Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

We finally got out of Oak Park around 10:45 a.m. after a quick trip to the bike shop to be sure we weren’t going to rip the spoiler off our van and cause an accident on the interstate. In no time we were across the border an at Redamak’s in New Buffalo, Mich. We learnedContinue reading “Day 1 of Michigan Adventure '09”

I’m very pleased with my 1/2 share, week two. But I’m thinking I may need to give a big portion of it to a neighbor or co-workers unless I can figure this into our camp menu for the coming week. I’d hate to have to give away this red cabbage. Maybe we’ll do fish tacosContinue reading “Biggest CSA Challenge: How Am I Going to Use This on Vacation?”

If you think you don’t like beets, my guess is that you’ve only ever been exposed to the pickled and canned varieties. But I urge you to set aside those smells and flavors and pick up one of the red, yellow and/or orange varieties at your farmers market. You can boil or saute them. ButContinue reading “Skip the Canned Foods Aisle and Give Beets Another Try”

I’m glad to learn that I’m not the only one in my area with a squirrel problem….not because I want to share the misery, but because I want to learn how they’ve overcome this gardening threat. These pesky little rodents will eat just about anything. They dig for my bulbs and, it turns out, theyContinue reading “Cooking Up a Pepper Spray to Ward Off My Furry Neighbors”

Great feature in the Chicago Tribune today about Harold Bergman, who is one of the last 184 farmers working the land in Cook County. And he’s doing more than just driving the tractor. This scrappy 93-year-old is still wrestling 200 50-pound bales of hay a season. The iFarmer can attest that baling is not aContinue reading “93 & Still Baling Hay”

I’m taking advantage of my down time from what is apparently a nasty summer cold to catch up on my ag news. Turns out I’ve missed a lot, namely the water wars that are well underway in California. Nearly 4,000 farmers, farmworkers and their supporters took to the streets in Fresno to protest regulations thatContinue reading “Water Wars Break Out in California”

Had my first bite of Swiss chard tonight. I sauteed it up with chopped garlic in a buttery olive oil mixture. The taste was strong, so I softened it with a little lemon squirt. I served it with pan fried scallops. My side dish was another farm-fresh favorite: zucchini, diced tomato and Basmati rice heatedContinue reading “Getting the Most of My CSA”

There were two things I could always talk to my Uncle Joe about: ham radio and journalism. Not long after I received the unexpected news this week that Uncle Joe had died from a likely blood clot, the iFarmer reminded me that following 9/11 I told him that if the US came under full attack,Continue reading “RIP Uncle Joe, aka K8QOE”

Here’s what I learned working the 9-11 shift at the Oak Park Farmers Market info tent…it’s a shift that can make you very hungry. I’m guessing that will be true of any of the shifts between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. All that food going by and folks talking about what they’re going to doContinue reading “30-Minute CSA Meal: Savoy Cabbage & Sugar Snap Pea Stir Fry”

So when I learned I’d be getting my first CSA box and was told to expect parsley, I honestly never thought I’d get that shrubby version that looks so pretty as a decoration on restaurant dishes. You know, the pungent stuff you brush aside? For some reason, every time I see that a very vulgarContinue reading “Parsley & Garlic Scapes = Chimichurri”