Ice Art by Mother Nature

Last night we watched a show on PBS about glass artists. Pretty amazing what can be done with molten sand and blow pipes. Among the glass art that was being made on the show were some stunningly beautiful glass icicle sculptures.  I think nature's icicle sculptures are just as beautiful, though.

Scarlet and Black

Fire and Ice---and Sweet Potato Soup...

Free form icicles on the south side of the barn.

Bonfire at dusk.

Today we had a cold icy rain for most of the day. It was nice to have a day where I didn't have to work, and spent most of the day inside baking and curled up by the wood stove. For lunch I made sweet potato soup. The ingredients sounded a bit strange (I would have never thought that turnips and nutmeg would mix well!). It turned out to be the perfect way to use the last of my turnips from last fall's harvest...

Sweet Potato Soup

2 sweet potatoes
2 white potatoes
1 turnip
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (I skipped this)
6 cups chicken broth (I used 3 cups broth and at the end added 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk--I'm trying to avoid dairy right now.)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste


1.Peel and cut vegetables into small, uniform pieces. Place in a pot, and cover with the chicken stock;  Bring to a boil, and cook until vegetables are tender.

2.Place vegetables and liquid into a food processor. Puree.

3.Return pureed vegetables to the saucepan. Slowly stir in the cream, brown sugar, nutmeg, and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Snow Day Photos

It has been snowing steadily all day. Compared with other places in the country, we really haven't had a whole lot of snow yet this winter. So far we have about six inches on the ground. 

(The last photo is of the amaryllis on my windowsill getting ready to burst into bloom.)

Next Summer's Garlic

"Without garlic, I simply would not care to live" -Louis Diat, Chef, NY Ritz-carlton

Garlic has always been a mainstay in my garden and my cooking, though the only variety I've grown up until now is a rocambole type with an unknown name that my parents have grown for the last 40 years. It is a medium size, hardy, easy to grow, mild garlic that stores well.

Last summer I visited my friend Diana and her husband at their new garlic farm and bought four varieties of heirloom garlic.  I'm excited about watching these grow and harvesting the new bulbs next summer. Garlic is planted in the fall, then harvested the follow summer. I have always planted garlic in late August or early September, and in this part of Michigan it is ready to harvest by mid Julyof the next year.

Here are photos and a little description of the four varieties I am trying this year in addition to my parents garlic:

Killarney Red Garlic is rare and difficult for gardeners to find. The cloves are exceptionally large, and the loose skins on Killarney Red makes it easy to peel. It has a wonderfully deep, full-bodied flavor.

German Extra Hardy is among the most winter-hardy garlic varieties. Very large bulbs with 4-5 large cloves. The outside skin is very white and the skin covering the cloves is dark red. A vigorous-growing garlic with long roots, which gives it the ability to winter over without heaving out of the ground. Flavor is very good and stores well.

Chesnok Red is a hardneck variety that is especially good for baking, as it holds its shape, keeps its flavor and develops a delightful aroma. Each large bulb has a beautiful purple-striped wrapper and contains 9-10 easy-to-peel cloves per bulb.

Kettle River Giant is an artichoke softneck that can grow quite large, up to four inches. It has been a long time heirloom garlic grown in the Pacific Northwest. Cold winters are not a problem. The wrappers are a beige-white with pink overtones. Being a softneck, it also stores quite well. It has a medium heat and a rich taste, not unlike some hardnecks. Averages 12 cloves per bulb.

One of the garlic beds on a foggy morning last October.

Avocado Tree

One of the great things about having a compost pile are the surprises that come up in it. At first I thought this tree seedling might be a chestnut or a type of oak.

(Chickens are big fans of compost piles as well.)

It wasn't until I finally noticed the seed it was growing out that I realized it is an avocado tree.

It was such a pretty tree and looked so healthy that I couldn't let it freeze to death this winter. So back in October I potted it up and brought it inside. It still looks healthy and happy. From what I have read there isn't much chance of getting edible avocados off a seed grown tree, but it makes a handsome house plant non the less.

On my Dresser

It is -5 degrees outside right now, but thanks to these flowers, the house smells of springtime.