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Living a Village-ish Life in Suburban California

Critters You Want

Information about all sorts of useful creatures for a healthy and abundant garden, and how to make sure they come to your yard.

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Greek mom and yiayia (grandma), living the suburban life with my family in the heart of California like it’s a Greek village!

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You better believe I've got green beans growing in my garden right now. I have my fingers crossed, candles lit, stavro made, spit three times against the mati/evil eye *ftou ftou ftou*, and agiasmo sprinkled to ensure a good season (I'm kidding, kind of 😁). Yes, I love green beans, and I especially love them prepared in this Greek green bean and tomato stew called fasolakia. Tomatoes, garlic, onion, green beans, and sometimes potatoes (though not in this recipe), are all stewed together with a liberal dose of olive oil to make a delicious dish worthy of being it's own meal. A big chunk of bread to wipe up all the juices is highly recommended! It's also another meatless dish to enjoy as we head into the final stretch of Great Lent. It's so easy to put together, so come on over for a visit to get the recipe!

I absolutely love artichokes, I do NOT love the earwigs that decide to live in them. Seriously, for every bucolic picture of freshly harvested produce, there is a horror story of all the nasty critters that must be flushed out and washed away. Dozens and dozens were swarming out of these as I started to clean them. In the end it's nothing that a little water and some elbow grease can't take care of, and you will never taste the difference. Pesticides are used very very very sparingly in our garden (organic options for slugs/snails are about it), instead we try to utilize nature's own bug predators to help us out. I use my pressure cooker to prepare my artichokes and serve them with some mayonnaise that has had some lemon juice stirred in, kind of a "cheater's" version of a hollandaise sauce. How do you like to prepare yours?

15 seconds of back yard bonfire zen. Nice ending to a busy day.

If you think these are grapes, you are part way right. These are actually grape flower buds. They don't flower in the way we think of typical flowers, but without these there will be no future grapes. I'm not really good on my pruning, but it looks like we did a decent enough job for a good season. 😁 Happy Friday to you all!💙

We have been going for walks after school as much as possible lately. There has been too much time sitting in front of computer screens for all of us this last year. Mind you, I'm thankful we were able to keep ourselves healthy, but our scenery doesn't get to change much. There's a road we frequently go down that offers us some cool wildlife sightings and it's been nice to see some surprising plant life there, too. This is one I've never seen before, and I'm very curious to know whether it's edible or not. I'm not willing to experiment (I'm kind of into staying alive), but if anyone knows what this is, please chime in!

Today is National Gardening Day, but really this should be an everyday kind of thing, don't you think? I'm a firm believer that getting outside and interacting with other living things (that aren't other humans) is important for our overall well being. Studies have repeatedly shown that gardening provides a variety of both physical and mental health benefits. Even if all you have available is a couple of plants in pots, it's still something! I have a whole section on my blog dedicated to the world of gardening with tips on growing information, lessons I've learned, critters to know about, and even just some fun stories about what's going on in my yard. So head on over for a visit and feel free to take a look around!

There is something about crab that makes it such a versatile ingredient. Its flavor pairs perfectly with so many others. While I'm not about to test it out in desserts, I will make cakes out of them none-the-less (yes, I'm being punny today!😁). In Greek we call crab cakes kavourokeftedes, or crab meatballs. While this recpe is not strictly Greek, it still incorporates some traditional Greek elements and will of course taste amazing with a squeeze of lemon or a side of tzatziki (Greek yogurt and cucumber dip). These also have a nice and crispy beer batter crust on the outside, so it's all sorts of good! And as usual, it's a pretty easy dish to prepare! So come on over for a visit and feel free to tag a friend and to share!

You are looking at the Greek version of "mom's spaghetti" on this plate here. This red-orange mound of pasta symbolizes all the hugs and kisses a Greek mom could possibly squeeze into food form and stuff into your mouth. This is one of a handful of dishes I make that pleases EVERYONE completely. No one's picking anything out or eating half-heartedly. It's hard to explain what it is about this dish that evokes so many fond memories from one generation of Greek kids to the next, but thankfully it is not hard to prepare it. It's also typically made meatless (though you could add some kind of meat if you want to), which makes it perfect for Lent. The recipe is ready for you and is just a click away, so come on over for a visit and be sure to tag a friend and to share!

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