What's Growing?

Besides, me, that is. . .

It's been a very cool spring, and I feel like I've hardly been outside at all. However, we did start our garden early in April, and there are definitely things coming up. The strawberries came up all on their own, although grass is starting to infiltrate. I keep meaning to do something about that, and then I think about how hard it is to get onto the ground, now that I'm so round.

We'll see how the strawberry crop does, without any help from me. This year, by the time the strawberries start ripening, I should have the baby. Last year, they were ready right at the beginning of June. I'm scheduled for my c-section June 9th, so I'm counting on coming home to some nice, ripe strawberries, even if they're a week or two late.



I still haven't put seedlings in my regular garden yet, mostly because it's been so cold. Last year, I planted them the last day of April, but it's still getting down into the 30s many nights, so I want to wait another week or so. For now, it's just spinach, carrots, and peas growing in my big garden. I haven't considered what I'm going to do when it's time to plant. You see, Greg didn't make any kind of gate to walk through, so you have to step over the 3 foot fence in order to gain garden access. I cannot climb over a three foot anything right now, so we might have to take the whole thing down just to plant the seedlings.

I did have to repot most of the seedlings, though, because they had totally outgrown the seed starting greenhouses I put them in, way back in March. They're still up in my bedroom, under the lights.

I guess they're doing alright, although I'm hoping to get them in the ground very soon. I planted peppers, tomatoes, sage, thyme, cilantro, parsley, basil, broccoli, and some other seeds I don't remember. Unfortunately, I've lost the labels once again, so I will have to guess what these plants are when they get bigger. I'm starting to learn just by looking at them.

I have everything planted in a hodgepodge of peat pots, old plastic pots leftover from things I bought last year, and empty tupperware containers.

My garden certainly isn't as ambitious as last year's project, but I feel good about what I accomplished, despite being pregnant. Hopefully at least I'll get some produce and herbs to use.

Three French Hens Market in Morris, IL

Greg and I have been visiting as many different farmers' markets in the area as we can, and we were kind of excited about this one, when we heard about it. The Three French Hens Market is in Morris, IL, and is only held once a month. I found out about it on the Illinois Agriculture Department's webpage.We were excited because all of the markets we've been to thus far have been in suburban areas, whereas Morris is a small town half an hour or so southwest of us, right on the I & M Canal. Our greatest hope was for marvelous produce, and we figured we couldn't lose, since Morris is more rural. More farms=more fresh fruits and vegetables, right?

The first thing Nick noticed is that this farmers' market is right on the water. "Water!," he proclaimed excitedly as we walked towards the booths. Not only is this market near the water, it's pretty big, with a ton of tents.  The views were lovely, with trees in the background and flowers all around in the park that this market was held. I think this was the prettiest of all the markets we've been to so far.

There was only one problem--no produce. There were tons and tons of vendors, selling everything from chocolate to antiques to bibs. However, there were no fruits and vegetables anywhere to be found. At the very end, we did find one vendor selling fruit, but she ran a store that sold fruit baskets, and her fruit was from the same places that the grocery stores get their produce. So no local produce at this farmers' market.

The vendors were mostly crafters and bakers, and Nick was grateful the bakers, because we bought muffins. We found a nice shady bench and sat and ate delicious muffins and people watched. Nick baby-watched, and said hi to every child/baby/toddler he saw. This is the first time I've ever been to a market and not walked away with a bag full of produce. I thought maybe I'd made a mistake, and this really was a craft fair. However, I found this market on the Agriculture page that says, right at the top, "Farmers' Markets."

Oh, well. It was a nice little trip anyway, and a beautiful area to walk around. We would've stayed longer, but the heat was starting to get to us, so we decided to walk across the bridge and up the path. On the way we saw one of the canal boats that they had for tourists to see. Nick said, "boat."

There were trees (shade!) and a nice walking path across what looked like an old railroad bridge. No, I'm not sure why I am making that face in the picture below. I think Greg had said something funny. On a cooler day, Greg said he'd like to come to Morris again to go walking, and I agreed that this was a good spot for a picnic. Just not a good spot to buy fruits and vegetables, apparently. Nick doesn't care either way, so long as he gets his muffin.  : )

The Naperville Farmers' Market

Every week this summer, Greg and I have tried to take Nick to one of the local farmers' markets. This week we went back to Naperville for one of our favorite ones. The Naperville Farmers' Market is in the parking lot for the 5th Avenue Train Station, and runs on Saturdays from 7 a.m. until 12 p.m. Our biggest complaint is that it ends at noon.

Some of them have plenty of vendors but few farmers, but this one seemed to have plenty of produce as well as other kinds of food. They must have strict criteria for vendors, because we didn't see any wacky stuff for sale, only the traditional farmers' market stuff: produce, herbs, fresh flowers, meat, seafood, cheeses, baked goods, and some specialty food products, like salsas and olive oils. There was a very nice selection, and we actually ran out of cash since we found so many things we liked.

Since we visit farmers' markets often, we have noticed a disturbing trend at places like Downers Grove and Plainfield--rather than produce and homemade food products, some vendors are selling things like tupperware, purses, and even clothes. These farmers' markets end up being more like craft fairs. Not this one--in Naperville, the farmers' market is very similar to ones that you would see in Europe. Here is a picture of Nick posing in front of the cucumbers.

Today it was incredibly steamy and sunny, so we kept Nick well hydrated and in the shade as much as possible. He was having fun checking out the ladies and waving at every baby or child he saw. Greg stuck to only "checking out" the produce, and he picked out some nice carrots and mushrooms.

We ended up with quite a haul, and will be feasting tonight. I think my favorite purchase was the fresh peaches, which Greg needed for the white sangria. I used the potatoes he is picking out below to go with our bison burgers with portabello mushrooms. (Plus, a salad and some fresh green beans. Yum.)

While I am interested in local and organic produce, I am in no way naive about the realities of farmers' markets. I know that unless food says it is organically grown, it probably isn't. But the farmers who sell at farmers' markets are often small farmers who use less pesticides, and I feel better buying from local farmers when I can. The vendors at this market clearly labeled their products and told the buyers where each item was from. I do tend to frequent the local farmers over those selling, for example, tomatoes from Kentucky. I also made a point to buy some organic potatoes from the one farmer who was selling organic produce.

So here is our haul.

Total spent? We brought $60 in cash, and all of it was gone. However, Greg bought some extravagent crab meat that cost $26, so that was half of our money right there. Tomorrow he's going to make a fancy crab cake dish from his new Bobby Flay cookbook, and I told him that for $26, they'd better be the best darned crab cakes we've ever had. I will report back about that.

Oh, and we also bought Nick a delicious scone that was eaten long before the picture was taken. I can tell you that the portabella mushrooms were divine tonight, sauteed in a little bit of butter with some of the garlic.

Back to the Grind. . .

Looking at these pictures from the Museum of Science and Industry last week, I'm already nostalgic for my long, relaxing winter break. Starting back was so hard.  I miss taking naps with Nick and cuddling up with a book on the sofa. Nick, though, was happy to be back at his babysitter's. He loves playing with the other kids, and I think he gets bored at home with just me. I'm going to have to make sure to sign him up for playgroups or something over the summer; he thrives when he gets to play with other kids.

I think I miss Nick now more than I did when he was younger. I feel like by the time I get him home and fed, there's not much time to play before bedtime arrives. Tonight I made sure we had time to play catch. Nick understands if I tell him to throw him the ball. He'll play catch with me, although his aim isn't much better than mine. I'm trying to teach him how to build towers, too. Mainly he just knocks mine over, chews on the blocks, and laughs uproariously.

This picture is from the Idea Factory at the MSI. I love that all of the museums have special areas for babies now. This kid already has plenty of positive experiences with museums, and he's only one. Nick sure loves to play with water. Tonight he got really mad when I pulled him away from splashing in the cat water bowl. Because I'm so mean, you know.

I've been doing pretty well with my resolutions thus far. I haven't lost a pound since leaving the hospital from having Nick, and my endocrinologist told me its my thyroid causing  the problem. She said it was a miracle I hadn't gained weight. I guess your TSH is supposed to be between 0.45 and 4.5, and mine was 68 at my last blood test (it's an inverse relationship). That means I've been very hypothyroid, which explains the desire for constant naps. But my thyroid is no reason to sit on my butt and eat junk, especially when I have a huge, expensive, health-club quality elliptical trainer taking up half of my living room. This year, I think rather than focusing on the weight, I'm going to concentrate on writing down everything I eat and dragging myself onto that torturous elliptical trainer.

I watched The Biggest Loser today and did a 35 minute workout. I love that show, and I'm addicted to it. The new season is especially motivating, and it's great to work out to because the people on the show are always exercising. I noticed, though, that I am hungry more when I'm actively watching what I eat. I actually ate an entire box of those Green Giant mixed veggies. That's two servings, but it filled me up pretty well. I believe I'm going to have to buy a lot more of those. My favorite is the one with black beans because there's a lot of protein in them.

Check out Nick getting some exercise in the padded baby room. I want one of those for adults. I think it would be fun to bounce around and not worry about falling. He pushed over the whole wall. No fear for my little man. He doesn't need a special place to play, though. Nick makes every place a baby room of fun. He's fine in the cart at WalMart, pulling things off of the shelves. Or crawling around the kitchen, pulling out all of the silicone baking cups and cookie cutters. His favorite thus far is to break into the bathroom and dump over the container with the cat toys. . . he must have a thing for catnip.

Getting back to school after break was hard, but I really did miss my kids. It was nice yesterday walking in and having four or five kids in each room run up to me with stories to tell. I don't know what people who don't like their jobs do. . .

A Problem with the Grocery List

I have a complicated relationship with food. As a child, I fed my vegetables to the dog and was ecstatic when I got my mom to buy me chocolate fudge pop tarts. While in college, I subsisted on lucky charms and spaghetti with butter and Parmesan. When I go on vacation, I remember the food more than anything I've seen. (Ahh, to taste the gambas al ajillo, tetilla cheese, and sangria in Spain again. . .) I would love to eat dessert with every meal, especially if there's chocolate involved. In fact, when I was in Paris for my honeymoon, I did. The French really know how to indulge. Here you can see Greg and me at a cafe in France. I have no idea where we were or what else we did that day, but I know for sure that we had just finished eating this awesome Tomato Mozzarella salad (drizzled with an amazing olive oil) that was so good we returned to that same cafe. I know that they had Earl Grey tea and really soft bread. I just asked Greg about the picture, and, sure enough, he remembers it exactly. He says that was the day we went to Notre Dame, and that this cafe is in the Latin Quarter, just south of our hotel. He even remembers that this was afternoon, right after we'd taken a little nap. It's funny how different memories can be. He can picture the map of Paris in his head, but I can still taste that yummy meal. Pardon my digression. Anyway, food is one of the great joys of my life.

But about six years ago, I had Gastric Bypass Surgery (Open Roux-en-Y) and I had to change my eating habits. In order to stay healthy and avoid an upset stomach, I have to eat healthy. I try my best to make my food delicious, too. Now I eat a high protein, low glycemic index diet, and I keep forcing myself to like new foods. There are about thirty different fruits, vegetables, and beans that I wouldn't have touched six years ago but now eat all the time. I had to teach myself to like healthy food, and it didn't come easily. I still struggle with eating healthy, and the most successful strategy for me has been to buy and cook the most delicious healthy food I can find. For example, I hate traditional salads because I won't eat lettuce of any kind, but I found a compromise. I like very tender spinach, so I've started eating salads all the time, so long as they're made with spinach.

I've been visiting farmers' markets lately, since there are so many around here. I've actually been really impressed by what we've been eating. It's amazing how fresh the produce tastes. I'm not so idealistic to think that I won't still buy fruits and veggies off season when I have to, but I figure that for the summer I can get the freshest local stuff possible. On Sunday we went to the Oswego Farmers' Market, and I filled the stroller with wonderful tastes.

Here you can see Nick helping to load the stroller. Nick met the cutest little dog while I was shopping, and Greg let Nick pet him. Unfortunately for the dog, Nick decided to grab the poor thing's head quite hard. He's started grabbing and pinching lately, and it really hurts! I'm not sure how to stop that, since he thinks it's funny.

Probably my favorite purchase from the farmers' market was the pumpkin butter. It is delicious on a warm slice of honey molasses wheat bread with just a touch of butter. I love apple butter, and pumpkin butter is just as good. With all of the homemade bread I've been making lately, we go through a lot of jam.

We ended up buying quite a few things, as you can see from the picture. There were actually four peaches, but two got squished and thus made into baby food for Nick. I've been able to make almost all of his baby food lately, and he really loved these peaches. They're already gone. I also forgot to take a picture of the best broccoli I've ever had in my life. It was $2 for a huge bag, and it almost felt wrong to get that much pleasure out of eating broccoli. I believe it was around $35 for everything. Not too bad, considering how good it all was. Below you can see Sunday's purchases.

Then, today I noticed a farmers' market on the south end of Naperville, by Route 59 and 103rd Street. I decided to stop in, and I ended up buying blueberries, cherries, spinach, green beans, more tomatoes, cute little asparagus, a red pepper, and a few eggplants. One of my challenges to myself is to try foods that I don't usually eat, like eggplant. We're going to try eggplant Parmesan later this week. I didn't take a picture of today's purchases, because of a crabby baby.

There was also a guy selling cheeses from right over the border in Wisconsin. I bought some soft baby swiss and some garlic cheese curds, which sounded too interesting to miss. They turned out to be pretty yummy. I think I spent something like $23 today. Oh, and the problem with my grocery list today? Nick ate it, so I had to purchase from memory. I guess he took it when I wasn't paying attention. Everyone around me thought it was hilarious as I was trying to pry it from his enthusiastic little fingers. "The baby ate your list? That's so cute!," I was told. It might be cute (and yes, I did laugh), but it made it very hard not to forget anything.

Anyway, I did have a point. Tonight I made a salad that was the best I've ever tasted. It contained vegetables all from the farmers' market, and was so good I actually ate every single bite and would've had more, if there had been any left. I used the fresh spinach, cucumber, tomato, red pepper, a little bit of freshly ground pepper, and some crumbles of goat cheese. When I was eating this salad, I felt the same way I do when eating a filet mignon or some grilled calamari. For me, food is one of life's greatest pleasures, and I guess I can enjoy the healthy stuff just as much as a chocolate ganache cake with a cream filling. Or pretty close, anyway.