tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70678485691515696782011-09-14T23:48:12.070-05:00Some days you feel like gardening, some days you feel like fighting against latifundialization. It's time to get back to basics.Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-75292430486416435552011-08-17T17:36:00.000-05:002011-08-17T17:36:35.598-05:00

A Delicious Chocolate Pie I came across this recipe for the most amazing chocolate pie ever! What is unusual about it is that it is not your normal creamy chocolate pie that is reminiscent of chocolate pudding, but is instead more along the lines of the filling of a pecan pie, only without the pecans and chocolate. In short, it is mind-blowing. For one 9-inch pie: 1.5 cups of sugar 3

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0Norwalk, CT, USA41.1175966 -73.407896841.0420231 -73.4548983 41.193170099999996 -73.36089530000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-49083359288690471152011-08-07T09:16:00.008-05:002011-09-03T11:57:15.151-05:00

So, I have a confession to make. I'm kind of gross. This may be a surprise to some, but to those who have actually lived with me, especially when I was in college, this is not new information (I will not go into the tomato soup debacle of aught 5. You're welcome). For those who have lived with me, they likely have discovered that I shower, you know, once and awhile, like to cook but hate doing

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-65055622301656865282011-07-23T19:38:00.000-05:002011-07-23T19:38:45.471-05:00

Hungarian Wax Peppers Back in April, I went to the local nursery to buy a Bee Balm to plant under my front stoop. When I left the nursery, it was with the Bee Balm and 6 small Hungarian Wax Pepper plants that I had won as a prize (I wasn't sure what surprised me more, that nurseries had prizes, or that I won). I have a small garden and wasn't planning on planting vegetables, but not wanting to

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-89052629406561211542011-07-01T12:07:00.000-05:002011-07-01T12:07:14.306-05:00

The very first thing that I did last summer after moving into my new apartment was make a batch of pickles. My belongings were all boxed up still, the furniture scattered, and it would be several more months before I would even begin painting, but I had pickles. I have enjoyed them through the winter months and into the spring, but it has started me thinking about making them again once the

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-58457880059089797942011-06-25T14:54:00.001-05:002011-06-25T14:56:01.990-05:00

Delicious Cake-Pops! So Matt and I got all domestic this weekend and decided to make cake popsicles. If you've never seen one of these before, you can find them at bakeries and now at Starbucks. However, much like black-bean burgers, there is no reason that you cannot make them yourself. To make these, you need a few things: Your favorite cake recipe/mix Your favorite icing (if you buy the cans

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-55228059618219587272011-06-05T13:09:00.007-05:002011-06-05T13:51:54.323-05:00

Yesterday afternoon found me at the local sporting goods store staring in shock at a price tag and thinking, There is no way I'm spending $95 for this pair of rain pants made on the other side of the world!I left the store and considered my alternatives. Finally, after a couple more stops, I headed home and dug out my sewing machine and old pattern for pajama pants.The most important part of rain

Betsynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-13889030080427308962011-06-04T12:05:00.003-05:002011-06-04T12:21:16.124-05:00

It's a few days into June, and probably many of you have found your way to the farmers' markets already. Here in the north, we aren't quite that far yet, but fruits and vegetables are still on everyone's minds. While we wait, a couple informative documentaries:The Future of Food -- a good overview of seed patenting history and issues, the science and potential risks of genetic engineering, the

Betsynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-48822692643971712422011-05-18T12:07:00.002-05:002011-05-18T12:17:20.825-05:00

My lovely sister Katie works at a bookstore, and one of my favorite things to do while I visit my family is harass her at work. This last trip, I picked up a fantastic book on home preservation titled "Put 'em Up!". I've already done some jam making and pickling, but I'm excited to try some new recipes and venture into the world of drying. Stay tuned!

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-6236768280643765672011-05-17T16:20:00.000-05:002011-05-17T16:20:57.845-05:00

I have a new coffee cup. It is not just any coffee cup, however. This coffee cup is ceramic, but made to look like a disposable coffee cup. It is a sign that we have reached the pinnacle of society--we now make our permanent, lasting objects to look like they are impermanent and disposable. When I drink my coffee, I do so proudly, displaying this symbol of humanity's triumph and progress through

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-18241621029194784412011-04-22T13:38:00.000-05:002011-04-22T13:38:09.048-05:00

Mmmm. Black Bean Burgers. Ok, so maybe everyone else in the world had figured this out, but I never knew that I could make my own black bean burgers! I had always assumed that they grew on trees or something in that magical realm where the likes of meatless chicken nuggets and wheat-gluten beef substitute roamed free. I never dreamed that I might be able to cross the threshold into that magical

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-25766930787756055462011-04-05T17:08:00.002-05:002011-08-19T07:35:00.484-05:00

The finished desk. Demon approves. Well, it took a little while, but I finally finished my new desk (and I am using it as I write this)! I opted for making my own desktop using wood instead of a glass desktop from Ikea, which is what my original inspiration had been--see the photo in the first post. I opted for the wood because I figured it would be more durable, I wouldn't have to worry

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-53994551962158469782011-02-28T21:51:00.002-06:002011-02-28T21:55:30.074-06:00

While doing household chores the other day, the label on my toilet bowl cleaner caught my eye. There, proclaimed in bright cheerful colors was the assurance that this toilet bowl cleaner "Kills Flu Virus." Upon reading this, I had two immediate concerns. First, I was unaware that my toilet bowl was a breeding ground for the flu virus. I could certainly imagine that it is a cesspool of other

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-7413968963595940792011-02-07T21:00:00.002-06:002011-02-07T21:02:46.413-06:00

So, inspired by the internet and in response to my great need for a desk, I decided to go about making my own desk out of plumbing pipe and wood. After mulling it over for several months (I never said that I was quick with my decisions) I finally went out to Home Depot this past weekend and purchased about $90 worth of 1/2" black steel pipe. My goal was to create my own version of the desk seen

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-25716006039448271292010-08-25T20:03:00.010-05:002010-08-25T21:23:49.333-05:00

Have you washed clothes in a bath tub? Scrubbed your jeans on a washing board? Driven your t-shirts to the laundromat, spending your quarters as you wondered what that washing machine previously contained? For those of us who have experience renting or living in places without conventional washers and dryers, we may have tried some or all of the above and wondered if there was another option.I

Betsynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-59519032935534803672010-08-25T10:07:00.001-05:002010-08-25T10:09:12.570-05:00

So, I'm finally beginning to settle in to my new apartment out here in Norwalk, CT. In between moving boxes from my temporary residence to the new place, I've been tackling small projects around the apartment--replacing the light fixtures out front, fixing the bathroom faucet, and today, cleaning the windows. Window cleaning is not the most exciting thing in the world, but two things make this

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-9612149887778950652010-07-23T13:20:00.000-05:002010-07-23T13:20:53.495-05:00

The house where I'm staying temporarily while I wait to move into my new apartment here in Connecticut features quite a few bushes of Rose of Sharon. To be more accurate, roughly 80% of the plants on the property are Rose of Sharon--from the front hedge, to decorative bushes, and even a specimen that has been pruned so as to cleverly disguise it as a small tree. Further, it seems to be peak

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-58713284120837165942010-03-06T17:07:00.001-06:002010-08-25T10:09:36.798-05:00

Baking soda does not feature prominently in my memories from growing up (perhaps if it did, there would be reason to be concerned). There was the occasional box that lived in the back of the refrigerator, and there was always a box in the kitchen that my mom would use in her baking. But these uses were evidently just scratching the surface, because as it turns out, baking soda is amazing! I had

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-2446032860790874802010-03-05T13:29:00.000-06:002010-03-05T13:29:34.091-06:00

So, good news. The peruvian daffodil bulb has finally started sending out some roots, perhaps we will have some flowers from it after all. The dutch iris continue to do quite well, and as promised, I have included a photo showing the progress of our biggest plant. Don't worry, this will be the last post about the bulbs until we get some flowers out of them!

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-85330370598615928922010-03-02T18:09:00.001-06:002010-03-02T18:28:17.926-06:00

Well, it's been one week since I started my bulb-forcing experiment, and it is going well so far. Within a few days roots appeared on all of the iris bulbs and now green shoots are popping out. However, the Peruvian daffodil is not doing as well, showing no signs of growth so far. I'll keep an eye on it and may have to pull it out soon before it begins to mold. So to summarize so far, Dutch iris

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-9354747125520804072010-02-26T16:52:00.001-06:002010-02-26T16:53:12.606-06:00

Ok, maybe that's an overstatement, but we are doing our part to bring spring earlier here in snowy Chicago. After reading about it over at the always excellent apartmenttherapy.com, I decided to try my hand at forcing some bulbs for our living room. While the instructions called for Paperwhite or Narcissus bulbs, a trip over to the Home Depot on Roosevelt revealed that they had neither of these

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-85122507538095856032009-03-14T13:23:00.005-05:002009-03-14T14:03:07.426-05:00

Well, it's been a long and cold winter, but the warm winds of spring are beginning to move in, which can mean only one thing--planting time! We're happy to say that we have planted the first seeds for this year's garden: cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peppers, and jalapeno peppers. They are sitting happily in little peat pellets in our front window,

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-49374270855938506642008-12-29T15:18:00.004-06:002008-12-29T15:20:11.049-06:00

It's cold. Negative eleventy-billion degrees, and we haven't seen any plant life for months. Now that the end of the semester has finally waned, January becomes an opportunity to try things that I don't have time for during the school year. I still have many mason jars, and I'm researching ways to use them now that growing and harvesting is out of season. Will keep you posted!

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-69079142660608367492008-07-30T11:44:00.008-05:002008-07-30T15:16:28.376-05:00

The garden has really shot up over the past few days:You can't really tell, but the tomato plants, when propped up, reach nearly to my shoulder. We really should find some taller stakes, as the branches are getting heavy and the plants are falling over.There are lots of green tomatoes, some growing in bunches of as many as eight:The bell pepper plants are starting to take off, too:Baby pepper:

Tashanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-5083412936103719092008-07-26T18:31:00.002-05:002008-07-26T18:50:15.508-05:00

This takes a bit of time to cook, but is perhaps the best dish ever so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's based roughly on a recipe from the book Tofu Cookery, but as I was aiming to be as local as possible, it has more species of veggies and doesn't have the tofu or soymilk that the original recipe has.1. Chop into small cubes and parboil for 10 minutes in minimal water, saving the cooking

Betsynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-1382728441027291482008-07-22T13:26:00.005-05:002008-07-22T13:53:20.400-05:00

Tanya and I were talking over jam the other day, and she had mentioned that she was becoming more interested in urban gardening, food justice, and the relationship between the two. I'd become more concerned with it too, and post sugar-shock, Batman sleep deprivation, and a healthy dose of sermon procrastination, I decided to do some research. I found a few great organizations in the Chicago

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-80401055935605210452008-07-14T22:02:00.000-05:002008-07-25T22:11:02.399-05:00

So, I was down checking on the garden today, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the peas are doing very well and had their first harvest of little snap peas ready to be picked (and eaten, of course). I've been told that snap peas are best eaten when they are still relatively young and not fully developed. As they get older, they get stringer and lose some of the flavor. I can now vouch

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-20302154850200801342008-07-07T10:56:00.003-05:002008-07-07T11:05:47.265-05:00

Thursday, July 17th at 7pm we're making jam. If you want to learn, let me know and you can join us! Adam said I should write a limerick about it.Come join us and we can make jam.We'll rock out and listen to Wham.What starts out like a stew,gets you covered in goo,is so good it'll make you say, "Damn!"*smatterings of applause* Thank you.

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-29233880409704041542008-07-06T12:11:00.001-05:002008-07-14T20:21:03.831-05:00

The garden is doing really well! The most obvious change is that the peas are growing along the runners that Adam and Amandine put up. Another exciting development: they have blooms!There are also blooms on the tomato plants, and there are tiny bell peppers forming! We've harvested a few (peppery) radishes, and the herbs are coming up well. Wow, y'all, we actually have a garden!

Tashanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-50689953379545885632008-07-04T20:06:00.003-05:002008-07-14T17:43:48.124-05:00

Emily and I have been making pesto for the past couple of weeks, since fresh basil is in season and is reasonably cheap at the Hyde Park farmer's market. We hope to make enough over time to have a store that will last through the winter. That is, if we can ever make enough to get us through a week first.Some of the cast of characters:Pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. The basil was off

Tashanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-17577521505083170332008-06-29T18:22:00.004-05:002008-06-29T18:55:33.770-05:00

Red fruit cut so thinCoated with mustard on breadYou taste delicious

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-62323133436052594362008-06-28T13:39:00.009-05:002008-06-29T21:33:11.749-05:00

Today Amandine and I went down to work on the garden for a while. We replaced tomato and pepper plants that had been lost, tied the tomatoes up to their stakes, tied up twine for the peas to grow on (pictured at right is Amandine diligently at work with the peas), weeded, watered, and generally cared for the garden.Of some excitement, though, was the discovery that some of the tomato plants have

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-73609219394858281272008-06-22T17:14:00.003-05:002008-06-22T18:27:52.990-05:00

I have fond memories growing up of my mom baking bread in the kitchen; the smell of activated yeast and baking bread always bring me back to standing on tip-toe in the kitchen trying to see what my mom was doing in all those bowls...I'm attempting to make all my own bread this summer--I'm only in my second week, so we'll see how it goes. Baking your own bread is fairly straight forward, so I

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-1623647811241457892008-06-21T12:40:00.004-05:002008-06-21T12:42:32.411-05:00

Well, it finally happened. Some little garden pest has finished off our squash seedlings. Given that it is now the middle of June, Emily doesn't think that we can plant squash again and hope to have them actually produce any squash to eat. We're thinking filling in the extra space with tomatoes and peppers. Any thoughts?

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-20584196114551099112008-06-18T10:07:00.003-05:002008-06-18T10:12:29.090-05:00

Next week, my sister is going to show me how to make strawberry jam. As many of you know, I'm not particularly cooking savvy unless I'm following a recipe, but this is one of the many projects I'm excited about this summer. Tasha said something a couple of weeks ago that I had been thinking about. We were talking about the garden, canning, and the other projects we wanted to finish this summer,

Emilyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10286064965461273754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-91737594275124857982008-06-10T16:14:00.004-05:002008-06-21T12:42:53.194-05:00

I watered the garden this afternoon, and I think something bigger than bugs has been nibbling on the plants. See Adam's squash plant:Thoughts on what we should do? I saw Brian today and he suggested a tiny electric fence...The garlic looks great, and the peas have really shot up. I'll try to remember twine for them the next time I stop by, though I don't think they need it quite yet. The Early

Tashanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-56611256370805031302008-06-06T15:11:00.001-05:002008-06-21T12:43:10.263-05:00

In the last post Adam told y'all about all the planting that's been going on in the garden. Here's what it looks like as of Friday:In the closest row we have squash (some kind of mystery winter varieties), then Roma tomatoes and an Early Girl tomato plant in the second row, various tomatoes beyond that, then peppers, radishes and garlic. There are peas and onions running along the long side

Tashanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-10831813714983460102008-06-02T22:32:00.003-05:002008-06-02T22:53:06.250-05:00

Wow, what a great evening for the garden! After doing some initial weeding, Tom, Matt, Tasha, and I went about planting the tomatoes and the peppers. With the warm weather, it is amazing how fast the plants are growing; the difference was noticeable between yesterday and today.We found some stakes, but we don't have any twine yet to string between them for the peas. Before we stuck them in the

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7067848569151569678.post-48309205863449893712008-06-01T18:30:00.005-05:002008-06-01T18:45:05.085-05:00

Here's a shout out to all of you who are taking part in the seminary garden this summer! I just got back in town and made a quick run to check in on the garden only to find that the seeds are mostly sprouted! Special thanks to Tasha and Emily who have been tending to them during this important phase in their growth. As of today, the garlic, radishes, squash, and peas are all sprouted and

Adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07302244300765860137noreply@blogger.com7