Saturdays, PBS, and my kitchen

Not only do I love the green earth-friendly programming and garden how-tos, but The Victory Garden and other fabulous cooking shows on PBS on Saturday mornings really get my taste buds going and my foodie senses stirring. Friends are posting stuff on Facebook about great recipies, fresh food ideas, and a link to steamykitchen.com. I'm sitting here with Rick Bayless cooking amazing tacos in my livingroom. I need to make a trip to the market - since the goodies from the garden are now gone.

America's Test Kitchen always has fool proof recipies for Thanksgiving, not to mention ideas about cool kitchen gadgets. My brother will try deep frying a turkey for the first time this year...usually mom bakes a turkey in the oven. We'll try a new sweet potato & fresh orange casserole from Joy Philbin's recipie box, and the favorite traditional wild rice casserole and green bean casserole with cream of mushroom soup. We'll have a full house at my mom's this year. I'm expecting some fun and good food, and if the weather cooperates, we'll either take a nice long walk or play a little catch in the yard after dinner.

I'm looking to compost next spring...and wondering if I should start something now in the fall...but really I just don't have another weekend of time to do it the way I'd like to. So...I'll start researching off season rain barrels, compost bins and consider which seed catalogs to begin looking at in January. We'll haul the 11 bags of mulched leaves to the community compost site today, and string lights outside the house on this 55degree day in late November. So grateful for the weird weather flip of Oct & Nov...but wondering if the winter will provide us with snow, good moisture for the garden next spring.

2009 was the first year of gardening for me. Previously planted chives and green onions, salvia and lavender, framed the sprouts of tomatoes, peppers, cukes, eggplant and squash. Herbs on the patio, and a few additions from the farmer's market...and our table was often full of Italian, Greek, Asian, and Mexican dishes.  Next year dare I start from seed? I'm no Martha Stewart, but in an effort to be good to myself, my family, and the earth...my desire is to use green principles, cook good food - fresh from the garden, and get my hands dirty and find quiet time with God while I work side by side with the worms.

There's something so natural about fresh veggies, food, gardening...and Sat mornings simply inspire me. The Good Housekeeping Gardening & Canning magazine from 1977 that I found in my mom's cupboard has been a new inspiration. Good info just never dies, it just gets reposted electronically...and I love Googling for garden, cooking, and video guides of how to cook. But, smelling and tasting the real thing is far more fun. Guess what's cooking today.