Sunday, April 12, 2009

spring cleaning

Today it's finally warm enough (read: tolerable) to open the windows, let some fresh air in, and get some yucky heavy duty cleaning done. And by yucky, I mean hosing out the litter boxes and bunbun cage. I've got plans to organize my stash room so I can fit ALL of my yarn and fiber in one place. Right now there's a shelf of it towering in my living room in addition to the inventory in the front room. Ben is moving into my place at the end of the month, so I've got to make room for HIS shelves of crap too, ha!

Anyway, as you know, I've been dyeing my butt off for the summer shows I'll be vending at. I'm aware that I now have more stock than will fit in Ben's car, but I dye on! I've been coming up with lots of new colorways lately, which livens up the sometimes mundane dyeing of 4-6 colorway at one time. Check these out:
"Futomaki" on Falkland:
Futomaki falkland

"Valencia" on merino/tussah silk:
Valencia merino/tussah silk

Spring is also time for gardening, which means it's time for food, which means it's ALSO time for our CSA from Genesis Growers! We got our first box a couple of weeks ago, and it contained a bunch of yummy cold-weather veggies- beets, onions, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, kale... I made a fantastic "root roast" and served it alongside sauteed kale and garlic topped with almonds:
root roast & sauteed kale

I think my favorite part about root roasts is that they are so yummy all on their own, without adding much in terms of seasoning. All I did was chop up the veggies, tossed them in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and a dash of Italian seasoning blend, and then roasted them at about 450 until done. You can't go wrong adding a smidge of freshly grated ginger too, if you're into that sort of thing. Anyways, I'm actually quite pleased when I open up my refrigerator and find it almost empty except for a few stray condiments and drawers full of fresh veggies. It makes the whole "what should I eat?" question a lot easier to answer, and my mind is forced to concoct new ways to eat all of these garden treats. It's definitely a welcome form of mental "spring cleaning!"

3 comments:

laila said...

LOVE futomaki! & i also love whipping up all veggie delights. if only jes wasnt such a downer on green food- i would make a root blend! sounds DELICIOUS! :)

idyll hands said...

Futomaki is FABULOUS!

Also, that root roast looks delicious. I'm coming over for dinner... I'll be there in 11 hours or so :)

Kidding, by the way. That would be a long drive.

idyll hands said...

I've tagged you as a Kreativ Blogger over my blog - now you have something to update you blog with :)