2009

Happy 2009 everyone!!!!

Dragonfly December 12 2008

The most amazing thing happened Friday morning at 11:30. The sun was streaming in the front window yet it was only about 7 degrees above zero. My sister Diane and I discovered a beautiful dragonfly sunning himself. Its a miracle, how he got here at Kindred Spirits Organics is a mystery. Its freezing outside! Yet there he was, slowing fanning his wings. We took a picture of him in my palm, I set my hand on the floor and he stepped right onto my palm. Its a miracle.

SWAT Team goes after an Ohio Co Op

This was sent to me from a fellow Co Op America member.

http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/swat-team.htm
On Monday, December 1, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on parents, children, infants and toddlers, from approximately 11 AM to 8 PM. The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the "bad cop" SWAT team was relieved by another team, a "good cop" team that tried to befriend the family. The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years.

There were agents from the Department of Agriculture present, one of them identified as Bill Lesho. The search warrant is reportedly suspicious-looking. Agents began rifling through all of the family's possessions, a task that lasted hours and resulted in a complete upheaval of every private area in the home. Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family's personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights.

Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation's private food supply.

This same type of abusive search and seizure was reported by those innocents who fell victim to oppressive federal drug laws passed in the 1990s. The present circumstance raises the obvious question: is there some rabid new interpretation of an existing drug law that considers food a controlled substance worthy of a nasty SWAT operation? Or worse, is there a previously unrecognized provision(s) pertaining to food in the Homeland Security measures? Some have suggested that it was merely an out-of-control, hot-to-trot ODA agent, and, if so, this would be a best-case scenario. Anything else might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food.

One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that:

"Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in-law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid."

The same blog also noted that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has been chastised by the courts in several previous instances for its aggression, including trying to entrap an Amish man in a raw milk "sale," which backfired when it became known that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away" (Matthew 5:42)

The issue appears to be the discovery of a bit of non-institutional beef in an Oberlin College food service freezer a year ago that was tracked down by a county sanitation official to Manna Storehouse. Oberlin College's student food coop is widely known for its strident ideological stance about eating organic foods. It seems that the Oberlin student food cooperative had joined the Manna Storehouse food cooperative in order to buy organic foods in bulk from the national organic food distributor United, which services buying clubs across the nation. The sanitation official, James Boddy, evidently contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture. After the first contact by state ODA officials, Manna Storehouse reportedly wrote them a letter requesting assistance and guidelines for complying with the law. This letter was never answered. Rather, the ODA agent tried several times to infiltrate the coop, as described above. When his attempts failed, the SWAT team showed up!

Food cooperatives and buying clubs have been an active part of the American landscape for over a generation. In the 1970s, with the rise of the organic food industry (a direct outgrowth of the hippie back-to-nature movement) food coops started up all over the country. These were groups of people who freely associated for the purpose of combining their buying power so that they could order organic food items in bulk and case lots. Anyone who was part of these coops in the early era will remember the messy breakdown of 35 pounds of peanut butter and 5 gallon drums of honey!

These buying clubs have persisted and flourished over the years due to their ability to purchase high quality organic foods at reduced prices in bulk quantities. Most cooperatives have participated greatly in the local agrarian economies, supporting neighborhood organic farmers with purchases of produce, eggs, chickens, etc. The groups also purchase food from a number of different local, regional and national distributors, many of them family-based businesses who truck the food themselves. Some of these food cooperatives have become large enough to set up mini-storefront operations where members can drop in and purchase items leftover from case lot sales. Manna Storehouse had established itself in such a manner, using a small enclosed breezeway attached to their home. It was a folksy place with old wooden floors where coop members stopped by to chat and snack on bags of organic corn chips.

The state of Ohio boasts the second largest Amish population in the country. Many of the Amish live on acreages where they raise their own food, not unlike Manna Storehouse, and sell off the extras to neighbors and church members. There is a sense of foreboding that this state crackdown on a longstanding, reputable food cooperative operation could adversely impact the peaceful agrarian way of life not only for the Amish, but homeschoolers and those families living off the land on rural acreages. It raises the disturbing possibility that it could become a crime to raise your own food, buy eggs from the farmer down the road, or butcher your own chickens for family and friends – bustling activities that routinely take place in backwater America.

The freedom to purchase food directly form the source is increasingly under attack. For those who have food allergies and chemical intolerances, or who are on special medical diets, this is becoming a serious health issue. Will Americans retain the right to purchase food that is uncontaminated by pesticides, herbicides, allergens, additives, dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, radiation, etc.? The melamine scare from China underscores the increasingly inferior and suspect quality of modern processed institutional foods. One blog, commenting on the bizarre and troubling Manna Storehouse situation, observed that:

"No one is saying exactly why. At the same time the FDA says it it safe to eat the 40% of tainted beef found in Costco's and Sam's all over the nation. These farm raids are very common now. Every farmer needs to fully eqiped [sic] for the possibility of it happening to them. The Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created just for this purpose. The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones." December 3, 2008

Black Friday

The name Black Friday has been coined to earmark the day that retailers hope to be "in the black" for the year.
However, this year it is ominously accurate, the day a 34 year old man was trampled to death at a Long Island Walmart. 2000 people streamed in at 5 am to grab deals, knocking the temp worker to the ground and instead of lending aid, killed Jdimytai Damour and injuring 4 others. This is appalling, when sales are more valuable than a human beings life. It is worse than appalling.

Scented Sugar

A fast easy way to make scented sugar is to layer lemon peel, orange peel or candied ginger in a quart jar of granulated sugar. After a few days, the flavor and scent will infuse the sugar and makes a decadent sweetener for hot or iced tea. Putting a bow around the rim adds to the festive look.

Thankful

Nov 27, Thanksgiving. Every day I am thankful, not just on a Thursday in November.
I'm grateful and thankful that Jeff and his daughters love me and accept me.
I'm so thankful that my two sons Jason and Randy love and are loved by two fantastic, beautiful women, Amy and Jenn.
I'm grateful that we are all healthy and sound.
I'm thankful that I can try to make things easier for others, and have opportunities to continue.
I have everything I need, family, love, health.
Thanksgiving blessings to everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.

Holiday Home Tour update

Its getting closer, the Holiday Home Tour to benefit Roosevelt and Alliance School in Neenah, Wisconsin is December 6th. Lots of preparations going on to make this the best ever! Tour times are 10-2 and 4-8 and there are 4 beautiful homes decorated in holiday splendor.

Appleton Wisconsin Christmas Parade

Tonight is the 38th annual Christmas Parade, downtown College Avenue. We here in Appleton take this parade very seriously. When I came downtown this morning, at 8 am the street was already lined 5 rows deep, full of lawn chairs and tarps, people set up early to stake out their spots on the Avenue. The parade starts at 6:00 with the Santa Scamper, runners trot down College Avenue, many dressed as reindeer, elves, Santa etc. At 6:20 the parade officially begins, there are 80 marching bands, floats, walking units etc. Should be a great night for the parade, decent weather in the low 30s.

Update - Roosevelt home tour

Yesterday Jeff and I hung fresh mixed roping at the home we are decorating for the Roosevelt Home tour. The front is decorated with 2 large urns filled with fresh mixed greens, pine, long needle pine, spruce and curly willow. The roping is made of incense cedar, long needle pine, balsam and fir. There are little bits of lichens mixed in, its stunning. Since the home is from the 1880s, it has lots of Victorian influence, and the colors are putty and mustard, with cinnabar red accents. I will be putting cinnabar red bows with lots of long streamers to add grace and to pick up the accent color, and clusters of large pine cones as a nosegay by the bows . We also wound fresh mixed garland around the light pole and a side porch railing, and accented the wrought iron mail box pole with a pretty swag of mixed greens offset to one side. One more urn will be placed in the yard, to welcome guests to the front door. I'm glad we hung the roping yesterday, as this morning we were greeted with a couple inches of fresh snow.

In the mood for baking Sunday

Saturday November 22, 2008 downtown Appleton has planned their annual open house from 9-5. Over 60 shops offer cookies, cider, and beautiful music to help set the holiday mood. I have decorating Kindred Spirits, and in the front window is Jeff's 1967 green Stingray with a big red bow. I baked sugar cookies on Sunday and froze them. Thursday night I have a date with over 400 cookies, frosting and lots of sprinkles to decorate them! Whew! I love to bake and it will be fun to frost cookies, hopefully it will snow a little to go with the winter mood.

Squirrel!

I got a phone call from Jeff last night, he is at deer camp in Upper Michigan with his cousin Paul. Up near Hermansville, this 40 was once part of Jeff and Paul's grandparents farm. Paul bought it years ago, and for the last few years, Jeff has been going there to hunt, but mostly to spend time with family, his cousins, aunts and uncles. Anyway, a squirrel chewed a hole in the wall and went zipping past Jeff and Paul! Jeff said they were calling around looking for someone to lend a live trap so they could bring the squirrel back outside, but weren't having much luck. For safety reasons, they thought it prudent to keep the food in the truck, they bought a nice pumpkin pie and didn't intend to share with their new friend.

Roosevelt Holiday Home Tour, Neenah, Wisconsin

On Saturday, December 6 the 7th annual holiday home tour is planned for 4 beautiful Neenah homes. This tour is to benefit Roosevelt Elementary School, Alliance Student Enrichment Fund, and various community programs as well. The homes are decorated inside and out, tours are from 10 am to 2 pm and at 4 pm to 8 pm. I have the honor of being a part of this fundraiser and am decorating the Kotchen home, a beautiful 3 story circa 1885 Queen Anne Victorian home on East Forest Avenue. Plans include welcoming guests to the front entry with large ornate urns filled with a variety of evergreens, both short and long needle pine. Height will be attained by incorporating curly willow for grace and drama. I also plan on urns to flank the steps in the back, where guests will exit. Inside, a drop dead gorgeous balastrade leading to the 2nd floor will be embraced with fresh evergreen roping, adding that delicious pine scent. At each swoop will be clusters of pinecones. Mantels will be adorned with more fresh greenery, and 3 dimensional orbs of evergreen will highlight 3 leaded glass windows in the dining room. I am really excited about this and cannot wait to add that Kindred Spirits Organics touch!

Crazy Wisconsin weather

On Monday and Tuesday I hung laundry outside to dry...it was 75 degrees and breaking records. Tomorrow, Friday, 3 days later we are expecting snow.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Last night we had a class about herbal blends, and at the end of the class, I showed how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract. All you need is one or two vanilla beans, and liquor. You can use brandy, whiskey or bourbon. Take a sharp knife (careful!) and make a slit down the vanilla bean. Put it in a quart jar or a clean mayo jar - it needs to have a lid. Pour the booze into the jar, cover, label and place in the pantry. After a couple of weeks, voila! You have vanilla extract, ready to flavor cookies, cakes, and pastries. Or....hint, hint, hint, the holidays are coming. Placed in a pretty bottle, with a bit of ribbon tied into a bowl, what a cool gift! Once you have used up all of the vanilla extract, remove the beans and place in a sugar bowl, the sugar will become vanilla flavored. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday

Just a few words about my all time favorite holiday - Thanksgiving. Its not about "stuff". In fact, its all about traditions, family and friends, good food in abundance, celebrating the harvest, giving genuine thanks for the past year, including the ups and downs, and reflections on the future. Its good smells, and warmth, sharing. But most of all, its not about "stuff".

Crudite tips for holiday gatherings

I love the holidays, and before we know it, they will be here. Here's a few ideas to help serve tasty raw veggies at your next gathering.
*Choosing a tray or platter is easy to hold the veggies is easy, just look for broad, flat serving pieces.
*Using veggies as containers for dips. Hollowed out red, yellow and green bell peppers look great stuffed full of dip and placed in the center of the crudite tray.
*For Thanksgiving, how about a small squash or pumpkin, hollowed and fitted with a small plastic container to hold the dip.
*Allow for an abundance of veggies, the leftovers can always be made into soup.
*Also look for a variety of colors, reds, greens, yellows, oranges for drama and appeal.
*Arranging in separate clumps and making sure that larger pieces are cut into easy to enjoy pieces, slices or strips.
*Garnishes such as parsley, herbs, chive blossoms or edible flowers make a WOW! statement.
*Enjoy!

Please vote

This is just a reminder, to please vote tomorrow, Nov 4, 2008 for the candidate of your choice. We are truly blessed to have the opportunity to help select the next leader. I wish everyone in the world could be so blessed.

tomato soup

Tomato Basil Soup (can be served warm or cold)
2 shallots, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
12-15 fresh tomatoes, I prefer heirloom types like Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Amish Paste or Prudens Purple, and mix the varieties for complexity. Otherwise, Roma is always good as well.
4 cups chicken stock, low sodium
handful fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
homemade croutons for garnish

Sizzle the shallots and garlic in the olive oil, add tomatoes, simmer till broken down. Add chicken broth, simmer on slow heat about 20 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and basil, stir. Lower heat, stir in cream, heat through. Watch so it doesn't scorch. Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with homemade garlicky croutons.

Great pumpkins!! 1313 lbs and 1323 lbs

Today at the farm market Central Wisconsin Pumpkin Growers had on display two giant pumpkins. One was 1313 pounds and the other was a whopping 1323 pounds! Here are a few pictures, aren't they amazing?

Community Herbs - a project in Appleton, WI

Here in Appleton, Wisconsin there is a community project called Community Herbs. Its for at risk Appleton West high school students who run a student run business growing and selling culinary herbs. They grow the herbs in a hoop house green house and sell them at the farmers market and to area restaurants. They are learning how to grow plants, how to market them, the importance of local economy, and creating a niche market. How cool is this, to be able to learn life skills and the feeling of genuine pride.

Tonights class - herbal honey

I'm teaching a class tonight on how to make herbal honey. I use clover honey to which I add the herb of choice, for a cup of honey I use 1 -2 tablespoons herb. So far I have only experimented with using one herb at a time, but plan on experimenting with blends. For delicate tastes to spread on a biscuit or muffin or to swirl into a cup of tea, organic lavender honey is fantastic. So is citrus peel honey and cinnamon honey. For more robust flavors suitable for smearing on grilled chicken, I like to use garlic honey or for a bit of zip, cayenne honey. Once I combine the herbs and honey, it goes into the refrigerator. After about a week the flavor of the herb has permeated the honey.

Autumn tasks, looking ahead to next years garden

Last Sunday didn't find me out in the yard raking (way too windy) so this Sunday is going to be spent pulling out the remaining veggie plants from the garden and adding to the compost bins. I'm also going to gather up as many leaves from the yard as possible to top dress the gardens and add to the latest lasagna garden. I am really expanding the gardens to grow as much food as possible next year, and the leaves make a great soil amendment (and they're free!). Early this morning I pulled carrots to go in the crock pot along with celery, potatoes and a beef roast. The recent frosts have made the carrots even sweeter, they are delicious. I need to plant extra carrots next year to try to overwinter in the garden. I miss going out to harvest a "garden meal" now that frost at night is more common than not. I also need to plan for more potatoes and extra room for the acorn squash. I don't think the neighbor was too happy to see our squash vines climbing their tree. Also, more shallots! For sweet corn I will just go with the bi color, it was far superior to the all yellow. I want to plant wine grapes, and a Montmorency tart cherry tree, and more raspberries. This is fun time, planning, when there are endless possibilities.

Exchanges, barter

I am thinking of ways to set up "exchanges" here in Appleton. Kind of like a community bulletin board, where people can post needs and wants, for example "looking for someone to change the oil in my car, will provide all necessary equipment and oil, in exchange for homemade bread." Does anyone have any thoughts on this, or on bartering?

Autumn day at the beach

What a gorgeous weekend! We had high 70s both days, perfect slight breeze. We decided to take a quick trip down to Madison to enjoy one last day on the beach before colder weather sets in for good. Perfect day, the sand wasn't too hot (in July it was so hot it blistered my feet) but the water, brrrrr. Just a few ladybugs flying around, so we weren't attacked by mosquitoes either. We picnicked on the beach, read magazines, snoozed and had a blast.

New e commerce site Kindred Spirits Organics

I am setting up a new e commerce site where customers can order Kindred Spirits Organics products like wild rice, maple syrup, soup mixes, pasta baskets and lots more to come. Lots of peopple have been calling and asking me to ship their favorites, so this seemed to be a good idea. This is a new adventure for me as I have been teaching myself - and as a few can attest, my computer skills require lots of patience! Please check out my site, Kindred Spirits Organics, and watch for newsletters, recipes, and other great gift ideas.

Perfect day for a fall wedding!

Today is a gorgeous fall day here in Appleton, Wisconsin. The maples are at peak color, the sky is brilliant blue, and the geese going overhead are honking up a storm. Perfect day for a wedding. I am delivering flowers to a wedding this afternoon, being held at a meadow/barn out in the country. The ceremony will be in the meadow, and dinner and dancing afterward in the barn. The bride is wearing a vintage ivory silk dress, her bridesmaids in chocolate brown. The men in chocolate as well. The flowers are gorgeous! Diablo calla lilies (those are the ones that range from orangey yellow to deep rust) yellow sunflowers with brown centers, yarrow, solidago and small lotus pods. I will post pictures!

Easy ways to add local foods to your diet

**Farm markets! This is a great way to get local foods, fresh and supporting local business. Instead of a corporation owned large grocery store, you get a chance to speak with the farmer, learn more about their philosophy (organic? sustainable?) and can make a real connection to your food.
**CSA, community supported agriculture. by purchasing a "share" you get seasonal fresh veggies and fruits, support local business and eat according to seasons which is far healthier.
**Co ops and small grocery stores buy from local producers, helping the local economy.
**Grow your own! Imagine harvesting a sun warmed tomato...grown by you. yum. Even if you don't have lots of space, herbs and vegetables can be grown in pots on patios, balconies and porches.

Renewable resources

Renewable energy is limitless, endless. The sun generates enough solar power every 40 minutes to meet the energy need for the entire earth for an entire year. Wind power and geothermal are alternate energy sources that are capable (and renewable) of powering yet more energy.
As the demand of renewables increases, costs go down. Fossil fuels, on the other hand, gets more and more expensive, quantities dwindling and will eventually be depleted.
Renewables can help build a bright future, and not at the expense of the environment.

Vive' la difference!

I love doing wedding design, meeting with the brides and grooms, learning what colors and flowers they love, and helping them make their special day even more personal. Recent wedding designs I have done:
*Herb, the bouquets and boutineers incorporated orchids and fresh herbs with symbolism (rosemary for rememberence, sage for wisdom, chamomile for patience) the fragrance was amazing. The table decor at the celebration was large clear glass cubes, filled with coffee beans, green orchids, white orchids, and fresh herbs. The scent was incredible, and echoed the colors of the bridesmaids dresses (chocolate brown with an apple green sash) The altar had large pots of rosemary, and the pews had mixed herbal bouquets.
*An outside wedding at the Botanical gardens, purple hydrangeas, green seeded eucalyptus, purple lizianthus. The black wrought iron arch had a garland of pruple hydrangeas, purple statice, purple larkspur, salal and seeded eucalyptus.
*An autumnal wedding, each bouquet had orange tiger lilies, red hypericum berries and individual color of roses. The brides bouquet had cream colored roses, the maid of honor had red, and the maids had butterscotch, orange, and yellow.
Each design, different and lovely, each that spoke of their love and commitment

Food Buyers Club

Our Food Buyers Club (Kindred Club) has been really going over well since we started it back in June of this year. Basically, for a year long membership fee ($25.00 for a family, and $15.00 for college student or over 55) you save 25 % on all food purchases at Kindred Spirits Organics. It begins from the date you sign up, not a calendar year but a true year from date joined and includes all edible food, juices, pasta, maple syrup, nuts, fruits, veggies, snacks, anything edible.
With the way food prices have gone through the roof, its a great way to save money, eat very healthy, and support local organic farmers and producers. Environmentally sustaining too, as we are utilizing resources nearby. A few years ago, a study showed apples traveled from orchard to consumer less than 200 miles. Now it is 1200 miles. That's alot of carbon.
To date, everyone who has signed up have saved well over their initial fee of either 15.00 or 25.00, and still have lots of time to save even more. This makes me feel so good, knowing we are helping people eat better and not busting their budget.

Fox Valley Farmgirls

There is a fantastic magazine called MaryJanesFarm that embraces the life of organic gardening, sewing, cooking, canning etc. I bought my first copy at Woodmans and my second copy at Pages and Pipes. Inspirational stories of women who are making a difference, in their families and in their communities make this a perfect way to connect, and reconnect, to things that really matter, organic food, living lightly on the earth, recycling, reducing waste and being in touch.
Mary Jane Butter, founder of the magazine and who farms organically for a living, encourages people to get together (a henhouse!) and help promote this way of life.
We are starting a free membership of like minded individuals to share topics, inspiration, recipes, etc, and the upcoming meeting is planned for Oct 13 at 6:30 here at Kindred Spirits Organics, 10 College Avenue, Appleton. You can either call here at 920-882-2123 for more information or contact Cheryl at 920-882-7760.
Also, feel free to check out online, www.maryjanesfarm.org to learn a bit more!!

mustard recipes

Here are some quick and easy recipes to make gourmet flavored mustards, with a minimum of fuss or ingredients. The class last night enjoyed these, the chili jalapeno is a bit spicy for me but I confess to being a wimp.
Chili Mustard
2 tbsp diced pickled jalapenos
1/2 cup mustard (brown mustard is great, yellow is very good as well)
Combine, refrigerate. Its that easy.
Lemon mustard
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup mustard. I used yellow last night.
Combine, refrigerate. This is good on fish or chicken
Peppercorn Mustard (my favorite)
1 tbsp fresh ground pepper
1 minced shallot
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup mustard, yellow or Dijon style
Combine, refrigerate
Awesome with pretzels!

Fall is in the air...

Definitely a nip in the air this morning....
I love hearing the geese flying overhead, seeing the leaves drift down, smelling the crisp air (sometimes with the hint of smoke from a neighbors fireplace) picking bright red sweet apples, pumpkins and gourds decorating steps and patios, watching squirrels scurry to hide nuts...the harvest season, time of abundance.

political choices

Obama:
Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in
International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism

Reduce, reuse, recycle

These are scary times for lots of people, worried about losing their homes, their jobs, the retirement they have been working towards. I'm no economics major, but it seems to me if we go back to "simpler times" and reuse more, and reduce costs, we can find our way back to better times plus help the planet at the same time. The little things I am doing now (line dry, recycle everything, garden) have made an impact, and I am going to keep searching for more ways to work towards lower impact, lower stress (monetary, environmental) and a simpler lifestyle that has substance, not fluff.

Nike the cat, and his catnip

We have a sweet two year old cat named Nike who adores the fresh organic catnip we grow for him. We give him a few sprigs once every couple of weeks as I don't want him to overdo. He rubs himself all over the leaves, arches his back, rubs his face as though he is trying to inhale it and just acts silly. He will walk away for a moment or two and come racing back to the bruised leaves and stems to roll in it some more. My task is to gather up some leaves to dry for the winter to see if he will like them. Its funny, he definitely loves the fresh stuff and will ignore catnip we have purchased in the past so its possible he just wants the freshest possible. Smart kitty, just like us, he knows fresh is best!

mustard class, basic mustard recipe

Tonight I am teaching a homemade gourmet mustard class to 6 people. Its going to be fun, tasting different blends and showing how easy it is to create your own signature mustard. They make perfect gifts too. Here is an easy way to make your own mustard, from scratch.
1/4 cup mustard powder (ground up mustard seeds)
2-3 tbsp boiling water
1 -2 tbsp olive oil
dash of honey (about 1/4 tsp)
Blend everything together till smooth and then refrigerate.
To customize, you can add chopped pickled jalapeno peppers (hot!!!)
or a minced shallot and freshly ground pepper, or some grated lemon rind and freshly squeezed lemon juice. The best part is experimenting and making it uniquely your own.

Richard Wright, Pink Floyd

Yesterday I wore my Pink Floyd London concert T from 1972 while harvesting my wine grapes.
Richard Wright, died today, Monday 9/15/08
RIP

harvesting wine grapes

Yesterday we drove south of Madison Wisconsin to a small town called Oregon. There is a vineyard called Mitchell Vineyard, where we went to harvest wine grapes. We received the word saying the grapes were ready. There is only a small window of time to harvest for us, so even though it was gloomy weather (intermittent rain) we knew it was now or wait till next year. It was so worth it!!! We picked 165 pounds, of 4 varieties. For red, we picked Millot and Foch. For the whites, we harvested Prairie Star and LaCrescent. It was amazing. Row after row of vines, and huge clusters of grapes. The people at the vineyard encouraged us to taste the grapes, they are incredible! Sweeter than any grapes I have ever eaten. We harvested the grapes then we brought down our primary fermenters and glass carboys. The whites went through the destemmer then right into the press, where we gathered the juice into the carboys. The reds went through the destemmer and then immediately into the primary fermenters. The vineyard has about 6 acres, though not all is in vines. We will be able to first taste our red wine in 2 years, the whites sooner. I cannot wait!!!

my opinion of Sarah Palin

I for one am not impressed with Sarah Palin 's ideas of what reform means.
She says that she voted no to the Bridge to Nowhere, however, that was AFTER she had pushed to have it go through. in addition, 27 million was still retained.
She has bragged about how she put the jet on Ebay, however, does she mention it never sold and was then unloaded by an aircraft broker?
How about the fact that she billed over $43,000.00 for travel by her husband and kids?
This is reform? This is ridiculous!
How about spending over $700.00 per night for hotel, for her and her daughter in October to go to a womens conference in NY? It seems as long as someone else is paying, why not? But then to brag about how fiscally responsible she is? And how she will be the best choice for helping lead this nation?
This is interesting, the fact that she inquired about banning books at the local library, and threatens to fire the librarian...and the fact she wants to open up oil drilling in areas that are environmentally delicate.
She continues to say how great she is, but NEVER gives any indication on how she would reform. How about the fact she is being investigated regarding her sisters ex husband firing?
What else is lurking in her closet? I sure the hell hope America watches closely and chooses carefully.

St Louis trip

We had a great trip to St Louis to see my cousin Barbara and Aunt Michiko. I haven't seen them for quite some time, and really enjoyed chatting and seeing the sites. We visited the Botanical garden, the world famous zoo, the Gateway Arch, old town St Charles, and also Daniel Boones homestead. On the way there we stopped in Lincoln Illinois to learn more about Abraham Lincoln, and on the way back home, in Springfield to learn additional facts about him. It was a great trip!!!

summer, garden in review

Gardening this summer has been a bit of a challenge for me. The shop has been keeping me busy (a good thing, keeps me off the streets) so the weeds have been having a heyday. I am now beginning to harvest squash and we have had the first tomatoes of the season, thanks to a cooler summer. The raspberries were fabulous, it was pretty neat to go out and harvest a handful every morning for breakfast cereal. I've been harvesting potatoes as we need them, I grew Yukon Gold and French Fingerling. I cook scrubbed unpeeled, chunked potatoes briefly in water, then put them in a quiche pan with some salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh parsley and butter, 350 F till tender. Damn, thats good! The asparagus roots I planted this spring are showing promise, the ferny foliage looks very happy. I have been adding some coffee grounds as a top dressing to encourage better soil. I think I let them go all next year and then begin slight harvesting in 2010. Seems like a long time from now, but with as quickly as the days go by, it will be here before we know it. The pumpkins (2) are beginning to turn slightly orange. Acorn squash, we seem to have an abundance, though they aren't ready yet. Garlic planted last fall is very whiffy, strong smelling but when you cook with it, it calms down and becomes quite mellow. The shallots are doing well, I need to harvest them and allow them to dry. Still without a car, the dealership was planning on starting to work on Jeffs car yesterday. In due time, and a good lesson on patience.

Recipe - Boursin

I have found a great recipe for homemade Boursin, and adapted it with a few tweaks, a couple additions and a few subtractions. Boursin is herbed cheese that originated in France. Enjoy, either with crackers, celery sticks, stuffed in plum tomatoes or sugar snaps, the possibilities are endless!! Enjoy!!

Homemade Boursin
1 cup farmer cheese
1 cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated
8 ounces cream cheese (not the lowfat version, sorry)
1 stick butter, softened to room temp
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp minced chives
3 cloves garlic or 3 shallots, finely minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp minced marjoram, fresh is best if possible
1 tsp fresh minced thyme

Blend cheeses in large bowl
Blend in butter, lemon juice
Mix in rest of ingredients
Refrigerate for a few hours to meld the flavors together

farm market goodies

Today at the farm market you could find
blueberries, tart cherries, MI peaches, blackberries, raspberries, apples
tomatoes, sweet corn, peppers, squash, garlic, beans, shallots, onions, herbs, lettuces
so many colors, flavors, scents and tastes
summer in full swing, music

Big Tree update

Since the tree has divided into thirds Friday morning, we have had 4 big thunderstorms, all yesterday. We are still waiting for the insurance adjuster to come look at Jeffs car, fortunately the 2/3rds standing has remained standing.

Tuscany chicken recipe

Tuscany chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 - 2 tbsp minced rosemary leaves
salt and fresh ground pepper
2 heads of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock, homemade or low sodium
2/3 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
Sprinkle breasts with rosemary, salt, pepper, place in baking dish or pan (I like to use a quiche pan)
Mix garlic, oil, arrange around the chicken breasts. Drizzle a little more rosemary and oil over the top
Roast for 15 minutes
Add chicken broth, watch so you don't spatter the hot bubbly oil. Continue to roast another 7 minutes
Remove breasts, put on serving platter, keep warm
Place pan on high heat, bring to a boil, add wine. Boil 1 -2 minutes to reduce, scrape the bottom to loosen bits. Spoon reduced liquid over breasts and serve.
Remove chicken, place the pan on

tree fall out - thank goodness no one got hurt

Oh. My. God. Tree fall out. I have (had) a huge maple tree in the backyard that was big enough to shade my yard and the neighbors on either side. Friday morning about 1:45 it decided to split in 3rds, with a big crash and breaking glass (the neighbors house). It landed on Jeffs car (insurance adjuster said a couple days and they will be out to assess the damage...broken windshield, caved in hood, etc) and took out alot of the neighbors house (roof, siding, window, etc). The cops were there pretty quick, since a jogger who was going by nearly had a heart attack as he called 911. They then woke up the elderly neighbor who thought we were having a thunderstorm. She got light headed, helped to her chair and then they proceeded to call her 53 year old daughter to leave on the answering machine that a tree caved in her mothers house and she's ok. Needless to say daughter races over. What a mess. Neighbors have been helping clean up the mess with chainsaws and hauling limbs away to the city garages wood chipper. Now we need to remove the rest of the tree (which that 2/3rds still cover our house, garage and neighbors houses and garages on both sides. And there is power lines going through it. Yikes yikes yikes.

county fair time

Tonight we are going to the county fair. I love seeing the animals, especially the sheep and fancy chickens. Its so cool to see the 4H entries and see how hard the kids work to groom and care for their animals. Its always fun to see the entries of jams and jellies, the vegetables and craft items.

Homemade Herb Bread - recipe

Herb Bread

1 tsp sugar
4 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast (or 1 pkg)
12 cups bread flour
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup sun dried tomatoes (if you don't have sun dried, don't despair. Just chop up fresh tomatoes and toss in a little bit of olive oil. Try to not have it be too moist though)
2/3 cup olive oil
extra olive oil and rosemary for the top

In a large bowl, combine sugar, 2/3 cup water and yeast. Allow it to sit for a few minutes, till it begins to get frothy and bubbly. Add the flour, a cup at a time. When it begins to start holding together and getting stiff, add the salt, basil, rosemary, tomatoes and olive oil. Put onto a floured surface and knead with your hands. It might feel a bit sticky, if so add a bit more flour. When it feels smooth and elastic, put into an oiled bowl and cover with a moistened kitchen towel. Allow to raise till double in size usually takes about 40 -60 minutes. Punch down the dough and allow to raise again.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, divide the dough in half. I like to use an oiled cookie sheet instead of a loaf pan, to make a more rustic free form bread. Put a half on each cookie sheet, and brush a bit of oil on top and scatter more rosemary across the top. Bake till golden brown and sounds hollow when you tap the top. Variations, add cornmeal to cookie sheet to make a crunchy bottom crust, or parmesan cheese to the top, thats fantastic!!
This also makes excellent foccacia, (flat bread) when you put it on the cookie sheet, spread it out to form a kind of flat surface. Using your fingertips, dimple the surface to make little indentations. brush olive oil and add rosemary as previously mentioned. Oh my goodness this is good food!!!

cranberry stuffing for chicken - recipe

Cranberry stuffing

3 tbsp butter
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 chopped onion
4 to 6 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp sage
1/3 c slivered almonds
1/3 c dried cranberries
1 1/2 pounds whole grain or multi grain bread, torn into pieces
2 eggs, beaten
2 -3 cups chicken broth. If not homemade, use low sodium
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste

Melt butter, add celery, onion, mushrooms and cook till soft. Add sage, almonds, cranberries and cook another minute. Remove from heat. Put bread pieces in large bowl, toss with butter mixture. Add eggs, stir to blend. Add 2 cups of chicken broth, salt and pepper, stir well. If you want a moister stuffing, add the other cup of broth. Put in lightly buttered baking dish, bake 30 minutes at 350 F till lightly browned.

gratitude today

today I give thanks to those I love
Randy and Jenn
Jason and Amy and my grandkids
Jeff and his family
my sister Diane
Brian and family
friends and family

You are the best

Hermansville 4th of July Mud runs

Every 4th of July Hermansville Michigan celebrates independence in a big way. Live music, an old time car show, fireworks, lots to do and see. The mud runs rank right up there. There is a 125 feet long mud pit that is full of oozy, sticky mud. The goal is for the contestant to get as far through the mud without getting stuck. For those that do get stuck, theres a tractor and also a tow truck (though the tow truck did tear off one contestants front bumper) There's different divisions, stock which means the truck or jeep has not been modified, and then different levels of modified (tires, engines etc) The super modifieds look like they are sailing across on top of the mud, must be the racer fuel they use. Theres guard rails so no one can get hurt, and the racers have to buckle and wear helmets. Jason and Amy have mud trucks that are modified, but for this year Jason chose to use his regular long bed truck. It was pretty funny hearing the announcer saying it looked to him like it was a converted bus, and to hear all the kids saying "Wow, I never saw such a long truck!" The announcer also pointed out another contestant had "pretty fog light covers". Jason took 4th out of 13 in the stock division, he did pretty darn good. At the very end they needed to crown the Mud Queen. This honor (along with $89.00) would be good for all year. To do this, a woman needed to be at least 16 and also be nominated. The Mud Queen hopefuls (there were about 25 of them) lined up at one end of the pit and had to run to the other end, not using help or getting out. Most fell. Most needed help afterward, grabbing onto a stick to be pulled out of the muck. It was so fun!!

July 4th fireworks

We went to Jason and Amy's place in Upper Michigan for the Fourth, had a great time. Where to begin, well on the way we had to brake for the bear lumbering across the road. That was a cool sight, and the bear was big, about 300 pounds! Thats alotta bear! We also needed to watch for deer as they seemed to be everywhere. During the daytime thats when we were seeing the wild turkeys.
On Friday Jason placed 4th out of 13 in the stock division of the Hermansville mud runs (pictures to follow). We checked out the museum and car show, listened to a band that was awesome (old time rock and old time Patsy Cline country) and watched the kids and grandkids go swimming in the Hermansville Pond fully clothed. We cooked supper over the fire then went back to watch the fireworks. I have to say, this small town in Upper Michigan has our over populated area of Wisconsin beat. There were two grand finales, and the regular part was pretty darn spectacular too.
Saturday we planted a couple apple trees, took apart the well, walked in the woods (at one point I had 10 ticks on my back alone. I felt very ticky the rest of the time. We went swimming at a sandy beach and that was very refreshing afterwards. We got back to town about 10:30 pm, did another tick check and crashed into bed.
Sunday found us heading south, we went to Madison for the day. Lots of fun, lots of sun, I love summer!!

glazed sugar snaps and carrots recipe

This is a quick and easy side dish that showcases the sugar snaps and carrots to perfection.

Glazed sugar snaps and carrots
Ingredients
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 pound fresh sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In small saucepan combine carrots, butter and brown sugar, add lemon juice. Saute over low heat till tender, add sugar snaps and heat through (watch as it doesn't take long to bring to warmth). Add salt and freshly ground pepper. serve warm.

Garden tasks

I love this time of year, when everyday is a burst of sunshine. I am working on getting my garden task list under control. Weeding is first and foremost, but I also want to establish a new garden area. To do that I am laying down cardboard and newspaper to kill the grass. I am also putting lots of compost and coffee grounds, kind of building up layers. This way it will amend the soil and get it into great condition for planting. Now I just need more hours of daylight!

Midwest Renewable Energy Fair

Wow, we had a great time at the renewable energy fair on Sunday! Despite a couple of showers, the day was perfect to check out all the displays and vendors showcasing wind turbines, solar, cars and trucks that run on used veggie oil, organic produce, books, books and books, straw bale construction, living roofs, green building components and designs and so much more. We bought a ton of reading material, and got info on wind turbines. We hope to do that someday, have a place on about 5 acres with a wind turbine for energy. There was a really cool sauna that gave us some ideas too...

Sugar Snap Peas Brix test scores 15!!!

Now that the growing season is upon us, I have been offering fresh local organic produce at Kindred Spirits Organics. Jeff tested our sugar snaps with the Brix meter and they were off the chart at 15! 14 is considered excellent, so this was added confirmation that these are the highest quality in nutrition and freshness. That really impresses me, they sell out the very same day and with good reason.

First farm market garden tomatoes of the season

No, not mine, darn. Today is the first farm market of the season downtown Appleton. One of the farmers there grows tomatoes in hoop houses, so they always have the very first vine ripe of the season. Mmm, I have had their tomatoes in the past, and I couldn't resist. Yum yum yum. The crowds today were huge, everyone is starving for fresh local produce. There were two lines formed for the tomatoes, 15 minutes later I was carrying 3 pounds of ripe delicious tomatoes. Maybe BLTs tonight??

homemade wine update

Right now we have Niagara grape (white) bottled and aging, will be drinkable by September. To be honest, I did sample some already, its raw and wonderful and I think will be pretty darn excellent when its aged.
Black currant (in the secondary bottles)
Cranberry apple (in the secondary bottles)
Dandelion (in the primary fermenter)

Its strawberry season and I think we'll go picking Monday morning before I open the shop.
I also have three big bags of rhubarb in the freezer. We thought it would be better to go with strawberry as our next, and as soon as that goes into the big carboy, that would free up the primary fermenter for the rhubarb. Or raspberries....and pretty soon it will be cherry season, then apples and pears...

Midwest Renewable Energy Fair

This Sunday we are heading over to Custer, WI (near Stevens Point) to take in the renewable energy fair. We includes Jeff and I, Randy and Jenn, Jason and Amy and 4 of our 5 grandkids. The energy fair is huge, with dozens of displays, seminars, vendors all related to alternative energy. There are lots of solar displays, last year there was a really cool setup using the sunshine to power a spraying water fountain. That was pretty popular as it was in the high 80s. Windmills, water power, steam power, veggie oil powered cars with large displays showing how many miles were driven using the waste veggie oil. theres a large building showcasing tons of ideas and information, lots of good tasty organic food, music, its so much fun! Last year I got to meet Dave Duffy, who is the editor/owner of Backwoods Home magazine, from Oregon. In the past I had written gardening articles for that magazine, so it was good to be able to put a face to the conversations we've had. If you get a chance, type in a search for Midwest Renewable Energy Fair to check out all the cool seminars and information. Even better, if you get a chance, go there in person. Its this Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I guarantee, if you're into alternative energy, living off the grid, gardening, organics, good music, back to the land, solstice you'll love to go!!!

Marinette WI Bay of Green Bay

These two pics were taken a week ago at Jeff's' cousins graduation party. It was foggy and beautiful, and I took about 40 pictures. The water is part of the Green Bay, and if you look across the bay you can see Door County. The seagulls were plentiful, the sand amazing and the water...ice cold!

fresh lemonade recipe

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 1/2 cups cold water
lemon slices or ice cubes with organic lemon verbena leaves frozen inside

Add sugar and boiling (or very very hot) water in pitcher, stir to dissolve the sugar
Add lemon juice and cold water, stir to mix
Chill for several hours, serve over ice

Additions : fresh raspberries or strawberries frozen in the ice cubes, colorful, flavorful and adds that touch of wow

rain, garden confession, peonies

Positive thoughts for everyone affected by the flooding recently, I'm praying that this will be enough rain for a while. The water is supposed to crest either today or Tuesday here in the Fox Cities and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I was down in the flats yesterday and oh my, the water is rushing.
Garden update..the peonies are absolutely amazing this year, full beautiful blowsy lush flowers, they remind me of warm summer evenings, an ice cold gin and tonic, sultry blues music that courses through your veins and makes you want to move and lots of ooh la la. Gives me sinful thoughts just to think of it, these flowers are spectacular. And if you are ever confronted with peonies in full bloom that suddenly get rained on and decide they can't keep their heads up any longer, do not despair. Cut those babies about an inch or so of stem and float in clear glass bowls. Exquisite.
Corn is about 4 inches high, hoping for knee high by the 4th of July. If so, then they will be right on schedule.
Confession time. I ALWAYS create a garden map to help me remember whats what. We are talking decades of garden mapping. My memory is not reliable from one day to the next. Don't ask me what I wore yesterday as I cannot tell you. In fact, there were several times when reading a great mystery, that someone would be asked to provide a clear picture of their whereabouts. I would be panic stricken at the thought of ever having to retrace my steps. Yet another reason to behave I guess. Anyway, back to the non existent garden map. This year I didn't think it would be a problem, I was behind, had a ton of stuff to do, wanted to get things in. Wow. Big. Mistake. I planted 2 kinds of winter squash and 2 kinds of summer squash. Who's who??? Ditto the watermelon and pumpkins. I know better than this. Hmmm. Its all good, isn't it??? This year shall be full of surprises. I also am seeing lots of volunteers, the Florence fennel came back, but its in the quadrant I turned over to raspberries.
Mosquitoes, oh the mosquitoes. I am going to try to find a recipe for bug repellant using nice safe things. If I do, I will be sure to post the recipe. We're gonna need it.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms Recipe

• 18 zucchini, acorn squash or pumpkin blossoms, stamen removed.
• Cheese Filling:
• 3 ounces goat (feta) cheese
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Beer Batter:
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup cold flat beer
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

Gently swish the squash blossoms in cold water to clean. Carefully twirl between your fingers to remove most of the water, drain thoroughly. Set aside.
Cream goat cheese, cream cheese, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper, until blended.

Gently fill each blossom with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese filling. Refrigerate while making batter.
In a heavy skillet, (cast iron is the best!) heat 2 inches of oil to 375 F over medium heat.
While oil is heating, whisk together cornstarch, flour, salt, pepper, celery salt, baking powder and soda, egg, and beer until combined.
Carefully dip a stuffed blossom into the batter, covering the entire flower, and ease into the hot oil. Brown each side. Cook only a few at a time so they are not crowded. Remove blossoms. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle stuffed blossom with salt and pepper and to taste and garnish with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

flower honey recipe, edible flowers

FLOWER HONEY

1/2 - 1 cup fresh or dried petals *****must be organic and non poisonous!!!
1 lb. honey

Add chopped or crushed flowers to honey. Loosely cover jar and place in a pan half full of gently boiling water. Remove from heat, and let sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Remove jar from water and let cool to room temperature. Allow jar of honey with flowers to sit for 1 week. Flowers can then be strained out if desired. Uses: Tea, salad dressings, on croissants, scones, muffins and bread.

Edible flowers

Tonight I am teaching an edible flowers class! I am serving a yellow cake with vanilla frosting and garnishing it with organic pansy blossoms and lilac florets. I also prepared a spread to serve with crackers, its made of cream cheese, snippets of chives, parsley and thyme and I am surrounding it with lemon verbena foliage, to look like its nestled in. In the center is chive blossoms, pretty lavender with a slight taste of onion.
When working with edible flowers, the most important aspect is ORGANIC and NON POISONOUS PLANTS. Be sure it hasn't been sprayed, make sure that the flowers are not poisonous. Here is a list of common, edible flowers found often in gardens.
Apple Blossom
Artichoke
Arugula
Basil
Bee Balm
Borage
Calendula
Carnation
Chamomile
Chicory
Chives
Chrysanthemum
Cilantro/Coriander

Clover
Cornflower/Bachelor Buttons
Dandelion
Daylily
Dianthus
Dill
Elderberry
English Daisy
Fennel
Garlic
Geraniums
Gladiolas
Hibiscus
Hollyhock
Honeysuckle
Hyssop
Impatiens
Johnny Jump Up
Lavender
Lemon Verbena
Lilac
Linden
Mallow
Marigold
Marjoram
Mint
Mustard
Nasturtium
Oregano
Okra
Onion
Orange Blossom
Pansy
Pea
Pineapple Sage
Radish
Rose
Rosemary
Runner Bean
Safflower
Sage
Savory
Scented Geranium
Snapdragon
Society Garlic
Squash Blossom
Sunflower
Sweet Marigold
Sweet William
Thyme
Tuberous Begonia
Tulip
Viola
Violet
Winter Savory

springtime delights

Fresh asparagus. Strawberries. Thunderstorms with lots of dramatic lightning. Flipflops. Cooking over the grill. The smell of the earth, warm from the sun. Cutting grass. Seeing tiny little seedlings push through the earth. The call of the mourning dove. Barefoot. Opening the windows to let in fresh air after a long winter. Days longer, more sun. Spring.

potager

I am really into potager gardening. These two pics show one I am working on for a client in Neenah, WI. The 4 quadrants are filled with compost and topped with shredded mulch. Around the perimeter is a lining of flagstone. The paths are crushed granite. In the center is a Honeycrisp apple tree, and in two beds are obelisks for climbing beans. Two quadrants are for a mixture of perennial and annual crops, for perennials there are raspberry plants, an edging of strawberries, asparagus. The other edges are spinach, mesclun, carrots and lettuce. I have also planted zucchini, pumpkins, tomatoes, yellow summer squash. Aliong two edges, seen from the home are flowers suitable for cutting.

Gardening in freezing WI

Well last night we had temps in the thirties again. Brrr. I planted 6 more Heritage raspberry plants and also some Jersey Giant asparagus roots. I also want to get a few currants and a Montmorency tart cherry tree. This weekend no matter what, I am planting tomatoes and peppers. Hopefully tomorrow morning the potatoes and beans will go in before I open up shop. I have finished the potager and will post some pictures, it turned out really cool!

Internet Withdrawal

Thank goodness I'm able to access the Internet again! After several weeks of being "on the list" finally I have access again :) happy days are here again

Cottage gardening delights the senses

A feast for all senses, scent, sight, sound, taste, touch.
Scent, mmm,the sweet scent of nicotiana which reminds me of honeyed vanilla on warm sultry evenings, lilacs in the spring, fresh cut grass, the smell of a rain shower, roses mingling everywhere....
Sight, the beauty of watching butterflies flitting from flower to flower, color combinations of flowers, buds, leaves, how the sight of a long awaited flower bursting into bloom cheers the heart......
Sound, hearing the birds in the morning, the sound of June bugs against the screens, the rumble of a thunderstorm rolling in and knowing the gardens will be getting a drink......
Taste, to gather the first sun warmed tomato from the vine, harvesting herbs to flavor home cookin', edible flowers to garnish salads......
Touch, the soft leaves of lambs ear, the prickly sensatin of moving aside raspberry canes to get at the sweet succulent fruit, the texture of the rocks that border the flower beds....

Kentucky Derby Outrage

The Kentucky Derby. A beautiful creature, the filly who was racing in the Kentucky Derby this past weekend, ridden to the point of BREAKING her legs. She had to be "put out of her misery" had to be "euthanized" had to be "put down to relieve her intense pain". Is anyone else as horrified? Does anyone else care this exquisite creature was killed for the sake of gambling, for the sake of entertainment? What the hell has this come to? And its not the first time and will not be the last. It is obscene, when people abuse animals and promote such horror.

Garden process

The garden has been pretty much ignored the last few days. Yesterday it was cold and windy, pretty raw outside, and the day before we had snow. Huge flakes that really put the damper on spring enthusiasm. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow night after I close I can get out and haul most com[post and keep working on extending the garden. I also would like to get the original potager ready for planting the asparagus roots and transplanting the rhubarb.
Inside we harvested green beans on Saturday morning, oh my! They were crisp and crunchy, and very delicious. The tomatoes in the windows have blossoms and and the latest sowing sof mesclun is doing well.

Food scarcity, bulk food

There was a very interesting article on Yahoo News that explained that with rising prices, if you purchased food that stores well (grains, rice, etc) that will save money over the long haul, plus give a sense of security. With recent reports of scarcity of food not only in other parts of the world, but also here in the United States gives good reason to buy food in bulk. Consider what foods your family enjoys, because it won't save money if no one is willing to eat it. Here are some examples of easily stored foods to get you thinking of possibilities for your own pantry.

Baking:
- flours
- cornmeal
- spices
- chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch chips
- raisins
- sugars

Grains:
- granolas
- oats (regular, quick-cooking)
- rice (all kinds)
- cereals (all kinds)

Dried Fruits:
- pineapple
- apricots
- raisins
- papaya
- bananas
- apples
- cranberries
- prunes
- dates

Beans:
- split peas
- navy beans
- pinto beans
- kidney beans
- soy beans
- soup blends

Pasta:
- spaghetti
- lasagna
- elbow macaroni
- egg noodles (all shapes and sizes)

Nuts:
- peanuts
- sunflower seeds
- almonds (whole, slivered)
- walnuts

Also consider dehydrating or canning home grown veggies and fruits, spaghetti sauce from your own tomatoes, applesauce, etc.

Role call, perennials that are up and blooming

In my perennial beds, just a few flowers are blooming today, April 24. There are violets (Wisconsin state flower) scilla (Siberian Squill) hyacinth, hepatica and daffodils. The peonies look like they have put on a couple inches of growth, and the lilacs are buds but won't be blooming for another couple of weeks. The sedum is up as well as the Shasta daisies. Monkshood is about 3 inches tall as are the bleeding hearts. If the weather holds, it will be time for the first mowing in about a week. In the kitchen garden, I'm continuing spreading compost, making the veggie bed lots bigger. Unfortunately it seems I am only getting snippets of time to work on it. For example last night it was 8:45 pm and I was raking compost. Yes, in the dark. I can only wonder what the neighbors think. If gardening teaches patience I must be a slow learner as its getting on my nerves not to be able to work in the yard as much as I'd like. So, for the plans this year. In my original potager I grew tomatoes, beans, potatoes etc. I think this year I will put in the original four squares the asparagus, rhubarb, raspberries and the newer area I am working on will be for the annual veggie plants (tomatoes, sweet corn, beans, peppers etc).

Happy Earth Day! Tonight hopefully we will be able to go to New London to the Wolf River and watch the sturgeon spawning. Jeff called the Mosquito Hill nature Preserve, and yes, its time to see the sturgeon! When they spawn in spring, the water temps have to be in the 50s, then they make their way to the shallow rock filled areas to lay eggs.Sturgeon are incredible, a female must be a minimum of 45 years old to be able to produce eggs. They get to be huge, its not uncommon for adult sturgeon to be 5 to 6 feet long. All along the river, people line up to see these prehistoric looking creatures and marvel at their size. 24 hours a day volunteers stand guard to make sure they are not harmed as they are extremely vulnerable at this time. We went last year and 100s of people were observing. Its even reported in area newspapers and on tv. I am planning on bringing my camera to try to take some pics. Happy Earth Day!

Vermicomposting

Jeff went to a class on Saturday on how to do vermicomposting. That is composting using red wiggler worms in a container. No smell, and they produce wonderful worm castings to nourish gardens. The class was held at the Oshkosh Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in Oshkosh, a few miles south of Appleton. They have been doing this for years and have it down to a science. The inmates have built the sifters and turners, and feed the 330 containers made out of 55 gallon drums once a week. Each compost container starts out with shredded cardboard and 1 pound of cofee beans. To that they add 4 pounds of red wiggler worms. Weekly the worms are fed kitchen scraps, avoiding oils, meats and bones. After four months, the wigglers have increased to 8 pounds of worm, and lots of wonderful castings to add to gardens. The inmates use the castings to nurture the gardens that they grow on site to help feed the prison population, as well as other plants used for landscaping the prison grounds. They also bag up the worm castings and sell them to gardeners. Jeff said it was so interesting, the plants in the greenhouse the inmates built were absolutely incredibly lush and beautiful. We are planning on doing this on a much smaller scale (not 330 containers!) and display at Kindred Spirits Organics to help teach others vermicomposting techniques. Jeff picked up a rubbermaid container that we need to drill a few holes in and cover with screening to allow air to get in. He chose a clear container as the instructor noted its good to have some sunlight enter through the sides. Now we need to order the red wigglers. I found them in Backwoods Home magazine, $42.00 for 10,000 which will be more than enough. I am also trying to come up with a way to shred cardboard. I thought running it over with a lawnmower but perhaps there is a better way. I am so looking forward to creating more soil amendments for the gardens. It will be a nice complement to the other compost piles we have, and help teach people how to nurture Mother Earth and also cut down on scraps ending up in the landfill.

Update on container gardens

A quick update on the container gardens, we have been harvesting lettuce and mesclun weekly. Delicious! Another week or so and we can cut some watercress too. I sowed another big container of mesclun this morning. I wish I would have planted the potatoes deeper, I could have been filling in with soil as I do outside in the gardens. Next time. But for now, the plants are thriving and though the yield will be small, there will still be potatoes. The green beans have been flowering profusely, and I have been helping the bees that occasionally fly inside Kindred Spirits pollinate the flowers. I use a small clean artists brush and lightly brush each blossom. Zzzzz...Pollination! The beans are about 1.5 inches long, how cool. I show them off to everyone. Alot of the tomatoes have been sold as well as lots of herbs, even though its far too early to transplant yet. Mid May its still risky, most say wait till Memorial weekend, but you know how impatient we gardeners can be sometimes. Most people want to be sure they get their varieties and also to nurture living things.

New potager garden design I am working on

I am currently working on a potager garden design project for a client in Neenah, and this is going to be so cool! Plans include a wrought iron arbor for Champagne style eating grapes that will be the entrance to the potager. It will feature sweeping curves that are bordered with strawberry plants. I will also include mesclun and lettuces, green beans and sweet peas to grow up obelisks, peppers, heirloom tomatoes, some purple potatoes, raspberries and spinach. I am also including zucchini and asparagus. The yard is enclosed by a beautiful wrought iron fence that fits perfectly with the French chateau brick home. The potager garden style is to create a sense of beauty and purpose, and to fill the senses with exquisite scents and delectable tastes. I'll post pictures as it progresses!

snow......

As I write it is still snowing...
It began last night, innocently enough, a few flakes here, another couple there. All night, this morning waking to several inches piled on the car, waiting to be scraped off.
Spring seems very far away.
The seedlings are looking great, the container of beans are blossoming, as are some of the hollyhock plants. The mesclun and the lettuces has been harvested several times, and lots of customers have bought seeds to grow some of their own crops inside.
So there, snow! Even if outside is not cooperating, the containers and pots inside show promise

Recipe - potato pancakes

Potato pancakes

1 pound of potatoes, peeled
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp flour
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
oil for frying

Grate the peeled raw potatoes, place in a bowl. Add the flour, beaten eggs and salt and pepper, set aside. Heat oil in frying pan, when warm place a dollop of potato mixture into oil, spread out. When the bottom side of pancake is crispy brown, flip it over to cook on other side. When down to a crisp golden brown on each side, remove from pan. These pancakes are very good as is, or with a little bit of ketchup. I know some people also enjoy this with applesauce, but I haven't quite gotten used to that. This is really excellent for brunch or as a light lunch.

Potager Garden

“Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands, and the mouth."
-Lanza Del Vasto

Potager gardens differ in some respects from harvest gardens, which are typically planted in early spring and harvested in fall, with the majority being stored by freezing or canning. In a kitchen garden, harvesting and planting is ongoing. Its purpose is to supply the kitchen with fruits and vegetables harvested at their peak. Replanting can supply the kitchen with additional food, or can nurture the soil with green manure. Certainly there is reason to grow enough to feed the family, share with others and also put some by for winter, but ahh, to taste a vegetable at its peak is sheer ecstasy.
A potager is also a very visual garden, where thought is put into placement, and allows for leaf texture contrast as well. For example, growing purple pod beans adds color contrast, and they are delicious. Rainbow chard is lovely, the stalks are all different very vibrant colors, and the crinkly texture of the leaves make it a real knockout. Edging the garden with red tinged lettuces makes a fantastic edible border that contrasts nicely with the other plants nearby.
Potager gardeners love food, at its juicy succulent best. Not just a good tomato, but a true tomato, picked warm and juicy from the vine at the peak of its ripeness. The enjoyment is a complete one because it is entwined with the memory of the plant in its various stages of development. It’s not only the taste, but also the care and honest labor that went into making it. This is a kitchen garden at its best, when a gardener has nurtured a plant from a tiny seed or seedling to the time when it is harvested at its peak of freshness.
Here are some suggestions that will help you create a potager garden outside your own back door.
• Consider how the site chosen fits. Think about the effects of wind and hours of sunshine, but also consider the overall setting: Will it be in ground or in containers nearby?
• What veggies, fruits, herbs and flowers do you love? Those are the ones to plant. That might sound odd, but consider if you would like to be serving more salads, with unique flavor, then searching out interesting looking lettuces will be very important. If you prefer to can spaghetti sauce for the winter months, a few extra tomato plants, some onions, peppers and basil will be prominent. This is your garden, and your tastes and needs. If you grow what you love, it will be terrific.
• Next, consider the overall design. This will depend primarily on how you plan to cultivate the garden—by hand or by machine (and what kind of machine), which will determine not only the garden's shape but also how wide the paths need to be. Any pattern is possible—spiral, checkerboard, wagon wheel. As the season progresses and plants grow, the outlines of your beds will evolve. In the informal country style, there is rarely bare earth or much space between rows; the beds are quickly filled in with companion plants, mulch, green manures, or self-sown volunteers. This saves an incredible amount of time, as bare earth will bring weeds that need to be pulled.
• A good design includes vertical accents. These can be temporary (a stand of corn, tomato towers, bean tepees), or permanent (berry bushes, a small apple tree).
• Potagers are essentially tapestries of myriad colors and shapes. The intermingling of herbs, flowers, and fruits with vegetables requires careful placement of perennials so that they do not interfere with the growth of seasonal crops. For example, if you choose to add rhubarb to your garden, place it near the edge so it will not cause difficulty in cleaning up the garden in autumn. Aggressive herbs like mint or tansy need to be contained. They will run rampant and try to take over the garden. All the annuals mix well with vegetables, and may even serve as beneficial companion plants—for example, planting coriander among carrots, said to deter the carrot fly.
• Also keep in mind that a kitchen garden can be grown in containers. A patio that is in the sun can host pots of herbs and vegetables, and the pots can also be brought inside to a sunny window before freeze. Nearly anything can be grown in containers. Root vegetables such as potatoes can be grown in large whiskey barrels, tomato plants in an 18’ pot or larger, and you will have ease of harvest and a decorative element as well.
• Edge plots with contrasting plants, including herbs and flowers, which will mask bare spots as the season progresses. Choose varieties in keeping with the scale of the garden. Keep free-ranging perennials in bounds with buried strips of metal or plastic.
• After harvesting, use fast fillers such as chervil or cut-and-come-again salad greens. Many will self-sow and can be moved easily to fill gaps when required.

Co Op America list of 16 ways to heal your home

Theres a fantastic new article at Co Op America's site that is titled 16 Ways to Help heal your home. On this site it has past articles on how to choose least toxic paint, how to create your own cleansers, choosing sheets and comforters for your bedroom, tips for the kitchen and so much more.
Co Op America is a not for profit membership that helps stop unjust practices (unsafe conditions, sweatshops) and works to improve environment and promote fair trade and organics. If you google Co Op America, you'll find tons of articles on social investing, how to be a smart, responsible shopper, green eco tips, saving energy, the list goes on and on. Check Co Op America's website out, its great!

Veggie Garden list 2008

For this years veggie garden, I plan on planting:
*Yukon Gold potatoes
*Lots of tomatoes...Brandywine, Roma, San Marzano, Mortgage Lifter, Bloody Butcher several plants of each variety
*Celeriac
*Shallots, French Grey
*green beans
*carrots, Scarlet Nantes
*Brussels Sprouts
*Spinach
*Zucchini
*yellow summer squash
*pumpkins Rouge D' Etamps
*Lettuces, mesclun and 4 seasons
*Sweet corn
*Watercress (in a container)
*Peppers, sweet green, red, yellow, purple, orange.
*Peppers, hot, cayenne for chili and salsa
Maybe some chard, last year we couldn't keep up with it and it nourished the compost pile

I also want to plant asparagus roots, more rhubarb (for wine!!) and Red Lake currants. If I can, I would like to replace the Montmorency cherry tree that died last year and also plant an heirloom apple or two. That will take up most of the available space, since we do need to keep some lawn for badminton.

lasagna gardening, spreading compost, making the garden bigger...

Yesterday was fantastic! Warm weather (60 degrees!) abundant sunshine and lots of yard work, what a wonderful day! The blue scilla (Siberian Squill) that grow near the house are already blooming and as I raked away leaves, I could see lots of perennials already starting to poke through. I moved lots of the leaves into the compost area but left some on the gardens. I want to go gradual.
I'm making the veggie garden lots bigger this year, so I am creating a "lasagna" garden to kill off the grass organically. What that means is I am not using chemicals, but instead, excluding the sunlight and smothering off the grass where I would like the future garden to be. Very low impact, I don't need to rototill and it kind of mimics what happens in woods and forests, where leaves fall down and eventually rot into the ground, making a very fertile area. This method works for any kind of garden, vegetable, flower, herb, mixed.
First I lay down cardboard or several inches thick newspaper. This is a great way to make sure the cardboard or newspaper doesn't end up in the landfill, another huge benefit. Then over the top of the cardboard/newspaper layer I put compost, grass clippings, well rotted manure to help amend the soil. since no sunlight is reaching the grass, it eventually dies, and decays, also adding to the nutrients in the garden. If I am antsy, I can just push aside the top layer, cut a hole into the decomposing cardboard or newspaper layer and plant the seedlings. This is a fast and easy way to make a large garden, and also put more nutrients into the soil as well. Its not an exact science, I use what is on hand and what could be used as compost material. Things that cannot go in are bones, animal fats, meat scraps or pet manure. In the fall I have an abundance of maple leaves, and also clippings from the garden. During the winter, I have been bringing home buckets of "green", clippings, stems and petals from the flowers used at Kindred Spirits Organics, plus the coffee grounds from Harmony Cafe.
This method is how I started the perennial gardens and paths, just by layering organic material. What fun! We also found someone who was giving away poultry manure on freecycle so we were able to get a few buckets to add to the garden. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the woman who advertised on freecycle that she had well rotted horse manure gives us a call too, our garden and my two sons gardens could benefit from that as well. Gardening is just so cool. I got filthy dirty and exhausted yesterday schlepping around all the compost and raking for hours, and I couldn't have felt better!

Recipe - Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is awesome with hummus and pita bread. Yum yum yum!

Tabbouleh
1 cup bulghur wheat
2 large heirloom tomatoes, ripe and juicy
5 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
3 shallots, minced
freshly ground pepper

Place bulghur wheat into a bowl and cover with cold water for 45 minutes to an hour. While it is soaking, chop the tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice and salt, set aside.
Drain and squeeze the bulghur in paper towels to soak up excess water, then transfer to a serving bowl. Fluff it with a fork, add tomatoes, shallots, mint and parsley. mix the remaining 4 tbsp of lemon juice with the olive oil and add to mixture. Add ground pepper, mix. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour, to chill thoroughly.
Enjoy!

Reiki Class

Last evening we offered a second class, Introduction to Reiki, so that people who had questions or never experienced this alternative form of energy healing would be able to learn more. We had a good turnout again, 9 people. Bethany answered questions, and also performed Reiki on anyone who was interested. Everyone was and thought it very powerful. I'll also be posting a few pictures from last night.
Friday nights we always have guided meditation here at Kindred Spirits Organics. It is Twin Hearts meditation, and we ask for blessings for the earth, all its inhabitants, people, animals and also send blessing thoughts towards war torn areas, areas that are struggling with economy, and for all. Most times we use the prayer to St Francis of Assisi, but last week we did a Buddhist version which was awesome as well. Chandan who is a Pranic healer leads our meditations. Usually there are about 6-10 people who join us, depending on their schedules.

Food Co op

We are exploring the idea of a food buyers co op as part of our shop Kindred Spirits Organics. Our plan is to be able to offer even greater savings on organic food and to be able to offer it to even more people. The thought as well is to offer certified organic farmers a way to market their produce, thus benefiting their lives as well. I would love to see this grow into a large scale community garden to help allow lots of families to grow their own food and to become more self sufficient, and perhaps even a way to farm raise tilapia. I envision gardening classes, compost giveaways, potluck suppers, cooking demos, and so much more. Keeping my fingers crossed...in the meantime, any ideas, suggestions, are greatly appreciated.

Farm market fresh

The outside farm market in Appleton begins in late June and continues through the end of October and it is incredible. Right in the heart of downtown, College Avenue is closed off for several blocks and hundreds of farmers set up their tents and tables, displaying gorgeous fresh vegetables and fruits for sale. The entire street is full of people, literally tens of thousands, walking past the tables, choosing food, seeing friends and neighbors, and enjoying the sights and sounds. The colors of the snap peas, such a delectable green. Beans, green, yellow wax, mounds of them, just asking to be taken home and enjoyed. Tomatoes in every shade, red, yellow, orange, pink, striped, heirlooms bursting with flavor, I can just taste the juiciness. One vendor has the most impeccable fresh homegrown oyster mushrooms, what a treat. There's live music, and delicious street food available as well. T he vendors are local Wisconsin farmers, some travel an hour or so to get here. Lots are certified organic and display their signs and food proudly. Theres free range eggs, lots of flowers, and unusual things like elderberries in season. During the fall, trucks filled to the brim with sweet corn gathers lots of buyers, and pumpkins and squashes add to the delight. Chefs come downtown and buy whats in season, to create mouthwatering dishes for their customers. The farmer market has become THE place to be on Saturday morning, and when its in full swing, I'll post lots of pictures to share.

wedding orchids and seedlings

Today I have been getting flowers ready for a wedding design. The wedding bouquet will be deep purple Naomi calla lilies arranged in a nosegay style (round) and then I am twisting blue aluminum wire into free form circles to encompass it. Blue is being used to contrast with the callas and to add a bit of drama and unexpectedness. The toss bouquet is white and purple and white dendrobiums, hand tied in a very simple design. The bride is wearing white dendrobiums in her hair and the maids will wear purple and white dendrobiums. I am continuing the tropical theme with tiki torches at every table and am affixing dendrobiums and lilies to each. For the head table I am utilizing seashells with the flowers off to the side. The cake flowers will consist of Naomi callas, Starfighter Oriental lilies and dendrobium orchids, all cascading down the 3 tiers to replicate a stream of flowers, and the cake will be placed on a bed of raw sugar to replicate sand. I love doing wedding design, each wedding is different as is each couple getting married. I really get into making sure each brides vision is realized, and doing it in such a manner that she does not need to stress about her flowers. My philosophy too is for each to have all my attention, so I do not book more than one wedding design per day.
The seedlings are coming along great, with the exception of the lavender that resented transplanting. Theres one remainder lavender, and I am now understanding a bit more why it thrives in the garden, I leave it alone. Last night I had a class here at Kindred Spirits Organics about growing herbs in containers. 7 people came to the class and seemed to really enjoy it. Tomorrow night is our weekly guided meditation class after the store is closed, its really a great way to begin the weekend and allow stress from during the week to slip away.

seedling update

Wow! These little seedlings arent so little anymore! This afternoon I will be moving some of the taller tomato seedlings into 6 inch pots. I'll be posting some pics as I transplant them, just like a proud new parent. I also got more seeds this morning, mostly herbs. I picked up other seeds as well, cilantro, purple basil (perfect for flavored vinegar!) more thyme, more green mammoth basil, and oregano.
Shh, I'll let you in on a little secret, I also have a few more tomato varieties started...Black Krim, Marglobe, Rutgers and San Marzano. I love San Marzano for dehydrating and then steeping in extra virgin olive oil.....yum yum yum! Marglobe I haven't grown yet, so this is new for me.
I also got some Watchman hollyhock seeds, they are deep dark purple that looks nearly black. They are flat out exceptional near pale buttery yellow hollyhocks.
I love the whole cottage romantic style of gardening. Flowers billowing everywhere, paths meandering and allowing me to slow down for a moment, fragrances wafting, to hear the birdsong and see butterflies enjoying themselves. Fresh veggies, herbs, containers of plants here and there, and a garden bench to sit on, glass of lemonade or wine to refresh. This, to me, is paradise.

Recipe - Boursin Stuffed Snow Peas

This recipe is for making your own Boursin, and then stuffing into snow peas. It is an excellent appetizer that will knock socks off your guests.
Boursin
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp fresh dill, minced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

Blend together all ingredients till smooth.

Split snow peas down the string side, stuff with Boursin.

You can also garnish with nasturtium, basil or chive flowers for a wonderful presentation.

Recipe - Quinoa Fiesta

I love quinoa, its an ancient sacred grain of the Incas. A quick note, always be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking, it has a icky tasting surface coat that easily rinses off.

1 cup raw quinoa
2 cups water
1/8 tsp salt
3 shallots, minced
1/2 sweet green pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1/2 sweet red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced and drained
1 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Rinse quinoa thoroughly, I use one of those fine sieves so it doesn't get all over. Bring the water to a boil, add salt and quinoa, bring back to a boil. Once it comes back to boil, cover, reduce heat so it simmers slowly, cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
While thats happening, saute the shallots and peppers in the olive oil. Mix into the quinoa and right before you are ready to serve, stir in the drained water chestnuts and cilantro.
You may need to add just a touch more salt, but check it first to see how it tastes.
Enjoy!!!

First day of Spring!!

Ahh, the first day of Spring! Today holds so much promise, of snow melting, seeing the first robin, feeling that warmth of the sun on your face....Happy first day of Spring! The seedlings are doing well, its time for some of the tomatoes to be moved into 6 inch pots. They will love their new homes I'm sure! Some of the herb seedlings did not transplant too well, I have learned that my lavender really got ticked off going into larger pots and is still sulking, a few days after. I hope that they will respond to my loving care. Thankfully the parsley, bells of Ireland and spinach seedlings were far less grumpy.
Tomorrows forecast says 8 inches of snow very possible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed....

Spring sunshine!

Today is a gorgeous day, the sun is shining and it must be about 45 degrees. There's lots of people walking and jogging and it just feels like spring is in the air! I transplanted some of the herb seedlings this morning into larger pots, and I swear they are responding already. I also am sniffing the hyacinth plants that are blooming in pots, wow are they ever fragrant! Mmm, smells like honeyed vanilla, pretty intoxicating stuff. Lots of people are stopping by to peer in the windows, I think they are as starved for warm weather as I am.
I can't wait to start reading a book I picked up from on hold at the public library. Its called The Hometown Advantage and is written by Stacy Mitchell. It is about local small businesses, public policies and zoning. I think it will be interesting and pertinent to our shop and what we envision for the future.
This morning we checked on the wine, its definitely slowing down on bubbling and is getting much clearer. I can't wait to taste it! I imagine sitting in the backyard under the maple tree and hanging out with friends and family, enjoying life.

Spinners Guild

On Saturday we had a great time hosting the Fox Valley Spinners Guild for a demonstration. 7 spinners came and showed us how they were taking raw fiber and spinning it into yarn. It was amazing to see the different types, some were using sheep wool while others displayed alpaca, yak, camel, dog and even one members daughters hair spun into thread. They each had their own unique qualities and textures. The members were a fun group, laughing, singing, talking and explaining how they became interested in this heirloom craft.

more seeds to plant...and the wine is fermenting!

Before coming to Kindred Spirits this morning, I couldn't help but stop and look at the seeds racks. Just one or two more packs evolved into 5 packages of pepper seeds (pimento stuffer, purple belle, yellow belle, California Wonder and red bell Mercury) and for tomatoes, Roma, Tigerella, another package of Brandywine, Hillbilly and chocolate cherry. The chocolate cherry tomato and hillbilly are both new to me, and look pretty darn interesting. The chocolate cherry is said to resemble chocolate drops, grown in clusters and are supposed to be quite tasty. Hillbilly tomato is a large yellow orange tomato streaked with red and have high acidity (oh my lips!) and quite vigorous.
Its going to be lots of fun growing them in the garden and seeing for ourselves how these varieties taste. Again this morning Jeff commented that we will need to expand the gardens a bit. I'm really lucky he is into gardening too, or I might have a bit of 'splaining to do about all these seedlings. I'm also lucky that my kids have said they will take some plants off my hands. Hmm, think we need an intervention?
Jeff's newest hobby is wine making and oh boy is he going to town! A few nights ago he tested and then transferred his first fermenting from the wine pail into the glass carboy for the second fermentation stage. Whew!! It is fun watching the bubbling action, and knowing that in a few months we can sample this batch. He is using Niagara grapes, and the next batch will be black currants. I'm looking forward to this fall when we will go south of Madison WI to a vineyard and pick the French grapes and have them crushed right in front of us. I'll keep you posted!

Harmony Cafe and coffee grounds

I am truly blessed to have great neighbors near Kindred Spirits Organics. Close by is a remarkable non profit green cafe called Harmony Cafe, a program of Goodwill Industries. Not only is it a cool place to meet for delicious coffee (organic, Fair trade) food and snacks and great music, but they also give price breaks for using the bus or by bringing in your own coffee cup. The best part, the people at Harmony. Mat came into Kindred one day and we were talking about composting, organics and the environment. He offered the used coffee grounds from the coffee shop, to help build nutrients into the gardens soil. He would rather see it composted and go back into the earth rather than going to the landfill and I applaud him. I pick up the coffee grounds three times a week and they are a valued addition to my compost piles. I can't wait to bring to Mat and his friends sun ripened tomatoes and peppers, herbs and flowers grown with the goodness generated by their coffee grounds. If you want to check out Harmony Cafes website and learn more, the web address is www.harmonycafe.org.