gardening, green, veggies

On Friday, we harvested . . .

by casadeberry3 Comments on On Friday, we harvested . . .

Did you know “grabbling” means digging around for baby potatoes? Yep, it’s not “grabbing”, but “grabbling. On Friday, we got our first new potato and 9 strawberries. I would post some pictures here, except we ate them before I could get the camera.

It was joyful, my oldest boy and I, giggling as we found more strawberries to eat, him with the bowl yelling at me to give them the berries, and me jumping from raised bed to raised bed, trying not to step on anything too scary.

Did you know there is such a thing as white broccoli? I didn’t. Good thing I googled it because I was about to go yell at the nursery people because I thought they’d sold me cauliflower instead of broccoli.

We have two bell peppers in our near future, tons of plums and pears growing on the trees, and hopefully some tomatoes down the road.

Hope your Monday is a fabulous one!

books

One of my favorite book series

by casadeberry2 Comments on One of my favorite book series

I love to read. A lot. I always have, since I was little. But whereas my husband likes a good story more than anything, I like good characters more than anything. Back when I used to review books, I discovered The Nora. You know, Nora Roberts. The grande dame of romance herself. My favorite Nora Roberts books, however, are not to be found under her name; she writes futuristic thrillers under the pseudonym of J.D. Robb.

The thing is, while I love Nora’s J.D. Robb books, and the trilogies written under her own name, I absolutely cannot read her stand alone books. I don’t know what it is, but I have tried to read 3 of them and have hated every single one of them.

Anyway, the J.D. Robb books are great, and at the center of them is Eve Dallas, the tough police lieutenant who fights for justice in every book. She is a complex character, and she is what keeps me coming back to these books. The hottie husband, crabby butler, and rest of the characters don’t hurt, but it’s Eve who is at the center of these books.

Some of them do get a little gory and the language is rough, but if neither of those things bother you, you might want to give the In Death series a try.

books, giveaway

Book Giveaway: Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison

by casadeberry3 Comments on Book Giveaway: Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison

This week is book week at Casa de Berry, apparently, because this week I am giving away a copy of the fabulous maven of healthy cooking Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Suppers. I first became acquainted with Deborah Madison when I bought her fabulous Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone; and this latest book is just as wonderful – tons of great ideas for lunches and dinners, and you don’t need to be a vegetarian to enjoy the book. These ideas also work as sides next to some meat, chicken or fish, if you so desire. If you ARE a vegetarian, this book gives you lots of delicious options, most with suggestions on how to make them vegan as well.

What you need to do to enter to win:

1 – be a follower of my blog
2 – leave a comment (a nice one, preferably, heh)

for extra entries

3 – tweet about this and leave a comment saying you did
4 – post on your facebook and leave a comment saying you did

that’s it!

I will announce the winner of this book on Friday!

books, veggies

The book that started it all

by casadeberry2 Comments on The book that started it all

Three years ago I decided I wanted an herb garden. Then I gave up when the darn things died because I never remembered to water them.

A few months later, right before the holidays, I read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – I don’t remember if it caught my eye at the library or I read about it somewhere – and I found my calling. I despaired that it was the middle of winter and I had to wait MONTHS before planting my own vegetable garden.

The book is about one year in Barbara’s family life where they choose to only eat locally: either they grow it, they buy it from local sources like farmers’ markets or farmer friends, or they do without it. Her narrative is so straight-forward and natural it feels like she’s talking to you across the dining room table while you both sip some (sweet) tea. The book includes sidebars by her husband and essays by her daughter, and many great recipes.

This is my third year of growing veggies and I love it more and more each year. except the weeding. Weeding sucks, let me tell ya, although I am impressed at the resilience of those little suckers. This year, I have a water-bath canner and a food dehydrator for my veggies and fruits; I look forward to using them both, a lot.

Don’t be daunted – Barbara has years of experience growing things and I certainly didn’t. I have a backyard, she has LAND. It doesn’t matter. You can grow delicious tomatoes in a container, herbs on your windowsill, it just takes the impulse to say: I’m doing it. And for that, I thank Barbara. Maybe someday I will meet her and say it in person.

Has there been something that inspired you to make a change or start a venture?

california, family, travel

La Brea Tar Pits

by casadeberry1 Comment on La Brea Tar Pits

Knowing that we would be making several pit stops on the way home, we got an early start (8am) and packed the van full of clothes, souvenirs, and us.

Given our boys’ love of all things prehistoric, we decided to stop at the La Brea Tar Pits on the way home.This is a recreation of some animals that got trapped in the tar pits tens of thousands of years ago.

There was also an enclosed area where you can see what some of the scientists who work there are doing – they each have a sign saying what they are currently working on.I asked my oldest if that’s what he wanted to do and he said no, he wants to be the guy who finds the animal fossils, not the guy who analyzes them ;D

We made a couple more stops for food and leg-stretching, and got home around dinner time. It was a lovely trip, but like my mother-in-law said, it’s nice to sleep in your own bed!

Have a great weekend!

boys, california, family, travel, zoo

San Diego Zoo

by casadeberry3 Comments on San Diego Zoo

This is truly the best zoo I have ever been to, not just because of the sheer amount variety of animals they have but also for the way it was set up: tons of benches all over, lots of shade, and lots of interactive things for the boys:
My oldest pretending to be a ferocious bear.

Godzilla was a very important part of our trip.Don’t leave home without him!

The elephant statue was a favorite:We had to drag the boys away so other kids could have their pics taken.

I’m lifting my oldest here:so both boys could be in the picture ;D

I loved this little guy:

And this one!

Lots of good memories from the San Diego zoo, that’s for sure!

california, family, travel

Legoland, part 2

by casadeberry1 Comment on Legoland, part 2

There’s a joke about Latinos that says, if you live in California, you’re automatically considered Mexican; if you live in New York, you’re Puerto Rican, and if you live in Miami, you’re Cuban. So yes, people usually assume I’m Mexican – but today, on Cinco de Mayo, aren’t we all? ;D Hope you have a happy and safe one!

Back to our trip – I love this pic of my boys. I have no clue what the thing in the background is supposed to be, so if anyone knows, could ya let me know?
My oldest is (mostly) a protective big brother, and I love how in pics he always embraces his little brother with such affection.

Here are my men during an ice cream break:
It was a welcome respite from the Southern California heat.

My oldest with “the ladies” – that’s what he calls girls.
“Yeah mom, the ladies like to chase us during recess”.

Surprisingly, my youngest did NOT face plant after this:
Although I was worried.

Another busy day, then back to the rooms for a much-needed bath and night’s sleep.