Small Town Southern Life

Magic Fabric

2012-02-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

All is quiet in the garden these days. The Zen of Gardening mood has settled on us and we're in wait mode. Though, I have to admit, as I write I feel anxiety to do something. Every time I go to a store, that might have seeds, I look for and buy some if they have them. I may not have a lot of money but I am seed rich. Aldi had packets of for $.50 last week and I went crazy. I have to wonder, am I really going to grow three different varieties of tomatoes from seeds? It could happen. Maybe. At least I have hope. And speaking of hope...
Not knowing that it would be unseasonably warm, but being a person of faith, I became convinced that I could have lettuce all winter using this thin, easy to tear, magic garden fabric. (Remembering that faith is the belief in the unseen or unknown). I caved and spent money on The Magic Fabric. Johnnie's Seeds was my source. Using P Allen Smith's idea, we built 4 x 4 cedar raised beds, used some discarded heavy duty fencing as a frame for the cover, and draped the diaphanous Magic Fabric over to make little greenhouse beds. AND...it worked! We've had a steady supply of lettuce all winter. Cool.
The last bit of hopeful gardening news is...drum roll, please. The fig rooting project is a success this year. Four twigs in a jar of water with green buds and roots are ready to be planted this Spring. Last year was 100% failure, this year 100% success! And the Mission Fig, fig mission, lives on.

Happy New Year, Y'all

2012-01-01T07:35:00.000-08:00

What a year, right? I'll leave the political and economic concerns of 2011 for the press to belabor and focus on my small garden. I have opinions about government and banks but I've chosen to Occupy my garden. It is a proactive way to ameliorate the setbacks and stresses of the past few years. As far as our Southern garden grows and goes, it was overall a fantastic year. I am getting better at it and understanding what I don't understand better. Make sense of that! Here is one of the pearls I gleaned this year: you have your soil pH tested not for the blind annual chore that it is but because veggies like a pH of about .....and in our case our soil is too acidic. Well I knew that but I didn't believe it until my butternuts, zucchini and summer squash all failed simultaneously. Now I believe. I sent about an acre of soil to NC State right before Christmas and will hear soon how to fix it. It's free. Duh, me.
On this first day of the New Year 2012, ever a hopeful or superstitious Southerner, we'll have the traditional pork for luck, collard greens for prosperity, peas to honor the frugal living of those who did the backbreaking hard work of farming before us and cornbread 9no flour, no sugar, please) the traditional bread of the South. All are foods our ancestors ate seasonally. Our peas will be cowpeas from Carolina Plantations, the cornmeal is North Carolina grown and the collards are mine. I am oh so tempted to make collard sandwiches a local delicacy of fried corn pone with collards sandwiched in the middle. It is quite good and very filling.
Wishing all a more prosperous new year and the best of luck.

Season's Greetings

2011-12-17T06:32:00.001-08:00

Green Is My Garden

2011-12-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

Our winter garden is all about the greens. Collards are BIG. Broccoli is the best ever. Wow. Sweet and crunchy steamed with a squeeze of lemon it is a gourmet treat. It's been an altogether fabulous Fall for the brassicas. I planted enough lettuce to eat every day and to share with neighbors. We are all happily eating Buttercrunch, Black Seeded Simpson, Red Sails, Romaine and Summercrisps spiced with Arugula. I am very proud of my lettuces. I grew them all from seeds and transplanted to raised beds with wire covers. Johnny's Seeds row covers are saving them every time the temps go low. Herbs are thriving in the cool weather. I had a crop failure with parsley last year but they are thriving this year in pots. Lesson learned on the parsley. Onions and garlic are up. Mustard and turnips are so-so because I planted them late.
Oh, I left out the kale and Swiss chard. All is well. And so are we.

Wild, Scenic

2011-11-03T06:47:00.000-07:00

We made our annual pilgrimage to Princess Ann Landing. It was an absolutely lovely un-Black Friday. We were in shirt sleeves this year under a cloudless sky. No matter the weather The Lumber is a wonder. A quiet, peaceful river that's a great place to have fun.

Sliding Into Fall

2011-08-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Keeping plants alive has been a real challenge this summer with temperatures near 100 for weeks with no rain. Heck, the rain thing has gotten so bad I videoed it. (I miss summer thunderstorms.) I watered everything almost every day. We were rewarded with tomatoes and squash. I won the Squash Borer War but finally caved to powdery mildew this morning. All summer squash was pulled up this morning. Every summer is unique. The eggplant was a total bust. Sweet one hundreds have been more like sweet ones. Our favorite plant shop went out of business so we didn't get the plants we usually get and the ones we got weren't healthy. I planted my own tomato seeds so we have plants that are just waiting for a break in the heat to set fruit.
On the plus side, we have butternut squash developing and I've planted round two of tomatoes using rooted suckers. I planted lettuce seeds this morning and transplanted dill into bigger pots. Hope lives.

Garden update

2011-07-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have peppers; jalepeno, bell and banana. Slowly, very slowly, tomatoes are ripening. Is this one of those 'watched pot' things? Squash are still alive and producing sporadically. I'm blaming the heat/drought. We are back to watering as often as we can. Sunflowers are moving on up and there was a hummingbird sighting yesterday supping on our bright red zinnias. My second round of parsley and basil are thriving. The last canteloupe was harvested today.
Winning in the fruit category are the figs again. No suprise there. What is surprising is that I caved and made Spicey Orange Fig Microwave Jam. Oo-la-la. Delicious.

Here's how:
Mix together 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3Tbs. lemon juice, 8 to 10 cut up figs, one peeled and chopped orange, 1/2 teaspoon of butter,1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Toss in some orange peel. Let it sit for 30 minutes. (you will have about 3 cups of stuff) Microwave on high 6 minutes. Stir. Microwave in 2 to 3 minute intervals stirring between each time. Microwave for a total of 15 minutes or until reduced to 2 cups. That's it. Makes to 8 oz jars if you want to put up or one large jar for the fridge. I see jam in someone's Christmas stocking...

Hand to hand combat in The Garden!

2011-07-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Ok. I tried the toilet paper roll and the aluminum foil and the squash borers came anyway. Which, I knew they would. So yesterday, in the blazing midday heat, in a fit of frustration, I pulled out a small paring knife and went after those bad boys. First you find where they've bored into the plant and, with surgeon-like precision, slice upward. Probe the slit much like the surgeons probed Lincoln's brain for Booth's bullets, and you will get the offending critter. Just like Lincoln, the plants are going to die no matter what. My logic follows that I should get some satisfaction. Altogether I killed six of the ugly bugs! The really cool thing is, the plants were still alive this morning and I'm still getting squash. A small victory in the garden for G-unit.

Volunteers

2011-06-26T04:29:00.000-07:00

Volunteers in the garden are a crap shoot. One year we had a fabulously funky squash that we nursed along until the bitter end. It was a combination pumpkin, patty pan squash thing, the shape of a flying saucer, that was mostly seeds. This year we have a bed full of volunteers: a tomato, cantaloupe, zinnias, and a white periwinkle. The flowers are beautiful, the tomato lush and green of a determinate variety, and the cantaloupe taking over, full of fruit. At the far end of this bed are the Swiss Chard plants I seeded way back last August still producing gigantic leaves. I etched Scott's name into this elevated melon with a kitchen knife to see if it could be done and to honor it's protected status. Scott put it on the stool to keep it safe. Way cool, the etching works! Gotta grow some personalized pumpkins next.

Garden update

2011-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, I have squash plants. My first go round I used old seed. They germinated the most pathetic, sad, little miniature versions of real zucchini. This is proof that the young should produce. There's vigor in youth. So I bought new seed and ka-ching! they germinated within a week. I am so not out of the woods on this squash thing. There are squash borers out there gunnin' for my plants. I've launched a pre-emptive assault including Neem oil, toilet paper rolls and aluminum foil. It's complicated but I'm hoping to confuse them and thereby delay the inevitable.
Dare I say it? Our tomatoes are setting fruit. Tomatoes are mystical. I have no answers. The mythology that surrounds the care and keeping of them makes me act like a fool. I resisted planting tomatoes this year because of the crash and burn event of last year's crop. Scott prevailed. We have many plants now.
I germinated basil and parsley from seed, neglected them for 24 hours, and they sizzled in the heat of late May. I'm giving them another go.
Bottom line is we are potato rich which caused Katie to complain that we eat potatoes every night. True. But there is hope in the garden.

Tater Salad

2011-05-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

That's right. With a plentiful rain, a perfect Spring, and good luck, you can call me Tater Salad! I never cease to be amazed and astonished at the produce we produce.

Gibson's Easter Pig

2011-04-24T05:22:00.001-07:00

"Well, what can I say about this pig that hasn't already been said? I know a lot of you folks have come out to the farm and you've seen the words, and a lot of you have asked me, 'how could this have happened?'. I don't know, but it has happened... at a time when we really don't see many miraculous things. Maybe we do. Maybe they're all right there around us everyday, we just don't know where to look. There's no denying that our own little Wilbur... he's part of something that's bigger than all of us. And life on that farm's just a whole lot better with him in it. He really is some pig."
Homer Zuckerman
Charlotte's Web

This year's Happy Easter picture special delivery from Gibson, NC. Hope it gives you a smile.

Green All Over

2011-04-23T06:13:00.001-07:00

I'm browsing the NY Times Well blog this morning with some time to read and find three articles of interest. The first a long term study that shows pesticide exposure to a pregnant mom causes IQ loss in the baby. Ouch. Second,UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Public Health is conducting a study to see if eating locally produced food yields better health. Cool. Can I be in it? Third, a New Yorker tries to make it on the 100 mile diet. That one has to be hard because I've tried it and we grow year round Down South. It gets really tough in January when it's greens, greens, greens on the plate and you know that's all there is in the fresh vegetable category.

And green it is in the garden. Everything is up and reaching critical mass. Too much lettuce not enough people, so I'm giving it away. Too much broccoli so I'll be freezing it. Too much mustard, kale and swiss chard so it's already frozen. Onions are blooming so those going in with the mixed greens.

Two cool things: The apple trees are apple-ing and, for the first time ever, the pomegranate is flowering. Lots. And just now I'm wondering if pomegranates and pyracanthas are cousins-thorns, narrow leaves, orange fruit...

Spring at last.

2011-04-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

An accounting is in order:
1. Broccoli is heading.
2. All manner of lettuces have been harvested and eaten.
3. Mustard reseeded, is up and is being eaten.
3. Ditto the swiss chard and kale.
4. 'Taters are up man!
5. Peas have flowers
6. Blue Lake pole beans have popped up.
7. Onions, garlic and shallots are "brilliant"!
8. And...drum roll please... the belle of the spring garden, Sage, is blooming!

Duke vs VT

2011-02-27T04:50:00.000-08:00

So you can't win 'em all but at least they were in the game...

...which leads me to philosophise about this Winter's garden.

Ouch.

But I'm still in the game. I harvested exactly one mess of collards for the whole winter with some help from Scout, The Puppy, who, it turns out, is quite fond of raw brassicas. (The fortress is getting better with every assalt.) I'm contemplating a summer garden with only butternut squash because they've been the sole home grown food on our plates this winter. On a happier note, lettuces and mustards are up, kale and swiss chard survived and are rallying, and potatoes are planted. We will have onions and garlic and most of the perrenial herbs survived. Thyme, sage, parsley and chives took a hit but they're hanging on.

Game's on y'all!

Snow X 2

2011-01-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

Two times in two weeks! Enough snow to play in is rare for us. This two-fer is the stuff of Southern dreams. The winter vegetable garden is a busted up mess and the ornamentals are taking a hit too. No matter. It is beautiful, utter magic, to my inner child.

Stop playing with your food, kids!

2011-01-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

I would have to look through hundreds of photos to find the picture of The Squash Baby we created when Jonathan and Katie were wee ones. A gi-normous zucchini sporting a bonnet and bib from Katie's baby days the infant sized vegg was the product of Herb Ireland and Daddy's garden. They offered squash. What I did not know in accepting was that those zuccas would be the size of cord wood. There have been other squash babies over the years one, a hybrid of Mr. Potato Head parts that delighted students and teachers, was ultimately doomed to become chicken feed. Now that's zucca maxima!
Boredom drives the engine of creativity, perhaps. Happy new year to you and yours.

Emory's Gardeners

2010-12-20T14:29:00.000-08:00

Cool spaces, tucked into hidden places.

I have vague memories of being hot, not being able to get cool and whining about it all the time. Like, the entire months of June, July, August and September of 2010. Despite the heat I braved the outdoors and struck up a good, old fashioned, conversation with the gardeners of Emory University, Decatur, GA. What a pair of pure genius, good ole boy, garden designers. They love their job and the two are responsible, turns out, for the beauty of main campus. I spent days wandering around campus taking pictures while Katie attended classes. Their design makes a case for the understated beauty of a green, green space. And here on the cusp of the shortest day of the year, wishing for warmth, I look forward looking back.

stink patch-not

2010-11-27T05:41:00.000-08:00

If you've ever been near a collard planting on a hot day you understand why old timers called it the stink patch. There's just this high, ever-present, odor of sulfur all around that makes you wonder what made humans eat them in the first place. Starvation, maybe? Mustard greens don't stink, are milder in flavor and are mighty purdie to look at, especially the curly variety.
Scott broadcast some leftover seed from a few years ago and each and every one came up. What do they need to grow? Not much. Water and part shade will work. We've been eating from them weekly for about a month now. Not bad sauteed with garlic and onion and a touch of water (or a glug of beer) if needed. The beauty of the curly type is the stems aren't tough so you just pick, rinse and cook.

Scout The Seriously Cute Dog

2010-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

Scout has become a faithful companion hanging around when we garden and sit outside enjoying what has become a very nice Fall. Since this picture was taken she's grown and shown us her amazing talent for digging in soft dirt ie. the garden. I couldn't get mad because I knew it was going to happen so we now have fencing around areas that appeal to her. In this way we continue to reap the rewards of our work and still love the dog who barks when she should. Dude, she's a good watchdog.

The Last Rose of Summer

2010-10-10T05:31:00.000-07:00

Menologically speaking it's Fall. But here in the Land Down Under USA it's still summer and what a beautiful fummer it is-cool mornings and warm afternoons with Carolina blue skies. Take that for all that heat, humidity and frizzy hair of August (and this year September). Thanks for the break Mother Nature, we were really getting frantic this year. The heat was seriously cuttin' into our outdoor party time and that's just sad. So now we're back to eating dinner outdoors and walking before the sun goes down. AND gardening is fun again. I do something garden every day when I get home from work and actually enjoy it.

We've added salad to the menu the past two weeks. There is enough for three of us this weekend. All other plantings are chugging along. Hopefully we'll have broccoli for Thanksgiving. Wouldn't that be nice with roasted butternut squash? I think so.

Zinnias are the garden star this month. They are so much prettier in person. I reckon you'll just have to come by and see them for the full effect.

2010 Fall Garden

2010-09-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

Carrots are up! Broccoli and lettuce plants are perkin' right along and more are in seed pots. Pea and turnip seeds were planted today. Rain failed to make so we were out first thing watering one and all. I am proudest of my new parsley plants that I grew from the seeds I harvested from last years' plant. Wow. They were a major success in germination! I transplanted the seedlings today into the garden knowing that they love heat and sunshine something we have plenty of these days. Still in the 90s here in mid-September.

Two New Things

2010-08-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

There are two firsts in the garden right now. The first was the tomato hornworm caterpillar. It completely ate one tomato, moved on to a second but ha-ha-ha-ha-ha the garden wasps had laid eggs on it! I left it to die slowly, being eaten alive from the inside out, checking daily on the progress of the parasitic wasp larvae. They did their job masterfully and all hatched within days. The caterpillar carcass remains as a warning to all. Medieval, right?

Number two in the new category are the butternut squashes. They are almost ready and wow are they beautiful. They've taken over one whole corner of the yard vining beyond the garden. Scott has respectfully left them alone not moving them to mow the grass which is going to be hell to cut. Behold.

Cornell Plantations

2010-08-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

I guess I was in shock because I did not take a single picture of the tomatoes growing at Cornell Plantations. Really, there were at least twenty varieties of tomatoes all loaded with fruit. Brandeywine, Black Krim, and great big Jersey Giants were thriving and the Swiss Chard was huge! There were beets and turnips, and lettuce and beans, and peas and cabbages, and carrots, and all of it was coming off at once and there was no one there to stop me from picking things, but I didn't, which seemed stupid and so civilized. Maybe it was the sun and the heat. It wasn't a complete wash, I did have the presence of mind to take pictures while in the flower gardens.
Here's the deal with America's world class universities. They have it all. Museums, gardens, beautiful buildings and landscaping, librarians who are happy to help, and it's all free or nearly free. This was the summer of colleges: Duke, Emory and Cornell. Below are photos from Nasher Museum at Duke and Johnson Art Museum at Cornell.

How hot is it?

2010-07-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

Hot enough to sun dry fruit leather in your car. That's how hot.I've been doing figs this week. Puree together a bowl of figs, add between one teaspoon to one tablespoon sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Pour on to sheet cake pan lined with plastic wrap and put on the dash of your car parked in full sun. Two days later you will have yummy, sun-dried fruit leather. It helps to open the car door a few times during the day to let out the moisture. That's it. Free fruit leather. Totally free. Figs,by the way, require no attention to bear fruit. None. Zero. Nada. You can't buy them in the grocery fresh because they don't ship well. They are the most local of fruits. What do figs taste like fresh? Sweet like a banana, seedy like a strawberry.

Winter squash

2010-07-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Folk wisdom declares that pumpkin seeds should be planted on July 4th in the South in order to have them for Halloween. Using wonky logic I waited and planted my butternut squash seeds,also a winter squash, the first week of July. I'm not willing to declare absolute success because gardening is an ongoing lesson in humility, heartbreak always a possibility, but do have some truly beautiful specimens forming. Not knowing they would rival Jack's beanstalk in speed and length I stuck seeds randomly around the beds. They are now draped like kudzu all around the yard. Last year I had one butternut that when roasted was food for the gods. This year if the garden fairy is with me I'll have nearly 20. Fingers, eyes and toes crossed.

Tomato Wilt

2010-07-02T07:44:00.000-07:00

The heartbreak of growing summer vegetables in the South is the stress heat and lack of/too much water place on plants. Tomatoes are particulary vulnerable. Old timers being creative made use of the fruit of wilting tomatoes. Made famous by a movie about women who kill, cut up, and cook a bad man into BBQ, fried green tomatoes are one good use for those not yet ripe tomatoes that must be pulled prematurely.

Stuffed Squash

2010-07-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

We have a neighbor who reliably accepts surplus vegetables. This wonderful woman, though widowed, living alone with no one else to cook for, cooks for herself. She entertains and always cooks for family when they visit. Rarely does she eat out. She suggested stuffed squash and gave me this informal recipe when I waddled over under the weight of too many squash to deal with at once. It is beyond gourmet. There is no restaurant I know of that would serve such a meal. Too bad, America. Homage to Betsy, lady, neighbbor and good friend.

Betsy's Stuffed Squash

2 yellow summer squash, halved
1 small onion, chopped
garlic,chopped
small amount of leftover meat
1 cup of cheese
small amount of leftover cooked rice,stale bread, breadcrumbs or crackers
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fresh herbs (I used oregano, parley, and thyme.)

Cook the squash for about 5 minutes in a large pot of simmering water. Remove. Cool enough to handle, then scoop out the center. Saute the onion and garlic. Mix with scooped squash, add bread crumbs, meat and half the cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in chopped herbs. Stuff the squash shells and cook for 15 minutes at 350. Top with the remaining cheese return to oven to melt.

Four Letter Words

2010-06-29T05:17:00.000-07:00

I have an alternate collection. Collecting words is a good thing. Putting them in categories aids retrieval. Okra, for some just another four letter word. OKRA! instead of *&%$! Cooked into a southern stew it's good. Let me explain.

Stewed Tomatoes and Okra

One small to medium onion
Two cloves garlic
Three tomatoes
Four banana peppers
Five okra pods

Peel and chop onion, garlic and tomatoes. Seed peppers. Slice okra.
Sautee onions, peppers and garlic until soft.
Add okra, it will immediately develop a mucilaginous goo when sliced. Don't panic. It washes off with water and makes the stew stewy.
Add the tomatoes.
Stew over low heat until tomatoes have released their juices and veggies are soft.
Cooks note: The French would add some white wine to deglaze the pan and loosen the stew. Beer works fine or water. Just a splash.
Serve over rice for a vegetarian dinner for two.

...think shade.

2010-06-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

To think Southern is to think shade. It really is all about the heat of the subtropical sun these days. Temps in the mid 90s with high humidity and it feels like a 'saw-nah' out there. I walk in the early morning choosing shady streets, water my garden standing under the shade of a now mature pin oak that I saved 30 years ago and walk the puppy at night. What puppy?!? The puppy that showed up under the shade of the oak tree on my birthday. She comes when I whistle and hasn't dug in my garden yet. I use water therapy as a teaching tool. She isn't a water dog. And I am having to water lots lately. No more on that for now. I get too upset.
Back to the shady garden, darkened and secluded from the world. All are lush green. Many have magnolia, live oaks, pines or pin oaks giving perpetual shade and shelter though my hands-down favorite is shaded by a large Japanese maple. River birches provide natural umbrellas of shade draping around their trunks creating a green garden room. Every yard, church and some businesses in my neighborhood have a spot of shade to ease the heat and please the eye. All give peace and shelter.

Summer

2010-06-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

My eyes tear
A small bunch of onions
Pulled and drying on my porch
On an old door screen

Ya win some, ya lose some.

2010-06-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

We've had a cool, rainy spring, perfect for planting, harvesting and digging so that's what we've been doing. The peas and broccoli have come and gone, lettuce is no more, garlic is curing on the porch, swiss chard is up and at 'em, squash has been coming off for weeks and our first tomato will be eaten in a day or two! I planted potatoes this year and have been sneaking a few from under the straw for the past few days-way fun. Carrots are the biggest hit this year. I planted lots. It's great fun to pop them out of the ground, it just makes the most wonderful sound. Potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper fresh out of the garden have been on the menu this week and squash casserole is bubbling away in the crockpot for dinner.
True confessions: the beets were a bust, twice. Turnips weren't much better.Tomatoes are wilting daily. Neem oil is good but cool, very wet days are a curse on tomatoes.

Walked She Did

2010-05-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

That's Yoda for She walked across the stage at Emory's graduation but hasn't quite graduated yet but it was still fun and we are proud. The Quad looked like this the night before...

and the next morning...

a crush of people, all happy.
Arnold was the speaker, as in Swartzneger. His message: Work hard. Believe in yourself. Give through volunteerism.

creamed swiss chard

2010-04-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wow! It was delicious.

One bunch of swiss chard, stemmed and chopped
One big clove garlic, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Sautee the garlic briefly in oil. Toss in the swiss chard and cover cooking over low heat until thoroughly wilted. Pour over the cream and stir in the parmesan cheese. Let evaporate until thickened. Season to taste.

Raised Bed

2010-04-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

Not a bed on bricks, a bed of bricks. We have three garden areas not one great big garden. Each gets different sunlight and boy did I plan this one wrong. This raised bed is built of stacked bricks over an old, concrete driveway. Lettuce, broccoli, spinach and swiss chard are getting full, southern, afternoon sun.If we were really having spring weather that'd be OK. But the temp has been hovering around 90 for days. Ouch. I cover the bed with sheets to keep the plants from getting sunburnt. The Romain bolted (ran for it, so to speak) and had to be harvested all at once to a neighbor's benefit. Our fridge is stuffed with bags of greens, all kinds. I've been cooking and freezing greens every day. We eat them every meal but breakfast. That's the life of a gardener...feast or famine. Puts ya in touch with your heritage pretty quick. I think of my grandparents (and the greats) and puzzle, 'How in the world?'. Did we really crawl out of the mud hundreds of thousands of years ago hunting, gathering and growing food all the while until about 100years ago? Wow. There's some powerful mo-jo in our genes.

Easter Sunday 2010

2010-04-04T11:47:00.001-07:00

The Spring Garden

2010-03-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

So much for whining about nothing to do. We have endless sunshine in the forcast and warm days ahead. The lettuces that wintered over have put on new leaves, Swiss Chard is coming on strong, parsley has perked up, collards are harvested with some frozen for the future. Carrots, beets and radishes have put on true leaves, potatoes are planted and peas are coming up. The rhubarb wintered over in pots and now has a permanent place in the garden. The garlic and onions are forming bulbs. And I am watering again. This is an ominous sign. O-o-oh no-o-o!

Liquid Sunshine

2010-03-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

Gardening is suspended. There's nothing to do but wait for the weather to cooperate. Trapped in the house two weekends ago, I took out Eugenia Bone's Well Preserved and made lemon pickles. Preserved lemons are lemons juiced and salted. No heat, no mixing, just the raw materials combined. They are beautiful sitting on my counter. Bottled sunshine.

Johnny Appleseed

2010-02-23T16:40:00.000-08:00

A legend. Legend is that he planted apple trees all across America. Johnnie was,in fact, uncle to Robbie Chapman who married Samuel Bigelow. And there you have it, he's related to every Bigelow in America because they all came from one man who immigrated from England. They, the Bigelow's, were prolific.
Putzing around on the internet one night I found this article about a man in NC who is saving (for posterity) heirloom apples. My curiosity piqued, I called and spoke with young David Vernon on the telephone. He, like me, is a public school employee with a hobbie. His hobbie trumps mine. I mean, David is really a cool guy-saving apple trees and all.
I bought three: Royal Limbertwig (don't you just love the sound of it?), Aunt Rachel (everybody has an Aunt So-And-So) and Bevan's Favorite. We planted them this weekend and I hope they thrive producing apples to give pleasure in the years to come.That's an American thing, isn't it? Hope. America is all about hope and promise. At least that's my hope.
David's website is www.centuryfarmorchards.com. There you will see and read descriptions of American history. Rock on America!

Sesame Street's "It's a Rainy Day"

2010-02-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

OMG. This song is an absolutely brilliant and oh-so-sweet reminder to appreciate rainy days. Lately, it's been hard, in fact, I've been in a pissy mood about the weather. I fell in love with it the first time I heard it.

"RAINY DAY"

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play,
Why do we need the rain, anyway?

Rain falls every where fills the rivers and streams,
Flows into the reservoire, is purified and cleaned,
Water to do the wash, Water to drink,
Water is flowing from our pipes into our sinks.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play.
I guess I'll stay at home today.

Every living thing needs water
Every living thing needs the rain,
Every living thing needs water,
I guess I really can't complain.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play,
Why do we need the rain, anyway?

Water to do the dishes,
Water to brush our teeth,
Water to take a shower,
Water to wash the street.
Water to wash the forest,
Millions of thirsty roots,
Water for the garden, flowers, vegetables and fruits.

It's a rainy day, it's a rainy day.
It's raining outside and I can't go out and play.
Don't you know I love the rain, anyway.

Check it out on youtube.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlljkLsdc2A&feature=related

Berry Cold

2010-02-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

The ice man cometh coating everything outdoors in ice. It is but a transient, beautiful, state melting as I type. The sounds of ice being blown on trees and bushes has a rare a musical quality when accompanied by silence. We were spared power outages and days trapped in the house. Lady luck was with us on this one allowing us to enjoy the beauty of this round of winter weather. I vote for snow next round, then we can play in it. More wintery weather is predicted for the coming weekend. Staying tuned. Hoping to build the snowcat I've been planning for years.

Planning the summer garden

2010-01-25T05:47:00.000-08:00

The time has come, at last, to plan for the spring and summer gardens. I get really excited about being outside again, especially this year. I get so bored with being cooped up in the house. It makes me so grumpy. Felder Rushing's book has been cracked open, seed catalogs are bedtime reading,the seeds have been taken down and a small set of lettuces sitting on the kitchen window sill have germinated. We planted snow peas last weekend and will be planting English peas soon. Our turnips and mustard were vaporized by the two weeks of temps in the teens and twenties so we'll probably give them another go. Should I try broccoli from seed one more time? My seedlings haven't produced this year. I could speculate endlessly about the hot fall and the freezing winter or maybe too much nitrogen keeping them from flowering. I excel in the alchemy of gardening not the chemistry; I always plant with hope in my heart feeling wonder and awe when I get lucky enough to harvest anything. Maybe it's time to get serious and send off those soil samples...

Collards 2010

2010-01-17T06:51:00.000-08:00

...cooked and ready to eat. To cook,heat some oil in a large, deep pan. Put in the damp, cleaned, chopped collards and steam with a small amount of water (what's all this chicken broth stuff promoted by foodies about?)for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze on some lemon juice and eat. Traditionally, Southerns use pork fat and vinegar but it really isn't necessary. Manga, manga.

...chopped and ready to cook. Cooks note: This pile of collards will cook down and there will only be enough for four servings.

... cleaned with stems removed. Eat the stems and you will die from indigestion-as in you are not a cow and the human stomach doesn't do collard stems.

... piled up on the kitchen counter; a mess of 'em.

Officially cold

2010-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

It's official. Even Florida has been blasted with this damned cold. The citrus crop is now officially affected. So depressing. I bought lovely lemons just a week ago. The color so refreshing. Now I wish I'd bought more.
What does the rushing water of a Colorado stream in summer have to do with the cold? Well. In July the water in a Colorado spring is ice cold. So cold you gasp when you step into it and your feet become numb quickly. After spending two months sweating in the Southern US it feels oh-so-good and refreshing. It's cold because the winter snow high up in the mountains is slowly melting releasing the most, wonderful, clear and cool elixir of life. Personally I'm looking forward to the time when cold feels good again.

so cold, cold, cold

2010-01-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

When I got home from work the thermometer was at 40, a virtual heat wave! So, I bravely lifted one edge of the cover over my lettuce patch and found that there is still life in there. Thriving? I won't know until it warms some and that's a few days away. Fingers crossed and a carrot pulled for lunch tomorrow. (Peter Rabbit and Mr. Mcgregor come to mind.)Garden girl got game.

Epic Cold

2010-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

It is seriously cold in the Land Down Under USA. Seriously. The nights have been in the teens and the days no warmer than freezing. Alas I just don't know if any of the cold weather crops can take days, and days, and days of this. We'll see. I've declined to look under the lettuce shelter. I rushed out and harvested all that I could the afternoon before the cold set in. And now I wait.

Peas and Carrots

2009-12-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

The fall peas were a bust. But the carrots! Wow. What a surprise. And they taste good too! A happy ending to this year of gardening. The variety I planted is Short 'N Sweet. They're short, roundish and, as advertised, very sweet. I just love it when success is so easy.
Our New Year tradition lives on with dinner and a movie with friends and family. North Carolina shrimp are on the menu. May your New Year be mostly laughter and smiles to carry you along the way. Night y'all.

Southern Chocolate Layer Cake

2009-12-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Jonathan and I made this beautiful, delicious, Southern cake then invited friends over for dessert and a fire. I'd never made one as they can be bought made by women who want some extra cash at Christmas. I'm so glad we did it. Jane, a backdoor neighbor, told us that her grandmother made these cakes for her children as their birthday cake. It was before fancy store-bought birthday candles so she made a layer for every year. Perhaps that's the origin of these marvelous cakes. It's for sure they are special occassion cakes.
There are many recipes for this cake on the internet. Ours was possibly the richest version out there: cream, butter, dark chocolate. All are good. Try one and be sure to share.

Parsley,sage, rosemary and thyme

2009-12-19T05:22:00.001-08:00

Parsley doesn't like the cold but it somehow survives it with a covering of pinestraw and mulch. It gets used all winter, like thyme, because it's there.

The very best use I've found for parsley is Lemon Parsley Viniagrette, a bright and tangy dressing.

Lemon Parsley Viniagrette

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup parsley leaves
Whir it with an immersion blender.

World's Smallest Pecans

2009-12-07T06:50:00.000-08:00

We are convinced that our neighborhood was once a pecan orchard. There are very large, old trees in almost every yard. I can see them out of every window in my house. Perhaps there was once a pecan tree give-away program. Most people are too busy to pick them up and leave them but just a few minutes on three separate occassions Scott and I picked up these tiny nuggets of Southern delight.
Pecans require cross pollination so there are different nuts in every orchard. They also bear strong bi-annually. Some years we sell, some years we save all we collect. We are keeping all we gather this year. No one wants these small nuts. They are hell to crack. It must be done by hand; no taking them off to Carolina Feed and Grain for the automatic cracker as they defie modern machinery slipping through and coming out the other side whole. It takes time and patience to tease them out. It's the patience part that gets me. I am highly sensitized to this chore. It was mine for many years using every primitive device invented. My personal favorite to hate was the cast iron figure of a squirrel. The nut was placed in his jaw and the tail was the lever used for cracking. I squashed more than I cracked. There is so much oil in pecans that they become mush if pressed too hard. Combined with the bitter pith they are oh so bad. But, if one can get past the obstacles of gathering, cracking, and picking out the nuts these tiny meats are the tastiest of them all.

Sweet Potato Pudding and River Trip

2009-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

We did our annual day after Thanksgiving Lumber River State Park trip. No Katie. No Hanna. No Jonathan. No Richard. No one from Richard's family. We missed them all. But. Will came with Ahsley and the originating parents of the day were there. Neil Lee, park superintendent,came by to check on our tradition. It was a beautiful fall day. We found Indian artifacts and talked with Neil about the ancient people who might have camped and hunted on the high bluff now called Princess Ann. We cooked over a fire and canoed on the river.

I'm sharing a sweet potato pudding recipe because it is the BEST.

Sweet Potato Pudding

2 cups cooked sweet potatoes, mashed
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Pour into a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

Greens and Ham

2009-11-25T04:56:00.000-08:00

We've had mustard greens several times lately. Pork, greens and sweet potatoes go together like peas and carrots. Sweet potatoes are ubiquitous this time of year and I am a failed sweet tater farmer. So I buy them. It makes no sense to grow something badly when there are eaier things that do well. Mustard is a shade of green that is quite pretty in the garden.
Broccoli heads are slowly forming. Some of the collards are ready to eat except that the key weather element, frost, has not come our way yet. Southern lore has it that collards are extremely bitter before frost. I grew some broccoli rabe once that I forced myself to eat. Gack. It was one of those moments in personal history that shouldn't have happened. Scott put down his fork and watched in silence. I'm still recovering. No way I'm going to try unfrosted collards.
The lettuces are in different stages. It's fun to watch them change from tiny shoots to fully developed plants. Lettuce is the best bang for the buck in our fall garden. A $1.00 packet of seeds will surely grow $100.00 worth of lettuce. Ridiculously easy and fabulously tastey. When you grow your own lettuce, you can harvest the outside leaves as they mature and leave the plant to continue forming new leaves. Much better than just cutting off the whole head like farmers have to do. The salad bowl of America is not in California, it's in your own backyard y'all.

Parsley Lemon Vinagrette

1/4 to 1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teapsoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon honey
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil

Whir it all together in a blender or with a magic kitchen wand. So good.

Note: The elaborate fencing/netting is to protect the lettuces from frost and cats. There is a huge plastic sheet, not seen, that can be pulled over the bed when the temperatures fall below 40 to protect the plants. The cats are brats. The other strategy to keep them out of the garden is wheat straw. As it degrades it becomes very slimey and they hate it. Me to. It is weird.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T07:02:00.000-08:00

It is a day Americans set aside for somber reflection.

My father was 22 years old when he joined the Army Air Force. His older brothers had already enlisted. By the end of World War II my grandmother had sent all four of her boys to fight. Two were airmen, the other two infantry. All were injured and they rarely spoke the war in mixed company. Once I mustered up the courage and asked my father about the long scar that ran the length of his right arm. He described his plane crash, the hours following and the good folks who took him in on the night of his crash. He didn't crash in battle, he crashed running night flight trials over the dark skies of Mississippi with no moon and no instrumentation to guide him. The people who saved his life were negro sharecroppers who lived in a shack. He spent six months in the hospital in Mississippi.

My father never stopped loving airports and planes. When we were very young he'd take us to the observation deck of the municipal airport in Charleston, SC and let us look at the planes through his big, heavy, Army issue binoculars.
The war memorial at Lumberton Municipal Airport requires one to park and go through the terminal to the landing strip side of the terminal. It has been at the airport for as far back as my memory goes. Tom and Charlie are among those listed on the memorial. Good men who served a good cause.

When my father died I found the newspaper announcement of his transfer to Greenville, Mississippi in his bedside Bible in the New Testament book of St. Matthew. His mother had saved it. It is now folded into my childhood Bible in the same spot. It is the story of the birth of Jesus. A deeply religious woman, Myrtle Rose knelt in prayer by her bed every night before bed. I have imagined her praying for her sons all away at war and wondered at their strength and courage. The scripture she chose to have read at her funeral was from Micah 6:8, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Fall garden

2009-10-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

We're eating lettuce after a summer without. There is enough to share with neighbors. Okra is waning and all but the green tomatoes are gone. No more peppers except for the really hot ones. We had some turnips this week. I have a young garden friend, aged four, who visits every time she comes to see her grandmother. Too sweet. She loves to harvest from my garden. She asked yesterday, "Can I pick some salad?" "I'm so glad you asked!" for young gardeners must be nutured. Pulling turnips gave us so much joy. At first the leaves broke off, then with more force the turnips popped out of the earth. We had to laugh. What a surprise! They're purple!
The cares and concerns of being an adult melt away when one is with the young.
Mustard, collards and broccoli are growing slowly. It's hard to tell what the beets are doing. The same is true of the carrots. Summer seems like a vague memory now. I froze some things and in that way we still get to enjoy the tastes of summer but soon they will be gone and then it will be all about winter. The grass has stopped growing and the leaves are falling. We've worked out an elaborate mini-greenhouse for the lettuces and hope it works. Time will tell.

The ICE bucket

2009-10-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Thirty one years ago I received a re-gifted ice bucket for a wedding gift. I know this because I know my former sister-in-law is a doop-dee-doo. I thought it was pretty funny then and kept the ICE bucket knowing that someday I would use that spray painted, bright brass thing for something not ice. Thirty one years to the month I pulled it from the back of cabinet where I placed it, mused peacefully about the past thirty one years and !Epiphany! I realized that I held in my hands a new, very handy, and useful compost bucket. She who laughs, lasts.

Green Tomatoes

2009-10-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

Green as the finest emeralds. Sliced tomatoes for a Southern delicacy.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Combine on a plate
Flour
Cornmeal
Salt
Ground cayenne or red pepper
Lightly dust/dip sliced green tomatoes and fry in a small amount of flour over medium high heat. Drain on paper towels.

Eggplant

2009-10-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Super Eggplant! I had to hold it upside-down like those pictures on the pier at the beach of people who've caught uber big fish because, well, I just had to! We pulled it out because, sadly ,it's time to move on. The clock ticks, the sun turns, and a new season is upon us.
The part of the plant you see in the picture probably weighed 30lbs and had about that many fruit on it.

Ah the joy of a beautiful Fall day in the garden!

Epicurous Roasted Eggplant Soup

3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise
1 small onion, halved
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream (I used half and half)
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 3 1/2 ounces)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on large baking sheet. Brush vegetables with oil. Roast until vegetables are tender and brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Scoop eggplant from skin into heavy large saucepan; discard skin. Add remaining roasted vegetables and thyme to same saucepan. Add 4 cups chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. Stir in cream. Bring to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with goat cheese; serve.

The (Perfect)End

Pick a Peck a Peppers

2009-10-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Scott went crazy and planted hot peppers all around the garden! Their color indicates their degree of heat. Beautiful aren't they? I am personally afraid to get near the habenero (it's the lumpy, bumpy orange one) for fear that the capsasien will jump off the plant right straight into my eyes. I admire that bad boy from a distance. If you have the courage, stop by. It's free.

And the heat goes on, la di da duh di, la di da duh die

2009-09-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

We're still dressing for summer down here. Labor Day means nothing in the southeastern US. Our first date for expected frost is the end of October or even early November. Heck, we go back to school before Labor Day. Why wait? It's still going to be hot,which is a good thing for the garden. Tomotoes? Still got them. Okra? Comin' on. Eggplant? Can I get a break? Please. Marigolds? Late summer is their time. My impatients are full of blossoms. 'Tis the season for...butterflies. Tomorrow I'll start a unit on caterpillars because they are all over my parsley.
Johnny Appleseed? He'll will just have to wait until October.
The picture above is of an okra flower. They are relatives of hibiscus and are very pretty looking out of my kitchen window. Most of the plants are showing signs of age-related stress, a phenomenon I am slowly coming to understand. But here is the most important thing: they are still productive,and occassionally pretty, despite being dried up and scraggly looking overall.

Tomatoes and Okra

Some okra, cut up
One onion, cut up
Some peppers, cut up
Garlic chopped (one or two cloves)
Chopped tomatoes (or one 15 oz can diced tomatoes)

Sautee the onion, peppers, garlic and okra in oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the tomatoes. Cover and cook over medium to low heat until softened to your liking. Very nice with polenta, known as grits in the South, y'all.

9/11

2009-09-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

It was a clear, crisp, blue-skyed morning. Down South it's the kind of morning that signals a shift, an unmistakable change in Earth's movement. We know that the long summer has passed and that, even though there will be more warm days, relief has come. We celebrate The Day. August is so hot, you see. But by mid-morning on That Day we were transfixed by tragedy unfolding in New York City. Appalled and speechless as first one, then a second, skyscaper filled with workers, people like us, collasped taking them to certain death. Disbelieving, we wrenched ourselves from the TV to do the day's work knowing that there would be more blood shed. War. Years later I photographed this memorial to those who died that day. It is painted tiles hanging on a chain link fence in Greenwich Village. The tiles, reportedly the work of children, are mostly hearts, doves of peace and American flags. But when I singled out the tiles and looked closely there is one, of twin towers that no longer stand, with a beautiful blue sky and a golden yellow sun reminding us of the clear September day when our world shifted and changed.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord shine the Light of his countenance upon you.
May the Lord be gracious unto you.
And give you Peace.

Seedlings!

2009-08-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

The seeds are now seedlings! We've had extreme heat and I started back to school so there were a few days where I thought maybe I'd let them sprout and die. But no! They live! We are on the road to having a spinach patch, broccoli, collards and all kinds of lettuces. Something to look forward to I'd say.

Did I forget to mention the turnips? We'll be having neeps if all goes well.

Herbs

2009-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:00

Herbs love the heat, don't get eaten by bugs and get huge by the end of summer. Here are a few from our garden. Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat. Use your imagination and hopefully somewhere in the recesses of your memory they are there.

Life is art.

2009-08-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Evil Spirits

Neighbor's Gate

The Cloisters, NYC

Propane Totem,CO

Hippy van, Greenich Village

2009-08-10T05:21:00.000-07:00

The Last Rose of Summer

Our summer garden is winding down. Heat,lack of rain and age have taken their toll. It looks pretty sad but Felder Rushing,our gardening guru,warns, "A vegetable garden tends to be messier than a flower garden because it is utilitarian, not aethetic." My response, after being away for two weeks is best summarized as shocked. The googly-eyed, screaming monsters in this blue ribbon, Archuleta County Fair, quilt cover my range of emotions. Chin up old girl. There are three more seasons. Because we're Southern we grow all year so I planted broccoli seeds yesterday. Today spinach, collards and lettuces will get planted.

I Always Wanted to See the Statue of Libery and a Rodeo

2009-08-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Red Rider Rodeo!

I did finally see Lady Liberty and she is the way coolest. Just a few days ago I went to the Red Ryder County Fair in Pagosa Springs, CO. OMG. It wasn't a bronco bustin', bull ridin' rodeo. Oh, no. It was a ranch rodeo. A real rodeo. Take that. It was the real deal with real cowboys without commercial sponsors. And it was a damn good time all for the price of $3.00.

Wolf Creek

2009-08-08T07:03:00.000-07:00

I looked at Earl and his eyes was wide...
I says, "Earl, I'm not the type to complain
But the time has come for me to explain
That if you don't apply some brake real soon, they're gonna have to pick us up with a stick and a spoon..."
("Wolf Creek Pass" written by Bill Fries and Chip Davis, sung by C.W. McCall)

By GEB
Personal Press

Following an ear poppin', breathtaking, awe inspiring drive up then back down into Wolf Creek Pass an afternoon spent in San Juan National Forest rock hopping in and along Wolf Creek,Colorado on a cool July afternoon is free! Altogether it's 3,000 feet down into the pass causing me to consider that the first settlers who made it there must surely have saddly resolved that,like it or not, there was no turning back. When you gather your wits and swallow it's no different than having just taken off in a 747 except that you can see below where you'll end up if you crash. It'd make for a great obituary except for the part where I want to die in my sleep, in my bed, in my 80's having lived a full and healthy life.

Born in the USA!

2009-07-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

What I Love About Baseball
Well, it's just all about America for cryin' out loud. There is eating and drinking, cussin' and prayin', fold-out chairs and wheelchairs, old and young, rich and poor, dirt and grass, Pepsi and hot dogs,popcorn and peanuts,anthem and flag, pop balls and line drives,pops and bunts, homeruns and ou-oot!,hysteria and silence, top and bottom, pitcher and catcher, infield and outfield, glove and bat. Baseball is a study in contrasts and all the variety in between. It's busy and bustlin'at the slow pace that only baseball can have and mighty good fun. That's what I love about baseball!

What's that?!

2009-07-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

An attorney friend, visiting from the Deep South, came by to see my garden. Disbelieving she ask, "What's that?!" Not understanding the question behind the question I answered, "Okra. I love okra, it's really good sauteed, splashed with tamari." Blah, blah, blah, blah I babble on about the virtues of okra. She was relieved. Seems she thought it was pot. Well now that I look at it the new leaves do sort of look like it...

Fast Slow Food

2009-07-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

On your mark: Pizza dough.

Get set:
a.3 cups of flour
b.1 teaspoon salt
c.one package of yeast
d. 1 teaspoon honey
e. 1 Tablespoon olive oil
f.1 cup warm water (from the tap is fine)

Go: Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (I use a food processor). Combine wet ingredients. Press on button to mix dry ingredients and slowly add wet to dry as processor is running. Leave it on for a few minutes. Dump the dough on a cutting board, knead in enough flour to keep it from being sticky. Cut in half. One half the dough will make a pizza large enough for two people.

Freeze the other half for another day. I do three batches because why get the bowl dirty for only one batch? I wrap the dough in plastic wrap in a neat package. When I take it out to thaw I unwrap, put the dough in a greased bowl and put the wrap on top. The rest is in a million recipe books.

Sweet 100s

2009-07-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

This is today's harvest of cherry tomatoes. I will cook them Ina Garten style in olive oil with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Less is more.

Flowers in the garden...

2009-07-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Flowers in the garden bring bees and butterflies. This morning there were swarms of butterflies and bees busy working the flowers. They work the vegetables as they are working the flowers which are planted all around. The outcome is lucious squashes and juicy tomotoes.

Kids and Kittens

2009-07-01T05:21:00.000-07:00

Patricia loves kittens. Here she is with a new litter. She is holding Milky Way and Truffle-going with the candy theme works for her. It was great fun listening to her name and re-name kittens. Snickers, Zero, Oreo, Chips; her list went on and on. You should hear her sweet, delighted laughter when she is playing with them. OMG it was so much fun to be with a happy 4th grader! She played with them until the fireflies came out and mosquitoes chased us indoors.

Homemade Yogurt

2009-06-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

Pictured below is my homemade yogurt with a drizzle of honey. The recipe is too simple: Heat 2 cups milk, any kind, in a pot to 180-190 degrees (it will have small bubbles and be steamy). Let cool until warm to very warm and pour into a warm jar. Stir in 1 Tablespoon yogurt with active culture (any kind you like). Put the lid on, wrap in a towel to retain heat and put in a warm place for 4 hours. DO NOT MOVE FOR 4HOURS! The recipe can be doubled/tripled/quadrupled...just be sure that the ratio of milk to yogurt is the same. Many thanks to Jonathan and the New York Times for this cool summer delight. With fresh summer fruit it is gourmet.

Outdoor Rooms

2009-06-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor's daughter started the "porch party" years ago. They are great fun. Neighbors and friends gather to eat, drink and chill enjoying each other while avoiding the chore of cleaning the whole house. Summer would be unbearable without porches and shade trees. Here's a sample of porches in our neighborhood. They've announced births, engagements, hosted weddings, graduations, retirments, family reunions, a multitude of Halloween celebrations, hurricane parties and recoveries. If you have an unloved porch, doll that bad girl up and parteeeee!

Beans

2009-06-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

This handful of beans will be enough to accompany a supper of zucchini pie. Oh, what a beautiful morning. The air is clear and clean from last night's rain, bread is baking in the oven, laundry is done, and I have nothing to do but read a book. So glad school is out and I get to live by my own rules. Woo, hoo!

suzuki gardening

2009-06-06T14:18:00.001-07:00

Successful gardening requires daily investment paired with loving patience.It is now time for squash. Any takers? Bright and early this morning,I heard my backdoor neighbor yelling at her husband about squash. He refuses to wear his hearing aids so she has to yell. "There's too much squash already, Merle!" Minutes later there was a bag on my next door neighbors porch. My donor recipient usurped.

Farmers

2009-05-24T04:15:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood has hosted a farmer's market for over 20 years! Awesome. When our children were young we walked pulling them in their little red wagon every Saturday morning. A family ritual that continues for our son in NYC. A few years ago he shared the big city's version of home grown goodness with me. New York's market's have crafts, baked goods and artists on the fringes. Our little market is the "No Coke, Pepsi." variety. Food is the gig here. Yesterday's food hit was the blueberries. We also saw old friends, high school classmates and met new vendors comparing our garden successes and failures with their glistening beauties. The purple onions and small yellow squashes were gems glinting in the early morning sun. And all around there were happy smiles.Good people.Good times.

Wild and Free

2009-05-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Wild thing, you make my heart sing, You make everything, Groovy. a

Song of the Sun

2009-04-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

A few years ago at the Basilica of Assisi I visited the tomb of St. Francis and participated in evening vespers. He is most famous as patron saint of animals and his prayer for peace, beginning "Lord make me an instrument of your peace...".

Years earlier, purging a public school library for Southern Association Accreditation of Rowland-Norment School in the 1990s, our media specialist had stacked all books with religious references in the hallway to be thrown out. Rummaging through them I came across a small book published in 1952 titled Song of the Sun. Not knowing what lay within I opened the book and was immediately charmed by Elizabeth Orton Jones illustrations accompanying Song of the Sun, from the Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi. I saved the little book placing it on my piano with music. My Easter gift to you:

Song of the Sun

O most high almighty, good Lord God, to Thee belong praise, glory, honour and all blessing!

Praised be my Lord God with all His creatures; and specially our brother the sun, who brings us the day, and who brings us the light; fair is he, and shining with a very great splendour.

Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon, and for the stars the which He has set clear and lovely in heaven.

Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind, and for air and cloud, calms and all weather, by the which Thou upholdest in life all creatures.

Praised be my Lord for our sister water, who is very serviceable unto us, and humble, and precious, and clean.

Praised be my Lord for our brother fire, through whom Thou givest us light in darkness; and he is bright and pleasant, and very mighty, and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our mother the earth, the which doth sustain us and keep us, and bringeth for divers fruits, and flowers of many colours, and grass.

Praise ye, and bless ye the Lord, and give thanks unto Him and serve Him with great humility.

Lettuce pray

2009-04-09T16:40:00.001-07:00

Southerners pray a lot. And for some reason they bless. No kidding. They say things like, "Have a blessed day." when giving you change for filling up your car with $4.00 a gallon gas. I don't know why. I suppose I should ask. What does it mean to have a "blessed day"? Why would I want to have a "blessed day"? Is a "blessed day" different from a not "blessed day". In what way? I see drivers of cars declaring their blessed condition. I personally want to feel that insulated and special because it's for sure I know what a bad day is like. Being blessed however is a state/condition/mindset that I don't presently know. Not being negative, really. I feel about the same every day, just grateful that my lettuce is coming on good and I'm getting to enjoy salads again. Perhaps I'm blessed. Who knows.

2009-04-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom and Dad,
We hate camp. Sleeping outside is for the birds. In fact, the birds wake us up every morning. We hate the new kitn. We are afraid of the kitn. You just like her cuz she's little. We thought camp would make you miss us and luv us more and that you'd get rid of the kitn. And another thing, the food is terrible. You try eating outside. On a porch. There's pollen and bugs and spiders. Please come get us. We'll be nice to the kitn, maybe.
lol, Bella and Rosie

Spring is bustin' out all over

2009-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

I should save for talk like a pirate day. Arrrugala! In a pot. For salad.
These huge old azaleas were here 30 years ago when we moved into our house. Some good gardener planted them for us to enjoy. All over the neighborhood there are azaleas and...
...dogwoods abloom.

New Kitten

2009-04-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Success is the product of patient application.

Compost

2009-03-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

But here it is: the nuts and bolts of our garden. Somewhat like the pumbing, eh? All inedible vegetable waste goes into our compost bowl on the kitchen counter. Every day or so we trudge outside maybe twenty, thirty steps and throw it on the compost heap. Very stressful. Then mother nature does the rest. Like I said, very stressful, lots of trouble.
Oops,I didn't mention the part where Scott, the yard man and husband, turns the whole thing over to aeorate it so it can breath because it is a living, breathing thing. Which reminds me of The Trash Heap on Fraggle Rock. She, the Fraggle's oracle, ended all wise conclusions with a dismissive, "The Trash Heap has spoken." and with a singular pppppfft of gas as she sank back into her warm den. Jim Henson lives on in memory and on youtube.com "Cast your cares away, worries for another day, let the music play, down in Fraggle Rock." In these worried times we all need advice, so get your compost goin' and stay tuned for consultation. Consider: compost is more productive as an investment than the stock market. Hmmmm, now you're on it.

On Peas and Pansies

2009-03-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

The peas have been a pain this year. We keep planting hoping they will get the break in the weather they need to germinate. On a happier note the pansies I planted last fall burst into flower as soon as the warm days returned. They are so pretty in pots at the doors greeting me when I get home from work transitioning me to my world, my place, separate and apart. Spinach, swiss chard and mustard are slowly growing and the arugala is up. Our weather is just right for them.

Green Eggs and Hams

2009-02-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

The winter garden lives on. Soon we'll have crisp cabbages and cut and come again lettuce. Turnips are up, mustard and spinach have sent out seed leaves and most of the broccoli seedlings survived the cold nights of the past week. The peas are pea-ing. The onions and garlic are robust. The world is slowly shifting toward the sun and the days are getting longer. This means my co-worker's hens are laying more eggs. I am on the list for extra eggs. For $1.50 I get a dozen home grown Gray's Creek eggs. Aren't they just wonderful. I did not color them. They come colored! No matter the color of your eggs, eat some on Monday in honor of Dr. Seuss-it's his birthday!
So...we scrambled the eggs on Friday, March 6th, with some students. One, a young six year old took one look at the eggs saying, "Oh, I get it, Green Eggs and Ham." Older students, in fifth grade, provided the ham. They were "egg-cellent, and "egg-static", and "egg-ceptional". For just a few cents I had a very good time and so did the kids. Party on, Dr. Seuss!

Charleston

2009-02-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

Two February's ago we made a pilgrimage to Charleston. It'd been 30 years. I lived there as a child and have fond and funny memories of being the child of a mill worker there. The fifties were a charmed time, at least in my neighborhood,where neighbors were like family. Hugo, the hurricane, destroyed my childhood home and tore up most of Charleston in the 80's but Charleston lives on as a beautiful antebellum jewel. While there I picked up a persimmon colored gem of a cicad palm seed, brought it home, laid it on some soil in a pot and left it on my potting bench. Ants ate the orange seed coat revealing a buff colored kernel. I ignored it.Years passed and this summer a small shoot appeared. Well howdy doodey! Wonders never cease! Behold: Cicad with Cicada. The orange glass heart hales from Seattle and is nearly the same color as the seed coat.

Stalwart Friend

2009-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Rosemary rustlers lurk in our alley stealing long stalks of rosemary on which to roast chicken. We use it often to enhance our dinners. This week she was cloacked in a white gown of snow, the first lady of our garden.

stal/wart-adj. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy; robust

Is there anything prettier than softly falling snow?

2009-01-20T07:14:00.000-08:00

Winter Morning

Ogden Nash

Winter is the king of showmen,
Turning tree stumps into snow men
And houses into birthday cakes
And spreading sugar over lakes.
Smooth and clean and frosty white,
The world looks good enough to bite.
That's the season to be young,
Catching snowflakes on your tongue.
Snow is snowy when it's snowing,
I'm sorry it's slushy when it's going.

2009

2009-01-11T05:47:00.000-08:00

2009.The last year of the decade in the new millenium. Amazing. We made it! Y2K a distant memory and the human race still bumbles and bumps along. Barrack Obama, America's messiah according to some, will whip the economy around, end two wars, bring peace to the Middle East, and save the planet. How's that for Change? My heart goes out to the man. Hard times, come again no more.

Down South when the going gets tough, the tough eat collards, and these are tough times. In the natural world the lowly collard plods on getting no respect. A grave injustice. Much reviled, like grits and pig feet, collards just can't get traction in the culinary world. I have seen the poorest of poor folks cooking collards outside in a cast iron pot over a wood fire. To this backyard gardener they are a money tree. They grow, in fact thrive, when the thermometer dips into the 20s when all other cole crops wilt. Collards are food for the gods when cooked simply and quickly. Cooked long they are stinky, faded and slimy. Here's my best shot:

Bert Greene's Collards

Washed and chopped collards
Small amount of water and a knob of butter
Braise 10-15 minutes
Squirt of lemon juice to taste

That's it. No canned broth, please. The lemon juice is my personal favorite but vinegar is an acceptable substitute.

Holiday greetings

2008-12-18T07:13:00.000-08:00

Blooming camellias are a sure sign that winter has come to the south. They are a true gift of the Christmas season. They cannot be bought in a store and begin to bloom just in time for the holidays. These were collected from the neighborhood. It is a southern tradition to always have flowers blooming in the garden and camellia bushes make it possible. I took a walking tour of our neighborhood this morning and realized that nearly every yard has a least one camellia bush. Almost all are different yeilding a fantastic display of dozens of similarly dissimilar flowers.

It's hard to pick a favorite but this week the rose-like "Christmas" floating in the bowl are my favorite. The candy cane striped flowers of a neighbor's bush are a close second.

Eat your heart out!

2008-11-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

Every weekend I make no-knead multigrain bread using the recipe offered by Mark Bitman of the NY Times. It's the process that yeilds the product. This lovely loaf has oatmeal, flaxseed and other heart healthy ingredients. The plate? Jugtown pottery from Seagrove Pottery in NC. Artisan bread eaten from an artisan's plate.

Turkey Time

2008-11-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

Twice this week I've traveled the afore mentioned Chickenfoot Road. It's been a trip of woe for some of God's creatures. Prestage packing plant just outside of St Pauls has been the final destination of many turkey birds this week. Coming and going I've gotten behind the transport trucks. Feathers litter the roadside. I rolled down my window to listen for gobbling. None, friends. As late as today their heads were on the chopping block for American's Thanksgiving dinner. The things I have witnessed as a public school employee...the horror.

Pecan Pie

2008-11-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

The wind is blowing and the pecans are falling! We have an exchange system that's evolved over the years. Our neighbors have the trees and they do not pick up pecans. We, being humble(not proud) folk, pick them up, have them cracked at Carolina Feed and Grain, pick out the nuts and share. We get to keep most of the pecans and eat them all year. All year, for freeeeee!!! Free trade at it's best.

And now for my very good, very easy (drum roll, please)...

Pecan Pie Recipe:

2 large eggs
1 cup light brown sugar (This is my favorite part. Who has Karo in their cupboard?)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons butter
a pinch of salt
1 cup pecans, chopped. (I like them chopped because the pie cuts better. It's your choice.)

Whisk eggs and brown sugar. No lumps. Add vanilla, salt and melted butter. Stir in pecans. Pour into pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Do not use deep dish crust!

Enjoy with a cup of coffee for breakfast. That's high livin'.

Harvest

2008-11-16T08:46:00.001-08:00

Today's harvest of leaf lettuces will be tomorrow's lunch. The swiss chard will be included in stir fry for dinner. Both were grown from seed. We mulched today to keep winter weeds in check.

Fall 2008

2008-11-07T17:29:00.001-08:00

The last game of the football season in Brunswick County, NC yeilded a trophy for nephew Charlie. It was a sunny day at the coast, rainy and dreary an hour inland.
Southeastern NC is having a beautiful Fall. I travel Chickenfoot Road to work some days and it's been a pretty commute this week. No deer, though. Sometimes they appear and melt back into the forest as if by magic. Chickenfoot Road is a phenomenon. It spans Cumberland, Robeson and Bladen Counties. It begins off Highway 301 near Hope Mills ending at the Tar Heel Road with the Big Swamp presenting a terminating obstacle to travel. Once upon a time, Bladen and Robeson Counties were formed as travelers couldn't cross the swamp to get to the county seat, Lumberton, because their wagons would get bogged down. On fall mornings the mist from the swamp is an eerie, mystical sight. It doesn't take much imagination to understand why a farmer wouldn't want to get stuck with mule and wagon in Big Swamp.Here Be Monsters! in the form of alligators, bears, snakes and spirts of the moonshinin' sort.

Pumpkin Soup

2008-10-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

I made pumpkin soup from one of those pumpkins pictured. It made a very yummy lunch with a chicken salad sandwich and beer while sitting in the fall sun in my very own back yard. There are some things other people's money cannot buy and my backyard is one of them.I love sitting at my table, under my tree, in my backyard on a warm fall day.

To make your own pumpkin soup you will need one brutishly strong woman or a medium strong man to deal with the hard-as-a-rock pumpkin. I later considered that bashing it on the driveway would have worked.

Pumpkin Soup
One pumpkin, cubed and peeled
2 Tablespoons butter
Cook in a crock pot for 1 hour (on High)
Add:
One onion studded with 3-4 whole cloves
One can of chicken stock and enough water to cover the pumpkin
1 Tablespoon sugar
Cook until pumpkin is mush (about 4 hours on High)
Take the onion out and compost
Puree pumpkin mush and add milk to the consistency you like.

Indian Summer

2008-10-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

James Whitcomb Riley. 1853–1916

10. "When the Frost is on the Punkin"

WHEN the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best, 5
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here— 10
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock— 15
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill; 20
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps 25
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me— 30
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

Cape Fear

2008-10-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Growing happens in The South. Our garden growing season goes on and on. Here, in October, we're still eating okra, eggplant,swiss chard and peppers. Overlapping into the summer harvest we have broccoli and lettuce. We continue to eat vegetables from our kitchen garden every home cooked meal.

Dicie Ivey demonstrated how tobacco was put on "sticks" for curing at the Cape Fear Botanical garden "Old Timey Day". We're members and go about once every season. It's right off I-95 in Fayetteville, NC where I work. My thanks to Dicie for letting me "hand" one last time. My childhood was all about tobacco. Tobacco drove my parents off the farm, paid for me to go to college, and has crippled more than a few of the people I've known and loved. Witness: I am a reformed cigarette addict. I quit in my 20s after my husband begged me to please start back. I shoulda been hospitalized. I went crazy! I talked for three days straight and was as mean as a cottonmouth. Quiting can be done but it sure isn't fun. I wish there was some productive use for the stuff because the golden leaf really does smell good. Not burning,just a barn full of it.The hit of the day wasn't Dicie though, it was the bluesey bluegrass band, The Parsons of Gray's Creek, NC. Caroline Parsons has a voice words cannot describe and their CD didn't quite capture.

Rosie

2008-09-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

We've had a sunny, warm weekend in the coastal plain of NC. Big, billowy cumulous clouds form and drift away and the cicada songs rise and fall in crescendo to their ancient mating call. Our garden is in transition. We're still eating eggplant and okra but we've planted cool weather plants: broccoli, rabini, lettuce and this year, parsnips. Soon we'll plant garlic and harvest sweet potatoes. The kittens are becoming independent of their mother now and come for pettings. Rosie, pictured here, is the most affectionate.