We had a wild weekend over here...well, in Tucson, anyways. We went for a friend's wedding and had a blast. The best part, besides watching two amazing people tie the knot? I was able to eat gluten-free at every meal, including the wedding dinner. More on that later. Anyways, it was great seeing old friends, making new friends, and celebrating looooove. Now it's back to work and real life!
Here are this week's links:
Knitting
Because I can never remember which way the yarnover goes. (You'd think, after almost 15 years of knitting, I could remember a thing or two about it!)
Gardening
I'll be consulting this website to try and identify some more of my weeds next weekend. After a couple of weeks away from home, they're starting to take over...again.
DIY
I tried to do a photo transfer like this way back in high school, and it didn't work so well. I'm excited to maybe try it again. Also, I'm thinking of making some DIY air freshener, because the canned stuff smells...canned.
Cooking
It's going to be another crazy-busy couple of weeks at work, but I still want to do everything I can to eat real food. You can bet I'll be consulting this list for quick meal ideas.
What links caught your eye last week?
Our Italian Restaurant(s): Venice, Part One
Let's be real. The best part about Italy was the food. It seemed like we started the day with a big spread at our hotel (where there was always hot cappuccino, and gluten-free options for me), and then we spent the rest of the day figuring out what our next culinary indulgence would be. In between, we checked out some famous - and amazing - historical sites, museums, and churches, but it was really all about the food. In this series, I'll share the amazing meals we had, just in case you're planning a trip to Italy anytime soon ;)
If you're planning on going to Venice, plan on getting lost! There are some real gems of restaurants, and some are easier to find than others.
On our first day in Venice, lost and after having a seafood lunch (pasta, sea bass, tomato, scallion, and wilted arugula) that made us both a little queasy, Mike and I were not in the mood for more pizza and pasta. We were looking for "Bar Risto" which was incredibly difficult to find - and not in the plaza where it was supposed to be. Grr. We finally settled on a restaurant called Pane Vine e San Daniele, a name that made me nervous since pane means "bread," but it turned out to be a good choice.
The restaurant had gluten-free crackers, which turned out to be tasty, and we munched on them while we split a divine plate of cheese - mozzarella, burrata, smoked ricotta, and another soft, creamy cheese. We also split a plate of the house ham, which was a type of prosciutto. It came out with a pickled onion and pickled shallot - both of which were delicious.
While our meal was not exactly a "normal" dinner, it was a combination of some of my favorite foods - cured meat, cheese, and red wine. Happy with our choice to stray from the ordinary, Mike and I meandered back to our hotel.
Next week: Another mediocre lunch, but a discovery about how to order something other than gluten-free pizza and pasta!
Weekend Links
Mike and I had quite the adventure last weekend - we'd planned on hiking all day in Moab, but it was windy and rainy, so we popped down to Grand Junction for a few wine tastings. It was a busy day with a lot more driving than we'd planned on doing, which was fine since it meant more time for knitting! I've been caught up reading the Divergent novels, and am waaaay behind in my blog-reading, but here's what managed to catch my eye this week:
Knitting
Wool People Vol. 7 is here, and of course I'm in love with all of it, but especially Seacoast.
DIY
I'm a little bit sick of paper towels and pre-moistened wipes, but not ready to completely give them up. This is a great idea, though I might use old clothes that are too raggedy for even the thrift store - like hubby's undershirts! Also, I'm filing away this tutorial on how to make a silicone mold. Would be great for soap molds!
Gardening
This is pretty timely for me - I'm busily working on making the outer perimeter of our garden look appealing for the neighbors (and me). I especially love the last one - edible treats tucked away into decorative plantings.
Cooking
This salad looks perfect. The end.
What links caught your eye this weekend?
Knitting
Wool People Vol. 7 is here, and of course I'm in love with all of it, but especially Seacoast.
DIY
I'm a little bit sick of paper towels and pre-moistened wipes, but not ready to completely give them up. This is a great idea, though I might use old clothes that are too raggedy for even the thrift store - like hubby's undershirts! Also, I'm filing away this tutorial on how to make a silicone mold. Would be great for soap molds!
Gardening
This is pretty timely for me - I'm busily working on making the outer perimeter of our garden look appealing for the neighbors (and me). I especially love the last one - edible treats tucked away into decorative plantings.
Cooking
This salad looks perfect. The end.
What links caught your eye this weekend?
Don't Pull Those Weeds Yet! 5 Ways Weeds Can Help You Grow A Better Garden
Happy Earth Day! I don't know about you, but this is the time of year when I'd rather be playing in the garden than anywhere else. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, plants are starting to grow...including the weeds.
If your garden is anything like mine, weeds are starting to pop up all over the place. And while it's best to pull them before their root systems get too established, every year I take some time to look at the weeds to see what they're trying to tell me about my garden.
Just like any other plant, each species of weed tends to have a preference about where it will grow. And, believe it or not, weeds can actually be beneficial to your garden - if you're not growing anything else!
1. Weeds Prevent Soil Erosion
To me, this seems like weeds' primary function. Often, weeds grow where nothing else will grow, and they do a darned good job at it. Sure, they're annoying when they pop up in the middle of your lawn or vegetable patch, but that's just a side effect of their primary directive.
If you're not planning on putting another plant in a weed's place, you're just opening up your precious topsoil to erosion. Not only will your soil lose nutrients, but you risk soil runoff and dust in your eyes whenever the wind starts blowing.
2. Weeds Absorb and Recycle Nutrients Back Into the Soil
Secondary to preventing soil erosion, weeds actually use the nutrients in the soil. Sure, that's annoying when they're competing with your precious rosebushes, but weeds also help break down tough soil, and when they die they give those stolen nutrients back to the soil. Circle of life, baby!
3. Weeds Can Tell You If The Spot is Bright or Shady
Some weeds seem like they can grow just about anywhere. (I'm looking at you, dandelion!) But others have preferences for sunny spots while others prefer shade. As best you can, identify what kind of weeds you have in each section of your garden. Try to find out as much as you can about their preferences, if they have any. For example, wild violets prefer shade, while bindweed tends to like sunny spots.
Once you've identified your weeds' light preferences, you'll know whether you can really plant that full sun annual in that spot. I find this method a lot more useful than trying to look at the spot and decide if it's mostly sunny or mostly shady.
4. Weeds Can Tell You The Moisture Content of the Soil
Just like their preferences for sun and shade, weeds have preferences for moisture. Sure, water is essential to life, but some weeds thrive in drier conditions while others prefer it to be nice and moist. For example, chickweed and nutsedge grow in moist soil, while purslane and black medic grow in dry soil.
When you know the basic moisture content of your soil, you can adjust your watering schedule to both meet the needs of your plants and thwart your weeds.
5. Weeds Can Tell You If Your Soil Is Healthy
Lastly, some weeds thrive in poor soil where nothing else can live, while other weeds love rich, healthy soil. Chickweed, red clover, and stinging nettle, all love rich soil, while daisies, red sorrel, and plantain thrive in poor soil.
Knowing how healthy your soil is can help you decide what plants will thrive best in your garden, and whether to amend your soil.
After playing detective with your weeds, it's finally time to pull them all out - as long as something else is ready to take their place! Weeds really are amazingly helpful, if you know how to read the messages they're sending!
If your garden is anything like mine, weeds are starting to pop up all over the place. And while it's best to pull them before their root systems get too established, every year I take some time to look at the weeds to see what they're trying to tell me about my garden.
 |
| One clump of weeds that got away from me last year |
Just like any other plant, each species of weed tends to have a preference about where it will grow. And, believe it or not, weeds can actually be beneficial to your garden - if you're not growing anything else!
1. Weeds Prevent Soil Erosion
To me, this seems like weeds' primary function. Often, weeds grow where nothing else will grow, and they do a darned good job at it. Sure, they're annoying when they pop up in the middle of your lawn or vegetable patch, but that's just a side effect of their primary directive.
If you're not planning on putting another plant in a weed's place, you're just opening up your precious topsoil to erosion. Not only will your soil lose nutrients, but you risk soil runoff and dust in your eyes whenever the wind starts blowing.
2. Weeds Absorb and Recycle Nutrients Back Into the Soil
Secondary to preventing soil erosion, weeds actually use the nutrients in the soil. Sure, that's annoying when they're competing with your precious rosebushes, but weeds also help break down tough soil, and when they die they give those stolen nutrients back to the soil. Circle of life, baby!
3. Weeds Can Tell You If The Spot is Bright or Shady
Some weeds seem like they can grow just about anywhere. (I'm looking at you, dandelion!) But others have preferences for sunny spots while others prefer shade. As best you can, identify what kind of weeds you have in each section of your garden. Try to find out as much as you can about their preferences, if they have any. For example, wild violets prefer shade, while bindweed tends to like sunny spots.
Once you've identified your weeds' light preferences, you'll know whether you can really plant that full sun annual in that spot. I find this method a lot more useful than trying to look at the spot and decide if it's mostly sunny or mostly shady.
4. Weeds Can Tell You The Moisture Content of the Soil
Just like their preferences for sun and shade, weeds have preferences for moisture. Sure, water is essential to life, but some weeds thrive in drier conditions while others prefer it to be nice and moist. For example, chickweed and nutsedge grow in moist soil, while purslane and black medic grow in dry soil.
When you know the basic moisture content of your soil, you can adjust your watering schedule to both meet the needs of your plants and thwart your weeds.
5. Weeds Can Tell You If Your Soil Is Healthy
Lastly, some weeds thrive in poor soil where nothing else can live, while other weeds love rich, healthy soil. Chickweed, red clover, and stinging nettle, all love rich soil, while daisies, red sorrel, and plantain thrive in poor soil.
Knowing how healthy your soil is can help you decide what plants will thrive best in your garden, and whether to amend your soil.
After playing detective with your weeds, it's finally time to pull them all out - as long as something else is ready to take their place! Weeds really are amazingly helpful, if you know how to read the messages they're sending!
Weekend Links
I hope you all had an awesome Easter weekend! We kept busy - there was knitting, errands, yardwork galore, three restaurant meals (more than we normally have in a month), and a movie. And we experienced our very first earthquake - a 3.2 about 30 miles away from us. I heard the porch creak, then it felt like the house was on a wave of water. Mike and I looked at each other and said, was that an earthquake? Wild. Anyways, here's what caught my eye this week:
Knitting
I haven't forgotten that I've pledged to knit sweaters this year. Right now, I'm plugging away at my socks and a stealth pattern, but I am loving vintage sweaters and sweaters with lace panels right now.
DIY
I'm loving the idea of these DIY infused balms. The infused oils would be fun to try in soaps, as well.
Gardening
I spent the weekend prepping a new flower bed using this technique. I have another (normally very weedy) spot in the garden where I've used this cardboard/mulch technique, and it's cut down on my weeding time substantially. Win! Also, I'm seriously considering sweet potatoes this year, not just for the food, but for the groundcover as well.
Cooking
This recipe reminds me of a sandwich I used to love to grab at work. Sadly, the restaurant has left the area, so I'll have to settle for making my own.
What links caught your eye this week?
Knitting
I haven't forgotten that I've pledged to knit sweaters this year. Right now, I'm plugging away at my socks and a stealth pattern, but I am loving vintage sweaters and sweaters with lace panels right now.
DIY
I'm loving the idea of these DIY infused balms. The infused oils would be fun to try in soaps, as well.
Gardening
I spent the weekend prepping a new flower bed using this technique. I have another (normally very weedy) spot in the garden where I've used this cardboard/mulch technique, and it's cut down on my weeding time substantially. Win! Also, I'm seriously considering sweet potatoes this year, not just for the food, but for the groundcover as well.
Cooking
This recipe reminds me of a sandwich I used to love to grab at work. Sadly, the restaurant has left the area, so I'll have to settle for making my own.
What links caught your eye this week?
Leftover Success
Mike and I went to Pasta Jay's on our way back from Grand Junction, and we each got a gluten-free dish. (Here's my review.)
Anyways, the serving sizes are big enough for us to split, so we had some leftover. Mike's leftover pasta lunch became my dinner - with the addition of some frozen peas and grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Success!
Anyways, the serving sizes are big enough for us to split, so we had some leftover. Mike's leftover pasta lunch became my dinner - with the addition of some frozen peas and grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Success!
Our Italian Restaurant(s): Florence, Part Four
Let's be real. The best part about Italy was the food. It seemed like we started the day with a big spread at our hotel (where there was always hot cappuccino, and gluten-free options for me), and then we spent the rest of the day figuring out what our next culinary indulgence would be. In between, we checked out some famous - and amazing - historical sites, museums, and churches, but it was really all about the food. In this series, I'll share the amazing meals we had, just in case you're planning a trip to Italy anytime soon ;)
The Club House might have had our favorite pizza ever, but Giannino in San Lorenzo had the most and best to offer for a gluten-free eater. It was so good, we went there twice.
Both times, we split this amazing caprese salad. It came out on a bed of raddichio and frisee, and had the freshest tomatoes and tastiest mozzarella. Mike's usually not a tomato eater, but these tomatoes were so good I had to fight to get some on my plate.
On our first visit, I had tortellini in a tomato sauce that was to die for. The tortellini was amazing too - it's been ages since I've had tortellini, since it's so hard to find gluten-free tortellini. Mike had ribollita (not gluten-free), and said it was awesome.
Our waiter even brought us gluten-free bread - a roll about the size of a hot dog bun, split lengthwise and darkly toasted. It, too, was very good.
On our second visit, we split a gluten-free prosciutto pizza. It wasn't as good as the pizza at the Club House, but it was still very tasty.
Hats off to Giannino in San Lorenzo for two delicious gluten-free meals!
Next week: Venice!
On our first visit, I had tortellini in a tomato sauce that was to die for. The tortellini was amazing too - it's been ages since I've had tortellini, since it's so hard to find gluten-free tortellini. Mike had ribollita (not gluten-free), and said it was awesome.
Our waiter even brought us gluten-free bread - a roll about the size of a hot dog bun, split lengthwise and darkly toasted. It, too, was very good.
On our second visit, we split a gluten-free prosciutto pizza. It wasn't as good as the pizza at the Club House, but it was still very tasty.
Hats off to Giannino in San Lorenzo for two delicious gluten-free meals!
Next week: Venice!
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