June 1, 2, 3 & 4

June 1- Johnny Jump Up

The Johnny Jump Ups are growing...

June 2- Army Worm

I hate these worms. They're everywhere.

June 3- Matthew 12:21

...The latest page in my collage book. :)

June 4- Lamb

Our ewe had her lamb today!

Grilled Artisan Bread & Easy Summer Dining

This is where the day began and how a simple, yet scrumptious dinner was born.  

Rustic and I left Dodge behind this morning and headed north up La Barge Creek to 9000 ft where a snow drift became an annoying obstacle.  Sad to say, we chickened out of busting through the drifts, however, if I had new tires we would have lived dangerously!

Instead, we chatted with the Big Piney Game and Fish Warden who stopped to see if Rustic was poaching again (kidding!), and 3 guys on all terrain BMW bikes in Kevlar pants who were lost (sorta) hoping to get to Alpine. They eventually shamed us by busting through the snow drifts, dang them.  All that is neither here nor there...la dee da :) 

 Let's talk about food!

Oh but before we talk about food, Ms. Moose wandered by too...she wasn't up to no drift busting either.

Food, at last!

When Rustic and I first got together, he served amazing bread along with an amazing dinner.  Obviously, I was impressed...I followed him to crazy WY.  Quite simply, the bread was grilled and didn't include butter.  WOW, what a concept!   Since those first lovely days, we have served this bread COUNTLESS times to family and friends and everyone wants to know how it's made!  It's so easy it's embarrassing :)

Here's the lowdown...

Buy this or something along this line, a crunchy artisan bread.

Slice and drizzle with a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt (sparingly).  Then place on a hot grill and watch it carefully...it doesn't take long to crispify.

Excellent!  So good, crispy and flavorful!  You won't miss the butter at all, I promise.

May I take a moment to brag now?  We harvested our Arugula and Spinach for our salad tonight!  Our first harvest of 2012.  Grilled chicken salad with our fresh greens was spectacular, I was SO proud!  If you haven't planted arugula, do so next year...it has a crisply peppered flavor that compliments spinach so well.  Don't forget to make the Blind Dog Grill in Park City, UT's wonderful Penny's Bleu Cheese Dressing to finish the deal!  

Okay, back to the bread...make this, if you do, you'll make it over and over again!

Bon Appetit!

Ciao & goodnite!

Rebecca

10 Reasons Why a Woman Should Smoke (BBQ)

Why Women Should Smoke!

1.  Men don't think we can do it.


2.  It gets you out of the kitchen.


3.  Hydration (beer, margaritas) is fun.


4.  The food impresses the heck outta people.


5.  Lump wood charcoal is better (healthier) than charcoal.


6.  Cool BBQ gear!  I love the iGrill - a wireless iPhone/iPad app and device for controlling temps.  


7.  Apparently, "Women who smoke have sex appeal".  This comes from a reliable source, a professional (male) BBQ pit master.  Kinda weird hearing your son say that...but, who knew?!  Ha!


8.  BBQ is the new pop culture!  Hop online and find a BBQ forum, meet new friends!  There are literally hundreds of BBQ forums now, forums are a great way to get into the basics of BBQ.


9.  Smoking is a healthy way to add flavor to foods, vegetables, cheese and fish included!


10.  There's just nothing like sitting down to a plate of "melt in your mouth" ribs cooked low and slow while bathed in hickory smoke!

Three racks of spareribs and ends after the first hour on our Big Green Egg.


How to get Started in BBQ...

If you're lucky enough to have a local BBQ store nearby, stop in and let them help you decide what BBQ/Smoker would work best for you.

Along with BBQ forums there are lots of great online sources of information and BBQ products such as www.bbqislandinc.com.  Here, you can see and learn about different cookers, they ship anywhere in the USA and Canada.  Check out my favorite BBQ pit master, Bam Bam's BBQ on FB for awesome competition BBQ recipes as well as his "day in the life of a BBQ pit master".  I just know we'll see him on TV some day!


Do you know what I love most about backyard BBQ?  When I'm cooking outside I can garden, drink, smell like a campfire, cook and still have sex appeal, apparently, maybe, doubtful!  HA!  Doesn't get any better than that :)

BBQ is looking better and better isn't it??

Rebecca

Sweet & Delicious Tomatoes! My Go-To Tomato Fertilizer

Contrary to popular belief, I have a lazy side when it comes to gardening, especially veggie gardening.  Yes, I garden organically which can be a bit more work (with a bigger payoff!) but I also take advantage of all the "organic" products out there when it makes sense to my wallet and, my life.

With a big weekend of gardening ahead for many of us, I thought I'd share my go-to "lazy self" organic tomato fertilizer which I'll be installing tomorrow!

Jobe's Organic Fertilizer Spikes for Vegetables

We have the SWEETEST tomatoes every year and I blame it on this product...love, love it!  I have absolutely no affiliation with this company, no sponsorship or, sponsors, none, zero, zip!  LOL...only  Rustic has the guts so far :)  But, even he will swear by these!

I've purchased from Amazon and Ace Hardware locally.  Give em a try!  They're affordable, quick and easy and, best of all, they produce a deliciously sweet tomato yield!

Happy Gardening!

Rebecca

May 29, 30 & 31

May 29- View

Here's the view I wake up to every morning. It's a good one. 

Bed Canopy + Books = Happiness. ;)

May 30- Sheep

Our new sheep.

May 31- Butterfly

There were lots of monarch butterflies out in the garden this morning.

DIY Soil Sample Test

I've always wanted to get my soil tested but never found the motivation to take a sample to our local extension office because, I might be impatient.  Happily though, I found a DIY solution while reading "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, thanks to my daughter's recommendation.

Why is it good to know what your soil is made of?  

Soil is the most important component in a successful garden. If you know what your soil consists of you can work on improving it.  


Did you know that worms are a great indicator of soil health?  
If you have at least 10 worms in a cubic foot, chances are you have beneficial microbes and bacteria that make for healthy soil and strong plants.  Good garden soil should consist of 30 to 50% silt, 20 to 30% clay and 5 to 10% organic matter.


To check your soil, this is what you'll need...


Provisions:
1  Quart container (glass jars work great)
1  Tablespoon Calgon water softener
2  C. water
1  Trowel full of dirt

Add all the ingredients to the jar, shake and set aside in a place that won't be disturbed for 24 hours.

Dirty Calgon

After 24 hours...

Sand will immediately start to settle on the bottom, next comes the silt, which will sit on top of the sand.  Clay particles will actually stay in suspension for up to a day and organic matter will float.  Now you can calculate the percentages of your soil make-up.

(thank the good Lord for calculators)

Divide the depth of each layer by the total depth of all three layers.  This is my breakdown:


Total depth:  4"


Sand/silt: 1  1/4" (1.25 divided by 4)  =  31.2%


Clay particles:  2  1/2" (2.50 divided by 4) = 62.5%


Organics:  1/4" (.25 divided by 4) = 6.25%

Basically, too much clay and not enough organic matter, story of my life but, knowledge is power!


I need more humus (compost) to fluff up the clay in my soil, so I'll continue to compost using The Wonderful Worm Tower and the DIY Kitchen Scrap Composter.  No matter what our soil imperfections are, compost can balance almost any imbalance.  Aspiring to loamy, moisture retentive soil is a process, but I like it.  I enjoy being part of the cycle.


FYI:  I decided to speed up the decay going on in my sunken/drunken kitchen scrap bucket with a big bunch of red wrigglers (worms).  They arrive tomorrow (gracias Amazon) and I'll be freshening up their bed with wet, shredded newspaper and ooey, gooey decaying food.  I can't wait :)

Rebecca

Daybook 9

Outside my window- It's supposed to be 30 degrees tonight... Mum had to cover her tomato plants so they wouldn't freeze last night as well.

I am thinking about- I got bit by some kind of Nasty Bug on our camping trip- and it itches like crAZY! :(

From the kitchen- We had some super yummy potatoes for supper. Par-boiled, squashed, and then cooked some more in the oven with coconut oil.

I am creating- I spent part of the afternoon writing & drawing... :)

I am reading- I started an Agatha Christie book over the weekend, but I didn't get very far.

I am hearing- "You Raise Me Up" sung by Lena Park. It's pretty much my Favorite Song Ever. ^_^

I am planning- I'm not quite finished with one of the sketches I was working on this afternoon...

I am wearing- Dark jeans, a blue/black/white shirt, and heels, for no reason. Just 'cause. :D

My hair is- Twisted, and pinned up.

Around the house- Yesterday we got two sheep. One is a lamb, and the other is a ewe who's going to have a lamb fairly soon.