My Bit of Earth

Radijzen, Radis, Rettiche, Ravanelli, Rabanos

That's "radishes" in Dutch, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.  Why in five languages, you ask?  Somehow it seems like a fitting representation of just how many I have.

I've picked more than fifty so far--mostly the 23 day "French Breakfasts".  Thankfully I planted a few different kinds so, although the first wave has seemed huge, I think we may get a short break between it and wave number two--which I think will be the 32 day "China Roses"--and again between wave two and wave three--the 52 day "Champions".

Not that I'm getting tired of them yet.  Actually, tonight I stumbled on a very nice way to eat them, courtesy of La Tartine Gourmande--on crusty bread with a little creamy cheese and salt.  (The soup recipe at the link isn't bad either.)

And because radishes are the only thing I have blooming as of yet, this is my post for this month's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Go over and check it out to see what's blooming all over the would this month.

Wednesday Poll: In Defense of Cooking

The other day, Janet at foodperson wrote this post discussing how she can make a good, healthy meal in the same amount of time it takes her neighbor to open his prepackaged box of hamburger helper.  She provides a nice example in the form of an egg and asparagus omelet, which she calls "convenience foods that Mother Nature makes." 

As a person who often finds herself quoting Michael Pollan's Twelve Commandments for Serious Eaters (from his book "In Defense of Food"), I say, "Amen sister!"

I'm always a little flabbergasted by my friends who say they have no time or energy or whatever to cook.  It's like, the word "recipe" scares people off or automatically signals something hyper-complicated.  But really, it's not.

Maybe it's just that we've gotten into a good rhythm with it, but I've found that nine times out of ten, the stuff we put together from scratch tastes incredibly better, is better for us, and doesn't take significantly more time (if any) to make.  I don't think we spend more money on it, and I know we go out to eat less when we have tasty stuff to look forward to at home (which is a real money saver at our house!).  I have a lot of trouble understanding why people eat the stuff from boxes and the like, especially as a regular habit.

So, for this week's poll:

What is your favorite non-prepackaged "convenience food"?  What's your favorite slap-dash, made-from-stuff-you-keep-around-the-house recipe?  Do you find cooking "from scratch" to be easy or difficult?  If you think it's difficult, what part is it that you have difficulty with?  And since I brought them up, what do you think of Michael Pollan's Commandments?

Comment and discuss.

Look What I Got in the Mail Today!

OK, to avoid y'all forever writing me off as a horrible, shallow person, I must say, I would have participated in Tricot du Coeur (the lovely Vivi's blanket knitting project for Victory Junction) for absolutely nothin'.  That being said, from the first time I heard that one of the prizes being offered up for those who made blankets was an Octophrost and wristlet from futuregirl, I was secretly hoping that maybe, just by some chance....

And what d'ya know, it worked out perfectly! 

Little Stanislav (see the story of his creation here, here, and here) arrived safely in the mail today, along with a meticulously crafted little wristlet.  (I didn't take a picture of the lining because the light was all weird, but it's SO perfect.)  Although Stanislav enjoyed spending the afternoon with me in the garden, I think--due to some untoward attention from the Wee Welshman--he's going to take up permanent residence in my office, where I'm certain he'll make plenty of new friends.

Thanks again, Alice! 

Mother's Day Memories

Although it felt a little sacrilegious, I finally took some of my "picture books" off of Nice Grandma's--a.k.a. "the Keeper of the Pictures"--hands.  I was flipping through them tonight at home when I found this picture, taken of me and my mom near one of my first Mother's Days. 

Aren't we a good looking pair?

Happy Mother's Day Mommy!

Wednesday Poll: "Loving" and Discrimination in Our "Enlightened" Times

It's been all over the news of course, but Mildred Loving died last week.  In case you're unfamiliar with the Supreme Court case that bears her name:

"Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up as friends and neighbors in Caroline County, Va. In June 1958, Richard got 18-year-old Mildred pregnant, and the young lovers decided to get married. Ordinarily, that would have been the respectable thing to do. But Mildred was black, Richard was white, and the Commonwealth of Virginia and 15 other states still had laws on the books prohibiting miscegenation. Mildred and Richard had to travel to Washington, D.C., to get married in a civil ceremony. Then they returned home to Central Point, Va.

"A few weeks later, the local sheriff literally burst into the newlyweds' bedroom and arrested them for violating Virginia's Racial Integrity Act. ('If any white person intermarry with a colored person, or any colored person intermarry with a white person, he shall be guilty of a felony.') The Lovings were convicted by a judge who wrote, 'Almighty God … did not intend for the races to mix' but agreed to suspend their one-year jail sentence provided they left Virginia and didn't return for 25 years.

The Birth of an Apronista

Until a few weeks ago, I did not realize there is a whole apron subculture on the internet.  I blissfully baked away in a plain, denim work apron (stolen from one of the batches Sweet Husband's Nice Grandmother sends him a few times a year) and that was that.

But then I discovered the Apronista blog and corresponding network.  In just a few short hours, I was sucked in to the patterns and ruffles and prints and fabrics and even the...ric-rac.  All of a sudden, I needed a pretty apron.

I've not done all that much sewing before at all--certainly nothing even approaching clothes--so I picked a really simple pattern.  I also get really frustrated trying to figure out what goes with what at the fabric store, so I just stuck to two prints.

It actually wasn't all that hard to put together.  The directions were easy to follow, and it only took me a few hours....this could get addictive!

(FYI:  The fabric is from Amy Butler and the pattern is Simplicity 9565.)

Just About

Yard Sale

We got up way too early this morning and had a yard sale.  It's funny how stuff accumulates once you get out of college and stop moving once a year.

It's also funny what people buy versus what they pass over.  Apparently one person's tequila drinking puppet is another person's treasure!

My Cheap Little Hoe

I've been trying to really keep on top of the weeds this year.  I get in and hand pull what I can, but lately I've noticed quite a few baby weeds that are too small to really get a hold of and rip out.  And they really don't need to be pulled up root-and-all, just kind of scratched off at the surface.

I tried using one of the long handled hoes from the community garden shed to accomplish this, but--between the size of the head and the distance between me and what I was aiming for--I kept knocking off parts of plants I wanted to keep.  I quickly decided I needed something I could use closer to the ground, a little hand-held hoe.

I actually have never purchased a hoe before.  However, in a nice coincidence, the week I needed my first hoe was the same week Nice Carol at May Dreams Gardens has been celebrating hers.  From the history of her hoes, to gardening lessons that can be learned from hoes, to her entire (count 'em, 21) hoe collection, Nice Carol had me all inspired to go find myself a pretty little hoe with some character and history and...character and all of that, and take some pretty pictures of it to enter in her Garden Bloggers Hoe Down.

My favorite little nursery rarely lets me down for such things, but today they had nothing.  Our local hardware store and another nursery were similarly bereft of hand-held hoes--and I'm not saying they just didn't have a pretty one, I'm saying they didn't have one period.  Finally, at the last hardware store I could think of, I found this one.  Ninety-nine cents...a little ugly and plastic-y...but probably the only hand-held hoe in town...sold!

After having a go with her, I still don't think she's a "Pretty Woman", but she certainly does the trick as far as the teeny weeds go.

If you're so inclined (and want to see some classy hoes in addition to my sweet little cheap one), check out Carol's Garden Bloggers Hoe Down.

Planting and the Weather

The weather has been so weird.  Yesterday evening it was so hot and sticky that just sitting in our living room, even with the windows open and a breeze, was stifling.  Then we had hail and rain and tornado warnings all night.  This morning it was chilly, but looked like it would warm up so I went and bought some veggies to plant.  Of course, then it never did get warmer, but just windier.  And tonight I'm sitting in my living room again, only this time with the windows buttoned up and under a heavy blanket.

That's Kansas for you.

I did go ahead and put the veggies in the ground though.  It's supposed to get warm again after tomorrow, and I figured it was better cold in the ground than just sitting out.  Plus the newspaper and straw I covered the garden with (which I just dug right through for planting) is currently forming a small barrier around each plant.  I'll have to remove it eventually or I think I'll start to have problem with pests and the like, but for now hopefully it will help keep my ickle planties a bit protected.

Click onward to see this year's map of what's what.