#i love how the top left is spinach in the noodle picture and top right is butter lettuce in this one

[mlobsters]

just saw this and i think i might need to paint them as a companion piece 😌

inspired by paul raubad's cat studies of meme cats, i wanted to paint one of my all-time favorites, noodle in the fridge having an existential crisis.

and turns out noodle's mom is an artist too! rebeccasalinasart

cats and art all the way down.

digital painting, ~5 hours. drawing video under the cut

song: strawberry blond by mitski

[lovemesomesurveys]

[-lastcall]

have you ever been invited to a tacky-christmas-sweater party? No, but I’m cheesy and would enjoy something like that.

does your school have spirit week..you dress up as super heros and stuff? Yeah, my schools did that.

doesnt it bother you when someone texts you, you reply, & they never reply? Depends on how urgent/pressing the conversation is. <<< Yeah, it may not need an urgent response or one at all.

when is the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt? It’s been a very long time.

what is the biggest turn off, to you? Arrogance and cockiness.

is there one saying that is just getting OLD to you? ex: “fail”? I’m sure there is, but I can’t think of one at the moment.

what do you do when you can’t sleep? My nighttime routine consists of scrolling through Tumblr, watching YouTube videos, doing surveys, and listening to ASMR.

when was the last time you had a nightmare? I woke up crying and shaking the other morning.

where do you see yourself in ten years? I don’t knowww.

if you had the chance to re-do the past six months..would you do it? Nooo.

does your family have traditions? Yeah.

have you ever had a horribleee school picture? I never liked my school picture. Well, except for the ones from like preschool to 2nd grade. 

what is the most annoying commercial to you? I’ve been basically bedridden and watch a lot of TV, so I see a lot of the same commercials numerous times a day and certain ones stand out and annoy me like this one where there’s this guy driving and singing with his hood ornament thingy. The song goes something like, “you got the brawn, I got the brain. Let’s make lots of money” or something like that.

whose voice will never fail to get on your nerves? Back when that show The Nanny came on I just couldn’t stand to hear Fran Drescher’s voice omg. Sofia Vergara’s voice annoys me, too.

have you ever met anyone half-way famous? I’ve met Jaime Lee Curtis, who is quite famous I’d say.

is there a celebrity that you are related to? (im related to elvis) :) Not that I know of.

do you like your laugh? No.

who was the last person to call you beautiful? I don’t know. I look like trash.

would you call your last relationship a mistake? No.

do you believe in regrets? Yeah, and I have plenty.

where are you going after you die? I pray I go to heaven.

have you ever been asked out over text message? Yes.

have you ever run up your phone bill? No.

pick: apple, or dell. Apple.

what is your outfit of choice? Leggings and a graphic tee.

who was the last person that you talked to on the phone for over 2 hours? I haven’t talked on the phone that long in many, many, many years.

do you sleep on your stomach, side or back? I sleep on my left side.

is it easier to fall up or down the stairs, to you? I don’t/can’t use the stairs.

has it been a while since the last time you got grounded? I’m 31 years old...

would you ever take up a job in photography? No.

what is your pizza topping of choice? Extra sauce and cheese, spinach, cilantro, and garlic.

what food is your weakness? Lately, it’s been ice cream and chips and dip.

do you type with correct punctuation? Yes.

how do you like your eggs? Over-easy, scrambled, hard boiled, deviled.

do you even remember your life before you could drive? I don’t drive.

do you remember your first crush? Yes.

were you born in the place you grew up in? Yes.

someone texts you calling you a skank. what do you reply? Wtf.

would you ever take place in a long-distance relationship? I don’t think so.

what was your childhood nickname? Noodles. lol.

is there a smell that makes you gag? Old food. do you actually use your locker at school, if you are still in school? I never used one.

have you ever broken a bone? Yes. do your parents trust you? Yes.

what is your favorite lyric of all time? I have countless favorite lyrics. do you restart the song when you miss your favorite part? Sometimes.

in your opinion, can you sing well? Nope. I know I can’t sing.

when was the last time you were disappointed? I’ve been continuously disappointed in myself for the past few years and counting. 

have you ever visited dictionary.com? Yeah.

who is your best friend? My mom.

do you totally hate your hometown and plan on leaving as soon as possible? My family and I would love to.

what is your hometown known for? Nothing good.

does your bedroom have a theme? Nah, not really.

you open your closet doors, what color do you see the most? Black.

your fingernails are currently painted what color? They’re not painted.

say a random word in another language: Triste.

have you ever read a series of books that had more than 10 books in it? Yeah, I’ve read several. I’m reading the 13th book in one right now.

what is something that alwaysss gets on your nerves? Eating sounds.

you wake up in the middle of the night hungry, do you eat or shrug it off? I always have my nightly bowl of ramen.

are you the black sheep of the family? I feel that way sometimes cause of the stuff I’ve gone and go through. It’s been a lot and I feel un-relatable. 

have you ever burnt anything on accident? Yes.

what song always makes you sad? The acoustic version of Everlong by Foo Fighters because of the memory attached to it.

have you ever been to a techno party? No.

does your school have those slutty dance parties every weekend? What...

what time on average do you wake up during the summer? When I wake up varies regardless of the day or time of year.

what time zone do you live in? PST.

what movie can you not waaaaait to see? New Marvel movies, Halloween Kills, and Scream 5 to name a few. is there a tv series you have watched ever since the first season came out? Yeah, a few. who is the most awkward person you know? Myself.

would you date kyle? Who?

do you have a blogger account? This.

when you get married, what do you want your last name to be? I don’t plan on getting married.

have you ever legally changed your name? No.

does your family send out a christmas card every year? No.

do you stare at people’s butts when they walk? No.

do you think it is cute or waaaay annoying when guys sag? I’ve never understood that style.

do you own uggs or do you think they are uggly? bahaha. I’m not a fan.

what smiley do you use most often? :/ or :X

your mom hears you cuss. what does she say? She’d just be surprised cause I never have. I’m 31 years old, though, so it’s not like I can’t. I’m just weird about that.

have you ever been in a wedding? No.

have you ever heard of tim tebow? Yeah.

who have you fantasized about marrying? No one.

i can’t spell correctly worth a flip, can you? I think so.

what word do you say wayyy too much? Probably “um” or “like.”

do you think ‘thats what she said’ is gross or funny? It’s just old now.

do you think running a mile is fun or a punishment? I wouldn’t find anything about that fun.

do you say “FAIL” after everything, like my brother does? No.

have you ever been to a concert? Yeah, a few.

have you been to each coast of America? I’ve been to the west and east coast.

[shrinkingheather]

Egg Fast Day 7

It’s finally here... the end of day 7.... last day of my egg fast, WOOHOO. Doing the celebration dance here!

I had to change things up today, because the menu called for avocado... I hate avocado *gasp, choke, wail* Yep, I said it.... the holy grail of keto fats I hate. Nasty green little things!

So, breakfast was, oh look there... eggs and BPC! *top right* LOL. Man, I can’t wait for some spinach and bacon with my eggs. That’s how I normally ate them. Eggs with spinach are so good.

Lunch was fettuccine alfredo. *top left* My daughter likes these noodles so much she asked me to make her some, so we both had some for lunch today (MOM WIN!) She followed hers up with a gigantic piece of jerky (don’t worry, she only ate a portion of it, lol). Nothing new here... though I did reheat mine because I wasn’t ready to eat when she was, and the butter separated some. I ate it anyways. It’s better fresh, lol.

Dinner was no chop chili with some sour cream and cheddar cheese. *bottom right* It was ok. I learned the last time I made this chili (from another site, but same ingredients)... it does NOT feed 4 people like it says. 1 lb of ground beef and a 1/2 C salsa is not enough for 4 people, it’s just not. So, I doubled it. That was a LOT better. We were all full after that.

And my snack. My daughter today went to get a cheese stick, of course she has star wars ones... because what kid is happy with plain cheese sticks when we can spend $2 more for ones with light sabers on them? *sigh*. Anyways... she found a chewbacca one in the bag and came running to me to give it to me. “Mom, I found a chewbacca one, do you want it? I know you love chewbacca, so you can have this one.” Ok... I wasn’t planning on a cheese stick today, But when a special needs child brings you a chewbacca cheese stick with that much excitement... you eat the dang cheese stick! She was so excited I ate it, lol. She told me I need to keep the wrapper too hahahahaha.

So, tomorrow I need to remember to measure and have someone take pictures for comparison. One thing I can say I learned... HWC slowed me down in the beginning. And now I know that, and should keep it to a minimum again. It still makes me sad that it won’t be in my coffee though :(

[drylip0-blog]

butternut squash lasagna

Behold your future go-to recipe for guests: Butternut Squash Lasagna. Not only is it totally impressive, I’d even say a real show stopper, but it can be made a day or two ahead and then just popped in the oven before your guests arrive. How easy is that!

DISCLOSURE: We’ve been enjoying this recipe on repeat since early fall, and I am finally sharing the perfected recipe with you today in partnership with the Dairy Farm Families of New England. I was compensated for my time. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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An Impressive Vegetarian Recipe for Guests

There are times to grab those super fast get dinner on the table recipes, and then there are times, like a holiday meal, Sunday supper, or when guests are coming, to pull out a recipe like this one. You know, a recipe that takes a bit more time, but is so obviously worth every minute for the rich and complex flavors that result of time well spent.

When I have company coming over, I get organized, plan ahead and I reach for recipes that I know will be a big wow moment. Friends, this Butternut Squash Lasagna is one of those recipes.

At first it looks just like a regular lasagna, but then when you slice into it, the layers of sweet creamy pureed butternut squash and caramelized onions reveal themselves and you know you are in for a special treat! The caramelized onion, sweet squash and pinch of nutmeg are such a delightful surprise. And the melted cheddar cheese really balances the sweetness and keeps the whole dish savory. No lasagna would be complete without ricotta and it adds another level of creaminess. I skipped bechamel sauce, and instead used crushed tomatoes with basil. I think the acidity from the tomatoes really works and it saved a bit of time.

I’ve also made this Butternut Squash Lasagna as a meal-prep recipe: I built it on Sunday afternoon, covered it and refrigerated it. Then on Tuesday night I baked it for dinner.

What is in Butternut Squash Lasagna

Bake the squash: First I cut the butternut squash in half and scooped out the seeds. I set it cut-side down on a sheet pan lined with non-stick foil. You can also use parchment. then just bake the squash until it is tender. It can take up to an hour depending on the size and age of your squash.

Make Butternut Squash puree: Let the squash cool on the pan until it is cool enough to handle. Sometimes, especially if the squash cools a lot and contracts, the skin will pull right off. So easy! Then just throw the squash into the food processor with salt and nutmeg and puree it. If you don’t have a food processor, no worries, you can mash it by hand. It won’t be as silky smooth, but still quite good. You can make this squash several days in advance or you can even freeze it if you like.

Caramelized Onions: At some point while you are prepping the squash, think about caramelizing the onions as well. Low and slow is the way to go when making caramelized onions. Basically you want to cook the onions until they are completely soft and then allow the sugars to darken. My stove in my studio is really hot, and so I have to have it set at medium-low and splash in some water too, to keep it from burning. Keeping the lid on helps them not darken too much too early because it traps the moisture in the pot which keeps the temperature down.

Set Up Mis En Place: Next you’ll want to gather up the other components of the lasagna: the ricotta mixture and the tomato mixture. Both are super simple (just measure and stir.) I used a large can of crushed tomatoes, to which I added in freshly chopped basil (makes all the difference in flavor), salt and pepper. This is so much easier than making a tomato sauce on the stove top- and since we already have caramelized onions in the dish, the flavor will be just as good.

Mix ricotta cheese: Ricotta cheese is a fresh cheese (meaning it isn’t aged) so it is high in moisture. I add some egg to it to help it hold together as the lasagna bakes. You can use part-skim ricotta or whole milk ricotta cheese. (Note: the nutrition info below is based on part-skim ricotta.)

Cheddar Cheese: Usually lasagna has mozzarella cheese, but I wanted the flavor of Sharp Vermont Cheddar Cheese in this butternut squash lasagna to help balance the sweet squash. I love the tangy sharp flavor it adds. When you are looking for cheddar for your lasagna, look for “extra sharp” or “sharp.”

No Boil Lasagna Noodles: Because this lasagna has so much moisture in it from an entire butternut squash, there is no need to boil the noodles. Yay! I tested this with no-boil lasagna noodles and regular noodles, and both soften just fine.

How to Assemble and Bake Butternut Squash Lasagna

Grab your lasagna dish and preheat your oven if it isn’t already.

It is easy to get confused when building a lasagna so here is the big picture: you’ll have three layers of noodles and two layers of filling. Tomato and cheese goes on top- so that’s where things get confusing.

Starting with a sprayed lasagna dish, you have to keep in mind that the lasagna noodles will stick to the pan, so make sure you moisten it with about a half cup of the tomato mixture first. Spread it around to make a very thin barrier for the pasta.

Then Layer in pasta layer number one. Three noodles side by side. You’ll likely have some room around each one, and that is fine. As they cook with the other ingredients they will absorb moisture and expand quite a bit.

On top of the noodles add in filling layer number one. It will be half of the squash puree, half of the caramelized onions and half of the ricotta. Top that layer off with a third of the sauce and cheese.

Repeat with pasta layer number two and filling layer number two. On goes sauce and cheese.

Then you’ll be left with three noodles for pasta layer three. And some sauce and cheese for the top. Don’t add the cheese just yet though! After you arrange the pasta on and moisten the noodles with the sauce, cover the whole casserole dish with a layer of parchment and a layer of foil. The parchment creates a barrier between the acidic tomato sauce and the foil and will keep the foil from pitting.

All that is left is baking the Butternut Squash Lasagna until it is bubbling along the edges and steaming hot. Now it’s time to remove the foil and add on the cheese! I used some grated Parmesan style cheese too, to really kick up that sharp cheesy flavor. It only needs to bake another few mintues, just to melt the cheeses.

Don’t forget to let the lasagna sit for a little bit (10-20 minutes) before serving it.

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What To Serve With Butternut Squash Lasagna

Here are a few Appetizer Ideas to start the meal:

Roasted Garlic Hummus with veggies

Chocolate Chili Spiced Nuts

White Bean Bruschetta with Garlicky Greens

I always love garlic bread with lasagna- so that would be a great choice.

Here are green side dishes that would work with the flavors in this lasagna:

Overnight Kale Caesar

Spinach Salad with Bacon and Eggs

Green Beans with Walnuts and Balsamic 

Simple Sautéed Swiss Chard

Easy Broccoli an Garlic and Lemon

Here are some desserts that would be terrific after this amazing meal:

Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Maple Carrot Cake

Maple Apple Crisp

Peppermint Patty Cheesecake

Or for something less formal, try Soft and Spicy Hermit Cookies and Maple Ginger Pear Sorbet

For information about the dairy farm families of New England, school nutrition, and health and wellness topics, please visit New England Dairy & Food Council and Must Be the Milk.

Questions: 

What do you like to serve when you have company coming?

Do you like to make a recipe like this for Sunday supper?

Thanks so much for reading! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a review and star rating! It means a lot to me!

Happy Cooking!

~Katie

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Description

Butternut Squash Lasagna, an impressive meal for guests. Make it up to two days ahead and then just pop the lasagna in the oven before they arrive. Also a great Sunday supper recipe.

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash

1 ¼ teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 large sweet onion, sliced

½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided

½ teaspoon dry thyme

16 ounces part-skim ricotta

1 large egg

28-ounces canned crushed tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

9 uncooked lasagna noodles

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or foil.

Cut butternut squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place cut-side-down on the prepared baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Roast until the flesh is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When butternut squash is cool enough to handle, carefully scoop flesh into a food processor fitted with steel blade attachment. Add ½ teaspoon salt and nutmeg and process until smooth.

Meanwhile, swirl oil in the bottom of a small saucepan. Add onion ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and set over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring often until the onion is tender and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add water to the skillet one to two tablespoons at a time if the onions start to brown before they are soft. Remove from heat and stir in thyme.

Stir ricotta and egg in a medium bowl. Stir together tomatoes, basil and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Assemble lasagna: Coat a 9×11 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about ½ cup tomato mixture in the bottom of the baking dish. Layer on three uncooked lasagna noodles. Spread about half of the butternut squash mixture over the noodles. Top with about half of the onion. Dollop with half of the ricotta. Top with about 1 cup tomato mixture and 2/3 cup shredded cheddar. Repeat with another layer of three noodles, the remaining squash, the remaining onions, the remaining ricotta, 1 cup sauce and 2/3 cup cheddar. Top with the remaining three noodles and the remaining tomato mixture, spreading out to moisten the noodles. Cover with foil.

Bake (at 400 degrees) until the lasagna is steaming hot, about 45 minutes if placed directly in the oven from prep or 60 minutes if made ahead and refrigerated. Remove foil, top with the remaining 2/3 cup cheddar and 3 tablespoons Parmesan and continue baking, uncovered, until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes longer. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/10 of lasagna

Calories: 545

Fat: 15 g

Saturated Fat: 8 g

Carbohydrates: 80

Fiber: 6 g

Protein: 26 g

Keywords: lasagna,butternut squash,vegetarian,guests,company,entertaining,make ahead,meal prep,Sunday supper

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Source: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/butternut-squash-lasagna/

[jeninthegarden]

2020 Seed List

Seed List 2020

 Less is more, …and so is more!

Always interesting to compare the formal garden plan to the list of seeds I have actually purchased. Since I order seeds online from at least 5 sources, over several months, it is only when I compile the total seed list that I realize just how far overboard I’ve gone.  This year I’m really cutting back, I promise.  Except that I have some seeds leftover from last year that will go bad if I don’t plant them, which would be a shameful waste.  And then there are the seed catalogues, the “garden porn” with pictures of beautiful vegetables in new and different hybrid varieties, or non-native plants I have never heard of but want to attempt to grow…but I am really trying to hold back.  I did not buy any herb or flower seeds because I usually just pick those up as plants in the local nursery. But I also planted some perennial flower seeds last year (I know, totally out of character!) and my husband fell under the spell of a delusion about the lavender fields of Provence growing right in our back yard, so we’re going to buy another 10 lavender plants to build the dream.

 I am over the broccoli, cabbage, eggplant and daikon radish fixations.  This year I

’

m enthralled with potatoes, beans, sunflowers, and every kind of winter squash and pumpkin.

Legumes:

Peas –  Burpee’s “Wando”, is a warm weather tolerant variety that can be planted early and late so I’m betting on a warmer spring and early summer with this one. But Burpee’s “First 13 Pea” is the first shelling pea to have 13 peas per pod, so I feel I must try it. We also have some leftover “Lincoln” peas to plant. There is nothing better than fresh raw peas, eaten right in the garden. Over the years I have planted more, and more, and the magic number for us seems to be 250 pea vines.  That takes up all the pea fence I’ve got, and a lot of premium garden space inside the walled garden.

Runner beans- I love runner beans because they taste really good! The blooms alone taste so sweet it is hard to leave any to set pods.  Young pods are eaten just like string beans and the mature beans are wonderful in salad or soup or cassoulet.  This year I ordered Territorial Seeds “Scarlet Emperor” with red blossoms, and Pinetree Seeds “Painted Lady” with red and white blossoms “Sunset” with pale pink blossoms. I still have Park Seeds “Stardust”, with white blossoms, left from last year. 

Bush beans- Park Seeds “Velour” is a compact, bush-habit plant, very heavy-bearing bright purple, stringless pods over a long season. A great success last season so will plant the remainder again this year. And I ordered Pinetree Seeds “Turtle” black bus beans. I intend to eat the Velour as string beans and let the Turtle mature to be dried and stored, or maybe canned.

Pole beans- Last year I ordered some black climbing beans online.  These were eaten by deer so will try the remainder again this year. I ordered Territoral Seeds “Rattlesnake” beans which are harvested young as a sweeter string bean, and then mature, shelled beans reportedly have a meaty texture and a flavor similar to pinto beans. Pinetree Seeds “Winged Bean” harvested like string beans but with edible leaves that taste like spinach.

Noodle beans – I like red noodle beans best because they have an almost pecan nutty taste, so I ordered Pinetree Seeds “Red Noodle”.  I also have some “Mosaic” leftover, which have a more asparagus flavor.

Soybeans- I saved a lot of seeds the last time I grew them, which was 2017? So it may be too late for these seeds. Because I have so much garden space that is due, in strict crop rotation, to be planted with legumes, I ordered fresh soybean seeds, Park Seeds “Midori Giant”.

Fava beans-  Pinetree Seeds “Varoma” although traditionally a cool weather crop, is also heat tolerant, so that is the variety I ordered.

Fruits:

Tomatoes – I saved a lot of seeds from heirloom, beefsteak tomatoes I bought at the green market. I’ll plant whatever I’ve got since tomato seeds never seem to go bad. And the local garden swap always has some interesting selections.  My favorites are the Big Rainbow/Mr. Stripy varieties which are gold with orange and red stripes. Others in the household prefer the Black Krim or Purple Cherokee.

Corn – I have leftover Burpee’s Maple Candy sweet corn. So I will plant it and put wire cages over it to keep critters from digging it up.  It is not available this year from Burpee, so I ordered Burpee’s “Kandy Korn”.

Eggplant – my fixation with eggplant is dormant this year.  I am just going with a Terratorial Seeds traditional Italian black eggplant that fruits prolifically over 3 months, and the “millionaire” variety that is a long, black Japanese variety. And just as I said that, I found a mixed pack of green, purple and white fingerling eggplant from Park Seed and bought it!

Pepper – I went wild last year and then had such a hard time rescuing the peppers from drowning.  I saved a lot of seeds: Burpee’s “Sweet Thing” a sweet cheyenne, “Born to be mild” sweet jalapeno, “Hot Fish” an African hot pepper, “heat-less” habanero. So I will plant all I saved and just put them in pots on the patio at the outset. But also ordered Park Seeds “Pasilla Bajio” for the mole sauce I never make, and “Early Jalapeno” which hopefully won’t need so much heat.  And I ordered “Corno de Toro” which is a thin-walled, sweet pepper.

Okra – looked promising until the deer at it. I bought Burpee’s Go Big last year.  I have seeds left so I will try again. I ordered Park Seeds “Rainbow Fiesta” ivory, green and pink okra.  But then I saw Pinetree Seeds, giant “Cow Horn” super large, “Star of David” deeply ribbed and “Red Burgungy” dark red, and Pinetree sells very small quantities, so I ordered all of them. And I also ordered something called the “Unicorn” which, although it is eaten like okra, is actually “devil’s claw”, a member of the sesame family and a medicinal herb.

 Zucchini- Burpee fordhook heirloom is an excellent staple, but the Burpee’s Sure Thing variety really does well with less sun, and is very resistant to powdery mildew so I’m going with that one because last summer was just not hot enough for zucchini.  Had to order new seeds since the deer ate it all last year.

Cucumber- Cucumbers didn’t get enough heat last summer.  And there was the extended growing season for the spring peas which meant the cucumbers didn’t get planted until July and just never fruited. Last year was all bush and pickling varieties.  This year I am into vines, so I ordered Park Seeds “Marketer”, a nice seedless slicing variety. 

Melon- Like the tomatoes, this year I saved a lot of seeds from the melons I got at the farmer’s market, so I am not sure what variety they are, but I will plant them because I only saved seeds from the tastiest melons, cantalope and honeydew. I have a few Burpee “Mango Melon” seeds left to try again.

Gourd- I bought seeds for the Serpent Melon Gourd, which is eaten as a vegetable when it is young. It is striped green and white, coils like a serpent and is bright red inside. When mature it can be a poor substitute for tomato. Doesn’t sound particularly yummy but I got “cat-fished” by its online photos. Then somebody in my gardening group mentioned it was time to start the Luffa gourds so I panicked and bought some seeds, thinking it would be very good for the environment if I dispensed with plastic sponges.  And then Bushel gourds caught my eye and I got those seeds as well, because they grow to the size of a beach ball and you can hollow them, wax them and use them for storage containers.  Don’t ask me what the Dipper gourds are for…please, just don’t.

Pumpkin- I am enthralled with squash of all kinds. I have leftover Dill’s Atlantic Giant, so that is the pumpkin variety this year.

Squash:  No bush varieties, only vines this year.  I bought a mixed pack of 50 seeds of all types of squash.

Watermelon: Not buying seeds. They are too difficult to germinate so I will just buy seedlings.

Roots:

Radish: I’m indifferent this year.  The daikons were a bust. Territorial Seeds Spanish black radish were stunted. I will plant the rest of them, plus Park Seeds “Easter Egg mix” because they were on sale for a dollar. I bought more “Macca”, a Peruvian radish that is said to have an energizing effect like ginseng. Last year it was direct sown and did not germinate. I will start it indoors this year.

Beets: Territorial Seed’s cylindrical beets worked space-wise they are more carrot shaped and don’t need to be thinned as much, but it never got hot enough.  I’ll plant the rest of the seeds, but I don’t have high hopes.

Turnip: I still have copious amounts of seeds left from last year, Park Seeds standard purple top white globe which is a national standard turnip grown in spring or fall and Park Seeds Alamo hybrid that produce big greens with rapid regrowth for multiple harvests, and is bolt resistant.  I will plant the rest. I don’t really like turnip root unless it is pickled.

Carrot: we harvested fresh carrots for Thanksgiving and still have a bunch in the ground.  First good carrot harvest in a couple years. So again, I bought Park Seed “rainbow mix, six inch regular season carrots” and Park Seed  “sow all season big Nantes type orange carrot”.

Parsnips:  I might plant some parsnips, but they are tricky to companion plant since they cannot be planted with carrots or celery, and their leaves get really tall and shade other plants. I might try them in the hugle. Did not buy seeds yet since I am undecided.

Potatoes: This year I have gone crazy over potatoes and am going to give them more valuable real estate in the garden. I ordered Territorial Seeds “Rose Finn” a pale, blush pink potato, “Red Mountain” red-skinned, red-fleshed, “German butterball” a gold potato and Park Seeds  “Japanese yams” purple-skinned and white-fleshed.  And then, I completely lost track of everything and ordered “Yacón”…It is an Andes Mountain tuber related to sunflowers.

Salsify and other odd roots - And then I really lost it.  I bought  Dave’s Garden “Mammoth Island” salsify and “Blue Hispanica” scorzonera.  I’ve never grown these successfully because they are a bi-annual and need to be planted in their own spot, in the hugle.  Then I bought Outsiderpride chicory, milk thistle and “Garnet” dandelion, to roast the roots and make tea.

Greens:

Amaranth:  Pinetree Seeds “Red Garnet”. This is a leafy variety and leaves are eaten like any other kale/chard/collard green.

Orach: a violet red, velvet leafed spinach that grows on an 18 inch, upright stalk. Territorial Seeds “Red Plume”.

Claytonia: It is a succulent green that looks like a bouquet of little lily pads. Terrirotial Seeds “Miner’s Lettuce”.

Lettuce:  I went with Territorial Seeds “Wildest Lettuce Mix”. And Park Seeds “Salad bowl mix”.

Escarole: Burpee “Sugarloaf” Italian lettuce leaf style with a nutty flavor, for cooking.

Endive: Territorial Seeds “Rhodos” a French, frisee salad variety.

Chard: Park Seeds “El Dorado” golden stemmed chard.

Arugula: I have a large supply of leftover seed, some saved seeds and also purchased some new Pinetree Seeds “Astro” quick growing for clipping.

Mache:  Territorial Seeds “Vit” corn mache. A larger variety I have purchased in the past.

Spinach: Park Seeds “Space”heat and mildew resistant, and “Renegade”a high yielding, weather indifferent variety.

Purslane: Territorial Seed “Golden Purslane”a larger, paler and more succulent variety, with a lovely golden bloom.

Asian Green Mix: Tatsoi, Bok Choi, Mustard, Chinese cabbage, Chinese broc, chrysanthemum, shiso perilla.

   Brassica:

Cabbage: I was terribly disappointed by the cabbages last year. I am not buying and new cabbages, but will plant leftover seeds of Territorial Seeds “January King” and “Large Dutch Green”. Besides that, I will buy the obligatory 6 pack of early red cabbage seedlings.

Kale: Tronchuda Beira from Burpee.  I have often described it as looking like giant green roses. It tastes more like cabbage than kale.  I also have leftover seeds for every other type of kale: Red Russian, Dino, curly Blue Dwarf, Black kale, I will obviously plant some of those too.

Cauliflower:  Park Seeds “Veronica” which is that weird, green pyramidal Romanesco.  I also could not resist Burpee’s “Fioretto” a super fast sprouting variety.

Collards: Territorial Seeds “Flash” is fast growing and re-growing, and a little more compact and upright to withstand snow.

Broccoli:  I went crazy with broccoli last year and it was prolific.  I have leftover seeds so I will plant the same again: Territorial Seed’s three season hybrid sprouting types: “Aspabroc” “Rudolph” “Rioja”

And, because they seem to go with the brassicas in planting rotations, the alums:

Leek: Have to have leeks for the Leeky Dance.  Just planted the seeds pods left from Territorial Seeds “Lancelot” but also ordered 30 more plants of the same.

Onion: The mixed lot of every type of onion, 50 sets from Territorial Seed.

Scallions: Territorial Seeds “Guardsman”

[campchamps]

Roaring Creek Backpack - Weiser State Forest, PA

We have made lots of exciting plans since our yurt trip last month that I haven’t shared. Tom and I decided for our annual wedding anniversary trip, we would try to tackle the entire Black Forest Trail in Pennsylvania. It’s an incredibly difficult trail so we have been working out and gearing up in preparation. This trip to Roaring Creek is one quick overnight we planned to prepare ourselves for the big adventure coming up in May. 

Pictured: Two champions making their way through beautiful Roaring Creek. I’m in the foreground. This was a thankfully clear part of the trail, not representative of the 1 1/2 feet of snow we trudged through.

It was especially useful that two friends joined us who had never backpacked before - reviewing vital trip information brought us back to the basics too. We recently had the opportunity to upgrade our thrifted and hand-me-down sleeping bags for warmer lightweight Rhapsody and Nocturne Nemo bags (last seasons), so this was a great time to test them out in the elements. I’ll post a picture of our at-home pre-testing I think you will get a kick out of. I also recently purchased a Garmin Foretrex 401 GPS that I am still learning to use but loving so far. 

Roaring Creek has been on my list for a while, I’ve just been waiting for the right opportunity. You know how much we love exploring Weiser State Forest! We relied on the MidAtlantic Hiker map and trail notes, but modified where we wanted to stay for the night. If there was less snow on the trail and we were by ourselves, I think we could have upped the pace. We deliberately carried more gear to sandbag ourselves a bit, knowing comfort took priority this trip. I knew it was going to be cold and prepared for the weather, but with any trip there were lessons I’ll be incorporating next time. 

The first day was beautiful! There were a few other people enjoying the paved Roaring Creek main trail on bikes and with dogs, but no other backpackers. We took a slight detour to the Foot Bridge on the left of the trail before you get to Natalie Miners Trail West. It’s a short walk and worth the peaceful view. There were a few times on the trail that we had to stop and get our bearings, since it was difficult to tell where the trail was due to the snow. That’s why our total trip mileage was over so much. The GPS really came in handy straightening us out. The weather was bizarre - there wasn’t really any sun most of the day, but it was warm. There were also very distinct warm and cold zones, which could change quickly in just a few steps. Made us all very thankful we chose appropriate layers, which I will outline below. 

We spent the first night on the ridge, in a little area away from the trail and on top of some large rocks that was protected by pine trees. As anywhere in good old Rocksylvania, it was difficult to find a flat spot for tents. Our friends had a larger tent, so we were able to create a canopy under a pine tree and tucked our tent off to the side in the snow behind theirs. 

I can’t really say that I had a restful sleep, although my new bag kept me pretty warm. I loved the baffle flap you can grab onto and tuck inside, it really made a difference. I had a hard time getting comfortable though, even though it was awesome to be able to move in the bag since it’s designed for side sleepers. We use Klimet inflatable sleeping pads, but didn’t have another insulating layer between us and the ground (besides the tent floor and foot print) that is really recommended for sleeping on the snow. We’ve experimented with strapping our sleeping pads together because we have a natural tendency to roll toward each other when we are sleeping, causing the pads to roll out from under us. I’m a twisty side sleeper which doesn’t help either. We were too cold and tired to worry about it when we fell asleep at first, but wound up waking up at 3am and lashing them together since I kept falling into the ice chasm created in the middle of the pads. The other nice thing about the Nemo bags, we could have zipped them together. We thought we would be warmer separately though. Also one thing we noticed after we took down our tent... there was a set of bear tracks a few days old right behind us in the snow! 

The second day of the hike was more difficult. It was really cold when we woke up which made it difficult to be coaxed out of my cozy sleeping bag. We decided to sacrifice our hot breakfast for time, and thought we would be able to make it to the stream on the South Branch trail for a nice breakfast. By the time we got there, refilled our water and had a nice snack break, we all agreed to forgo the hot meal entirely and press on. 

Pictured: view of the reservoir from The South Branch trail. We slept somewhere on that mountain the night before.   

As you can see the base of the mountain is beautiful. This is where MidAtlantic Hike recommends sleeping for the night, which would have been nice - it’s much flatter and relatively less rocky. On a future trip, I’d consider a different (shorter) loop to camp here instead. 

Lessons learned:

- I only brought the cheap finger-less cotton gloves that I keep in my camp gear, and a pair of work gloves thinking I could layer them. That did not work, I would up stealing Tom’s. 

- We didn’t need half the food we packed - we also had instant mashed potatoes, gummy bears, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, tea bags, pour over coffee, peanut butter packs, orange jello... etc. We barely ate the food we planned for meals! It added a lot of unnecessary weight. 

Overall I was really comfortable with our time - about 2 miles per hour, and about 10 miles a day in shorter days. That puts us pretty on track to our goals for the Black Forest Trail trip. I also think my layers worked well. With the exception of my gloves, I was pretty comfortable most of the trip. Here’s what I wore:  

+ sports bra & spandex blend underpants, synthetic workout tank with built in sports bra,  Prana hiking pants, Columbia performance t-shirt

+ LL Bean button up flannel,  very old hand me down LL Bean wool long underwear bottoms

+ Uniqlo ultalight down jacket, Lands End waterproof shell of my old ski jacket  

Ok on to the important stuff, what we ate. 

Camp Champs Chomps: 

Saturday lunch: roasted chicken breast sandwiches, snacks

Saturday dinner: (first course) spinach and bacon bit salad with homemade dressing packed in an oxo dressing container 

(second course) “gourmet” ramen noodles 

Sunday breakfast: (what I planned) scrambled eggs, pre-cracked in a plastic diet coke bottle (with a splash of milk), bacon bits and dehydrated vegetable mix (green peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, mined onion, parsley)

(what we actually ate) a bunch of snacks 

Snacks: babybel cheese, hard salami, triscuit crackers, dried fruit assortment, trail mix, beef jerky, granola bars 

If you need reception: T-mobile was in airplane mode the whole time, Sprint had sporadic service - to be honest we didn’t really pay attention (as you can probably tell from the lack of photos)

Useful maps:  

MidAtlantic Hike - Trail Map MidAtlantic Hike - Printable trail notes State Forest Map - As always, be sure to check the Weiser State Forest website for the most up to date information. 

Final trip stats: 

Trip Odometer: 19.7 miles

Moving Average: 2.3 mph

Moving time: 8 hours 24 minutes

Max Speed: 6.9 mph 

[bloomsburgu]

Adorable just like Mama Tica!

Day 1, Dec. 26, 2016

Left for Newark airport at 2:45 a.m. Of course, upon arrival, my suitcase was 3 pounds over, so I had to fix that, and squeezed by at a close-call 49.5 pounds! Departed for Fort Lauderdale around 6 a.m. Then, departed from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Rica. Landed around 1:45 p.m. (which is actually 2:45 p.m. because they are an hour behind due to not observing day light savings time). Couldn’t find the SOL people and was bombarded by Taxi Drivers. Eventually found Angie. Amy, myself, and another #SOLmate were quickly put into a car to be taken to our host families. The driving in CR is similar to NYC. Almost crashed a few times. We eventually made it to a neighborhood called Mira Flores. We met our Mama Tica (host mom) Cecilia. She was so excited to meet us. She made us a banner in our room saying “bienvenidas Amy and Kylie,” which means welcome. The house is adorable just like Mama Tica! Mama Tica made us sandwiches for lunch that afternoon, but before lunch Amy and I gave her our gifts. Mine was a thirty one bag embroidered with teaching icons and her name (courtesy of Brenda’s Embroidery) and a Bloomsburg pen and sticker. After lunch, Mama Tica took us for a walk to our Universidad that we are studying at this break. Then, we walked across a long cat walk to the mall (Paseo de las Flores). She took us around the stores, naming different items in Spanish, then we walked back home. She made us a delicious dinner (chuletas de cuerdo, broccoli y arroz). During dinner, we met one of her daughters, 2 grandsons, and her neighbor. After dinner, I wanted to get a shower. I had some mishaps with the shower and the hot water so that was interesting. After my shower, I went to sleep because I was exhausted from traveling all day.

Day 2, Dec. 27, 2016

Today, I was woken by a train around 5:50 a.m. but luckily I fell back asleep. We woke up to a delicious breakfast ((huevos, pan, jamon, plantanos fritos, plantanos y manzanas) where I tried plantains for the first time (Not really a fan). We started school at 8 a.m. I am taking a class about Latin American culture and civilization. There are about 12 of us in the SOL program right now. I met a lot of cool people! At this moment, I am pretty overwhelmed with all the Spanish, and I am having a hard time comprehending what others are saying and even speaking myself, but hopefully with time that will change. For class, we mostly went over the syllabus, expectations, etc. (the usual first day stuff). Our teacher is super passionate and caring. The teaching style is a little different than the US. The teacher is sitting relaxed in the front of the room, kind of close to the first row of students. She touches your head, holds your hands, calls you sweet nicknames like mi amor. During the break, we got our official student ID cards. After class, we had orientation and sat our by the football field. Let me tell you how nice it is to have the warm sun beating down on you, wearing sandals and a tank top in December!

For orientation, we were assigned a scavenger hunt. We had to find the office depot to make copies of our passports and to exchange our US dollars for Colones (the exchange rate is approximately 548,00). The conversion is actually kind of hard to understand so thankfully there is an app that can do it for me! After completing the scavenger hunt, the #SOLmates roamed the mall, looking at souvenirs, and trying to figure out how much everything costs. After that, we split up by neighborhood and went our separate ways. Tonight we had a variety of different foods (pork loins with gravy-like salsa that had mushrooms and black pepper, white rice with seasoning, yuca [super delicious and nutritious, pictured on the left with Mama Tica], and creamed spinach soup which had about 5 different vegetables in it, but I didn’t catch everything she was saying). We sat out on the porch tonight to eat. It was very tranquil. Everyone passing by said hi, whether our Mama Tica knew them or not [and let me tell you, she knows just about everyone]. Today was interesting with the public aspect of being immersed in the culture, but it was culturally eye-opening. It was different to see the way the people interacted with foreigners like myself and fellow students, some nice, some not so nice, just interesting. Also, Mama Tica gave Amy and I a very inspirational speech and a quote to live by. The gist was saying to love yourself, enjoy yourself, love life, etc. PURA VIDA! But she kept saying “yo me amo” which means I love myself. She said we all have eyes, noses, arms, etc. and we are all equal so just love yourself, nothing else matters. It is very inspirational because I went on this trip to not only finish my Spanish minor and be immersed in the language and culture, but also for myself as a reward for my hard work in school, work, and play.

Day 3, Dec. 28, 2016

Today, we woke up to yet another delicious breakfast. (see picture) Amy and I met Nikki and walked to class. During class, we learned about the different theories of the continents’ movement throughout time. I am definitely still trying to get a hang of the speed of the professor’s speech. After class, we took a bus (CRAZY DRIVING!!) to the city of Heredia. It was a quaint little town, full of people. Our assignment was to find different, unusual fruits in a supermarket. That was interesting because there were so many different stands of fruits, and everyone person I asked said they didn’t have mine (of course, noone had my fruit!) After buying the fruit, we walked through town to the oldest church, built in 1797. It was the center of town, so there were many people around. After touring the church, we continued our way through the town to a café, where we were given a choice of a fruit smoothie or cold cappacino (I don’t like coffee, so of course, I chose the smoothie). We sat around the tables and tried each unusual fruit. I did not like most of them, because some smelled like trash, had a mushy or super cruchy texture, or had a bitter, sour taste. (see below for different fruits and pastries). After fruits, we tried 3 different pastries, and then, we were left to our the city in groups. My group got ice cream at a popular shop across the street. Then, since it was pushing time to get dark, we headed for the bus stop, stopping along the way to look at shoes and jewelry. Then, we got on the bus, shared photos of past experiences with eachother, and talked about home life. After we got off the bus, we walked through the mall in hopes of finding souvenirs, still no luck. Tomorrow will hopefully be exciting. Our group is planning on going to the ruins nearby. Stay tuned!!

Day 4, Dec 29, 2016

Today I started off the day with a bowl of granola and fruit. I tried papya for the time. Let’s just say I was not a fan. Amy and I met Nikki and walked to class. Today was a little easier to understand as we begun talking about human evolution. After class, 10 of us went off to explore. Our first stop was San Jose, CR. It is huge! We had to find the bus stop to get to our final destination of the Cartago ruins. I saw a guy playing music with recyclables and he was amazing! Eventually, we found the bus stop and took it almost an hour to Cartago. Our friend Kendra met a lady and her son on the bus that spoke some English. So, they helped us to get to the Basilica. The Basilica was a huge, beautiful church full of people. On the side was the area for purification (see photos). People wash their faces in the water to purify themselves of sins. We talked with the lady and I asked her to tell us the story of the indian and the woman behind the gate (in Spanish). Then, we watched her son, Patrick (actually is a freshman in college in Missouri) wash not just his face but his entire head, long locks and all.

After visitng the Basilica, our group headed the other way towards the ruins. Along the way we stopped and ate quesadillas. The ruins were decorated beautifully with flowers all over the landscape. After we visited the ruins, Amy and I bought Mama Tica flowers as we headed for the train station. Throughout the city, I saw prostitutes and pimps, sleeping dogs (literally just laying along the road), and had an funny experience at a chicken shop. A friend ordered ice cream and received onion rings instead, and another friend that ordered ice cream received orange tea. Needless to say, I don’t think they are the best at ordering ice cream. We took the bus back to our town and had a connection along the way. It took almost two hours. I thought I was going to barf! We eventually arrived back home, walked Clement and Nikki home, and ate dinner. I don’t really know what I ate, but it was delicious! It was sort of like a lasagna without noodles, and zucchini on the side. We talked with Mama Tica for about an hour. Now, I am off to an early night’s rest because we go white water rafting tomorrow and have to be up at 5:15 a.m. Sweet dreams everyone!

Day 5, Dec. 30, 2016

Today started off at 5:50 a.m. We met at the University and took a bus to a town called Limon about 3 hours away. The ride was miserable. I got so nauseous. When we arrived in Limon, we began the adventure of the day: White water rafting! It was absolutely amazing. We rafted down the Rio Pacuare. Our tour guide’s name was Juan. He was hysterically funny, but made us feel completely safe at the same time. First, we picked a team name: Team Rapids. Then, he gave us all the commands we needed to know to keep us safe throughout our journey. My favorite call was Oh Mierta! (you’ll have to figure out what that means for yourself ) The trip was 29 kilometers, approximately 3.5 hours, and had beautiful scenery (stay tuned for pictures) At times it was really scary; we lost 2 people off our raft. Luckily, it was a safe area. However, during a class 3 rapid, a girl fell off the raft in front of us. Thankfully, our team cameto her rescue before she got sucked into the class 4 rapid. All in all, the trip was so much fun!

Some interesting cultural aspects

Ticos do not follow road signs or stop lights (they will go directly through a red light or stop sign without even looking or giving a care in the world. They also drive really face and in the middle of two lanes. The roads are also really bumpy which doesn’t make the rides any easier.

When using the toilet, you are NOT allowed to throw toilet paper in the toilet, it must be thrown into the trashcan.

When showering, the hot water is produced by an adapting shower head with heating coils, so the water isn’t very hot, and there isn’t a lot of pressure.

Ticos always wear shoes around the house.

The money is called a colon. The exchange rate is about 550. So, 2,000 colones is approximately $4 in USD.

I have also noticed with our Mama Tica, she always makes the shape of a flower on our breakfast foods (i.e. Pancakes), and she always has the neatest presentation of foods on the plate.

Instead of de nada (you’re welcome), ticos use con gusto (with pleasure).

Kylie Goodling is a senior speech language pathology major, Spanish and linguistics minor, and ESL certification student spending this winter studying abroad in Heredia, Costa Rica. Through SOL, she is studying Latin American culture and civilization while living with host mom Cecilia.