The one in which we talk about eating locally...

It is 98 degrees outside my window here in Pennsylvania right now. A hot, muggy, sweltering 98 degrees - and it's only 8:53 am as I start this blog entry. It's suppossed to go over 100 today. As I sit here with a damp hankerchief wrapped around my neck (truly the best way to cool yourself off on a day such as this!) I am consciously stopping myself from cursing this heat and humidity (especially after the fall preview we got last week.) I'm trying to focus on the positive of this inferno. It will be short lived - school is starting next week and surely fall is just around the corner. And, it's making my tomatoes grow.

And grow they are! The bounty of tomatoes parading through our kitchen these past few weeks has been nothing short of miraculous. Clearly, Mother Nature is loving my committment to eat local this year, and in her effort to support this endeavour, she's sending forth the most delicious tomatoes.

I'm sure by now, you've heard about the Local Food Movement. If it hasn't already, the word locavore will surely pop up in your news reading before summer is over. If you're interested in doing the local food thing, this Eat Local Challenge post is a great overview to start with. I've adopted the locavore pledge outlined in that post:

• If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
• If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
• If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
• If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.
• If all else fails, at least don’t eat at McDonald’s!

If you're not sold yet on the benefits of eating locally, watch this:

I encourage each of you to try to have at least one local meal this week. With summer's bounty upon us, there's no better time to taste the flavors of your local markets and see their wonders for yourself. As for me, I'm off to eat my heavenly little bounty:

Abundant Tomato Salad

1 garden tomato, roughly chopped (I used an heirloom brandywine picked from the garden this morning)
1 handful of fresh arugula, ripped into bite sized pieces (from the farmer's market)
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped fine (from the farmer's market, though it wish it were from brother-in-law's garden becuase his garlic is outstanding!)
4 ounces fresh mozarrella (that recipe will come on another day!)

2 tablespoons good olive oil
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Toss it all together and let it sit for a bit to meld (10 minutes or so) and eat with some fantastic rustic bread

It's heaven in a bowl.

The one in which I anticipate fall...

I'm not sure what this week was like for the rest of you, but here at Casa de Locos Ninos (that's House of Crazy Boys for you non-Spanish-speakers) it was, well, crazy. The boys were crazy, I was crazy, but most of all, the weather was crazy. It was down into the lower 50's at night. Poor hubby went running Thursday morning and said he could see his breath. There was a crisp breeze blowing, and those hints of autumn were all I needed to push me to finish these socks (started the last time I felt 50 degree weather, on our vacation in June to Nova Scotia)

It's a pattern based on my own sock recipe with Barbara Walker's "Little Waves" incorporated on the ankle and instep. On our vacation, we stayed in a lovely farmhouse in Tatamagouche, NS. (whoo-wee, the drive up there from here was i-n-s-a-n-e!) Several of the days we were there, we visited Rushton Beach, which was a gorgeous little provincial beach on the Northumberland Strait (warmest water north of the Carolinas!) Watching the tide come in and out was incredible. The waves themselves were tiny, undulating - but the tide changed so fast and it was a huge change. We started the first day a good 10 feet back from the edge of the waves and by the time the tide came in (just a few hours later), I was scrambling to keep the edge of the blanket dry!

The pattern for these Tatamagouche Socks will be available sometime this coming week, along with a pattern for The Bruiser. The Bruiser is a boo-boo buddy - you keep him in the freezer and when the kids come in screaming with an injury, the Bruiser will help make it better (and hopefully make the injured one laugh a little.) Nothing heals pain better than laughter. And maybe some cookies!

And now, you'll all have to indulge me in a bit of shameless mama show off. Several of you readers have asked for recent pics of my guys, so I'm happy to oblige.

Here's AJ, just turned 8 and sporting his new Harry Potter glasses:


And Ethan, 6 and a half (can't forget the half!), participating in what has to be one of his very favorite summer sports: Watermelon Seed Spitting.

(Yes, that's C wolfing down the watermelon behind him. Love ya, honey!)

Gregory (aka: macGregor, Trouble #1)showing his decided non-Trouble side, gently feeding a sheepie at the 4H Farm


And finally, the Caboose: Rusty. Recently re-named Trouble #2, after a most horrifying fall down the basement stairs.


Yes, they look all sweet and innocent. Yes, I adore them. And yes, I am counting down the days till they start school!