AfricanKelli

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I was invited to table at the Old Town Farmer’s Market in Scottsdale today; it was fun to talk a bit about the organization I work for and to meet other nonprofit/gardener/activist folk. There were lots of families roaming the market, many with small children and dogs. The people watching was fabulous and the company of the other vendors was lovely too.

Of all the gorgeous organic fruits and vegetables for sale, I bought homemade ice cream and a container of medjool dates. Sweet Republic’s “burnt sugar” tastes like crème brulee in a scoop. Their flavors are so creative and fabulous – in part because they use local, fresh produce when making their batches.

If I’d had another $20 in my wallet, I would have purchased an armful of these roses. The gardener grows them in downtown Phoenix as a hobby; she talked me through the varieties. This is the first bloom of the season for the Abraham Darby rose, my new favorite flower. She said the second bloom will occur in mid-May. I’m going back with a giant vase and a pocket full of cash. {I’ve been back twice to buy African baskets from Abdullah, as many of you requested. He hasn’t been back since.}

This bunch of flowers appeared a uniform and delicate ivory from a distance. Upon closer examination, they are the palest yellow, purple and pink. I was surprised how much I was taken by their beauty. Fat cabbage and antique roses are simply stunning. Certainly a delightful way to start my morning, surrounded by the sweet scent of spring.

~K

With more than an acre of land, a half dozen families from Burundi and a well intentioned group of overly caffeinated volunteers, the community garden plots took bloom today. Actually, without irrigation this week, the rock hard caliche land left us little room to do any significant gardening. Yet we were able to take several truck loads of donated wood, blocks and brick to carefully deliniate the 18 garden plots. Each one is more than 8′ x 15′.

We had more than 70 seed packets to distribute. I have a feeling this land will soon be full of sunflowers, okra and more melon than we know what to do with.

A couple local coffee shops provided the first bit of grounds to help turn the land from a sea of Bermuda to something a bit more productive. We are going to need all of Phoenix to up their coffee drinking in the next few months. I thought I’d gathered quite a bit of grounds — not enough for even one plot.

Yet another exercise in learning patience.

Graciously, Greg came forward to give more than a dozen tools to the community shed. Plus, any excuse I can get to visit the Urban Farm merits the drive. I wandered through his yard of apple trees — heavy with misshapen pale green fruit — and rows of early summer vegetables that look like a heavenly salad bar for any lucky rabbit.

Trying to make sure each plot is the same size and marked appropriately is a bit more of a challenge than I realized. Come to find out, spacial planning is not my forte. Thankfully, the roommate has a much keener eye. He put us to work and soon enough the earth was lined with recycled materials. Soon the refugees scattered among the plots, selecting the site for their future garden bounty.

(One might think pick axing the earth without gloves would hurt? One would be right. Then again, my prissy hands were holding the camera and remain splinter and blister-free.)

It was a beautiful day in the garden and while it will be months until anything significant comes out of this communal space, we made progress today. I am so thankful for the handful of friends who helped and sincerely appreciate the miraculous generosity of those who’ve given seeds, time and money.

Small small catch monkey.

~K

I had a few friends over last night to enjoy the spring garden spoils. The grapefruit margaritas were the biggest hit; I liked the collard green wraps. I stole the idea from a restaurant in Scottsdale and then found this handy website to help with the prep. The wraps are sturdy enough to hold steak, beans, guacamole and other vegetables as they did last night — without the gummy flour tortilla getting in the way.

Or, you could follow as Kent did last night and make it a double-decker, using both for a bit of collard green salad inside your wrapped tortilla. With the myriad of produce on the table, one friend commented — “I’ve never even seen some of these vegetables.” Jicama and chayote were to blame. Most of it ended up in the composter, but of course I loved it. His 4-year-old daughter, on the other hand, loved the Cacahuate Brownies — take your traditional recipe and add a bit of cayenne, cinnamon and spicy peanuts.

New friends, old friends, good food, warm evening weather and a walk through the garden after dessert — it was a lovely evening.

~K

Details: A CAOK gift for a girlfriend: Amy Butler Swing Bag pattern: Decor weight fabric.

It felt incredibly fulfilling to sit down and be creative yesterday. I turned on new music, went through stacks of fabric and fell into a bit of a trance. There should be a word for the feeling of being so content at what you are doing, time slips away unnoticed. Do you ever get lost in what you are doing, only to look up and realize hours have disappeared? It doesn’t happen often, but this luxury is one that can’t go unappreciated.

There was a bit of a deadline to get this project finished; it had been sitting cut on my kitchen table for more than a week. I am having a few friends over for dinner tonight and I’ll need every inch of kitchen/table space available. I’ve got an idea of what I’m making, but nothing is certain other than fruity margaritas. It is the end of the citrus season in Phoenix and my pantry is overflowing with lemon and grapefruit. Also under consideration: skirt steak tacos, pepita green wraps, chips and guacamole and cayenne brownies for dessert. Ole!

{Left on the April-May project list: 25 tote bags for Susie’s sorority, a baby wall organizer for Steph’s adopted Ethiopian babies, aprons for the Sweet Republic ladies, a table runner for Meg,  recycled cashmere sweater stuffed animals for Tiffany/Rory, a wrap skirt for Christy, a pair of “baby blue fingerless gloves” for Delaney, and a neon green sun hat for Madison. There are a couple May birthdays and Mama’s day gifts too. Woo!}

~K

A friend wanted to learn to bake bread this weekend; we whipped up a couple loaves of the infamous No Knead variety. I must say, this bread is great for soup but not the best for everyday stuff –like sandwiches. The crust is too hard. I’m going to keep playing with the recipe. I am envisioning a whole wheat nutty loaf that would be good as toast for breakfast or a kick ass hug around some turkey for lunch.

You know who has amazing bread in Phoenix? Wildflower Bread Company. They sent me a $50 gift card this week for some contest I didn’t realize I’d entered, much less won. I highly recommend the sweet potato sandwich. It’s like Thanksgiving on a bun.

~K

{On a completely different note — many of the local gang have asked about the community garden details. This Friday we’ll be planting in the morning and could use your help. Shoot me an email if you want directions and details.}