Green Spaces

As I'm writing this it is snowing up north.

In fact, it is snowing enough to turn my yard white. The temperature when I arose at 6:30 was a balmy 36, but the deck was wet and slick with frost. By 9 a.m. it was down to 30, but 'warmed' back up to 31 in a half hour.

I'm so glad I'd cleared the front deck of furniture and other obstacles that would make snow removal more difficult.

The batteries for the snow blower are well charged, ready for use.

The leaf-mowing I did last week will be the last time I perform that chore this year. Of course, the riding mower is still sitting outside the storage shed.

I'd thought maybe I'd have to use it once more even though the trees here are mostly bare.

The wind will just rearrange leaves at will. Dennis swears it will be nice enough Monday for me to be able to remove the (leaf-) grass-catching apparatus from the side of the mower. Then I can drive it inside the shed for the winter.

The other thing I'm congratulating myself for having completed last week was weed-whacking the tall grass and weeds that had grown up alongside our driveway.

The edge of the drive on one side is too steep to safely mow (I'd be afraid of tipping over).

The other edge abuts a loosely plowed field. That loose ground would allow that side of the mower to sink in, causing the whirling blade to throw up clods of dirt and small rocks, and probably ruin the blade. (I need a side-mower like the county road crews use.)

The grass and weeds would catch drifting snow and block the driveway, so they needed to go.

Last week, for the first time ever, I made both tahini and hummus from scratch. I might never do the hummus using dried chickpeas again, but then again, I might. The hummus was a process, and I followed an on-line video tutorial for that. I'm sure you can find such tutorials if you want to. I might use commercially canned garbanzo beans (chick peas) in future.

The tahini was easy to make and is a key ingredient in hummus. Here's the recipe I used:

Tahini

• 1 C sesame seeds

• 2-4 Tbl light oil (vegetable, olive)

• Pinch salt

Toast the seeds over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant and lightly colored, 3-5 minutes.

Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and cool completely. Once cooled, process seeds until crumbly, 1 minute. (I used a funnel to help move them from the sheet into the processor.) Add 2-3 Tbl oil and process again, scraping sides and bottom of processor. Add more oil as needed. Add salt and process 5-10 seconds to mix in the salt. Store covered in fridge up to 1 month. If it separates, just remix it.

I've mixed in some hummus with my canned tomatoes for a quick soup. My hummus was heavy on the garlic, but then, I like it that way. I'm adding spoonfuls of it to my salads also, and plan to add it to baked potatoes. I don't really do much with chips.