Barbara Howe diary: The Martha Stewart of Cyclocross?

'Still life with food processor,' (Image credit: Barbara Howe)

A weekend off racing and nothing interesting to write about except FOOD! Food is in my list top five favourite things ever and the term is used in the broad sense (including beverages too). Bike riding and food go together; you ride lots, you need to eat lots. It's simple. Fortunately, the people I spend the most time with (mainly Josh and Melodie) share my enthusiasm for food. Melodie and I usually don't get more than an hour into a ride before starting to talk about food. We talk about food that was, food that could be, food that should be and food that will be. We often plan out meals weeks in advance - we've been trying to get together and make mole for close to two months, for example. Melodie also likes to cook while Josh mostly prefers to reap the benefits of our cooking.

Asian markets, Mexican markets, Indian markets and farmers' markets in Northern California make for a wide variety of exotic ingredients, fresh produce and endless cooking possibilities. Nearly three years ago Josh and I made the decision to quit eating meat for health reasons. Except for the occasional sushi craving breakdown and hidden bacon surprises (beans served in Arkansas are usually cooked with bacon, this caught me off guard and ruined a meal) we've been able to subsist on a non-meat diet. I'm not intending to preach the goodness of vegetarianism - make your own choices - I'm just saying that it is possible to be an elite athlete and not eat cows, chickens and pigs. During the summer, I try really hard to grow a garden in the front yard. I've been thwarted by deer, raccoons and goodness knows what other animals that like to eat my tomato plants. Snails seem to prefer the pepper plants and basil just won't grow at all. One of these years I plan on constructing a large jail like structure around the garden to keep the animals out of the plants.