May is here and with it, opportunities abound to obtain fresh, locally grown organic produce.  Kicking of its fifth season at the end of May, the Peachtree Corners CSA (community supported agriculture) has been integral in bringing organic food to our area.  The largest certified organic farm in the state of Georgia (Riverview Farms, one hour north) delivers weekly boxes of unbelievably delicious and nutritious, freshly picked, organic, locally-grown produce.  The program has been a raging success, serving over 200 area families.  I’ve personally been a member of the CSA since its charter, …

Chances of frost in our area are nil as Mother Nature gives the green light to dig in the dirt to plant all summer veggie delights, starting this weekend.  What to plant in your edible garden now through May 1:  Tomatoes (plant) Corn (seed- must plant at least several rows for pollination) Green beans- bush or pole (seed)  Zucchini and summer squash (plant or seed)   Cucumber (plant or seed) Melons- watermelon, canteloupe, honeydew, etc. (plant or seed) Okra (plant or seed) Peppers- all varieties (plant) Eggplant (plant) Sweet potatoes (vine) Herbs- basil, oregano, thyme, etc. (plant) …

  Growing up, my family held a massive Easter Egg Hunt every year.  Complete with over 200 hand-dyed eggs, neighbors, friends and family members from far and wide and of all ages would come to compete for who could find the most eggs and the illustrious Golden Egg. Prizes included lottery tickets, chocolate bunnies and cold hard cash. The annual hunt was serious biz, and I'm delighted to have carried on the tradition at my house, using plastic eggs vs. the real McCoy (because, let's face it, coloring 200+ eggs is a little nutty!  Sorry Mom...). We, too, typically host between 50 and 60 guests…

  Ten years ago, my dad extensively researched our family tree, tracing back our roots to the 1600s in France, and from there discovered our family's migration to Canada in 1637. Being a gifted professional writer, he put together a stunning collection of information and photographs and presented it to each of us for Christmas.  Upon hearing the news that my grandfather, my last surviving grandparent at age 90, died last week, I dusted off my copy of the Montri family history book and was quite stunned to uncover information that I had somehow not noticed previously– the vast majority of my …

  I’m sitting at my kitchen table, happily sipping my morning green tea. As I’m looking out the window at the birdfeeder that I filled just two days ago, wondering where the statement “he/she eats like a bird comes from” (because the birds in my yard eat like it’s their last supper), and the feeder is almost empty. I also notice that, gulp, my lawn needs mowing. Ugh.  It’s that time of year, again- when the lawn needs mowing, when I spend too much time in the yard pushing the noisy beast around and around and around, hoping that at least the labor counts towards a workout of some kind. What …

  Even though temperatures have been dipping below freezing all week -- and I woke up this morning with snow on my roof -- the fact that Valentine's Day was yesterday triggers that it's time to get those spring vegetable seeds in the ground. I've purchaced my seed packets, and I'll be spending the weekend digging in the dirt.  Below is a list of the varieties of vegetables that I've personally had very good luck with this time of year: Lettuces: arugula, romaine, spinach Root vegetables: carrots, beets, turnips, radishes Greens:  kale, collards, swiss chard, mustard Broccoli and cauliflower …

  After saving the seeds of several of my summer garden favorites (basil, cantaloupe, okra, tomatoes and watermelon), this past summer, I thought I’d try my hand at seed starting. One of my long-time gardening friends recommends seed saving since, over time, plants will adapt to the micro-climate of your yard and therefore have stronger root systems, heartier growth and production. Since seed saving and seed starting is a new venture for me, I attended the Jones Bridge Community Garden mini-seminar last weekend with master-gardener-in-training (and founder of the community garden), Mim Harris…

  On New Year’s Day, my very kind and very ambitious neighbor, Sonia, stopped over to ask if I had any interest in competing in a triathlon with her in May.  She’s approaching a milestone birthday and was looking for a training buddy to join her. As someone who recently celebrated a, ahem, milestone birthday, I fully understand the need to memorialize and honor a landmark day. When I turned 30, I set a lofty goal of completing a full marathon — 26.2 miles. For someone who doesn’t run, it would be a challenge indeed, and I was determined. I teamed up with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies’ …

OK folks, it’s New Year’s resolution time. Everyone’s golden opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start a new habit (or kick an old one) is knocking at our door. Perhaps losing weight or starting an exercise regimen has made its way onto the list of goals for 2012. Again. Why not try a completely fresh approach to the new year? May I suggest that you consider a resolution to create a more sustainable lifestyle for yourself? If you are seeking to "green up" your life, begin with small changes you are truly interested in and can easily incorporate into your life.  For example, if it’s just …

  We're in the home stretch now for gift buying season, and if you're like many, you've waited until the absolute last minute to purchase gifts for friends, neighbors and family. With only a few days left until Christmas, it is definitely too late to order something on-line and have it shipped to arrive in time. Thankfully, there are many opportunities to purchase unique gifts and support the businesses right here in the Peachtree Corners area. Ideas include: A gym membership for the family at the Robert Fowler YMCA.  If you've never toured the facility, it is a beautifully renovated Green …

  With only 10 shopping days until Christmas, shoppers are in the home stretch of the gift purchasing season. If you are on the search for unique holiday gifts, perhaps a present revolving around a gardening theme would be welcomed.  I've narrowed down the list to my favorites and categorized them into groups- people who are thinking about gardening, those who are new to gardening, individuals who are already gardening, the hard-core gardener and lastly, children.  And really, people passionate about growing their own food would love any of the gifts listed below. Thinking about gardening: …

  What started as an effort to provide her infant triplets with the most nutritious food she could, evolved into a thriving local business. With a customer base of over 300 and an average of 100 orders a week, Peachtree Corners resident and baker, Karen Ford, is providing healthy snacks for all ages. "People kept asking me to make my bread and muffins for them.  It wasn't really my intention to start a business; it truly evolved on its own," commented Karen. 13 Moons Bakeshop of homemade goodness is run out of Karen's home where she employs three bakers.  Her products contain only freshly …

With temperatures dipping into the 30s this week, Jack Frost is here and is nipping at more than our noses.  Cool season vegetables (think lettuces, broccoli, kale, collards, spinach, chard, etc.) like the colder weather that fall and early spring provide.  However, from December-February, the temperatures are generally too chilly in our area for continued growth, and the plants go dormant. Typically, come January, when the weekly vegetable deliveries from Riverview Farms CSA (community supported agriculture) cease and my garden goes into hibernation, I tend to go into a bit of a depression, …

Did you know that 73 percent of the garlic consumed in the United States is grown in China. This baffles me, primarily because garlic is so incredibly easy to grow and requires such little maintenance.   There are two varieties of garlic: softneck (the kind you can braid the stalks) and hardneck (which produces edible garlic scapes). Both will grow well in our southern climate. Along with onions, shallots and leeks, garlic is a member of the genus allium. Garlic has countless health benefits and has been found to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity.  Garlic has a powerful …

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- It’s the weekend before Halloween, and if you haven’t already, it’s time to carve your pumpkins. For $3.50 ish, you can pick up a large carving pumpkin from Trader Joes or Home Depot.  Or, if you’re one of the lucky few who planned in advance, you grew your own. Growing pumpkins is simple- all you need is a lot of open space and a lot of sun.  Save some seeds from your pumpkin this year, dry and plant next summer.  You’ll be surprised how many pumpkins you’ll get off of one vine.  I have such fond memories carving pumpkins as a child, yet, my most cherished pumpkin memory…

Our economy is in the throes of the most dire financial situation most of us have experienced in our lifetime.  In times like these, it is of utmost importance to utilize our spending dollars very wisely to vote with our dollar, and one of the smartest ways to do this is by actively choosing to support our local businesses. When it’s time to get out your green, challenge yourself to aim your purchases within a five mile radius of where you live and keep our dollars cycling locally.  If you are going out for a meal, select a restaurant (preferably independently owned/operated) that’s a stone’s…

Although muscadine grapes thrive in our neck of the woods, many native southerners are not familiar with this often wild-growing sweet delight. With a ripening season of mid-September to October, muscadines are about 1 1/2-inches round in size, have a thick, tough outer skin and up to five hard, oblong seeds. Muscadines don't grow in tight bunches like grapes, but in clusters of four or more fruits, quite unlike the large, tight bunches characteristic of European and American grapes that proper in milder climates. Muscadine berries range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe…

Ahhh, okra.  She’s a true southern belle who loves the Georgia heat and thrives in the garden when most vegetables are wilting under the summer’s sweltering temperatures, often producing to the point where you can hardly keep up. Okra is an absolutely fantastic vegetable to add to your summer garden repertoire, if you haven’t already, since it produces a tasty green “between the summer and fall season” crop, when little else is actively producing.  Being a Michigan native, where okra is a mythical vegetable of lands far gone, I discovered these gems a little late in life. The first time I …

Once a week or so, my daughters and I have make-your-own pizza night.  They put on their chef hats, get out their little rolling pins, flour the entire surface of the counter top (yes, flour ends up everywhere) and start working the dough. I typically buy the $1.09 whole wheat premade dough and $1.99 pizza sauce from Trader Joes.  Top that with some mozzarella and whatever is growing in the garden and wholla- dinner. This week, however, I absent mindedly forgot to purchase the pizza sauce.  Number 53 on my list of minor pet peeves is returning to the grocery store to get that ONE item you …

PEACHTREE CORNERS -- As the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 approaches, I’ve been wondering what I would do this Sunday, pondering how I would choose to appropriately commemorate this historic and tragic event. Those questions were fortuitously answered this morning; a book dubbed, “Food For My Daughters” was in my mailbox, a thoughtful gift from my friend Judy for my 40th birthday. The day after 9/11/01, Pattie Baker, a Dunwoody resident, wife, mother of two, writer, gardener and local advocate of sustainability (and a native New Yorker), stood in her local Publix supermarket and imagined the …