Winter into Spring (flowers, food, & future garden tasks)

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

First, I wanted to blog a bit and give you the goings-on. In February, Ash and I went took a day to celebrate our birthdays. We first went to an escape room, I ate Vietnamese food afterwards (Ashley was informed about the cilantro so she didn't eat!) We stopped in to the Asian market attached to the restaurant, as well. We found banana blossoms, Jackfruit, durian, and mushrooms. 

A couple weeks later, I visited my bff, we went to an Indian restaurant first. I had the vegan Bhindi Masala (okra over rice), and a samosa with chutney and a passion fruit mocktail. Afterwards, we went to an arcade bar and met up with our family-friend.

Next, I wanted to show you the beautiful bouquet of flowers I received and gifted on The V Day. I later dried the flower petals and used them as decor and potpourri.

February and March here start to have really warm amongst the cold, so I tried to enjoy some sun and warmth. Here, I went on an hour walk by the creek with my cats, enjoying the oxytocin of the rushing creek. 

Here are some of my snapshots of food this past February and March.

The first shot is fried spinach over a sweet potato. That's been my  favorite recipe as of late. I like to also garnish it with a balsamic agave glaze and chili flake oil. 

I also tried this weird tasting food called Dolma. I liked it at first, but it got kind of sickening after eating them by themselves. 

Here is a variety salad with orzo, garden green beans, chickpeas, vegan feta over greens with a homemade dressing. I think the dressing is so mix of vinegars, mustard, agave, and olive oil.

Ive also been eating on the kimchi I made last month. I'm about to finish my first jar of kimchi. I made it with Nappa cabbage, Carrot, radish, pear, homemade vegan fishy sauce based on Joanne Molinaro's recipe (Korean Vegan.) 

Batch of vegan kimchi

The vegan fishy sauce was made with a reduction of soy sauce, various vinegars, dried shittake mushroom, fresh garlic and onion, as well as Kelp powder. 

Vegan fishy sauce

And one of my favorite meals in the winter and spring is kimchi with Fried Kale over rice. After a thorough cleaning, I fry the kale with olive oil, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and then garnish with chili flake oil.

Lastly, I wanted to highlight the blooming flowers in the garden, and showcase the blooming fruit trees. The pear trees, nectarines, peach, cherries, and plum tree are blooming. I notices the blueberry bushes are too. 

Alberta Peach Trees and Nectarine flowers, intertwining branches

Nectarine

Plum tree blooming

The Keiffer pear trees blooming

Kieffer pear

Kieffer pear blooming

Kieffer pears, with white blossoms

I am actively cleaning up the orchard, as I have neglected it for the last 3 years or more. The reason for the neglect is that life has happened, but still, the trees and bushes continues to fruit and produce.

I sometimes wonder if plants need moments where they get a bit wild, let them go wild and then tame them when their ready. 

Maybe plants are like people.  

There are so many briars growing around the blueberry bushes that it's going to take months cleaning it. I am going to much and compost around the trees and bushes while I'm cutting back invasive plants. That'll help Jumpstart everything. 

I am letting my garden at my grandparents yard get wild again. Let it rest. And try to grow a garden back on my mom's yard where I have let it rest. I'm not sure how much gardening I'll get done, I'm working too much and going back for my Master's degree, so time for thr garden is sometimes impossible-- practicularly because I have to drive 30 minutes to get to both of my gardens, and you really need to be able to watch everyday for pests, water retention, freezes, and everything! 

But, I'll still encourage you to grow in containers at your apartment if you're in a similar situation like me! You can definitely grow fruit and veg in small containers and be perfectly satisfied at the abundance, even in an apartment garden. 

Grape jelly from the fall food forest!

Blackberry garden harvest pie!

The holidays are almost over for the year. It has whipped by quickly and I am in anticipation for the upcoming grow season. I hope I can manage it while working full time. I'll just be doing a lot on the weekends, I guess.

Anyway, I snapped a couple of pictures of vegan desserts that grandma made for xmas...they were delish! Even one of the desserts was a pie made with blackberries from the garden that had been frozen this summer.

At the holidays, I paint winter scenes for family members, and here are two I painted and gifted.

This is one painting I did & gifted as well

 Of course, if you aren't already, you can see my other works of art at my other blog, Art Landfill or on my Instagram for pictures of art and my gardens.

I painted this winter scene too 

Lovely holiday stuffed acorn squash recipe

Oooh made something delectable that is a delicious dinner wrapped in fall season flavors! In fall, gardeners usually harvest winter squashes. Acorn squash are one of those fall season delights that are perfect for a holiday dinner.

For this meal, I cut he top and bottom of the acorn squash so that it can sit flat in he oven. I preheat the oven for 450 degrees. Then scoop out as much of the squash and chop with some onions, spinach, and vegan soy sausage in a skillet of oil. Toast two slices of bread, chop, then add to the soy sausage mixture. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until squash is soft.

Meanwhile bake squash in the oven while fying soy sausage mix, then add mixture to the acorn squash vessel. Bake for 30 mi utes or until squash is soft on the outside skin.

Of course I didn't take a picture of this meal  but I'll make sure to get a shot when I make it with the butternut squash for the upcoming holiday dinner.

But I did snap a picture of this rice, carrot, cabbage cooked with ginger, garlic, sugar and the microgreens I grew garnished on top.

First Fig of the year, sweet potatoes, Pear, carrots & Apple Fall Fest

First fig of the season 

Sweet potato & carrot harvest 

Odd shaped pear fruit 

Fruit trees in fall

This passed weekend, I worked outside diligently cleaning the shed, the porch, and trying to decorate for fall and halloween. In fact, I put up some of my usual decorations today. Sunday I went to an apple festival in my area and bought cider and a bag of McIntosh apples.