Peace /  by Karie Luidens

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Happy International Day of Peace!

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

2018 Peace Day Theme:
This year's #peacedaycelebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: "The Right to Peace- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70." Learn more here:
#standup4humanrights

Reading /  by Karie Luidens

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Here’s more on the remarkable wonder-plant that is amaranth, an article I came across in my attempts to research how to harvest its seeds: Why Mexican Chefs, Farmers And Activists Are Reviving The Ancient Grain Amaranth.

…in Oaxaca, amaranth is not just a fad ingredient. The ancient indigenous plant is part of a movement to revive native crops and cuisines, and a means of restoring the physical health and economy of their state, one of the poorest in Mexico.

High in protein and other nutrients, amaranth is also drought-resistant and profitable, netting local farmers three to five times the profit of other locally grown grain crops.

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Researching /  by Karie Luidens

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There must be more to the missing amaranth seeds than just hungry birds. Maybe I haven’t trained my eye to recognize the tiny grain-like seeds among all those drying purple petals. Time to do more research and teach myself how to find and harvest my crop…

See, illustrated articles like this one make it look like the seeds should be visible among the chaff straight off the tassel. That’s not what I got when I ran my hand down the flowers in my garden, though; I came up with all fluffy chaff, no pearly-pebbly seeds. Hmm. Did the early birds get all the goods on this batch? Is it time to cover the remaining tassels with some kind of netting to protect my harvest?

Revealing /  by Karie Luidens

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I may have one clue in the mystery of the missing amaranth seeds: while I was kneeling quietly among the plants inspecting the fresh and drying flowers, a small gray bird swooped in and landed a foot from me on one of the stalks. Ah! Of course—this must be a rich buffet for them these days. Maybe I was a little too literal when I called some of the flowers early-birds.

I didn’t get a photo, since of course the bird took off in fright as soon as I rustled and revealed myself. Back inside, though, I poked around a little online and concluded it must’ve been a house sparrow. Here are a few shots of a distant cousin nibbling at distant amaranth, just for kicks.

Confusing /  by Karie Luidens

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Okay, I think the time has come to tackle one of the most mysterious-to-me species growing out back: amaranth. Having never grown amaranth before or even heard of it growing up, I’ve cultivated these plants without any concept of how to know when they’re ready for harvest. This much I know: once the weather got hot this summer, they shot up practically overnight like weeds. The back of the garden has become a forest of tall fuchsia stalks, leaves, and tassels of tiny blossoms. Now it looks like the early-bird flowers are going to seed… but when I look closer there are no seeds to be found, only chaff. Time to do some research.

Flavorful /  by Karie Luidens

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For now I’m sticking with what I know in the kitchen: the rest of the vegetables we have on hand this week are going into a stir fry.

Delicious /  by Karie Luidens

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Well, that was awesome. A big ol’ pot of goodness straight from the earth, with plenty of leftovers after dinner. Ratatouille for days.

Ratatouille /  by Karie Luidens

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From the garden straight to the cutting board: this afternoon our first two eggplants became my first true farm-to-table harvest. Along with the tomatoes I picked yesterday, plus garlic, onion, zucchini, and bell peppers from our local CSA farm, we’ve got everything we need to cook a late summer feast.