if i were to name my plants, i would introduce this herb to you as "basil rathbone the basil plant." but i don't. cause that's weird.growing up, my mother told the legend of how she was there, on the very FIRST EARTH DAY. forty years later, i too get a little excited about the day that encourages us to appreciate this beautiful, amazing planet. some people do a lot better job at it than i, but i'm still trying to figure out ways that i can be responsible. and why not do a little extra today! take a walk, ride your bike, feed the birds, plant something.
i heard a hilarious This American Life podcast which mentions the origin of the name Earth Day that i highly suggest downloading (the whole podcast is on the topic of origins, and the first story has been especially relevant to my work). today, i waited in the car (yeah, i drove somewhere. on earth day.) just long enough to catch Writer's Almanac which explained how Earth day started - also worth listening to. also, this documentary got some good conversation going in our house and you can watch it instantly on netflix.
to celebrate earth day i'm going to have a giveaway, but before i get to that, i thought i'd share a simple recipe that i came up with the other night when i was desperate for something really fresh and garden vegetable-y. this almost shouldn't be called a recipe! we've been tending our own little indoor herb garden of cilantro, basil, and chives, and it's been incredibly rewarding. is it normal to form an attachment to your plants similar to a child of your own? probably not. or to thank the plant any time you take anything from it? maybe hold a ceremony? cry a little? yeah, i didn't think so. not like i actually DO that, cause that would be weird.
earth day pasta:
- pasta cooked in salted water (i'm on a major strozzapreti kick lately)
- grape tomatoes
- whole avocado
- chives
- fresh basil
- less than a tbsp of all natural ranch for flavor
- olive oil (you can always omit the ranch if this is enough for you)
- lemon pepper
cook pasta, cry a little in sheer gratefulness to your herb garden, throw all this crap in a bowl and eat! it's delicious!
Dang, don't you just love npr? Writer's Almanac is one of my very favorite bits to listen to.
ReplyDeletethis looks yummy. i can relate to getting attached to plants. last summer a freak thunder/wind storm killed my prized tomato plant that i grew from seed. i pruned it weekly and rubbed the leaves to stimulate growth. i greeted her when i walked up the porch. and than BOOM she was gone. it broke my heart. was sad for days. and i don't think i can bring myself to do it again this summer. plant relationships are crazy.
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious! I got a chuckle out of your "Basil Rathbone" comment too. Knowing the names of 1940s (or 30s?) actors comes in handy sometimes, huh?
ReplyDeleteMy neighbors must think I'm weird when they sometimes see me sitting in my car, not knowing that I'm listening to the end of an NPR program because I can't bear to miss what they're saying! Garrison Kellior's voice is so soothing on the Writers' Almanac. I also love how he pronounces it al-manac :)