Green, Green Grass (Of Home)

The lovely rains have really set off lots of new growth. The lawn has had its first mowing and needs another. The wheat is coming up nicely, even though we’re not quite finished with seeding as I write this. It should all be in the ground by the time you read this.

The weeds are also coming up such that I’m weeding the garden rows as I plant more of my desired seeds. The beets, carrots, and Swiss chard were planted right after I wrote last week’s column (before the rain/snow mix). Last Saturday I put in radish and onion seeds. Next up will be more onion sets and the sprouted spuds I have left from last year’s crop. They’re too soft and mushy to cook, so I might as well plant them. I’ve yet to purchase anything from the local greenhouses, but that’s coming up soon. I made a foray through one last Tuesday, but kept myself from buying anything I knew I wouldn’t get planted right away.

I finished trimming the dead raspberry canes, and cleared out all the dead leaves from under them. I sprinkled blood meal over the ground under them. I’ve dug up some clumps from where the rows were getting too wide (or growing into each other) and filled in the spots where the dog had torn some up last summer. The canes get very brittle after producing their crop, and I know that poor, blind dog must have been panic-stricken, so I understand the breakage. It wasn’t malicious. I’ve also replenished raspberry canes for a (30-miles-away) neighbor who’d gotten them from me a few years ago. We traded (old) manure for (fresh) plants.

Dennis may have mistaken the spotted towhee that’s been dining under our feeders for the oriole he thought he saw last week. Both species show flashes of orange as they fly through. But for sure we have a couple male orioles helping themselves to the grape jelly. There’s also a tiny bird (I suspect a wren, Dennis thinks a runty dull goldfinch) visiting that jelly. Our Sheriff identified the towhee from my Facebook photo. He also corrected my misidentification of a bluebird. It’s a lazuli bunting, with beautiful blue and red plumage. The lazuli bunting is making so many trips to the feeder stocked with songbird seed that Dennis is calling him a glutton. (Maybe there’s more than one, but we only see one at a time).

The rhubarb has exploded with new growth, as well. I’ve made a batch of my polish honey/rhubarb drink. The Whole Life Challenge just finished the spring session. I made a low-carb, gluten-free rhubarb recipe for scones. It needs a bit of tweaking yet - tastes fine, doesn’t look so great. If I get around to tweaking it, the recipe might get shared. More likely, though, will be a sharing of some other rhubarb recipes.

I made a pork roast this week, combining recipes for tenderloin and roast. I baked it in the oven rather than use the InstaPot. It was still cold outside, so having the oven on was a plus.

Pork Roast

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. pork roast, boneless

1-2 Tbl EVOO

1/4 C soy sauce

7 Tbl honey

1 Tbl orange juice

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 large onion, quartered

3-4 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed

Optional gravy: 5-6 TBL water, 1 Tbl cornstarch

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Salt and pepper roast on all sides, using a Dutch oven, brown on all sides in oil. While browning, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, orange juice, and garlic. Remove pan from heat, add sauce, lifting roast to coat all sides. Add onion atop meat, potatoes on sides. Cover pot, bake 60-70 minutes, internal temperature 150 degrees. Remove from oven, put roast and veggies on a plate, cover with foil, let rest 10 minutes. If making gravy, make a slurry of the last two ingredients. Whisk into pan juices, over medium-high heat until thickened. Slice meat and serve. (Or shred for pulled pork).