Goddamn it, that was good!

I got home from the Combichrist concert, which kicked my ass so hard I may have spinal damage, so hungry I couldn't wait until I got inside to start fondling food. I grabbed one of the Ancho San Martin peppers, none of which I'd eaten so far, from the garden on the way in the door. I also grabbed a box of tomatoes from my final harvest yesterday. After various rummagings and general food alchemy, I ended up with:

Chopped edamame, seasoned olives, and freshly cooked bacon bits, with sliced cherry tomatoes, shredded parmesian cheese, and a dash of balsamic vinegar all inside the Ancho San Martin pepper.

*CRUNCH*!

And two of the ingredients came from my *own* *garden* when it's 33 degrees outside. :)

I *really* wanted to take a picture of the literal cornucopia of colors and flavors, but not more than I wanted to eat it *right* *now*!

Pity.

The Close Call

I went from my house in South Austin all the way up to north past Mueller airport on my scooter in very cold temperatures tonight to go to a Re-Evaluation Counseling class I recently signed up for with my old Permaculture instructor Selwyn Polit. The scooter's range is reduced by as much as 40% in very cold weather, as it has lead-acid batteries. I charged the it for three hours there, which is respectable, but definitely not a full charge. I *then* proceeded from Mueller down to Elysium for Combichrist, *then* drove home *without* *recharging*.

By the time I was going pulling into the driveway, the E-meter was blinking red. It's the closest call I've had so far, and it's an *awesome* test of maximum range on the bike, since it's rarely this cold in Austin. Taking these kinds of risks is exciting. It helps me feel like I'm pushing the envelope for sustainable transportation, and the consequences of getting it wrong aren't *too* bad.

At least, they aren't when it's not nearly below freezing outside. :)

Making Mint My Bitch

I've always wanted mint in my herb spiral, but I've heard from *lots* of people that Mint Takes Over. So far I've managed not only to prevent it from taking over, but to kill it repeatedly. Why? Because *this* project wasn't done yet.

Now, it is.

I have some ugly blue rainbarrels I use for water catchment to water my plants and trees. I took some used cedar fencing and covered them with it to make them look like wooden barrels. But the top?

The top was ugly.*

So, stacking functions in a Permaculture way, I decided to combine my mint-lust and my desire to cover the top of my barrels. I've created a tray that fits on top of the barrel, under the wood, and holds the mint. There is a protected hole for the piping so no dirt will get into it, the mint gets automatically watered when it rains, as some water always collects on top of the barrels, and because it's in it's own container four feet off the ground, it *can't* *escape* and Take Over!

I'll post pictures once the mint gets busy and makes things look pretty.

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