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On the Road to Our First Marathon (Week 5)

Yesterday was the 113th running of the Boston Marathon, which provided a fascinating view of the top marathon runners in the world competing in a fast and furious race to win this prestigious event. Americans Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall both had tremendous 3rd place finishes – a feat that is remarkable given the sport's recent dominance by a strong field of international stars. The marathon and its 23,000+ participants were an inspiration to so many, especially to those in training for our first marathon.

Adrian and I have started Week #5 of our marathon training program. We have gone from running a total of 15 miles in our first week to 20 miles on Week #4. It has been an amazing experience for both of us. When we first started training, we couldn't even imagine ourselves running more than 5 miles. It was a good thing that we had a sound running program to keep us motivated and on track.

By taking baby steps and working at maintaining our energy levels, we have been able to focus on each day's tasks and set realistic goals for ourselves.

Nutrition has played a key role in our preparation. Having been on a local diet for almost a year, our bodies feel stronger and healthier than ever before. Eating nourishing food has helped with both performance and recovery. Even though we've found some of our workouts to very tough, we have noticed that our bodies are able to jump back very quickly. We've also learned that proper hydration is critical with the demands we are putting on ourselves.

We still have many weeks ahead of us, and the workouts will only get more grueling. However, we have seen that the mileage which seemed so daunting months ago is starting to look (and feel) more achievable each day. Sure, there will be joint pain and muscle soreness – all those little physical signs that remind us of our mortality – but with each training run we record in our log books, we are another step closer to our goal of completing our first marathon.

You can keep up with our fitness journal as we continue with our training: Adrian | Maggie

An Easter Surprise

Last weekend, the Easter bunny made its rounds here in Sugar Land and left two little chicks at grandma's house for Katerina to enjoy. She was entirely speechless the first few seconds after seeing them – her wishes had come true. For the longest time she has been asking us to buy her some chicks, but we stalled thinking of what the neighbors (and Homeowners' Association) would say once the "cheep-cheep" became a mature 'cluck-cluck". Grandma on the other hand, heard about Katerina's request and without hesitation, made her wishes a reality.

But like every fairy tale, there is always a catch and this one was no exception.

Grandma said, "Once the loving chicks grow into big chickens, you will have to find them another home."

Not knowing what to say, she accepted her fate and spent the whole afternoon holding them gingerly and asking us all to stroke their heads and beaks. Her face was lit up with the joy that only children know how to radiate. I thought at that moment that I hope she doesn't grow too attached to them, because as a mother, I do not want to see her heart broken.

For now, we will all enjoy her laughter and happiness, as she mothers a pair of cute chicks out of their adorable stage and into a lanky adolescence.

The Seeds We Sow

I have a confession to make. As we started visiting farms last year, getting to know our food and our farmers, the three of us would often ponder if we could live the agricultural life. During these farm visits, we’d leave the city behind physically and mentally, embracing the wonders of the agricultural landscape and the self-reliance we witnessed at work.

In these conversations we would talk about the people we just visited, step into their shoes and imagine the commitments they have made to be sustainable farmers. Sure, we got to know growers who had lived on a farm their whole lives. But we also met people who had left careers and homes in the city to pursue their vision of “getting back to the land” and running a business in the process.

So, as we drove back home, the conversation would drift to what each of us found remarkable about the experience, and how our perspective on sustainability had expanded.

It was the question of sustainability that turned up again and again. After all, we became locavores as an experiment in reducing our ecological footprint – something we felt we were accomplishing as consumers. But could we grow our own food? We had no gardening experience whatsoever, and we weren’t seriously considering buying a farm, but we were curious about whether we could even begin to feed ourselves.

From Nothin’ to Somethin’

During the second month of our journey, we received the gift of a tomato plant from my parents. We put it in a pot and added some pepper plants to our potted collection. A good first step, but still what you might call just a bit conservative. During the last ten months we have harvested about 4 pounds of tomatoes, a few dozen peppers and close to 200 limes (not a typo).

However, as winter faded this year, we knew we had to step up our gardening efforts, perhaps even putting something into the ground. We had sketched out garden plans, but couldn’t see ourselves building raised beds in the middle of our small backyard – after all, we’re total newbies…what if we failed miserably? After discarding a couple of alternatives, Maggie asked “Why don’t we remove some small plants and bushes from the landscaped areas and replace them with veggies?”

She was referring to the raised decorative landscaping we have along our property line, a design gesture left behind by a previous owner. It hadn’t occurred to us before, but it had a lot of things going for it: the beds were built up, there were different varieties of plants of mixed sizes, and some of them were already looking bad. I was prepared to pull everything out until Maggie asked me to take it slow. She didn’t want me undoing all the landscaping until we got a feel for how things were growing there, “Wait until the next seeds are ready to go in,” she added. So thoughtful!

So we went seed shopping and decided on a few basics, all organic and heirloom varieties: yellow squash, black beauty zucchini, radishes, contender beans, and some Juliet tomato transplants we bought at the farmers’ market. When we got home, we figured out the placements fairly quickly.

On the day after Michelle Obama and a team of 5th graders broke ground on the White House Kitchen Garden, we did so on our own. The prep work took the longest, as we removed a portion of the soil and conditioned it with organic humus and leaf mold compost. We also combed through it to remove grass and weeds, always a challenge in clay. At the end of the day, the seeds were in the ground and all we could do was hope that something…anything…would grow.

Five days later, the miracle of life was made visible. Hard, dry seeds that had gone into the ground days before had transformed, sending tender green shoots out to claim their right to sunlight. The radishes were first, quickly followed by the contender bush beans. The next day squash and zucchini leaves were unfolding before our eyes. Our tomato plants were thriving as well, extending their long willowy branches out and upward.

It’s now been just over two weeks. The tiny, lime-green shoots we first spotted are now taking on the characteristics of their species. The thick, broad leaves of the squash are displayed in opposing pairs of smooth and jagged sets. The beans’ pointed leaves are expanding like extended kites over their slight stems. The radishes’ clover-like leaves are perched on signature red stems that lead one’s eyes into the rich soil, where the roots are waiting to be dug out by hunting, novice fingers in just a couple of weeks.

Even the tomato plants are flourishing. The original plant from last year has grown several inches, while revealing 4 tomatoes the size of grapes. The Juliet transplants have also grown as much, forming beautiful, oblong cherry tomatoes in the last few days.

And the joy we’ve experienced in bringing this garden about has been a surprise. I realize some of you have probably been gardening for years, and the relatively small size and scope of our garden may pale in comparison to your own, but we are looking forward to the first harvest with much anticipation. It’s safe to say the we’ve got “the bug,” and have lost some of the fear and trepidation that we started with…usually the challenge for any new endeavor.

Now at last, we’ll get to indulge momentarily in that fantasy that had us imagining life on the farm…one vegetable at a time!

View more photos on our gallery.

Spring Is Here

Spring is finally here – a season that our family has been waiting with such anticipation. Not just because we love the change in temperature, or because we are delighted to see all the flowers blooming or the trees changing leaves, but because this season will bring us full circle with our 100 Mile Harvest journey.

We started this adventure in May of last year and in less than 6 weeks we will be faced with a new beginning, one that we will embark on with the same passion, discipline and devotion as we did with 100 Mile Harvest. This new phase of our lives will carry some of the same principles and philosophies from this past year, but we’ll adapt them to accommodate the different needs of our family. It will be a transition from the strict locavore diet to a more expansive way of eating, one that will allow us to supplement some of the basic needs and wants that were not met by 100 mile Harvest (such as cooking oil, spices, teas and the much-longed-for chocolate). This journey has provided us with the opportunity to make a difference in our personal lives and allowed us to live both more consciously and responsibly. We feel like we have improved our lives while also learning to live a more eco-friendly existence. I can not wait to start this new challenge.

In the meantime, I will enjoy what is still left from the winter harvest. The sweet potatoes have long departed from our menus and we deeply miss having those scrumptious chips in our meals. Even though I loved and enjoyed everything I have been eating, they were always a treat. We still have a couple of weeks left before the Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower disappear from the stands.

A year ago I would wander through the vegetable aisles of the supermarket, seeing the cauliflower, but never caring to pick one up. Under the glow of fluorescent store lights they looked unappealing and uneventful. It wasn’t until I discovered all the different cauliflower varieties and colors (from bright orange, purple, green to the traditional white), that I started to have a better appreciation for this vegetable. And now that I’ve come to love it, I will have to wait until the winter to enjoy it again.

But along with the fresh breeze, spring will bring a new array of fruits and vegetables. We are lucky to have been among the first to enjoy the first local harvesting of asparagus, and we can’t wait to see what else awaits us in the months to come.



Today, Michelle Obama and twenty-three Washington, D.C. 5th graders broke ground on the “White House Kitchen Garden.” The garden will cover 1,100 sq. ft. on the White House’s South Lawn, a few steps from the Obama girls’ swing set. 55 varieties of fruits and vegetables will be grown organically, to be used in the kitchen’s preparation of food for the first family and guests.

This weekend we, too, will break ground on our own garden, with the full expectation that it will bring an abundance of delicious flavors into our meals. We’ve been preparing for this moment since starting 100 Mile Harvest, and the last few weeks we’ve actually been buying seeds and transplants, and sketching out a plan. It’s time to get our hands dirty!

I encourage everyone to get outside and make the most of these beautiful days. And don’t forget to give thanks that Spring is here.

Asparagus

Upon starting 100 Mile Harvest we made a commitment to eat only local, seasonal foods. We knew that we would have to give up many of the fruits and vegetables that we had come to love and expect year-round, among them asparagus.

Finally, after more than 10 month of waiting, we saw the first spears in the market. A sign that the spring is near. In Texas, the first asparagus crop can be picked as early as March, even though their season generally runs from April through May.

Gita VanWoerden said she was thinking of us as she harvested this delicacy and decided to share the first picking with us. We were so grateful – after 2 months on a broccoli and cauliflower diet – we were ready to introduce a new vegetable into our menu. The asparagus was not only a delightful offering, but it served to remind us yet again of the appreciation our family has for the change in seasons.

Did you know that the asparagus is a member of the lily family just like onions and leek? It's spears grow from a crown, planted about a foot deep in the soil. It is best to wait up to 3 years before the first harvest, to allow the plant to develop deep, strong roots. But all the waiting will be worth it, for the asparagus will produce for 15 to 20 years without being replanted.

I love asparagus not only for its delicate creamy flavor, but also because it is low in calories and dense in nutrients. Asparagus is known to be a folic acid power house, as well as a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.

You can find it in three colors, green, purple and white. It is versatile enough to be grilled, saute, baked, fried, cooked, steamed and even microwaved. It can be eaten cold or hot, as an appetizer, as a salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, as a soup, or as an entree.

Our family prefers it saute, with a little bit of olive oil, garlic, green onions, basil, salt and pepper to taste.


First, bring saute pan to medium heat. Add 1Tbsp of olive oil, garlic and green onions.


Then add the asparagus, basil and seasonings. Saute 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.


Serve immediately and enjoy!

You can change the recipe slightly by adding diced red bell peppers or cherry tomatoes, oregano and thyme. Or you can be more adventurous by adding toasted almonds or pine nuts.

Sweet Potato Chips

Who's ready for March Madness? I'm not a real fan, but I know there are a lot of you out there, ready to sit for hours in front of the TV with bags of chips in your hands. Well, before you reach for those unhealthy junk food choices, here's a simple and healthy alternative. Sweet potato chips are our family's favorite crunchy snack. They're easy to make and you just need two ingredients: sweet potatoes and salt.

We use an Oxo Good Grips mandoline slicer to cut paper-thin slices of sweet potato. However, if you don't own a mandoline, you can use a sharp knife to slice your sweet potato as thinly as possible. Next, spray olive oil on a baking sheet and start placing each slice side-by-side, leaving a 1/4" gap in between. Add salt to taste. If you feel adventurous, you can add paprika to the mix.

Set your oven at 375°F and bake for 20 minutes on the top rack. Keep an eye on them! Do not leave them unattended, or they will burn. They will be golden and crispy when done.

You can expect the same results with potatoes and yams. You can even mix them up and create a colorful snack that kids of all ages will love.

They are best when eaten fresh, but they will store well for a couple of days in an air-tight container.