bee creative

Eating local: A kind of Raita?

What makes raita, raita?  Vegetables and spices in yogurt? 

The recipe providing inspiration came from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen.  I left out all of the spices the recipe called for.  I don't like fennel and a little cumin goes along way.  But yogurt mixed with grated cucumber, carrots, tomato and a little bit of salt and pepper is super refreshing.   

Although all local, none of the ingredients came from my garden.  The cucumber and carrots were from my mother's (thanks!).  Served with local pita. 

Inspire Me Thursday - Polka dots

Polka dots for Inspire Me Thursday.

Garden update -July

Haven't been able to spend as much time as I'd hoped in the garden this summer, so the jungle just keeps growing.   Guess it's been a saving grace that's it's been cooler than normal.  Today was the first heavy watering for the year. I'd say that's about a month behind normal. 

Here's a summary:   

Raspberries: 34 cups and counting. I'm freezing, canning, and munching away.

Snap peas:  4 1/2 pounds plus what's still on the vine.  I'm trying to dry some of the pods for my own seed or to try as a dried pea. 

Blueberries:  Just started picking.  Probably won't measure 'cause they keep getting eaten before they make it to the kitchen!  I do have the best crop I've ever had.

Lettuce:  I'm getting closer to growing just the amount that I can eat, but still not quite there yet.

Potatoes:  Trying very hard to leave them alone so that they will store better.  What's been harvested was very good. 

Strawberries:  Just a few handfuls from the strawberry pot.  I splurged and bought a flat to make jam.  Replanting a strawberry bed next year is definitely on the "to-do" list.

Fennel:  Wish I liked eating it better.

Beans:  Found the first three  2 1/2 inch  beans.  It's a shelling variety, so not ready to eat.

Tomatoes:  Finally setting fruit!  Just teeny-tiny still.

Yellow Transparent Apples:  Not ready to harvest yet.  Usually they are ready around July 4th for an apple pie.  Maybe by August?

Quince:  The second season in the garden, the first fruit.  Just one. 

Squash:  Buds starting to form.  Maybe they will bloom this week?

Cukes:  Looking good, no blossoms yet.

Sweet Potatoes:  Well, they finally looking healthy.  Not counting on having anything though.

Cabbage:  2 plants are starting to form heads.  More starts to go in the ground for a fall/winter crop.  Also swiss chard, kale, and cauliflower.  Slugs/snails have done a lot of damage in this part of the garden.

Grapes:  Growing like mad.  Keeping fingers crossed. 

I know there's more growing out there, but that's it for now!

Inspire Me Thursday - Healing

The theme this week for Inspire Me Thursday is "Healing." This goes so many ways for me right now.  From someone who has had an injury healing, to emotional healing, to the healing of our society, culture, and  environment.  This is where I ended up....

I've been looking at this house for over a year now.  About a month ago there started to be signs that someone was working on it.  It looks like someone is either salvaging it slowly or is going to try to rebuild from some part of the house. As I was walking by the house the other day I decided that I really needed to get a picture.  That's when I noticed the "one way" sign in front of the house and for some reason it hit my funny bone.  It made me think about times when there really is only one way to go, and times when one way of doing something is a choice.  This makes perfect sense to me when it's time to think about the healing process. 

Prayer Flags-or some such project

Something that I've been interested in is prayer flags.  I love the idea of a prayer that blows in the wind.  I've been thinking about ways to make my own set and to make them meaningful to me.  What I've decided to do is create flags to represent various goals.

This is a quick sketch for an idea for the first one that I want to do.  I'm going to make a mobile with two glass bottles that could be used as vases.  I'll take a picture, tweak it with filters and add text, and then print it or transfer it on to fabric.  I'm hoping to finish the set by the end of summer.

Some of the goals/ ideas I have are:

balance
live in the moment
question
connect
simplify
be prepared
work with what you have
let go

Eating from the garden and the pantry

From the garden:  strawberries, sour cherries, lettuce, peas, and the first of the potatoes.

Local:  eggs (Mom and Dad), honey, hazelnuts, beef, butter, and flour (Pacific Northwest wheat and ground locally).  The pottery is pretty much  local too. 

The bread is Brioche dough that I fried.  What a yummy way to use up eggs.   I froze some of the dough so more can be made....

Ate some of the cherries on locally made ice cream. 

Time to get back to work!

My horoscope for last week suggests doing some smashing of beliefs and expectations I've held.  Hmm....that could hurt. 

I've actually been doing a lot of reflecting over the last month on what I feel is important, what I value.  Still trying to figure out how to express what I'm thinking.   

One thing I am sure of is that although I think we need to prepare for the future, for a different way of living as the resources available to us change, it's still important to live in the moment.