Riding the High

This week's planting peek has me riding high on the possibilities of this year's garden. And since I am still bed bound with the sickness, I am perusing my online seed site. Fedco Seeds did me well last year, and it was a no brainer to use this company this year, and possibly many more in the future. Not only do they have one killer catalog, but their earthy graphics are awesome too!

A graphic borrowed from the Fedco Site

Last year was my first year to grow flowers. Don't get me wrong, I love to look at the beauty in which they hold, but I was ignorant at the time and only grew plants I could eat. Silly me! The two neighbors that I share the compound with had beautiful flowers, and I could not be left behind in the beautification of the property. Now I am hooked! I have built numerous flower boxes that now lie empty. So not only am I going to buy seeds of veggies, but also of flowers. This year I am going to try my hand at making tinctures, and many of the flowers have ethnobotanical uses. BONUS! Lets see how this adventure works. Whether the flowers have uses or not, they will brighten up the hillside.

This ordering time I have about 25 different things picked out for different times of the year. My hopes are that I have forgotten many so I am able to order more in the coming months. With the compound's garden, the CSA I am halving, and the Farmer's Market and Co-op, I am and will be set for good, yummy, nutritious foods for the year. YEAH!

Itty, Bitty Plantlings!

I scored a bit of time off from work and went a couple of states east to visit family for my nephew's second birthday. Unfortunately I picked something up there, either a killer allergy attack or something coldish. Not to worry, I have consumed two packages of Emergen- C, echinacea, netti pot, eucalyptus, menthol, and lots of fluids to try and curb whatever this may be. But a couple of sweet surprises occurred while I was gone, and I found them on this lazy day.

First off the mother of millions plant has SO many flowers. There were about two open when I left, now the whole darn thing is covered with flowers. This is the first year the plant has flowered.  I was gifted this plant back in 2008 I believe, and now I can't wait to see what happens next. Not only is the mother of millions rocking it, but so are the little plantings whose seeds were set in soil on January 9.  I walked past the planting try and saw little green goodness peeking up from the moist soil. YEAH!!! It could have been sooner than 8 days, but not by much. And boy was that quick! So far on the list are 3 kinds of tomatoes (Zebra, Peacevine cherry, and Hogheart paste) and German thyme.

Mother of millions in bloom

This succulent has the sweetest flowers

Oooh, the green goodness emerges

After telling my sister of the transformation of the dead space in my bathroom/Arizona room, a puzzled look fell on her face followed by a, "I can't picture it.". So here goes...

All huddled inside for the winter

Unnamed succulent hiding in the back

Latest photo of the planting tray

Although I am feeling under the weather,  the new plantings come with a resurgence in gardening. Let the new year of yummy plants begin! Now all I need to do is start planting more, more, more! I think last year's lessons will help the garden tremendously. And I hope to learn a few things this year too...

Failure and Procrastination Foster Success

I stumbled upon a youtube video when I  was searching for the correct way to fold tamales. The day prior to finding the video I assisted someone with folding tamales. I may not have been 100% successful in my new found adventure, but there was a large bag of masa laying around after.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBdERCgIdI&feature=BFa&list=ULHFUeRRtZGxA&lf=mfu_in_order

Since I could not get this tortilla making scheme out of my mind, and had an extra day off for the holiday, I set out to make them up with the left over masa. Then the idea of enchiladas popped in the ol' noggin. I was sold on the concept and tortillas were a definite.

reaching correct consistency

 

Just like the lady says in the video...its ready when it imprints

I followed the super simple instructions from the video above. I don't have a tortilla press, but I did not let that get me down. I found a piece of cedar I had laying around, used two pieces of wax paper and pressed the wood down as evenly as possibly. This method did not provide the most uniform tortillas, but it worked better than the previously tried of using a rolling pin. It really takes a smoosh all at once operation. But a puffed chest was filled after making my first ever round of 'tillas, and I am one proud tortilla maker.

On ye griddle

stack of 'tillas

And what better thing than tossing those freshly made tortillas in a little enchilada sauce (I went simple and used Trader Joe's), stuffing them with marinated and browned tempeh, topped off with the rest of the enchilada and a vegan cheese sauce. The flavors that filled the kitchen were spectacular and caused major drooling. To accompany the 'chiladas I refried a bit of black beans and left over black eyed peas. What does this produce? A magical, taste bud liking bliss. Oh, yeah.

Time for dinner

BUT, before the thoughts of grandeur for a yummy dinner, I fulfilled the urging to build since it had been so long since something of this nature occurred.  Since I tossed the large greenhouse idea I created the the bathroom/Arizona room into a plant paradise equipped with a nursery tray. The free wood is coming to an end, but I had a few Mexican stamped pieces that I used along with a couple of cedar planks I had lying around. And viola! A tray to hold the little baby seedlings during the next couple of cold months. Three of the four walls are plastic covered glass for the winter, so warmth will be had for the little soon to be plants.

tomatoes and flowers and herbs

I guess all one needs is an extra day off from work to accomplish good foods and building to foster the growth of good foods. Could someone tell my boss? :)

Here's to Luck and Prosperity

New Year's Day. A time for gathering, wholesome good foods, and thinking forward to what the upcoming annual might have in store. But the wholesome good foods around the compound didn't start with this holiday, but on Christmas. Sadly, I could not be with family due to the limited amount of days off around this time. But I did have a great meal with good friends. On Christmas Eve I started dough for cinnamon rolls. Oh geez, these two days in the making rolls were amazing. I added pecans to the mix this time, totally a winner. And of course, Isa's recipe from Vegan Brunch. Coupled with blue potatoes con green onion and (veggie) sausage patties, this feast turned into brunch while a conversation was had with gypsie and her road dog from the Pacific Northwest. Then the real meal occurred: chickpea cutlets with mushroom gravy, wicked awesome green beans and almonds, truffle-oil mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and one kick ass pecan pie. Thank goodness there were two people pulling this one off.

My cute nut grinder found at Acacia (cool store in town)

Rolling up the goodness

All rolled up and ready to rock

Now back to New Year's Day. My good friends the Evans' Family started me out on this little tradition, which most folks in the south probably partake in. It never failed, each year we would stumble over to Lee's mom's house and eat a pile of black eyed peas for luck. Fast forward many years later, I found the fabulous findings in greens, and now greens are added to the mix. So, lying on the stove is a double batch of greens (collards, kale, chard, mustard) for a double batch of prosperity, and a large batch of black eyed peas for the continuance of luck. 2011, you treated me pretty well. With good foods to start the new year, bring it on 2012, bring it on. 

New Year's Day Goodness

Tired pups on New Year's Day