tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31674027973975777642024-03-18T23:37:41.310-04:00Florida EcomaniaGrowing, Eating, and Living Sustainablysarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.comBlogger130125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-36230944276661889772009-05-07T14:38:00.007-04:002009-05-12T03:52:39.699-04:00One Last HoorahRob and I went canoeing a few days ago. It's been a while, since he is always working these days. We both took a day off to go down the Santa Fe one last time before I leave town.Unfortunately, it had been so long since we used the canoe that some large ants had moved in. A lot of them. Into both the front and the back of the boat, or as Rob insists I call them, the "bow" and "stern." I want to sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-14598045224371120792009-05-07T14:29:00.004-04:002009-05-07T14:38:06.568-04:00Tree GiveawayA bunch of friends and I went to the GRU Tree-mendous event a couple weeks ago. GRU is our local, community-owned utility, and once a year they give away two shrubs and trees away to anyone with a recent utility bill. People go nuts over this event. I'm not even kidding, you have to get there before dawn to ensure a good place in the line that forms before the gates open.When I got up it was sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-37111220460320692652009-04-21T11:14:00.002-04:002009-04-21T11:24:26.534-04:00MovingI haven't posted for a while because I've been trying to figure out what to do with this blog in both the short run and the long run.Short run: I got a job in Washington, D.C. and am moving there at the end of May. Plus, I'm going to be in Europe for half of May. My energy is pretty much completely focused on these two things right now and I doubt I will get around to blogging in the next month sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-44532237899962830822009-04-06T09:17:00.007-04:002009-04-06T11:50:08.671-04:00Cooking, Cont'dI was going to post another recipe on Friday, but it was after 5 and I needed to go home and cook dinner for some friends. And today I don't have this recipe with me, so I'm going to wing it a little bit. I'll come back later and doublecheck the accuracy of what I write.Southwest Corn HashSource: The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without by Mollie KatzenNotesThis cookbook is great because sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-70702336688918941332009-04-03T16:58:00.008-04:002009-04-06T12:00:26.134-04:00CookingOkay, I'm sorry again I haven't written anything. In the gap, I've done some more vegetable gardening, resurrected some seemingly dead plants, went to the Kanapaha Spring Festival with Sally, went to the Spring Arts Festival with Robin, and took photos of none of it. Sometimes I just want to experience my life instead of blogging about it.To be honest, I have very mixed feelings about blogging. sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-69688674120066067612009-03-19T22:44:00.000-04:002009-03-19T22:44:04.082-04:00Fishin' on Newnan's LakeIt is definitely spring. It's very warm and there is pollen everywhere. Last weekend was a great time to go fishing.I went out to Newnan's Lake with my friend Brandon, who has a canoe. I have never met anyone who likes to fish as much as Brandon. Here is his "I am so happy I am fishing" face.I really like to fish, and I love canoeing, so I was stoked.It was pretty much a perfect day, warm and sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-53620256513647699362009-03-18T14:23:00.000-04:002009-03-18T14:23:03.653-04:00Christmas CactusI bought a Christmas cactus at my department's student club annual holiday plant sale a couple of years ago. When I got it, it had multiple gorgeous fuschia blooms. Then it entered my house and slowly lost them all.Christmas cacti are trained when to bloom by growers. They need to have light only during the day for something like six weeks before they bloom. Well, mine's in my kitchen, and I sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-61653141673298884692009-03-18T09:45:00.003-04:002009-03-18T09:54:54.650-04:00Kitties and PuppiesSo it doesn't fit in with my blog's mission at all, but who can resist kitties and puppies? Everyone loves them, right?I recently got a cat. His name is Mr. Cheeks. He is very soft and cuddly and he sounds like a pigeon (seriously).My friend Mary recently got two of the sweetest kittens I have ever met.Emily's son got a puppy for Christmas. He's a lab, so he's already ginormous, but that doesn't sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-20042843780517280852009-03-17T16:32:00.010-04:002009-03-18T09:53:42.015-04:00Vegetable Gardening!I have not really grown vegetables in the past year or so. Well, I've sort of tried ... but only in containers ... and then I don't water enough, and the plants are too far away from my hose ... it's just too complicated to grow things in containers.I've been wanting to grow some veggies in the ground, but I rent, and don't want to tear up all the grass, and I also don't think my landlady would sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-25871803404271835642009-03-17T14:03:00.004-04:002009-03-17T15:26:28.545-04:00The Big AppleI went to NYC a couple of weeks ago to take a test (long story). I had a fantastic time with my friend Joel and his girlfriend, Susan. We ate lots of delicious food and I was able to enjoy many of the perks of a big city, which I have been missing, without the hassle, which I have not.Some of the highlights:Farmer's market in BrooklynAt the farmer's market, locally produced jams and honeys and sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-12050131739139923772009-03-12T19:14:00.002-04:002009-03-12T19:14:43.759-04:00RegretI've neglected you, blog, and I am sorry. I've got some ideas about things to post but am just running behind. Will try to get to them tomorrow.sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-48276320780201223042009-03-02T13:25:00.003-05:002009-03-02T13:28:45.003-05:00Notable HappeningsI was out of town for a bit again. Here's the latest news:1) My car's odometer has reached 177,777 miles! I was going to take a photo when it got to 7/10ths of a mile, so that it would read 177,777.7, but then I forgot and now it's way past. I have had my car almost twelve years.2) Between the drought and the constantly see-sawing temperature, I have killed almost all of my plants.I haven't done sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-34051560966666026402009-02-15T14:06:00.006-05:002009-02-15T23:51:55.617-05:00My Favorite RecipeI love quinoa. This ancient Latin American grain (pronounced keen-wah) is an utterly delicious complete protein. If you add a few other things, it's like the perfect meal eaten warm or cool, by itself or as a side dish. I usually make this on the weekend and eat it all week as a snack or for lunch.Ingredients2 cups quinoa3 radishes, diced1/3 can chickpeas (or if you use dried chickpeas, around 1/sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-5648888827201940262009-02-10T23:50:00.007-05:002009-02-11T12:26:08.753-05:00Spring Is on the Way (In Which I Discuss a Trio of Disappearances; One Appearance; and One Potential But Feared Appearance)Signs that "winter" (really, it's Florida, so winter is like a pimple on the face of the tropics) is almost over:1) Appearing robins. Every January, robins descend on North Florida on their way south, or north, or somewhere. When they show up, they flash their orange breasts all over town. These omnivores crawl over seemingly every bit of foliage and ground looking for grubs, berries, insects, sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-36981546413977153802009-02-09T16:14:00.002-05:002009-02-10T12:17:26.495-05:00Split Rock WalkA couple weekends ago my friend Lauren and I went on a hike in the woods. We checked out Split Rock Conservation Area, which is just west of town near I-75. It's a bit odd, because even though this is a city park that is open to the public, there are no signs indicating where it is, there's nowhere to really park, and there are no facilities or maps available. I guess they don't really want sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-73275451257136801492009-02-09T09:57:00.007-05:002009-02-09T10:37:12.834-05:00Farmer's MarketsFarmer's markets are among my favorite things. Local produce, giving money to growers, vegetables that are still warm from the sun and smell like soil -- all good. Plus you can find many more varieties of veggies than are ever available in the store.Last weekend I went to one of the five local farmer's markets we have in Gainesville. This one is the largest, I think, and is out on 441 by the sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-76790568373952807872009-01-12T16:22:00.006-05:002009-01-12T17:00:45.067-05:00More Crane MadnessGeorgia and I went for a walk on Payne's Prairie this weekend. It was a blustery, miserable day, but tons of people were walking the La Chua trail because of the cranes.Thousands of sandhill cranes have migrated down from northern parts to gather on the prairie (with native, non-migrating sandhills, which are a distinct but identical-looking subspecies) and eat insects, grubs, and frogs. They sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-83392128812951750652009-01-09T16:16:00.003-05:002009-01-09T16:20:31.930-05:00Crane Madness!Some sandhill cranes have been hanging out all week in the fields next to my work building. Here they are crossing the road.By the USDA greenhouses.They eyed us warily as we drove past them on our way to lunch.sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-52564404573462444072009-01-05T11:01:00.009-05:002009-01-09T16:21:42.803-05:00Fishing with JohnI went out to Emily's farm this weekend to do some fishin'. It was uber-dry, since we're several years into a drought. (I think we're thirty-some inches below normal.)That little pond in the background is the last wet area of a huge lake. John says it's a sinkhole that never dries up. That's where we caught a bunch of bottom feeders (catfish). People other than me ate them later.Also! Genuine sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-19458432333052342232009-01-02T19:47:00.003-05:002009-01-02T19:50:29.576-05:00Bike RideWe've had amazing weather for weeks -- 80s and sunny as heck. I went with Kim on a bike ride on the Hawthorne Rail Trail the other day. It was so beautiful. I forgot my camera, but she brought her new iPhone (envy!), and sent me this photo. That dark blob on the right is my face. No one ever said phones have the best cameras in the world.I'm going to take some photos of my plants and try to startsarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-43036058751948695782008-12-23T14:42:00.006-05:002008-12-23T15:17:53.577-05:00Catch of the DayI went fishing this weekend. My friend Brandon and I went to Prairie Creek, which is along the Hawthorne Rail Trail. It's a dark creek that drains Newnan's Lake.Actually, when I ride on the trail, this boardwalk is my turn-around point.I caught a fish!!! It was a large catfish. I was very excited.It doesn't look that big in this photo because Brandon has large feet. And it's flopping around.We sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-36413273675817371352008-12-12T09:43:00.009-05:002009-03-03T23:28:40.242-05:00Who Made Dat Scat?The other day Kim and I were walking to our building from the parking lot when I noticed this spoor. We knelt down and studied it, and then Kim took a photo.If you look carefully at it, you'll see lots of wiry fur. My hypothesis is that it's from a gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus). We've all seen them running in this vicinity (although I've said before I think they're red foxes; I vacillate sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-10451363297672894512008-12-12T09:34:00.002-05:002008-12-12T10:29:41.901-05:00A Walk in a Creek & the WoodsA couple of weeks ago I went for a walk with a friend in the Sweetwater Preserve right at the southern city limits of Gainesville. The 125-acre property was recently acquired by Alachua County Forever, our awesome county land conservation program that I volunteer with.We were going to walk on the trails, but as we stood looking at the creek I thought back to my childhood and thought maybe we sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-36787821409441345672008-12-11T22:18:00.000-05:002008-12-11T22:18:00.786-05:00A Walk to the PrairieA couple weekends ago I went for a walk on the Bolen Bluff trail in Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park with my friends Gabe and Amanda, their kids, and Gabe's mom. We were looking for wild horses.Where's Waldo?There were three -- two dark, one white -- and they grazed in the forest alongside the trail. Then they crossed the path about thirty feet in front of us. It was pretty cool! The horses sarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3167402797397577764.post-54556223194162318562008-12-10T13:00:00.005-05:002008-12-23T14:42:51.648-05:00Thanksgiving DinnerI'm late, but oh well.Thanksgiving was fun. Lots of people, good food, etc.I ate a lot of vegetables, but actually did not overeat. I only had one plate of food.(And a bowl.) I made white bean and leek cassoulet with baked-in biscuits. I screwed up the biscuits; me and dough do not get along. I'm not sure what a cassoulet is, except I think it's a type of stew. It was so-so. I probably won't makesarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04518004828791698416noreply@blogger.com0