My white and bleeding heart

I have a thing for white flowers. I love them for their contrast against their greens, for their crisp style, for their starkness and honesty, for their simple elegance, for their light.

It's interesting because elsewhere in my life, white does not play much of a role. I'm inclined to wear black and earth tones, I've painted my home in bold colors and I famously inject brightly-colored veggies into my (already vibrant green) guacamole.

But white flowers, especially little ones, just get to me. And it hasn't always been that way; only in the past year or so. I seek them out, and one of my three gardens is white flowers only. Is that peculiar? It wasn't planned, it just kind of happened, almost without my knowing.


I mean, who knew I was such an elitist?

Looking back, I think it may have begun with the purchase and subsequent repainting of the house. Black had always been my favorite, but it's certainly not useful when considering room and trim colors. With the bright color palate I chose, and trim and baseboards well beyond refinishing to original wood, white seemed to be the solitary paint chip left. Maybe that's where white began worming its way into my visions?

I suppose it started slowly, this favoritism with white flowers, as most habits and crushes do. This seems different though, as I am a very conscious person. I combat my inner Virgo perfectionist by deliberately, but slyly making a decision, then quietly integrating new priorities into my daily life. Otherwise, I get so caught up in the organizing and planning and plotting and mapping, that I never actually do what I had intended in the first place, as it all gets too overwhelming and seemingly impossible.

Oddly, I didn't make an aware decision to plant white flowers, I just found myself doing it, and on trips to nurseries, dismissing suggestions of plants that produced other-colored petals. The two plants at the top of my list? A white rhododendron and a white bleeding heart.


(I know moms aren't supposed to have a favorite, the obviously, the bleeding heart has a special place in my - er, heart.)

Which brings me here, now. Clearly with an objective to surround myself with pretty white flowers, but also with a "how did I get here" question on my face. And what does any clever do when pondering the meanings and subtleties of life? Turn to the internet, of course!

In my searches, I found this insanely creative and fun website about colors, http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/#. Please do investigate :)

Other tidbits upon which I stumbled:

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. As opposed to black, white usually has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity. --http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Strictly speaking, white is not a color, but the manifestation of the presence of all color - the complete energy of light. It stands for wholeness and completion. In many cultures it represents openness and truth. White has a cold quality. It can provide clarity as its energy is complete. White has purification vibrations and can be used to clear blocks from your path. It holds the potential to move toward every other color and this makes it a good choice for new beginnings, and development in any direction.
Put some white in your life when you want: * to clear clutter and obstacles away * to start a fresh beginning * to bring about mental clarity * purification of thoughts or actions
-- http://crystal-cure.com/white.html

Meaning of the color white: How the color white effects us mentally and physically * aids mental clarity * encourages us to clear clutter or obstacles * evokes purification of thoughts or actions * enables fresh beginnings -- http://www.sensationalcolor.com/content/view/1063/144/

CSA crop share 2007 03

Nyuhm, nyuhm... summer squashies :)

(Click on the photos to see larger photographs and notes at flick'r.)

Holy strawberries!

A small portion of the three quarts of strawberries (see previous post) from Blooming Glen:


A breakfast of quinoa, diced strawberries, almond milk, and a bit of maple syrup. Best enjoyed out on the porch stoop. Yum!

CSA crop share 2007 02

Holy strawberries - three quarts!

(Click on the photos to see larger photographs and notes at flick'r.)

Sk8 FDR

FDR skate park in Philadelphia especially rocks because it represents the awesomeness that a group of passionate people can accomplish. In the mid-nineties, when skateboarding was banned from Love Park, the city tried to make nice with the skateboarding community by donating a piece of land in FDR Park (Broad and Pattison Streets) below an I-95 overpass for a new skate park.

Unfortunately, their half-assed efforts (the construction of two pyramids and a grindbox) proved to only further piss off the skaters.

Fortunately, the anger was transferred positively, and fueled the skating community to build their own park.

Like any grassroots project, especially those headed by such a strong willed population, the construction of FDR skate park had many ups and downs and lots of drama. In the end, a pretty amazing concrete park emerged, thanks to the fundraising and volunteer efforts of the skateboarders. There's an excellent article about FDR here. I do hope that the second generation of skaters at FDR (Avery, et. al.) appreciate those who came before them, rose up to the Man, and took care of business.

We went on Saturday, the boys to skate and me to take photographs of them, the graffiti and concrete landscape. There's a half-pipe that's good for kids just learning to ride, but otherwise, FDR is not a place for a kid to learn how to skateboard. Even though Avery is a confident skater and is familiar with the park and the concept of carving lines, we still always get there early to be out of the way by late afternoon.

Happy trunk.

Don't be a victim.

A patient, older skater.

Conner and ice cream.

Dustin climbing out of a bowl.

Pop pop's tired.

Dirt balls.

And, of course, I must mention food, right? After FDR, we headed into Chinatown for fabulous vegetarian lunches at Singapore :)

Check out our photos from the day here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikaelamartin/sets/72157600302119505/.

CSA crop share 2007 01

Oh. My. Goodness. Life is just so good!

I picked up our very first crop share from Blooming Glen Farm in Perkasie today, which included some of the most luscious pick-your-own strawberries EVER.

(Click on the photos to see larger photographs and notes at flick'r.)

I can't say enough about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Pick a soapbox -- fresh produce is healthier, local food supply is better, preserve land through agriculture, organic farming is needed, CSA shares are a great value for your grocery dollar, environmentalism through consumerism, support sustainability/durability of the planet, variety of produce is unbeatable -- then climb up on top of it and go buy a share at your local CSA this season. Check out Local Harvest for a place near you!

So are they a vegetable, fruit or grain?

In response to a letter I wrote regarding the use of gelatin in a Curel brand body lotion:

Mikaela,

Thank you for your inquiry. Our Curel Continuous Comfort Moisturizer does contain gelatin; however, it is derived from a fish and not an animal.

We are pleased to inform you that we do not use animals to test any aspect of our products. Additionally, current plans do not include the use of animals in the development of new products.

Thank you for the opportunity to be of service.

Cordially,
Kao Brands Consumer Relations Department
Ban Biore Curel Jergens John Frieda

I've had this email for a couple weeks, and have not replied yet because I keep thinking I'll come up with some eloquent and clever response. But then every time I think about it, I'm just like, "Dude, are you serious?"

So why are we doing... all of this?

She, is amazing. For a lot of reasons. A ton, really.

Today though, she's amazing because when I told her, in a fit of awareness, that NONE OF THIS SHIT EVEN MATTERS - NONE OF IT!, it was not only something that she too benefited from hearing out loud, but also something to which she thoughtfully and beautifully added:

"You know... sometimes remembering that none of this matters is kind of sad. But sometimes... it's also kind of a relief."

Fuckin' a.

I love that girl.

BBQ "Pomegranate" Tofu

A big yummy salad with spinach and spring greens, avocado and pomegranate served with Vegan with a Vengeance BBQ Pomegranate Tofu (pg. 149) and Coconut Rice with Toasted Coconut (pg. 109).

The picture above is from the first time I made this dish, and I've made it several times since. It's fast become my new favorite meal to share, as everyone (omnivore, veg*n, etc.) seems to have love for this BBQ sauce. My take has evolved into BBQ "Pomegranate" Tofu because after going to two Indian markets, an gigantic international market and Whole Foods, I've yet to find the pomegranate molasses the recipe calls for. Additionally, besides the first time I made the sauce, I've not been able to find pomegranates, as they're out of season.

Most recently, I brought in the BBQ Pomegranate Tofu, without any trace of pomegranate, for Fun Lunch Day(R) at my work. It was served with the coconut rice and a side of steamed veggies (orange, red, yellow and green peppers and cabbage) and a spring mix salad.

When at first I couldn't find the molasses, I used this recipezaar.com "Homade [no, that is not a typo] Pomegranate Molasses" recipe, http://www.recipezaar.com/86849. My method has slowly dissolved itself to any combination of pomegranate juice and/or regular molasses, or no substitution at all. I don't really notice the difference.

I'd still like to get my hands on some pomegranate molasses, if only out of the desire that seems to have built exponentially into an obsession since I can't find it near my home. I know I could find it online, but really, it's the thrill of the hunt, you know :)

And speaking of fun lunch, here's a gratuitous photo of momma Sam with a meal collected from several vegetarian side dishes in the prepared foods section at the DelVal Market. She was quite happy to show this off to her veg*n coworkers! Be sure to note Cinder's shameless chops-licking:

skarpifny in charleston

Combined, the five of us girls equal skarpifny. One was married on April 29, 2007 in Charleston, SC and we all made the journey to be there. Stefanie (with husband, Anthony); Nancy and me; Emily (with fiancée, Matt); and of course, Ellie (she married Patrick):



Although we all hung out a various times over the weekend, my travel buddy was Ms. Nancy Pants. She and I actually took on a side job, painting an apartment in the weeks leading up to the wedding, in order to earn money and avoid credit card debt for the trip. Aren't we resourceful? We indulged in dark chocolate at every opportunity (our current favorite is organic Dagoba with lavender and blueberries), were ashamed of our sudden junk food habit (that does *not* include the chocolate, of course), slept in a bunk bed at the NotSo Hostel and realized that we will make fabulous witty and whiny old ladies. We also saved $160 per plane ticket by flying home on a Monday instead of a Sunday, leaving us with an extra day to mob around Charleston. Here's Nancy at the Charleston Farmers Market:

Charleston was beautiful and so lush, full of trees and sweet-smelling jasmine. I don't know that I've ever seen a city with so much contrast so close together. A shop with $500 shoes only a few blocks from a home with a fallen-in roof; a Holocaust memorial near the "old slave mart;" historic, gigantic, expensive houses next to condemned homes (for sale, of course, and probably to be replaced with even more high-income housing); a neat little mom and pop sporting goods store across the street from Pottery Barn, American Apparel and Urban Outfitters. It seems to be a place in transition, and although I expect to see contrasts like that in a bigger city, I was surprised to see it in a smallish southern town. Like a lot of previously-undesirable downtown areas, it's as if rich folk are running out of room in the suburbs and have turned around and headed back to Main Street.

That all said, we did have a great time while we were there. Ellie's wedding was just like her: simple, elegant and stunning. The atmosphere at Legare-Waring House was classic and welcoming, and the food satisfied us all, vegan to meat-lover. The rest of the weekend was marked by a supremely kick-ass vegan breakfast at Rutledge Coffee and Cream, an entire day spent lounging on the porch swings at Waterfront Park, a number of "May I have a grande chai latte with soymilk, please?" stops at Kudu Coffee, lovely walks through the neighborhoods, a vegan- and celieac-friendly dinner at Little Thai Too, meeting a very sweet couple at their basket weaving booth at the above-mentioned farmers market, and NotSo Hostel's giant front porch and divine hammock.

Dude, I owned that hammock - and the porch swing. There was definite theme to my weekend:


Rock.

Baby banana bento

Finally! An excuse to buy baby bananas!

So, that's strawberries and cute bananas, steamed organic carrots with a sprinkling of dried basil leaves (on of AC's faves) and a piece of candy from one of our local (and largest!) Asian markets, Assi in North Wales. On the side, in a glass bowl for microwaving: steamed and diced broccoli and red bell peppers; they're mixed with Annie's Organic Shells and White Cheddar, which was prepared with soy milk and Earth Balance.

The divider for the bottom portion of the bento (the one with carrots) was recently lost. There's no way that we have to buy a whole new lunch box for the replacement piece, right?

TEN!

Happy birthday, monster!

We spent the morning at FDR skate park, stopping for lunch with Rodney at Kingdom of Vegetarians (where we had the best wonton soup EVER), back to FDR for a couple hours, then to Grandma Sam's for a little family party with Avery's dinner choice of vegetarian tacos and a cheesecake birthday cake. It was so wonderful to have everyone (little bro Aren, Leanne, Rodney, Brookie, John, Mike, Sam and Jason) there celebrating. And, of course, giving gifts! :P

I'd never been to Kingdom of Vegetarians before, which Rodney recommended - mistakenly as "Vegetarian Kingdom." But, dude. Isn't KINGDOM OF VEGETARIANS, so much cooler? Seriously. A kingdom? That would imply rulers. How do I get voted in? Man... I would own that wonton soup.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

I made the Vegan with a Vengeance chickpea and spinach curry (pg. 170) for dinner a little while ago and it was scrumptious. It made great leftover lunches for the week for me, too :)

For dinner, I served it with short grain brown rice cooked in vegetable stock and Bragg's, and a a side of Cascadian Farm "French-Cut Green Beans with Toasted Almonds." Apparently, the string beans are part of Cascadian Farm's "gourmet box" line. Who knew I was so fancy? They were a mistake purchase; I meant to grab two boxes of spinach, but grabbed one of these instead. I'm not a big prepackaged food person, so they'd been sitting in the freezer for a month or two, until, in a search for something green to serve on the side of this plate, I had reason to use them. I was pleasantly surprised! They look and tasted fresh, and the very light seasoning let the natural flavors of the beans and almonds really stand out.

Wow. This is a gripping entry, eh? Shall I try again?

Dinner was good. I recommend both the recipe and the beans.

That is all!

Compost bin blues

My compost bin took a hit a couple months ago, and this week, one of three sides fell completely over.

I built the bin from left over fencing last spring (http://jamhome.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-like-dirt.html), and damn... I was so proud of it! It was a real compost bin (as opposed to the compost *pile* we had to make do with over the previous fall and winter), made from reclaimed building materials, and the best part was that I built it all by myself. When I was constructing it, I remembered reading somewhere that you should add a floor in order to not loose nutrients from the compost into the ground, so I even managed to find some cinder slabs that I carefully and levelly set into the ground.

I built the U-shaped bin right next to the back fence, bordering the alley, where it sat, happily composting our coffee grounds, veggie scraps, fruit peels and occasional paper towels for over a year. I noticed a couple months ago that it looked a bit skewed, as if someone had backed into it's alley-facing corner, and figured I straighten it out once I removed most of the compost into the vegetable garden bed this spring. A couple days ago, I saw that the entire side had come undone and was laying in the alley; avocado shells and coffee filters were oozing out onto the gravel from atop the cinder slabs, splintered fence pickets were jutting up from the ground. So sad.

It's too soon to completely assess the damage. I just leaned the fallen wall onto the compost for now. Hopefully that's enough to keep everything in place until I can move the pile into the garden and do a little "remodeling." Any tips for when I do so? I was thinking of building a half-height fourth wall for added stability, but was worried about accessibility. I have a few weeks to think on it, but any advice is welcome :)

Yes, I took a photograph of my garbage. From the compost bowl on the kitchen counter: On top, that's some houseplant trimmings, dead flower heads from a bouquet, a couple napkins and a clemantine skin, all on their way to the broken compost bin.

Gel babies of independence

I love it when I can convince AC to hang out and cook with me in the kitchen. These gel babies from Fatfree Vegan were perfect for that. Not only were they a sweet snack, but they also were being made especially for him and he could handle most of the prepping and cooking with little assistance from me. So, along with a special treat, he also got the good feelings that a little independence can bring to a nine-year-old.





































They turned out great and we'll definitely be making them again. I only had eight containers, but easily could have used 10 or 12. We stuck to the traditional fruit cocktail-in-a-can because we'd never made them before, and although I kind of liked the cafeteria style that brought, we'll probably experiment with some different fruits and juices. I've also picked up on AC's, ahem, subtle hints that he doesn't like the name "gel babies;" he's thinking up new names. Any suggestions :)

Great grains

Lately, we've been eating lots of low-alkaline grains with a bit of sweetener and fruit for breakfast. Although we love the oatmeal and the Peanut Butter Panda Puffs, we also realize every morning with acidic oats and processed cereal is a bit much.

Luckily, AC's been studying/becoming obsessed with Buddhism and has just learned about Siddhartha's discovery and teachings of the middle path.

AC: "Why can't we have Paaanda Puuufs, mooom?"

MD: "Dude, that's so unBuddha-like. "

AC: " ... "

MD: "Remeber? Moderation?"

AC: sigh

Don't you love real-life manipulation - er, application? ;)

Quinoa with pears, nutmeg, agave, soy milk (I also added some peanut butter to mine):


Amaranth with blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and agave:


Amaranth with apples, cinnamon and maple syrup:

Bye, stuff!

One of my 43 things is to "get rid of stuff."


It's an ongoing process.


And, I'm enjoying it :)

Garlic soup

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup from Vegan with a Vengeance (page 67).

Yum, garlic. This soup is lovely! I must say that the flavors and textures are really just not complete without an additional bowl-to-mouth vehicle (besides the spoon, i mean). It's perfect with a super yummy bread. Might I recommend Bakers on Broad sourdough or Italian slices? :)

Totoro Fan Club

Ms. Susan V. and E. over at the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen blog turned us on to the Totoro love a few months ago. We rented, watched and absolutely fell in love with My Neighbor Totoro. Recently, Avery ordered the bento box.

Our favorite scene in the movie involves the very large and lovable Totoro, who has a Buddha vibe (and belly), standing under a rain-soaked tree holding an umbrella. As the raindrops gather on the tree leaves, they collect on the tips, creating heavy, larger drops of water that fall onto the umbrella, sounding out a very satisfying PLOP! Totoro makes the connection between the tree and the sound he's hearing from beneath the umbrella, grins, looks up, and jumps in place, shaking the ground, which in turn rustles the trees, and causes several drops to gather and PLOP! all at once. The look of happiness on his face is priceless. Clearly, Totoro is on the path to enlightenment.

And with this bento box, so is Avery.

We'll be hooking up with my sister sometime soon to learn how to make a proper roll, but there was no way Avery was waiting until then to use his new lunch box. We scavenged the kitchen for bento-worthy goods and came up with, from top left: stirfry (brown rice with frozen Blooming Glen greens, onions, corn, peas, broccoli and tofu sauteed in Soy Vay, caribbean spices and red chili powder), steamed carrots, toasted and cubed complet bread from Bakers on Broad, a square of Japanese caramel candy, and sticks of raw zucchini. He's also packed a clemantine on the side for morning snack.

His lunch totally kicks my lunch's ass. I love him and all, but he better keep a close eye on that bento box.

12 Step burrito

My recent favorite local foodie stop is Xinantecatl, a Mexican grocery and grill a couple blocks from the house. I usually stop in to pick up plantains and avocados, and we really love their veggie burritos. Even without the beans (they're cooked in lard), the burritos are super filling, have a great texture and are quite delicious.

Lately though, Jason's fondness of the Xinantecatl veggie burrito has slowly shifted from general admiration to uncontrollable addiction. He's obsessed. He schedules appointments only after considering where a Xinantecatl stop will figure into his plans, and he shamelessly buys burritos for friends and family members in an effort to get them "turned on" to the "rice and veggie high, man." He's out of hand.

Out. Of hand.

He thought long and hard about his addiction, how it's influencing his decisions and effecting his relationships. And by "long and hard," I mean 4.2 seconds. His very thoughtful solution was, rather than working the 12 steps to overcome his ungodly desires to consume the burrito ("that's a lot like work"), to become a burrito super chef in his own right. Meh, he's getting older you know, the fight's just not worth it anymore.

JASON'S F THE 12 STEPS BURRITO
Serves: Two bigguns'

2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 can refried beans
1 cup cooked quinoa (add Bragg's to water when cooking)
1 cup cheese/not cheese
1 handful shredded spinach
1 handful diced tomatoes
1/2 handful chopped radishes
1/2 handful shredded purple cabbage
a bit of diced onion (like a third of an onion)
1 diced avocado
1 diced jalepeno
fresh cilantro leaves
spices like chili powder, ground cumin, chipolte powder
salt and pepper
salsa, hot sauce and sour cream to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add beans to small pot and heat, stirring in spices, salt, pepper and/or salsa to desired taste; keep warm. Sprinkle cheese/not cheese onto tortillas and place in oven until melted (about four or five minutes). Remove tortillas from oven, add a layer of beans, a layer of quinoa and then distribute the veggies and cilantro. Add salsa, hot sauce and/or sour cream. Roll (or not) and serve with a plastic duck. And fruit - we used mango above.

I'm actually glad he decided to stay on the burrito. His version is health-ified (whole wheat instead of flour tortilla, quinoa instead of rice, spinach instead of lettuce), but still Xinantecatl yummy with their signature crunch (thanks, radishes!).