Asparagus

Apr. 23rd, 2025 08:31 am
moonhare: (Default)
[personal profile] moonhare posting in [community profile] gardening
First cutting for 2025!

PXL_20250422_194503975_Original.jpeg

Yummy! Not a large amount, but as these mature at different rates I wanted to cut the higher stalks before the heads opened and supplemented with the shorter ones. I might try storing some cuttings in the fridge to get larger portions; supposedly one can refrigerate these in a plastic bag for a couple of weeks.
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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Spinach, Mushroom and Cottage Cheese Crêpes
PREP TIME 10 mins COOK TIME 30 mins COURSE Breakfast SERVINGS 8

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 cup cottage cheese
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 package sliced crimini mushrooms (8 oz)
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Crêpes
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 cups flour
21 oz milk
4 eggs
1/8 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the mushrooms to simmering basket of Thermomix® and fill the mixing bowl with 2 oz water. Steam on varoma setting for 4 minutes, then transfer to the mixing bowl after emptying the water and sauté on varoma setting for 4 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook for 2 minutes on varoma setting.
Add the cottage cheese and transfer to a mixing bowl.
Add the crepe ingredients and mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds. Let batter rest for 20 minutes.
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat and grease with butter.
Pour about 1/3 cup batter in the middle and swirl around the pan until set.
Cook for 1 minute, until bubbles form in the middle, then turn over carefully with a heat resistant spatula.
Top with spinach, mushroom, cheese filling and fold over twice.
Serve hot.

More signs of spring

Apr. 22nd, 2025 12:15 pm
ribirdnerd: perched bird (Default)
[personal profile] ribirdnerd posting in [community profile] common_nature
I saw my first garter snake and two snapping turtles near my local pond.

Bunny caught in passing on the lawn.

Apr. 20th, 2025 03:31 pm
full_metal_ox: Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi, with his bunnies. (bunnies)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] common_nature
Taken on 16 July 2023 at 19:27 US Eastern Daylight Savings Time.




Bunnies are of course going to favor weedy green lawns over elegant stone yards punctuated with waxy sculptural ornamentals. This one looks like an Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus); Marsh Rabbits (S. palustris) (1), tend to have shorter ears, and my neighborhood strikes me as a bit too far from the water to attract them during the dry season.

It’s on alert, reacting sensibly to the arrival of a member of the deadliest of the Thousand, and so this was the only shot I was able to get before it went PATWINNNG! under the seagrape bed (the round-leaved shrub at center right, bordered by white river rocks.)

(1) Today I Learned the scientific name of the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvilagus_palustris_hefneri

Yes; that Hugh Hefner funded endangered rabbit research, and was commemorated accordingly.

PEEPs Chocolate Peppermint Cake

Apr. 20th, 2025 07:24 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
image host - image host

PEEPs Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Yield: 8 inch cake, serves 14-18

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Icing
1 1/2 cups salted butter
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
10-11 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp peppermint extract
3/4 cup water or milk
Red icing color
3/4 cup cocoa

Chocolate Ganache
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Additional ingredients
PEEPS® Chocolate Dipped Candy Cane Flavored Chicks
2-3 candy canes, chopped

Read more... )

Flowers

Apr. 19th, 2025 10:32 pm
ranunculus: (Default)
[personal profile] ranunculus posting in [community profile] common_nature
Meadowfoam and mimulus out on the Ranch in Northern California.


pilottttt: (Default)
[personal profile] pilottttt posting in [community profile] common_nature

They have recently appeared in our city on the pond near the Japanese Garden.

Read more... )

For more information (in Russian), see here.

Portobello Vegan Beef(less) Stew

Apr. 19th, 2025 07:40 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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Portobello Vegan Beef(less) Stew
Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time1hour Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes Servings 6

Ingredients
US Customary

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound portobello or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable broth
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons Marmite (optional, but highly recommended for savory flavor)
½ teaspoon liquid smoke, or to taste (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Metric

29.57 ml olive oil
453.59 g portobello or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
31.25 g all-purpose flour
946.35 ml vegetable broth
907.18 g red potatoes, cut into 1 to 2 inch chunks
29.57 g fresh thyme leaves
29.57 g finely chopped fresh rosemary
236.59 ml dry red wine
29.57 g tomato paste
4.93 g Marmite (optional, but highly recommended for savory flavor)
2.46 ml liquid smoke, or to taste (optional)

Read more... )

In the April woods

Apr. 18th, 2025 02:00 pm
puddleshark: (Default)
[personal profile] puddleshark posting in [community profile] common_nature
April Woods 8

Set off to follow the path through the oak woods in the rain. Only a gentle rain at first, not cold. Not much light this morning, but still the oaks and the birches bright with new leaves, and the woods full of the song of robins, blackbirds and thrushes.

Come and get rained on )
full_metal_ox: A National Geographic cover mock-up, with three marigolds in an analogous orange-yellow color harmony. (Nature)
[personal profile] full_metal_ox posting in [community profile] common_nature
I sure do!

I’m something of an astronomy nerd; you have to understand that the great solar eclipse of 8 April 2024 was something I’d been counting down to my whole life. In my native Dayton, Ohio, I’d gotten to witness the strange begrimed 40-watt sunlight (1) and dappled crescent shadows of the partial solar eclipses of 10 May 1994 and 21 August 2017, after having gotten a fleeting confirmatory glance through SolarShields under welder’s goggles: the exercise was a bit like hunting basilisks or Medusa.

Another point is that I’m acutely homesick for the seasonal markers of the place where I spent 90+% of my life: the violets and wild chives and flowering crabapples, and the two equinoctial yellows of Moraine honeylocusts: neon chartreuse foliage in the spring, and in the fall flaming saffron—turning to orange piles of cornflake crunch beneath the feet. Even the lawn weeds here are unfamiliar.

Until a couple years in advance—by which time it was too late—I had not anticipated that, by the time the total solar eclipse at long last came to Dayton, I would be gone; behold the southern Gulf Coast of Florida’s experience of the Grand Portentuous Celestial Event.

Continue. )

Springtime

Apr. 17th, 2025 08:56 am
moonhare: farmer bunny (gardening)
[personal profile] moonhare posting in [community profile] gardening
Spring is advancing, slowly, here. Nighttime temps are still in the 30°s F, but there is plenty of plant activity in the yard!

Pics! All expand. )

Farmer's Dressing

Apr. 16th, 2025 05:15 am
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
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Farmer's Dressing
MAKES 2 cups PREP 5 Min

What You'll Need

1 cucumber, cut into small chunks
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

What to Do

In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients; blend on medium-high speed until smooth.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

A walk in the Nant Gwernol valley

Apr. 14th, 2025 09:07 pm
cmcmck: (Default)
[personal profile] cmcmck posting in [community profile] common_nature
Across the footbridge into a landscape of water and rock in the Welsh hills.



Nant Gwernol in Welsh means Gwernol Stream and it's a pretty spectacular stream!


More pics! )

Saturday Night Moon

Apr. 14th, 2025 02:51 pm
yourlibrarian: DeanSamDownMoon-_cuethepulse (SPN-DeanSamDownMoon-_cuethepulse)
[personal profile] yourlibrarian posting in [community profile] common_nature


Wonderful color on the moon last Saturday. Several photos came out like the one below, just a bright ball of light. But we did get a few pics of the color, and I like the way the branches framed it.

Read more... )

Spring in Northern Germany

Apr. 12th, 2025 09:03 pm
rodo: chuck on a roof in winter (Default)
[personal profile] rodo posting in [community profile] common_nature
I finally got a new camera - just in time for spring to hit. Most of the trees around here don't have any leaves yet, but a lot have started to blossom. Here's a couple of closeups from the last couple of days and weeks, as well as two pictures that show off how good my new camera is at making things look a bit moody:

First up, Purple-leaf plum blossoms:

closup of purple-leaf plum blossoms

More under the cut )
nverland: (Cooking)
[personal profile] nverland posting in [community profile] creative_cooks
image host

Spring Minestrone Soup with Lemon Whipped Ricotta
Yield: 6 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced into half moons
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups diced asparagus
2 cups frozen peas
1 (14 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup minced parsley
8 ounces small shaped pasta, cooked
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 cup ricotta
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, freshly cracked, to taste

Instructions

Add butter to a soup pot and set over medium high heat.
When the butter is melted add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and oregano and saute for a minute.
Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Add in the zucchini, asparagus, peas and white beans. Cook for 5 minutes to just soften the vegetables.
Turn off the heat and stir in parsley, cooked pasta and lemon juice.

Using a mixer, blend ricotta cheese with lemon zest until fluffy, about 1 minute.
Season soup with kosher salt and pepper.
Serve soup with a dollop of whipped ricotta on top.

A walk to Tonfanau

Apr. 11th, 2025 01:10 pm
cmcmck: chiara (chiara)
[personal profile] cmcmck posting in [community profile] common_nature
We had a trip to north Wales last week to the coastal town of Tywyn (pronounced 'tow' as in truck- win)

Our first full day in Tywyn was a bit mirky although mild enough.


We set out for a walk on the northern coastal side of the town to the hamlet of Tonfanau.

Mist over the hills:


See more: )

Photos: South Lot

Apr. 10th, 2025 11:57 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] gardening
These pictures mostly show the south lot. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna and Prairie Garden, and Back Toward the House.

Walk with me ... )

Photos: House Yard

Apr. 10th, 2025 10:01 pm
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] common_nature
I took some pictures around the yard today. These show the house yard. See the House Yard, South Lot, Savanna and Prairie Garden, and Back Toward the House.

Walk with me ... )

yellow pheasant's eyes

Apr. 9th, 2025 06:44 pm
turlough: closeup of different varieties of daffodils ((spring) flower of the season)
[personal profile] turlough posting in [community profile] common_nature
It's definitely spring here now and on my walk this afternoon I spotted these stunningly bright yellow flowers huddling in the (dry) grass of a neglected front garden. They're Pheasant's Eyes (Adonis vernalis) and this garden is the only place I've ever seen it. It's a very rare plant in the wild here in Sweden but there's supposed to be cultivars around even though I've never seen any myself.

Click to enlarge:
two yellow daisy-like flowers growing close to the ground

one more photo... )

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