I Got Rescued

Whew! That was close! I was only two days away from being forcibly removed from this plane of existence when my forever parents came to the rescue yesterday. My pound name is Betty but I'm not sure that will stay my name, we'll have to see. I might be 6 years old and weigh about 20 pounds...kind of on the small side for a beagle. I am very smart and friendly and I think I am going to like it here. Huge fenced back yard and I've already spent a couple of hours chasing voles, chipmunks and squirrels in the back and I even chased off a stray cat that was lurking in the bushes waiting for breakfast. Those are my critters now cat.
I've got a new bed and some toys and I already know where the treats are kept....Yep it's looking up.

Note from FM: Yes, a friend found this young lady and fostered her out of the pound but her already dog didn't take to company and we now have a new buddy. We've been resisting the urge to get another dog and have been canine free for years and years since Calamity Jane and Watts our previous beagles left us. Betty was just too cute to pass up and so now we are beagle people again.

Garden Progress - Memorial Day

I have to go to work in a few minutes but I  thought I should post a couple of garden pictures since it is looking pretty good right now. Everything seems pretty happy and after an all day yesterday virtually weed free.  Lot's of hard work but all of it enjoyed and good for the mind and body. Top picture facing South has (from left to right) several varieties of beans, Assorted pepper and tomatoes then cucumbers and the spring cabbages. In the back are all the squash, okra and corn. The bottom picture is facing North with the Silver Queen corn in the foreground and some just starting bush cukes and cantaloupe. Sweet potatoes are just on the other side of the corn. There is still about 25% left to plant.

Life Support

Our beautiful planet is dying. I'm an old man so it is likely I won't see it in its final death throes and truth be told, I don't want to. Still I am doing what I can to make a difference because I can see the effects of human activity everyday in my garden. You can make a difference as well. Since it was written about a month ago, 520 global scientists have signed on to this statement. You can also sign it as I have.  Maybe if enough of us do someone will pay attention. There is a lot more information, including ideas for solutions, at Stanford University's Millenium Alliance for Humanity & the Biosphere website.

Earth is rapidly approaching a tipping point. Human impacts are causing alarming levels of harm to our planet. As scientists who study the interaction of people with the rest of the biosphere using a wide range of approaches, we agree that the evidence that humans are damaging their ecological life-support systems is overwhelming. We further agree that, based on the best scientific information available, human quality of life will suffer substantial degradation by the year 2050 if we continue on our current path.
 Science unequivocally demonstrates the human impacts of key concern:

• Climate disruption—more, faster climate change than since humans first became a species.
• Extinctions—not since the dinosaurs went extinct have so many species and populations died out so fast, both on land and in the oceans.
• Wholesale loss of diverse ecosystems—we have plowed, paved, or otherwise transformed more than 40% of Earth’s ice-free land, and no place on land or in the sea is free of our direct or indirect influences.
• Pollution—environmental contaminants in the air, water and land are at record levels and increasing, seriously harming people and wildlife in unforeseen ways.
• Human population growth and consumption patterns—seven billion people alive today will likely grow to 9.5 billion by 2050, and the pressures of heavy material consumption among the middle class and wealthy may well intensify.

By the time today’s children reach middle age, it is extremely likely that Earth’s life-support systems, critical for human prosperity and existence, will be irretrievably damaged by the magnitude, global extent, and combination of these human-caused environmental stressors, unless we take concrete, immediate actions to ensure a sustainable, high-quality future.
As members of the scientific community actively involved in assessing the biological and societal impacts of global change, we are sounding this alarm to the world. For humanity’s continued health and prosperity, we all—individuals, businesses, political leaders, religious leaders, scientists, and people in every walk of life—must work hard to solve these five global problems, starting today: 1. Climate Disruption 2. Extinctions 3. Loss of Ecosystem Diversity 4. Pollution 5. Human Population Growth and Resource Consumption.
The full statement has been signed by 520 global scientists from 44 countries. Those signatures were obtained within a month of completion of the statement, by direct email requests from the authors and their close colleagues to a targeted group of well-regarded global change scientists.   The signers include 2 Nobel Laureates, 33 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences,   42 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and several members of various European scientific academies.
PEOPLE WISHING TO READ THE FULL SUMMARY OR THE ENTIRE REPORT CAN FIND THEM AT http://mahb.stanford.edu.
AT THE SAME SITE PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO ENDORSE THE REPORT IF YOU AGREE WITH IT.  THE MORE ENDOSEMENTS THERE ARE FROM PEOPLE IN EVERY WALK OF LIFE, BETTER THE CHANCE THAT DECISION-MAKERS WILL PAY ATTENTION AND START TO TAKE ACTION.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AS FAR AS POSSIBLE AND URGE THOSE YOU KNOW TO SPEND A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO REGISTER THEIR SUPPORT.

Hunger Is Growing

While you're (maybe) contemplating your big Memorial Day cookout whether it be burgers or whatever don't think about this article in The Atlantic which discusses the current state of hunger in most of the developed countries of the world. We know, even though we rarely dwell upon it, that people are starving by the thousands in such places as Africa and the Middle East or India but we don't think of the U.S. as a place for hunger....wrong!

Nearly a Quarter of People in Greece and the U.S. Can't Afford Food

Hunger has grown dramatically in Europe since 2007

Olga Khazan May 23 2013, 1:09 PM ET

9
inShare

More

A Greek man eats food distributed by the Athens Municipality on January 30, 2012. (Yannis Behrakis/Reuters)

No matter where you're from, not having enough to eat is the ultimate signifier of economic distress. Food is the base of Maslow's hierarchy. It's the first concern in disaster zones. It's usually the last thing to go -- after the car and the nice apartment -- when you lose your job.
If you can't afford food, there's really nowhere to go but up. That's why it's so shocking just how many more hungry people there are now in what were formerly known as the world's well-off nations. According to a new Pew report released today, almost a quarter of people (24 percent) in the United States and Greece answered "yes" to the question, "Have there been times during the last year when you did not have enough money to buy food your family needed?"
The levels in other Western countries weren't quite that high, but the rate at which hunger has swept the eurozone since 2007 is still really dramatic:

Quick Cream of Broccoli(or any Vege) Soup

The garden is producing a nice crop of broccoli and I don't want to lose it so I have been trying to find ways of using it up. Last night I made quick cream of broccoli soup off the cuff that turned out pretty nice and thought I might share the basics. You can actually use this method for pretty much any vegetable. Cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beet, potato, turnip, celery, greens of any type would do fine. I was just cooking for two but the recipe will scale with no problem.  Madam insisted there be no left overs.

Here is the broccoli version:

1 pound of fresh broccoli finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup of milk or cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional but nice)

It was raining so I didn't want to go the garden for fresh parsley but it would be nice for a garnish.

This makes two large bowls.

In a large non reactive pot cook the onions and broccoli  in the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the onions are transparent stir in the flour, thyme and nutmeg and cook for a minute or two. Add the stock and bring to a simmer and cook at the simmer for about 20 minutes. Mix the egg yolk in the half cup of milk or cream and add this, while stirring, to the soup. At this point I use an immersion blender to make the soup a little smoother or you can leave it chunky. If you're using, add the cheese and stir to mix well. Adjust the seasoning and serve. A nice salad and some crusty bread and your good.

This and That

A day off and of course it is raining to beat the band and therefore no time in the garden. I'm pretty much caught up with the plan and only have the okra and chard starts to move to the garden and they'll be fine in the greenhouse for a few more days.

I did finish up Michael Pollan's "Cooked" this morning and it was a worthwhile read and recommend it heartily to any of you food lovers and cooks. While I tried a short cut version of his bread recipe the other week which turned out very nice I just embarked on the full length version. The flour and water are mixed and resting for 24 hours and the sourdough starter has been fed and is busily turning into a leaven which I will add to the flour/water mix tomorrow and begin the bulk ferment. This is basically a "no knead" bread and so it consists of merely turning the dough during the ferment to develop the gluten. My shortcut version(I didn't let the flour and water rest overnight before beginning the bulk ferment) turned out with good gluten development in spite of being 70% whole wheat and I can imagine it will be brilliant with the 24 hour rest. I've seen this long rest of the unleavened dough in a couple of German recipes and it makes sense since they typically used rye and needed all the help they could get. We shall see, but the first trial was positive. 

It does make a pile of dough with 1 kilo of flour and 850g of water plus about 150g of the leaven. The first batch had to be baked in two shifts since the oven wouldn't hold both loaves and I might make 3 loaves instead of just two this time but we'll see at baking time. As you can see by the flour/water ratio it is a very wet dough and somewhat difficult to wrestle around. Remembering my early baking days I can imagine inexperienced bread makers would be freaked by such a wet dough.

The garden has produced a lot of broccoli and I'm getting saturated. Last night I made a quick cream soup with a pile and it turned out pretty nice for an off the cuff recipe. I'll post the recipe in a separate post in a while. It's a good technique that will work for just about any vegetable and it's quick.

That's about it for now though I can't help but mention that I am resisting going to the market for some needed items afraid that I'll succumb to the desire to make Mr. Pollan's recipe for kim chi. Madam will kill me if I do. For someone who actually lived in Korea it's amazing how much she dislikes it. I have a jar of commercial kim chi in the fridge but I have a real urge to make a batch of my own. Must resist.

Mother's Day and Yeast Waffles

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. I fixed Madam yeast raised vanilla waffles with Irish butter and maple syrup for her Mother's Day breakfast and she liked them. I'm off in a few minutes to spend the day at work in the garden center at you know where. Can't decide whether it will be busy or not but we'll see. It's going to be a nice day and that usually means a crush on the weekend but maybe Mother's Day will temper it a bit.

On the home garden front I did manage to get the sweet potato starts in the ground yesterday with Madam's help and the second planting of corn done. The first planting is about a foot tall now and at Minimonk's request it is all Silver Queen which despite being around for a long time is still a hybrid corn so the seeds can't be saved. The second planting is Golden Bantam Improved which is an heirloom variety that can provide some seed for saving with the added bonus that is a nice table corn and it is yellow which, for some reason, is my preference.

Everyone enjoy the day.

Oh! and if anyone would like the recipe for making yeast raised waffles(which are lovely) let me know in the comments and I will post the recipe. You know baking powder and baking soda weren't always around so this is a very old way of making waffles and probably started out as a sourdough recipe(and if you need a recipe for those let me know as well).

Welcome to 400 Parts Per Million

A very sobering event happened yesterday. We hit a new carbon dioxide milestone of 400 ppm:

Scientific monitors reported that the gas had reached an average daily level that surpassed 400 parts per million — just an odometer moment in one sense, but also a sobering reminder that decades of efforts to bring human-produced emissions under control are faltering.
The best available evidence suggests the amount of the gas in the air has not been this high for at least three million years, before humans evolved, and scientists believe the rise portends large changes in the climate and the level of the sea.

In case you are wondering this means that we are on track to possibly see a rise in the average temperature of 4 degrees C towards the end of the century. If 4C doesn't sound so bad consider that scientist think it means the extinction of about half of the species now living on our little spaceship. We are so screwed.

"Cooked" by Michael Pollan

I have just started reading Cooked, Michael Pollan's newest book and even though I am just barely into it it is resonating in a big way. The importance of good food and actually cooking it yourself even when it is time consuming and much easier to buy it prepared is something I harp about all the time. I can already recommend this book to anyone that cares about the food they eat and cook.

It doesn't hurt that the first section is about fire and he starts out in Ayden, North Carolina at the Skylight which is ground zero for the Eastern Carolina BBQ tradition of cooking whole hogs very slowly over nothing but oak and hickory coals. If you have been around here for any length of time you already know I consider Eastern Carolina BBQ the pinnacle of the art and all the rest from Texas to Kansas to Memphis, while good, still 2nd tier. I'll probably get a little push back from that last statement but I have the satisfaction of knowing that Mr. Pollan agrees with me.

Orthodox Easter

I apologize. I didn't remember until just now that it is Orthodox Easter today. For all my Greek and other Orthodox friends...

Christos Anesti! "Χριστός ἀνέστη!"

Sauerkraut Can Be Beautiful

It's a really lousy day here in the Northern burbs of Atlanta. Rain all day with more predicted and very cool (only 54F at 6PM) which is very unusual for May. This calls for action in the form of a good German meal. Brats with kraut and boiled potatoes with lots of butter and parsley. Not just any sauerkraut mind you but my take on the kraut they make in the Alsace.

This will make enough for 4 unless they are German then it is enough for maybe two. Even if you are not a big fan of kraut you should try it this way and it may change your mind.

You'll need:
1 pound bag of fresh sauerkraut (I like Boar's Head) rinsed and drained
1 apple
1 medium yellow onion
2 bay leaves
8 juniper berries (optional but traditional)
1/2 cup of dry white wine ( I use dry vermouth)
1 TBsp honey
2 TBsp butter

In a 2 quart saucepan put the butter and the onion which you have cut  in half and sliced thinly. Put it over low heat, cover and sweat it until it is soft and translucent. Meanwhile peel and grate the apple on the large side of a box grater and add it to the onions. Don't grate the apple too soon or it will brown on you. Add the kraut the bay leaves, juniper berries, wine and honey. Add enough water to just cover the kraut and simmer on low for an hour or so. That's it.

I'll eat plain kraut on a sandwich or a hot dog but if I am serving it as a side dish then this is my go to recipe. It scales for larger crowds, of course. The juniper berries bring a little depth but you don't really have to have them. You can usually find them in the spice section of the grocery but this is the only dish I can think of that I use them in. If you make gravlax then you can use them crushed to add some zing to your cure.

If you have been turned off on the funky taste of kraut in the past try it this way and see if it doesn't become favorite.

Good Day at Men's Wearhouse

I Win! Went to Men's Wearhouse to get a tux today. Found a nice Jones of New York, classic cut..jacket $329.99, trousers $119.99, new tux shirt $79.99. Got to the check out and discovered that the jacket was marked down to $69.99 and the trousers to $39.99. Woot! On top of that I discovered that I had $150 in gift certificates on file. What I expected to be a $500 plus shopping trip totaled out at $93 with alterations. That was very good!

Liquid Sunshine and Stuff

Nice! I have three straight days off and it is supposed to rain all three. Not going to get much vegetable gardening done it seems.

Madam has decided that we will go to the Magnolia Ball this year. I drag out the tux just to see how it fits....doesn't. Oh yeah, I bought that tux 80 or so pounds ago....it's so big it can't even be altered...looks a wee bit like a clown suit. I guess a trip to the Men's Warehouse is in order. Nice rainy day for it.

Skeletons In The Closet

Seems my ancestors got a little desperate for protein during the "Starving Time" and took to snacking on little girls. (It does seem that she was at least dead first)  I've mentioned it before but my family were original settlers and part of the Jamestown colony so I guess I owe my existence to a wee bit of cannibalism. Whatever.

Unseasonably cool and a bit damp in these parts but the garden is coming along. I'll post a pic as soon as I get a sunny day. This is the week from hell at work....having to open at 6am every shift...it wouldn't be so bad if there was actually business at that ungodly hour but it is almost always not until 7 or later that we actually get a customer. You just stand around and the time drags and drags.

Anyhoo...its almost nine and 4am comes soon enough.

Magick Spring

It's almost Beltane the midpoint between the Spring equinox and the summer solstice and one of the eight solar days. Astronomically it is more like May 5th but tradition(at least for Wicca) has it celebrated on May 1st.

I know I haven't been around here much but Spring is hard gardening time and between work and the garden I barely have time for anything else. I only worked 8a to 12p today so I have the afternoon to catch up in the greenhouse seeing as how it raining quite hard today and will be for the next couple even it is off and on. For some reason my work schedule has flipped 180 from what it has been. I've been going in sometime in the afternoon and working until close at 10p. This week I am opening at 6a every shift and what's really sad is that I am scheduled to be the self check out monitor which really sucks. Very little to keep you occupied so the time draaaaaggggs. The only good thing is you get off in the early afternoon so there is time to get some gardening in before dark.

The garden is coming along...all the tomatoes and all the peppers are in. Corn is just up as is the first planting of Dixie Butter Peas, Sugarsnaps and regular green peas are coming along nicely. The first planting of green beans went in on Friday so with all the rain they should appear by Friday. All the squash and melons are next on the list. Oh! and the broccoli is just about ready to begin making its appearance on the table and we are already getting a bit of asparagus which is a real springtime treat.

So Happy Beltane, May Day, Walpurgis or whatever. Never fear none of my holiday observances involve prancing around in the buff....I have more consideration for the wildlife than that.

Engage The Fusion Drive Scotty

This is very cool.

Earth Day Every Day

Celebrate Earth Day today by committing to remember and cherish the Earth every other day of the year. Everyday should be Earth Day. Never ever forget that we live on a big spaceship and that if we continue to screw it up we have nowhere else to go.

Frankly, I am a little less than optimistic that the human race has the wherewithal to do the right thing when it comes to preserving and nurturing our one and only home. Every day that I work the registers in the garden center and check out hundreds of pounds of insecticide, chemical fertilizers and weed killers that unthinking and uncaring people are going to take home and broadcast willy-nilly around their yards I get less encouraged about the future of our planet. It's very depressing and it is very difficult not yell "Are you crazy?" at them.

Shades of March

Quite a bit of rain yesterday as a cold front passed through and the bottom has fallen out of the temperature. Highs Thursday were in the upper 70's but the low this morning was 41F. Had to turn the heat back on. Off today but the rain has made the garden unworkable so I will just start in on cleaning up some of the mess left by the tree people. Lots to do.

Good to the see the Boston flap is wrapped and very glad to see that the young man was taken alive. It is probably a safe bet to say that he PTB's were going to take him out in a hail of lead if they had their way. This is a better ending than I had hoped.

Probably not a good idea to live close to a fertilizer plant.

Off the depot to get the stuff I forgot to get yesterday when I worked...Duh!. The bluebirds, woodpeckers, yellow-rumped warblers(butter butts), blue jays, titmice, and the rest of the wildlife are going through suet cakes like crazy. Lots of little beaks to stuff with high energy fat I guess.

Off to get a rare Saturday off underway. Have fun out there.

The Woodpeckers Are Mad

I finally have a day off and it is not raining which means a full day in the garden. More than a day's worth of work to be done but I'll make a good dent in it. Yesterday we had a crew come in to spend the day clearing dead falls and removing a couple of large pines infested with the pine beetles. They got a lot of work done and it looks pretty good but still a lot of work to clean up the small stuff they left behind. They left me a huge pile of wood chips that will find their way into the garden as well. The two sick trees got chipped as well but they were hauled off to try and get rid of the beetles.
The local woodpecker population is none to happy with all the dead trees and debris missing since they all spent a good bit of time finding food in them but they'll get over it and the empty lot next door still has plenty of dead pines for them to chip away at.

I haven't chimed in on the Boston thing because I don't have anything constructive to add. Needless for me to repeat what a sick tragedy it is. I fell pretty sure that, if and when they catch the perp, he will turn on out to be a whack job with some imaginary grudge he believed he was rectifying. I'll bet a dollar he will be a right wing nut case of some color. We'll see.  Regardless, when we see this stuff happen, needless tragedy wrought by our fellows, we just need to remember that even  though the bad stuff gets all the news the good guys outnumber the bad and eventually it will be the rule and not the exception.

Oh! All you senators that voted against even the toothless gun background law and the amendments are cowards of the worst stripe. Unfortunately, I fear  that the general populace is too lazy and befuddled to make you pay for your crimes against the nation but one can hope that you will have to face your lack of will and spinelessness at the polls.  Here's to hope that  the public will realize that even though a huge majority favored the background checks their wishes were completely ignored in favor of a few bloodstained shekels from the mouth-breathers of the NRA.

Off to the garden. It's hard work but it really makes me peaceful and happy and that's important.

Talking Dirt

I have to work this evening but I managed to get a little gardening in this morning and now it is officially a garden since I got the corn planted. Now the race to the 4th of July to see if we can eat corn from the garden on Independence Day. I also got the first batch of Dixie Butter Peas in. We are supposed to get rain starting this evening so everything should get a big drink....by this time next week I expect to see corn popping up.

Dirty Talk

I actually had the day off yesterday and it was a beautiful one. Lots of progress made in the garden. Middle third re-tilled, beds for tomatoes and peppers laid out and covered in weed fabric, cucumbers planted, yellow squash, zucchini, and patty pan squash planted, leek seedlings planted, shallot seedlings planted, rows prepared for butter peas. All in all very productive. Even though I have to work from 230p to 10p today I have gotten in 2 hours in the gym, mowed the front and back yard and still have an hour to practice my guitar. It's supposed to storm tomorrow so I'll get a little rest even though I have the same work schedule. Still a lot to get done but progress. Next are beans and corn.

It's Spring Sir!

Even though I had to work yesterday evening I got some good work done in the garden and the area is prepared for the cucumbers...even the little fence for them to climb on. Though I have to go in at 5pm today I will try and get the beds for tomatoes and peppers ready today so that I can start moving everybody out of the greenhouse over the next week or so. I may even get time to get the little baby leeks and shallots planted today but that will be pushing it.

I have the full day off tomorrow and the good weather is supposed to hold so I should make good progress before the rain is supposed to return on Thursday.

Pollen is beginning to coat everything, the azaleas are starting to pop as are the dogwoods. The prettiest and most pleasant time of year in Atlanta IMHO.

Gardening Ho!

Note: You have to be a M.A.S.H. fan to get the title.

Frank Burns: "Klinger! I want to see you out of that dress!"
Klinger: "Never on a first date, sir!"
Frank: "How dare you wear that hat while in uniform? "
Klinger "It's spring, sir!"

Buddha's Birthday

Depending on the calendar you wish to follow today, the 8th day of the 4th month of the Chinese calendar, is Buddha's birthday. Other calendars such as the Gregorian have it coming later in May or even next week to coincide with the  full moon. Whatever.

Regardless, Happy Birthday to you all. Namaste.

Republic Lost

Something very worthwhile over at the Orange Satan. Mark Sumner points us at Lawrence Lessig's recent TED talk. Here is  the money quote from Mr. Sumner.

Lawrence Lessig's new TED talk starts off in the fictional semi-democracy of Lesterland, then, with statistics that are no less shocking for their familiarity, reminds us that this land of the few, by the few, for the few is the land we call home. Worried about the 1 percent? Don't be. Worry about the 0.05 percent. That's the percentage of Americans who maxed out their contribution to any political candidate in the last election. Or the 0.01 percent who made contributions of $10,000 or more. That's the number of Americans who actually show up on the radar of politicians. But those are only flyspecks on the screen. Save your real worry for the 0.000042 percent. That's 132 people. Those 132 people provided 60 percent of all the money that ended up in Super PACs.
If you're a politician, and you spend between 30 and 70 percent of your time begging for funds for the next election cycle, as American politicians do ... who you gonna call?

The talk is not too long but very sobering.

Bad Neighbor

I just heard a crash/thud and looked out the kitchen window. Another dead tree(pine beetles) from the vacant lot next door decided to visit. This is the second tree from next door to find its way through the fence and onto the property. What is worse there are several more that could come down at any time. I guess I need to call the owner and jack him up over the damage. I already have a tree service scheduled to come in the next week or so to clean up the last damage plus some other work which is going to set me back about 3 grand not including the fence. I can probably get them to roll this one into the work for nothing extra since it is already down and just needs to be cut up but I would think the owner of the dead trees needs to cover my palm with something. As you can see this was a pretty big sucker and part of the work I have going on next week is to take out two large pines that are infected and dying from the pine beetles before they spread. It's always something.

It is a shame that this nice dead tree came down just now as I am pretty sure there were at least a couple of cavity nesting birds trying to make a home in it and if so they may already have chicks in the nests. If is wasn't raining quite so heavily at the moment I would do a little survey for survivors.

Just for reference I am standing on the northern edge of my garden and this tree blocks the path back to the house which is a couple of hundred feet to the left.

Pinto Bean Soup

It's a cool and rainy day here in the Northern burbs of Atlanta and a perfect day for a hearty bean soup. Here is a nice and easy recipe for Pinto Bean Soup that I just put on to cook nice and slow over the afternoon. Of course, you can pretty much use any bean you want but I like pinto beans for this recipe.

You'll need a 16 oz. bag of dried pinto beans that you have rinsed and then soaked overnight in 2 quarts of water to which 2 tablespoons of sea salt have been added. I find the salt in the soak water helps the texture of the cooked beans kind of like brining meat. If you don't have the luxury of overnight soaking which I find is best you can always use the "quick soak" method.

In a nice heavy bottomed stainless steel or enameled cast iron soup pot mix the soaked beans that have been drained of what's left of the soaking water with:

1 pound of diced smoked ham (today I am using Tasso because I have it.)
About 7-8 cups of H2O (you'll want to cover the beans by about an inch or so)
1 Tablespoon of coarse sea salt or Kosher salt (I use the gray coarse sea salt from France)
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic powder
1 large onion minced fairly fine
4 cloves of fresh garlic also minced
1 Tablespoon of dried thyme
a few grinds of black pepper maybe a teaspoon

Put the pot over low heat and cover and cook slowly for 2 -3 hours until the beans are nice and tender. If you do this early in the day and the soup is ready before your dinner time just turn off the heat and let it sit on the back of the stove until dinner time and reheat, which is what I will do today. It will make it even better.  Note: depending on your soaking method and other factors you may need less or more water. Check the pot every once in a while and add a little more H2O if it is getting too thick or if you think is too watery then leave the lid off for a while.

This sounds like a lot of garlic but it gets very mild with the slow cooking and it really makes the soup shine. If you would like to put a little spin on this and you used the smoked ham and not Tasso then add a tablespoon of Smoked Spanish Paprika about an hour or so into the cooking.  If you like a little more zing then a bit of cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes are nice addition. Madam has a low tolerance for spicy so I usually don't add it to the whole pot and just add a bit of Sriracha to my bowl. A nice dollop or two of fresh salsa is really good as well.

This will make an excellent dinner for a cool and rainy day especially with some good buttermilk cornbread. Here is the link for my go to cornbread recipe. It's "Southern" style which means that there is more cornmeal than flour whereas "Northern" style is usually equal parts flour and cornmeal and a little "cakier" than this recipe.

Hummingbirds Are Early

We read that the hummers were returning to the Atlanta area earlier than usual this year and so put out the feeder a couple of days ago. So far we have had one male ruby throated feeding regularly so odds are there are more out there. If you are a hummer feeder you might consider putting the feeder out a little earlier that usual. We don't usually put ours out until early May but that routine is going to have to adjust to the new "normal".

Just like the King snake that appeared the other day Mother Nature seems to be moving up her schedule a bit...no doubt because Al Gore is still fat I would guess.

King Snake

It must be officially spring since this fellow appeared in front of the greenhouse yesterday afternoon.

It is a sunny day and I have the day off though I won't get much gardening done as we had quite a bit of rain over the weekend. I've still got plenty to do though and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for this beautiful creature. Pretty sure it is the same one that made frequent appearances last year. If I am lucky and don't scare him or her off maybe there will be a dent in the vole population around the place. I can look out the window and see as many as 6 of the creatures scurrying around under the bird feeder. You have to wonder what the owls that chat all night are doing with their time.

Simple Garlic Soup

I haven't posted any cooking in a while so here is a simple method for making a very "peasanty" dish of garlic soup. We're talking cheap eats here and it is still cool enough to enjoy some good soup. People don't often think of making soup out of garlic but there are myriad recipes around especially from cooks that lean toward the French side of things. Julia Child has one for example. Here is my take on a really simple but wonderfully comforting soup that you can make for pennies a serving. The trick is adding the thickening eggs and cheese at the end just before serving. The slow cooking of the garlic renders it smooth and delicious. As always when I publish a recipe it is only a suggestion so feel free to make it your own. Also look for the take away technique here and that is in the extraction of flavor from something and then adding to it to produce something really nice. See the variations below.

 In a medium sauce pan add
1 quart or so of water or if you like something richer then chicken broth though I think water is best. a bay leaf or two
three whole stems of flat leaf parsley
a couple of stems of fresh thyme... maybe as much as a teaspoon but leave the leaves on the stem as you will want to fish them out later
10 - 15 cloves of garlic, peeled, and chopped
about a teaspoon of kosher salt maybe less if you use broth (taste it after it cooks and you remove the herbs and adjust the salt to your taste)

Thickening:

1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks
about two ounces of freshly grated hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Simmer the bay leaf, parsley thyme, garlic, and salt for 45 minutes to an hour then remove the sage, parsley, bay and thyme. Leave it off the fire. Using a fork, whisk all the thickener ingredients except the oil in a small bowl until smooth and then slowly drizzle in olive oil while still whisking...sort of like making an aoli. Temper this mixture with about a quarter cup of the warm broth and then add the binder back to the pot. Now all you need do is whisk this mixture over low heat until it thickens to the consistency of buttermilk or kefir... just not watery.

This is tradionally served in a bowl over chunks of stale bread and topped with a drizzle of olive oil.

This make 4 nice servings. Note that this is not a make ahead soup but you can make the garlic broth ahead and then rewarm it and add the thickening just before serving.

Variations: While the garlic alone is very nice you can easily substitute shallots (5 or 6) or even an onion or two or mix garlic with shallots and onions. Try different herb combinations as well, such a fresh rosemary or sage. I haven't tried it yet but I imagine you can use a similar method to extract the flavor from a blend of herbs alone and then thicken it. All kinds of possibilities here.

Good Breakfast But More Flurries

That groundhog is on my "no birthday card" list. Snow flurries again this morning and overnight...birdbaths frozen. Not my idea of the end of March. Anyhow, there doesn't appear to be any damage to the blueberries which are just beginning to flower and there is nothing in the garden yet that can't take a bit of frost and the babies in the greenhouse all look fine this morning as the little heater kept it about 50F overnight. Working again today from noon til 10p...yeah it's a long shift but they begged me to stay longer tonight since the computer neglected to schedule anyone to close the store tonight. What's an extra hour? I do have the next three days off so that's something.

In light of the less than spring weather I whipped up a cheater version of Eggs in Purgatory for breakfast which, if you haven't tried it, is a nice change. The recipe linked above is from Mario Batali and is excellent. I cheated this morning since I was only going to have two eggs. I always try to keep some fresh salsa on hand as I use it a lot to give otherwise not too exciting things a kick. I use 3-4 tablespoons of Jack's Special Medium Hot as the base and just poach the eggs in the simmering puddle in a small frying pan. The Jack's Special is from Garden Fresh and it is IMHO the best readily available fresh salsa on the market.

I also use the stuff on my favorite canned tuna as a nice light lunch. Again, IMHO, the best canned tuna around is Henry and Lisa's solid white. Sustainably caught using hook and line it is a sashimi grade tuna filet in a can. I just dump in out of the can and give a liberal dousing of salsa and it makes a great lunch. I get mine from Natural Foods Warehouse but you may be able to find it other places. Once you try it you will be spoiled for any other canned tuna...and yes it is a little pricey.

An hour to practice the guitar and off to work. I'm scheduled for the garden center but I doubt they will open it up as they didn't yesterday and it's even colder and windier today so my guess is I'll wind up at returns of self check...arrrhg! I hate both.

Where Is Spring?

Flat out cold and blustery today. Missing spring in a big way. I even saw a couple of snow flurries this morning. It was raining most of the weekend and none too warm either which was fine since I had to work. Closed Saturday night (10p) and then back for a store meeting at 6am though I had the rest of the day off. Needless to say there was no gardening going on but I did get new metal shelves put in Madam's craft closet and she is busy sorting all her goodies and restoring everything this morning.
Another 3 to 10 shift today and the same again tomorrow but with the weather being so ornery I might as well work. Everybody is happy in the greenhouse and just as eager for the warm weather as me.
I guess it could be worse...my friend in Halifax UK posted pictures of the 8 foot snow drifts on Facebook and I am not jealous.

Spring Has Sprung

Even though I have to work this evening 3-10, I did manage to get something planted today in the garden. Regular green peas and Sugarsnaps as well as red and green cabbage. If the forecast rain for tomorrow doesn't appear until later in the day I may get the potatoes in as well. I couldn't let the first day of spring pass without at least planting something now could I?

A Happy Spring to one and all.

The Cycle Starts

I have a day off. It's warm and clear and the garden appears dry enough to till so that's the plan for today. All the tomatoes, peppers and such are growing and will be ready to go out in a few weeks as soon as the soil warms and the dangers of a late frost are out of the picture. I could wax poetic about how this is the evolution of the Goddess from the wise old hag of winter into the fertile young Goddess of Spring with all the promise that that brings but let us just say that for us gardeners it is an exciting time. Yes, it is the beginning of a lot of hard work and if you are a serious gardener it is also a mystical time. All the myriad generations of birth, life and death are safety stored in all the seeds and bulbs and a just waiting to have at it again.

Now the challenges of drought, flood, insects and weeds will challenge us for the next few months as we try and coax another harvest from our Mother Earth. Off to play in the dirt and begin the flirtation with the Goddess. Will the love and effort be returned? We shall know soon enough.

Google Reader Going Away

I just got a notice that Google reader is going away in July. Anyone have a recommendation for something to replace it? Am I the only person that thinks it is a pretty good product? Too bad.

Appreciated

I ran out of suet for the birds yesterday and forgot to pick some up before I left work last night so it required an early morning run to resupply before I head back into work at 1pm. I just put out the fresh supply a few minutes ago and before I even was back inside the red-bellied and the hairy woodpeckers were hard at work on the stuff. They are probably just beginning to feed this year's babies but it is nice to know they appreciate the effort. Going to be a nice day here in Hotlanta with a forecast high of 65F. Now if any rain will hold off for just a few more days I may actually get the garden tilled and some things planted like peas and kale. It looks like Monday may bring thunderstorms which, of course, coincides with my day off. Fingers crossed.

Poison Me, Poison You

If the amount of Roundup that goes over my counter at the Depot is any judge then the 200 plus million tons of the stuff sprayed in the U.S. every year is a serious underestimate. It’s surely amazing that the regulatory agencies that are supposed to protect us continue to allow these millions tons of Monsanto’s  Roundup and copy cats, to be sprayed on food crops ignoring mounting evidence that  the herbicide’s key ingredient, glycophosphate, causes birth defects, endocrine disruption and myriad other health problems.

There is a a new study out that indicates that the most widely used herbicide in the world is even more toxic than previously thought. Not surprisingly when you consider we are dealing with Monsanto but Roundup contains “confidential” – and unlabeled – ingredients that affect all living cells, including human cells, according to the scientific journal, Toxicology. Most of the regulatory decisions around these herbicides are based on the toxicology studies done for glycophosphate instead of looking at Roundup’s full formulation, which includes the secret added ingredients.

Read more here 

Wasting Away

Still not through with this cold. At the stage where it is pretty much completely in my chest and I spend most of the day and night coughing up small bits of lung. Needless to say I will miss another day at the gym but the good news is that I don't have to work until tomorrow afternoon and then it is only a 5 hour shift.

Since I can't do exercise I did the next best thing and fixed Pain Perdu (French Toast) for breakfast and to make sure it fit entirely with an utter and complete falling off of the wagon, I smothered it in Irish butter and maple syrup as well as 4 strips of thick cut hickory smoked bacon. That'll show 'em.

Now to continue my slide I will go finish the next phase in the making of a couple of loaves of whole wheat sourdough bread. Take big bites!

Good News Not

If you have any money in stock market maybe via a 401K or something I'm sure you are pleased that it has returned to 2000 levels with its run up yesterday...Congratulations you are where you were 13 years ago.

Seriously, it is really difficult to get all giddy about the about the Dow going over 14,000.  Robert Reich doesn't feel to giddy either, and explains why.

The key thing to note is that only the wealthiest 1% in this country make any profit off the stock market and are better off than they were 13 years ago. They also pay very low, if any, taxes on said profits. The rest of us (you know the other 99%) are actually worse off than we were in 2000 and we pay the full boat in taxes even on our minimum wage job.

Another Drop In the Bucket

No worries right? Nothing to see here just move along.

The amount of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the air jumped dramatically in 2012, making it very unlikely that global warming can be limited to another 2 degrees as many global leaders have hoped, new federal figures show.

Scientists say the rise in CO2 reflects the world's economy revving up and burning more fossil fuels, especially in China.

Carbon dioxide levels jumped by 2.67 parts per million since 2011 to total just under 395 parts per million, says Pieter Tans, who leads the greenhouse gas measurement team for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

That's the second highest rise in carbon emissions since record-keeping began in 1959. The measurements are taken from air samples captured away from civilization near a volcano in Mauna Loa, Hawaii.

This is not good and if you have been paying attention this isn't the first drop in the bucket and the bucket is rapidly getting full and when it does actually fill it will be the end of mankind on this little planet.
What is so frustrating is that the world is facing two big problems right now...climate change and shrinking employment/economies and addressing climate change with investment in non oil based energy resources, clean industry and other pro-environment initiatives would solve both these problems at once. The frustration being that our leaders are focusing on exactly the opposite. How to get more oil. How to get the dirtiest oil out of Canada and ship it down through the U.S. for export to China. Oh and reducing and already shrinking deficit. Idiots.

Snow Surprise

A dusting of snow this morning that wasn't in the forecast for the Atlanta area. The Georgia mountains were supposed to get a couple of inches but not around here. Now the 35-40 mph winds have moved in but at least the sun is appearing.
I was out and about early to the dentist for my 6 month checkup and cleaning and got and attaboy. Now if I can just get the report on last week's hemoglobin A1C and Lipids blood tests I will be through with preventative maintenance for a while.
One or two more trays of veges to get planted today and I will be ready for the someday when the garden will finally be dry enough to till. All the tomatoes and peppers are done as well as a few herbs and the marigolds I use for pest protection. Started a new heirloom variety of eggplant yesterday as well called Diamond which got good reviews from the Seed Savers so we'll see. Last year's eggplant were very disappointing.
Moved the new seedlings of shallots and leeks to the greenhouse yesterday so they will start to harden off and be ready when I can plant.
Getting later and later for planting the spring peas but we'll just have to be patient.
I hope everyone is surviving the "lion" part of March.

Name That Fish?

It is getting harder and harder to be a responsible shopper. You try and pay attention and only buy products and food that is safe, healthy and not full of crap. You try and buy meat and poultry that come from responsible producers and now we discover that all of our efforts to buy environmentally sound seafood has got a fifty/fifty chance of not even being the kind of fish we think we are buying.

Oceana, an international ocean advocacy group, has released a report on national seafood fraud [PDF], and the results are disconcerting. The report, which is one of the largest on seafood fraud to date, found that one-third of fish was mislabeled. Oceana performed DNA testing from 2010 to 2012 on 1,215 fish samples from 674 retail outlets in 21 states. In this study, Oceana found seafood fraud everywhere it tested, with rates hitting as high as 52 percent in Southern California.

Here is the breakdown:


You really need to read the article. One thing I'm wondering is if this applies to both fresh and frozen seafood as it doesn't really specify in the article. The article does say that the number one offender is red snapper with tuna as the followup. Of note is that tuna is evidently be substituted by escolar which is known to contain neurotoxins.

Sniff, Cough

Uggghhh! Get 4 straight days off and the first day a little tickle in the throat, 2nd day the sniffles, 3rd day(today) and we have a full blown winter cold. Miserable and the only thing keeping me alive is Alka-Seltzer Plus.

Still Winter

Obviously the groundhog thing is crap. Still seriously winter here in the Atlanta area and for sure in the Great Plains. First day off of four (yey!!) and it's windy and cold and we got a boatload of rain last night with more expected today. At least another week or more before things in the garden might dry enough to till....rats. Seedlings are starting to emerge and my schedule says plant the tomatoes, eggplant and some other things this week. Going to have to make room in the heated space under the lights for them and a lot of the pepper seeds haven't peeped through yet. Looks like the extension ladder on saw horses again.

Such a nasty day it is hard to work up enough spit to head out for the gym but I haven't been since Thursday so I must. Then I will come home and do some more seeds. I know it is silly but I get really excited to see those dry little, seemingly inert, little specks of stuff explode into living things. It is just so improbable and amazing.

Tomorrow I am using one of my off days to finally go to the doctor and have the A1C and lipids checked and get Madam doctor to give me a cursory check....overdue. It will be interesting to see her reaction though, since the last time I saw her I was about 80 pounds heavier. I have probably also added about 20-25 pounds of muscle during that time.  I think she will be pleased and I hope pleased enough that with good blood test results she will permit me to stop the last of the medication for blood sugar control and hypertension. I already quit the Lipitor(without permission) about 6 months ago and I'll be interested to see if my diet has kept things under control. Fingers crossed.

Off to the gym.

To Hell with Quick

Got the latest issue of Cook's the other day and they were touting a "fast" boeuf bourguignon and of course I perused the recipe. It is one of my favorite things and I was curious to see what ghastly steps they had taken to make it "quick". It's ugly. Everything from browning the meat in the oven as well as the mushrooms and onions and adding gelatin to the sauce. I won't be trying the "quick" way I can assure you. What's more I went right out and bought some beef, and mushrooms and am making a batch right now...the Julia Child Way.

I mean really! Part of the fun of such dishes is the time and trouble and care it takes to make. I enjoy cooking and every once in a while it is a lot of fun to take on a classic recipe and make the effort and have it turn out great.

I will admit that even though I follow Julia's guidance for the recipe I do occasionally go off the reservation at the very end. In addition to the sauteed onions and mushrooms I will add pan roasted marble sized potatoes(when I can get them). It brings a little carb to the dish and I will get to avoid noodles(which I adore). The dish should be served with fresh egg noodles but I am still watching the carb intake.

There are plenty of quick recipes out there you can whip up in a few minutes but some things just need to be done the old fashioned way. This is one and so is cassoulet for that matter.

Great Backyard Bird Count

If you are a wildlife buff then don't forget that this weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can find out more about it at http://www.birdsource.org. It's very simple and only takes a little while each day and a little time to report your counts for each of the four days (2/15-2/18). Everything you need to know is at the website including downloadable forms.

Note: This is only for proper wild birds and not those you get for cutting off people in traffic.

Consistency Kills

Mark Morford is worth reading today. He uses Coke's Simply Orange orange juice as the symbol of our spiritually poisoned world.

Not only Coke and their Minute Maid and Simply Orange brands but PepsiCo and their Tropicana engineer the hell out of the product. The orange season is only a few months long but through marketing and betting on the ignorance of consumers these and many other Big Ag companies have convinced the public that there are no seasons and that things like "fresh" orange juice is available every day of the year. The OJ you buy in February is going to taste the same as the OJ you by in August regardless of drought, flood or whatever. Of course orange juice is just one example of the disconnect American consumers have with the sources of their food. No one seems to be upset that there are always apples, oranges, grapes, bananas and everything else always at the market at any time of year. Everyone seems to have forgotten the joy of seasons when it comes to the food available. The first tomato of summer, the first crisp cucumber or the first autumn apple. It is a shame.

Grammy Fail

Now that the Grammy's are over for another year, and I have nothing against those that won, it is worth noting that there are some very special folks that never received a Grammy. I find it very hard to believe that at some point the folks listed below never were honored and the list BTW is not complete, just those that I think are some mega talents that have been sorely overlooked.

Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, The Who, The Ramones, The Beach Boys, Janis Joplin, Queen, The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Diana Ross, Journey, Guns N'Roses, and Credence Clearwater just to name a few.

Seems as if someone has some 'splainin' to do. Can you think of others?

Up the Garden Ramp

OK, Phases 2 and 3 are complete. Phase One was selecting, ordering and receiving the seeds. Phase 2 was acquiring all the stuff and making a big batch of my special seed starting mix. Phase three was washing and sorting and prepping all the seed starting trays and 9 packs left over from last year. Phase 4 will be filling all of phase 3 with phase 2. The next phases will, of course, be to start getting some seeds going. First will be the slower growing peppers, eggplant and such followed by the tomatoes. Dropped some of the heirlooms from last year as they really didn't do well. I will stick with the Cherokee Purple, Rutgers, Moonglow and a couple of others. Main season this year will be Better Boy and Celebrity. The Better Boy produces a tastier tomato than the Celebrity but suffers a little from cracking if we get too much rain and while the Celebrity is a fine tomato it doesn't seem to crack when the weather doesn't cooperate. If the weather is close to ideal then the tastiest of the red tomatoes will be the old standby Rutgers. Taste wise the Cherokee is the winner but it is usually not a very attractive specimen. I have another day off tomorrow so I should get all the trays filled at least though I am not so sure I will be able to get any seeds going. My goal is to have them going by 2/15 so I have a few days. The tomato target is the first week of March. I got started a wee bit early last year and the tomatoes were a little overgrown and leggy by the time they were ready for the garden in early April.

One little disappointment arrived with the last seed order from Southern States (the only place I found seed for the Dixie Butter Pea. They came coated with Thiram which is an anti-fungal. Now I have to decide whether I lower my standards when it comes to chemicals in the garden and plant them. The ad in the online catalog didn't mention that the seed was treated but I should have suspected it. A lot of the big ag seed suppliers treat peas, beans and corn with Thiram  as well as squash and melon seed. I will probably just wash the seeds very well and go for it. The chemical coating, as minute as it is, will go down the drain and not wind up in the garden. No tests or reports I can find has shown that Thiram shows up in the endosperm of the plant anyway so it won't show up in the fruit regardless.

Anyhow, February is the time to start the march up the long hill to harvest and we are a few steps along. Won't be long before the first seeds are germinating.

I have mentioned it before but you don't really need to spend big bucks on "special seed starting mix" and the local garden store. It is much cheaper to mix your own. It is really simple. I make it from 2 cubic feet of compressed sphagnum peat moss mixed with 2 cubic feat of vermiculite and 1 cubic foot of earthworm castings. Works for me.

Word Press Bah!

I'm having a terrible hassle with Word Press blogs. When I try and comment it ignores my username and assigns me some huge ass hexidecimal string instead which, of course, my password doesn't match. Very frustrating. I'm not ignoring you guys...really.

Great Workout Until The Blood

Little accident at the gym this morning. Workout was going great until I failed to properly reset the bar on the inclined bench. Missed the left side but fortunately my lip caught the bar. Lots of blood from a half inch cut but not missing any teeth and the bleeding finally stopped. Have to be more careful and it was the last set so I didn't miss out.

Richard III is Found

I don't know about you but I find this whole thing absolutely fascinating. The news conference today confirms that the body dug up under a parking lot in Leicester, England is indeed the remains of Richard III, confirmed by a DNA match with a Canadian descendant of Richard's sister.There was a lot of history lost when George III decimated the Catholic church in England but it is nice to know that some is still discoverable.

Well Come Maiden Goddess

Welcome Imbolc the cross-quarter day balanced between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It's also know as Candlemas,  St. Bridget’s Day, or the Festival of the Purification, or Groundhog Day. For those of us that lean the Wiccan way it is the time in the circle where the crone aspect of the Goddess is replaced by maiden aspect and represents the beginning of spring and the attendant rebirth after after the death of winter. For us gardeners it is the time of anticipating the spring rituals of planting. We have saved our gifts of seed from last year's gardens and will once again return them to our Mother and begin anew the endless cycle.

For some this is Groundhog Day but long before the rodent came to rule the day the ancients had this to say;

If Candlemas be bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year;
If Candlemas bring wind and rain,
Old winter shall not come again!

It looks to be bright and clear this morning in my neighborhood which, if legend holds, means a bit more winter before the warmth of spring wins the day.

h/t to Annie at Balloon Juice for music

Exception Stars

Went outside tonight before heading to bed. There were stars. Very unusual for living in a metro area as the city lights usually drown the starlight and only a couple of stars are visible even on the clearest night. The recent winds and storms seemed to have cleansed everything and the night sky is clear and bright. Orion's belt is directly overhead and you can clearly see all the constellation. What's more the owls are having a conflab and standing on the deck staring at the stars with the back and forth of the owls chatting each other up means a magical night. If the temperature wasn't dropping so fast I would still be out there listening to the hoots under the stars. I'll have pleasant dreams.

Sunday Treat

Don't have to go to work until 2pm today so took the opportunity for a proper Southern breakfast. Yellow grits with Irish butter, two sunny side up cackleberries from the chickens down the road(thanks Carmen and Kelly), homemade sourdough whole wheat toast and Wright's Hickory smoked bacon. Madam had a girl's night out last night so she was sleeping in but I did fix her some buttered toast and a ginger ale when she finally appeared.

Some Things

Freezing rain today in Hotlanta. I was supposed to work 6a to noon but they came around at 9a and sent me home. The store was dead and there were extra cashiers as they weren't going to open the garden today with the cold and wet. Another 6a to 1pm tomorrow. Just as well since I have things to do.

Madam has requested a large mac and cheese for some do tomorrow night so I will whip that out this afternoon and just throw it in the fridge and she can run it in the oven for tomorrow night. I'll bake some bread, though it will be a straight up whole wheat sourdough instead of the sourdough malted wheat I dreamed up last week. It was an experiment and it didn't turn out too bad. Actually just my standard sourdough with a little additional honey and a handful of malted wheat.

All the seeds are on order except the Dixie Butter Peas. My regular source Park is sold out and I haven't found another. I must have waited too late. I have some seed left from last year but not really enough. Madam and I both are big on these little lima beans and they will be sorely missed in the freezer if I don't find enough seed for a good crop.

I have been complaining for years about the lean pork we get here in the states (well from the typical grocery). You can now find proper Berkshire pork if you work at it. I have been trying to duplicate one of my favorite dishes from my time in Lyon but have failed miserably because of the lean pork. I think I have discovered the secret. The other day I got a small loin roast from Publix and instead of my regular method of a hot oven I used a slow oven(300F) and cooked it for three plus hours. It turned out moist and tender and was very nice. I did put a couple of strips of thick cut bacon over the top but I think the real trick is the low and slow. I'll try it again this way to confirm but outside of finding a proper piece of locally grown Berkshire pig I might have have stumbled on the way to do a proper pork loin.  Now I can try to duplicate the recipe from France. A nice think slice of roast pork that has been quickly browned served over lentils. Now that I think about it the English translation for the dish was Pork cooked in the Ancient Tradition with lentils. Maybe the "Ancient Tradition" is slow roasted.....duh!

Anyhow, a little guitar practice and a little cooking are in store for the rest of the day. If you are North of Hotlanta try and stay warm and dry.

Life and Coffee

A day off. It's cold but sunny and the urge for a pot roast hit me. It's in the oven braising now and it is almost time for the veges. Just getting caught up on stuff. The new lenses for my glasses came in and I just got back from having those put in my frames. Very nice to be able to see without the haze of scratches caused by yours truly useing Kleenex to clean them. Not very smart.

Also got my permanent hearing aids today too, as I was just using temporary(demo) ones. Pretty amazing little tiny computers they are. Multiple programs for different environments. I only have four set up now (everyday, outdoor, restaurant and work) but I'll better know my needs in a few weeks. Bought the Bluetooth interface so I'll be able to use the phone hands free and maybe even the iPod and Nexus as well. The little interface supports up to 8 devices so I could even get the GPS hooked in. I also have a pocket controller where I can adjust volume and program without having to use the tiny switches on the aids. Cool. Another cool thing is that they talk to each other. I change the program on one and it will notify the other to change as well. Same with volume.

Impressed with the POTUS speech yesterday and we'll just see how much things change. Still it could be Rmoney there so I'm pretty ok with it all.

It's 5pm and time for the veges to go in the pot and there is wine to drink....later peeps.

Oh! I almost forgot...I have a new coffee maker called the Aerobie AeroPress. I'm kind of a coffee snob and have been using a French press for my morning Joe for years. This new gadget is simple but it makes the best coffee I've ever tasted with none of the debris in the bottom of the cup that you get with the press. It's also very fast and a super easy clean up. I can't think of when I have been more satisfied with something. I very rarely find something like this that I can recommend without reservations. If you love a could cup whether it be espresso or cafe Americano then this gadget is a must have.

Too Much Information

I don't think there is much dispute that dragging the President's daughters into the gun debate was a new low for the NRA...absolutely disgusting to the say the least but  I don’t think Glenn Kessler did the world any favors by reporting that Sidwell Friends doesn’t have armed guards. The freaks that just love their AR-15's and super magazines and just can't wait for the opportunity to blow some Islamic socialist away just hear “soft target” when they hear “Quaker school with unarmed guards”.

I guess someone needs to explain to me why Sidwell couldn’t have just said “no comment” on their security. WTF were they thinking why Kessler thought it was a good idea to tell the world.

Noisy Damn Place

My old hearing aids died a while back(well only the left one) and I finally broke down and got new ones yesterday (there is more than one meaning to broke as they are expensive). I previously had in the ear and now I have behind the ear which seem to be a bit more comfortable. Since I hadn't been wearing aids for a while I had forgotten how noisy the place is. Nearly every step incites a squeak from the floor. Cellophane is a nightmare as is getting a skillet out of the cupboard.
It is also amazing how much technology is in such a tiny device. The new aids are programmable with a small remote in addition to the tiny buttons on the device and with a tiny interface device completely Bluetooth capable so I can use my phone, ipod whatever completely hands free. How cool is that?
It will take a while to get used to using the things again but I should be good in a few days. This afternoon will be my first experience at work with the new devices and I'll have to experiment with the preset programs to see which makes the din bearable.

Needed Converstaion

Thanks to a heads up from Hecate I didn't miss this article from Yes. It's a worthwhile read and deserves wider distribution.

Here is a snippet:

The turning we humans must navigate to a viable future depends on a profound awakening to our nature as spiritual beings and our responsibility as participants in creation’s epic journey of self-discovery. This awakening will be partly experiential—a joyful reunion with our true nature. It will be partly intellectual—a larger and more nuanced understanding of the nature and purpose of creation and our human role in its continued unfolding.
To accelerate this awakening and actualize its possibilities we need an open and self-critical public conversation about the foundational stories by which we understand our human nature and purpose. That conversation must go far beyond an unproductive debate between doctrinaire Distant Patriarch creationists and doctrinaire Grand Machine social Darwinist evolutionists.

Spring Is Coming

The middle of January is when I get my seed order together for the spring. I am going to limit myself to just a few catalogs this year. Here are the ones I find the best for me.

Park Seed (a Southern seed company so their varieties lend themselves to us Southern gardeners
Territorial Seed - lots of hard to find seeds
Seeds of Change - again lots of hard to find and organic
Seed Savers Exchange- the go to source for heirloom and open pollinated varieties

I may cheat and turn to a few others but most of my seed will come from the ones above. I have, of course, saved seed from last year's heirloom peppers and tomatoes.

The hard part comes into winnowing all the wants from the needs and not getting carried away with things that I won't have the space to grow. I went crazy with peppers last year and wound up giving away probably a hundred pounds. I didn't plant enough beans for drying because I used so much space for peppers and tomatoes. I'll to better this year and I am thinking hard about not using up so much space growing corn.

Homemade Pizza

A day off but another day of rain...even flash flood warnings and the temperature is a toasty 60F. We need the rain but I have stuff to do outside. Oh well. Still, I did get in a couple of hours in the gym and a few hours of guitar practice so all is not lost.

Thinking of something for dinner on this rainy day brought to mind pizza which I don't do as much as I used to since it involves bread which I try and limit but every once in a while it is a must have.
If you don't make your own pizza it home, from scratch, you are really missing out and if you go out for pizza you are going to pay dearly for a good pizza which are few and far between to boot.

Here is a quick recipe for making your own dough and sauce at home out of inexpensive (mostly) ingredients and it will produce a very nice pie that is way better than what you find at most pizza places. Cost out all the ingredients and you'll see that it is pretty cheap eats as well.

Dough
For speed and ease I use a food processor which takes a lot of work out of kneading.

In the bowl of the processor (with the regular blade) put

3 cups of bread flour (preferred for the extra chewiness) or you can use regular unbleached AP.
1 tsp of rapid rise yeast (or a packet) with the processor running add 1 and 1/3 cups of water and whirr it until the dough just comes together (maybe ten seconds) so that all the flour is moistened.

Let it rest in the bowl for about 10- 15 minutes.

add a Tablespoon of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and a teaspoon of kosher salt and then process it for another 30 to 60 seconds until it forms a nice smooth ball. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let it rise covered for a couple of hours. You can also just put the bowl in the fridge and use it the next day which actually make a better tasting dough but if you are like me you decide to make pizza and you want it in a couple  of hours. Yes, this is a pretty wet dough and a bit sticky....just oil your hands and get it done.....hint.. move quickly.

Sauce
This is an uncooked sauce and it brings a nice freshness to the party plus it is easy.

1 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes (San Marzano are good but not absolutely necessary) well drained with the liquid down the drain.
1 Tbl sp of EVOO
1 Tsp wine vinegar
1 Tsp kosher salt
a couple of cloves of minced fresh garlic
1 heaping Tsp of dried oregano
a couple of grinds (1/4 tsp) of black pepper.

Whirr it all in the food processor until it is smooth. Set aside for the pizza making.

BTW  for a really good pizza you should have a baking stone and you should set your oven for its highest setting..mine will go to 550F. No baking stone then a cookie sheet will have to do. The other option being to get some 6 inch quarry tile from Home Depot and line one shelf of your oven with them. Not ideal but it works.

When you are all ready and the dough is risen. Divide the dough into half and each half should make about a 12 - 14 inch pizza (depends on how thin you want it. I like mine pretty thin.) If you don't need two pizzas the extra dough will keep in the fridge for a few days and actually get more flavorful.

Spread the dough out on a floured surface or use parchment paper and using your hands spread and press it out until you get a 13 or so inch circle. If you want to use a rolling pin go for it but the loose dough should allow you to do it by hand. This makes a thin crust but I like thin crust and this is my recipe...you want thick crust then use all the dough and make one.

Once you are there and you are ready to bake (your oven should be hot by now) spread the sauce thinly around leaving a small border. A couple of handfuls of fresh mozzarella and about a 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan (Use the good stuff Reggiano) and slip that puppy in the screaming hot oven. It won't take but about 15 minutes in a really hot oven but keep and eye on it and pull it out once the crust is brown and the cheese bubbling.

I'm a minimalist when it comes to pizza so all I might add to the cheese is some fresh basil or some baby arugula after t comes out of the oven. If you like other stuff just be careful not to overload it as it will keep the crust from doing what it should. A handful of pepperoni or sausage, a whisper of green peppers or onions or even some sauteed mushrooms(don't use raw, they will make the pizza soggy). You want to taste the crust and the sauce and the cheese but put whatever you like on it just in moderation.

Now I'm hungry.

Not Really Smart

I'm sitting here at the computer(1015p) after getting off (closing) and I have to open tomorrow at 6am. Why? There is just so much I believe I need to read I guess. I've caught all my regular blogs but I think Facebook and Twitter will have to wait. Good Night!

I didn't mention that it is way late but still 63F here in January. High of 75F for the weekend days. WTF?

What's A WakaWaka?

On the environmental front there some small but good news. The good news is that individuals are not waiting for governments and have developed a solar powered solar lamp also capable of recharging cell phones to replace kerosene lamps among those without electricity. This will have a good effect on both poor people and climate change. They are called WakaWakas and more information can be found here.

 Unfortunately, the "gooberments" of the world are still way behind the curve and have dropped the ball spectacularly with repsect to addressing global climate change and while individual initiative is needed and may help force "gooberment" action it will not be enough. The people that make big money off fossil fuels have an advantage with all the money they have poured into their misinformation campaign and a lot of the public are highly misinformed about the seriousness of the problem. For a nice insight on how the bad guys are working against the world in the Netherlands take a look at Galileo and the Fireflies by NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen.

I thought I had come up with the term "gooberment" but I checked the Urban Dictionary and found that it is already out there. Still, I think it might be worthwhile to use the term when it applies.
 
 gooberment -Useless Government, political systems with their heads in the sand and/or not to be trusted. Slang term for Government being Gooberment.

Full Disclosure: I am a backer (via Kickstarter) of WakaWaka.

Focus On the Real Problem

It's now official, but all of us paying attention already knew that last year was the warmest year on record for us here in the United States and in many other places around the world. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the average temperature in 2012 was 3.3°F above the average for the last century and was a full degree warmer than 1998, the previous record holder. Not only was it the second most extreme year when it comes to average temperatures it also managed an unusually high number of droughts, wildfires and severe storms. Goddess! It's the second week in January and the forecast for the weekend is for the low 70's here in Atlanta.

Regardless of what the stupid say, here is no question that this is, for the most part, the result of man-made environmental impact. It is not only real but a growing danger to life as we know it. If we don't take drastic action the negative consequences are going to be unbearable in the very near future.

So here we are with the idiots in Washington obsessing over a deficit that is not even a problem and not focused like a laser on the environment and lessening man's impact. The question is, what is going to make them wake up to the real dangers we are all facing?  Not only is the projected deficit not the most important immediate problem facing the country, which is unemployment and the weak economy but how we expect our children and grand children to survive this environmental disaster if at all. Besides, the economy will actually fix itself sooner or later even without our interference which will not happen with climate change. Doing nothing is not an answer here. Only by concentrated effort and sacrifice can we even hope to make a difference.

What's it going to take to get us going in the right direction?  

Hey Cheapskate

The more I use them the more I like them. Ebooks that is. I especially like free ones but I buy quite a few as well. Anyway, there is a new site for discriminating cheapskates: FreebookSifter.com.

If you’re a digital book fanatic, you probably know that Amazon offers a ton of free books, but it’s hard to get a good overview of them. Well, not anymore, thanks to our new site! Organized by category, and with options to search, order by average ranking, or filter by language, FreebookSifter makes it easy to peruse all the free books available for your Kindle or eReader.
Please pay special attention to the Added Today category. That’s where you can find the real treasures, which are only free for a limited time. FreebookSifter also offers a daily newsletter and RSS Feed with the newly added free books.

Thanks to BoingBoing for the link.

No Worries, Mate!

Yesterday, Australia experienced its hottest nationwide average temperature ever — 40.33 degrees C (104.6 degrees F). Today, the country's national weather bureau added a new color to official weather forecast maps, reflecting a need to predict temperatures higher than 52 C (125.6 F).

Not to worry though because it is all the way on the other side of the world and even in another hemisphere and we had snow in lots of places. Oh! And assault rifles and high cap mags for everyone!

Online Backup Headaches

Been working a lot lately and a lot of late nights. Seems like I am constantly not having enough time to get everything I need to do done. One of the things that have gone wanting is keeping my desktop backed up like I should and I thought maybe having an automated online backup would be the answer. I tried to enable Dell's online Datasafe product but it failed twice during the last phase of the install so I gave up  and thought maybe I need to find another product. When I got my Chase bill (for the card I use for online purchases) I find I was charged twice for the Datasafe product ($39) but I still don't have online backup.
Big mistake....I call Dell customer support. Obviously to some poor sap in India (Bangalore?) who then proceeded to pass me around to others who all apologized profusely but couldn't help. They finally passed me to customer care who then proceeded to tell me effectively...too bad we don't have a record of the charges bye out of luck...thanks for choosing Dell. That all took an hour and a half.
I then thought to actually go to the Chase site and see if there was a telephone number associated with the two charges...there was but it is either disconnected or changed. I then proceeded to go through process of disputing the charges with Chase. What a pain in the tush!

Can anyone recommend a good online backup provider other than Dell? I already us Quicken to backup my financial stuff but there is more I should be backing up.

New Year

2013 is just around the corner...hard to believe. Seems like only yesterday when even the year 2000 seemed ages away. Going to be a quiet little evening for Madam and I. We don't usually make a big deal out of New Years Eve. I have 4 nice little lamb cutlets that are marinating in fresh rosemary, garlic and olive oil that I'll toss on a hot Hibachi a bit later and some asparagus and new potatoes to roast. We probably will be in bed and sound asleep when the new year rolls in.
I do have three whole days off to catch up on all the stuff that is waiting. I got the Julia Child biography "Dearie" for Christmas and I have two more books on the Nexus to read. Finally got around to watching Dark Night last night on DVD....didn't really think it was all that good. Also watched Beasts of the Southern Wild and it wasn't a super movie either. I'll see if Netflix has anything worthwhile for tonight but I doubt it.

Anyhoo....everybody have a great new year and we'll see you in 2013.

Lose The Pricey Coffee

So Much for Starbucks

from the Starbuck's CEO

In the spirit of the Holiday season and the Starbucks tradition of bringing people together, we have a unique opportunity to unite and take action on an incredibly important topic. As many of you know, our elected officials in Washington D.C. have been unable to come together and compromise to solve the tremendously important, time-sensitive issue to fix the national debt. You can learn more about this impending crisis at www.fixthedebt.org.

Rather than be bystanders, we have an opportunity—and I believe a responsibility—to use our company’s scale for good by sending a respectful and optimistic message to our elected officials to come together and reach common ground on this important issue. This week through December 28, partners in our Washington D.C. area stores are writing “Come Together” on customers’ cups.

I, personally, think this is way out of line for a public company. I have a good friend who is a store manager here in the Atlanta burbs and I would be interested to hear her take on this. For some reason I have always seemed to work for right wingers and I have been very careful not to spew too much of hippie pinko stuff and even though most of my bosses knew I was a dirty hippie socialist whatever they didn't make a big deal out of it probably because I didn't make a lot of noise.

Regardless, and even though I don't visit there often I guess I won't be patronizing Starbucks anymore. I really only drink one good strong cup a day anyway and that I make myself from fresh ground free trade organic French roasted bean and it beats the hell out of anything you can get at Starbucks.Not to mention that for little more than the price of a couple of double tall latte I can buy a whole can of my beans from Trader Joe's.

Like I said in a post a while back; "Every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you want to live in." and I am making an extra effort to live by my words.

Boxing Day

How was everyone's Christmas? I hope Santa did well. Today is Boxing Day in the UK and pretty much all of what was the British Empire so maybe you will get a few farthings from the poor box today to help you with the Visa or AX bill that is due soon.
Back to work for me but it is a short day. 8 til noon in the garden center. Madam is throwing a little luncheon for her buddies so I will be out of the way for that today. I'll finish putting my new dual fuel smoker(propane/wood/charcoal) that Santa brought this afternoon...I was thwarted by the weather and couldn't use it for the ribs yesterday. Madam seems to think her new kiln is neat. It's a used Skutt and I got a really good deal(new they run 4K$ but I got this one for $350 from a couple that have to move out of state) and it has been barely used. It is an older model without all the fancy electronics but it will do the job.
Off to work....everyone try and recover.

Happy Christmas

Even though it is going to be a wet Christmas around these parts I want to wish all my electronic friends (both real and imagined) a very Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year. Going to be rather quiet in the Monk house this year but we will have Mini Monk and clan over on Christmas Day. My plan to smoke ribs for the occasion is going to have to be slightly adjusted but we'll get it done in spite of the rain.

Again, thanks for being here on occasion and have a very Merry Christmas. I'll try and do a little better at content in the coming year. Now I have to go bake some pumpkin and pecan pies.