Hungry Times Two

This is an interesting time to garden. It's pretty hot outside - the kind of warm that makes you reconsider your ban on grandma linen capri pants that you bought 2 pairs of a few years ago in a moment of humidity-induced weakness. (Or not. Maybe that's just me. I have three summer wardrobes: one that's meant for external audiences, a dowdy but comfy look that is Borderline Bag Lady, and a few "breath-able" things that could make a pastor blush.) In Charlotte it rains nearly every other day, either as torrential downpours or blink-and-you-miss-'em showers. I love the rain -- thanks to Mother Nature I get more time to sleep in the a.m. instead of lugging the hose to our backyard raised beds and our two plots in the community garden.  And the vegetable plants in the garden are right on the verge of exploding... but not quite.  You see the flowers popping up on the tomato, cukes and squash plants. Your green bean plants double their height ove...

I know it's nearly spring because 1) I'm popping antihistamines and guzzling hot tea to soothe my allergies, and 2) we just planted broccoli, beets, carrots and broccoli rabe in the community garden plots this past weekend. At home I planted three containers of bibb lettuce and four containers of Red Russian Kale. The herb seeds we scored at a recent Grow Share Charlotte seed swap are now planted in some old pots I found in our shed and soaking up the daylight in my office windows on folding TV trays. (We are some cheap frugal resourceful types, I tell you.) Hopefully in a week or so we'll have Lemon, Thai and Genovese basils, tarragon, lavender, marjoram and thyme friends sprouting. Here are the herb pots below, transported in the Little Red Wagon Scott found abandoned and slightly paint-splattered on a property in Concord. Again, we're so cheap frugal resourceful. We had a productive workday at the community garden on Saturday. Over 15 garden members mulched...

Where Does General Tso Chicken Actually Come From? From TED Radio Hour -- Takeaways: It's pronounced "Tsow" (rhymes with "Ow"). Fortune cookies don't exist in China. All the food we Americans think we know as Chinese really isn't. (It's still sweet and spicy goodness, though.) Friendship Trays & Friendship Gardens We volunteered last week with these orgs, planting radishes and carrots in their plots at their main distribution center. It was great to meet some new people, get our hands dirty, and help out.  And they have a  garden sign made of metal utensils - I want to make one for our yard.  Second Helpings  A carry-out and catering shop on the East side that employs women with records. The service was slow but the chocolate cake rocked, as did the kale soup loaded with veggies and the grilled pimento cheese sandwich. They're trying to attract more business, so CLT peeps get on it.  Nashville I'm visiting in a few week...

Planning to pig out on pastries this holiday? We just visited Las Delicias bakery up the street from our neighborhood for the first time. We bought a Yule log cake to take to a party, a ham and cheese pastry, and this portly piggie cookie. Good stuff! Las Delicias, 4405 Central Ave, Charlotte.