Monday, January 31, 2011

Last Summer and forward to 2011


This is a sad picture. My arugula plant, dead from scale, what this photo doesn't show are all the other casualties of this sticky leaf sucking pest. I was so upset and ashamed about it last year I couldn't bear to blog about it.

It was a hot and humid summer last year, and at first I thought I was a complete failure. But as it turns out even my gifted gardening Aunt had a scale problem that killed everything on her balcony garden. She has the kind of garden that is flourishing and abundant with gnomes and fairies and happy tomatoes. I joke, (sort of). This year I have been perusing gardening catalogues and I am finding myself quite excited to start sowing some seeds indoors this year. But I only will buy seeds from companies that have taken the safe seed pledge, this is a great list compiled by the garden of eatin' http://www.garden-of-eatin.com/how-to-avoid-monsanto(I'm sorry you will have to copy and paste my link is not working). It is the end of January right now, and time to begin planning, I hungrily anticipate the arrival of my gardening catalogues.

I am quite casual still, but I do intend to do a redesign of my space starting with a paint job on the hideous floor of the balcony and getting out my graph paper and my measuring tape so I can bring some aesthetics back to the space and so it will no longer resemble a concrete bunker. As always wish me luck!

Delicious










Some lovely shots of delicious meals from last summer, including my figs that I caramelized with brown sugar under the broiler and tossed with ricotta cheese and fresh vanilla bean. And a salad made with nasturtium flowers which are peppery and delicious.

The potatoes are from a CSA, an organic local farm, and when I cut into them they smelled like the earth musky and humid. Simple, sensual and delicious.

The skies of last summer





Some beautiful skylines from the balcony at the High rise Potager.