Winding

Paths, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

One and a half paths are in place! I took two days off to work on the yard. As of yesterday, the corner under the mandarin is rototilled and amended. Maybe today we can get some plants in the ground.

It's getting there...

Raised beds waiting, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

Yet another Sunday of rototilling, digging, and weeding. We added hardware cloth to the bottom of two old raised beds that used to be on top of the cement, to keep the critters from eating things from below. There are tomatoes, peppers, and herbs waiting to be planted just as soon as we can get these beds set to go...

Eatwell vs. Eatwell

Cookie Bake-off, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

After discovering the most brilliant recipe for whole wheat cookies ever (thanks, Julia for the link) and trying out the recipe a few times, I decided to have a bake-off. My lovely friends at Eatwell Farms gave me two types of flour to try. The top cookie is made with Blanco Fuerte and the bottom with Bolero. I took the results to the market this morning and had friends from Massa Organics, Tierra Vegetables, Will's Avocados, McGinnis Ranch, Hidden Star Orchards, and of course Eatwell Farms do a taste test. Votes for looks went entirely to the Blanco Fuerte, taste was half and half. The Blanco Fuerte had a nutty texture to them, a bit chewy. The Bolero were more of a traditional chocolate chip cookie. Sadly, I didn't manage to get a picture until they were almost gone. In fact, I didn't get a picture at all, but Laurel's iPhone did.

Center Bed Prepped

Rototill Day 2, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

Another Sunday in the garden. More weeding and rototilling. Two pick up beds full of soil amendment, unloaded by yours truly two five-gallon buckets at a time while Dad did yet more rototilling (but this was the easy kind). Planted the pak choi (yes, that's how it's spelled) and chard seedlings Dad had started in the greenhouse. Pruned the front apple. By the end of the day the "tan" washed down the shower drain but the sunburn did not. Fortunately it's only a small patch where the sunscreen and the clothing did not agree on who was going to cover what. Next Sunday...you guessed it...more rototilling! Anyone who wants a free upper-body workout is more than welcome to stop by.

Don't look now...

Rototilling Day 1, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

...it's starting to look like there might be a backyard in there after all. Spent the afternoon rototilling and weeding in the dirt patch out back. The soil looks better than expected after however-many years stuck under concrete. Still some serious clay to contend with, but that will happen. The stakes mark what will be a path, and the potted plants mark the other path. The old raised bed in the corner will eventually turn into a tiny patio.

Dad commented at one point that it might have been smarter to just rent a big rototiller instead of using his little one, but we managed. Well, Dad did most of the managing while I weeded. And weeded. And weeded. Got to use my favorite new tool, with the most unfortunate of names: the HoeDag. I'm in love with it. I just wish I didn't feel compelled to giggle like an idiot every time I say the name.

Gift Plants

Apple from Johann, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

Today was all about getting my gift plants in the soil. First Dad & I planted the apple tree Johann gave me. The variety is a secret. Johann (the genius behind Hidden Star Orchards) was willing to trade cupcakes for one of his trees, but he won't divulge what they are until his own trees are giving off enough fruit to bring to market, in about 2 years. Based on the sample we tried, we've nicknamed them crack apples. They are that good. The second round of gift plants were the succulent cuttings that I had brought back from Sarah's garden in San Diego, and they are now happily installed in the kitchen window. I haven't had a lot of luck with succulents in the past, but I have high hopes for these. The rest of the day was spent in the war on weeds that have attacked the front yard. It's going slowly, but some progress was made. Not that you can tell from the pictures.

A Birthday Dinner

Mom's Birthday Flowers, a photo by zostra on Flickr.

Mom's birthday was a few weeks ago, but I was in Wisconsin at the time, so we celebrated tonight. The menu: gazpacho, salad, asparagus frittata, garlic hedgehog potatoes, strawberries, meyer lemon sorbet, and chocolate. Except for the ranunculus, the flowers are all from the backyard. I gave mom a hat that I knitted for her from an olive green wool with an off white border all in seed stitch. She'd requested something warm for her morning walks, and hopefully this will do the trick (and fit better than Dad's hat that she's been wearing in lieu of her own).