The Swallows of Coulter Brook

Birds are nesting everywhere already. Swallows love to make nest in eaves of barns and around human shelters.  We have to keep them away from one of our garden sheds which has a large gabled porch because they cause a huge mess with the mud and nesting materials that they collect to build their nests in the eave of the porch.

However, we have a family of swallows that comes back to nest every year in a birdhouse that sits on a pole elevated above one of our large round vegetable beds. They have been nesting there for the last 4 years.  It's very early this year but as we were weeding and prepping the bed we noticed that there were a couple of swallows swooping and diving near us.  We thought they might be fighting but it turns out that they have already laid their eggs almost 2 months earlier then normal. They were upset with us because we were weeding below the birdhouse.  I caught one of them sitting on top of the ring of the rooftop of the birdhouse.

Composting Ideas

We have so much to compost with all the property debris, cooking refuse and garden detritus that we have to step up our composting efforts.  We started with building new compost bins this past weekend but we were looking for some additional ideas and we thought these were interesting.

We like the idea of burying the trash/compost bins in the ground.  It reminded me of living in Montana and that is what we had to do with our garbage cans.  It is less obtrusive and would keep the pests away.  We love using bales of hay because they would biodegrade as well but we read where someone used baled newspapers as well - interesting!

New Ideas For The Garden 3

Tim is finally going to indulge my chicken wire topiary sculpture fetish for the garden.  When I showed him this pic, he fell in love with the idea.  I think the elephants would be a little exotic but maybe we will stick with cows or sheep in the meadow?  Love It.

New Ideas For The Garden 2

We are obsessed with Vertical Wall Gardens at the moment.  With the family joining us for July 4th week, we are looking for some projects that everyone can join in on.  We have a kitchen herb garden right outside our back door but adding a vertical element would be great.  I wish we had the climate to keep bromeliads and elephant ear plant outside but we will just have to substitute with bright annuals I suppose. Great Stuff!

New Ideas For The Garden

I love to google search images for the garden as well as peruse internet sites for new ideas for our garden.  The four corners of our perennial garden are anchored with these sapling towers and I came across this image on how to suspend pots from the towers filled with annuals or ferns.  I like the watering cans but like the idea of more hanging potted plants better.   Great Idea!

Easter Weekend

Very busy Easter weekend.

*Built new compost bin.
*Built new Trellis.
*Baked Devilsfood with Swiss Meringue icing Ladybug cupcakes for Easter.
*Iced Butterfly sugar cookies for Easter.
*Tim made great dinner see below post.
*We went for a run on Friday -gorgeous day!
*Filled new compost bin with lots of debris cleaning out garden beds - will have to build another one next weekend.
* Have Carpel tunnel in hand from building new trellis and new compost bin.
* Bruised right side of right foot from gorgeous run on Friday.
*Disaster icing cookies and cupcakes after too many cocktails after exhausting run on Friday.
*Thank God for amazing Easter dinner at Tim's parents because I hurt like Hell.

I love Spring.

Short Rib Pot Pie

           

              Tim and I continued our casserole experimentation and we had seen this recipe in MS Living and wanted to try it.  It was delicious however with lots of modifications.  It is not a candidate for us for the contest but definitely worth re-visiting.  Recommendations: it could use some vegetables in the pie or the potatoes could be sauteed first and then layered and browned?  Also a little gratin couldn't help.

INGREDIENTS:

 For The Filling

            4 pounds boneless short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces

            Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

            1/3 cup all-purpose flour

            3 tablespoons safflower oil

            1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

            5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

            2 bottles (12 ounces) stout, preferably Guinness (3 cups)

            2 rosemary sprigs

            1 pound cipollini onions, peeled

           

            For The Topping

            6 medium russet potatoes (3 1/2 pounds)

            Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

            Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

           

Directions

.                 Make the filling: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Dredge short ribs in flour, coating all sides. Transfer to a large plate. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Working in batches, brown short ribs, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a large plate using kitchen tongs.

.                 Reduce heat to medium. Add yellow onion to Dutch oven, and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Return meat to Dutch oven. Add stout and rosemary. Bring to a simmer. Cover, and transfer to oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.

.                 Remove Dutch oven from oven, and add cipollini onions. Braise until meat is tender and onions are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Shred meat using 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper. Divide filling among eight mini (1-cup) pie plates, or transfer to a 12-inch (8-cup) gratin dish.

.                 Make the topping: Raise oven temperature to 375 degrees. Peel potatoes, and very thinly slice each (preferably on a mandoline). Arrange potatoes over meat to form tight concentric circles, working around the edge and overlapping each potato by three-quarters. Brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until topping is golden and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes for mini potpies (1 hour for large potpie).