Zen Moments

I wouldn't call it a New Year's resolution but more of a temporary habit:  I decided to take pictures of the morning sun from the Back Forty.  A blazing orange sky is a Zen moment.  A rainy day is a Zen moment.  A Zen Moment gives me pause, a time for reflection.

Everybody has their own personal definition of Zen and it's all right. What is right for me isn't necessary right for you.

The other morning, I went out to the yard to take a picture of the sun. When I turned around to go inside, I saw the moon setting. The sky was pink and rosy.  A beautiful Zen moment.

They were moments of stillness, of peace and harmony, moments of gratitude-- Zen moments for me. They were fleeting moments when I felt connected with nature and a higher power.

Blessings.

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Yellow Mellow Corn Soup

In he heat of the summer, corn is plentiful and inexpensive.  We found it easier to buy fresh corn at a Farmer's Market than to grow the pale Silver Queen in he garden that takes up a lot of space and a lot of effort.  For the best color for this soup, use yellow corn.

Here is a Yellow Mellow Cool Corn Soup recipe for the summer and any other time for that matter:

3 ears of fresh corn, shucked
2 tbs (un)salted butter
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic (two cloves)
2 cups of broth, more or less
1/4  tsp Kosher salt or regular salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbs oil
1 tbs white vinegar

Directions:  Mix onions and garlic with butter in a pot and let it cook until they are somewhat soft.  Add the broth.  Add the corn.  It doesn't take long for the corn to cook.  Let it cool and when it is cool, puree in  a blender, a little at a time depending on how coarse you want it.

The soup may be served cool/cold garnished with a few leaves of sweet basil, bits of bacon, green or red peppers.

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Xanadu

According to a dictionary, Xanadu is a place of great beauty, luxury, and contentment.  From time to time, we all need a place like Xanadu to escape to and collect our thoughts, rest, and meditate.  Perhaps a place in the garden will suffice.  

In my Xanadu, the weather is warm;  the sun is shining; and tropical philodendron growing; and there is always a gentle breeze bringing rain from the ocean to my garden.

Enjoy the first part of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem Kubla Khan:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan

A stately pleasure-dome decree

Where Alph, the sacred river, ran

Through caverns measureless to man

Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles under of fertile ground

And there were gardens right with sinuous rills,

Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;

And here were forests ancient as the hills,

Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

Thank you for visiting my Xanadu on Back Forty

Support the Wildlife

You've heard it:  let's support the wildlife, let's throw a party!  Maybe you have even attended one or two.  But on a more serious note, there are a few simple things that we can do to support the wildlife in our own backyards.



To sign up for the Certified Wildlife Habitat sign by National Wildlife Federation, I agreed to provide water for the wildlife. 

We have two bird baths strategically placed on the Back Forty.  We also have a small pond.

It is also important to provide water for our winged pollinators by setting out a shallow bowl with rocks for them to land on.  Bees, for example, are not good swimmers.


I also agreed to provide food for the wildlife.  There are so many blooming plants bushes, and trees providing nectars.  In addition, there are seeds in the garden from vegetable plants that I let go to seeds.  There are small insets and even rodents available for birds of prey and snakes.

Another  provision is cover to hide under and to raise the young.  This may consist of a pile of branches and leaves.  A designated area in the yard may also suffice, an area that does not get mowed.

Some supporters of wildlife may even put up birdhouses.  I have found that the birds make better bird houses than I.

Finally, ban pesticide from your yard.

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A Simple Vinaigrette

Is there such a thing as a simple vinaigrette?   It seems to me that I may add herbs and spices that I have available and like to jazz up the vinaigrette. The herbs may be fresh and finely chopped but dry herbs will also do well.

I am so happy that I finally am able to make a simple vinaigrette and dress it up to my liking.  I may have been intimidated by the name.  I am glad that I no longer have to buy dressings for my salads.

I use what I have avaible in my herb garden or spice rack.

My vinaigrette:

1 tsp mustard (Dijon, if I want to be fancy)
1 tsp finely minced (fresh) garlic or finely minced scallion or onion
3 tbs champagne vinegar ( if I feel extravagant) or rice vinegar or any available vinegar in the fridge
1/2 cup cup canola oil (my choice)
Kosher salt or Sea salt and pepper to taste
To add fire to the vinaigrette, I add about 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

You know how it is:  now I need a pretty bottle or jar to store my vinaigrette.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

A Utility Cart

There are so many things that need to be fixed in our yard and garden on the Back Forty.  There are a trellis or two that always seem to need repair or adjustment and it is time consuming to look for the tools.  The hammers and clippers are always needed and so is a bow saw for trimming branches.  We have the tools in the utility cart for easy access.

The utility cart for the tractor is always in use, it seems.  We use it to haul limbs, branches, and roots to be hauled to the landfill by sanitation workers. We set the debris out in designated areas by the road.

We use the utility cart to carry heavy sacks of fertilizers from car to shed; we use it to transport plants; and we use it to haul compost from one area to another. 

We also use the utility cart to load up on garden tools such as rakes, shovels, and buckets to carry to our work areas.

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Tomato Seeds and Plants

Early this spring, a friend suggested that I sow tomato seeds in a pot so that I could set out the seedlings when the weather got warm.  I scoffed at the idea but promised to give it a try especially seeing the price of tomato plants at garden centers.

I filled a clay pot with the best soil from the compost pile and went to the local market and selected a large and nice looking heirloom tomato which I sliced when I got home. 

I put the slices on top of the soil in the clay pot and covered them with additional soil.

When the weather was sunny and warm, I left the pot on the porch, even when it rained.  I could always take it inside if the weather got too cold. 

I left the pot alone and nothing happened for the longest time but eventually tiny seedlings emerged.

The seedlings grew and I was able to transplant them into the garden, water them and fertilize them. They are growing!

I will do this again next year and learn more about what kind of tomatoes I select for the garden.  This year, it'll be a surprise.

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