Category Archives: garden

Watercress Soup

Posted on April 13, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Today Brother Walter from Saint John’s Abbey came by the retreat center where I work to give me a bag of late watercress. He knows I love it– it’s the very first vegetable of the season, growing in the shallows … Continue reading →

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Cold Snap

Posted on April 11, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Yesterday I saw this bald eagle in the newly tilled field near our house. We rent the field to a dairy farmer who grows wheat there for his cows. I’ve never seen an eagle just standing on the ground before. … Continue reading →

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Good Friday Planting

Posted on April 6, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I was bonding with my Irish roots today as I planted the first potatoes. I was also bonding with my German Catholic neighbors, from whom I learned it’s traditional to plant potatoes on Good Friday. Although Maurice and Rita Palmersheim … Continue reading →

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Wintered Over

Posted on April 2, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Today was a lovely day. Unlike yesterday, it got up into the 70s, sunny and clear, as the meteorologist promised. It was April 1, Palm Sunday, a feast day. All I had left in my large freezer in the garage … Continue reading →

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Saturday Shopping in NYC

Posted on March 29, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

We’ve been in New York City for about a week on our “winter” vacation. All three of Steve’s daughters live in Brooklyn within one square mile of each other, in the Clinton Hill/Prospect Heights neighborhood. Not surprisingly, our interests this … Continue reading →

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Food Anxiety

Posted on March 16, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

One of my favorite stories about food comes from the 1950s. When a company first decided to put cake mixes on the market, they did some research first. They gave women two lists of items one might find in a grocery cart with … Continue reading →

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Winter Drought

Posted on March 14, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Today, yes, March 14, 2012, not EVEN the Ides of March yet, and it’s going to easily top 70 degrees in St. Cloud. The one snowcover we had (coming in March) is completely gone, last night we saw about 12 … Continue reading →

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Epic Dinner Party

Posted on March 4, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

This can be a difficult time of year. Now when we’re really anxious for spring to begin, we got our first snow. There are times I just don’t know what to do with myself. Also, we’re coming to an end … Continue reading →

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What I Now Know About Heirloom Tomatoes

Posted on February 28, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Sunsugar: “incomparably wonderful” and taste test winner On Saturday I went to a conference called “Life in the Avon Hills” at Saint John’s University, the campus where I work. It’s about 5 miles from my house and I was feeling the community … Continue reading →

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Ash Wednesday Planting

Posted on February 23, 2012 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I’ve held on through this incredibly mild February and resisted the urge to plant any seeds until today, February 22. The guy at Woods Garden and Nursery said it was ok. He sold me some seeds and a whole bunch of … Continue reading →

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