Leda’s Urban Homestead

It is 74F outside and the dandelions are in full bloom in February. No, I’m not in Brooklyn, NY. I thought I would be, that was the plan. I thought I’d be home working on a book proposal, making winter root vegetable stews and snuggling with my cat, Ella. I was supposed to give a workshop at the Just Food Conference this week.

Instead, I am sitting in a hospital cafeteria in San Francisco waiting for my dad to finish getting a PET scan. His health took a nosedive last week and I flew out to offer moral support and whatever little bit of practical help I can at this point.

Rough going.

Usually when I arrive in SF for a visit my dad has a fridge full of food including help-yourself-to-lunch stuff such as 3-bean, tuna, and potato salads. Not this time. We ate crackers and cheese for dinner the first night when I got in from the airport.

I tossed out a crisper drawer full of slime formerly known as vegetables. My dad had bought at least some of those former veggies on his last trip to the farmers’ market. Even if all goes well and he bounces back from this latest dip, he probably won’t be making any more trips to the farmers market. It’s not so far away, but too far nonetheless.

Ironically, there is a small farmers’ market right outside the hospital here. I hope some of the fresh, local food makes it into the hospital’s menus.

I haven’t been able to focus much on the work I am “supposed” to be doing. I baked sunflower bread.

It made me smile when Dad asked me to choose some flowers to buy for the table, and to get some frozen raspberries because he wants to try my raspberry curd recipe.

I chose irises and stock for the flowers.

I made 3-bean, tuna, and potato salads that he’ll have to munch on after I leave. Some of the ingredients were local, some were not. Occasionally even a locavore has to have other priorities.

I fly back to BK tomorrow.

On Twitter

Fermentation/Food Preservation workshop on March 3rd

Food Preservation

The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget

Botany, Ballet & Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes

I’m teaching a food preservation workshop in Brooklyn this coming Saturday 18th. This time the recipes will be focusing on lacto-fermentation (think super-healthy probiotics), but we’ll also cover other methods. This workshop will be hands on, and everyone goes home with a jar of something yummy.

You can register here.

On Twitter

The Locavore’s Handbook: The Busy Person’s Guide to Eating Local on a Budget

Botany, Ballet, and Dinner from Scratch: A Memoir with Recipes