#edamame in the garden

[flowerscentedartist]

[wildrungarden]

8/13/23 ~ Not the best photo — but up front is a Silver Slicer Cucumber plant & behind is Black Panther Edamame 🌱 Planted these on 7/20/23. So almost a month old 🥲😆

[rabbitcruiser]

National Eat Beans Day

National Eat Beans Day (or National Eat Your Beans Day) occurs on July 3 each year, and we guarantee it will be a holiday that will give you a whole new appreciation for legumes as a food group. And if not, perhaps our fun facts and riddles will have you full of beans.  Try this one on for size — ‘I am a bean, very lean. I am not fat, I’m sure of that. Like all beans, I’m small and round — but unlike others, I don’t grow in the ground’. Giving away the answer would be too easy, but we’ll give you a hint — this may be a kid’s favorite kind of bean. It may also surprise you to know that beans are not strictly classified as ‘veggies’ either since legumes by definition are any seeds or fruits that grow within pods or the edible pods themselves, which grow on leguminous plants (i.e. those belonging to the pea family). This opens up a whole world of beans to us, which should be exciting, especially for those who grew up being forced to eat beans as a vegetable.

History of National Eat Beans Day

Though the exact date and reason for National Eat Beans Day being made a holiday are not known, we do know that the history of the bean itself predates even the invention of the pots used to cook beans.  Bean cultivation dates back as early as 7,000 years ago, making it a staple that has stood the test of time, and we’re not surprised. With amazing health benefits, legumes are plant-based, protein-packed powerhouses of nutrition. So this also means that they’re for everyone, no matter the diet or lifestyle choice. It’s very rare to find a person allergic to beans too, though some legumes can trigger allergic reactions, such as peanuts.

Beans are originally from wild vines which grow in Central and South America. This is known as the common bean, and since then, thousands of bean varieties exist today and are cultivated all over the world. They are one of the most versatile crops and can be grown almost anywhere. 5,000 years ago the lima bean and other varieties were a popular favorite among the Incas and Aztecs, and the popularity of beans is so much so that they are worth a mention in Homer’s “Iliad,” where he uses beans as a metaphor. Ancient Egyptians seem to have also been partial to beans and lentils, as paintings and physical evidence shows that bodies were buried with beans, to nourish them on their journey to the afterlife. By the 1500s, with the advent of trade via ships, beans began to reach all the corners of the globe and more varieties began to be cultivated. Though often viewed as a poor man’s food, beans have been an important source of nourishment for people in dire circumstances; such as the soldiers who fought in the First and Second World Wars, or the Europeans who were dying out due to the spread of the plague in Europe, during the Middle Ages. Who would have thought beans could be such lifesavers.

National Eat Beans Day timeline

700 B.C. The French Revamp Vegetable Soup

The French begin to add chickpeas to their vegetable soup, making it a heartier meal in every way.

800 A.D. Chickpea Cultivation Helps Save Lives

Emperor Charlemagne orders the cultivation of chickpeas to save people from the ravage of war, and it works.

1700s Beans Spread Across the World

With the increase in trade, beans begin to be traded all over the world.

1920s Beans Help Ward Off the Great Depression

Beans become the poor man’s meat during the Great Depression in America, enabling many families to survive.

National Eat Beans Day FAQs

What are the healthiest beans to eat?

The top nine healthiest beans/legumes to eat are — chickpeas, lentils, peas, kidney beans, black beans, soybeans, pinto beans, navy beans, and peanuts.

Is it bad to eat beans at night?

Yes, eating beans at night is not recommended. This is because beans can cause indigestion or gas problems, so it’s better to stick to eating that bowl of chili during the daytime.

Is it okay to eat beans every day?

Yes! Not only are beans low in fat, but they are also great sources of protein and fiber, and they come packed with nutrients like iron, folate, calcium, and potassium. This can help protect against high cholesterol which may lead to heart disease. The recommended portion size of beans/lentils is 25-38 grams a day.

National Eat Beans Day Activities

Eat beans

Grow your own beanstalk

Fix up a care package

Yes, you guessed it. Sometimes simplicity is everything. In this case, we’re keeping it real simple, by telling you to go eat some beans — green, black, red, or yellow — the choice is yours. Boil them, bake them, saute them, mush them, or eat them raw; beans are bound to have your body thanking you for years to come.

Though we cannot guarantee a hen laying golden eggs at the end of it, we can guarantee that there’s nothing better than the feeling of eating your own home-grown produce. And what’s more, the golden glow of health which your beans will bring you is worth far more than any golden egg-laying hen!

One of the things we love about beans is how affordable (we daresay cheap even) they are. So why not take the time to gather some different types of legumes, a hand-written little booklet of recipes, and give them to a family who may need extra beans.

5 Recipes We Bet You Never Thought Used Beans

Beanie brownies

Honey-roasted chickpeas

Navy bean pesto

Bean burger

Alfredo sauce

These ooey-gooey delicious brownies come with a surprising twist — black beans are the star ingredient!

Step aside, caramel popcorn, as this delicious, crunchy snack takes over the coffee table at your next movie night.

Pureed navy beans with any greens can make an amazing and hearty pesto sauce.

All the flavor, all the protein, but not meat. Perfect for everyone, even those hardcore meat lovers.

White beans can make the perfect, silky alfredo sauce, which will cause all to go “mama mia”!

Why We Love National Eat Beans Day

Beans are healthy

Beans have a variety

Beans are cheap

If we have not said this enough times already, we will say it again — beans are so good for you. Not only are they amazing sources of protein and fiber, but they also contain folic acid, iron, potassium, and calcium, all of which are beneficial to prevent all sorts of medical conditions.

Some say that there are as many as 4,000 varieties of beans out there. If that doesn’t inspire you to start exploring and experimenting in the kitchen, we don’t know what will. Trying out different beans can also bring you one step closer to exploring a whole new cuisine or culture, and variety is the spice of life, after all.

We’re glad that beans were overlooked by the rich snobs throughout history so that we all can enjoy the delicious benefits of beans without feeling the pinch in our pockets. For something to be cheap and nutritious almost stretches belief.

[tmtatc]

Healthy Garden Salad Recipe A vibrant salad featuring edamame, corn, cherry tomatoes, and black beans is dressed with a light lime vinaigrette.

[shutinmovie]

Healthy Garden Salad Recipe Edamame, corn, cherry tomatoes, and black beans combine to make a colorful salad with a light lime vinaigrette dressing. 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 can black beans rinsed and drained, 4 green onions thinly sliced, 3 cups frozen corn kernels, 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered, 1 package frozen shelled edamame, 2 limes juiced

[gullshriek]

Healthy Garden Salad Edamame, corn, cherry tomatoes, and black beans combine to make a colorful salad with a light lime vinaigrette dressing.

[stewartcarsen]

Tomato Salad - Healthy Garden Salad Edamame, corn, cherry tomatoes, and black beans combine to make a colorful salad with a light lime vinaigrette dressing.

[aerodaltonimperial]

4 years of gardening in our backyard, and here is what i've learned:

i hate tomatoes and they get everywhere and you have to clean them up even when you have 1 plant because it produces like mad

we could plant the whole garden with okra and it would produce 4 grocery stores worth over the course of the summer, number one backyard crop, good thing my kid loves okra because good lord

our soil seems to not love peppers but by the end they will produce decently they just won't get very tall

both carrots and daikon do very well out there, our daikon were bigger than my daughter when she was a baby

cucumbers didn't love it at first and also i need a trellis for them i might try them again next year

cauliflower was a disaster

both the green beans and edamame last year were meh

first year doing peas this year and i had the hardest fucking time getting them to sprout from the seeds so i've put down the fall crop this weekend in hopes of them finally taking

every year i say i'm going to grow native stuff for pollinators and every year i'm exhausted by the time planting season rolls around and i don't

i might try broccoli next year

i'm planting the daikon and carrots in the next few weeks for a late fall crop

the thing that grows the best out there is the weeds!!! they are thriving!!! smh

i need to figure out a better system for wintering the soil. two years ago we did a leaf cover which made for great soil but we were fucking pulling the damn things out for the whole year, last year we used a bed cover cloth that worked better but made less abundant soil

[the-golden-witch-of-wanderers]

List of All the Plants I'm Growing in my Apartment this Year:

A guide to help you maximize small spaces for a bountiful harvest with easy, low-maintenance crops & flowers.

Notes:

* = Plant and do not touch.

** = Plant, harvest, and replant seeds.

*** = Plant and harvest over the summer & fall.

+ = Natural mosquito/aphid repellant.

! = Need to watch for aphids and ants (ants can put aphids on your plants to harvest the nectar they produce by eating their sap).

Small Set-up to Grow Plants with Little Space:

Balcony: Hanging baskets, fence planters, pots, 3-tier raised bed, big shelf for your small plants/sprouts/succulents.

Stairs: Pots for big plants.

Inside the apartment: DIY greenhouse made from a shelf from IKEA, DIY hanging shelf in front of the west-facing window.

Please note that I have a long list since I have two balconies and three 3-tier raised beds, plus all of the above.

Front Balcony: 3-Tier Raised Beds (2):

Thai peppers (Full sun) *** / +

Jalapenos (Full sun) **/ +

Habaneros (Full sun) **/ +

Lettuce X3 (Rotation - Semi-shade) ***

Kale X3 (Shade) **/ !

Coriander Full sun) **/ +

Rosemary (Full sun) **/ +

Dill (Full sun) *** / +

Basil (Semi-shade) *** / +

Parsley (Semi-shade) ***

Peppermint ( Semi-shade) **/ +

Arugula X3 (Shade) ** / !

Front Balcony: Fence Planters

Green onions **

Chives *** / +

Lemon balm *** / +

Lemongrass *** / +

Eucalyptus *** / +

Kitchen Lavender *** / +

Chamomile ***

Thyme ***

Marigold * / +

Purple (#6) ***

Morning Glories *

Tradescantia *

Front Balcony: Small Planter Under 3-Tier Raised Bed

Snack bar of herbal cuttings for my cat (licorice roots, dill, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley). */+

Front Balcony: Hanging Baskets

Wild strawberries or Alexandria strawberries (require less sun) **/ !

White strawberries (pineberries) **/ !

Rainbow chard ***/!

Spider plants *

Tradescantia *

Front Balcony: Potted Plants

Dwarf lemon tree *

Celery **/!

Forget-me-nots *

Back Balcony: 3-Tier Raised Bed

Hardneck garlic **/+

Shallot **/+

Radish **/+

Back Balcony: Fence Planters

Sprouts & new succulents *

English Ivy *

Morning Glories *

Back Balcony: Potted Plants

Cherry tomatoes ***/ !

Rhubarb *** / !

Perilla ***

Edamame ***

Yellow strawberries ***/ !

Dwarf raspberry bush ***

Inside the Apartment

Green onions: regrow

Spinach

Bamboo

Succulents, Aloes, Cactus (will go on the shelf outside)

I hope this helps start your own garden!

[apatosaurus]

Garden report 5/13/24:

The dill (pictured) and wildflowers outside the fence are starting to sprout. The dill is in that same bed with the (probable) catnip, on the opposite end.

In the center 4x8!raised bed, the bean plants are delicious to something (insects or slugs or both) and several sprouts have been nibbled to death before really getting going. There is a row of beets that I thinned. Today I put in some marigolds to try to deter pests and planted some edamame in case a different bean would be more resistant. I also bought some tomatillo plants for this bed and put them in today, and planted a few more “Mexican sour gherkin” (cucamelon) seeds. The third picture is a close up of the cucamelon plants I started indoors that survived. Three pea plants survived my attempt at a cover crop.

The front 4x8 bed inside the fence is mainly for full size cucumbers this year. One surviving seedling from indoors is hiding among the lettuce at the far side of the photo. I planted some additional seeds of the same variety around the trellis on that side. On the near end, I bought some cucumber plants at the nursery and planted a few more seeds. In the middle of that bed are a few chard plants (they didn’t all come up) and a row of beets that I thinned today.

There are radishes here and there in both 4x8 beds, but I harvested most of them to make room.

Not pictured are the strawberry patch, which is quite lush with leaves, and the little containers in the paths that I haven’t cleaned up yet. Oh, and I didn’t get pictures of the tomato plants or the sweet bell pepper plants in EarthBox containers toward the back of the garden.

If my future self is looking back to see what to expect in mid-May, it’s a slow start in some ways, but definitely getting there.

[macabrecabra]

Nothing better than opening up the composter to find grade A dirt has been been created = w = my garden shall feast this year!

Speaking of garden, I have my tomatoes and kale in, so half the garden is planted! If the rain lets up in the evening, I'll get the eggplants (two types!) in tomorrow as well as the edamame, zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon and cucumbers!

Then with the room left, I'll squeeze in my chamomile bush c: Then garden will be completed..... Then have to move on to planting the flowers and herb garden in the pots and in the flower beds up front, THEN I'll be planted for the summer <3

[rabbitcruiser]

National Bean Day 

Because National Bean Day on January 6 falls in the middle of winter, it’s the perfect excuse to cook a favorite comfort food. Wondering why National Bean Day is held on January 6? That’s the same day as the famous geneticist, Gregor Mendel, died in 1884. Mendel used bean plants and pea plants to develop theories on genetics in plants. So the formation of National Bean Day has more to do with scientific development than how good bean recipes taste. But don’t let that deter you from enjoying eating beans on this holiday!

National Bean Day timeline

7000 B.C. Ancient Beans

The native tribes of Peru and Mexico cultivate bean crops.

1551 New Varieties

The term ‘kidney bean’ is coined to differentiate the bean type from other common beans.

1734 Jack and the Beanstalk

The English fairy tale about a boy who discovers magic beans appears as 'The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean.'

1854 Two Peas in a Pod

Father of genetics Gregor Mendel conducts research experiments on heredity using different varieties of peas.

National Bean Day Activities

Attend a Chili Cook-off Competition

Perfect your own baked beans recipe

Come up with a bean-related craft idea

Beans certainly aren’t the only ingredient in chili. But as any serious chili cook knows, finding the right beans is the key to make or break your recipe. The first chili cook-off took place in 1967 in Texas, so cooks have had plenty of time to perfect their techniques … and find the best kinds of beans to use. And if you like vegetarian chili, beans will be the primary ingredient.

If chili is one of the most popular bean-based foods for people to create their own recipes, creating a personalized baked beans recipe is a close second. So don’t be afraid to experiment with some baked beans recipes on National Bean Day. Try a few different types of beans or add some different ingredients to give your baked beans recipe a unique flavor. And, if it helps, you can even sing the “magical fruit” song while cooking your recipe.

Dried beans are great in recipes, but they also work really well for creating craft and art projects for kids. For example, you could create a mosaic that includes a variety of seeds and different sizes and colors of beans. This can be a lot of fun for kids. And bean art puts macaroni art to shame, especially on National Bean Day.

Why We Love National Bean Day

There are so many different kinds of beans to try

Beans are an economical source of protein

Beans aren’t just for dinner

If you choose to celebrate National Bean Day by trying a few different kinds of beans, you’ll have a whole bunch of them to sample. Green string beans, pinto beans, navy beans, black beans, and red kidney beans are among the most popular types of beans grown in the United States.

If you’re looking to save a bit of money on your food bill, beans are among the most cost effective foods you can eat. And if you’re looking for a source of protein that’s quite a bit cheaper than beef or chicken, beans are the answer. A cooked bean’s weight is between 6% and 11% protein.

Some kinds of beans are best served for dessert. Jelly beans are one of the most popular candies around. Heck, there’s even a chili flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans. And Boston Baked Beans are great candies too. Even though jelly beans and the candy-coated peanuts that make up Boston Baked Beans aren’t the same as traditional beans, they still taste great. So go ahead and eat some candy beans on National Bean Day.

Source

[gorrillagripseason]

wip snippet

old body, new mind

•

They shouldn’t work.

Spike and Faye, as boyfriend and girlfriend. Alike the way ice cubes were once also water, they look distinct but are chemically structured the same at their cores. Ice floats when placed in water, pulled half in and out, less dense, mutable by nature - and for a while aversion made sense, for them, with him looking over his shoulder, static and yet sure of who he was, a man who bet on himself and lived in his own very Western.

Except, time holds them hand in glove, the way ice eventually melts, continuous, until the water it sits in is colder, molecules slower, and frigidity forgets its definite shape, sunk with new weight.

Together, poured into something like bread and butter, yoked between flighty and fixed, they’re something like congruent. Not intuitively, from roommates who bicker about the taste of lactose free milk and read different Hesse novels at nineteen, but like two different shades of blue in a double denim outfit, complementary in practice instead of theory and its -

Her attraction, fervent, zipping up her spine, raising hairs; his affection slow grown but steady, poised to drill bone deep. A stand off, of sorts, in the dim kitchen of their shared house, where her smaller frame looms over his, crowds him back into countertop. She looks at him like she doesn’t want to stop, reaches for him quicker to the draw for once and there’s a crescendo of trumpets and percussion in his ears, her touch the culmination of too many months and a million other little moments, the kitchen unchanged from the day she moved in.

There’s a cherry cola stain on her mouth, kind of like lipstick, his mouth is watering to taste it and -

Her hands fist in his shirt, yanking him close too hard and fast, flitting up to cup his neck, his slightly slack jaw, then back at his collar searching for a pulse to match the rapid thud of her own, movements frenetic and all over, like how she cares, pinpoint across random facets of his life, how she looks at him like she’s run a marathon to keep pace.

He lets her, brings his forehead to her own smooth and gentle, wears want plain and easy with the slouch of his body, the little smile that plays helpless at his lips the longer she exhales harshly into his chin and fights her own impulses, born sudden and possessive. On the countertop behind him sits the coconut lentil soup recipe he charmed out of the little old Thai lady down the street, a confession he didn’t even mean to write.

It started when Jet took his nasty backyard garden squash to a fall fair competition a few weeks ago, lugging home a pot of creamy aromatic soup from a new friend that Faye lost her mind over. The problem: Mrs Sae-Tang, who lives coincidentally a few houses down, thinks she’s hooker because she wore fishnets to the produce market one time, refusing to give up the recipe no matter what Faye tried, legs hidden by a maxi skirt and all. It was like watching an ugly stray get rejected, funny in a way that made him feel bad, unusual to see Faye so absorbed in something so mundane as collecting recipes for her personal cookbook.

Then, today that is, Jet asked him to go over and check over Mrs. Sae-Tang’s radiator, having forgotten about an appointment to pick up parts for his clunky Chevy. Spike has a thing with older women, a way of endearing himself on the razor thin edge of boyish good manners that works to bring a reluctant smile to even Mrs Sae-Tang’s slim face and so he spent his morning sat popping edamame beans from their pods for her to store and snack on. It’s relaxing, her TV tuned in to some soap opera rerun, and also enough of a good will gesture for her to let him copy the soup recipe on the back of a receipt without only a small amount of begging - her secret is a specific brand of red curry paste and fresh bamboo shoots.

The receipt, a faded list of dollar store wares, sat in his pocket until a few minutes ago - Faye rummaging through the fridge half out of her day clothes while he waited for a pot of quick oats to cool on the stove. He remembers it as her stomach growls, handing it over with one hand after a couple of tries to get her to focus on him. She was quiet for so long he thought her wholly unimpressed but then -

She said his name, soft and solid, “Spike.”

And now he’s pressed against the counter, the little receipt the only other witness to how she swells with one big breath on to her toes and then kisses him, hard, eyes squeezed shut, and his stay open the slightest bit, lips immediately giving way under all her force, focused on the faint freckles bridging her nose, on looking at her the way he knows she’s always ached to be seen.

She kisses him with little finesse, teeth catching on his lips, tongue, the skin at the corner of his mouth, like she could swallow him, hand fit in his hair, guiding him where she wants, pliant and groaning as the tugs get harsher and his neck starts to burn, as she doesn’t let up, pushing closer still, leg insistent between his thighs, flexing with strength he sometimes wishes he could borrow, watching her bully the world at her boot heel.

He’s kissed and kissed and kissed, hands clutching at her hips, forearms, the too big shirt she payed too much for at the thrift, time one bleeding blue amorphous line on the stovetop in his peripheral, lungs fighting for air he couldn’t care any less for, head spinning, the press of her too warm, bergamot scent imprinting in his airways. The novelty of it, mouths magnetized, bodies fitting like puzzle pieces, their perfectly jagged edges aligned, is addicting. He doesn’t know how or if they’ll stop, thoughts slipping away with the impetuous to be anything other than kissing and kissed back, floating somewhere between seconds and hours, the whole of the world just negative space around what is just -

Faye and Spike, making out, like they’ll never see another Sunday evening.

Her touch grows surer as his softens, rhythmic if still on the right side of too hard, and he feels kind of actualized by it, how easily she takes from him, so self-assured, like she knows some part of him was made to give to the way she licks into his mouth and makes him swallow her spit, thumbs massaging his throat, like she could subsist on it, on him, keep him against the counter and replace her usual tomato and spinach fettuccine dinner.

And when she finally shifts from his mouth, trailing heavy wet gasps across his jaw, he thinks it’s a pheromonic thing, a mantra of curses and bites at the skin under his neck, he had to feel and smell her like this to know it, but the two of them like this is just, somehow, incontestably right -

A car honks, the vacuum around his senses burst, Ein barks from somewhere upstairs and Jet starts hollering at him to shut up from the bathroom. Reality sinks in with a sharp prickling sort of clarity, his eyes falling on the pot of quick oats he still has to pack away for breakfast tomorrow, affection settled in like a second heartbeat even as he is Spike the roommate who’s turn it is to clean up the kitchen again.

Faye keeps her teeth on his pulse, nose cold under his ear, the press of their bodies a second space to occupy, a pocket distinct from the ugly floral wallpaper they never got around to replacing and the heavy thunk of Jet’s footsteps above them. It holds things kind of like the echoes of laughter across the dinner table and late night shared smokes lit on the strands inside the toaster, things that’ll move with them upstairs where she’ll realize she forgot to pick up toothpaste and blame him for it, and outside in the grey chill of morning tomorrow when he’ll gather dried up leaves to dump all over her car as she warms it up just to see her roll her eyes and drive off with a smile.

Things he had to feel bruising fingers and heaving lungs, smell bergamot and the lightest hints of sweet seeping into his skin, to realize he wants to have, ham fisted and supine.

To keep maybe, in that chiffony way that means flowers and chocolates, getting used to someone being close enough to see his pores again, and it should scare him, might later when he’s under his covers alone, but she lets him pull her head back enough to lock their gazes, expression like freshly waxed skin, cheeks blotchy, mouth a swollen ruddy pink, leaning into to his hands on her neck like she doesn’t quiet trust her feet to hold her up and he thinks, softly-softly, thumbing slow coaxing circles under her jaw.

Her eyes drop to the crisscross their arms make between them, the mustard rubber wristband he kept from the marathon she tricked him into running for her two month health kick on his forearm. When she looks up into his face again he holds back a quip about a lightbulb above her head, settles for waggling his brows as something close to wonder melts the crease of her chin, let’s it fill the lines of his face too.

“Fuck.” She says, again, voice stripped of any of her usual pretence.

Spike hums, “I can ask about mango sticky rice next time.”

“Fuck.” Faye huffs, like she’s damned, leg easing back from between his, hands still fit around his skull as she tumbles into a laugh, snorting hard, shoulders shaking helplessly with her forehead turned to his collarbone, endeared by him supposedly.

He vows then and there to keep her that way.

•

[lifeonstar]

Them Bones

Pairing: Leopika.

(7/7)

The end is here. Thank you very much for reading and I am sorry for having calculated the number of chapters wrong, I will correct that

7. The happy ending.

Kurapika carefully inspected the tomato before pulling it off the vine and placing it in the basket with the rest of the harvested tomatoes.

In the year and a half that he had lived there, he had managed to harvest many vegetables and fruits in the small garden. He had enlarged its dimensions and had put all the effort and love in the world into it.

Leorio had even brought him a nice blue overall for gardening as a gift on one of his trips to the city of Lukso. Kurapika had seen the garment in one of the many magazines they had in the house and had fallen madly in love with it.

Leorio walked past him carrying a bucket full of food for the boars.

"Lunch is almost ready, do you think your parents will take much longer?"

"I don't think it will take too long," Kurapika replied. "Today they come with Pairo, so their delay may be due to that."

Leorio tossed the remains of food into the pen and patted the female boar on the back before heading back into the house. Kurapika finished ripping off the remaining tomatoes and went into the kitchen, placing the basket on the counter.

"That smells so good," he commented, resting his face against Leorio's arm. A large, bubbling pot brimming with pranka stew filled the air with a pleasant, homemade aroma."My mother will be delighted with your progress."

"Slow progress," Leorio grumbled, putting out the fire. Kurapika was going to protest at that, but a sound in the small room next to theirs caught his attention.

He took Leorio from his clothes and led him to stand in front of the open door. He wrapped his arms around the man's neck and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

A small laugh, beautiful and happy, came from that dark room, filling the house even more with that homey feeling.

They both laughed and Kurapika went to turn on the light in the little room, meeting the small round and happy face of his nine-month-old daughter.

"Good morning, Kippie," he greeted her, taking her into his arms. "Is it so funny that your parents do the kissy kissy?"

Leorio and Kurapika had been the last to get married, but the first to have a baby. Their baby girl, Kippie, had been baptized in the river a couple of months ago. At each baptism the eyes of the babies turn red without fail, it was part of the process carried out by the elders of the tribe. Even so, their little girl's never changed, they continued with the same beautiful brown color with which she had been born.

Kippie had the same hair and eye color as Leorio. Hair in waves that grew fast and ruffled easily, and eyes that were warm and expressive.The shape of the eyes, nose and mouth were the same as Kurapika's, it was a perfect mix.

"I am so hungry" was Pairo's warning to indicate that they had already arrived.

Pairo's seven-month-old big belly was the first to enter the home. Leorio went next to him and helped him up the small step that the guy could no longer see due to his stomach.

"I made a separate stew just for you," Leorio commented as he guided him to the chair to sit down."It has pranka liver, nuts, seeds and edamame."

"That sounds so delicious," Pairo said sarcastically, tapping on his heels to kick off his shoes. "How much longer will I have to eat those delicacies?"

"Until you recover the iron in your blood," Kurapika commented to which Pairo stuck out his tongue.

"No one spoke to you," he replied in an exaggerated tone of offense. "I don't beat you up just because you have my son's or daughter's future wife in your arms."

Pairo's lack of iron had been quite alarming, but Leorio's diet rich in meats and vegetables and a special homemade medicine had managed to regulate it.

Kurapika's parents entered the house loaded with a lot of food and other gifts for Kippie, as usual, and went directly to her, paying absolutely no attention to anything else.

When it was discovered that Kippie did not have scarlet eyes, Kurapika had feared, deep inside, that his parents and Pairo would reject her, even internally. But that had never happened; there was no change in the way she was treated or loved.

They had lunch on the patio, as they had done for a couple of Sundays; the spring was warm and the weather was optimal to spend the rest of the day there.His parents took advantage of the afternoon to try on all kinds of tunics on Kippie, and Pairo basked in the sun with his belly exposed while he complained about the dust in his house from the remodeling of what would be the baby's room.

Kurapika adored those moments. His life was simple and beautiful, he could spend the whole day with his family, with his animals or his crops, and then he could sleep hugging his husband every night.

A good life, a profitable life.

His parents and Pairo left at dusk, the lights of the village indicating a way back from the little house hidden in the bushes.

"Oh, Pairo forgot the medicine," Leorio commented when they had finished bringing everything into the house.The white bottle was forgotten on the table.

"With all the liver you put in his stew, I think his body will last just fine until tomorrow morning," Kurapika assured him, stroking his arm.

Leorio had Kippie lying on his chest, fast asleep."You're right," he smiled, turning a little so he could place a kiss on Kurapika's forehead.

"Don't worry, I'll bring it to him first thing in the morning while you attend to Mr. Frand" Kurapika said, taking advantage of the proximity to plant a deep kiss on his lips.

Kippie gave a little laugh, almost inaudible, and when they both turned to look at her, she was sound asleep.

"Even when she's asleep we make her laugh," Leorio commented, caressing one of those rosy, round cheeks. "I feel that we are going to embarrass her in the future."

"Remind me to give us the best kisses in front of her when she's a teenager," Kurapika joked, accompanying his husband to the little girl's room.They laid her down in the beautiful wooden cradle, covering her with a light sheet and turning off the light, leaving the door ajar.

Life was good and peaceful, no kind of pain or eccentricity crushing their souls and wearing down their lives. Life was good, even down to their bones

[chisekarino]

Fic release! Haikyuu - Osaatsu

I wrote a slice-of-life garden shop Miyacest AU for miyacestfest!

It unexpectedly came in at 18.5k words and was released for the Miyas' birthday <3 If you are interested in gardening, it is a central part of the fic. Hope you enjoy reading it!

xo Chise

[garden-with-squid]

5/19/24

It’s been a while since I’ve done a proper check in/took notes about the garden. The tomatillos are doing alright, wilting every 2 or 3 days so I’m trying to keep up with the watering. Tomatoes need to go into grow bags. Potatoes have pest damage and look like they’ll be ready to harvest within the next 2 months.

I got into a staring match with the damn squirrel, and while I don’t have the guts to kill it, it does piss me off. It’s eaten leaves off the green beans (which I still got some harvest from), peppers, okra, edamame, etc and I think it’s stunting all their growth.

The okra and watermelon is going so slow, and I had to resow the watermelon actually, and there’s the pest damage - it’s admittedly frustrating, but it is my first time growing these plants. The sunflowers grow quickly though and that gives me a sense of progress.

Bed 1 still looks the best just because it’s filled. On the positive, the two surviving zinnia plants look good, I’ll pinch them off once they grow a few more inches. Struggling with the edamame - the red basket is an attempt to keep the squirrel out, though it blocks too much sun. The Japanese eggplant is doing very well thankfully. Peppers at also getting chomped so haven’t set much fruit yet. I think the borage is choking out the surrounding plants, need to cut it back a lot again. I’m also struggling to direct sow cucumber, they don’t survive past the first leaves, so I’ve sown indoors in a paper pot in the hopes of transplanting when it gets big enough to compete.

In bed 4 I removed the snapdragons (lord of rust) and planted cosmos and dahlia tubers I got on sale. I was feeling very sad and wanted some flowers.

It’s actually been a bit overcast this month but little rain, temps in the 70s on average. As usual, the garden feels a bit behind schedule - I could hypothetically be harvesting a bunch of stuff or much further along if I had started earlier.

Feels on-time: potatoes, tomatillos, green beans, sunflower, watermelon (I trust it’ll grow faster in June)

Plant could’ve be bigger: okra, cucumber, edamame, peppers (Greg Alder’s post says late May is best time for transplanting; they grow faster so less bug damage)

Could have been harvesting: eggplant (an early crop from the overwintered plants, if I transplanted them earlier), cherry tomatoes, flowers, STRAWBERRIES and other berries

I guess it’s not that bad then. If I really wanted to, I could’ve kept more broccoli and greens growing now, and if the onions/garlic were still in, they’d be getting pretty big and juicy for a June harvest. The poppies are going to seed, and I love the colorful assorted wildflowers we had growing in that one corner. I hope they go to seed and come back next year.