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If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em
Oct. 17th, 2011 07:45 pmI feel like I managed to get quite a lot done this weekend, though there's so much more to work on.
I started Sunday morning by going to the farmers' market downtown. It was small, with only about eight vendors, but there was a nice selection of fruits, vegetables, honey, and baked goods. I picked up some samosas at an Indian food vendor, and they tasted pretty good, though they were the first samosas I've ever had that contained mashed potatoes. I also bought an olallieberry/marionberry pie, just to see what it would taste like. (It was rather similar to black raspberries with a touch of astringency.)
After getting home, I spent the next several hours digging up the dandelions in the backyard. Considering how well they do back there, I decided to buy some red rib dandelion to grow in a perennial bed. That ought to be an ideal no-hassle vegetable.
I also got rid of several slug colonies. Let me tell you, the snails in the front yard were bad, but the slugs in the back yard were even more disgusting. At least the snails have shells to separate you from the slime.
I got a number of things planted, but the sun started going down before I could finish everything.
My new neighbors moved in around mid-afternoon. After I got done planting for the day, I quickly harvested as many ripe chayotes as I could fit in the refrigerator, in case the new neighbors decide to rip the vine out. Now I have to think of what to do with them all.
This morning I took advantage of the nice weather to ride my cargo bike all over town, picking up groceries and running errands. I probably spent at least two hours just biking from place to place, not counting the time spent shopping. Definitely faster than walking, but my bicycle muscles were a bit rusty. (Note to self: Cream cheese is significantly cheaper at Trader Joe's than at any other store in the vicinity. Also, Ace Hardware needs a bicycle rack.)
After I put all my purchases away, I returned to working in the yard. I managed to get a few more things in the ground before evening. All told, this weekend I planted three dragonfruit cacti, two winter cabbage plants, two Japanese maples, and four California native edible shrubs (hazelnut, Sierra gooseberry, serviceberry, and lemonadeberry).
I still haven't planted the artichoke seeds, or cleared out the front foundation beds. I intended to plant a winter crop of chickpeas today, but I ran out of time for that. I wanted to harvest my summer cabbage to make okonomiyaki for supper, but by the time I finished dumping the yard trimmings and turning the compost pile, I was too pooped to cook. Maybe next weekend...
I started Sunday morning by going to the farmers' market downtown. It was small, with only about eight vendors, but there was a nice selection of fruits, vegetables, honey, and baked goods. I picked up some samosas at an Indian food vendor, and they tasted pretty good, though they were the first samosas I've ever had that contained mashed potatoes. I also bought an olallieberry/marionberry pie, just to see what it would taste like. (It was rather similar to black raspberries with a touch of astringency.)
After getting home, I spent the next several hours digging up the dandelions in the backyard. Considering how well they do back there, I decided to buy some red rib dandelion to grow in a perennial bed. That ought to be an ideal no-hassle vegetable.
I also got rid of several slug colonies. Let me tell you, the snails in the front yard were bad, but the slugs in the back yard were even more disgusting. At least the snails have shells to separate you from the slime.
I got a number of things planted, but the sun started going down before I could finish everything.
My new neighbors moved in around mid-afternoon. After I got done planting for the day, I quickly harvested as many ripe chayotes as I could fit in the refrigerator, in case the new neighbors decide to rip the vine out. Now I have to think of what to do with them all.
This morning I took advantage of the nice weather to ride my cargo bike all over town, picking up groceries and running errands. I probably spent at least two hours just biking from place to place, not counting the time spent shopping. Definitely faster than walking, but my bicycle muscles were a bit rusty. (Note to self: Cream cheese is significantly cheaper at Trader Joe's than at any other store in the vicinity. Also, Ace Hardware needs a bicycle rack.)
After I put all my purchases away, I returned to working in the yard. I managed to get a few more things in the ground before evening. All told, this weekend I planted three dragonfruit cacti, two winter cabbage plants, two Japanese maples, and four California native edible shrubs (hazelnut, Sierra gooseberry, serviceberry, and lemonadeberry).
I still haven't planted the artichoke seeds, or cleared out the front foundation beds. I intended to plant a winter crop of chickpeas today, but I ran out of time for that. I wanted to harvest my summer cabbage to make okonomiyaki for supper, but by the time I finished dumping the yard trimmings and turning the compost pile, I was too pooped to cook. Maybe next weekend...
