DRY-ROASTED SPICED OKRA

I know...I know.

You don't like okra.

It's too slimy.

It's just weird.

It's old fashioned.

You only like it fried and that's because you can't taste it.

Or you've had it twice and both times left you neutral.

I have heard all these things many times.

There was a time 

where I also thought okra was gross too.

I was like you-

lost and confused, misinformed about this wonderful

delicious vegetable.

On the off-chance that I've misjudged you and 
you are one of the people who have already seen the light,
who understand that okra is a precious gift
then this recipe will just make your world more wonderful.
A new way to enjoy an manna from heaven.
Forgive my assumptions-it's hard being an evangelist without a church.

If you are in the okra hating club-this is an intervention.
I know it's hard to be wrong.

But, you are wrong.
Receive the good news!

Change is possible...but first you have to risk something.

Okra is a summertime staple and one of the few things 

(along with eggplant, and peppers) 

that keeps on giving when the heat kicks up.

A few years ago, I realized it would be super

hard to eat local-ish through the summer without

at least a tolerance of okra.

Did you know that you have to try something 12 times before

you know if you like it?
Twelve times.

Whew.  That can be a lot of tries.
It took me more like 30 to find something besides fried
that could hold my attention.
I did the work for you and
found a one-try recipe-

the easiest, best, go-to recipe

for highlighting okra is this one!
It's a conversion recipe.

Try it.  You'll like it.

This recipe is Whole30 compliant, paleo, vegetarian, vegan and in 

general available to be eaten by everyone.  

Your doctor practically prescribes this recipe as medicine.

Ingredients:

20 fresh okra pods 

If they are larger than 2" long, slice them in half longways

3 TBSP Spice mix*

*Spice Mix Ingredients

You can use whatever spices you like.  Just remember to use a lot of them.  

I used in equal measurements (about 1/2 tsp each):

paprika
coriander

cumin

fennel seed

garlic powder

celery seed

tumeric

chipolte powder

kosher salt

How to Cook:

Preheat oven to 450 F

Line a cookie sheet with parchement paper.

Put okra on cookie sheet

Sprinkle spice mix generously over okra

Roast in the oven for 20-25 min or until the okra has wilted a little bit.

Eat with your fingers.

Special note:  This is even better on a grill.

Cooks faster, crisps better.

If you're grilling meat, consider putting a slab of 

tinfoil together for this okra.

There is no after photo.

We ate them.

JOINT EFFORTS

Detail of box drawing...look at that fig tree on the right.  Can you see it?

Being creative is an interesting process.

It has taken a long time for me to see and accept

that creativity is an essential part of 

living as a human.

Creating connects me with the Creator.

Creating opens my heart and lets in the light.
Creating is hard, sweat-inducing work
that leads me down a path with no discernible
light at the end.
I don't know were I'm going when I'm creating.
I just know there will be something new if I go down the path.

I went about 2 decades without being creative.
I told myself that I was too busy
but I realize now that

 I was unable and unwilling to be vulnerable

to the possibility of what could be.

See....

there's a crucial thing that I understand now
that I didn't really get then....

I can't create if I can't be vulnerable.

To try and create without vulnerability is
just manufacturing or treading water.

Creation requires me to open up
to accept the possibility...
the inevitability...
that I will
break open
to bring something new into being.

detail of box planting....tomatoes and basil and eggplants and beans....

In the past few years

my creativity has returned.

At first it was fits and starts.

Some days it is a tidal wave or a tsunami of ideas, acts and attempts.

Some days it's a steady hum in the back of my mind.
I have invited it to live with me
and it comes and goes as it pleases.

Most of my creative outlets are for myself.

I sell some of them locally or online.

I give some of them as gifts.

I like best the creative outputs that I can use 

and incorporate into my day.

Whether it's a painting or a piece of jewelry or

yes...

even a meal.

It's part of who I am-a creator.

Just like all humans.

So pretty...Pad Thai I made recently for my growing (and starving son)

I've always been good at creating with plants.

You can see on this blog the posts where I'm comfortable sharing

or teaching about how to have a palette

using plant material.

Until recently...

I've never really tried to create an idea
or an outline for someone 

else to implement.

All of my creations with plants

were for me.

My plans and ideas

were mostly in my head.

The loudest critics

and opinions

were mine and (usually) mine alone.

Recently I've let my spouse into the creative space
when we're creating gardens.

That was hard.

The results of hard work were the church gardens 

that we've worked on and grown over the past year.

(You can read more about them here here and here).
The results of that collaboration were also...

Delightful!

A completely successful collaboration!

Who knew?
It was a new experience for me for sure.

Welcome Bed at House of Hope in the dead of winter is lifting spirits..one pansy at a time.

Last summer ...a  gardening friend from our church

asked me to visualize a garden

for a hard to use space.

The space is between a parking lot and a private fence.

It is hot and muggy...
it was covered with weeds and some scraggly nandina.

My friend is an excellent gardener-she grows things all the time.

She works with our Simple Gifts Garden

and thought this might be a place to add additional 

vegetable growing potential.

But she wasn't quite sure what to do or how  to use the space best..

so she asked me.
I was so honored and excited.

My initial thoughts were...absolutely!
I know exactly what to do!

And then....

I got nervous.

Because she might not like what I suggested.

Because she might not implement it like I wanted.

Because it might not be good enough.
Because everyone is going to see it.
Because it could be a lot of work.

Expectation is the killer of creativity.

It chokes out beauty like weeds choke out flowers.

I had to sit with that for a good long time.

And then I had to get over myself.

So that I could put down on paper what was calling to me to be created.

I suggested boxes that are raised up 

so they wouldn't get run over by cars

or walked on by unsuspecting church goers.

I suggested trellises to maximize the space.
I suggested some base plantings to anchor the boxes and clear up the scraggly.

I drew a visual and suggesting vegetable rotations...
It didn't really take very long once I got to it.
Just a quick sketch and some coloring.

High level overview with a side view visual of the boxes...

And then I did the hardest thing.

I gave it away.

I very intentionally gave it to her

to do what she wanted 

with zero expectation.

It wasn't mine.

It never had been.

It was a piece of a train for someone else to hook onto.

Like all art...it is

For us ALL.

Very rarely after art is done

is it for just one person.
I'm starting to know this.

Still...it was hard.

Even though I didn't have time for one more garden.

Even though the building and overseeing of the garden
 would be intense and expensive.

It still felt like MINE.

And I knew it needed to be freed.

I released it.

whew.

Not surprisingly...when I did the hardest thing

something magical happened.

Someone else (or in this case several someone's)

could pick up the idea

and make it better.

Bigger.
Whole.

That little idea
 serves so much more thoroughly now

more than it could have locked away in my sketch pad....

inside my little, tightly controlled sphere of influence.

LOOK AT THESE GORGEOUS BABIES!

An eagle scout took the project

and moved it forward.

He raised the money to build the boxes.
You can read about it here.

His troop spent a whole day putting them in.

They improved on the design

and built such beautiful

sturdy structures.

I could not have done this.

Not by myself.
Not with my friends.

Or family.

The work needed to be done here is too big.

Bigger than me.

Bigger than my ideas.
Little seeds need care and watering.
They need all the drops of rain and nutrition they get along the way.
I was a raindrop.
I did my part....and look what happens when we 
show up and do our part?
And then we let go so someone else can do their part?
Beauty.

Spinach and onions popping up

This just confirms for me

that creativity is part of how we connect.

To ourselves.

To the CREATOR.

To each other.

I believe that I have a part to play

and it is an important part.

That I have gifts that are to be of service

but they are also needed in conjunction with other

gifts to evolve the idea

into the creation.
Special.
Unique.
and cherished...
just like everyone else.
#special#notspecial

TINY SEEDS

Look at these brilliant, beautiful powerhouses.  They nourish their tiny seeds- water them with faith and love.

This post is inspired by one of my dearest and longest held friends.
We were girls together.

And even though we have grown and moved
we have failed and succeeded
and will fail and succeed again
I will always be a cheerleader of hers.

I still feel her heart as part of mine.
She wrote a blog post that got me thinking
and in my usual way
I somehow managed to connect 
her post
with growing plants
because I really only have about 3 tracks in my brain
(growing stuff, eating stuff, healing stuff)

So sit tight and enjoy the ride
as I take the long way 'round.

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

Baker Creek puts out an incredible catalogue...it's art 

It's spring and that always brings me to seed catalogs.
I love to browse through them
plotting and dreaming of the possibilities,
how many plants I can fit in that space,
what the potential options are
for heirloom and organic,
flowers and vegetables,
tools and soil amendments.
I'm a plant geek.
I can't help it.

Plant nerd eye candy on Baker Creek's Instagram

Seeds are such amazing little packets of life.
They hold so much energy-
just waiting quietly for the spark
in this encased and self-sufficient pod.
When plants make seeds,
they usually make hundreds.
It's like they know life needs 
thousands of possibilities
in order to ride one spark to fruition.

In spite of their compact efficiency, seeds are challenging.
They have lots of raw building materials
 in that little package.
However...they need some important additives
in reasonable doses.
Add some water
and a substrate
and some light
and wallah!
You'll most likely get that little engine going.
Mostly likely.
Not always.

There's something that you have to understand about seeds.
They are time bound.
They do not have limitless potential.
Most annual seeds have a shelf life of 1-3 years.
Meaning..if you preserve them
in exactly the right humidity
and temperature
then they will still remain viable 
somewhere between 1 year and 3 years of 
when they became seeds.
That's a wide margin...and it shows you how chaotic
and variable life can be.
Sometimes a seed from 3 years ago can actually take root
and grow into what it was meant to be.
And sometimes that same type of seed
won't sprout even a few months from when it was intended.

Even though I know this
and I KNOW that I can't 
(probably)
use those seeds from last year
(or the year before)
in my current vegetable garden....
every year I have at least one packet of 
SOMETHING 
that I try to get going.
Just because it never hurts to try.

Does it?

I've been thinking about what it means
to hold on to possibility that might be dead.
What opportunities am I missing out on
when I try to grow seeds
that are not going to grow-
no matter how much I water them?

How do I know the difference between a seed that still can be a plant
and a seed that needs to be composted?
I don't think there's a checklist
that is fail proof
that will tell me 
FOR SURE
that it's time to move on.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that 
sometimes I can in fact use that basil seed
from two years ago.
Sometimes that seed takes root
and flourishes.

But...
Sometimes that seed never goes anywhere.
I've been wasting water
and space in the garden
that was meant for something else.

And also....
Sometimes I pick what is easy instead of what I really want.
There are choices that seem like success...
but end up feeling like pragmatism at it's worst.
I can't have that amazing tomato variety
because I used the space for those pepper seeds
that I found hanging out in the bottom of the seed cabinet.
They grew and we had jalapenos coming out of our noses....meh.
No one in our house is super crazy for jalapenos.
So why did I make that choice?
Lots of reasons....but mostly because it was easy and I was lazy.



Several years ago, my little family took a trip to Italy.
On the side of a mountain in Tuscany I saw
an artichoke plant growing wild.
It was gorgeous.
Sometimes, I will remember that plant as I'm combing through seed catalogs.
I will find Artichoke
and gaze with lust on it's royal blue or purple frills
it's exotic and practically alien leaves
so silver and sharp.

Then, I remind myself of the specs of an artichoke plant
which include a need for cold treatments to induce flowering
and space of at least 5 feet between plants.
Which (so far) has caused me to get real with myself.
Artichoke growing would take up most of my yard
AND would mean that I cannot
grow any of the other plants that are essential
(I'm really talking about tomatoes here and we all know it)
So artichoke growing is not for me.
I could do it-but there is a cost of the other seeds
that I would like to grow more of
or that maximize my actual gifts and talents best.

Saltproject are amazing....

Let's bring this metaphor all the way around.
Choosing seeds is a lot like making life choices.
Picking which dreams to follow.
There are so many
-thousands really-
points of our lives where we have potential.
Multiple seeds waiting to go in the ground and lead us down a path.
If you think about it too long
you're liable to get performance anxiety
and let your seeds rot in the drawer.

We make decisions.
We pick the dreams we want to nurture.
A relationship.
A job.
A child.
A perspective.
A painting.
A book.

We plant those seeds;
we water and care for them.

Sometimes those dreams grow and bear fruit.
Sometimes we tend those dreams too much
and we choke them out.
Sometimes we treat them just right...and natural disasters occur.
Outside of our control.
And the crops we've tended die.
Marriages.
Children.
Careers.


When the seeds die
it is important to grieve their death.
To honor them and send them back to the earth.
To give thanks for all the lessons that we've learned
through those seeds.
Even when they failed.

It's also important to remember that 
LIFE WINS
There will be a time for new seeds.
ALWAYS.

source

When planting season comes back around
we will feel spring stirring
and we will know it is time.
Time to plant the ones that we've been gazing at longingly
in that great seed catalog.
To remember that not all seeds grow
in the places we want them to grow.
But the seeds that are for us
are GLORIOUS
and meant for us.

SUBURBAN GARDENING-DECADE IN

My front porch in October.  

I'm tired of deep meaningful conversations.  

My therapist has me doing an intense weekly delve into my childhood trauma.  

Good work that needs to be done.

My country is in a state of turmoil.

My metaphorical neighbors are having a hard time loving each other.

Everyone wants to be right

and have that mean that the other guy is wrong.

I don't want to talk about that either.

This peony was given to me by my Grandmother...it is simultaneously loud and gracious, just like us.

My church is struggling to find a voice

that doesn't magically sooth every single perspective and member

and still stands for the poor, downtrodden, and dis-enfranchised.

you know...

like Jesus did.

I can't even talk about that.

So I'm going to post some pictures

and some yard tips

that should illustrate somewhat

how my yard is doing since I wrote that long ago post.

Hellebore beside my porch....sneaky winter flowers.

I was going to try and post side by side pictures.

But that got technical real quick.

And it is winter and all.

So I decided to post some shots of flowers in this over grown,

matured and well-loved

suburban yard.

When we moved in, our soil was literally rubble.

Left over from the build.

There were some plants in the tiny yard.

But they were haphazardly placed

and relatively unimaginative.

Daffodils in a sea of lime green Creeping Jenny

Here is a little of what I know about gardening in small spaces.....

1. Color and texture should be in every space of your garden.

Every damn space.

Don't forget to look high and low.

Yes, the space should flow but...

make little vignettes OFTEN.

I have two camellia plants in my yard-one is a fall bloomer, one is a winter bloomer.  

In addition to cut flowers, they look great in the yard,

provide foliage for Christmas crafts

and a place for birds to perch.

They are also NONBORING (helleri hollie..i'm looking at you)

backdrop for smaller shrubs and perennials.

They are distinct, add their own beauty AND allow other plants to shine.

C. japonica-the winter bloomer.

3.  Set a color palette and keep to it

By the front bed....Purple Heart, Loropetalum, Impatiens, Hydrangea, Creeping Jenny

This is the hardest one for me. 

Because I love them all...all the flowers.

All the time.

I have been mostly successful sticking to lime greens and hot pinks

 with a dash of purple or yellow thrown in.

It works for me.

If I am tempted in early spring or fall then I turn 

the back deck into a short term color wheel.

The perennials all fall into this color scheme and so prevent my chaotic, overplanted yard

from LOOKING chaotic or overplanted.

Mostly.

4. BUY WELL

Annuals are like costume jewelry...made to overdo it.  

They won't last and you can never (rarely) have too many

 as long as you stick to a color palette.

Perennials are like precious jewelry.  

Invest in pieces you'll love forever.

Perennials are trees, bushes, and perennial flowering plants.

Carefully consider each purchase of these.

Also....you can't just plop a tree in the middle of the yard and expect to have a garden.

Here's an idea of the scale of plants you'll need:

For every tree, try to add at least 3 bushes.

For every bush, try to add at least 3 perennials (I prefer 5).

For every perennial, try to add at least 3 annuals.

If you keep to this rule, you'll have layers of height.

But in a small space, you also have to know how tall that tree is getting

and how wide that bush will be.

They're like baby lions...cute when they're little but they grow fast.

Pick well in small spaces....

Find an evergreen bush that also blooms and or bears fruit.

It is possible.

Get at least 3 seasons out of each perennial plant.

Spring flowers, summer shade, fall color and something interesting in the winter.

Beautyberry...worth every square inch of my garden that it takes up.

4.  Mix in beauty and usefulness

There is no reason that you can't have flowers and edible plants even in tiny spaces.

Mix them in together.

Buy dwarf varieties for pots and patios but also consider them in the yard.

Tomatoes are exotic and beautiful.

Lettuce can fill in for sprint annuals.

Kale and cabbage love to be with pansies.

We mix in veg with annuals often...but we also finally gave in

 and planted a side vegetable bed.

It is beautiful and functional.

Two views of our garden.....the first is late late summer-

pansies went in with the marigolds, 

tomatoes are done

greens and fall crops are planted

parsley and peppers are still kicking

This shot is very early spring.

Purple kale is huge

Carrots are ready to go anytime

pansies still peaking out

spring peas are climbing the trellis' on the sides

(we had to ring it with rabbit wire because the bunnies were eating us out of veg)

 We are a decade in.....once again life proves that in spite of 

concrete, runoff, poor drainage...LIFE WINS.

You can overcome any challenge as long as you keep trying

and you don't even have to try that hard.

Just keep at it, one pile of compost and one cup of water at a time.

This tiny garden is awesome and amazing.

It doesn't stop for elections, tax designations or denominational struggles.

It just keeps powering through.

And that is something to remember when you just can't even.