Living With Roommates–Part 3

I had a meeting the other day with my roommates about things that have been grating on them lately.  Useful to do, illuminating to be a part of. One continuing point of contention was my continual drying of herbs, orange peels and more on the line I had set up in the kitchen.  I was proud of myself for the personal growth I've been working on the last few years, in that I was finally able to say "I'm not going to stop drying herbs" when the point got brought up again. Living with roommates can be tricky, especially when your values don't align. But I finally realized that just because our interests don't align, doesn't mean I have to compromise anything that isn't completely invasive.  There is no major issue (smell, space, etc) emanating from having one string with hanging herbs or more in the kitchen, and so I didn't back down from having the issue brought forth. In standing up for myself, my roommates must have realized that they just didn't like my aesthetic choices/values and realized that a string of drying objects isn't hurting them. And the amount of stuff I can do with something that simple is fantastic.  A proud moment for me in roommate-dom! And a valid lesson too, I suppose–it's always easier making choices when you live with those whose values align with yours, but it's never impossible to do, even if roommates don't understand. Communication and self-awareness, though, are key.

Saving Seed

 I've hung up some kale and arugula gone to seed in my kitchen to save the seed. I've read that you need to allow it to "cure" wherein the seeds become dry enough to store.  You can see the difference between the arugula on the right which was hung today and the kale on the left (and below) which was hung a week or two ago (I forget how long ago now...) In any case, once everything is dry, I'm going to take them out of their pods and store them for later in the season or for upcoming years!  It's incredibly exciting and empowering! I'm starting to understand how violating not allowing farmers to keep seeds is, even from just doing it a little bit. It's a cost, it's a livelihood, it's native, or at least can be slowly acclimatized to your location.  So many important things.

Mulberries

So many mulberries!!

I'm now addicted to these delicious berries that grow rampant in my front yard. I've discovered a fairly successful way of catching a few of the higher-up branches too–tossing one end of a bungee cord to grab a branch with it's curved end and pulling it down to my reach. Unfortunately I still can't get at the top branches and will need to prune the tree for it to be manageable in years to come.  But that, later in the year!

Radish Top Pesto

I made an epicly huge batch of radish pesto today with a whole whack of the radish tops in my garden (so many non-radishes! All leg! No root!) 

All I did was, simply, put the washed radish leaves in a blender with enough extra virgin olive oil to allow it to blend, a little bit of salt, and some garlic scape powder that I have from Giddy Yoyo (www.giddyyoyo.com). That's it! Simple, fast, and delicious! No need to get rid of those un-radishy radishes!

Radish Problemsolving

I finally had some time to do some research of my leggy (ie-tall and lanky) radishes.  It sounds like they have too much nitrogen and not enough potassium–root veg need lots of potassium and phosphorus to bulb nice and big. I have some wood ash leftover and so might mix that in before I plant any more.  I'm going to use the leaves to make some massive batches of pesto, though. Delicious!

Rooting Lovage

After my lovage died post transplant, I brought the roots inside, put them in some water, and now they're re-sprouting!  I will soon replant the new shoots and get excited for a vigorous new plant

Great Seed Saving Article

I came across this great article about why seed saving is important.  It's a task I'm planning on undertaking to whatever extent I can this year. The more I learn about the way our seed structures work, the more I realize how important seed saving is.  I've already started with some kale, arugula and radish.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/how-farmers-are-saving-seeds-and-building-a-canadian-collection/article13098425/