Toor dal yellow split peas

Yellow split peas - 'toor dal' if you go by labels - serves 2 to 3 - 1 cup washed peas, 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp curry powder, salt, bit olive oil, bring to boil then stir, turn on low until peas are soft, add raw carrot, chopped garlic cloves, powdered ginger, cumin, black pepper and salt more to taste - I added a bit of ginger paste and a bit of a curry sauce brick, zucchini, green onions, regular onions, chopped sorrel from my garden - let simmer until everything is cooked through and broth has become less soup and more sauce - pour into glass jar to cool - cook rice to nice and fluffy, make two omelets, reheat and pour split peas onto rice - serve up

 It's what is for dinner tonight.

Mark said he would reheat some of the meatballs that he and Esme made on Saturday - and we could split a pack between all of us with him having some rice.

 

I also learned you can chop up peeled garlic and put it in the freezer - did that today with two heads of garlic that I've been worrying about if they were going to go bad and wondered if they would be bad already when I came to get some for this recipe.  I'm in 'do something is better than nothing' mode.  This bag of yellow split peas and a box of oolong tea were the things I had ordered last month to count as my mother's day - and even though they together cost about ten dollars, my anxiety could still let things get away with me about losing this job to the fire - and having to figure out how to get things right again within a month or so.

But, using it in a good way, using resources on hand in good ways and saving little things and organizing and cleaning can take you a little further towards 'it could be worse and we'll work to make it better'  I will probably feel different in a few more weeks - but I know I can only do what I can do, and some of that is more useful than others, but all of it is better than staring into space / into a screen doing nothing.
 

 

 

Garden Tuesday

Harvest and seeds

We went to the flea market this morning. Esme bought an umbrella with her piggy bank quarters. We got home and she ran to Grandma's for a few hours. I dug a bed for root vegetables today and harvested a little while Esme was up playing with Grandma. I've been meaning to put those carrots in the ground for winter for a week now... the rain yesterday helped loosen the deeper soil, so I felt better and easier digging.


black Spanish radishes coming up



There are rutabagas on the 'near' side and carrots on the far side.


My Tennessee Greasy beans are starting to flower finally... they demolished the corn they were on and I built them this metal post - which they have taken to.


purple flowers on these


I stood for a half hour or so trying to get a better picture of this butterfly, but he was just too 'flighty' haha... yes I know that one was bad. I got to see hummingbirds in the flowers and honeysuckle as well, but they also eluded the camera focus.


A shot of the garden from the back


Our Black Krim tomato putting on new fruit and flowers


This is 'the jungle side' - but it is producing basil, mint, peppers and yellow tomatoes, so I can't say much there.


A wasp claiming a cowpea flower against bees (not shown)

There were also some extremely noisy bluish bees with stripes buzzing in the Dixie butterpea lima beans.. I did not catch a picture of them but they were striking - very small, and very very loud like little airplanes.

In other news: Finished two hats, have yarn for a third. Have about four to six inches left on the blanket started two years ago. Have not made any progress on the room today - I do need to get a box prepared to transfer my portfolio work into from where I have it sitting up on sawhorses in that room. It has all of the sketchbooks and carry cases full of six years worth (and more) of 'serious' art, including all of my Cosmic Bear and Fox material.