Fallow Ground

If you're prepared, you can yield a tasty "fall" crop during winter around these parts. Sometimes though, when you're not prepared, you end up with stark, frozen emptiness. We dream of a white Christmas, but our ground dreams of spring.

Cooking a whole chicken is cheaper than using pre-cuts, but it used to intimidate me because I like quick and easy. Then I discovered the crock-pot. Now, I toss a whole chicken in and forget it. After 8 hours, the meat falls off on its own so cleaning it is a snap. With only 5 minutes of messiness, I have a Pyrex of chicken meat ready to use and a bag of scraps for the freezer until I make stock.

If I'm ambitious, I throw it in a pot pie. If I'm lazy, it'll go in grilled cheese for extra protein. Sometimes, when I feel winter acutely, I go the middle road and use it in classic comfort soup: carrot shavings, water, onion, rosemary, salt/pepper, and some golden raisins for a touch of sweetness.

Tomato Bold

A hard frost finally came on December 9, almost a full month after the average first frost date. Our arrogance in planting tomatoes as late as September paid off. A consequence of blazing summer is a short tomato growing season. Don't be fooled by the "heat loving" descriptions of tomatoes. They like hot; they do not like inferno and will distress in July and August. If you're lucky or bold or wise enough to time your plantings just right, you might hit the jackpot. These tasty morsels are juicy and sweet and pop like the best piece of candy you can imagine, only better. Since our planting was late, we will still be eating lots of green tomato pizza this winter. But for now, these succulent treats are enough to tempt us to try again next time.

Happy Happy Mail

I define happy mail as any piece which is not a bill or solicitation. This includes handwritten letters, newsletters from friends, or magazines. The Baker Creek Seed Catalogue, however, falls into the category of happy happy mail. The pictures are beautiful, the information helpful, and the prices just right (where else can you indulge in consumerism and retail therapy for only $2.50 a packet?!). I know it's completely wrong to judge on looks, but I can't help it, these veggies and flowers are uber cool. They're like hipster plants without the cynicism: aesthetically pleasing, mysterious, and different in a way.

Since I don't own land, my backyard is not big enough to grow all the tempting varieties within those glossy pages. But I've very tempted to ask my friends if they want a garden in their backyard. :D