As Local As It Gets

I have always loved to grow things. It's amazing to me how much can happen by simply giving plants the few things they need, and how many different beautiful shapes and colors can burst out of tiny seeds. The time I spend out in the garden (even when tedious, hot, and buggy) is some of the most peaceful and focused that I have. So, this year, after learning so much about the benefits of eating locally and seasonally, it made sense to try and grow as much of our own food as possible. We don't have a lot of space, nor a lot of time to tend a large garden, but I was intrigued by Mel Bartholomew's book Square Foot Gardening, and thought I would try the method out this year. The basic premise is to maximize your space by planning your garden in square foot increments, and optimize your soil by building raised beds and filling them with a mixture of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss (which keeps your plants healthier, reduces the need for weeding and watering, and is relatively maintenance-free). Anyone can do it, even on a rooftop or along the side of your house, and you can grow a surprising amount of food in a small space. Sean and I built three raised beds this year (with a total of 32 square feet of growing space), complete with trellises for climbing veggies, and gave it a try (to learn more about SFG, visit http://www.squarefootgardening.com/). I had a fantastic time ordering heirloom variety seeds from catalogs this winter (my favorite seed company is Seed Savers Exchange, a great organization that is dedicated to reviving and preserving heirloom plant varieties among its members), and started seedlings inside starting in early February. I decided to grow fairly standard (yet heirloom) varieties of vegetables this year, and branch out into some exotic varieties next year if the project was successful. Fast-forwarding to the present, our most successful crops so far have been our peas (Amish Snap), bush beans (Empress), cucumbers (Japanese Climbing), lettuces (Bronze Arrowhead, Buttercrunch, and Australian Yellowleaf), tomatoes (Brandywine, Sweet 100, and Viva Italia), and various herbs. A tad too optimistic, we did not put up any fencing this year, and subsequently have lost all of our kale, most of our swiss chard, our broccoli, our cilantro, and all of my lovingly tended sweet peppers to rabbits, groundhogs, and (we think?) wild turkeys. I would definitely recommend square foot gardening to anyone, even if you have a lot of space for a traditional garden, as it's easy to maintain and looks very pretty all laid out. It's SO satisfying to go outside, pick something ripe and delicious, and cook with it moments later (knowing exactly where it came from, and how it was grown). Just make sure you put up a fence of some kind so that YOU are the one who gets to eat that food, and not your fellow woodland creatures.

To celebrate the bounty you can grow easily from your very own garden (or that you can find at your very own farmer's market), here is a quick pasta sauce recipe that makes the most of the delicious cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs that are at their best right now. Enjoy!

Garden of Eden Pasta Sauce (from Cook's Country)

Makes enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta (suggested varieties: penne, campanelle, and farfalle).

Ingredients:

• 2 large tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 scallions, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water

Directions:

1. Combine tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, cheese, scallions, basil, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin, and oregano in a rsmall bowl. Pour oil mixture over tomato mixture and toss to coat. Cover and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
2. Toss tomato mixture with cooked pasta and reserved pasta cooking water, if necessary to thin sauce. Serve.

Corn, The Way It Was Meant To Be

If you have read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, or have seen the thought-provoking documentary King Corn, then you know that Corn is generally seen as the enemy. And it's true: "Corn" (notice the big C), as grown in monoculture by huge agribusinesses has had a devastating effect on the nutrition of many things that we eat (in the form of high fructose corn syrup in large part), and is slowly (and not so slowly) killing off the small, diversified family farm as we know it. Growing anything in large monocultures year after year, be it corn, soybeans, or wheat, wreaks havoc on an ecosystem, and by slowly depriving the soil of its nutrients, requires more and more fertilizer and pesticides to keep growing in high yields over time. These fertilizers and pesticides are both harmful to the planet (in their carbon footprint) and to our health (in their toxicity). A diversified farm, on the other hand, rotates crops in different locations over time in order to preserve the nutrients within the soil, and can practice "companion planting" (planting certain crops close together for a mutual benefit) as a natural, organic method of pest control.

And yet, here I am, ready to post about corn. As much as Big Corn has upset the balance of agriculture in this country, corn itself (little c) is a wonderful summertime crop with a rich history and hundreds of heirloom varieties that are delicious and incredibly varied. That first bite of corn on the cob that was just picked that day is emblematic of summer, and I would be hard pressed to live without it. We don't need to live without corn, we just need to eat it when it's seasonal, local, responsibly grown, and actually, well, corn (and not processed into HFCS, maltodextrin, lecithin, or any other additive). The way it was meant to be . I chose to celebrate corn with the recipe below--make the most of it while it's deliciously in season, and keep it out of where it doesn't belong.

Corn Chowder (adapted from Cook's Country)

Ingredients:

• 6 ears corn
• 2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel corn (Libby's Organic recommended)
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 slices bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 scallions, sliced thin

Directions:

1. Prep Corn - Cut corn cobs in half crosswise, then stand each half on its cut end. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut the kernels off the ear, one side at a time. Reserve the kernels and cobs separately. Puree canned corn and 2 cups broth in a blender (or in 2 batches in a food processor) until smooth.
2. Saute Vegetables - Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon and transfer to paper-towel-lined plate. Crumble when cool. Cook onion, corn kernels, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in bacon fat until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 6-8 minutes.
3. Finish Soup - Add potatoes, corn puree, remaining broth, and reserved corn cobs to Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Discard cobs and stir in cream, scallions, and crumbled bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days).