Garden Pasta

This is an on-the-fly post and a quick snapshot before devoured as I was at my sister’s house visiting her and her newborn and had brought lunch ingredients.

The night before I quickly made a garlic scape pesto which was highly improvised with just garlic scapes, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and some salt. I had it with some sourdough bread and it was super spicy!

This dish has:

Spaghetti noodles: found in bulk at WinCo

Peas: picked from my garden

Garlic scape pesto: from the garden + bulk ingredients

Mint: garden

To make pasta:

Boil water and salt and cook spaghetti, adding in peas (shelled peas or snap peas with shell) in the last minute.

Reserve a couple cups of pasta water.

Drain.

Add in 3/4 cup of pesto into pasta water and stir to combine.

Put pasta back into pot, pan, or bowl then top with the pesto sauce.

Top this off with about 1/4 cup or fresh mint leaves.

Enjoy!

Peace and love,

Kristan

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Garden Plans

My plan was to not purchase any plants, but rather start them all from seed. I started the seeds in my metal seed starter tray and placed them into a heat mat near a south-facing window. Some of the little buggers grew, but not very fast and they are still quite tiny. I could possibly still plant seeds, but we don’t have the longest growing season here. I’m technically zone 7a, most of the areas around me are 6a or 6b.

I went to Cliff’s Country Market to get hella vegetables because that’s all I’m craving in this heat wave, and they had these beautiful organic starts for sale. I’m not an expert grower, so I suppose I just need to keep trying or putting more effort into my seed starts.

For now though, I’ll be ok that I purchased some plastic pots and more plastic labels in order to have my vegetable garden growing beautifully. Also, I realize I could get veggies at the farmer’s markets but it’s in my genes to grow plants.

My boxes would be sad without an abundance of vegetables. Yes, they are in the front yard because we have an unusually wide “hellstrip” due to our narrow street.

I already have garlic growing and some volunteer mustard greens and arugula. I made a yummy dish using mustard greens and spinach from the garden! I’ll put that up soon.

In my back yard I have smaller boxes where I have planted more cooler season vegetables and I’m planting potatoes as well. This is Idaho after all!

Anyone else starting a garden? Already started? Do you have any seed starting tips?

Peace and love,

Kristan

Thanksgiving Flower Harvest

Calendula is prolific in my garden. This is something I can view as a blessing due to the many benefits for which this herb is known.

I am grateful for my garden and all it has to offer and to teach me.

I am opting outside today and choosing to not buy anything.

I am grateful for my health which allows me to garden and harvest with ease.

I am grateful to spend another Thanksgiving with my family and see them maintaining their health and vibrancy.

I collected these the day before Thanksgiving and will dry them to add to tea. I still have calendula infused olive oil on hand from a year before.

The tiny native bees love them!

Peace and love,

Kristan