first tomato blossom!
I have worms…
Cabbage worms, to be exact. There are tons of them infesting my broccoli and brussels sprouts. I discovered them last night and sprayed with my natural bug deterrent. There is neem oil in the spray, so now I think if I spray with Bacillus thuringiensis I don’t know if it will just run right off. Any ideas? 
I love you all…
but I have migrated to my own site. I tried to link all the Tumblr people I follow in my blog roll, but if I didn’t mention you, please let me know; that is easily remedied! The rest of the site will be up and running soon, but for now the blog is going strong. I imported my posts from here, and I will still be checking in over here as a reader!
With much <3 and respect, I present the new This Urban Homestead (at thisurbanhomestead.com)! Come on over and play!!!
life is like a fixed gear bike being ridden thru 44th and broadway at 4:30pm on a friday afternoon… respect and harmony are due at all times, always a grind and i better come out and my fix is still there.
maurice small thinking about his messenger days in nyc (1989-1991?). now living in slo-mo northern ohio. very, very poor public transportation, just a few bike lanes and a large band of irate mid western motorist. (via mauricesmall)
… mercy mercy me. things ain’t what they used to be. ….. oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas …. fish full of mercury.
…. marvin gaye (via mauricesmall)
a few photos…
Potato flowers
Shroom growing in one of my tomato planters. He goes byebye when I get home.
This is Crazy Cat. It lives in the neighborhood. It is crazy looking.
Lake Erie Non Profit LEEDCo Wins GE Turbines
Progress was made this week to realizing the nations first wind freshwater wind farm in the shallow and vast expanse of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, by the Lake Erie Energy Development Company.
The local non-profit group LEEDCo snared a deal with General Electric to supply the first five turbines for a $100 million demonstration project by 2012, as the first step of a 10-year plan to build a 200 turbine, 1,000 MW wind farm in the nearly 10,000 square mile lake by 2020, using state-of-the-art 4 MW turbines.
We <3 you Lake Erie. I will give you extra loving when I ride past you later.
it isn’t too late for beans…
Growing food is a learning process. Last year was the first year I attempted to grow anything. We got 6 tomatoes, 3 hot peppers, and 2 tiny squash. I learned a lot from my first year. This year I have failed on carrots again. This year I have also learned that you need more than 6 snow pea plants, and you shouldn’t really start your beans from seed inside.
It is too late to remedy the pea problem, but I can plant more beans!!!
One in 8 Million - New York Characters in Sound and Images - The New York Times
This makes me smile.
roast pork tenderloin, green beans and home grown swiss chard sauteed in duck fat, roasted potatoes carrots and onions.
roasted beet and goat cheese salad with honey balsamic (I grew those greens)
Blender and Mason Jar
Did you know that many, if not most, blenders can be used with a standard mason jar, or wide-mouthed mason jar? This is a trick my mother taught me. Apparently 40 years ago or so, about the time this blender pictured was bought, manufacturers used to include a mason jar in the box with the blender. Mom recalls even a booklet that listed the many things one could make with the mason jar blender, including ground spices, whipped cream, and peanut butter. We use this trick most often to make whipped cream. The blender whips it right in the jar, so if we have extra, it’s already in a jar for storage. And it is easier when it comes to making small quantities.
I was complaining the other day that I needed a spice grinder. My mother reminded me of the mason jar trick and it worked perfectly. Here’s how to do it. I’m using walnuts to demonstrate, but you could use this trick with just about anything you want to blend, chop, or grind.
I am amazed by this and I’m not sure why. Putting mason jars on a blender? Awesome!
Love this!
more greens…
Yesterday was the second mesclun harvest. This time I got 4 oz.
I transplanted the eggplants and some more tomatoes as well. I also managed to grill some chicken wings before it stormed!
This morning I went out to check on how things weathered the storm. The swiss chard was kind of wobbly, so I harvested most of the leaves, leaving only the new baby ones. I got 4 oz. of chard.
I didn’t make it to work today. Both of my bikes are broken, and 2 tow trucks just arrived and departed with both of our cars. I made myself a nice salad using some of the mesclun and meat from the chicken wings.
whole wheat pasta surprise!!!
The surprise is, I don’t really know exactly how I made it!
So my original plan was to hop on the bike, because the Prof is off at a wedding, and go up to Johnny Mango form some tequila goodness and maybe some rice and beans. I pulled the bike out of the garage, the other bike - Ce is still broken, and the front tire was not to be fixed. It was beyond flat. I was staying home.
There were 3 beers in the fridge, 2 jars of tomatoes from last summer in the cupboard, and some random odds and ends that could be whipped up into something nutritious. I present: Whole Wheat Pasta Surprise:
1 small dried red chili minced
3 cloves of garlic minced
half an onion chopped
brown sugar
half a green pepper chopped
1 small jar of tomatoes (pint)
2 servings of whole wheat pasta
some green beans (like 2 handfuls) cut in half
some sausage (this was already smoked sausage so it wasn’t raw) cut into bite sized pieces
some olive oil or butter
salt
pepper
a few small knobs of goat cheese (I used herbed)
2 handfuls of mesclun
So put the water on to boil for the pasta. I salt and oil my water when I put it on, you can do this whenever. At the same time, put a sauce pan on medium to medium high heat. (I cook on gas so I really go by flame height) Pour some good olive oil in or some butter or whatever fat substance you enjoy. I actually could have used the duck fat in the can in the fridge, but anyways…
After the oil gets nice and hot, toss in the garlic and the chili. Let that cook for about a minute and then add in the onion and some salt and pepper. Let that get translucent and add in some brown sugar - maybe a table spoon or so. Let that go for about 3-5 minutes. Add the green pepper and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Then add in the tomatoes and stir. Reduce heat a bit and let this simmer, stirring when you think about it. You really want the liquid from the tomatoes to reduce some.
When it is time to put the pasta in the water, put a pan on the stove over medium heat. I used a wok. You want it to be big enough for the pasta and the sauce to go into in a few minutes. Heat up the pan and add some oil or butter or whatever. Toss in the green beans and some salt and pepper. Depending on what kind of sausage you use, don’t use too much oil. The sausage will add some too most likely. Sautee the beans until the bright green colour shows up, then add the sausage to heat. Sautee for a few more minutes, but don’t let the beans get mushy, and then add in the sauce and the pasta. Use tongs to combine, and remove from heat after about 3 minutes. (If your sauce didn’t thicken up enough don’t worry. The goat cheese will help here.)
After removing the pan from the heat, add in your goat cheese and toss to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Plate your pasta and put one handful of mesclun, or whatever greens you have, on top of the pasta and serve. The greens will wilt a bit.I would have added some fresh basil leaves at the end as well, but there weren’t any ready to harvest yet.
Enjoy!
