So far, things are going pretty well with my winter vegetable garden. I have seedlings popping up everywhere, including some nice-looking beets in the big raised bed, plus some chard, turnips, collards and lots and lots of radishes.



Another happy crop is the fava beans, which are growing like crazy. I keep waiting for them to begin flowering, though. Thus far, they're all stalk and no bloom. It's possible I planted the favas a bit too densely, but they seem hearty at the moment, so I'm not going to worry about it. Fava beans don't really seem to climb naturally, but I'm having good luck weaving them around the supports of my bean poles, and I tied up some stray stalks this weekend to keep them from wandering into neighboring plots.



I'm also having excellent luck with the oak leaf lettuce. Any day now, I'll enjoy a salad of these pretty green leaves. I'm considering waiting until there are one or two radishes ready to harvest, though, so I can have a little garden salad. The radishes are growing quickly, so it shouldn't be too long.



My garden netting has kept most digging predators away, so my main issue this winter is bugs. Something is really going after my bok choy. I've got it planted in two different squares in the big raised bed, and in both locations the leaves are under attack. I haven't seen any slugs or snails around, so I'm not sure what creature is doing this. Could ants be the culprits?



There are certainly plenty of ants wandering all over the garden. I'm worried that'll mean big aphid trouble very soon. I have sprinkled some diatomaceous earth around the beds, but the ants don't seem particularly concerned by it. Is boric acid a better bet? I've never used it. I don't mind ants, but I absolutely hate the aphids ants bring. They are so ridiculously hard to get rid of once they take hold.

Oddly enough, the mystery bug appears to be sticking mostly to bok choy, with only the occasional dalliance with the chard or fennel. The bok choy seems hearty, though, so maybe it'll make it past the seedling stage without being completely destroyed. I have it planted in my upper bed as well, so it might have more luck there.

The only other concern has been the too-warm weather. I don't want my greens to bolt before they're even big enough to eat. Temperatures have cooled down a little, and I really hope that once December gets here we'll have mostly cool days for the rest of the winter. Those high-70s days might be nice for working outside, but they're no good for growing winter greens.

Now that we're almost done with the kitchen remodel (a year later), Dakota and I have started planning the next step in our DIY effort to make our home nicer, and, more importantly, more space-efficient. Phase 2 involves remodeling the bathroom.

Our bathroom is in decent shape at the moment, if you ignore the cracked tile floor, mildewed grout, lack of knobs for the bathtub and damp, unventilated shower. We do ignore these things, but we don't particularly like them. Plus, it seems crazy to have a separate bathtub and shower stall in a 945 ft2 house.

The current plan is to take out the shower and turn it into a closet that will open onto the hall. This will provide a much-needed place to store the vacuum, mop, ironing board and other bulky items that are currently propped in various corners. We're also going to replace the floor, make new cabinets, install a new countertop and convert the tub to a tub/shower combo. AND, we're getting a new sink. Well, new to us.

In fact, we already got the sink. Our design plan is to go with the vintage/modern look that worked so well in the kitchen. So, we have been on the lookout for a nice vintage sink to go with the tub we've already got. For the last few months, we've been poking around architectural salvage stores, including Pasadena Architectural Salvage and even Hippo Hardware in Portland. Both places had nice old sinks, priced between $125 and $175. That's an okay price, but not great.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to stop by the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in Pasadena, just to see what they had available. When we pulled up, I was delighted to find a huge selection of vintage sinks stacked in the parking lot. They had about 20 or 30 different models of various ages and conditions. After poking around for a while, we picked our favorite: a white, porcelain sink that kind of matches our tub. The price tag for this lovely vintage sink? $15!



Not only do we get the environmental benefit of buying a salvaged product instead of new, but the sink was a crazy bargain. And, the money we did pay goes to Habitat for Humanity, a great organization. It's a win-win-win. I am thrilled.

Hopefully, our luck will hold out, and we'll find some other bargains for the rest of the bathroom project. Right now, we're thinking of using cork for the floor and Dakota's going to make concrete countertops. We're still contemplating the material for the tub/shower walls, although we might go with Corian, because Dakota is becoming a certified fabricator. Plus, no tile means no scrubbing grout.

The bathroom remodel won't begin until the kitchen is completely done, which will probably be another month or so. But, hopefully, it'll go relatively quickly. It's a smaller room and the plan is less ambitious than a floor to ceiling kitchen remodel. I'll let you know when the work begins.

I have never cooked enchiladas before, but the other night, inspired by this recipe on Homesick Texan, I decided to try it. As a native of San Antonio, I have always been a fan of Mexican food, but I rarely cook it at home. (Well, we eat a lot of quesadillas, but that doesn't count.) Something about Homesick Texan's recipe reminded me of one of my favorite dishes, Enchiladas Suizas, and I wanted to see if I could recreate the tangy/creamy flavor in my own kitchen.

Also, I have been looking for a good way to use Trader Joe's Chicken-less Strips, and this recipe seemed perfect. It has plenty of sauce and spice to mask any possible weird fake meat flavor.

As my first step I pan-fried the Chicken-less Strips in a little bit of vegetable oil, just to brown them and warm them up a bit. When it's in the pan, you can barely tell it's not real chicken.

After that, I followed Homesick Texan's recipe relatively closely, although I halved it because I don't think we could eat 12 enchiladas in one sitting, even with Dakota's large appetite. Instead of canned tomatillos, I used canned salsa verde, because that's what was in the pantry. And I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, to keep the whole dish vegetarian.

Below you can see the enchiladas just before they went in the oven. I used Homesick Texan's tip about briefly heating the tortillas in a lightly oiled frying pan, and it really helped. Store-bought corn tortillas can be really brittle, but the few minutes in the pan made them easy to roll up.

And here are the enchiladas ready to eat. I found them exceptionally tasty. The combination of sour cream, salsa verde and jack cheese was just right; the flavor took me back to some of my favorite Tex Mex meals. And, honestly, I thought the Chicken-less Strips did their job nicely. They provided some extra protein in the meal and kept the enchiladas from being too mushy and cheesy.(Dakota felt the texture was a bit off, but he still gobbled up his enchiladas, so it must not have bothered him too much.)

Overall, I found enchiladas to be a pretty easy dish to cook. They might be better for a weekend dinner because of the time it takes to prepare the sauce, but I can imagine making them on a weeknight, especially if you make the sauce in advance (and get home from work before 7:30). I'm not sure why I was so intimidated by enchiladas in the past, but I definitely plan on making this recipe again soon--perhaps for some vegetarian friends when we finally start having people over for dinner again.

Last week, I discovered the one thing that terrifies my chickens more than any other. The one thing that sends them frantically flapping and squawking in fear. The thing that, more than any other, causes my chickens to take refuge in their coop and refuse to come out. And that thing is...


A dried sunflower head.

You heard me. Now, let me just point out that Peggy and Tina are not fraidy-hens. In fact, there are several things that they should rightfully be afraid of that don't phase them at all. This list includes Nigel, our dog, who, while small, could certainly take a bite out of their legs or neck if he felt like it, and Scampers, the cat who lives in our backyard, whose pretty feisty and good with her claws. The chickens are so unconcerned with Nigel and Scampers that they will walk right between them, causing a convergence of pets that I am not entirely comfortable with. (Happily, everyone practices the survival technique of completely ignoring all the other animals and focusing on me, the provider of food.) So, despite their lack of fear response to actual (unlikely, but possible) predators, when it comes to a dried sunflower head, my chickens exercise extreme caution.

I discovered this fact last week, after my friend Chris very kindly provided me with a big bag of dried sunflower heads from his own garden. I had mentioned to him once that my chickens liked sunflower seeds, so he saved these seed-filled heads especially for them. On Tuesday morning, I strolled down to the coop with what I thought was a wonderful treat for the girls. I figured I'd hang the sunflower on the run fencing, and then the girls could have fun pecking out and eating the seeds over the next few days. That is not what happened.

When I entered the chicken run with the sunflower, Peggy immediately flipped out. She started squawking and flapping and jumping back and forth across the coop. Tina joined in, but with less gusto, as if she wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but trusted Peggy that it was serious. Eventually, both hens scrambled their way into the coop to hide. I was a bit confused about what the problem was, and, honestly, I was late for work. So, I figured I'd just put the sunflower head up as planned and the chickens would eventually calm down and come outside to have their treat. I had also scattered some carrot peels, which they love, in the run, so I figured they would venture out for those for sure.

The following morning, when I went down to let the chickens out for their morning free range, it was clear Peggy and Tina had not left the coop since I last saw them. The carrot peels were untouched, their feeder still had food in it and there they were, huddled together inside the coop. Now, my chickens are extremely food motivated and there is no food inside the coop (just water). They spent a whole day inside, not eating their feed, which they love, or the carrot peels, which they really love, because they didn't want to risk walking past the dreaded sunflower head. That is how afraid they are of this inanimate object.

After shaking my head at the ridiculousness of chicken behavior once again, I removed the sunflower head from the run and lifted the chickens out of the coop and into the yard. They wouldn't go out on their own, just in case the sunflower head was just hiding somewhere out of sight, ready to pounce. Once they realized the sunflower was really gone, they managed to relax a little and are now back to their normal selves.

Happily, the chickens still love sunflower seeds, and Chris' gift won't go to waste. While they weren't looking, I shook a bunch of seeds out of the head and spread them all over the run. Peggy and Tina gobbled them right up, unaware that those tasty treats had come from the very object that had so terrified them the day before. Duh duh dummmmm!

Now that the holidays are almost here, I'm getting in the mood to make the house a bit more decorative and festive. Since I'm cheap and don't like spending money on cut flowers or store-bought decorations, I find other ways to spruce things up. One of those things is forcing bulbs indoors.

This year, I've got several pots of paperwhite narcissus scattered around the house. I'm also trying some freesia bulbs for the first time, for some added color. Both paperwhite narcissus and freesia have pretty, fragrant flowers and smallish bulbs that can be packed into a houseplant pot, or any other appropriate container that might be lying around. I picked up the bulbs for both plants at my local Orchard Supply Hardware, but they're basically everywhere this time of year.

To start, I planted the bulbs in a mixture of potting soil and vermiculite. Vermiculite is a granular mineral used in gardening that helps keep soil loose and moist. It's good for planting bulbs because their roots need good drainage and consistent moisture. I also put a layer of gravel in the bottoms of my pots to keep the soil well drained so the bulbs don't rot. There are lots of sites that provide bulb forcing instructions online if you need them, including this one. But, honestly, it's really easy and hard to screw up.

For the first two weeks, I kept my planted bulbs in the basement, where it's cold and dark. This helps them establish good roots before they start sprouting up. During that time, I kept the soil mixture moist with frequent watering.

Once the roots were established, I took my pots upstairs and spread them around the house near sunny windows. They're looking good so far, and I can see some flower stems coming up on a couple of them. When they bloom, the narcissus and freesia will release a light, fresh scent that'll make the house smell great. Plus, they'll be pretty. If I can find some more planting containers, I may plant another group this weekend so that I can have flowering bulbs in the house for the whole holiday season.

After my narcissus and freesia have finished blooming, I'll cut them back and plant them in the yard. They may not come up out there unless we have a good rainy season this year, but I think it's worth the attempt. I planted some last year, and actually noticed a few green shoots coming up the other day. Technically, outdoor bulbs are supposed to bloom in the Spring, but in Southern California none of those rules seem to apply.

Despite the fact that peppers are usually considered a summer crop, I've noticed that, in my garden, the peppers are much happier in the Fall. I got some decent harvests from a few of my plants this summer. But, now that the days are shorter and the nights cooler, most of my pepper plants are blooming like crazy and covered in baby fruit.


It's nice to have something to harvest from the garden this time of year, since the winter crops are still young and several weeks--or months--from harvest. The plant above is an heirloom variety called Lemon Drop. The seeds are actually from 2008, but I decided to try them again this year since I got zero peppers of this variety last year. Happily, my one Lemon Drop plant has grown exceptionally hearty over the last month and is now producing like crazy. I can't wait to taste the fruit when they're ripe.

I've also got several Wenk's Yellow Hot and Maule's Red Hot plants thriving in various pots. If the Fall and Winter continue to be mild, I should be able to get at least one big harvest out of all my pepper plants before Christmas.

Recently I tried making my own granola. It ended up being quite simple, and I recommend trying it yourself. Dakota and I both find most store-bought granolas way too sweet and full of "extra" flavors. So, my goal was to make granola that was simple, healthy and tasty.

My batch was made using this recipe from Curious Bird blog, with some minor changes. I also doubled the recipe, because we tend to go through cereal pretty quickly. I am storing some of the granola in a mason jar in the freezer where it will keep longer, and the rest has been steadily disappearing from the pantry.

Basically, you just stir together a bunch of oats, nuts and coconut flakes, add a little sugar, spices and oil and bake the whole thing in the oven until its toasty. Then you add raisins or other dried fruit and you're done. Simple as that.

I may experiment a bit more on my next batch, but probably not too much. The point is to have a simple, hearty breakfast cereal for less than it would cost in stores. So, getting too fancy would be beside the point.

We started using an organic produce delivery service last month, and so far I really like it. The company is called Farm Fresh to You, and I originally learned about them at the Los Angeles County Fair.

I've been interested in joining a CSA or produce delivery service for a while, but I hesitated because many of them require you to sign up for a whole season. What's nice about Farm Fresh to You is that you can join or cancel whenever you want. You can also easily change your delivery frequency, box size and produce type on their website. And you can let them know if there are certain fruits or vegetables you're not interested in getting, so you don't get a delivery of something you won't eat. The user-friendliness is really great, and the produce is fresh and flavorful.


The photo above shows our second delivery. That's the "regular mixed" box, which we're currently getting every-other week. It had a good mix of seasonal fruit, including oranges, apples and grapes, and Fall vegetables and greens. I like how this kind of service helps me plan meals around seasonal produce. It gives me a starting point, and then I search for recipes that use what I've got and sound tasty. I've never cooked with pumpkin before, and I'm not sure I would have if one hadn't shown up in our box.

Another thing I like about Farm Fresh to You is that they tell you exactly where each item in your box is grown. Most of the produce comes from California, with a couple of items from further up the West Coast (apples, pears). The company's first farm was in the Capay Valley, near San Francisco, but they now have farms closer it Los Angeles in Riverside County and near San Diego. That means the produce is all relatively local--perhaps not as close as farmers market veggies, but much closer than most supermarket produce.

The combination of convenience and variety is really working for us so far. I'm looking forward to receiving our next box this Wednesday.