Category Archives: Garden

Lately

Last week ended on a bit of a down note, with some not-so-great news that set us back in our plans to buy a longtail cargo bike.  We’re somewhat back to the drawing board and once again weighing options on that front.  Had that not happened, I might have been out and about on a sweet new ride this morning.

As it was, we headed out on the trusty BUB plus IBert front seat combo for a nice visit to the Botanical Garden.  It was a bit chilly, but in a good way — definitely not complaining, especially with scorching summer heat right around the corner!

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After visiting the sheep, we continued on to the raccoons.  He discovered them on our last garden visit, and they’ve quickly become a new favorite.

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Backtracking a bit, we all spent Saturday at the garden, arriving at 8 a.m. and not leaving until almost five (Sir and me).  Someone else stayed until almost seven!  ‘Tis the danger of a commuter garden and a number of consecutive rainy and/or ground-too-wet-to-work Saturdays.

I forgot the camera, but we really whipped things into shape, with tons of weeding followed by mulching with decomposing leaves from the compost pile.  I was a bit of a slacker, choosing the less-tedious, more instant gratification tasks of weeding and mulching the fennel and potatoes.  I just couldn’t face the four by a million foot onion and leek bed, filled with tiny onion and leek plants which were easily outnumbered by weeds — props to Matthew for his work here!

Sunday found us tired and sore, so we started the day with a low-key family ride to the park.  Sir attempted to walk down a slide (or some such), and did a number on his face, which is surprisingly well-hidden in the above photos.  Later in the morning, we headed out to brunch with cohousing friends before returning for a lazy evening.

In addition to regular daily “stuff,” I’ve been packing for Sir’s trip to Florida.  He leaves tomorrow and we’ll be apart for NINE whole days!

Tonight marks the end of our twenty-two-and-a-half month breastfeeding journey (more on food and weaning in an upcoming post) — definitely bittersweet that it’s coming to an end . . . .

That about wraps up the last week, so I’ll catch you later!

Friday facts

First up, if you haven’t already, check out Her Green Life’s snazzy new Facebook page.  I’ve resisted creating one for awhile, but I decided to give it a trial run, as another way for you to stay up-to-date on posts here.  Simply “Like” the page to stay in the loop!

Employment, or lack thereof
I’ve now been unemployed for over nine months.  Unlike the results of nine months of pregnancy, nothing special happens after nine months of being unemployed.  However, if we did have a fourth family member, we would qualify for food stamps on our one-job income.  Interesting, no?  (But definitely NOT incentive to have another child!)

That said, I have a job interview on Monday — fingers crossed!

Sir’s summer
Regardless of what happens with the interview, Sir will resume part-time child care starting sometime in June.  It’s something I’ve been pondering for awhile.  It should be good for his social development and my sanity.  The hardest part for me is giving up control of nap time, meals, etc.

Prior to that, Sir will travel with Baba (grandma) to Florida.  It’s bittersweet because I’ll miss his first time in the ocean, but it means I’ll have over a week child-free!  Look for some long-overdue posts that I’ve been meaning to write.

In the garden
The cooler, rainy spring means slow growth for most everything.  Our pea plants (snow and sugar snap) are quite stunted, and, in general, most everything (other than the weeds) is behind given the cooler, rainy spring.

However, after a crazy weeknight gardening blitz, we have seventy, yes, 7-0, tomato plants in the ground.  Grow, babies, grow!

Two-wheeled report
And, last, but certainly not least, sometime in the next few weeks, I’ll be embarking on an exciting bike-related project, as well as a new phase in my bike-commuting journey.  Stay tuned!

Broiled asparagus

During the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I worked as a live-in nanny for a family in New Jersey.  Food-wise, it was a summer of firsts for me.  I’d never been big on seafood (perhaps rightfully so, having grown up in the Midwest), but in those months living on the East Coast, I enjoyed trying scallops and various types of fish.

My seafood eating days were short lived, as I became a vegetarian and stopped eating meat and seafood entirely a few months into my senior year of college.  However, not all was lost from that summer, food-inspiration-wise, as the family I worked for introduced me to the joy of broiled (or grilled) asparagus.

While enjoyable (if not overcooked), steamed or boiled asparagus doesn’t hold a candle to the broiled version.  I’ve used this preparation for every single stalk of our delicious, if modest, asparagus harvest this year (minus those stalks nibbled raw).  Sir usually devours his portion and begs for more from our plates.

Asparagus is in-season NOW, so head to the nearest farmers’ market this weekend, and enjoy some fresh, locally grown goodness!

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Broiled Asparagus

Ingredients
5-8 asparagus spears per person
Olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper, garlic powder (optional)

Directions
Break off bottom half-inch of asparagus stalks and discard.  Place clean, dry asparagus in a single layer on a broiler tray.  Preheat broiler.

Brush asparagus stalks with generous olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt and other seasonings, if desired.

Cook under hot broiler for 10-12 minutes, stirring once to turn the stalks.  Serve immediately.

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Toaster oven vs. Oven vs. Grill
If you’re preparing 1-3 servings, a toaster oven is the perfect tool.  It heats up quickly without heating the entire house.  A counter-top grill functions similarly.  For a larger crowd, fire up the broiler in your regular oven.

A hot grill produces a similar effect to the broiler, with the addition of a smoky flavor. We don’t use the grill all that often, and it’s not worth firing it up just to cook asparagus.  If you’re grilling other food anyway, this is a great option — just toss the spears directly on the grill (perpendicular to the grates so the spears don’t fall into the fire).

In other news, gardening . . .

Our extra-special Sunday distracted me from other weekend-activity posts, including some stories from the garden.*

I joined Matthew again at the garden on Saturday.  With all the rain we got last week, it was too wet for planting, but we worked on moving/turning a couple of compost piles and laying out the irrigation system.

While relocating the compost piles, we were on the lookout for the friendly garter snake, which Matthew suspected made it’s winter home in the compost pile.  He hoped it would slither out as we started working on the pile and find a place safe from our pitchforks (snakes help control garden pests, so he is a welcome addition).

We saw movement, but instead of a snake-slither, we spotted a rodent that looked like a large mouse or a small rat, but with a fuzzy tail (rather than a naked tail).  Regardless of it’s exact identity, rodents in a compost pile near the garden are not ideal, so we Matthew embarked on a bit of critter-ridding.*  Not pleasant, but sometimes necessary.

The artichokes and garlic are the two prominent growers in the garden right now, the artichokes having survived a Missouri winter in the low tunnel.

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The artichokes are the crazy huge plants in the foreground, and you can see the garlic bed in the background.

After his nap, Sir drove pedaled up in his tractor.

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As far as harvest, we’re continuing to get a bit of fresh spinach, as well as some asparagus.  Peas, lettuce, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage, and potatoes are all in the ground and growing.  As are the perennial fruits: strawberries, red and black raspberries, and blackberries — can’t wait!

Back at the apartment, we have some crazy huge tomato plants (too big to be called seedlings, I think), waiting to be transplanted into the garden.

What’s growing in your garden?  Or, if you don’t have a garden, have you started getting local produce yet?

*As for the bed bugs, I am currently hoping that Sir eliminated them with his particle thrower.  That could happen, right?

**A bit of internet searching that evening revealed that the rodents in question were probably voles, which, as herbivores, actually cause more garden damage than carnivorous moles.

Fuel for active living

Active transportation is one way to incorporate more physical activity into your daily life, but it is not the only means of active living.  Despite a distinct lack of bicycling over the past few days, our lives have not lacked for activity.

The cool, wet March weather has Matthew a bit behind where he’d like to be with planting, so on Saturday, I joined Matthew at the garden.  We planted over forty pounds of potatoes (ten different varieties) and transplanted more of the onion seedlings.  When the sun came out mid-morning, we enjoyed unexpectedly lovely weather, lifting spirits and prompting fun outfits:

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Someone knows how to garden in style: coat, leggings, and rain boots, sans pants, of course.  He grabbed the lantern in case we decided to work into the dark (we didn’t, but it has been known to happen).

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We fueled our efforts with leftovers of colcannon, a dish consisting of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale (I used a mix of red cabbage and Swiss chard).  The potatoes were leftover from our potato taste test the previous weekend — some of the purple color is the cabbage, but we are also growing a variety of ridiculously dark purple potatoes.

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We went from fifties, sunny, and no pants on Saturday to over a foot of snow on Sunday.  The winter weather prompted us to alter our Sunday brunch plans.  A mile into our eleven mile drive to UCity, on a very snow- and ice-covered main road, we opted to turn back — not worth it.  With the car safely parked again, we headed out on foot to a new neighborhood coffee shop — walkable wins again!

In addition to gardening, PLAY is also a form of active living, great for kids and adults alike.  Today’s slightly warmer temperatures and sunshine were perfect for playing in the still-abundant snow.

While Gabriel tramped around the back yard (in pants), I brought this guy to life, complete with squash stem mouth:

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I scaled back the size of his midsection when I couldn’t lift my initial creation.

After our exertions, we headed inside to warm up and refuel with dinner leftovers: farinata with carmelized onions (the onions make cheese unnecessary); couscous with Swiss chard, toasted almonds, and sundried tomatoes; and roasted sweet potatoes.

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Have examples of how you’ve incorporated physical activity into your life over the past few days?  Please share!