The rural city life

When I was little, I dreamed big. At one point, I wanted to be a famous actress. In another preteen era, I wanted to run a charity that took people who were down and out and gave them a makeover (to this day, I truly believe that if life's hardness was stripped away, everyone is beautiful.) I am sure my mother could tell you all the other dreams I had. However, as I grew older, my dreams were becoming less and less about big cities and bright lights and more about country life. I began becoming interested in living off the land, becoming more self sufficient. In physical therapy school, while we were being lectured on the PNF and NDT, I would be writing out lists of jams and jelly (strawberry and champagne, blueberries and rosemary) I could make and sell by the roadside. I could see it in my head...The West Texas sun just beginning to set behind a beautiful cotton field, me in a dress (flowing off course), my little stand almost empty because it is the end of the day and everyone wants my product...Anyway, I am obviously not living in West Texas, being a rancher woman or selling my homemade organic goods. I am here in Gville, with a beautiful husband and two wonderful (but sometimes stinky) dogs. Life is good. I am lucky enough to have a husband who has his feet on the ground enough to keep me there, but he also tries to make my dreams a reality as much as he can. So, he has toiled outside and has built a beautiful little garden. He also was genius enough to begin a compost pile, and we just used the first of the black goodness to start our mustard green crop. I guess we are going into year three of this little adventure and save a few bumps in the road (sorry for the weeklong trip to Mexico, little plants!), we have been able to include our homegrown goods into our meals almost daily. I guess I am writing this to tell you that it is fun, creative, and self-fulfilling to eat something that your hard work and loving hands have produced. It is also great to have fresh produce at your finger tips. I believe it helps inspire healthier living. You can just top some tomatoes with basil, a splash of balsamic, and a dash of salt and pepper, and voila! you have a healthy snack. Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Start small. Herbs are the easiest thing to grow. Really. Plant them in small pots and you can bring them in over the freezing winter nights. They will grow year round if you take enought care of them. My favorites are basil, sage, rosemary and cilantro (I have to pay a little homage to yummy Mexican dishes.)
2. Go out there every day and talk to you plants. Touch them. I know it sounds cheesy, but I think a little bit of tactile stimulation really gets their juices flowing.
3. Eat them often. If you are falling behind on using your herbs, go ahead and just take a pair of scissors (I just use my finger nails) and trim them back. Herbs are like many plants. They tend to grow better and faster the more they are trimmed.

A fun healthy recipe will follow in my next post!!