The Traverse City Wine & Art Festival celebrated its fifth successful year this past weekend, expanding the event’s reach in more ways than one. With increased participation and the Festival’s relaxed, expansive layout to the addition of an exclusive Friday night “Winemakers Party”; the Festival grew immensely this year and that growth was very well-received.
Simple.
After a long work day, I dream of the word simple. A dish with few ingredients and one that takes only minutes to prepare. Dinner, in this case, was a gathering of laid-back ladies; Myself, my boyfriends mother Susan and her dear friend Tracey. We spent the late afternoon drinking red wine and discussing how to make a new house into a new home. Both Tracey and I are recent new homeowners and thus the topics of discussion ranged from paint colors and shag carpets to our love of woodstoves.
I’ve always wanted an herb garden in my kitchen window sill. Its a long horizontal window filled with sunlight and the perfect location for accessible fresh flavors for a meal. I just love to see green thriving growth throughout my home; in every possible window, nook and cranny. I’ve been so excited for the local farmers market season to start because I knew that instead of growing my herbs from seed I wanted to purchase the “starts” (pictured below) from a local farmer in the early season.
Vegetable & herb “starts” are a great way to get thriving plants ready to plop into a home garden or container. Local farmers are packed with growing experience (obviously). In Northern Michigan many of our area farmers need a greenhouse and thus they have a prime growing environment with opportunity to grow from seed in early spring. Not only will the starts purchased at market often be much stronger and heartier than homegrown wiry seedlings, but you’re also supporting local farmers at a time when harvest (in Northern Michigan) is not at its peak.
The herbs I chose for my windowsill were must haves that I use frequently, but they were also picked with intention paid to the amount of space available, companion plantings and soil profiles.
Basil- Basil is pretty much a breeze to grow, but it thrives in well-drained soil so be certain that you choose a pot with drainage holes (a necessity for nearly every potted plant)
Rosemary & Thyme- These two are a great pair, they both prefer a coarse textured, well-drained and sandy soil. Mixing in gravel with your ordinary potting mix can help to keep the roots from getting waterlogged.
Sage & Chives- This pair of herbs are happy in an ordinary well-drained potting soil.
Lemon Balm- Lemon Balm is a member of the mint family. It adds a great lemon flavor to teas and pairs well with fruit. Just as mint grows in clumps and spreads quickly, lemon balm needs to be kept in a container by itself or it may overtake its companions.
Oregano- Another herb that is characteristic of rapid, spreading growth, oregano (marjoram) should be put in a container on its own.
If you’ve always wanted a fresh herb garden like I have, now is the time! Pick your favorites, research their soil preference and go get ’em! The best part is that you can have these little green, bountiful beauties all year long. The portability of herbs in a container only amplifies the fact that they’re a great and inexpensive investment. All of this new growth and windowsill garden planting has got me in a “Terra Cotta Craze” so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
If you’re like me pretty soon you’ll be dreaming of beautiful clay pots filled with fresh herbs.
It’s time to make your dreams a reality.
love,
tricia
I love blueberry muffins. To me blueberries have the perfect level of sweetness balanced by tart flavor. It makes my morning breakfast special and yet I’m not queasy afterward due to a nutrient-hollow, calorie-filled sugar bomb (however I do love a good frosted cinnamon roll every once in awhile). As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, baking is a skill and art form in which I am not particularly well versed. Its a form of edible chemistry that results in an incredibly delicious product, ONLY if you follow a very particular equation. Lately I’ve been very intrigued by these equations and I’ve enjoyed the trial and error, success and failure that comes along with it. This particular recipe, for blueberry lemon muffins was one of my latest successes.
’tis the sweet spring season for Wild Leeks! Their garlic scent and spring onion flavor are a true sign of the season, and I’ve been really looking forward to foraging some of my own now that the weather is beautiful. It truly takes every ounce of self-discipline I have, on days like these, to keep myself indoors and productive during the 9-5 work day. Luckily for me, my boss is a sweet, kind 70 year-old active man who loves and encourages an afternoon walk through the forests in our “backyard.” So on Monday afternoon during my beautiful afternoon excursion, I brought along a butterknife & went foraging.
I love books, and book clubs are a great place to gather for book lovers. Throughout my life I’ve always made time for reading and I truly enjoy fantastical and fiction-themed stories that take me away to another world. When a new friend suggested a Book Club with a gathering of like-minds and plenty of food and drinks, there was no way I could miss it. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore stories with engaging conversation. Plus, the opportunity to get to know new friends who clearly share my interests was an opportunity worth taking. We’ve since filled the cold months with warm fires, four great reads and plenty of conversation on and off the topics of the books themselves.
Last year I fully intended on building a gorgeous garden on the property we were renting. It was a beautiful old farmhouse, with plenty of green space and great sunlight. One thing led to another and in early May we were told that the landlord’s son would be taking ownership of the house in August. We had 3 months to let go of our gardening dreams for the year, find a new place to live and pack up all our belongings.
What sounds like the beginnings of a sob story actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We were presented with the opportunity to purchase a beautiful home, right in the heart of the city with ample fenced in space for a backyard garden. This year, in 2013, our gardening dreams will become a reality, but this can only happen with the help of a well thought out springtime plan.
Spring is the perfect time to plan a garden. Not just due to the necessity of a plan, but because by March & April I’m eager for warm weather and itching to get my hands in the dirt. Planning gets my gears turning, excitement brewing and directs my pent up energy to a purposeful & productive task.
One of the most informative and useful books I’ve come across lately has been Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. This book is PACKED full of helpful information regarding fruit, flower & vegetable gardening. My favorite pages are the illustrated collections of common weeds, pests and beneficial insects which will be absolutely vital to the success of my future garden. The guide is something I’ve been reading through thoroughly but will also be helpful later on as a quick reference for maintenance concerns.
Over the last few months I’ve used information and charts like the one above to determine which vegetables would be “sharing” beds in the coming season. Companion planting is a useful tool to follow, because certain plants have smells or tastes that deter the common pests of another vegetable. In other cases “bad companions” would be those vegetables that share common pests or diseases because if one plant becomes infected the whole bed is likely to be ruined.
I’m incredibly thrilled to be planning a garden in my new backyard. The next step as weather gets warmer is to clean the slate and begin anew. If you’re busy planning a garden or thinking about trying one next year find a friend and plan together. I’m lucky enough to have a dear friend and experienced gardener in town to plan and bounce ideas off of. Tenille has a gorgeous space just outside of town and as the sweet friend that she is, shes shared loads of fabulous seeds with me this year to get me started.
This season, find the potential for growth. Whether it be in your backyard garden, a container on your front porch or a potted herb in your window sill; being a part of growth is a powerful thing.
There’s unlimited potential around you.
love,
tricia
Banana bread rocks because when bananas are too ripe to eat right out of the peel, they’re the PERFECT consistency for banana bread and you won’t have to throw away your uneaten bananas.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread rocks because, well.. lets face it, chocolate is delicious. And chocolate added to good banana bread, makes GREAT banana bread.
Banana bread may seem like a general bare bones recipe that’s hard to mess up and while that’s true, there are a variety of recipes that will produce very different breads. I prefer a banana bread that is moist, and this recipe from Joy of Cooking is the most basic, moist, delicious banana bread I’ve ever tasted.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adopted from Joy of Cooking
Preheat Oven: 350 degrees
grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan
Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/3 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
In large bowl stir together
5 1/3 teaspoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
Beat in flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar then, gradually beat in:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
combine 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 whole bananas)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on rack.
I received this super cute loaf pan from my boyfriend’s brother for Christmas. He obviously knows me quite well, because this exact green is one of my absolute favorite colors, plus when you add a golden loaf of warm chocolate chip banana bread its about the prettiest thing in my kitchen!
A piece of this bread is the perfect solution for breakfast, a snack or even to manage your sweet tooth.
Just slice, serve and enjoy!
love,
tricia
