The remaining squash

These squash got away from me this past winter. I wasn't able to cook them when they were at their peak, and now that it's March, they have lightened up quite a bit, so to me, they are now inedible. I put them out for the squirrels on Saturday morning. The ones in the backyard (yes, there's more that were not eaten) were devoured by the squirrels by that afternoon. They haven't found the ones that are in the front yard. Yet.





I placed these three in my front garden with the hopes that the remaining seeds will somehow take root. Perhaps I'll get a chance to grow my own this year. I've seen squash and zucchini growing out of the lush nutrients of a compost pile - a big surprise to the owner of that compost pile. I'm sort of applying the same theory here.

But, beyond that, I think they add a bright splash of color in the dirtying whiteness of the snow that blankets the city. Perhaps something a little quirky and interesting to look at for all those neighbors walking by.

I admit that I had gotten a lot of strange looks when I moved my vegetable garden to the front of the house in a neighborhood full of immaculate front lawns. But over the years, I've worked in perennials around the spots designated for vegetables and herbs. And since I'm spending more time hanging in the front yard, there has been more opportunity to get to know my neighbors, and many of the new ones in the area have voiced support for de-lawning my yard.





I like to bake the squash in the oven and serve them as soup bowls. This soup is wild rice with potatoes and carrots.

The first year that I discovered how yummy squash was the year I was still visiting the local farmer's market. I got a whole grocery bag full of smaller sized squash for $5! They lasted all winter and were the perfect size for a two-person household. Since then, I've been getting a variety of different squash from my CSA. I don't have a need to go to the farmers market any more as my veggies are being delivered to my neighborhood by a local farmer.

Maybe this year, I'll get the chance to grow my own. The time to start seeds for the garden is swiftly approaching. While starting seeds can be a refreshing experience, it is also a time of nervousness. Will the weather cooperate? Have I started my seeds too soon, or too late? Do I have enough space on the inside for all the seeds I want to start?

The uncertainties and possibilities are endless.

What's this about?

Who knows? Not me. But, there it is and it is here.

The Universe told me today:

Next time you make a wish, Lotus, wish for what is, because really and truly, things don't get much better than this.

There is a purpose, a plan, and a reason for all things. What doesn't make sense, will make sense. You are exactly where you should be; your challenges are what they should be; your rewards are what they should be; and the best is yet to come. Time has served you well. Love is in the air. And you're looking mighty good in the light that now surrounds you.

A toast to life... to you... to us... The Universe

And, so, I choose to believe. This is where I am supposed to be, and so I will be.

The trail, I ask myself, where is the trail leading? Does the answer even matter, aside from the idea that it leads away and out?

Away from what? And out of where? My life is good, but I can't help dwelling on the idea that there's got to be more. More of what? Something. There's got be something more. And yet, don't I live in a culture where everyone is seeking more? Isn't this totally contradictory to the message from the Universe?

Gods! Who cares! Just be!

So, what's this about?

I meant to write about things in my life that seemed to be "alternative," my CSA, for example. But, just last night I threw away a ton of root vegetables that have been sitting in the bottom storage bin of my refrigerator. In previous years I had taken all those roots - turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips (ok, maybe not the parsnips cuz they smell nasty to me!), celeriac - and cooked them up into really delicious eggrolls. Frozen-ed them, like my mother is fond of saying, and ate them until spring came around with a new crop of local, organic produce. But, this year, or rather, last year in 2008, this project just didn't happen. It's a bitch to cook up the filling, assemble and fry 80-100 eggrolls by my own self. Jeez! I need some female friends that like doing crazy things like this.


photo from Harmony Valley Farm 12-18-08 newsletter.


So, a few words about CSAs. CSA stands for community-supported-agriculture, which is a fancy way of saying we've bought shares in a local farm and they deliver to us once a week whatever they happen to harvest that week. Look to the sidebar for a link to our CSA - Harmony Valley Farm. The first year we signed up, I ate vegetables that I'd never even heard of before. Everything turned out to be yummy, except the parsnips which smell na-aa-aa-sty! The great thing was that I didn't have to figure out what to cook for dinner, I just had to figure how to cook that things I got from the CSA. The first year was a dream with the delivery boxes topping 30 lbs. of produce goodness during the peak summer harvest.

This is our third year. The last two years were not as bountiful as the first. The farm, which is technically one state away from me, but close enough over the border to be considered local, was inundated with rain, rain, lots of rain, 17 inches of it in one night. Nearly the entire crop was lost, but those dang parsnips survived. The next spring, the same happened - so much rain that the fields were flooded again. It was early enough in the season to replant, so this year was good, although a little later than usual.

Now's the time to sign up for spring 2009. So, please consider looking into one in your region. It is a natural and economical way to eat healthier. The Big D and I suffer from withdrawal during the winter months - the vegetables are that good.