Monday, May 3, 2010
A Blast from the Past
I had a great surprise after work today. A message from Facebook instantly brought some old memories into my mind as if they were as fresh as yesterday. A dear friend and former roommate from college had found me! Wendie was so much fun and such a genuine person in a time and place where that was a rare trait. I'm sure she's even more so today. I can't wait to reconnect and catch up with her. Here's a picture of Wendie from the wayback machine.
This is a photo from the summer of 1973 when I was staying at her house for awhile. Once my memory was jogged by Wendie's message from Facebook, I was able to find the album with the pictures from that summer in less than 3 minutes - that's definitely a record for me. This photo was simply labeled "Wendie Goofing Off". Thanks, Wendie, for taking the time to look for me on Facebook and sending the message. I look forward to many more.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Homemade Butter and Oat Waffles - Just the thing for a cold morning!
We're having a cold (low 40s) day, overcast, with the threat of rain or snow. So what makes for a tasty brunch on such a day? I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I also made sweet cream butter with the cream from my raw milk from the last two weeks. I weighed it today and it's just a few grams shy of 1/4 lb. I had cultured the cream from last week and mixed it with the fresh cream from this week. They sat for about an hour to come to room temperature before "churning" in the food processor. The buttermilk came out very good, too, as if all of it had been cultured. I learned from the first time that the buttermilk is downright nasty if the cream doesn't culture for at least a day. I had 2 cups of buttermilk from the process but at least 1/2 cup was due to extra milk that got skimmed with the cream.
I've found a new waffle that I like. It's made from oat bran and uses honey for sweetener. I've been making a batch on Sunday and eating one for breakfast, leaving four more for my breakfasts through the week. I make the batch at one time, lay out the waffles on the cookie sheet and freeze. Then I can put them all in one storage bag and remove them as needed. So picture my waffle with homemade butter and organic maple syrup and a big smile on my face and tummy!
I have an antique wooden butter bowl and paddle that I'd love to use for the final steps in making the butter, just to get the original experience. But the bowl is made for a large batch of butter. My 1/4 lb. would get lost in the bowl. I took a photo just to show the funny difference in size of my batch versus an old-fashioned size batch made by a family who had a milking cow and a daily cream source. Someday I'm going to use this bowl! Kristine and I have been daydreaming about Valerie, Stephanie, Kristine and myself sharing a cow in Pennsylvania one of these days. We learned this past week that an average daily milk gathering would be around 5 gallons. Now THATS enough cream to use my antique bowl!
I've found a new waffle that I like. It's made from oat bran and uses honey for sweetener. I've been making a batch on Sunday and eating one for breakfast, leaving four more for my breakfasts through the week. I make the batch at one time, lay out the waffles on the cookie sheet and freeze. Then I can put them all in one storage bag and remove them as needed. So picture my waffle with homemade butter and organic maple syrup and a big smile on my face and tummy!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Pickles, Pesto and (S)Prouts
Saturday is generally such a pleasant day. I had fun in the house because the forecast said it would be overcast, cold and possibly rain or snow. Turned out to be sunny. It was cold but the sun was great. I did laundry in the morning and hung it out to dry in the sun. I did the bedding and the freshly made bed smells so inviting. I'll be asleep quickly tonight, for sure. I love the smell of nature's own perfume called fresh air!
My radish sprouts are reaching their peak and will go in the fridge tomorrow morning. They're very tasty. I like radishes a LOT and the sprouts taste just like eating the real thing only they're much easier to put on a sandwich. Ken tried the sprouts tonight and thinks they're delicious. I would enjoy growing the radish sprouts for Ken, Perla and myself.
I made two recipes today from my new cookbook "Nourishing Traditions". I bought the book because my sister, Kristine, has it and she recommended that I get it because it's chock-full of good information as well as tasty recipes. The cookbook arrived last Tuesday - I found it when I got home from work. I had to be away from home on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, then I went on the field trip to Cresset Farm on Thursday with Kristine and Kent. I mention this because we also made a stop at the Asian market. The produce was so fresh and beautiful. Kristine picked up several items for recipes in the book so I followed her lead and bought the ingredients for the (fermented) pickled cucumbers and the pesto. Then I got ready to prepare the recipes today and had to call her to find out where the recipes could be found in the book :-) I laughed out loud at myself - I was excited to make something that I hadn't even read about yet, all because of Kristine's enthusiasm about it. I used Korean cucumbers and they were weird! About half of the ones in my package were grown together lengthwise. You could say they were double-barreled cucumbers! The recipe (when I finally found it and read it) said you could pickle them whole or sliced. I opted for the sliced version. They should be ready to eat in a couple days. They came out looking luscious:
We also found beautiful basil at the Asian market. The price was amazing! $1.39 for a large bundle that was about 1 1/2 cups packed after removing the leaves from the stems. I don't know if I've ever found basil for that price before. The recipe also has pine nuts, garlic and parmesan cheese as well as the usual basil and olive oil. Boy howdy, is it ever tasty! I think I'll have chicken and pasta tomorrow and toss the pasta with the pesto. Yummy! One container went in the fridge and one is in the freezer for another week. Come on over - I'll share with you!
My radish sprouts are reaching their peak and will go in the fridge tomorrow morning. They're very tasty. I like radishes a LOT and the sprouts taste just like eating the real thing only they're much easier to put on a sandwich. Ken tried the sprouts tonight and thinks they're delicious. I would enjoy growing the radish sprouts for Ken, Perla and myself.
I made two recipes today from my new cookbook "Nourishing Traditions". I bought the book because my sister, Kristine, has it and she recommended that I get it because it's chock-full of good information as well as tasty recipes. The cookbook arrived last Tuesday - I found it when I got home from work. I had to be away from home on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, then I went on the field trip to Cresset Farm on Thursday with Kristine and Kent. I mention this because we also made a stop at the Asian market. The produce was so fresh and beautiful. Kristine picked up several items for recipes in the book so I followed her lead and bought the ingredients for the (fermented) pickled cucumbers and the pesto. Then I got ready to prepare the recipes today and had to call her to find out where the recipes could be found in the book :-) I laughed out loud at myself - I was excited to make something that I hadn't even read about yet, all because of Kristine's enthusiasm about it. I used Korean cucumbers and they were weird! About half of the ones in my package were grown together lengthwise. You could say they were double-barreled cucumbers! The recipe (when I finally found it and read it) said you could pickle them whole or sliced. I opted for the sliced version. They should be ready to eat in a couple days. They came out looking luscious:
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The calendar may say it's spring...
...but we're enjoying a lingering touch of winter here today.
Compare to yesterday: think sandals, capri pants, light blouse with short sleeves, no jacket required. It was sunny and high 60s. My thoughts turned to getting the garden bed ready when I let it wander. Today I see images of shriveled, frozen tomato plants in my mind's eye if I think about a garden. I've lived here in the mountains for 17 years now. I KNOW this happens every spring and yet, somehow, I let myself fall victim to the terrible, very contagious spring fever virus each and every year. Hope springs eternal!
My little tomato seedlings are still tucked away under their grow light in a warm space and most are doing quite well. They have 6 leaves and some have even more. Last weekend I planted a few more seeds that had sprouted for Roma and Beefsteak varieties. I don't know what happened to their determination but, so far, only one Roma is showing signs of life.
Today I'm looking forward to a field trip to Cresset Farm with Kristine and Kent. I've printed out some information so I can ask questions and possibly sign up for a CSA in veggies and fruits. Until it's time to get on the field trip bus I'm going to spend some time in my craft room. Awhile back I posted tidy photos of fabric purchased for a hand quilting project. All the pre-cut squares needed to be washed. Well, now they need ironed. I'm going to tackle that first, just so I can get them stacked and make room on the table for my cutting board. I want to cut the lattice strips for the Tuscan quilt and get back to work on that. It's been over a month since I've touched it. I keep going back to the knitting - the Yggdrasil blanket is so fun to work on and really interesting to see it developing.
Off to the craft room now!
Compare to yesterday: think sandals, capri pants, light blouse with short sleeves, no jacket required. It was sunny and high 60s. My thoughts turned to getting the garden bed ready when I let it wander. Today I see images of shriveled, frozen tomato plants in my mind's eye if I think about a garden. I've lived here in the mountains for 17 years now. I KNOW this happens every spring and yet, somehow, I let myself fall victim to the terrible, very contagious spring fever virus each and every year. Hope springs eternal!
My little tomato seedlings are still tucked away under their grow light in a warm space and most are doing quite well. They have 6 leaves and some have even more. Last weekend I planted a few more seeds that had sprouted for Roma and Beefsteak varieties. I don't know what happened to their determination but, so far, only one Roma is showing signs of life.
Today I'm looking forward to a field trip to Cresset Farm with Kristine and Kent. I've printed out some information so I can ask questions and possibly sign up for a CSA in veggies and fruits. Until it's time to get on the field trip bus I'm going to spend some time in my craft room. Awhile back I posted tidy photos of fabric purchased for a hand quilting project. All the pre-cut squares needed to be washed. Well, now they need ironed. I'm going to tackle that first, just so I can get them stacked and make room on the table for my cutting board. I want to cut the lattice strips for the Tuscan quilt and get back to work on that. It's been over a month since I've touched it. I keep going back to the knitting - the Yggdrasil blanket is so fun to work on and really interesting to see it developing.
Off to the craft room now!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Amazing Feat or Amazing Feet?
Sam turned 1 year old on Saturday. For his first impressive feat of his 2nd year, he started walking on his own on Sunday! Here are a couple frames I pulled from the video. Sam looks pretty happy with the results. How I wish I could be there to have him walk into my arms!
My tomato seedlings are doing very well. Three of the plants now have their second sets of leaves.
My Beefsteak and Roma seeds and Golden Midget watermelon seeds are still sitting in their damp paper towels to sprout. I checked them this morning and no sign of activity yet. I spent some time this morning putting my notes together and saving the information on the seeds I've planted. None of my three seeds germinated for the "Matt's Wild Cherry Tomato" but, after reading the description of them again today, I'm going to try again. After I post this blog entry I'm going to set more of the Matt's seeds to soaking. I'd really like to grow them.
We've been having an amazing amount of rain the past few days. We had a real live thunderstorm last night. I hope that bodes well for the gardens this year. After last year's dreadful season, even for the most experienced in this area, it would be fun and rewarding to have a bountiful crop this year.
Becca is afraid of thunderstorms. She was quite anxious about the rain last night, even a couple hours after the thunder had stopped. We went to bed around midnight and the only way she was able to lay down was to get her head between the bed and the nightstand like she was in a protected area. There was no thunder at that point, just the sound of heavy rain on the roof and deck. She did her usual turn on the deck this morning until it started to rain again. Right away she wanted to come back inside even though she has the protected area of the deck and there was no thunder. I know several other Samoyeds and none of them are afraid of rain or storms. I wish I could know what scared Becca.
Off to soak seeds now!
My tomato seedlings are doing very well. Three of the plants now have their second sets of leaves.
My Beefsteak and Roma seeds and Golden Midget watermelon seeds are still sitting in their damp paper towels to sprout. I checked them this morning and no sign of activity yet. I spent some time this morning putting my notes together and saving the information on the seeds I've planted. None of my three seeds germinated for the "Matt's Wild Cherry Tomato" but, after reading the description of them again today, I'm going to try again. After I post this blog entry I'm going to set more of the Matt's seeds to soaking. I'd really like to grow them.
We've been having an amazing amount of rain the past few days. We had a real live thunderstorm last night. I hope that bodes well for the gardens this year. After last year's dreadful season, even for the most experienced in this area, it would be fun and rewarding to have a bountiful crop this year.
Becca is afraid of thunderstorms. She was quite anxious about the rain last night, even a couple hours after the thunder had stopped. We went to bed around midnight and the only way she was able to lay down was to get her head between the bed and the nightstand like she was in a protected area. There was no thunder at that point, just the sound of heavy rain on the roof and deck. She did her usual turn on the deck this morning until it started to rain again. Right away she wanted to come back inside even though she has the protected area of the deck and there was no thunder. I know several other Samoyeds and none of them are afraid of rain or storms. I wish I could know what scared Becca.
Off to soak seeds now!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Busy Week!
I just talked to Sam and sang Happy Birthday (both versions) to him. He's one year old today! Valerie called just minutes before guests started to arrive. Even though Sam's and my conversation was mostly one-sided, he didn't give me the raspberries and push the phone away this time :-) He kept pulling the phone back to himself when Valerie would think he was done and start to move it to her ear. I'm so glad I got to wish him a happy birthday and I wish I could be there to celebrate with him as I was there right after his birth.
I didn't do very well in keeping my blog updated this week. It was a busy week, none the less. I finished the cotton ribbed lace tank top I was knitting on Thursday last week:
It is finished except for determining the length of the shoulder straps and grafting the strap ends together. I think it's the cutest top. I tried it on - it doesn't seem to be my type. I had a great time knitting it, though, and I'm sure it will find a good home in the end.
This is the first project where I've used a mercerized cotton. It has a totally different feel than other cotton yarn. And the six very thin strands that make up the yarn are easily split with the point of a lace needle. It took awhile to get my stitch work fluid when I started working with it. I haven't blocked it yet. I expect the lace will really pop when it's lightly blocked.
As I said, I finished the tank top on Thursday a week ago. It was a tough evening - no knitting project! I'm not used to that experience. I was awaiting delivery of the yarn for my next project and it had been delivered when I got home from work on Friday. Yippee!! I quickly opened the box and reveled in the 55 skeins of grass green soft worsted weight cotton yarn that awaited my manipulations. This yarn is very special. The color was selected by Valerie and is being worked into a house-warming gift for her, Amol, and Sam for their arrival back in the states later this summer. I'm making them an Yggdrasil pattern blanket. Here's a photo of the blanket as it will look when completed (from the pattern image - on right) and a photo of the center of the blanket showing the roots of the tree - on left)
The yarn is SO soft - it should make for a comfy, comforting blanket when it is done.
I also put my tomato seeds on notice that spring is here on Thursday of last week. I soaked the seeds for two hours, then put them to rest on damp paper towels in an open plastic bag to encourage them to germinate and sprout. I haven't used this technique before but got it from the tips provided by Lisa Von Saunder at amishlandseeds.com where I purchased my heirloom seeds. Each day I checked the seeds to see if any had sprouted. It took until the following Tuesday before they were ready to go into the potting soil. I'm using a sterile soilless seedling mix (at Lisa's recommendation.) I also set up an area with a fluorescent light to help them get started. The light fixture didn't come with bulbs so I purchased the plant/aquarium bulbs that use the red spectrum loved by plants. I left the light on full-time for the first 2 days but am now turning it off at night. My sister is also starting seedlings with lighting and I asked her what she thought about the duration of the lights. She said she was letting them grow the way God lets them grow and turns the light off at night. It makes sense. I was able to suspend the light from the back side of the stairs going up to the loft in the craft room. Note the snazzy spacers used to raise the plant tray closer to the light. These are audio book cases from the books on tape that I purchased last spring at the Jeffco Library sale. Who knew they would come in so handy this spring in a non-bookish way?
I got the peat pots that came in the plant tray with the lid because it was a mere $2.50 more in price and I know my own faults at keeping plants sufficiently watered. This is helping to keep the humidity in the tray and the plants are not getting dry on the top. Here's a close-up of the little seedlings that are getting going. Just imagine the promise they hold for wonderful summer sustenance!
I planted 18 seeds and there are two that may not make it. The rest have developed a set of leaves and look very happy. I hope the stalks aren't growing too tall. Since the light is just inches away from them, I'm trusting that they're growing just the way God programmed them, to be healthy, robust plants.
Today I'm planning to attend a class on high-altitude gardening at a local shop - All Season Gardener. I met the owner last week, Juliane, and she's delightful. I'm hoping to pick up a few tips that will give my tomatoes an even better chance at a fruitful life. My mind keeps wandering east, as in "to Pennsylvania," where I've grown successful gardens full of all sorts of vegetables in the past. I know I can't recreate the same garden here but I do know I can grow more than I've been believing I can grow in the mountains at altitude. I just have to learn the ropes.
I didn't do very well in keeping my blog updated this week. It was a busy week, none the less. I finished the cotton ribbed lace tank top I was knitting on Thursday last week:
It is finished except for determining the length of the shoulder straps and grafting the strap ends together. I think it's the cutest top. I tried it on - it doesn't seem to be my type. I had a great time knitting it, though, and I'm sure it will find a good home in the end.
This is the first project where I've used a mercerized cotton. It has a totally different feel than other cotton yarn. And the six very thin strands that make up the yarn are easily split with the point of a lace needle. It took awhile to get my stitch work fluid when I started working with it. I haven't blocked it yet. I expect the lace will really pop when it's lightly blocked.
As I said, I finished the tank top on Thursday a week ago. It was a tough evening - no knitting project! I'm not used to that experience. I was awaiting delivery of the yarn for my next project and it had been delivered when I got home from work on Friday. Yippee!! I quickly opened the box and reveled in the 55 skeins of grass green soft worsted weight cotton yarn that awaited my manipulations. This yarn is very special. The color was selected by Valerie and is being worked into a house-warming gift for her, Amol, and Sam for their arrival back in the states later this summer. I'm making them an Yggdrasil pattern blanket. Here's a photo of the blanket as it will look when completed (from the pattern image - on right) and a photo of the center of the blanket showing the roots of the tree - on left)
The yarn is SO soft - it should make for a comfy, comforting blanket when it is done.
I also put my tomato seeds on notice that spring is here on Thursday of last week. I soaked the seeds for two hours, then put them to rest on damp paper towels in an open plastic bag to encourage them to germinate and sprout. I haven't used this technique before but got it from the tips provided by Lisa Von Saunder at amishlandseeds.com where I purchased my heirloom seeds. Each day I checked the seeds to see if any had sprouted. It took until the following Tuesday before they were ready to go into the potting soil. I'm using a sterile soilless seedling mix (at Lisa's recommendation.) I also set up an area with a fluorescent light to help them get started. The light fixture didn't come with bulbs so I purchased the plant/aquarium bulbs that use the red spectrum loved by plants. I left the light on full-time for the first 2 days but am now turning it off at night. My sister is also starting seedlings with lighting and I asked her what she thought about the duration of the lights. She said she was letting them grow the way God lets them grow and turns the light off at night. It makes sense. I was able to suspend the light from the back side of the stairs going up to the loft in the craft room. Note the snazzy spacers used to raise the plant tray closer to the light. These are audio book cases from the books on tape that I purchased last spring at the Jeffco Library sale. Who knew they would come in so handy this spring in a non-bookish way?
I got the peat pots that came in the plant tray with the lid because it was a mere $2.50 more in price and I know my own faults at keeping plants sufficiently watered. This is helping to keep the humidity in the tray and the plants are not getting dry on the top. Here's a close-up of the little seedlings that are getting going. Just imagine the promise they hold for wonderful summer sustenance!
I planted 18 seeds and there are two that may not make it. The rest have developed a set of leaves and look very happy. I hope the stalks aren't growing too tall. Since the light is just inches away from them, I'm trusting that they're growing just the way God programmed them, to be healthy, robust plants.
Today I'm planning to attend a class on high-altitude gardening at a local shop - All Season Gardener. I met the owner last week, Juliane, and she's delightful. I'm hoping to pick up a few tips that will give my tomatoes an even better chance at a fruitful life. My mind keeps wandering east, as in "to Pennsylvania," where I've grown successful gardens full of all sorts of vegetables in the past. I know I can't recreate the same garden here but I do know I can grow more than I've been believing I can grow in the mountains at altitude. I just have to learn the ropes.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Code lesson for Valerie
I just had an actual real-live phone conversation with my daughter! We talked about a lot of things, including how I would be in big trouble if I didn't get my blog updated within the next couple days. She was wondering how to create a link from a photo that would go to a site rather than just display a larger image of the photo. I've decided to cover that here. The easiest way is to edit the html behind the photo.
Now I'll use the same photo and create the link to her blog. You'll need to go into the "Edit HTML" area. Find the code that displays the photo and locate the section that starts with
Here's an example of a photo that is inserted and no changes have been made to the html. Clicking on the photo will just display a larger copy of the same image. 
This is a photo of Valerie wearing a new snood she sewed this past weekend. It's great to be able to click the photo and see a larger version but what if I wanted to use this photo as a link back to her blog? I suppose I could type the address of her blog and you could copy and paste it into your browser to get there but that's not very convenient now, is it? The easiest way to do it, if I'm taking the reader's time into consideration, would be to create a link from the photo directly to her blog.
a href="http://...
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