Hodge Podge

I know it has been quiet as far as news from the garden goes. There is a reason. Our serene garden space has been (somewhat) torn up to deal with burying power and Internet lines and other house-related underground madness (a nice way of saying septic system). The earth-ripping machinery has stayed away from anything I established, but working in the muddy space is not fun. Willa and I have been trespassing on the land next to ours (photo above) and making the best of what we can. Spring promises peace and order in the garden (so says Corey). Good Lord, I hope so. 'Cause when my garden is out of control, my brain mirrors the chaos and gets somewhat unhappy.

Some distractions from the mud and the muck:

This gorgeous, sustainable, permaculture-driven hobbit house.

I like very strong Irish Breakfast tea to jolt me out of my morning fog and found Bewley's of Ireland in Charlottesville. Make that a double-jolt.

I made this for dinner last week. You should, too. Even baby ate kale and squash.

I so want to make this. The author's blog, make grow gather, is wonderful and crafty. I also tend to linger over her posts about the family's cottage in Ireland.

Speaking of cottages, amid the fog and the downpours, an email hit my inbox from a friend who is renting out his family's Ontario cottage during the summers. This is especially fantasy-provoking because during my time in Manhattan, I had this photo cut out and up on the fridge about 'Cottaging in Ontario.' I would stare and stare and stare at it. Mind-melding the wish with reality, I imagine.

I'm so curious about airplants and think a few might like taking up residence next to our shower.

This is on its way to our house from Modcloth.com and I think bundling up for winter will become that much more fun.

I'm excited about shredding leaves for our compost bins and our raised beds. File that under 'nerdy gardener' thought processes.

An Afternoon Following The Mountains

We've Been Busy

Watching the rain, the mist and the autumn colors; cleaning up the herb garden; sorting garlic for planting; and making applesauce and apple butter (even more sorting for Willa - a task she takes very seriously).

Tonight - date night with Corey - to see Elvis Perkins (again!) and eat at Bang. To celebrate the last year in my 30's. How did that happen?

I'm talking about bulb planting tips and garlic over at Virginia Living!

Friday Print Giveaway (and Etsy's Front Page!)

I was all ready to leave Etsy behind and focus on other things, when I found out my quince photo made the front page last weekend (top row, middle photo). Talk about an injection of inspiration!

So, the shop has been re-opened and I am going to start offering the 8 x 10 sizes of my through-the-viewfinder prints - to make for easier framing. There will be white borders at the top and bottom of each print.*Also,* the 8 X 8 viewfinder prints are on sale for $15 through November 15th.

And, let's do a giveaway of my chives print, Morning Yearning. I'll spin the random number generator next Friday (November 6th) at noon! Visit my shop and then leave a comment here to enter. And don't forget to leave your email - so I can contact the winner!

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We have a winner - #15 - va. I will email you shortly to get your address. Thanks for playing, everyone!

End-of-CSA Soup

I fell behind on my CSA veggie consumption for one week and needed something warm, and filled with vitamins, that could include every veggie that was on the precipice of becoming compost. This recipe is a variation on Jacques Pepin's Instant Vegetable Soup, from a favorite cookbook - Fast Food My Way.

5 cups of water
1 zucchini - shredded
2 leeks - thinly sliced
1 cup carrots - shredded
1/2 cup of celery - thinly sliced
2 cups greens - cut into ribbons (I had tat soi on hand, but you can use spinach or kale)
3 tblsps steel cut oats (you can also use grits)
Salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all into a stock pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes. When ready, serve in bowls with a pat (or two) of butter and lots of Swiss or Gruyere cheese. Don't skip the cheese. I repeat, Don't skip the cheese. Also, a big hunk of cornbread is a nice side bit to this soup. I wish I had a tempting photo for this post, but how it looks just doesn't do the actual taste any justice. Just visualize melty cheese atop a yummy broth. Magic.

I am such a fan of Jacques and I stalk his website. Every time I visit, I scheme about renting his condo in Mexico. 'Cause it is so unrealistic, but dreamy just the same.

DIY :: Dyeing Onesies with Plant Dyes

This project was so unbelievably easy and free of all scary typical dye issues that I feel particularly satisfied that these onesies are being recycled and worn against the precious skin of our toddler. Stains around the neckline were promptly covered up and re-introduced the onesie back into the rotation.

During my late summer experiments, I used sassafras leaves, coreopsis blooms (each results in a yellow) and *old* daylily blossoms (which create a pale purple dye). The fabric 'fixer' was a vinegar:water bath (if you are doing food or berries - there is a different fixer). The dyeing process was just to simmer the plant goods in water for an hour and then add the fabric for however long you want - depending on the amount of saturation you need. You can fix the fabric and simmer the dye in two different pots at the same time - to keep things efficient. Which makes it an easy naptime project. A more comprehensive list of possible plants is here, along with specifics and how-tos.

The onesie pictured above was dyed with the sassafras and coreopsis combined - resulting in a muted soft yellow that is meant for baby wear. Autumn botanicals that can be used for dyes are juniper berries, pokeweed berries, acorns, sassafras leaves, wild grapes, sumac leaves (and fruit) and marigolds.

Where Was I?

Oh, the neglect. The neglect in my garden, the neglect of my blog. I just seemed to have two switches over the past two weeks :: on (work, Willa, wifey-duties/housework) and off (DVD-watching and sleep, lots of sleep).

But there have been some lovely, ever-so-appreciated moments.

Apple butter from my sweet friend, Kris. I regret not bringing it into work with me - as I crave it day and night, yet panic when I see how much has been eaten. It is a *huge* hit with Willa. That's a fruit serving. That's a victory.

Making applesauce with apples from our (very) local orchard - Henley's. When you visit them, there is a kind, older gentleman who carefully peels the apples and gives out tastes. He is their best marketing ploy, ever. We fell in love with Cameos and Grimes Goldens.

Planting garlic. I just ordered the beginner, small garden packet from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and have a patch ready for planting this weekend.

Dinner out with girlfriends at The Local. Pots of tea and autumn patio dining. Most of the menu features ingredients from area farms.

Listening to this and watching this. The Smiths' Johnny Marr and bearded ladies. What's not to like?

While I Get My Bearings

Visit the Virginia Living Magazine blog! Christine Ennulat writes about food adventures with her terrific sense of humour while offering mouthwatering glimpses of her experiments in the kitchen. W. Matthew Shipman contributes recipes that I have already started collecting - including a very beloved recipe for Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes. Tricia Pearsall and Daisy Khalifa bring wanderlust to my brain with their posts on places to explore around Virginia. And little 'ole me contributes gardening posts.

I'm slowly getting better and mildly shocked at how this flu kicked me to the curb. But, Willa and I did get out the other day to do a little weeding, to prep a bed for garlic planting. Our shiitake log offered up a mushroom over the weekend, which I promptly sauteed in butter and thyme and ate standing up, over the counter, because sitting down would just delay in my being able to devour it.

Back Soon . . .

The H1N1 flu (a.k.a. the swine flu) made its way out to our house here in Sugar Hollow. I stepped outside for the first time in one week this afternoon, which kills me because October in the Blue Ridge Mountains is insanely beautiful. I was so out of it, though, I didn't know what I was missing at the time. So that worked out nicely.

But I have a lot to be thankful for - the top thing being that Willa didn't get it this time around, just me. The thought of seeing her suffer with this flu is heartbreaking and, honestly, downright scary.

Take care, dear readers. Wash your hands! Keep them away from your face! Get lots of rest and eat all your veggies.

And more very soon.

The Blue Garden :: Going For It

Forever inspired by our mountains, I am planning on having something blue blooming in our garden at all times. Totally kooky? Probably. But I am obsessed with the color. To prevent me from going over the edge - the garden *will* be peppered with pale pinks, the occasional yellows, as well as oranges and reds from our daylily patch. I promise. But something about having the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background and bits of blue around our land makes for garden symmetry and continuity in my mind. And a sense of serenity.

Have ::

Blue Plumbago (summer through fall)
Blue Hydrangea 'Endless Wonder' (summer through fall)
Irises (spring)
Siberian Irises (spring)
Butterfly Bush (summer through fall)
False Blue Indigo (spring)
Russian Sage (summer through fall)
Speedwell (summer)
Salvia 'May Night' (summer)
Virginia Bluebells (spring)
Love-in-a-Mist (spring and early summer)
Bulbs - ephemerals in blue, dwarf irises (late winter and early spring)

Must Haves ::

Monarda 'Blue Stocking' (summer)
Nepeta 'Walker's Low' (summer)
Caryopteris 'Grand Bleu' (summer and early fall)
Asters (fall)
Phlox (late summer or early spring)
More blue bulbs! (late winter and early spring)
Resowing Bachelor Buttons (spring and early summer) and Morning Glory 'Heavenly Blue' (summer and early autumn)
Forget-Me-Nots (spring and early summer)