How to Feed a Henry

Henry has been very excited to help in the garden this spring. Last month, we pulled weeds, prepped the soil, and planted peas and potatoes .    Removing a few more weeds / Making a mud pie. This week at the garden center, we chose three vegetable starts that we have planted before: tomatoes, summer squash and peppers. We also selected three types of veggies we have not grown before. I picked out cauliflower starts. Daddy asked for cucumbers. And Henry wanted tatsoi -- I don't think I have ever seen tatsoi before, but Henry insisted that it come home with us. Henry thought this cat statue at the garden center was in need of a snuggle. Digging a hole for our pepper starts. When I asked Henry to help select nasturtium seeds, he chose the red and orange varieties. He really enjoyed poking holes in the dirt to plant the seeds. Planting nasturtium seeds.

It was a beautiful week for the opening of our local farmers markets .  On Thursday, we enjoyed a lovely picnic on the grass at the Tacoma Broadway Market. This midday market features plenty of lunch vendors for downtown workers, but many families attend as well. Henry and I shared a combo meal from Gateway to India . Henry's favorite is definitely the chickpea curry; he ate his portion, and then devoured mine too. Henry LOVES chickpea curry. Yesterday, we met up with friends at the 6th Avenue Market for dinner. After more Indian food, we headed over to the produce stalls where we found purple asparagus and apples. Our favorite vendors here are the fish mongers. Henry requested an apple for dessert -- YUM!   We are very lucky to have an array of farmers markets in Tacoma -- daytime, evening and weekend options can fit almost any family's schedule.  Are your local markets open for the season? Who are your favorite vendors?

Warm weather is on the way, so here is a new grilling recipe for you to try. Cauliflower does not have much of a reputation as a food to grill outdoors, but I think you will be impressed by this delicious dish. Henry helped prepare the grilled cauliflower. Since Henry is in an " I don't like it " phase, I cannot say that he approved this dish. He was, however, willing to take two taste test bites. And he very much enjoyed painting the cauliflower with olive oil and spices. You’ll probably be able to use about half of the cauliflower head as large steaks for this recipe; you can reserve the remaining small florets for another recipe (I used ours to make New York Cauliflower for the next evening’s dinner). Ingredients 1 head of cauliflower ½ cup olive oil ½ t cumin ½ t coriander ½ t salt ½ t pepper Grilled cauliflower cooking on the barbecue. Directions Rinse cauliflower. Slice it vertically into large steaks ¼-inch thick. Place the caulifl...