I made the unfortunate decision ages ago to purchase a Canon SLR camera just about a year or two before digital cameras exploded and made film cameras all but obsolete. So I’ve been a little behind in my photography technology, using everything in my bag of tricks to get by with a point and shoot. After years of yearning, I finally made an investment in my photography habit, getting the new Nikon D5100 DSLR camera, and I’m LOVING IT. I’m still getting used to having complete control over how I capture my images, and am mostly shooting in automatic mode for now. But I’ve also checked a ton of books out of the library to work on my photography technique, shooting in manual, and improving my shot composition. I just love doing research.

Conveniently, I have a new muse. Earlier this year, I became a real aunt (not just an honorary one), and I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend with them, taking photos of my nephew for hours. Of course, I also played with him, fed him, soothed him, and generally stared in awe at him. But usually with a camera nearby. (That’s me holding him while taking a photo, below.)

A few days later, I spent three days babysitting for the 6-month-old daughter of friends while their usual caregiver was on vacation. She wasn’t so sure about me at first, but actually seemed comforted/amused by the camera and soon settled down. This little girl had a personality a mile wide, and was shockingly agile with her feet. I’d almost swear she had opposable toes. She frequently clapped her feet, perfectly aligning the toes without any help from me. Of course, I couldn’t resist taking photos of those perfect little piggies.

Love the bumblebees!

For today’s Joy of Luck theme, I decided to try my hand at some food photography to take advantage of my farm share debut. When I brought my box home on Wednesday, I wanted to be sure everything was stored properly so it would last as long as possible. I have plans for this produce, and don’t want to lose any of it!

After taking stock, I pulled out my All-New Good Housekeeping Cookbook(2001) and turned to the Vegetables chapter, which is arranged in alphabetical order by veggie. With each group of recipes, they also include a brief description of the featured vegetable, what to look for when buying it, and how to store it.

That’s how I found out that butternut squash can keep for a couple weeks if stored in the fridge (it’s not an ingredient I often buy). And did you know that most herbs keep best when you place their stems in 1–2 inches of water, as if they’re flowers in a vase, and then put a plastic bag over them? I tried it, and my farm-fresh spearmint and store-bought parsley were both in great condition two days later.

To me, the spearmint bouquet is a perfect representation of my “green” luck—in addition to getting fresh, locally-grown (and thus, environmentally “green”) produce via my farm share, I’m also feeling energized in the kitchen as I plan creative menus around these theme ingredients and try new recipes & cooking techniques. Not to mention the fact I’m able to apply things I learned during the Joy of Love class to my fledgling food photography for this blog!

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