picnic {№14}

an impromptu supper in the organic garden at the end of a sultry day.

ingredients:  bed of clover, scent of honeysuckle, dragonflies, twilight, the hum of the cicadas.

other ingredients:  goat cheese, tomato, avocado and arugula on baguette, cold leftover spicy soba noodles, a bowl of cherries, blood orange soda.

last-minute magic.

finally, back in the garden

spring sprouting::three ways

sprouting №1:  to eat

when i was a girl, our kitchen window sill always had one or two jelly jars with a giant avocado pit suspended above water, held at the rim of the jar by toothpicks.  as the days went by, a sprout would emerge to form the beginning of an avocado tree.  we had several planted around the yard.  the california sun pretty much guaranteed the production of luscious avocados.  

we are not so lucky (with avocados) in virginia.

so i am playing homage to the giant pit of green perfection of my childhood by sprouting on a smaller scale.  adzuki beans, chickpeas, green peas and mung beans will sprout delightfully nutritious sprouts to eat on the fly or throw into a wrap or on a veggie burger.

rinse your beans and let soak overnight.  rinse twice more and drain.  measure one-half cup of plumped and cleaned beans into a jar.  cover with a double or triple layer of cheesecloth and secure with elastic bands.  each morning, fill the jar with water to give the beans a nice shower and drink.  drain off the water through the cheesecloth and give your jar a nice couple of shakes.  in a few days, sprouts will emerge.  continue with the daily shower-shake.  when your sprouts are about two inches, you can eat them.  remove them from their jars and store in a glass container in the fridge for up to one week.

talk about nourishment straight from the source.

sprouting №2:  to grow

this year, i'm starting plants for the karma garden from seed.  i chose organic, non-gmo heirloom seeds and am starting them in organic, sustainable mix.  added eco-bonus-points:  toilet paper rolls as tiny pots.

i am so excited about these two especially:  purple carrots and green zebra tomatoes (who did not do so well last year).

i'm making tiny flags for them.  i did not mark my plants very well in the garden last year and i think we "weeded" a lot of good stuff.  while we are getting better at identifying our plants, we still need a little help.

once planted, these little guys need to be kept moist and under grow lights.  in my opinion this is the perfect excuse to buy that child's blue elephant watering can i've been eyeing.  :)

sprouting №3:  me

this spring, i am metaphorically germinating:

• trail running
• a bigger organic garden plot (if we decide to do it on our land instead of the college's organic garden, it will need to be in the front yard because the back is too shaded with the forest.  this is a big move and a big statement.)
• more yoga
• nyc
• leaning into the gypsiness of my travelling job
• making each trip an adventure
• making each day an adventure

oh serendipity

don't you just love it when little bits of previously random love end up having everything to do with each other?

you know how i went on about harvest table a few posts back?  last month, while driving country backroads, taking a break from the interstate on work travel, i was compelled to stop at the deep raspberry and tiffany blue storefronts in little meadowview, virginia.  inside i discovered the most lovely farm-to-table restaurant complete with adjoining country store.

the food is amazing.  the vibe is comforting.

this morning i was listening to an interview with barbara kingsolver discussing her new book flight behavior.  something in the interview sounded vaguely familiar which prompted me to do a little research only to discover that she owns harvest table and that her farm from animal, vegetable, miracle (one of my all-time favorite books) is close by the restaurant.

i love love love this.

on future trips (there are many), i will be carrying my copy of a, v, m, with high hopes of a signature and some conversation.

growing wild

i suppose the karma garden should be renamed the metaphor garden this week: 

it's quite full and wild and there are many bits unknown.

there are tiny beginnings that i never noticed before.

there are busy happy companions.

there are scraps of brilliant color inching toward freedom.

i find myself thinking, where did this come from?  it wasn't here yesterday.  what do i do with it? 

underneath all the wildness, it is grounded.

and it has everything it needs.

monday

i'm not so sure about you.

happy earth day

how i give myself to my world:

• eating mostly local, seasonal and organic.
• becoming vegetarian.  on the road to vegan.
• the karma garden.
• buying more bulk foods and using my own reusable bags.
• walking or riding my bike instead of driving.
• delighting in the forest, the sea, sunsets, thunderstorms, butterflies.
• composting.
• carrying shopping bags in my purse and car.
• living my yoga.
• recycling.
• learning what more i can do.
• buying vintage.
• supporting rights for all humans and animals.
• shopping at small local businesses and mostly avoiding walmart and other megastores.

what is your favorite way to love our earth?

in the garden

in the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.

-margaret atwood

we have planted! 


since this little project started a bit late, we had to purchase some plants.  and since this is the karma garden, i specifically asked for non-monsanto tomato plants at the nursery.  rookie mistake:  i didn't have a list with me.  we were sold four heirloom varieties and one (lemon boy) is on the list.  i'm so sad to have to uproot pretty little lemon boy and take him back, but i refuse to support monsanto, even if it's only $2.79.   i thought if it was heirloom it would be safe.  lesson learned.

next year, seeds will be purchased from baker creek seeds to ensure total good karma.  big gratitude to meg and meg's mom for the amazing catalog. 

aren't the chicks getting big? 


i hope you get a little dirty this weekend.

paint and paper and pencil

i got a little carried away making a sign for our plot at the organic garden.  it will read "good karma garden."  i like that:  happy sun and good karma.

the organic garden

behind the campus of randolph college, where my husband teaches (me too, every other year), a group of students started a community garden.  this year ken surprised me with our own little four-foot-by-ten-foot plot.  on saturday we spent a few hours clearing out our little space and dreaming about what we wanted to plant.

new young chickens arrived a few weeks ago.  these are ameraucana birds, who lay the lovely teal-colored eggs.  we can get all of our eggs from the garden.  they are totally organic.  and we can express our gratitude to the chickens.  good food karma.

several students spend their saturday afternoons helping out around the garden.  sweet kay came over to lend a hand with our weeding.

there are fruit trees too.  the peach trees are in bloom.  they are so bright, the air surrounding them is almost tinted pink.

the ducks roam free between the plots.  there are several ponds where they splash around and engage in duck shenanigans.

our plot is on a terraced slope, with a view of the chicken houses.  the bees buzz around their hives behind the chickens.

it is such a beautiful place to make friends, enjoy some peace and grow good food.  children chase the ducks as their parents work side by side with students from around the world.  there is a meeting space off to the side.  i've heard stories of gatherings around the bonfire after hours of hard work, coming together to talk and celebrate the garden and all of its gifts.

einstein is the boss of the chicken house.  he's quite handsome, don't you agree?

we feel so lucky to have this space.  our home sits in a forest of trees and is too shaded to grow vegetables.  i'm looking forward to the goodness to come this summer.