Working Holi-Day

As is typical, no matter when Easter lands each year it is a working day for us.  This year it will be the eve of our first shipping day of the season and it will be a long day.  

Once we left the city life and found ourselves in the farming groove we've learned many lessons about following the seasons, respecting the weather and praying for whatever conditions we need at any particular time!  As you can read below, we had our first snow on our property in the seven years we've lived here.  The locals said that that was the most snow they've ever seen.  Fortunately it didn't last, but the overall colder winter did put off the beginning of our shipping season this year.  Every year we vow to be earlier (we're thinking of our customers in the deserts who want to plant in January!), but short of the added set up and expense of heating the coldframes we're just plain dependent on what Mother Nature gives us each year.  It's not so bad, and actually reminds me of my time I lived in China where we were advised to always be ready early, but be prepared to wait.  I guess that's how farming goes too.

So far this season Tracy is most impressed with the new variety from Weeks called Dream Come True.  We certainly appreciate the professional photos provided from the hybridizers, but probably just like in your gardens, we're eager to see the flowers WE have grown, and see what it looks like in OUR climate.  Tracy took this one at the end of last season.

Recently a customer and former neighbor in our city life asked to see more photos of our garden. Well...I am usually mortified by the amount and variety of weeds that we get here on the coastal prairie, and my attempts at complete eradication are tempered by the reality that no matter what I do, the weeds will blow in from the fields next door.  I was greatly surprised by the gushing comments of a friend who came to our open garden last summer.  She was grateful for the "new inspiration" for the historical Russ House and Garden that she and her husband maintain in Victorian Ferndale.  "New inspiration, here?" I thought to myself. I didn't really get it until she sent some photos, and there in the photos the eye was drawn to the beauty as the weeds and unmanicured dead twigs were minimized.  Even I had to say "Wow" and really didn't feel much pride in being responsible for it all.  We were fortunate to find this house which was previously owned by a serious gardener.  She put in great structure trees and shrubs while Tracy has done 90% of the rose plants.  I feel I have had modest trial and error impact as I can really only claim to putting the thing in the ground and doing minimal care.  Beyond that it's all God's mystery and glory.  Science can explain the hows and wherefores, but I don't think they can explain the whys.  It's for beauty and pleasure and sheer glory.  Plain and simple.

Tying all my thoughts together for this Easter blog (are they supposed to run on forever, or am I making up for lack of recent posts and the knowledge that we probably won't have a chance to blog again until the busiest of our shipping season is mostly over?) I would like to quote from John Eldredge's book The Journey of Desire.  I've recently rediscovered this author and have read some more of his writings such as this, which is a perfect meditation for this Easter weekend.

LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS 

by John Eldredge

Eternal life - we tend to think of it

 in terms of existence that never comes to an end.  And the existence it seems to imply - sort of religious experience in the sky - leaves us wondering if we would want it to go on forever.  But Jesus is quite clear that when he speaks of eternal life, what he means is life that is absolutely wonderful and can never be diminished or stolen from you.  He says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).  Not, "I have come to threaten you into line," or "I have come to exhaust you with a long list of demands."  Not even, "I have come primarily to forgive you."  But simply, My purpose is to bring you life in all its fullness...In other words, eternal life is not primarily duration but quality of life, "life to the limit."  It cannot be stolen from us, and so it does go on.  But the focus is on the life itself.  "In Him was life," the apostle John said of Jesus, "and that life was the light of men" (John 1:4).

May we all find the One True fullness of life that we deeply desire when we're quiet and can really think about what's most important to us.  Happy Easter from our garden to yours.  He is Risen; He is Risen indeed!  Every bud and bloom, and even sprig of weed, are shouting "Glory!"

Fast Food

At the risk of bursting the idealistic laid-back country bubble, yesterday was a busy day and I had exactly 40 minutes from the moment I brought the groceries in the door until I had to be leaving for an evening meeting, with dinner already pre-digesting.  Since I normally really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes I'd forgotten how fast some home cooked and fresh dinners can still be.


On the menu: Fish Tacos with a side of steamed spinach.  The fillet of snapper looked very good as I was early evening food shopping and that decided the menu right there.  With a bag of small corn tortillas I took mental inventory of what I already had at home: lime check, cabbage check, sauce makings check, cilantro check.  If I'd remembered to get fancy I would have added an avocado to the cart, but that's for the 50 minute version I guess.


At home I began to heat the frying pan as I put groceries away.  Tracy, no doubt seeing the flurry of activity, offered to rinse off and steam the spinach.  I rinsed off the fish, patted dry with a paper towel and realized I had a few bones to deal with.  Thanks to Jacques Pepin I've learned it's much better to pull out the bones before cooking, using needle-nosed pliers.  Once done I covered one side with Prudhomme's blackened fish spices, but salt (or garlic salt) and pepper has worked just as well in the past.  That side went down in the frying pan and I sprinkled the top with more spices.

While the fish fried I sliced cabbage, chopped up a small handful of cilantro, and mixed up my mother's lower-cal and healthy "secret sauce" of equal parts REAL mayonnaise and plain non-fat yoghurt.  Part of that was reserved for the spinach.  Then I cut off 1/3 of a lime and squeezed its juice into the remaining sauce, added salt, pepper, a dash of white vinegar and my new favorite sweetener, a squirt of agave nectar.  A bit of sugar would do the same, but it takes longer to dissolve in the sauce and metabolizes much quicker than agave nectar which is a low GI (glycemic index) food.  About this time Tracy offered to flip the fish over while I mixed the cabbage mixture with the sauce.  If I'd had time I would have shredded up some carrot to the "slaw" as well.


While the slaw "marinated" I started the cast iron skillet on another burner and opened up the corn tortilla bag (flour tortillas work the same, depending on your preference).  Once hot I drizzled a bit of olive oil in the pan and tossed in a tortilla.  The spinach was starting to wilt just as the plates were going into a warmed oven.  I flipped the tortilla over and turned off the fish and spinach burners and the oven.  Plating up was a snap (no pun intended as any fish would do!): tortilla, part of the fish, cabbage slaw, with spinach on the side and a dollop of the original secret sauce.


I ate in good speed, but not messy and even had time to kiss Tracy and pat the dogs' heads before I was out the door again.  Whew.  Unfortunately no time for a photo like so many other great food blogs.  Maybe next time!