So, why am I doing this anyway?

Wow, hard question with some obvious answers. Being a person that loves to cook and eat, I am more than excited to have the opportunity to take my love for the culinary arts to the next level. I can't wait to grow my own vegetable and herbs here in my own yard and bring them inside to enjoy for every meal. Isn't that the point of eating anyway, to enjoy the work of yourself or others.

Living in a world where discussions of "the size of your carbon footprint" and "what are you doing to make a difference" seem to be daily conversation, I felt it was time to take some of both items above into my own hands. Yes, I have a "carbon footprint"...do I wish it was smaller? Absolutely! What can I do to change that in the present with little effort and big reward? Simple...change the way I consume and do that by growing a large marjoity of my own food.

Sure, I don't plan on being the next Barbara Kingsolver and eat my own food and only consume within a 100 mile radius of my home, but I can start somewhere. Yes we (my husband and I)eat meat, eggs, dairy, vegetable, fruits and grain. Yes we use electricity and have gas consuming cars...I'm not trying to say we're ultra eco...that would be a huge stretch, but where can I being? A Garden! It's easy, fun, edible; as well as healthy, stress-relieving and theraputic in my opinion.

So I would like to invite you to join me on this journey from soil to dinner table. Here's the plan...

Over the next 6 months I will share my enjoyment that I gain from growing my first full-size garden. I hope you you not only enjoy reading, but that you may find inspriation yourself. I hope that by blogging about the experience, I can be held accountable to maintining my goal of eating my own fresh vegetables for the summer months in 2010.

I will be tracking the progress of my plants while showing you what kind of culinary experience you too can enjoy with a home-grown garden. (this means posts about anything from gardening tips & gadgets to recpies and my sharing some of my favorite cooking tips)My final hope is that I will make gardening the fun and rewarding experience I think it can be for anyone of any age!

So, I'm asking you to follow my experience (laugh at my failures with me) and share my successes (or maybe try a few yourself)! I'm excited about spring and the possibility of this journey, let's see where it takes us.