At West End

Last week, I got a new catalog in the mail.  I have been receiving almost none since I signed up with Catalog Choice but I didn't mind this one slipping through the cracks.

At West End is "a unique place for rustic & recycled decor".   I am not sure where they got my information from, probably through my business, but they have so many cool things.  They have unusual gift items and even things that would be great for my clients.

One item in particular caught my eye - a turtle hide-a-key.  Everyone who knows me knows I love turtles and my husband had just asked me to get us a hide-a-key after we locked ourselves out of the house a few weeks ago.  My son seconded the motion as he does not fancy crawling in through the window again.  How could I resist?

I splurged and ordered - it arrived today.  The only thing that I didn't love was the styrofoam peanuts, I wish they had used a greener packing material.

So cute, I love it.  May we never be locked out again...

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

As is often the case with spring in New England, an unseasonably warm and sunny day yesterday gave way to showers and cooler temperatures today.  I needed to warm up from the damp chill and more importantly I needed to find something to make with the gorgeous leeks from our first spring CSA delivery.

I decided to rely upon Ina Garten, whose recipes have never failed me, and tried the Roasted Potato Leek Soup recipe from her Back to Basics cookbook.  I am a huge fan of Ina Garten's and have all of her cookbooks which I highly recommend.

The recipe calls for 4 leeks but I only had 3 so I made the following alterations and it still turned out really well.  Perfect comfort food for a rainy night.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup
2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4 inch chunks (I used 1.5 lbs.)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts well cleaned (I used 3 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (I use sea salt)
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (I used about 2 1/2cups)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used 3/4 cup of Un-Oaked Chardonnay to finish off the bottle)
6-7 cups chicken stock, preferably home made ( I used about 6)
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz. creme fraiche (I didn't have any and skipped this altogether)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, optional ( I love crispy shallots but ran out of time, will add next time for sure)

As you can see I sliced my leeks rather finely and they browned a bit too much for my taste, I will certainly cut them into larger pieces next time.

The directions call for coating the potatoes and leeks in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper before roasting in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  I kept mine in only for 35 minutes as the leeks got pretty brown.   Next I removed the pan from the oven, placed it over two burners set to medium and added the wine, chicken stock and arugula cooking until the arugula had wilted and some of the liquid had cooked off.  Next I transferred the everything on the pan to my dutch oven and added the rest of the chicken stock and simmered a bit longer.  I used my stick blender to puree the vegetables instead of getting the food processor dirty.  Then, I added the heavy cream and cheese and let it simmer on low to thicken a bit more since I did not use the creme fraiche.

No doubt Ina's version is much richer, thicker and creamier but I was pleased with the results and this lighter version is just right for spring.  Now if only I could get the kids to eat it...

CSA Open House

We are recent converts to the CSA movement and have signed up with Gazy Brother's Farm in Oxford Connecticut.  We have been buying produce from them over the years at our town's farmer's market (their corn is great) but this year we are stepping it up.  Gazy Brother's Farm open house was this past Saturday and we were excited to make the trip up both to get to know them better and to teach our kids where their food comes from.  A great time was had by all!

My son was especially impressed by the huge tractor!  

The kids had a lot of fun planting potatoes, I think they would have done it for hours had we let them.

This is the greenhouse where our delicious salad was grown.  One of the reasons I picked this particular farm was their use of green houses to extend the growing season which in CT is pretty short. Local salad greens in early April is a real treat. 

 The kids also got to plant peas and decorate their pots.

While the kids were busy planting we sampled some wonderful foods (including some of the best pesto I have ever had) and bought jams, honey, home made bar-b-que sauce and beeswax lip balms.

We all agreed though that the best part of the day was the hay ride!

Home Made Ice Cream

My mother was in town visiting last week.  We decided to conclude our week together with the usual Friday night pizza dinner.  For dessert we all had a craving for ice cream, partly because we also had a craving for warmer weather - it has been an appallingly cold spring so far.  In discussing ice cream my children insisted on home made ice cream as it was "the best.   My mother and I agreed and reminisced about making ice cream with our parents when we were children.  I was happy to oblige and to create some new ice cream making memories for my children, nieces and nephews.

As I made the grocery list for our ingredients, I had a chuckle when my mother asked if we would need ice and salt for the machine.    No Mom, I said, the new machines are so much easier (I see the gift of an ice cream maker in her future).  Though I have fond memories of making ice cream with that messy, loud machine, usually in the dead of winter when snow for the basin was plentiful, I prefer my new Cuisinart.  

I brought all the ingredients and my ice cream maker to my sister's house and enlisted the kids for help.  For them the changing of milk and cream into ice cream is miraculous, probably more interesting to them than changing water to wine.  I have to admit the process is still exciting for me as well.

I snapped this photo (on my iphone) of my son and nephew as they patiently waited for the transformation.

Our favorite variety is also the simplest, I use the recipe that came with the ice cream maker:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I use 1tsp. vanilla extract and the seeds from one vanilla bean)

I have also made maple walnut ice cream with great success, simply substitute 1/2-3/4 cup maple syrup for the sugar and add a half cup of chopped walnuts.  Last week, I also followed the Cuisinart recipe for chocolate ice cream and I have to admit it did not turn out well.  I know its hard to imagine any chocolate food not tasting good but alas this was the case.  I will have to scare up my mother's tried and true recipe and will report back on the results.

It seems I am not the only one who has been in the mood for home made ice cream - today I saw that one of my favorite locavore bloggers, Diary of a Locavore, also has a new post devoted to home made ice cream.  I guess we New Enlganders are ready for some warmer weather.  Be sure to check out this great blog for more home-made ice cream inspiration.

 http://www.diaryofalocavore.com/2011/04/homemade-maple-ice-cream.html

Le Printemps est Arrivé

Spring is Here!

Technically anyway.  Mother nature decided to play a cruel trick on the first day of spring with heavy snow showers here.  Oh and did I mention that more snow is in the forecast for Wednesday.

A chilly evening at the barn for my daughter's riding lesson necessitated roasted winter root vegetables and some hot tea for dinner.  Still feels like February to me.

I can't see spring outside my window so I am cheering myself up with this little video.  

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1QvjsMvLFE&feature=related

Can a Locavore Shop at Costco?

I went to Costco today to stock up on the usual, this time with new parameters, the locavore pledge.  To be honest I don't really shop at Costco very often, maybe once every 3 months or so.  I generally shop there to stock up on paper products or oxyclean.  Of course I know that there are greener choices for paper products like Seventh Generation but so far none of them come in very large quantities and they are significantly more expensive.  So, unless a toilet paper, paper towel or tissue factory that makes green products opens up within a hundred miles of here I am going to get these items from Costco - for now.  

Today I got the usual paper products, toner for my fax/printer and an air purifier for the bedroom.  They were on the list and I was going to stick to it.  I was not even going to be tempted by the book section.

I really did not expect to buy any food other than salad greens (I was asked to bring a green salad to a pot luck dinner this week) and well, there are no local salad greens that I know of this time of year.  On my way to pick up said organic greens I thought I would check out the bakery section just in case there was something local, after all they do bake many things right there in the store, that's pretty local.  Boy did I get lucky!  There, tucked in the furthermost section of the baked goods was an entire rack of Eli's Bread, as in Zabar's famously delicious gourmet bakery, fresh from the Upper East side.  Since I don't go to Costco often, I got two loaves of the Raisin Pecan bread and two of the Health Loaves to put in our chest freezer.  I have to say however that the raisin pecan bread was so good I am tempted to go more often.

I also celebrated this first day of March by picking up a fresh loaf of Irish soda bread made in Wyandanch, NY just across the sound from here.  Of course no visit to Costco is complete with out the taste of a sample or two and today's sample was Nature's Path Organic granola bars.  Yummy and perfect for the kids lunches so I grabbed a box of them too.

All in all I did better food wise than I expected.  Of course other than the salad greens I did have to skip the produce section entirely but I really didn't mind.  Only 4 more weeks and we will be receiving the first box of spring produce from our CSA - can't wait!

Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto

The days may be getting longer, and warmer, but it is still winter and some comfort food is in order.  This recipe, adapted from REAL SIMPLE magazine, turned out so well that I thought I would share it.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

3 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, heated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, toss the sweet potato pieces with 2 tbsp. olive oil, spread on baking sheet and roast until tender and starting to brown, when ready begin step 2.

2. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes

3. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

4. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.

5. Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next.  It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.

6. Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

Enjoy!

Going Locavore

As I posted earlier I have been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and have truly been inspired.  Her book has reminded me of what I know in my heart to be true, love your neighbor as yourself and for me that means voting with my wallet to support local farmers and businesses.
So, we are going locavore.

The Locavore’s Pledge
If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Consider these quotes from Kingsolver's book, "Buying your goods from local businesses rather than national chains generates about three times as much money for your local economy" and "if every restaurant got just ten percent of its food from local farmers, the infrastructure of corporate food would collapse".  Those are pretty powerful incentives to me.

Generally "Local" means a 100 mile radius from your home.  If you want to calculate yours here is a great site www.100milediet.org.  When I looked up my 100 mile radius I realized that I hit the local food jack-pot.  My 100 miles includes western Massachusetts, all of CT, Hudson Valley New York, Long Island NY, the eastern edge of Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey (yes, the Garden State).


Making the change to Locavore in February in New England seemed an impossible challenge but I have found that it is not as hard as I thought it would be.  My first step was to shop at Whole Foods, a store I love but often skipped since I bought into the its too expensive hype.  Yes some things are more expensive but many things are not and it is always a good idea to be a savvy shopper no matter where you go.  The thing I like about Whole Foods is that they label all local foods which makes it much easier.  


The second thing I did was to sign up for local milk delivery through  Hudson Milk Company
www.hudsonmilk.com.  Not only can we get fresh, local, glass bottled milk but we can also order eggs, butter, cheeses, breads and meat through them as well.  So far we have been getting milk, butter, eggs and amazing grass fed ground beef.  My husband told a neighbor on the train that we had switched over to milk delivery, and the neighbor exclaimed "you know that is twice as expensive!".  When my husband related this exchange to me, I was very happy to report that in fact a half gallon of delivery milk was the same price as a half gallon of organic milk in the supermarket.  So much for its more expensive - it is very important to do your own research!


Probably the biggest change we will be making is in our produce.  We have just signed up for the spring (I love to hear that word) CSA with Gazy Brothers Farm www.gazybrothersfarm.net.  This farm participates in our town's Farmer's market where we can pick up our produce during the season, it will be delivered to us in the off season - how great is that!  Again, I thought that this would be more expensive too but when I actually did the math it was obvious that this will actually be a big savings for us.  A 10 week share is only $200 which comes out to $20 a week for an entire box of produce.  Try buying that much produce from your local grocery store for only $20.  The best part is that 100% of my food dollars will go to the farmers, our neighbors.  You may not realize, but on average, farmers today receive only 19 cents on every food dollar spent, that is a lot of money on gas and middlemen.  


So far, we have not switched over completely - it is February after all and I am still using up what is in the pantry but I feel really good about the changes we are making.  The kids are also really excited and I am glad we are teaching them the importance of where their food comes from and about how to make educated choices.  I will keep you posted on our progress!


If you want to find out how you can eat locally, please visit Local Harvest. www.localharvest.org

Count Down To Spring

This has been a winter for the record books.  Living on the Long Island Sound usually protects us from extreme snowfall but not this winter.  Personally, I am done with the snow.  The other day while driving my son saw a tiny patch of grass and exclaimed "Look Mom, Grass!  I forgot what it looked like!".
That pretty much sums it up.  I really can't wait for spring.

If you want to count down with me visit:
http://mycountdown.org/Other/Spring/getwidget/

Re-Use It: Ribbon

I recently saw the Jane Campion film Bright Star - I cannot resist a costume drama.  In one scene, Fanny is arranging a gift basket when she reaches over and clips the end off the ribbon her sister is wearing as a sash.  She uses the little ribbon to decorate the basket.

A small moment, but it spoke to me.

I suppose some might see Fanny's act as cruel but she couldn't exactly take her carriage to Party City to get wrapping paper or disposable ribbons.  Resourcefulness is a virtue.

I guess the reason we don't use more real ribbons on presents is that it seems a luxury.  Of course, it isn't more expensive it just looks that way.  Perhaps we are just too used to living in a disposable society.

I love getting gifts tied up with real ribbons as much as I like giving gifts tied up with real ribbons.  I just can't bear to throw them out, not even the short pieces.  So, like a pac rat I keep them in a box in the basement hoping to re-use them for someone or something.  This is my box of ribbons.

If you save ribbon like I do, here is a great way to re-use them - turn them into book marks.  Ribbon has been used for book marks for ages, some bibles even have them sewn in.  You can remember a thoughtful friend when you open your book and they are much prettier than post-its.  They can even help you get organized.  I like to use a color coded system for marking favorite seasonal cookbook recipes: White = Winter, Light Green = Spring, Dark Green = Late Spring/Early Summer, etc.

Next time you receive such a lovingly wrapped present, don't forget that the ribbon is a gift too.

Sage

When I host Thanksgiving, which is most years, I make my favorite Sausage, Apple and Cornbread Stuffing.  A labor of love but worth the effort.  One of the key ingredients is fresh sage.  Thanksgiving is often the last time I can cut any fresh herbs from the garden and usually the winter savory and sage hold up pretty well even after a frost or two.   This year both varieties of sage in my garden didn't even make it through the summer let alone the frost, so I had to buy it.  

When I opened up that small plastic container of sage on Thanksgiving morning the gorgeous aroma of this sage almost knocked me over.  I have never grown a variety of sage that smelled so good.  After using what I needed for the stuffing, I put the extra stems in small glass vases on my kitchen window ledge and left them.
 

They spent the holidays there growing roots and observing the hub-bub of family and friends in the kitchen.  The holidays over,  I had some time to pot them.  It felt good to garden for a little while, albeit indoors.  I ignored the several feet of snow (literally) covering my garden and pretended it was spring.  Now my little sage-lings have been clothed in earth and sent to vacation in our sunny guest room window.  I can't wait to see them in the garden, and with any luck they will join us for dinner next Thanksgiving!

For a great article about sage and how the first American "goodwives" used it for Thanksgiving, visit Willow Pond Farm's website, www.willowpondherbs.com/kitchen/thanksgiving/index.htm.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

My thoughtful sister got me a great Christmas present this year - a gift card to Barnes and Noble.  I usually get my books used so buying a new book is a rare treat.  As soon as I saw the gift card I knew exactly what I wanted to buy, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I first heard about this book on one of my favorite radio shows Speaking of Faith when Krista Tippett interviewed Kingsolver about her experience of eating locally for one year.  For anyone who reads the place of  origin on their groceries knows that eating only local and seasonal food can be a challenge.  I was intrigued and could not wait to hear about how she did it.

So far, I am only a quarter of the way through the book and loving it.  As I read,  I  am equally horrified by the food culture in our country and inspired by Kingsolver's re-discovery of old fashioned food wisdom.  I have always considered myself as a  conscious consumer concerned with my family's heath and the environment.  I buy mostly natural and organic foods, few processed foods and rarely do we have soda.   But, this book has really raised the bar and made me re-evaluate my food choices.  Organic apples from Washington state are great if you live in Washington or Oregon but not not if  you live in Connecticut.

We spent this past frigid weekend visiting my in-laws in New Jersey, a home where there is never a bad meal.  My mother-in-law stocks up on our favorites for every visit and always gets the best of everything.  New Jersey is the "Garden State" and when they are in season there is nothing better than New Jersey ripe tomatoes, sweet corn and soft shell crabs.  But this weekend we dined on fresh strawberries, avocados, ripe tomatoes and pears all grown God knows where courtesy of Costco.  I was of course grateful for all the tasty morsels but seen in the light of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle  it seemed very decadent.

After a weekend away I had to get a few provisions so I went to Whole Foods where I planned to ease my conscience and find good local organic food to stock my pantry with.  Good and organic were in abundance, local, well not so much.  I looked at the produce aisle with new eyes and read all the labels: Washington, California, Florida.  The closest I got to fresh local fruit was a container of New York lady apples so I snatched them up.

I am not sure if I can go completely local just yet (school lunches) but I am going to try.  I am going to adopt the mindset and practices that my grandmothers and great grandmothers had and eat what is in season and cook accordingly.  I am hoping to join a CSA this year and will be buying eggs from my neighbor across the street once spring comes (too cold for the chickens now too).  It should be an adventure but the best way to vote is with your wallet and I want to make my vote count!


To hear the interview with Barbara Kingsolver on Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett click on the link below.  You can also visit the Animal, Vegatable, Miracle website for more information http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/.
http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2010/ethics-of-eating/

Goin' Bananas

Bananas, one of the most common fruits in the produce aisle, they are there in every season and every store.  We are so used to seeing them that we forget that they are actually exotic and travel a long way to get here.  Everyone in my house wants them on the shopping list yet when they are here they rarely get eaten in time.  Black bananas in the fruit bowl are a common sight.

In my grandmother's youth bananas would certainly have been considered a luxury and wasting them would not have been an option.  Waste not want not - hence the invention of banana bread.  I don't like to waste them any more than my grandmother would, and considering the carbon footprint of a banana shipped to CT it would be crime to.

So when your bananas are goin' make some banana bread.  My friend Donna, who is also a thrifty Yankee gal (and Red Sox fan), makes banana bread all the time.  Her tasty loaves are filled with chocolate chips and often given to friends  - now that's a way to make someone's day!  I like banana bread but find that banana muffins make very convenient snacks, great with a cup of tea or in a lunch box. 

My favorite recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks: Dairy Hollow House, Soup & Bread, A Country Inn Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon

Banana Muffins:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar 

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup of milk

6 tablespoons of melted butter

1 large egg beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 mashed bananas

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F .  Combine all dry ingredients, in a separate bowl mash bananas and set aside, combine all wet ingredients, add bananas to the dry ingredients followed by the wet ingredients, fold together gently until combined.  Add nuts or chips.  Fill paper muffin cups or greased muffn tin 3/4 full with batter.  Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through in center.  Enjoy!

Re-Use It: Round Take Out Containers

Growing up, re-using plastic containers was a way of life, handed down no doubt from my grandmother who often re-used plastic sherbet containers for her wonderful strawberry freezer jam.  My parents' plastic container of choice to this day is the cool-whip bowl.  Chemical laden cool-whip aside, I am not a huge fan as the left overs placed in them often turn to mystery food that does not get eaten by humans before it gets eaten by mold.  I prefer clear containers to avoid the mystery food dilemma and try to use glass to store my leftovers since I don't like to re-heat in plastic.

That said, I think these round take-out containers are great.  It should come as no surprise that it was my sister who actually came up with this use as she too has been steeped in the family re-using culture.  She once came over with cupcakes in these round take-out containers and I thought - genius!  Now if you have ever tried to find a way to store cupcakes or muffins neatly with out squishing them or getting the plastic wrap stuck in the icing then you know how hard it is to find just the right container.  Well look no further, just keep these take-out containers for your next batch of cupcakes.  Each container holds 6.

Re-Use It: Clementine Boxes

I get really excited when the first shipments of clementines show up in the grocery stores in November and enjoy them all winter long.  I know that my consumption of clementines here in CT is by no means green. I try not to think about the carbon footprint of each juicy morsel that has been shipped from as far as Spain, but it is a luxury I am not willing to give up - at least not yet.  

One way to feel less guilty about them is to re-use the sturdy wooden crates they come in.   I just can't justify throwing them out, it makes me cringe when I think of the trees cut down to make them so I have turned them into storage bins. As they saying goes "A place for everything and everything in its place", so in an effort to get the upper hand in my war against clutter and Re-Use at the same time, I offer this easy DIY project: Clementine Storage Bins.

Now you can use them as they are and neatly stack them one on top of the other or you can take it up a notch and paint them. Personally, I like to use chalkboard paint so you can write the contents on the side/end. I got my chalkboard paint ready-made at a home improvement store but you could get really crafty and make your own chalkboard paint in a color that works with your decor.  Here is a link to Martha Stewart's chalkboard paint recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/make-custom-color-chalkboard-paint.

Here is my finished product, not living room worthy but certainly an improvement in the basement.

Go ahead, have your clementine and eat it too, just be sure to re-use those wooden boxes!

All Organics LLC

This is a shameless plug for my friend Brian's company All Organics, LLC.  If you are looking to give your plants a boost then do yourself a favor - skip the miracle grow and opt for All Organics.  Worm castings are the key to healthy plants and gardens, and the results are amazing!

I know it is too cold in most of the country to begin gardening, but if you are like me and find that making plans for spring planting in the winter helps to get your mind off the cold, then now is the time to check this out!  If you can't wait until spring then use it on your house plants, they will thank you.

To find out more please be sure to visit their website or follow them on facebook.  This product is not yet in stores but you can contact them to place an order. http://www.allorganicsllc.com

Happy Growing!

To Bee or Not To Bee

To bee or not to bee, that is the question...

Whether t'is nobler to have a hive in my yard or keep it simple and just plant some bee friendly plants this year.  I have been considering keeping bees for a while now but I am just not sure if I am ready to take the plunge or not.  The greatest motivating factor for me in is that bee populations all over the world are dying at an alarming rate.  

Bees have a enormous impact on our food supply, over $15 billion dollars in crop value.  Approximately 1/3 of all food grown in this country is a result of bee pollination.   Compounding the loss of these bees is the fact that there are fewer managed honey bees in this country - managed bee colonies have dropped from 5 million in 1940 to only 2.5 million today.  The hives we do have are shipped from farm to farm like migrant workers to pollinate crops throughout the year which places a huge stress on the colonies.  Another article was just released today re-stating the urgency of this issue http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110104/ts_afp/usanimalagricultureresearch

So, it is clear that we need more managed hives.  I think that every farmer, especially those who grow crops, should be required to keep their own hives.  Even so, we all have to do our part to keep their populations from dwindling away.  Michelle Obama has helped to bring this issue to the forefront by starting her own hive at White House as a compliment to her organic kitchen garden.

Ok so pros and cons of starting my own hive:

In the pro column I have a friend in town who had kept bees for years and would be a great mentor.  My best friend in Maryland is a successful bee keeper and my father who grew up on a farm also used to keep bees, so there are many people to turn to for advice.  Another plus is that my garden would certainly thrive with all that pollination.  Then there is the obvious benefit - HONEY! 

I guess the big item in the con column is placing yet another demand on my very limited time.  Does my husband's objection count? If so, I should add that one too.  Then there is the cost, not astronomical but in this economy maybe better to put off till next year.  Then there is the summer travel, can't manage a hive if I am away.

Alternatives:

Well I already have many goodies in my garden that the bees really love, raspberries, lavender, blueberries (not sure if they will survive the winter or the groundhogs that have burrowed under them), winter savory and rosemary although this too seems to have fallen victim to a very harsh winter.  Perhaps I could just add a few more bee friendly plants this year to keep our winged friends coming to my garden.

If you are like me and are not ready to start your own hive here are some ways you can help.  Haagen Dazs has a campaign called Help the the Honey Bees, the website is terrific and fun for kids as well: http://www.helpthehoneybees.com.  Here is another article with easy tips http://www.ehow.com/how_4838802_help-honey-bees.html.  PBS has a great article too http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/silence-of-the-bees/how-can-you-help-the-bees/36/

Last but not least, if you plan to become a bee keeper or if you are just looking for honey bee products be sure to go to Draper's Super Bee at http://www.draperbee.com/.

If any of you out there have other suggestions I would love to hear them!  Till next, time be sure to opt for local honey next time you shop!