Let's Get Growing!

Seattle Seedling's Monthly Musings Helping you live off the land in the city - one month at a time! January 2015 Follow: Pinspiration abounds! Follow my garden boards on Pinterest Happy New Year! Happy, happy new year, my friends! 2014 was a big year for me! I built a schoolhouse, accepted a new job after ten years in the classroom, and married the love of my life. If I had to sum up 2014 in one word, it would be change! Blissful transition and change!I am so excited to discover what 2015 holds. I've got lots of class ideas up my sleeve and am *gasp* working on my first book! I can't wait to tell you more about it, but for now, it will be my little secret. I really look forward to growing together in 2015!Lots of love, - Stacy Introducing the Urban Farm Schoolhouse! Out with the old and in with the new! Seattle Urban Farm School is now officially called the Urban Farm Schoolhouse! Nothing else has changed. It is still the same awesome farm school with the same awesome mission – to help gardeners develop their gardening skills so they can grow an abundance of organic fruits and vegetables in the city. You can find class information and can subscribe for updates at farm school's new website:UrbanFarmSchoolhouse.com Click the button below to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for lots of videos with tips on how to make your garden grow! Click Here! Let's Get Creative with a Winter Mosaic Workshop! The rainy, cold winter is the perfect time to get creative. Let's get together for a little mosaic and create some beautiful art that we can add to the garden when springtime comes back around. It's a two-part series, on two consecutive Wednesdays (January 21st and 28th), that will introduce you to the beautiful world of mosaics. If you've been to my yard before, you've surely seen a mosaic or two or three. They add color and catch the light in a way that makes my garden shine even brighter. And all of my mosaic art started from learning the basics in one stepping stone class. I took those basic skills and ran with them and it's been a joyful, life-giving hobby ever since. I took that class over 12 years ago. In this inspiring class, I'll pass on those foundational skills to you so you can make gorgeous mosaic art for your yard and garden.Click here for more information and to register. Know someone who would enjoy these timely tips? Please share the gardening love! Share: Recipe: Oven-Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad This salad may have made me a true beet convert. It's the kind of recipe, yet another from my beloved cookbook, Tender, that makes me want to write a letter and tell her, "Tamara, I think you wrote this book just for me!" This recipe is the bare bones version of her salad, which is made even better with a sprinkling of crispy bacon pieces and blue cheese (I used goat cheese feta with much success). It's simple, but so delicious, even to a former beet-hater like me.Oven-Roasted Beet Salad with Blood OrangesAdapted from TenderI made a garlic vinaigrette for this salad using a recipe in the aforementioned cookbook, Tender, but you don't need an exact recipe to make a lovely vinaigrette. Use Michael Ruhlman's ratio for the perfect vinaigrette = 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. The options are endless. Add a little Dijon mustard, garlic, and shallots and you won't be disappointed.4 large beets, washed and trimmed2 blood oranges, peeled, segments cut into smaller chunkssalt and pepperabout 1/4 - 1/2 cup homemade vinaigretteWrap each beet tightly in aluminum foil and roast right on the rack, at 400 degrees.Bake the beets for about 45 minutes to an hour, until you can easily pierce the beets with a fork, but are still met with a little resistance. You want them to be tender, not mush.Remove the beets from the oven and open the foil pockets to release some of the steam. When the beets are cool enough to handle, use the foil to rub against the beets and remove the skins. Chop the skinned beets in half and then into nice bite-sized pieces. Place into the bowl with the orange wedges. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Toss to coat.​Enjoy! Instagram Love Do you follow me on Instagram yet? It's a super fun way to see what's happening around the Urban Farm Schoolhouse. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words! Search for @SeattleSeedling and enjoy the garden eye candy! If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden. ~Robert Brault