Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Back to Basics

I was flipping through my Back to Basics book (the country living "Bible" if you will), looking for dinner ideas. It suddenly struck me how delicious those simple, homemade meals can be. You don't need fancy recipes when everything is grown and harvested right here on your property (or locally and with no chemicals!). Too often we think that cooking needs to be "fancy" with scads of ingredients, and everyone tries to outdo each other with the next fanciful concoction. I'm guilty of this as well, so it was nice to be able to remind myself that meals don't need to be complex in order to be delicious.

After dealing with a psychotic demon kitten all morning, I finally managed to make it outside to gather three large pine logs and chop/saw those into enough firewood to see us through this evening. After that building a small fire in the woodstove, I raided some cheap beer out of the communal fridge (Fat Tire - you can't go wrong) to take the edge off of life (and my still sore back muscles). Some days I can't decide which is more vital to life: Beer or Garden Fresh Veggies? The scales tip differently depending on the time of day...

This morning, I transplanted the last of my Clary Sage, Boneset, and Spearmint sprouts into "Grown Up Pots" and started a new germination tray with Parsley and Walla Walla onions. I have moved most of my hardier perennials into my newly heated greenhouse (also known as the Solarium with a portable heater!), but have left the more tropical plants in the Duchesse Room with the grow lights for now - it's still a bit too cool for them out in the greenhouse just yet. I also transplanted my yacon into a larger pot, as it had already outgrown the last gallon one.

Well, I hear the oven timer ringing, so that means my pre-chores dinner is ready!...

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