Spring At Last

I don’t want to jinx it, so keep this on the down-low, but I think maybe spring is really here this time. We’ve had several decent days in a row. And I’m happy it’s warmer temps and some nice rain showers, but the best thing is not much wind! That’s the most amazing (and welcome) part of it. So there’s no need for me to dig out a new synonym for complaining.

Of course, the grackles have returned in force.I have a couple “squirrel-proof” bird feeders that I count on to foil those greedy, wasteful birds. They tend to knock all the seed out in a hurry. (They don’t bother the thistle seed feeders I have for the finches.) The one squirrel-proof feeder features an outer cage on a spring mechanism that slams down, blocking the seed ports, when too much weight lands on it. I’ve adjusted it to be much more sensitive since grackles aren’t nearly as heavy as squirrels. I still see grackles trying it quite often, and they might be getting a seed or two at a time, but the feeder isn’t being emptied in a single day. I count that as a win.

After having watched a flock of grackles crowding the ground under that feeder as one bird attempts getting the seed, I think maybe they’re working in concert: one pulls the seed out, scattering it for his buddies on the ground. And then I think, the buddies just know from experience that the one on the feeder is a klutz and will just accidentally drop some seed, so they’re just positioning themselves to take advantage of the situation.

We’ve had light rain sprinkles during the past several nights. None of those has amounted to even a tenth of an inch at once, but they’re adding up. So far in the month of April we’ve had .87” of moisture. Most of that came in the form of snow. And we’re grateful for every drop. The dust has been washed from the air so it smells clean.

I’ve been clearing the debris from the lower part of my garden, where the winds deposit dead leaves. That’s where my rhubarb and asparagus have their permanent locations. Where the debris has been deep, the ground underneath is nice and muddy, so weeds pull easily. There are a bunch of Russian lilacs just outside my fence line I intend to pull. If I leave them, they’ll grow tall enough to blow into the fence, shorting out my electric deer deterrent. (A quick warning: ticks are already active. I found one crawling up my sweatshirt sleeve. Check your children and pets for these pests.)

We’ve been enjoying mangos as part of our fresh fruit salads. I’d wondered about trying to start a mango tree with the pit. I know mango trees won’t survive outside up here, but my mom often started avocado seeds and kept a tree alive several years, so I thought, why not a mango? I googled it. Turns out people do start them. Right now I have three of the inner “beans” wrapped in damp paper towels sealed in baggies on my counter. Maybe I’ll get one to sprout. (I’m trying the same trick with a couple avocado seeds. Mom’s method of stabbing them with three toothpicks and suspending them above a small glass of water wasn’t working for me. My Florida daughter said she’d wrapped an avocado seed in a damp paper towel, in a baggie, and tossed it into the crisper in her fridge and forgot it for a few weeks. It sprouted despite the chill. I’m not putting mine in the fridge. I’ll keep you updated if I have any success. (I have had lemon seeds sprout in flower pots, pushed down slightly into the potting soil, but let them die of neglect. Sometimes I don’t have great follow-through.)

I still have to cook, so here’s my latest “new to me” recipe. This one is definitely a keeper - Dennis even liked the leftovers warmed up. There weren’t any “you don’t need to keep this recipe” comment! (I’ve convinced him to never say “Yuck!”) And it’s Whole Life Challenge compliant. If you aren’t anti-sugar, you could use brown sugar instead of the coconut palm sugar, and regular soy sauce (preferably low-sodium) instead of the coconut aminos. You could use rice instead of quinoa, too. I added freshly chopped chives to mine, as well as the green onion.

Korean Beef Bowl

with Quinoa

1 C quinoa, cooked in 2 C chicken broth

1 Tbl EVOO

1/4 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 # ground lean beef

1/4 C coconut palm sugar

1/4 C coconut aminos

1 Tbl sesame oil

1/2 tsp crushed red peppers

Salt & pepper, to taste

2 green onions, sliced

While quinoa cooks (use package directions), heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the beef. Push meat to the side, add the ginger and garlic, sautéing until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Combine the rest, except the green onions, mixing well. Add to the beef, cooking an additional 3-5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa, divide into 4 bowls, top with the beef. Sprinkle with the chopped onions.