tightly closed fists peek
pink wisps bulge with life – spring yearns,
bursts forth, nest and tree alike
The most hopeful of seasons, spring, lies in wait, gathering herself in preparation to leap into the exploding fray of growth, buzzing with energy and promise.
What signs of spring do you see in your area?
This talking-to-myself post originally aired on April 21, 2012.
It was warm outside and Captain John Smith was looking a bit washed out…
I crack me up.
Hello, Captain John Smith, toy of my daughter from years past. He was just hanging around, catching some rays. Now we know how many years plastic figures last.
Summer farmer markets, oh how I look forward to you! Enjoy this throwback post from August 2009.
Place Monge (Paris) fountain on Sunday Market day
In France, one of the things we truly enjoyed was the Sunday market held in the Place Monge town square. One could buy ANYTHING needed for eating, drinking, or giving. One Sunday we encountered a simultaneous flea market, but I could never figure out when another was going to be staged. I so wanted another chance at finding treasures!
On any given Sunday, there was no lack of choices for purchase at the market. Fresh fruit, vegetables, and flowers were squashed in among stalls of stinky cheese and fish, raw meat and poultry. Lucious homemade breads competed for the winning fragrance award with occasional ‘meals made for you right now.’ The entire experience was a delight for the senses. Taking home the goods – mouth-watering sustenance.
Flowers at Sunday Market
Meat vendor at Place Monge
Produce vendor at Place Monge
A meal comprised of market fare from Place Monge
Many years ago, in the Yakima Valley, a Sunday farmer’s market was hatched. Of course, being at church most of each Sunday, we did not frequent the market. In fact, we boycotted it simply because it should be held on Saturdays (our opinion) so market workers and go-ers could attend church on Sunday. Granted, I don’t believe our boycott gained any new members of a church anywhere…
With our recent life change of full Sunday church responsibilities to experiencing ‘house church’ at a local park on Sunday mornings, we decided we would check it out – to see what the rest of the valley does on Sunday mornings. It seems that many residents take pride and joy at what is locally available, fresh from the fields, and the hands of gardeners, farmers, and crafters.
Sunday Market in Yakima
Pleasantly surprised, we found a plethora of aromatic and tasty produce, fruit, home-produced crafts, and food items. Mixed in was a variety of ethnic food stalls (I love the panset and lumpia) and shoppers galore.
Checking out the goods
An added bonus was musical entertainment. Steel drum music was such a wonderful accompaniment to the outing.
My oldest grandbaby (now he is 7) hits the Sunday Market
We encountered people we knew, interacted with community members, and socialized under the hot sun. Purchasing fresh produce and showing off our grandson were top prizes for the day.
Hayden with Papa at the Yakima Sunday Market
I guess the boycott was a misguided waste of time. The Master Gardener did not stick Himself in church and stay there all day on Sundays. He was out among the people, out in the community. Perhaps more productive to relationship building, making new friends, and reaching out is to be where the people are…not where we think they should be, but where they actually are.
A challenge to myself – where are the families in my community on any given Sunday morning? Maybe it’s time I found out…and made some new friends.
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Crispy stuffed squash, a summer favorite! |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Ahh. The bounty of summer awaits my growling tummy!
Though I am posting this recipe today, I made this dish several weeks ago. Due to the odd weather this year and very early and hot spring temperatures, the produce schedule is very early or entirely off schedule!
I know. But we take what we get and have a fancy meal. I also acknowledge that I post this recipe in some form almost every year. It is that good.
This year, on July 1st (so early), I harvested a zucchini and a yellow squash plus wax and green beans. So delish!
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Stuffing for the squash |
Stuffed Squash
Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey
washed and chopped green and wax beans
2 squash, washed, cut in half lengthwise, and scooped out
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 cups chicken broth
parsley
black pepper
crushed peppers
salt
Mrs. Dash
onion powder
olive oil
grated cheddar cheese
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Prepped squash. I sometimes like to add olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper before I stuff them. |
1. Saute onion, garlic, and carrot in olive oil. Add turkey meat to brown it.
2. After turkey is browned, add black beans, beans, tomatoes, and spices (to your taste). Add enough chicken broth to make a thick mixture. Let cook until bubbling and fragrant.
3. Stuff peppers with stuffing. I love them full and overflowing. You will probably have leftovers, which makes a tasty soup or casserole base. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
4. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Check often as you near the end of your cooking time to make sure squash ingredients are not overcooking. We like a crispy cheese topping, so we let them cook the full time.
5. Remove and enjoy!
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Ready for the oven. |
You can add almost anything to this dish. If I have quinoa, it goes in the mix. At times I’ve added broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms – you name it, I’ve probably had it in my stuffed squash.
I just love summer gardens and their tasty treats, don’t you? What’s your favorite summer dish?
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
These are before and after pictures of our backyard. The after pictures are really just snapshots of specific moments in time, as gardens are always changing and evolving.
Nearly 7 years ago we purchased our home. Putterers by nature, we have planted, chopped down, removed, added, painted, built, dug up, relocated, and generally wrecked havoc (or as I like to say, made improvements in accordance to our tastes) with the yard. Front and back.
The above photo shows what the triangle garden looked like when we moved in.
This is the patio door overlooking the old cement triangle garden.
Here is Kevin digging out the cement to create a new garden area.
Here is a view of the new triangle garden, after many years of growth.
This is the view looking out over the old gravel bed.
Here is our view.
The old backyard view while standing at the house.
The same view a few years later.
The garden shed without any sunflowers or privacy fence.
Our well worn garden, including a privacy fence and garden beds.
My garden and backyard today.
What we’ve added: a dogwood tree, a brick patio (covered now by the sunflower forest), 5 garden beds, a flower bed, hundreds of plants, cedar privacy fence, a clothesline (behind the shed), underground sprinklers, shade curtains around the patio, and lots of love.
That’s my garden. What changes have you made in your garden?
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Almost bursting open sunflower. As Kevin says, my sunflower jungle is alive! |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
I’m amazed at how quickly the garden is taking over the backyard.
I’m sad that several icky pests are winning and eating as much as they can (slugs, earwigs, pill bugs, and aphids). Since I prefer not to spray my garden with pesticides, it’s a daily battle to find those critters. Loss is expected.
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Strawberries are still blooming, though they are exhausted! |
But mostly, I’m happy to see this dirt produce food and beauty for our eyes, nose, hands, and tummies. I supposed I could add ears to that list, as the bees are a humming, though they classify as beauty not food. At least for us. The cats love to snatch and gobble them up.
Here are some things growing in the garden.
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Oregano, much loved by bees, is heading towards full bloom. |
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Tea roses – beautiful though they were plagued by aphids early on in the season. |
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Creeping thyme, a walkable plant (you can walk on it). But watch out for bees! |
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Edible thyme is blooming. |
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Radishes are tasty and almost gone. Mmmm |
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Sunset lily. I love the color of these blooms. |
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Ripening Roma tomatoes. |
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The pumpkin plants that are threatening to take over our tiny backyard. Soon, it will be true. |
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Poor, sad, dwarfed okra. I’ve replanted 4-5 times. This is the best so far. |
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Wax beans love my back yard. Green beans? Not so much. |
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Dill entices more bees and is ready for canning. |
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Part of the sunflower jungle. |
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Lavender and friend. |
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Raspberries are coming on strong, much to the delight of the icky pests. |
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Baby zucchini. |
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The parsley is blooming. Those tiny sweat bees love this stuff. |
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Garlic. I have no idea when it is done! |
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Kale. |
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Baby yellow squash. If you squint, you can see someone else was impatient to try it. Go away, bugs! |
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Sage. This is also in bloom. But there is more than enough to go around. Five times around. That’s my garden so far, all from the backyard. I’d be happy to share, especially the herbs. Has anyone else grown okra? What trick am I missing (other than heat, which I think it really needs)? Happy tasting, smelling, seeing, touching, and hearing in your garden today! |
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Beautiful yet encroaching and taking over a flower bed |
By Angie Quantrell Angie Quantrell
Encroaching.
honeysuckle
crab grass
pink flowers
vines
raspberries
strawberries
parsley
pumpkins
sunflowers
evergreen tree
birch branches
moss
slugs
sow bugs
daddy long legs
yellow jackets
aphids
white grass bugs
ants
gossip
television
news
media
politics
pollution
violence
wars
famine
drought
Encroaching.
In my yard. In my community. In my world.
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Aggressively encroaching vines grasping for toe holds |
It starts small, but once you start looking, it’s everywhere at every level.
Encroaching.
What is encroaching in your life?
Yet. There is always hope. Big or small encroachments, He is here.
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Raspberries escaping and encroaching throughout yard |
But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the LORD I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
Psalm 3:3-5 NIV
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A garden that is curious? |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
The Curious Garden
By Peter Brown
(Little, Brown and Company; 2009)
The Curious Garden is a picture book that was inspired by the Manhattan Highline Railway.
I’ve read articles about the Highline that tell how the lonely stretch of railway has been transformed into beautiful public gardens. But this is the first picture book I’ve found on the topic.
The Curious Garden tells the tale of Liam, a young boy who explores the empty spaces to find railways breaking down and nature taking over. Liam decides to help. Together, Liam and the garden grow and explore the empty spaces.
“The garden was especially curious about old, forgotten things.”
I love that sentence. The garden is not just a thing in this book, but one of the main characters!
The Curious Garden (doesn’t the title take on a new personna after you’ve read the above sentence?) will delight explorers and nature lovers.
KID KANDY:
Nature Walk
I walk almost every day through my neighborhood. When I walk tomorrow, I am going to look for places that nature is acting curious and spreading in unexpected places.
How about you?
Ask a parent or sibling to walk with you.
Look for:
– weeds growing in sidewalk cracks
– flowers springing up in odd spots
– old rusted things covered in grasses or vines
– moss creeping along damp, shady areas
– nature that is being mysterious and curious as it expands to new areas
What did you see?
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Monet in the garden |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
National Haiku Poetry Day was on Sunday. I love wrangling words to create a 17 syllable story poem.
Cat in the garden
Ladybug is mine, Mine. MINE.
I can’t have it? Fine. I’m gone.
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Fine. You won’t let me have it, I’m outta here. |
Cat, photos, and Haiku are mine. Happy Haiku Holiday.
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You have no idea how happy I am to see this many blooms on the blueberry bush! The weight of winter snow broke off at least half of the plant. |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Next week is National Garden Week –
the 2nd week of April.
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Fading beauty. I’m so sad to see my tulip season conclude. |
I am so onboard for this celebration. It’s time to plant my garden!
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The strawberries are looking future-tasty. |
Actually, I cheated. I’ve already started to plant seeds, since we are expecting highs in the mid to upper 80’s today, it may be past time for new sprouts. But I think that is a freak of too-hot-too-early weather and it should drop back to the 60-70’s.
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Half planted beds. Waiting for seeds. |
Here are some National Garden Week photos from my yard.
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Garlic, parsley, and sage – all repeat visitors from last year. Plus a cat tail of one who wanted to be featured. |
Oh, each new bud, flower, and sprout is so exciting.
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We even planted a tree trunk for the cats to scratch and climb. It won’t grow…but it is part of our garden. |
I’m already dreaming about tasty blueberries, sweet-tart strawberries, exquisite raspberries, and savory herbs and vegetables.
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Dabbling to pretty-up a very hot corner of the yard. |
Join me. Let’s celebrate our gardens.
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The dogwood is just beginning to burst into bloom. |
I would love to see photos of your garden.
Love, Laughter, and Life 