Sod Update and A Couple Other Things

Yard Update
First things first: Hertz decided not to charge us for the damage to the Ryan. Apparently what we did was mild compared to the frustration-fueled harm done by the average renter.

Last Thursday the remainder of our grass was removed and our big tree had some work done. There's a lot less tree now but it looks good and has created a lot more light in the front yard and in the kitchen.

We were strangely relieved that it took three people most of a day to complete the work that Stacy and I started. They had the same model Ryan Sodcutter we used, and they struggled with it almost as much as we did. It took two of them to maneuver the thing, using essentially the same method Stacy and I employed.

Since then we've bought and planted a few things, lest our neighbors worry or the dirt somehow asserts its own will. We have a general idea what we want to do, but we'll consult with a friend who is a landscape designer next week too, just to be sure we're not making any huge mistakes. The weather was great today and it was fun to get out there and get dirty, sweat a little and make some progress. Still plenty of digging to do.

I also had a chance to visit a great nursery, Swanson's, (http://www.swansonsnursury.com/) located in the north part of Ballard. They've been in business since 1924 and are obviously a local institution. Tons of cool plants and I discovered that there is LOTS of great gardening gear -- great looking tools that appear to be very well-designed and represent a huge upgrade over our old and rusty implements. Check out this great-looking cultivator (a hand tool that apparently helps one cultivate) made by Radius:

Beets
We joined a Community Supported Agriculture farm this summer. In the early going it was tough to eat all the leafy greens that made up pretty much the whole delivery. In recent weeks we've started getting some real vegetables including green beans, squash and onions. And beets. Red beets two weeks ago, then golden beets this past week. I would not characterize myself as a beet lover. Until a couple of years ago, my experience of beets was pretty much limited to the pickled beets that were always the black sheep of the hamburger garnish family. (I also know this: Jordan High School in Sandy, Utah uses "Beetdiggers" as the nickname for its sports teams; apparently a lot of beets are grown in Utah.)

Anyway, I found a recipe for sea bass with beet sauce and beet greens and made it last Friday (substituting fresh ling cod for the $26/lb previously frozen sea bass they had at the store.) It turned out quite good and was easy. I roasted and then pureed the beets, adding balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and some sauteed garlic. The greens were sauteed in butter and some fresh ginger root and were great. There are tons of beet recipes on epicurious.com, so give them a try. Don't forget the greens--they're really good.