Uncharted Heritage

This week has been such a whirlwind. Unreal. A shock. Sadly, and very unexpectedly, my husband’s dad passed from this life on Tuesday, October 9th. Our world will never be the same.  We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

We are keeping a journal of what we are learning, so that in our next attempts we will know areas to change and improve upon. For now the soil is extremely rocky and very dense and likely in need of a lot of nutrients.

Our goal is to stay organic, so we will be doing some research on organic fertilizers and will continue with composting in hopes to build the soil’s richness and, just maybe, with what we learn, our spring garden will produce a much better yield.

Linking up with: Crafty Garden Mama's "Tuesday Greens"

We had a cold, but, nonetheless, a lovely and peaceful weekend in the mountains, visiting family and enjoying the start of the fall colors.  Weekends just are never long enough, and there is still a lot that needs to get done today, so for now I am going to leave you with a few pictures from our Saturday.

  

While working out in the yard today, my daughter and I found a little treat - some wild strawberries.

Wild strawberries typically have a much stronger and sweeter flavor than the domesticated versions and are highly nutritious containing iron, potassium, calcium, sodium and high contents of vitamin C. And not only are the berries edible, but also the stems and the stalks. You could also make a tea out of the leaves by placing about two handfuls of the fresh green leaves into about a quart of boiling water; allow to steep for about five minutes and then serve with some fresh lemon juice or some sweetener.

 

Fun Fact:  Wild Strawberries are a part of the Rose (Rosaceae) Family.

Yes, I am referring to a spider. And I will start by saying, I don’t like spiders in my home, but this little guy and me have an agreement – as long as it stays outside, we can be friends.

On our hiking trips, John and I noticed some spider webs that were weaved into funnel shapes, beautiful works of art, absolute masterpieces. I had never really seen anything like them before. Then the other morning when I came outside I noticed a new, rather large web stretched between a window and chair, and behind the window’s shutter was the familiar funnel. I finally got to see the spider up close…and we had a little scare, the two of us. This species of spider is extremely fast! I believe I startled it just as much as it startled me, but it was so much fun seeing this spider up close.

From my research, I have found that the spider is appropriately called a “Funnel Web Grass Spider.” These spiders typically are non-aggressive and generally do not bite unless they feel threatened without option of escape. Just maybe, while ‘my friend’ is staying with us, it will take care of a few other insect pests.

Our Saturday plans were a bit skewed because of some rain, but we made the best of it. It was warm enough this morning and the rain turned to a drizzle – a perfect time to play in some puddles! We had a blast.

By the way, did you know that September 24th through September 30th (annually) is “Take a Child Outside Week”? Unfortunately, I was a little late learning about this ‘annual event,’ but wanted to share with you the organization’s website (http://www.takeachildoutside.org/). I was excited to get some new ideas on activities that are both fun and educational and targeted towards different age groups. They share some great resources.

We don’t fry a lot of food in our house, but okra is just one of those things you want fried every now and again. I came up with this recipe recently, while experimenting and trying to change up the usual, and, I will have to say, this is now my favorite way to have fried okra.  And even my husband, who isn’t the biggest fan of okra, really likes it.

Ingredients (sorry, “my country measurements” are listed, but these should be adjusted anyway to personal taste preferences):
*Okra (approximately 1 ½ cups chopped)
*Banana Pepper (2/medium)
*Cayenne Pepper (1/average)
*Cornmeal (approximately 1 cup)
*[A couple of pinches of] Kosher Salt
*[A dash of] Black Pepper
*[A dash of] Paprika

Cut the okra and peppers into thin slices. Rinse and blot/dry the okra. Mix together the cornmeal, salt, black pepper and paprika. Add in the okra and pepper slices and mix until fully coated.

Preheat some vegetable oil in a pan at a medium-high heat (I prefer to fry okra in a cast-iron skillet, but you can use whatever you feel more comfortable with). Slowly add in your okra mixture, be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Flip/stir occasionally, giving time for the batter to crisp. Cook until golden brown.