The Simple Art of Overwatering

Yes, I believe I have actually accomplished the exact opposite of what I set out to do - over water my garden. If not that, then I am perplexed. The tomato plants look weary but the water meter says wet. I'm feeling just a wee discouraged on one hand and on the other, well, a bit like I may possibly be on my way to becoming a real gardner. Why? Well, because I know that in reality I'm not alone. That's the good news. The bad news is what now?

I run through the checklist in my head, soil, compost, fertilizer, mulch, too much or too little sun. Well, I know there's too little sun because I live just a couple miles from the coast. Our mornings, often into mid afternoon, are filled with gray skies and cool temps. What was I thinking packing eight heirloom tomato plants in my happy boxed beds? I don't know?! Maybe that people in England have tomatoes, too?

My pepper plants have peppers on them that are bigger then the plant itself! Well, let me clarify - they each have ONE pepper on them. Since each pepper plant sports a different kind of pepper - well you get the picture. Not much you can do with just one pepper. My lettuce is insufficient at best. In fact, I think that were I to make a sandwich and need lettuce, that currently each head would be just enough for one sandwich. My eggplant has one, well, eggplant on it that I eventually had to pick off because it was weighing the darn plant down - no new buds on the horizon. I'm going to translate that to probably no more eggplant on the horizon either. My sugar snap peas grew just enough for a snack - for one. My squash isn't even growing! What's up when your squash won't grow? Anyone can grow squash! Well, I'm here to tell you apparently that is not a true statement. My strawberries are just starting to bloom - although I do believe the season is somewhat over? My beets are still just one beet ..the one I planted.....My chives are wimpy, my celery has not budged, my potatoes pooped out (although we did have enough for one meal, my tomatillos have given their all, my parsley could better be called 'sparsley' and my basil still comes from the grocery at $9.00 a sprig! This garden was suppose to save me money! ...oh, I'm not happy. Is this because I wanted to be organic?

The good news I suppose is that we have two seasons here in Southern California. I can always try again and quite possibly have success. Then I'll have next summer to look forward to. One way or the other I'll figure out this garden business and be able to fulfill my dream of sharing my bounty and bumper crops with friend and family or spend all my hard earned money on produce at the farmer's market! As is stands now, I'll have to sneak the only red tomato on the vine and tell the rest of the family that a raccoon must have eaten it!

If any of you reading this has any advice for me, I would sure appreciate it!

what's to eat tonight?

OK. As a lark this morning because I was up early and lord knows have nothing else to do...or possibly this was another method of procrastination to the real world at hand....I started listing my cookbooks here on the blog. (see sidebar) I'm embarrassed to say that the list is incomplete!

Why is it then that I can never think of anything to make for dinner?

Do you have a favorite cookbook I should add to my list?

No Kidding Boiled Eggs

For some, a hard boiled egg is nothing more than a bridge to an egg salad sandwich. Well, not anymore! Give this method a go next time you've got a dozen hangin' in the fridge and you'll be amazed at what an egg really tastes like. I'll bet it never makes its way between two pieces of bread!


Hard Boiled Eggs

1 sauce pan
Eggs * put as many as you like just use a pan that fit them all in the bottom
Water to cover eggs by at least an inch
Bring to a hard boil
Once the water has come to the hard boil TURN THE HEAT OFF, cover the pan and
set the timer for 8 minutes EXACTLY.
When the bell rings, pour off hot water, place the eggs in a bowl of ice water (yes, with ice cubes -- this bring the cooking of the egg to a quick halt.)

Cooking Note: a fresh egg doesn't peel as easily as a non fresh egg~

Peel and enjoy with a bit of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper! No mayo needed.

WARNING: After the first bite you'll be tempted to keep these little pillows of egg goodness to yourself, but be nice and share.

Where Does the Time Go?

I swear I was going to take pictures of the garden's progress this weekend but somehow, well, time got away from me! There are so many things I love doing, gardening, sewing, reading, cooking, silversmithing, knitting, etc etc etc. I've got a full time job that pays for all these sweet indulgences, but not enough time left each week to do them! I promise, new photos soon. In the meantime, enjoy this beauty that was taken on a recent trip to my hometown of Portland, Oregon. We were on a couple of garden tours just across the Columbia River in Washington and ran into this beautiful lavendar farm quite by accident. Serendipity!

Banana Fritters

Peanut oil for frying

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup cold milk

3T light brown sugar

1C flour

Pinch of baking soda

4 ripe bananas, sliced diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces

2T confectioners sugar

Heat 3 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan or deep fryer to 375 degrees. Mix the eggs, milk, brown sugar, flour and baking soda together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the banana slices a few at a time, coating them well with the batter.

With a long slotted spoon, remove the banana slices a few at a time and place them into the oil. Fry the bananas for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned, turning them once. Drain them on paper towels and transfer them to a serving platter. Repeat the process until all of the bananas have been fried. Sprinkle them with the confectioner's sugar and serve warm.

In a word - addictive.

Zucchini Fritters w/ Minted Creme Fraiche

Zucchini is never in short supply in the summer garden. This is one of the recipes from my culinary class yesterday. It was the class fave. Well, that and the banana fritters. OK...I'll share that recipe tomorrow.

Minted Creme Fraiche

3/4 cup creme fraiche

1 T minced mint leaves

Combine the creme fraiche and mint. Cover and hold in the refrigerator.

Fritters

4 lbs zucchini

salt and pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 bunches chives, finely chopped

1/4 all purpose flour

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 cup olive oil

Grate the zucchini, place in a colander and salt generously. Allow to drain 20 - 30 minutes. Squeeze out all the liquid.

Combine the zucchini with the garlic, chives, lemon zest, flour and egg. Season

Fry in the oil in batches. Brown on one side. turn adn bron second side. drain on paper towel.

Serve with creme fraiche.

Serves 4

Enjoy!

The Garden Today

It's actually growing!

A Lesson From the Garden

I woke up this morning with an overwhelming sense of sadness. I didn't get out of bed right away, I lay there in my half sleep and thought about my mother. She's been gone now for almost 13 years. A stranger wouldn't know that this morning looking at me though - tears running down my cheeks and all. I wonder how different my life would be now if I were able to pick up the phone and call her for advice in this troubled time. What would she say to me? Would she cheer me on in my daily battles or would she soften and let me run back home and hide. Probably both. And maybe that's why I miss her so much today. Maybe I'm having one of those life moments this morning as I lament that my world isn't as I want it to be now. A class I'm taking isn't teaching me what I want to know now. My child isn't as tall as he should be by now, My job is not as secure as it should be right now. I thought my husband would have another job by now. Maybe what I'm really feeling this morning is that my life isn't what I think it should be right now.

When I first planted the garden several months back, I'd run out every morning to see if there were any seedlings poking their sleepy heads out of the dirt. I really wasn't very patient to say the least. Soon I discovered that the dirt brought in for the planter beds wasn't any good and had killed off my seedlings. So I bought some vegetable starts - interesting ones - from a new nursery I discovered out of a need to pick something up now on my home from the office one evening. I planted and the bugs came to dine. Oh my, the beds looked like I was growing lace! My desire to have an organic garden - well any garden at that point - was going up in smoke! I used row covers, made trips into the garden in the middle of the night to spray the offenders, used traps, implemented the remedies of old wives, read books, searched articles on the internet, chatted with other gardeners and drove the kind staff at my new found nursery crazy with my need to know now questions when all I really had to do was have patience. Instead of wanting it all now I needed to learn to live in the now.

My nursery man took me aside during one of my recent visits and said to me, "You've given your garden a foundation of good soil, water, fertilizer, compost and mulch. You just haven't given it any time." "Give it some time"

His words could not have been more true. In the last few days under the warm Southern California sun, my garden has begun to come alive. Plants are growing at record pace and I can't believe there are actually vegetables! Maybe, just maybe, I do have a little bit of a green thumb, or maybe just maybe the garden is teaching me patience.

Perhaps it's slowly showing me that nothing every happens now accept what's going on right at this very moment. Yes, I miss my mom and I wish with all of my heart that she were here now. She'd love my garden. Yes, I wish the economy would change for the better and at a faster pace so my husband could find work now. Yes, I wish my son were taller now. Yes, I wish my job were more secure right now. But none of that is true for now. One day all of it will come to pass because nothing can stay the same in this universe. It's all just a matter of time - like the garden.

For Someone Special

Here's something to go with your new starter...

Sourdough Waffles

(Two Day Recipe)

DAY ONE

4 ounces (1/2 cup unsalted butter)

8 ounces (1 cup) whole or low-fat milk

9 ounces (about 1 cup) White Starter

1 tsp salt

1T brown sugar, packed

About 1 1/2 C all purpose flour

Place butter and milk in the small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter melts. Set the mixture aside at room temp to cool.

Place White Starter, cooled milk-butter mixture, salt, brown sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl and whisk together. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the batter stand at room temp for 8 to 12 hours.

DAY TWO

Have Ready:

Waffle iron

Pastry brush

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp baking soda

vegetable oil

Preheat the waffle iron 10 - 15 minutes before you will be ready to use it.

Uncover thebatter and whisk in eggs and baking soda until well combined. The batter should be thick and elastic. Lightly brush the hot waffle iron with vegetable oil. The oil should sizzle on the iron, signaling that it's hot enough. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup of batter onto the hot waffle iron. close the lid and let the waffle cook until it's golden and crisp. 3 - 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

Recipe from Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery

Wise Words

Gardening is a humbling experience

Martha Stewart

Worm Castings

If you've been reading this blog you know I'd been on pins and needles waiting for the clearance to attend a gardening class with Tara of Silver Lake Farms a week or so ago. Lucky me made the cut and today was the day.

And oh what a great day it was!

I motored through the quiet morning streets on my way to the Silver Lake Farms beginner's vegetable garden class in of all places - Silver Lake! Although it took me over an hour - the shortest most direct route found on Mapquest to get 15 miles in LA - I didn't mind at all. I was in areas of the city that I only find myself in while skirting them at 60 miles an hour or so on the freeway. It was interesting to take in the neighborhoods as they changed from Asian, to Hispanic, to Armenian - each one having its own quiet way of coming alive on a quiet Sunday morning. I thought about the different foods, and ingredients used to make those foods. Yes, all relating to my much anticipated class.

I meandered down Franklin Blvd until I reached the gorgeous Franklin Bridge. My directions said once over the bridge, look for St. George Street and the famous Franklin Blvd steps. Ah, 'the steps.' Well, I figured I could get down them, I was more worried about getting back up. Although I found comfort in the fact that I had on sensible shoes.

I made my way down the steps and to the community garden. There wasn't a sound in the air. The lesson this morning was being taught on the grounds of the Francias Elysee. Better known to anyone not bilingual as the French/American School. Sitting high up in the clouds overlooking the city I took a moment to wonder why I had to learn French in an all American school in the middle of a hay field. Some kids have all the luck, I guess.

There were only ten of us -all a good bunch. We talked about setting up seedling, great organic seed sources, planting, crop rotation, watering, container gardening and pest control. We meandered in the garden, I discovered that one of my classmates lived just three block from me, and I finally understood the difference between compost and mulch. Then came my 'aha' moment.

You see, I have a thing about worms. I know they're good for the soil and that in turn is good for the plant which is in turn good for me. I get all that on some level. But I could never get past the fact that a worm is a worm is a worm. There've been times while gardening that if I overturned a worm I took that as a sign that it was time for me to put my shovel away and wait till that worm was no longer in my way. Like maybe the next day. I've even had nightmares about worms. Maybe it goes back to my childhood and the crazy, tow-headed boy that lived next door to us. He use to come out into his mothers garden with a paper plate and a spoon, find worms and then just eat them! I kid you not. Looking back I'm sure it was his passive aggressive way of getting out of tending the garden as a chore. He didn't want to pull weeds, his mother didn't want him eating worms. She won. He had to stay out of the yard. Whatever the catalyst for my phobia, it wasn't going away with age.

During the compost talk of course the worm bin came up. I squirmed. No pun intended. But then, from behind the compost bin, Tara pulled out a bag of - you guessed it - worm castings! Yeah! I could buy the worm poop in a bag! For ten bucks I could throw the darn stuff all over the yard and never have to be a worm farmer! Woo hoo! I almost did a flip. Gardening all of a sudden seemed brighter and lighter. And then she dropped the bomb. Interspersed with the castings were eggs. Worm eggs. Yes, so little baby worms would hatch in your garden. Oh well, I guess one moment of euphoria alone was worth the price of admission.

PS. I came home and planted 50 seedlings and saw only two worms. Stay tuned to see what happens.

It's No Wonder

When I was growing up my mother's first rule was that we get all our our house chores, homework and all other of life's obstacles to our perceived happiness out of the way before we could have fun.

Bummer.

It just dawned on me that although I'm an adult now - and far enough along in that adulthood that no one checks my I.D. anymore - I still hold that way of life to be true. Well, no wonder I have a bunch of unfinished fun projects sitting around my otherwise clean house!

I'm up at five in the morning, commute 14 hours to and from work each week, get my son to school on time, stop at the grocery on my way home several times so I can make dinner, pick up the madness I left behind in the morning, set the table, clear the table, throw some laundry in the wash (or put it in the dryer) unload the dishwasher so I can load in the dinner dishes, dog my son to get ready for bed, pay a bill or two, tuck my son in, take my bath and get ready for bed myself... and then comes the weekend - the grocery store, the dry cleaners, laundry, house catch up, garden chores, ...and it goes on....gee .where on earth is MY time?

I hear what you're thinking right now; Quit complaining! Your bills are paid, the cat is fed, the bed is made, fresh towels are hung, the laundry is folded, your son will be smart one day, the coats are on their hooks, the pantry is stocked, the car is washed.

But it's 10pm!

I'm going to bed.