Summer RoundUp #3: Chicago and gardening, Diana from "Spain in Iowa"

As I announced last week, be ready to have you backpack with you and let’s have a look at another part of United States of America, following words and pictures from Diana, blogger at Spain in Iowa. Diana is a Latina woman with many interests: she’s a graphic/web designer by profession and also a homemaker, gardener and chicken keeper! I’ve been reading her blog for many months now, loving her passion for Latin food and recipes but also her effort to support local food movement. Following her blog, you can learn how to grow your own organic garden, so don’t loose a minute more and go visiting her blog!

Diana: Chicago, gardening, playing baseball and camping

When Juls first invited me to be a part of her summer roundup, I was planning on sharing my favorite place to be over the U.S. Independent Day holiday. Chicago!

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to escape for as many days as we would have liked.  So for this post, I wanted to share with you what summer means to my family and share some pictures along the way.

Being from Iowa, the Midwest of the U.S., we have frigid cold winters.  Temperatures that can drop well below zero degrees.  So when the temperatures warm and our days lengthen, we spend as much time as we can outside.  We literally have light from 5:30am until 10:00pm.  Plenty of time to play and get some work done!

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is organic garden.  I spend countless hours tending my urban gardens.  My readers are aware that I am an urban homesteader.  I raise my own chickens in the city for eggs and meat and I grow enough food to preserve for my family over the winter.  Usually by freezing, canning, and dehydrating.  It makes all of your hard work worth it when you can make fresh tomato sauce or salsa in the middle of February!

Of course, with all of the wonderful food I have growing, I also enjoy cooking using the produce that I’ve labored for or buy at my local farmers market.

Summer also means family!  I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful boys that love to play outside and help mami in the garden. As a family we spend time camping, swimming and playing baseball!

This past Fourth of July holiday, we spent at the Omaha Zoo!  What’s a summer without animals, right?!  We’ve also spent time outdoor berry picking, and…. of course, more BASEBALL… Go CUBS!

As you can tell we enjoy our summers!  From raising and growing our own food to spending as much quality family time outdoors as we can!  After all, before we know it the leaves will start to drop and our first snow will arrive.  Thank you Juls for having me on your beautiful blog and letting me share a bit about my summers in Iowa!

Besitos!

Thank you Diana for taking time to write this gorgeous post and for letting us enjoy your wonderful family and amazing passion for organic food and gardening! Last but not least, GO SPAIN! Finger crossed for Sunday!