Author Archives: Farmgirl Hipster
Kale Minestrone
A couple of weeks ago I hosted a book club meeting at my house. Since it was a Friday evening one I decided to make dinner for the group. My friend Jenny is a vegan, which is why I specifically picked the recipe. It’s so delicious you won’t even notice that it’s missing meat! The only modification I made was that I found the original recipe a little bland, so I added some salt, pepper, and oregano. Below is the updated recipe. Be warned it makes a lot, so you may need to modify it. I made it in an 8 quart pot.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 6 small Yukon gold potatoes chopped
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 bunches of kale chopped
- 15 oz can chick peas
- 15 oz can kidney beans
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni pasta
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- In a large pan, saute the onion and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add broth, water, parsley, potatoes, celery, carrots, basil, bay leaf, oregano, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until the veggies are tender.
- Add chick peas, kidney beans, kale and pasta. Simmer another 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
Visitors
One big difference between San Francisco and Madison is the number of visitors. When we were looking at apartments my KISA insisted that we get a two bedroom for people to stay when they came to visit. I thought he was crazy.
When we lived in Madison we had my KISA’s brother come up from Chicago to visit, my family (that lived 1.5 hours away) visit, and J-Lu visit after they moved from Madison to Chicago. And, that’s about the extent of it unless it happened to be that some person in our network had a work trip to Madison. Since moving to San Francisco we had more visitors in the first three months than we did the entire time we lived in Madison.
After working at my last job that required me to travel sometimes 3 out of 4 weeks a month I got pretty burned out on travel. One of my favorite things about living in California is that you don’t have to leave the state to feel like you’re on vacation. It’s pretty fabulous. Another thing I’m learning I love is the excitement and pride of showing someone your new city. I find I now get excited when someone is coming to visit in the same way I used to when I was the one traveling. And today is no exception! (Hence the reason I’m blogging at 5 am on a Thursday instead of sleeping!!)
When I was in Australia a couple of years ago I met this sweet French Canadian, called Miss Mondaine. Unlike a lot of the friends I made during that trip, her and I kept in contact and actually grew our friendship more after we returned. When she got back to Quebec she decided to start up her own company (yes, she’s ambitious) and has not had the luxury of traveling ever since. Needless to say, I couldn’t be more flattered when she picked her next trip, two years later, to be San Francisco. And, judging by the airport picture she took this morning and the picture of her grinning, she’s as excited as I am for the adventure that ensues over the next two weeks!
I Stand With Boston
My KISA is from a city outside Boston. The Boston Marathon is run on a holiday that I’m aware is only celebrated in the state of Massachusetts: Patriots Day. On Patriots Day the schools don’t have classes and many employees don’t have to work, so a lot of people watch the Boston Marathon and some even go down to support the race, even though they don’t know anyone running. Boston is a very proud city and they take great pride in holding the elitist of all marathons in the world – The Boston Marathon.
When the Boston Marathon attack happened I selfishly thought first of races where I used to watch my ex cross the finish line. I remember specifically for the NYC Marathon standing at mile marker 25 and then again at the finish. The fear that the attackers hoped to instill in many had worked on me as I reflected on the “it could have been me”. As I heard about the deaths and casualties it became even more real, my heart went out to them and their families. You heard all the heroic stories of the people that didn’t run away from the bomb, but rather towards it to help the victims. Something that is not the reflex in most people.
As most of you know, I started training in June for the San Francisco Nike Women’s Marathon. The race is now on Sunday, October 20th. For anyone that has not done a marathon, you cannot fathom what it’s like to train for one. Even having done 5 half marathons I had no idea what I was in for. First, the sheer number of miles that is expected for you to run is insane. And, multiply that by 5 months and you’ll realize why I’ve been burnt out from training for over a month. I don’t think there’s anything in life I’d want to do for as many days and hours as I’ve run, including running. Then, there’s the pain that ensues from doing your long runs. Every week knowing that you’ll be in pain and have to push through it is daunting. It made me dread ever having to do any of my long runs. Many weeks I procrastinated and had to somehow make up time during the week or else modify my training yet again to get the distances in that were required. I also had to adjust my lifestyle to make sure I got proper sleep, hydration, carbs, clothing, shoe fittings, etc. to prepare me for the runs each week. There were a lot of sacrifices of fun that were required to get my long runs in, both the night before and the morning of my runs. And then after the long runs, faking that I felt great when the last thing I wanted to do was stand or go anywhere that day.
As I’ve been training, I’ve realized that there is one other group of people that were affected by the Boston bombing that people don’t often think of as victims as well – the runners. I could not imagine, first of all, not being able to finish a marathon I’d trained for over the last 5 months, which happened to many. Second of all, thinking of all the supporters that graciously came to watch you run, and now knowing that you may have inadvertently put them in harm’s way. For some runners, the fear of not knowing where your friends and family were, if they’re safe, trying to find them, etc. when they heard the news. I couldn’t imagine. I pray all those runners get a chance to cross the finish line at another point in their lives and that they don’t have to live in fear during their next race.
Because of all this, I’ve decided to dedicate my marathon to Boston. And when I say “Boston”, I mean all the people that participated in the Boston Marathon, all the victims and their families, and all my loved ones that are from Boston and now are forced to have a dark memory to go along with all the other great memories they’ve had with the race held in their city.
South Dakota
I know a lot of you that read my blog don’t come from an agricultural background to understand that magnitude of the storm and loss in South Dakota. For those of you that have not heard about it, unfortunately the media hasn’t given it a lot of exposure, there was a blizzard that unexpectedly hit South Dakota the 3rd-5th of October. I’ve read a lot of articles about the storm and its devastation and my heart breaks every time. I’ve heard it’s predicted from 20,000 – 75,000 head of cattle have been lost and anywhere from 5%-20% of the cattle in the state.
Let me start from the beginning to give you some background.
Beef cattle spends its time out to pasture (grassy fields), even in winter storms. A rancher will have acres and acres of pasture for the cattle to graze – typically a summer pasture and a winter pasture. The winter pasture will be closer to their farmstead and normally has a shelter, natural or man-made. The summer pasture can be miles and miles away as they just let the cattle graze and “beef up”. Because the Midwest doesn’t normally see winter storms, especially blizzards, in early October, most ranchers had their cattle in a summer pasture, far away.
Some people have questioned “Why, when there was talk of a winter storm, did they not move the cattle or bring them indoors?” The first thing to know is the sheer amount of cattle in South Dakota. It’s said there are 5 animals per person on average in SD and per Wikipedia (US Census Bureau is down with the shutdown) there are 833,354 people in the state. Rough math skills would make that over 4 million head of cattle. And, with only 15,000 cattle producers, that’s about 266 head of cattle per rancher as a general idea for you. The logistics to get that many animals moved in a very short amount of time is very difficult. And, how would you fit 266 head of cattle into a barn? And, would the barn be able to withstand the storm? What happens if the animals get scared and stampede in a small enclosed space?
Also, the storm was predicted to be 10″ – 24″. Cattle have a chance withstand that. However, that’s not all the storm delivered. Instead they got 12 hours of rain and hurricane force winds, to make the animals super wet and cold. Then the temperatures dropped even more and produced 48 hours of snow with continual winds up to 60 mph. Anyone that has lived in a place that gets snow knows that even if it’s 6″ of snow, but with strong winds, it’s terrible conditions. Well, they got averages of 30″ of snow and up to almost 5′ in some areas. And, this is without the cattle’s winter hair, since it’s only early October.
Are you getting an idea of the devastation?
In addition the loss of animals, the other things to wrap your head around are the emotional and financial loss to the ranchers. The thing most people don’t understand is that it’s your business in addition to your livelihood. Generations are spent working on the genetics of the cattle to get them to the quality they want. (Unless you’ve worked in the genetics or agriculture industry I don’t think you can fathom the time and money that is spent to grow your herd through genetics.) You work from sun up to sun down to make your cattle the best they can be and to work on your ranch or farm. It’s difficult to think about anything besides your cattle.
Also, a lot of the cattle that were lost were to be sold in the coming weeks/months. Typically in that area a calf is born in the spring, eats its way through summer, and is sold in the fall to feed yards. A calf would normally sell for $1,000, while a mature cow would bring $1,500 or more. Not only did they lose those calves, but also any of the cows that were pregnant with the calves for next year. Could you imagine getting out after the storm to see your cattle dead and scattered throughout the pastures, knowing that you just lost your livelihood and something your family has probably been working at generations to create? This is why it’s heartbreaking to me.
Another unfortunate part to point out is what the ranchers are able to do to regain their financial losses. Many don’t have insurance on their herds because of the sheer amount it costs to insure them. They used to have a government disaster program to kick in when these issues arise, but that program has expired. This would require congress to pass a new farm bill, which unfortunately is probably not at the top of their list right now.
My heart breaks for South Dakota. Let’s pray the numbers won’t be as high as predicted.
Halloween Costume, Part I
My KISA and I have a work Halloween party for him on the 30th. On the 31st everyone in my company dresses up…typically as a team/group costume. And then on the 2nd we have a friend throwing a Halloween party. The last time I dressed up for Halloween was 2008, so I decided it was probably time I get back into the spirit.
I mentioned in my last post that I bought some material for a costume. That’s always the easy part. I’ve spent a couple of nights this week working on it and have so far finished a collared cape and a belt! Any guesses yet what I am?
Since a collared cape isn’t very common, I wasn’t exactly sure how to make it. So, I found instructions on how to make a collar. I cut out the collar portion of it and sewed that to step 6. As I sewed the collar stand I made sure to sew some thin black elastic in a loop on one end. I then sewed a button on the other side to have something to fasten it to as I didn’t want it to be too tight.
I took the rest of the material and sewed a gathering thread at the top (essentially a really long stitch that makes it easy to gather the material). I gathered it enough to make the top of the cape the same size as the collar stand and then sewed them together.
For the belt, I bought a cheap, plastic buckle from the fabric store. I also bought black ribbon that was the same width as the middle of the buckle. The sewed one side of the ribbon to loop it through the buckle. The other end of the ribbon I just sewed back a little seam.
When I tried it on I realized the extra ribbon at the end of the belt had no where to go…I needed a belt loop. I then took an extra piece of ribbon sewed two of the sides together length-wise with the right sides facing each other. I flipped it right side out, pressed it, and then sewed it into a loop to put on the belt.
Now for the next few pieces…
So, So, Sewing
Because my mama is a sweetheart, she gave me her sewing machine. Granted she doesn’t really sew. In fact, I’m not sure she knows how to. So, when I was back in Wisconsin last week she let me take her sewing machine back with me. It seemed like a great idea as she also gave me the plastic transport case. Until our layover in Chicago. And our connecting flight was on the total opposite side of the airport. And I had to haul it all the way through the airport. And now my hands are calloused. But, I can sew again!!
Here’s what I bought to make my Halloween costume. Any guesses what I’m going as…?
Catching Up
Have you missed me? I’ve missed you. Here are some of my outfits from the last week:
Photo 1 – Cardigan: Lands End Canvas; Shirt: J. Crew Factory; Jeans: Levi’s; Shoes: Lands End Canvas
Photo 2 – Jacket: Target, Top: Express; Jeans: Levi’s; Shoes: Kenneth Cole
Photo 3 – Jacket: Target; Dress: Express; Belt: H&M; Tights: J. Crew Factory; Booties: Sak’s 5th Avenue
Black Silk
I got this shirt:
months ago with a gift card from Banana Republic that my generous old coworkers gave me as a going away gift. I wore the shirt once or twice before realizing that the buttons were silver…and I usually wear gold. I didn’t like how much they stood out and decided to buy new black buttons to replace all 13 buttons.
Necklace: Banana Republic Factory (this season); Shirt: Banana Republic; Belt: J. Crew Factory; Jeans: Gap; Shoes: Kenneth Cole (this season)
Silk & Shorts
My inspiration:
Shirt: J. Crew Factory (this season); Belt: J. Crew Factory; Shorts: Loft; Shoes: Kenneth Cole
19.74
What’s worse than running 18 miles?
As I mentioned on Saturday, I was so pumped to have Sarah come into the city to keep me company during my 18 mile run. As I was waiting for her to arrive I opened the windows to the apartment and I heard what I thought was rain. I looked outside and it looked wet, but for all I knew it could have rained during the night. A few minutes later I heard the downpour. When Sarah got to my place it was more of a drizzle again, but it was definitely not what either of us expected. I was told it only rains in San Francisco in the spring. Obviously whoever told me that didn’t know what they were talking about.
We hesitantly took off, Sarah on her bike and me on my trusty legs. Not even a few blocks later it let loose raining…and didn’t let up for another 13 or so miles. Sarah hadn’t gotten to tour Golden Gate Park before, so now she was getting to see what it looked like wet and without a lot of tourists. She was great company and never once complained, even though we were both soaked and literally ringing water out of our clothes. For a number of miles she got off her bike and ran next to me while pushing her bike. It was quite impressive! And, since her job requires her to return to NYC a lot, and for a number of weeks at a time, it was really great having dedicated time to catch up with her. We tried a few new things during the run: caffeine, sliced apples, and ibuprofen. I’m not sure which one of those I loved the most, but I will be incorporating all three of them into my marathon.
I found on the way back that since the ibuprofen did its job I wasn’t in much pain, but my breathing was not keeping up with my legs. I’m sure a huge part of that was my lack of running the last few weeks. After the rain let up we were finally able to see again (“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone…”), but we found that even in being able to see the gigantic puddles did not mean you could avoid them. Ugh. Our feet sloshed through the entire run and never dried.
Sarah and I about 12 miles into the run, taking shelter under the windmill to eat a snack.
Per my original training plan, this week I was supposed to be doing 20 miles and my longest training run was going to be 22 miles in two more weeks. I was really bummed to have not gotten my long run in last week and therefore no longer be able to train up to 22 miles (you don’t build more than two miles at a time). But at the end of the run Sarah, being the incredible person she is, offered to push me to do 20 miles instead of 18 since I’d had an extra week to rest my legs. It definitely wasn’t easy – for me to do it or her to motivate me. But, we found one of the few flat areas in the city and circled one of the block a couple of times. By the time we reached my front door again her GPS watch said 19.74 miles. Granted, it was .26 miles short of 20 miles, but I was very ok with it. And to finally be able to peel my shoes and socks off. So, what’s worse than running 18 miles? Running 19.74 miles in the rain.
I feel like my attitude towards the marathon has totally shifted and I realize now…I’m going to complete this thing! Come hell or high water or rain.
FarmGirlHipster 