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This has been a great weekend so far. I took a half day yesterday and went to the downtown farmers' market with friends. I got baby red potatoes, amish doughnuts, zucchini, and sweet cherries from a local farm. Our area has a lot of these markets, but the hours are during the day so I need to take more time off of work to take advantage of them. What about us 8-5 people? We need fresh veggies, too!
Last night a friend accompanied me to Jason's gig and we had a great dinner while watching Jason's show. It's not often I get to see him play, so I really enjoy when I get to see a show. The wonderful boyfriend that he is, he learned a song from a band I really like, Tea Leaf Green, and surprised me with it last night. It's a jam band, so it's not a mainstream song most would know, so it was especially sweet knowing that it was just for me.
This is him at one of his gigs...
Today I made this upside-down cherry cake with the cherries. (Sorry, not the best picture.)
I also cleaned and made my own laundry detergent. I was a little skeptical about this, but two friends tried it and not only is it cheaper, but they both swear it smells better and does a better job. I'll have to let you know later if it does a better job, but it smells so good. You can use it in the dishwasher, too. Really, I tested it and nothing leaked and suds didn't overtake the kitchen.
Tomorrow will hopefully be spent outside, going for a bike ride, a walk, and cooking out. Enjoy the weekend!
Two weeks later and everything is still alive! Check out the signs of success:Flowers starting on the tomatoes...
A tiny little pepper (you may need to squint a little)...
The newest addition to the garden, yellow squash. So far, so good...
Oregano...
and broccoli flourishing...
Oh, wait...that's not supposed to happen. This was my first attempt at broccoli, and I checked it daily, wondering if it was ready to pick. I checked Wednesday and it looked beautiful and ready to eat, but kind of small, so I figured I should probably wait a day or two. Thursday, again, nothing. Friday it looked the same and I assumed this must be a long process. Then on Saturday this happened. Apparently, this is not supposed to happen; this means I missed it. For all of you new gardeners out there, pick the broccoli as soon as it looks like the broccoli you would eat because if you wait a few days, this happens. I'm still hopeful I'll pick the baby broccoli heads before they flower.One of the young hopefuls...
Finally, the flowers...
It's just amazing what happens when you keep watering them!
I use the term "garden" loosely because what I am currently growing is limited to the deck area behind our townhouse. Lately I've been trying to be a little greener, including creating less waste, supporting local businesses and farmers, and trying to eat healthier food. I've started going to the local dairy to support them and get milk from cows that haven't been injected with hormones. I've tried to buy veggies and what I can from local farm stands, and buying organic is a perk. The ultimate in this is trying to grow our own food, as much as possible in a townhouse, anyway.
With the realization that this year wasn't going to be the year for getting a house, I was disappointed when I thought about the bountiful garden I would have had. Not to be defeated, I ventured out to Big Lots to get a bunch of large pots and then visited local farm stands and purchased a variety of plants, including lettuce, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, roma tomatoes, bush tomatoes, and a few spices. I have been obsessively watering the plants (I am known for sort of forgetting about things that need to be watered around mid-summer, at which time they promptly die) and they seem to be doing well. Just look below at the actual beginnings of a head of broccoli! I feel success already. The only thing that has been ready to harvest so far is the lettuce, but I'm already loving being able to fix dinner with something I grew. It's just so satisfying. I can't wait for the rest! Today I went and got a few more plants to add red peppers and yellow squash. I'm not sure how that will turn out with a pot and a tomato cage, but I'm going to try!
Hello! Welcome to my blog! I have been following quite a few blogs for awhile (check out my favorites to the right) and finally decided it was time for me to create my own blog. I have to ton of pictures and friends and family all over the place, so I'm hoping this will be a great place to share what is going on in my life with them (and anyone else out there who is interested). Lately my obsessions include cooking and gardening, my new worm farm (more on that later), trying to be green, and pictures of my dog (and oh, be warned - there will be a lot of those!). I will try not to bore you!
