Signs of Spring

Bees were buzzing and birds were singing. A few days of sunshine was all it took to get our tulips and daffodils peeking out of the ground.

Naturally, it is blustery and cold now but those lovely days a couple weeks back were a welcome preview of Spring just around the corner.

We spent as much time outside as possible, soaking up all the Vitamin D our bodies could absorb. In honor of the seasonal burst of color we'll experience soon, I set up a rainbow variation of a classic baking soda and vinegar science experiment for the kids.

The kids helped set everything up, scooping four piles of baking soda onto their trays while I prepared the jars of vinegar and food coloring

I was pleasantly surprised to see them adding small amounts of liquid at a time and observing the reaction closely. William even commented that the bubbles left behind holes like craters

But after a while Sara decided that using one dropper at a time just wasn't enough...

Without any interference from me, this beautiful mess appeared on William's tray

Everything is more fun when you can do it outside

Unable to resist the urge for instant springtime, I bought a Costco-sized flat of primroses (notice their pretty little heads in the background of the last photo above).

I'm so glad I took a few pictures of their colorful heads because this is what they looked like the following morning.

Chomp

I would have suspected our resident banana slugs (we grow 'em big out here) or the little cotton tailed bunny we've seen hopping into the salmon berry brambles recently but when I counted that 12 primroses been chomped to smithereens and a few had even been uprooted from their comfy holes, the evidence unmistakably led to deer. Note to self:  just because you don't see the deer around very often them doesn't mean they aren't visiting you and patiently waiting for your next pretty flower to bloom.

The Adventures of Art Lady: Kindergartners and Sticks

No, this isn’t a story about sword fights (though I have to admit I was nervous about that happening), it’s a story about making Garden Art Sticks with a group of fifteen 5- and 6-year olds.

I found this idea on this wonderful blog and thought it would be a great project for our Kindergarten class to make for the school's bi-annual auction.

My dear adventurous Mother, affectionately known as Cuckoo Grandma by my children, gathered a bundle of shapely beach sticks already smooth from being tossed in the ocean and sand. Once they were completely dry (let them sit in the dry place a few weeks), I painted them with a couple coats of white acrylic primer. After that, they were ready to cart to the school Art Room and let the kids slather on bright acrylic paints however they desired.

Here is how they looked after the first step:

And here is how they turned out!

The kids did such a great job. They seemed to take extra care since this was something special to raise money for their school. It was a bit messy but everyone did their best and I love how their Art Sticks turned out. Here are a few shots from my lesson that day:

Yes, getting more and more messy but most kids wore aprons

...except for this one

I was concerned that parents would be upset if their kids came home with stained clothes (acrylic paint doesn't wash out). As I was looking through photos from the lesson, I realized it was only my dear boy freely wiping his painted fingers onto shirt and pants... oops

"Look Mom, I put on an apron," after he was done... The ladies still love my little guy--this particular friend likes him so much she painted a spot of his hair blue (and he liked it). Kindergarten rocks.

Growth and Hope

Two amaryllis bulbs + two pots + expanding soil = two curious kids eager to track the growth of their chosen bulbs. Cuckoo Grandma brought these fun gifts for the kids; Sara chose pink and white while William picked the bright red one. Little did he know that the red variety blooms later than the other… at least we hoped that was what was going on as we witnessed her bulb shooting up quickly (sometimes an inch a day) while his quietly stood by.

We measured Sara’s bulb a few times and recorded our findings but our little scientific experiment was overshadowed by William’s disappointment. I explained that this was part of the process and sometimes bulbs and seeds sprout at different times and sometimes they won’t even grow at all but to not give up on his bulb yet. When glorious blush-colored flowers as big as Sara’s head proudly started opening, I knew it was time to take action.

Upon closer inspection (ie. yanking the non-performing bulb out of the soil) we found considerable root rot. After plucking off all the soft brown bits we left behind 4 or 5 nice fresh white roots, said some encouraging words to the red amaryllis bulb, buried it again, and hoped. Two days later we were still hoping but on the third day we saw a glimmer of life! One of the sprouting leaves looked slightly taller and a new green tip was also starting to show. I am so happy to report that in one day William’s bulb grew at least a half inch and has continued at a remarkable rate. It is now a promising 7 inches tall and we’re still enjoying the gorgeous pink flowers of Sara’s plant. Now William explains to everyone (as I have been saying in an encouraging tone this whole past month since planting), that once Sara’s is all done, we’ll have pretty red flowers to look at so it’s cool that his was slower. Phew! Close call.

This Moment: Huckleberry Heaven

A Friday ritual. A photo capturing a simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment that I want to pause, savor, and remember. Hosted by SouleMama. (If you're inspired to do the same, please leave a comment below with your link.)

Seed Collecting

Like an industrious little squirrel, I enthusiastically collect flower seeds every year. Many years ago I would roll my eyes at my mother doing the same thing on just about every walk we’ve ever taken. Well, I suppose I used to roll my eyes at her for breathing … sorry, Mom. My dear Mother was always on the lookout for pretty flowers and abundant seed heads while I was always on the lookout for Park Rangers to slap our hands from taking seeds from the park. Now, I’ve come full circle and here I am scurrying around (mostly in my own back yard) looking for seeds to collect.

Seed collecting is pleasing on so many levels. I will admit I get some perverse defiant pleasure from by collecting my own seeds. I pluck those plump little seed heads and think about how much money I’ll save the next year in seed purchases. “Ha!” I think, “I’ll show you, $2.99 seed- packet-company, my homegrown seeds are better than yours and they don’t cost a cent!” Don’t tell Monsanto, they’ll be after me…

Mostly, I just love being outside doing something fun and useful. My heart feels full of gratitude for the plants that thrived enough to produce seed, and I look forward to Spring thinking about what new plants I’ll try the following year and where I’ll sow these seeds. The kids love helping too and there are tons of learning opportunities. We look at how each seed looks different and how some have little “wings” to help them float away to a new location while others are “designed” to just fall to the ground. Much to the kids’ delight, a little potty talk gets thrown in when we discuss how seeds can be carried in bird poop. After they’re done snickering about mom saying “poop,” they go back to sensing my attachment to seed gathering and respectfully treat each little seed like a tiny treasure.

Other times they lose interest and decide it's time to bring Mr Potato Head outside to play... that's alright, they let me borrow his hat.

Magnificent Mint

“Smell dis, smell dis!” is often the first thing Sara says to visitors outside, followed by “you want some spicy flowers?” or “how 'bout we make a bouquet?” We may not have rich soil or a beautifully organized garden plot (at least not yet… never say never) but we do have vigorous garden mint (is there any other kind?), bright and spicy nasturtiums, and enough sweet peas to make a lovely little sweet-smelling bouquet from time to time.

Mint has been our garden hero this summer. Countless leaves have been plucked and sniffed for entertainment yet this hearty herb still thrives. Besides tossing bits into salads, making mint tea, mint soup, and mint sandwiches (made with real sand of course), and attempting to make vegan mint ice cream (more on that if I ever get it right), the kids also like to jazz up drinks they see sitting around with a sprig of mint.

Too bad I never have a mojito sitting around…

Picture-Perfect Tomatoes

Oh, how I wish I could say these came from my garden. Alas, a combination of persistent deer and cooling shade keeps me from even trying anything other than cherry tomatoes (and even those are pathetic this year).

See? I wasn't kidding when I said my own tomato-growing efforts were sad. Oh well, at least the kids still love popping these in their mouths.

Anyhow, back to the sexy tomatoes. These bountiful red, green, orange, yellow, and multi-hued heirloom beauties are from our beloved CSA, Jubilee Farm, and yes, they do taste as good as they look. In addition to the 5 pints of gorgeous tomatoes that I brought home with our family share, Jubilee sold me an extra 15 pounds for $25 which is a steal as anyone who buys heirloom tomatoes at farmer's markets can testify. They are almost too pretty to eat but knowing their good looks will only take them so far, I made a tasty yellow waxy bean and tomato salad to go with dinner tonight (recipe below). Now I just need to figure out what to do with the rest of them besides having them pose for my camera. Smile, you sexy tomato!

Isn't she gorgeous?

The green pattern on this charming little fellow is one of my favorites.

My own little "tomato rainbow" arranged by color/variety. I know, stop playing with my food...

Finally, piled into my basket so the deer didn't come devour them while we were out. I had to stop at this point, the kids were getting jealous of having to compete with tomatoes for my attention.

I love cookbooks organized by the dominant vegetable in the dish and I even more than that, I love recipes that feature three or more items in our weekly CSA bounty. This is a tasty find from Alice Waters'  Chez Panisse Vegetables that made delicious use of our yellow wax beans, shallot and you guessed it, the sexy tomatoes.

Green (or Yellow or Purple) Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad
adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters

1 pound green beans (I used yellow)
1 pound cherry tomatoes (or sexy heirloom tomatoes if you got ‘em)
1 large shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Basil or other herb (optional) – I actually added about 3 tablespoons of pesto to the dressing in place of an herb and this helped it become more kid-friendly since my kids love pesto
1/2 cup edamame I added these to increase the protein and make it more hearty (Alice suggests this in her book and says any shelled bean should work fine)

Top and tail the beans then parboil in salted water until just tender, about five minutes (add the edamame in this step also). Drain and immediately spread them out to cool. Cut cherry tomatoes in half or slice larger ones however you’d like.

Peel and mince the shallot and put it in a bowl with the vinegar and salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste and adjust vinegar, oil, or salt, as needed. Toss the cherry tomatoes in with the vinaigrette; this can sit for a while. Do not add the green beans until just before serving or they will discolor from the acid in the vinaigrette.

Here is how mine turned out. Come to think of it, these beans are pretty sexy too, aren't they? Maybe I need to get out more...

This Moment

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Hosted by SouleMama.