reviving the victory garden

for mothers day, i got a fence and some cow manure. this would probably be an awful present to anyone other than me, but it's exactly what i had asked for. adam and i spent the better part of the weekend creating a 4x8 foot vegetable garden, and refueling all of the pots on the deck. this year, we're going to have an impressive crop of lots of random things that the kids picked out. i truly can't wait. we have so many varieties of lettuces, peppers and tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, edamame, broccoli, sugar snap peas, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin and even a watermelon. yes, i'm aware of the fact that we're going to be overcrowded. that's where those years of biology and charles darwin come in.

we've always gardened. i've been interested in gardening for as long as i can remember. i had hoped to instill that love of the earth, recycling and composting into my own children. it happened, and they may even love it more than me. you should hear them talk about the rain barrel. sheesh! anyway, my husband has been inspired every year to grow a fabulous garden of salad or salsa ingredients, and he gets bigger ideas with every year. we've always have a fabulous crop of our home grown, organically harvested produce. after five years of tuscan pot gardening, this year, we had planned to plot a small garden outside of the container.

long before green was the new black, we were planning away our own little victory garden of the future. well, being environmentally friendly and eco-conscious are now quite trendy, and with the slipping economy, more people are turning back to the garden. what a perfect resurgence in victory gardens. we still have some painting and cosmetics to work on, and possibly some marigolds to plant to ward off my sweet bunny, but we'll see. for now, i could not be happier.

we've already inspired a number of people to create their very own victory gardens. now it's your turn to sow your seeds, spread the message, and promote a little us history. where do you start? here's a great site right here.

mama mia! that's a some-a pesto!

since my basil crop is practically doubling in size daily, i decided to make some homemade pesto.

3 cups packed basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts (kylinn's favorite!)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup evoo
3 cloves garlic

chop the basil and toss into a bowl. chop pine nuts and add to basil along with parmesan. mix well. mince garlic and add to evoo in a separate bowl. when thoroughly combined, add to basil mixture. blend and enjoy.

add to your favorite pasta, use as a dip with pita, or make a fabu pizza with the rest of your homegrown crop.

and yet another stowaway

the bunny has a summer home over at jeremy's, but apparently continues to lunch at my house still. i had to yell at girl patrol the other day because after witnessing the glitter mob running through my yard screaming and wielding sticks, i realized that they were chasing my bunny.

so, what now? oh yes. a pair of mourning doves has decided to nest in my hanging strawberry basket on the deck. they had already moved in by the time we got back from camping but there were no eggs yet. of course, hanging a few feet above a deck full of fun toddler activity would be an excellent place to nest. in my frigging strawberries, no less. and i must say, there's nothing like organic strawberries covered by bird ass. and it's not like they even made a nest- they just sit on the dirt! i went out to buy a new hanging basket to entice a move, but in the meantime, the mama laid two little eggs in my berries. the dad takes the all day shift and the mom does all night. there is always a stupid bird on the eggs.

yesterday, i did some gardening and watering of my patio plants. of course, the bird sat there. i can get about four inches from it and tap the planter and it still won't move. it is, however, terrified of the camera. so yesterday, adam basically pushes the bird out. it was the dad, and he was furious. so he goes and gets the mom and they both sat on the garage yelling and mourning and the dad was whipping his head back and forth to threaten adam. so what? apparently, that was the last straw because the bastard started dive-bombing us. now, i am afraid of horses, but i am beyond terrified of birds. so , we quickly jumped back inside, and the birds happily resumed their 24-hour egg sitting schedule.

ughhhh. four more weeks.

setting the records straight: the great gelatin debate

yesterday, my sister-in-law was telling me about the vegetarian fare she had available at her party. she pointed out the rice casserole, spinach salad and to the pretzel jell-o. "actually, jell-o is a by-product." i replied. "what??? what do you mean?" she exclaimed. "oh, we'll talk later." i said, not wanting to scare her at her own party.

so for you lindsay, and anyone else who cares... here is why jell-o is not vegetarian and why I do not eat marshmallows (except for these), most gum and fruit snacks, etc. sorry if this ruins everything:

Gelatin

The status of gelatin is a controversial topic. True gelatin consists of denatured proteins, and comes from the processed hides or bones of animals, usually pigs or cows. This also affects the status of some brands of marshmallows.^[4] Most kosher products today use fish-based gelatin.

Another issue with gelatin is whether it is parve ('not dairy, nor meat'). A kosher parve 'gelatin' made from vegetable gums such as carrageenan combined with food starch from tapioca (which is also suitable for vegans) is commercially available in supermarkets which have substantial Kosher food sections. It does behave differently than protein-based gelatin, however, and cannot always be substituted directly for animal gelatin without modification of the recipe (mixing it with hot water instead of cold water). Other gelatin-like materials available include combinations of carrageenan and other vegetable gums, such as guar gum, locust-bean gum, xanthan gum, gum acacia, and agar, chemically modified food starch, and chemically modified pectins. Recently, such products have been used in prepackaged gelled fruit products, replacing animal-based gelatin.

Although most gelatin is considered non-kosher, several prominent rabbinic authorities have noted that gelatin undergoes such extensive processing and chemical changes that it no longer has the status of meat, and as such may be considered parve and kosher. This is the position adopted by some Orthodox rabbis, including Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel.

YUM!

it's time to start the music...

my organic patio garden is ready to go and i am so excited for all of the scientific experiments that i will perform on this years crop. because i'm crazy and think that i have room to do this, i've decided to also plant zucchini, beans, yellow squash and brussels sprouts in addition to the usual peppers, strawberries, tomatoes and herbs. i'll add more pictures of the earthbox and various container gardens soon. but for now, enjoy my little bit of tuscany.