Kitchen Kapers

Summer in New Jersey had a slow start this year, but our backyard garden has finally taken off. My Dad is the expert gardener in our family and I’ve always been interested in plants and gardening, so I’ve learned a lot from him. The little patch of garden that he plants every year, seems to turn out more and more veggies. So, we usually end up with an abundance of fresh produce, and give some of our harvest away to family, friends, and neighbors. But what if you have even more to give, and no one to give it to? Since I’m sure there are others out there who might have the same conundrum, I thought I’d share some info about a local program being run by Philabundance, Philadelphia’s largest local hunger relief organization. Philabundance’s new program, Share the Harvest, gives local home gardeners the opportunity to donate any surplus produce from their gardens to the fight against hunger. I think this is a brilliant idea. It’s a great way to share the fruits of your labor and give back to the community. If you aren’t in the Philadelphia metro area, check with your local food banks to see if they accept fresh produce or if there is a similar program in your area.

For those of you who are local, you can donate part of your garden harvest at the following locations every Saturday from July 18 through September 26, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Bucks County
Carousel Gardens
591 Durham Rd
Newtown, PA
P: 215-598-0202

Chester County
Gardner’s Landscape Nursery
535 E. Uwchlan Avenue
Chester Springs, PA
610-363-5455

Delaware County
Rose Tree Park
1971 N. Providence Rd.
Media, PA
P: 484-494-4988

Linvilla Orchards
137 W. Knowlton Road
Media, PA 19063
P: 610-876-7116

Montgomery County
St. Asaphs
27 Conshohocken State Rd.
Bala Cynwyd, PA

Smith & Hawken
1225 Montrose Avenue
Bryn Mawr, PA
P: 610-526-9314

Albrecht’s Garden Center Nursery
650 Montgomery Ave
Narberth, PA
610-664-4300

Philadelphia County
Laurel Hill Gardens
8125 Germantown Ave.
Chestnut Hill, PA
P: 215-247-9490

Camden County
Springdale Farms
1638 S. Springdale Rd.
Cherry Hill, NJ
P: 856-424-8674

Being raised in a house that didn’t have cable television, Saturday afternoons at home usually meant that my mother was enjoying some PBS and its cooking shows. Always on the lookout for new ideas in the kitchen, my Mom watched every cooking show that PBS would air and we would often watch them together. Of course, some of our favorites were those led by the grand dame of cooking television, Julia Child. Julia’s ebullient nature could light up the imagination of any inspiring chef, including even my own young mind.

So, naturally, you can imagine my excitement over the new movie, Julie & Julia. When I first heard of Julie Powell’s idea to cook her way through the recipes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking it seemed pretty ridiculous to me. I remember reading about her project/blog when it first started gaining publicity and in all honesty I thought she had to be mad to take on such a project. The cookbook is massive, and while it’s not impossible to cook everything in the book, Julie gave herself the deadline of one year. But as the movie shows (and the blog did too) she finished the project and met her deadline. Of course I’ve read about her publishing her book and now have seen the movie, and I have to say, I was much more impressed with the movie than I thought I’d be. Seeing the food alone was worth the price of the admission ticket. (Hint: Don’t go on an empty stomach!) I think the only thing I lusted after more than the food was all of the beautiful cookware!!! A kitchen filled with cooking gadgets and gorgeous copper Mauviel cookware is every cook’s dream! Of course I also loved the abundance of Le Creuset cookware that was in the movie. This I thought was especially endearing thanks to the visuals of Julie leaning over her dutch oven seamlessly fading into Julia lingering over her favorite pot.

So overall, I have to say this movie was a cook’s delight. It had food that was to die for, cookware that had me swooning, and best of all it brought Julia back to life, if just for a few hours. She was giggling, and laughing, and doing what she did best, reminding us all that we can cook and that we can do it well. I think I’ll go home and make some Boeuf Bourguignon for dinner tonight. Bon Appetit!