gorgeous greens

So apparently it has been some time since I gave an update on the Bloomfield Community Greenhouse; the last time I posted on the greenhouse (scroll down), these babies were just seedlings. Now they are gorgeously gorgeous and ready to eat! 

Prior to the holidays, our plants were looking a bit leggy. Perhaps due to the reduced light levels, maybe due to a lack of carbon dioxide. We made some adjustments, a fan for one,  and this along with increasing day length seem to have made the difference. At a time when produce has all but disappeared from the farmers' market, it's quite wonderful to enjoy a freshly picked salad of local, organic greens. 

bloomfield community greenhouse

I feel pretty lucky and grateful to have been selected as a participant in the first year of the Bloomfield Community Greenhouse. What a great opportunity to grow food throughout the long, cold Canadian winter! Also a lovely boost for the spirit - the greenhouse was a cozy 42 degrees celsius when I stopped in today (we're still calibrating details like temperature regulation).

The greenhouse is a collaborative project between two community organizations - Imagine Bloomfield and Ecology Action Centre. It's a pilot project with a vision of community greenhouses throughout Halifax Regional Municipality. A handful of us were selected through a membership lottery and now we're responsible for the day-to-day operations of the greenhouse, logging our experiences along the way.

 

Features of this passive-solar design include solar-panels, re-purposed barn boards, solar hot-water heating that circulates under the interior beds, an interior rain barrel, a community message board and a vermicomposter. I'm eager to meet the buider, Zak Miller of Full Cycle Builders, to learn more about the technical components of the building.

I planted seeds about a week ago and they are just starting to emerge. I am so excited to get started with a new crop just when the gardening season would usually be slowing down. I'll be back soon with pics of the new babies!

hot hot hot!

I took this photo of my cayenne peppers on my last day on the farm in Oregon. It's the first place I've lived that I could really grow these spicy little heat-lovers. I'm now home in Halifax, NS and the lovely fall we had been having has turned bitterly cold! Just thinking about that long hot summer takes away a bit of the chill...

repurposed patio

I see these old concrete blocks everywhere - at the curb, in parking garages, there are currently several in the loft of the cabin I am renting. This patio shows a great way to put a common, resource-heavy product to re-use. 

This patio is part of a kitchen garden designed by landscape architect Chris Saleeba of Fresh Digs  for the Pantry at Delancey. Saleeba  offers a service he calls 'DIY Construction Coaching' which gives support to budget-conscious clients so they can install a project themselves with guidance along the way. A fantastic idea! See more of the kitchen garden here.

twined

My fellow community gardening friend, Crispin, has strung up twine through a neighbouring Japanese maple and connected it to his bean poles to allow them to keep 'twining'. It's quite lovely, I find twine to be very simple and elegant.

I tried something similar with my plot: I have been growing scarlet runners up tomato spirals and they too had reached the end of the line. Following suit I connected twine between the poles and my neighbours trellis to create an arbour. Unfortunately someone didn't like my idea and pinched the bean tips. Oh well.

Pesto!

The basil is finally ready and I made my first batch of pesto this season. I used this recipe which I fine-tuned last summer. Sooo delicious!

eggplant and potatoes

I harvested these gorgeous potatoes last night. They were delicious with fresh dill, butter, salt and pepper. I've been hilling my potatoes up with compost and exploring gently with my hands to unearth potatoes near the surface...

I'm also growing eggplant for the first time. Somehow the fruit just snuck up on me as I discovered them with delight a few days ago. These attractive plants caught my eye and I picked up a white variety at the local farmers market. I've chosen to grow them on my sunny SWest facing deck in a pot rather than transplant them into my gardening plot. I'm also growing watermelon and tomato on the 4th-storey deck and they're all thriving.

test tube trend

I'm really digging this test tube storage trend. My herbs and spices desperately need organization and that spice rack would be perfect. Honey by Bee Raw and Dean & Deluca spice rack. 

Oh wait, I just found this DIY test tube tutorial on Apartment Therapy .

smoothie secret

 After coming out of an intensive architecture program, moving constantly and entering a high-stress work environment, I had recently hit an energy low. I started the Spent program, which is all about bring you back in balance with a natural rhythm through daily beats over 6 weeks, about a month ago and am really noticing a difference in my energy levels, mood and , believe it or not, my face. A few of the eliminations have been tough, but one thing I really enjoy are the morning smoothies. I think the key ingredient that gives these smoothies such a gorgeous texture is... avocado. 

I've played around a bit with the Spent recipes and my favorite adaptation is the:

StrawMan Vigor Smoothie

1/2 cup frozen strawberries

1/4 cup frozen mangoes

1/3 avocado

1/4 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup water

1 scoop whey

2 tsp greens powder

1/2 tsp ground flax

Combine in a blender and blend 'til smooth. This is the perfect breakfast- quick, portable and packed with protein, good fats, fibre and phytonutrients. And delicious!

{photo via sunset }

cold frame balcony gardening

I'm about to undertake a little experiment that has the potential to provide me with fresh herbs and greens throughout the winter. A cold frame is like a mini-greenhouse. It's a bottomless box with a hinged glass top. Usually this would sit over in-ground plants. I'm reluctant to leave this at my community garden, so I'm giving it a go on my 4th floor balcony. It won't be as well insulated, but as I've said this is an experiment and I've lined the bottom with newspapers, which will hopefully provide insulation while still allowing drainage.

All of the plants below I've either moved from my balcony or re-potted from the garden. From top left corner, clockwise: chives, cilantro, flat and curly-leaf parsley, bok-choy, swiss chard, parsley, arugula, mustard greens, spinach, kale and red-leaf lettuce. Wish me luck and I'd love tips if you've got 'em.

homemade paneer

My favorite Indian dish is saag paneer, but I had never attempted it at home. I kept meaning to buy the cheese when I found out it was available at a local Indian grocery, then I came across this recipe for homemade paneer on Apartment Therapy. It's simple, using only milk and lemon juice, easy and quick. And amazing! That block of cheese lasted less than a day and was glorious in the curry and on its own.

milk & cookies

What a fantastic idea for party food- milk shots and chocolate chip cookies. I'm planning a crafts & cocktails party to celebrate finishing Apartment Therapy's home cure and am adding this to the menu. Setting a date would probably give me just enough pressure to stay on track! {via lake jane}

Fall colours

I can't think of a lovelier light meal than squash soup and beet salad (fresh from the garden!).

Thai Mussels

These are easily the best mussels I have ever had. I had always been too intimidated to cook mussels; my first attempt was just a few months ago. I used mussels from Indian Point , a local, sustainable mussel farm, using the following recipe from Donna Hay . I picked up a fresh bag of mussels at the Halifax Farmer's Market this weekend and whipped up a batch for a friend's house party. I won't take any of the credit for this recipe, but these are soooo good, both hot or cold.

Mussels with garlic, lime and coconut

I TBSP peanut oil

2 bulbs garlic, thinly sliced

2 long red chilies, seeds removed and thinly sliced

1 TBSP finely grated ginger

1 cup coconut milk

4 kaffir lime leaves

2 kg mussels, scrubbed

lime wedges and cilantro, as garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic, chile and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes or until softened. Add the coconut milk and lime leaves and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 5 minutes or until the mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that don't open. Serve with lime wedges and cilantro leaves. Serves 4.

Pesto perfetto

My basil patch is nearing its end for this season, but I'm hoping to make one more batch of a recipe I've been evolving all summer. I always intend to freeze the leftovers, but this is so good I can eat it straight from the spoon. 

 Basil Pesto

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 cups basil, loosely packed

1/2 cup walnuts

2/3 cup parmesan, grated

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

Chop the garlic in the blender. Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil. Drizzle the oil into the blender while blending. I've really enjoyed this with gnocchi as it absorbs the sauce, but try it on other pasta as well as on chicken, pizza, or added to soups. Perfetto!

Late summer salads

What to do with that quickly ripening basket of peaches? Try this peach and tomato salad adapted from the Time's columnist Mark Bittman's 101 Simple Salads. I've recently fallen for Bittman's 'minimalist' style of cooking and I made a minor adjustment to this fabulously simple recipe.

The basic recipe consists of chunks of tomatoes and peaches, red onion slices, cilantro and chile flakes tossed in lemon juice and oil. I added avocado chunks and subbed fresh basil for the cilantro because that's what I had on hand. Deceptively simple, this salad is complexly delicious!