Hello, good friends.... hello, good food!!

Rebecca Nell here!

This would constitute my first-ever BLOG POST. So exciting (at least for me)! Anyway, I just wanted to kick-start this web related adventure with an introduction to myself and my future contributions to this blog....

Let me start by telling you about my garden. I am now in my third year of having my own vegetable garden, and while the work can be sometimes overwhelming, I find the benefits outweigh any challenges I come across. This year is my most ambitious to date, and I hope will turn out to be my most successful! I have planted; tomatoes, peppers, leeks, garlic, onions, beets, asparagus (2nd yr), herbs, salad greens, peas, beans, zucchini, yellow squash, and sunflowers. Yet to plant; pumpkins, watermelons, and wildflowers!

My main focus in the food I cook is to use what I can from my garden and land, and where that is impossible, to use ingredients that are as local and sustainable as possible (without breaking the bank). So, along with the recipes I invent, I will try to keep abreast of and blog about any local food sources I find, be it markets or road-side stands. I'd also like to keep up with the sustainable food practices of people around the globe. So all this plus the daily foibles of my own organic, self-sustaining plot of land is what I will be writing about.... so, enjoy!

First, simple and easy....

As my garden is still in it's early spring stages, the only thing ready to eat are the lettuces and spinach. Well, I can work with that! This is the recipe for my favorite breakfast to eat right now. It takes 2 minutes to make, and is simply smashing!

Poached eggs and toast on spinach and spring greens

It being spring, fried eggs are just a bit too heavy for me.... So I go poached! Light and buttery (with out the butter!) It's a perfect spring time breakfast. 

First, I go out to the coop and pick out two eggs from the finicky chickens! (You don't have to have a coop, but with a little searching you may find someone right in your area who has just a few too many eggs for themselves.... knowing where your eggs come from is wonderful.... More on factory farming at a later date.) One my way back from the coop I stop and pick a couple handfuls of spinach and mesclun greens. These are two crops that grow like weeds, almost from the moment you plant them!

When I get in the house I put two pieces of bread to toast. I like to use whole grain bread as it gives a nice rustic crunch to the overall meal. My favorite brands are Ezekiel bread, Vermont bread Company, and also Trader Joe's makes a nice sprouted multi-grain bread if I can manage to get there to buy it!

So, while the bread is toasting, I fill my frying pan with a couple inches of water and bring it to a boil. Crack the eggs right into the boiling water and away they go! This doesn't take long.... while they are cooking I have just enough time to wash my greens, give em a whirl in the salad spinner to dry and arrange them on the plate. At this point i scoop some of the water over the eggs to cook the top slightly, but the yolk should still be nice and runny. Put the toast on the plate, scoop the eggs out of the water with a spoon (draining off any excess water) and put one egg on each toast. I like to top the whole thing with a drizzle of grapeseed oil and some salt and pepper. Ta-da!! Breakfast is served. End of May through the month of June I even have a couple strawberries every morning outside the front door to add as a garnish!