getting REALLY excited

This book is FABULOUS! I LOVE IT! Not only is it what I hoped it would be (a primer on how to eat locally), it is also beautifully written, just like her other books. It's also chock-full of recipes. I'm not completely finished with it, but it is terrific. Tonight we had a dinner that was all prepared from our CSA share. This happens a lot, but after reading this book, it made me extra excited and, perhaps, made it taste better too. Sauteed yellow zucchini with garlic salt, whole grain pasta with homemade pesto (from the CSA basil), topped with cherry tomatoes from our garden. I also baked two loaves of zucchini bread (one for the Krams family who so generously gave us their old couches....we LOVE them...so soft and cozy) and another for us. The boys helped me bake banana bread this morning because our bananas were getting frighteningly black. A very food-oriented day. I plan to bake a few more loaves of zucchini bread to freeze for winter. You know, I think that has been the most enlightening part of the book. The concept of 'putting up' for winter. My mom always stocked her cupboards with emergency supplies, as do I, but the thought of freezing fresh tomatoes in August for spaghetti sauce in February...how COOL. How self-sufficient. I love that we (still) make our own soymilk, for the same reason. I like not needing to run to the store for this staple. I am going to try the boys out on homemade bread this week. If they will just go for it, I might be on to something. I am also planning to shred and freeze any excess potatoes that come our way, for hashbrowns and latkes this winter. Can you FEEL my excitement? Woo hoo!