tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13872683887537928162024-03-05T11:28:17.919-08:00AlmostimaAlmostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-91119570011527731162015-07-18T22:04:00.000-07:002015-07-18T22:04:18.132-07:00The Right Tool for the Right Job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are a country that loves kitchen gadgets. Sometimes it's outright silly. There are probably enough blogs out there face-palming about the banana slicer (Google it) so I don't need to get into that here. </div>
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I've gone back and forth on gadgetry. Sometimes I insist that I can get the job done with some ingenuity, repurposing and elbow grease. Sometimes I cave.</div>
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My journey into the world of pasta making probably captured the worst of all worlds. I started out buying one of those kitchen-aid attachments which rolls out the pasta. (BTW, did I mention that I hate my kitchen aid?) It was expensive as all get out, so I couldn't bring myself to also buy the slicer attachment -- thinking, I can cut pasta with a knife, or a pizza roller and it will be 'rustic.' I also cheaped out in that I didn't buy a that hanging rack to hang pasta to dry (or rather, to keep it from sticking while rolling out more pasta. 'Oh, I can just spread the pasta out on cutting boards or plates, as an alternative.' It's not all about cheapness, though, it was also about conserving space. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLigOZoiE6n655pBiWg3nNhDwPJyKbwHH7AI6TouUhAyjy_xtuavptI4f93uamt_Fmuyx1KEvPi1WKYbffBU7Mf818_jZz7VORtraLYguA8p2-uSR18wbVFrzzliVkokqZh3x4EyF9wiA/s1600/IMG_20150718_110544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLigOZoiE6n655pBiWg3nNhDwPJyKbwHH7AI6TouUhAyjy_xtuavptI4f93uamt_Fmuyx1KEvPi1WKYbffBU7Mf818_jZz7VORtraLYguA8p2-uSR18wbVFrzzliVkokqZh3x4EyF9wiA/s320/IMG_20150718_110544.jpg" width="240" /></a>Well, after 5-6 uses, that super expensive attachment never worked right again. It would tear the sheets of pasta into something unusable. I also got seduced into some fancy hand roller pasta slicer thing -- which never worked right -- though it's still taking up space in my drawer. Why?? The result is that I haven't bothered to make pasta in probably 3 years. It also doesn't help that my kids are the only children in America that don't like pasta. It seemed like a lot of effort to go through for just J. and I... and while I didn't have confidence in my equipment, it was too high risk of an endeavor to invite friends over to have pasta confetti. </div>
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Despite my better judgement, however, I've decided to emerge from pasta purgatory. While on vacation last week, I lamented the fact that our booming tomato crop was begging for a nice homemade pasta dish. </div>
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Before I knew it, we were in one of our favorite stores. I bought: </div>
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JHYDJdnfrHYUz0btlEBlYOJWeRPJghuQ1YBojg6FskGP6IP1G0f76D_JEpoHzgRVPdmCu9fkoKGnSRT3JNqP3m8Cs1cl3f6Ru9gA_bpc36wkKXJb6a-bizq1lP9-bjoPmI9htrPiNLo/s1600/IMG_20150718_185003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JHYDJdnfrHYUz0btlEBlYOJWeRPJghuQ1YBojg6FskGP6IP1G0f76D_JEpoHzgRVPdmCu9fkoKGnSRT3JNqP3m8Cs1cl3f6Ru9gA_bpc36wkKXJb6a-bizq1lP9-bjoPmI9htrPiNLo/s320/IMG_20150718_185003.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>the hand crank old fashion pasta maker with the slicing attachment.</li>
<li>the wooden hanging rack</li>
<li>a ravioli making tray</li>
<li>and basic rolling pin (which I needed anyway).</li>
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Yup. quite a bender. But it inspired a great dinner tonight. I made a tomato sauce with our </div>
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<li>tomatoes </li>
<li>onion</li>
<li>garlic</li>
<li>basil</li>
<li>oregano</li>
<li>chicken stock. </li>
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Supplemented with a ground beef, sausage, can of tomato paste, parmesan, salt and pepper. I started the pasta dough in a food processor. Then you are supposed to let it rest for 30 minutes (at which point I threw together the sauce). And then I let the sauce simmer while I was rolling out the noodles. Next time, I may roll them out a little thinner, but they were really lovely. Using the right tools made it possible to throw together this dinner in about an hour. With practice, I could probably shave some time off of that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29mQE9i64E5GYpI7uY58rqaugSoynEGO45zjqnNxl12iUAWuhD2Jjy6rM2YjP6FcYlpv4Ti0Y5GGCki9vmTrCWHeaVB2BWHzPpzwvlZXXLiTmvsBPx5sxz1T5J4TE2puFsW2GPh7jn20/s1600/IMG_20150718_184947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh29mQE9i64E5GYpI7uY58rqaugSoynEGO45zjqnNxl12iUAWuhD2Jjy6rM2YjP6FcYlpv4Ti0Y5GGCki9vmTrCWHeaVB2BWHzPpzwvlZXXLiTmvsBPx5sxz1T5J4TE2puFsW2GPh7jn20/s320/IMG_20150718_184947.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BUbuyS5FL03i5fBOWAzEXl5ktU5BFEmmHl10CwSkF0nkvJOCFzd_CZ7BDGo92O0cVQpU_j7TypATTPa83MeoKQEViapkfP-3lJSSlToSU4HPQul_gay_OluouO9xnn1SFzjsO6-P3g/s1600/IMG_20150718_184955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BUbuyS5FL03i5fBOWAzEXl5ktU5BFEmmHl10CwSkF0nkvJOCFzd_CZ7BDGo92O0cVQpU_j7TypATTPa83MeoKQEViapkfP-3lJSSlToSU4HPQul_gay_OluouO9xnn1SFzjsO6-P3g/s320/IMG_20150718_184955.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKfLBjaR7OihjYR5msex6qc4Pjto2ndKoM8Ubb13YD5ucqOjGs6RNsPlwe601Fw6wQBlj39aqSufrZ-L0OU4iOtPAdxlW0Jc1s-mj5JscpzB6PC7RgNGmTJtbT2e_jaCjIJepYRPjbjY/s1600/IMG_20150718_191555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKfLBjaR7OihjYR5msex6qc4Pjto2ndKoM8Ubb13YD5ucqOjGs6RNsPlwe601Fw6wQBlj39aqSufrZ-L0OU4iOtPAdxlW0Jc1s-mj5JscpzB6PC7RgNGmTJtbT2e_jaCjIJepYRPjbjY/s320/IMG_20150718_191555.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Another example of right tool for the job: I bought a gallon sized apothecary jar to ferment cucumbers. I've never done this process before, and I get the sense that the larger the jar the easier it is. I'll keep my eye out for larger crocks for future years. It may not look appetizing yet, but when I open the jar it smells like pickled goodness! And fermented foods are supposed to have lots of great probiotic what-nots in them. Another bonus is that this late into the season, I have so many pickles and cucumbers already that I don't mind waiting the month or two till these are ready for prime time. This is what they look like about a week in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrB3eJOecgUX1Atrjao56SNSHqgN25F8i5FZZYQrB724QmYjNPEmx5Wjb8Pa8TPTSScRTYs4NH1IVtyRA_4JwB1iJzZw2YGDBYlttpimKs4OPVB_9AbvDFEMkk3KJtmzT7jVdtQvjvdw/s1600/IMG_20150712_175706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrB3eJOecgUX1Atrjao56SNSHqgN25F8i5FZZYQrB724QmYjNPEmx5Wjb8Pa8TPTSScRTYs4NH1IVtyRA_4JwB1iJzZw2YGDBYlttpimKs4OPVB_9AbvDFEMkk3KJtmzT7jVdtQvjvdw/s320/IMG_20150712_175706.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFY7a0z6P9Ded9TK2HP3jTNuwhrUFdRt0vqd51FKX3UQ6AVxs8g7pvOVP-dHfjueMo2putU-v-Ihyphenhyphen0PW23S5h7p3E3MFh-J1lnX9OLQg0N6ZxzeX1oJJWnowe7UVlflZGIfk8R2eijce4/s1600/IMG_20150718_212134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFY7a0z6P9Ded9TK2HP3jTNuwhrUFdRt0vqd51FKX3UQ6AVxs8g7pvOVP-dHfjueMo2putU-v-Ihyphenhyphen0PW23S5h7p3E3MFh-J1lnX9OLQg0N6ZxzeX1oJJWnowe7UVlflZGIfk8R2eijce4/s320/IMG_20150718_212134.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-67408747289085883612015-07-12T22:55:00.000-07:002015-07-12T22:55:07.452-07:00Donating FoodI've been wanting to do this for ages.<br />
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Every gardener knows the joy and burden of a bumper crop. First it's all joy. "I can't wait to eat those!" "Wow these are gorgeous!" "Let's Share with family and friends!" "Let's preserve some for a future time and bottle up summer!" Then, at some point, it turns on you. Friends and family start eye rolling when you offer them more from the garden. Joggers start running on the other side of the street to avoid being chucked with a cucumber. It gets bad.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j30IKdRxCaoyCd3Ehafn5B0IfjqukLZjGMkZnc8TTFkh71Bn260tPjowoZPY0ta3hvZ5lB0iN4gFetpgCweMo9OR8pSgIDIjSLm_Y1qNhwwW1X4xvbrfnzT8igSU4mR0xSz_N_2oGn4/s1600/IMG_20150710_123524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8j30IKdRxCaoyCd3Ehafn5B0IfjqukLZjGMkZnc8TTFkh71Bn260tPjowoZPY0ta3hvZ5lB0iN4gFetpgCweMo9OR8pSgIDIjSLm_Y1qNhwwW1X4xvbrfnzT8igSU4mR0xSz_N_2oGn4/s320/IMG_20150710_123524.jpg" width="240" /></a>But the plant is still producing, and in the back of my head I keep thinking about all the people who don't have access to fresh food and desperately need it. Meanwhile, I'm 'burdened' with food.<br />
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To be honest, as much as I have wanted to pass on produce to those who need it, I've never made it happen before. Part of my inertia was that I didn't know where to take it. Some people give it to churches. However, for my own reasons, I wanted to support a secular organization, but most don't take perishable food. Finally I found one that does. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-health-trust-food-basket-san-jose)<br />
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Once I made contact with the organization, I was so excited to pick the day's crops. We brought 17 cucumbers, a gallon bag of green beans, a zucchini and some tomatoes. I was also excited to incorporate Max into the process of making the donation. We had a great talk about what it means to be hungry and not have access to good, healthy food, especially when one is sick. <br />
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The folks at the center were so sweet and friendly and appreciative. The center was gorgeous, clean, with crates of pristine looking fruits and vegetables. <br />
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It was a really great experience for both of us and I will now look forward to going there for seasons to come to share our (comparatively tiny) harvest with our community.<br />
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Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-45805740311713746402015-07-11T23:34:00.003-07:002015-07-11T23:34:49.874-07:00Project Frenzy Disclaimer. This post is beyond obnoxious. It is not a reflection of what every day looks like. It's not a statement that anyone else should do all or any of these things. But doing these stupid things make me happy, and often I get asked how I find the time. The long days of summer are a big help -- here's how today went.<br />
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1:15 a.m., I go to bed after attending a long Giants game in San Francisco last night.</div>
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6:45: I'm awake and bitter</div>
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7:20: We pick up the kids who had stayed the night at my parents' to allow J. and I to have the aforementioned Giants game date night.</div>
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8:05: Family Picks berries at<a href="http://www.webbranchinc.com/farmers_upick_straw.htm"> U-pick Webb Ranch</a>. We went a mere 10 days ago, but we ate so much of our supply fresh, that we didn't have enough berries for other projects that I enjoy, like blackberry BBQ sauce and homemade ice cream. </div>
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9:30-:11 - Nap #1 (So, J. and I have this inside joke. My parents went on a vacation and were reporting back to us how many naps they got to have each day. So, on days when we're especially tired, we joke about needing nap #1)</div>
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11:00: Make green salad for pot luck (our cucumbers, tomato, onions, herby salad dressing). </div>
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11:25: Marinate feta in olive oil & herbs -- with feta block leftover from making the salad. Toss sliced onions into leftover pickle brine as a component for dinner.</div>
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11:30: shower</div>
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12:00-2:00 potluck picnic with <a href="http://www.sunnyvaledems.org/">local democratic club</a>. </div>
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3:00 - 5:00- Nap #2. Yup. Totally needed it. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These purple peppers are amazingly gorgeous! And Stella is on nap #12</td></tr>
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5:00: Save seeds from arugula. This to-do item has been bugging me for 2 weeks. We cut back all of our arugula that had gone to seed and dried it in the back yard. Like with every new project, you start doing things the long hard way and then you figure out the short cuts. I started by breaking each pod individually and sprinkling the seeds into a bowl -- a long but meditative process. Later I shifted to grabbing large handfuls of the plants and rubbing them together over a large bucket. Gathered tons of seeds this way, and it was ultimately much more satisfying. </div>
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6:00: Craft project with kids. Had them make drawing/label for seeds. </div>
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7:00: Crap. People in this house probably want to eat something.... Pick sun-gold cherry tomatoes for Max and Ginger. Make a ground beef on bread with homemade pickles as topping for Max. Ginger eats the tomatoes with leftover tequila lime chicken (made by J. earlier in the week). I pick tomatoes, purple peppers, fresno chile, and grab onion from earlier today. Toss tomato, onion, green onion, olive onion, leftover pickle brine into magic bullet, to make a quick salsa. Chop up onion, purple peppers and sauté. Throw in a pound of ground beef. Assemble soft tacos with meat/veggie mixture, pickled onions, salsa and jack cheese. Everybody eats.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celery seeds. There's more seed buds on <br />the plants that will be ready in a week or two</td></tr>
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8:15 - Save seeds from celery plant. It smells like bloody mary on my hands! mmm.</div>
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8:30 - Scoop up tomato seeds from beautiful heirloom that I used for Salsa, start fermentation process.</div>
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8:30-9:10 bed time routine with Ginger.</div>
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9:10 - browse recipes for berries from earlier today. </div>
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9:30 - start boysenberry ice cream. Base made, will chill overnight before churning tomorrow. Can't start blackberry BBQ sauce because I didn't have chicken stock defrosted. Project for tomorrow morning.</div>
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So, like I said, is this normal? Hell no. Are all these things critically necessary? Nope. Can virtually every deliverable represented on this list been obtainable by a 30 minute trip to a grocery store? Yes.</div>
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I can't explain it, but I feel drawn to doing this stuff anyway. It could be that it's because I have a stressful job and this is one way to decompress. It could be that I'm gearing up for a life when I have less to do and that these projects will be how I leisurely pass the time when that day comes. Or, it could be that there are little joys here that can't be created in any way other than primitively having these experiences. Would I savor the smell of a celery seed if I bought it in a seed packet or as a spice jar? Would I excitedly share seeds with friends if they were not ones that I had harvested myself? Would I cram as many vegetables into a meal if I didn't have them in my backyard, begging to be used? All of these small steps bring a measure of satisfaction, and I am open to receive it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaxhlwwhiF5GSlVAlqvsanXSUTSGWqoGIR7DJQAPDoS2jQBE86IGy2124GqFoDzGiNpyvrlOe3fbYxD6P_Zipf1FSxV8UGRtgu_xLMTlCj-CcbWsajTQtVoZI9v9-2Y_kgiZMAZduN-M/s1600/IMG_20150711_221848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguaxhlwwhiF5GSlVAlqvsanXSUTSGWqoGIR7DJQAPDoS2jQBE86IGy2124GqFoDzGiNpyvrlOe3fbYxD6P_Zipf1FSxV8UGRtgu_xLMTlCj-CcbWsajTQtVoZI9v9-2Y_kgiZMAZduN-M/s320/IMG_20150711_221848.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm normally lazy on my ice cream recipes, but this time I'm making the full custard.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel2XQ2QSdH9ys1qp66ALaKdcFhIzu4KndEIVASdyyG40sCkT-SoYi83rlFVHf895UL4o3hM7wFEJwWjV1NVAQy2iRbdyMRXCVplL_cJqDK1cD1krzgyH8pdneMXw7UCju8CZWnmecOjg/s1600/IMG_20150711_221830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel2XQ2QSdH9ys1qp66ALaKdcFhIzu4KndEIVASdyyG40sCkT-SoYi83rlFVHf895UL4o3hM7wFEJwWjV1NVAQy2iRbdyMRXCVplL_cJqDK1cD1krzgyH8pdneMXw7UCju8CZWnmecOjg/s320/IMG_20150711_221830.jpg" width="320" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt1VKmh6zjxBoLSntGfNAubfVhARusO_PlU8iO3S47bSlr_QasTrq7kchqnxcfnGrf1CEe-92P1bQnQ41tC6PU8iHURMbF8CRAbTC5mqss_XAH3RBudHRZnxZ8_wMZpINdSTjok6G6Y4/s1600/IMG_20150711_220736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrt1VKmh6zjxBoLSntGfNAubfVhARusO_PlU8iO3S47bSlr_QasTrq7kchqnxcfnGrf1CEe-92P1bQnQ41tC6PU8iHURMbF8CRAbTC5mqss_XAH3RBudHRZnxZ8_wMZpINdSTjok6G6Y4/s320/IMG_20150711_220736.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boysenberry ice cream</td></tr>
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Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-73981367116399880812015-07-05T21:43:00.000-07:002015-07-06T00:21:51.795-07:00Getting to know your food: Mustard EditionA <a href="http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/06/24/watch-group-first-graders-not-know-what-vegetables-names-are">Jamie Oliver food revolution</a> clip has been making the rounds. It features a classroom of first graders unable to correctly identify a single vegetable. We're not talking sunchokes and rutabagas here; we're talking common, everyday vegetables. Tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes! It's heartbreaking, because one can only conclude that these kids only eat super processed foods, and have serious health challenges ahead of them. Also obvious is that these kids have likely had no exposure to the beauty of seeing food grow on a plant.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuO9IZJwGLjW74jvt_TfvQZY9EObx6J1hNuTSfkdrqr_F-_F4hQgNZuvrDTDmaB1xe3Kd-tiOYjcdZ0nMJSm0VUrhoK-Rk1rSyAnpixC3Decy4HbwWUyiaG_FtV5MQqA1Qq5QP0vN-jGE/s1600/IMG_20150703_222838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuO9IZJwGLjW74jvt_TfvQZY9EObx6J1hNuTSfkdrqr_F-_F4hQgNZuvrDTDmaB1xe3Kd-tiOYjcdZ0nMJSm0VUrhoK-Rk1rSyAnpixC3Decy4HbwWUyiaG_FtV5MQqA1Qq5QP0vN-jGE/s320/IMG_20150703_222838.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's easy to sit up here in my first-world perch and tsk, tsk, tsk about how sad it is for them. But then I realize how I am not that far behind them in terms of real connection to my food. I've never milked a cow, or hunted or butchered my own meat for food. I've never harvested wheat to make flour in order to make my daily bread. These are things that anyone living 100 - 200 years ago was accustomed to doing just to stay alive. Yes, I have a kick ass garden, but it's really a token, compared to what it means to truly be connected to your food in a primal way.<br />
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I was humbled by one experience this week. Mustard. How often do you think about it in terms of food-origin? I never really thought about the process of making mustard. It's as if it magically appears in its Frenchy yellow, dijon, spicy stoneground mustard form. Just there, on the shelf, in a jar or a squeeze bottle. I recently read somewhere that it's really easy to make mustard. So, I footnoted it in my mind as a project to take up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHR0MTurPtATacI1E8bSZ23s1EpSDyth7chxke5u0kjVKbxe9npgDDY2npB0Px_wX_DNoW4xXu34yCmZE6P3e0TpPSL8demOIwmSOhwX5DLXv1pnO-W0XZnHCb519HpXx8wea27dtmCs/s1600/IMG_20150703_223716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHR0MTurPtATacI1E8bSZ23s1EpSDyth7chxke5u0kjVKbxe9npgDDY2npB0Px_wX_DNoW4xXu34yCmZE6P3e0TpPSL8demOIwmSOhwX5DLXv1pnO-W0XZnHCb519HpXx8wea27dtmCs/s320/IMG_20150703_223716.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
I tracked down this <a href="http://honest-food.net/2015/05/08/how-to-make-mustard-2/">recipe</a>. I used my Magic bullet (a far cry from 'stone ground') to grind the mustard seeds. I only gave it a few pulses because I wanted to have that grainy mustard look. I probably could have let it go in the bullet a little longer, but I'll get that to later. I used some Pacifico beer instead of water, and honey that I got from the Googleplex beehive. After 12 hours, the mustard looked a little liquidy. That could be the result of a couple of factors, namely 1) I probably skimped on the dry mustard powder and 2) not grinding the seeds enough. So, I popped the mixture, minus a tablespoon or so (for grainy-ness), back into the bullet and blended it up some more. That did the trick. It was a lovely texture with a real zing of a bite. We ate it on 4th of July with bacon wrapped hot dogs, and the next morning with a few varietals of deli ham, and it really shined.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIsTLrEVITCXylGtwHHDv18qOJeIM5heF2RP6jOPAZ7hDDZe84NVBlLv65E76XAawCmVrrODVYYFcP7LgoCbRmUm6iFsSYbQAabnV2T7TO6jQRlpmqLU5G8BQrT87HpUss_houBD38VI/s1600/IMG_20150703_224935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIsTLrEVITCXylGtwHHDv18qOJeIM5heF2RP6jOPAZ7hDDZe84NVBlLv65E76XAawCmVrrODVYYFcP7LgoCbRmUm6iFsSYbQAabnV2T7TO6jQRlpmqLU5G8BQrT87HpUss_houBD38VI/s320/IMG_20150703_224935.jpg" width="320" /></a>But even this exercise leaves me with some mystery steps on how food gets to my table. I have seen mustard plants on the side of the highway... but never stopped to really examine them. I have no idea what it looks like when it goes to seed, or what it takes to harvest mustard seeds. Or how many plants it actually takes to yield the 6 tablespoons of mustard seeds I needed for my recipe (not counting the pre-ground mustard). I'd love to have an excuse to hunt down the answers to those questions.<br />
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Going through this process made me savor each bite of that mustard in a way that I just don't when I crack open a jar from the store -- artisanal or not. J. is a big consumer of mustard, so I know I'll be making this again, perhaps in bigger quantities, and maybe even will jar them up. Is it cheaper? Probably not. Is it more fun? Undoubtedly so.<br />
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-36110327861865734862015-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:002015-07-03T21:25:00.615-07:00Garden Update July 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdzUorHJGkZ1lSBBMYzF6P6ZT1qsy1L1-iBGmw4bOvLlxj9tl6Hru__cNOzLJdFDESLjLOFkAoermQeG2rJhNtWxRpKdaW4CMtpeLLXA2YEqxfm45B50-18KGqE5YygNUKIL1GENUAxk/s1600/IMG_20150703_195227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdzUorHJGkZ1lSBBMYzF6P6ZT1qsy1L1-iBGmw4bOvLlxj9tl6Hru__cNOzLJdFDESLjLOFkAoermQeG2rJhNtWxRpKdaW4CMtpeLLXA2YEqxfm45B50-18KGqE5YygNUKIL1GENUAxk/s320/IMG_20150703_195227.jpg" width="240" /></a>This happens every year. I take a lot of pictures of the garden early in the season. At that point, it's all about hope, progress and anticipation. Then, we may get a few pictures in of the first of the crop. This stage is all about vindication and success. The phase that I rarely document in blogs is the point in the season when we are so over-whelmed with produce that we can barely make it out to the garden to pick what's ripe, much less photograph what's going on. This stage is all about shame, regret and self doubt. There are starving kids in Africa and what am I going to do with all these cucumbers!!!</div>
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Well, I'm picking about 2-3 lbs of green beans a day, and 13 cucumbers every 2 days, give or take, but I want to make an actual effort to document the rest of the garden, so here we go.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCR25i9DAjHylDpUWlIFgNgjG9FuBsO_2GKklWWPLgu0FluAPpsr5qmM4nDiMS4I4_lraClt11qQBA6JhAbwgv8sxoEn17uvqWKZ5EJIIQDbyu5pphI9P3274UQo6DuxgPLKRAv1z96M/s1600/IMG_20150703_195241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCR25i9DAjHylDpUWlIFgNgjG9FuBsO_2GKklWWPLgu0FluAPpsr5qmM4nDiMS4I4_lraClt11qQBA6JhAbwgv8sxoEn17uvqWKZ5EJIIQDbyu5pphI9P3274UQo6DuxgPLKRAv1z96M/s320/IMG_20150703_195241.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 of 2 walls of green beans. So. Many. Green beans. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xdcbkTpzQmKnXv-WWGE19nraLDPQV2uI8ZwtXAObXEhYFVWU3xTgItMhSJ5XXw_uteDj1rG_5jJqI_Ie3pMWlIm-0Fp-c0lQ-UFUt7w_eN40rw2hgi42utj7QMDpGQ_WHLReD-5rhSU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xdcbkTpzQmKnXv-WWGE19nraLDPQV2uI8ZwtXAObXEhYFVWU3xTgItMhSJ5XXw_uteDj1rG_5jJqI_Ie3pMWlIm-0Fp-c0lQ-UFUt7w_eN40rw2hgi42utj7QMDpGQ_WHLReD-5rhSU/s320/IMG_20150703_195332.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wall 2 of green beans, and melons. I also have let some dill and cilantro flower so that I can save the seeds. There's a few volunteers potatoes in there, too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFu59srxu3V93YcRAik2VoRVr8CdlaKtEyQ0Px82_KCzTdxosSfeUmLoJ_JLIw-YUR_YZTM-ZuClwZVyGrang-PWXJM-t4-ABnktqicFrnlnrheDU_dWSoWitmB8JUZ8czGzkwyKSxYU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtFu59srxu3V93YcRAik2VoRVr8CdlaKtEyQ0Px82_KCzTdxosSfeUmLoJ_JLIw-YUR_YZTM-ZuClwZVyGrang-PWXJM-t4-ABnktqicFrnlnrheDU_dWSoWitmB8JUZ8czGzkwyKSxYU/s320/IMG_20150703_195259.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are sweet peppers. We don't have many that have ripened yet, <br />but we've been using the green ones in fajitas and gazpacho.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmZMvpn5FPMVI4ySLpqbSJHxYhBvAY2CiqRw_FGDHYPLd6Gf7yl6nbTSsd0Ws9DKb1SQroujeQprddhw50YPHlEzkDV4UnH6U9aO13ls7hblszOK71rqkUZFHTtltv3yfj6-g1V7p_0Y/s1600/IMG_20150703_195408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVmZMvpn5FPMVI4ySLpqbSJHxYhBvAY2CiqRw_FGDHYPLd6Gf7yl6nbTSsd0Ws9DKb1SQroujeQprddhw50YPHlEzkDV4UnH6U9aO13ls7hblszOK71rqkUZFHTtltv3yfj6-g1V7p_0Y/s320/IMG_20150703_195408.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out these little melons!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuAXa3dl2EyJBv-7I3h84bSLwOQ3s4NmkrlniKN-8lXDXsVbz7bvdDQ8zvawacIiqQR2sX3KAoLIZJWlAhiWGYkFT1spnhJuN24o0Jy9eq4ey8uYqA_vyqUkWNmRR96hGJObyIVdwNko/s1600/IMG_20150703_200000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuAXa3dl2EyJBv-7I3h84bSLwOQ3s4NmkrlniKN-8lXDXsVbz7bvdDQ8zvawacIiqQR2sX3KAoLIZJWlAhiWGYkFT1spnhJuN24o0Jy9eq4ey8uYqA_vyqUkWNmRR96hGJObyIVdwNko/s320/IMG_20150703_200000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm also saving celery seeds! They are the little brow specks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Obi30NvhY3K9JwqOS8SJWCwJUXGrJ9JyeXQ88yr0vl__ha0F4wcNaABVL7T5ZSG5CSNSEaMwzsQqqiLDKhH27CKAdP8LbiefiwQZH6C-xlyXeS0W7oEHXAOmxeUbiA_5D75KistaWmU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Obi30NvhY3K9JwqOS8SJWCwJUXGrJ9JyeXQ88yr0vl__ha0F4wcNaABVL7T5ZSG5CSNSEaMwzsQqqiLDKhH27CKAdP8LbiefiwQZH6C-xlyXeS0W7oEHXAOmxeUbiA_5D75KistaWmU/s320/IMG_20150703_195501.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember when I saved radish seeds? 2 whopping radishes have sprouted from the batch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNA2ZDsAgsSI1gsrpqZT_NlMWFXBK1VZQ9WPOr1OcIfhQReZuDpJOB3X-SNmq3DvpVEjb3w2IDFbj4XvttBOP6NwXYKciFb2qoHhvR39l7lmU5JL_inaccNvs4MdnLLd5dZgtgO-T1Y8/s1600/IMG_20150703_115512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNA2ZDsAgsSI1gsrpqZT_NlMWFXBK1VZQ9WPOr1OcIfhQReZuDpJOB3X-SNmq3DvpVEjb3w2IDFbj4XvttBOP6NwXYKciFb2qoHhvR39l7lmU5JL_inaccNvs4MdnLLd5dZgtgO-T1Y8/s320/IMG_20150703_115512.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little dude, snacking on sun gold cherry tomatoes after swim lessons.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZVt2m6PGPQaNNFwjIW_eCUaACUZAJsnLmOyga8wp_X-kug51lYl3elqfhryK3uXwVdgcb0FwaFZaszEFb6VXyb3HWfUJBmiyGB1H4I2Vud3iEN2ua3tZNhl6TcOQb20DPo4GhGaPHCg/s1600/IMG_20150703_195433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZVt2m6PGPQaNNFwjIW_eCUaACUZAJsnLmOyga8wp_X-kug51lYl3elqfhryK3uXwVdgcb0FwaFZaszEFb6VXyb3HWfUJBmiyGB1H4I2Vud3iEN2ua3tZNhl6TcOQb20DPo4GhGaPHCg/s320/IMG_20150703_195433.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2 pumpkin plants are unimpressive so far. Bummer because I left them so much space to have a wild pumpkin patch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg36o7eTS9n0JHnQdg8quQLWDvBLJtd3gGXaRKGagfLY5nczAbJkIIfBZ-9I4Ayw48WL-9tbJIuOjIYr_cgejURYRPzFhivGEPkxLiO9f_cUw4yyJJ9MArtBsMXuNC-Q00ia1e3lXIo8/s1600/IMG_20150703_195602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg36o7eTS9n0JHnQdg8quQLWDvBLJtd3gGXaRKGagfLY5nczAbJkIIfBZ-9I4Ayw48WL-9tbJIuOjIYr_cgejURYRPzFhivGEPkxLiO9f_cUw4yyJJ9MArtBsMXuNC-Q00ia1e3lXIo8/s320/IMG_20150703_195602.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oranges coming along.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAqynsO30DFBj42PQzPH0IrTST2xdAnIMVFXFWrVxLDpHNxs524j0P7E0vC-4-LvOoYrW4fprjI2EFxTmL1ECkSthA0mlX9tL7qQZh7phApxGem6oX7DZhzgx2hwSLtFk1XlWg1ZkeGU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAqynsO30DFBj42PQzPH0IrTST2xdAnIMVFXFWrVxLDpHNxs524j0P7E0vC-4-LvOoYrW4fprjI2EFxTmL1ECkSthA0mlX9tL7qQZh7phApxGem6oX7DZhzgx2hwSLtFk1XlWg1ZkeGU/s320/IMG_20150703_195613.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunted zucchini plants, because I'm the only gardner who can't grow these very well. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd5U_6woz0HfsKNJaT4gCzHR_asrJqaG2BT6FlORThaRVfenipjeQwS2OmPLsSx3I7cFneTZ0zsEug7FxFVIxE64PmE59PSetlo5oMtJNKMlAsXQJGOAB3PrimkpNVWur9gqEV3J5Bx8/s1600/IMG_20150703_195620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd5U_6woz0HfsKNJaT4gCzHR_asrJqaG2BT6FlORThaRVfenipjeQwS2OmPLsSx3I7cFneTZ0zsEug7FxFVIxE64PmE59PSetlo5oMtJNKMlAsXQJGOAB3PrimkpNVWur9gqEV3J5Bx8/s320/IMG_20150703_195620.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, 4 tomatillo plants in the background and they are looking kind of weak compared with last year. Meanwhile...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG17MRLAS2V7YoPeGXpSx_w__gGAHzErVAZTg_dFvGOxp1e0UzWVvOyu05_tMacPfjdGwNRw7F8EQ8TXjKrNZIHT9603fw6uvdnm-MtHYnHGURf-xtmucq6PS7xWt7SoLKJrn3BKKOaU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJG17MRLAS2V7YoPeGXpSx_w__gGAHzErVAZTg_dFvGOxp1e0UzWVvOyu05_tMacPfjdGwNRw7F8EQ8TXjKrNZIHT9603fw6uvdnm-MtHYnHGURf-xtmucq6PS7xWt7SoLKJrn3BKKOaU/s320/IMG_20150703_195634.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... dynamite volunteer tomatillo plant which cropped up amongst a bunch of garbage. The gardening gods are funny.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhL2rU8et7PvwBqmp54EL0Z3OdHFNmG5M0IvHWaCrY-M1t7Q2sY5EjeQxJVY0hwfXKKQPpWK1SI-KzuWfel9XidQxQXwkN_C-r3RxxdLD_wKxiXQsbc6cA8gr1it1omI6Xr0dQpc1nA0/s1600/IMG_20150703_195726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhL2rU8et7PvwBqmp54EL0Z3OdHFNmG5M0IvHWaCrY-M1t7Q2sY5EjeQxJVY0hwfXKKQPpWK1SI-KzuWfel9XidQxQXwkN_C-r3RxxdLD_wKxiXQsbc6cA8gr1it1omI6Xr0dQpc1nA0/s320/IMG_20150703_195726.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunflower taller than our house.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhTuOrMk1pPeLvvjZemsKeOorerWv99W5tXqXkoSY_heSWmaOen_HKXbUYHwdLANaxhpGvWYZsl29u2kSgLk9BETKjQqPQ1lrqi_OenCFlqEmnrZFyxFqk61MAjt4uQ7YU0aJAkyz7wo/s1600/IMG_20150703_195808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhTuOrMk1pPeLvvjZemsKeOorerWv99W5tXqXkoSY_heSWmaOen_HKXbUYHwdLANaxhpGvWYZsl29u2kSgLk9BETKjQqPQ1lrqi_OenCFlqEmnrZFyxFqk61MAjt4uQ7YU0aJAkyz7wo/s320/IMG_20150703_195808.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grapes coming along nicely.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwXtn9pXE-6F9LJe666NQysVj5d-4mNGLbwIYV8vfTBzDzgCfx00HX5foQCdyqSNQDHwjsk_-REPKuVAoumn7aHeFVH4z10qtxcHhRCJ30UBd7JIV1T-YODpNxZjWt0G6E3dvwdSA1qg/s1600/IMG_20150703_195834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdwXtn9pXE-6F9LJe666NQysVj5d-4mNGLbwIYV8vfTBzDzgCfx00HX5foQCdyqSNQDHwjsk_-REPKuVAoumn7aHeFVH4z10qtxcHhRCJ30UBd7JIV1T-YODpNxZjWt0G6E3dvwdSA1qg/s320/IMG_20150703_195834.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fueling our mojito habit with this mint.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieAp8nX8Eh4HqvpNFwItIHI_en_8IKLFyxHt3QQcDwxKDLaDQL06ZmA96_SUwCJooqbS_sru6CV8ajZcxKLKkfXwrG8OuELDYP4lZtofSzkWpA40ltFIRwn0qWvgo6moMM3zrZUbHoQc/s1600/IMG_20150703_195854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhieAp8nX8Eh4HqvpNFwItIHI_en_8IKLFyxHt3QQcDwxKDLaDQL06ZmA96_SUwCJooqbS_sru6CV8ajZcxKLKkfXwrG8OuELDYP4lZtofSzkWpA40ltFIRwn0qWvgo6moMM3zrZUbHoQc/s320/IMG_20150703_195854.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cucumber jungle overtakes all.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzYiPuY92Qdg7sDr6nRIuyIiVYQsoBOmY0ipkuocQB54CyZrltZK5UZzETchxZiOWeA9T2CQTLWZ4AXbDf8LG7sA7AC8ry0aIt3H_H3MYVKr8u77VmxXkTWc9xRFlnVgc8ENT-a8MNHA/s1600/IMG_20150703_200149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzYiPuY92Qdg7sDr6nRIuyIiVYQsoBOmY0ipkuocQB54CyZrltZK5UZzETchxZiOWeA9T2CQTLWZ4AXbDf8LG7sA7AC8ry0aIt3H_H3MYVKr8u77VmxXkTWc9xRFlnVgc8ENT-a8MNHA/s320/IMG_20150703_200149.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The basil is largely a casualty in the cucumber jungle, but this one variety is doing ok.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenkzjPYNHVzPptPLhAyFwIIHdk-YFK1fCbWdnwVdwAEoe2XCirYqapYuyhjoUzojO3d83KXSEwjqDGuOYF9rnZKFjNQk6zD-nAhftxDD8KBkNwAq4VJB8g9Jdzig9SUC1eLKd1B1uZGU/s1600/IMG_20150703_195907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenkzjPYNHVzPptPLhAyFwIIHdk-YFK1fCbWdnwVdwAEoe2XCirYqapYuyhjoUzojO3d83KXSEwjqDGuOYF9rnZKFjNQk6zD-nAhftxDD8KBkNwAq4VJB8g9Jdzig9SUC1eLKd1B1uZGU/s320/IMG_20150703_195907.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm pretty happy with the tomatoes so far! Some giant ones back there.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASk4VvJohuUHd8_rRCf_5JLBGjN8wNyPnVWc_YHj49gaIvJSosdc7hssJ8LxnkxYBjkU2hyMv5BwpJUCvMr916HCHXdBNdcsf9W0VmZluEV-w7cVpVLtpDo_0drC8RH9DmRVzXQ8r4V0/s1600/IMG_20150703_195928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASk4VvJohuUHd8_rRCf_5JLBGjN8wNyPnVWc_YHj49gaIvJSosdc7hssJ8LxnkxYBjkU2hyMv5BwpJUCvMr916HCHXdBNdcsf9W0VmZluEV-w7cVpVLtpDo_0drC8RH9DmRVzXQ8r4V0/s320/IMG_20150703_195928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This eggplant has only one destiny. Baba ghanouj.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhCZH4roYGdYi7JAiunAtPl1gPCOWPyc3Ni7ulRc8qwOiYbJLsvXcqKly1V7Vbz028XeqSWJyzyi-Zt-eyuE7x583L1YsB_-WpxTNTzMBi5G1OvZDb-vgEpxLXpBseEiw3Ip8kStGmIY/s1600/IMG_20150703_200205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhCZH4roYGdYi7JAiunAtPl1gPCOWPyc3Ni7ulRc8qwOiYbJLsvXcqKly1V7Vbz028XeqSWJyzyi-Zt-eyuE7x583L1YsB_-WpxTNTzMBi5G1OvZDb-vgEpxLXpBseEiw3Ip8kStGmIY/s320/IMG_20150703_200205.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best looking onions I have ever grown.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbwWcH3Mgv__HC9O2q4EyBnw05xh9bCOeZ3nctJ_tQhPbviWkmUn2XGqV_r44CylcFWqmg8wDrk7m9or67V5I2VDycrEIYD5Iq4uavZyQToefVH-rdy141-HgONF9794fvX9SWuOy_zA/s1600/IMG_20150703_200212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbwWcH3Mgv__HC9O2q4EyBnw05xh9bCOeZ3nctJ_tQhPbviWkmUn2XGqV_r44CylcFWqmg8wDrk7m9or67V5I2VDycrEIYD5Iq4uavZyQToefVH-rdy141-HgONF9794fvX9SWuOy_zA/s320/IMG_20150703_200212.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The carrots are suffering in this heat. I've let the lettuce go to flower so the bees have some food.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kQivwIkNykNHmsuviRZajS5TKiGop4M_jxe4vbiUnnzBO_C73BjHRfvH-DMD7bWAvPhncAwF4SLSQqDac52EvVAmTxBqrdwi5_WH29EctNCCEJUPjZQT7eLBKz99eeMPb3G0Qr6HKuw/s1600/IMG_20150703_200605.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kQivwIkNykNHmsuviRZajS5TKiGop4M_jxe4vbiUnnzBO_C73BjHRfvH-DMD7bWAvPhncAwF4SLSQqDac52EvVAmTxBqrdwi5_WH29EctNCCEJUPjZQT7eLBKz99eeMPb3G0Qr6HKuw/s320/IMG_20150703_200605.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, peeking inside the bee hive, this is what we can see from the top. It smells amazing!</td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-77356876548486230482015-06-27T23:01:00.000-07:002015-06-27T23:01:07.187-07:00Hot Jam, Summer in the City<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj154Saa7MMHPqvemD9SuObFuBNd-FKgz8qd-jsYlMKWy0bg1bIgDO1GUHW9M98RPPYzYpfgl4d5m4jPBIA_Wk3TLGnFpaabpV8nwbRY7gPAeYc7dCYl465Tn3DZlxFM53AbsrwBjPibmA/s1600/IMG_20150530_215009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj154Saa7MMHPqvemD9SuObFuBNd-FKgz8qd-jsYlMKWy0bg1bIgDO1GUHW9M98RPPYzYpfgl4d5m4jPBIA_Wk3TLGnFpaabpV8nwbRY7gPAeYc7dCYl465Tn3DZlxFM53AbsrwBjPibmA/s320/IMG_20150530_215009.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last year I made Jalapeno Jelly and I truly dug it. I enjoyed eating it with homemade goat cheese. I was pretty skeptical that I would like it because I'm not that into spicy things. So, I made a small patch that netted 2.5 8 oz jars. I gave 1 full jar to my folks, one to the in-laws and was sure that 1/2 of a jar would be plenty for my consumption. Once I tried the jam, I knew I totally miscalculated. I enjoyed every last drop of my jam and vowed to make more next time around.<br />
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Flash forward to next year, and we planted like 8 hot pepper plants. 2 padron peppers. 2 jalapenos, 1 serrano, 1 fresno chili, and I can't remember what the other two were and I've since lost the signs. I figured I would likely also do atkins again this year and there's nothing like jalapenos, cream cheese and bacon as a diet staple food, right?<br />
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Earlier in the week I selected 4-5 peppers, plus one bell pepper for the purpose of making jam. But every night I was too exhausted and the weather was just too hot to heat up a kitchen with all the canning falderal.<br />
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However, tonight was the night. I still made a <a href="http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2011/08/jalapeno-pepper-jam/">small recipe</a> because of the relatively small yield I have ripe... but this time I might not share.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3z4JpjMOo7hLKhfVjVPHUpjC_ubbStfaCrJQJsoemDn4t_jGneS0ntdKKEv_ilYpKx8xTCO50rLG0yBNHmkUv5_TV3r0rxlua9HhLh7GYLrM0w4JH0VkMaL9QA-BGK1O5Asi73v7D_E/s1600/IMG_20150627_220829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzlgLa_TVTy6bVkt4XUnCZWEzHBzTuR7PcwZBczxqjQpmu6UalBmKdd_H1q7SS0pcundTjOGTZ6SvlmNzu_Mac1AWxKEJAYB6UmZ4m_nK-4k3Tp4wzGjjLBvZp2DN-jQ8o32jC47tPpo/s1600/IMG_20150627_222426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzlgLa_TVTy6bVkt4XUnCZWEzHBzTuR7PcwZBczxqjQpmu6UalBmKdd_H1q7SS0pcundTjOGTZ6SvlmNzu_Mac1AWxKEJAYB6UmZ4m_nK-4k3Tp4wzGjjLBvZp2DN-jQ8o32jC47tPpo/s200/IMG_20150627_222426.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguytrX9V7NGuNDkOEK9vuyoKzU1A-_DXe6fNoZb4Sz92-VEMUgq6wnG8kekdj_Q2qZKMyfEqQNjU6EfHYGuOtMNshF3kdNNSLxMuIKPLhymrkGbJXYAy6wrbNRqmEuNCvm8ZeDdPQjWdQ/s1600/IMG_20150627_215100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguytrX9V7NGuNDkOEK9vuyoKzU1A-_DXe6fNoZb4Sz92-VEMUgq6wnG8kekdj_Q2qZKMyfEqQNjU6EfHYGuOtMNshF3kdNNSLxMuIKPLhymrkGbJXYAy6wrbNRqmEuNCvm8ZeDdPQjWdQ/s200/IMG_20150627_215100.jpg" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3z4JpjMOo7hLKhfVjVPHUpjC_ubbStfaCrJQJsoemDn4t_jGneS0ntdKKEv_ilYpKx8xTCO50rLG0yBNHmkUv5_TV3r0rxlua9HhLh7GYLrM0w4JH0VkMaL9QA-BGK1O5Asi73v7D_E/s200/IMG_20150627_220829.jpg" width="150" /></div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-50732920780535055002015-06-05T23:31:00.001-07:002015-06-05T23:31:22.404-07:00The Paradox of Community Gardens<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4eEOKYyyqcDKG0nxbR6Otq_u-V0WcyKJk0aktIVw1DBEhxkgoudxelhJ6K9mUfqxHPPimsyfm4dhYhwLahVg_nlEf0wQNIpbv9aGQ9eBHrAG1C0equVX6NY7UIyEX4JN6nxrE99KYgc/s1600/IMG_20150606_014518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4eEOKYyyqcDKG0nxbR6Otq_u-V0WcyKJk0aktIVw1DBEhxkgoudxelhJ6K9mUfqxHPPimsyfm4dhYhwLahVg_nlEf0wQNIpbv9aGQ9eBHrAG1C0equVX6NY7UIyEX4JN6nxrE99KYgc/s320/IMG_20150606_014518.jpg" width="320" /></a>When I was living in an apartment with no balcony or outside space to grow anything, I would have jumped at the chance to take on a community garden plot. I've always been a fan of them. They provide space to the spaceless, and they break up the suburban/urban landscape with interesting plants to look at. They are teeming with life. What's not to love? I never gave much thought to the "community" aspect of it, though. And after an experience today, I really wonder whether they do, in fact, breed a sense of community.<br />
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I'm thankful that my employer organizes volunteer events. I managed to snag a spot to volunteer at a community garden about a mile from my house. It's been around about 10 years and I've visited it a few times for special events like seedlings sales. In addition to the chance to participate in back breaking labor, we also got an hour long tour of the grounds, detailed descriptions of the various plants being grown and loads of gardening tips. All of this was great. But of course, leave it to me to dwell on the one negative thing that was said. <br />
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Turns out that a big problem in the garden is rampant theft. Theft of supplies (tools, wheelbarrows, etc.) and theft of entire crops the people spent months growing. I can't even imagine how demoralizing that must be for those who spent so much time on those plots. I also cringe thinking about the situation of the people desperate (or mean?) enough to take someone's entire crop. <br />
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Now, I grow plenty of produce in the front yard. I have noticed a missing tomato or melon now and then, but never had anyone go so far as to clean me out just because it's there. Perhaps there's more of a fear of being caught trespassing on personal property. Or maybe there's a fundamental misunderstanding re: what the gardens are there for -- there is a total lack of signs explaining what is going on or what the expectation is.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHb0iKTlw-1L_zLdBi-kG101rrz04rvUmO610LgLUl0fx65lbson1lC-gwakIOdI6Bfapk9TDGi2ZpntHEeWLLo9fnv4LS4COwsGWkSIu9quGsTgql3eyATKw8o8QIPHiy5EQ8g1pnKWY/s1600/IMG_20150606_014527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHb0iKTlw-1L_zLdBi-kG101rrz04rvUmO610LgLUl0fx65lbson1lC-gwakIOdI6Bfapk9TDGi2ZpntHEeWLLo9fnv4LS4COwsGWkSIu9quGsTgql3eyATKw8o8QIPHiy5EQ8g1pnKWY/s320/IMG_20150606_014527.jpg" width="320" /></a>So, does that garden feel like a "community"? Or does each gardener eye any passerby with suspicion? Does that suck all the joy out of gardening? I know there's got to be economies of scale in community gardens, so I'd really love to see them as a healthy ecosystem. But I don't have any great ideas without turning them into a police state. Sigh. I would, however, like to see city governments get more involved in promoting & expanding the use of such gardens to feed the hungry (or malnourished in the case of food desserts...). <br />
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I know this is a luxury of the fortunate to be able to grow food on their own land. And I treasure it every time I walk into my garden. For me, I have made an effort to garden with a sense of community. I love that people stop and look at my plants as they walk down the street, sometimes offering a kind word of encouragement. I love that I have traded crops with families down the street when we each have an excess of something. I love that when my friends or family have an excess of a crop, they give me some to enjoy, or I repurpose or preserve it and give it back to them. For instance, tonight I was the lucky recipient of a bushel of carrots and onions. We ate some fresh with dinner. But then I <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ted-allen/refrigerator-pickles-cauliflower-carrots-cukes-you-name-it-recipe.html">pickled a bunch</a> too and will give most of those pickles back to the original owner -- helping them enjoy their harvest after they had thought they got the last bit of joy out of it. <br />
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While it's a lot of fun to share the bounty this way, it would be even more fun if some of my friends got into this whole canning/preserving hobby so we can do it together. Seriously, people, I'm running out of jars. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFhR5g2umDTEliYlzsO7vQHCZCNYUNqzutBUzDw3YoEr4ZGfSq88TWL67_QPQrgvPh298RFxJWYLN010RP-uKeFpFWNbGs43Nj3HGPf-cXcOcUZw3SQJYBXuLRgnuyuk-mRvle-2ITLA/s1600/IMG_20150606_014845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFhR5g2umDTEliYlzsO7vQHCZCNYUNqzutBUzDw3YoEr4ZGfSq88TWL67_QPQrgvPh298RFxJWYLN010RP-uKeFpFWNbGs43Nj3HGPf-cXcOcUZw3SQJYBXuLRgnuyuk-mRvle-2ITLA/s320/IMG_20150606_014845.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Milestone: everything on this cutting board was home grown either by me or my friend!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JBHr9wz4YfRbVwH9_QAJMH1NiCUdLOkbbliSLbuEsCuaBaZuGxwvshhe9mpqgJ-SUQRjg0p-PN0gMWvN40DE3OJeJKec19xAt_lbN80-oQWkUS8LkwIvZE8p3xAbjKxFOP6zWE1mzPc/s1600/IMG_20150606_021702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3JBHr9wz4YfRbVwH9_QAJMH1NiCUdLOkbbliSLbuEsCuaBaZuGxwvshhe9mpqgJ-SUQRjg0p-PN0gMWvN40DE3OJeJKec19xAt_lbN80-oQWkUS8LkwIvZE8p3xAbjKxFOP6zWE1mzPc/s320/IMG_20150606_021702.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA7QyihqG_8vlA2QbAZAEMaoasOII8m3jBJM4t5Yss7s-c2OAeb-xfJ-PKg23FGASMc7lwOzvAR1fWuXiLT-OEKVSE9jV8H4lrAeoRIwb16V3WtCaC6ZfqBKjVwvafW_ZLEWmLzhi5I8/s1600/IMG_20150606_023551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibA7QyihqG_8vlA2QbAZAEMaoasOII8m3jBJM4t5Yss7s-c2OAeb-xfJ-PKg23FGASMc7lwOzvAR1fWuXiLT-OEKVSE9jV8H4lrAeoRIwb16V3WtCaC6ZfqBKjVwvafW_ZLEWmLzhi5I8/s320/IMG_20150606_023551.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-60842599905777380592015-05-31T23:03:00.000-07:002015-05-31T23:03:09.882-07:00No guts, no glory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzz-ZP6waR3ZHJr_n4LoYIq5Gf-He7tLqHwOPfVJPjxw8Uq6IJkQvSoav3yHmSC3C0SRQwZk0il4sDHPvNONaHl_SWqYGpzT5MqvCLfepedTwnI-1uVzvd3yltadOiDnvl3zH55bq2t6c/s1600/IMG_20150531_174452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzz-ZP6waR3ZHJr_n4LoYIq5Gf-He7tLqHwOPfVJPjxw8Uq6IJkQvSoav3yHmSC3C0SRQwZk0il4sDHPvNONaHl_SWqYGpzT5MqvCLfepedTwnI-1uVzvd3yltadOiDnvl3zH55bq2t6c/s320/IMG_20150531_174452.jpg" width="320" /></a>As promised, we went back to the fishing spot again today. This time, I came prepared with a container to take home the fish guts to add to the garden. The proprietors were nice enough to give me lots of extra fish guts from other patrons! Last week they asked me if I wanted to take any home and I regretfully passed. I thought I wouldn't really have use for it because the garden has been planted for months -- the time to use that kind of material is a month or two before you start planting, right? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvcNX8_-gMg4ohTorBQon4lzneWDwG3TesxwlCyJwLgCPH59GyTkqr75FFKZADjiWScqC3NnWWt-yuOqDiJICECfoQv81ZckHtb3qkhHZkEu-oBXdk-xPJbvaPoQptmjO_8BGBr7ccp4/s1600/IMG_20150531_175215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVvcNX8_-gMg4ohTorBQon4lzneWDwG3TesxwlCyJwLgCPH59GyTkqr75FFKZADjiWScqC3NnWWt-yuOqDiJICECfoQv81ZckHtb3qkhHZkEu-oBXdk-xPJbvaPoQptmjO_8BGBr7ccp4/s320/IMG_20150531_175215.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well, then I remembered the area that is supposed to be our pumpkin patch. While we do have 2 pumpkin plants and 2 butternut squash plants, none of those plants are taking off like gangbusters, so maybe that area could use some supplementing. I dug a trench in that general area and a couple of extra holes, and in went the fish guts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa6RFnywGFlTUWmBDgYY2jujVI68gZJRRc5LIO8Srh-rLfcyUIJ068IovpVKVn-e5ww1Baree9TjebOU-r4nFGp0FFaadlKb3tqnrcMGiReAY9UZvafAUWhdWj5wUtm8ryHlMDt4TgWk/s1600/IMG_20150531_175052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa6RFnywGFlTUWmBDgYY2jujVI68gZJRRc5LIO8Srh-rLfcyUIJ068IovpVKVn-e5ww1Baree9TjebOU-r4nFGp0FFaadlKb3tqnrcMGiReAY9UZvafAUWhdWj5wUtm8ryHlMDt4TgWk/s320/IMG_20150531_175052.jpg" width="320" /></a>I tried to do a decent job of covering it up, lest a random animal digs these up. </div>
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It struck me how much of gardening is a "planner's" game, and how much it inherently fits with my personality. I guess every worry wart should take up gardening. I'm serious... what is gardening but planning for the future? We pour through seed catalogs. We make meticulous garden plans. We amend the soil. We plan for pests and predators. We preserve the harvest lest we let any crop go to waste. And then, we save seeds to do it all again next year.</div>
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I thought a lot about seeds this year. I helped run a school fundraiser where we grew seedling starts. A bunch of our sales inventory was derived from seeds that I saved in previous years. It bugged the crap out of me to have to go to the store to buy seeds. For example, I bought a zucchini seed pack that had a measly 13 seeds in it. Of those seeds, I think only 2 or 3 germinated. The pack probably cost somewhere between $3 and $4. It's not that the money will break me or anything, but knowing that in my own garden I can generate a giant pile of seeds makes it hard to justify buying into a crummy supply chain that probably treats those seeds with God knows what. So, if my laziness about pulling plants allows me to reap the reward of having free seeds, so be it!<br />
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When I used a hot pepper the other day, I kept those seeds. I love saving pepper seeds because it's so easy. I don't have to do the same fermentation treatment that I need to do for cucumbers and tomatoes. I just leave it in a fine mess sieve over a few days and let it air out. I know I'll be planting these again!</div>
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Next, I assigned the kids the job of harvesting the seed from the snap peas from the winter. I kept one plant going after we'd had our fill of snap peas, hoping it will yield a bunch of seeds for next year. I'm a little disappointed I didn't have more supply. I'll remember that next year and save a few more plants.</div>
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Next weekend's project will be the meditative task of harvesting the radish seed pods.<br />
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-50891636326271093902015-05-30T23:18:00.002-07:002015-05-30T23:18:43.504-07:00The Case Against Waiting for Peak Ripeness<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCP6pZXesDIK3y2XmzMGwGgR_f4YTIR1ZK4jFSaFcTBf3OvrTTGyX8Q0VKaJbmGbd9HEtR8pJ8-wk676LIlMKr1S_x2LWjo3dG2PDtBiSa9Ez6sojVC7AfYBMH7TqYz-y_G034yVisQqk/s1600/IMG_20150525_221027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCP6pZXesDIK3y2XmzMGwGgR_f4YTIR1ZK4jFSaFcTBf3OvrTTGyX8Q0VKaJbmGbd9HEtR8pJ8-wk676LIlMKr1S_x2LWjo3dG2PDtBiSa9Ez6sojVC7AfYBMH7TqYz-y_G034yVisQqk/s200/IMG_20150525_221027.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I had this bizarre garden stress lately. I looked around my garden at the beautiful lush foliage and lamented the fact that there wasn't much to harvest. It's the awkward feeling of being between seasons and not having much to show for it on the dinner table. (At the same time, I feel a slight panic that come a month or two from now, everything will be ready all at once and we won't be able to eat it all or have time to process or preserve everything and all of the effort will feel like a big waste.) I know this seems like a silly thing to worry about... but worry rarely listens to reason.<div>
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The bean plants, though amazingly tall already, have not produced any pods yet. The tomato plants, even though they are leafy and big, have only a few (mostly green) tomatoes on them. The peppers are really promising, but they are still green, and the kids like sweeter peppers, so we need to give them time to ripen. Of the 3 broccoli plants, maybe 1 will produce a head the size of an apricot. (The other two are not long for this world...) The carrots have a few weeks to go, I think. The cucumbers (if they are even there) are hiding behind a mass of leaves. We have a ton of onions... but that's not really a meal. There's a lot of green all around, for sure, but what have you done for me lately, plants??</div>
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So I had to break myself out of this funk and take a closer look for some inspiration.</div>
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I started with baby steps. We had picked a couple of zucchinis earlier this week -- and truth be told, no one here is that crazy about zukes. I basically grow them for zucchini bread or juicing. I had used half of one to make zucchini muffins. I decided to use what I had left to make zucchini latkes. I could incorporate some of our onions and basil that we had leftover from a previous meal. <br />
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Ta da. Zucchini latkes. (In the background, bacon wrapped hot dogs because... children.)</div>
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Well that wasn't so hard now, was it? It's a meal (or at least part of one) from ingredients I wasn't previously that excited about. What else ya got?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vhSdhYDJ_DMVo3hQj_sbVjFFa4l6xI31q61N8K-j1cAgzpZX2O6ZnLZxLABgdlb-7qIh-CU8Ighb_Xn76P4Lcg7U5FkUNR3gY6BX48VJJEM2cD24eiEuLGybnjC8jm7G3Tf9yC2GGPg/s1600/IMG_20150530_204647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0vhSdhYDJ_DMVo3hQj_sbVjFFa4l6xI31q61N8K-j1cAgzpZX2O6ZnLZxLABgdlb-7qIh-CU8Ighb_Xn76P4Lcg7U5FkUNR3gY6BX48VJJEM2cD24eiEuLGybnjC8jm7G3Tf9yC2GGPg/s320/IMG_20150530_204647.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielUuKuQq6CoTEUrvZBCwDjGJIRRgejmFzFmlQmOmWmNyoYtefNxOIJJaSlH_HvnDNEKm0hJwQnAvzJ4gX_a37-_xGdq6ktWlDih7F81YsD8TPVXXzb12sBItYe7pz-4TUOIBRIdGJLjs/s1600/IMG_20150530_172747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielUuKuQq6CoTEUrvZBCwDjGJIRRgejmFzFmlQmOmWmNyoYtefNxOIJJaSlH_HvnDNEKm0hJwQnAvzJ4gX_a37-_xGdq6ktWlDih7F81YsD8TPVXXzb12sBItYe7pz-4TUOIBRIdGJLjs/s320/IMG_20150530_172747.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well, my dill plants are looking really great. My dill usually fizzles out 10 minutes after it pops out of the ground, so I feel compelled to do something with it. But what? Hm. Dill pickles are awesome. I just know there has got to be some usable cucumbers behind that jungle of thorns. I'm going in .... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyrxT22EKft6Izm-guTNpT0d8inD_f_pZJ7ijTb9IuxbSsLMWR2LMqjFB0002CIj6yc6QEilrrbI5E1NtesekD_uw_FoqCgzyeM_RnRNDNjgVQUzrJe5jcAYLXJQSpWvWYpEZBgkyAXc/s1600/IMG_20150530_211135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyrxT22EKft6Izm-guTNpT0d8inD_f_pZJ7ijTb9IuxbSsLMWR2LMqjFB0002CIj6yc6QEilrrbI5E1NtesekD_uw_FoqCgzyeM_RnRNDNjgVQUzrJe5jcAYLXJQSpWvWYpEZBgkyAXc/s320/IMG_20150530_211135.jpg" width="320" /></a>I manage to snag a few beauties. Normally I would wait till they got bigger before picking. I think I'm still kind of wedded to the size that produce is when you buy it at the grocery store. But I just have to get over that and recognize that if it looks good, eat it! I happen to have a few more ingredients on hand that would go well into the pickle jar. I add some garlic that I pulled straight out of the ground -- whose got time to let it cure, right?, and a fresno chile pepper (pictured way up above). Then I combine those ingredients with peppercorns and a hot apple cider vinegar brine. These will be refrigerator pickles - ready to eat in 48 hours.</div>
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Now we're talking. Who is hungry for dinner? The cilantro looks great and needs to be used. We have half a hot pepper. We only have 4 orange cherry tomatoes ready to eat -- that's not going to work for salsa, but we do have some store bought grape tomatoes. We also have more onions. We have green peppers. Fajitas it is. I like to marinate the onions and cilantro with white wine vinegar and salt. Next, the salsa, incorporating the grape tomatoes, cilantro, and hot pepper. Next, I sautée the unripe green pepper with onions. (Now, normally my peppers turn out thin and papery... this one was thick and crunchy!) </div>
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Dinner (rounded out with avocado, and amazing skirt stake, seasoned by a homemade southwestern rub) was scrumptious. I feel embarrassed that just a day or two before I roamed the garden, essentially complaining that there was nothing to eat. </div>
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My takeaway is to seek inspiration in the small morsels and build meals around that. The bushels can wait. </div>
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Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-2566645602840084772015-05-25T20:28:00.001-07:002015-05-25T20:28:40.937-07:00Mint-spiration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITwOdGXAfvIolNljBs-0uNJZQX2cqtKEo-FR9vAU2no4W3TwMGKsPtuhI3hHsYEkzGVaEqpPQrcl072JRwDYytYOmFJtTw5dYHUPzx5nvhLZwtGjG8Td5sqk1F-39xNNRchPq82lO0Hg/s1600/IMG_20150525_184340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITwOdGXAfvIolNljBs-0uNJZQX2cqtKEo-FR9vAU2no4W3TwMGKsPtuhI3hHsYEkzGVaEqpPQrcl072JRwDYytYOmFJtTw5dYHUPzx5nvhLZwtGjG8Td5sqk1F-39xNNRchPq82lO0Hg/s320/IMG_20150525_184340.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm generally not a huge fan of mint flavored things. (Exception: mojitos) The flavor is typically so strong and artificial, harsh and medicinal. I mean, who hasn't had a swig mouthwash and wished they could eat it as a dessert? Um, pass.</div>
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But a couple of years ago, J. and I had a great vacation meal where the only dessert option was a homemade mint chip ice cream with mint they were growing out back. This was a whole 'nother ball game. The mint gave just a hint of freshness in the background. It's one of the first things I was looking forward to making when we got an ice cream maker last summer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2X7_CHTHyz_flyKWCAfJT9_0iI8f-es4aQJ-2jX4k6NO7ykLCzto7e8nVoTe3GidjtsKVSpgPlkobUL8jUutSR-tsOVd44OzKG6a6wBD1nR2LnzjnnXC090OqM9qk-jTerldZKI6rt8/s1600/IMG_20150525_205720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2X7_CHTHyz_flyKWCAfJT9_0iI8f-es4aQJ-2jX4k6NO7ykLCzto7e8nVoTe3GidjtsKVSpgPlkobUL8jUutSR-tsOVd44OzKG6a6wBD1nR2LnzjnnXC090OqM9qk-jTerldZKI6rt8/s320/IMG_20150525_205720.jpg" width="320" /></a>So, this year, we tried growing mint from seed. It was doing great! I usually kill mint pretty quickly -- probably from being in too small a pot. So, when I looked at my lush red pot of mint, my mind naturally went to, "use it or lose it." Same goes for the oreo cookie crust that I've had stashed that is nearing (ok, just passed) it's expiration date.</div>
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I used this surprisingly non-fussy <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/273690/no-cook-mint-ice-cream">Martha Stewart recipe</a>. I liked it because I didn't want to futz with making a custard, and I had a 3 year old insisting on "helping." We got to muddle mint with sugar (easy to delegate that task). Then let the milk & cream absorb the flavor of the mint for 2 hours. I added Ghirardelli dark chocolate chunks about 3-5 minutes before the churning was done. Then dumped it into the crust, and let it set for about 2 hours in the freezer. </div>
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A good and delicious time was had by all. </div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-20275172467679718672015-05-24T22:51:00.000-07:002015-05-24T22:52:54.954-07:00Smoke 'em if you got 'em<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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So, it's been more than a year since my last post. What gives? In short, I've discovered that I'm a pretty lazy blogger. Sometimes it's easier to post a picture to your circle of friends without much explanation and get the enthusiastic response that friends can always be counted for. But what I miss is the reflection that I used to come by when I would compose my posts. There's a little bit more of a story -- beginning, middle and end. I also liked (and, to be honest, sometimes dreaded) the hunt for a good post. I've had a few of those 'oh, that would be a great post' moments, but overcoming inertia is hard. Busting out the camera is hard. Setting time to actually write it before it feels stale in your head is hard. Well, suck it up, lady! Let's do this!</div>
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We discovered a great mom & pop trout farm. It's called <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/troutmere-fishing-la-honda">Troutmere</a> (the page has no website, so the Yelp review link must do). The pond is really well stocked and their only rule is that you must purchase every fish you catch (as opposed to throwing it back). </div>
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We went there over the weekend with the kids (now 6 and 3) and no one had any problems catching fish. The kids giggled like crazy and had a blast -- but I think I had even more fun!</div>
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Part of me struggled with the imminent bounty we were about to collect, because I knew that I could stand there catching loads of fish all day -- but we're not the biggest consumers of fish, so we really had to moderate ourselves. We had 12 trout in the bucket -- probably the average length about 9-10 inches each. As we were walking up to pay, I had a flash of inspiration. Smoked fish! (Somewhere my endless marathon watching of survivalist type shows like Alaska the Last Frontier, sunk in, and I had visions of smokehouses and endless trays of fishy goodness.) I went in for just one more.</div>
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J. looked me like I was crazy. We don't know how to smoke fish. We don't have a smoker. We don't have wood chips. But, like most of my ideas, he typically is a good sport about it and lets me run with it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rODS_X218zRXaVIPqTZKrAIYc7M3n49D23iWKZxB6iqW4OhY_x6h5DI5pKe_k-8T_BaOGJ0RXZFaCuUk4ep1OzAjjdYLAncU4LJQZ6OhPL70an15W-yEC6WMlZ_J3PVI0Mt1kpVVQn4/s1600/11101868_10153020547919585_7806513742022799216_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rODS_X218zRXaVIPqTZKrAIYc7M3n49D23iWKZxB6iqW4OhY_x6h5DI5pKe_k-8T_BaOGJ0RXZFaCuUk4ep1OzAjjdYLAncU4LJQZ6OhPL70an15W-yEC6WMlZ_J3PVI0Mt1kpVVQn4/s320/11101868_10153020547919585_7806513742022799216_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>We saw a few guides online re: <a href="http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_turn_your_kettle_grill_into_a_smoker/">how to modify the weber kettle grill into a smoker</a>. I picked up some hickory wood chips at Safeway. I already had all the ingredients at home for the brine. (1/2 cup salt, 3/4 brown sugar, 1 tbsp granulated garlic, 1/2 tbsp powdered ginger, 1 cup soy sauce, 4 cups water). We soaked the wood chips and brined 7 fish over night. (We grilled the first 6 last night with friends.)</div>
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Today, J. smoked the fish on the grill. I won't pretend to know all the intricacies of the timing and the temperature and what not, all I know is that what came out of the BBQ was heavenly. The instant I tasted that rich, smokey, savory test-flake I knew that fishing would now be a life-long hobby. </div>
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Even though it would have been easy to devour all of those fish in one go, I thought it would be fun to turn them into a smoke trout spread. From our garden: dill and green onion. (We never have much luck with dill, but this year looks like a promising start! Hope they last for when pickle season comes). So, to 3 flaked fish add the tablespoon of dill & 1/3 cup of green onion, 2 tablespoon of mayo, 1/4 cup of cream cheese, a tablespoon or 2 of capers with some of their brine. </div>
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This easily rivaled the best smoke trout dips I've had at restaurants. We're already making plans to go fishing again. And J.? He's in the kitchen right now brining chicken drumsticks for smoking tomorrow. I think he's hooked, too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a little of our arugula and spread on a wholewheat bagel </td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-50421050248685306122014-04-06T21:14:00.001-07:002014-04-06T21:17:44.204-07:00Mountains of Kale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So, we had a bunch of Kale. Then we had a bunch of bugs eating the Kale. So I pulled out a mountain of kale and began an epic juicing. One fun part of this is that I got to use our new big sink in the garage. It felt like a restaurant operation!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ePOXAUiTW5R_HiS_jFIK3ceoyK6gC6zNALb01wRRVRJdVVN7nr0uRO18_qCXPjdKuC_FZO6yhu7vyqF1IuwIHaAq7nLHm3yds8zwKmwS39_DYC2sIbMqdRwxRqL_NAg39vRVDx13CHo/s1600/IMG_20140222_115420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ePOXAUiTW5R_HiS_jFIK3ceoyK6gC6zNALb01wRRVRJdVVN7nr0uRO18_qCXPjdKuC_FZO6yhu7vyqF1IuwIHaAq7nLHm3yds8zwKmwS39_DYC2sIbMqdRwxRqL_NAg39vRVDx13CHo/s1600/IMG_20140222_115420.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then I froze the kale juice. I toss one of these cubes into the Magic Bullet, along side other goodies like apple juice, fresh mint from the garden and pistachios. It's kale juice... you can chew! :) <br />
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We've got a crazy amount of celery, onions and garlic a-comin' :)<br />
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-60016484197641526722014-03-26T22:52:00.001-07:002014-03-26T22:52:52.785-07:00Mountains of Peas<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">In hindsight, we planted an insane amount of peas. Snap peas. Snow peas. Shelling peas. Bush style peas. I expected them to be ready at different times and to bring a variety of sorts. In reality, they've all been ready at once. The kids have been great sports and eating them almost every night. Mostly we have been eating them fresh and they are sweet and juicy. Last night, however, I made pea & roasted cauliflower soup. I added a little mint & lemon juice and zest to keep it springy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">One of the cool things about working with a garden consultant is that it is forcing me to be disciplined about yanking out the plant in time for the next season's plantings. Tomorrow we're supposed to start planting corn (yay!) and that means I needed to pull out one of the beds of peas -- otherwise I'd let it drag on for a few more weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Knowing that this was coming, I have been harvesting like crazy all week. Today I assumed there wasn't much left on the plant but I still came out with a bushel of peas! So, I decided to prepare a quart back of blanched and frozen peas.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the freezer for an hour, so they freeze individually and not in a massive block.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final product. Maybe for a nice pea soup in the summer when I'm sick of tomatoes. :)</td></tr>
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Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-68691569664451704972014-01-26T17:47:00.000-08:002014-01-26T17:47:45.848-08:00Pile it High and Kiss it Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year I read a great book called <a href="http://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/turn-here-sweet-corn">Turn Here Sweet Corn</a>. One of the little lessons I took from it was a technique that farmers' markets (and supermarkets, for that matter) use in order to sell their goods. They create the appearance of plenty. I started noticing this at the markets. Large pyramids constructed of broccoli. Overflowing Bushels of carrots. Tables tops full of packed rows of strawberries, each open slot replaced as soon as a purchase is made -- careful not to display a gap in merchandise. "Pile it High and Kiss it Goodbye." There's an obvious psychological component here. You feel good buying something when you know there's lot more to be enjoyed by others (and presumably previously enjoyed by others). You feel squeamish about buying the last sad bag of potatoes -- even if there appears to be nothing wrong with those potatoes. </div>
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I started to wonder how this principle may be at play in my garden. There definitely have been times where I hesitated to harvest something from the garden because we didn't have too many of them. Then, before I knew it, said plant bolted, or a predator took it, or it became bitter and woody. Such a waste. </div>
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Compare that to this year where in some cases I planted way more than I ever thought we'd eat... like 26 lettuce plants. Lo and behold, because there's so much out there, I haven't been miserly about the crop, and have been picking lettuce for lots of salads, sandwiches, and snacking on the go. And the yield is not totally out of control. The plants seem to be happy at the pace of which I am 'pruning' them. We're happy because we're enjoying the harvest without stress.</div>
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I wonder what other parts of my life this could apply to .... shoe shopping?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodZ1kkprjmmNJfhkbEE6J8rMvA6ASnVc4IK5wUiWl1nughH9mZ0SCPD4e_oRjfi12FbL0LtmlQY45pO8CTGhJKFT4wnRjCYyM4MhSHFddUT6C90kC8BijOUjTi1qpB45ddmiq3UUajvw/s1600/IMG_20140125_164139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhodZ1kkprjmmNJfhkbEE6J8rMvA6ASnVc4IK5wUiWl1nughH9mZ0SCPD4e_oRjfi12FbL0LtmlQY45pO8CTGhJKFT4wnRjCYyM4MhSHFddUT6C90kC8BijOUjTi1qpB45ddmiq3UUajvw/s1600/IMG_20140125_164139.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gK0RkPgiFsSTeh1sjRQ2wN14H1f22z2HnMBWbaK05CwaJTOqov2cmwwlnsvXOk_Jn-JhtZLEV7cs94ZZHSzyU3gLESOTBEUHA0ebjsFEICYNjYy4WIieKev3fuUwDrv9YCbFlUIaH4U/s1600/IMG_20140125_164329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gK0RkPgiFsSTeh1sjRQ2wN14H1f22z2HnMBWbaK05CwaJTOqov2cmwwlnsvXOk_Jn-JhtZLEV7cs94ZZHSzyU3gLESOTBEUHA0ebjsFEICYNjYy4WIieKev3fuUwDrv9YCbFlUIaH4U/s1600/IMG_20140125_164329.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the largest head of broccoli that I have ever grown!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted with cauliflower, olive oil, salt & pepper and cumin</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOe6LaQOb4LK0b4zPYmTW3iR4YQl4Ud1QAjqLYDTyHYqdEOqSED2ez25WEAGelspMFQlXC0zmrGQEp0396wnpXeqi-PNCZFs_Mf7qsgV6TVifqIBgj8kdKS3brtJdL3zvxFSc-QQMKpQ/s1600/IMG_20140125_164256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKOe6LaQOb4LK0b4zPYmTW3iR4YQl4Ud1QAjqLYDTyHYqdEOqSED2ez25WEAGelspMFQlXC0zmrGQEp0396wnpXeqi-PNCZFs_Mf7qsgV6TVifqIBgj8kdKS3brtJdL3zvxFSc-QQMKpQ/s1600/IMG_20140125_164256.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids munching on the first of our snap peas</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max munching on duck prosciutto</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bought a half case (talk about plenty) of strawberries and put up a bunch of rosemary, sage and strawberry jam.</td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-34507224686433102312014-01-14T22:42:00.002-08:002014-01-14T22:42:43.064-08:00Mulch Madness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This weekend I mulched the veggie beds and it was very satisfying. It brings a uniformity to the look of all my disparate pockets of growth. (We won't talk about the rest of the non-food outside spaces that look pretty neglected -- maybe I'll deal with them <strike>during warmer days</strike> next year.)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AycGj2f6oxDwpx5Yk91xKsdIlhMHmMv6c_0YkXykh7UXHl012MvMgay08vA5OxMiLBOy2yHQf3lBDUozmmyTSzyvddYg05uB8LPOaPE0N_t8VUnQhoYnLDsDgRAGzTmMbN_ro5jyjcY/s1600/IMG_20140112_141041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2AycGj2f6oxDwpx5Yk91xKsdIlhMHmMv6c_0YkXykh7UXHl012MvMgay08vA5OxMiLBOy2yHQf3lBDUozmmyTSzyvddYg05uB8LPOaPE0N_t8VUnQhoYnLDsDgRAGzTmMbN_ro5jyjcY/s320/IMG_20140112_141041.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4HXswVWLqLwUaNuQKlxA8Z-U8Tm8jzDkX9pROJyitRfPusInLATdYOQXM7HTb6l9ThDvysKmlnVDmjLBktI3ZxC03RARUW2QDV80JNynOIztvf6Dk_K0v2aQZxdCfH4iRpnaE16vFYo/s1600/IMG_20140112_140825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4HXswVWLqLwUaNuQKlxA8Z-U8Tm8jzDkX9pROJyitRfPusInLATdYOQXM7HTb6l9ThDvysKmlnVDmjLBktI3ZxC03RARUW2QDV80JNynOIztvf6Dk_K0v2aQZxdCfH4iRpnaE16vFYo/s320/IMG_20140112_140825.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice that the front part didn't get mulch -- the cauliflower patch has fallen victim to our first ever gopher. Bastard!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">I was really proud when my garden helper called our Kale "dino" sized Kale. So I picked a few leaves for juicing and a few others to make duck fat sauteed Kale.</span><br />
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And where did I get duck fat? That's where the "madness" part of the post title comes from. I decided to make duck prosciutto. Why? I'm not sure I have a rationale answer for that. I've been wanting to do it for a long time, but now that we have 2 refrigerators, I was able to set aside enough space to be able to hang the meat during curing. So... materials + facilities = challenge accepted.<br />
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Here are 3 little duck breasts -- Ideally, you want to find thicker ones than these. I submerged them in kosher salt for 24 hours, and this is what they looked like after I dug them out.<br />
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Then I dusted them with white pepper, wrapped them in cheesecloth and hung them in the fridge so that they don't touch anything. See ya in 7-10 days.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Came across a bag of potatoes that I forgot about and it got all sprouted, so I strategically dumped them into the compost file which is now transformed into the potato bed!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89g-kHecqeARaAOV1t_9fgCZylcLJpCKKpF5d04uYosJyrWgCmUGChMD0hwrV0bb82tvVZ9tME5968YBZpph9zQMDhV1paz0EM0rqZ6Z7zMCqDm-FQi3UYm-UBCiAErg_f4LGX6nwNdw/s1600/IMG_20140114_104036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89g-kHecqeARaAOV1t_9fgCZylcLJpCKKpF5d04uYosJyrWgCmUGChMD0hwrV0bb82tvVZ9tME5968YBZpph9zQMDhV1paz0EM0rqZ6Z7zMCqDm-FQi3UYm-UBCiAErg_f4LGX6nwNdw/s320/IMG_20140114_104036.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today Max harvested and ate the first broccoli of the crop. It was so delicious. Tender, nutty and a little bit sweet! I'm all verklempt that Max is now a big boy who can use sharp objects in the garden. </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpM3Pib-unQ68g0TTaGK6-HdC_4uSpSazTYYq68ytEr_c2DJ2gcaT_mNBvNg0sSMX3oxPB8xOrYT9JLKeDyZ-JDG0snDCP80dqClcV0SVEVdXpFsEIj4mjCdfiY8kM-NWqPXDrU9RFSY/s1600/IMG_20140112_140846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIpM3Pib-unQ68g0TTaGK6-HdC_4uSpSazTYYq68ytEr_c2DJ2gcaT_mNBvNg0sSMX3oxPB8xOrYT9JLKeDyZ-JDG0snDCP80dqClcV0SVEVdXpFsEIj4mjCdfiY8kM-NWqPXDrU9RFSY/s320/IMG_20140112_140846.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-33162976164394007872014-01-11T22:28:00.000-08:002014-01-11T22:28:14.676-08:00Building Blocks of Meals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgpbcC9xwOrg5QoWfNgwSfA4qrj1bjr6B2xMr07J9Vv2HFtSpyZRa63xSrNPG7oLOwHV30UPZ7OoEC4W5WXpv_D4Wpderj9FWlgKP_40Qtr3bS7__go8YQfVVProMiR48vDDdnSgkyOc/s1600/IMG_20140111_105419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgpbcC9xwOrg5QoWfNgwSfA4qrj1bjr6B2xMr07J9Vv2HFtSpyZRa63xSrNPG7oLOwHV30UPZ7OoEC4W5WXpv_D4Wpderj9FWlgKP_40Qtr3bS7__go8YQfVVProMiR48vDDdnSgkyOc/s1600/IMG_20140111_105419.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Sometimes cooking is not really about making a meal. It's about getting all prep work together for future meals. I've learned a few handy tricks regarding two prep items.</div>
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First - Homemade breadcrumbs. I don't know about you, but I don't always get through all the bread I buy. I use some stale bread for french toast -- and make extras for breakfast for the kids during the week. But I still end up with extra bread -- because, truth be told, I over buy bread. (Can you blame a girl for wanting a fresh-bread sandwich?) </div>
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Anyway, a few years ago when I would make breadcrumbs in the food processor, it wouldn't quite get the job done. I'd end up with bigger clumps of bread than I wanted. But when I got the Magic Bullet blender, it worked great on getting a fine consistency. I also loving adding our garden's fresh herbs to it. It smells amazing! Today I made it with rosemary, oregano, and cilantro. I keep the finished product in a bag and freeze it till I need it.</div>
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The next category is my beloved soup stock. I really am not a fan of store bought stock -- even those in the boxes that are so ubiquitous in cooking shows. To me, they taste like colored water. I can't discern any sort of poultry flavor and I bet all the nutrients are long gone.</div>
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So, for years I've been making my own chicken stock from poultry carcasses I hoard like a mental patient, and a variety veggie scraps. I recently learned that I've been missing out on a big part of the nutrition potential of these stocks. The trick is, you have to give the bones a chance to soak (or drizzle?) in vinegar for about an hour to breakdown the material so that calcium can leave the bone and enter the water of the soup. Alternatively, I've read you can just add a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to the pot when all your ingredients are in. </div>
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The other thing that ups the nutritious level of stocks is having cartilage in there that breaks down into liquid form. The best way to do that is by adding chicken feet. Now, they sell chicken feet at my farmer's market, so bought some and tossed it in. While it makes for kind of creepy sight in the bot -- J. calls it my witches' brew -- I think it adds great flavor.</div>
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Look at all that yummy fat floating to the top!</div>
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I used to think 3 hours of cooking was the magic number. I'm now learning that I can go longer. I've done 10-12 hours and it was delicious. I've heard that if you go past 24 hours the flavor is a little 'off'.</div>
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My bigger challenge is finding family friendly meals where everyone will eat the stock. The kids categorically refuse to eat soup. Sauces are out of the question. They don't eat pasta and rice is also a hard sell. So I have been making soup and rice for the adults for now.</div>
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I put this stock in quart glass jars and keep in the freezer.</div>
<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-12873590912023501112014-01-01T22:29:00.000-08:002014-01-01T22:29:59.682-08:00Garden Update - December 31, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The sun was quickly setting on New Year's Eve and so I ran out to take some quick pictures of the garden.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP67_KQBKOeD-rKV6S7FwPS-giJxsxekQb2C8bGGmn-dSBUlziPqEatovzG5NCnqw5bfhO6HfJW89Tji1y-_x2Riiv4tEtELoE4YOes4Je6UmFuZBYF9yko4X8J26bcveghQvxU3tgun4/s1600/IMG_20131231_171232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP67_KQBKOeD-rKV6S7FwPS-giJxsxekQb2C8bGGmn-dSBUlziPqEatovzG5NCnqw5bfhO6HfJW89Tji1y-_x2Riiv4tEtELoE4YOes4Je6UmFuZBYF9yko4X8J26bcveghQvxU3tgun4/s320/IMG_20131231_171232.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mint with volunteer onions</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0L1OD9QCJBVSuZkFU0v506EoC3eSfqzCTt7hmlFifw3FYRqILKNLLLMLrg0QtjzCWR2-1tedU448GmThC2rnEVq72yx6yyfeH7L7ibSxdVHYID3SQ3PlqFRYCXo9pVNEObQlYbqxVD8/s1600/IMG_20131231_171201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0L1OD9QCJBVSuZkFU0v506EoC3eSfqzCTt7hmlFifw3FYRqILKNLLLMLrg0QtjzCWR2-1tedU448GmThC2rnEVq72yx6yyfeH7L7ibSxdVHYID3SQ3PlqFRYCXo9pVNEObQlYbqxVD8/s320/IMG_20131231_171201.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cauliflower, sage, onions, garlic, peas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08lf2dzfs4VUxZ9fSJ0k1f9gWzikutxeDUa7zmI5YWMvGV70w5O7VsYOnhU4-_hRATEIpdGhY74e_QlsgshTOwomzqIBY5HtltYkjApEKTh3i1-p8EHjcMOA1h31v8YaHajFxJJfUfPc/s1600/IMG_20131231_171148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08lf2dzfs4VUxZ9fSJ0k1f9gWzikutxeDUa7zmI5YWMvGV70w5O7VsYOnhU4-_hRATEIpdGhY74e_QlsgshTOwomzqIBY5HtltYkjApEKTh3i1-p8EHjcMOA1h31v8YaHajFxJJfUfPc/s320/IMG_20131231_171148.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce, leeks, celery</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPee6CFh2UdGbpxKaBEvCrSa9G_g1oNtdopmNmrKXIgQnKmq-R7TGAvObE9l_32ikrZbxcF4RD07p5uzwyhKX1fCEdv6HUYORb2z6NiSLAxwWi9gv_cSvH50Nr-XqTri171CiK7OK8Eg/s1600/IMG_20131231_171135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPee6CFh2UdGbpxKaBEvCrSa9G_g1oNtdopmNmrKXIgQnKmq-R7TGAvObE9l_32ikrZbxcF4RD07p5uzwyhKX1fCEdv6HUYORb2z6NiSLAxwWi9gv_cSvH50Nr-XqTri171CiK7OK8Eg/s320/IMG_20131231_171135.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cabbage, peas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpkRwjeK_q8IaVIhIzMm4yryzeUz8dM6cFgW9wD9KkU-9KdwuVw2i9V8eqWzqi3IHnfaoVensi6OEnj3MdXkYGKHDLFB6dG5qVGMIihbWUuA9aVe4IYIYnYf5wThvzwdwL2sk9cRjahc/s1600/IMG_20131231_171101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpkRwjeK_q8IaVIhIzMm4yryzeUz8dM6cFgW9wD9KkU-9KdwuVw2i9V8eqWzqi3IHnfaoVensi6OEnj3MdXkYGKHDLFB6dG5qVGMIihbWUuA9aVe4IYIYnYf5wThvzwdwL2sk9cRjahc/s320/IMG_20131231_171101.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worm Inn!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD_4F4opHPcv3YvYPJWWOeoDqukNkgh7QTvw3aFYH03xBk6zfUHP57iVH24Lz86Cab8c76NXjUzalDKTWX7ckWmIgJ5Ge_hiOzniQ-kHFtjmtLQJjs4pH_NY5VIKmBAoyFQHvgvzw0e8/s1600/IMG_20131231_170949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD_4F4opHPcv3YvYPJWWOeoDqukNkgh7QTvw3aFYH03xBk6zfUHP57iVH24Lz86Cab8c76NXjUzalDKTWX7ckWmIgJ5Ge_hiOzniQ-kHFtjmtLQJjs4pH_NY5VIKmBAoyFQHvgvzw0e8/s320/IMG_20131231_170949.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volunteer swiss chard which looks so festive this time of year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpRgXN4Ph_iaveimqf_cccOeJA4DcQ2YIztQS1MU8MtdFzgAOeV1ZqnQLEwS600AqMAJsnF276EChFw1bBI4ceA82JBAMX-Xw9Kbd0AqF6hW-dPmmnBz-7L4bXY0GDd9S6zkPwMfNpu8/s1600/IMG_20131231_170917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivpRgXN4Ph_iaveimqf_cccOeJA4DcQ2YIztQS1MU8MtdFzgAOeV1ZqnQLEwS600AqMAJsnF276EChFw1bBI4ceA82JBAMX-Xw9Kbd0AqF6hW-dPmmnBz-7L4bXY0GDd9S6zkPwMfNpu8/s320/IMG_20131231_170917.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas. Swiss chard isn't coming up so well up here --- so am working on an alternative...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBMhV7xGorLaXoROuTmS55pwnVlhEOB7D9f0_wQu6-tHGULXB1Qq6_OiICHfc8fcj1xKp2OcRHaEnp7QeUgZFQTNpZMmtV7aguuV85eRHDw6Ryngtc-zGyTo79-uqPJvTPPVrKOp9fSI/s1600/IMG_20131231_174227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBMhV7xGorLaXoROuTmS55pwnVlhEOB7D9f0_wQu6-tHGULXB1Qq6_OiICHfc8fcj1xKp2OcRHaEnp7QeUgZFQTNpZMmtV7aguuV85eRHDw6Ryngtc-zGyTo79-uqPJvTPPVrKOp9fSI/s320/IMG_20131231_174227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swiss chard transplants under grow light in the garage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-SP16cE3naS3MHmxTcFUxxWkUqzerfMcSyAeyOQm7y2PQzjNMRJ_Z9d6Kp2YK9fztoAaUcyx-o4nfLZXCKVRnffl_ZDfXnGiJ9s9AddY3D49nNakln30ReFP8nzaBur4aC7NLQzwkRU/s1600/IMG_20131231_170902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-SP16cE3naS3MHmxTcFUxxWkUqzerfMcSyAeyOQm7y2PQzjNMRJ_Z9d6Kp2YK9fztoAaUcyx-o4nfLZXCKVRnffl_ZDfXnGiJ9s9AddY3D49nNakln30ReFP8nzaBur4aC7NLQzwkRU/s320/IMG_20131231_170902.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas and cilantro</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtxXuIup46oONWEwgr1e1svWYtuRUcmEGbf3qEyOQ6FH9NUHUCUDDTL-bh9Y1jziJF1vRCuPJ6mVplkAXO5hNKMDcPecPlY-39ISk3urTMgqv5YTBQheLaNzffD18tcPGDmrHDKCWriA/s1600/IMG_20131231_170849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKtxXuIup46oONWEwgr1e1svWYtuRUcmEGbf3qEyOQ6FH9NUHUCUDDTL-bh9Y1jziJF1vRCuPJ6mVplkAXO5hNKMDcPecPlY-39ISk3urTMgqv5YTBQheLaNzffD18tcPGDmrHDKCWriA/s320/IMG_20131231_170849.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce, parsley (looking yellow and sad), broccoli, lettuce, arugula, spinach.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0GOkNidlkxj-ng8756nwJOE3nAqcYNKo8HeHZISrxKQqoapWD50m4hXaQ5uwsACoKgXgjdcZizTFjcn7hKeL4DfOhS0-fRfkMGQemkOCGPyaglIC873AdikeeYSgNtflXUkMHcvhVjQ/s1600/IMG_20131231_170828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0GOkNidlkxj-ng8756nwJOE3nAqcYNKo8HeHZISrxKQqoapWD50m4hXaQ5uwsACoKgXgjdcZizTFjcn7hKeL4DfOhS0-fRfkMGQemkOCGPyaglIC873AdikeeYSgNtflXUkMHcvhVjQ/s320/IMG_20131231_170828.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kale, carrots, and just planted a new batch of radishes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIa-07YRGLD9-McIECRAmbXNCjE7ePFWK0C2FP1ecQe5p69-DyNUX0vVKA0i7mg-z-zQN7jFE1_th3azEKwUryRHyoS_uIsA-IZzwsMASiyc48D_WngrYRY0HzqZTwj93dMGE4Us3MRX8/s1600/IMG_20131231_170730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIa-07YRGLD9-McIECRAmbXNCjE7ePFWK0C2FP1ecQe5p69-DyNUX0vVKA0i7mg-z-zQN7jFE1_th3azEKwUryRHyoS_uIsA-IZzwsMASiyc48D_WngrYRY0HzqZTwj93dMGE4Us3MRX8/s320/IMG_20131231_170730.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lettuce for NYE dinner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtzePfOeQ5aCPiz9X-6pp-2pYSdCPXg_qdD8AucUCX5pOO-IfqaEwtkm71QTapAQqkdDug3sCeeFpg_aq89NOpHIaxQx9RmnMv8guLSL5-QO-1J3rfvcx8AVslUWPetTpA_Z0rNBmmOw/s1600/IMG_20131231_200955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtzePfOeQ5aCPiz9X-6pp-2pYSdCPXg_qdD8AucUCX5pOO-IfqaEwtkm71QTapAQqkdDug3sCeeFpg_aq89NOpHIaxQx9RmnMv8guLSL5-QO-1J3rfvcx8AVslUWPetTpA_Z0rNBmmOw/s320/IMG_20131231_200955.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating on wedding china, not just because it's festive but because we ran out of clean dishes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVhISvMpuq0R2BRE1CygzmeiXe9U9cnFHXgwvg_4nWvNAegm2RNf_QLle-0ZfW4zdpEUq1Tq0Yz4poaXsxwZroVPkmBUUF9GzRAi-w9dEcQ1OUxVCeS-nkNypwlJpMNbY6Y2INiYarMU/s1600/IMG_20131231_171517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigVhISvMpuq0R2BRE1CygzmeiXe9U9cnFHXgwvg_4nWvNAegm2RNf_QLle-0ZfW4zdpEUq1Tq0Yz4poaXsxwZroVPkmBUUF9GzRAi-w9dEcQ1OUxVCeS-nkNypwlJpMNbY6Y2INiYarMU/s320/IMG_20131231_171517.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But of all the things I'm proud of growing this year, it's our family. To a happy and healthy 2014!</td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-46025370923681146142013-12-28T19:32:00.001-08:002013-12-29T17:22:43.334-08:00A Giant Pile of Worm Poop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrYSWzOGFGEGVHGtJN0-2xmk7raK2h0uGnGAtGNWEELxfODDwqBpncQjy1VOTh1e2_XxKDXk_AMaADQ6yIoFgncSE5UeCaNrAsDHlHofVyeiu8MzWq41lGHr__FLWWF1lQ_pE4c6pRDU/s1600/IMG_20131228_133606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitrYSWzOGFGEGVHGtJN0-2xmk7raK2h0uGnGAtGNWEELxfODDwqBpncQjy1VOTh1e2_XxKDXk_AMaADQ6yIoFgncSE5UeCaNrAsDHlHofVyeiu8MzWq41lGHr__FLWWF1lQ_pE4c6pRDU/s320/IMG_20131228_133606.jpg" width="320" /></a>Worms are really hearty creatures. I have to admit that I sort of neglected them in the last few months. I watered and fed them with kitchen scraps maybe once every couple of weeks. When we had the cold spell, I forgot to cover them the first few nights. And during the garage renovation I temporarily lost the pile of newspaper clippings which I had been using to cover the scraps (which they use as bedding), so I gave them cardboard as bedding -- which they apparently did not care for. (I can tell because they didn't break it down at all.)</div>
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I'm telling you, if there was a CPS for worms, someone would have called them on me. But notwithstanding my neglect, they seem to be doing relatively well. We flipped over the contents of the Worm Inn onto a tarp and I began the lengthy and tedious task of separating castings from worms and other grody partially decomposed stuff. Fed the castings to all the veggies around the garden and then re-assembled the Worm Inn -- which I promise to be more mindful of.</div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-2957441495972456072013-12-27T17:59:00.000-08:002013-12-27T17:59:22.694-08:00More than Rad-ish!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Even though we're coming up on new years this week, the garden is still churning out some lovely treats. Here's lettuce, a few kinds of kale and two radishes -- one the size of a tennis ball. The big one was so spectacular. It was tender and not too spicy or bitter. I enjoyed it with a little sprinkling of truffled salt!</div>
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Max had 3 helpings of it, though Ginger wasn't a fan. This is about the last of our radish crop. As you can see from the previous pictures we had some sort of variety pack -- so I don't even know what type of radish seed yielded this behemoth. </div>
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The kale got juiced along with oranges, apples, persian cukes, ginger and celery.</div>
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Then there's some crunchy bib lettuce that I will eat with some turkey leftovers.</div>
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Even though we have this great harvest, I am greedy and can't wait for spring. I even have a two plants under grow lights -- bright lights swiss chard and arugula!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmI_2UIzqsu1Z6gW3eDLRHMwW8hbJE3cFNNQAvrF0kVkJNZIImasjFcsRNlO4xL5JwQryNv-l14YWmX3fVZi-hojoQha-e7YV-n7LjrfvO4uRTxIQULj-8AUxXiosNP76-dUTkESMXZFA/s1600/IMG_20131227_165951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmI_2UIzqsu1Z6gW3eDLRHMwW8hbJE3cFNNQAvrF0kVkJNZIImasjFcsRNlO4xL5JwQryNv-l14YWmX3fVZi-hojoQha-e7YV-n7LjrfvO4uRTxIQULj-8AUxXiosNP76-dUTkESMXZFA/s320/IMG_20131227_165951.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-24312279447596876232013-12-17T22:03:00.000-08:002013-12-17T22:54:50.110-08:00Cold-ma-gedon: California Style<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last week it was really cold. I'll pause while people from real winter places laugh at me. But for California, it was cold. It got down to the twenties at night and I had a lot of small tender plants just trying to get established. </div>
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So, J. ran out and bought some plastic coverings. While the plants did look pretty droopy and sad in the mornings ... they seem to have come out of the cold streak mostly unharmed. I wish I could say the same for poor J. He slipped on ice and had a nasty spill on the pavers. :(</div>
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One of the nice things to come out of this freeze is that since I assumed most of the plants would die in the cold, every day that they are still around feels like bonus time! It makes salads taste better, and it's not a bad way to live life. Every day is a bonus.</div>
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Also, since the potato plant totally died, I got to dig up some yummy new potatoes.</div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-54715009940421043922013-12-08T17:24:00.002-08:002013-12-08T17:24:44.448-08:00The hunt for a tree<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The year I was pregnant with Ginger we started a fun little tradition of going to the Santa Cruz Mountains and cutting down our own tree. Sure, part of it seems silly as there is a christmas tree lot down the street from our house. But I don't care. It's fun to get up there, arbitrarily pick a tree that looks "perfect," support a local sustainable business, and catch up with my father-in-law, who always come to help.</div>
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This year we are in the middle of a freeze. Not the fun kind with snow, but it is in the 30s. This brings into focus the fact that my kids are not well acclimated to cold weather. I packed mittens and Max cried: "But mama, now I can't point at anything!!!" Who knew pointing was that important to kids?</div>
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So we brought a tree home, decorated it with love, and then heard it crash at 2 a.m. when it tipped over. Yay! </div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-26565243890323867512013-11-23T21:17:00.000-08:002013-11-23T21:17:39.228-08:00Weekend Craftiness<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziyev6dTuCjGwbFBo31yIZWpQwnO45RR4S672rmEgwLjIWFnzZk1IiGx6NROEw3_pc5SCMvqn8hW-3T4PsfBqaty5UQY5HF-VIjv3mrozJzpVRe4pbmvNcTUk_YGbtAp3JAVHxLG30XU/s1600/IMG_20131123_130914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjziyev6dTuCjGwbFBo31yIZWpQwnO45RR4S672rmEgwLjIWFnzZk1IiGx6NROEw3_pc5SCMvqn8hW-3T4PsfBqaty5UQY5HF-VIjv3mrozJzpVRe4pbmvNcTUk_YGbtAp3JAVHxLG30XU/s320/IMG_20131123_130914.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, I'll admit it. I'm the least crafty mom out there. Max found a star shaped lens from sunglasses and wanted to know how he could make it stay on his head. I used scotch tape to affix it on his forehead and he was a happy camper.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzoFv7M5zop6-TcLKdQglIsIh7qtUgJOugd5NjQLAoO5qJjhM4hpIq3C6lnkxIIL3lK0Hooi0ijbEfGZDM6INYJjJuJ6tIupzxpa05MOBARnLkPlAz3aqlDuN1FEmfe3vdwGAHgRpXxY/s1600/IMG_20131123_130730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzoFv7M5zop6-TcLKdQglIsIh7qtUgJOugd5NjQLAoO5qJjhM4hpIq3C6lnkxIIL3lK0Hooi0ijbEfGZDM6INYJjJuJ6tIupzxpa05MOBARnLkPlAz3aqlDuN1FEmfe3vdwGAHgRpXxY/s320/IMG_20131123_130730.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm much more crafty in the kitchen. Here's this weekend's no-knead rosemary bread.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoHhSU9LmPnfhgcTKjLP4aTFDt9PJFXsHCLCmDT-dI_zRzWDk-qfURzp1gf6N3IK-AZul3_XkWpe93Mpt5fZN7zCHMy7HYDNHza0teSEfDrhMI_QHDvU_vnNDiREy4SV6p42-iENk2UA/s1600/IMG_20131122_212110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoHhSU9LmPnfhgcTKjLP4aTFDt9PJFXsHCLCmDT-dI_zRzWDk-qfURzp1gf6N3IK-AZul3_XkWpe93Mpt5fZN7zCHMy7HYDNHza0teSEfDrhMI_QHDvU_vnNDiREy4SV6p42-iENk2UA/s320/IMG_20131122_212110.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Question for the peanut gallery: at what age does it start to get creepy when you photograph your child when they are sleeping? Extra cute points: she was snoring.</td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-87334782947005026152013-11-22T21:33:00.000-08:002013-11-22T21:33:24.428-08:00Garden snacks<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaBgYGb46K5lHXSPMPivQKeonMA5VD0Kw4JaMhMQYv_6qW1bGfO3rO-y_MqQCUhoXiTlwgFR2mtbCttKgkOI0OOvi0w2mkIkAcFsn3V3B83SW5loOmdUXddT6TGIjBq19ZoF5819YU_E/s1600/IMG_20131117_103846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisaBgYGb46K5lHXSPMPivQKeonMA5VD0Kw4JaMhMQYv_6qW1bGfO3rO-y_MqQCUhoXiTlwgFR2mtbCttKgkOI0OOvi0w2mkIkAcFsn3V3B83SW5loOmdUXddT6TGIjBq19ZoF5819YU_E/s320/IMG_20131117_103846.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're just starting to harvest some of our garden treats. How exciting! Max and Ginger each picked a radish a few days ago. I have no idea why Max decided to pose with it on its head. Oh right, 'cuz he's four! Ginger happily shows off the radish she refuses to eat. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIMkxRaKPKlY49sle6DMEWTZC9PQ1dhioqeM4lxLnL_xcbdrWEUd5Xw_d7huEEIzULubIIRwGYLQK6uS4aE1Pb9768f9fYyDYapzfd-sSX1SpyLecotw0a4zlDBOEGmecBA9NjAmz-7s/s1600/IMG_20131122_180028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipIMkxRaKPKlY49sle6DMEWTZC9PQ1dhioqeM4lxLnL_xcbdrWEUd5Xw_d7huEEIzULubIIRwGYLQK6uS4aE1Pb9768f9fYyDYapzfd-sSX1SpyLecotw0a4zlDBOEGmecBA9NjAmz-7s/s320/IMG_20131122_180028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the fun things about growing your own is the irregularities. Notice that some of the radishes look like a funky shape! These irregulars would probably never make it to the store or the farmer's market stand but we ate them just fine! We ate them along side butter lettuce greens, which I forgot to photograph.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMLTiW17i_r6reZoDdEn9jNUzIK3MKaDQGSLVUJcG0OS8KziCQ2GLwAFFm2xKVRG5DFR_cpHaxAnG2kY0EjlkPgrv3YmGdgLfFfSTK1UIvtsEVkOdLqQtDs7BR2SODk2o0Up8lTgBpXo/s1600/IMG_20131122_180508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMLTiW17i_r6reZoDdEn9jNUzIK3MKaDQGSLVUJcG0OS8KziCQ2GLwAFFm2xKVRG5DFR_cpHaxAnG2kY0EjlkPgrv3YmGdgLfFfSTK1UIvtsEVkOdLqQtDs7BR2SODk2o0Up8lTgBpXo/s320/IMG_20131122_180508.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We also cooked up the radish greens with some olive oil and salt & pepper. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tDHSdwPgg6hupIwQCxZSF18PMbMPU_ls6qvWo1tOnMS9f1JmwLXF1n0hYAxbaH92hKIARlzwrG4X_SQ-aG0X6hBWT7KFsIO2tLsycdy_f8_kjpLRQkg8TjcXMWTAPEprI2PVxeAeWcE/s1600/IMG_20131122_092258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tDHSdwPgg6hupIwQCxZSF18PMbMPU_ls6qvWo1tOnMS9f1JmwLXF1n0hYAxbaH92hKIARlzwrG4X_SQ-aG0X6hBWT7KFsIO2tLsycdy_f8_kjpLRQkg8TjcXMWTAPEprI2PVxeAeWcE/s320/IMG_20131122_092258.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In other garden fun, we harvested our first kale, and some of our trustee volunteer chard ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZLTGvVY8Fw-htyFMndR7m_nBqhHM1yoZR8PPd_m1_0UfwkRYBwWjFBXp7AFMW28dh6U87LA9o4Sy7TevjCLQ2OrZsTOWlJkHzSZVY_2P9J1MsqMOsdnzk07YwLwY933Rm7Wd8AA7yVI/s1600/IMG_20131122_093119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZLTGvVY8Fw-htyFMndR7m_nBqhHM1yoZR8PPd_m1_0UfwkRYBwWjFBXp7AFMW28dh6U87LA9o4Sy7TevjCLQ2OrZsTOWlJkHzSZVY_2P9J1MsqMOsdnzk07YwLwY933Rm7Wd8AA7yVI/s320/IMG_20131122_093119.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and made a fresh batch of mean green juice for breakfast!</td></tr>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-46296821181933918482013-11-16T23:09:00.002-08:002013-11-16T23:09:43.744-08:00Garden Update - November 16, 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things I'm really enjoying in gardening this time around is the picking up new skills. In the past, I'd plant something and hope for the best, but I didn't really have a plan for what to do when something goes wrong, or what to do to increase yields. I was an emotional gardener, but not a strategic one. Here's a walk through of some of the gems of knowledge that have been dropped on me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BLEd0mem6vwNoaGiZNfSw5M20m-gp5eW9oQZ0ObQdCuHgp18RUWeEI7vU8pU5NK-a1-bSb2dn7BN3RRt-yCDJGUTN682EU7_aRpYLswz_i5m-bgFXY6RTujlbgjOzYuzM2OcIurIj4Q/s1600/IMG_20131116_143118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BLEd0mem6vwNoaGiZNfSw5M20m-gp5eW9oQZ0ObQdCuHgp18RUWeEI7vU8pU5NK-a1-bSb2dn7BN3RRt-yCDJGUTN682EU7_aRpYLswz_i5m-bgFXY6RTujlbgjOzYuzM2OcIurIj4Q/s320/IMG_20131116_143118.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here are some of my carrot seedlings. I've learned how to thin the plants so that they have enough room to develop into good sized carrots. You pick a good looking seedling that has started growing the secondary leaves, and then you thin out the plants an inch around it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSD7WsVzm8fPxXsHWgJwhLW_hyphenhyphenLpmu_N5lcnCKmoRai0aqnviSTa-w8G4EG_ZUcjkSo0x1_wR8LKqOotFil7wNnVL4b6sQNgku98OWGcJ5QeI4RplcBGPEuDtKmEOsqh-hSQSIYWIfh8/s1600/IMG_20131116_142933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSD7WsVzm8fPxXsHWgJwhLW_hyphenhyphenLpmu_N5lcnCKmoRai0aqnviSTa-w8G4EG_ZUcjkSo0x1_wR8LKqOotFil7wNnVL4b6sQNgku98OWGcJ5QeI4RplcBGPEuDtKmEOsqh-hSQSIYWIfh8/s320/IMG_20131116_142933.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also learned to thin radishes. It occurred to me that I was crowding them before because when I think of radishes, I think of how they look in bunches at the grocery store -- but clearly, they can't be that close in the ground. I think these are making it to the plate tomorrow. I'll let the kids each pick one.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYvsH94y02Yx3RGC7NB4nEOdUT9jUBFQl8dzngVuQGbtNVvK-99k0N0rld4SETcVG1RvWGc8QLmcI88muKwDDzgLykH8Kd2q-QfpB63foeLng4eiCu7Fn56oq_0-qXekVdrEB_F6tV5Y/s1600/IMG_20131116_142913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYvsH94y02Yx3RGC7NB4nEOdUT9jUBFQl8dzngVuQGbtNVvK-99k0N0rld4SETcVG1RvWGc8QLmcI88muKwDDzgLykH8Kd2q-QfpB63foeLng4eiCu7Fn56oq_0-qXekVdrEB_F6tV5Y/s320/IMG_20131116_142913.jpg" width="320" /></a><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHQjELpFYxRp6nbYiMHZTsyQxQHIN8Q37k-UtZNRxG8DiY4TdwRy7SSZ5AaSBfey4JHwnbWDftnqXs1E-4Bzk1V0GSaPdLtAGnfNJtKDXHUyxjC2MB4JHEQBwhfDg5Ijhz0H93VjRrP4/s1600/IMG_20131116_141552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUHQjELpFYxRp6nbYiMHZTsyQxQHIN8Q37k-UtZNRxG8DiY4TdwRy7SSZ5AaSBfey4JHwnbWDftnqXs1E-4Bzk1V0GSaPdLtAGnfNJtKDXHUyxjC2MB4JHEQBwhfDg5Ijhz0H93VjRrP4/s320/IMG_20131116_141552.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato plant going like gangbusters in the compost pile!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6yu6zVEqlTX8yHlkV6LBay3NHG5ENmzz44LjoxFo8b4R-XFVVEZookjwZjjaDSN2-klect7YSDBw-Rbhz6aMmlbOBvUEXPc8xFChDgceZpWmefPKN0VRiRCbfKwADFcLQD8O49P1jZ8/s1600/IMG_20131116_141535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6yu6zVEqlTX8yHlkV6LBay3NHG5ENmzz44LjoxFo8b4R-XFVVEZookjwZjjaDSN2-klect7YSDBw-Rbhz6aMmlbOBvUEXPc8xFChDgceZpWmefPKN0VRiRCbfKwADFcLQD8O49P1jZ8/s320/IMG_20131116_141535.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow leaves on celery are a sign of over watering. Guilty as charged.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzoQAp9iTfKa0OmZjx3wHOmAX0OAUDNmW52OSi78oXBdTQbeo0pfRrxg4ksQofju9vDithPLus_8gyRvTeVIuMBpmy7cVRqhmMamLrYYtHUSZG1oofuPIn7WX-MCgiCcJjr2iiEv1XeE/s1600/IMG_20131116_141443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzoQAp9iTfKa0OmZjx3wHOmAX0OAUDNmW52OSi78oXBdTQbeo0pfRrxg4ksQofju9vDithPLus_8gyRvTeVIuMBpmy7cVRqhmMamLrYYtHUSZG1oofuPIn7WX-MCgiCcJjr2iiEv1XeE/s320/IMG_20131116_141443.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cauliflower varietals progressing nicely at their own pace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywj0U5iHTY8nH9lYicbnYtEIrlFdez8OuIrXme5NO3qry8tjhaH8t1mNelFhrRYCi76oVPYDZUJjCFUO28l0LwUI5qQXfr6kYoAAnbDEqo6fxi2x_K-qP6mjOJ6ADc3FJD__hELwlG2I/s1600/IMG_20131116_141433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiywj0U5iHTY8nH9lYicbnYtEIrlFdez8OuIrXme5NO3qry8tjhaH8t1mNelFhrRYCi76oVPYDZUJjCFUO28l0LwUI5qQXfr6kYoAAnbDEqo6fxi2x_K-qP6mjOJ6ADc3FJD__hELwlG2I/s320/IMG_20131116_141433.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gave up the ghost on the beets, which never came up. Instead we planted some lettuce and leeks! In the past, I would never give up so soon and would probably lose a growing season for it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIGM6eH-qalopzL5LRJkmhVqh5Ugvsbi9oWTR0lX6NyIX8sJgfeS90-AbTRJ0rhqwRNNF1t6l_rvZYGNBnFHOz8gmeMbIfZ2Tf3aWvAE5gdiTHy5ViJFo6XNicUiH153PexnP95zQpSY/s1600/IMG_20131116_141424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMIGM6eH-qalopzL5LRJkmhVqh5Ugvsbi9oWTR0lX6NyIX8sJgfeS90-AbTRJ0rhqwRNNF1t6l_rvZYGNBnFHOz8gmeMbIfZ2Tf3aWvAE5gdiTHy5ViJFo6XNicUiH153PexnP95zQpSY/s320/IMG_20131116_141424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These cabbages (and the broccoli out front) have been a lesson in pest management. I've spotted green caterpillars called Loopers which will kill the plant. Deal with them by taking them off plant or squishing onto leaves. Theory is that it will be a lesson to their friends. I've also found little meal bugs -- those have to be sprayed off with a strong hose. I was worried that the plant would suffer from the direct spray, but it looked fine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMk9k_hSLf45sNCB9VVqUmc7GmVEnQQql-ebi_24bciJMzoLXHGpEk4ySTY946qD-uyUZvaEu_ZjtYFLdJQp_X2LBClSK_Y-xnx34ixXn1KcR0c4dThBfk0GbadMHW67JHFSLBBtHq7RA/s1600/IMG_20131116_141409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMk9k_hSLf45sNCB9VVqUmc7GmVEnQQql-ebi_24bciJMzoLXHGpEk4ySTY946qD-uyUZvaEu_ZjtYFLdJQp_X2LBClSK_Y-xnx34ixXn1KcR0c4dThBfk0GbadMHW67JHFSLBBtHq7RA/s320/IMG_20131116_141409.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mint is happy in its new home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zZwj28FZXMxQB6xrjkCc3m9MbNy3qPoROnl3TYAVS-4bycO1IuXU13iIIgQwR2tUdg9pAR8BuIQwrt6bF_2yLFP-Jl2vzZxvaT6fZ0be0yDP0Pr3w-Dmss9S-695Ke-JYZxPt9BXoiY/s1600/IMG_20131114_080956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zZwj28FZXMxQB6xrjkCc3m9MbNy3qPoROnl3TYAVS-4bycO1IuXU13iIIgQwR2tUdg9pAR8BuIQwrt6bF_2yLFP-Jl2vzZxvaT6fZ0be0yDP0Pr3w-Dmss9S-695Ke-JYZxPt9BXoiY/s320/IMG_20131114_080956.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, we aren't being pre-holiday festive. The red bands are scare tape. That appears to be doing the job of keeping the crows away.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyZqpSJiAhC58pHvl08iO2P8396rkgQ3LOKSOw_GFfsVmdV9knckWZ9jnUXtg6bAOPJrGFIIqAuyziILH2P-0KAHsYFHlqqS6-rWD4pqIm6cI51jkKoBCUz_vO0zugrI_eczvtykODRI/s1600/IMG_20131114_080939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyZqpSJiAhC58pHvl08iO2P8396rkgQ3LOKSOw_GFfsVmdV9knckWZ9jnUXtg6bAOPJrGFIIqAuyziILH2P-0KAHsYFHlqqS6-rWD4pqIm6cI51jkKoBCUz_vO0zugrI_eczvtykODRI/s320/IMG_20131114_080939.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjkpIsfxqs5ogR235gz9hN81WWVW7BcYh_7V8RO1E4VHLVro8XrCI55rz8d5WwvUHipNpvBkVClaSdeFJxxH6q0fWHRwFi5C5mRDJsHhfbuwGoh5k1LKJi_S2f_NaTv7K2SsEPOiyn6s/s1600/IMG_20131114_080928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjkpIsfxqs5ogR235gz9hN81WWVW7BcYh_7V8RO1E4VHLVro8XrCI55rz8d5WwvUHipNpvBkVClaSdeFJxxH6q0fWHRwFi5C5mRDJsHhfbuwGoh5k1LKJi_S2f_NaTv7K2SsEPOiyn6s/s320/IMG_20131114_080928.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lettuce has really bounced back. I knew there was such a thing as plant shock, but I didn't know it could last a month. I picked a handful of leaves tonight for our salad and I can't wait to use more!</td></tr>
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Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1387268388753792816.post-21151121466167675442013-11-15T21:22:00.001-08:002013-11-15T21:22:40.113-08:00Dry Run Festivus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I really like Thanksgiving food. I think it might be because it's one of the few times in the year where, as a culture, we really eat with the season and celebrate the harvest. Since my mom has the monopoly on cooking during actual Thanksgiving day, our nuclear family has started a mini-tradition we call pre-giving where we cook the same recipes.</div>
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On the menu was: </div>
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<li>14 lb. Apricot glazed turkey</li>
<li>Duck fat potatoes</li>
<li>Shallot and onion gravy</li>
<li>Ginger and garlic cranberry sauce</li>
<li>Italian sausage, leek, apple, cellery cranberry stuffing</li>
<li>Salad</li>
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We invited friends (who brought yummy stuffed cupcakes) to share in the fun. We ate them too fast to take a picture. :-/</div>
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One of my favorite things about this menu is that I got to use parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme ... all from the garden.</div>
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<br />Almostimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05683124129590139076noreply@blogger.com0