It's springtime here in Western Montana. That means snow, rain, sun, repeat--sometimes within an hour. One of the things we look forward to in our home during springtime is gardening season. We grow a lot of veggies, fruit, and herbs as well as chickens for eggs and meat. I'm really excited to be able to share our garden with our child, to teach him or her how plants grow, where food comes from, and how delicious and special homegrown food can be.
For now, our child is still in utero. But he or she needs healthy foods to grow and develop. And springtime is a great time to finish off the bounty of last year to make sure there will be room for the goodies
to come this year. So today, after a nice 6 mile run in the hills, I roasted a huge, 12 pound chicken that our hen, Tillie, raised from a tiny chick in our backyard. Tillie will be wanting babies this spring too, and she is a terrific and skilled mother who keeps our backyard flock flush, our refrigerator filled with eggs, and our freezer stocked with meat. It is a very special privilege to be able to eat healthy protein that was raised on our own land, and this privilege is made even more special since I know that it will help to nourish our baby's developing muscles and organs.
Along with our roasted chicken, I baked a raspberry ginger peach cobbler with a homemade granola topping. We grew the raspberries in our backyard and froze them last summer, and we canned the peaches from a friend's peach orchard. I used a little bit of honey to sweeten the cobbler, but it is mostly sweetened by the fruit since I want to help my wife prevent gestational diabetes. Full of vitamins, fiber, and omega-3's, this dessert is both healthy and delicious. I think our little one will love it!
When our child arrives and is
ready for solid foods, I will use the seasonal fruits and vegetables that we grow to make homemade baby food. But for now, I am happy to give our baby a little sneak preview of what's to come, even if he or she does have to eat it through an umbilical cord!
