Out Like A Lamb

I realize that summer isn't officially over until the Autumn Equinox (September 22nd). Even so, the end of August - in the Old Amigo's mind anyway - heralds the decline of the season. This year, August 31st is especially "fall-like" here at the 48th parallel: it's been raining since before dawn. Go figure.

Looking Through the Trees Toward Whidbey Island

Don't get me wrong. Weather such as we're enjoying today is perfect for many things: for cooking, for enjoying a cup of hot tea, for writing... I, for one, am taking a break as I work on the sequel to LQF. Doing "in-fill development" today.

Sequels are interesting: some sort of recap is necessary, as is some amount of character description. After all, I want reader who picks up the second novel first to be able to enjoy it as a quasi-independent story. At the same time, I want the second story to get going quickly enough to engage those folks who read the LQF.

More on this as I explore and write further.

Stay dry.  Stay warm.  Be well.

Compost!

Lately, Angel has taken to checking out the "free bin" at the local food co-op.  More often than not, there is something in the free bin that is perfectly fresh.  We're talking picture-perfect produce here.  Sometimes there's slimy stuff.  Slimy, but organic.  Angel often bags that and we either:

1. give it to a neighbor who keeps chickens, or 
2. compost it!

Of course we already compost our vegetable leftovers, kitchen scraps, and yard waste (we steer clear of noxious weeds).  We also have tubs (leftover  yoghurt tubs) that some of our neighbors take home and fill with their kitchen scraps.  In compost land, more is better.  Plus the neighbs seem very happy to do something other than toss their past-edible stuff in the trash.  


I've decided that people generally like you if you will take rotting food off their hands.  Anyway, according to the on-line magazine Grist, "the food we discard each year wastes more energy than we extract annually from the oil and gas reserves off the nation’s coastlines, according to New Scientist."  Hello?!


Here's a garage sale score for you: On a swing through the neighborhood on her way back from her Saturday AM yoga class, Angel spied a very cool, rotating composter in perfect condition at a local garage sale.  She walked in the door (I was, as usual, working on the next novel) and announced her find.  I leaped from the chair and said, "Let's go!"

The owners wanted roughly 20% of the retail price of this machine.  It now sits in the sun near our other compost bins.  For a long time, Angel & I have wanted to compare the performance of these rotating composters with our old stand-byes.  Now we can.  In fact, I'm going to dash out and give the barrel a few turns!

Bandits

We took our eggplant bushes out of the greenhouse to bask in what passes for summer sun here at the 48th parallel.  The eggplant fruit grew.  They were ready to harvest... at least that's what some local varmint(s) decided.  Night before last, all the fruit that was ready just disappeared.

The immature fruit was untouched.  The six tomato vines that are immediately adjacent to the eggplant bushes spot on the deck were untouched.  Those tomato vines are struggling in this climate, but they have fruit on them... several very nice, nearly ripe, red tomatoes.

Perhaps the varmints only like eggplant?

We're having trouble figuring out what sort of bandit would snag eggplants.

• Not rats.  The fruit wasn't gnawed, it was plucked and taken elsewhere for consumption.  
• Not deer.  The deer have (so far at least) not scaled the fence to come onto the deck.  Plus, very near the ill-fated eggplants, there are several sunflowers, and the deer just love those.  Plus, the deer don't pluck fruit; they eat the plant, the fruit, etc., from the top down.  
• Angel thought perhaps it was raccoons, but do those bandits eat eggplant?  My old friend, The Agriculturist, says that raccoons would have to be very hungry to eat eggplant.  Some of our neighbors keep chickens, and alas, the raccoons are seldom hungry.
• Crows?  (aka "flying rats" as the locals not-so-fondly call them).  Crows are crafty enough, I suppose, but it seems a stretch.

Anyway, the eggplant bushes are now safely ensconced in the greenhouse.  We learn, little-by-little, what works here at the edge of the continent.

Ah.  The sun has peeked out from behind the clouds.  The garden wakes, smiles.  The sun hides again... probably 'til afternoon.

CA Prop 23

You probably already know this, but the effort to kill CA's cap-and-trade law (AB 32) is funded almost exclusively by out-of-state oil interests.  The two biggest contributors to CA Prop 23 are Texas oil companies Tesoro and Valero.  The out-of-state forces are expected to raise $50M in their efforts to preserve business as usual.

What to expect:

• In this effort, Prop 23 backers will try to blame CA's economic troubles, including its unemployment rate, on liberals and radical environmentalists.  
• The backers of Prop 23 will neglect to mention the huge tax subsidies Big Oil and Big Coal already enjoy.  
• The backers of Prop 23 will neglect to mention the CA jobs that will evaporate if green energy startups are unable to compete with subsidized, established energy players.
• Prop 23 backers will try to establish a link in voters' minds between AB 32 and "out of touch politicians in Sacramento who want to raise your taxes."

In contrast, nearly all of the "No On Prop 23" funding is coming from CA "green-tech" businesses, venture capitalists, and environmental activists.

This is a battle between the old economy and the new economy.  Entrenched big (huge) business interests feel justifiably threatened at the possibility they could lose revenue if CA businesses become big players in the power biz. CA businesses at risk if Prop 23 passes include renewable energy startups, PV system installers, and R&D efforts.  And remember: oil dollars flow out of CA into TX and elsewhere.  In contrast, CA green tech companies bring money into the state, employ people in the state, pay taxes in the state.

If you'd like to read more, here's an article from Grist.  Disclaimer: Grist is a progressive on-line 'zine and this is reflected in its editorial positions.

Here Come the Zucchini!

Squashes & A Beautiful Red Cabbage

First the red cabbage: yesterday, Angel harvested a gorgeous red cabbage. We went to a potluck supper and she used the cabbage (and a couple of carrots picked at the same time) to make a delicious cole slaw. BTW, it was a vegetarian potluck and the variety and quantities of food were quite nice.

As you can see from the photo at the right, the squashes are ramping up. We've already eaten a few of the early  zucchini and yellow squashes and found them to be very tasty. Now more are coming on-line. In addition, we're starting to see some golden-yellow round squashes.

Interestingly, the deer rarely bother the squash plants.  They'll eat rose bushes, thorny stems and all, right down to the ground, but there's something about zucchini plants that causes the deer to look the other way. Works for me. Little-by-little, we learn to work with the local flora and fauna.

Angel and I both wish we could afford to terrace & fence the whole meadow and fill it with fruit trees. It would be a productive area as well as a wonderful place to hang out. That was part of the original plan, but of course plans change, don't they? Anyway, we're both very happy with the amount of produce we're already getting, and we do have four little fruit trees inside the fenced area behind the garage.

* * *

We're experiencing record temps up here at the edge.  The meadow area needs mowing, but I'm going to wait on it for a few days. The forecast is for milder temps by Wednesday or Thursday of this week. Yesterday, at about 10 AM, I mowed one of the flat parts of the property and it was already uncomfortably hot. Today's forecast calls  for even higher temperatures, so I'll go outside to water my tomato vines and will tend to my greenhouse chilies but am otherwise planning to stay in the shade as much as I can.

I will be teaching a yoga class tonight at the athletic club. It's especially fun to teach when it's warm in the studio (shucks, the Bikram folks pay money to do yoga in hot rooms); although I do have to be careful about standing up too quickly. It's generally considered poor form when the yoga teacher faints...

Potatoes Cranking... and the Zucchinis are Warming Up

Potatoes and One of This Year's 1st Zukes

The garden continues to thrive.  We're in the midst of a "hot spell."  That means sunny skies and temps in the high seventies to low eighties Fahrenheit.  Don't hurt yourself laughing, please.  This is the way people look at weather here at the 48th parallel.  Here, at the edge of the continent.

The usual partly-to-mostly cloudy skies have finally become a bright, clear blue.  I've taken all four tomato plants out of the greenhouse and put them on our south-facing deck.  They are thirsty all the time.  They bask in the sun and the heat reflected from the deck and south-facing wall of the house.

The chilies are still in the greenhouse.  They seem to love the heat; although I'm watching the watering carefully.  Plants in pots just don't leave that much margin for error.  My slow-to-start jalapenos have gotten very busy and are now big stars.  I think it's getting near the time for me to harvest my poblanos.  The super chilies (which I had better names for them) are ripening.

Does anyone know how best to dry chilies?  How to freeze them?

We've had maybe ten artichokes so far.  Earlier today, Angel counted twenty-one more artichokes on the plants.  Some are nearly ready to eat, but others are just starting.  That means we'll probably have them for another month or two.

All this is good, but the potatoes are wonderful.  They have contributed to many meals.  Angel often pulls five or more pounds of potatoes from the gardens in a single day.  We've been giving some away to neighbors and friends, and it's now to the point that we think we can start saving a few in some shelves down in the basement.

And now, the zucchinis and yellow squash are starting to come.  Some people say they get tired of zucchini.  I don't know about that.  Last year we had a lot of zucchini and I never grew tired of them.

There is more: carrots, some beets, some beautiful red cabbage... kohlrabi, bell peppers.  The list goes on.

When I spent those months of hard work building garden beds, hauling dirt, sifting dirt, mixing in compost, I sometimes became discouraged.  I kept telling myself I would only have to do all that heavy work one time.  I told myself the gardens would give us lots of pleasure and that they would not be too difficult to maintain.

Sometimes wishful thinking and stubborn optimism are an effective approach!

The Chilies Are Coming!

Super Chili Plant.  There are four such.

Jalapenos, Poblanos, and "Super Chilies" are all ripening.  Bell peppers aren't far behind.

The First Three "Super Chilies"

Last night, I harvested the first three "supers." They're very hot... Somewhat reminiscent of Thai Chilies; although they seem bigger.  They'd probably shrink up if I were to dry them.  To use them in our dinner, I de-seeded the chilies and cut them into strips (I handled the chilies with rubber gloves on!).

Then I added a mango that Angel bagged from the "free bin" at the local food co-op.

A splash of white wine, some fresh basil, and just a hint of garlic completed the concoction.

I put a boneless, skinless chicken breast into this delightful mix and baked the whole thing at 350 Degrees Obsolete.

Some organic brown rice and two, just-picked squash (a zuccini and a yellow) rounded out the dinner.  To prep the squash, I cut it into large-ish pieces.  Then I put it in a Corningware dish.  I used oregano, a dash of "all purpose seasoning" (no MSG), a splash of olive oil, and just enough water to spread the other things around before covering the dish and cooking the veggies in the microwave for two minutes.

Below, you can see our Poblano plant.  Haven't harvested any of these beauties yet, but I think that day is getting near!

Here's a close shot of our Poblano Plant

Rhubarb

Rhubarb from the North Side Garden

Angel harvested these and cooked them up for her mom.  From all reports, they were very tasty.  Later, we harvested more and experimented with a couple of new recipes.  The Old Amigo thought the results were fine, but Angel wasn't satisfied with her efforts.  There will be more rhubarb for other attempts!