How involved are you with agriculture? Most people will say not much, unless they’ve planted a seed or milked a cow or raised a chicken. Truth is that we’re involved with agriculture every day of our lives. We all eat food, right? Which means we should all be concerned with where it comes from.
This was the premise of PASA’s Farming for the Future Conference, The Sustainable Challenge: Providing for a Livable Tomorrow. I attended the 19th annual conference on Friday with 2,000 other folks who are passionate about food and concerned with its origin and quality.
The mission of PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) is to “transform agriculture and food systems in Pennsylvania and beyond in a way that makes farmers more viable, improves the land, and restores the health and wellbeing of all citizens.”
I bumped elbows (literally, the hall was packed) with traditional Amish farmers and progressive farmers and environmental activists. Some were dressed in flannel and suspenders, others in slacks and cowboy belts, and a few in suits and ties.
These are smart and honest people who are dedicated to the very issues I have read about and have been troubled by. It was invigorating.
My mission was to find out how public media can be used to help promote PASA’s pursuits. I’m fortunate to have spoken to some really influential individuals and look forward to our collaborations.
This was a conference about food, so of course there were some excellent options. All of the meals were provided by local vendors. (I wish such wholesome food was so easily accessible every day — maybe some day.) For lunch I enjoyed a hummus wrap and pasta salad from Gaffron’s Sunrise Bakery in Centre Hall. And I purchased potato salad and applesauce from Eden View Organics to share with Nick later that night.
I also spent a few minutes between workshops sampling treats from Tait Farms (which is where we found our tannenbaum in December). The herbal balsamic vinaigrette was especially tasty and found its way into my brown grocery bag. The next night we drizzled it over organic greens. It can also be used in grilled vegetable and bean salad or warm mushroom and spinach salad. I tasted other items at Tait’s table that I plan to bring home soon, such as sour cherry dark chocolate sauce, ginger peach chutney, and apricot butter.
My final treat of the day was Alaskan sockeye salmon from Wild for Salmon. I purchased the fillet from the young couple who caught it. It’s sustainably harvested, fresh frozen, and vacuum packed. And it was delicious. On Saturday — our final Saturday on Locust Lane — we seasoned it simply with salt and pepper and pan fried it in olive oil. Before serving we squeezed a lemon over top and sprinkled it with parsley. Oh, yum.
I leave you with some food for thought (and encourage you to support local farmers in your community!):
- Eat food produced as close to home as possible.
- Feed thy neighbor as thyself.
- Simplicity is beautiful.
- Feed the world with local food. It may not be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.
- Fair prices will keep nutritious food on our tables.
- Who’s your farmer?
I’m resurrecting Favorite Finds with a special installment. Like any young married couple preparing to move (in 11 days!) into their first shared home, Nick and I have both taken to stalking the interwebs for ideas and items to fill our new place. Here are a few things we bookmarked over the weekend.
Organico bed linens for the master bedroom (from Crate and Barrel):
Months ago, before we created our wedding registry, we came across a beautiful organic duvet cover at Crate and Barrel. It was khaki colored with hints of sage and chocolate. It was delicate enough for me and subtle enough for Nick. (Anybody else notice how hard it is to find a bed spread with both feminine and masculine qualities?) Unfortunately, the cover was discontinued and nothing else we found compared to it. Until last weekend when I browsed the C and B in Towson and came across this beauty. In addition to the duvet cover, we also want to get the matching blanket. The textures are fantastic (hard to see in the photos), and we plan to add decorative pillows with punches of color.
Apothecary jars for the master bathroom (from The Container Store):
I still adore these jars from C and B, but this set from The Container Store is more affordable. It will be nice to have enough counter space (double sinks, yes!) to organize and display all of my necessities: cotton balls, Clinique face wash, Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion, etc.
Inspiration for the bookshelf Nick plans to build (from Overstock):
Two years ago, Nick sketched a bookshelf based on this one from Target, complete with measurements and a list of building materials. Finally, we’ll have enough space to display it. Plus, we found a version we like even more. It’s simple and symmetrical. And, not to worry, we’ll find more charming items to arrange on the shelves — a wooden duck to remind us of Nick’s farmhouse in Hershey, a souvenir from the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon where Nick took me before he proposed, a Mayan artifact from our Mexican honeymoon, and more.
Inspiration for our future dining room table chairs (from Amazon):
When I moved into our current apartment three years ago, I bought a table and four chairs for $75 at a yard sale. The set has served me well, but it’s in need of a makeover. Fortunately, Nick brings into the marriage a solid dining room table from Pottery Barn. He left the chairs with a previous roommate — fine by me because they were quite mod — which gives us the opportunity to spruce up the solid Windsor chairs from my old set. We’ll stain the seats cherry to match the table and paint the remainders black. Eventually, we’ll need to get two more chairs, possibly with colorful slipcovers.
Linen Closet Love (from Apartment Therapy):
I’ll have a real true linen closet for the first time in my adult life — two to be exact! Luckily, Nick and I both have stockpiles of wicker baskets, which will keep our belongings neat and orderly. And our bath towels — in green tea and chamomile — will look lovely stacked on the shelves.
Instant Mudroom (from Young House Love):
There is a small section of empty wall space between our front door, our garage door, and the entrance to our kitchen. Although there is a closet for coats, I think Nick is more likely to hang his from a convenient hook rather than change direction, open a closet door, and pull out a hanger. I’m just sayin’, I know my husband. Plus, I can use my scarves and purses as decorative elements. An Ottoman that doubles as a storage chest may be in order, too.
Where do you go for home inspiration?
I grew up in the house my dad’s dad built. Grampy passed away just one month before my parents were married, so I never had the opportunity to meet him. But I’ve been told we would have adored one another.
I may never have seen Grampy walk through the front door of our house, but he left behind plenty pieces of himself. He carved the names of his four kids into the cement patio floor. He hand constructed window frames that still keep us warm. And he planted pine trees along the property line.
Unfortunately, three of those trees fell to the ground on Sunday night.
I left the house around 6:30 that night to drive back to my apartment. I had considered spending the night due to approaching storms, but I had a mandatory Monday morning meeting to prepare for. It wasn’t until after said meeting that I heard the news.
Apparently nobody inside heard the trees fall outside. It happened in the middle of the night, and the destruction was discovered by my sister when she walked out the front door to climb into her car and drive to school. Had her yellow Beetle been parked just a few feet closer to the house, it would have been buried by branches. Had I decided to spend the night, my red Civic would have buried, as well. As luck would have it — which was very unlucky for one member of the family — only one car was hit, and it was my dad’s blue Passat.
It’s sad, really, to say goodbye to trees that were part of both my dad’s childhood and my own. Grampy nurtured those trees from seedlings. They provided shade and privacy. The provided a canopy for tree forts and a “base” for games of tag. They were a welcome site as I turned down Andover Drive and approached the place my family has called home for 46 years. They will be missed.
Nick is in Charlotte this weekend hanging out with the guys, watching basketball, drinking microbrews. It’s his final weekend before rejoining the working world, and so it seemed only fit that he get away before he’s held in place by things like job responsibilities.
Of course I miss him (and I thoroughly enjoyed finding the love notes he left throughout the apartment — inside the refrigerator and the vanity and under the bed pillow), but I don’t mind the quiet.
Last night I completed my first manageable run since I got back on the treadmill. Afterwards I took a hot shower complete with Dove calming night body wash. I slipped into my sweats and ate dinner in front of the TV. I also worked on a top secret Valentine’s Day gift.
Tonight I plan to do more of the same, minus the run, plus a glass of wine. Tomorrow morning I’ll venture into the cold sporting my new Under Armour running tights and Nike Fit gloves for my first attempt at five miles since last summer. (154 days and counting until the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in Seattle.) My reward for the long run is a night out in Baltimore with my best lady, a belated birthday celebration, and chocolate mint brownies.
What do you do when you have a weekend alone?
… is that we can’t yet welcome one of these into our family.
(photo credit Google Images)
We’ve researched breeders in central Pennsylvania and picked a name. Nick has chosen doggie dishes and a collar and watches Cesar Milan every afternoon. But, alas, we’ll have to wait awhile longer to snuggle up with a furkid.
On Saturday, Nick and I drove 45 miles southwest of State College to search for our new home. We explored communities of townhouses and neighborhoods with For Sale signs. And we considered the pros and cons of buying vs. renting.
To Buy:
- Pros: Build equity and take advantage of tax incentives.
- Cons: Possibly leave the area in 2-3 years and have difficulty reselling.
To Rent:
- Pros: Freedom to move in 2-3 years.
- Cons: No pets allowed.
Fortunately, we were impressed enough with Parkway Acres in Duncansville that the decision became much easier. It’s a quaint community of townhouses nestled between I-99 (en route to my office) and Rt. 22 (en route to Nick’s sales territory). The homes are brand new — never been lived in — and most of the tenants are young professionals. And it has luxuries we’ve not yet had in our young married lives.
A garage for one car, two bikes, a pair of skis, and several bins of camping equipment. A large kitchen with ample counter space and a dishwasher. A master bedroom with a walk-in closet and double sinks in the bathroom. A washer and dryer on the second floor. A patio for a grill and a wrought iron table. Yes, please!
We’ve already mentally decorated the downstairs. We’ve browsed bedroom suits and media units and have a list of DIY projects that involve Nick’s new tools. We’re sending our security deposit today and planning to move next month!
We’re going to give this commuting thing a shot and re-evaluate after a year. Any of you out there have a commute longer than 45 minutes? Suggestions for making it more bearable?
For 3 1/2 years, my only brother, Andrew, has lived and worked in New York City. Today he packs his bags and boards a plane bound for British soil. Yes, London is calling. And so, of course, we had to throw him a proper farewell party.
The Culinary Couple took over my parents’ house last weekend and prepared food for 50 guests. We served a variety of dishes from both sides of the Atlantic and a sheet cake with a sugar coated British flag. There was a bar full of Newcastle Brown Ale and Boddingtons Cream Ale (from my old stomping grounds of Manchester, England). Family and friends shared stories about what Andrew will miss (Dad’s pizza pies and Penn State football) and what he will learn to love (The Queen, room temperature ale, and soccer). And at the end of the night we popped a bottle of champagne and toasted to the bachelor’s adventures abroad.
A September trip is in the works. Until then, we will live vicariously through him. Cheers, bro!
The menu:
- Clerkenwell Curried Beef Pies: Traditional meat and potatoes with a curry twist
- Bangers ‘n’ Mash: More flavorful than the original
- Five Boroughs Reuben Dip: A tribute to Andrew’s love for New York City and pastrami
- Overseas Creamy Crab Soup: Contributed by a lovely friend (recipe to come)
- All American Meatballs: The most simple combination of meatballs, grape jelly, and chili sauce
- Firehouse Pulled Pork BBQ: Straight from the ladies of Lancaster County
The visuals:
(the front of his postcard invitation)
Call them what you will: resolutions, goals, plans. Here’s what on tap for 2010.
Cook and eat more consciously. After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma and watching Food, Inc., Nick and I have decided to make this a priority for 2010. During the first week of the new year, we chose seasonal broccoli, parsnips, and lemons over imported strawberries and tomatoes. We inspected our meat and hoped for a day when its origin will be listed on its label. This year we plan to visit more farmers’ markets, to find a local sustainable farm to support, and to fully report our progress at The Culinary Couple.
Develop our own recipes. Armed with How to Cook Everything and The Flavor Bible, we want to create our own concoctions. At first this will mean modifications to tried and true recipes, and I’m positive there will be mistakes and miscalculations. But we’re determined. Again, you can check up on us over at The Culinary Couple.
Move all of our belongings under one roof. This one is trickier than it sounds. Currently the following are stacked in my parents’ basement: kitchen electrics and gadgets, bath towels and bed sheets, Calphalon cookware and Noritake dishes, a nearly new queen size bed, a kitchen table, a desk, a microwave, and much more. And, oh, how I dream of a garage to store our bikes and golf bags and camping equipment. Of course, in order to accomplish this goal, we first need to determine the location of our that “one roof.”
Get comfortable with my Rebel XTI. I’m off to a good start. We bought two new lenses in December: 50mm f/1.8 and 55-250mm f/4.5, and I’ve been using more of my manual settings and less of my automatic flash. By 2011 I’ll be ready for Project 365.
Send more cards. And this means keeping better track of birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations. Yes, emails and Facebook messages and tweets are nice, but don’t you love just love to receive cards and handwritten notes in your tangible mailbox?
Run a marathon. I have my sights set on Seattle’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on June 26th. I figure this goal will be easier to attain if it includes live music at every mile marker and salmon and microbrews at the finish line. Here’s hoping that finances and, more importantly, my physical capability allow me to do this.
I also want to give back. To be more productive. To be more present. These are ongoing.
And I want to wear a dirndl while drinking a liter of beer in a Hofbräuhaus in Germany this October. Prost!
2009 was certainly an eventful year. (2010 is shaping up to be pretty busy, too, which is why I’m almost a week late with this post.) Last year we said “I do” in a garden on the banks of the Susquehanna River. Nick left a good job in northern New Jersey and accepted an even better job in central Pennsylvania. We traveled to Massachusetts, Michigan, and Colorado. We experimented with lots of new recipes, celebrated our 27th birthdays, and finished our first half marathon together. Here are a few more memorable moments from 2009.
- January: Reunited with family and celebrated life.
- February: Skied in Breckenridge and conquered my first Black Diamond. Attended the IMA Public Media Conference in Atlanta and ate famous biscuits.
- March: Traveled to Washington, D.C. where I produced my first major educational event, enjoyed French food, Greek food, and Ethiopian food, and toured the U.S. Capitol Building.
- April: Sent our Save the Date magnets, joined the EAD family, and celebrated our two year meetaversary.
- May: Visited friends in Massachusetts and walked the Freedom Trail, drank blueberry beer, steamed mussels, and fished for cod in the Harbor.
- June: Ran my first half marathon! Traveled to Virginia for a co-ed celebration and was showered with much love by my girls in Pennylvania while Nick bonded with the boys in North Carolina.
- July: Turned 27 on 7/7 and mailed the much-anticipated wedding invitations.
- August: Became husband and wife on a rainy and perfect day surrounded by the most important people in our lives!
- September: Soaked in the sun, stuffed ourselves with gourmet food, and drank plenty of tequila during the final days of our Mexican honeymoon.
- October: Moved Nick from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and cheered for the Nittany Lions in the Big House.
- November: Sampled several varieties of German food and Bavarian beer and gave thanks in Bethlehem.
- December: Cut down our Christmas tree, celebrated our first married Christmas, and started the hunt for a new home.
Oh, I can’t wait to see what 2010 has in store for us! Happy (belated) New Year to all my friends!
This was a very merry married Christmas, indeed. Nick and I put nearly 1,300 miles on the Civic and spent the holidays with both sides of our family and many of our best friends. It was our third Christmas together, and our first as husband and wife. We enjoyed family traditions and created new ones. And we were reminded on several occasions to be grateful for the small stuff.
- Grandma Motz’s Sugar Cookies: This recipe has been enjoyed by five generations of Rowlands, and every December my dad and my aunt fight for the few tubs of lard available in the grocery store. (Yes, the recipe calls for 1 cup of lard — you know it has to taste good!) Dad and I have added our own expertise to the annual tradition: chill the dough over night and use lots of parchment paper and Wondra flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter top. One of these years we’ll get fancy with royal icing, but until then, red and green sugar sprinkles it is!
- Car Trouble on Christmas Eve: After a few portraits in front of the Christmas tree, we all piled into the car for the drive to Maryland. Dad in the driver’s seat with Mom as his co-pilot. Nick and Andrew in the center bucket seats. Laura between me and her boyfriend, Stephen, in the back seat. And lots of presents and casserole dishes and beers in the trunk. We sang carols while Dad pulled off the highway to fill the gas tank. When he climbed back into the car, we noticed some confusion and commotion in the front seat. Dad put the car in reverse and realized he had put diesel in the tank. Oh dear, Dad. Thirty-five years of driving and mistakes can still be made. Dad tried his darndest to get us to Aunt Julie’s house on the diesel, much to the dismay of me and my mother. But when the car started bucking, he pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store. Andrew provided the comic relief while we waited for AAA to arrive with the tow truck and my two aunts to arrive with transportation for all of us. Two morals to this story: Don’t put diesel into your car, and if you do, don’t drive away. And, more importantly, when bad things happen, try to focus on the good. Sure, we were two hours late to the party. And, most definitely, Dad was teased all night by his siblings. And, of course, Mom worried herself sick that thousands of dollars of damage was done to the car. But we were all together that night — safe, healthy, blessed.
(Update: The car is fine! The diesel was siphoned from the tank and replaced by injector cleaner and high octane fuel.)
- PJs from the Elves: Every Christmas Eve for almost ten years, the elves sneak into our bedrooms and leave beautifully wrapped boxes of new pajamas under our pillows. It’s no matter that our ages are 27, 25, and 17, we still look forward to slipping into our soft flannels and fleeces and snuggling in bed until Christmas morning arrives. This year, my sister and her boyfriend wondered if footie PJs are available in adult sizes. Sure enough, Mom (a.k.a. Head Elf) found some in Laura’s favorite color: lime green, and Stephen’s favorite pattern: camouflage.
- Snowmen, Santas, Angels, and Nutcrackers: As kids, the majority of our gifts came from Santa. But there was one special gift each year that was labeled with love from Mom and Dad. And for eleven years they have grown our collections. I have snowmen and snowwomen of all shapes and sizes, some with bows and others with furry hats. Andrew has Santas with baseballs and diplomas and coffee mugs. Laura’s angels are delicate and rustic and plush. And Nick has three Nutcrackers in his collection: a skier, a chef, and a soldier.
- Puppy Presents: Of course our Goldens get gifts, too. In fact, we let them tear apart their paper first so they have rubber balls and chew toys and ducky distractions while we take turns opening our gifts.
- Photo Books and Photo Calendars: If you were married in 2009 (like so many of my blog friends were!), then you are quite familiar with the temptation to gift wedding photos. Nick and I chose our favorite shots from August 28th and created Blurb books for our parents. We also made soft cover books for our grandparents and prints for our siblings. Finally, I designed iPhoto calendars for my mom and dad, my brother, and my sister. I was really quite impressed with the quality of all our gifts, and I’m anxious to design some books for our own coffee table!
- Hand Painted Keepsakes: I’ve told you before about my crafty sister, but she took it to a whole new level this Christmas! In her advanced painting class, she chose to paint gifts for all of us. For Mom: a pineapple; for me and Nick: a photo from our honeymoon in Mexico; and for Dad: an absolutely impressive collage of our three Golden Retrievers. (Andrew’s painting of Big Ben wasn’t quite ready to wrap.) Laura totally captured the canines’ personalities, and I promised to set her up with an Etsy shop in 2010. Let me know if you want to place an order for a painting of your pooch!
- German Goodies: Sweet Anne mailed the most lovely box of goodies from Germany. An original German cookbook (translated into English, of course), herb tags, a glass lemon squeezer from Jena, homemade cherry jam, and lots of chocolates. And my sister-in-law, Robyn (who currently lives in Stuttgart), sent embroidered doilies and a pewter ornament from Käthe Wohlfahrt and Lebkuchen cookies.
- Duck with Orange Hazelnut Stuffing and a Surprising Roaster: Our traditional Christmas dinner consists of ham, turkey, and all the fixins. But we decided to be adventurous this year and add duck to the menu. I started to chop apples for the stuffing while Nick searched for a second roaster — a wedding gift stored in the basement since August. He opened the box and a few minutes later called from the dining room, “Should there be a rack with this roaster?” And “These utensils look like antiques.” Sure enough, we found a rusted fork and spoon in place of stainless steel ones, and no rack in sight. We assume a customer must have taken the good stuff out, put the old stuff in, and returned it to the store. Unbelievable. But the duck was scrumptious.
- Monster Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches after Avatar: One afternoon in Ann Arbor, we took a trip to the movie theatre to see the much anticipated Avatar. To be honest, I didn’t buy the hype until well-respected critics praised its cinematography. We opted to see it in 3D, and I was mesmerized. Nick, on the other hand, left with a migraine. The cure? Monster cookies and ice cream, of course. Two sandwiches, to be exact.
- Thomas the Train Birthday Cake: Nephew Jackson turns two in two weeks, and we celebrated early while we were all in Michigan. Sister-in-laws Megan and Kirsten introduced me to the wonderful world of Wilton (which was promptly added to my Amazon wish list). We mixed seven colors of frosting (including two shades of blue and two shades of black) and spent four hours squeezing and lining and transforming the chocolate cake into Thomas the Train. Jackson was one happy kid when we set the finished product in front of him. And he insisted on blowing out the candles three times.
All in all, it was just a wonderful 10 days. Perhaps next year we will invite our families to our home for the holidays. Oh, I wonder what 2010 will bring.
