Potatoes and Salad

Before Shot

The potted plant is a Hollyhock 

Potato Stalks

Rotten Potatoes. Yuck!

Easter Eggs?

No Fool! Those are potatoes.

My favorite shot of them

All cleaned up. Purple Potatoes!

I replanted some of the potatoes along with some carrots.

A ladybug to help the pretend pond

Ahoy Sailor! 

Baby Chard

Baby Lettuce

Mint

Baby Mustard Spinach

I added chives and garlic to the purple potatoes and we had a BBQ.

So Purple!

I rolled the chard, spinach and mint to slice it into strips. We added avocado, croutons, and  tomato along with a balsamic vinegar dressing

Oh no! Flash flood. The pond gets real.

Thank goodness they can swim

Filled in an hour. We had to move the BBQ under the porch and it was a challenge. 

We did it!

This salad was amazing. Healthy and free. (Almost)

Glamour Shot.

100 Year Old Rose Bush

Notice the crack in the foundation. The bush is pushing its roots out.

The colors of the flowers change as they come in. 

We have to fight it back every year, but it is so beautiful.

Creating a Garden Space

When I first got started on this project I went around my house and found what I could to create a border for the planter box. I found three boards and some rocks and some bricks. 

The raking of the leaves was difficult because of the fence. I could never get it all.

I tilled the dirt. This was harder than it looks because I am small and weak. I hate the weeds. 

I used the larger boards of wood in the back to try to prevent weeds from growing from that side. (In vain, I am sure) I positioned the other long board in the front and secured it with dirt.

I want to be a tidy gardener so I cleaned up the leaves on the cement. Then I swept and added the rest of my boarder. I will probably do the same to the rest of the garden space but this was enough for one day. I ordered my seeds from rareseeds.com, and will be late getting my plants in the ground. I should be okay though, because I live in zone, 8,9 and 14 in California. 

The First BBQ of the Season

Tri Tip Sandwich with Asparagus 

 I invited my mother over for some really yummy Tri Tip. It was our first time cooking the Tri Tip and so we used a thermometer. The middle of the Tri Tip should come off at 150 degrees F. You can let it go to 160 if you like well-done meat.

We drizzled oil over the Asparagus and spiced it with salt and pepper. 

After the meat was cooked and pulled off the grill, we let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Then we sliced it really thin to make sandwiches. We added the grilled onions and bell peppers,and avocado.

 

Then add desired cheese. We used Jack. 

I also collected grapefruit and oranges from the tree across the Street from our house. It is over 100 years old! 

 I juiced them until I had just under a pitcher full. I added 1 cup of Azucar/ sugar. Stir it up. We added vodka, soda water and ice. Soo good. 

We threw in in the broiler for 5 minutes or less to brown and crisp the top. Do not put top of bread roll on until after the broiling process.