Apples and Tacos

This is a post from Cool Columbus!

Just outside of the Columbus proper, you can be in farm-country. Now, because we are in the midwest here, there is a lot of corn in the farm country. A lot.

There are other things, too, of course. We have found some orchards, vegetable farms, farm markets. This being apple picking season, we wanted to have some for our favorite apple-related things: crisps, pies, cakes, or just plain crunchy apples for a snack.

I won't tell you where we went apple picking because we won't be going back there again (sad, I know). And I will be sure to tell you if we find one that is more to our pace. The apples are fine, don't get me wrong. We are just a bit more off-the-beaten-path-organic-crunchy-type apple pickers than we thought.

What we will tell you about, though, is our favorite taco truck. I wrote about them before. In fact, they made it as my first posting on this blog! Taqueria Morena.

Tucked behind a small market, on Livingston Ave, this Mexican family makes some very good tacos and burritos. This weekend they had melon fresca for a refreshing drink to go with the flavorful dishes.

If you think apples and tacos don't go together? You may have to think again!

Caterpillars

There is metamorphosis happening around here. One of these has become a chrysalis. I am hoping for the best. The last time we had one of these, a wasp flew out of the chrysalis with no butterflies to be found! Apparently it's a pretty common phenomenon. Sad, but I guess that is part of nature!

Another Year

Hard to believe it has been 9 years since that horrific day in NYC. I know that everybody remembers what and where they were at that specific time. We were so grateful to have been safe, but we did share many tears with the loss of so many.

I hope whoever is reading today is finding peace in your world.

Sunny Meadows Farm

The kids and I visited Sunny Meadows Farm today after having contacted the farmers before hand to see if we could come out to see what they do. Steve and Greta could not have been nicer or more hospitable. The day was gorgeous, and I am sure they had a lot of work to do on the fields, and yet they spent so much time with us, giving us a tour of the farm, telling us about their past stories and of future dreams.

Fact is, there is a lot going on at their 10-acre farm. They are mostly growing flowers now with some seasonal vegetables. The farm supplies places like Whole Foods, and farmers markets around Columbus. There is a budding orchard, a small area for honeybees, a few greenhouses that grow food during the harsh winter months. Gretel also makes homemade soap!

Only five years into this way of life, the young couple is still learning about what works and what does not. I applaud them for following their goals of living and farming sustainably (they are not certified organic yet, but they do not use pesticides and are working towards becoming certified).

I can see a bright future for their farm, and so pleased to have found this little gem in a big city.

Selfishly, I am so glad they are here!

Natural Paint

We visited a farm today (more on that later), just down the road from here, but it was a whole different world. More of our world. I think you know what I mean.

We found a few bushes of these berries which I think are related to elderberries. The farmers were kind and let us pick some to take home.What I know about these berries is that they can be used to dye clothes or make wine(!). At home, the kids have been asking if they could make their own 'ink' out of blueberries. These berries would be a great alternative to using our precious Michigan blueberries in the freezer!

With some vinegar, and salt, and a lot of staining of hands and crushing of berries, we made ourselves this beautiful paint! They tried it on paper, and they also dyed some fabric with it. Good natural fun stuff!

Fall? Summer?

Our own Zinnias that Momo grew from seeds are finally blooming!

Oh goodness. What season are we in?

Not that it really matters because the weather will do what it will... but yesterday was a very confusing day for me.

It was hot. I am talking 90+ degrees. But dry, and VERY windy. So if you are sitting inside, not knowing what the temperature was, you would think it was a fall-like day. Leaves were blowing everywhere, and some trees have started to turn color.

Then the sky got dark, a thunderstorm zipped through, and then everything came to a stand-still.

And we woke up to a beautiful sunny crisp day today, and now that it is the middle of the day, it is back to being quite warm! Oh, I am not complaining, not at all. It's just that we may be going apple-picking soon, and I would rather not have it be 90 degrees again. Just so the mood is right, you know?

The celebration continued

My blogging is getting a bit intertwined. Between Cool Columbus, and this one, and Twitter, and Facebook... Oy. I am not sure I can keep up with all of it! (Or should I say, I really don't need to do any of it!).

At any rate, I had a great day. A great welcome to the middle of the 30s.

The day started out with me being prohibited to come downstairs. So I returned to bed to finish my book (Trail of Crumbs) when I heard a pitty-patter and a knock on the door. The kids delivered breakfast to me, in bed, before telling me that I still could not come downstairs.

Eventually I was allowed to join them. The Birthday banner hung across the doorway, and a big bag of birthday goodies awaited my opening. Two candles sat in some old coffee ground and I blew on them after the birthday song was sung to me. It was like a Christmas morning with summer breeze passing in through the open windows.

The rest of the day was spent at (to us) a new coffee shop, a new metropark, our community pool (last day of the season!), and an awesome Japanese enclave complete with a market, a restaurant, a bakery, a bookstore. It was a splendid day!

Birthday Weekend

It may look like my birthday weekend is filled with barns and beans... And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that since I am a barn-and-bean kind of girl. Those things bring me irrational pleasures I sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with me!

But no, those aren't the only things I have received for my birthday. Not even close. In fact my birthday just started a few hours ago, and already for this long weekend, I have enjoyed a little getaway with the family to the biggest little city in the middle (also known as Ann Arbor). Perhaps because we have lived or spent a lot of time here, and here, and here that A-squared (as it is loving known) felt just like home to me. It helped, too, to have such great friends and their children to share it all with.

So like I said, the day had just begun. You know there will be more for me share here later today! For the rest of you in the U.S., Happy Labor Day!

Art in Columbus

I saw these in the Short North of Columbus today. If you think there isn't much going on in this city, well, you are not the most correct!

You can also go to Cool Columbus to see what I got to do today!

An Oasis in the city

You can also view this same post at Cool Columbus.

In the middle of the city of Columbus lies an oasis. And I am sure there is more than one, but today, I happened to drive by Goodale Park. Its pond full of flowering lotuses stunned me. I pulled over quickly to stop and take pictures of one of my favorite plants, and a very important symbol of Buddhism.

And having the day's temperature be in the mid 90s, I felt transported back to Thailand...even if it's for a brief moment.

I can't say too much more right now, because my visit there was very short. But I wanted to share these photos with you. I know I will be returning there for a more serious visit (maybe a picnic with family?) soon.

Summer Rose

Just a rose to greet you on a late summer day.

I hope your day is filled with good scents and sights that will linger all day!

Shoo-Fly Pie

This was our first attempt at making Shoo-Fly pie, the Amish way.

And this was after purchasing a small pie from the Amish booth at the North Market farmers' market a couple of weeks prior. We were inspired by its simplicity...and well...Amish things.

There is some tweaking we still need to do...but it was a rather simple thing to make. Molasses, sugar, flour, shortening (or lard, you know, if you prefer!).

What was the most eye-opening lesson from our baking session was the pie-crust recipe. I have always used Julia Child's as my go-to pie crust. But this one is called "Never Fail Pie Crust". Who would not give it a try?!

It surprised me that we needed an egg, and apple cider vinegar to make the pie crust. You would have been proud of me, though, because I followed the recipe precisely (something I have a hard time doing). And poof! A perfect pie crust! Those Amish are trust-worthy when it comes to cooking!

The air

The air is a lot cooler today. For the first time since we left Santa Cruz more than two months ago, I am feeling the familiar cool air on my skin.

I don't think summer is over yet. It's just nature knocking on the door, reminding us of the season to come.

We found an injured-looking Monarch butterfly in our driveway this morning. The kids were excited to nurse it back to health. They put it in their butterfly mesh container, planning out what they would do if it's still not flying by September.

Minutes later, the wings started fluttering. Then, there was a gentle hop. And soon, it did fly.

Could it be that the air was just a little cold for the Monarch in the early morning? We are quite familiar with them from our multiple visits to their colony at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. We just didn't think it was possible for the air to be too cold here just yet! But alas... that is probably what it was. I need just a little more time for our tomatoes (planted very late) to ripen. Just a little more.

Inniswood

We visited our second Metropark today: Inniswood.

Who would have thought that I would find real Thai lotus growing in a pond in the middle of Ohio? Stranger things have happened, so I should not have been surprised to see the beautiful flowers reaching high up from the water. Other exotic plants were there too: jasmine, figs, coffee tree, even a cinnamon plant (my first encounter!).

And don't you love that sign? Earth laughs in flowers. So true, so true.

We had a great wander through this park with our neighbors, and I know we will be going back there often. The question is... what happens in the winter here? Hmm... it will be time to explore those museums and coffee shops!

Columbus, will you please come up with some real local bookstores pretty please? And bakeries, too? You have about 2 months to work on those. Thank you!

In a row...

This was the only picture I took in the Amish country, of the people facing me. We passed many individuals and families, but it just didn't feel right to put up my camera as I wave to them. They are just living their normal lives... We were the intruders.

But this group was far enough away from us that I think it was okay. Ideally, I would like to get their permission before taking a photo. I look forward to the day when I can get personal enough and do just that.