Apartment Gardening: Planting Seeds

I remember the first time I planted anything from seed. I was nervous that it wouldn't work. It's much easier to plant vegetables and flowers when all the hard has already been done for you by someone who knows what they're doing. But a couple years ago I took the jump and planted basil from seeds I got from my mom but was afraid to plant myself until then.

It actually wasn't as hard as I thought. However, I didn't bother to look at a planting calendar, which tells you the best time to plant things. But the basil came up and soon I was able to eat my favorite herb with spaghetti, Caprese salad and scrambled eggs. Since then, I've also planted lettuce, peas, spinach and cilantro from seed.

But, like every gardener, I'm still learning. I recently started producing a gardening segment at work (see video below), and the first topic we did was starting from seed. The new thing I learned was that if you want to start from seed in those little trays that you then transplant from, you have to use seed starter, not just any old dirt or potting soil. This explains why the lettuce plants on my window sill this year haven't come up yet. I used the wrong dirt. Well, there's still time to start over. I guess I know what I'm getting the next time I'm in the garden shop.

Snowshoe Adventures: Blue Pool and Sahalie Falls, Oregon

     Wintertime in the Northwest is a great time to enjoy the outdoors. I recently went on a snowshoeing day trip with my fiance, Nathan, and his best friend Keith to celebrate Keith's birthday. It was the end of January, and in Eugene we had gone through series of what we consider really cold temperatures--highs in the low 20s. I know, it's worse in other parts of the country, but to me that's really cold. But snowshoeing is one of those activities that I did once at Gold Lake last year, and I enjoyed it so much, I knew it was worth it to get out in the cold and do it again.
     After stopping for coffee--the boys only, of course, because I don't like to drink it--we set out for Highway 126 East, also called McKenzie Highway. I like this drive, especially in the fall when the leaves turn vibrant colors. This is the highway I like to take if I go to Bend or farther, like when I went to Boise one time. But that Saturday we didn't go that far, only about an hour to get to our first stop, the beginning of Tamolitch Trail to go to Blue Pool, also called Tamolitch Pool. This turquoise pool is one of the clearest, most beautiful bodies of water I've ever seen. The trail to it isn't that far either. It's only a few miles, according to one website. We made plenty of photo op stops along the way to take pictures of the McKenzie River, snow and a bird that kept diving into the middle of the river. The three of us were the only ones on the trail for a while. We only saw about four other people and one or two dogs the entire time we were there. It's peaceful, almost like it's your own backyard, especially when you get to Blue Pool. The water is so clear, you can see almost all of the rocks covered in a shade of turquoise. The only experience I can compare it to is when I first saw Crater Lake. It's so picturesque, it almost doesn't even look real. The is definitely a place I'd like to see once each season to see how it changes throughout the year.



     After getting back to the car, we ate lunch and headed to our next destination not too far off: Sahalie Falls. I've been there in the summer, but not the winter, let alone with snowshoes. This was a little more tricky to do with snowshoes because the trail is a little more steep and winds back and forth a little bit. I'm glad I rented poles. This is a great place to take pictures of the falls and the river, especially with slow shutter speeds which make the water blur. Nathan and Keith, of course, always want to get a better angle for their pictures, so they carefully make their way off the trail to take some great shots. I also recommend this hike in the summer.





     Our last stop was Koosah Falls, but I kind of wimped out and stayed in the car. They guys were only gone for about 15 minutes, but I had been in a jazz performance at the Hult Center the night before so I was pretty tired, and I didn't know I was going on this trip until the day before we left. It's kind of fun planning last-minute trips though. I'll have to check out Koosah next time.
     I recommend showshoeing to anyone who hasn't tried it. It's basically walking on snow. You can take your time, and there are plenty of trails available for all skill levels. If there's a trail that you enjoy during the warmer seasons, check to see if it's a good place to snowshoe on because it will give you a different perspective that you might find more interesting.
     Let me know what your favorite place to snowshoe is! I'd like to check it out.

Stew for a Winter Day

I just finished another bowl of some delicious vegetable beef soup for lunch today. I made it with my slow cooker last week and still tastes just as good as the first day I ate it. It was very simple to make, and I encourage you to give it a try. If you want to cook it on low heat, cook it for no more than eight hours. I've made the mistake of trying to do these types of recipes for 10 hours, due to my work schedule, but my roommate was kind enough to turn the heat to warm when she got home. That was the key to making the meat perfectly tender.

If you are short on time for prepping, chop the onions and potatoes beforehand and put them in airtight containers. That way all you have to do is throw them into the slow cooker. You can also measure and mix the spices ahead of time too, but only put two teaspoons of beef buillion in it or else it will be too salty. I was able to avoid that by ready the reviews online. One thing that did differently with this recipe was use vegetable broth instead of water. I like broth more than water in stew because it adds more flavor. So if you want a good winter dish for dinner and leftovers, give this one a try.