August 6th, 2009
While I certainly never thought I would grow up to be the kind of guy who cooks for himself, I have to say that the happy surprise has not been a negative one. Even though I grew up on pizza and spaghetti and never would have survived college without hot pockets, Raman noodles, and my microwave I nevertheless went off into my adult life and somehow discovered the joy of cooking. Now years into cooking my own meals and being capable of making everything from a fresh three egg omelet to a chocolate brioche bread pudding, I’ve discovered that the true key to good cooking is fresh ingredients and the only way to ensure the freshest ingredients is to grow them yourself whenever possible. As such, I recently started my own back yard garden and it’s been a dream come true.
While I used to complain about having to use old, stale tasting veggies I now have access to the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes and the freshest, healthy green lettuces and cucumbers at my constant and regular disposal. And also, because I grow all the stuff myself I save literally hundreds if not thousands of dollars on my usual kitchen costs just by growing my own vegetables. What’s more, the garden has become a great way for the family to bond together and I can honestly say that it’s brought my wife and I closer together. All in all, cooking my own food – and growing it – has been good not just for my health but my family life as well!
Posted in Fruits and Veggies | No Comments »
July 11th, 2009
Today’s Americans just aren’t the same as our grandparent’s generation, the same generation dubbed the “Greatest” by Tom Brokaw a few years back. In fact, any conversation with my grandfather, now 89 years old, will help make that point abundantly clear. Gramps is always quick to point out the various ways in which his generation scrimped and saved during the depression or sacrificed during World War II and how, by comparison, our generation today just couldn’t possibly compare. For example, he’s very happy to recount the tales of “victory gardens” and how both his mother and wife, as well as his three sisters all kept them going while the man were fighting off in Europe or Japan.
Basically, during one of his fire side chats, President Franklin D. Roosevelt encouraged Americans to plant victory gardens as a means of freeing up resources for our troops overseas. Quite simply put, the gardens were supposed to serve as a means of subsistence living for American families; they would plant and grow the food they needed for their family and this way commercial farms and other domestic food producers could focus on our fighting forces and not on the hungry mouths here at home.
While my grandfather doesn’t think today’s Americans would be willing to make the efforts, if push came to shove, to sacrifice for our greater good I have to respectfully disagree. I know that I love my country and just because the forces at work throughout the world haven’t provided my generation with a war in which to prove this point doesn’t make it any less true.
Posted in gardens | No Comments »
June 20th, 2009
The town I grew up in, Cromwell, CT, was at one time world renowned as the “Rose Capital of the World.” To this day, small scale operation rose growers exist throughout the small New England town of ten thousand people and greenhouses can be found in various forms of decay and disarray throughout. However, in its prime, Cromwell’s rose growers grew and shipped more roses than any other town, city, or village in the world! While there were several small competing rival companies, the big players in town were the Pierpont Rose Growers, who owned ninety percent of the town’s rose operations and thus controlled an overwhelming supply of the world’s rose output. In fact, if you bought roses any between World War II and the 1980s then chances are you bout a Cromwell, Pierpont Rose.
Cromwell was also known at the time for its several farms and nurseries and many families in town grew Christmas trees for the families of Middlesex County and even grew tobacco until the manufacture of the plant became unprofitable. Today, several farms and nurseries still remain in town and even though the town has become rather built up commercially the down to earth people of this close knit and old fashioned New England community has insisted on preserving its history as well as its charm. If you are ever in central Connecticut make sure you drop in on this hidden country gem and, if the season is right, try to stop by a local farm stand.
Tags: Flowers, roses
Posted in Flowers | No Comments »