01 Jan 11 The Garden Project

I want to get this Garden Project underway now, so the ground is as ready as can be for spring planting. I realize I am not going to get everything done in one go, so I’m going to concentrate on getting one area ready, and then move onto another one. I can get some seed planted for the spring, and then work on getting another area ready for an autumn harvest.

Crop rotation is important of course, but I won’t need to concern myself with that for the first year.

I have a fork and spade, and a roller, and I shall need a sieve and a rake.

Soon I shall look at exactly what I am going to plan on planting. When I had an allotment in years past, I tended to concentrate on growing either crops that were consistently expensive to buy locally, such as asparagus; crops that were generally readily unavailable such as celeriac and different varieties of common crops, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and squashes.

Commercial growers these days usually grow for yield, whereas growing yourself means you can grow for flavor, and you can pick stuff at the optimum time for that, and of course, it’s fresher than even it is at the farmers market.

I’m certainly looking forward to what I can achieve during the 2011 growing season.

Watch this blog!

Tags: allotment, asparagus, autumn harvest, commercial growers, crop rotation, crops, farmers market, optimum time, potatoes, rake, tomatoes

Filed in gardening with Comments Off

16 Feb 10 Downtown Food

Last weekend kicked off with eating out for pleasure, and ended up with eating out because we had to, if we wanted something warm.

Shrimp & Grits Carrot Cake Friday evening doesn’t usually find me downtown, but last Friday was an exception, and so after picking up Kathy, we swung by Ted’s Butcherblock where we indulged in a little wine tasting, and then enjoyed Ted’s Friday Night dinner.

This week it was a subliminal Shrimp and Grits, accompanied by a Spinach & Bacon Salad, which was, to a non-native who nonetheless feels he has discerning taste buds, sublime. I say this before anyone sets on me to say that their Shrimp and Grits is the definitive one in town!

This was followed by a delicious moist helping of Carrot Cake.

Now, Saturday, however almost never finds me downtown these days. While the Farmers Market during the summer months is a delight, it’s simply much nearer for us to swing by the one in Summerville.

Moe's Crosstown

Still on Saturday afternoon, with the power then out for over twelve hours following a few snow-flakes (some people called it Snowmageddon!), we gave up waiting for some heat, and a means to cook hot food, and after some discussion we headed downtown once more.

This time we ended up at Moe’s Crosstown. It’s a delightful place that I’d not ever visited until recently when one of my fellow countrymen was heading back to the Old Country, and decided to have his farewell get-together there.

There’s a few decent beers there, and a fantastic menu of burgers, wraps, sandwiches and wings.

It’s one of those places where I cannot ever decide what I want to eat, because everything is so darned good! It’s at 714 Rutledge Ave if you want to check it out!

Tags: bacon salad, burgers, butcherblock, carrot cake, delightful place, discerning taste, farmers market, fellow countrymen, friday evening, last friday, night dinner, rutledge ave, saturday afternoon, shrimp and grits, snow flakes, spinach, summerville, taste buds, twelve hours, wine tasting

Filed in Eye Did with Comments Off

02 Aug 08 Farmers Market

We were going to go beach walking with a group today, but it went pear-shaped, so we ended up downtown instead, at the Farmers Market. We were planning to head there after the beach walk, so simply got there earlier.

It made a nice change to do this, as we’re both usually working on a Saturday.

We bought some fresh fruit and vegetables, took those back to the car, and then walked around the stalls. We got a great Lamb Gyro each for lunch for $10 for the two, and some freshly squeezed lemonade to wash it all down.

Took a walk down King Street, and then ended up having coffee in City Lights in Market Street. After that, we were strolling back towards the car, when we found the new location of O’Hara & Flynn on Meeting Street.