Urban Farming

Excuse my absence friends... sometimes you just have writer's block and are generally uninspired, right?

Moving on. As part of our church's "Just Food" ministry, an urban vegetable garden has been installed in our back yard. Some friends, TK, and I have spent several weeks installing and caring for this living beast. Over a weekend, we leveled the ground, built raised beds, filled in soil, and planted a wide variety of veggies. The past weeks have been filled with rain, sun, and plant care. It's been amazing to see the garden come to life in such a short span of time.

We've planted herbs, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, beans, kale, broccoli, and more.

It's been about a month since we started planting and look at all the growth! While I haven't enjoyed the rainy weather we've experienced over the last few weeks, our plants are drinking it right up. It's amazing to watch as the sun does it's wonder on the earth. I'm particularly intrigued by broccoli. When you're used to getting food in a plastic bag from the grocery store, there's something magical about cultivating it with your own two hands and watching it become something from nothing.

No Knead

I have a healthy fear of bread baking. Until the other day I was intimidated by those who speak of their exploits with and knowledge of yeast. I listened jealously to their tales of focaccias and sourdoughs and was envious of the fresh bakery smells that were sure to be wafting around in their kitchens. I love crusty bread, but it's not exactly cheap, and with only two peeps in the house, it inevitably goes stale and uneaten after a few days.

After embracing and accepting my fears with the art of making bread however, I saw this book and had second thoughts about my perceived inabilities. It's pages promise low-maintenance bread baking opportunities that seemed both manageable and cheap. Just the ticket for this carb lover.

Viola! I've been baking bread over the last two weeks and each loaf tastes like the real thing - cause it is! No kneading, hardly any waiting... it's so simple. The best part is that you can use as much or as little dough as you want so that there is no wasted bread after a meal. I think I need to invest in a large purchase of flour. Soon.

Ethiopia

This lovely lady hails from Ethiopia and was custom made for a coworker of mine whose friend is adopting a little girl from Africa. I hope that this princess dressed in her finest will be a dear friend to her for years to come!