More Radish Love. And Flowers.

Radish love.

I know I mentioned my radishes in the last post but I had to put up another photo of a bunch that I picked this evening after work because they are just so beautiful and vibrant! Who could possibly look at these and not smile?! 

I really think that radishes get a bad rap. They are often overlooked, or tossed casually into a salad that will be drowned in dressing. This evening my dad made an omelet for dinner with sauteed onions and radishes, herbs, and cheddar cheese and it was delicious! When radishes are cooked, even lightly, they really mellow out in the flavor department. People who don't enjoy the peppery bite of raw radishes might like them better if they try cooking them. 

The classic French style of eating radishes is on baguette with butter and salt. You can find a good recipe, in that vein, from Ina Garten. 

If you think radishes have had it bad, think of poor radish greens, so often altogether discarded when they too can (and should!) be enjoyed. There is a good collection of recipes using radish greens here. Personally, when I am cooking any other type of greens (kale, chard, dandelion greens, etc) I just mix the radish greens into the pot, add some olive oil and garlic, and call it good!

Aside from the aesthetic and culinary benefits of growing radishes I recently learned that radishes are high in Vitamin C. They also contain folate, riboflavin, copper, potassium, vitamin B6, magnesium, manganese, calcium, and fiber. 

I think it is important to have color diversity in the vegetables that you consume. Broadening your color horizons will not only have a positive impact on your health (from the wide array of phytonutrients) but it will also make cooking more fun, experimental, and interactive! And if you can grow it yourself, that will just add to your appreciation for what you eat. My spring planting of radishes is almost ready to be fully harvested, which will make room for the crops of summer to mature. I plan on planting more radishes in late summer to harvest in the fall as bigger tubers that can be stored over winter.

Flowers in my garden.

People tend to either really like or dislike marigolds. I fall into the group that really likes them. I enjoy the different color combinations that they come in and I appreciate the fact that they deter nematodes that would otherwise attack my tomato plants!

Working at the plant nursery, Pink Grizzly, in Missoula, I soon came to favor verbena plants with their clusters of beautiful, delicate flowers. I made sure to plant some in my garden this year and they are looking nice and healthy. They are a cheerful sight in the morning.

Radish Gypsy

I LOVE this warm weather and I can't over-emphasize how appreciative I am of how few mosquitoes I have come into contact with as of yet (knock on wood!). My garden is coming along. I started out seeding a variety of crops with a dream of a garden coming to fruition. Sure enough, the seeds sprouted (after lots of TLC), and now the tiny seedlings have morphed into actual, discernible plants. I am very happy to report that my first round of radishes have been harvested. This year I planted Radish Saxa II seeds, which I bought along with all of my other seeds, from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. I probably would have found that company on my own, based on my interest in heirloom seeds, but I actually first discovered it when I sat next to the mother of the owner on an airplane ride to Montana. Kismet!

Radish Saxa II

I saw a beautiful moth on the outside of my house so I took a couple photos of it so I could later identify it. Unless I am mistaken, it turns out this beautiful moth is a lady of death: an invasive Gypsy moth, the dreaded destroyer of beautiful tree foliage and enemy to hardwood tree species of the Eastern US.

When I first saw the moth I was in awe of its beauty and careful to not disturb it as I photographed it. I find it ironic that if I saw one again I would probably end up killing it to protect the trees that its offspring would destroy. It amazes me how much perception of something can be changed by what you believe about it to be true. The moth doesn't know that it is being destructive. It is simply doing what it needs to do in order to survive, as any other species in its position would do. This is a prime example of how dangerous non-native invasive species can be. It isn't the sexiest of issues but it is one that has far-reaching implications across the big picture of the web of life.

Thanksgiving Baking

I Love baking; the smells, tastes of the remaining batter after the bowl has been emptied, and the magical dusting of flour that coats the kitchen and my very being come the end of the endeavor. Since we would be hosting on Thanksgiving Day, I decided to do the baking the night before so as not to compete with the turkey for oven space. I also know that there is a lot of cleaning after I bake so this way I didn't have to worry about creating a miniature disaster zone immediately before company was expected to arrive.

This Thanksgiving I made the tried and true Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie because it is always such a hit. One of the aspects of this pie that makes it so over-the-top amazing is that after you finish baking the graham cracker crust, you immediately put chopped dark chocolate (80% dark in the case... woah) on the bottom.

The chocolate crust then gets put back into the oven for 1 min and ends up hardening after it comes out so that when you eat the pie later there is a distinctive chocolate graham cracker crunch with every bite. Oh my!

I like to make pecan pie, and it's the only recipe I have bought corn syrup for in the past, but I thought I would see if this year I could find a delicious recipe that was corn syrup-free. I struck gold when I came across Trisha Yearwood's Pecan Pie recipe. While this recipe lacks corn syrup it was not found lacking in the taste or texture departments.

Here is the pie before it went into the oven:

I prefer making pie crust from scratch to avoid processed ingredients that are unnecessary and unhealthy. I really like Martha Stewart's recipe because it almost tastes a bit like shortbread, it's so delicious.

Perfecting pie crust is an art form and like breads, biscuits, etc. the key is in the short duration of actually handling the dough. I like using a food processor to incorporate the butter and water so as to not overwork the dough and make it tough. I used 2 Tbsp of water at the end to make the dough come together and then formed it into a disk and refrigerated it for an hour. I poured the pecan pie filling into the unbaked crust and put the whole thing in the oven for the directed time. One trick I use in baking to ensure I don't over-bake anything is to set my timer for 5-10 minutes before the product is expected to be finished since each oven is slightly different.

After putting the last of the two pies in the oven, I noticed how enticing the house smelled and realized it would be a shame to not have anything delicious that night for dessert after all the hard work, so I made my tried and true Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. To put a festive spin on the traditional loaf I used a decorative baking mold and sifted confectioner's sugar over the top of it to give it a wintry appearance.

Here is the end result of my three desserts sitting so decadently on the counter, waiting to be consumed:

Yum yum. A happy Thanksgiving indeed. When I bake I try to put positive energy into everything and imagine people enjoying what they taste. That is my favorite part of baking, even more so than eating the results. I love to make people's taste buds happy, knowing everything is made with wholesome ingredients and lots of Love!

It Flows Like a River

It Flows Like a River 

by Marisol Maddox

The River Speaks.

The River speaks if you have ears enough to listen,

Some intrinsic understanding of

The cochlear resonance of an aquatic snail.

The River flows.

It spins tales,

Tells histories and legends.

Take a gander.

Peer into the riverbed.

See how the rocks reveal the faces

Of those who have come and gone,

Of those whose blood has spilled, and

Mixing with the alluvium

Has manifested new life.

Broken stone; Bone

fragments.

The reflection of light.

Rivers converge.

A momentarily perfect fractal.

I see the ancient fish of time

Their echoes still resonate off the banks,

Their faint whispers are like secrets.

The cold, clear water is

Beautiful without trying.

Perfect without trying.

The sagacious River flows on,

A casual lesson in persistence.

The Tao of the Kitty

Lulu's Laissez-faire Library

Lulu remarks at the brilliance and beauty of a New Day:
"for the sun always in the morning shall rise." Wise equatorial kitty.

Tin Tin says, "Don't wake me from my slumber!"