Christine Chitnis

An Evening in the Garden

We have transitioned into our summer rhythm where Vijay naps late into the afternoon, and Vik and I stroll down to the garden once my husband gets home from work. I am learning so much this year- my first year as a real vegetable gardener. Raised beds are the best (in my humble opinion)- the soil is so rich, and the weeds so few. I'm starting to boast about having a green thumb, but I'm pretty sure it has little to do with me, and more to do with the quality of the soil, and the wonderful rain we've been having.

I am keeping all of my thoughts organized in my garden notebook, and so far, I've learned the following:
*Just because you buy an entire pack of seeds doesn't mean you need to plant every single one of them. I have grown enough spinach and lettuce to fill about 10 grocery bags, and I've been giving it away to anyone who will take it. I've made spinach pesto, spinach omelets, spinach pasta, and endless salads. We're a bit greened out.
*Same goes for radishes- no one family can possibly eat over 100 radishes and still be excited about them.
*Stake your peas as soon as they start to sprout. I waited until mine were a tangled crazy clump before I tried to stake them. A bit of a disaster, but still...we are getting plenty of peas.

I'm sure tomato season will be teaching me quite a lot considering I bought my tomatoes based soley on their names...Striped German, Mortgage Lifter, Yellow Pear, and about 5 others. I might have gone a bit overboard. We'll see what happens!

This part of my day is so idyllic...Vik is such an easygoing soul, he is happy to eat some dirt and hang out while I fuss with my plot. We load our basket full of kale, spinach, lettuce and peas, and make our way home to start dinner.

The walk to and from our community garden is gorgeous...it is a treat to stroll along the streets of this beautiful town of ours...

The flowers have been extraordinary this year. Blooms spilling out over every fence, leaving me to wonder what beauty is hiding in the backyards we pass. Poor Vik...we can hardly make it a block without stopping for dozens of pictures.

When we finally turn onto our block, my heart feels so much lighter. These walks are my tonic after a busy day of cooking, cleaning and chasing my wild toddler.

And then comes the most laughable part of our urban gardening experience- chicken wrangling. Our girls don't seem to understand the concept of coming back to their coop once night falls. And so we head out into the backyard to chase down our four birds. It is always comical, with one of us wielding a rake, Vijay making matters worse by scaring them away, and my husband cursing lightly under his breath as he crawls through bushes and under the deck. Any ideas of how to train our fine feathered friends to come back to the coop on their own each night? We'd appreciate some tips!

Evolution of a Yard

Our yard has gone through many phases. When we first looked at the house, I can assure you the yard was not a selling point. It was a very plain postage stamp of a yard. I had a vision for the space, but as with any great vision, it took years to realize. While there are still many tweaks and changes that we would like to make (hard to believe there could be more to do given the tiny space!), we're feeling pretty happy with where it's at these days. Here's a quick recap:

(what it looked like when we bought it)

(phase one: adding a deck)

(currently, grass is grown in and privacy planting is filling in, and just out of sight is the huge hole dug in the yard- that would be Vijay's rather unsightly construction site!)

The latest addition to our yard is our brand new chicken coop. There's a great story behind it... I received an email from a friend alerting me to a very cool opportunity a few months ago. DownCity Design, a local non-profit, was teaming up with a high school to build three chicken coops for the community. Anyone interested was invited to submit an application. I had been toying with the idea of getting chickens again, so the timing seemed perfect. Why not, right? What's the likelihood I would be chosen? We were thrilled when we received the news that we HAD been chosen to receive a custom built coop, absolutely free of charge. Pretty amazing, right?

The high school students work with architects to build the coop based on the customers needs, and in the process they learn design, build and business skills. After our initial consultation, the students took the next month to design and build our coop. Last week was the delivery, and it was pretty thrilling. The students pulled up in a U-haul, piled out and unloaded our coop. To say it is a masterpiece doesn't do it justice. They thought of everything, and my favorite touch- the nesting boxes are low enough that Vijay can collect eggs.

The students were so excited to show Vijay all of the special features, and he was equally as thrilled to be hanging with the big kids. Of course our chickens are already spoiled, and used to roaming around the yard during the day, but now they have a beautiful home to come back to in the evening.

(Instagram by Elizabeth)

Bubbly

I celebrated my birthday (again!) this week with a good friend. We went out to dinner, and laughed and ate the night away. It was one of those perfect meals. Well, except that I spilled half of the most perfect cocktail...oops. You'd think after so many meals with little hands flying across the table, I would be a bit more attuned to tipsy glasses. Alas...the sweet waitress brought me another and it was even more refreshing than the first! With strawberries being in season, I thought I would share this gorgeous drink with you in case you are looking for a relaxing evening of your own!

Ingredients:
*Farm fresh strawberries
*St-Germain
*Champagne
*Mint leaves

I'm not great with cocktail measurements, I pretty much just wing it...so here we go! Muddle a handful of strawberries with a few mint leaves, and place into the bottom of your champagne flute or wine glass. Top with a few generous pours of St-Germaine, and finally, a swig of champagne. You can serve this over ice, or without, if your booze is nice and chilled. Enjoy- this is such a light, refreshing drink, perfect for strawberry season!

Squam

What a treat it is to return to Squam year after year and soak up the creative mojo that only Elizabeth knows how to throw down. And throw down she did- this gathering was EPIC. Let's start with the fact that I was able to go alone- no babes along for the ride. I wasn't quite sure I was going to pull off my solo escape, but Vik took to the bottle like a champ. And just like that...a bit of wild freedom!

I was a bit late to the party, arriving on Thursday evening, but rooming with my very favorite person in the world eased me right into the swing of things. We'd been wanting to room together since we met at Squam four years ago but babies kept getting in the way of our grand plans. We talked and knit late into the first night, and it was pure bliss. Don't let her sweetness fool you, that Kellen has a wicked sense of humor- and you know I like me some sass. Our cabin mates in Nirvana were equally wonderful- such a hilarious, talented, genuine group of women.

The rest of our time flew by- I didn't take a single class, just wandered and tried my best to capture some of the magic with my pictures. Somehow I always fall short- it's just too damn magical.

Harriet Goodall's class pretty much turned me green with envy- starting with a pile of organic materials her students wove these incredible baskets. It was such a visually stunning class...

On Saturday, there was not one, but two giant parties. First, the Ravelry Revelry...a knitting party complete with kegs, candy, and knitting relays (no, seriously). And in case you are shaking your head in wonder, let me tell you, those knitters know how to party.

And later in the day, the Squam Art Fair, where no wallet is safe. To say everyone was enthusiastic about the fair would be an understatement- they were lined up half an hour before opening.

Maybe it was just for the free beer (but I'm guessing the piles of luxurious yarn, and other handmade goodies might have had something to do with it)...

As amazing as the experience was, by Saturday night, I was missing my boys something terrible. I was all to happy to wave goodbye to that magical place and return home, to a little magic of my own in the form of two boys who were beyond thrilled to see their mama. Though there is no doubt my step is a bit lighter, my knitting skills a bit sharper, and my outlook a bit sunnier. A dose of Squam was just what I needed to kick this summer off to an incredible start.