Purslane

Today I found out that a weed in my garden is the best plant source of Omega-3 and antioxidants! Super. I was blackberry picking with my book club (feel free to read last years post of this tradition - I learned my lesson though, I avoided stickers and poison ivy!) Anyway, one of the wise women of the group shared the knowledge of purslane. So we all braved a taste. I commented that this was one of the pervasive weeds in my garden. So after a long evening of commitments, I arrived home and immediately (okay, so that is a lie, after a 30 minute crash on the couch) I decided to use my favorite tool - Google- to learn more. I was a bit worried that this would be a plant that had a poisonous copycat plant. Turns out, I am a smart cookie - purslane has an evil twin, spurge. Isn't that a great evil twin name - Spurge. I mean come on say it out loud - SPURGE - it just sounds like a super villain, albeit an amazing lame and trite super villain, but a super villain nonetheless. So back to the actual story. I learn the easiest marker between the two is the evil spurge has a milky white sap if you break the stem. Well, of course I must know immediately - am I blessed with wonder plant, Purslane or the scourge of Spurge (come on, that is some funny stuff). Keep in mind at this point it is 10:20pm and very dark outside. So do I wait for morning? Bah - of course not, I grab my flashlight and head out to the garden (of course, may neighbor happens to walk out with her dog, but she already thinks I am nuts, so...) to search for the "weed" to identify. After much scientific deliberation....(yeah, yeah, I know, get on with it) I am pleased to announce I am the proud cultivator of purslane! Whoop it up, lots of healthy stuff finding its way to a dinner plate near me.

No Grocery Month

So I am going to try a little experiment courtesy of my friend, Erin. She had read about a challenge where you don't buy groceries for a month, as a way to both save some cash and clean out your pantry a bit. (Come on, we all have those boxes that get further and further into the dark recesses of the cupboard than are found years later.) So I am going to give it a whirl. Now, the good thing about trying this now, is my garden is overflowing with lettuce and a few tomatoes are starting to ripen, I should have squash, corn and beans before all is said and done as well. This is good, because I don't know that I could go a month without fresh produce, the temptation might be to much for me.

I am concerned that I am setting the bar to high with the month timeline, but hey we should always aim high, right!I don't have milk right now or eggs so it may be a semi-vegan month unintentionally. Does grocery shopping at Mom's count? Hmmm, that is something to ponder......

Chinese Spammers

I keep getting Chinese Spammer comments. Anyone else? How do you prevent that? HELP!

New Post at Last

Two months since a new post and my general lack of posting is attrocious. So perhaps sassyandgreen needs a new direction or an ending....we shall see.....

Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer

Crazy good book -gives info on factory farming, family farms, vegetarianism, veganism, etc. All written in a wonderful manner. Jonathon Safran Foer has a way with words, even if you aren't vegetarian or vegan, this is a good read to better understand the perspective of those in your life who are.

A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See it All by Luke Dempsey

Oh, I loved this book. To me it is a love story. Not your traditional boy meets girl love story (and no boy meets boy or girl meets girl). This is a story of a man and his love of several things, birding, friendship, America, and his daughters. All of this is told through anecdotes of birding. Dempsey has a witty and comical way of tying all these threads together. He stumbled into the habit of birding through the encouragement of his friends Don and Donna Graffati. The three of them make several bird specific trips through the country. Throughout the story, Dempsey gives examples of how human pursuits are jeopardizing bird species. However, this is not one of those bang you in the head ecobooks, it is more subtly told. I thoroughly enjoyed this. I know it is not the type of book everyone would enjoy (I have some friends who won't touch non-fiction at all!) but if you can handle fiction, don't let the topic of birding scare you from reading this touching (and downright funny) tale. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions...oh what a read. I am inspired to give birding a go....though not right now...frigid temps keep me inside..brr. I have included a link to Better World Books, a great place to buy book with a conscious!

www.betterworldbooks.com

photos

Here is a couple photos, I realized it had been awhile. I was inspired to make some fresh squeezed orange juice, so worth the effort. The other is my baked oatmeal in their freezer containers, the recipe is a few post below and so worth your time, it is yummy!!