Don't let lack of backyard ground plans for vegetable patch
The vegetable gardening bug has bit my family as well.
Last year my sons and I planted a small section of carrots and lettuces - I think I harvested 10 carrots in all. Now this year my husband wants to get into the act, eager to grow peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
The challenge with our yard is the trees; we have beautiful mature trees in our backyard that make it too shady for a nice garden plot. The front yard gets the most sunlight and makes the most sense.
So we're deciding what to plant out front that will yield a nice bounty, but also a nice view from the street. It's called edible landscaping. As more suburbanites elect to grow their own food (whether for economic reasons or to join the eat-local movement), I think we'll see more fruit and vegetable gardens sprouting up in front yards traditionally home to geraniums, petunias and delphiniums.
Corn will be out of the question in our yard (it just wouldn't look right in front of the evergreen shrubs), but a row of greens in various shades and sizes could make a nice border along our front walk. Containers of tomatoes and sweet peppers could stand guard at the corners of our perennial bed and I'm thinking a couple of lowbush blueberries with their tiny white flowers would go quite well near the garage. Come summer there could be zucchini blossoms blooming among the marigolds or raspberries growing along the fence.
You can find more ideas for incorporating fruits - trees, bushes and vines - into your landscaping in the appropriately named "Landscaping with Fruit" by Lee Reich (2009 Storey, $19.95).
More matters: A study by the Produce for Better Health Foundation reports that as the economic situation has worsened families have cut back on purchases of fruits and vegetables and that's not good news considering many Americans already don't get the recommended five to nine servings each day.
According to the foundation, the nonprofit entity behind the Fruits & Veggies - More Matters public health initiative, 60 percent of moms believe their families eat too few fruits and vegetables, yet they're including less of them in meals and snacks. Reported fruit consumption has dropped 12 percent since a year ago and vegetable consumption is down 6 percent.
In an effort to reduce that trend, the foundation offers tools and advice at fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.
The Web site includes tips, recipes and other resources to help moms make adding more fruits and vegetables to their families' diet easier and more affordable than they might think.
Having fruits and vegetables right out your backdoor, or front door as the case may be, may be a step in the right direction.
Spring greens: Join Rick Petrocelly as he shares recipes for preparing spring greens and vegetables during a series of free classes at his shop, the Olive Tap, 201 Robert Parker Coffin Road, Long Grove.
His demos will run noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, April 18-19 and 25- 26. Registration not required.
Most excellent: Master sommelier and host of WTTW's "Check, Please!" Alpana Singh has signed on for the College of DuPage's 12th annual "Traditions in Excellence" food and wine event from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 21.
This event gives COD culinary students the opportunity to prepare and present an elegant four-course dinner featuring local ingredients and wine. The evening begins with a champagne reception and plated appetizers at 5:30 p.m.; dinner follows at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., the live auction will start allowing guests to bid on a variety of culinary-related items. Desserts will be served at 9 p.m.
"Traditions in Excellence" tickets cost $75 and are available through the Hospitality Administration Office, (630) 942-3663, at TraditionsInExcellence.com or at the door. Proceeds go toward the hospitality program's expansion plans.
• Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at (847) 427-4524 or food@dailyherald.com. Listen to her discuss food and restaurant trends on "Restaurant Radio Chicago" from 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM.