Not So Crafty

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Mahagony Tip Top Nasturtiums

    These are my new nasturtiums. The seed package had a picture of dark mahogany flowers so imagine my surprise when I find these bright orange flowers. All of the online photos are also of a deep red. I am still enjoying these orange flowers. They are incredibly cheery.

  • The New Garden Villain Green Catapillars

    I have a new garden enemy, ugly isn’t he? I had a few last year but this year, I am finding them in greater numbers. They have been eating the leaves of my sage, mint, bean and even my beloved tomatoes. I’ve manually looking for them and then picking them off. They are tricky little…

  • Carrots

    One of the new crops I grew this year were carrots. I’ve read from other gardeners that the bland store bought carrots cannot compare to the rich taste of home grown carrots. They weren’t kidding. Home grown carrots have this beautiful rich flavor and aroma. I made two mistakes with carrots this year. The first…

  • Second Week CSA

    Week two had a lot more variety than the prior box. Thankfully, it did not include any mutant root vegetables. This box included the following * Cilantro *Big head of Melody Spinach *Small Bundle of Kale *Eureka lemons *Valencia oranges *Chard (my green vegetable Kryptonite) *Radishes *Red Yugoslavian Lettuce *One normal sized turnip I’m also…

  • Lady Bug Growing Pains

    While weeding and gardening this weekend, I spotted numerous lady bug larvae throughout the yard. These guys are voracious eaters. My yard has plenty of aphids for them to snack on. I noticed that the ones in the backyard are more mature than the front. At first they are dark black and bright orange and…

  • Arugula Flowers

    It was 95 degrees for three straight days in a row this week. Surprising the only plants to bolt were the Rocket Arugula. They sprout these small off-white flowers. I like the delicate line on the petals. The weather changed dramatically today and we even had a spot of unpredicted rain. I hope it stays…

  • Happy Earth Day!

  • Basil Addict

    If I had to pick a favorite herb, it would have to be Basil. In fact, I can honestly say that I’m slightly addicted to this amazing herb. I have multiple seedlings already growing and I’m about to start a few more. This year I’m not going to bother with the ornamental varieties like the…

  • Amazing Cabbage Salad

    I recently discovered a great cook book, “Local Flavors,” by Deborah Madison. It’s a collection of recipes created around ingredients found at farmers markets across the United States. My favorite recipe so far is the Napa Cabbage Salad with Peanuts and Cilantro. This recipe was perfect for the the CSA’s giant head of heirloom cabbage.…

  • Battling the Turnip

    I just grabbed my third box from my CSA and I realized that I never reported about my battle with the massive turnip. This was my first experience with eating and cooking a turnip. Since it was so big I actually was able to use it in two different recipes. The first time, I chopped…

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