Last Veterans Day we took our suburban kids on a short hike. When they got excited about pine cones, we knew it was time for a change. A few days later, we found this little diamond in the rough in the heart of the Catskills that fit the bill perfectly. After six months of a grueling short sale process, we were officially second home owners!

We removed roughly 2,000 pounds of trash from the house at the end of May and the renovations were underway with plumbing problems galore. The to-do list is a mile long and will take us years to complete, but we'll enjoy the mountain views and the wildlife in this valley in the process.








Here is our first before, during and after: 

Clean-Up Day

After sheetrocking, new sub floor and replacing ceiling panels. 

Neutral, fresh wall paint makes all the difference! Yes, the
window frames are still yellow. That's my next project.  The
 old beams are one of my favorite parts of this house.

Eggciting!

Friends of ours gave us some fresh eggs from their backyard hens. Notice the difference in size between the two eggs. The egg on the left is purchased from a supermarket and the egg on the right is a free range fresh egg. The fresh eggs had such great flavor compared to the supermarket factory farmed bland ones. To me, there was no comparison.

I can't wait to start my own backyard hen endeavor, but first I need a coop...

Will You Be My Valentine?

Need a last minute gift idea? Consider buying a rose bush online other instead of a bouquet of roses that will die in four days. It will be shipped as soon as appropriate for your zone and will bloom for years to come. Try heirloomroses.com for a great selection of rose bushes.

Orchids are another great choice and about the price of a dozen roses. There are some new easy to care for varieties that are absolutely beautiful. They are available at most local garden centers.

A reusable travel mug and gift card to their favorite coffee joint or just a simple candlelit dinner at home are great choices too.  

And while you're at it, skip Hallmark, go green and make a handmade card with a poem or a picture. Your loved one will appreciate the thoughtfulness and you will save $5.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Local Food and The Farm Bill

This bill could be a step in the right direction for local farmers, but will it pass through the House Agriculture Committee? Considering they passed pizza as a vegetable in school lunches, I'm not confident.
Local Food and The Farm Bill: Small Investments, Big Returns

http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2012/01/local-food-and-the-farm-bill-small-investments-big-returns/

It's CSA Time!

January is a great time to join a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Many farms throughout the country have CSAs to guarantee revenue for the upcoming growing season.  In a CSA, you pay a set price for a share of that seasons fruits and/or vegetables and pick up produce directly from the farmer on a weekly basis. There is a small amount of risk depending on extreme weather conditions, but the risk is usually minimal. I love broadening my vegetable horizons and learning to cook foods that I normally wouldn't buy. Click on the link below to find a CSA in your area and enjoy the fruits of your local farmer's labor.

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Ugh Politics!

I have never been so appalled by our U.S. government than when I heard that pizza is now considered a vegetable. Whether or not the sauce on top of the pizza can be considered a vegetable is even questionable. This is not your grandmother's tomato sauce, this is tomato paste and whatever chemical concoctions scientists have created as cheaply as possible to preserve it for eternity. What a disappointing step back for parents, nutritionists and childhood obesity advocates everywhere.

Broccoli is a vegetable. Peppers are vegetables. Yeast and white flour topped with tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and sausage should never be considered a vegetable.

The processed food giants win again with the help of their deep pockets and political influence. Americans are once again duped into thinking that the government has their best interests in mind when it comes to public health.We all love pizza, but it doesn't grow in the soil. Maybe the White House gardeners should plant some pizza dough and mozzarella cheese and see if anything green comes up.

Rubberbands

After shopping at my local farm market for most of the growing season this year, the only thing I missed from the supermarket were the rubberbands that are wrapped around the broccoli.  They are great for childproofing cabinet doors.