CHOMPED and then CAGED
Okay, I think I finally figured out what was happening to my sunflowers! Back story: I have tried growing sunflowers for the past few years to no avail. Yeah, I know, sunflowers are easy! However, some creature in my neighborhood has a taste for sunflower seedlings and routinely chomps my babies down to nubs. (The above photo is uncharacteristic: the chomper was obviously disturbed mid-massacre and left one on the ground.) This year I started several sunflowers inside, only planting them when they reached a good hearty size. I hoped this would deter the critters if the critters were bugs (this super-sizing approach does help with slugs for instance.) My newly planted babies were untouched for a few days, lulling me into a sense of false security. Then the chompster struck. And struck again the next night, leaving me with just one transplant still going. Nothing else in the garden was touched, including lettuce and radishes, but after consulting on Facebook and in person with gardening friends (thanks Linda!) I decided it must be rabbits (of which we have plenty!)

So, I wrapped the survivor in a coil of chicken wire and sticks. When I went out this morning it was still standing! Keep your fingers crossed for me please!



I really hope this lone Autumn Beauty sunflower makes it to the Autumn! I've been waiting to paint one for years now.

Community Gardening

A couple of months ago I sent out an email appeal to several of my local seed-starting friends, asking if anyone would be interested in a seedling exchange. I got several replies and here are some of my seedlings boxed up and ready to go to new homes. One friend very astutely commented as she took her box "This is REAL grass roots community organizing!" I guess that's right but on a very small scale!

Tolerance

how well she understands
all my little doggy ways,
this tall hoofed snorter

FOODIE FRIDAY
A post in which I share what's on the real life menu at Genre Cookshop!

It was a perfect late spring day and I clearly heard the siren call of the grill. I'd recently picked up a copy of The Vegetarian Grill by Andrea Chesman and riffling through it my eye fell on the recipe for Grilled Tofu. This is the Grilled Marinated Tofu variation. The recipe suggested using a vegetable grill rack on top of the regular grill, so that the tofu would not break up and fall through. I started off the tofu on a vegetable grill rack but then realized break up was not actually going to be a problem, and transferred the tofu directly onto the grill wanting to get those delicious looking sear marks! I used Extra Firm Tofu and drained/pressed it for an hour before marinading it. This seemed to make it springy enough to defy the predicted break up.

The vegetable kebobs are an old stand by...skewered, sprayed with olive oil and very parsimoniously sprinkled with Kosher salt. I grilled Broccoli (briefly steamed, molto al dente, before skewering) and onions and red peppers and (not shown) portabella mushrooms. All were scarfed up in an instant (I admit I deliberately kept back a few strips of grilled pepper for my breakfast omelet tomorrow.) Served with rice, and salad (although since we'd already demolished a big pile of veggies there was only one taker for the salad.) Simple but superb!

Happy Mother's Day!

Reflective

watching the spring sky
gradually sweeping away
the cold winter dust

(My friend Mary posing for my Figure in the Landscape class on Tuesday)

SEED STARTING

I love it...don't really know why. Satisfies some nurturing instinct I suppose.



Little French Marigolds



Lettuce...Merveille de Quatre Saisons



Tithonia