
Brussels sprouts - 8/1 - 10/1
Cabbage plants - 8/15 - 9/15
Carrots - 8/15 - 10/15
Cauliflower plants - 8/15 - 9/15
Chard, Swiss - 8/1 - 10/15
Collard/Kale - 8/15 - 10/1
Corn, Sweet - 8/1 - 8/15
Cucumber - 8/1 - 9/1
Eggplant plants - 7/15 - 8/1
Garlic - 9/1 - 10/15
Kohlrabi - 8/15 - 9/15
Lettuce (leaf) - 9/15 - 10/15
Muskmelon (Cantaloupe) - 7/15 - 8/1
Mustard - 9/15 - 10/15
Parsley - 8/15 - 10/1
Peas, English - 8/15 - 9/15
Peas, Southern - 7/1 - 8/1
Pepper plants - 7/1 - 8/1
Potatoes, Irish - 8/15 - 9/15
Pumpkin - 7/1 - 8/1
Radish - 9/15 - 10/15
Spinach - 9/1 - 10/15
Squash, Summer - 7/15 - 8/15
Squash, Winter - 7/1 - 7/15
Tomato plants - 7/15 - 8/1
Turnips - 10/1 - 11/1
Watermelon - 7/1 - 8/1

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/county/smith/Homegardens/fallveggarden.html

brussel sprouts, pumpkins, kale- these are my fall favorites. and sweet corn!?! i have never planted corn, but i'm eager to have it fresh and organic. with monsanto owning all the corn in the universe and turning it into a round -up ready crop, i'd pretty much placed non-organic corn on my black list. but here it is, with arms wide open, welcoming me back into its sweet deliciousness! this is a golden opportunity (wait, did i just make a pun? )- i can't wait!

my favorite seed catalogue:

www.rareseeds.com

naturally frugal

i was talking to a friend today and our conversation reminded me of another conversation- one i had with my sweet sister in law in oregon about buying clubs. she mentioned that i should blog about the buying clubs and co-ops i am a part of. so here goes! if you are moving towards a healthier lifestyle and are looking for ways to make it more affordable- buying clubs are your answer! i currently run a buying club through a company called frontier. frontier is a natural product distributor that health food stores order their stock from. my members and i get natural/organic baking, body and cleaning products for wholesale prices. if we meet our $250 price point (which we always do!) our shipping is free! the prices are considerably better. some items are half of what i'd pay at a health food store. *i am also a part of a chicken co-op out of a small texas town. i order meat around every 6 weeks and pick it up soon after. again, it is natural chicken that is about $2 less/pound than i would pay in the store. i have been a part of other co-ops like ozark, now morningside organics, that you can order any bulk, organic grocery item through.

being a part of co-ops allows me to be wise with our money while not comprimising our health. if you don't have a buying club near you, consider starting one with a group of friends. they are relatively easy to manage. there is some time commitment involved but really minimal- i'm talking about maybe 3 hours a month (depending on your group size).

ordering through co-ops had a bit of a learning curve for me. so here are some things i've learned:
1. don't buy a case of something from the catalogue 'just to try it'. "mmm. sea weed flavored sesame sticks. this i've GOT to try!"
2. try to find friends to split cases with- that way you have a true co-op system going
3. learn how to use what you have and not buy more until you have finished it up
4. you will have to plan your month around various pick-up times
5. research the item before you buy it. more than likely the co-op coordinator is a busy mom who doesn't have time to work out a return for you
6. pay and pick up on time! the coordinator usually has to put all items on a personal credit card.

in my experience, eating and cleaning (my home and myself!) naturally/organically is comletely possible. and while the savings can't always be cut out of the sunday paper, they are there; you just have to ask around until you find what you're looking for.

www.frontiercoop.com/wholesale
http://www.morningsidebuyingclubs.com/

________________________________________________________
Edit (Nov. 2010)

*I now buy our chicken and meat from a local farmer.

and the beat goes on...

today marks 9 whole years that john and i have been married! sakes alive, am i old (apparently, if i say 'sakes alive')? so this is what john gave me for our anniversary:

and this is what i gave him:

i found it for 25 cents at our local thrift store. ok, i got him a watch too, but only after he told me not to check the bank records because i might see a big purchase on it. he always does this to me. we started dating when i was 15. for our, i don't know, maybe 5 MONTH anniversary he gave me a gold rope bracelet (very 1991!) and i gave him...a pez dispenser. or the time he bought me my prized camera and i bought him a cd. things always seem lopsided. but he admits that he likes it this way. he's just that kind of guy, always preferring my happiness over his own. i am so thankful for our 9 years together (and the 7 years before that), for what has come out of it- lots of laughing, some crying, a best friend, and our 2 beauties. what a gift it is to grow alongside someone else, learning so much about yourself and them at the same time. it is a true treasure.

'maters!

I have good news and bad. I'll start with the good (perpetual optimist). We are harvesting tomatoes! They are plump and red and delicious! I like to eat them like my dad- sliced with salt and pepper- so good! The kids are enjoying the harvesting. Buddy likes to put them in the scoop of his front end loader and wheel them around the yard. I'm thinking he must be a double agent though. I have found him on 3 occassions now with bright green tomatoes in the scoop. I try to explain that he is working against us, but he pretends not to understand. The other side must be paying him in applesauce and cookies because he's pretty determined to get all the greens off the bush.

Now for the bad news. I had to pull up our peppers, beans, and squash. They were totally eaten by a small beetle like insect. I thought I had them under control, but they proved me wrong in one night. A sad day, but we are looking ahead. In about 3 weeks I plan to start fall transplants. Hopefully we can have some fall tomatoes as well.
While growing up my dad always had tomatoes growing in our suburban yard. He would always plant these crazy varieties that I would never try. It wasn't until my mid-twenties that I began liking tomatoes- and I forced myself into it! I am grateful that we had fresh veggies growing up. Working alongside my dad in the garden taught me so much. So here's a tomato growing tip from dad:



When you have a new branch trying to come out of the middle of 2 developed branches (my dad calls these 'suckers'), snap it off. That way the energy goes to developing tomatoes, not more branches.