My Aunt Bess

Aunt Bess (right) with her sister (Aunt) Kate

Everyone has an Aunt Bess. Or should have one. Or at the very least, an Aunt Maude. You know, the one from whom you inherit things. Cool things usually, but not things that you really know quite what to do with.

Well, my Aunt Bess left a recipe for homemade mustard which is hard to beat. My dad loved it. Even as a kid, I loved it. And now that it is the season for salmon with mustard sauce, or crab with mustard-mayonnaise dressing, or even roast beef with mustard-horseradish sauce, it's time to share her wisdom with a wider audience.

I looked up my copy of the recipe but somehow I was doubtful that a mustard recipe would call for flour, so I double-checked with my mom. Turns out I was wrong: many mustard recipes - especially those including beer - call for either flour or cornstarch.

This annotated version comes directly from Aunt Bess, via my mom:

Aunt Bess's Mustard (original recipe from Bess)

6 level Tbs Coleman's dry mustard
6 level Tbs flour
6 level Tbs sugar
6 Tbs herb vinegar* (about)
1 level tsp turmeric
1 tsp dry mixed herbs

Mix dry ingredients together and add herb vinegar. You may need a little more. Place in jar and refrigerate overnight to blend. Keeps forever in fridge.

Herb vinegar:

1 quart white vinegar
1 tsp dry mixed herbs

Heat to boiling and allow to cool. One whole clove garlic may be put in also if desired.

If I remember correctly, she did not use Italian seasoning herbs - more like French herbs - tarragon, parsley, etc. types. I used plain white vinegar once without the herbs and boiling, etc. and it wasn't nearly as good. Likewise, only Coleman's mustard has the right flavor.

Enjoy. And Happy New Year!

The Very Last of the Last-Ones-on-the-Vine

Photo taken on December 5, 2013 

Given just how cold my tootsies have been this past week, it's pretty apparent that our lovely, long drawn-out Indian summer is finally over. Dang. And no rain in the forecast, either.

Anything that is going to keep growing this winter will just have to be happy tucked in under those row covers.

Purple Viking potatoes harvested on December 10, 2013

So who likes freezing? The Top Hat blueberry went all pink in the cold weather.

Photo taken on December 14, 2013

Another Birthday

Four Years Old

Shameless Plug #5: Pets and People by Carla Reed

Know someone who has everything?  Oh no, s/he doesn't… Yeah, yeah, s/he has the this and the that and the other, but now that we have arrived at the Season of Shopping (SOS), all of this matters.  'Cause you're supposed to come up with something else, something new, something very cool and different, for that special someone.

A few suggestions:

First up, travel to a non-Christian country for the month and avoid the entire issue. That is what my best guy fervently hopes for each year, conveniently forgetting that scary food poisoning episode in Thailand a few Christmases back. Or maybe, in his belief system, a near death experience is just a minor trade-off. You'll have to ask him.

Marbles the ButtHead, 1990-2007

Secondly, don't give your loved someone a pet, unless s/he has already agreed, and gets to pick out the animal. (That means you, Ann. And Kira concurs.)

But if you ignore that advice, or if s/he already has a pet, consider a pet portrait by Carla Reed. I met her when she was making the most fabulous lampshades; she went on to design and paint many of the fabrics that, over the years, have been wrapped around our bodies and lives. Heck, she even painted Marbles, the Butthead of the World, so she can paint anything.

Bees, Bees, Bees, Please

Everyone has heard about the hard time bees are having these days, what with the high rents and slow job growth…  hmmm, that's not what I meant to say.

Actually, I bet they're not too concerned about rents and they already work for free. So we just have to stop killing them all off. Yes you, though perhaps not intentionally. In truth, probably quite unwittingly.

Fact is, a recent study has determined that the pesticides (neonicitinoids, or "neonics" for short) involved in honeybee colony collapse disorder have been found in plants sold at local nurseries, especially those big boxy plant sellers.

Wanna know more? This article in Oakland Local does a terrific job of explaining the issues, as well as gives some good advice about how to avoid poisoning your favorite friends in the yellow-and-black jackets.

Honey from "our" Bees

Wanna do more? MoveOn has a petition which asks Lowes and the Home Depot to stop selling neonics. And Friends of the Earth is also sponsoring a petition calling on Washington to restrict neonics.

Wanna really do something? Check to make sure that you are not using neonics in your garden regime. Buy your plants from retailers that do not sell plants which have been subjected to neonics.

For example,  Berkeley Hort, is looking into what pesticides its suppliers are using. The nice people there plan to continue the investigation and work to ensure that their plants are not toxic to bees. And I called up Annie's Annuals: the answer there was, "We have our own hive here, and would never do anything to harms the bees."

Finally, if you are really brave, you can grow many plants from seeds. It's not hard (ahem, I'll tell you my experiences with tuberous begonias another day) but it does take a bit of time.

Now wanna know a secret? We had a beehive this year. It came with its own beekeeper. And the pint of honey we received was the best. Sadly, the queen swarmed and now the box is empty, but we're looking forward to a new bee family moving in next spring. The rent? Really, really cheap.

Powershift 2013

I'd never heard of Powershift, the on-line "community that seeks to empower and serve as a hub for the youth climate movement." But my nephew Ian and some of his fellow high school students were raising money to get to it's conference in Pittsburgh in October, so I became a little bit better educated.  Here is Ian's report on the conference:

"Now that It's been about a week after I got back from Powershift, and I think now I can truly talk about the experience.

We left Friday at 9:30, and began the infamous road trip.  Seven hours, and a few paperbacks later, we reached the church we would be staying at (The Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church), dropped off our stuff, and rushed over to Powershift. Unfortunately, sign-ins took a while, but finally we got in to see the keynote speakers.  At about ten, we all boarded the bus (about $70 for all of us, bus fare is expensive) and fell asleep in the church floor by midnight.

The next morning we woke up at six, took the bus into Pittsburgh, and started the workshops at 9.  The workshops were a whole variety of topics, some panels, some discussions, each about a hour long.  

I learned about the social justice aspect of environmentalism (a theme that would come back in every panel), fracking, nuclear power, and a powerful movie called "Bidder 70".  Wrap it up with a classy dinner and more amazing keynote speakers, and I call it a day.

Sunday we woke up at six again, got some bagels and coffee, and headed down to the convention center for the caucuses.  The caucuses were group chats for people fitting under the description of the caucuses.  I went to the high school one as it really was my only option, and we talked about the problems we were facing and the people who were causing them.

Next were more panels and discussions, where I learned more about the dangers of nuclear power and a interesting concept know as "Shared Economics".  After lunch and more panels, we sat down for the last keynote speakers, including Bill Mckibben!  We wrapped it up with a live music performance, and got back to the church at 12ish.  

There was going to be a large rally around Pittsburgh the next day, but we had to leave in order to make it back for school the next day.  

I hope that covers it all!  Email me back with any questions you have.  Tell Michael a report on my art progress is coming soon!"
-Ian

Photos courtesy of Ian Cullings

Author photo courtesy of J. Lawrence

Calories on the Street

We love the San Marzano tomatoes and do not readily share them with anyone but close friends. So when I spotted giant caterpillar poops (really they were still "pooplets," but relatively speaking, they were enormous) under the plants, I knew I had a varmint.

In fact, I had two. Tomato Hornworms. One was almost 5" long. Both were completely yucky. And almost impossible to locate on the vines because of their protective coloration. But if you just look up from the trail of poops (and stifle the squeam-factor), you can eventually find 'em.

And then what to do? They're just too big to squish (you'd never get the mess off your shoes). So I pitched them into the yard waste bin for pick-up later in the week. Let the garbage guys deal with them - they get paid for this kinda stuff.

And then I got to thinking...

These babies must pack a lot of calories, probably some usable proteins and, after eating all those leaves and a coupla green tomatoes, a fair amount of vitamins and minerals. Not that I was planning on eating them, mind you. I'm still not sure about this new idea of cricket bars, which apparently do a good job of disguising the bugs inside. Truth to tell, I'm not even sure about the old timey energy/power bar units. I think they all taste pretty nasty.

But what about my friends' chickens? Chickens love caterpillars, right? So I scooped them back out of the bin, packaged them up in a small paper carton and sent them off to the ladies for lunch.

Hah! Such a sad story. Unlike these birds - the local Oakland gals were afraid. Afraid of a coupla green squishy bugs. So much for Oaktown 'tude...

Go Take a Hike....on the New Bay Bridge

We did. And can recommend it, especially before the old one is completely gone. 'Cause after all these years of traveling over it, you've never seen it look like this before: totally empty. Privately, I wonder if someone will pay enough to be allowed to film some apocalyptic, car-chase movie on the bridge before it is all torn down...

To get onto the pathway, we used the Burma Rd./Maritime St. trailhead near the Port. We went on a weekday morning (be aware that you must walk from the parking area back to the intersection - the way is not obvious - but the trailhead actually starts back there.) and parking was easy. Dress in layers: we started out all bundled up but by the end, were both sweaty hot.

And that's because it's a looong walk. Or at least much longer than I was expecting. Everything I read about the trail mentioned "2.2 miles." But that doesn't count the nearly 2 miles of walking before you can actually get onto the bridge. So count on nearly 8 miles round trip, and on being starved for lunch by the end.

But that little detail didn't stop lots of people from enjoying the outing.  I counted about the same number of bicyclists as pedestrians, the majority of whom were women. Yup, surprised me, too. 

Also along the way we came across an art class from a local elementary school drawing the old bridge, an entire fleet, organized in small pods, though, of parents, grandparents and babysitters pushing strollers, and more than a few older goofballs like us.  Many of the people on the trail were a little giggly, probably because it seemed pretty darn unusual to be walking above the bay.

Everyone had a camera, and stopped repeatedly to take photos. The "real" traffic was also stopped for some of the time, but I doubt they were having nearly as much fun as we were.

I Hate:

 Getting my nails clipped

(even though I get treats afterwards)

photo courtesy of Sari Kulberg

Amaranth, the Showstopper

Amaranth is once again being touted as the next big thing - a superfood even - but it has been around since before the Aztecs and the Incas lost out to the Spaniards. In the 70's, the Rodale Institute tried to pitch amaranth as the grain of the future, but without much success. This summer I just had to try it: not so much for the superfood aspects, but because I had never tried growing any kind of grain before, and this was a very easy place to start.

Amaranth starts really small - the seeds are so tiny that they cook down into a porridge. When they were still young and tender, we ate the leaves - think "mild spinach." Even better, think "Greek diet."  I convinced the neighbors to try some, and they thought the amaranth was alright, although they found the stems a little tough. (Yeah right, try rainbow chard if you want tough stems.)

Some people apparently add the young leaves to the salad mix, but do not try this at my home. Nor rainbow chard in any form, for that matter.

But amaranth sure knows how to grow. Within a few weeks, the plants were no longer suitable for greens (the seed heads were already forming). Instead they became the Purple Sensation on the block. I met more people over the question of just what the heck was growing up front. And the queries only increased as the number and size of the flowering seed heads expanded.

Ultimately, the plants topped out at about 6 ft., with at least a 3 ft. spread (naw, once again, we couldn't use the walkway. So whose dumb idea was this anyway?)

Be aware that those tiny seeds easily drop from the flower heads, so if you plant amaranth, expect to find many, many, many seedlings coming up next year - just in time for a spring "mess o' greens." No worries, though, they are very easy to pull out.

Many gardeners grow amaranth for the wonderful, long-lasting bouquets they produce. The flowers can also be dried for year-round floral arrangements. (Can be, but not by me. I already have enough things that suffer from a lack of dusting.)

So eat the leaves and share the bounty with your friends and neighbors.