Writers' Club

Once a week I meet with two wonderful friends to share and critique each other's writing. It is because of these two women that I was able to complete my novel.

Having their honest criticism (I hope!), companionship, and encouragement helped me plug along. I've also learned so much from both of them, both about writing and about life.


I'm amazed that this continues to happen week after week, despite the demands of teaching and parenting and all that other stuff.


We have a lot of laughs and we've also cried a bit. It's been a rough few years for me but I

always leave my writers' circle a little lighter
...but with warm wine cheeks.

Yesterday was not a good meal from the 100-Mile perspective. I had a busy evening so I had to prepare something quick. That's when I pulled out my frozen carrot soup made ahead of time and tried to make a fritatta--but it's hard to make a fritatta when there are only two eggs because one's husband has eaten a dozen in just five days in an attempt to replace carbs. So, the fritatta was flatatta but the soup was good...at least I liked it.


I made the Herbed Carrot soup from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. I used to make this when I was a university student. I remember buying organic carrots once at the farmer's market and marvelling at how knarled they were. This recipe can be made with no oil, which is helpful in the absence of olive groves (still hoping).

I used carrots from Clover Gardens in Soperton. Dave and Barb Alguire are dedicated to producing delicious food. These carrots are divine. I didn't think it was possible for me to prefer carrots over chocolate, but these orange vegetables are perfect.

In this recipe, I removed all non-local ingredients and it worked. Here's my locavore version. It's also vegan, a welcome relief for me after a fairly carnivorous week.

Herbed Carrot Soup

2 lbs carrots
1 medium potato
4 cups water or veg stock
1 tbls, butter (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
2 medium cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp thyme*
1/2 tsp oregano*
1 tsp basil*

*dried--although I made mine with fresh and just used a little more.

Peel and chop the carrots and potato and place them in a med-sized saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender (10-15 min). Heat some water in a frying pan and "saute" the onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic, herbs and cook until onions are soft. Blend everything until smooth. Re-heat in a big pot until simmering.