Are you planning a garden this year? I am coming to realize that even something as small as a little potted plant on the stoop can bring much satisfaction. In reality- a garden is what you make it. Although, my mother is an accomplished gardener- my garden does not have that je ne sais quoi.  That’s putting it nicely. Honestly, in August you might think it’s where the cows graze. Despite it’s appearance – it provides. Thru the winter, we usually have something from the garden to eat.

My favorite place to shop for garden seeds is Fedco. Their selection is fabulous and their descriptions provide great fodder for garden dreams.

What will you be putting in dirt this year?

Ben is actually responsible for some of our finer garden moments.

We have nurtured a creative and independent life – and it is flourishing. There is pure joy in something you’ve created yourself. But, you know that already – you’ve felt the sublime satisfaction of mixing up a cocktail on Friday night or whipping up a batch of pancakes on Saturday morning. It’s not complicated.

What is complicated is taking that leap of faith to do something a little bigger than making your own mixed drink. The  “hey, why don’t we dig up half our backyard and grow our own vegetables.” Or, the “hey, I’m going to quit my job and make kites for a living.”

Here’s the happy news. You don’t have to start with a leap… just a small step in the direction you’re going. While we did start our full time business with a leap  [and the interweb is chock full of people encouraging you do that] – I’m actually a fan of the small steps. It is the small steps that have kept us going for nearly 10 years.

This is my first tip…. take one small step towards your own independent and creative life.  Do it old school. Go to the library and get a book about it, gather materials from your house and talk to someone in person about it.  Whatever it may be – cooking, crafting, growing, building – focus on doing one thing. Take one small step for now.

About seventeen years ago – Ben picked up the scrap metal lying around his parents farm and set to work with the welder. One small step.

What are your creative dreams?

It’s January. It’s a fabulous time of year to play in the kitchen! My kitchen was having a field day yesterday.

I didn’t dress it up for you. I wanted to share it just like it was. Scrapple was thawing,  amish butter lying about with a lone scrap of homemade bread, a roast strewn with bacon was in the oven and carrot cupcakes waiting to be iced.  It was a glorious moment for my kitchen. The bacon, scrapple and beef roast were from animals we butchered. The butter was local, and the bread and cupcakes were whipped up earlier. There is glory in cooking with local, fresh foods. It is immensely satisfying and it doesn’t have to be hard.

There is even more grandeur in doing it simply.  Although, I absolutely love reading everything written by Chris Kimball of America’s Test Kitchen, I am in no way shape or form scientific about cooking. To me, cooking is about simplicity and instinct (and of course, don’t be shy with butter & bacon).

*there is usually a chair up against the counter cuz that’s where the kids stand to help me cook!

Enough with the chatter. How about whipping up a great batch of carrot cupcakes?  Mix these things together, and there you have it….

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1.5 cups vegetable oil

3 cups carrots

Mix above ingredients together and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.*

*This recipe was adapted from the deliciously simple carrot cake at epicurious

Easy as 1. 2. 3. Enjoy!

1. the birth of our new baby daughter Evelyn in May.  She joins our other two little delights (oldest started Kindergarten and second started preschool this year)
2. creating a new  Gatski Metal website
3. taping our first ever video from Gatski Metal
4. receiving a phone call from Lifetime TV to participate in their “Project Runway” for furniture makers (it’s not looking good for this shot at fame – we’re holding out for something “a little more better“)
5. selling two Ford tables to the Ford offices in Michigan.  Ben’s great grandfather Bruno was recruited from Capistrano, Italy to work for Ford – so this had some very special meaning for us.

There is always a flurry of action up here on the hill.  In between the regular stuff, we try to carve out some time for some “fun.” Ben enjoys raising livestock and butchering. We took a little time off between Christmas and New Years and…. Ben made some scrapple. It’s a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition made with meat from the pork bones, flour, cornmeal, buckwheat flour and some salt and pepper.

This is the kettle of the meat boiling off the bones – this is the first step in making scrapple.

This is Ben chopping wood to keep the fire going.

and… the scrapple is delish! No doubt about it.

We’re looking forward to another fabulous year for Gatski Metal. One of my goals is to be more useful to you. I want to give you some ideas and inspiration from our independent and creative life. Please do let me know if you have any suggestions. I love hearing your thoughts. Until next time….

I know you are quite busy- so here’s a little update… our blog has a new name “farmer & maker.” This name perfectly reflects who we are, have always been and hope to be someday. Simply said, we love to make things – and we love to grow things (food, cows, business ideas, kids).

In some ways this is our inheritance- the fortune to live out our passions. We have been provided with the skills, confidence and support to pursue “crazy” ideas like making sculpture with junk metal.  And, yes… we happen to have more crazy ideas – like writing a book, growing our dairy herd and making cheese on our hilltop.

We had a little idea about 9 years ago, it’s summarized like this… Gatski Co. -  Art, Food & Experience. The making of metal sculptures and metal tables is just the beginning. The rest is slowly unfolding – but will most likely involve cows and food. Each week we are taking a few minutes to plan; it is extraordinarily exciting!

We hope you will join us as we mosey along -  a comment, a thought, a contact. With that said… here’s a Hearty Welcome to farmer & maker! We’re looking forward to meeting you here.

It’s a good day. We’re featured on Keystone Edge! Thank you so much!

Do you have any fair traditions? What do you make a beeline for?

We enjoy one or two small country fairs each year. They  feel timeless- it could be 1972, 1998 or by golly 2010. There is something peaceful about something that never seems to change.

The down home goodness of these fairs is so endearing.

I can’t get away without mentioning the food. It may not be wholesome or organic- but it is scrumptious. What is your favorite fair food?

Life’s little pauses are beautiful.  Sometimes, they catch us by surprise. One caught me by surprise for the month of May. Despite a small burst of renewed vigor- my little corner of the blog world remained quiet. Alas, I have returned. I have a fresh vision and so much to share.

First off, I’ve been wanting to share with you the Victory Garden of Tomorrow- ever since I spied them over at Good Measure. It is described as an art project posing as a propaganda campaign for new, American homefront values- inspired by the sustainability movement. Find Joe Wirtheim’s terrific posters here.

The lovely Grace of Design*Sponge introduced me [and countless others] to the fabulous illustrator Claudia Pearson. As you might expect, my eye was drawn to her “Buy Local” Prints. The themes are all things local to the New York area. Love this concept, I am a fan.

A wee bit more of an update on us…

Truth be told- there were a few reasons for my hiatus. We’ve been pounding out Gatski Metal sculptures to be shipped to art & craft galleries across the country. We had a very busy spring. In a little cottage industry like ours, it’s “all hands on deck” when we’re rolling.

Now that the Spring orders have been shipped- we’re looking forward to designing and building new Gatski sculptures and goods. All New great stuff coming soon! Our Summer photo shoot is less than 4 weeks away.

My contemplations of Earth Day and all things “green” always relate to “a place.” Where did it come from?  Who made it? What was used to make it?  There is so much beauty in knowing where things came from and who made them.

To that end, we’re occasionally going to share pics of “our place.” Our place is a rural hill-top in Pennsylvania. At the top is our house [we built in 4 stages] in recently logged woods and adjacent to the Gatski family farm. You get to the top by traveling a 1/2 mile long driveway. It is a peaceful place, with nearly no neighbors in sight. Aside from our creative pursuits – the animals [and a couple children] keep us well occupied. Also, nestled quietly here are Ben’s dream to milk more cows (and make cheese) and Kate’s dreams to write well about “food & place.” Happy Earth Day!

notes on pics:  that is an older photo of Ben & I [we bought a 1947 Plymouth at a local farm sale not long after meeting]- our humble home- the long driveway [and field roads- it's amazing how far you can get around here without going on a public road], one of our Berkshire pigs and our new calf Racer.

As the warmth of spring reaches deep into the ground and air; grasses grow and insects emerge. There is food everywhere; for a pig, that is.  A little time spent watching a pig [or an animal for that matter] gives one a feel for their instincts. Pigs have snouts and they want to use them.

They put them down and sniff, root and dig with them. Most remarkable is the rooting and digging, the turning over of the soil. They will create large, crater like depressions in the soil- large expansive areas of dug up dirt. They are looking for tasty treats to eat- bugs, acorns and other tree fruits.

This pig is a Duroc cross- we typically raise all Berkshire pigs.  This one slipped into our last batch- a lovely looking pig but an anomaly up here on Gatski Mt. We established our home and shop on woodlot adjacent to the family farm. It had been recently logged. It is ideal for our pigs.

There is something utterly captivating about watching animals do what they’re instinctively meant to do. Probably because we all know that instincts lead to the richest things in life. For these pigs- its scarfing down nuts from the trees, absorbing the sunshine on their backs, and letting the warm rain wash over them.

This is terroir. As you know I’m looking forward to exploring terroir here on my blog. This morning, I realized how important the role of instincts are in making something rich, flavorful and beautiful. How do you let your instincts guide you?