Land of the Lost Surprise

Keto Birthday and Learning on the Fly

2009-12-20T17:52:00.000-08:00

A certain Keto boy had a birthday. One of the blogs I read had a discussion of a thin cake (Joconde) made with almond meal and egg, so I tried a sugarless version with alternating layers of ganache and cream cheese frosting. The original version was made at 3.75:1 ratio (3.75x the fat to 1x the protein & carb). He loved it. By the time his birthday came though we were on a 4:1 ratio and I had to tweak on the spot. Not quite as popular.

And the family cake. lol. Don't ever start a new recipe 2 hours before your company comes. Yikes! The cake was wonderful...but too hot! The frosting melted right off it. Eventually I scraped it off and offered people to add their own on the side or some ice cream. The cake was excellent. The frosting was too rich and I still have it in my freezer. I don't make a good buttercream I guess.

A rather disappointing Keto birthday for L. but a smidge better than the vanilla pudding he had last year. At least this year the candles stood up!

I have no words...

2009-12-13T15:47:00.000-08:00

E: Mom...you won't believe what I. did!!!
I: Mom..I'm sorry..I'm not sure but I might have done it on purpose.....but I didn't know you would be sad.
Me: Really? what is it???
Picture
Me: Wow....wow...um...try to smile next time, ok?
E: laughing
I: I think I was just bored. I didn't really think about it. Sorry mom.

Dh calls this the 'did I fart?' picture. Yes we put it on the wall.

September days come and gone

2009-10-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Making applesauce despite the missing crank (Dean and his dad fit a huge awl crank to it)

Studious

Last harvest~cranberry beans, calypso beans, tomatoes, baby corn, sunflower dead heads, and one tiny yellow cucumber

L. in his sunflower house (really just a lean-to since only 4 plants survived)

Shirtless through the yard..can't do that anymore

Building things with the shape blocks really meant for educational pattern-making, but how cool is this?

Lots going on here. I'm taking 3 classes right now and each expects @80-120pgs of technical reading per week. I will try to post at least once a month until I have more personal time. I hope Autumn is treating you well.

Mobility

2009-08-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Lot's going on right now. Boys starting school. I'm starting school. Getting back on a budget after reunion-family activity weeks and weekends.

But not before I get a laptop.

For some reason if you're going back to school you've got to have a laptop. Especially if you're taking the entire course online. Not that I'm complaining. It will be nice to unplug the computer during class time and lock myself in the bedroom. Fewer 'Mom!!!' pokes and prods that way.

This thing is also the reason I haven't posted in a bit. First I have to figure out how to upload pictures to this thing while the boys enjoy Dust or Splitter or building a Roman city in CivCity Rome (I can't tell you how embarrassing it is that my 9 year old is so much better than I am at this game..not that I'm a gamer but your people shouldn't starve to death because you can't figure out how to get the food out of the store houses) on the regular computer. I can't tell you how much they like that I now have my own to IM Daddy without interrupting their trade with the Phoenicians.

Made my first pesto this week. Learned how to make a roux so I could make creamy pesto sauce with some pasta. I'm not a very good cook. It's a big deal if something I learn is in French.

I ate my first tomato today. It was excellent cut up with olive oil, garlic salt, basil, oregano, red pepper on some toasted bread. Yum.

The bad news is that I have some kind of bacterial wilt on the deck tomatoes. What started as dryness and wilt from our 5 day vacation has turned into brown dots covering all of the Yellow Lemon tomato plant, the Clear Pink Early, and bits and pieces of the others. It doesn't look good and I think I spread it from the Lemon. Lots of hand washing going on here now. And dirty looks at the miniature corn and zucchini and squash which flower but refuse to give me anything.

So the garden is passing, even as I get a few tomatoes and beans. And posts may begin diverging a little early this year.

Getting Into August

2009-08-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

The sunflowers are getting long. Not enough to make the sunflower tent I was expecting this year but I'm pleased that most of them survived.

Some beautiful Ice Queens. Short, pretty, but I don't see any seed developing on the one that's started to dry up.

Regular ones didn't grow tall but dried nicely.

Meow. This fellow enjoys the cover.

Lots Going On...the Other Update

2009-08-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

We were on vacation in Door County and we ran into a Civil War reenactment. These guys really lived there a few days. They came from all over northern Wisconsin.

The boys liked the muskets. They demonstrated how many actions they had to do just to fire. Soldiers were expected to fire 3x a minute.

J. didn't want to be the girl in this shot. We ate across the street at some dwarfish establishment. We really should have taken more photos but we were having too much fun I think. No sunset over Lake Michigan shots. No beachs. No Peninsula State Park. No Chicago fireboat cruise. No lighthouses. Sorry.

Dean's family reunion. Norwegian stand off.

Lots Going On...the Veggie Update

2009-08-11T13:35:00.000-07:00

Is THAT what got into the Boxcar Willies?

L. picks them. Animals/bugs eat them.

The great end rot vacation episode. I think we're back on track now.

We did get one little one. Yellow lemon or yellow pear? J. and I thought yellow lemon, nice and mellow interior with a slightly sour exterior.

The rest of the harvest. Yayyy!

The Busy Time

2009-07-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't been gardening lately. I've been sitting in an unfinished basement (and a beautiful 100 year old home with a crazy floor plan) in the middle of Illinois.

Roommate reunion!

The good thing is that while I was gone it rained, and rained, and rained...thus the basement smores.

Things are going well here and we're heading out to Door County this weekend to meet up with my in-laws and their 'camping' group.

It's wet. It's wet. It's wet. But I don't mind really. We really needed this rain. That's me in the black licking my fingers.

Fingerling potatoes a friend gave me around July 4th are up. I attempted to hill them a bit yesterday. Bush beans are blooming. A few of my diminutive tomato plants have grown a few inches and are blooming. I'm thinking of digging up some of the others and transplanting them into the squash bed.

I swear I have the smallest squash plants in North America.

L's first photo on the blog

2009-07-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

Wayahead. Not bad for a 4 year old.

Just getting around to it

2009-07-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Mulching corn and squash.

And beans. Also set up a new wire shelf tripod for the Calypso beans.

Had to stop. Ran into compost. Guess I left those leaves just a little too long.

Baking Book Review

2009-07-08T15:07:00.000-07:00

Bread: a Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman

I've had this one recommended to me a few times. It's for
intermediate home bakers. Those who have read Bread Baker's Apprentice or other artisan beginner books and want to move on a little. The front section is very descriptive, taking in every step in the baking process and describing what's happening on a scientific level and how that effects the product. When I borrowed this from the library I found the recipes so good that I put a copy on our Amazon list for Dean's next computer book splurge. It came today. For anyone interested in quality home baking this would be my top choice.

Flatbreads & Flavors: a Baker's Atlas by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

I've had this one on my interlibrary loan list since I made pitas for the first time. This is a fun book to page through. The photographs are beautiful, not just of food but of markets and people from around the world. There are stories, bread recipes, and recipes for other cultural foods. I was surprised that there was not just a lot of Lebanese, Italian, and Egyptian breads here and little else. There were breads from Iran and Norway and Mexico. This will go on the Amazon list for purchase some day. It's not as intrinsic as the Hamelman book, but its very intriguing. I have yet to try anything from it.

The Art and Soul of Baking from Sur le Table

Was on the new books shelf at the library. A very straight-forward description of the foods and methods used in baking and pastry making. Nicely detailed without being overwhelming, a lot like Cookwise by Shirley Corrhir in that respect. I learned a lot about pie crust and brioche and danish sweet bread. How they work and how to best work with them. I was impressed with the description. Recommended for people interested in pastry. I probably won't buy because my interests don't lie in that direction. I'm not sure the small bread baking section would be worth the look although the Introduction on ingredients was enlightening and worth a look at your library.

I'm unsure of where this bush comes from..

2009-07-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

..the Serengeti Plain? Honestly we've tried to cut it down twice and it just keeps coming back.

The Living Dead, the Half Dead, and the Vibrantly Alive

2009-07-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

We're the kind of people who pick things out of other people's trash. And we're not ashamed. We were walking the dog last month and someone had thrown out some rhubarb roots. No leaves. No stalks. Just roots. Ever the optimists we brought them home and planted them. They rose from the dead.

Actually we have an experiment going. We planted one among the ajuga--it's alive and has 4 stalks even though we can't see them in that crazy undergrowth. We planted one in normal ground with the perennials--also alive with several stalks. We planted one in the darkest parts under the cedar--still managing to live and grow a few leaves. Crazy.

The houseplants are not quite as happy to be alive. The mint got a nice reboot, the sage is holding on but dropping half its leaves, but the rosemary is staging an active protest and looks like it's in an el Greco painting.

The giant mutant spider from Mars is attacking the beans...but they like it. I swear they are twice as big as this and I only took it last week. It won't be long before they get the upper hand.

I can't keep up with the potatoes. I'm attempting to mound them so high that they have double the root-growing space. I think they're winning this race.

The Difference Between Siblings

2009-07-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes planted first, in the shaded beds. Notice the height of the lettuce and the height of the tomato plant.

Big, healthy, younger siblings on the sunny deck.

Already flowering out.

Shaded

2009-07-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Making some interesting observations this year.

I did know that my bean bed was far too shaded to be a good garden. That's part of what sent me on this journey and the reason I made both the nearby raised beds.

This is my third year doing crop rotation. Every year I add some kind of bed (and some new plants). I still end up with a lot of plant overflow, especially when much loved veggies are stuck in the smaller beds.

This year the overflow is tomatoes. Last year it was potatoes. I've taken to growing extras in 5 gal containers on the deck or in the side yard.

A new observation this year. Tomatoes grown in the containers, in full sunlight, on the deck are more than twice the size of those in the raised bed. I think this photo illustrates why. Hemmed in by cedar, a roof of maple and oak boughs. This is what the sky looks like to the lowly tomato.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do at this point. Cutting down the oak is impossible (its a neighbors). The maple is beautiful. At some point I may have to give it up, if we stay here long enough and I get desperate enough.

Until then I may have to create 2 different crop rotations so the sunlovers are always in the sun. Or maybe get more 5 gal buckets.

Pop!

2009-06-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Beans.

Feel free to spread out a bit.

Try not to get eaten.

The Land's Blooming

2009-06-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Iris. I transplanted this one when I replanted the bed 2-3 years ago. This is the first time it's blooming.

Peas bustin' out all over. I took several shots of the tomatoes (Wayahead, Powers Heirloom, Black Krim, Aunt Ruby's German Green) but none of them made the tiny, unopened blossoms easy to see so I chose not to include them.

Strawberries. We did just plant these this year though so I' m trying to convince Dean that we should cut off the flowers and allow the plants to get better settled. It's a hard argument. He understandably wants strawberries, now! We've come to a comprimise where we'll remove all but one blossom at a time. Hopefully that will give the plants enough energy to put into growth but give Dean and the boys some fun this year.

Dirty me. We were piling leaves on the potatoes and planting some strawberries that got trampled.

I Covet...

2009-06-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Isn't that cute? I can just imagine a trip to the farmer's market and the library with a 4 year old in tow. I wouldn't even have to hold back on the number of books I checked out. The 'bucket' comes with an insert with 2 seat belts.

Keeping Up

2009-06-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

Just trying to keep up lately. I can hardly believe its in the middle of June. Dean and I take the dog for a walk and I often am surprised at what's blooming right now.

Here's some replacement lettuce waiting its turn.

Leftover pots from Spring planting are still sitting outside.

And Dean's worm farm has been making lots of great fertilizer for my bucket tomatoes. They look as strong and healthy as their raised garden brethren.

This is an interesting undertaking and sometimes I wish I was documenting it better. Wetness is a factor; the worms can drown. Sometimes I think we put too much food in. It's a very hit or miss proposition. Maybe I'll yield a post to Dean so he can explain more about it. Hopefully we'll have learned enough to keep them alive through the winter.

Leaping Backward through May

2009-06-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

One problem with my yard...having enough sunlight. One of our solutions is growing things in 5 gallon buckets on the back deck or on the small path at the south wall of the garage. Last year it was potatoes. This year we have tomato overflow and 1 bell pepper. I hope I remember to water them.

It still amazes me how much corn looks like grass (I believe it belongs to the grass family). I swear I've lived in corn and dairy country all my life but I guess I've never been this close to one so early in the season. I hope the dog doesn't eat it. He likes the tall grass.

And the squash nod and stretch. I hope that hose is not too close. L. planted all the hardy squash for me. This is my first year using the drip hoses. It's my investment for the year. Last year all the squash, cucumbers, and pumpkin died of powdery mildew. They were so far away I just splashed them as best I could. I just love how you can just point hoses to the sky and thumb it just right. Apparently veggies don't find that quite as fun.

Cucumbers look a little uncertain.

Here's Dean's new bed. Strawberries. I never thought I had enough sun for them but a friend gave me this cool box. We'll just have to wait and see.

As we leap back into the present I think I miss May 23rd. It was so bright and sunny. Right now it's in the 40s and rainy. I think I'll take a day off, bake some banana bread, throw in some Steve Earle and read Michael Perry's new book Coop. Highly recommended.

Time Travel

2009-06-05T16:48:00.000-07:00

Time travel: I don't mean the kind with a flashing sleigh-like ship with an elegant Victorian handle. Maybe more like the '90s tv series. A series of leaps through the last few weeks, starting with today and working backward.

This is one of my workspaces. Look well, I will probably never show it to you again. The important thing in this picture is the empty mayo container with BEANS written over manila tape. This is the theme of today's program.

These are not beans. These are peas...in a potato bed. However, I did plant a few green beans here in the empty spaces so it does fit the theme. Plus I'm really proud of this weird sticks and string set up. I've fixed it twice when the dog trounced it. I probably need to get over this pride issue and buy something sturdy but I think of this as a kind of found art project.

The old bean bed. It's overhung with cedar, oak, and maple. I feel sorry for it really. So far beans are the only things which will grow there. I've tried onions, potatoes, cucumber, melon, peppers, and basil. This is the original garden bed that came with the house. I'm not quite sure what they were thinking when they put it there.

Today for garden therapy day I planted edamame (soy beans for fresh eating), Vermont Cranberry beans (hard shell), and a few yellow bush beans. I mixed a few Empress bush beans in with the tomatoes (on the left) and peas (on the right).

Tomorrow I'll work on posting the 3 sisters garden L. and I planted last week. We'll do a little time hopping, so be patient with me.

Okay, the photos's not that pretty but...

2009-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

My bread (multigrain levain..repeat that a dozen times, it rolls off the tongue so nicely). My lettuce. Okay, the chicken isn't mine. I have enough problems with the city without adding chickens to the mix.

It was a busy weekend. More when I find the little camera. Until then listen to some Jayhawks wait for the sun to come out again.

These Flying May Days

2009-05-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Roasted Potato Bread and Multigrain Levain, twisted but tasty.

Replanted the poor Cubanelle peppers. It's not looking good for the little guys. Despite being started upstairs at the heating vent and surviving multiple cat attacks these little seedlings look the same as they did a month ago. Unlike last year, this year I hedged my bets by buying 2 basil plants and 3 bell peppers from someone with a heating mat!

At the end of a long day Dean and I played half of 1960: the Making of the President, a board game. This time I got to be Kennedy. He appears to be clobbering me. Don't worry, next time we play its time for the Debates. I think that will help me realign the board in my favor.

How I'm Getting Spoiled

2009-05-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

I've been doing this. Mostly because baking my own bread has meant I won't eat most store-bought bread anymore. It's sad how I turn my nose up at everything, but not as sad as how much of this loaf I consumed in 24 hours. Without help. Most of it in the first hour.

I keep telling myself that baking is cheaper and better for me, but maybe not if I conservatively eat a loaf, loaf and a half a day. And I could easily eat more.

Guess I better keep baking day down to once a week. Roasted Potato bread, I love you. Shh...don't tell Dean. He'll want a piece too.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day means remembering the men and women who have given their lives for the United States (although I've often wondered about the difference between today and Veterans Day), and in our neck of the Woods it also means remembering the weather, and all those seedlings you started in frigid March, and how much you're looking forward to that first non-Californian strawberry and tomato of the season.

Here J. and I are preparing the holes for the seedlings. J. likes to volunteer for things. He took over the mix of fertilizer and epsom salts.

I especially like the cute little lettuces around the edge of the box here. We got a mix so we have various colors and shapes.

And here it's done.

The two large plants in the middle are Black Krim and a Aunt Ruby's German Green I bought from Jung's Saturday (along with some lawn seed, a yellow bell pepper, a stars and stripes watermelon, and some strawberry roots).

I saved some seed last year from both plants only to find it had molded because of improper packing on my part, so to Jung's I go.

The rest are Powers Yellow Heirloom (paste), Yellow Pear, Burztyn, and Yellow Lemon (that's a lot of yellow tomatoes!). They were the largest. The rest will be planted in 5gal buckets when they're bigger and the weather is warmer.

I hope you're all enjoying the planting season as much as we are. Later on we were on the deck playing Dominion with friends while the kids got bit up by mosquitoes and whipped each other around until someone finally got hurt.

A happy and peaceful growing season to all of you.