chocolate and vanilla kale chips

in my mind i've been calling these his and her kale chips, because he (john) loves chocolate...

and she (me) prefers vanilla.

the sweet kale chips were inspired by jess of cupcakes and kale. with kale chips i don't usually follow measurements - i find it easier to taste as i go. for the chocolate kale i used the same ingredients as jess, subbing vanilla water and adding a bit of maple syrup. with the vanilla chips i used a few tablespoons coconut oil, coconut flakes, chia seeds, agave nectar, a pinch of salt, vanilla water, and the insides of one vanilla bean, which were purchased fairly cheap in bulk here.

after massaging everything really well into my garden kale, i placed the coated pieces onto teflex sheets and dehydrated at 115 degrees overnight. the outcome was a sweet little snack packed with green nutrition that even he (who doesn't care much for kale) can enjoy.=)

flowers and garden pests

today was another beautiful one - 74 degrees and sunny. i rode my bike to the community garden and picked a bunch of kale to make chips. for those of you still waiting for spring, i thought i'd snap some flower shots.

i also took a picture of the harlequin beetles that have invaded our broccoli plants. these suckers will drain the life out of our plants and i don't know what to do about them. i tried killing one and couldn't do it. it fell on its back, kicked its legs and looked so frightened that i flipped him back over and let him go. maybe i'm not cut out for this gardening stuff after all.

to end on a positive note, i've spotted some spinach and pea sprouts in the home garden. aster and teeny tiny poppy plants are coming up on the window sill, and no one has gotten under the wire cages to eat the poppy seeds outside (knock on wood).

weekend gardening

this weekend felt more like may than march, and i got a whole lot of planting done. last year i called my local master gardeners and they said may 15th was my area's average last frost date. i listened to them, but felt like i could have planted many seeds much earlier. farmer's almanac lists april 6th as our average last frost date. i'm meeting somewhere in the middle with april 20th.

we have to cover many of our seeds or else the squirrels and birds will feast on them (even though i feed them bird seed). something was digging in the beds last night despite all the chicken wire cages. with some saved mesh from produce packaging, i covered the spinach cages. last year the birds pecked through the chicken wire and ate the sprouts! hopefully the mesh keeps them safe.

being a lazy gardener, i only cleaned up the area to be planted now in the 6x6 bed above. those two kale plants from last season are also still producing. i foresee lots of kale chips in our future...

the hyacinths are blooming a month sooner than last year, though they're not as full or fragrant.

below is our 40+ garlic plants at the community garden. next to the garlic are some broccoli plants and at the end of the bed some kale and collard still thriving from last fall. this week i'll be pulling the greens and planting more poppies, kale, arugula, escarole, cabbage, collard, and fennel seeds.

spring is here in full force. i love these pink blossoms - they remind me of walking home from the bus stop when i was a kid. i believe they're magnolias, but i'm not positive.

two of my african daisy seeds have sprouted, after just three days! the next time i post i hope to have some pea sprouts to show you! 

flower pots w/ granny square coasters and first garden meal

the dollar store had mini clay pots three for a dollar. they're the perfect size for windowsills, and they would also make cute gifts or party favors. i learned the hard way that labels will not stick to clay, even if you wrap them with yarn. eventually the water seeps through and the ink bleeds.

the granny square blanket project is still on hold. i've tried to make a handbag, and that didn't turn out the way i expected either, but i was able to reuse the squares to make flower pot coasters.

these will protect the sill from water and probably get bleached by the sun and dirty in the process. i'm ok with that because i love the color they add to the bedroom now.

i'm also happy to have finished a crochet project, and the best part of it all hasn't even grown yet!

this window faces south and gets plenty of sun. my fingers are crossed that all twelve varieties of flowers flourish. it is my dream to have a lush garden full of blossoms. it's looking pretty bare now.

with the kale you see in the big plot i made a quick salad topped with a pansy from the small box.

my first garden meal of 2012, simple but sweet!=)