Welcome Summer!

I'm still alive!  I know you were probably starting to wonder  since its been so long since I posted.  I didn't think my relaxing summer of no school, no lunch packing, no early mornings would be so busy!? We've been doing a lot at the North Canton Library, mostly programs, sadly, not as much reading as I would like.  I had planned to spend the summer at the pool, but when it's cloudy and 78, it's not really pool weather.  So we've been inside a lot.  I just put my laundry out on the outside dryer for the first time in a week!  It's been so rainy I've been drying inside.  As Vince says, "But it's summer!!!"  I agree, little man!  Since today is officially he first day of summer the weather seems to be willing to cooperate.  FINALLY it's warm!  

Baby Pepper

Baby Roma Tomatoes

The raised  bed with my squash and corn

My gardens are doing well at least!  The rain has been a friend to them, if not us.  I have little blossoms on my squash plants and even more little green tomatoes, a few little tiny peppers and even the beginnings of green beans!  I'm excited to see how everything does now that I realize I squashed too much in a small space.  Last year I had some extra room and this year I didn't want to waste any room.  I didn't and now it's hard to hoe because everything is so close together!  

Look at all that green!  Hope it all produces!

I realize here's not really one coherent thought in this post, but that's about how my summer has been going!  I'm going to repost the link to EWGs Sunscreen database.  Now that the weather is finally warm, check it out before you pick up your next bottle of sunscreen. 

Mark your calendar!

Roma Tomatoes

I've been working hard in my gardens, well, not that hard.  I weed once a week and I make sure they're watered each day, but with all the rain that's been pretty easy to manage.  I'm getting a few little blossoms on some of my plants which is getting me excited for summer produce.  Strawberries are in season right now and I'm excited for next week when Gervasi's  farmers market opens!  It's Wednesday from 4-7.  Get there early because stuff goes fast!  I was disappointed to learn that my favorite farm, Breezy Hill, is no longer going to be participating! They're going to continue to have pick up orders at Hazel's Artisan bakery, but I lied shopping at their booth.  It just felt more authentic then placing an order online and picking  it up in a store.  I understand why they're not doing it, they want to have a summer outside of work too, which is the downside of small, local, growers, but a small price to pay for healthier, fresher food.

The Canton Farmers Market is the following Saturday, and I'm looking forward to check them out again too since its been awhile since I've been to that one. 

As much as I complained last post about my local farmers markets, I have to at least be grateful that there are some close to me where I can take my kids and they can meet real farmers, who live in our community and grow real food.

The Lone Banana Pepper

Local Meat, Dairy and Produce

I've been talking to a friend of mine how joined the Fresh Fork Market and got her first bag of goodies this week.  I'm debating joining too and my online research has bumped me around to a few good resources I thought I'd share.

I stumbled across this one when I was looking for the name of the dairy farm that we drive by every time we go to my mother-in-laws house.   I didn't find the farm, but I did find the website of one of my mom's line dancing friend's husband's chiropractic practice.  (I think that's the relationship.  Somehow there's a connection between line dancing and this clinic.) It's a list of local meat, egg and dairy farms in the surrounding Canton area.  (Not cool for Cecilie in LA or Lindsay in Denver, but cool for those of us around the big city of Canton, OH!)

There's also a link to local farmer's markets.  I've been obsessively playing with the Weelicious app on my phone at night when the kids are "in bed" (oddly there is a lot of pitter patter, no, thumping, when they're supposed to be in bed.  Also Olivia is up.  Olivia is always up.)  I love how each of her recipes has a story with it, sometimes about the recipe, sometimes just about something remotely connected to it.  It makes it more personal.  She has tons of videos, ok, I blogged about this already and I'm not going to go on and on about it.  I could just imaging Evan's eyes glazing over if I was talking to him instead of typing.  She's always going talking about the great stuff she gets at her farmers market.  NOTHING like what I have!  I realize that she lives in California, which produces much more produce than Ohio, saying nothing about  the difference in the growing seasons.  I have all these recipes that call for yellow beets--I've NEVER seen yellow beets at the grocery store and the farmer's market isn't much better.  I wish that I could go to a REAL market.  Ahhh, enough complaining!  I need to be positive!  A few years ago I'd never heard of a farmer's market and now I have a few to choose from.  The food culture is changing and more and more farmers markets are popping up and the selection around me keeps getting better and better.  I just have to be patient!

Farm To Fork

I could pin thus and tweet it, but I couldn't blog it so you'll have to check it out from this link.

http://healthychild.org/farm-to-fork-our-toxic-food-system/

Raised Beds Are Complete!!!

Saturday Ellie, Vince and I went back to Dumonts and got all the plants for our raised beds!  I was SHOCKED how picked over everything was!  When we were there last time there were 3 greenhouses full of plants, now, only one.  I got everything I needed, but some of the veggies I got last time were gone! I'm so excited to finally have this DONE!  Now I just water and hopefully get lots of produce!  I bought some organic fertilizer to add to the soil so hopefully