First Tomato

I know I'm light years behind all my crazy-awesome gardener peeps (I'm looking at you, Carla, Marc, and Cynthia), but I was excited to harvest my first tomato on Tuesday. I planted these starters super late in the spring and wasn't sure whether I might have missed my window. Also, I have only two plants, so there's not much room for error.

But thanks to the Earthbox I got from Austin Urban Gardens (thanks again, Carla!), the two plants I do have are literally loaded with promise.

Promises they intend to keep, apparently.

Pretty, isn't it? Few things taste better than a tomato you grew yourself.

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Growing My Own - EarthBox

Back when I was a much younger lass, I enjoyed puttering around in my parents' garden. It wasn't huge, but it did produce lots of fabulous home-grown tomatoes and a steady crop of a vegetable I knew as jiu cai, but which Wikipedia calls garlic chives.

Many years later, I'm living in a much hotter climate and have much less free time. As a result, my "gardening" technique has typically been to throw plants outside and if they were able to survive on their own - they could stay. If not, well, I pretty much considered it survival of the fittest around here.

Enter Carla Crownover, one of the co-owners of Austin Urban Gardens. Carla and her business partner, Patrick Urbanski, build custom raised garden beds (as well as rainwater collection systems and sandboxes). In addition, they sell Earthboxes, which look like planters on wheels but actually contain a super-cool irrigation system so you don't have to water as often (this is the part that perked my ears up - because in the heat of an Austin summer, you pretty much have to water daily or plants shrivel up into crackly bits). The Earthboxes also come packaged with fertilizer and dolomite.

Inspired by Carla's own amazing garden (which I blogged about here), I wanted to try my hand at growing my own food again. But although we have a spacious yard, I knew getting out there and watering daily in the heat of the summer just wasn't going to happen. So I thought I'd try on an Earthbox for size.

Last weekend, Carla dropped by with my new Earthbox. We had talked about what I wanted to grow, and she suggested that I begin with already-started plants rather than seeds so I could experience some success right off the bat. Such an excellent plan - THIS is why Carla's business is so great! She makes gardening feel so very easy and accessible. I have some lettuce, some chard, and two varieties of kale (which I have decided is my favorite vegetable). Just look at how pretty it is!

I'll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime, check out Carla's company, Austin Urban Gardens, if you'd like to test your own gardening moxie.

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Pasta Carla-ara (or: Midnight in the Garden of Good Eats)

For months now, my friend Carla has been talking some big talk about how she knew where to acquire the best carbonara in town. I've been known to crave this delectable dish and have even devoted a blog post to it, so of course I needed to investigate this rather audacious claim.

We waited a while till the weather grew cooler, then Carla pronounced it Carbonara Time. On the appointed day, we met at La Traviata, a sweet little restaurant on Congress Avenue that I'd been to, but it had been years. As I battled to find free parking (I have a strong aversion to paying for parking, particularly when the closest lot to the restaurant costs $10 for the privilege of occupying a space for an hour or two), I groused that THIS was why I didn't like eating dinner downtown.

But as we entered the restaurant, my irritation dissipated almost instantly. La Traviata is small and packed, but it has an elegant, cozy feel to it that is utterly charming. We snagged a small table in one of the nooks near a street window, under a sparkling chandelier.

Almost immediately, our affable server provided us with sustenance, in the form of a basket full of bread with an olive oil accompaniment.



We ordered, enjoyed a lovely bottle of wine, and chatted...until this came along and rendered us mute.



Truly the most perfect carbonara I've ever had the pleasure of encountering, this specimen was composed of perfectly al dente pasta, gently piled and sprinkled with bread crumbs, then lovingly topped with a nest of slivered scallions and a farm fresh egg that was simply stunning in its simplicity. The sauce was surprisingly light - perhaps with a touch of lemon? - balancing out the rich pancetta and steering the entire dish away from the heaviness that I often encounter in a carbonara. I swooned with my first bite, and am still swooning, days later. This carbonara changed carbonara for me forever.


Love.

How does one top that meal? One doesn't. We opted out of dessert and retired to Carla's house for more wine and an after-dark tour of Carla's amazing gardens.

Carla is the co-owner of Austin Urban Gardens, and her garden at home is a testament to her prowess in that department. Despite the fact that it was pitch black outside and windy (making focusing extremely tricky, as you'll see below), I endeavored to photograph some of the fruits of her labors.













Some of the bounty that's already been harvested:


Radishes


Chocolate Cherry Tomato

I could not have imagined a more delightful evening. Memorable food, wonderful company, and a passel of inspiration for gardening (I've added an EarthBox to my Christmas wishlist). As if that weren't enough, you can bet that I'll now be the first in the car if anyone suggests driving downtown for dinner.

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