Lunch time walk

At lunch today I went out for a walk, and of course my camera came along. No commentary for this one, just photos.

Glorious Sunday. :-)

Today was one of those 'wish you could bottle it to keep forever' days -- perfect blue sky, ideal temperature (not to hot, not to cold), a Sunday so no need to think about work. Just all over perfect, really.

Paddy and I chose to celebrate the morning with a walk along Merri Creek. We weren't alone, with other dog walkers, joggers, people out for a morning stroll. It's a big enough place for everyone to share.

We headed over the bridge, which Paddy didn't like much at all. It's a sturdy bridge, but it rocks as you walk on it and clearly he thought that wasn't such a great idea.
We passed the market garden, admired the transitional vegetables with their wilted foliage and discarded fruit, and the new crops recently put in, the soil dark and prosperous.

Beyond the market garden, but before Bell Street, we took a side path into a cul de sac. At that point we decided it was our halfway point -- well, I decided and Paddy had no choice. :-)

Coming out of the cul de sac, the sun shone toward us, lighting the leaves in the trees and making for some pretty photography.
Back inside the park, on the metal pylon of a major electrical conductor was this poster.
I have no comment....

Beneath the poster, beside one of the metal rivets, was graffiti and a blow fly. Both posed for a noir shot.
Back at home, after garden and grocery shopping, I got to cooking with Em keeping me company. What can I say, days like today make me want to do creative things. Sorry Codee, creative but not *that* creative. ;-)

First up, soup. I adapted a rice and asparagus recipe I'd found on the internet. I cooked the brown rice in the rice cooker and oven roasted a mix of root vegetables with a little olive oil, rosemary, sweet paprika and salt.

When the vegetables and rice were done (in their separate places), I fried up some garlic and onion and mixed in the roast vegetables, being particularly rough with them so they would mush down a little. Into that I added a can of diced tomatoes, some shitake mushrooms (I'd had them since forever in a dried state. I soaked them in water for 20 minutes before use -- they add a delicious rubberyness, like calamari only without the fishyness), a handful of black beans left over from another recipe and some diced celery tops. I added a few cups of water, some vegetable stock, the rice and let it simmer away so the flavours would combine.
I taste tested half an hour later, not sure of what this odd combination of flavours might have turned out like, and... wow! There is a subtle hint of rosemary from the roast vegetables -- each of which have retained their full flavour despite their addition to the soup. The brown rice adds much needed texture and bulk, making this a standalone meal, should one wish.

Given that I've ended up with a dozen containers, I'm delighted that this turned out a winner!
For dinner I made a roast pumpkin and rocket salad which wasn't quite to the recipe but still turned out delicious. The best part, I get to have this for lunch tomorrow as well! And there will still be leftovers. :-)
The last recipe I ended up with time for today was Turmeric Rice. I've made turmeric rice before, but a different recipe to this one and I have to say that this one turned out a lot nicer. This recipe called for red pepper and sun-dried tomato, in addition to the turmeric, onion and garlic. I used brown rice, as the recipe called for, and it ended up just a little chewy which is how I like it.
I've frozen small bags of this for use in lunches and dinners -- out of one cup of rice, I have six small serves. It'll be divine with tinned fish, grilled chicken or tofu... really, it'll taste great with almost anything!

And here's how much help my little buddy is now that it's gone 9pm.

Going...
going...
gone.
With all the barking, playing, harassing Chester and more barking that he's done today, it's no wonder he's completely zonked. Which, of course, makes me happy to see. :-)

Inside Kitchen Garden

I have a five year plan, being to pay off all my debts so I can live a life of freedom, ease and simplicity. One aspect of that dream is to have a sprawling garden, a blend of sustainability and beauty, a semi-wild paradise that nurtures my soul and feeds my spirit. When I think of what it might look like I imagine Jamie Oliver's garden, though his is tended by a gardener and much larger than my ideal, but that's the basic idea.

Because I think that to wait five years for a lifestyle that I can have (at least in part) right now, is foolish and possibly detrimental to my wellbeing, I set out yesterday to create for myself a mini-kitchen garden in the sunniest room in my house.

It's the beginning of autumn here and by far the nicest season to be experienced in Melbourne with mild days, cool nights and sunshine that doesn't burn your eyeballs out of your head -- though yesterday it did try. Weather like this is perfect for gardening, whether inside or out.

I'm planning ahead for those days in the middle of winter when the light is dull, the days cold, and I leave and return to the house in darkness, but still want fresh herbs and crispy lettuces to add to my meals. On cold winter days I'm less inclined to take the flashlight out into the backyard in search of a leaf or two of basil -- assuming it could survive the frosts, the slugs and snails and the marauding chicken.
On a sunny day, a small area of my study receives sunlight for most of the day. Plants along the window sill should get almost a full eight hours, whereas those that are a little further inside will receive less but I still think it will be sufficient.
I chose herbs that I use a lot and rarely buy because they are so expensive and go bad before I can use them.
A pot of chives with their grasslike stems and tantalising onion flavour will set me in good stead for crafting delectable warm and cold salads with tempting flavours.
Basil, my favourite herb and one that I always have in too short supply, will now be in my own kitchen garden, there for whenever I wish to use it. I have a crinkly leafed variety, chosen because it is better suited to partial shade than the flat leaved, sweet basil that I'm used to. As long as it tastes like basil (and I'm sure it will), then I'm not fussed by the difference in leaf appearance.
Lettuce and rocket, two staples that have a myriad of uses, even in winter, have the sunniest spot on the window sill.
The plants are close together, clumped in little containers, so I am relying on a similar principle to hydroponics -- small pots, good quality soil (in this case specially designed potting mix for tubs and terracotta), and plentiful application of fertiliser (Seasol) to keep them going. The only slight drawback is that my study is going to smell soft of fishy.
Parsley, of course, because that goes with almost everything and adds much needed nutrients such as vitamin C, iron, vitamin A, folate, potassium and calcium. Of course, you'd probably need to eat several plants worth to get all of that, but every little bit helps and a sprig of parsley with a meal is not only decorate but tasty as well. It's also apparently a breath freshener... better than an after dinner mint. :-)
Another must have is spinach, rich in iron and fantastic as an addition to warm or cold salads. Chick peas and baby spinach leaves with olive oil, lemon juice and some red pepper... yum! I can't wait for my little plant to grow big enough for me to start snipping of his leaves!
Lemon thyme is a herb that I'd never have thought to get, but I found it the nursery and saw that it tolerated partial shade so figured, what the hell, I'll give it a go. It's apparently great on fish, white meat and in salad dressings. Ha! How could I resist that!?
Lucky last is chocolate mint, which smells divine and will be great for desserts and hot drinks. Apparently it's simply divine in apple sauce and can be used to make a mint tea drink... though I have tried that with regular mint and found it didn't work so well. Maybe better luck with this variety.
Lastly, this is what my little indoor kitchen garden looks like from afar. Soooo pretty!! I can't wait until everything's large enough for me to start plucking leaves!