Life/Work Balance and Polenta Suck Muck

I'd like to sit down to my computer therapist and download all of my emotions right now- but I will resist.  So, I'm going to give you the tip of the iceberg then move on to some much needed silliness. My personal life exploded, and I am having a hard time putting it all back into its neat little box that I can ignore. My wife's family wants to come visit on her birthday (the end of this month) and they're not super on board with the whole...her having a wife thing. So, yeah, let's do an awkward meal. My dog had a seizure last week and I have no idea why nor do I have money for a doggy cat scan or extensive doggy blood work. Then out of the virtual blue, my biological father "friends" me on Face Book. I haven't seen him since I was two. Then, my mom friends him and starts talking to him without telling me. I think I chose wisely being a farmer, at least the pigweed and the pumpkins don’t have complicated personal histories and feel the need to burden you with them.

So, I'd like to put up some sort of cosmic notice: All Full! No more room for drama here thanks! I have no idea how to navigate all of this and still buy groceries, send emails, blog, keep weeds down, plant for fall, plan for winter, talk about partnership stuff, think about canning before all the good stuff is gone. Really, what's happened is I haven't been sleeping. I stay up canning, pickling, blogging, managing accounts,  or just tossing and turning. It's been a long, hard few months, and I will be ever grateful to see the backside of this year-assuming this is some kind of one year drama curse?

I've also been trying to resist the crack down of seriousness with as much fun as I can squeeze in. Even in small moments, I try to let it all go. Here is some of the silliness I promised- because when life gets waay too heavy, you've just got to laugh. 

We've been picking A LOT of cucumbers for the Sacramento Food Bank. Twice a week we've been picking 200 pounds  of these bad boys! Best part is when they come off odd looking. Here, I envisioned myself a cucumber-mustachioed Hulk Hogan. 

Tarra saw this one more as a horse shoe.

Here Tarra is paying homage to our farm chupacabra- feasting on the heads of  egg-eating ground squirrels.  (If only...)

This cucumber went for a full spiral. 

Cyclops cucumber?

Crookneck cucumber?

Crafty gopher made his home under our cucumber patch. He drags what he would like to eat that day down the hole. Terrifying, irritating, and cool all at the same time. 

Once thought extinct, the wooly cucumber mammoth shows up in Woodland. 

Ohh nooo! We're being invaded by a flying saucer... squash.  

If you let them go too long, you may choose to use them as fancy squash hats. 

We did sneak in some off time recently. We went to the Clips of Faith festival in Davis. We've been going since they started 5 years ago. You really can't beat a night of good beers, bikes, and independent movies in the park! Here, Byron  is enjoying people watching.  

There was a great dress up booth there too! I think this was Byron's favorite part. 

They also had this amazing giant connect four game! Tarra won...

You may ask yourself- why is she sharing all of this? I mean, I get the veggie pictures, but so much about her personal life!? How is that part of the farm? Good question. I think many people would argue that it isn't. Though, if you wanted veggies without context- there's the grocery store. If you wanted fresher, local veggies- there's the farmers market. But, dear friend, you've chosen to get them from me. I seed, transplant, thin, weed, water, pick, pack, and deliver your food. It travels in my car next to my dog, spare clothes, old coffee cups and such. It sits on my porch waiting for you at my house. It may come to you at your place of work- where my wife works. It's so ensnared in every part of my life, I don't bother separating them. The story of your food is sometimes how it grows, sometimes where, and sometimes who grows it. I hope that I cover enough of all of those stories here in this blog.

This week's recipe is a good one for this kind of week. You're tired, stressed, busy, and you don't want a big hassle. The name comes from the videoBetter Names for Food by Jenna Marbles. She renames oatmeal, "suck muck" which is fitting, but also oddly endearing. I think of this often when I make polenta- it's kind of mucky. But don't let the name fool you, this is all kinds of delicious! Play with it! Make it your own comfort food!

Polenta Suck Muck

-2 C polenta

-6 C water, stock, or a mix

1 med onion

5 or more cloves garlic

Olive oil

Salt to taste

Olive oil

Cherry Tomatoes

Summer Squash

Eggplant

Bell Peppers

Basil

Sweat onions and garlic in a large pot. Carefully add water/stock and polenta. Salt to taste. Stir and cook on med heat until thickened, about 30 min. While that is going, heat olive oil in a pan and cook firmer veggies first (zucchini eggplant), adding softer veggies(tomatoes basil) later. Cook until al dente and not mush.  Spoon polenta into a bowl and add veggies on top.

Variations-

Add cheese to polenta!

Crisp bacon in pan before you cook the veggies

Use garlic or mushroom broth in polenta

Sauté sausage in pan with veggies

Fry an egg and toss on top

Add spicy peppers to the veggie topping

Add other fresh or dried herbs to the polenta

Let me know what you think!