Memorial Day Weekend

Irises @ EECO Farm, 5/29/11

Today was a perfect day. It really felt like a summer day, even though that day is still a few weeks off.  Where I live, Memorial Day is the "official start of summer".  Translation: the population of this tiny community explodes with people, cars, surf boards, long lines @ the restaurants, coffee shops and parking lots. The traffic will be completely nuts for the next 3 months, with lots of honking and crabby drivers everywhere....and I am glad because it is good for our economy. I am going to work really hard at not complaining about it all. We had a long cold winter and a longer wet spring....I am glad that it has stopped raining and the sun is out part of the time and that people are here to enjoy our beautiful part of the world.  Main Beach was named one of the Top 10 Beaches in America this week.

I got up and went out fairly early to visit two farms. They were both bursting with new growth. Everywhere I looked there were irises, daisies and other wonderful flowers. And then, the vegetables and herbs everywhere. At Balsam Farms in Amagansett, they are selling Radishes, Arugula, Zucchini, Asparagus and beautiful Lettuces. I love this sign on the Radishes. It says: We Grew It!  How much simpler can it get?

Balsam Farms Radishes, 5/29/11

In my travels today, I was looking for cilantro. I hoped to buy some fresh but I couldn't find any. I love a good Corn and Black Bean Salad with scallions, lots of cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes and a light dressing. I could have gone to the IGA and bought it, but as I was talking to Christie @
The Springs General Store (I am SO GLAD that she has the vegetable stand open there again), she asked me:  How about some basil instead? And so, I changed my thinking and made the salad with basil instead of cilantro. Now, this might not sound like a big deal, but what I did is purchased the local basil from Christie instead of buying the cilantro from a grocery store. Her hard work of growing those herbs for us (our community) was rewarded by my purchase. By the way, Ned loved the salad with the basil! And, while I was in there, I noticed these darling little nosegays in the refrigerator. How much better can something be? A bunch of fresh mint with a chive flower in the center. Put together by one of my favorite farmers, Paul Hamilton, I was thrilled to purchase it and put it on my kitchen window sill. It brings me great joy every time I look @ it.

Paul's Mint & Chive Nosegay, 5/29/11

And so it is Memorial Day weekend and we honor those who have died in wars. I continually hope that someday we won't be fighting in any wars.  It is also the weekend of the Indianapolis 500 which was run today. I am a native of Indiana, and the sound of those cars racing around the speedway is one of the most familiar and thrilling sounds I know. The older I get, the more I am moved by sounds and smells and sights from my childhood. It all seems like another lifetime ago. I miss my siblings and my cousins and my parents and grandparents. I probably wouldn't change most things about my life, but I do often feel that it is too bad that I live so far away from my family. And so, to cheer myself up on Indy Race Day, I made Deviled Eggs. I don't know why, but to me these are all about my childhood. You really can't beat the simple taste of this treat!

Deviled Eggs on 5/29/11

The end of a satisfying day full of friends, food and wonderful memories.

Expect good things....

On the Road, 5/11

LIE, 5/1/11, 6:20 a.m.

I hit the road @ 5:20 a.m.to make the drive to Pennsylvania. There is nothing I like better than that Interstate 80 West sign that tells me I am heading out to see my mom.

I-80 West, Pennsylvania

I love the road. I have had wanderlust for as long as I can remember. If you have never read
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, I highly recommend it. It is as pertinent and right on today as it was in 1960. I often wonder about why I have wanderlust. There is something about the unknown that I love. I am curious, eager to learn, interested in others and so I have this yearning to want to see more than just what is outside my front door. It's gotta be in my DNA.

Cheese and Peanut Butter Crackers, .79 cents

Do you remember these crazy orange crackers with peanut butter between them? I hadn't had these in years. I remember paying .15 for them in vending machines when I was a kid. I opened them up (I didn't torture myself by reading the ingredients!) and they smelled and tasted exactly the same. I was 11 years old, sweaty and hot in the back of the VW bus, driving with my family to Naples, Florida on summer vacation. I have read that the sense of smell is the strongest for bringing back memories....I believe it.

I-80, Pennsylvania

So I got to PA, and it was summer here! A few hundred miles west and the sun is out and it was 80 degrees. What a welcome relief from the long, dark, damp weather at home.

I-80, Pennsylvania

I want to report that we are in a beautiful country. It is big and interesting and there is something new around every bend. We must love it and take care of it....all of it: the people, the land, the ideas. I have been suggesting to people that they turn off the news and just read the headlines once a day. I really feel that watching and listening constantly to the news is discouraging. I mean, if you think about it, it is all bad news coming out of that talking box in your living room. When was the last good news story that you heard on t.v.? Concentrate on your local news. Here is some important local news that you can make a difference in: In New York, we vote next week on school budgets and school boards. This type of participation in your local government can make a big difference in the world--in your world.

And speaking of local, check out Real Time Farms. They are a great resource for local farmers and farmer's markets. Buy your food from your local farmers; join a CSA. Challenge yourself and see how much of your grocery bill you can switch from spending on industrialized  food to your local purveyors. This helps the economy in your community and I promise you will meet some really nice people at the farm stand or farmer's market.

Subscribe to or pick up an Edible publication. I have a story in the current issue of
Edible East End.  I interviewed farmers and gardeners last year on how they plan their gardens to ensure being able to make a favorite recipe at harvest time. Let me know what you think about it.

I just bought a bike rack and a basket to hang on it. I am going to ride my bike to work this summer and will now be able to bring groceries home from the farm stand when I am done working. The thought of this is bringing me great joy!

Expect good things.....