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Lillies & Lettuce

 

New Shoes & Profound Experiences


I've finally got those expensive, amazing new shoes that my Mom has been promising me since my last birthday. They came at the cost of more than a little embarrassment (note to shoe shop owners: hiring "cute" college boys may be a good move for delivering sells to any college girl that catches their eye, but it can be intimidating to the less interested folk) but they are oh so good shoes. This is the beginning of quite the relationship - I realize what they mean by "love at first sight." Admittedly, I passed this pair up once or twice for some cuter ones with buckles and stitching, but eventually arrived back to it for its "staple" soles and narrow design. I was biased towards the poor pair at first, wanting a cuter set (how callous of me) but as soon as I tried them on... "Its like I've known you forever, babeh."

Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I am not a clothes/shoes/material possessions girl (except when it comes to books and food) - but though my new shoes and I have only had a blissful hour together I'm ready to sing praises about the way the thick cushions caress the soles of your feet and the tender support offered by the heel. They may be plain and simple, but I have found the perfect match... for my feet.

"Just going to go garden for a minute..."
I feel like I reached a milestone last night. August, for those of you who don't know, is the worst month to be a Missourian. Heat and humidity forces itself into every corner and cranny, including the empty space between your ears, making everyone cranky, hot, sweaty, and tired. The past few years this has been the time of year where my feeble attempts at gardening die. I would poke a nose out of our air-conditioned-to-the-state-of-an-igloo house and decided that the flowers would have to fare on their own, I wasn't nuts enough to go outside!

Thankfully, things have changed. As I set up some make-shift trellises for my Happy Cherry Tomato Plant, sweat literally falling in waves into my eyes, it dawned on me that I've come a long way from the feeble, timid, very ignorant (compared to now!) gardener of yester-year. Anyone who would cast their eyes over my current garden (99.8% weeds, one Volunteer Happy Cherry Tomato Plant, five bean plants, four half-dead or dead tomato plants, and some scraggly cucumbers) would probably raise both eyebrows and snort in disbelief. But trust me. Things have changed! I think one of the hardest transitions for the molly-coddled, milk-comes-from-the-grocery-store city kid turned wanna be gardener to undergo is to be able to stroll out into their garden (however, erm, dainty it may be) and mindlessly set to work, being able to ignore such annoyances as mosquitoes, heat, and - most importantly - sweat.

Oh yeah. Its sort of like getting caught in the rain-storm without an umbrella. Once you get to a certain point of "wet" you stop caring about the rain at all anymore. Especially when you know you have a nice, hot shower coming and these clothes were going straight into the laundry anyway.

And so, it was as I dug into a pile of stinks-as-bad-as-manure mulch to tenderly tuck between my bean plants, that something deep and profound clicked. I was covered in sweat. I could feel the bites from some friendly chiggers on my legs. My clothes stank. And I was happy.

There. I think the most important aspect of being prepared for the sort of life I want has finally, somehow, settled into place. Acceptance of the cost of some fresh organic tomatoes? Love of doing hard, rewarding work? I'm not sure, but I know for certain I've moved into some important stage of life and gardening... and I'm happy to be there.

 
 

Tender Loving Cauliflower

1 large head of cauliflower
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of hing (optional)
3T ghee or butter

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Steam until almost tender. Drain well.

2. Mix the flour, salt, and hing together in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower and toss until throughly coated in the flour mixture.

3. Melt the ghee or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and immediately stir to coat with oil. Sauté, stirring frequently, until brown.

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Tempura (Basic)

3/4 cup unbleached white or whole wheat flour
3/4 cup soy or besan (chickpea) flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2T water
Oil for deep frying
4 - 5 cups sliced vegetables

1. Combine the flours, salts, and water in a blender or beat until smooth. Chill. Add more water if necessary.

2. Heat the oil for deep frying. Have a platter covered with paper towels nearby.

3. Pat the vegetables dry with a towel. Dip each piece in the batter to coat thoroughly.

4. One at a time, gently drop the pieces into the hot oil. Deep-fry until golden and crisp, turning once or twice as necessary. Drain and serve immediately.

Urad and other dal flours can be substituted for the soy or chickpea flour.

The trick is to have very hot oil and cold batter.

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Pickled Baby Carrots

1 pound baby carrots
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T dill seeds
2 T sea salt

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook carrots for one minute. Drain in a colander and run under cold water. Place carrots in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Mix water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, dill seeds, and salt in a saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer for five minutes. Pour over carrots and let cool. Transfer carrots and liquid to an airtight container; refrigerate at least 24 hours before sampling. Keeps for about three weeks.

Works well with green beans, sugar snap peas, peppers, and cauliflowers too.

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Spring Cleaning

I keep all these notes from work about interesting facts, links, or ideas. Of course... all those notes end up in a big, messy pile that I just can't stand. Time to sort through and publish the most useful of them!

"Adapt to the pace of Nature, for her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet, 1803 - 1882

"Of remedies oft in ourselves do lie, which we ascribe to heaven." - William Shakesphere

"Earth's crammed with heaven." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"Its a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best you very often get it." - Somersel Maugham

"In the night the cabbages catch at the moon, the leaves drip silver, the rows of cabbages are series of little silver waterfalls in the moon." - Carl Sandburg

Good foods to nibble before bedtime - cooked apples, brussel sprouts, tofu, millet, oats, walnuts and squash.

Choose cloudy apple juice over clear! Unfiltered apple juice contains four times more free radical fighting polyphenols than filtered. (Or just eat an apple!)

What to do when you feel afraid.
Pause - create space for what is happening inside you.
Name it. What are you afraid of?
Remember a larger truth.
Breathe with the fear - fully experience it.
If you are numb, empathize breathing in.
If you are feeling like things are too intense, empathize breathing out.
Offer compassion to yourself.
Turn your attention elsewhere.

Here is an idea... take any fruit or vegetable that you like and try to find it in literature!

The yam/sweet potato debate... in New Guenia, if a woman plants it, it is a sweet potato, if a man plants it, it is a yam.

"Mother feed me, I am hungry." - Filipino prayer, recited while planting rice.

Information on... beans!
Beans enrich and replenish the soil. Beans are often grown with corn so the corn can serve as natural bean poles!
Well cooked beans means very soft!
Ginger, cumin, hing, black pepper, and chilies are all good friends to beans because they stimulate the digestive fire, Agni. These spices are traditionally sauteéd in ghee or oil before being added toa dish. Savory is called "the bean herb" and customary season in Europe. Sauteé dried herbs in a little oil before adding.

Advice for those with Low Blood Sugar
Try 200mg of chromium daily to remove symptoms of low blood sugar.

Have your main meal at lunch, keep a regular eating schedule, and make dinner a vegetarian meal.
Eat whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and fresh whole fruits and veggies.
Try adding coriander, cumin, fennel, cilantro, basil, rosemary, and turmeric to your diet.
Drink hot, boiled water to strength the digestion system, cut cravings, and normalize appetite, hunger, and weight. (Explains why I do so well on three large mugs of green tea a day!)

Links to Various Places of Interest
method : home - A green cleaning supply company with some unique items for sale!
Recycline - I get my tooth brushes from these people! :D
Recycle Bank - A community is paying their residents for recycling - with coupons to local stores~

The Baby Bunch - A cute floral design made out of fake flowers and organic baby clothes! Neat, creative, pretty little gift, isn't it?

Yoga Journal : Home Practice - A great series of guides for how to get invigorated in the morning and cool down at the end of the day. I plan on following this series of advice to get my day in order.

 
 

Ordered My Bento Box!

I use to be so good at saving money. What happened to that kind of attitude and personality? Ah, well... at least I got all the necessary things today: shampoo, bird food, cat treats... and a bento box. Seriously! If I'm going to start eating my own prepared meals, I need to have a really cute, really adorable, beautiful bento box to carry my lunches around in, don't I?!

... of course I do. Anyway, I've been feeling a "bento fever" coming on for a couple weeks now, ever since I stumbled across Biggie's Lunch in a Box blog. I need to bring a lunch to work/school anyway... so why not have it be in an adorable bento box? After a little shopping around (and a tiny bit of money finally making its way into my bank account) I picked out a Sakura "Koban" 2 Tier bento box from J-Box. It's very beautiful! Classy and elegant - I can see myself using it for years! I can't wait for it to arrive, though it'll take another two to four weeks...

Bento boxes appear to be quite the craze, too. A quick glance through Lunch in a Box's links has taken me into a large LiveJournal community where bloggers update almost daily with pictures of their bento lunches. I have to say I'm really impressed - but... really don't plan on spending as much time as everyone else seems to on meals. I've got studying to do!

Speaking of studying, I tried to track down some school supplies today... but really, what do you need for college beyond some pens and notebook paper?

Edit ... Wow. They have a "Bento Challenge" livejournal group that competes to design differently themed bento lunches each week. I have to say I'm tempted! Once I get the hang of packing my own lunch efficiently, I'll have to try out a few of their challenges!

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August Tomatoes!

So maybe having four timid tomato plants in containers on the front porch wasn't the best way to flood my autumn with delicious tomato treats, sandwiches, and salad extras. But at least my friend Jazz had the right idea! Her family garden was left to tend all to itself and has managed to turn into a huge, sprawling sea of ripe (and somewhat smelly over-ripe) tomatoes just aching to be plucked up and brought back home. There are so many that her family literally can't pick them all - half of the crop ends up as fodder for the ants dutifully working away in the shade of the tomato plant! And so, even though it was 117º with humidity, I went tomato pickin'! I loved it!! I filled up my basket until it was pretty heavy and had to leave because of annoying little factors like heat stroke, not that I ran out of tomatoes! I'm determined to visit her adobe and raid her tomatoes once again in a few days. If only I had a cute bento box to stash them all away in for school lunches!

Speaking of school - it starts next Thursday! College. Right there. Next week. College. Obviously I'm excited! "Studying" is somewhat secondary to breathing to me - I just love absorbing new facts, understanding how things work, and memorizing more bizzare and fascinating details about the world. It has been a while since I've had to be tested and write essays, though. I'd be lying to say I'm not a "little" nervous.



My basket, before and after we raided her garden! It doesn't look like much, but do you realize how many tomatoes it takes to fill up the bottom of this thing?! I can't wait to go back and get more!

Next year, I'll definitely plant my tomatoes in the ground. Probably cherry tomatoes, too, since they're so easy and fun to eat... and would look cute in a bento box...

Oh! And I'm definitely going to order some pear tomatoes to plant in my garden next year! Check them out - they're so adorable!!

Garden Update
The cucumbers are still growing! I like watching them - I've never grown cucumbers before! They're pretty odd plants, too... or maybe just mine go against the norm. Check out how they grow - filling out as much as they can, then slowly spreading down... is that really how they grow, or do I have some sickly cucumbers? It's cool, either way! And they're rather prickly...

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Clubs and Chemistry

I know for a fact my first semester at Stephens will be a flurry of focused, intense studying as I try to cement the basics of my major into my mind - while attending as many events as possible and keeping my grades up. Woo! It already starts to look a little stressful there, but I'm sure if I can keep my room clean and stat meditating more to allow the pressures of life to pass through me then I'll be able to endure it! I can't wait for the weather to cool off so I can finally open my window again...

But... once things (theoretically) settle down in the second semester... I'd be really happy if I could start or join a biology or environmental club. I don't really see the two as separate, to be honest! I've been browsing the internet to see what other biology clubs do, but its nothing like what I have thought about - just normal club stuff, meeting, sharing a meal, volunteering somewhere, buying T-shirts... That isn't quite what I have in mind. What I want to do is be part of a club that is like an informative support system, providing advice and aid in helping you build a healthier life for yourself and be part in taking care of the world around you. I'd love to get a few friends to do yoga or just meditate with...

But for the actual club? Think, weekly carpools to the Farmer's Market for those interested. Trips to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center to visit the local owls and learn about their wildlife rehabilitation programs. I'd even love to dig up the yard on the side of the house and keep it as a "Stephens Community" garden! I'm not that far away from the school, after all, and it'd be safer than a lot of the other community gardens. Except for maybe our darn dogs, but we could probably build a little fence - which would possibly keep it safe from the rabbits and deer. I'd love to lay around and watch "Planet Earth" with people who gasp and are awed by the entire series like I am, while munching fruit kabobs and grilled artichoke. Heh. I want to make a club that takes the concepts of taking care of the earth to a new level - not just "Oh, we volunteer on Fridays at the shelter." but... get people excited about watching the seeds they planted grow! Make them happy to check how many worms are in the compost box, make them relaxed and at ease with themselves as they deal with all the stresses of college and life through stress-release techniques like yoga, group jogging, hiking... see, there is another thing we could do! Go hiking on the MKT trail!

I really love this idea and I'd like to do something serious about starting a "Wellness" (?) club/group - some mix of biology and environmental concerns, tapping into your health and happiness as the prime goals. For now, its just a little seed - but its better that way. I've got time to let the ideas grow and figure out the real winners. If you've got any ideas of your own, speak up!

Also - I'm terrified to start chemistry. But what is biology without chemistry?! But... Chemistry was really hard for me. I have a lot of trouble learning it, probably because my background in math is so poor (due to a series of REALLY bad teachers/classes!). I've decided I might as well start studying chemistry online to try to brush up before classes start and my grades ride on the gaps in my knowledge... Eek!

PS - The cucumbers are getting bigger, but its been so hot! I worry the plant will give up on them. I'm watering them as much as possible, though!

Edit: I wonder if we would tackle the big "issues" in the "club"? Like opinions on recycling, global warming, eating locally, and other events that have environmental impacts? We could rely on everyone to gather information to support their views and present them with some reliable sources. It wouldn't be like a debate session... it'd be more like allowing people to pour their personal opinions and emotions into the debate as valid reasons for a choice one way or the other, instead of just ending the debate on which "facts" win. Like saying you try not to frequent Hersey's chocolate because of the unfair wages that the people on the cocoa fields are paid, but you know that there will always be places where humans will take advantage of each other, so you won't avoid all unfair labor sources. The easy retort would be that supporting the "bad guy" will continue the abuses, but... 'course, any day like that would definitely have to be followed by something really relaxing!!

 
 

Spring Cleaning!

'Course, it's really in the middle of summer, but perhaps the saying fits because once you finish cleaning, you feel as fresh and light as thought it really was spring!

The Internet held me captive all day yesterday, which was really awful (I had a lot of things to do!), but I found some very interesting websites! My mouse was running to the "Bookmark" tab every two seconds! The only problem with that is that all these saved pages become very... cluttered, very fast. Now I can't find anything at all. So! Annual book-mark cleansing time! As I go through and sort them I'll add a few of the coolest links to share with everyone. Tell me what you think of some of the sites! They can get really interesting!

You Grow Girl! - I *LOVE* this blog! I've been checking it obsessively all the time. We have enough space to host a good garden, but I've not gotten up that nerve yet. And for those of you who don't have space, Gayla Trail can tell you all about being an awesome container gardener. She has so much great advice and fun stories about being an urban gardener!

Lunch in a Box - I can't tell you how excited I was to stumble on this site!! All I EVER needed and wanted to know about making bento lunches - updated in a fun blog style! I can't wait to really dive in and read more... I want to try to eat bento lunches at school. Why that style? Because its cool (so sue me) and the push to combine style and color bring out healthier meals than many a packed lunch!

Ideal Bite - Simple, useful tips to living a greener life - delivered in a hip style that makes living green both a stylish and easy decision.

Organic Bamboo Fabric
Shirts of Bamboo - I want a bamboo shirt... so bad.... they feel awesome.
Bamboosa - More awesome bamboo products.

Mr. Lee Cat-Cam - A man put a camera on his cat's collar to see where he went everyday. It's actually really brilliant! I want to try it on Friday...

Digital Drawing Tool - I want one so bad. You can draw on your WALL. @__@ My kids will be so spoiled, without knowing it... not to mention this site, GeekAlerts, will be the place I shall find my gifts for Scott and my Dad for the next billion years... I love some of the things they link to, like the finger-print specific wedding bands and the pyramid clock that changes color and chimes instead of shoots loud numbers at you... Haha, the next book-mark is a link to the clock itself! Dreamtime Clock!

Marmalade Boy (Animé - Some episodes uploaded on Veoh!)

Latin Word List
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories - Candy organized to look like a circuit board! I keep thinking of making these for Scott...

How to Grow Pineapple Tops Indoors - Hey, those seeds and things from the fruits you eat ARE still potential plants! ;)
Upside Down Tomatoes - Maximizing space and growing healthier tomatoes while you're at it!

Wildpansyflower's Flickr - I have no clue how I end up in random people's flickrs. I just do.

Untitled - One woman's battle with some chemically searing slippers on Wal-mart. Another reason why I avoid buying clothes there. :D

UltraGlass - Remember moodrings? How they'd change colors depending on your body heat? Well, how about a whole shower made outta that stuff?

AdamFrank - Absolutely gorgeous oil lamps by Adam Frank. I'd love to have one or two to light when my kids to go sleep, after telling them stories, someday... or to meditate next to. It looks perfect.

There really were so many more, but some of them didn't seem worthy of note. That was just organizing, too! When I go back through to sort everything further I'll come back and add more links. ;)

 
 

My Sympathies, Bad Day People

Today has been a day in which lots of unpleasant things happened. Otherwise known as a bad day, but I really don't like blaming the day - poor thing didn't do anything - and besides, other people have it worse off and have more of a right to call it a "bad day" than I do. I did manage to get some important paperwork turned in to their new official owners, though! And I finished off a great meal, so it wasn't a total loss. Then again, a good meal at the end of a long, hard day always makes me perk up.

First off, I would like to acknowledge those who are far worse off than I am at the moment. Namely, all those people on the other side of town who don't have power at the moment. In this heat! Then the really nice lady, K. Poor K. She stopped by with her young son today, then... well, her transaction crashed our computers. *BOOM!* Down they go for a good twenty minutes while we all shuffle around and try to get them fixed. I took the opportunity to put away some stock and exchange smiles with one of our new girls, who is really quite sweet. But poor K was stuck in the store, her son running around and trying to entertain himself as children do. I love how no one minded at Clovers - let kids be kids! So she finally leaves, thanking us after all the trouble our computers put her through... and comes back three hours later. Her wallet missing. All her cards gone.

Yeah. Compared, my day was pleasantly busy and not at all bad. I managed to crack open a few more of our magazines and learn a bit more about potentially helpful foods, exercises, and supplements, as usual. Came home and made some shrimp, tossed in brown rice flour, salt, and five spice seasoning. Put them on a bed of fresh cut napa. It was very yum.

Oh! And this morning for breakfast I had a bowl of yogurt with oatmeal and bananas on top of it. Why is this such big news? Because almost every Flickr account or blog I've been connected to through the You Grow Girl! forums has pictures of vanilla yogurt, with oatmeal and berries on top! I felt I was missing out! 'Course, for me, bananas have to go on - the poor man's berry! I even took pictures that I can show you, or upload to my non-existent Flickr account, simply to follow along with everyone else in the urban growing organic local food buying community.

... in my defense, my yogurt was free.

 
 

The Many Beginnings in August

It hit me today - this is it! This is the month in which everything will really start happening. I'll start working regularly at Clovers again, start college in just a few weeks... everything is going to start. Those thoughts finally pulled me out of the dull drudgery that I've been in for the past few weeks, unable and unwilling to get anything done. Finally I'm beginning to feel excited again!!

I want to hurry and write out all the things I want to do before these small bubbles of excitement pop and leave me feeling down and depressed again. So my plans for summer:

1) Getting started at Stephens! I'm really excited about this! While I know that it'll be good for me to save money and stay home, I am sad that I won't be able to be as intimate a part of the campus as all the girls who get to live in the dorms. I hope that living so close and going everyday for class and clubs can make up for that though!

2) Getting some ground area tilled up and prepared to start a small onion (and other fall vegetable) garden! I've got to bite down on this, or else it'll never get done. I'm also thinking about starting a compost bin and a worm bin or two... Tanner would be happy to help out with that, though I dislike the thought of my worms being grown for future fish bait...

Those are the only big things I can think of right now! I don't think all the little goals are *quite* worth mentioning in this blog yet... ;) We'll have to wait and see what they become! Oh, there is another one though - eat healthier! I love my dad with all my heart, but I'm tired of living a life of never-ending meat-for-dinner meals! Time to take action again and get back in the kitchen with some zucchini and Eating Well recipes!

Oh - and I also want to spring clean/purge my bedroom again in preparation of my classes. It's so much easier to study and learn in a clean, organized environment! Then again, knowing me, it's probably just easier for a Sagey to exist in a clean, organized environment...

Ack, I keep going back and forth on the issue, but for now I think I'll simply use this blog to document all of my gardening! Once I really get going next year I'll start another "garden" blog. ;) Until then I doubt there will be enough to justify managing that much web-space. So, some quick overviews of my garden/s as it/they stand!

Another bad combination of issues forced me to abandon full-scale gardening again this year, but instead of admitting defeat (pfft!) I'll just recharge and get ready for another gardening attempt next year! Besides, I need time to build up some good organic compost from the kitchen. I'll definably have to invest in some worms - since I don't leave near the ocean for kelp, their castings would be the best compost!

Anyway! It is with great pride that I show you my first cucumber!! Poor guy is lying on the ground right now, but I plan to go in and build a proper pyramid of sticks for the plants to grow up once the heat of the afternoon dissipates a tad. I don't know much about cucumbers, though I do love eating them (especially as cucumber sushi!). However I recently learned after perusing Carrots Love Tomatoes (a great book on companion gardening) that cucumbers loathe plants and herbs with strong aromas. Meaning I probably need to move it a safe distance away from my sage plant...



And this? Another cucumber! Don't they look weird when they're all small? And they both still have their flowers! I love watching food grow - it always looks so different and changes in so many interesting ways...

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