Late Summer and Fall Update

Neena played in lots of leaves that mommy and daddy raked up!

Ate her very first mussel(s) and LOVED them. Mama was so proud.

Played in a HUGE corn pool at the orchard

Picked out pumpkins at the Farm Crawl

Went on a fall nature hunt with her friends

Carved a pumpkin and dug out all of the seeds, which she later ate.

Took her nature collection basket with her everywhere and collected lots of walnuts and acorns

Played with colorful spaghetti

Went on a hike at Wild Cat Den

Made yummy "food" in her mud kitchen

Mud Kitchen/Play Area

Neena loves playing in the dirt and getting messy. LOVES it. In fact, this activity can keep her entertained for at least an hour, if not longer. She loves it so much that we decided to make her a mud kitchen/play area in our backyard!

We started working on the area yesterday. I cleared the weeds out and laid down some fresh dirt. We went thrifting and found baskets for gathering, wooden bowls for mixing, a serving tray for sorting, and a couple of pots and pans. The picture below is my inspiration for the kitchen. Our next thrifting trip will be to look for old shelves to use. We're also bringing in tree stumps next weekend. I will continue to update as we make progress! I'm super duper excited for the end result of this project!

Eat Local Challenge: June 11- June 30

I've been wanting to do a local eating challenge for awhile now, but I just kept putting it off, mostly because I knew it would to be hard for us. After reading this article from Urban Farm Online I finally decided to jump in and go for it! I figured if I'm going to do it now is the best time considering all of the fresh summer produce available to us at the farmer's markets in the area.

So, starting tomorrow the Riggs-Larson family will be going completely LOCAVORE (or just loco?!) for a couple weeks. If we find we do well for those two weeks, we will continue on for another two so that we can make it a full month.

Considering we already eat quite a bit of local food and we have a garden in our backyard one would think this couldn't be that hard, but when I stop to think about how much we buy that isn't local (I love Trader Joe's), I realize the breadth of the challenge. What will we do without Neena's cheddar bunnies and peanut butter crackers or my morning cup of joe straight from the k-cup? I know we'll make it work and I know we can do it, but it won't come without its hardships.

Outdoor Play

As a child I played outside all of the time. I rode my bike, caught tadpoles at the creek, made mud-pies, flower fairies, and dandelion crowns. I played hide-n-seek and tag with the neighborhood kids. I hammered open rocks to reveal their sparkly inside. I found wonder in the natural world. One of my goals as a mother is to instill in Neena and appreciation for the natural world. Playing outside is something we do a lot of. We don't use fancy toys or electronic devices, mostly we just use our imagination. The pictures below were taken within the last month.

Playing in the sand in Gulf Shores, Alabama

Playing in the mud!

Roasting a marshmallow with Daddy

Hanging outside of our tent on her first camping trip


Playing with rocks, water, sand, and sticks


"I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide him, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow. The years of early childhood are the time to prepapre the soil"

Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder

Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza

I've been really into making pizza lately. I love how creative you can get with it. The crust is like a clean canvas for me! Last night I made a super delish pizza using some garden fresh ingredients and some great local chevre. YUM! This is my own recipe.

Chevre, Pesto, and Mushroom Pizza
Whole wheat pizza gough (I use Trader Joe's)
Chevre -- look for a good local cheese
Homemade Pesto
Mushrooms, sliced
Scallions, sliced
Fresh Dill
Fresh Basil

- Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare pizza dough. Cover prepared pizza dough in pesto. Top with chevre, mushrooms, scallions, dill, and basil. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Green Farro

I had a lot of green veggies that needed to be used up so I decided to cook them up and mix them in with some cheesy farro. The results were super delish. This is my own recipe.

Cheesy Farro
1 cup farro
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil or butter

- Combine farro, wine, and water in saucepan. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until most water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add freshly grated cheese (I like lots of it), lemon juice, and butter or olive oil. Mix together. Season with salt and pepper.

Green Veggie Mix-In
One bunch Fresh asparagus (locally gorwn)
2-3 cups Fresh spinach leaves (from my own garden)
Fresh Dill, I used A LOT (from my own garden)
2-4 Fresh scallions, chopped (from my own garden)
Olive oil
Salt

- Add oil to pan and heat. Add scallions. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add asparagus. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add dill and spinach leaves and cook until spinach leaves wilt. Season with salt. Serve over cheesy farro.

Garden Fresh Strawberries

First strawberry of the season! I love the juice running down her tummy!

"Mama, I think it needs some sugar."

Delish!