An Agrarian Society

Although the weather in the Northeast has been a bit of a bummer, and I may be the only one who doesn't own chickens right now, I am doing my part to be agrarian. Raised beds, aka VegTrugs, help to promote a little at-home agriculture for sustainable living and better health.

To keep up with current trends, Williams Sonoma has dedicated an entire online category to agrarian products; check it out. From chicken coops to canning products, this brings me back to the days when we raised chickens (fighting every morning over the double-yolkers) and Mom making/canning bread and butter pickles (my fav), from our cucumber crop. I can still remember the taste of those pickles.

It's amazing how creativity is playing a huge role in helping people find ways to be more self-sustaining. I can't believe what I was able to jam into my own VegTrugs as their size is deceiving.

My petite crop is slow to produce, as I had to wait for backordered VegTrugs to arrive, and planted my raised beds a little late. The cherry tomatoes are a bit leggy due in part to the lovely (rainy) summer weather, but they are flowering nonetheless. A positive sign that fruit is on its way. One lonely pepper almost ready for picking, and fresh herbs on-hand for cutting.

A recipe that I recently made from Everyday Food (Martha, of course) was Grilled Fish with Citrus and it was absolutely delicious. Fresh herbs cut from my Vegtrugs, and only the fish to catch, makes this recipe a piece of cake. You know what I mean, sometimes Martha's recipes can be a bit intimidating for the average cook. When you are expected to raise or find ingredients that are not typically available at your local Hannaford, the task can be a bit daunting. Don't get me wrong, I love Martha, and I know that her recipes are sure to please, which is why I never hesitate to take one on. I'm confident that the results will be worth the time and effort. There may be a few Martha haters out there, but I am a die-hard Martha fan, and I'm not afraid to admit it.