a bowl of borscht

Let me just start out by saying: I AM NOT A FAN OF BEETS. I have never liked them.  My grandmother pickles them, and bless her heart for doing so, but I just think they taste like stinky feet or something. Not that I've tasted stinky feet- but you know. Gross.

However, I can do borscht.  And we did do borscht.  And I LOVED borscht.

Laurel loves cooking and I've been trying to give her more responsibility in the kitchen. She is so proud to serve a meal that she had a hand in preparing.  She is also more likely to eat it (Laurel will pretty much eat anything except tofu. She hates it with a passion.)

She peeled the carrots and potatoes and I took care of the beets. Beets are so beautiful!  They leave the most vibrant color behind everywhere.  Even the sink filled with peels was mess of magenta. Ian hung out in the girasol wrap for about 15 minutes and then he was down on the floor dragging out all the pots and pans and kitchen towels.

What I like about this recipe was that the majority of the ingredients were shredded up.  I think this helped them to cook more quickly and not be so overpowering (ie, stinky/gross beets).  I chose not to add the sausage and just left out meat completely.

In the end, I added about 3-4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar. I liked the sour zip that it added.  I also dumped quite a bit of dried dill in, and sprinkled just a dab of chicken bullion in. I completely left out the sugar.  Sour cream would've been heavenly, but I have cut out all dairy from my diet. No matter, I thought it was delish.

Laurel wasn't a huge fan, and neither was Carl (who came home for lunch). So, when I got paged to the birth center I took the rest with me. Isn't it pretty in a jar like that?  I wonder if you could can it?

I made it to the birth center just in time to see the mama and dad with the baby in their arms! Ugh, I just hate missing that moment of birth.  I am starting to take a few sporadic days back on call. Mostly weekends when Carl is available to hold down the fort. I've yet to catch an actual baby though. So frustrating!  I'm missing it bad.

minty fresh

It's Spring. 

My buddies and I have been enjoying the fresh air!

We've been taking a walk every day.  Either down by the river or in our own neighborhood. It feels so good to shed some of those winter layers.

Laurel saved up her birthday money and bought that scooter for herself! She is crazy fast.  This mama has to run sometimes to keep up with her! (not a bad thing)

This time of year, I always find myself falling in love with mint all over again.

My current favorite salad: salad greens, peas, sunflower seeds, chopped mint, and dressing (2tsp dijon mustard, 1T lemon juice, 1T olive oil, salt and pepper).

My current favorite soap.

My current favorite tea.

I am also loving honeydew melon with a little chopped mint mixed in. It is a nice sweet treat without being too heavy (bathingsuit season is right around the corner. eek!)

I made some more homemade cleaner last night.  I scented it with peppermint essential oil.  It makes the house smell so nice and fresh.

I'm off to make some borscht, which I love...but have never actually made. Doesn't this look lovely? I'll let you know how it turns out.

Other posts all cued up and coming your way in the next week or so:

eating paleo

homeschooling using montessori

kid's apron sewing

my new fitness philosophy

See you soon!

waking up the garden

The weather seems to be turning here.  Not a moment too soon.

The pool is completely thawed out,

and the chives are perking up.

I had a really bad growing season last summer.  I don't know if it was because I was distracted with a new baby or if my soil was going sour. Either way, I've thought about bagging the whole idea of a back yard garden this year. I didn't order seeds. I don't plan to set up my indoor greenhouse. I can just imagine what Ian would do to that contraption!

It's all a lot of work. Can I really commit to planting and watering and weeding all summer long?  Wouldn't it be easier to just subscribe to a local CSA and let the farmers do the farming?

And yet, there is something about growing stuff yourself-- something really good.  I'm going to give it another shot.  

I had my soil tested. Wow.  What a helpful thing that was. My soil ph was way off. No wonder. The man behind the counter at the feed store took pity on me and has befriended me. He is going to help me get back on track. He told me that my soil is not hopeless. It just needs a bit of compost.

I've had help at home too. The kids have been pitching in. It feels good to work collectively outside. Sophie supervises and makes sure that we don't run off all of the quail she likes to hunt.

I've sent pictures to my "Feed Store Farmer Friend" and he is going to help me decide where to plant things this year. I think that we need to do a fair amount of crop rotating.  

We plan to stick to the basics and focus again on growing things that A) we actually eat, and B) that we can preserve.  I've been doing a lot of reading/skimming (see the sidebar) and have decided upon:

Radishes, corn, green beans, tomatoes (roma, genovese, cherry), cucumers, carrots, onions, potatoes, squash, and herbs.

Wish us luck!!