Seed Leaves

31 Ways to Jump Start the Local Economy

Stephanie — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:20:34 +0000

How to make it with less, share more, and put people and the planet first.

Read Yes! Magazine’s article here.

House Garden Update

Stephanie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:23:00 +0000

We’ve had our share of successes and failures in the garden so far this year. The mini-sunflowers I put in planters are finally in bloom and are making me really happy.

I picked this Summer’s first yellow bell pepper….

and then ate it at lunch in a cheddar cheese, tomato, and arugula sandwich. It was delicious!

A visit to Umoja Gardens

Stephanie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:19:49 +0000

Yesterday I visited the Umoja Gardens, a project of the Georgia Hunger Coalition. Chris, the garden manager, gave me and a few others a tour of what they’re growing as well as a trail he is cutting through partial woods/kudzu. He’s very interested in working with youth; the garden is next door to the The New School at Carter, so it’s a good fit. The Georgia Hunger Coalition is also facilitating 5 farmers markets throughout Southwest Atlanta for lower income folks. They are partnering with Black farmers throughout Georgia for the produce. The project is off to a great start! Here are some photos I took while I was there:

Chris with a gigantic sunflower he planted to attract beneficial insects

the DIY drip-tape system fashioned from PVC pipe and drilled holes

Gerardo shows off the melons

They are currently growing cabbage, corn, tomatoes, melons, and summer squash, and are hopefully planting lots of collards soon. I will be sure to check back in a few months to see the progress. Thanks again to Chris for showing me around.

Truly Living Well’s beneficials!

Stephanie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:45:33 +0000

Rashid Nuri at Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms has a team of people working to bring beneficial insects to his farm. I don’t know the names of all of these flowers, but I love photographing them with bugs. Leave a comment if you can identify what any of these bugs and flowers are….

A Must See

Stephanie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:35:53 +0000

Go see this movie.

It is only in theaters for a short time. Go see it. This weekend.

West End Walking

Stephanie — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:16:23 +0000

From early March:

Wild Turkey

Stephanie — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:03:44 +0000

A month ago I saw this wild turkey running through the White Street Park, right of Ralph David Abernathy Rd, and jumped out of my car to chase it and take pictures. He totally knew I was after him, too, so he flew for a short block. Based on what I saw that day, I don’t think flight is a really viable defense mechanism for turkeys. It was pathetic and not at all graceful.

Climb

Stephanie — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:54:13 +0000

Green Thai Curry and Zucchini Brownies

Stephanie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Yesterday Tyler and I made Green Thai Curry with farm- and house- grown veggies: Onion, Snap peas, Green Beans, Jalapenos, Thai Basil, Zucchini, Broccolini, and Cilantro. It was really good, even though we substituted potato for sweet potato, and jalapeno for green chillies. It was also really, really green.

the end product- as I said, it was very green

After dinner, my housemates and I got to talking about dessert. So I pulled out some of our cookbooks, and wouldn’t you know, I found a recipe for Zucchini Brownies in Simply in Season: Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-with-Less by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. Simply in Season is an odd little cookbook (there are biblical references throughout the cookbook), but the brownies were very moist and tasty, and incorporated 2.5 cups of Zucchini!

the dry ingredients

walnuts and chocolate chips are always welcome additions to my brownies

House Garden 1sts

Stephanie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:39:17 +0000

Early Zucchini- now we can't keep up with them!

First Cucumber- went straight into a salad for dinner last week.

Summer's first (and second) Tomato- not an Early Girl after all