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loose tea for loose women

mary mary quite contrary

mood: relaxed relaxed
music: Morning Edition
coffeeem asked how the garden is doing, and the answer is: transitional. The radish greens are knee-high: the radishes themselves are not yet fat enough to eat. The carrots and beets seem to be working away down there, and so are the leeks and onions. They'll be ready when they're ready.

The arugula is going to flower, but--for the nonce--still tasty if you like sharp greens, which I do. The lettuces are lovely, and I plan to make the first cooked collards tonight to go with a meatloaf. Mmm, meatloaf. Squirrels or birds seem to have gotten the first planting of corn, with the exception of one lone sad plant, so I tried a second planting. The various squashes and cucumbers are squashing, and one pea plant has flowered. (The rest have not, yet.) The sunflowers are up.

I have added a Green Zebra and a Black Klim tomato plant to the Amish Paste and Reisentraube, and two Cherokee Purples in a hanging basket, so with luck we will have an embarrassment of tomatoes soon. I planted a bunch of marigolds in among them yesterday.

Only two musk melons came up and the sprouts were a little bug-riddled, but they are hanging on. I'm hoping they will make me some melons anyway.

Also, black mint, lemon balm, dill, and cilantro are all working away, and I bought some basil and thyme in containers.

The rosemary is not very happy, alas. Maybe it will pull it out, but I historically have bad luck with rosemary.

In other news, I have a delicious cup of tea this morning--Mokalbari Estate East assam from Upton Tea, brewed for four minutes. I bought it with a gift certificate from a friend (thank you, friend!) and I am enormously pleased at the result.

Soon there will be revision notes from my editor for Chill. The ones from my agent appeared yesterday (yay!), which means that my mini-vacation is coming to an end. (Funny how much work is entailed in a mini-vacation.) But as for now, I'm off to yoga, and then there will be pushups (starting Week Two), and then tomorrow there will be a trail cleanup at Ragged Mountain, and then Sunday there will be a herding instinct test for the GRD and possibly rock climbing in Massachusetts if we have time...

...and of course, still working on all this research and reading...

...the days are just packed!!!
Tags: , , , , ,

Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 at 07:51 am | | Leave a comment | 38 comments | | Flag

Comments


beyondfake_0

I'm jealous of your garden. :D I don't have space to grow one right now - but I want too. I love fresh veggies.

There was some mint growning crazy under my kitchen window, though my landlord didn't seem to like it as much as I did because I woke up one day to pick some for my tea and it was all hacked away. :(

I admit, in his defense it didn't look very appealing to the eye.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 12:00 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Bad landlord!

Ah well, it's mint. It will be back. *g*
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:03 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

aitchellsee

Upton Tea? is this a source one should know about if one is attempting to start a home study course in Tea Appreciation?


ETA: My friend Google assures me that it is so; are there other more disinterested connoisseurs who can second these rec's?

Edited at 2009-06-05 12:04 pm (UTC)
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 12:01 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Upton and Stash are my suppliers of choice, depending on what I am ordering (Stash has wonderful flavored green teas--I prefer Upton for the straightforward and traditional stuff. Also, Upton's Russian Caravan and Rose Congou can't be beat--but the ony Earl Grey I like is Twinings) although kelliem has just turned me on to Adiago.

http://www.adagio.com/index.html

http://www.stashtea.com/

http://www.uptontea.com/
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 02:56 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Expand | Reply
(no subject) - tanaise - Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:25 pm (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - leahbobet - Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 04:27 pm (UTC) | Expand

lsanderson

Radish...

How to eat the whole thing: http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2009/05/radish_leaf_pesto.php
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 12:14 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Re: Radish...

They're long beyond the edible point. *g* This is a very, very furry heirloom variety.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 02:58 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

ozarque

Thank you for posting all the details about your garden; it sounds wonderful. This will be the first year since 1980 that I have ever had no garden at all, and I find it weird beyond description. Considering what's happened this year, having no garden was the right decision, but it's still weird. All this land around my house, and no garden ... what a waste.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 12:36 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

This is the first year I have been able to have one--I have an apartment with a yard!--and I am really enjoying it.

I am sad for your lack of garden, however. :-(
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:00 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

kristine_smith

Only two musk melons came up and the sprouts were a little bug-riddled, but they are hanging on.

I have a single cantaloupe sprout with chewed-up leaves. I hope it hangs on, too.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 01:38 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Cling to life, little melon! Cling to life!
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:01 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

kelliem

That sounds like an amazing garden! You'll be eating well this year! I would garden, if I didn't have a terrible brown thumb.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 02:09 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

I had a very brown thumb, but I decided it was probably like baking--fairly simple if I read up on it and tried to follow the directions.

So far so good.

BTW, I had the tippy Yunan yesterday, and mmmmmm.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:02 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

lavenderfae9

I'm glad you said that about your radishes. Mine are the same, and I was afraid I wasn't giving them something they needed, as this is my first year for radishes.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:06 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Well, if we're doing it wrong, we're BOTH doing it wrong. there's comfort in that. *g*
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:12 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply

tanaise

Posts like these are why people buy you tea all the time. Or do you have more shelf space in the new place so you don't care?
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:22 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

I adore it when people buy me tea--it's just that it makes me sad when it's tea I won't drink, because I am picky and fussy about my tea, and for most people, tea is tea.
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 03:25 pm (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Reply
(no subject) - leahbobet - Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 04:28 pm (UTC) | Expand

lady_savant

Your tea sounds very tasty. I am always looking for new teas to try.

This is my first year doing more then upkeeping my evergreen herbs outside. I am very excited and am inspired by your garden. :D
Posted on Jun. 5th, 2009 09:04 pm (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

pecunium

If, as I suspect, the black klim are the same as the variety I get as black krim (it's a southern ukrainian variety, grows in Crimea), they are delicious; with a drizzle of balsamic... heavenly.
Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:13 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply

matociquala

Ooo. I hope so.

So, now that you are itinerant, when are you coming to visit? *g*
Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:20 am (UTC) | | Parent | Thread | Expand | Reply
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:25 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:36 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:36 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:37 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:41 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:52 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:58 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 04:15 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:45 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:38 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:47 am (UTC) | Expand
(no subject) - pecunium - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 03:51 am (UTC) | Expand
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(no subject) - matociquala - Posted on Jun. 6th, 2009 04:17 am (UTC) | Expand

spiderweb_wine

Don't pull out the rosemary! It's delicious if you put a 3-5 inch long piece of branch in with pasta in the last few minutes of cooking, adds some invisible kick to whatever sauce you put over top. Rosemary essential oils! (also, mine died over the winter except for one pathetic branch because winter was colder and longer than usual here, and I can't find any more in any of the nurseries, and it hurts to hear you thinking of killing it. Sadface.)
Posted on Jun. 8th, 2009 06:18 am (UTC) | | Thread | Reply