Hi! I thought it was about time I gave you a bit more information about who I am. So here we go... (grab a beer).
I grew up all over the south, but I call Alabama home. I lived on a small 70 acre livestock farm. We raised mostly cattle and chickens. At the time, I hated living in a small town. I didn't like doing farm chores, high school was a miserable experience (but then again - who's isn't?). I also hated how everyone seem perplexed that I wasn't related to anyone in town. So as soon as I graduated I high tailed it to the "big city" of Birmingham. I was working on a English degree from Birmingham-Southern College. I made the very best friends a girl could ask for (hi girls!) and I had the best time of my life. I fell in love with Birmingham.
By the time I was 21, I had experienced a lot of life. I had been raised by a single mom, who battled cancer off and on, and eventually lost. After years of being overweight, my mother's death kick started my road to health. At first, I just learned about healthy whole foods. It took the better part of two years, but I lost close to 70lbs. It was a revelation and a revolution.
During those years, I also was becoming a green minded person. I had a strong desire to help heal and preserve the planet in any small step I could. Eventually, my two passions collided and I became obsessed with small scale sustainable farming. I wanted to find a way to really connect with my food. Farmer's markets were great, but they only last five or six months out of the year. This lead me to get a subscription to a year round CSA with Grow Alabama.
I chose cooking for two, because it was practical. It allowed me to cook new things more than once or twice a week. Cooking this way had little (if any) leftovers, so there were never any worries of food going bad. Eventually, my friends started encouraging me to start a blog. I thought they were c.r.a.z.y. Food blogs were all about fancy cameras, gourmet recipes, or low budget cooking for families of four or more. No one would want to read about a girl cooking small batches of carrot cakes and parsnip soup. Thankfully, they got to me! Tiny Tables has become something I really enjoy doing.
Recently I realized that I had more to say. Sharing all the ways you can use hardy greens was fun, but I wanted to talk about more than just cooking. I wanted to talk about where to obtain local produce and the debates within the real food movement. I decided to expand the blog to include not just cooking, but also food politics, thrifting, life stories, and adventures on my pink bicycle.
Another big component I would love to add to the blog is urban gardening. It took me almost eight years, but I now have a strong sense to learn small scale farming. Currently, I have no access to land to really learn this skill, but I hope to start volunteering at West End Community Garden soon (Feb 2011).
Another big component I would love to add to the blog is urban gardening. It took me almost eight years, but I now have a strong sense to learn small scale farming. Currently, I have no access to land to really learn this skill, but I hope to start volunteering at West End Community Garden soon (Feb 2011).
For now, I am just a mid-twenties, working girl, who loves to cook at home, and loves her small little life in Southside Birmingham!
