Picnic Table

My husband had no idea how much it was going to mean to restore our rotted boards from our 21 year old picnic table. All of a sudden I had a social life. And believe me as a home body, urban farmer I worry about these things endlessly. I am the black sheep of the family living in the black sheep city, in the black sheep neighborhood. I love to cook and bake and feed. Are there any takers? I don't know how else to sell myself to people and I am easily HURT. Guess what, everyone is.

I finally I realized it was time to stop calling on the same old naysayers and ask a new people. I started with Joe Garlick of Neighborworks, and guess what? He said YES. Come for lunch I said. Just bring your appetite. But he loves to cook and feed as much as I do and so he made Thai salad, chocolate cake and oh my god it was fantastic.
I had picked a weekday at noon and nobody was expected to bring anything or linger. After all it's a workday for everyone. "Come to my backyard picnic table" I said. "Look for the red and yellow beach umbrella!"
We did it again and again and yesterday I had a crowd. And I am so HAPPY. I hope to do it for the rest of my capable days.

I learned from my parents how to express love and gratitude through food. I still get very excited and nervous a week in advance, and then a jolt of adrenaline when people arrive. I am thrilled out of my mind!

My husband and I did all of the marinating baking and cooking in advance so we could attend our own lunch summit to discuss the neighborhood in our beloved neighborhood. My husband worried about the shrubs and went out and trimmed them. Then he grilled all of the vegetables I had sliced up in advance: yams, beets, eggplant, and then he grilled the boneless chicken breasts I had marinated the night before in molasses, hot sauce, mustard, fresh ginger, fresh garlic and wine vinegar. He grilled on the Weber over hardwood charcoal. The flavors bloom when they rest and then get refrigerated overnight after they've cooked and cooled. Then just before the lunch I sliced the chicken into slivers. I set out the sourdough to rise at 7 AM and they puffed up, I baked them at 10AM so they would cool off in time.

Since I am a person who gets stomach aches when in a group it is a challenge for me to eat at meetings. I don't drink either and I get insanely jittery. So it's just like a musical performance gig. I lose my appetite at those too! I calm down the next day or three days later. It's how I'm built.

I still love to knit the community together through the things I love; walking, writing, and feeding good home food at my table.