Langlais Sculpture Preserve

The Langlais Sculpture Preserve is a remarkable nature and sculpture park honoring the life and accomplishments of artist Bernard Langlais. Through the generosity of Helen Langlais, who out lived her husband by 30 years, the Colby College received a large bequest of artworks and property upon her death in 2010. Two years later Colby College gifted nearly 3,000 pieces of artwork to the Kohler Foundation which intends to restore, preserve and ultimately gift pieces to non-profit foundations throughout Maine and the United States.

This phenomenal sculpture park located in Cushing, Maine opened to the public in the spring of 2016.

Gardens in the Watershed of Maine

Our good friends rented a house in Tenants Harbor, Maine for the month of July. They graciously invited us to visit them for a week during their stay. Aside from cooking every type of fresh seafood the area had to offer and the quest for the best lobster roll in town, we toured a few gardens. Kitty and I wrote the following article for the Key West Citizen.

Fortunately for us the Georges River Land Trust (GRLT) was sponsoring the 24^th annual ‘Gardens in the Watershed Tour' during our stay on the Central Maine Coastline. 

Winter Stash ~ Summer Corn

Summer corn is in! The only thing better than eating fresh corn in August is eating it in January.

I'm secretly partial to bi-colored corn. I'll admit that it might be all in my mind but they seem to taste sweeter. Every summer I spend a good part of one day prepping, blanching and putting up fresh Colorado corn for the winter. Now I'm ready to add summer sunshine to a pot of winter chowder on a moments notice.

Summertime

As it is for everyone, the month of July always seems to be a busy month. Vacation plans, summer gardening and big ideas for all kinds of home projects. If even a fraction of the plans come to fruition I'll call it good. Today I was thinking of the phrase 'summer tomatoes'. My tomatoes weren't able to get into the ground until late May, so this year I'm dreaming of fall tomatoes.

Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Apple and Dried Cranberries

This quinoa salad has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years. It's a great side dish that goes well with just about anything that comes off the grill. First domesticated somewhere between 3,000-4,000 years ago, the tiny seed contains essential amino acids making it a complete protein, one of the few on the list of super foods.

Gourd Birdhouses

Aside from being a fun plant to grow, birdhouse gourds make great homes for cavity dwelling birds. 

What appears to be a small wren is taking up residency in the front yard, building a nest in the gourd hanging from our Mountain Ash.

Soil Blocking

Our Colorado rain is tapering off so I have been planting seeds and my vegetable starts in the garden.

This past winter while planning the garden we came upon an article about DIY potting soil and soil blocking mixes. Always eager to make a change for the better and have more control over the soil we grow in, we looked into this hand-held 4 cube soil block maker.

March Snow, April Flowers & May Showers

April showers bring May flowers... well that wasn't the case for Colorado this year. March snow brought us April flowers. May was the rainiest month I've seen in 16 years with something like 29 days of rain. Mostly it was good, the main setback being a late start for those that plant vegetable gardens. The wet month had a few snow days thrown in as well which nipped the fruit trees that had started to bud, so there will be no back yard fruit for the squirrels, birds and myself to fight over this year. 

Late April tulips, grape hyacinths and basket of gold were a promising sight for winter eyes.

Mini Vegetable Quiche

These delicious little treats are a cross between a quiche and a lasagna that can be made in muffin tins. The use of won ton wrappers and ready made pesto help to hasten the assembly process.

The recipe is from the March/April issue of Eating Well Magazine and they are called Asparagus-Mushroom Mini Lasagnas. I see myself making these with a variety of just picked seasonal vegetables from my garden as summer grows on.

A Close Encounter with a Red Tailed Hawk

With a bright sunny morning ahead I took my laptop outside. When I'm reading I need quiet, but when I'm creating I like to have music playing, this is to say that my presence was obvious.

Apparently this Red Tailed Hawk was not at all concerned with me being just twelve feet away from where he choose to land.

Chive Blossom Vinegar

I love the pretty lavender colored blossoms perched on top of my garden chives.  Occasionally I chop a few blossoms to toss in the salad bowl for more color and a little zip.

July = Summer

Spring was the beginning of a tough road to summer. Well...summer has finally arrived and it is time to appreciate the beauty and bounty nature delivers.

These aromatic roses are flourishing since we built the compost crate next to them last summer. 

Spring On

Spring is an inspiring season for me. Climbing out of a snowy Winter and cold temperatures I am only limited by my imagination. Having turned two big corners ~ Daylight Saving Time and the calendar flipping past the first day of spring ~ well, my imagination is in high gear. I am working hard to keep it in check, unlike last year. I can confidently say that I will not grow more than twelve tomato plants this year, rather than the seventeen of last season. The words of wisdom, just because you can doesn't mean you should, have become my mantra whenever I open my garden planning book. 

Birdhouse Gourds, the Ultimate Tiny House

I'm not complaining because it's snowing.  Every reasonable person knows the facts.  It snows in winter, it's still winter, so find something else to do while Mother Nature does what she does.  The birdhouse gourds that I grew last year have dried and are ready to become the ultimate tiny house.

This is really an easy project, all you need is a drill with a hole saw and of course, a dry gourd.

Let the Games Begin

As much as I enjoy watching the the best athletes in the world compete in the Winter Olympics, those games are over and now it's my turn to say Let the Games Begin. I'm talking about the garden games. Plant, nurture, cultivate, compost, harvest, and all the other events of summer gardening. The Seed Catalogs are arriving faster than I can empty the mailbox. Already having more seeds than a person needs, I still have to flip through every page just in case there is something that I MUST have. It's really encouraging to see the number of organic seed options that are showing up.

The last frost date in the Denver area typically coincides with Mothers Day during the second week of

Have Spices...Will Travel

I want to share an idea I recently came up with. Being a big believer in re-purposing items I already own, I am quite pleased with this re-invention.  Wherever we travel there is usually a kitchen available, and that being the case, I'll probably be in it.  I can find a grocery store almost anywhere that will help me stock my temporary refrigerator, but attempting to find my favorite spices, that's another story.  Even if I did happen to locate said spices, only needing a teaspoon or so, the purchase of half a dozen bottles just rubs me the wrong way. 

In almost every craft room and garage, there are likely to be some of these plastic storage containers. They come in very handy for keeping

That's Nuts!

You would have to be living in a cave not to have heard or read that nuts are good for you.  Walnuts have a high concentration of Omega 3 fatty acids. Pecans can help lower cholesterol.  Cashews are loaded with fiber and protein.  Nuts.com reports that pound for pound, almonds are the most nutrient dense of all tree nuts.  They also single out Brazil nuts for their unique high selenium content, whose antioxidant properties protect against heart disease, cancer and aging.  Pistachio and pine nuts are both packed with fiber.  Of course, as with everything, moderation is key.  I'm not saying to consume a pound of nuts in one sitting.  Here are two simple, yet tasty recipes for spicy nuts that I make often.

Best Cocoa Brownies

This brownie recipe has been floating around for many years, and has been on my 'to make' list for far too long.  With all the snow days we've had on the calender lately, I've been able to spend more time in the kitchen and finally we have them.  If you are in need of instant gratification, without a lot of fuss and fancy ingredients, most of which you probably have in the pantry, this is going to make your day.

The creator of this recipe, Alice Medrich, author of eight cook books and one of the country's foremost experts on chocolate and chocolate desserts urges the use of everyday natural unsweetened cocoa powder (the dark brown box in the back of the cupboard) for these brownies.  She believes it delivers a richer chocolate flavor than the often called for Dutch-process cocoa.  I believe Alice is on to something.

Roasted Achiote Chicken with Veggies and Aioli

This meal was a feast for my eyes long before my taste buds got involved. Once the chicken has marinated over night, the assembly of this one dish wonder is amazingly quick.  Achiote paste is the base for this earthy marinade that originated in the Yucatan region of Mexico.  If you can't find the paste in your local market, be prepared to use some elbow grease with your mortar and pestle.

Rumor has it that annoto seeds are extremely hard and can break a spice grinder.  I followed anothers lead to soak the seeds in water for thirty minutes and they were still hard.  The good news...once the paste is made, wrap tablespoon sized portions in plastic and freeze for later use.

Mile High Pumpkin Pecan Pie

My reason for making this pie had nothing to do with living 37 feet above the Mile High City.  Combining the two most popular holiday pie flavors into one meant there would be only one leftover pie.  Because we all know, leftover pie is always begging to be eaten.  Just one bite here...then one more...before you know it, you've finished it off just standing at the counter.

This pie does involve a few more steps than your basic pumpkin pie.  I made the dough for the crust two days earlier.