OVEN FRIED CHICKEN w-PARSLEID POTATOES Recipes

This is the best oven-fried chicken recipe ever!

And easy too ;-)

I have a lot of chicken recipes, but this one is my favorite:

Oven-fried Chicken Dinner; chicken breast eaten tonight.

I made homemade bread crumbs the other day (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/rain-has-arrived-d.html), grinding dried bread pieces in an old coffee bean grinder I bought at a garage sale 5 years ago to use specifically for blending herbs and grinding bread crumbs; and they smelled so good being ground and air-dried, I just had to have this chicken tonight. LOL

Homemade Bread Crumbs made from homemade bread ends.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN w-PARSLEID POTATOES ~serves 2

¼ cup Shortening (part Butter) * ¼ cup Flour (or homemade Bread Crumbs) * ½ teaspoon Salt * 1/8 teaspoon Paprika * 1/8 teaspoon ground Black pepper * 1-1/2 pounds Chicken pieces

Heat oven to 425-degrees.

In oven, melt the shortening and butter in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

Mix remaining ingredients in a plastic baggie and shake chicken pieces in the mixture until well coated; place coated chicken pieces in the melted shortening mixture, and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Turn chicken and continue cooking another 15 to 20 minutes longer.

==PARSLIED POTATOES ~serves 2

1 pound potatoes (whole baby potatoes or chunked potato pieces) * 2 Tablespoons Butter * 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped Parsley

If using whole baby potatoes, scrub them thoroughly.

If you are using chunked potato pieces - pare the potatoes then cut them into chunks.

Add potatoes to water in a medium sized saucepan and cook until tender; about 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain. Add butter and parsley and toss to coat.

Tonight I ate the chicken with parslied potatoes … I froze the other portion for a future meal of Oven Fried Chicken with prepared Chicken Stuffing and garden-fresh Green Beans ...

Ready-Made Oven Fried Chicken meal; thigh and drumstick.

1st CORINTHIANS ~Chapter 2

The message of the Scriptures never gets old – it is always relevant to the present as well as the past.

********************

So, when I came to preach Elohim’s message to you, brethren, I did not come with pretensions to eloquence or learning. For I had decided that while I was with you, I would speak of nothing except Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, the crucified One. In fact, while I was with you I was timid and afraid, even trembling. And I spoke and preached without enticing words or show of learning, but I tried to demonstrate that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh has power. I did this in order that you might rest on Elohei’s power rather than on human wisdom.

There is, of course, a wisdom that true Believers have, and this we expound, but it is not the wisdom of these times nor of the leaders of this age, doomed as they are to be set aside as naught. On the contrary, the message that we proclaim is Elohei’s wisdom, hereto a mystery and kept secret until now, but which Elohim had intended for our glory before time began. It is a message that not one of the leaders of this world knew about, for if they had known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Truly, as Scripture says, “For those who love Him, Elohim has prepared things no eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard, and no human heart ever conceived” (Isaiah 64:4).

These things Elohei revealed to us by His Spirit, for the Ruach Ha’Kodesh searches everything, event he depths of Elohei Himself. For who can best know the things about a man, except the man’s own spirit that is within him? And just so, no one can understand the thoughts of Elohei as can the Spirt of Elohei. We have received the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, not the spirit of the world, so that we may know the things that Elohim has given us.

And we tell and explain this mystery in words not taught by human learning, but taught by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh; that is, we explain spiritual truths to those who have received the Ruach. The worldly man does not accept the gifts from Elohei’s Spirit, because they seem foolishness to him, and because he cannot understand them without help from the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. It is the spiritual man who can understand all spiritual matters, even though he himself may not be understood by anyone. For who has known the mind of Adonai Yeshua, and who can teach Him? Yet, we share with Mashiach, His thoughts.

**CORINTHIANS 1: https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/pauls-letter-to-corinthians-chapter-1.html

FRUSTRATIONS & BLESSINGS

After I got back home from Keenager’s this afternoon, I did a walkabout to check the rain barrels and my garden boxes … both threw frustrations my way and put a damper on yesterday’s excitement :-( (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/rain-has-arrived-d.html)

The rain barrels – despite ALL the rain that has been falling – ARE EMPTY! There is barely water covering the interior bottoms. WTHeck?

So … I called my BIL, Kerry, to pick his brain and try to get this thing straightened out. Are the gutters clogged? Highly unlikely, as they were cleaned not too long ago … and I would have been able to notice a clogging issue because the water would have been pouring over the gutter sides: not happening, so the gutters are good and should be draining properly. Were the rain barrels connected to the downspout correctly? Yes – Kerry connected the first 2 and I connected the other 2 exactly as he connects his at his home at the mountain; they are set up correctly and should be draining correctly. Then, I don’t “get it”: if everything is “correct” … WHY is there NO barrel collected water to speak of?

Kerry said he barely has any collected water either in his barrels at his place, and thinks that though it is raining – and raining hard at times – it is not sufficient rain, as most of the time the rain is falling lightly and really little more than a mist.

It is disappointing.

But at least the rain IS falling continually, and the garden IS getting watered – even if collecting rainwater is not happening as anticipated.

Checking out the veggie garden boxes, I was further upset to see that the neighborhood cats wreaked havoc in my Leek bed and in my Parsley container; boldly walking down the length of the Leek bed, and skipping over the parsley planting. Those little monsters actually stepped around the upturned fork prongs >:-P

I thought I had the upturned fork closer together than they apparently were. The other veggie gardening boxes were not violated – just this one. And the parsley container, which wasn’t critter-proofed.

Both the Leek planter box and the Parsley container have been covered with bird netting now.

The Leeks will need to be replanted – I have some transplants in the house I can move out there – and the carrots, Purslane, and Miner’s Lettuce will all have to be reseeded in the disturbed spotty areas.

The Giant Musselburgh Leeks are an heirloom variety that are mild and tender. And they over-winter real well: I like to leave my leeks in the garden over the winter … and because of the darned neighborhood cats setting my planting schedule back, that is a good thing because it will take that length of time to allow them to sprout and mature.

I broad spread my carrots because I do not sell them, so they do not have to be perfect … and it seems a waste of time and effort on my part to meticulously thin them out when they are pretty much a baby carrot anyway, and I basically use my carrots in soups and stews, in which case, small is desired :-D The carrots I chose to plant this year is called Mignon, and only grows to a 5” length, with smooth skin and a tender crisp texture – perfect for roasting whole alongside a pot roast, or a chicken; and if I feel like thinning at some point, the baby carrots pulled can be washed and frozen whole for soups or stews. Broad spread seeding works for me ;-)

Golden Purslane was planted ‘just because’ – I had never planted it before, and it seemed prudent to do so this year; especially since I am a woman alone now and need to pay closer attention to my health: my mental health depends on my physical health, and THAT is vital with widows; I think more so than with anyone else as a widow is much more susceptible to physical decline which affects mental health. MPO. At any rate, Golden Purslane is an excellent source of natural antioxidants, and has more omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy vegetable. This is very important for me, as I do not use doctors unless absolutely forced to (ex: asthma attack or bee sting anaphylaxis … both of which I have ‘toughed out’ on occasion) or pharmaceuticals. I live my life by faith, I garden and eat organically, and I use foods/herbs holistically.

Miner’s Lettuce is also a new thing in my garden – my husband never saw the point of “weeds” in the garden, but now that I am flying solo, I have decided to add it ;-) Miner’s Lettuce is high in Vitamin C and was a staple in pioneer living. Many pioneer homesteads were situated near a wetland area where miner’s lettuce was found to be growing. Miner’s Lettuce, once established in my garden area, should be a perennial here in the PNW, where the atmosphere is temperately humid: 

CAT TRACKS IN LEEK, CARROTS, PURSLANE & MINER'S LETTUCE BED!

EVERYTHING WILL HAVE TO BE RESEEDED. Darn cats!

LEEK GARDEN BOX COVERED WITH BIRD NETTING until I can get out there are replant.

PURSLANE coming up

MINER'S LETTUCE coming up

The squash beds are doing well too – I saw that the Spaghetti Squash, though not actually {up} yet, IS pushing its way through the hill soil in the Kandy Corn garden box :-D

I like yellow squash, but my gardening areas here is tight, so I decided to plant Golden Star yellow squash this year because it is a compact plant, perfect for container or tight space planting.

I planted Lutz Beets in the same veggie garden box as the Golden Star yellow squash. I love beets, and I like beet greens in soups too: Lutz Beets satisfies both tastes. Also, if for some reason I cannot pick the beets right away, the beet will not get hard and tough (worthless to eat).  I like how the beets slices too – with a light contrast zoning (ring) inside. Hands down, this beet is a winner.

I normally plant the purple top turnips, but this year I decided to plant Golden Ball Turnip; I don’t know why. Maybe because the seed catalog claims the flesh {never gets woody}: I can appreciate that ;-) At any rate, it is a turnip, and I am sure it will taste like a turnip.

And I planted the Joan variety of Rutabaga in this garden box also; I like rutabagas in my winter meals, and Joan fits the bill with its appealing yellow flesh and sweet taste. It also has a good resistance to club footing, and that is a good thing …

STRAIGHT NECK YELLOW SQUASH, BEETS, TURNIPS & RUTANAGA garden box

LUTZ BEETS, TURNIPS & RUTABAGA coming up

In the following gardening box, I planted Butternut and Zucchini squashes interplanted with Colossus Marigolds.

I planted Butterbush Butternut because it is another compact vegetable that grows well in a container or very tight spaces; the vines are only 3’ to 4’ long, and the squash itself only weighs 1-1/2 pounds at maturity; expectation reported to be 3 to 6 fruit per plant – PERFECT for me and for my gardening area:

BUTTERNUT & ZUCCHINI SQUASHES with Colossus Marigolds inter-planted

I saw the green Nickel Bush Beans are up in the Pea Gardening Box … as well as the yellow Soleil Bush Beans: I couldn’t see them over the box lip the other day, so I wasn’t sure if they had sprouted yet or not.

I love green beans … will eat them straight off the plant in the garden … so I always plant them and figure them into my menus. Nickel is a petit fillet bean of a French strain developed for upscale European markets and showcased at fine dining establishments – I have been growing them for as long as they have been commercially sold in seed form because I literally have had to force green beans on my family (I threaten to go on kitchen strike if they refuse to eat what I cook), and if they “have to eat them”, they don’t want to eat as much of them than they have to … a 4” green bean is better to force on them than a 7” green bean. LOL Nickel is a compact plant, so it can be grown pretty tight in a small space. Filet green beans are not as plump as regular green beans, they are bred to stay slender; and they need to be harvested at peak maturity (4” long) or they will get tough.

Soleil is a yellow wax bean, also of the fillet strain. This bean, however, will reach a peak maturity at 6” long, though it is a bush bean like Nickel.

Both bush beans are very prolific if continually harvested throughout the growing season …

SHELLING PEAS, CANELLINI & BUSH BEANS. Bonanza Marigolds on the side

SNOWPEAS, YELLOW WAX, PURPLE PIPIANT ROMANA BEANS. Bonanza marigolds on the side.

PATIO SNACKER CUCUMBERS coming up

In the Kandy Corn garden box, I spotted the Spaghetti Squash pushing up through the hill soil – it isn’t showing actual leaves yet, but it is showing a little neck.

The Spaghetti Squash is not compact – it will need to be corralled as it grows and matures. But I like Spaghetti Squash, so I will just have to be vigilant and make sure that the sprawling 5’ to 6’ vines are led to, and kept on, my side of the property line: I can do that. I have never been a negligent person: I have always been a responsible person. Ron Cook’s unfounded paranoia's, and Candy Scott's ludicrous and assumptive accusations last summer were waaay out of control (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/09/fall-cleanup-and-forgiveness.html).

Their ridiculousness and Candy’s refusal to listen to us, seriously altered our lives (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2018/12/widowhood.html).

I was a responsible gardener last year … and I will be a responsible gardener this year.

The only difference this year is that now Bob – due to the hell they raised last year – is no longer here to enjoy the fruits of our labors (he built my boxes and I am using them as we planned):

Barely seen SPAGHETTI SQUASH pushing up through the soil, flanked by sprouting Kandy Corn.

Further down the line, I spotted the Kalettes coming up. Again, this is something new in my garden.

The Russian Kale I planted last year didn’t do very well in a container.

Kalettes are a type of mini kale with ‘a mild nutty flavor’ grown on Brussel sprout like stalks. I bought Autumn Star seeds because it is the earliest maturing variety and I am anxious to try it out ;-)

KALETTES coming up

Moving along, I noticed more cat tracks making dents in my Parsley seeding. I broad spread my parsley seeding too, but still, the skipping paw prints will affect the productivity. I will need to smooth out the spotty spaces and reseed when the weather permits.

For now, I got some bird netting out of the shed and covered the parsley container …

CAT TRACKS IN THE PARSLEY.

PARSLEY UNDER BIRD NETTING; doesn't look pretty, but it works.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, the Mascara, Tom Thumb, & Little Gem Lettuces are up; and so is the Deer Tongue Lettuce :-D

The Cosmonaut Tomato plant has a blossom on it too – a bit premature as the plant is not even 6” high yet.

I also planted a Nasturtium in this veggie bed, and flanked it with herbs – Parsley and Tarragon showing in the picture.

I like the quirky appearance of Green Deer Tongue Lettuce; it grows in a pinwheel type of shape, and the leaves really do look like deer tongues. Green Deer Tongue lettuce is an heirloom seed that produces a compact plant with sweet tasting tender leaves. Good in salads.

I like Brandywine tomatoes, but really do not have the space for them here, so I opted to go with Cosmonaut Volkov Tomatoes this year – I don’t know what it will do or how it will taste because this is the first year I have tried it, but it is reported to be as tantalizing to the taste buds as Brandywine: we’ll see. Cosmonaut Volkov is a bush type tomato plant that has a compact height of about 3’ to 4’. Its fruit is reported to be a deep orange with green-tinged shoulders and a bright red interior. The tomatoes won’t be very large, only about 2’ to 3”, but that is okay. As long as I get a reasonable harvest, I will be satisfied. There is only 1 of me; and I can only eat so much in a year’s time. I do not hoard food.

The variegated leaves of Tip Top Alaska Nasturtium is what appeals to me with this particular flower – I also plan to eat some of the leaves/flowers this year, and plan on pickling the green pods as capers. While you can the green pods (https://www.gardenbetty.com/poor-mans-capers-pickled-nasturtium-pods/),THE DRY BROWN SEEDS ARE TOXIC. I am not sure how {peppery} this nasturtium strain will be, but I plan to find out. Nasturtiums are reported to be a rich source of Vitamin C and also contains an herbal equivalent of penicillin. Score!

Parsley is a must in my garden. I like Wega Parsley because it is a sturdy parsley that doesn’t fall over limply, and it doesn’t bolt or get bitter no matter how long between harvestings – it just keeps giving ang giving all season long and will even come back in the Spring like a perennial here in the PNW.

I planted Tarragon this year because my supply I harvested, dried, stored and have been using the past 7 years is finally running out – it needs replenished. French Tarragon is only available as a transplant herb. At maturity it will be 36” tall. French Tarragon is strongly pungent with a very heavy anise aroma; and I admit that when I lift the lid of my spice jar, the aroma leaves me momentarily breathless (environmental asthma situation); but I grow it, harvest it, dry it, and use it anyway.

Shallots are hard for me to grow – don’t know why; they just are. I have tried shallot bulbs and they have struggled, and my harvest was disappointedly skimpy. So this year, I have decided to try sowing shallot seed and praying over them, Seriously – I need these things to G.R.O.W. because I use a lot of shallots in my cooking and they can get pretty spendy in the grocery stores. I am trying Ambition Shallot seed, hoping the name the seeds are labeled and packaged under will give them the ambition they need to sprout and thrive here for my ambitions. LOL These shallots will have the rust-colored papery skin over the white oniony bulb flesh. And IF they grow as they should – and I pray they will – they are resorted to measure 1-1/2” to 2” across the bulb. I seeded the shallots in a large flower pot because I ran out of gardening boxes, so I hope they will do okay there. Praying!

I also use a lot of Cilantro in my cooking. I have sown seeds in the house and they sprouted readily, so I am hoping that will happen in the garden too. I have sown Calypso Cilantro because it is supposed to hold longer in the garden that other cilantro varieties and be slower to bolting in hot weather.

My oregano is running low too, so I planted a white pot of Oregano Vulgare, which will be a dark green with pink to deep purple blossoms. Both the leaves and the blossoms are edible – the leaves being stronger and more pungent in aroma and flavor.

Ditto for marjoram … I never seem to have marjoram in leaf from when I need it. And it is wildly expensive in the grocery stores – if it can be found at all. Sweet Marjoram is what I planted in the other matching white pot; these pots originally held flowers, but the flowers were annuals and they eventually died. And I horde flower pots. So Sweet Marjoram was seeded in this one. I broad spread the seed, so I should – hopefully – have as much marjoram as I require; and then some ;-)

The shallots, cilantro, oregano and marjoram pots were all covered with bird netting too just in case that cat decides to skip across my containers again. 

GRRRRR!

LETTUCES, TOMATOES, NASTURTIUMS. Parsley & Tarragon in containers.

MASCARA (burgundy) & TOM THUMB LETTUCES coming up

DEER TONGUE & LITTLE GEM LETTUCES coming up

SHALLOTS & CILANTRO under bird netting

OREGANO & MARJORAM under bird netting. The pruned German Thyme looks like it is thriving.

Bell Peppers should do well here because their veggie garden box will be in full sunlight the bulk of the day. I planted 4 different varieties because I like color – and lots of it ;-) ALL the Bell Peppers will start out as Green peppers. ALL will eventually mature into various colors. The Wonder Bell & the Purple Star will mature into Red Bell Peppers if left on the bush. Golden Star will mature into a stunning Yellow Bell Pepper. And Milena will dazzle when it matures into a ripe bright Orange Bell Pepper. I will glean several Green Bells off EACH bush before allowing them to ripen into their mature colorations because the green peppers are what I use the most of in the kitchen:

BELL PEPPERS with Whirligig Zinnias interplanted (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/04/garden-planting-kickoff.html). Oregano, Thyme (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/all-new.html) & Marjoram in containers.

I have never been able to grow a watermelon or cantaloupe, though I know people who have – even in the mountains!

But there is a LOT of direct sunshine here, so hopefully I will be successful this year.

So far, my melon transplants have actually made it to their veggie garden boxes; and seem to be thriving. I chose Mini Love Watermelon because it matures in 70 days. And it is compact; designed to fit into the tightest of spaces, reported to {stay within a 36” space}, and will yield 6 ct. 7- to 9-lb fruits each plant. I plant to blend and freeze the majority of these fruits for Fall and Winter beverages.

The Minnesota Midget Cantaloupe is an heirloom seed and it also is a compact plant specifically bred to squeeze into a small space garden – or even a container. It is a short-season melon and will ripen about the same time as the watermelon. The fruits will be between 4” to 6” across; not much smaller than the cantaloupe sold in grocery stores. Like with the watermelons, these cantaloupes will also be chopped, blended into a juicy pulp, and frozen for Fall and Winter beverages.

I have grown the Jack Be Little Pumpkins before. The vines are reasonably short at about 5’ long. And it is a prolific producer of 3” to 4” pumpkins. I use pumpkin in many of my Fall/Winter meals, and since I am flying solo now, these little pumpkins are perfect for my recipe needs. They taste like acorn squash.

JACK BE LITTLE PUMPKINS

The Fennel is coming up … but the Celeriac needs reseeding; it has died out after being set out.

I have a lot of recipes calling for fennel bulb, and I haven’t seen it in the grocery stores, so I thought I’d try my hand at growing it. So far, the 2 I transplanted are thriving. I only planted 2 because I want to be sure I will like it well enough to eat it before going wild with plantings of it. I am growing Perfection Fennel because it is supposed to resist bolting – that is important in our fluctuating PNW weather.

CANTALOUPE w-nasturtiums inter-planted.

FENNEL. Celeriac needs reseeding & Parsnips not yet showing.

If the frustrating weather cooperates, and the frustrating cats are detoured now, this garden might do very well in the gardening boxes my husband blessed me with so that I may find enjoyment in them as well as glean plentiful provisions to carry me from Spring to Spring with very little downtown supplement.

This is a very nice sized full garden for a single person - or a couple.

I am thankful.

And I will feel Bob with me every time I am tending my gardens and eating my meals.

Love you Babe.

Always.

OX

AUNTIE VI’s BEEF n’ NOODLE SKILLET RECIPE

This recipe hails from Bob’s Aunt Vivian Smalley.

Vivian grew up on Altoona Road, once a fishing/cannery community on the mighty Columbia River, but she lived in Eden Valley after she married Bob’s Great-Uncle Oris Smalley – in the house his pioneer family built and where he was born (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/a-sentimental-journey.html).

This picture of Vivian was featured in the Longview daily News in 1981 highlighting a few of her famous recipes ;-)

She was a quiet woman.

She was an excellent cook – people for miles around/out-of-State ... and even overseas ... ordered her specialty cakes; and she cooked meals in quantity for local bachelors to take home and freeze.

Vivian was a great lady. She is greatly missed.

Tonight with the rain falling so hard, I felt like whipping up one of Aunti VI’s comfort food recipes … eating 1 portion, and dividing/freezing the other 4:

This rain is very welcome; I can’t wait to check out my rain barrels! (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/rain-has-arrived-d.html)

Lining the foil container with a sheet of foil, which was trimmed to slightly overhang the crimping edge.

Filled foil container with 1 Beef/Noodle Skillet Meal & a handful of homegrown French Fillet Green Beans, covered with a sheet of plastic wrap and topped with a plastic dome lid: plastic wrap cut to slightly overhang crimping edge.

Dome lid securely crimped in place over the plastic protected meal.

4 prepared Ready Beef n’ Noodle Skillet Meals wrapped and destined for the freezer: Beef/Noodle Skillet w-Vegetable Medley; w-homegrown Broccoli Florets; w- Peas; & w-a handful of homegrown French Fillet Green Beans.

4 Ready Beef n’ Noodle Skillet Meals bagged with Ziploc Freezer bags and ready for the freezer ;-)

This simple recipe is like Hamburger Helper, and it makes up very quickly.

It is also delicious ;-)

==AUNTIE VI’s BEEF n’ NOODLE SKILLET RECIPE ~Serves 5

BASIC SAUCE MIX: ¼ cup Flour * 1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese * 2 Beef Bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons Beef instant Bouillon granules * 1 Tablespoon non-fat Dry Milk crystals * 2 teaspoons minced Dry Onion * pinch of Garlic Salt

Mix ingredients together.

Enough for 1 Skillet Dinner.

SKILLET DINNER PREP: Brown 1 pound of ground Beef, & drain on paper towels to defat.

Stir in: 3 cups water * 1-1/2 cups UNCOOKED Noodles of choice (I used large Elbow noodles) * 1 recipe of Basic Sauce Mix

Stir and heat to boiling.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until noodles are tender – about 10 minutes.

RAIN HAS ARRIVED :-D

I woke up to the sound of rain falling gently on the rooftop.

Man, was I excited!

And I smiled big and wide thinking of the raindrops sliding down the roof and running along the gutters to fill the rain barrels :-D

The veggie garden boxes are being thoroughly watered and the barrels are filling.

Full rain barrels mean satisfied, healthy vegetable beds … so I am not complaining about the falling rain today:

Slow rainfall - but it is raining! The barrels are filling; when the rain stops, I’ll lift the lids and pour the gathered water into the barrels … if there is room :-D

I padded down the hallway towards the kitchen to plug the coffee pot in for hot water for my morning tea, and caught this view from the alcove window off to my right …

I LIKE seeing that ‘For Sale’ sign planted on Ron's Space!

I am happy to see that sign waving in the gusts that blow off the river, but, WHY couldn’t Ron Cook have sold and beat feet BEFORE he killed my husband with his envy and petty ridiculousness’s?

5 months, 6 hours and 1 minute today.

It still feels surreal.

Shaking off the mental fog (aka: widow’s brain fog) that threatens to set in, I plugged in the coffee pot and padded back to the bedroom to make the bed and get dressed.

Plumping the bed pillows and glancing out the bedroom window, my eyes rejoice at the vigorous show of green growth in the Pea Garden Box:

On the left side of the Pea Garden Box, is Maestro Shelling Peas climbing the trellis, caged Patio Snacker Cucumber, & Cannellini Beans showing. Bonanza Marigolds are planted in the box also. The Green Bush Bean is not up yet.

I planted vegetables this year that are small and compact because my gardening space is pretty limited here. With an ache in my heart, I recall that Bob loved to eat peas right out of the garden, so for 40 years I have made sure to plant extra peas in my gardens so I would have some to put away for winter meals – now that is no longer a concern: I should have plenty of peas to harvest and freeze/dry this year. Maestro only grows 22 inches tall and probably won’t even need the trellis I staked to the box, but with the high winds that blow through here I thought a trellis would be wise.

I am going to miss seeing Bob standing in the pea patch shelling and eating peas where he stands.

Patio Snacker Cucumber is supposed to stay within a 24” – 36” radius, and vigorously pump out 7” long bitter-free fruits. I have never grown it before, so we’ll see ;-) 

I have never grown the Cannellini Lingot beans either, but many of the recipes I want to try are calling for it and I can’t seem to find them in the grocery stores here … so I decided to plant my own. This is a bush type bean that should top out between 22” – 26” tall. It is a drying bean, so will stay in the garden until it is dry enough to shell.

On the right side of the same Pea Garden Box, Snow Peas are matching Maestro for growth, and I see at least 1 Romano Purpiat Bean sprout peeking up over the box lip …

Snow Peas & Romano Purpiat Beans showing; the Yellow Wax Bean is not showing yet.

Little Snowpea White will grow twice as tall as Maestro, it’s 40” height will definitely need the trellis staked to the planter box. If the gusty winds get too brutal, I may even have to tie it to the trellis at intervals to keep it from falling over and breaking. This is a stir-fry pea. I make a LOT of Asian meals because my husband liked Asian themed meals. Bob’s lineage was {Black Finn}, meaning his Finnish ancestors had Mongolian DNA, which accounts for his strikingly handsome features; especially his eyes which had a slight oval slant to them and totally mesmerized me ;-)

When he tanned, as he did because he was an outdoorsy person; he tanned to a deep burnt chestnut, which some would consider ‘black’ skin. No doubt he got his height from his European ancestors, but the eyes – though Hazel with gold flecks around the iris – were pure Asian. His naturally tanned skin was beautiful. Our daughter would naturally tan this deep chestnut too:

Bob was a beautiful person – inside and out: an altogether handsome man. I feel blessed to have shared 44 years of my life with him.

The Romano Purpiat Beans are a bush type bean also – only 24” tall and compact. The plant is reported to have deep violet stems, showy lilac blossoms, and ‘lustrous’ purple pods: it should be quite striking in the garden among all that greenery! I have never grown this particular bean before, and I am pretty excited to see it in all its reported glory :-D

In the next garden box over, I can count 8 of the planted 16 Kandy Corn showing itself.

I have been growing Kandy Corn ever since it was marketed. Kandy Corn is a hybrid corn and I grow it because it is really the only corn that successfully grows to harvest in our region. The plant is not very tall – only about 7’ at maximum growth – BUT it packs a wallop in productivity, and is striking in the garden with its burgundy enhanced stalks …

The Spaghetti Squash has not yet pushed through the hill soil.

And next to the Kandy Corn Garden Box I can see from the bedroom window that the burgundy colored Mascara lettuce, and the bright green Tom Thumb & Little Gem Lettuces are starting to show themselves in the Tomato bed:

The Deer Tongue Lettuce may be up too, but I can’t see it as readily from the window as I can the others

Mascara is a dark red oak-leaf type of loose-leaf lettuce. I like it’s contrast coloration in my green salads, and it holds up well in the garden – even when the temperature spikes the leaves don’t wilt and the color doesn’t fade. It doesn’t readily bolt, and it doesn’t get bitter. What more could you ask of a lettuce?

I used to wear burgundy mascara (as well as Hunter Green) in my younger days: my husband was a good sport and wisely gave his teenage wife room to grow at her own pace. I was so lucky to have such a husband. I sure miss him.

I have grown Tom Thumb lettuce in my gardens since it was marketed too. It is a compact butterhead lettuce that is perfect for a single serving salad … and I am solo now, so it was a natural selection in several ways for my garden this year. This is a 2-tone green salad lettuce with lighter interior leaves and darker outer leaves. It is only about the size of a large baseball at maturity. It’s really cute in the garden, and almost a shame to harvest and eat it. LOL

I like a variety of lettuce textures in my salads. Little Gem lettuce is a miniature Romaine lettuce that maxes out at around 4” diameter & 4” – 6” tall. Perfect for a solo meal.

Bed made; and jammies switched out, I padded back down the hallway to the kitchen to get my first cup of tea; normally I have coffee, but today I feel like tea. I could not find Natra Taste Sugar Substitute I normally buy/use in any of the stores I grocery shopped this past week, so I had to settle for Stevia because that is ALL any of them had stocked. Seriously.

And I have to say, I do NOT like it at all!

Stevia is really sweet – too sweet for my liking. It leaves an aftertaste too that I don’t like. I still have another 190 packets to suffer through; I hope and pray the stores go back to stocking Natra Taste again …

Stash Tea is a pretty strong tea – even the decaf tea, which I have to drink because caffeine makes my heart race. Just a third of one of these little Stevia packets is enough to sweeten a cup of tea: for me, anyway.

Then I walked into the livingroom with my hot cup of tea warming my hands cupped around it to survey the Veggie Garden Boxes at the front end of the house; and am rewarded with more warm and fuzzy gardening blessedness as I see those flourishing gardening boxes:

11 ct of the 12 ct Painted Mountain corn showing - this is corn for the birds. No joke.

Eleven of the planted 12 ct Painted Mountain Corn is up: I planted this corn primarily for the birds. The brilliantly colored Painted Mountain Corn is field corn. Some people like to eat it … I do not. I may dry some of it and grind it into a rough flour to thicken my Winter stews with, but on the whole, the bulk of this harvest will be dried and roughly chopped in my blender to add to wild bird feed for the bird-feeder this Fall/Winter. The stalks of this corn are quite short, topping out at between 4’ – 5’, but they will still be taller than me because the garden box is about 18” tall and that will add to the stalk height in relation to my height. I don’t think the harvest of this corn will be very significant as  EACH STALK only bears {up to 2 narrow 7” cobs}: that is not a very high percentage of gleanings.

The up-ended forks in all the gardening boxes are to keep the neighborhood cats from using my garden boxes as their personal litter boxes.

Last, but not least, the 3 Onion Garden Boxes are all showing growth very nicely. Each garden box holds between 28 ct to 30 ct onion starts ...

This particular Onion Garden Box is filled with 30 ct. Red Wing Onions doing well. The 1 box of Walla Walla onions, & 1 box of Ringmaster onions are doing well also.

At the beginning of last summer, before Ron Cook and Candy Scott’s hellish ridiculousness changed the course of our lives, I had planted several Hens & Chicks around the base of the ornamental maple tree out front. I later learned that these succulents are edible. Who knew? They have always just been an outdoor ornamental to me and everyone else I know.

So, I am going to give eating it a try this year and see what all the excitement is about ;-)

Hens & Chicks - or ‘Houseleeks’ as they are known in Europe: http://rawedibleplants.blogspot.com/2012/04/common-houseleek-sempervivum-tectorum.html

Tea drained, and my warm and fuzzy gardening euphoria sated for the time being, I padded back to the kitchen to make/eat a Cheese Omelet w/homemade White Bread Toast breakfast; after which I set out bread ends for drying: when completely dry as a bone, I will crush them.

Bob and I used to save the bread ends to throw to the ducks along our Dike Hike, but I really don’t feel like doing that at the moment.

It will take time to get back into the swing of doing things solo that we used to do together, I know. But right now, I just cannot do the Dike Hike without him.

So, these bread ends will be crushed to make homemade bread crumbs:

And I added yesterday’s dried coffee grounds and tea leaves to the dried grounds I will spread in my garden boxes to keep the worms happy so they keep working for me ;-)

While I can garden here at the Park, which I am thankful for, and for which Bob lovingly designed and built me these gardening boxes …

Bob designed and built these garden boxes for me as soon as we started setting up house here at Heron Pointe Park. My husband knew me so well, and understood my style. The plan was for 14 boxes: he designed and built 5 large boxes and 8 small boxes – the 9^th never got built because he was killed before he could get to it.

… I have to be careful of how I garden. For instance, I can compost – but not with veggie garden refuse: flower garden refuse only, and paper shreds. That kinda hampers my composting abilities here.

But I understand why.

I don’t want rats scavenging my Space here either.

So, I will be a good girl and stick with the flower bed refuse thrown in my Veggie Garden Beds along with the shredded paper waste to break down and enhance my soils: it will take longer, but it will end a lot of bitching too.

And bitching needs to be kept at low levels.

Over excessive, and ridiculous bitching by the Park morons last summer, is what directly led to my husband’s death.

And I don’t want to give Ron Cook or Candy Scott ANY reason to start bitching again this year, though I don’t think they could top the outcome of their bitchfests last year. Just sayin’.

((((Thank YOU Babe)))) for the gardening boxes – I will do you proud :-D

Love you Babe.

Always.

OX