I am back from my trip to the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, and the Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello in Quebec -- and happy to report that both were serving farm-to-table produce in their restaurants. It being January in Canada, that's pretty impressive, as was the Byward Market in Ottawa, which offers all sorts of fresh local fare -- plus, okay, the fried dough that is a BeaverTail (one of the local faves). Just to show that I was in Canada in January, here is a photo of me participating in that most Canadian of sports: curling. Oh yeah, I curled.
Back in Santa Monica, I was surprised to see just how fast the white ginger I picked up in Maui (in the red container to the left) had grown in less than three weeks. It's obviously a happy camper in my kitchen window but even more impressive because it was an impulse airport kiosk purchase.
My community garden is also doing really well. This photo was taken on February 3 and the difference between what it looks like this year and what it looked like last year at this time (see blog post dated April 7, 2009) is remarkable. Some of that is probably due to the torrential rains that kept it 
well hydrated in my absence but, as a friend was nice enough to say recently, it might also be that I'm becoming a better all-season gardener (that's not to say a "good" all-season gardener but a better one). The greens I put in as seeds during the late fall months are going nuts - as are the lettuces I allowed to bolt at the end of the summer, plus some wildflowers I didn't know had volunteered. From seeds I planted last fall, I've also been getting some radishes and can see some carrots poking their little orange heads out. The onions and garlic will take more time. Still, for February I think it's quite a happy garden, don't you?
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