Living the Slow life in North Carolina
Yep, a cold front is coming in this weekend and lows are expected to be 38 Saturday and Sunday nights.
But now the tomatoes are nicely hardened off, having survived one 38 degree night naked and then a 35-degree night under plastic. And the eggplants are nestled down under a Reemay blanket. I’m going to mulch them heavily with straw this afternoon.
I have been patient enough not to plant squash, basil, okra, and beans, so I think that I should get good sense points for that.
I really enjoyed the slow food potluck we had at the Montessori School today. It was a good sized crowd – about 30-35 people – not so many to be overwhelming but enough to get a nice diversity of ages and interests. The food was great, but it was curious…there was not one single dessert! I’ll bet that next time there will be too many desserts!
When I came home, I decided that the cold spell was over and I could no longer wait to plant the eggplants in the pots. I also decided to plant some more seeds inside. Cal Wonder gold peppers and ground cherries did not do well in the peat pots. Note to self – never buy peat pots again. So I replanted them, along with Kung Pao and Tam Jalapeno pepper seeds that I dried last season. Also, I planted gourd and squash seeds.
I baked sunflower seed bread again today, and thought I’d share the recipe, which is adapted from a recipe in Betty Crocker’s Bread Machine Cookbook.
1 c water
2 T olive oil
2 T honey
2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c white bread flour
1 T gluten
1/2 c toasted, salted sunflower seeds
1 t salt
2 t bread machine yeast
Load the ingredients in the bread machine in that order and set it for dough. Let the machine knead and take it through the first rising.
Put the dough in an oiled covered bowl. Punch it down and let it rise another hour, or until doubled. Shape it into loaves or rolls and place into greased pans. Let it rise another hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake rolls for 20 minutes or loaves for 25 minutes.
This is what I’m taking to the Slow Food potluck tomorrow, along with some walnut pesto I bought from Masoud at the farmers’ market.
The tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes survived their first night of 30’s temperatures, even though the wind blew the plastic off the frame over the tomatoes. The NOA web site reports that our low was 38 degrees. I’m bracing up for tonight’s expected light frost by reinforcing the frame with packing tape.
I went to the farmers’ market this morning and was tempted by several plants: Brandywine and Juliet tomatoes, which I grew last year, sold by Handance Farm (Pat and Brian Bush).
The Juliet tomatoes are just fabulous. The plant produced hundreds of tomatoes. I picked my last Juliet tomato on December 1 last year. I used them for cooking and in salads and they were equally good for both – like a cross between a Roma and a grape tomato.
And what can I say about Brandywines. They spoiled me for all other tomatoes. They don’t produce a lot, but what they produce is large and sweet, just the best tasting tomato ever, and you can’t buy them in stores. The first year I planted a Brandywine, I had tasted two of them and was eagerly waiting for the other three on the bush to ripen. My friend JQ and her children were visiting and we were talking while the kids ran around and played. The next thing I knew, her children were proudly presenting me with the green Brandywines they had picked for me. I do love JQ’s children, and in hindsight it is funny, but it was one of those days when I knew that not having children was probably a good decision for me.
Dark Hollow Farm had Zephyr squash seedlings for sale. I have done Google searches for Zephyr squash seeds with no success, so I was very happy to see this. I bought them and a long light green Italian summer squash at the market on a regular basis last summer. They are both very tasty and don’t have a lot of seeds. I hope someone will offer those Italian squashes as well. I wish I could remember the name. They have a light green flesh and are beautiful in a squash casserole along with the yellow squashes. The Zephyrs look like yellow crooknecks from the stem to about halfway around the bulb, then turn a stripy dark green.
I put my hand under the plastic of the tomato greenhouse this afternoon and it felt very warm. I think this might work very well.
I decided to put bricks all around my plastic bottle greenhouses over the two peppers and eggplants to help retain heat.
Thankfully, I did not repot all my eggplants for the front porch, so I only had one to bring in! I would not have had room for all those big pots. But the seedlings seem to be happy staying in their little 4-inch pots for the time being.
Yes, it is now expected to go down to 35 degrees Friday and Saturday nights. I went home during lunch and covered the frames over the tomatoes with plastic. I have cement blocks and bricks inside the frames and I hope that they will store heat.
Our MALS (Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies) class, “The Meaning of Gardens,” met at the Montessori School again last night but this time we worked really hard for about an hour and a half building some beds against a bare chain link fence next to a playground.
Looking at these gardens, and musing about Charlie’s garden, makes me think about planting fruit trees and bushes again. I am not a big fruit eater, but Sandy is, and I’m trying to develop a taste for it.
I told the historic district commission that if they let me remove my black walnut tree, I would plant fruit trees within a couple of years. I have been waffling on this somewhat, because I have a very small space and a weeping willow would be more useful to me (for basketry). I have time to decide, though, because I’m going to wait until at least this fall to plant. I want the juglone from the walnut to dissipate first.
The south side of my house is a real challenge. It is very ugly, and there is very little room between my house and the houses next door on either side. On the south side, I have a neighbor who sprays several times a year with Round-Up, and on her side of the line between the houses everything is brown and dead. Which is certainly her right, but she’s not careful and the Round-up occasionally kills things that I plant on my side of the line. There are many utility lines that run overhead and underground in this 10 foot corridor. A fence would be expensive and make the corridor very cramped. The soil would have to be seriously improved for almost anything I’d plant there, and I’d have to be very careful when digging. I have reacted to this by letting my side just go wild and hitting it with the weed eater now and then. It is a shame to waste this sunny space, though.
However, I was looking at http://www.eat-it.com, and they have cherry bushes that could possibly be planted next to the south side of my house that have a height of 4-8 feet. Charlie suggested that I plant figs and Asian pears. The thing is, this neighbor is totally unpredictable. If she suddenly threw a fence up between our houses, it would be difficult to walk between the bushes and the fence.
I like the idea of edible landscaping. I just wish I hadn’t planted the Yoshina cherry trees in the front yard. They were free, and they’re beautiful, and they provide us with some privacy. But I could have had edible cherries instead and that valuable sunny space would have had another function.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Today, I wrestled a 75 foot soaker hose for 45 minutes during my lunch hour. Next time I am buying 10 foot sections and hooking them together. I came back to work sweaty and sunburned. But I wanted to empty out my rain barrels before the big rains come later this week, and last night it was too dark by the time I got home with it, and tonight I go to my MALS class. So it was do it at lunch or do it in the rain.
Oh, and we planted the rest of the tomatoes yesterday. Another reason for the soaker anaconda. I planted one Rosa Bianca eggplant in a pot before I realized I didn’t have nearly enough potting soil.
And one of my artichokes is missing. Only a hole where the baby used to be. I suspect Mama Kitty, but last year’s bunny may be back.
Sundays start out something like this: First the cats, then the coffee. I spend some time with the newspaper in the bamboo chair or on the porch swing, depending on the weather. I pull the ads out and put them in a paper bag to be recycled. That takes away at least half of the newspaper. After we both finish the rest of the paper, that part goes into a stack to be used as mulch. (I find that the Rhinoceros Times makes the best mulch–they are always thick and full of crap.)
Today, I didn’t do what had become a usual thing for me since this past summer, which was to go to the 9:20 service at the Church of the Covenant. I am always glad when I go, but I’ve needed the time alone here lately. And Saturday and Sunday mornings are usually all about me, since Sandy likes to sleep late.
Today was different. I started some bread in the breadmaker. I used to make bread the old-fashioned way, but after I got chronic tendinitis in both hands I couldn’t knead the dough long enough. Now I let the breadmaker do the mixing and kneading, and then I remove the dough and let it rise, shape, and bake it in the oven. This produces excellent results without causing me physical pain. I’m not big on gadgets, but I have found that the breadmaker is one of those gadgets that I really use.
Next Sunday we are having our first Slow Food event, a potluck at the Greensboro Montessori School. This will be a nervous time for me. I have a lot of hope that I will be able to make new friends in this group, but I am not good at making friends. Plus, bringing a dish to an event with a bunch of foodies, chefs, and other food professionals is rather intimidating. This sunflower seed bread is one of my favorite things, so I decided to bake it, freeze it, and then if I don’t get a chance to bake it fresh next Saturday night or Sunday morning, I’ll have it.
Sandy got up a little earlier and we went to the pottery festival at the farmers’ market. This probably would have been a good time for me to leave my checkbook at home. But we’re feeling a little optimistic about Sandy’s job prospects and we both have a weakness for pottery. I thought I’d look for a colander to replace the ancient plastic one I have. But instead, I bought a beautiful flower pot, four beautiful bowls (eatin’ size) and Sandy bought a primitive looking goblet from a lady who digs her own clay and tries to reproduce very old designs.
I suggested to Sandy that we should put away our ordinary china and start eating from our pottery collection. Food just tastes better eaten out of beautiful handmade things. He agreed, and when I came home I packed up the old tarnished silver from his grandmother that we will never use to be stored in the attic, put our ordinary plates where the silver had been, and started clearing out some junk.
But of course, Sandy didn’t want me to actually get rid of any of the old coffee mugs that either of us ever use or have any sentimental attachment to. So I had gotten my hopes up a little too high. He would have never missed these things, but I made the mistake of asking him to take out the trash. And they were my things to throw out. But whatever, I’ve learned to pick my battles. I am happy about the new pottery!
The flowerpot is just stunning. I’m going to go repot my crown of thorns in it right now.
My Saturdays tend to follow a pattern. Like every day, I am bullied out of bed by my dear cats to make them breakfast, then I make myself a small pot of coffee. I read the newspaper, which I get every day even though I changed my subscription to Sundays only and have reported it, and if the weather is nice I sit outside. If there are dishes in the sink, I like to wash them at this time of day. It gives me an relaxing opportunity to think over the day in front of me. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about “washing the dishes to wash the dishes.” Sometimes I do that, too.
On Saturdays, though, I head to the farmers’ market. This has become such a ritual for me that I go whether I need anything or not. The farmers’ market became one of the safe places that I could go as I was pulling myself out of agoraphobia. Last summer I began making a conscious effort to talk to some of the vendors. I see people that I know and work with and chat with them a little. This may not be a big deal for most people, but for someone with a social phobia it was a huge step. I usually come home with some soap, goat cheese, milk, and/or plants for my garden. Sometimes I buy some middle eastern food from the Palestinian guy’s booth. He now has a restaurant, and his food is delicious and thoughtful.
Often I go to the grocery store after this. I’ll go to Harris Teeter if I need things that I can’t get at Earth Fare. I have been trying to switch to organic foods and household supplies whenever possible. However, feeding seven cats on a budget prevents me from buying sustainably produced pet supplies and there are a few things that I can’t seem to give up, such as Pepsi One and Peter Pan peanut butter. But for most things I think that I’ve made a lot of progress. Harris Teeter does carry more and more organic foods now. And they finally took the produce out of that styrofoam and plastic packing, thank god. What were they thinking?
I keep telling myself that I should start going back to Deep Roots. It is a natural foods co-op and really has most of the things that Earth Fare has, plus a lot more local food, which is one of the most important things to consider. But Earth Fare is usually my choice for two reasons: it is next to Lowe’s, where I can stop and get a few sacks of humus for the garden, thereby saving me some gas; and it has a really nice meat/seafood market where I can buy meat that I can feel better about. I stopped going to Deep Roots quite a few years ago because I bought some granola there that hatched out grain moths, and it took me months to get rid of them. Plus they changed the structure of the co-op and nullified my membership because I didn’t invest more money, which kind of pissed me off at the time. I got over it, because I’m sure that they had good reasons for the change, but I never got back into the habit of going there.
After the grocery store, I come home and work in the back yard off and on for the rest of the day. In between, I do laundry and hang what I can out on drying racks on the deck. This is a new practice for me. I sit in my bamboo chair (before it was two folding chairs) and read and think. Today I listened to a mockingbird sing for what must have been fifteen minutes straight. I wondered why he chose the notes he sang, and tried to pick out repeated phrases. There weren’t very many, from what I could tell. I also finished connecting my path to the deck with the path that runs between our house and Chris’s house.
Sandy will usually help me a little in the yard and we’ll go to the used bookstore, or to Chumley’s for a drink or two. A lot of times we rent a movie. I usually fix a good dinner on the weekends. Today my energy level was very low because of disrupted sleep, so tonight’s dinner was a bit lame–hamburger and potato casserole and salad. This casserole is the first thing I ever learned to cook so it tends to be one of those stand-bys for when I’m tired. We ate the last of the supermarket salad, which has been of really poor quality lately. I understand that it is because of the weather in California. The sign stating this reminded me why it is better to buy locally. Weren’t there any local greenhouse producers of salad greens? I guess not, at least for Harris Teeter and Earth Fare.
But tomorrow, we begin eating out of the garden on a regular basis.
slowly she turned 