Harvesting in the Name of Carrot Caking

Our garden looks insane. I'll admit it.

This is thanks in part to the strange little habits my husband and I have picked up from living in Spain, Iowa, and Zimababwe. You might just say our local backyard garden is a mix of the best of three continents. But thanks to a crazy little gardening method we have adopted called "hugelkultur," we have had the most giant green mess of unwatered growth -despite being in a drought!- that any gardener could hope for.  We have pulled an insane amount of produce out of our 20 x 20 space, and fed a few good bees in the process, thanks to my science-teacher husband, some elbow grease, and the constant supervision of our six year old. This month I thought I'd share a few of my favorite recipes that highlight some of these locally grown treasures, starting with -what else?- dessert.

Because, hey, why not?

I always judge a dish by how many guests have asked for the recipe. This one takes the cake. Literally.Though I can assure you it is the best cake I have ever eaten, it will not look so pretty in my pictures. This is because this time around, I made this a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free cake (substitutions galore!) that challenged the frosting-aesthetics. Add in my child's blueberry decorations, and well, you get the picture. Literally.

Yup. No lies here. It can feel time intensive if you only have one cake pan instead of two or three (translation: the woman who moved her whole household back to the US with six suitcases may have "more cake pans" written on her Christmas list this year) but it is well worth it, I assure you. Plus, you're eating your vegetables. Literally.

    

Most Delicious Carrot Cake Ever

(Even when you use a lot of substitutions!)

Ingredients

2 cups flour (gluten free 1-1 works quite well, too!)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

Small Trips: Supporting Local in Huge Ways

Want to hear what really shocked me last week?!

We live in Connecticut's Quiet Corner (2.5 hrs from NYC and 1.5 hours from Boston).  While sitting around a table of fifteen local adults, I discovered that only three of them had ever been to Boston or New York City.

What?  You're. Kidding. Me.  More people had been to the Bahamas than to a city an hour and a half away. 

I was floored.

It doesn't matter how many times I've seen it. Having lived all over the world, I am still amazed every time I realize that many of the people I live next to have never experienced popular things to do in their local area. Tourists can travel from all over the world to see special sites, and yet it often is the person who lives twenty miles away that has not taken the time to visit. Supporting local is not just about buying knick-knacks and small, artisan products. Supporting local is also about ways people interact with their community.

My recommendation to those who truly desire a way to embrace small businesses and the local economy? I'd encourage them to figure out ways to use a local geographical map or local tourism bureau to discover things sitting in their own backyards. Activities like making use of skiing passes, restauranting with friends, attending a local performance, hiking a local state park, checking out a local farm, touring a nearby winery, and seeking out a local museum with friends are excellent ways to give gifts that support local community... and in the process often builds it, too!

 When we first settled into Connecticut, we discovered a fantastic program called "The Sky's the Limit," a 2015 hiking challenge put out by the CT State Parks Department. Connecticut, like many New England States, is famous for its hundreds of miles of hiking trails; as part of a No Child Left Inside initiative, their challenge was to get hikers who visit CT's highest peaks to take pictures at the base and the top of their climb to show proof of accomplishing all 14 peaks.

I can't rave enough about The Sky's the Limit Challenge. We got out to see pieces of the entire state, becoming more familiar with the changing topography and the special nuances that separate one region from another. Soon our friends were coming with us, and wanting to explore their state, too. Once we completed that challenge, my son Jonas had bigger ideas about finding peaks and parks throughout New England. And thus our 2016 personal challenge to get to every state in New England was on!

This past week we traveled to Peterborough, New Hampshire. We camped for two days in the Greenfield State Park (it's so nice! I recommend it!), where we hiked, canoed, fished, and climbed two Monadnok mountains. Jonas discovered wild blueberries, a New England treat, and spent the weekend collecting them to feed his newly acquired addiction, his invention called the "blueberry s'more." We learned about a new place, supported the small businesses that in turn helped us enjoy a fantastic trip, and made lasting memories that may just bring us back again soon.

It wasn't the Bahamas. I'll give you that.

But, wow.  There is real joy that comes from getting to know the amazingness that lies around you in your own backyard. I heart New England.