Venison Ambassador

First Salad of the Season!

Lettuce 2012 has sprung! I picked my first volunteer crop of lettuce & will be enjoying it with tonight's dinner.

First Bed of the Season

This past Sunday, March 18th (June 18th if you based it on the temp, but never mind.) Jeff & I finally made it out to clean out a bed and tuck in some future goodies. We planted broccoli, lettuces, radishes & beets. To avoid a repeat of last year's "Echo disaster" we rolled chicken wire over the bed to prevent Echo from joyfully rearranging our seeds. (Last year my beloved cat, you probably notice I didn't say "our" beloved cat, kicked her happy little paws - and the seed all over the bed.)

Seeds on Order

I did it! Finally the end of school is close enough that I can imagine the wonders of not having my nose in a book in the frantic way of studying while working! I ordered tomato seeds, pepper seeds and 12 varieties of herb seeds - all for the indoor garden! As soon as they arrive I'm cranking up the seed mat and planning meals around the homegrown yumminess!!

Salsa ("People just like saying Salsa!")

Homemade salsa - I did it! I made salsa for the first time and it is YUMMY!!! Jeff even said if he were served it in a Mexican restaurant he would notice how good it is! Yea!!! Tonight we had Mexican Pie out of our new cookbook - wow! It used my salsa and of course, venison - delicious!

Me vs The Tomato

The meandering cherry tomato tolerates my attempts to tie him down, trim him back and generally control his chaos. We both know the futility of my actions. In one overnight move he stretches skyward toward the Sun - oh, the Sun! More tiny balls of delightfully sweet tomatoes are ripe - his appeasing gift designed to remind me that his freedom and desire to sprawl are paramount and the only way to an incalculable harvest of red, orange and yellow orbs too tasty for mere words. The tomato is Victor!

Dill Pickles!

It's official - you are now reading the words of a bona fide pickle co-maker!!! Last night Jeff & I tasted our pickles - imagine this - they taste like "real" pickles! We are going to have to get on the fast track to eating them because now I want to make Bread & Butter pickles.

What a great way to use up the wildly prolific Cuke!

(Due to space constraints we have to down at least a jar and a half before I start the new batch-these are the refrigerator type, so they must fit.)

 

Pickles?

We bravely entered a new world last night. Yes, our kitchen has vinegar scent (I know, I know, call it whatever you want, vinegar is still a smell, not a scent.) We have the proof of our late evening project safely upside down in the fridge. Why upside down? Because part of the learning curve (apparently) is learning that it only makes 4 jars if you are a fantastic judge of the amount of cucumbers needed for 4 jars. We did weigh them, but somehow still found ourselves short. So, we condensed the whole project into 3 jars and they spent the night right-side up and are now spending the day upside down, because we are tasting our project tonight. Keep your fingers crossed and I'll let you know on the yumminess scale where we wind up.....

Greens

We went to a family gathering yesterday and got to bring our own salad greens! They were so yummy and pretty, too!

Groundhog Day Miracles

The seed catalogs have been showing up now for a few weeks. Thank goodness! With this new mess of snow and ice icky combo, reminders that spring is eventually coming are so welcome! Farm and Home has up their seed displays and I am dreaming of the yummies that we will harvest from the garden this coming summer. We are discussing tomato varieties and squash choices with an intensity that belies how much time we really have to decide. It is our frantic escape into the warm rays of summer, never mind that the escape is mental only, and temporary at best. Hang in there - I hear that Phil says spring is sooner rather than later! Please, please, let Phil be right!

On a delicious note, Jeff fixed Venison Loin seasoned with smoked black pepper and thyme, sauteed in  a little olive oil. Wonderful!

Big Day!

New happenings here in our household! Today I turned the grow light back on - the little Carmens are big enough to need it again!

On an even more exciting note - Echo is officially an FMA!!! That's right, she is now a Future Mouser of America(a.k.a. FMA)! She absolutely has the whole chippy (you may know them as chipmunks) community in a complete uproar. I got home and she went flying up the hillside. I dismissed this as the usual butterfly and leaf-chasing antics she treats us to daily. Was I ever wrong! Chippy was running scared and Echo was hot on his trail! I don't think she's caught one yet, but watch out - Echo 9000 is officially on the prowl!!!