Recipe Scrapbook

For many years I've had this recipe scrapbook. I'd started it when I lived in Charleston, SC and soon after moved to New York and then to Maine... all along holding on to the book but losing sight of the project in mind. Last weekend I found myself awake early on a Saturday morning and digging through my pile of loose recipes, handwritten family recipes, and a piping hot cup of coffee. I grabbed some tape and decided that I would sit down right then and there and complete my project.

Complete my project? ...well maybe not. But I was able to put all of my loosy goosey recipes into the scrapbook and am determined to keep it up with new recipes over the years.

I had so much fun playing origami with my recipes and creating new ways to attach them to the pages. A little twine bow here, some more green tape there, and some idea clippings from my favorite magazines. Sure. 

And what fun it is and will be to unfold those recipes and re-discover ideas. The very next day I discovered Pinterest where I created a folder/file/whatevertheycallit for recipes. But I still love my handmade recipe scrapbook. Stains and all.

Someone seems to have a case of spring fever

I may or may not (definitely may) have spring fever. 

I miss my garden, the warm sun on my back, eating veggies and fruits fresh from my yard...

Here's a little photo collage of some of my past gardening fun:

Garlic is my very favorite thing to grow! We just planted about 40 cloves plus another 20 rounds and 100+  bulbils. I'm anxious to have enough garlic to get us through the winter and then-some. We eat a lot of garlic!

The first couple of years I grew tomatoes I probably grew eight plants or so. Then last year  I said, "I'm growing any this year! I'm taking a year off." Then I found a packet of seeds and figured "what the heck..." and grew 21 plants (plus I bought another three from the local nursery for good measure). Then last year I learned how to can so... I'm probably going to grow about 40 tomato plants this year so we have enough to get through until the next season! I just love making chili and sauce and salsa!

We are blessed to have some gorgeous apple and peach trees in our yard, too. The peach tree is the smallest, saddest fruit tree you've ever seen. It looks like a soft wind could knock it over. The first year we had a miniature peach grow. Just one! Then in 2010 we had a massive harvest of peaches! The photo above shows one of the three bowls full we harvested. Amazing. Then in 2011 we had none again. I was told by a local farmer that in Maine the peach trees rotate every other year on production. I guess we'll see what happens in 2012! In addition, we have strawberry plants that were transplanted from my friend's farm so her donkeys wouldn't eat the strawberries -- lucky us! We also have a gorgeous little nest (complete with glitter streamers) that robins lay eggs in just about every year.


Aaaah.... soon it will be time to head outdoors again for the happy harvests of spring!

AND... I ordered these crazy looking squash that I'm SUPER excited to grow and eat. They're called Yugoslavian Finger Fruit Squash:

View all of Kenyon Organic's heirloom seeds here.

Happy spring dreaming!