what's occupying my mind

With the wedding a month or so away, my mind is certainly more focused on the zillions of little projects I've committed myself to than on my garden or what I can whip up in the kitchen. In fact, my gas bill was at a record low last month because I hardly used my stove. I've been busy splitting our list of invitees into "yesses" and "no's" as I get reply cards back in the mail, being the guest of honor at a couple of bridal showers, putting together favors, finalizing details with vendors, applying for a marriage license, figuring out what song I want to walk down the aisle to, calling my parents often because I miss them, etc. etc. etc.

Usually when I have a lot on my mind I find solace in my garden. Not right now. What's the light at the end of the "omg there are a umpteen million things to do to finish planning this wedding" tunnel? My friends, it's planning the honeymoon (to Belize!!) And today, I put together a sample itinerary so I could make sure I budgeted the right amount of ka-ching. When it was all said and done, I was bursting at the seams with excitement. Allow me to share said travel plans....

Day 1: Arrive in Belize at 2:55pm. Hidden Valley Inn to pick us up from the airport. Dinner at the Inn. Do a little exploring as daylight allows, settle in to our room.

Day 2:  Free day. Unwind and rest from traveling, explore property some more if we want.

Day 3: Trip to Caracol (Mayan Ruins, still being excavated), Rio Frio Cave, Rio On Pools, and Hidden Valley Falls

Day 4:  Day at Butterfly Falls (I'd like to see if the inn will let us do the romantic lunch thing here instead of at Secret Pools. They give you a picnic lunch and sparkling wine and the falls are yours for the day).

Day 5:  San Ignacio (village with shopping and good food), Cahal Pech & Xunantuich (more Mayan ruins) and stop at the Mayan village of San Antonio on the way to or from.

Day 6: Breakfast at the Inn. Drive back to Belize City with stops at Belize Zoo, Caesar's Gift Shop, and Cheers for lunch (highly recommended by my uncle). Take the water taxi from Belize City to Ambergris Caye and arrive at Cocotal Inn.

While we're on Ambergris, we'll have to explore the island to get food since our Inn doesn't have a restaurant. I imagine we'll have some meals on the north of the island and some meals in the main city of San Pedro. We can cook if we wish b/c our room has a kitchen, however I feel like we probably won't want to do much cooking!

Day 7: Relax, + 1/2 day snorkeling at the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, a protected reserve where we can see sea turtles, rays, grouper, and huge schools of fish.

Day 8:  Full Day Trip of Snorkeling + Manatee Watch, lunch included

Day 9:  Take the water taxi to Caye Caulker for lunch and spend some time exploring.

Day 10: Free Day. Relax, explore, mourn the end of our honeymoon, and take a Romantic Sunset Cruise.

Day 11: Head back to Belize City for our flight home. Sniffle!

Doesn't that sound miraculous?

Back to the subject of gardening for one second. Dad, here is the proof that the tomatoes are flowering, and some other snapshots of recent garden additions:

brandywine tomato flowers look strange

cherry tomato flowers

chard is getting bigger

hello. I am an okra sprout.

...I planted too much basil in this pot. oops.

Alright folks. I'll be back with a full report from our tropical getaway. Off to finish wedding details, get married, and spend 10 days in honeymooning bliss. Don't expect any new posts until July.

xoxo,

Meg

invitations, tomatoes, and how do you prepare fava beans?

This blog post has been a few weeks coming. I've been taking lots and lots of pictures of the general goings on around here, but you know.

Ok. First I was really busy putting these in the mail. (Thank you to all who helped! It was really a group effort!)

Then I got sick with a cold that had me sneezing for 4 days straight. It left me with the I-just-blew-my-nose-for-four-days-straight-mustache look. Cute.

And between the grand mailing-of-the-invitations and the catching a cold, I've been working a lot (at my job and in the garden) and taking lots of pictures.

A couple of posts ago I alluded to a newspaper pot tutorial that I was going to put up here. Well, someday I'll get around to telling you all about how to make newspaper pots. But even if my tutorial never makes it up onto the internet, no one will ever go for want of knowing how to make a pot out of newspaper because there are a zillion other people who have put up tutorials on their blogs showing how it's done. So for now just google it.

In the meantime, I'll show you some photos of the tomato plants that have grown up out of our newspaper pots. I'm very pleased. They're almost the same size now as the starter tomatoes you can buy at the store. 

Cherry Tomato, mid-March. Just potted it.

Three Brandywine Tomatoes, mid-March. Note: They are in newspaper pots (circa January) in a box of homemade compost that my dad brought down for me as my compost pile is not yet...well...composted. 

Cherry Tomato. The last photo made me think he wasn't going to make it. This looks more promising. mid-April.

Brandywine has taken off!

Brandywines mid-April

Cherry Tomato today. No longer being supported by the toothpick!

Brandywine today. They've grown a lot in the past couple of weeks!

These photos are especially for you, Dad. I hope you're reading! And I hope your tomatoes are growing!

So that's been fun, watching the tomato plants grow. Hopefully we get some delish fruit off of them. Homegrown tomatoes are the best.

I didn't bring my camera with me, but the bean plants at the community garden plot got tomato cages placed around them, too. Wait you didn't know about the bean plants?? Oh right, I haven't told you yet. I planted a zilllion beans at the minifarm. In counting the ones that have sprouted, I think the tally is 16 black eyed pea plants, (hope we like black eyed peas...), something around 8 green bean plants, 2 "royalty purple pod beans" (sounds exotic) and 1 golden wax bean. The directions for the beans said to place structures for them to climb around on before planting them, but I was eager to get my seeds in the ground. Now that they've sprouted, I'm short on time (and creative energy) and thus chose the easiest bean jungle gym I could imagine constructing - tomato cages. Hopefully beans like tomato cages and my experiment doesn't turn into a disaster ha.

And while we're on the subject of beans, the fava beans are coming into their glory and I picked a gorgeous harvest today.

Maybe someday I'll post a tutorial on how I made this little veggie bag. Suffice it to say it was easy. 

There are some peas in the mix as well. This is by far the biggest harvest I've had of homegrown goodies.

By the way, growing my own vegetables is getting to be addicting.

Now...does anyone have any good fava bean recipes?

a sort of essay about the beauty I witnessed this morning.

If ever I doubt that beauty can exist in Los Angeles, I stand corrected. Watching a morning unfold as I did today was astoundingly graceful and I can only hope to describe it true to form.

I awoke this morning at 5:15 feeling rested and ready to start the day. This is probably due to the fact that I lumbered into bed at 9:30 last night, the weight of the last four days of constant going finally coming down on me. I slept like a log. It really was no surprise to me that at 5:15 I felt ready to go. I was hungry, but I ignored the grumbling in favor of a cozy bed and a library book and savored this extra time to do as I pleased. I'm currently reading "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver, the beginning of which is riddled with poetic descriptions of springtime beauty. As she described the different types of birdsong to be found in Appalachia, I realized that a symphony of chirping was beginning out my own window.

I decided to arise when the light through my window had brightened from little blue lines between the blinds to something warmer. It was 7:15. Two hours of relaxed reading bliss? Excellent. I walked to the second bedroom and peered through the curtains. I'm not sure what I expected to find as that window looks straight at my neighbor's stucco wall, but daylight was there, fresh and crisp, and in the sky there was a blanket of white and gray clouds. Fresh. Cozy.

I opened my front door and stood, looking through the screen. Birdsong now amplified, uninhibited by the sound barrier of the door. Washing over me. Beautiful. I opened my back door and stood on the landing. The morning is cool, fresh, alive. Still in my fuzzy robe and slippers, I padded out to check the seedlings. Tomatos: thriving. Lettuces: now have three leaves instead of two. Chard: far surpassing any of the chard I attempted to plant at the community garden. Hope that I have done something better the second time around? I walk a little farther, off of the cement and onto the little path I made with brick squares. I examined the buckwheat I planted, now sprouting everywhere, hoping it will improve the soil in my little dirt yard.

I'm startled by the sprinklers when they turn on; almost laugh out loud when I jump backwards in attempt to avoid getting wet. They interrupt my thoughts and they interrupt the peaceful sounds of the morning: the birdsong, the quiet hum of the highway, the occasional car. I realize that the sprinklers come on in sections, starting at the top of the yard, I am at the bottom. I think to myself that I've never actually watched them run before, and so this is good. Good to make sure they're all working, since at some point I'd like to plant vegetables in the dirt and it's nice to know that everything would be watered evenly. The buckwheat sprouts stand in contrast to the darkening ground, looking proud and green and prolific.

I turn my attention to my seedlings once more, leaky hose nozzle making me wonder if as much water is spilling onto the cement as is going into my watering can as I fill it. I water my seedlings, and as the buckwheat did they stand out against the darkened soil.

I head inside and turn my attention to breakfast, pulling leftover pancakes out of the refrigerator and heat them in the microwave. I remember that the blueberries I put in the pancakes were not so good, but I asked too much of them: I made blueberry lemonade with them twice and then not wanting to throw them away cooked them in pancake batter yesterday. They tasted mealy. I searched the cupboard for some homemade jam: I know there must be some in here somewhere, a Christmas gift from my aunt and uncle in New York. Aha! Behind the canned beans. Strawberry Jam, 2010. I find half of an avocado in the refrigerator and sprinkle some salt on it. I heat up water and make hot chocolate. I spread butter and jam on my pancakes.

Where to sit? I'm not through enjoying this morning, I decide. Besides, the kitchen table is covered with half-finished wedding invitations and the back door has a beautiful beam of light coming through it. The doorway it is. I really must invest in an outdoor table, as I've taken to eating more and more meals on my back step in the sunshine. I sit. I savor my breakfast (picking out the blueberries, apologizing to my taste buds and the berries that I tried to make their flavor last longer than it could), sip my cocoa, watch, and listen.

From my doorstep I can see the balconies of my neighbors. Not a one has stirred. I can see the top of the tree that grows in front of their house. It is in bloom. It is the same kind of tree that grows outside the kitchen of my parent's house, and the yellow blossoms have an intoxicatingly sweet smell. Something like jasmine or honeysuckle. A woodpecker drums away. A large black bird flies determined across the cloudy sky. A swallow alights from the sweet-smelling tree. An ant climbs among the fibers of my fuzzy blue bathrobe. The cool air bathes my face with the most gentle of breezes, almost like the morning is inhaling and exhaling around me. I get the feeling that I'm camping, except I'm here, eating breakfast on my back step, in a suburb of Los Angeles, and the freeway is within walking distance.

The morning has blossomed before me. I am glad I took the time to experience it.

an alternative to coffee

Ok so I love coffee. But I don't love coffee's after-affects, you know the palpitations, the increased nervousness...once I weaned myself off I realized that I'm a much less anxious person without all of the caffeine. But I missed the routine of drinking something warm and rich in the morning. Tea is too thin, and I tried Miso Soup (as touted by one of my favorite blogs here), but I have a sweet tooth and miso just didn't cut it. Although it is delicious and very good for you.

So I've gotten into the habit of making hot chocolate every morning. Not from a mix, but from cocoa powder. It's delish! Here's my "recipe":

Fill a mug 1/2 way with just-boiled water.

Put at least 1 1/2 heaping spoonfuls of cocoa powder into the mug. Stir well.

Add a squeeze of local honey.

Bare Bees Honey in La Verne, CA
Find 'em at your local farmer's market!

Fill the mug the rest of the way with milk. I've been using whole raw milk and have noticed none of my previously experienced lactose-related tummy troubles. For those of you afraid of raw milk - I've been drinking it for a few months now and have been perfectly healthy. This is purely anecdotal, but I'm pretty sure that one is more likely to get sick eating out at a fast food joint/restaurant than drinking raw milk from a reputable source. So try it! :)

Haha and no, I was not paid to advertise for any of these companies. I just think they're great products and wanted to include some pictures! :)

Now go enjoy a cuppa hot cocoa!

Chickens, Peas, and The Seed Story of the Century.

Um, ok for real? The last time I posted was January 24th?

It's certainly been a busy time - wedding plans are full steam ahead, and while I've been working in the garden and continuing to"live simply" I haven't been writing about it.

So, here's what's new.

First of all, and this is something I'm super excited about, our friends are in a chicken co-op and they had trouble finishing all of their eggs. We asked if we could split their share with them in exchange for helping to buy feed and clean the coop when it's their turn. It's so nice to have fresh eggs! I'd been looking for a source for a while, ever since the Sierra Madre Farmer's Market closed and I couldn't find anyone who sold fresh eggs :(

Honestly, I don't know what's more fun - opening the carton of multi-colored, multi-sized eggs every other week or visiting the chickens. I like holding them - they're (surprisingly) so soft!

here I am with either Curry or Nugget and loving it. (photo by Daniel Lundgren)

So that's fun. I'm glad J and I are learning about the care and keeping of chickens in a second hand kind of way, as we've talked about having them someday. Now we have a glimpse of what we'd be getting ourselves into, especially since yesterday was coop cleaning day!

The community garden plot has been a disappointment learning experience. It's ironic that we nicknamed it the mini-farm because that's just what it is - full of mini radishes and mini-kale. Like barbie-sized lol. It's obvious that there are some nutrient deficiencies that we'll have to overcome. The peas and fava beans continue to do well. We've been harvesting peas for a couple of weeks now. No fava beans yet.

pea harvest

lettuce in a pot

slllooooowwww growing spinach in a pot

It's time to start thinking about summer crops. I don't know how much I'll be able to reasonably grow this year as the wedding's in June and I'll be super busy until then and taking off on a ten day honeymoon to Central America (yahoo!)

I'm still hopeful that I'll be able to devote some time to the garden. I've decided to grow only beans at the community garden plot as the soil seems to be nitrogen deficient and they'll a) tolerate it and b) help it, at least until I get some finished compost. Now that J and I are going to be able to stay in the house I currently live in, I'm not worried about "what if we have to live in an apartment without a balcony and the only dirt we'll really have is the dirt at church?!" Our current house has a little yard and even though most of it is shaded there's still some space we could use to grow some veggies. Yahoo!

I bought some herbs, beans, calendula, and peppers at the store the other day. There were other seeds I'd wanted to try (like eggplant) but couldn't find them at the store.

Then a miracle happened at this week's Produce in the Park. As I was getting ready to take my chard and avocado and head home, a young man showed up with a 5 gallon bucket and a sheepish grin. He explained that he had bought a seed starting kit but no longer had any land to grow the veggies, so he decided to GIVE AWAY THE SEEDS at the produce exchange. Aaaah! It was a frenzy! He had at least 300 varieties of seeds - many of them rare and heirloom. (I told you it was a miracle!!) So now I have two varieties of eggplant, two more types of beans, okra, more peas, a couple of types of lettuce, black radishes (??), yucca (???), corn, amaranth, two types of onions, a belizian tomato, and cayenne pepper. No need to buy any more seeds this year!!! Thanks, buddy! Hopefully they take, and I can bring the harvest to the exchange and he can reap the benefit of his generosity!

There you have it; a snapshot of what's been going on in my world.

Stay tuned for a newspaper pot tutorial (featuring my dad and some baby tomatoes) coming soon!

spring's first promise

I practically skipped around the garden when I checked it after church on Sunday. Why? Because this was waiting for me there:

that my friends is a home grown pea pod!!

favas are flowering

Looks like we've done something right! We're well on our way to pulling something edible out of this first attempt at gardening. I hope they taste as good as I imagine!

<3
M

hanging in there.

January 18th. Yikes! Our wedding is exactly five months away, and this date marks one month since my last post. Can I say I've been busy? December had Christmas, and so far January has been...you guessed it...wedding wedding wedding. Hence why I haven't updated the blog in so long!

While some days I feel like I'm truly "hanging in there," the title of today's post is really in reference to our little plot. Just before Christmas, I noticed that our seedlings were looking pretty sick. Examples:

(poor babies!)

Thanks to some quick internet research, I learned that our seedlings were suffering from nutrient deficiency, most likely nitrogen. I posted some photos on down to earth forums and the community there agreed with my diagnosis.

Basically, J and I learned the hard way that healthy soil is the first step to healthy plants. The forum-goers offered all sorts of wonderful advice on organic fertilizers, and kindly pointed out that the bark mulch was robbing the soil of nitrogen as it decomposed (oh.). We were advised by a few to start over, after amending the soil, but being stubborn as I am I decided to fertilize like mad and hope for the best.

Step 1: Get back from being at your parent's house for Christmas, see that your planties are looking worse, rush to the garden center and buy whatever has the most nitrogen in it (bat guano), and use as directed.

Step 2: Visit the garden with your fiance, then rope him in to helping you pick the bark mulch out of the 24 square foot plot. Laugh a lot and realize that tedious chores are always more enjoyable when performed with a best buddy. Walk back home a little happier.

Step 3: Check out the garden section of your local Whole Foods, then realize (joy of joys!) that they sell worm castings. Tell yourself that you don't need to start a worm farm now that you know where to get the good stuff. Starting a regular compost bin will do. Buy the castings and mulch your plot with them.

Step 4: Be really really excited when your plants regain their color and show signs of producing something edible!!!!

Fava Flowers

Looks like real kale

Swelling Radish

Pea Flowers!

So that's the story about how this nurse nursed her garden back to health. And in keeping with my ultimate credo that prevention is the best medicine, I've started a compost bin in my back yard for kitchen scraps and the like. I've even got a date to pick up manure to add to the bin from my buddies who have back yard chickens. The idea being that once these crops are done, the compost will be ready and I'll be able to add it to the plot just in time for summer planting (yum!)

My bike basket brimming with palm fronds, after I rode around the neighborhood looking for "dry brown things" for my compost bin. I'm turning into a crazy person, I really am.