>Here it is as it looked last week; my new tomato plot. A plain triangle, a few grass clipping layered over a little compost.
We covered the area with cardboard and newspaper last fall, outlined it with a few posts and spare boards, and let nature do its job over the winter.
To read the rest, go to Green Spot-On!
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But chemicals? Expense aside, I don’t need them. I don’t want them on the mint; I might use it in cooking or to mix a mojito. I don’t sweat the dandelions; I use them to offset the high cost of lettuce.
Buttercup loves them.
>This recipe looks like it’ll be a mainstay when the berries are ripe in the summertime. I made it in mini-loaves with blueberries from the freezer the first time, and it was delicious.
From Eating Well in Season: the Farmers’ Market Cookbook with very few changes.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
1 cup nonfat buttermilk (see Tip, below)
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups fresh or frozen berries (whole blackberries, blueberries, raspberries; diced strawberries)
1/2 cup chopped toasted sliced almonds (see Tip, below)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F for muffins or mini loaves, 375 for a large loaf.
2. Whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, brown sugar, butter, oil, vanilla and almond extracts in another large bowl until well combined.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Add berries and almonds. Stir just to combine; do not overmix. Transfer batter to the prepared pan(s). Top with additional almonds, if desired.
5. Bake until golden brown and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Follow time suggestions for various pan sizes below. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature – with coffee, milk, or any other brunch-style refreshing beverage.
Tips:
-If you don’t have buttermilk in the house, mix 1 Tablespoon lemon juice into 1 cup milk.
-To toast sliced almonds, cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2-4 minutes.
-Pan sizes!
Muffins (standard muffin pan): makes one dozen, bake for 22-25 minutes at 400.
Mini-Bundt pans (6-cup mini Bundt pan, scant 1-cup capacity per cake): 22-25 minutes at 400.
Mini-loaf pans (6×3 inch pans, 2-cup capacity): makes 3, bake for 30 minutes at 400.
Large loaf pan (9×5 inches): make one loaf, bake for 1 hour 10 minutes at 375.
Please note: this is not a product review. I won the cookbook as a prize in Brighter Planet’s contest for Sustainable Cooking Ideas last December. While I didn’t make the top five for the grand prize (an Amazon Kindle), I felt proud to make it into the top twenty tips and I enjoyed reading the other entries.
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I think a person planted the onions intentionally: someone who lived in this house before we did. They are strong and stealthy (the onions, not the gardener), the kind we call walking onions. When not harvested, they sprout a new bulb on the top. The bulb’s weight tips the onion stalk to the ground, and the bulb begins to grow a new onion plant. And the cycle goes on. Not that I complain; they’re delicious, fresh, and free!
>You can tell it’s spring by the signs of Earth Week in my classroom. Worked into the collection between the other books are many Earthy titles. Science Verse is there because it’s one of my favorites and April is also Poetry Month.
Look to the right, and you’ll see why there are so many on the shelf; the Seasonal bucket wasn’t big enough for all the books on an environmental theme.
My desk is often a repository of evidence of whatever we’re studying. Cluttered, perhaps; but look closely. Here, in the corner by the keyboard.
The students loved the cookies and the simple plan. They really knew what each piece represented.
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No, we can’t pick it this year. We need to wait one more year – perhaps two – to allow it to strengthen and establish itself. Delayed gratification can be tough; for now, I’ll buy our asparagus at the farmers’ market. But I can still be excited!
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>Spring means chores. Somehow, I don’t mind the extra work that comes with the melting of the snow and the warming of the temperatures. One of the first: I need to cut back or pull out the dead mint surrounding the tulips and other pretty spring blooms. Put simply, it’s time to get rid of the brown and make room for the green.
In the garden, the green onions are coming back. The parsley is returning; I didn’t even know parsley was a perennial. Is it? Maybe it reseeded itself. The chives are poking their slim green head above the ground, too. But the asparagus, the new plants I put in last year? Gone. No sign of them. Sigh. Maybe they didn’t have enough sun; maybe I bought a bad batch. I’ll try again in a new location and see what happens. It’s a bit discouraging when asparagus takes 2-3 years to develop. Losing a year in the process – well, there’s always the Farmers’ Market!
>The growing season is short in my Wisconsin climate zone. I don’t dare put in tomato or pepper plants until late May, usually Memorial Day. At the end of the growing season, when die-hard locavore gardeners are canning their salsa and preserving their heirloom seeds, I’m starting a new school year. I’ve used that timeline as an excuse to plant only mass-produced garden center seedlings for years. This year, I’m branching out.
Thanks to gifts from Hometown Seeds and City Slipper (@CitySlipper on Twitter, blogging at Small Kitchen Garden), I’m starting a few heirloom varieties from scratch.
>I was going to skip it this year, but I didn’t. I signed up for the 30 day “Going Green Today” project through my employer’s wellness program. Last year I felt that it was rather redundant for some like me, a mom/teacher/ blogger/ gardener who already incorporates a lot of eco-conscious habits into everyday living.
They made it easy and paperless. I signed up. After the start of tracking green behaviors, I decided to focus on a specific area every day.
One day I reached for the maximum (nine points) by using only one-point activities. Another day I counted only activities at work; another day only that which occurred at home.
For example, I earned 3 points for re-using paper at work. That was too easy; I often copy on the backs of used paper. I filled the remaining six with single point items: using recycled paper, turning the computer on sleep mode, using white boards or slates (chalkboards), turning off my computer at the end of the day, reusing packing materials, and reusing office supplies (never throw away a paper clip).
On the home front, I reported a 3-pt. car tune-up (recent, not today, but it counts), a low-flow showerhead also for three (chosen for our upcoming remodeling project), and for one point each: donating used items instead of throwing them away (to purge the closets before the closet remodel), using biodegradable cat litter (rabbit litter, in our home), and finally, filling the dishwasher full before running it.
Yesterday I decided to focus on big actions that I’ve done in the past, actions that provide an opportunity to be green daily. Four points for starting a compost pile; I started it years ago, use it daily, and added a second bin last August located so that I can fill it all winter. Another four points for insulating our water heater; we bought a new insulated water heater recently. I’ll check next time I’m in the basement; if it’s an Energy Star appliance, I can count it for four points some other day. Third, but not least, I added one point for using my Starbucks thermos rather than getting a disposable cup every day.
The project is not a contest. The goal of participating is to build good, green habits by paying attention to everyday actions. I’m fairly green already, so I participate to challenge myself and validate my choices. Next week maybe I’ll focus on putting a twist on regular actions – taking a daily behavior and tweaking it up a notch.
