I was sick over Christmas, and just got better the last couple days. Yesterday I cleaned my desk off, and I have been enjoying all the lovely space as I get in a lot of writing. It feels really good to have a nice clean workspace to start the new year with.
Christmas Orange
Fragrant, lovely citrus
Just the thing to brighten a
Dull, winter day.
Posted by Lizbeth on December 31, 2014
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2014/12/31/a-clean-desk-for-a-new-year/
I don’t normally write restaurant reviews, but the food at Joe & Sugar’s Cafe in La Grande, Oregon, is fantastic. So I thought I would tell you all about it. :)
I don’t expect most of you will ever go to La Grande, Oregon, it certainly was an unexpected stop for me (and a story for another time & post), but if you go there, be sure and eat at Joe & Sugar’s Cafe. The omelet was perfect, the muffins were out of this world, and the service went above and beyond any expectations.
They were accommodating of food requirements and preferences, understanding of children’s needs, and best of all, they had a giant book basket for children to peruse while they waited for their food.
Be sure and have a muffin while you are there. I had my muffin to go, and I was sorry, because I wanted another when I was done, and it was miles back the road by then.
Has anyone else eaten here?
Posted by Lizbeth on August 2, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/08/02/friday-review-joe-sugars-cafe-in-la-grande-or/
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
2 organic lemons
Peel the lemons, removing as much white fiber (under the peel) as possible. Dice the peeled lemons. Remove as many seeds as you can. Place the lemons in a pitcher. Fill pitcher with water. Put pitcher in refrigerator for 24 hours. The next day, add sugar and stir. Yum!
Posted by Lizbeth on June 12, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/out-of-this-world-good-lemonade/
I’ve been spending tons of time outdoors, getting the garden ready for summer. I also transplanted lots of celery starts today — hope they survive the treatment. And my napa cabbage is doing so well I had to thin it today. I can hardly believe I have to keep it indoors until the seedlings are 6 weeks old, but I am trying very hard this year not to do things too early — I lose too many starts that way, trusting the weather to hold, and it never does here in Idaho in the spring.
Celery Seedlings
Napa Cabbage Seedlings
Posted by Lizbeth on April 1, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/spring-is-here/
In past years, I have always started my seeds too early and ended up with leggy, unhappy seedlings. So this year, I made myself wait until 3 months (12 weeks) before the last frost date to start any seeds, and I am spacing them out more carefully. I hope this results in happier seedlings. I also have a grow light, now.
Yesterday I started seeds indoors: celery, celeriac, and leeks (2 varieties to space out harvest) under the grow light; and onions, napa cabbage, and cabbage in the window. Both flats are on heat mats.
Today I built my first-ever mini-hoop house in the backyard, and planted endive, more onions, and mache’ (corn salad) in it. I built the mini-hoop house with hardware cloth, a row cover, and garden staples. It won’t stand up to heavy snow, so it’s not a winter hoop house, but I’m hoping it will stand up to the winds and light snows of early spring. So far, the cover hasn’t blown off with the mild breeze we’ve had today. (Well, it’s a mild breeze for eastern Idaho, it might be considered more of a stiff breeze most anywhere else). If it continues to hold up, I will post a how-to article here. I am planning to build a more substantial hoop house next fall for next winter, but I didn’t have the time or energy to deal with stakes, heavy-duty hoops, and half-frozen soil today.
Yesterday, I made a trip to the plant nursery to pick up some large peat pots and new gloves (I go through gloves like you wouldn’t believe). I couldn’t resist two tiny kalanchoes in bloom, one pink and one white. They are very sweet.
Posted by Lizbeth on March 9, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/first-seeds-started/
A new study has come out claiming that many foods are not what they claim they are — they have been adulterated. Pomegranate juice was found to have unlabeled apple or grape juice in it, lemon juice was found to be mostly water, the list goes on.
This seems fairly harmless, even if annoying and illegal, until you realize that many Americans rely on food labels to keep them safe and healthy. If you have food allergies, ingesting even a little bit of a food you are allergic to can result in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, hives, swelling, or even death. Unlabeled ingredients threaten the lives and health of everyone with food allergies.
If you have food allergies, and you experience an adverse (bad) reaction to a food, and you are in the USA, contact the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Posted by Lizbeth on January 24, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/food-allergies-beware/
English: Template for Template:Food safety (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was recently sent some food safety tips to share with my blog readers. These tips are from Compliance and Safety, a company creating safety and training DVDs for the workplace. I’ve excerpted the ones I thought most useful, the rest can be read here.
Always wash your hands and, if needed, the food in question (even if it looks clean!).
- Use clean water to rinse of fruits and vegetables which don’t need peeled.
- Wash each lettuce leaf and grape pod individually.
- Use soap and water for those which will be peeled.
- Always wash all surfaces, utensils, and cutting boards that came in contact with raw meat and fish.
Posted by Lizbeth on January 17, 2013
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/food-safety-tips/
Posted by Lizbeth on October 10, 2012
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/wordless-wednesday-fruit-bowl/
You may have heard of the latest peanut butter recall, I had not until today. Many brands of peanut butter and other nut butters have been recalled, they were all produced at a single factory in New Mexico and were contaminated with salmonella. Many house (generic) brands were produced by this factory and labeled with the house label of the store they were sold at. You can find out if your brand of peanut butter is contaminated at the FDA’s website for food recalls.
Posted by Lizbeth on October 7, 2012
https://lizbethsgarden.wordpress.com/2012/10/07/new-peanut-butter-recall-foodsafety/
Love and Memory: A poetry chapbook by Elizabeth C
Lizbeth's Garden: Simplicity with a Twist
New Items in Lizbeth’s Etsy Store
