Did Me Fart?

My dad was always a stickler for grammar. As a kid, if I said something incorrectly, he would pretend not to understand. His hearing isn't perfect, so I often thought he hadn't heard me.
"I did good today at school." I would tell him.

"What did you say?" He would ask, and I would repeat myself, a little louder. We would go back and forth until I caught on and corrected myself:

"I did well, Dad! I did WELL!"

my parents

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. The poor use of written language flashes at me from the screen, like a bad banner ad for medical transcriptionist school. I am sure that I have made plenty of mistakes on my blog. Actually, I know that I have, because my family e-mails me to tell me to correct it. Thanks family!

I have a few tricks I learned from my dad, and I have tried to pass these lessons on to many unappreciating people. I would like to share a lesson with you, my reader, since being a know-it-all comes naturally to me.

The easiest trick I learned is how to know when to use "me" or "I." This mistake is most often made when talking about two people. It might sound fancy to say "This is for my husband and I." But a quick question will solve the me/I riddle. What would you say if it was only for you? The correct sentence would be, "This is for me." Therefore, you would say, "This is for my husband and me."

I passed on this handy knowledge to the kids I used to nanny.

"My sister and me farted!" Announced the boy.

"What would you say if it was only you that farted?" I prompted.

"Excuse me?"

    

water data collection: helping said children become really smart

Baby Robin's Nest

B

baby robins in the nest outside of my parents' front door

Crock Pot Lasagne with today's garden harvest

The second day of summer and the sun finally showed up today. I guess she likes to be fashionably late.

today's harvest

The babe and I made it out to the garden and got quite a bit accomplished. Everything is looking fairly happy. I pulled a lot of spinach and made space for a new planting of cilantro, parsley and basil. I chomped on some sugar snap peas (I did not plant nearly enough, but plan to make up for it in the fall). I thinned my newest planting of beets and added the baby beet sprouts (spindly roots and all) to my bag of salad greens.

I used the crock pot to make a lasagne with what I could glean from the garden. You can find the basic method at Real Food NW here. I am not very good at doing what I am told, so I never follow recipes exactly. I left out the meat. I chopped about 8 cups of greens (kale, orache and spinach) in the Cuisinart, along with bit of each of my fresh herbs: basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano. I shredded the two little carrots my garden neighbor gave me, two of the onions I pulled from my plot, and two baby zucchini from PCC. I also hand rolled fresh noodles for the lasagne, because I didn't want to go to the store, and its cheaper that way. It was very very good. Now that I am thinking of it, I'm going to go eat seconds.

Here is a peak at some of the fabric I have collected this week for my next food inspired quilt. Anyone have any similar prints? I'll trade you for something from my stash...

homegrown food, homemade quilts

I try to listen to all the chatter in the universe and pick out any messages that seem to be aimed at me. Serendipity is always useful: when I hear the same thing, multiple times, in a short period of time, it must mean something, right?

This week, two people told me that they would like to see more of the "thread" of food-soil-thread. Someone else asked if I would be interested in teaching quilting lessons. Then, another food blog, that I read regularly, posted about making her first quilt. Ok, ok. I get it: bring back the quilts.

Normally, quilting is my winter hobby and gardening is my summer hobby. They balanced each other nicely. As soon as the ground became soggy and my tomato vines began to rot from the rains in October, images of fabric would begin taking over my thoughts. I would quilt like a mad woman for most of winter. Then, as soon as the soil began to warm in the spring and call out for peas and lettuce seeds, my hunger for quilting would disappear as quickly as it came. Any projects I was working on were doomed to be abandoned, literally mid-stitch, and tucked away until the next year.

Somehow, this last year, the balance went out of whack. My gardening hobby has turned into a 450 square foot urban farm, and I haven't stitched a thing in almost a year. I blame the baby. Working the garden, with a baby strapped to my back, is much easier than having the main living space of the house taken over by tiny, sharp, pins and needles.

Maybe there is a way to start incorporating my love for creating art out of little bits of cotton. I am not sure how yet. Maybe I can start by sharing some photos of past projects. Then, maybe I will tuck some unfinished applique into the diaper bag, and work on whenever I get a free minute. Ok, that's funny. I'll keep brainstorming. 

Making A Proper Cup of Tea

Sitting with a client at work last week, I noticed that I was having a hard time focusing on her as she spoke. Not only were her words arriving at my ear nestled in a fog that made discerning any meaning difficult, but literally, my eyes kept wanting to drift in and out of focus.

By that evening, I realized that I had caught a flu bug. Thankfully, flu bugs tend to make their departure as mercifully swift as their arrival, and I only had to wallow in misery for 36 hours.

Two things comforted me during those foggy hours. A creamy cup of tea, and the warm sound of This American Life, which never ran out of things to say, and never asked for a response.

Did you know that This American Life now has an iPhone app? Sweet.

But, more importantly, do you know how to make a proper cup of tea? Very important in my life.

I know that I live in Seattle, and that this is the coffee capital, the home of the original Starbucks, and a thousand reincarnations. But tea is the King Cuppa in my life. If I lived on a desert island for the rest of my life and could only have 10 things with me, tea, milk and sugar would be three of them. If my calculations are correct, I have sipped at least 12,000 cups of tea. Blame my obsession on my English heritage.

In case you are not a tea drinker, but would like to make a habit of it, here are a few suggestions, and a little information. I won't get as detailed as the 5,000 word description for a proper cup from The British Standard 6008.

To begin, "tea" is a drink made from tea leaves, which comes from type of Camellia shrub. "Tea" that does not have "tea" in it ("herbal teas" such as peppermint or chamomile), are actually just an herbal infusion. For this article, when I say "tea," I mean a drink made from tea leaves.

Green, Oolong, and Black tea are all made from the same tea plant. Green tea is unfermented, Oolong is lightly fermented, and Black tea is fully fermented.

I drink black tea. Specifically, Tetley British Blend. I think it has a fuller flavor than other mass market brands.

To make a cup of tea, bring fresh water to a boil. They say that re-boiled water has less oxygen in it and will make a flat tasting tea.

Use one tea bag for a 10-12 ounce cup of hot water. Allow to steep for about three minutes. Discard the tea bag.

Stir in sugar if you wish. I like one teaspoon of sugar. George Orwell disagreed that sugar should be added to tea, but, well, I am not George Orwell.

Stir in the milk. I use 2% or whole milk, between 1/8 and 1/4 cup, depending on the strength of the tea. Milk will reduce the bitterness that the tannins in the tea produce. You can ignore anything you may have heard about milk cancelling out the health benefits of drinking tea, for two reasons. For one, I don't believe it. For another, tea with milk is a beverage, to be enjoyed, not a medicine to be tolerated.

Repeat. Twelve thousand times.

Growing Spicy Salads

"To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist - the problem is entirely the same in both cases: to know exactly how much oil one must put with one's vinegar." Oscar Wilde

If it is the case that salad and diplomacy have much in common, then I would say that salad, like negotiation, is most interesting when it brings some spice without being bitter. 

Here are two of my favorite greens that I have growing in my garden at the moment. They have both been adding great flavor and interest to my daily salads.

Wrinkled, Crinkled, Crumpled Cress

“Wrinkled, Crinkled, Crumpled Cress,” is, hands down, my favorite salad green. This peppery green was bred by Frank Morton, organic farmer and owner of Wild Garden Seed, in Oregon. His prized creation is a cross between “Persian” and “Curly” cress. The Wild Garden Seed catalogue boasts of the “unexpected heft and toothsomeness” of this spirited green. 

A stand out for sure, it first showed up in my garden, as one of a dozen greens growing mixed together in the same row. I had no idea what it was, but I loved how it perked up my salads, adding a spicy flair. I took a picture of it, and then spent hours pursuing seed catalogues and garden blogs to figure out what it was. Thank goodness I did! This year, I dedicated a whole row to this unique green. You can order Certified Organic “Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled Cress” from Wild Garden Seed, Territorial Seed, or Botanical Interests.

Red Winter Kale

Recently, a fellow gardener was admiring the tall, colorful, stalk of green-purple leaves growing in the middle of my garden. “It’s a red kale,” I told him. “Oh,” he sighed, looking disappointed, “I guess kale is an acquired taste,” he said, dropping the leaves from his hand. I guess kale doesn’t have the best reputation! This variety of kale will change your mind. It is so tender and sweet that I have yet to cook any of mine, and have been enjoying it raw in my salad. 

You can find me talking more about my favorite salad greens, here, along with a recipe for a great brunch salad of greens, bacon and poached egg. What are your favorite greens to add to a salad?

I am a fan of Botanical Interests seed company. A family owned company, they offer unique, high quality, organic and untreated garden seeds. They have over 500 varieties, 140 of which are certified organic. All of their seed varieties are untreated, none are GMO's. Perfect for novice gardeners, their seed packets contain way more information than other companies provide. I will continue to host a link to their site, as an affiliate, so that readers can link to their on-line catalog.

Halen Mon Smoked Sea Salt

I had it, and then it was gone.

My aunt had given me a little tube of smoked salt as a gift. I loved it. It made everything taste good. Like my own little bottle of natural MSG. Or kitchen crack.

I ran out.

I went on-line and ordered a BIG tub.

I ran out again.

I went back on-line this week. Hmph. It was more expensive than I remembered. Maybe that is because it is Obama's "favourite" for salting carmels, which Seattle's own Fran's Chocolates does for him.

Now is really not a good time to be spending prime prices for fancy things like shipping in sea salts from Wales. But, my zucchini plants are growing in the garden, and my garden notes from last year tell me that I should be harvesting before the end of the month.

I am really looking forward to slicing those first, tender, moist baby zucchini, and sauteing them with prawns, pine nuts, garlic and a sprinkle of that salt. The salt really makes it.

So, I made a few calls. I found a local hook-up.

And today, I came home with my very own pound of Halen Mon Welsh Smoked Salt.

That should last me a while.

Edible Bouquets

Its so nice to be away from the garden for a few days and then return and see all of the changes that took place. My new crop of beets have sprouted, my tomatoes are getting close to outgrowing their plastic tunnel house, and my salad greens are crowding each other for space.

I had a craving for noodles and spicy peanut sauce, and wanted to use what vegetables I had on hand. My fridge offered up a bunch of asparagus and green onions. My garden offered this beautiful bouquet of edible greens and flowers. 

Red Winter Kale, Beet Greens, Mizuna, Cilantro, Red Orache, Johnny-Jump Ups

I blanched the asparagus, thinly sliced the green onions, chopped up the garden greens, and tossed with whole wheat spaghetti (Bionature is an excellent brand for whole wheat organic pasta and is worth the extra pennies), and a batch of peanut sauce. 

note: If you are going to make this into a cold pasta salad, cook one minute past "al-dente" or your cold pasta will have a unpleasant texture. Rinse with cold water, toss with a bit of oil, then add to the sauce and vegetables.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

2-3 Tablespoons light coconut milk

1 teaspoon fish sauce

1-2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

1-2 teaspoons red curry paste

(NOT curry powder - Thai curry PASTE)

1 garlic clove

1 inch knob of ginger

Pinch of sugar (unless your peanut butter has sugar in it already)

Pinch of salt and pepper if desired

Using a micro-plane or the fine side of a box grater, shred the garlic clove and the ginger.

Whisk all of the ingredients together, including the shredded garlic and ginger.

I put ranges of amounts for some of the ingredients because you will want to adjust the balance of flavors to your own preference. I like mine sharp and spicy and so I use more vinegar and curry paste, but you may like it sweeter. You can leave out the curry paste if you don't like spice.

If you want a thinner sauce, you can thin it with more coconut milk, or add vegetable oil.