Tin Can Lanterns

I've got art on the brain for some reason. This may be obvious, considering my last post and the newly added page to this blog, The Art. It's just such a big part of my garden and my life, it's gotta be part of this blog. So, my latest endeavor to beautify my space has been to create more garden lanterns.

I started creating mason jar lanterns last year after reading this post of Willi's. I put lids on the jars in the fall to keep the rain out of them and they held up just great through the winter. Of course, I don't light them during the cold and rainy winter months, but they make me happy just seeing them hanging in the trees. They keep me thinking about the sun that is soon to come.

This year, I've moved on to tin cans a la Martha Stewart. And I love them! They are just so precious and easy to make. Plus, they're green – transforming recyclable tin cans into functional art!

Just rinse out the can, fill it up with water (leaving about 3/4 of an inch of space from the top), and stick it in the freezer until frozen solid. The frozen water helps the cans keep their shape. Then, using a variety of nails to create different sized holes, pound a design into your can with a hammer. Don't forget to add two holes near the top on both sides of the can for the hanging wire. I forgot to do that on the first one and when I tried to pound them in later, I completely dented the can. Now it's resigned to be a table lantern.

I used some thick, but pliable wire to create simple hangers and used my needle nose pliers to bend a spiral shape into the ends of the wires, a feature that also keeps the hanger attached to the can!

I have the tin can and mason jar lanterns hanging all over the maple and apple tree out front and when they're all lit, it's the most welcoming and cozy sight I've ever seen in the city. Makes me feel like I should have a porch swing!

My Mosaic Mural

Those of you that have been in my garden know that art abounds around here. I think one of the things I love the most about having a big yard is having space to decorate outdoors. I love me some color and even more, I love mosaics! (Remember these and this? Oh! And who could forget him?) I was blown away by Gaudi's mosaics when I studied abroad in Spain during my college years, so when I came back to the states, I immediately found a mosaic stepping stone class. That class created a monster and I have since been mosaicing an abundance of surfaces around my home, inside and out. Well, this month marks the three year anniversary of my biggest project yet, a 12 foot by 5 foot tumbled stained glass mosaic mural, which adorns the back wall of my detached garage and is the backdrop for my patio. It took me exactly 31 days to complete, the whole month of July 2007. I worked for six to eight hours a day putting up every piece by hand, and three years later, I'm still loving every one!

The blank canvas, before

Tile backerboard and a quick sketch

Mountains and a tree line, an idea which didn't come about until a quick trip to Bedrock for more glass. I was driving over the hill towards Ballard, saw the beautiful Olympics in the distance, and thought, Yes! That's what I need! A tree line!

Treeline complete. The interminable application of grass blades begins.

Filling in the tree and...more grass.

Another tree!

Blue skies with pieces of mirror to reflect the natural sunlight

Yep, more grass

Sunshine and Ria's bluebird, a little tribute to my bff, Radhi.

Complete!

Thousands of blades of glass, which I cut by hand out of four different shades of green stained glass

What's a barbecue without the mustard?

It has been so sunny and beautiful lately. I love summer in Seattle! And to make things even better, I've got time off to do all my projects. So, I've finally made a couple of recipes from the super cool book, Jam it, Pickle it, Can it. I made mustard!

To make this classic barbecue condiment, I mixed together organic yellow mustard powder, sugar, vinegar, and salt. I let it sit in a cool, dark place for two weeks and just in time for my dad's birthday barbecue, the mustard was ready!

It's delicious – tastes like dijon honey mustard. The consistency is a little odd. It's thick like peanut butter, so you have to spread it with a knife. I spread it on the crust before baking the delicious Romanesco cauliflower tart with carmelized onions I made for dinner tonight. I was raving after every bite!

Tonight, I made the recipe for ketchup. It has to sit over night, but judging by the taste I had while it was simmering, it's going to be delicious too. I had no idea mustard and ketchup could taste so good!

Our Second Spring!

I learned in a Seattle Tilth class last year that July is our second spring. That means that now is the time to start planting your fall and winter garden. I use the Seattle Tilth Maritime Northwest Garden Guide for direction and make sure I buy seeds for overwintering plants or plants that are meant to be planted for the fall. A lot of times the varieties will be slow-bolting, which means the seedlings hold out for our cool, fall weather longer than varieties we'd plant in the spring that would quickly go to seed in our hot summer weather.

The key is to keep that seed bed moist – you don't want the soil to dry out before your seeds germinate. One way you can do that is by draping some floating row cover over the seed bed. It is a special type of agricultural fabric that is designed to let light and rain water in, while keeping a lot of pests out. You want to drape it loosely on the seed bed with some slack, so when the seedlings start growing, the fabric will move and "grow" with them. Just remember to keep it watered under there!

This month, you can plant:

Overwintering Carrots

Oriental Greens, like Pac Choi

Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Cabbage

Swiss Chard and Kale

Snap and Snow Peas

In late July and August, plant:

Spinach and Lettuce

For a complete listing of all the delicious vegetables you can grow during the fall and winter, check out the Maritime Northwest Garden Guide. On my Pacific northwest urban farm, it's indispensable.

Homemade Hiking Sustenance

I went for an amazing hike on Tuesday with a couple of my girlfriends to Noble Nob near Mt.Rainier National Park. I was really excited about it because I have never done any hikes in that area, nor have I spent much time that close to Mt.Rainier.

We were lucky to have beautiful, sunny weather. The temperature was perfect – not too hot, not too cool. The hike is seven miles round trip and there's only about a 500 ft elevation gain, so it's not too rigorous a hike. We had to traverse a few snowy patches, some that completely covered the trail, but it was fun and melting snow run-off that flowed down little waterfalls made for some interesting scenery along the way.

Because I am the ultimate planner and wanted to bring localtarian snacks to eat along the way, I made homemade energy bars. They are chock-full of whole grains and will keep in an airtight container for up to two weeks (or could be frozen), so they can be fodder for other outdoor adventures as well.

Peanut butter cranberry energy bars

Adapted from Sunset, October 2008

Cooking oil spray or neutral-tasting oil, like Canola oil

Dry ingredients:

1 cup regular rolled oats

1/3 cup oat bran

3 tbsp. flax seeds

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 tsp. each baking powder and salt

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Wet ingredients:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I get mine freshly ground in the bulk section of the PCC)

1/4 cup milk (I used almond milk)

1 large egg

1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Line a 9 x 13 in. pan with plastic wrap, leaving some to overhang on the 9 in. sides, and coat with cooking-oil spray or brush with canola oil. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until well blended.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the wet ingredients until well blended.

Add the flour mixture (dry ingredients) to the peanut butter mixture and beat until completely blended. Scrape the dough into the prepared pan and, with wet fingers or a rubber spatula, pat to fill the pan completely and evenly. The dough is sticky so you may need to wash your hands a few times. Chill the dough, in the pan, until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Invert the pan onto a work surface, lift off the pan, and remove the plastic. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut straight down lengthwise through the middle, then crosswise to make 16 bars, each 1 1/2 in. wide. Place the bars about 1 in. apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Bake the bars until lightly browned and somewhat firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Special thanks to Hollis for taking these beautiful pictures and Stacey for posing in one of them with me!

Basil Lemonade

Well, summer officially arrived in Seattle this week. The highs were in the 80s today and the weathermen were saying it's supposed to be around 90 tomorrow. A few of my girls came over today and to keep them cool and refreshed, I made a pitcher of basil lemonade. It was super delicious. So, if you're sweltering too in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend that you try it.

Basil Lemonade

Adapted from The Herb Companion, July 2010

1 cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice, about 5 lemons

1/2 cup sugar

6-8 large genovese basil leaves (more or less - this is not an exact science)

Sparkling water (I used local brand Talking Rain Sparkling Water, Lemon Zest flavor)

Ice

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a mason jar with a lid or cocktail shaker; shake vigorously until combined.

Put the basil leaves, ice and lemon juice mixture into a pitcher. Fill up the pitcher with about a liter of sparkling water (I used about half of a 2 liter bottle). Give the lemonade a good stir and serve it in cold glasses with a basil leaf or two.

Makes one pitcher (about 6 -7 pint glasses).

Enjoy and stay cool!

My first tomatoes...in June!

I harvested my first ripe, Stupice heirloom tomato for our Fathers' Day BBQ. My first tomato... in June, thanks to my lovely plastic-covered hoop house structure! I tempted fate when I put those seedlings in the ground so early, but I guess they got enough heat in their little house. As for the peppers and tomatillos...I'm not so sure. I'll have to keep you posted on those.

Those beautiful tomatoes came from the seeds I saved last summer, my first attempt at saving seeds. I guess it worked!

Jake and I were diggin' this series of photos. Basically, it's the super simple, but ridiculously delicious way I put this first tomato to use.

Home-made French walnut bread with fresh Chevre

I can't get enough goat cheese lately. After giving up dairy last year for my allergies and hearing that goat cheese is more easily digested, I've been giving it a try. Actually, I think "giving it a try" is a major understatement at this point.

Fresh basil leaves topped by delicious Stupice tomato slices and a healthy drizzle of olive oil

Devoured with pleasure