Bounty, Bread and Bunnies

Organic strawberries were on sale this week. Although these are not local strawberries, it’s still good to take advantage of the bounty – particularly in preparation for when there will be none (I’m thinking of the cold wintery months that will inevitably be upon us).

Bounty of Strawberries

These early, store-bought strawberries are washed, cut up and frozen on cookie sheets for later storage in freezer bags. Doing the bulk of the saving now, will let us enjoy (a.k.a gorge on) the fresh local strawberries when they start showing up (including the ones from our yard), without having to save them for later.

Also new this weekend, is my adoption of a new bible. I’ve been hearing a lot about this book, so I’ve decided to acquire a copy for myself to follow. I familiarized myself with the master recipe today, and looks like the hype is warranted (and, I bet it’s good for the soul, too).

Bread (Before and After)

This, of course, is the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. For this initial trial run, I cut the salt back quite a bit (almost half of what was called for), but that’s the only change. I now have a bowl of dough in the fridge ready to be drawn from and baked during the coming week (which fits perfectly with my tendency during the summer to wake up early). I’m sure Virginia won’t mind the smell of baking bread in the wee hours of the morning.

And, some of you may have seen this photo when I uploaded it to Flickr the other day. Our yard, full of all things green, is also home to a couple of bunnies. Their own bounty has made them probably a little too comfortable with their surroundings.

Lounging Bunny

It cracks me up whenever I see them hanging out after they’ve grazed, lying on their fattened bellies. We’re starting to call our house “Bunny Acres.” They’ve also inspired a few felted creations, including this little felted friend with a carrot.

Felted Friend - Bunny with Carrot in Garden

Much to See, Much to Do

The problem with waiting so long between blog posts is that stuff starts to pile up. Unfortunately, I’m going to leave you with a bunch of stuff to look at, but not much to read (it’s a beautiful day and our yard is calling to me).

Virginia finished up another crochet afghan. This one is made up of granny squares, using Jamieson’s Spindrift.

Crochet Granny Square Afghan

(More photos can be found on our Flickr page)

She also finished a tank, knit using Louet’s Euroflax Linen.

Essential Tank

The pattern is the “Essential Tank” by Wendy Bernard in her book Custom Knits.

Socks!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any finished socks. She’s started a renewed effort to knock off 52 pairs by the end of May (I think she’s at 40, having started last June).

Socks (36 of 52)

Socks (37 of 52)

Socks (38 of 52)

Socks (39 of 52)

The Garden
I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to feel the sun and dirt on my skin. There’s nothing like being shut up in a hospital room for three month-long periods, and then told to not go near the stuff for the rest of the year, to really make you appreciate the sore muscles, new calluses and dirty hands that come from playing in the yard.

Brick Path in Cutting Garden

Our “cutting garden” got a bit of a facelift with a newly-bordered brick path. And, speaking of cutting gardens, our house has vases in practically every room. Nothing brightens the room more than a bouquet of daffodils.

Daffodils

I was also given a couple of black raspberries from a coworker’s yard. They seem to be thriving from the transplant, and hopefully will even produce something this year.

Transplanted Black Raspberry

No more talk. Must go play. So, if you are thinking about staying inside today… get off your ass and get out there. Enjoy the fresh air, sun on your skin, dirt in your fingernails.

Spring Fever

It would be an understatement for me say I can’t wait for Spring, and the warm weather it will bring. We had plans last year of taking some of our yard and using it for growing some staple veggies (tomatoes, red peppers, beans, etc…). Needless to say, we were thwarted in our attempts. And, as I spent last March and April observing the changing of the seasons from my hospital room, I couldn’t help wondering about the year to come. Well, Spring is around the corner and I’m plowing ahead with last year’s plans to start some seeds indoors and get some homegrown goodness to enjoy this Summer.

Seed Packets

It might be a tad bit early to be starting some of these plants indoors (given that the danger of frost doesn’t end until mid May). But, I’m starting them anyway… well, at least some tomatoes, red peppers and some hot peppers. Perhaps I will start some more in a couple of weeks and stagger them in the hopes of staggered yields come July and August. We shall see.

Peat Pots

I’m no farmer, but it sure is fun to think about dirt and sunshine and fresh food growing. So what if I’m a little early?

House Favorites

You’ve seen both of these make appearances on ScratchCraft multiple times, but in different forms. The beautiful thing is that there is no limit to the types of combinations available for us to make and sample. I’m talking about mittens and I’m talking about pies. Virginia likes making the former and I the latter.

She just finished making Charlene Schurch’s “Pattern 1” from the book Mostly Mittens.

Mittens (Pattern 1)

These are knit with some lovely yarn by Simply Shetland. It’s their Lambswool and Cashmere blend – super soft, super warm, perfect for keeping hands cozy.

Mittens (Pattern 1)

I prefer taking a more indirect approach to keeping ourselves cozy and warm. It starts with a few basic ingredients, then add some heat, serve with tea.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Winter seems to be dragging on in Minnesota, and for everyone bemoaning the fact that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow (meaning another 6 weeks of winter), I say, “If only we could be so lucky.” It’s going to be awhile before Summer rolls around. In the meantime, Strawberry Rhubarb pie (made without refined sugar, of course) does the trick.

So, really, these are not just house favorites, but house necessities. And, ones we’ll continue to make and enjoy for awhile.

Apples on my mind

Apple Head

It might be possible to have too many apples in one’s life, but I don’t think I’ve come close. Saturday morning I picked up another bunch of apples, including some “seconds” that required some fairly immediate attention (lest they continue to decline).

More Apple Pie

The result was two enormous pies (I think each pie has about 25 apples), which is good, because I figured the recommendation of eating 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables can probably be fulfilled with one slice.

Other apples in my life that I enjoy are the ornamental crab apples outside our kitchen window. Not only do the blooms in the spring cheer up the yard, so does the fruit in the fall and early winter. While I was peeling the apples for the pies, this was my canopy:

Crab Apple

A couple of notes about my previous post on leaves and Carl Sagan – I obviously got a little distracted by apples and raked very little. The leaves aren’t going anywhere, and will be there for another day. I also tracked down the quote that I was hoping to find and replaced the one that I posted yesterday. It’s worth checking out.