Category Archives: Uncategorized

When I learned one of my Thanksgiving guests was going to attempt a turducken (a chicken in a duck in a turkey), naturally I thought I needed to have a complement on the dessert side. Peachcherryblue a/k/a Triple Threat. The problem: Cherpumple recipes (cherry, pumpkin, apple pie/layer cake) with fondant icing or buttercream frosting seemedContinue reading “Introducing Peacherryblue: Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Pies in Three Cake Layers”

My beautiful sister is pregnant with twins and I had the pleasure of being one of three co-hosts of her baby shower. I mostly did invites (thanks Tiny Prints!), plus a cute doodle on the onesie activity… My first diaper cake to promo the diaper raffle… And the party favor: a Caramel Apple in aContinue reading “Baby Shower for the Books”

It’s a wrap! Our 2015 Oak Park Farmers’ Market season, the 40th, has come to a close. For making this one of the best markets ever, I thanks go to: All the vendors for coming each week (especially the ones who strived to come despite crop loss from torrential rains); Flooding at Geneva Lakes TheContinue reading “It's a Wrap: 40th Market Season Comes to a Close”

Today would have been my grandma’s 100th birthday. My mother and sister recognized the occasion by placing sunflowers in the surf on a Pacific-coast beach. My grandpa would have been pleased by the gesture. He loved California. When I think of my grandma, I think of her wearing white gloves to every outing and herContinue reading “Mother”

Flooded fields at Genesis Growers Weather is a friend and enemy when it comes to farming. For weeks, the region where many of our farmers was pelted by heavy rain. Just when the rain stopped, it’d start again, swamping farmland, ruining full crops of watermelon, lettuce and more.  This while our farming friends on the WestContinue reading “Benefit at Vie to Support Farm Wracked by Spring Storms”

Most weeks I’m at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market, I’m working the info booth. But this week I got to go and just listen to the music, buy a dozen donuts (to skip the line) and pick up a dozen freshly picked ears of corn. As much as I enjoy volunteering to support the market,Continue reading “'Meet the Farmer' Video in the Making”

One of my favorite things about the Oak Park market has nothing to do with the farmers or the produce. At each market there are two groups of musicians that faithfully show up, instruments in hand, to play with other like-minded musicians. It’s wonderful to see how the bluegrass band, aka The Farmers’ Market Band,Continue reading “Thriving Music Scene at the Farmers' Market”

The week my daughter got her Holland Lop rabbit — Phillip — she had his birthday noted on the calendar. And she’s been counting down the days until June 25 ever since. So here we are, with our party for a rabbit complete with: Carrot cake Fresh Farmers’ Market fruit Veggie spread We didn’t doContinue reading “Party for a Rabbit”

American Farmland Trust is promoting its 7th Annual farmers market celebration and is soliciting ratings from consumers about their local markets. I’m posting in part to promote the celebration and solicit recommendations for my favorite local market. And I’m posting because the categories, while easy to rate, show how important markets can be to aContinue reading “Four ways the Oak Park Farmers' Market is making a difference in the community”

Great video by Oak Park TV’s Joe Kreml featuring Farmer Mark Millitzer from Tree of Life. This is part of Joe’s Meet-the-Farmer series. Check out other market videos on YouTube and here.